We absolutely love supporting and partnering with Red Wing Academy each year. The students get the amazing experience of learning from area musical experts and some of my favorite people ever. Red Wing Academy is hosted by Eric Brubaker of The Steel Wheels as a four-day intensive camp held in June at Eastern Mennonite University. These campers then get a chance to perform on stage at Red Wing Roots Music Festival on June 23rd.
The camp is open to non-beginners that play violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, mandolin, and banjo from age 5 – 19. Student have individual and group instruction from an amazing array of teachers and get to play some incredible music together. I have attended their week ending performance at EMU several times and always make a point to see them at Red Wing Roots Music Festival.
Gaines Group Architects sponsors the camp each year as a way to support the next generation of musicians in our community. A focus on musical instruction not only teaches kids how to play, but studies have shown that it accelerates brain development in young children, particularly in the areas of the brain that are responsible for processing sound, language development, speech perception, and reading skills.
Next in our lineup of creators participating the First Friday holiday gallery opening is Lynn Adams. Lynn is excited to partake in the festivities and will be sharing her handmade wool and wood turned items.
First Friday Artist, Lynn Adams
Lynn and her family have lived in the Harrisonburg area since 1981, except for a a short time in 2011-2013. They have been involved in Boy Scouts, the church and the Builders Association for many of those years.
She has always enjoyed crafting and working with her hands. She has worked on a range of projects from costumes to wood projects. During Covid, she was in search of something new to learn. She had worked with fabric, yarns, and glass and needed a new challenge. She found needle felted wool and wood turning.
Both are using what is found in nature and that helps bring out its own personality. The wool is naturally dyed and 100% organic. The wood is what we can find from here or from friends, or traded with other wood turners. She sometimes uses acrylics in some of the turnings to add interest and variety.
Be sure to come out to meet Lynn and enjoy all of the vendors, live music, and visits with Santa on December 2nd, from 5:00-7:00 pm. Find the event page and RSVP here. And in case you missed it, read up on the other vendors who will be sharing their work here, here, and here.
Laurence Heine is among the talented group of creators contributing to our First Friday holiday event and gallery opening on December 2nd at the Depot. Laurence has previously shown his work at the Depot and we are grateful to have him return! Get to know Laurence and his photography in his biography below.
Sunset Beach Sunrise, photo captured at Sunset Beach, NC
“I have been interested in photography since childhood, when I mostly photographed railroads and steam engines – I remember my first camera was a plastic Kodak box camera. I was a photographer for my high school and college yearbooks and my college newspaper, and for two years I was the college yearbook photographic editor.
Over the years I have amassed boxes of slides and photos, many of which have never been looked at. Since switching to digital cameras, I have also taken thousands of digital images (more than 2000 images during an 18-day trip to National Parks in the west in 2015).
I am primarily interested in photographing nature and scenery, ranging from butterflies and insects to sunrises, sunsets, rainbows, waterfalls, wildlife, and scenic panoramas. I also enjoy photographing ‘distressed’ (as in abandoned or forlorn) buildings and objects and am now doing a lot of macro (extreme close-up) photography.
My desire is to capture specific moments or scenes that are meaningful to me, so I can share those moments or scenes so others can enjoy them too, whether by displaying a mounted and framed print or by sharing them online.
I mount and frame my best or favorite photographs so others can appreciate them, too. I have displayed photos at the Rockingham County Fair, The Smith House Gallery, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, in the offices of Dr. Stacie Dietz and Appalachian Physical Therapy, at The Gaines Group Architects, and at the Staunton Innovation Hub. I received two First Place awards in the 2018 Rockingham County Fair and a First and a Second Place award in the 2022 Rockingham County Fair.
Because almost every photo has a story, my wife, Beverly, and I started a photo blog (www.blinspirations.com) featuring some of our photos and describing the circumstances which led to the photo being taken, as well as information about the location of the photo and some technical aspects of the photo.”
It’s that time of year and we are excited to join forces with our Depot neighbors, R.S. Monger and Sons and Herr and Company to host an extra special holiday party and First Friday event! Mark your calendars and plan to stop by the Depot on Friday, December 2nd between 5-7 pm to partake in the festivities.
Ring in the holidays at the Depot!
The holiday spirit will be celebrated and shared as we listen to live music performed by Red Wing Academy, share our wish lists with Santa himself, and shop from local vendors. The festivities are numerous and will be held on both the second and first floors of the Depot. Santa will be on the first floor and available for you to take your own photos with. We have a long list of creators and guests who will help us ring in the holiday spirit. The pop-up gallery on the second floor will feature original artwork and handmade gifts from Saloma Furlong, Mae Stoll, Laurence Heine, and Lynn Adams.
Red Wing Academy will share holiday music upstairs.Don’t miss out on visiting with Santa!
As always, this event is free and open to everyone! Food and refreshments will be provided. Visit the event page and RSVP here.
Mae Stoll will be featured during November’s First Friday Gallery Opening.
The walls of the Depot continue to shine with local artist’s work and we are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the arts in our community. With only two more gallery openings left this year, we are excited to feature artist Mae Stoll at the Depot on Friday, November 4th. The gallery opening will be from 5:00-7:00PM and as always, the event is free and open to everyone! Get to know Mae before the event by reading her bio below.
Originally from the island of Malta, new artist Mae Stoll moved to Virginia three years ago after more than 40 years in Texas. She thinks that it was the beauty of the Valley that inspired her to buy her first set of acrylics late in 2020 and start dabbling. Not having any formal art instruction aside from a couple of elective art classes in college, Mae is still adjusting to her late-in-life “art awakening” and new identity as an artist. She says, “…sometimes, things flow, and life is good. Other times, the work is mentally and emotionally exhausting; but somehow, it always feels like it’s what I should be doing.”
In addition to her success at local area art festivals, Mae was the featured artist at the Crozet Artisan Depot last April, and some of her work can be found at Cabell Gallery in Lexington. She was also recently awarded first place in the Painting category at a local fall foliage festival this month! Mae also makes lovely wire-wrapped jewelry, which can be seen along with her many paintings on her website www.adornmentsbymae.com .
Learn more about the event and RSVP on our event page here.
We hold to our belief that it requires action, time, and energy to build a stronger, more vibrant community. Community has many scales and our collective actions create a ripple effect. Last week Charles had a full schedule of events and he was reminded of the value each of us plays in serving our community. He attended his regular Tuesday morning Rotary Club of Rockingham County meeting which focused on Polio vaccinations around the world. This terrible disease is very close to eradication but simultaneously on the brink of another worldwide outbreak. The work of Rotarians to raise awareness, money, and to take action has made a significant difference with now only two countries in the world reporting wild Polio cases. As an aside, there has been a minor outbreak in a small community in New York, but it is not reported as a wild outbreak. These cases in New York remind everyone of the critical importance of vaccinations.
After Rotary, Charles headed South to Mary Baldwin University to talk sustainability with business majors. The first class he participated in consisted of freshman students who were eager to discuss and learn how an architect applies sustainability to their work. The excellent conversation and questions showed these students have deep desires to understand the impacts business has on the environment how they can be a part of creating a better future for everyone. The second class was a small group of students who have a primary focus and deep understanding of sustainability in business. The conversation was focused on how to build a sustainable business using the three principles of sustainability; people, planet, and profit.
Charles hit the road after meeting with the MBU students and went directly to Eastern Mennonite School for a second day of teaching Sketch Up and floor plan creation to high school students. The class is tasked with designing a 900 square foot house with 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom as a tool to learn this software and create three dimensional spaces.
To round out his day of service, Charles participated in a spirit night that he helped organize at Harmony Square Dairy Queen. Named “Pints for Polio” this twist on a traditional fundraiser is an annual event that raises Polio awareness in a family0friendly environment.
Not all of our days can be this jam-packed with community service, but is not lost on us how it takes many hands and willing hearts to intentionally build a better, stronger, more vibrant community.
