We pre-recorded today's conversation with Tim Farmer, Public Relations Coordinator for the State Arboretum of Virginia at Blandy Experimental Farm to talk about Garden Fair and why the location changed this year to Clarke County Fairgrounds.

Tim explained the UVA guidelines and how moving the event this year to the Clarke County Fairgrounds made more sense from a safety perspective. He told us that very little else about the event will change: there will still be several dozen vendors, there will still be food, there will still be demonstrations. The event will also still take place Mother's Day weekend: May 8-9, 2021 from 9am - 4pm. The Clarke County Fairgrounds are located at 890 W. Main Street in Berryville. The admission is $15 per car (at the gate) or $10 per car in advance here: https://pci.foc.virginia.edu/fosa/parking

For a list of vendors and more details about the event, visit: https://blandy.virginia.edu/2021-garden-fair

For more information about Blandy, visit their website: https://blandy.virginia.edu/ and follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlandyExperimentalFarm

We pre-recorded today's conversation with Top of Virginia Regional Chamber CEO Cynthia Schneider and her board Chairman, John Fox to discuss a few chamber programs and learn more about the chamber's mission to be the voice of business.

We talked about the chamber's Public Policy Committee and their new initiative to increase Government procurement from local vendors whenever possible. Read the press release here: https://crhost8.com/wp2/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Chamber-Announces-Procurement-Initiative-for-Local-Government.pdf The purpose of the Public Policy Committee is to educate Chamber members about key public policy issues and to represent their interests before local, state and federal governments and agencies.

We also talked about their Workforce Development Committee and several of the goals they've set for the coming year. The mission of the Chamber Workforce Development Committee is to educate and make available to members the opportunities for them to grow and develop their workforce by accessing the community resources. The Chamber will collaborate with the education community, workforce development agencies, EDA's, and other resources. This is in addition to the Chamber's program offerings such as Community Learning Program and the Young Professionals Group.

For more information about the chamber, these committees or upcoming events, visit their website: https://www.regionalchamber.biz/ and follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tvrcva

We pre-recorded today's conversation with Justin Kerns from Winchester/Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau and his guest Amanda Carter of the Charrette Creative Agency.

We talked about their new "Uncommon to the Core" advertising campaign, how they developed it, how cool our community is, and why they're so excited about rolling it out. You can see the video here: https://visitwinchesterva.com/

We pre-recorded today's conversation with Andrea Cosans, Director at Winchester/Frederick County C-CAP to chat about her organization. CCAP maintains a food pantry, operates a clothing center with all sizes, and offers assistance in other areas such as rents, utilities and prescription drugs.

Andrea explained the various services offered at C-CAP and told us a few statistics about the people they've served in the first quarter of 2021. We talked about how they've managed to continue their services throughout the pandemic even with the greater need.

We talked about their food bank and the upgrade it's about to receive thanks to a grant from Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and she gave us the details for an upcoming fundraiser in partnership with Frederick County Parks & Recreation department & Winchester Wheelmen - a bike tour happening on Saturday, August 28, 2021.

For more information about Winchester/Frederick County C-CAP, visit their website: http://ccapwinc.org/ follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccapwinchester or call: 540-662-4318. They are located at 112 S. Kent Street in Winchester.

We pre-recorded today's conversation for United Way Day with Elise from United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley & her guest, Cindy Marzullo. Cindy is the Development Director for The Laurel Center. The Laurel Center, formerly The Shelter for Abused Women, empowers and supports victims of domestic violence by providing emergency housing, advocacy, support services, and education. They reach out to our community through education and awareness programs. Services for victims of sexual assault were added to the program in 1989. Today, over 200 women and children stay in the shelter each year and often as many as 3,000 people receive help and support.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and The Laurel Center is hosting several events to educate the community as well as raise funds for their ongoing programs. Cindy told us about two of those events: Walk a Mile in Her Shoes happening on Saturday, April 24 on the Old Town Walking Mall in Downtown Winchester; and the Fourth Annual Sexual Assault Awareness Candlelight Vigil is on Friday, April 30th from 7:30 to 9:00 PM at the Gazebo in Front Royal. For more information about either of these events or to learn more about the services and programs offered by The Laurel Center, visit their website: https://thelaurelcenter.org/ and follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLaurelCenter

Elise reminded us the Rubbermaid Sale is happening this Saturday, April 24 from 8am - 12pm in the Belk parking lot at Apple Blossom Mall. She also told us about a current fundraiser "Bring the Basics" collection drive that will provide cleaning products, personal hygiene items, and linens to individuals in the Shenandoah Valley who struggle to afford them. The drive kicks off on Monday, April 26 and will run through May 26 with several collection drop-off locations. To see the list and learn how you can register a team to participate, visit their website: https://www.unitedwaynsv.org/bring-the-basics

For more information about all the programs offered through United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley, visit their website: https://www.unitedwaynsv.org/ and follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UWNSV

We were live in the studio for our monthly chat with Lt. Warren Gosnell from Frederick County Sheriff's Office about traffic safety issues.

Lt. Gosnell told us about his red light issues on his trip into Front Royal and reminded people to choose safety over convenience when traveling the roadways. We also discussed the dangers of leaving your grass clippings on the roads when mowing your grass. This is illegal as stated in the Code of Virginia: 18.2-324. Throwing or depositing certain substances upon highway; removal of such substances.

In the second segment we talked about the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Frederick County Sheriff's Office 20th Take Back Day which is scheduled for April 24th from 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. At its last Take Back Day in October, DEA collected a record-high amount of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500 tons of unwanted drugs. Over the 10-year span of Take Back Day, DEA has brought in more than 6,800 tons of prescription drugs. With studies indicating a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential. The public can drop off potentially dangerous prescription medications at collection sites such as the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, 1080 Coverstone Dr., Walgreens Pharmacy 131 Valley Mill Road, Walmart 501 Walmart Dr. and Walmart 201 Maranto Manor Dr. Winchester. Collection sites will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement.

We also discussed the legalization of marijuana in Virginia effective July 1, 2021: HB 972 Marijuana; definitions, possession and consumption, civil penalties, report.

We pre-recorded today's conversation with Nathan Stalvey, DIrector of the Clarke County Historical Association to talk about Art at the Mill.

Art at the Mill is one of the largest fundraisers for CCHA and both events were canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Nathan was very excited to announce that Art at the Mill will return in 2021 (in person) beginning April 24, 2021 and run through (Mother's Day) May 9, 2021. The art show will be open to the public Sunday - Friday 12-5 pm; Saturday 10 am-6 pm with an adult admission of $5; Senior admission of $3 and no admission fee for students. Art at the Mill is located inside the historic Burwell Morgan Mill, 15 Tannery Lane, Millwood, VA.

Nathan also told us about some critical repairs that need to be made to the mill's flume that are quite costly; and, an upcoming talk "Her Name is Dora" at Barns of Rose Hill.

For more details about the events, to make a donation, or to volunteer, visit the Clarke County Historical Association's website: https://www.clarkehistory.org/ and follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClarkeHistory

We pre-recorded today's conversation for Tourism Tuesday with Edie Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce & her guest, Jackie Elliott, Luray Downtown Initiative's new director.

Jackie told us about her history in Luray and love of the downtown area. We talked about the facade grants offered by LDI, the new pocket park, & some upcoming events. She also told us about several new businesses that have opened recently or plan to open in the coming weeks.

For more information about Luray Downtown Initiative, visit their website: https://downtownluray.com/ and follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LurayDowntownInitiative

We pre-recorded today's conversation with Pam Murphy, Director at Shenandoah Community Health Clinic and Dr. Joan Pino, their resident dentist to talk about the free/low-cost dental services offered at the clinic.

Pam gave us an overview of all the medical services the clinic offers including mental health and explained how the recent expansion of Medicaid will help their dental patients.

Dr. Pino talked about the importance of dental health and how he forges real relationships with his patients. He gave us a rundown of the different dental services offered as well.

For more information about the clinic, visit their website: https://shenclinic.org/ and follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahCommunityHealthClinic

We pre-recorded today's conversation with Mark Sutphin, Horticulture Agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension. Mark works out of the VCE-Frederick County office but also serves Clarke, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren Counties and is the lead agent working with Extension Master Gardener volunteers in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Joining us for the conversation was Kate Reed – help desk and Greenline project leader in Frederick County and Rich Howell – help desk and Greenline project leader in Shenandoah County.

Mark gave us an update on the Spotted Lanternfly and told us what to expect from the 17-year periodical cicadas. Kate & Rich talked about the types of questions they receive to the GreenHelpLine from residents and how they research and communicate answers & solutions. This conversation continued after the show finished on-air. You can hear the entire conversation on this podcast.

Extension Master Gardener Help Desks and Greenlines are offered in each of the five counties as a FREE public service. The goal is to properly identify plants and pests (insect, weed, disease, vertebrate, etc) so best management practices can be determined and leading to a reduction of the misuse and overuse of pesticides…ultimately for better human and environmental health!

If you have any type of gardening question, Master Gardeners will remotely research your problem and provide unbiased, research-based solutions. They can answer questions about trees, shrubs, house plants, perennials, annuals, and more! E-mail a description and photos of your gardening problems to the GreenHelpLine in your county.

• Clarke: [email protected] (include "Clarke County Gardening Question" in the subject line)
• Frederick: [email protected]
• Page: [email protected] (include "Page County Gardening Question" in the subject line)
• Shenandoah: [email protected]
• Warren: [email protected]