For about a decade the House of Bread non-profit has been helping under-resourced women build job skills and regain their footing by training in a hands-on commercial kitchen. This Saturday in keeping with theme, House of Bread will hold a first-time fundraiser – a “bake off,” featuring some well known local figures. A baking competition, a soup and bread dinner featuring House of Bread’s own baked goods and a celebrity desert auction featuring bakers like Mayor Joe Cobb, city council woman Vivian Sanchez-Jones and delegate Sam Rasoul. The Bake-off is this Saturday from 6 to 8pm at Greene Memorial United Methodist Church. Lisa Goad is the program coordinator for house of bread, which works out of a shared kitchen space in Roanoke’s West End neighborhood. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:

The Carilion Taubman Cancer Center opening in 2028 will have an entire floor dedicated to children fighting cancer – and when funding is secured for less-invasive proton therapy, that will be the preferred approach for treating young patients. September also is National Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.  The medical director for hemotology and oncology at Carilion Clinic is Dr. William Fintel. He recalls speaking with Kelly Woolwine of LifeRing Foundation, which is raising millions for the Carilion Taubman Cancer Center and services like proton therapy, who told Fintel how kids with cancer are treated is reflective on the entire health system.  WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports.

A solemn ceremony this morning at Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport in remembrance of the September 11th, 2001 hijackings and terrorist attacks that took down the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York and hit the Pentagon, killing almost 3000 people. ROA executive director and CEO Mike Stewart recalled the first responders and others on that fateful day 25 years ago. Stewart was working at busy Chicago-O’Hare Airport on 9/11 2001, which like every other airport in the country was shut down for several days. This morning’s ceremony at Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport included a Wreath of Remembrance ceremony and “God Bless America” sung by all in attendance.

“Together we remember,” – a ceremony on Friday at Salem Fire Station number one, honoring the almost 3000 lives lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. An emotional Salem Fire-EMS chief Stephen Simon told local first responders, elected officials and other guests we must never forget what happened 25 years ago. The ceremony included a posting of the colors, bagpipers playing Amazing Grace, the laying of wreaths at the bottom of a steel beam that came from a World Trade Center Tower, and a symbolic bell ringing.

Around here we have Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge – and a few years ago southside Virginia in Danville and Pittsylvania County adopted a similar tag line, as a way to re-brand the region. It paid off big time in 2025 when it comes to tourism and the tax revenue generated. Visit SoSi – that’s Southside Virginia – received the largest boost when looking at 2025 numbers when compared to 2024 no doubt by the opening of the Caesars Virginia casino, hotel and resort. In fact tourism director Lisa Meriwether noted it went up about 51 percent over 2024, when Caesars Virginia opened the doors to its permanent casino in December that year. WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:

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More than 85-percent of the homes in the City of Roanoke were built before 1978.  That means they probably have lead paint.  The city has received funding to help homeowners with lead remediation.  WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno has more.

The City of Roanoke has received $6.25 million to remove lead paint hazards.  Over the next three years they will work on as many as 150 homes.  The work is done through Lead Safe Roanoke.  The city has operated the program for more than 20 years, completing lead remediation in 559 Roanoke homes. Program Director Katie Kennedy says when they are called to a home, it’s rare NOT to find lead contamination.

“We’ll actually come out and do a full lead inspection and risk assessment,” said Kennedy. “And so we’ll test every single painted surface in your house to determine whether there’s lead paint there and whether or not that paint is a hazard. Lead paint when it’s deteriorating, so if it’s chipping or peeling, it often looks like alligator scales.”

The goal is to make homes safe for families. Lead exposure can seriously harm children and cause lifelong health effects. To qualify for the program you must live in Roanoke City. The home has to have been built before 1978 and is not located in a floodplain. There are income eligibility requirements. And a child age 5 or younger must live in or regularly visit the home. Find a link to the application at WFIRNews.com.  Denise Allen Membreno WFIR News.

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Roanoke City has received $6.5 Million to continue its lead remediation program.  WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno has more on who is eligible for the program.

Lead Safe Roanoke has competed lead remediation in 559 homes in the city during its 20-year history.  But with more than 85% of the city’s homes being built before 1978 there is a lot more work to do. Lead exposure can seriously harm children and cause lifelong health effects. That is why one of the eligibility requirements is a child age 5 or younger must live in or regularly visit the home.

“The only way you can actually know if somebody has lead poisoning is to have a blood test. And it’s really important at your child’s well visit at age one and two. If you live in a pre-78 house or your child spends time with their grandparents or other family members in an older home, that you make sure that your pediatrician during their well child visit is testing their blood for lead.”

That is Katie Kennedy Program director of Lead Safe Roanoke.  She says to qualify for the program you must live in Roanoke City. The home must have been built before 1978 and is not located in a floodplain. There are also income eligibility requirements. Find a link to the application at WFIRNews.com.  Denise Allen Membreno WFIR News.

Online application for Lead Safe Roanoke

Organizers of a long time festival in Salem say it embraces and highlight local vendors. More from WFIR’s Clark Palmer:

The Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts has released its Fall season-plus schedule, primarily featuring performances from talented students in the School of Performing Arts. A semester of events that are mostly free and open to the public will showcase talent from the Virginia Tech Community – students and staffers – with guest artists showing up to perform as well. Included are a number of “ensemble” concerts featuring jazz, wind instruments and percussion. Ariana Wyatt is the associate dean for outreach engagement for the college of architecture arts and design at Virginia Tech. WFIR’s Gene Marrano has more:

From the WFIR News room this is your Culture Calendar – With a look at some of the local events coming up this weekend and in the near future. Sponsored by the Roanoke Cultural Endowment. See more at Roanoke Cultural Endowment.org.  This Saturday the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra kicks off the 2026-27 season with Symphony Under the Stars, a free concert at Elmwood Park featuring familiar overtures, movie scores and a salute to the military. Sunday at 4pm is the deadline for submitting nominations for the annual Perry F Kendig Awards, which honors a local artist, arts organization and a business or individual supporter of arts and culture.

One week from now beginning on Wednesday September 16th at Mill Mountain Theatre the Broadway musical smash from Rogers and Hammerstein, Oklahoma – featuring a diverse group of black actors cast in the lead roles as Curley the cowboy and Laurey, the headstrong farm girl. Hear much more on the link below:

In the past several weeks two towering, iconic women that impacted American culture and politics for decades have passed away. First Dolly Parton, and last week journalist, publisher and early second-wave feminist Gloria Steinem. A Virginia Tech professor who had a brief encounter with Steinem years ago at a conference remembers her. Dr. Bonnie Zare is professor of sociology and women’s studies at Virginia Tech, she recalls meeting Steinem at an airport. In the mid-60’s Steinem went undercover for about two weeks to work as a Playboy Bunny at Hugh Hefner’s place in New York, intent on exposing the conditions the women working there had to endure. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:

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A new event is coming to the Dog Bowl Market.  5 Points Music Sanctuary is celebrating arts from all disciplines.  Denise Allen Membreno has more

The first ever 5 Points Art Harvest is a celebration of art, creativity, music, and community. 5 Points Founder and Executive Director, Tyler Godsey says the event is an invitation to create art.

“This event itself has got different forms of interaction points and what we’re calling harvest stations,” added Godsey. “So we have a bunch of instruments where we’re doing an instrument giveaway in which people can come and decorate their own guitars, ukuleles, mocarenas, and a bunch of instruments. We’ll be able to decorate those, take them on the parade. We have a tie-dye station for people to get free tie-dyes and do tie-dye bandanas. We have a community mural that we are painting together. There’ll be a paint-by-numbers concept.”

Other hands-on experiences include a bubble garden, yard games, face painting, and a goat petting zoo. Godsey says this event is about collaborations.

“Core partner for this event is VIA, which provides jobs and schools for families with autism and those with developmental disabilities,” said Godsey. “We will have a Five Points dog walk and parade. We partnered with the Daisy Art Parade to come in and create a little mini Daisy Art Parade at the Dog Bowl. We’ll feature a Five Points poster gallery that will have all of our poster artists that work for us throughout the year.”

The 5 Points Art Harvest is September 13th at the Black dog Salvage Dog Bowl Market from 11 am to 4 pm.  Find a link to tickets and information at WFIRnews.com.  Denise Allen Membreno WFIR News.

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The 5 Points Art Harvest is your chance to enjoy and create art.  The inaugural event offers different ways to experience creativity.  Denise Allen Membreno reports.

5 Points Music Sanctuary is famous for putting on concerts, but the new 5 Points Art Harvest is a way to celebrate all forms of art.

“It is the platform of creative capacity that we offer to photographers, live painters, installation artists, street performers, poster designers,” continued Godsey. “All of these individuals are seeking ways in which they can explore their own creative ingenuity. And one of the things that’s really important for me and important for our organization is to honor the fact that we have platforms available and not just be focused on how we present music, but it’s on how we present a community. that goes along with that.”

That’s Tyler Godsey Executive Director of 5 Points Music Sanctuary.   The 5 Points Art Harvest is September 13th at the Black dog Salvage Dog Bowl Market from 11 am to 4 pm.  It has what Godsey calls Harvest Stations where all ages can interact and create art.  The goal is to create a sensory friendly event.

“The Dog Bowl is a public access space,” said Godsey. “It’s not just a place where we put on our concerts. I view that as a community asset for the long run. And when we put on events there, I do want to look at how we can explore not just what we hear, but the things that we see, the things that we taste, the things that we share. When we understand that these experiences are about all of the senses, we can start to open up our minds and our eyes to different ways in which our community He comes together for these things.”

Find a link to tickets and information at WFIRnews.com.  Denise Allen Membreno WFIR News.

Art Harvest Information

Art Harvest tickets