It’s a Berry Good Season At Orr’s
Pick-your-own season at Orr’s Farm Market is fun the whole family can enjoy. Handpick the freshest fruits and berries at Orr’s pristine orchards in Martinsburg this spring where staying local stays in mind. Fruitful, flowing landscapes have been the site of Orr’s pick-your-own crop for years. This year, Orr’s provides a wide array of juicy fruits and pristine vegetables that showcase the benefits of local farming. With expanded offerings this season, Orr’s hopes to attract new visitors to the farm and keep options colorful for those who’ve been customers for years. “Pick-your own really draws a crowd because our customers want to be part of the behind- the- scenes process of what they eat. Plus, fruit always tastes the best when you pick it yourself.” said Katy Orr-Dove, retail market manager at Orr’s. A family-run farm in Martinsburg, West Virginia, Orr’s has been in business since 1954. From berry fields, to the market area filled with WV-made products, to educational outreach, it’s clear Orr’s wants to be an active part of the community. The friendly, knowledgeable staff is happy to guide visitors in the fields, answer questions, and provide suggestions. A goal of the Orr family is to help other families—children especially— learn more about agriculture and the benefits to buying local through their experiences at local farms. Orr family members and employees alike are dedicated to promoting the importance of being good stewards of the land and strong members of the surrounding community. That’s why the farm continues to grow into one of the area’s most enjoyable places and is a fine example of why buying local and eating local matters. Pick-your-own season brings people together to appreciate the bounty of nature. Visitors get hands-on experience with the foods they eat and they get to see the daily operations of a working farm. Sharing a love of the land and food with community members is a core value of farming, and the Orr family savors every opportunity to be up close and personal with customers. This time of year, cherries and blueberries are the talk of the farm. Orr’s sweet cherries are available around June 5th and last for 3-4 weeks. Tart cherries are available during pick-your-own season around June 11th and last for about two weeks. At only $2.99/pound, these farm-fresh cherries are not only a bargain but also a great opportunity to shop local. Plus, cherries help maintain healthy sleep patterns through melatonin— good for your taste buds and your health! Due to a cold spring, Orr’s lost many of their cherries, but a few have been salvaged. Mark your calendars to come pick before they’re...
Take An Adventure With Conoco Kayak, LLC
by Becky Muth After 40+ inches of snow in February and over two weeks’ worth of consecutive rainy days in May, there’s no time like the present to enjoy the outdoors. Conoco Kayak, LLC in Greencastle, Pennsylvania offers a different perspective on outdoor activity – paddling creeks and rivers throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland. Conoco Kayak, LLC kicked things off on January 1, 2016 by launching their Facebook page. Just four months later they opened for the season, offering routes exploring the Conococheague, Antietam, and Licking Creeks and the Potomac and Juniata Rivers. A COLLEGE DEGREE, A CAREER, AND A BUSINESS BY AGE 25 Joshua Martin, owner of Conoco Kayak, LLC says when he was growing up his friends and family spent a lot of time enjoying the local creeks. Annual family reunions eventually turned into kayaking trips. “My sisters bought kayaks first, and then I had to get my own,” he shares. “I’m a huge outdoors person, always have been. Once I got a kayak, I was out there all the time.” Five years ago, at age 20, Martin took a job at a regional bank. Deep down he always dreamed of operating a local business and, after graduating from college with a degree in business, started his nest egg and laid the groundwork. Why kayaking tours? Martin explains, “It was about three years ago that I realized kayaking was a big deal. So many people have landscaping, painting, car shops, but nobody around Greencastle is doing this.” He performed heavy research on the popular pastime before launching the business, studying how kayaking tours take place both in the United States and on an international scale. Kayaking is more than a trendy way to kill an afternoon, however. TIME magazine named kayaking the fastest-growing sport in North America. In the last decade, the number of kayakers more than doubled from 3.5 million to 8 million in the United States alone. Kayakers enjoy the sport from the frigid waters surrounding Alaska, to the Zambezi River which winds through the tropical safaris of Africa, and everywhere in between. Although earning his college degree taught him about managing a business, there were things it didn’t teach, like registering his kayaking company as a boat livery or, his biggest challenge, finding the right transportation to to carry kayakers and equipment between the parking area and the drop off or pick up sites along their route. Martin required a vehicle that allowed him to transport groups without requiring a commercial driver’s license, also known as a CDL. Careful research resulted in his purchase of a previously owned bus and trailer, as well as new...
89th Annual Apple Blossom Festival
April 22 – May 1, 2016 – Winchester, VA Dear Readers, please get out your calendars for spring! It is time to start planning your Festival activities. Brochures with ticket form are being distributed listing the over 45 activities available – events ranging from traditional to family fun to the brand new. Oh, yes, there IS something for everyone. Actually, lots of “somethings.” This year’s theme of “Unforgettable” is another of the Festivals’ one word themes that embody feelings for the Festival and its long history. Stringing past themes together like “Timeless,” “Celebrate,” “The Land of Pink and Green,” the Festival feels these words will come together to describe the Festival as it heads towards 100 years! The Festival ranks as the largest of its type in Virginia and is one of the top ten Festivals east of the Mississippi. Festival honors include being in the top 100 Events of North America by the American Bus Association, Top 25 Small Town Events in the US by EventCrazy.com, one of the Top Ten Best Southern Cultural Events by USA Today, Top Ten Best Spring Flower Festivals by Fodor Travel, and second in “Best Southern Events” in USA Today’s Readers Poll. This reputation comes with enthusiasm and long, hard event planning and execution. We hope you will come enjoy what the 89th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® has to offer. This year’s dates are April 22 through May 1, 2016. Ten days! The Bloom invites you to block out some time now to make the short trek to Winchester to celebrate spring. The festivities begin with the United Bank Bloomin’ Wine Fest on Friday evening April 22 and all day Saturday, April 23. The 10- day event is bookended with the Anthony’s Pizza Weekend in the Park along with a car show, crafts, entertainment, and Funday for children. The final event is the Sunday, May 1 – the Shenandoah Ford Blue Grass Festival with headliners Dailey & Vincent, known as the “new generation” of bluegrass stars. Ten days, two weekends and, along the way, the carnival, midway, luncheons, dinners, dances, and celebrities. If no brochure is handy, log on to www.thebloom.com for events, tickets, and Festival news. It’s updated almost daily as celebrities are named and details finalized. More questions? With the 45+ events and over 2000 volunteers, it’s an onerous task handled by a four-person fantastic office staff. The staff has enough knowledge in their collective brains to answer all your questions. If you can’t find it online, call 540-662-3863. A Little Bit of History Back in 1924 a group of some 1200 citizens from all the parts of the Shenandoah...
Lot 12 – Fine Dining in a Warm and Comfortable Venue
By Pam and Tim Lettie Photos by Pam Lettie Strolling toward Lot 12, we feel the peaceful evening settling in around us. Closing our eyes, the soothing aroma of late fall wood smoke wafting through chilly air seeps into our subconscious. Climbing the steps to the front entrance of the house, walking past the wrap-around porch, looking out over the park and homes below, then strolling through the entryway, we feel at ease. The sense of home and comfort overtakes us. The hostess reinforced the sense of ease as she escorted us to our table. From our table at the front of the dining room, we look out on the orange setting sun, while dimmed interior lights and muted conversations hum in the dining room next to us. We bask in a homey interior, where two-toned neutral paint colors are separated by a dark brown chair and crown moulding that serves double duty as a picture hanger, with artwork by the chef’s parents, Jan and Jonathan Heath punctuating the simple wall colors. A cheerful and welcoming waitress brought us bread and olive oil before our meal, but ever vigilant of the effect of carbs on our middle-aged frames, we, like the growing numbers of carbweary boomers, sought out other appetizer options. With a menu as eclectic and varied as the Lot 12 menu, we looked for expert advice, quizzing our waitress about her favorites. For our appetizer, tuna or duck? For our entree, coq au vin or cioppino? For dessert, creme brulee or apple crostata? We opted for the rare ahi tuna roulade appetizer. The slices of raw tuna wrapped around homemade nappa slaw gave the appearance of sushi bites, but each bite contained the delicious crunch of fried wontons. The slaw on the side, along with the seaweed salad, were topped with the welcome crunch of fried wontons. The three tuna roulades sat on a sea of creamy wasabi dressing drizzled with a hint of ponzu, a tangy Japanese citrus-soy blend. The wasabi flavor was muted by the cream, without wasabi’s typical strong punch, but complementing the rice vinegar dressing on the slaw. We were in a Saturday frame of mind, but it was actually Sunday. Even on a Sunday evening, three-quarters of the tables were full. We were lucky to arrive early and trade in a middle-of-the-room table for an intimate table for two in front of the big windows overlooking the porch and the park. A two-foot wrought-iron dragonfl y hung inside the window, adding an artistic accent to an already charming view. The two-person table next to us featured a bench seat complete with a...
The Tiffany Windows of Franklin County
By Cheryl M. Keyser Photos by Monika Wertman Tiffany. It’s a name that evokes images of diamonds, pearls, and multicolored gems arranged in exquisitely designed settings at equally exquisite prices. Recall the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with an elegant black-gowned Audrey Hepburn peering in its windows. That Fifth Avenue mecca for the wealthy, however, had a much more prosaic origin – sand – common silica found in most rocks and mixed with elements to produce the delicacy of glass. The son of the original owner of Tiffany, Louis Comfort Tiffany, raised this humble medium to a glorious height – reinterpreting, indeed recreating, stained glass, a decorative art form that has endured for centuries and giving it new prominence. Stained glass is most commonly associated with churches, their colorful glass windows filled with religious imagery to remind parishioners of the stories of their faith. In the hands of Louis Comfort Tiffany, this medium came into the 20th century reborn in an atmosphere of Art Nouveau, spellbinding with both religious and secular themes. A select representation of these famed windows can be seen in Franklin County, Pa., which has a sizable, yet unheralded, array of Tiffany stained glass windows. “We have a varied collection that would rival some larger towns and cities,” says Mike Albert, Chambersburg architectural historian and guest speaker on a 2015 bus tour of these gems. Six different sites in the county – from Beartown to Welsh Run, churches to academic institutions – By Cheryl M. Keyser Photos by Monika Wertman bear witness to his radiant work. Tiffany (1848-1933) was born in New York City, the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, the founder of the eponymous store. He was educated at military academies in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but put that training behind him to follow his natural instincts into painting. One of his early teachers was George Inness, known as the father of American landscape painting. On a fortuitous trip to Europe, he visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which held an extensive collection of early glass. Drawn to its possibilities, he returned and set up his own glass factory in Corona in Queens, New York, to improve on the production of what he had seen. His most inventive contribution was the development of what he called favrile glass which he patented in 1892. (Favrile is variously attributed to an early French or Old English word meaning handmade.) He brought this new glass to the interior design of the Mark Twain House in Connecticut and also to the White House. President Chester A. Arthur wanted to redecorate his official home and he commissioned Tiffany...
The Passion for Dance
By: Bonnie Williamson Photos By: Josh Triggs The famous American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham once said, “Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” A passion for the many forms of dance has been the motivation for a two-day festival of master dance classes and a gala performance, now entering its third year, sponsored by Dance Works. Dance Works is a collaborative effort created by the local dance community and the Berkeley Arts Council, a nonprofit, volunteer organization, devoted to building a vibrant arts community in Berkeley County. The Martinsburg Berkeley County Parks and Recreation board is also a sponsor of this event. The festival will be held February 26 and 27 at Musselman High School, 126 Excellence Way, Inwood, W.Va. It’s open to beginning, intermediate and advanced students, ages 10 to 18, participating in dance schools and companies. Classes include instruction in ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop and folk dancing. The festival culminates on Saturday at 7 p.m. with a performance by students so they can share their dance pieces with friends and neighbors, says Jane Horst, chairwoman of the Dance Works planning committee and a volunteer at the arts council. Tickets for the Saturday performance are $10 for adults, $5 for children and free for those under 12. “This is not a competition. It’s an educational experience. We wanted dancers to have another opportunity to be on stage, too. It’s local. They don’t have to travel,” says Horst. Members of the planning committee responsible for the event are Emily Bernazzoli, director of Dance Dimensions of Hedgesville; Denna Smith, director of Inwood Performing Arts Company; Kat Ward, director of Rhythm ‘n Motion Dance Studio in Martinsburg, and Andrea Kilmer, dance teacher, dance department director and Synergy Dance Ensemble director for Washington High School in Charles Town. Last year’s festival had 122 dancers attending classes with close to 300 people in the audience for the gala performance, says Horst. “The festival is a great way to unify the dance community in a collaborative educational setting,” says Ward. “Participants can experience different instructors. They can network and just have the joy of dancing, explore other styles. It’s a positive outlet for students. We know how important dance is to young people.” “We are passing on our passion for dance to others,” says Bernazzoli. Classes will be taught by five dance masters with a wide variety of experience. Yoav Kaddar, the director of the dance program at West Virginia University, is a graduate of the Julliard School, where he earned a BFA and received the Martha Hill Award for Outstanding Achievement and...
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