24066 | BUCHANAN

Having spent nearly 20 years on the road driving a big rig, Eric Pelton can only guess he's eaten at hundreds of roadside restaurants. As he got serious about opening his own diner, he would ask restaurant owners about their trade. “Some of them told me you’d have to be crazy” to open a diner, Pelton said. “And I said it just fits me. I’m about three-quarters nuts, anyways." Read more and watch a video about Eric Pelton. | Story by Ryan Loew

24578 | ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY

Bread was 27 cents a loaf, and coffee was 27 cents per pound when Carlton Layne opened Layne’s Market on U.S. 11 on Nov. 17, 1954. Times have changed since then, but much remains the same at this country store in Rockbridge County. Read more and watch a video of Carlton Layne talking about the history of Layne's County Store. | Story by Eric Brady

24151 | ROCKY MOUNT

Fifty-six years ago, it took a group of men $100 each and donated land to build a community center where people gathered to dance and play music around an old wood stove. The dancing hasn't stopped since. Read more and watch a video of bingo for a good cause at Redwood Ruritan Club. | Story by Jeanna Duerscherl

24127 | NEW CASTLE

"Beautiful. New Castle is beautiful. That is how I would describe it," said 17-year-old Lisa Gallimore as she sits outside her home laughing with friends Angela Smith, Melissa Money and Darrell Greenway. A cool breeze blows through, hinting at the cold to come. Gallimore adds, "But, there is nothing to do here for young people other than ride around and hang out with people." | Story by Kyle Green

24523 | BEDFORD

The only action in Bedford, on a warm and misty Tuesday night, came from behind the windows of an old storefront on Main Street. Cars cruised by on wet streets. Pool balls collided with dull bumps inside. Read more and watch a video of Shooters Pool Hall and Arcade in Bedford. | Story by Stephanie Klein-Davis

24060 | BLACKSBURG

Spiral wood shavings fall around the boots of Daniel Foster, 67, in his woodworking shop in Blacksburg, Virginia, 24060. The wood Foster uses to masterfully construct his violins only gets better with age. And so does the refinement of his craft. Read more and watch a video of Blacksburg's people | Story by Justin Cook

24014 | GARDEN CITY

A sign on the front door of the Corner Kitchen reads, "Enter at your own risk." Owner Carolyn Beckner has been brewing coffee and frying eggs since just before 5 a.m. It's Tuesday, time for her weekly hair appointment at Barbara's Beauty Shop. She slides a closed sign above the warning on the door and heads down Garden City Boulevard. As she leans her head back into the sink for Shaw Campbell to wash, talk turns to ghosts. Read more and watch a video of Garden City's people | Story by Sam Dean

24112 | MARTINSVILLE

Fifteen years ago, Vincent "Spud" Richardson, 41, knew almost nothing about Martinsville, nor did he realize how it would shape the rest of his life.

"When I came here, I was at that age where I was ready to become an adult. I no longer wanted to live how I was living before. It was time for me to grow up. Martinsville's slow pace has helped me mature and become the adult that I am today," he said. Read more and spend some time in Spud Richardson's barber shop | Story by Jared Soares

24091 | FLOYD COUNTY

"It's not a hard place to be for an artist," Erin Coffin said of Floyd County as she placed charcoal to paper while standing on the side of Roberson Mill Road.

Coffin is a plein-air (which literally translates from French to "in the open") landscape artist and an art instructor at the Jacksonville Center for the Arts in Floyd. She recently spent time drawing the landscape scene of the Roberson mill. Read more and watch a video of Coffin creating her charcoal art | Story by Matt Gentry