Category — bedford Va

If an improved diet is part of your new year’s resolution this year, look beyond convenience health foods and resolve to pack your diet with locally grown, whole foods. Studies show that the processed foods that are staples of our everyday diets are keeping us sick, tired, and overweight. There is a quick fix, however, and all it takes is a little common sense and will-power. So this January, take stock of your pantry shelves, and resolve to make wise food choices in the New Year.

While the most important part of any diet is an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables (grown using organic or low-spray methods, and harvested locally, when possible), it is also important to consider the source of the meat we consume. Fortunately for residents of Bedford and Franklin counties, we have a virtual sustainable foods superstar in Mr. Bev Eggleston, owner of Eco-Friendly Foods of Moneta, VA. All of the meat from Eco-Friendly is raised humanely and fed a natural, hormone free diet; much unlike typical factory farm operations.

Eco-Friendly’s retail operation is still under construction, but the public is welcome to stop by in the meantime, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Check out the company’s website for more information: www.ecofriendly.com.

Get the whole family involved in a relic from the past by bringing them out to The Sedalia Center’s Sedalia Country Fair! This fun-filled nostalgic country fair event takes place nearby to Smith Mountain Lake at Bedford’s Sedalia Center and includes activities such as food competitions, agricultural displays, tons of animals and other kids’ activities, local vendors and more! Step back in time as you experience an old-fashioned fair atmosphere that’s fun for the entire family.

All the fun takes place on September 10th beginning at 10:00 a.m. and keeps going until 6:00 that evening. Some of the highlights of the event include the Coon Mule Jump and the food competitions, with categories ranging from best homegrown produce, home canned vegetables, meats and fruits to baked goods. No pre-registration is necessary to enter the competition, and for more contest guidelines visit http://www.sedaliacenter.org/?q=/events/Country_fair_2011

As the main event of the fair, a very famous visitor will be present to entertain and delight the audience: Amazing Grace, trick mule will be performing live! This is no ordinary trick mule; Amazing Grace has earned renowned fame and has co-starred in movies with the likes of Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Bill Murray and Lucas Black. Grace is the star of the movie Get Low and can perform tricks such as dunking a basketball, playing the piano, painting on canvas, getting the mail and doing basic multiplication! Read more about her and watch a video of her featured on the Today Show here and don’t miss out on your chance to see this unique movie star in our own backyard! The kids will love Amazing Grace the mule and adults will be delighted and awed by her talents as well.

Admission to the fair for adults is just $5 and children 12 and under are admitted for free. This event is a great opportunity to mimic the fair atmosphere and community gatherings of the not-too-distant past and to come together as a community in the beautiful, agriculturally rich setting of Bedford and Smith Mountain Lake. Don’t miss your chance for exciting family fun in the sun this September!

For more information visit the event site or call (434) 299-5080. The Sedalia Center is located at 1108 Sedalia School Road in Bedford and is conveniently located to the Smith Mountain Lake area.

We hope to see you there!

Family is important to Smith Mountain Lake Residents, and what better way to bring the family together than to attend the Bedford Genealogical Society’s Bedford Genealogy Fair on September 10, 2011. If you’ve ever been curious about your ancestors and would like to know more about genealogy and its study and uses, the genealogy fair is a perfect opportunity to come enjoy the company of expert genealogists, scholars and family historians.

Each day of the fair boasts lectures every hour from 9 am until 1 pm covering various topics of interest to genealogists and family historians, and other day events include 40 tables covering surnames, libraries, organizations, vendors selling books and wares (many of the books will be related to Bedford County), free census and internet genealogy look-ups, and breakfast and lunch items will be catered and available for purchase during the day. In addition to all this, each guest may bring one old photo to have scanned and have minor digital corrections made. All events associated with the fair are open and free to the public!

During the lectures, participants will have the opportunity to hear author Connie Lapallo tell the story of one of the few survivors of Jamestown, VA. Ginny Guedes will be offering a lecture on photography and digitizing old photos. Retired Historian Dr. John Kern, PhD will lecture on how to use land records and deeds as an aid to conducting your genealogical research. These lectures and others are listed on the Bedford Genealogical Society’s lecture schedule, which you may access here.

The informative genealogy fair takes place on the Bedford Campus of Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) at 1633 Venture Blvd in Bedford, VA (24523).

Come out for an educational and enlightening experience amongst other Bedford, Franklin County and Smith Mountain Lake area residents and learn about your own ancestors or hear more about the history of others!

A few nights of classical music are in store this Labor Day weekend for those of us who are lovers of music here at beautiful Smith Mountain Lake. Partake in a few evenings of musical enlightenment as you listen to the beautiful sounds of master musicians such as Maestro David Stewart Wiley, Tracy Cowden, Philip & Tara Bouknight and Leah Marer Wiley during the 2 days of exciting musical events and local concerts.

• On Friday, September 2 at 7:00 p.m. Tracy Cowden and David Stewart Wiley will grace the Trinity Ecumenical Parish stage in Moneta on duo pianos, providing the lake crowd with the privilege of enjoying their program entitled “Duo Piano Fireworks: From Sea to Shining C”. Throughout this program you will hear 176 keys dueling in harmony, with favorites such as Rachmaninoff Romance, Grieg Norwegian Dance, selections from Petrouchka, a Hungarian Dance and the Haydn Variations by Brahms, and a Gershwin Porgy and Bess Fantasy. There will also be a sampling of piano music from Maestro Wiley’s score to the locally filmed “Lake Effects” movie starring Jane Seymour. For a sneak peak at the scoring and to enjoy all the classics, get your tickets early for the program because they are sure to sell out!

• In addition, there will be a program on Sunday, September 4 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. entitled “Labors of Love: from Boheme to Bernstein” in which the Bouknights and the Wileys will perform classic “Labors of Love” from beloved hit musicals and the silver screen as well as popular arias, duets and trios. The program is built for the three shining vocalists and the accompanying piano in order to share with us the musical expressions of love and love’s labor’s lost. Bring a date or your spouse to this night of musical enchantment conveniently located near the lake, and hear classics including duets from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Mozart’s Don Giovanni & Marriage of Figaro, Bizet’s Carmen, Copland’s The Tender Land, Bernstein’s Candide & West Side Story, and Puccini’s La Boheme as well as themes from theater classics including Gone With the Wind, Rent, My Fair Lady, and many other romance favorites.

Tickets for these events cost $20 each or $35 per ticket for both performances and they are available by mail when addressed to SMAC, P.O. Box 70 in Moneta, VA (24121) (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope) and they will also be available at the SML Visitors Center, Print-n-Paper, and the General Store. Come get swept away with us while enjoying a few nights of entertainment and refined romance on this very special Labor Day weekend!

Both concerts will be held at Trinity Ecumenical Parish in Moneta, VA on Route 122 at Lakemount, Moneta. For tickets or information contact (540) 297-0965 or (540) 309-1676.

Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or want to broaden your tastes, the Sedalia Center’s 4th Annual Jazz & Wine Festival has something to offer everyone. Come out for a classic evening of wine tasting and jazz music featuring talented artists and a rare chance to sample the tastes of some of the region’s best vintners. The smooth voices and musicianship of Jane L. Powell, Nat Reeves, and the Vince Lewis Trio will provide the perfect backdrop to your wine-tasting experience while you sample wines from Blue Ridge Vineyard, Century Beverage Distributor, Chateau Z Vineyard, and Fincastle Winery, among many others.

The event takes place in the Sedalia Center’s shaded, atmospheric open-air pavilion. The artists are local legends, with Jane Powell beginning her singing career in Roanoke, Virginia and Nat Reeves being born in nearby Lynchburg. Powell has been described as having a soulful style and a five-octave range, performing throughout the US, Canada and the Caribbean and has been featured in a national McDonalds commercial, a Dino DeLaurentis film Marie and in the 1999 New Line comedy, The Bachelor. Nat Reeves and The Vince Lewis Trio have also received national acclaim and airplay. These artists are divine jazz musicians who will put on a performance you won’t want to miss out on at the Sedalia Center!

Bring your friends and family out for a night of refined relaxation and all sorts of live entertainment with music, dancing, and drinks from 4:00-10:00 pm on August 27th at the Sedalia Center located at 1108 Sedalia School Road in Bedford, VA. It is convenient to Smith Mountain Lake and only costs $15 for an advance ticket and $20 at the gate for a night of music, wine, vendors, festival food and beverages. Advance tickets may be purchased here.

For more information, call (434) 299-5080 or visit www.sedaliacenter.org

If you’re interested in the hunting and archery amenities in the Smith Mountain Lake and Franklin County areas, this event may be for you! Blackwater Bowhunters is hosting a 3-D Archery Tournament on August 20th & August 21st. With 14 paper spot and 25 +1 3D targets, the building is well-equipped for the tournament and can cater to all participants. If you’ve never tried your hand at archery, the 3D targets are the perfect, safe way to get started, and for old pros you can come join this competitive event and enjoy a special breakfast and lunch provided on site by “By George” restaurant.

Blackwater Bowhunters is located at 1084 Wirtz Road in Wirtz, VA and is convenient to Smith Mountain Lake and Westlake.

Another tournament event, the Tough Man Tournament event will be hosted on August 27th. For both events registration begins at 8:00 am and ends at 2:00 pm each day. The cost is $10 for the First Round and $5 for each additional round, but only the first round counts for tournament scoring.

Blackwater Bowhunters has a charter from the Virginia Bowhunters Association and participates in many community outreach events. Please come out on August 20th, 21st and 27th for some 3D and recreational fun with your family and friends and to support our local businesses!

Smith Mountain Lake has a fine array of cultural events for anyone with a creative spark to enjoy and participate in. For those interested, The Little Gallery serves the community with a wide collection of fine art. They not only sell handmade pottery, jewelry, stained glass, blown glass and prints from impressionist to wildlife and oil to watercolor, but they offer lake residents a chance to become immersed in local art and culture and dive into their creative side with demonstrations and other events featuring some of the lake area’s premiere artists and artisans.

Sky, Sea, and Isle by Greg Osterhaus shown above

During July, The Little Gallery has a full schedule of demonstrations. The events are as follows:

• July 14 & 15th-Greg Cartmell painting demonstration and display of new work (from 1:00-3:00 pm)
• July 16th-Gary Dulac Jewelry Trunk Show
• July 23rd-Carrie Mcnutt artist demonstration
• July 30 & 31-Ruth Cline (the “Bead Baker”) jewelry-making demonstration and trunk show

Each month, The Little Gallery also has a feature artist on display. The featured artist for August is Greg Osterhaus, who will be visiting The Little Gallery on August 6th from 1:00-3:00 p.m. To see Greg’s works for sale at the shop, visit their site at Greg Osterhaus at The Little Gallery.

The Little Gallery is conveniently located on the lower level of Bridgewater Plaza, just south of Halesford Bridge at 16430 Booker T. Washington Hwy. in Moneta, VA. Click for directions, and for more information on these events send an email to Carol Swain and Kay King or call at 540-721-1596.

Whether you are an amateur just getting started or an experience creative genius, we could all use a little more art, culture, and community in our lives. Come out to The Little Gallery to enrich your mind and delight in the diverse art scene that beautiful Smith Mountain Lake has to offer!

The National D-Day Memorial located in Bedford, VA and near to Smith Mountain Lake offers its visitors an emotional and educational experience as they remember the events that took place on June 6, 1944. This summer, they are offering two unique opportunities to get your whole family involved in the rich history of the Bedford/Smith Mountain Lake area.

• The 2011 D-Day Memorial Family Day is “an opportunity to discover the lessons and legacy of World War II through interactive programs, tours and projects”. Throughout the day on Saturday, July 16th, 2011 there will be activities such as Victory garden projects, book-signings, models on display, and more, as well as many contests for family members to get involved with.
  

  Click image above for PDF of poster

  Contests/Attractions include:

  • More than 30 activity stations, all hands-on and family-friendly
  • Project Vintage Runway, taking place at noon on Saturday, July 16th-no registration fee is required but participants need to register with the Memorial by July 11th. Bring 40s attire in order to participate in the runway show: prizes will be provided to the winners. All ages are welcome.
  • D-Day Memorial Car Show-visitors can enter their cars in the show, but it is restricted to military vehicles and cars manufactured before 1950. Visitors vote on the winner, who will receive a People’s Choice Award.
  • A USO Idol singing competition, broken into two youth categories for ages 6-18 and one adult category
    (Performers must register by July 11th. There is a $10 entry fee and limited space available.)

  The event is sponsored by Woodmen of the World, Lodge 175 and the Kiwanis Club of Bedford. Regular fees apply for adults, but students under 18 are free.

  For more information contact April Cheek-Messier at (540) 586-3329 or at acheek@dday.org regarding any questions you have or to register for competitions. Also visit www.dday.org for more information or call (540)586-3329.

• In addition to the Family Day, there is also a D-Day Memorial WWII Day Camp called “Growing up in World War II” being held from Wednesday, July 27th through Friday, July 29th from 8:45am-1pm.

  The camp is open for registration for fourth through sixth grade students who will enjoy hands-on history activities, crafts, period games, and rationing-era snacks. A t-shirt and souvenir for all campers is included in the fees, and the children receive the opportunity to meet with living history veterans and re-enactors.

  Fees are $60.00 for the first child and $50.00 for each additional child, which include a t-shirt, craft and activity materials, daily snacks and instruction. Pre-registration is required and a $20.00 nonrefundable deposit is due at the time of registration.

  Take this opportunity to enrich the lives of your children by providing them with a glimpse of history!

  The camp is sponsored by the Bedford Elks Lodge #2844. Contact the Education Department of the National D-Day Memorial at (540) 586-3329 for more information or to register.

  Space is limited (only 35 participants) and you must pre-register, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to help give your child fuller understanding and greater appreciation of the sacrifices of those in military service during WWII and throughout history!

For more live musicians and entertainment as well as an opportunity to enjoy some great local wine, consider stopping by Hickory Hill Vineyards and Winery located in the beautiful Smith Mountain Lake area on Saturdays this summer.

Each event will be held on Saturdays through September 3rd and will run from 7:00-10:00 pm.

The lineup of local musicians is as follows:

July 2nd: Kevin Marshall-a songwriter from Charlotte, NC who previously played in the Sutton Ain’t Right band. He is the cousin of local musician Scott Sutton.
July 16th: Square Peg-a jazz duo performing live
July 23rd: Kat Mills-an acoustic singer/songwriter based out of Blacksburg, VA
July 30th: Sparks Will Fly-A blues/rock/acoustic group based out of Roanoke, with Brittany Sparks on vocals, Billy McCray on guitar, and Scott Sutton on bass.
Hear some of their music at ReverbNation
September 3rd: Larry, Mike & Chip-a group of songwriters who will be performing as “songwriters in the round.”

The cost is $10 including glass and tasting. Kids & DDs get in free.

Bring lawn chairs and a picnic spread and sample Hickory Hill’s fine wines, available for purchase by the glass or bottle, all while enjoying live local musicians!

Offering fine wine and delicious gourmet cuisine, Chateau Morisette is the perfect place to spend your Sunday listening to free live music and enjoying grilled foods, soft drinks and wine available to be purchased beginning at noon. You can even bring your own picnic and just enjoy the atmosphere and free entertainment.

Chateau Morrisette holds these events every Sunday through October. On Sunday, June 26^th, the live music and entertainment begins at 1:00 pm and ends at 4:00. They are located at:
287 Winery Road SW in Floyd, Virginia.

This Sunday’s entertainment is Crusher Run, who has been playing bluegrass, traditional folk country, and folk music since the fall of 2000. They describe themselves as a “Goodtime Band”. You can hear their music at http://www.myspace.com/crusherrun

Come out for free entertainment and purchase some food from the grill. Be sure to bring your own seating.

If you’d rather do something earlier in the morning, a Sunday Brunch Buffet is held every Sunday June-October from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm.

The buffet is $23.95 per adult and $12 for children under 12.

A limited a la carte menu is also available.

Take advantage of Chateau Morrisette’s special summer events!

For more information visit http://www.thedogs.com, email info@chateaumorrisette.com, or call (540) 593-2865