Women of Distinction
Girl Scouts celebrate role models The Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital has named four women from the Eastern Panhandle as the 2015 “Women of Distinction.” They will be recognized at the 11th annual Women of Distinction luncheon on Wednesday, October 14, at the Holiday Inn in Martinsburg, W.Va. The women were selected by their peers for outstanding work in the community, contribution to their professions, and serving as outstanding role models for young women. Bridget Cohee, Linda Largent McGraw, Lynne Seibert Steptoe and Pam Wagoner join the distinguished rank of women who have received the Women of Distinction honor over the past ten years. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts’ highest award – the Gold Award – the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s capital is raffling a beautiful 16-inch, 14- karat white gold necklace with station pearls, valued at $395. Donated by Christian Caine Jewelers of Shepherdstown, this necklace commemorates the sale by the Girl Scouts’ founder, Juliette Gordon Low, of her own wedding pearls to fund the beginnings of the Girl Scout movement in 1912. Raffle tickets can be purchased for $5 a piece or six for $25 through the local Girl Scout office, 304-263-8833. Tickets can also be purchased at Depot Florist or Minghinis’ General Contractors in Martinsburg, or at the door on the day of the annual Women of Distinction luncheon. Purchaser does not need to be present at the luncheon to win the necklace. All proceeds will benefit the Girl Scout Gold Award Scholarship Fund. HONOREES Bridget Cohee Bridget Cohee’s determination and strong work ethic have contributed to positive change in the Eastern Panhandle. She has been involved in Shepherd University Board of Governors; United Way of the Eastern Panhandle; Contemporary American Theater Festival; Young Professionals of the Eastern Panhandle; Court Appointed Guardian ad litem; and St. Joseph Angels. Since 2000 she has practiced in the litigation department of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC’s Martinsburg office, and is presently managing member there. Cohee has been named a Best Lawyer in America. Additionally, she has been recognized by The State Journal as one of West Virginia’s Top Lawyers and as part of their Generation Next: 40 Under 40 in 2006. She has been admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and is a member of the WVU College of Law Visiting Committee. Locally, Cohee has been awarded the Marvin Yurish Award for Excellence in Community Service, and has received similar recognition from Berkeley County Council. Her latest project is spearheading the development of the Burke Street Promise Neighborhood Initiative in Martinsburg. Seeing a need in the community and...
Valley Homes & Style Magazine | October – November 2015 Edition
October – November 2015 Edition
Entwined In Vines
by Mary Stickley-Godinez I really love to use vines in my gardens. Whether draping a wall or arbor, winding up a tree, or covering a not-so-pretty view, these plants have numerous uses in the garden. And because there are so many uses for these workhorses there is there is no excuse. Every garden has a spot and a need for at least one. All gardens need some verticality—something that draws the eye upward to give the space more depth and interest. Including a vine-draped arbor, or even a simple post with a circling vine, adds just the right exclamation point to a garden bed. There is also something about a draping vine that just brings romance and softness to an area. Viewing the silhouette of that drapery against a blue sky, across a fence, or backdropped by shrubs, provides beautiful garden scenes for your eyes no matter which direction you look. The best gardens also contain small, surprising, intimate spaces—little, cozy, spots that the visitor discovers by chance. Vines work really well to create walls of privacy for these areas. Vines are also perfect to create quick screening. They grow fast to cover walls, fences or even posts to provide a quick surface of green to hide whatever ugly is behind it. I also love to use vines at the top of a steep slope. The vines are trained downward instead of up. It sounds a bit odd, but it is very effective and helps hold soils to prevent erosion. As an added benefit, when they bloom the flowers are down where you can see them instead of out of sight at the top of a high beam. This trick also works really well to soften the expanse of a retaining wall. There are both annual and perennial vines. Annuals are perfect for a space that needs really fast coverage. They also usually bloom the majority of the season and so can bring a lot of color to a garden. Perennials have the advantage of coming back year after year. These are good to plant to create a “roof” on an arbor or can be used to add some structural interest. These will also bloom, but they usually have a shorter season of color. And, keep in mind that some vines are grown for the beauty of the foliage instead of the flowers. Sometimes, however, you need coverage year round. There are evergreen vines that stay green throughout the season. Others grow so vigorously that the mass of stems can provide the screening even though they are bare of leaves. Don’t be afraid to mix and match some of...
The Purple Fern
A guilty pleasure among the bustle of Winchester by Victoria L. Kidd photos by Lauri Bridgeforth “It doesn’t get much more creative than this,” says Purple Fern customer Monica Singh-Smith as she digs through the array of silver rings fashioned out of vintage spoons. Smith is a regular, like many others who have come to see the little store on Featherbed Lane in Winchester as a guilty pleasure. Shoppers are drawn to the store partly because of its inviting atmosphere and partly because it carries a range of products and gifts not available anywhere else. It’s the vision of Sarah Garman, a well-known local photography and “creative” who has established the shop as not only a means to make a living but also as an outlet for her artistic pursuits. Garman makes much of what is sold in the store, as she has since it opened in 2008. She says that her creativity is spread across a broad spectrum of interests. “One week you’ll see me in here making wind chimes,” she says. “The next I’ll make jewelry, and the week after that maybe cards or something else. I love lots of things. It’s really just a matter of what I am inspired to create.” Customers often find her seated behind the cash register and singing as she works on something that will eventually make its way to the store’s shelves. Those shelves hold items from local artisans as well as fair trade items from makers around the world. Fair trade is a term used to describe a system of bringing products to the market that have been produced by artisans who are paid a living wage for their work. Fair trade is a movement that is anti-slavery and anti-child labor. It supports environmental conservation and empowers women and minorities in the developing world. For Garman, carrying a range of fair trade products is a matter of conscience. “I love the fair trade concept. I think it’s nice that people get paid what they are worth,” she explains. “They put all of this time into something, and it’s something that has a value that should be reflected in what they get paid for the work. Having these items available means that people can shop globally at a local store.” Her fair trade merchandise has something in common with items she sells on consignment from local and regional artists, crafters and makers. She believes that these items—which are often one-of-a-kind — make great gifts or serve as a nice way to treat one’s self to something special. “These things are really unique and special because they are made by hand...
Flashes of Inspiration
Artist shares personal sketching journals through publication by Joseph Weagley photos by Monika Wertman Kathleen A. Backus Renninger is an artist, author and graphic designer. She has been painting, writing and illustrating from her home in Blue Ridge Summit, Pa., since she and her husband, Don Renninger, settled in the mountaintop community more than 35 years ago. Their home includes a studio where Kathleen explores and expresses the creativity that has always been a part of her life. “From the time I could hold a crayon, I was always drawing,” Renninger says, recalling that she used a red crayon to draw her first mural on the living room wall just above the baseboard when she was a little girl. Although Kathleen’s mother taught her that it was inappropriate to draw stick figures on the wall, she did encouraged Kathleen to express her creativity. An aunt and neighbor, Nell Metzgar, provided support and encouragement with gifts of art supplies and creative kits. As Kathleen grew up, she continued her journey to self-taught artist. “I don’t have any formal training in art and I’ve never taken a class,” she says, explaining that during her teenage years she enjoyed drawing and painting. She also began writing poetry. After high school, she attended Williamsport Area Community College in Williamsport, Pa., and took a two years course in sign painting. The course taught Kathleen the basics of graphic design, including layout and lettering. Kathleen’s sign painting teacher was also an artistic influence. “He was an artist and he got me interested in old structures and doing pen and ink,” she says. “He didn’t give me any instruction, but sparked my interest.” While in college, Kathleen began to draw portraits. As her confidence grew, she taught herself calligraphy. After getting married and moving to Blue Ridge Summit, Kathleen accepting commissions to do paintings of houses and pets. She also worked as a freelance illustrator of greeting cards for almost five years. The next stage of her creative journey was inspired by several friends and their hobby of model railroading. Kathleen saw their model train layouts that included tracks, model buildings and artificial landscapes. She also noticed the details that make the train layouts look realistic. “It was like a miniature world,” Renninger says. “That got me interested.” To learn more, Kathleen began visiting the showroom of Mainline Hobby Supply, a business in Blue Ridge Summit that specializes exclusively in model railroading supplies. Kathleen became acquainted with the customers and learned more about train layouts. Kathleen began custom painting model trains with an airbrush. She experimented with model buildings to make them appear more realistic. Some...
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