DADLINE: Not another family flick
Family Film Fatigue has set in at my house. In the past eight months, my wife seen "The Croods," "Wreck-It Ralph," "Monsters University" and, most recently, "Despicable Me 2" - ith our 6-year-old daughter. As for old dad, he cleverly devise other plans on the nights of these animated outings. Those plans usually involve leaving town for several hours. These are the kinds of movies adults are forced to see when you have a kid.
Chuck Prophet to bring ‘Temple’ to Salem's Parkway Brewing Co.
The road is littered with bands that imploded after relationship troubles. Rare are the acts that can keep it rolling when a married couple is at least half of the act. That’s not been a problem for singer, songwriter and rocker Chuck Prophet and his wife, Stephanie Finch, a singer, guitarist and keyboardist.
Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
The plump local peaches with their velveteen skin looked too good for LaRue Dickerson to pass up on a blistering July afternoon. After picking up his 2-year-old daughter, Lynessa, from the Total Action for Progress HeadStart preschool on Shenandoah Avenue in Roanoke, Dickerson, 30, stopped at a farm stand outside the school and bought his family some fruit to supplement the tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and peas he grows. “Peaches is
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My grandpa's hobby was cabinetmaking. Because I was a girl, it never occurred to us to teach me the craft, but I learned enough from playing in his workshop to be able to knock together crude tables, stools or bookshelves from scrap lumber. My grandma's hobby was sewing, and she taught me how to make simple clothing and do alterations. Carpentry and sewing have several things in common. "Measure twice,
‘Fire Up 611!’ campaign not running at locomotive speed
The Virginia Museum of Transportation’s race against time to put the Norfolk & Western J-Class 611 steam engine back on the rails next year continues its uphill climb. Launched June 28, the “Fire Up 611!” campaign seeks $3.5 million by Oct. 31 to make the 611 operational and construct a shop on the museum’s property where the engine can be housed and serviced. The goal is to have the 611
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Davanna Law is the first Virginian to win America’s Homecoming Queen Scholarship Pageant. After the Wirtz resident was crowned the Homecoming Queen of Franklin County High School in October 2012, Law competed in Virginia’s Homecoming Queen pageant in March. After winning there, she was sent on an all-expense paid trip to the July 20-24 national competition in Memphis, Tenn. “I didn’t think I would make the top 10,” said Law,
Travel calendar
DAY TRIPS Sept. 17 Summit Players, Bluefield, W.Va. Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism is sponsoring a bus trip to see a private showing of the community theater production of “The Pearls of Wisdom,” a sequel to “The Passing of Pearl.” The play is set in a diner in Memphis, Tenn., in the 1980s and follows the antics of the three friends. The $73 cost per person includes a catered
Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
Nine hospitals in a region that stretches from Bedford to Tazewell will see their Medicare reimbursements cut this year for having too many patient readmissions. The penalties, part of the new federal health care law, are aimed at prodding hospitals nationwide to do a better job of making sure that patients admitted with heart problems and pneumonia don’t wind up back in the hospital too quickly. Starting in October, hospitals
‘Brave’ is enjoyable but doesn’t offer answers
Toward the beginning of Polly Morland’s “The Society of Timid Souls, or How to Be Brave,” the author recounts an experiment that scientists had concocted to determine neurologic factors of bravery. Volunteers’ heads were placed near a conveyor belt that they could control with a simple stop/start switch. On the conveyor belt would be either a snake or a teddy bear (oh, to read that grant application!). Scientists then observed
Travel postcards: August 2013
August 11, 2013: Cunninghams and Grubbs visit Las Vegas In May, Benny and Wanda Cunningham and Donnie and Linda Grubb and their daughter, Hannah Grubb — all of Christiansburg — drove to Las Vegas to visit the Grubbs’ son, Richie Grubb, and his children, Alyssa and Justin Grubb. “It was our first road trip this far away from home,” wrote Wanda Cunningham. “So we drove to the California state line
Using containers to grow a vegetable garden with little space
One of the most frequent suggestions I’ve had for an article is one on growing vegetables in containers. Many of you long for a vegetable garden, but simply don’t have the space in your yard. This is a subject I’m familiar with, as I have a friend who faced this problem and chose to grow in containers, rather than sacrifice her veggie dreams. Over the years, she’s grown virtually every
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The Radford University Art Museum hopes voters will see fit to restore the late Dorothy Gillespie’s “Sky Castles” sculpture to its full brightness. Gillespie grew up in Roanoke and had a lengthy career that saw her colorful metal sculptures adorn the Rockfeller Center in New York and the Epcot Center in Orlando, Fla. She died in 2012 at age 92. Her works in Southwest Virginia include sculptures in Jefferson Center
Out & about: ‘WIND DRIVEN II’ concert to raise money for Guitars For Vets
The music of Brahms and Bach will help bring guitar lessons to veterans of the U.S. military coping with post-traumatic stress disorder. First Presbyterian Church in Roanoke will hold a concert Sunday made up of classical, jazz and folk tunes called “Wind Driven II.” Though the concert is free, a free will offering will be collected to benefit Guitars For Vets, a nonprofit that provides free acoustic guitars and lessons
Shoppers weigh in on digital receipts
Online shoppers are accustomed to receipts showing up in their inbox, but soon you could be receiving a lot more receipts via email. Brick- and-mortar stores and restaurants are offering digital receipts more often these days, and shoppers have found pros and cons to the system. So far, shoppers have the opportunity to receive digital receipts at stores such as Gap, Old Navy, Macy’s, Sears, Toys R Us and Kmart.
Tony Award-winning play 'Proof' coming to Washington and Lee University
An independent theater troupe is bringing the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play “Proof” to Washington and Lee University . The performance in the Stackhouse Theatre in the Lexington university’s Elrod Commons is being put on by Broken Fourth. The Lexington-based group’s name is a reference to the “fourth wall” concept in theater that imagines the audience is looking in at the actors on stage through an invisible wall. The
Review: Roanoke’s newest Fork sticks to the standards
Those who frequent dining establishments in and around Roanoke are probably familiar with the Fork restaurants — a string of three local eateries that dot the Roanoke landscape and feature items such as brick-oven pizzas, hot dogs, burgers and salads . The flagship location, Fork in the Alley, can be found in south Roanoke, while the second, Fork in the City, is located at Sixth Street and Marshall Avenue. In
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Peter Capaldi has been chosen to portray the new Doctor on BBC’s “Doctor Who.” The show, with its 50th anniversary occurring in November, has had 11 actors portray the character on television . “Doctor Who” first aired in 1963, and tells the story of a time-travelling alien and his adventures. The show was cancelled in 1989, a TV movie was made in 1996, and the revival series started in 2005.
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We’re watching an old episode of “Breaking Bad” when the television volume suddenly skyrockets from about 35 to a window-rattling, eardrum-shredding 100. Neither of us is holding the remote. As Walter White is screaming at us, we’re not even sure where to find the remote. Finally, we realize it’s buried under the fat white cat lying between us on the couch. He’s leaned an elbow on the button and cranked
In ‘Elysium,’ a cosmic divide for rich and poor
NEW YORK — In the desert of big-budget summer moviegoing comes, like fresh water, Neill Blomkamp’s “Elysium,” a dystopic science-fiction thriller bristling with more ideas than all this year’s superheros and action films combined. Like Blomkamp’s first and previous film, the South African alien apartheid allegory “District 9,” “Elysium” is a rogue burst of originality — a futuristic popcorn adventure loaded with contemporary themes of wealth discrepancy, immigration and health
Standouts: Event highlights for the week of August 8-14
TODAY Party in the Park Proceeds will benefit local charities; live music by Ken Knox and Company. Next week will feature Mark Roberts and Breeze. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. No coolers or pets allowed. 6 p.m. $6; children under 12, free. Daleville Town Center, 90 Town Center St., Daleville. www.pitp.org. TODAY Party in Elmwood A portion of every Thursday’s revenue is donated to local charities. This
Top Tickets: Indie rock, blues and funk
TONIGHT The Missionaries With Virginia Werewolf, The Concerns This Roanoke-spawned indie triple-bill includes bands old, new and all-star. The Missionaries launch a 10-city tour with this show. The opening act includes Eternal Summers’ Daniel Cundiff and The Young Sinclairs Sam Lunsford. Details: 9 p.m. Billy’s Barn, 1790 Thompson Memorial Drive, Salem. $5; 18 and older. 728-0270, facebook.com/billys.barn.1, themissionariesva.bandcamp.com FRIDAY Doug Deming and Dennis Gruenling With The Jewel Tones Deming, a
Jammin’ weekend for music in Roanoke
A weekend of big musical events in the Roanoke and the New River valleys features some of the best bands in the Americana world and an old-time music tradition. Here’s a breakdown: Railroad Earth This New Jersey-based jamgrass powerhouse has played at least seven FloydFests, including last month’s version. But for those who have seen the band before, fiddle player Tim Carbone says not to worry — no two shows
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
7. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
8. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. Man's drowning is 5th in Lynchburg area
THE ROANOKE TIMES
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