A Jam-Packed Calendar

by

Vinton

Vinton has transformed itself from a sleepy suburb to a cultural and entertainment destination in Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

If you take a right-hand turn at the shopping center on Vinyard Road in Vinton on a weekend evening, you will almost certainly run into a traffic jam. It won’t be your normal screaming match jam, though. The people involved are on their way to having a good time.

Just a few yards down that turn-off are two of the central focuses of Vinton’s new-found center for entertainment: Rosie’s, a gaming emporium and the Lancerlot, which has been around for quite a while, and is still packing people in for exercise, hockey and other ice-skating events, swimming and physical fitness classes.

Rosie’s bets you can’t beat its vast array of electronic games and the Lancerlot wants you to get healthy and stay there, all the while enjoying yourself.

Those are the most obvious lures to once-sleepy Vinton and they don’t pack people in only on weekends. Any time of day or night, you are likely to find a crowd at either business.

Vinton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Angie Chewning says, “Vinton isn’t just a place you pass through. It’s quickly becoming a go-to destination for those craving great fun. It ranges from lively outdoor concerts and block parties to intimate performances at local venues,

“Vinton is building a strong reputation as a town that celebrates live music. Events regularly feature local talent, regional favorites and a welcoming atmosphere that turns a night out into a true experience: music, mouthwatering food, vibrant festivals and unique local shopping.”

Chewning says Vinton has something for every palate, “whether it’s the arrival of popular food trucks, unique restaurants or culinary events like Restaurant Week. The town continues to spotlight local flavors, creative dishes and authentic hospitality that make people want to come back for seconds.”

The Lancerlot was founded in 1984 (at a cost of $3.2 million) to house the Virginia Lancers hockey team, owned by former Vinton Mayor Henry Brabham in 1986. It became far more than a hockey rink and was wildly successful until its roof caved in during a snowstorm in 1993. The hockey team moved to safer quarters at the Roanoke Civic Center.

What to do, what to do? According to the Vinton Messenger: “The Lancerlot became a gym with occasional ice time, and it was a big hit immediately. By 1986, the facility evolved into Brabham’s version of a complete sports center — 115,000 square feet on three floors open seven days a week and hosting such diverse activities as ice hockey, state gymnastics and swim meets, indoor soccer, and religious conventions.”

It was arguably Vinton’s biggest draw until Rosie’s opened in May of 2019. Gambling in this corner of Virginia was new and novel at the time and it has become a solid piece of Vinton’s tax base, representing 5-7% of its total, according to Town Manager Pete Peters.

The success of that small slice of Vinton is notable, but meanwhile, downtown struggled. Until it didn’t.

In recent years — and even recent months — downtown Vinton has seen a surge, not only in business growth (which is substantial), but also in opportunities for entertainment, whether good places to eat, an extended greenway for hiking and biking, blueways for kayaking and canoeing, novel shops and lots of music, including bands at the new patio beside the historic Dogwood restaurant in the center of town.

Getting Rosie’s off the ground wasn’t as difficult as one might imagine, considering it is a gambling emporium in a conservative small town. Marketing Manager Jeff Spaugh points out that Rosie’s is owned by Churchill Downs (you might have heard of its Kentucky Derby), which also has Colonial Downs in Virginia.

Rosie’s is one of three gaming emporiums in the western half of the Commonwealth (eight in all), the others in Bristol and Danville. Spaugh points out that “90% of our revenue comes from within 50 miles” of Vinton.

Rosie’s is open 8 a.m.–2 a.m. except on Friday and Saturday when it stays open until 4 a.m. The emporium has a diner and music on the weekends, when it is most often packed.

Vinton’s Chamber of Commerce is the spearhead for the many events held in the town each year. Among the festivities are 16 major events, as well as Lunch & Learn meetings, Business After Hours, Business & Breakfast and a wide variety of ribbon cuttings, mostly for new business openings.

The Town of Vinton, often working in concert with the Chamber, has become so serious about its entertainment offerings that it recently hired Mandy Adkins as director of cultural placemaking and events, meaning she’s at the front edge of many events, ranging from the historic Vinton Dogwood Festival (and its Miss Dogwood Pageant) to music venues, the farmer’s market, to fireworks on July 4. It includes anything, she says, that helps “create and build community. We want to bring folks together. At one point, we had a 12-business block party” and it was a huge success.

Vinton is growing its greenway, which is connected to the nearly 30-mile Roanoke Valley Greenway main trail and multiple spurs. You can actually put your kayak into Tinker Creek and paddle less than a mile to the Roanoke River and eventually down to Niagara Dam. Vinton’s blueways include not only Tinker, but also Glade and Wolf Creeks.

One of the primary goals for Vinton’s business center is “to create space for people,” says Adkins. “We want to string lights and have simple additions that invite people here.” Nightlife has already picked up, almost exponentially. “People are coming,” she says. And many are walking.

The Dogwood, Pok-E-Joe’s, Twin Creeks Brewery, Rosie’s, Pollard 107 South and the Vinton Farmers Market are all music venues. The Dogwood Restaurant, a local icon, has undergone substantial expansion recently, doubling its inside space and creating yet another large seating area outside where music is a regular feature.

Pok-E-Joe’s serves house-smoked brisket, burgers and other Southern foods and offers craft cocktails. It is so popular that it often stops take-out orders so it can serve people eating in. Like the Dogwood, it has outside seating for the lunch and after-work crowds. Pollard 107 South is a steak and seafood restaurant that takes advantage of outside-seating for those warm month dinners and lunches.

There are several community festivals, none more popular than the 4th of July fireworks display, which draws people from all over the Roanoke Valley.

The War Memorial, built in 1948 to honor World War II veterans, is undergoing a facelift, but has been the center of much activity for years — especially the Dogwood Festival. “We want to provide the most good for the most people and to provide excellent service,” which is likely to include an expanded role for the War Memorial’s lovely old building when it returns to the mix in the spring of 2026 at a cost of $2 million.

Adkins says the goal is to have “a mixture of activities” at the War Memorial that might include both symphony and rock bands and “a mixture of activities, trying to get citizens involved.”

Vinton’s population of 8,000 has mostly been older for years, but younger residents “are emerging,” says Adkins, and that opens a number of new opportunities for culture and entertainment to shine. “I have the best job,” she says. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Though Vinton is small in size and population, Vinton Chamber of Commerce executive assistant Kathryn Sowers says its service area is quite a bit larger and more populous. “We cover a good bit more area than that and we try to incorporate all of it in our service. We don’t feel like the town’s boundaries limit us. We want to include everybody.”

Says Chewning, “Our charming town has embraced its identity as a hub for community, culture and creativity, and it shows in everything — from its calendar of events to its growing downtown scene.”