Anne Meador (left) says Annette Patterson (right) and The Advancement Foundation changed her life.

Starting a nonprofit is hard, but starting one in the heart of a recession is nearly impossible. That didn’t stop The Advancement Foundation (TAF) and its president and founder Annette Patterson.

“Here we were in 2007, a grassroots nonprofit with no money, no staff, working for the poorest nonprofits in the community, who serve the poorest people in the community,” she says. “We had no business even surviving that first year. But we did, and we’ve just grown and grown.”

Last fall TAF celebrated the opening of the Charity Cottage Thrift Store, a project that provides earned-income funding for TAF as well as three additional nonprofits: Project Access, Manna Ministries and The West End Center for Youth. Located at 301 S. Pollard St. in Vinton, the store is open Monday through Saturday and sells a variety of fine items. It also includes a reborn doll shop, art gallery and even a cozy cafe.

“While working to increase the capacity of valuable nonprofits in our community, we also provide direct services in order to improve the lives of the poor and vulnerable for the long term,” Patterson says. “The store is the tangible example of everything we do – supporting nonprofits through the earned income of the store and using the store as a venue for providing real-life training for the poor who wish to improve their lives.”

Anne Meador, a participant in TAF’s L.E.A.P. (Lift, Educate, Advocate, Proclaim) program for underprivileged women, is one of the many individuals TAF has helped.

“When Annette met me, I wouldn’t even look her in the eye,” she says. Today Meador volunteers at the store three days a week, leads a disadvantaged group advisory council, is in the process of buying a home and is even starting her own baking business called Sugar Chef Delights.

“We are very grateful to TAF for the input and the knowledge they brought to us, and the proceeds raised through the Charity Cottage are enormous,” adds Kate Ellman, director of Project Access, which delivered more than $1.9 million in free medical and dental healthcare to 1,080 working adults without insurance in 2011.

“TAF has been instrumental in keeping us afloat,” says Ed Wyatt, director of Manna Ministries, a nonprofit that distributes free food to about 200 families (3,000 individuals) living in poverty each month.

These individuals and the organizations  they represent are just a few touched by the efforts of TAF, and the list keeps growing. According to Patterson, TAF’S business partner program offers local businesses the chance to receive free marketing, sales, business assessment, team building and social media/website services in exchange for participating in the skills-training program.

“Tudor’s Biscuit World and Rowe Furniture are two of our first partners who are allowing trainees to build skills through their businesses,” she says. “It’s a win-win, and that’s what we try to create. We’re not just trying to change people living in poverty. We’re trying to change the perceptions of our community about people who are living in poverty.”

Ready to help out? Here’s how:

1. Donate. TAF and the Charity Cottage are in constant need of donated items to sell, and cash contributions are also welcome.

2. Shop. Every dollar the Charity Cottage earns supports the partnering nonprofits.

3. Volunteer. In addition to helpers at the store, TAF is always looking for new business partners willing to apply their talents  and resources to help the underprivileged.

To learn more please visit:
TheAdvancementFoundation.org
CharityCottageThriftStore.com
WestEndCenter.org
Manna-Roanoke.com
ProjectAccessRoanoke.org

Community School Strawberry Festival, May 4-5. Strawberry desserts, live entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, children’s activities and more. Elmwood Park, Roanoke. 563-5036, communityschool.net.

4th Annual Derby Day Gala, May 5. Fundraising event featuring traditional Kentucky Derby food and drink, friendly wagering and live entertainment. $100. Rockledge, Roanoke. 342-2640, eventzone.org.

25th Annual Take Pride in Smith Mountain Lake, May 5. Volunteers spruce up the lake and shore for the coming summer season. Smith Mountain Lake. 721-1203.

Art Market and Food Tasting, May 5. Original, affordable art by local artists, tastings of delicious, locally-grown and made food, and a free art activity for children. Vinton Farmers Market. 983-0613.

Virginia State Championship Chili Cookoff, May 5. Chili cooks compete for the state title. Event includes chili samples, live entertainment and children’s activities. Railside Plaza, Roanoke. 342-4716.

Goodwill Appraisal Event, May 11. Appraisers Ken Farmer and Robert Miller will appraise various items. Space limited to 80 people; pre-registration by May 4 is required. 1-3 p.m. Hollins Goodwill Store, Roanoke. goodwillvalleys.com.

Mother’s Day Weekend, May 11-13. Samplings of fruit wine and a gift for mom. Peaks of Otter Winery, Bedford. 586-3707, peaksofotterwinery.com.

Caching in on Scenery, May 12. Travel by vehicle and on foot to spots in Roanoke County using a handheld GPS to guide the way. Begins and ends at Green Ridge Recreation Center, Roanoke. 387-6078, roanokecountyparks.com.

Roanoke Rail Fest, May 12. Celebration of the people who built and ran the railroad in Roanoke with  music, food, tours, activities for kids, model railroad displays and more. Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke. 342-5670, vmt.org.

Mother’s Day Buffet, May 13. Buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Reservations recommended. Winery will be open during these hours; tours are scheduled at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Chateau Morrisette, Meadows of Dan. 593-2865, thedogs.com.

New Market Parade and Ceremony, May 15. Held in honor of cadets who fought and died at the Battle of New Market. Virginia Military Insitute, Lexington. 464-7306.

The DREW Expo, May 15-21. Traveling carnival. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483. drewexpo.com

Armed Forces Day & National Maritime Day Recognition, May 19. Wreathlaying and a visit by veterans of the Armed Forces. National D-Day Memorial, Bedford. 586-3329, dday.org.

Cork and Blues Festival, May 19. Featuring national and regional blues bands and tastings of various Virginia wines. $20. Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista. 261-7321.

Local Colors Festival, May 19. Celebrating and learning about different cultures through music, arts, crafts, parade, food, attire, language and goodwill. Elmwood Park, Roanoke. 904-2234, localcolors.org.

Shake, Bake and Sprout, May 19, June 23. Free, fun and educational activities for children, including hands-on container gardening, children’s cooking, and fun exercise and movement. Vinton Farmers Market. 983-0613.

Mr. Bill’s Wine and Grill for Memorial Day – A Customer Appreciation Event, May 23. Samples of beer, wine and food from the grill. 5-8 p.m. Mr. Bill’s Wine Cellar, Roanoke. 400-7771, mrbillswinecellar.com.

20th Annual Roanoke Valley Spring Bead, Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show, May 25-27. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Festival in the Park, May 25-28. Concerts by Lee Brice, The Gin Blossoms, Craig Morgan and more, plus arts and crafts and entertainment. Elmwood Park, Roanoke. 342-2640, roanokefestival.org.

Louisiana Crawfish Festival, May 26. Crawfish, gumbo, red beans and rice and fun activities. Bower Center for the Arts, Bedford. 586-4235, bowercenter.org.

Movies at Longwood, “The Smurfs,” May 27. “Zookeeper,” June 23. Begins at dark. Concessions available. Longwood Park, Salem. 375-3057.

Remembering Their Sacrifice, May 28. Wreath-laying ceremony, speakers and special music to pay tribute to those who have given their lives in service to our nation. National D-Day Memorial, Bedford. 586-3329, dday.org.

14th Annual Lebanese Festival, June 1-3. Lebanese food, music and dances performed in full costume. Children’s activities: moon bounce, inflated obstacle course and face painting. St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church, Roanoke. 562-0012, steliaschurch.org.

Woofstock Dog Festival, June 2. Dog-related activities, music and more. $5. Elmwood Park, Roanoke. 342-2640, woofstockdogfestival.com.

Promote Commotion for Life, June 3. Fundraising event to benefit Roanoke Relay for Life featuring Sully, Levi’s Gene Pool, Madrone, venders, raffles, food, Harley the Biker Dog and more. Noon-8 p.m. Roanoke Masonic Lodge. 427-4466, facebook.com/promotecommotion.

68th Anniversary of D-Day, June 6. Ceremony at the National D-Day Memorial, including the addition of a D-Day fatality to the Memorial’s Necrology Wall. Bedford. 586-3329, dday.org.

Craft Show & Music, June 9. Hand-made crafts and gifts, a free craft activity for children and live music. Vinton Farmers Market. 983-0613.

Shrimpfest, June 9. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

4th Annual Send a Kid to Camp Golf Tournament, June 11. A tournament to raise funds for children to attend Apple Ridge Farm’s summer camp. Roanoke Country Club. 982-1322.

Father’s Day Weekend, June 15-17. Samplings of fruit wine to dazzle dad. Peaks of Otter Winery, Bedford. 586-3707, peaksofotterwinery.com.

8th Annual World War II in Miniature Display and Flag Day Event, June 16. One-of-a-kind exhibit featuring miniature World War II model planes, tanks, ships, jeeps, historic figures and more. National D-Day Memorial, Bedford. 586-3329, dday.org.

14th Annual African American N&W Heritage Celebration, June 16. Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke. 342-5670, vmt.org.

Father’s Day Buffet, June 17. Buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Reservations recommended.  Winery will be open during these hours; tours are scheduled at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Chateau Morrisette, Meadows of Dan. 593-2865, thedogs.com.

Mountain Road Wine Experience: Picnic Down the Parkway, June 23-24. Five wineries, one meadery and one cider house offer picnic treats paired with wine, mead or cider. Roanoke and Floyd. 580-4901, mountainroadwineexperience.com.

Growing Up in World War II: Day Camp, June 27-29. Students in grades 4-6 take a trip back in time with this camp where they learn what life was like on the homefront during World War II and as a soldier. National D-Day Memorial, Bedford. 587-3617, dday.org.

Miss Virginia Pageant, June 29-July 1. Women from all over the state compete. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 540-853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Drama/Comedy/Dance

“Hello, Dolly,” May 4-6, 12. A tale of love and match-making. Ticket prices vary. The Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg. 434-528-3256.

Riverdance, May 6. The final USA tour. 7 p.m. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

“57 Hours in the House of Culture,” May 16-27. Chechen terrorists seized a theatre in Moscow and hundreds died. Now, night after night, the ghosts of the dead theatre-goers relive the terrifying experience of being held hostage. Studio Roanoke. 343-3054, studioroanoke.org.

“A Little Murder Never Hurt Anybody,” May 30-June 10. Matthew decides his life is dull and resolves to kill his wife by the next New Year’s while she resolves to be alive for their daughter’s wedding the following year. Ticket prices vary. Showtimers Community Theatre, Roanoke. 774-2660, showtimers.org.

Go, Dog! Go!, June 7-17. Interactive stage experience with music and movement full of fanciful frolic and frivolous fun. Roanoke Children’s Theatre. 309-6802, roanokechildrenstheatre.org.

Napoli Ballet, June 16. Italian ballet set in the town of Naples that tells the story of a young woman named Teresina who falls in love with a fisherman, Gennaro. 6:30 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

“To the New Girl from the Former Mrs. ____: Sound Advice for My Husband’s New Wife or Mistress,” June 20-July 1. Ten women give considered advice – sometimes poignant, sometimes hilarious – to their husbands’ new flames. Studio Roanoke. 343-3054, studioroanoke.org.

“9 to 5 The Musical,” June 21-24, 27. Violet and her co-workers, Judy and Doralee, turn the tables on their obnoxious boss. Presented by TheatreWorks Community Players. BlackBox Theatre, Martinsville. 276-632-3221.

Exhibits of Art and Artifact

Art Majors Show, through May 6. Roanoke College fine arts majors display all media in a pre-graduation exhibition. Smoyer Gallery, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2332, roanoke.edu.

“Earth With Meaning: The Photographs of Alan Cohen,” through May 6. Vestiges of the Berlin Wall, remains of Holocaust sites, meteor impact craters and more come to life in this exhibit. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

“Fabergé,” through May 6. More than 100 objects made by the renowned House of Fabergé, including photograph frames, tableware, desk accessories, boxes, clocks and jewelry. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

“Metempsychosis: The Power of Transformation,” through May 12. By juxtaposing stylistically dissimilar images from different cultural contexts, this exhibit challenges people to look more deeply and draw new conclusions in the surrounding world. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

“Requiem for Steam: Photography of David Plowden,” through mid-May. Thirty prints featuring the ethereal and poignant beauty of a long-gone era. O. Winston Link Museum, Roanoke. 982-5465, linkmuseum.org.

“Friendship Dolls: Japan and America in the 1920s,” through June 9. This exhibit seeks to reunite “Friendship Dolls” from both countries, reminding people of the power of a single idea – and the spirit of children – to act as an instrument of peace and goodwill. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

“Fabergé from the Hodges Family Collection,” May 4-Jan. 19. 2013. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

“Alice Hohenberg Federico ‘67,” May 31-Sept. 15. This ceramicist draws inspiration from ancient Greek vessels, traditional Japanese techniques, and modern English pottery to create sensuous sculptures. Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6532, hollins.edu.

“Goodnight, Hush,” May 31-Sept. 15. Original artwork exclusively from “Goodnight Moon.” Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6532, hollins.edu.

“In the Event of Andy Warhol,” May 31-Sept. 15. Artistic contemporaries and inspirations of Andy Warhol, as well as Warhol’s original works. Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6532, hollins.edu.

“Dorothea Lange’s America,” June 8-Aug. 10. Examining Lange’s strikingly empathetic photographs along with the work of other important socially conscious photographers of the period. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

“Big Lick Boom: A New Installation by Wayne White,” June 8-Aug. 25. White will combine his word works with puppetry in an exhibition that will channel Roanoke’s history and engage visitors with with sights, sounds, smells and interaction. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

“Show by Henry Horenstein,” June 15-Sept. 4. Combination of a love of history with a blend of documentary photography and a dose of pop culture. O. Winston Link Museum, Roanoke. 982-5465, linkmuseum.org.

Informative Talks/Fine Films

An Evening with J.J. Ramberg, May 14. Anchor and host of MSNBC’s “Your Business.” 6 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 983-0700, ext. 221, roanokeregionalforum.com.

Readings at Liminal, May 15. Readings are open to writers in all genres and are connected thematically to exhibits. Reception follows. Liminal Alternative Artspace, Roanoke. 345-1688, caraemodisett@cox.net.

Friendship Retirement Community Senior Living Series: Making Smart Financial and Legal Decisions for Retirement, May 17. Time: 6:30 p.m. Free seminar about making smart financial and legal decisions for retirement. Some of the most trusted local experts in law and finance will share tips and advice to help those in retirement or nearing retirement make the right decisions to protect themselves and their hard-earned assets.  265-2035, Friendship Retirement Community Residents’ Center, 397 Hershberger Road.

Tinker Mountain Writers’ Workshop, June 10-15. With class sizes of no more than 15, students benefit from one-on-one interaction with a workshop leader along with in-depth class discussions. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6229, hollins.edu

Lecture by Newbery Award-Winning Author Nancy Willard, June 20. Willard will speak on her work and the craft of writing for children. 7:30 p.m. Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6021, hollins.edu.

Music to the Ear

Fridays on Franklin, Superhold: May 4; McClymonts, May 18; Worx, June 1; Southern Culture on the Skids, June 15. SunTrust Plaza, Roanoke. 342-0400, firstfridaysroanoke.com.

Roanoke College Choir: Benefit Concert for National D-Day Memorial, May 4. Performance of a blend of classical and pop music. St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, Roanoke. 375-2282, roanoke.edu.

Roger McGuinn, May 4. Co-founder of the Byrds performing folk music. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Danny Schmidt and Carrie Elkins, May 12. Acoustic alternative folk music. 7:30 p.m. $10. Bedford Public Library. 586-8911, friendsofbedfordlibrary.org.

Daniel Rodriguez, May 13. “America’s Beloved Tenor.” 2 p.m. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Alan Jackson, May 18. Country superstar takes the stage. 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Salem After Five, Key West: May 18. Project 4 and The Kings, June 22. Concerts, children’s play area and a food court. $5; free for children under 12. Salem Farmers Market. 375-3057.

Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert, May 20. $5. 3 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 343-9127, rso.com.

Tommy Emmanuel in Concert, May 22. Legendary Australian guitarist. $29.50. 7:30 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

BB&T’s Party in the Park, Robbin Thompson & Steve Bassett Reunion, May 24; The Tams, May 31; The Voltage Brothers, June 7; Chairmen of the Board, June 14; The Embers, June 21; The Legacy Soul & Motown Review, June 28; Super Hold, June 29. Elmwood Park, Roanoke. 342-2640, pitp.org.

Moonlight Serenade, May 26. The Jefferson Choral Society will perform an evening concert of patriotic music. National D-Day Memorial, Bedford. 586-3329, dday.org.

The Steel Wheels, May 27. Americana music. Theater at Lime Kiln, Lexington. 463-7088, theateratlimekiln.com.

Picnic at the Pops: One Vision – The Music of Queen, June 2. Presented by Roanoke Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with Jeans ‘n Classics. 8 p.m. Salem Civic Center. rso.com.

Yanni, June 4. Acclaimed piano player. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Fatty Lumpkin & the Love Hogs, June 9. Rock and roll music. Theater at Lime Kiln, Lexington. 463-7088, theateratlimekiln.com.

19th Annual Fiddlers Convention, June 15-16. Individual and children’s competitions, flat-footing and folk song contest, bluegrass and old time music. Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista. 261-7321, mauryriverfiddlers.com.

Yellow Dubmarine, June 17. Reggae Beatles cover band. Theater at Lime Kiln, Lexington. 463-7088, theateratlimekiln.com.

Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, June 24. Bluegrass. Theater at Lime Kiln, Lexington. 463-7088, theateratlimekiln.com.

The Best in Sports

61st Annual Ernest “Pig” Robertson Fishing Rodeo, Nursing Home Patient’s Day: May 2, Ages 9-12: May 5. Lake Spring Pond, Salem. 375-3057.

Trail Nut 10K and Half-Marathon, May 5. 9 a.m. $25. Falling Creek Park, Bedford. 525-9452, mountainjunkies.net.

WWE Smackdown, May 8. Featuring a double main event with “The Great White” Shamus versus Daniel Bryan and “The Apex Predator” Randy Orton versus “The Big Red Monster” Kane. Ticket prices vary. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483,
roanokeciviccenter.com.

Salem Red Sox Home Games, May 8-10, 18-20, 22-24, 28-29. June 1-7, 14-17, 28-30. Game times vary. LewisGale Field, Salem. 389-3333, salemredsox.com.

Gallop for the Greenways, May 12. A 5K to help raise money to support the growing network of Greenways. 5-10 p.m. Wiley Drive and Roanoke River Greenway. gallop4thegreenways.com.

MANNAthon 2012, May 12. Five-K, 8K and family 3K walks to benefit Manna Ministries Food Bank. Fallon Park, Roanoke. 776-6161, mannathon.wordpress.com.

Grandin Court 5K, May 19. 9 a.m. $20. Starts at Grandin Court Baptist Church, Roanoke. 774-1684, ext. 18. grandincourtbaptist.org.

Health Focus Sports Physicals, May 19. For students entering grades 7-12 for the 2012-2013 school year. $17 per student. Students should arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Northside High School, Roanoke. 444-2925, ext. 200 or 202, healthfocuswva.org.

House Mountain Horse Show, May 26-27. Regional schooling horse show for hunter and jumper riders. Virginia Horse Center, Lexington. 464-2950.

Race for Open Space, June 2. 9 a.m. $20. Green Hill Park, Roanoke. westernvirginialandtrust.org/race.

Conquer the Cove 25K and Marathon, June 3. 6:30 a.m. $40. Carvins Cove, Roanoke. mountainjunkies.net.

Roanoke Valley Horse Show, June 18-23. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Anchors Aweigh 5K, June 23. Also includes one-mile fun run. 9 a.m. Rivers Edge on the Greenway, Roanoke. anchorsaweigh5k.com.

Hold onto your kite strings! It’s almost spring!

That first year at the kite festival, we arrived at noon. I had heard about the festival for years – kites! decorating stations! t-shirts! all free! – so I packed light: only a few small kites to use as back-ups if (when) the kids, aged 4, 8 and 10, ruined their free ones. But we arrived too late, and the fun freebies had run out hundreds of kids ago.

I found some stickers and markers in the van, so we spent an hour or so assembling, bedazzling and attempting to fly our tiny back-up kites, which I am now convinced were intended for decorative use only. It was a cold, cloudy, windless day, and we finally gave up and headed to Mac & Bob’s for calzones, which were so delicious we all remembered the day fondly and happily returned to the festival the next year.

This time, we were ready. We arrived early enough to get in on the freebies, and we had the van loaded for bear with three big diamond-shaped kites, extra string, snacks, drinks and a football. That year, however, the day was blistering, and the wind was so strong we could have flown one of the kids had we brought heavier-test string. Decorating the free kites was a big hit, but when the kids tried to fly them, the wind literally took them away.

All three of those kites blew away in the first few minutes – I erroneously assumed that kids aged 5, 9 and 11 could hold on to their own kite strings, even in a bluster – but I was prepared, with: back-up kites! But during assembly, different parts kept blowing away (it was gusty, I tell you!), especially the kite tails, which are apparently vital to a kite’s flight pattern. The kids kept getting their strings crossed, and their kites ended up crumpled and in impossible knots.

After the second innocent bystander got nailed by our football (accidents both, I was assured), we started packing up. Of course I had dressed the kids for last year’s weather, so they were hot, tired and sunburned by the time we gave up and headed over to Mac & Bob’s. Bob’s calzones are really good, so when we saw the kite festival advertised the next year, we were all in favor of giving it another go.

By the third year (third time’s the charm!), we had this thing figured out. We arrived before the festival even began, so we beat the traffic. We left the freebies for the toddler set, and immediately unloaded our gigantic, colorful kites (Sam’s Club, $12) that we had assembled the night before in the comfort of our family room. The kids dressed in layers, and we spread them far apart to avoid criss-crossing kite strings. And we left the football at home.

We flew the kites for ages, ate our snacks, then walked around and admired all of the other gigantic, colorful kites: An eagle! A shark! A rainbow! A centipede that took four people to fly! It was a beautiful show of thousands of kites, and after one more round of flying our own, we left for Mac & Bob’s, for the perfect end to a perfect day.

Go fly a kite! The 14th Annual Blue Ridge Kite Festival is from 10 a.m.-4.p.m. on Saturday, April 21st at Green Hill Park in Salem. But don’t wait for the festival to savor a calzone at Mac & Bob’s! They’re open daily; 316 East Main Street in Salem, macandbobs.com, 389-5999.

Dare to Care Charities supports Katie’s Place by leasing the nonprofit the farm site at no cost. Will you help too?

The dream of a place where adults with significant disabilities can come to build friendships and participate in an active community is steadily becoming a reality.

Something is happening on a quiet piece of farm land in western Bedford County. Playing with a rabbit is making someone smile. Feeding a flock of chickens is teaching someone else a lesson about caring for animals. Nearby a group is planting crops in a garden, working together for a common purpose that brightens their lives and gives them a sense of pride and personal accomplishment.

But what’s really special – many of these individuals are adults with intellectual disabilities.

In late January, Katie’s Place Farm, a nonprofit organization formed “to provide persons with developmental disabilities an opportunity to live their lives with purpose and meaning,” took a big step forward with the launch of a new community farm program offered three days a week.

“It’s been magical,” says Program Director Amy Baker. “When you pair up animals with this population there is a certain thing that happens. There is a calmness and a really neat empowerment because they’re taking care of something else, watching it thrive and live because of them.”

Adults with disabilities are often left with nothing to do but sit at home after age 22 because they are no longer eligible for public education, so Katie’s Place is designed to be a “next step” for these individuals. The organization was originally incorporated in 2005 to help fill an unmet need after the Lewis-Gale Medical Center canceled its animal-assisted therapy program, but its mission quickly grew larger. Today long-term plans call for the addition of a residential home on the farm where a small group of adults will one day be able live fulfilling lives as part of a larger farm community.

“We saw the need far exceeded just an hour of animal therapy a week, so why not build a life around it?” says Co-President Joy Parrish, whose daughter Annie has cerebral palsy.

“As people spend time here all day every day for a large part of there lives, there could come a time when there is a need to transition to a residential placement,” she continues, pointing to adults who outlive their primary caregivers as an example. “By that time the farm would feel like home to them, and they wouldn’t have the shock of having to move out of their childhood home to a place that is entirely foreign.”

In order for Katie’s Place to succeed it will need the support of the community. As this issue goes to press the farm is awaiting licensure from the state that will allow it to accept Medicaid waivers, but even after that process is complete there will still be a critical need to support individuals without funding.

“I have seen people wait five or six years for a Medicaid waiver, and they’re on the emergency wait list,” Baker says. “The Foundation for the Roanoke Valley was very generous and we were able to receive their philanthropy grant last year, which gave us a $25,000 head start. So right now no one pays anything to come here. But that’s going to be an ongoing need, and our ability to meet it is going to be based on our community’s willingness to support these people through charitable donations.”

How You Can Help: In addition to monetary donations, Katie’s Place is currently in need of fencing for animals, farm tools and other equipment as well as volunteers who would like to help on the farm or by leading a craft or cooking activity. To learn more call Amy Baker at 540-947-2777 or visit katiesplacefarm.org.

In our January/February 2012 issue, I talked about the impact of the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression on our community, specifically our nonprofit organizations. I asked our local businesses and our readers to consider how they might help and pledged that our local publishing company would do more in 2012. We’ll also be spotlighting a number of nonprofit programs editorially throughout the year.

What follows is a story about one small business and how it is making a difference in our community – Fleet Feet Sports.
“I don’t know what we would do without the people at Fleet Feet,” says Amy Waller, director of Student Outreach Services, a program that provides shoes to needy middle- and high-school aged Roanoke City students. “They’ve provided dozens and dozens of the highest quality shoes for our homeless, transient and economically disadvantaged students. One homeless high school student was so happy he cried.”

Daria Goode, director of development for the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Virginia, echoes Waller.
“Fleet Feet collects donations in exchange for free gift wrapping at Christmas, and for three years has donated that money to the BGCSWVA,” she says. “They’ve also donated items for our annual dinner and golf tournament. But the biggest thing is that they were so key with our first race. Everything from getting the word out to times and bags, they were there to dot every ‘I’ and cross every ‘T.’”

Fleet Feet Sports owners Blaine and Robin Lewis say giving back is a blessing.

“We are grateful for the ability to give,” Robin says. “We’ve realized it’s not just about us. It’s about people like Amy Waller of Student Outreach Services who deserve all the credit in the world for what they do.”

Add it all up and Fleet Feet touched more than half a dozen charitable organizations and raised more than $12,600 in donations in 2011. Here’s a breakdown:

• Raised $3,479 in donations for The Turning Point Women’s and Children’s Domestic Abuse Center and the BGCSWVA.
• Donated new products worth $4,128 to students in the Roanoke City Schools and to Second Helpings of the Rescue Mission.
• Donated $4,000 of New Balance products to the Rescue Mission’s Drumstick Dash through vendor relationships.
• Donated $1,050 in gift certificates to numerous non-profit and civic events.
• Collected over 100 large boxes of previously worn shoes for the Rescue Mission.
• Collected toiletries for Turning Point.
• Collected many large boxes of non-perishable food items for Manna Ministries through a Christmas Food Drive.

Can the Lewises keep it up?

“We plan to seek new ways to give more in 2012,” Robin says.

Next time you need running shoes think about Fleet Feet and all the other local businesses that give back to our community.

Have your own story about giving back? Email it to rwells@leisurepublishing.com and we’ll try to use it online or in an upcoming issue.

During World War II London was suffering as German bombers tried to bomb the English into submission. The National Gallery of Art in London frantically removed its masterpieces to the countryside to assure their survival.

But then something amazing happened. Londoners rose up and demanded that the art be returned! To them, the art provided a way to escape the horrors of war; it represented a civilizing force at a very uncivil time. The National Gallery conceded and brought back a masterpiece for Londoners to enjoy. The art then rotated through the museum, so if the museum was struck by a German bomb the majority of the collection would still be safe.

Art is an important part of our lives. While Roanoke is certainly not suffering as did London during World War II, we nonetheless all have stressors. Public art truly enhances our lives, and the following provides a brief overview of the public art in which we as citizens of the Roanoke Valley should take pride and the time to enjoy.

The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University

Clockwise from upper left: James McGarrell’s “Holbein Inventions” hangs in Hollins University’s Eleanor D. Wilson Museum; Alice Aycock’s “The Solar Wind”is near Roanoke College’s science building; Rodney Carroll’s sculpture at the Roanoke Civic Center extends a welcome to visitors; Mountain music is the theme of one of Cheryl Foster’s Market Building mosaics.

Points of Interest:
• The museum attempts to show that art has many layers; mathematics comes to bear on a work’s composition just as much as socio-historic forces possibly shaped the overall theme and subject of the work.

• The Frances J. Niederer Artist-In Residence Program allows the art department and museum to bring in a nationally renowned contemporary artist to Hollins for the spring semester each year.

• If you wish to explore other works from the permanent collection, contact the museum and set up an appointment. The museum has a viewing room where works of art can be displayed upon request.

Noteworthy Works:
• The museum has in its permanent collection two works by Bin Dahn, the American-Vietnamese artist whose works explore the history of Southeast Asia from ca. 1950-1975, and how that period continues to shape the region’s culture.

• Known for the “Christy women” he depicted in the late 19th century and during World War I, as well as for the depiction of the signing of the Constitution that hangs in the nation’s Capital, Howard Chandler Christy’s work is in the museum.

Olin Hall Galleries, Roanoke College

Points of Interest:
• The galleries hold numerous temporary exhibitions throughout the year which are free.

• The galleries have a respectable permanent collection which the public can view. Visitors can even set up a tour of the campus in order to see works from the permanent collection that have been distributed around campus, all at no cost.

Noteworthy Works:

Clockwise from upper left: “Bike Rack # 9,” by John Wilson″sits next to Wachovia Plaza on Salem Avenue; Among the new features of the City Market Building are entryway mosaics; Bin Dahn’s work, at Hollins, explores the history of Southeast Asia, ca. 1950-1975; The mosaics at the City Market Building all carry Roanoke themes.

• “Reading Garden #1,” by Siah Armajani, is a sculpture found on the campus that symbolically suggests the most important activity that can occur on a college campus: reading and research! Being a reading garden where viewers can actually become a part of the work as they sit and read, it is almost suggesting that within the work knowledge is planted and will grow within the space.

• Alice Aycock’s “The Solar Wind” which is a massive sculpture that has an industrial feel to it. The work is academic as it is located near the college’s science building. The work alludes to the history of technology and how technology impacts our lives.

City of Roanoke’s Public Art Program

Points of Interest:
• One of the more important players in helping shape the aesthetic landscape of Roanoke is Susan Jennings, arts and culture coordinator for the city.

• A committee helped identify what type of art the city would purchase, which overwhelmingly wanted the city to procure contemporary art that has a cutting edge.
Noteworthy Works:

• The Reading Garden at Gainsboro Library is one of the grander works in the city’s permanent collection. The artist, Madeline Wiener, reacted to community input and held numerous workshops that were open to the public. When you explore the words that she sandblasted onto the books in the garden, you are reading words put forth by fellow Roanokers. Some of the titles found on the books are books by African-American authors that at one time were banned.

• With the renovation of the Market Building, the city brought in Cheryl Foster from Maryland to design four mosaic works related to the history of the Market Building and Roanoke. While Foster designed the mosaics and helped with installation, she by no means completed the installation by herself. She worked with others from the community in order to get input on the design and with fabrication.

• And don’t miss Roanoke’s collection of outdoor sculpture. For details: artinroanoke.org/

So you’re still reading?

Seriously – get out there and explore the great art the Roanoke Valley has to offer! There are so many opportunities in the region to view some wonderful works of art at a price that can’t be beat. Yes, the works in private museums such as the Taubman Museum of Art are worth exploring, but don’t forget that a weekend could be filled with an amazing arts experience for no cost.

More Public Art!

Be sure to explore these other great artistic resources in or not far from Roanoke:

• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute – medicine and art have a long history together, and this newest educational collaboration keeps that tradition alive as local artists have works on display at the Institute.

• The numerous downtown Roanoke galleries – take advantage of the art galleries in the downtown area. Stroll from one to the next and view some beautiful works of art, many by local artists. If one grabs you, buy it.

• Exercise your body and soul by participating in Art by Bike. Grab your bike and follow a predetermined route found here: bikeroanoke.com/routes/rte_artbybike.pdf in order to enjoy some outdoor sculptures.

• Explore art the first Friday of every month during Art by Night. Galleries throughout the downtown Roanoke area are open from 5 to 9 p.m. Go to roanokeartbynight.com to learn more.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, March 16. McDonald’s Parade, music, merchant vendors, contests and more. Downtown Roanoke. 342-2640, roanokesaintpats.org.

Saint Patrick’s Day at Peaks of Otter Winery, March 17. Wear green and receive an extra discount on wines. Bedford. 586-3707, peaksofotterwinery.com.

The SPRING Home Show – Better Living Expo, March 23-25. Builders, designers and other vendors share ideas for the home. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

National D-Day Memorial presents Run for Hope 5K, March 24. 8:30-10 a.m. National D-Day Memorial, Bedford. 587-3619, dday.org.

City of Salem Easter Egg Hunt, March 31. Eggs filled with prizes and candy, kids activities and visits with the Easter Bunny. Longwood Park, Salem. 375-3057.

Blossom to Bottle Open House, March 31-April 1, April 6-8, 13-15. Peaks of Ottery Winery, Bedford. 586-3707, peaksofotterwinery.com.

Blue Ridge Bike Fest, April 13-15. Indoor and outdoor vendors, music, test rides of new bikes and more. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

2012 Virginia Blue Ridge Race for a Cure, April 14. A 5K race and one-mile walk to raise funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. Elmwood Park, Roanoke. 400-8222, komenroanoke.org.

A 100 Year Anniversary Titanic Event, April 14. Dine on five courses with wine as re-enactors animate a momentous evening’s final hours. Reservations required. 6:30 p.m. Chateau Morrisette, Meadows of Dan. 593-2865, thedogs.com.

Lexington Scots Irish Heritage Festival, April 14. Featuring an opening parade, highland games, craft vendors, traditional food and music by the Virginia Highland Pipes & Drums. Lexington. 464-6545, lexcelts.com.

14th Annual Blue Ridge Kite Festival, April 21. Professionally choreographed routines and kite flying tricks, food, and arts and craft vendors and more. Green Hill Park, Salem. 387-0267.

E-Waste Recycling Event, April 21. As part of their Supporting Green Initiative, Cycle Systems, one of the region’s largest recyclers, is celebrating Earth Day with a comprehensive electronic recycling event that includes consumer electronics, hand-held devices, kitchen and beauty appliances, tools and more. Drop-offs are free, but there is a $5 charge for each television and monitor because of the cost it takes to recycle this equipment properly.9 a.m.-3 p.m. 2580 Broadway Ave., Roanoke.

Salem Gun & Knife Traders Show, April 21-22. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

58th Annual Vinton Dogwood Festival, April 25-29. Carnival, entertainment stages, craft show, distance run, children’s area, antique car show and the annual parade. Downtown Vinton. 983-0614, vintondogwoodfestival.org.

4th Annual Blacksburg Fork and Cork, April 28. Festival featuring food, wine, art, music and more. First and Main Shopping District, Blacksburg. 443-2008, blacksburgforkandcork.com.

Historic Garden Week Tour, April 28. Self-guided walking tour of local homes and gardens. Roanoke. 804-644-7776, vagardenweek.org.

Prelude to Invasion – Living History Event, April 28. WWII period command tent, a briefing on the invasion and information about weapons of war. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. National D-Day Memorial, Bedford. 587-3619, dday.org.

Rockin’ Brews & BBQ’s, April 28. A variety of barbecue, live music, children’s activities and more. Downtown Moneta. 721-1203.

PetEx 2012, April 28-29. Expo featuring vendors, workshops, demonstrations, pet-themed entertainment, contests and more. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Spring Tea Dance, April 29. A day of entertainment, dancing, dining and camaraderie. $25 per person. The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Roanoke. 985-5900, hotelroanoke.com.

Drama/Comedy/Dance

“Arsenic and Old Lace,” March 2-4. A drama critic must deal with his crazy family and local police as he debates whether to marry the woman he loves. Little Town Players, Bedford. 586-5881, littletownplayers.com. 

Broadway in Roanoke: Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” March 11. Spamalot tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Cirque du Soleil: Quidam, March 28-April 1. A bored young girl slides into an imaginary world where she meets characters who encourage her to free her soul. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

“The Velveteen Rabbit,” March 29-April 7. The Velveteen Rabbit earns the love of a young boy and learns about the joys and pain of becoming “real.” Roanoke Children’s Theatre, Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 309-6802, roanokechildrenstheatre.org.

“Liza and the Riddling Cave,” April 6-7. Liza and her brother Jacob match wits with a pair of mischievous ghosts in a magical cav. Olin Theater, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2333, roanoke.edu.

“The Lion in Winter,” April 11-22. King Henry II has trouble deciding who will inherit the kingdom in this comedic drama. Showtimers Community Theatre, Roanoke. 774-2660, showtimers.org.

Lewis Black: In God We Trust, April 12. Stand-up comedian/ranter who provides a cathartic release of anger and disillusionment for his audience. 8 p.m. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

“Good Ol’ Girls,” April 13-15, 18, 21. A celebration of childhood through old age with big hair and bigger hearts. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6517, hollins.edu.

Nobodies of Comedy, April 14. A cabaret setting of touring talent. 7:30 p.m. The Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg. 434-528-3256, academyfinearts.com.

Imago Theater: ZooZoo, April 20. Cirque Du Soleil-evoking acrobatics mixed with Mummenschanz-like mime, set in a unique, French-influenced avant-garde playground. 7 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Roanoke College Performing Arts Series Presents The Helios Dance Company, April 22. Director and choreographer Laura Gorenstein Miller’s “The Lotus Eaters” performance. 3 p.m. Olin Theater, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2333, roanoke.edu.

Broadway in Roanoke: Blue Man Group, April 24. An explosion of comedy, music and technology. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Exhibits of Art and Artifact

“Goya, Dali, Warhol: Masterpieces of World Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Art,” through March 2. Showcasing dozens of timeless pieces from the museum’s permanent collection. Radford University Art Museum. 831-5754, radford.edu.

“The Aesthetic Document, a Collaboration with Marginal Arts Festival,” through March 31. WVTF Gallery, Roanoke. 989-8900 or 819-3953.

“Earth With Meaning: The Photographs of Alan Cohen,” through May 6. Vestiges of the Berlin Wall, remains of Holocaust sites, meteor impact craters and more come to life in this exhibit. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

“Requiem for Steam: Photography of David Plowden,” through mid-May. Thirty prints featuring the ethereal and poignant beauty of a long-gone era. O. Winston Link Museum, Roanoke. 982-5465, linkmuseum.org.

“In the Event of Andy Warhol,” March 1-April 1. Collection of Warhol polaroids and black and white prints. Olin Gallery, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2500, roanoke.edu.

Art By Night at Liminal, March 2, April 6. Liminal: Alternative Artspace, Roanoke. 345-1688.

“Work by Gretchen Batcheller,” March 2-31. Liminal: Alternative Artspace, Roanoke. 345-1688.

“Fabergé,” March 2-May 6. More than 100 objects made by the renowned House of Fabergé, including photograph frames, tableware, desk accessories, boxes, clocks and jewelry. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

Beverly Rayner: “Museums of Mesmerism,” March 8-April 21. The artist blends fact and fiction to create an immersive art experience. Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6081, hollins.edu.

Photographer Liza Ryan: “Fragment,” March 8-April 12. Connecting emotion and movement to explore the fragmented passing of time. Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6081, hollins.edu.

“College Exhibit,” April 6-23. Liminal: Alternative Artspace, Roanoke. 345-1688.

Informative Talks/Fine Films

Lunchbox Lecture: Powers of Persuasion – Propoganda and WWII, March 7. How propoganda posters featuring women were used to influence the public and evoke powerful emotions on the war. Bedford Welcome Center. Noon. 587-3619.

Lex Allen Literary Festival, March 10. Readings and panel discussions. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6081, hollins.edu.

An Insider’s Insight to College Planning, April 16-17. Don Betterton, former director of financial aid at Princeton University and a nationally recognized expert in college financial aid and admissions, and college financial planner Wayne Firebaugh of My College Wallet host an educational seminar to help families develop strategies for college enrollment, tax incentives and college funding. Learn how to identify the right college for your child – and the best options to pay for it. At 6 and 7:30 p.m. both days. $20 per person/$30 per couple. Higher Education Center, 108 N. Jefferson Street. Room 212. 366-5800.

Now at the Library Documentary Film Series, “Missing Women: Female-Selective Abortion and Infanticide,” March 11. “At the Gates of Autism: Emerging Into Life,” April 29. Wyndham Robertson Library, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6021, hollins.edu.

Women’s Forums: “Miss Representation,” March 13. “To Kill a Mockingbird,” March 15. “Comedy Night with Michelle Buteau,” March 17. “31 Dates in 31 Days,” March 31. Colket Center, Roanoke College, Salem. 378-5125, roanoke.edu.

Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover,” March 17. Live simulcast hosted by HomeTown Bank. $39. Roanoke County Library. 772-7507.

2012 Virginia Sesquicentennial Signature Conference on the Civil War, March 22. Theme is “Leadership and Generalship in the Civil War.” Virginia Military Institute, Lexington. 804-786-3591, virginiacivilwar.org.

Author Julia Reinhard Lupton Lecture: Shakespeare and Hospitality, March 29. Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6081, hollins.edu.

Mystic Chords of Memory: Results of the Civil War, April 4. Lecture by Gary Gallagher of the University of Virginia and Allen Guelzo of Gettysburg College. Bast Gym, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2500, roanoke.edu.

Author Alice Fulton, April 12. MacArthur award winner. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6021, hollins.edu.

An Insider’s Insight to College Planning, April 16-17. Don Betterton, former director of financial aid at Princeton University and a nationally recognized expert in college financial aid and admissions, and college financial planner Wayne Firebaugh of My College Wallet host an educational seminar to help families develop strategies for college enrollment, tax incentives and college funding. Learn how to identify the right college for your child – and the best options to pay for it. 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. both days. Cost: $20 per person/$30 per couple. Higher Education Center, Roanoke. 366-5800.

Unfolding Democracy in the Muslim World? The Promise of the Arab Spring, April 18. Presented by Dr. Reza Aslam. Bast Center, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2500, roanoke.edu.

Author Catie Rosemurgy, April 26. Poet. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6021, hollins.edu.

Music to the Ear

Roanoke College Jazz & Wind Ensemble Joint Concert, March 1, April 19. 7:30 p.m. Olin Theater, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2333, roanoke.edu.

Joe Nigro and the James Piano Quartet, March 2. Bower Center for the Arts, Bedford. 586-4235, bowercenter.org.

American Voices in War & Peace March 5. Performance by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and Roanoke College Children’s Choir. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 343-9127, rso.com.

SFJAZZ Collective plays the music of Stevie Wonder, March 6. An all-star jazz ensemble. 7:30 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Kroger Cabin Fever Series, March 9. The Band of Oz. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Winds of the Blue Ridge Presents: “Shades of History,” March 11. 3 p.m. Conducted by Dr. Barry Kolman. Composers include William Schuman, Frank Ticheli, Percy Grainger and John Williams. Free admission. Northside High School. windsoftheblueridge.org.

Elton John, March 15. John and his band will perform number one chart hits and classics from his albums. Ticket prices vary. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Celtic Crossroads, March 16. Fusions of traditional Irish music, bluegrass, gypsy and jazz with the rhythms of exciting Irish dance percussion. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Mozart “Coronation Mass” and Haydn “Lord Nelson Mass,” March 18. Performance by The Chorus of the Blue Ridge. Virginia Heights Baptist Church, Roanoke. 761-6263.

The Food of Love: Music for Meditation and Inspiration, March 18, April 15. Forty-five minutes of music followed by a short prayer service. Admission: two items of nonperishable food for St. Francis House. St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, Roanoke. 774-5183.

The Firebird and 3 New Works, March 24. Collaborative performance by the Southwest Virginia Ballet and Roanoke Youth Symphony. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Angelique Kidjo, March 25. Grammy award-winning music recording artist known for her dynamic and uplifting music. 7:30 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Organ Concert: Steven Wooddell, March 25. Featuring music of Howells, Duruflé, Messiaen, Bach and more. Greene Memorial United Methodist Church, Roanoke. 344-6225.

Darrell Scott Band: There’s a World of Song, March 30. Voices will produce a Scott song to serve as a monument to the work that happens at the Music Lab at Jefferson Center. Performance at 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Picnic at the Pops: KC & The Sunshine Band with Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, March 30. Salem Civic Center. 343-9127, rso.com.

Jazz Club with Marc Cary Focus Trio, March 31. Marc Cary on keyboard, with Sameer Gupta on tabla and drums, and David Ewell on bass. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

The Moody Blues, March 31. 8 p.m. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Kandinsky Trio, April 14. 7:30 p.m. Olin Theater, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2333, roanoke.edu‘.

Russian Feast, April 15-16. Roanoke Symphony Orchestra with the Star City Piano competition winner. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Little Mountain Boys in Concert, April 21. Bluegrass, country, gospel and more. Bower Center for the Arts, Bedford. 586-4235, bowercenter.org.

Music of Richard Purvis, April 22. Instrumental and choral works. Greene Memorial United Methodist Church, Roanoke. 344-6225.

Salem After Five: Domino, April 27. Concert, children’s activities, food court and more. $5. Salem Farmers Market. 375-3057.

Margaret Wise Brown Festival Family Concert: “The Runaway Bunny,” April 28. Presented by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and a surprise narrator. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 362-6021.

The Best in Sports

Harlem Globetrotters, March 1. 7 p.m. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Explore Your Limits 8, March 3. 5K and 10K. Fees vary. Virginia’s Explore Park, Roanoke. 525-9452, mountainjunkies.net.

NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, March 16-17. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Martinsville Half Marathon and 5K, March 24. Begins at The Family YMCA. 8 a.m. Fees vary. Martinsville. martinsvillehalfmarathon.com.

Montvale 5-Mile and 10-Mile Trail Runs, March 24. 9 a.m. Montvale Park. starcitystriders.com.

Hollins Spring Horse Show, March 31-April 1. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6021, hollins.edu.

Roanoke River 5K, April 7. $17 before March 28; $22 after. 9 a.m. River’s Edge Sports Complex, Roanoke. 589-3212.

Mill Mountain Mayhem 10K, April 14. 9 a.m. Roanoke. starcitystriders.com.

National College Blue Ridge Mountain Marathon, April 21. Course includes 3,620 feet of total elevation gain. 7:30 a.m. Begins at Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 343-1550, ext. 104, blueridgemarathon.com.

61st Annual Ernest “Pig” Robertson Fishing Rodeo, April 28, 30. For ages 3-8 on April 28 and children with disabilities on April 30. Salem. 375-3057.

My family hits the lanes every New Year’s Day – just the five of us – and in the early years I was shocked at how challenging bowling can be. Among those early-year highlights:

• The 6-year-old son insisting on bouncing all his balls from side to side to the point that we were asked to take down the gutter guards.

• My daughter, 8, insisting on a hot pink ball with tiny finger holes, so she kept accidentally releasing the ball on the backswing.

• The 2-year-old son insisting on a ball so heavy that he repeatedly dropped it on my feet while I was trying to help him roll it.

We tried the contraption that pretty much rolls the ball for you, but our balls kept getting stuck in the pin area without knocking anything down. Plus my husband threw out his back trying to move the kids’ balls forward on the slick lanes while pulling the actual kids back to safety.

I threw more gutter balls than anyone and didn’t break 100 until year three. We tested different shoes, different balls and different lanes, and ate nachos until we felt sick.

My children relished this annual tradition, and after many New Year’s bowl-a-thons spent perfecting our prowess and vocabulary – gutter ball, split, spare, strike, turkey! – we felt we were ready to take our show on the road.

So next family reunion, we suggested bowling as one of our activities, and we found that bowling with a large group has its own set of challenges. My germaphobic sister kept hand sanitizer in her hip pocket and gave everyone a spritz before touching a nacho. The fashion-forward niece refused to wear the bowling shoes. My quasi-athletic brother-in-law high-fived all of us every time he knocked down a pin. One entire family of cousins showed up in matching bowling shirts. My extroverted sister had us all choose fun fake names to enter into the computer, but then couldn’t remember “Rosie’s” true identity. My mom hasn’t been able to heft a bowling ball since her last tennis elbow, so the teenagers repeatedly thanked her for being our athletic supporter, and snickered. And of course we had the token sick nephew who sneezed all over my nachos.

Compared to those outings, our recent New Year’s Day bowl-a-thons are positively serene. The kids are older and stronger, and are much more concerned with the score than the color of the ball or whether their shoes have Velcro or strings. I bowled a 128 last year, and my husband rolled two strikes in a row. Impressive, until both of the boys lucked into turkeys.

But not everything has changed: It’s now my daughter who brings along hand sanitizer and spritzes us before every nacho, and after openly berating us for eating bowling-alley nachos in the first place. This from a child who was raised on bowling alley nachos! The boys want to have matching shirts made just to annoy her. Bowling is such great family entertainment!

Get your game on!
My family bowls on New Year’s Day at Lee-Hi Lanes at 1830 Apperson Drive in Salem: leehilanes.com or 540-389-0000. A great option in Northwest Roanoke is Hilltop Lanes at 5918 Williamson Road: amf.com/hilltoplanesva or 540-366-8879. Also, Hilltop is an AMF bowling center, offering free summer bowling for kids ages 17 and under. Just sign up online this spring and they’ll email you coupons good for two free games per child per day all summer long.

Ed Walker, far right, stands with his team at the newest CityWorks site - the Ice House, along the Roanoke River in Wasena. From left: Nathan Vaught, Cooper Youell, Scott Boswell, George Stanley (kneeling), and Danny George.

He just looks too young to be the leading developer in downtown Roanoke. That big-haired, boyish-looking guy in shirtsleeves is the man behind some 17 projects resulting in 575,000 square feet of refurbished space?

Yes, Ed Walker is that guy. The wave of his real estate redevelopments has transformed blight, disrepair and shabbiness from Jefferson Street to the West End, from Campbell Avenue to the heart of Grandin Village.

He’s an ex-lawyer who successfully combines the gift of gab, a nose for marketable nostalgia and a knack for turning neglected structures into profit centers. He has won a following of bankers and goverment lenders at the Virginia Housing Development Authority to the tune of about $85 million in financing since 2002. Those first 17 projects, including apartments and condominiums, now house about 350 residents, and have scored profits boasting double-digit margins.

And for perspective on that total of 575,000 square feet of re-done residential and commercial space: That’s an area more than twice as big as the interior of Roanoke’s tallest building, the 21-floor Wells Fargo Tower.

What’s more, Walker’s real estate makeover momentum has continued during a time of sustained economic downturn nationally and while commercial property vacancies in downtown Roanoke have increased. Does all this mean Walker is some sort of magic-fingered E.T. figure? Consider:

• The 108 units of his Cotton Mill apartments, crafted out of the long-deserted Virginia Mills Building at the heretofore lonesome western end of downtown, are all filled, at rental rates that are typically more than $900 a month.
• The moribund Patrick Henry Hotel has been reborn under his hand, with a base of 50 guaranteed-rented apartments from the Jefferson College of Health Sciences providing a strong launch toward filling all 134 units.
• The 15 luxury condominiums on the upper floors of the Colonial American National Bank Building, which Walker purchased for $1.4 million in 2004, have sold for prices such as the $999,887 that retired banker Warner Dalhouse paid for his.

Those and other commercial successes are only part of the high-profile Roanoke presence for the 44-year-old Walker. Along with his commercial career, Walker has established an endearing altruistic track record. For example, he played a leadership role in salvaging the Grandin Theatre as general counsel and president of the foundation that raised funds to reopen the movie house in 2002.

Further, he founded the nonprofit Downtown Music Lab in 1999, which provides an after-school haven for teens to play and record music. And Walker bought a small lot on Memorial Avenue near Grandin Village that he turned into a public playground, called Tarpley Park. He has recently purchased another plot across the street that may become a second park.

Ed Walker chats with Patrick Henry Hotel GM Michelle Rose, who characterizes him as “a gentleman who doesn’t have to take credit for everything.”

What’s his secret? No, he didn’t arrive in a spaceship with abilities to heal. Yet one of his major attributes is a bit E.T.-like: personal warmth. It’s on display at the renovated 1925 vintage Patrick Henry, a downtown landmark which Walker reopened as an upscale apartment complex earlier this year, after it had endured eyesore status and been closed since 2007. He installed a large wall plaque in the lobby that cites the inspiration, energies and support of everyone from Valley Bank to plumbers to his wife, Katherine.

The monument speaks volumes about who Ed Walker is:

“This project is dedicated to those who built the Patrick Henry, who cared for it across the decades, who loved and used it through good times and bad; and to the hundreds of diverse professionals who labored on site and in their offices to bring the Patrick Henry back to life in 2011.”

Danny George, a supervisor on Walker’s construction contracting crew, says of the recognition, “That’s Ed. He didn’t have to do that.”

Michelle Rose, the Patrick Henry’s operations manager, who screens tenant applications there and at other Walker properties, puts it this way: “One reason I like working for Ed is that he’s a gentleman who doesn’t have to take credit for everything.”

That strong loyalty to Walker seems common among his employees and associates. They speak of him warmly and in almost reverential tones, treating him as a kind of treasure who’s special in his field. And Walker is inarguably unusual for a real estate developer – a label sometimes associated more with profits than with principles. But Walker’s brand of development isn’t of the strip shopping center or suburban-sprawl housing varieties.

He longs to fix up memorable buildings that have a story in which he gets to spin the latest scene. The Walker brain trust – his inner circle of confidants – is also in essence a heart trust, sharing values and views of the world as they yearn for it to be.

Yet while Walker is community-minded and idealistic, he makes no pretense in an interview about the realities of his business: He needs a solid return on his investments to survive and he’s well aware of competition from developers and landlords with less romantic standards.

On a walk-about interview in a decrepit apartment building he’s renovating on Day Avenue in the Old Southwest area, Walker explains his strategy there: “We’re asking whether community-minded stewardship capital can stand in the shoes of slumlords to replace them and the negative consequences of their ways of doing commerce with something that’s more positive and provides clean, safe, affordable housing for a reasonable rate of return.”

Translation: Even nice guys can’t run in the red. His profit margin target is at least 10 percent, he says without equivocation.

To be sure, Walker has had to weave his way through the economic thorns that pierced the pockets of many developers in recent years. His timing has been fortunate and smart. For example, he focused on preparing pricey condominiums before the recession eroded that once-booming market. But by the time the housing resale market collapsed in 2008, he was focusing on rehabs that offer rental apartments, which are in demand.

Meanwhile, Walker has given a rejuvenating momentum to downtown Roanoke. Other developers such as Walker protégé Lucas Thornton have landed on the historic rehab front to open new apartments this past summer. And Meridium Inc. unveiled its $5 million redo of the former Mostly Sofas store earlier this year as the burgeoning software company’s new international headquarters. Lisa Soltis, an economic development specialist for the City of Roanoke says, “There’s a lot going on in downtown and Ed Walker’s impact is everywhere.”

Walker’s $10 million rehab of the old Grand Piano Building resulted in 58 apartments.

Walker is an unpretentious man who shuns neckties and formalities. His thick hair and Kennedyesque face make him mistakable for a man in his late twenties. On summer evenings, he can sometimes be seen downtown accompanying his sons on bicycle rides. Informality is a Walker trademark: He doesn’t employ a publicist, although he’s wary of the media and resistant to interviews that focus on him.

Educated as an attorney at the Washington & Lee University School of Law, Walker acknowledges that his abilities might be marketed with less risk in that profession. But he has long had an entrepreneurial itch, and a yearning for career independence, both of which he thought might be satisfied in redeveloping forlorn structures in areas of Roanoke with which he felt both familiarity and a kindred spirit.

Besides, no other area of business beckoned, although he considered several, but eliminated most because of their day-to-day operational demands. Yet as an aspiring real estate entrepreneur, he started at square one. “I didn’t know anything about it. I bought several books to read, including a dictionary of real estate terms.”

If he could master the learning curve, he thought, redeveloping property in his hometown could offer a mission, and maybe, good money.

“This is just what I want to do,” he says. “I’m very lucky to have been able to craft a work life and a way of life that I can’t separate from me as a person.”

Thus he switched from practicing civil law, which he did for five years, to real estate revitalization in part because he simply finds the work more interesting than writing legal briefs. Moreover, he can pick his own battles, instead of having to carry the banner for clients. “It’s really about calendar control, being able to do more of what challenges me personally.”

The chance to be an agent of change for community good has become, he says, “the core of my life’s work. It turns out that real estate development is a really efficient and effective way to create change with the least amount of resistance. I could start a neighborhood group focused only on advocacy and work like crazy and get absolutely nowhere.”

Walker’s touch with property may yet play a role in the future of the disastrous Ukrop’s chapter on Franklin Road. The short-lived supermarket closed amid the recession in 2009 and the project’s lender, Valley Bank, reluctantly bought the property at auction in 2010.

Valley Bank is now trying to sell the empty Ukrop’s or come up with a new idea for the structure’s use. Among those quietly consulted is Walker, an occasional borrower of short-term construction financing from the bank who was named a paid outside director of the institution in 2007. As a director he receives $15,750 a year for a part-time job that consists of attending periodic board meetings and offering his opinions on such subjects as loan candidates; he didn’t start in time to consider the Painter transaction.

The former Colonial American National Bank Building at 204 S. Jefferson is now home to 15 upscale condos.

Walker, for his part, is a big fan of Valley Bank.

“Valley Bank is as significant a part of my story as any individual colleagues,” he says. “Local capital access is a critical part of Roanoke’s path forward. They are the only bank I’ve ever worked with and I am very grateful to them.”

He adds that Valley Bank has provided his various projects with financing that totals more than $75 million.

Thus far, says Ellis Gutshall, Valley Bank’s president and chief executive officer, Walker hasn’t solved the empty Ukrop’s problem, and shopping centers aren’t in his professional orbit. Still, Walker might well be the right person to noodle concepts for a transformation of the abandoned location.

Indeed, readers of The Roanoker magazine were seemingly on target when they voted Walker “The Biggest Brain In Town” in the May/June issue’s “Best of Roanoke” reader poll.

Walker is uncomfortable with the recognition, calling it “off base.” He adds, “Am I curious? Yes. Willing to examine many different kinds of ideas? Yes. Willing to risk funds on investments that have a social dividend, as well as a financial return? Definitely. The smartest guy in town? Not by a long shot.”

Nevertheless, Walker’s celebrity elevates him to a place “in the tradition of the enlightened middle class” hereabout, says George Kegley, editor of publications of the Historical Society of Western Virginia. Kegley says Walker follows a cultural path previously taken by the likes of the late George B. Cartledge Sr., founder of Grand Home Furnishings, whose legendary business acumen was more than matched in the public eye by his benevolence. Cartledge’s legacy includes the Grand Happiness Foundation, which in 2011 provided tens of thousands of dollars to community groups in Roanoke and as far away as Beckley, W.Va.

The families of Walker and his wife, Katherine, have high profiles in civic activity. For example, Walker’s grandfather, John, rose to national prominence in the million-member Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks as volunteer grand exalted ruler of the group that subsidizes a range of causes from student scholarships to assistance for impoverished veterans. Katherine’s father, Heywood Fralin, a nursing home chain executive, donated more than $15 million to help start Roanoke’s Taubman Museum of Art.

Ed Walker’s projects in the Grandin Village area include the Valley Bank/former-Garland’s Drug/Surf’n’Turf block on Grandin Road.

To be sure, Walker has drawn criticism as a politicker for personal gain, once in 2005 for procuring an $880,000 interest-free loan from Roanoke City Council to help convert the Grand Piano and Furniture Co. store into 58 high-end apartments now called the Hancock Building. But Walker makes no apologies for pursuing government cooperation on projects that ultimately should have the impact of boosting surrounding property values and the city’s tax base while providing jobs in a struggling economy and showing the way for other development beneficial to the overall community.

Walker is trying to generate more public discussion and wider participation in ideas that benefit the general populace in Roanoke and small cities elsewhere. In October, he was scheduled to host a series of conferences called CityWorks XPo in the City Market Building’s Charter Hall. With admission fees ranging from $175 to $550, the XPo offered seminars and discussions with an eclectic group of noted authorities in community improvement invited from around the nation – not to mention Walker himself.

The name CityWorks turns up in several of Walker’s ventures, though not in his high-profile rehabbing projects. Cooper Youell, a Roanoke attorney who handles much of Walker’s legal work, and is one of his closest advisors, says that none of the CityWorks “entities are formally not-for-profit; however, none have made money and I do not imagine many, if any, will do so in the near future. These entities are part of his community entrepreneurship efforts designed to improve the overall quality of life in Roanoke both socially and commercially.”

Thus making a good living and creating a better Roanoke are deliberately entwined in Walker’s world. You might think of some of his companies, such as Commonwealth Capital Partners LLC and Regeneration Partners LLC, as his briefcase, crammed with contracts and leases. Separately, CityWorks is his backpack, stuffed with pursuits that, while they might eventually make money, aren’t intended to throw off cash the way some of his pure business undertakings do.

For example, a Walker company called CityWorks Community Broadcasting LLC purchased struggling FM radio station 101.5, “The Music Place,” for $500,000, last February.

Walker, a fan of the station’s Americana-album alternative format, with few commercials, bought the facility after brief negotiations on the telephone with previous owner Centennial Broadcasting in North Carolina. Under Centennial, the musical makeup of 101.5 was apparently destined to change. But Walker is playing the White Knight.

“Like the Patrick Henry, 101.5 is a community asset that needed local stewardship and needed to be preserved, because it plays an important role in making Roanoke a great small city,” Walker says.

Tom Kennedy, the radio station’s manager under Centennial, has been retained by Walker and says his new boss is working on a business plan that will maintain 101.5’s character and perhaps improve its income.

“Some months we’re in the black,” he says, and revenue is rising. Walker has already sanctioned the hiring of two employees, raising the station’s total to seven.

Walker’s management style is patient listening that allows his development team room for debate. For example, during the Patrick Henry rehab, Rose requested wall paint in the 134 apartments priced at about twice the type originally planned.

The team argued back and forth as Walker sat quietly. He never referred to a calculator or scribbled numbers on paper as the discussion went on. “Ed doesn’t need a calculator,” says Rose. “Seriously, he is that good.”

Walker protegé Lucas Thornton: “I would call him a mentor.”

Walker says he couldn’t be so assured if his employees and contractors weren’t so competent. “They’re a microcosm of the personal qualities and trust needed in any company or organization to make things work. There’s a reason this development team finished the Patrick Henry seven weeks early and on budget,” he says of the $20 million job.

The enthusiasm that Walker inspires is apparent in his work crews at three apartment buildings he’s rehabbing on the 600 block of Day Avenue. Cyrus Pace, director of the Jefferson Center, who lives a few houses away, says, “He’s got workers on those apartments who are there at seven in the morning and busy all day.”

Walker credits his contracting supervisors, rather than his personal direction. He is pouring money into the three buildings and he’s proud of the change taking place.

“This was a really super unattractive structure,” he says, escorting a reporter through carpenters and painters as they labor. “But there’s the potential to turn a weakness into a profound strength.”

He plans to charge rents that are “15 percent to 20 percent less than the market to low income people” who pass thorough background checks and possess what he calls “person quality.”

That sounds great to Pace, who says his neighborhood has long been plagued by crime that he attributes to renters who aren’t screened by landlords.

Can Walker make money on his Day Avenue apartments?

“We won’t know for several months,” he says, “but it looks pretty good on paper. I think we’re going to make our goal of a 10 percent return.”

Cooper Youell, right, is one of Walker’s closest advisors.

Up to now, Walker is used to drawing a more affluent clientele with rehabs such as his luxury condos in the former Colonial American National Bank building and at the Cotton Mill. True, the Cotton Mill isn’t aimed at the wealthy – it attracts working-class tenants that include teachers, police officers and bartenders.

Beyond the acclaim generated by his major rehab projects, they all have solid potential to accomplish his double-digit profit-margin goal.

When someone moves out of a Cotton Mill apartment, it usually doesn’t stay empty for long. And while that success would be easy to take for granted now that the long-deserted former Virginia Mills Building is booming, Walker’s strategy was pioneer-like.

And Walker lives where he invests, in one of the Jefferson Street condo units, valued on city tax rolls at $1.2 million, with Katherine and their two young sons.

Walker’s triumphs are inspiring a new generation of developers interested in remodeling tired parts of downtown. Lucas Thornton, a former Walker assistant, finished a $3.5 million overhaul of what’s now called Big Lick Junction, across Williamson Road from the Taubman.

“I would call him a mentor,” says Thornton, 28, of Walker. The Lucas conversion is now the home of Community High School on the ground floor and 15 apartments on two upper levels.

Thornton emulated Walker’s financing approach of obtaining federal and state tax credits to sell to investors who use them to reduce their government obligations. And Lucas plans more downtown building rehabs in the Walker spirit: “It’s not all about money.”

But he also expresses Walker’s practical side: “Of course if you go broke, you can’t do anything.”

Walker Timeline

1967: Born, Roanoke, Va.
1985: Graduates from Episcopal High School, Alexandria
1990: Bachelor of Arts, Major in U.S. History, University of North Carolina
1990-1993: Art dealer in Europe and Southeastern U.S.
1995: Marries Katherine Fralin
1996: Juris Doctor, Washington & Lee University School of Law
1996-2002: Civil attorney at Mundy, Rogers & Frith
1999: Founds Downtown Music Lab.
2000: Son born; Jackson
2002: Son born; Finn
2002: Donates Tarpley Park, small Grandin area public park (Purchased land for $78,000.)
2002: Leaves law practice for full-time work in real estate redevelopment
2002: Village Grill transformation of abandoned gas station. (Purchased for $90,000.)
2003: 204 Jefferson Street Building; 15 condos in former Colonial American National Bank Building. ($10 million project.)
2004: Hancock Building; 58 apartments that rent from $650 to $1,500 monthly in former Grand Piano & Furniture Building. ($10 million project.)
2005: The Cotton Mill; 108 apartments that rent from $500 to $1,325 monthly in former Virginia Mills Building. ($13 million project.)
2007: Appointed to board of directors, Valley Bank
2011: Patrick Henry Apartments completed; 134 apartments that rent from $500 to $1,200 monthly in former Patrick Henry Hotel. ($20 million project.)
2013: (Planned.) The River House Apartments; 100 rental apartments and unspecified commercial space in Wasena area’s former Ice House building. (Purchased for $441,000.)
Sources: Ed Walker and public records.

Early Ed Walker: The Dumpster Misstep

Knowing that Ed Walker is a third-generation attorney and married to the daughter of one of Roaonoke’s wealthiest businessmen, it might be natural to think he started in real estate development with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Actually, he had a nail in his foot.

The injury came in 2002 after Walker made his first investment, with a $90,000 bank loan, in a defunct service station at the edge of Grandin Village that’s now known as the Village Grill.

The wound happened because he had to personally do some of the initial cleanup of the building. “There were hundreds and hundreds of old tires and other trash,” says Walker, and his budget didn’t include help to remove the refuse.

“There was no money. Zero money. I think I made $32,000 a year,” as a then 33-year-old civil attorney, he recalls.
That’s not to say that he hasn’t had the support of “parents and family” over the years that, among other things, provided him with a first-rate education, name recognition and prospective business contacts, all of which he readily acknowledges: “I’m grateful every single day and I can’t separate the work that we do from the support they’ve lent in every imaginable way.”

But the startup of his development career was, he says, “very humble.” Indeed, Walker got his hands dirty and a foot bloodied. “I was just over there” at the ex-gas station “doing what I could. I filled up the construction dumpsters.”
That’s when he stepped on a nail and had to get a tetanus shot.

Since then, his road to fame and fortune as downtown Roanoke’s highest profile developer hasn’t had a major misstep. –RJ

2012 Greater Roanoke Home & Garden Show, Jan. 13-15. Vendors offer improvement ideas for indoors and out. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Lee-Jackson Day, Jan. 14. A wreath-laying ceremony at Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, a parade through town and a service at Lee Chapel commemorate the town’s most notable citizens. Downtown Lexington. 461-0389.

Salem Gun & Knife Traders Show, Jan. 21-22. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Kid’s Winter Carnival, Jan. 26-29. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Winterfest Beach Blast, Feb. 3. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

American Association of University Women Roanoke Valley Branch 2nd Annual Used Book Sale, Feb 4-5.  One hundred percent of sales go to college scholarships for local women and the AAUW Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Seminar for 9th grade girls. Sat 10 a.m.-9 p.m, Sun 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Tanglewood Mall in the AAUW space across from Belk. 343-6844, www.aauwofva.org/branches/roanoke.htm.

Bridal Gala and Tea, Feb. 5. Vendors showcase wedding trends and ideas. Free for brides and $7 per guest of the bride. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. 985-5900, hotelroanoke.com.

Happy Valentine’s Day at Peaks of Otter Winery, Feb. 11-14. Sit by the fire and taste wine. Peaks of Otter Winery, Bedford. 586-3707.

5th Annual Radford Roosting Festival/Vulture Fest, Feb. 17-18. Follow the true story of several bird species as they migrate hundreds of miles to survive the changing seasons in the film “Winged Migration.” Other activities include a bird walk, crafts for kids, photo contest, live animal appearances and more. Radford. 267-3153.

Roanoke Valley Bridal Show, Feb. 19. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

MystiCon 2012, Feb. 24-26. A weekend-long Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror and Pop Culture Convention. This year MystiCon will host NYT best-selling author Sherrilyn Kenyon, Battlestar Galactica actress Nicki Clyne, Dragonbreath artist Ursula Vernon, special musical guests Bella Morte, an independent film festival and over 100 other distinguished guests! Holiday Inn Tanglewood, Roanoke. mysticon-va.com.

Drama/Comedy/Dance

Broadway in Roanoke: “Rock of Ages,” Jan. 8. A small town girl meets a big city rocker and they fall in love to the greatest songs of the 80s. 7 p.m. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

American Shakespeare Center: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Jan. 21. A complex farce of the adventures of four young lovers, actors and forest fairies. 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary. Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg. 434-528-3256, academyfinearts.com.

“The Winter’s Tale,” Jan. 25. Presented by the Staunton-based American Shakespeare Center. 7:30 p.m. Olin Theater, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2333, roanoke.edu.

United Nations of Comedy Tour, Feb. 3. Featuring comedians David Foster, Bridget McManus, Gina Brillon and Skiba. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

“The Revue,” Feb. 3-5, 9-11, 16-18. Presented by TheatreWorks Community Players. Tickets: $15. Martinsville. 276-632-3221.

2011 Virginia Step Show, Feb. 4. Performances by the best local and regional, Greek and non-Greek Step teams. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

“The Ugly Duckling” and “The Tortoise and The Hare,” Feb. 10. Classics presented by CORBiAN/Light Wire Theater using electroluminescent wire puppets and props. 7 p.m. Ticket prices vary. The Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg. 951-4771, thelyric.com.

Valentine’s Day Blacklight Dance Party, Feb 11. Dance to the romantic sounds of DJ DEB. 8:30- 12:30. Tickets must be purchased by Feb 8. Glow-A-Rama, 19812 Main Street, Buchanan. 254-3183, glowarama.com/valentines.html

Bellocq’s “Ophelia,” Feb. 15-19. Poet Natasha Tretheway’s poems come to life on stage through image, movement, music and the spoken word. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6517, hollins.edu.

Disney Live! “Phineas and Ferb – The Best Live Tour Ever, Feb. 25. Two creative stepbrothers who build elaborate projects with their friends during summer vacation. 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Exhibits of Art and Artifact

“The Roanoke Times History in Photographs,” through Jan. 15. Exploration of the relationship between photography and the documentation of significant events. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

“Nineteenth-Century Brick Architecture in the Roanoke Valley and Beyond: Discovering the True Legacies of the Deyerle Builders,” through Feb. 6. Highlighting the various builders of the Deyerle Family and their respective achievements. O. Winston Link Museum, Roanoke. 982-5465, linkmuseum.org.

“Bayous and Ghosts,” Jan. 12-Feb. 18. Exhibit inspired by romantic aesthetics in Louisiana’s state history. Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6081, hollins.edu.

“Treasures from the Vault,” Jan. 12-Feb. 18. Works by internationally recognized artists such as Jack Beal and Hunt Slonem. Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6081, hollins.edu.

“Goya, Dali, Warhol: Masterpieces of World Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Art,” Jan. 19-March 2. Showcasing dozens of timeless pieces from the museum’s permanent collection. Radford University Art Museum. 831-5754, radford.edu.

“Requiem for Steam: Photography of David Plowden,” Feb. 16-through mid-May. Thirty prints featuring the ethereal and poignant beauty of a long-gone era. O. Winston Link Museum, Roanoke. 982-5465, linkmuseum.org.

Informative Talks/Fine Films

Why Should University Museums Collect?, Jan. 12. Lecture by Museum Director Amy Moorefield. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6081, hollins.edu.

Lunchbox Lecture: The Rochambelles – Women on the War Front in WWII, Jan. 18. Focusing on the only women’s group assigned to a combat unit on the European front during WWII. Bedford Welcome Center. 587-3619.

Lunchbox Lecture: The Medicine of War – Combat Medics in WWII, Jan. 25. Slide presentation and discussion by historian Hugh Scrogham. Bedford Welcome Center. 587-3619.

Roanoke Regional Writers Conference, Jan. 27-28. Classes, round-table discussion, guest speakers and more. Registration required. Hollins University, Roanoke. 556-8510, hollins.edu.

Readings by Hollins Faculty, Feb. 2. Amanda Cockrell and Cathryn Hankla read from their new fiction works. 8:15 p.m. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6021, hollins.edu.

Hunt Slonem and Margaret Evangeline Artist Lecture and Reception, Feb. 16. The artists discuss their collaborative exhibition “Bayous and Ghosts.” 6 p.m. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6081, hollins.edu.

Music to the Ear

Jazz Club with Gretchen Parlato, February 18. 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Rascal Flatts, Jan. 13. Country music trio with special guests Sara Evans and Hunter Hayes. 7:30 p.m. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

The Life and Music of Don Pullen, Jan. 14. Celebrating the Roanoke native, an innovative jazz pianist and composer. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Garrick Ohlsson, Jan. 20. Chopin International Piano Competition winner. 8 p.m. Ticket prices vary. The Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg. 951-4771, thelyric.com.

Star City Piano Competition, Jan. 20-21. Young pianists play for a prize; the winner will perform with Roanoke Symphony Orchestra in April. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Kroger Cabin Fever Series, Craig Woolard Band, Jan. 20. The Embers, Feb. 17. 6-10 p.m. Roanoke Civic Center Exhibit Hall. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Rodney Carrington, Jan. 27. Singer, comedian and actor performs. 7 p.m. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Kandinsky Trio Concert, Jan. 28. Trio performs with clarinetist David Niethamer. 7:30 p.m. Olin Theater, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2333, roanoke.edu.

Pancho Sanchez and Terence Blanchard, Jan. 28. The Conga legend and trumpet star perform. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Carnivale – A Musical Masked Ball, Feb. 11. Exclusive black-tie event with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra for dancing and listening pleasure. Hotel Roanoke. 343-9127.

Romantic Showcase, Feb. 12-13. Selections by Bernstein, Hanson, J. Strauss and Mahler performed by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 343-9127, rso.com.

Bettye LaVette, Feb. 17. Soul singer. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Mark O’Connor, Feb. 17. Acclaimed violinist in a solo recital. 8 p.m. Ticket prices vary. The Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg. 951-4771, thelyric.com.

Blake Shelton, Feb. 18. The reigning male vocalist of the year in country music. 7:30 p.m. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Jazz Club with Gretchen Parlato, Feb. 18. Inventive modern jazz siner. 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile, Feb. 19. Contemporary music. 7:30 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Blues Brothers Revue, Feb. 25. Full throttle rhythm and blues review. 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary. Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg. 434-528-3256, academyfinearts.com.

The Best in Sports

Stampede Championship Rodeo, Jan. 6-8. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Virginia Tech Hockey Homes Games, Jan. 14, 15, 20, 21. Game times vary. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam, Jan. 27-28. Monster truck show. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Meals on Wheels volunteer Richard Troxel delivers a meal to Joyce Gay.

Last year a volunteer for Meals on Wheels discovered her meal recipient in a bed that was on fire at Melrose Towers. The wiring on the medical bed was faulty. The volunteer was able to get the bedridden senior into a chair and out of the room as the drapes caught fire. Had the volunteer not walked in at just that moment to deliver the daily lunch, the result could’ve been dire.

According to Michele Daley, the director of nutrition programs for the Local Office on Aging (LOA), the meal is only half of it. The other half is to make sure the recipient is OK. The case involving the bed on fire was an extreme example, but there are many less severe situations that make the Meals on Wheels program so valuable.

“If no one answers and they’ve not said that they won’t be there, we call all emergency numbers, we’ll call the hospitals, we will go back by the house and call until we can figure out where the person is,” says Daley. “We’ve occasionally had the police go in and find out if they’re stuck on the floor.”

The criteria to receive assistance from meals on wheels is based on age – 60 and older – and the inability to prepare food.
“One of the biggest criteria is that they’re homebound and unable to drive to get food themselves or that they’re unable to stand and prepare a nutritious meal,” says Daley.

Having a midday meal is key, allowing many to stay in their homes longer. Often, even those seniors who have adult children that live nearby are still alone all day while their family members work.

The need for the Meals on Wheels program has increased significantly. There are 650 meals delivered daily, which is a big uptick from when Daley began her job 14 years ago.

“When I first started we were in the 400 range, and we’ve been as high as 700,” says Daley. “There’s been a huge increase as more and more people are making the choice to stay in their homes.”

As the number of recipients of Meals on Wheels program increases, so does the need for volunteers.

“We have 43 routes that have to be covered each day, and because a lot of volunteers work for us once a week, we usually utilize 200 volunteers in a week’s time,” says Daley.

Since volunteers not only give their time but their gas, as the prices for fuel have increased, it becomes harder and harder to recruit for Meals on Wheels.

And getting each and every meal delivered isn’t just a matter of going hungry or not.

“In Covington, we had a couple of volunteers that couldn’t get a lady to answer the door,” says Daley. “They took bricks to the storm door, got in, found she’d had a stroke and got her to the hospital.”

From the extremes of saving a bedridden senior from a fire to simply being a smiling face checking in daily, the volunteers for Meals on Wheels are heroes. There just need to be a few more of them.

“I truly believe we have saved some lives,” says Daley.

How You Can Help

Give to Meals on Wheels. While the program receives funds from state and federal governments, United Way and Foundation for the Roanoke Valley, the needs for Meals grows each year. Often donations and funds do not match that need. To donate, please make checks payable to LOA Meals on Wheels and send to P.O. Box 14205, Roanoke, VA 24038 or go to loaa.org.

Donate your time. A total of 43 routes are run every day with 650 meals being distributed. More volunteers are needed all the time. To volunteer, contact Michele Daley, Director of Nutritional Services, at 345-0454 ext 3027.

Welch holds the game ball from a 1913 win at New York’s Polo Grounds.

Perhaps the deep discrimination against Indians in the U.S. in the early 1900s was part of what tempered the steely resolve that fueled Gus Welch’s protest when the Virginia highway department in 1939 came after some of the land of his ridge-line Bedford County summer camp.

Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised anyone that Gus Welch promptly sued the State Highway Commission of Virginia in 1939 when they came to take away more than 125 acres of his Bedford County boys camp for a new roadway.

After all, 27 years earlier, he had been the fierce-as-fire quarterback on a college football team that had played, according to The New York Times, “the most perfect brand of football ever seen in America,” as Welch, the legendary Jim Thorpe and their Carlisle Indian School teammates feinted and foxed their way to a 27-6 win over a highly favored, would-be-number-one Army team that featured a backfield of not just Dwight D. Eisenhower but also three other future World War II generals.

Playing with what Coach Pop Warner called “the sweep of a prairie fire,” the Carlisle boys that day in 1912 re-invented football before the eyes of America, as Welch orchestrated a series of stunning fakes and reverses, pitches and passes that advanced the game from its plodding, pounding “three yards and a cloud of dust” past into the future we witness today.

Gus Welch was 19 years old on the day the Indian boys were inspired not only by the innovations of their coach, but also by the memory of an earlier clash between the U.S. Army and American Indians – the fateful battle at Wounded Knee 22 years earlier. With Indian outbreaks still occurring in the West in 1912, this game was only the second allowed between the army men and the tribesmen.

Welch’s path from the Carlisle School in Pennsylvania to a life in Bedford County was emblematic of the rest of his life of determination, accomplishment, discipline and standing up for his rights and heritage. He’d made the U.S. Olympic track team earlier in 1912, but had been unable to compete in Stockholm because of illness. After serving as captain of the Carlisle team in 1913, the 5’9”, 152-pound Welch went on to play professional football with the Canton Bulldogs from 1915 to 1917. He studied law and then served as a Captain under General John J. Pershing during World War I, and after the war began what would become a long and fruitful career as a coach, first at Washington State, where his football teams went 16-10-1 during 1919-1922.

In 1923, he came to Virginia to become the athletic director as well as the coach of the football, baseball, basketball, track, lacrosse and boxing squads at Randolph-Macon College.

In addition to hosting about 50 boys and girls each summer at Camp Kewanzee, Gus Welch kept horses, cows and dogs.

And in 1926, he and his bride of three years – Julia Carter Welch – bought about 500 acres of former apple orchard land near the northern end of the Bedford-Botetourt county line and founded Camp Kewanzee, a summer camp for boys and later opened to girls as well.

Meanwhile, Welch’s coaching career continued to advance, including a 1930-’34 stint as lacrosse coach at the University of Virginia.

During these years, the summer camp became more and more popular, a fact that added to Welch’s “gall and dumb amazement” when, in early 1939, the State Highway Commisssion, operating on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior, came to claim those 128.27 acres of the Welches’ land, to use them for a planned ridge-line roadway called The Blue Ridge Parkway.

Gus and Julia Welch said hell no, and took the state to court.

Gus and Julia Welch lost, and were paid $3,825.40, which was applied to their original $11,000 debt to R. H. Patterson for the total Camp Kewanzee acreage.

The judge asked Mr. Welch if he had any comment on the final decree.

And Mr. Welch was ready: “The white man has been taking land from the Indian for so long that it has become a habit with him.”

In fact, those Welch traits of dogged adherence to principle and determination in the face of adversity, which had showed up both against Army and against the Commonwealth, had displayed themselves  at least several other times over the first 40 years of his life:

• I Within a span of five years during his boyhood and having already lost his father, he lost his mother, three brothers and two sisters to tuberculosis. His reaction, even as a young teen: To dedicate himself to the outdoors and to physical activity. “Now that we’re no longer people of the chase,” he told his football coach at Carlisle, “poor physical condition is the curse of the Indian. A game of some kind is our one chance against tuberculosis.”

Gus Welch became a bit of a celebrity in later life; here he hams it up with cowboy star Roy Rogers.

• A year after the triumph over Army, Gus Welch led an insurrection against Coach Pop Warner and other school officials. The Carlisle School, established in 1879 as a patriarchal, well-intentioned if steeped-in-racism “answer to the Indian problem,” had long shortcutted its students in its attempt to “civilize” them. By 1913, the combination of poor conditions, food and management as well as allegations of embezzlement saw 276 students, led by student body president Gus Welch, sign a petition that went to the Secretary of the Interior. It both brought significant reform and signaled the beginning of the end for Carlisle, which played its last football game in 1915 and closed in 1918, as it began to occur to people that Indian children should go to school with all the other children.

• In a sad denouement for the Carlisle football program, Warner coaxed Welch back for one last game – in 1914 against vaunted Notre Dame. In a vain attempt to uphold the honor of the Indians, Welch, on defense, attempted to put his 152-pound body in the way of on-charging fullback Ray Eichenlaub, 6’2”, 210. Eichenlaub’s knee met Welch’s face square-on as Welch attemtped the tackle. Despite fractures of the cheek and skull and uncertainty about his life for four days, Welch left the hospital against doctor’s orders and ignoring information that only a period of rest could prevent “a future of invalidism . . . such as paralysis, deafness or loss of sight.”

• Headaches and poverty slowed his path over the ensuing two years, but Welch had nonetheless made his way into law school and played professional football. All before, in April 1917, he enlisted in officer training school. He was commissioned a captain in 1918, but to his dismay, was assigned to Camp Meade, Md. and put in charge of recreation. But Welch, wanting to go to France and fight the war, found a way: He took over the 250-man, all-black 808th Pioneers and went overseas with his raw troops, to carry out the duties no one else wanted.

The 1939-’40 carving away of 128 acres did not end Camp Kewanzee, as its buildings and primary recreation lands lay to the east of the roadway and its right of way. The camp continued to operate, serving up to 50 five-to 14-year-olds each summer through the decade, as Gus Welch continued his athletic mentoring career in the non-summer months, during World War II serving as head of physical fitness at Georgetown University, and then teaching phys-ed at Lyndon Hill Junior High in Prince George County.

But as the decade of the ‘40s wore on, difficulties arose over the care of the camp during the winters. Caretakers came and went, and the Welches – then spending their winters in the Washington, D.C. area – worried increasingly over the stock at the camp. One winter Gus Welch had to leave Washington at 2 a.m. in a snowstorm to take care of the animals, prompting talk of selling the camp.

Instead, the Welches moved to Bedford, into a house along Va. 43 not far down the mountain from the parkway and the camp, and all went well for a year. Then Welch suffered, in quick succession, a detached retina and a subsequent injury to the same eye, and the combination of hospital bills and repairs to the home and the camp left the couple broke, and the camp struggled to meet its obligations. It closed in 1950, but was apparently operated for some years thereafter as a church camp.

Mahlon Nichols of the Bedford area owns a treasure trove of Gus Welch memorabilia.

Meanwhile, Welch was hired as a coach and teacher at Montvale High School, along U.S. 460 about 16 miles east of Roanoke, in the area of the huge white petroleum tanks on the other side of the road. Sources cite Welch saying those years were his “most rewarding” as a coach.

Among his charges on the diamond was pitcher/third baseman and Covington-native Bob Humphreys, who would go on to have a nine-year career in major league baseball as a pitcher. Humphreys, who lives in Bedford, characterizes Coach Welch as a “laid back kind of guy who let you play.”

Gus and Julia Welch were by this time among the Bedford area’s leading citizens. They lived in that big white house on Va. 43, just down the mountainside from the Blue Ridge Parkway. They were covered from time to time in the Bedford newspaper and in the Roanoke paper.

But the combination of aging and the responsibilities of looking after a troublesome adopted daughter – Serena, a niece of Gus Welch – began to wear on Welch. He continued to act as a sort of American Indian elder statesman, being one of the speakers at the 1962 opening of the National Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and near the end of his life serving as honorary chairman of the effort to establish an American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame, to which he was posthumously elected in 1973.

Gus Welch died in 1970 at age 79 in Bedford County Memorial Hospital. His ashes were scattered at Camp Kewanzee.
Julia Carter Welch continued to live in an apartment in Bedford for several years after her husband’s death, and then spent her waning days at Richfield Retirement Home in Salem before she passed away in 1987, when her ashes too were spread at the camp she and Gus had founded, nurtured, fought for and run for a quarter century.

At Randolph Macon, teams under Gus Welch became among the first to travel to games by bus.

Friends: Welch and Thorpe

The 1912 team that beat Army: Gus Welch is top row, second from left; Jim Thorpe is next to left, then Coach Pop Warner.

The star quarterback and the star halfback at Carlisle Indian School in the heroic 1912 college football season were also best friends and roommates.

Jim Thorpe, viewed by many as the greatest athlete who ever lived, had some other traits as well: shy, withdrawn, arrogant, stubborn; a young man who felt comfortable on the playing field and nowhere else. His difficult personality may have had much to do with a difficult childhood, during which he was beaten by his father, lost his twin brother at age 12, began running away from home at an even earlier age than that, and was orphaned during his teens. Add to that the overall status of Indians at that time in the U.S. and you have one mean sonovagun.

Gus Welch, four years younger than Thorpe, lost his parents at an even younger age than Thorpe, saw three brothers and two sisters as well as his mother die of tuberculosis, and also experienced the harsh discrimination of the time. But for whatever reason or trait of personality, he came out of his traumatic childhood with a generally opposite reaction.

Where Thorpe ran away several times from Carlisle, Welch longed to attend and cherished his acceptance. And when they were both students, Welch served as a calming influence on Thorpe. In fact, for the rest of Thorpe’s life, Gus Welch was a friend and a source of occasional financial help.

One highlight of the friendship is Jim Thorpe’s first wedding day, in 1913. The happy, dressed-up wedding party photograph is highlighted by the two men at the center: the muscular Thorpe, standing behind his bride; and to his right, the slight and smiling best-man Welch.

The two men went in different directions after that October day in 1912 when they beat Army and changed football forever. Jim Thorpe headed off on a round-the-world tour with the New York baseball Giants as an initial chapter in an adult life that would see him seek to earn a living through his one-of-a-kind athleticism, not only in baseball, but also football, basketball, exhibitions and – especially later in life – stunt work. Gus Welch played one more year at Carlisle, then briefly for the professional Canton Bulldogs before studying law at Dickenson College in 1917 and then enlisting in the army as World War I began.

The trajectories of the two lives might have been predicted by their Carlisle years: the steady quarterback who went on to a lifetime of coaching and mentoring, and the uncontainable halfback whose three marriages and overall pattern of tumultuous instability reflected, in some sad way, his reckless abandon on the football field. –KR

Camp Kewanzee: What’s There Today?

A small, unnamed stream today flows into and through the remains of the old pool walls.

Stop at pretty Sunset Fields overlook at Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 78.4 (a little more than 5 miles north of the Peaks of Otter), and across the parkway, on the east side, there’s a gated, returned-to-forest-floor road sloping down north-north-eastward. The road, on a March, 1940 National Park Service map titled “Sketch of General Layout: Camp Kewanzee and Blue Ridge Parkway,”  is labeled as “G.A Welch Access.” It is wide enough, clear and maintained enough that Gus Welch could still make access today, these 70-plus years later.

Zeph Cunningham, NPS park ranger, says the old road is maintained for three reasons.

“The main thing is access in case of fire,” he says. “And part of the Glenwood Horse Trail is back in there. And third, there’s sometimes illegal hunting back in there because of proximity to national forest lands.”

Cunningham, the rare ranger who grew up near the area he serves, says nearly all of the Camp Kewanzee buildings were burned after the camp closed.

Still, a half mile walk in on the good road, you start to see pieces of the past – a ruined cinder block structure here, the fallen remains of a wooden building there. Their locations are in concert with the map, which shows not only roads, but also the trails and buildings of Camp Kewanzee, which Welch and his wife Julia operated from 1926 until 1950.

And downslope a ways along what the map labels as “Abandoned Road,” and that today is a branch-strewn trail, should be “Swimming Pool,” at a point along the unnamed stream that parallels the abandoned road. And sure enough, here are the remains of three rock walls that long ago were sturdy and sound enough to pause the flow of the stream to fill the pool-sized enclosure, so campers staying up on the mountain during the summers of the ‘30s, ‘40s could walk down from the camp buildings for a cool stream-water swim. –KR

Bob Humphreys on Gus Welch

What kind of coach was Gus Welch, who spent most of his adult life mentoring young athletes?

“An easy-going, laid back guy,” says Bob Humphreys, nine-year major league baseball pitcher in the 1960s and a player on the Montvale High baseball teams that Gus Welch coached in the 1950s.

Humphreys, a Covington native who lives in Bedford, says Welch had “more of a phys-ed approach” to coaching.

“He was a football guy, of course,” says Humphreys, a member of the Hampden-Sydney athletic hall of fame for his baseball exploits. “He emphasized conditioning and sportsmanship, and then he pretty much let you play the game. He was a good guy.”  –KR

West End Community Market, through Dec. 31. Tuesdays from 3-6 p.m., the market offers fresh meats, rainbow trout, organic produce, cut flowers and more. West End Center for Youth, Roanoke. leapforlocalfood.org.

Roanoke Valley Reads, Event Kickoff, Nov. 1, Spectacular Saturday at the Taubman, Nov. 5, Talk by Coach Luma Mufleh and the Refugee Cup Soccer Tournament Finals, Nov. 13. Events related to themes in the book “Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference.” Other events also planned throughout the month. Roanoke. roanokevalleyreads.com.

Holiday Arts, Crafts & More Extravaganza, Nov. 5. Area artisans, crafters, authors and musical artists offer their wares and talents. $2 per person. Bedford Elementary School. 586-4712.

Smith Mountain Lake Fall Chili and Craft Festival, Nov. 5. Music, crafts and a chili cook-off. Bridgewater Plaza, Smith Mountain Lake. 721-1203.

Peak Foliage Open House, Nov. 5-6, 12-13. Samples of apples, fresh cider and Fruit of the Farm wines. Peaks of Otter Winery, Bedford. 586-3707, peaksofotterwinery.com.

Veteran’s Day Observance, Nov. 11. Special music, guest speakers and recognition of all veterans. 10 a.m.-noon. National D-Day Memorial, Bedford. 586-3329, dday.org.

Junior League of Roanoke Valley’s 23rd Annual Stocked Market, Nov. 11-13. Merchants from around the country sell their wares and unique gift items. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

The Sedalia Center’s Art & Architecture Show, Nov. 12. Handcrafted architectural elements, architects and designers, alternative building techniques and materials. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sedalia Center, Bedford County. 434-299-5080.

Grandin Village Holiday Children’s Parade, Nov. 20. A neighborhood favorite with Santa on a fire engine. Grandin Village, Roanoke. 11 a.m. grandinvillage.org.

Nutcracker Ball, Nov. 19. Auction of handcrafted nutcrackers, performance by Southwest Virginia Ballet dancers and music by Johnny Hott’s Piedmont Souprizes. $90 per person. Hotel Roanoke. 387-3978, svballet.org.

St. Jude Give Thanks Walk, Nov. 19. A 5K walk that raises funds to support the children of St. Jude. Valley View Mall, Roanoke. givethankswalk.org.

Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival, Nov. 19. Virginia wineries offer samples, musical entertainers perform and local food purveyors and artisans share their treats and wares. Poplar Forest, Bedford. 434-534-8120.

Harvest Soup & Wine, Nov. 19-20. Samples of five gourmet soups paired with five AmRhein wines. $10, adults; $7, under age 21. AmRhein’s Wine Cellars, Roanoke. 929-4632, amrheins.com.

Thanksgiving for the Bounty of the Harvest, Nov. 19-20. Cider, apples, wine and jars of preserves, jams and jellies to share. Peaks of Otter Winery, Bedford. 586-3707, peaksofotterwinery.com.

6th Annual Drumstick Dash, Nov. 24. A 5K that raises funds for the Rescue Mission. Downtown Roanoke. 343-7227.

Candlelight Processional and Lighting of the Community Christmas Tree, Nov. 25. 5:30 p.m. Downtown Lexington. 463-5375.

Gem and Mineral Show, Nov. 25-27. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Virginia Dare Flotilla for Toys Boat Parade of Lights, Nov. 26. The Virginia Dare decorated with thousands of lights will lead other Christmas-decorated boats on a parade to collect toys for “A Child’s Christmas” program. Smith Mountain Lake. 297-7100.

Christmas Time’s A’ Coming Open House, Nov. 26-27, Dec. 3-4, 10-11, 17-18. Samples of warm apple cinnamon wine and cider. Peaks of Otter Winery, Bedford. 586-3707, peaksofotterwinery.com.

Holiday Lights and Christmas Parade, Dec. 1. Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista. 261-7321.

Vinton Christmas Parade, Dec. 1. Entertainment, spaghetti supper and parade. Vinton. 343-1364.

Lexington Christmas Parade, Dec. 2. 6:30 p.m. Downtown Lexington. 463-5375.

Salem Christmas Parade, Dec. 2. Marching bands, floats and Santa. Main Street, Salem. 387-0267.

Dickens of a Christmas, Dec. 2, 9, 16. Holiday-related activities include a parade, carriage rides and Fantasy Land and Fashions for Evergreens. Roanoke. 342-6025.

Night of Miracles Living Nativity, Dec. 2-4, 9-11. 6-9 p.m. Lexington. 261-6596.

2011 Gingerbread Festival, Dec. 3. Gingerbread house competition, holiday entertainment, arts and crafts, and food. Longwood Park, Salem. 387-0267.

Ye Olde Salem Christmas, Dec. 3. Pictures with Santa, carriage rides, merchant vendors, children’s activities and more. Various locations in Salem. 375-3057.

32nd Annual Old Southwest Holiday Parlor Tour, Dec. 3-4. $15. Historic Old Southwest, Roanoke. 343-8794.

Holiday Open House, Dec. 3-11. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, mulled wine, sparkling cider and winery tours. Chateau Morrisette, Meadows of Dan. 593-2865, thedogs.com.

Jingle Bell Run/Walk, Dec. 10. A 5K and one-mile walk to raise funds for the Arthritis Foundation. Roanoke. 804-665-9950.

Holly Days, Dec. 10-11. Wine tastings, mulled wine, tours and a tasting of the 2011 harvest. AmRhein’s Wine Cellars, Roanoke. 929-4632, amrheins.com.

Salem Gun & Knife Traders Show, Dec. 17-18. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

New Year’s Eve Blast, Dec. 31. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Vinton’s New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31. Hors d’oeuvres, campagne toast, music and more. Vinton War Memorial. 343-1364.

Drama/Comedy/Dance

Fall Dance Gathering, Nov. 3-5. Performance featuring students, alumnae and guest artists. $10, general; $7, senior citizens and students with ID. 8 p.m. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6230, hollins.edu.

Tales of Suspense, Nov. 4, 5, 12. A three-course dinner, dessert and a dramatic tale of chills and thrills by the NoneSuch Playmakers. $65 per person; reservations required. Chateau Morrisette, Meadows of Dan. 593-2865, thedogs.com.

“A Christmas Story,” Nov. 11-13, 18-20. Ticket prices vary. Little Town Players, Bedford. 586-5881, littletownplayers.com.

Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats, Nov. 13. Acrobatic displays, brilliant costumes and a touch of Chinese comedy. 2 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

“A Woman of Independent Means,” Nov. 15-18. A one-woman show about Bess as she endures life’s trials and triumphs. 7:30 p.m. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6517, hollins.edu.

Theatre Roanoke College: “The Haunted House,” Nov. 16-19. A rollicking Roman comedy. 7:30 p.m. Olin Theater, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2282, roanoke.edu.

Dances of Universal Peace, Nov. 18, Dec. 16. Simple circle dances using sacred names, movements and music from spiritual traditions. 7:30 p.m. Unity of Roanoke. 556-2233.

Big Lick Conspiracy, Nov. 19, Dec. 3. Comedic performances by Roanoke’s only improvisational group. Mill Mountain Theatre, Roanoke. 342-5749, millmountain.org.

Broadway in Roanoke: “My Fair Lady,” Nov. 20. Professor Henry Higgins takes a bet that he can transform unrefined Eliza Doolittle into a lady. Ticket prices vary. 7 p.m. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

“A Christmas Carol,” Nov. 30-Dec. 11. Scrooge must learn to change his ways before Christmas. $12, adults; $5, children under 18. Showtimers Community Theatre, Roanoke. 774-2660, showtimers.org.

“The Crimes & Confessions of Kip Knutzen: A Hockey Way of Knowledge,” Nov. 30-Dec. 11. A funny, dark quest for soul, truth and love in a small Minnesota town. $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $12 for seniors, students and active military. Studio Roanoke. 343-3054, studioroanoke.org.

“A Christmas Cactus,” Dec. 1-3, 8-10. Christmas Eve digs up long-buried mysteries, looks for a few small miracles and takes a second chance on love. D. Geraldine Lawson Performing Arts Center. 473-1001, atticproductions.info.

Sesame Street Live: “Elmo Makes Music,” Dec. 1-4. Times and ticket prices vary. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Sinbad, Dec. 3. Actor and comedian performs. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

“Christmas Cookies,” Dec. 8-23. With the help of a homeless woman, Emy and Jilly are confident they can keep the family cookie business afloat when their mother’s National Guard unit is activated for a tour in Afghanistan. Show times and ticket prices vary. Roanoke Children’s Theatre, Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 309-6802, roanokechildrenstheatre.org.

“The Nutcracker,” Dec. 10-11. A classic presented by Southwest Virginia Ballet. Ticket prices vary. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Jeff Dunham, Dec. 11. Comedian/ventriloquist will perform and introduce two new characters. 5 p.m. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Dancing with Strings and Christmas Things, Dec. 17-18. Exquisite dancers, fine musicians and angelic voices. $22, adults; $19, seniors; $13, students. The Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg. 434-846-8499, academyfinearts.com.

Exhibits of Art and Artifact

“Mark Fox: Outbreed,” through Dec. 4. Multimedia installations that incorporate the artists’ own distinct lexis of images and test, as well as religious and mythological decrees. Olin Gallery, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2333, roanoke.edu.

“Scott Hazard: Departures,” through Dec. 4. Photographic and text based constructs that serve as devices for poetic awareness. Smoyer Gallery, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2333, roanoke.edu.

“Bill White: Empathy and Engagement,” through Dec. 10. An exploration of interior and exterior landscapes. Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6532, hollins.edu.

“Jan Knipe,” through Dec. 10. Drawings that investigate boundaries of the medium. Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6532, hollins.edu.

“Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth,” through Jan. 1, 2012. Hand-sewn collection of Soundsuits. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

“The Roanoke Times History in Photographs,” through Jan. 15, 2012. Exploration of the relationship between photography and the documentation of significant events. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org.

Open House at Betty Branch Sculpture Studio & Gallery, Dec. 2-16. Five artists exhibit watercolor, oils, acrylics, bronze and stone. 2-6 p.m. Roanoke. 344-4994.

Informative Talks/Fine Films

“Lincoln and Race,” Nov. 2. Lecture by Lucas Morel, acting chair of the Washington & Lee University politics department. 7:30 p.m. Colket Center, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2282, roanoke.edu.

Fall Movie Series, “Hanna,” Nov. 4. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” Dec. 2. Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6021, hollins.edu.

Green Living and Energy Expo, Nov. 4-5. Exhibits, demos, and seminars about energy conservation, green building, and sustainable living. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Community United: Discussion for Roanoke Valley Reads, Nov. 5. A panel discussion of the themes in Warren St. John’s “Outcasts United.” 2:30 p.m. Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6021, hollins.edu.

Ultimate Guitar Strummit, Nov. 5. Workshop with Tony Rice, Wyatt Rice, Josh Williams and leader John Miller. Hollins University, Roanoke. 866-883-9466, hollins.edu.

Documentary Film Series, “What’s On Your Plate,” Nov. 6. “The Sweetest Sound,” Dec. 4. Wyndham Robertson Library, Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6021, hollins.edu.

“Speciman Days: Walt Whitman, Virginia and the Civil War,” Nov. 9. Artist Binh Danh and author Robert Schultz will discuss Whitman’s trip to Virginia to look for his wounded brother. 7:30 p.m. Colket Center, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2282, roanoke.edu.

“The Promise and Peril of Bio-technological Advance,” Nov. 10. Discussion led by professors/authors James Peterson and Fritz Oehlschlaeger. 5 p.m. Antrim Chapel, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2282, roanoke.edu.

“The Role of Roanoke College during the Civil War Era,” Nov. 16. Lectures by Dr. Mark Miller and Dr. Tom Mays. 7:30 p.m. Colket Center, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2282, roanoke.edu.

Writers’ Harvest Reading, Nov. 17. Hollins faculty writers read from their work to raise money for Feeding America Southwest Virginia. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6317, hollins.edu.

Margaret Wise Brown Festival’s Saturday Morning Story Hour with Santa, Dec. 3. Santa Claus will read Brown’s wintertime books around the Christmas tree. 10 am. Hollins University, Roanoke. 362-6021, hollins.edu.

Music to the Ear

Puccini – Missa di Gloria, Nov. 4. All Saints Program featuring the St. John’s Choir. 6 p.m. St. John’s Episcopal Church, Roanoke. 343-9341.

World Showcase of Music, Nov. 5. Promoting International Goodwill through live music and dance spanning many continents and cultures. 6:30 p.m. Green Ridge Recreation Center, Roanoke. 387-6078, ext. 0.

Sir James Galway & Lady Jeanne, Nov. 6. These ambassadors of music and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra present masterworks for flute and orchestra. 3 p.m. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 343-9127, rso.com.

René Marie, Nov. 11. Singer and Roanoke native whose style incorporates elements of jazz, soul, blues and gospel. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Broadway in Roanoke: Straight No Chaser, Nov. 12. Performance by this male a capella group. Ticket prices vary. 8 p.m. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

From Sea to Shining Sea: The Music of America, Nov. 12. Concert by The Chorus of the Blue Ridge. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Rita Hoskings, Nov. 12. Country-folk music. 7:30 p.m. Bedford Central Library. 586-8911, friendsofbedfordlibrary.org.

Dar Williams, Nov. 13. Williams’ style has been compared to Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez. 8 p.m. The Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg. 951-4771, thelyric.com.

Art and Music Events at WVTF Public Radio, Nov. 18: TBA, Dec. 16: Winter Piano. WVTF Art Gallery and Studio, Roanoke. 989-8900.

Eco-Arts featuring Kathy Mattea, Nov. 18. Multi-Grammy-winning singer. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Miss Lucy: A Folk Opera, The Premiere, Nov. 17-18. Folk opera based on the life of African-American educator Lucy Addison. June M. McBroom Theater, Roanoke. 345-1688.

The Wonders of a Virtuoso Flutist and Pianist, Nov. 18. Performances by pianist Dr. James Matthews and Roanoky Symphony Orchestra flutist Julee Hickcox. 6 p.m. St. John’s Episcopal Church, Roanoke. 343-9341, stjohnsroanoke.org.

Buddy Guy, Nov. 19. Blues legend regarded as an innovator of the blues and a virtuoso guitar player. 8 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 345-2550, jeffcenter.org.

Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra Fall Concert, Nov. 20. 3 p.m. $5 per person. Shaftman Performance Hall, Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 343-9127, rso.com.

Spanish Virtuosos – Duo Musart, Nov. 20. Teresa Sierra Martinez on piano and Raul Prieto Ramirez on organ. 4 p.m. Greene Memorial United Methodist Church, Roanoke. 344-6225, gmumc.org.

Mannheim Steamroller, Nov. 25. The #1-selling Christmas artist of all time. 8 p.m. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

A Christmas Spectacular, Dec. 2. Featuring the choirs of Virginia Tech. 8 p.m. Greene Memorial United Methodist Church, Roanoke. 344-6225, gmumc.org.

Kandinsky Trio Series Concert: Outstanding Works, Known and Unknown, Dec. 3. 7:30 p.m. Olin Hall Theater, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2333, roanoke.edu.

The Steel Wheels, Dec. 3. Acoustic Americana music. 7:30 p.m. Bedford Central Library. 586-8911, friendsofbedfordlibrary.com.

Handel’s Messiah, Dec. 4. Presented by Roanoke Symphony Chorus and Virtuosi. 3 p.m. Jefferson Center, Roanoke. 343-9127, rso.com.

Roanoke College Choir: Lessons & Carols XXVII, Dec. 4. Performance directed by Dr. Jeff Sandborg. St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, Roanoke. 375-2333, roanoke.edu.

Roanoke College Jazz & Wind Ensemble Joint Concert, Dec. 8. Performance under the direction of Dr. Joseph Blaha. 7:30 p.m. Olin Theater, Roanoke College, Salem. 375-2333, roanoke.edu.

Holiday Pops Spectacular, Dec. 9. New holiday arrangements and performances by a womens chorus, children’s choir and soprano Adelaide Muir Trombetta. 7 p.m. Salem Civic Center. 343-9127, rso.com.

The Roanoke Chamber Brass Quintet in Concert, Dec. 9. 8 p.m. Bower Center for the Arts, Bedford. 586-4235, bowercenter.org.

A FACination Christmas, Dec. 10-11. Songs of the holidays. $15, adults; $10, seniors; $5, students. The Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg. 434-846-8499, academyfinearts.com.

Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Dec. 12. Grammy-winning husband and wife perform. 7:30 p.m. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

2nd Annual Messiah Sing, Dec. 13. Performance including conductor Ric McClure, organist Judy Clark and pianist Cara Modisett. Soloists TBA. St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, Roanoke. 774-5183.

Jim Brickman’s A Christmas Celebration, Dec. 16. Solo pianist with special guests. 7:30 p.m. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Lady Antebellum: Own The Night 2011 Tour, Dec. 17. Grammy-winning group with special guests Josh Kelley and Edens Edge. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

The Best in Sports

14th Annual Apple Valley 5K, Nov. 5. 8:30 a.m. Gross’ Orchard, Bedford. 297-2709.

Big Lick Vet Tails and Trails 5K and 1-Mile Walk, Nov. 5. Benefits Virginia Canine Recovery Team. North Cross School, Roanoke. 776-0700.

TriAdventure 5K Race for the Kids, Nov. 5. Benefits Fitness in Action. Blacksburg. triadventure.com.

Monster Trucks & Arena Cross Bikes, Nov. 11-12. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

Virginia Tech Home Hockey Games, Nov. 11, 12. 7:30 p.m. Roanoke Civic Center. 853-5483, roanokeciviccenter.com.

Virginia Tech Football Home Games, Nov. 17. Lane Stadium, Blacksburg. hokiesports.com.

Star City Half Marathon, Nov. 19. 9 a.m. Roanoke. starcitystriders.com.

Crooked Road 24 Hour Ultra, Dec. 3-4. Waid Park, Rocky Mount. crookedroadrunning.com.

Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, Dec. 17. Division III national title football game. Salem Civic Center. 375-3004, salemciviccenter.com.

A $5 million renovation transformed the former Mostly Sofas store into Meridium’s new global headquarters in downtown Roanoke.

Lured to buffet tables laden with crab cakes and oven-roasted corn dip, as bartenders poured Dewars scotch and Ty Ku sake, a Who’s Who of Roanoke leadership gathered on a sunny afternoon to salute the opening of an economic developer’s dream-come-true.

Yet the gleaming new Meridium Inc. office building in downtown Roanoke, a $5 million makeover of the former Mostly Sofas store, is in some ways a contradiction of the conventional strategy for locating a worldwide corporate headquarters.

Meridium’s center of the universe features big picture windows with views of the mountains and modest skyline that scream “You’re not in a metropolis.” Just the opposite.

In fact, Roanoke could have dropped easily off Bonz Hart’s roadmap for the future if he had yielded to the popular wisdom about where to put the braintrust of his burgeoning global software company.

After all, the established thinking went, such a business needs to be near its customers in big cities, minutes away from an airport with direct flights to other continents, and basking in the prestige of a major technology center like Silicon Valley or Boston. Moreover, small markets face challenges in recruiting talented young employees who crave the bright lights and career mobility.

To be sure, Meridium’s founder and president didn’t ignore such reasoning.

“All businesses are interested in their survival,” Hart says. “And if I thought it was a threat to our survival to be in Roanoke, we’d certainly remedy that.”

But Hart has learned the essentials of Global Headquarters 101 over the years from an invaluable group of sources: His young recruits. Meridium grew to its current Roanoke payroll of 130 largely by hiring people fresh out of college or for their starter jobs. Many of them are computer programmers and information technology specialists who provided the evidence and reasoning Hart needed to keep the flag of his international headquarters planted firmly in the Star City.

The value of such workers to Roanoke’s economy is measured in their earning and spending power. Meridium typically pays newly minted college graduates about $60,000 annually, or 50 percent more than the average Roanoke family. That translates into purchases of homes, goods and services that make “young professionals” a rallying cry for economic developers across the nation.

Nikhil Agrawal, a computer engineer born in India and educated at Ohio State, says he had job offers in three larger markets before accepting a bid from Meridium in Roanoke. Lifestyle is key in his being here.

“I’m a skier and Wintergreen resort is just two hours away. It’s nice and usually not crowded,” he says. And the 29-year-old Agrawal probably doesn’t fit the nightlife stereotype of his demographic group: he’s also an enthusiastic member of Roanoke’s Toastmasters Club.

Michael Bulla, a native of Ghana and computer engineer, left his former job in Raleigh for Meridium Roanoke partly so a shorter commute would let him spend more time with his growing young family. The 37-year-old now has three children.

Computer engineer Nikhil Agrawal chose Meridium over offers from companies in larger markets because of Roanoke’s lifestyle and close proximity to ski resorts.

Anthony Riebsomer, a 29-year-old technical consultant who lived most of his life in the Indianapolis area before coming to Meridium in 2010, says, “I really like this area. I’m used to a bigger city but there are plenty of good restaurants and lots of things to do.”

For all three of these young Meridium recruits, the company’s track record of job stability, steady growth and quality products helped offset the lure of bigger corporate names and markets. Says Agrawal: “I’m working with really good technologies here.”

Indeed, the company has been broadening its customer base lately. For most of its history, Meridium has focused on software that essentially detects mechanical and other problems at the production and storage facilities of oil and chemical companies. But recently Hart began broadening his product mix into computer programs that also patrol potential concerns for railroads – both passenger and freight – in Europe. Another new client that indicates diversification: the air force of a South American nation that Hart declines to identify.

Still, what Riebsomer calls “The Job Thing” gave him pause before committing to Roanoke. That’s because there’s no critical mass here in the software industry, meaning few alternative employment opportunities if his Meridium position ended. One way Hart is combating that concern is by creating a track record of job security at Meridium, where the company recently celebrated the work of 45 employees who have been there for at least 10 years.

Hart acknowledges that lack of employment opportunities for spouses and significant others can be a recruiting problem too. In Riebsomer’s case, his girlfriend is an apartment complex manager for a national company that owns property here and elsewhere. Still, the lack of job growth in other fields – with the exception of health care led by local payroll giants Carilion Clinic and LewisGale – is an occasional hiring hurdle that Meridium can’t do much about.

But Hart says the only employees or job candidates who are candid enough to tell him they have a problem with Roanoke are usually young singles. “I can’t do much about that other than set up a dating service,” he jokes.

That drawback is offset in part by Roanoke’s other quality-of-life assets, with which Hart seeks to position the city in contrast to larger markets. “It’s a great place to raise a family,” he says.

Of course that argument can be made in some form for major population centers too, because they have more amenities to offer.
“We certainly lost people to big cities,” he says, “but we drew them away too because they get tired of the cost of living and they also get tired of when they have an idea to go for a hike or to a park, a thousand others have the same idea too.”

He estimates “rural Virginia being an issue” occurs about 20 percent of the time in employee recruiting.

Being in a relatively obscure location has proven even less a problem for Hart in landing and retaining big-name customers in the oil and chemical industries whose businesses are centered in the likes of Houston, Dallas and Dubai. True, they don’t know Roanoke, but he has discovered they don’t have to in this Virtual New World.

Besides, Hart has found, Roanoke is a relatively efficient travel destination for his clients, 175 of whom visited for the opening of Meridium’s new headquarters in May. Among them: PetroChina, Kuwait National Petroleum Co. and Sasol Petroleum from New Zealand. Hart says he lined up rooms and meeting space at Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center at a cost far below what he would have paid in a major market.

True, the paucity of direct flights from major markets to Roanoke Regional Airport hampers some dealings, but Hart minimizes that negative by opening regional offices near clients and potential customers. Meridium has nearly as many employees elsewhere as it does in Roanoke, including 30 in Houston, 30 in Dubai and 40 located in various parts of Europe and Asia.

“I always thought we were going to be worldwide,” says Hart.

That expansion is accompanying considerable growth by Meridium in Roanoke, where Hart added 40 employees in the first five months of 2011.
Thus Meridium is becoming something of a model for Roanoke as a desirable corporate location at a time when its only Fortune 500 company, Advance Auto Parts, has been moving some headquarters workers to Minneapolis, a center of the retail industry.

But Hart, 56, who grew up in Altavista and graduated from Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., (and whose first name, Bonz, is actually a nickname for his given moniker, Bonsall, a Scotch-Irish surname that’s part of his family history), has found personal and corporate comfort in the Roanoke area. He started Meridum in a home office above his garage in Goodview in 1993. By 1994, he had landed such customers as Mobile Oil and opened his first office in downtown Roanoke in a rented suite at the Liberty Trust Building. Two years later he moved to larger space at the Wachovia Tower.

Meridium’s first overseas office opened in Dubai, U.A.E., in 2004, followed by operations in Australia, Brazil, India, South Africa, Germany and Malta.

But all roads for Hart’s troops and business allies lead to Roanoke. He punctuates Meridium’s corporate personality with the new headquarters and its picture-window views of small-town Americana. In doing so he has turned on its head the argument that a global company must be based in a big city.

“I think the question is, ‘What’s the purpose of a headquarters building?’” says Hart. “You have people coming here from all over the world and why to Roanoke? To answer that question, you need a building that shows off the answers: the mountains, the beautiful downtown and the lifestyle.”

Bonz Hart Timeline

• 1955 Born in New York City.
• 1973 Graduated from Altavista High School.
• 1977 Graduated from Messiah College, Grantham, Pa.
• 1993 Started Meridium Inc. a software company, in an office above his garage at home in Goodview.
• 1993 Started working with first customers: Mobil Oil and Alcoa.
• 1994 Opened first downtown Roanoke
• office in rented suite of Liberty Trust Building.
• 1996 Moved headquarters to 11th floor of the Wachovia Tower.
• 1996 Opened second office in Houston.
• 2004 Opened first international office in Dubai, U.A.E followed by offices in Australia, Brazil, China, India, South Africa, Germany and Malta.
• 2011 Opened new global headquarters in Roanoke after $5 million in acquisition and renovation costs.