Arts & Entertainment

Young artist and recent Southern Virginia University graduate Jonah Brown is showing his powerful portraits and paintings at Nelson Gallery again, for the month of August. Brown is from Salt Lake City, Utah, but was raised in Rock Hill, S.C. His interest in art and painting goes way back, to grade school, then high school when he was inspired by the art (at the time featured on YouTube videos) of an Austrian artist named Voka. This is the second time his large portraits have graced the Nelson Gallery walls. The theme underlying all the paintings in his current show is music, in all its forms: folk, rock, hip hop, but especially expressed in the meaning implied by the words or melodies of the songs or lifestyle of each musician.

Carolyn Terrell, (540) 649-3828/[email protected] Happy birthday wishes are being sent to Terry Stump, Behr Lovelace, Jeffery Groah, Terry Groah, Benjamin Fields and Rhonda Fitzgerald. My uncle, Terry Brooks, will be celebrating his 90th birthday on Aug. 19. The family would like to do a card shower for him. His address is 115 Baynes Road, Waynesboro, VA 22980.

Mountain Gateway Community College’s division of Workforce Solutions and Community Education is offering several training courses for in-demand careers in health care this fall. There is limited space available.

The annual local National Night Out event drew a big crowd to Hull’s Drive-in last Tuesday evening for a variety of educational and entertaining activities by many local organizations. Among the scenes were (clockwise from above) children enjoying sno-cones provided by the Lexington Police Department; children meeting a Virginia State Police dog; families checking out a Natural Bridge Volunteer Fire Department truck; children picking up fruits and other items from the Rockbridge Area Community Services booth; Moe, VMI’s sports mascot, greeting children; a Goad’s Body Shop car on display; Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office deputies serving up hot dogs; and children picking up bubbles and other items from the Lexington Police Department booth. The evening concluded with a free showing of the movie “Minions.” (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photos)

In loving memory of Russell H

Last month, two Rockbridge County High School students and their adviser traveled to Orlando, Fla., for the 2023 National Educators Rising Conference. Picture here are (left) Jacob Cline and (right) Cheyanne Clark, both students in teacher Amanda Grimm’s (center) Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow course, which is designed for anyone interested in a career in education. Through that class, they were able to join Educators Rising and attend local and state conferences and competitions. Both students chose to compete in the Lesson Planning and Delivery category and focused on the areas they hope to one day teach. Cline is a 2023 graduate of RCHS and will be attending the University of Kentucky this fall where he will major in music education. His lesson was about musical scales. Clark is a rising senior at RCHS and plans to continue her studies in culinary and education so that she can one day become a Family Consumer Science teacher. She chose to teach students how to cook veggie bites. The conference provided lots of exciting sessions with interesting keynote speakers and the opportunity to network with others from across the country. The students and their adviser would like to thank all of the community members and local businesses who supported and made this trip possible. To learn more about this organization and its work, contact Grimm at RCHS.

After two decades of dedicated service to Rockbridge Area Community Services, Barbara Wright decided to “throw in the towel” and enjoy retired life. She retired June 16.

Margaret Junkin Preston, the “Poetess of the Confederacy,” is well known in Lexington, and beyond, for her epic poem “Beechenbook” and many other literary works, but her husband, John Thomas Lewis Preston, deserves at least as much historical interest, the newest “Rockbridge Epilogue” asserts.

Baby, It’s Hot Out There!

A “Back 2 School Bash” will be held at Glen Maury Park on Sunday, Aug, 6, from 2 to 5 p.m. This event is being offered free to the public.

The Lexington Police Department, in partnership with the Lexington Police Foundation, is having a “back to school” community picnic Aug. 12 at Richardson Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mikhala Stafford, director of community outreach for Project Horizon, will talk about child trafficking in the local area, risk factors and red flags on Thursday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Rockbridge Regional Library.

The hours for the monthly book sale at Rockbridge Regional Library will change in August. The book sale hours will be Thursday, Aug. 3, from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Aug. 5, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The local La Leche League group along with many others around the world will be celebrating the gift of breastfeeding in the month of August. A picnic at Richardson Park, behind Lylburn Downing Middle School will be this month’s meeting location to discuss the joys of breastfeeding while enjoying the great outdoors Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 11 a.m.

Wednesday,Aug. 2

Evelyn Ayers, 463-2727

Altars, Icons and Queens

Despite Saturday’s soaring temperatures, there was a good turnout for the 25th annual Beach Music Festival at Glen Maury Park. Friday night’s concert featuring the Cat5 Band had a 45-minute lightning delay, but they were able to finish their set. Saturday afternoon the The Blackwater Band (oicture at top right) took the stage at noon. The Blackwater Band has been performing for 11 years and is based out of Clarkton, N.C. They play Top 40, blues, funk and country. Their music brought people to their feet. The dancers were cooled by the large electric fans that were provided by the park and some attendees chose to bring their own cooling methods with them. The Entertainers performed after the Blackwater Band and the Band of Oz finished the day. (Joann Ware photos)

Deborah Potter McCormick, 540-463-7652

Rachel Clark, (630) 607-9938 [email protected] Thank you to Josh Holton who preached at New Monmouth Presbyterian on Sunday, and to Janeen Welsh for leading in worship.