Joan Vannorsdall

Collage of Masonic Theatre views: a full auditorium, a renovated interior, a couple at a door, and the facade.

Little Town Comeback: Clifton Forge’s Masonic Theatre

The venerable showplace has come back from near-oblivion to become a destination.
Grandin Theatre interior collage: popcorn stand with neon sign, red-seated auditorium, and paintings in lobby.

The Grandin: History with a Future

Director Ian Fortier has grand plans.
Grandtheater

Grand Theater Comes Back in Clifton Forge

In its former life the Masonic hosted the likes of Roy Rogers and the Drifters.
Joan Vannorsdall stands on Pine Street overlooking the Town of Clifton Forge and the railyards that wind their way through the Alleghany Highlands.

You Can’t Go Home Again (Well… Maybe You Can)

Twenty-three years after she left a small dying town – at least in part to be able to write a novel based on that town – a former Roanoker has gone back to Clifton Forge to begin anew . . . again.

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