Ren Crawford's watercolor large colorful abstracts

Diane Rasmussen and Ren Crawford invite you to attend their Foyer Show reception featuring many pieces of Diane’s jewelry and Ren’s beautiful paintings. Diane and Ren invite you to join them for food and live music from 2 to 5 PM on Sunday August 14, 2011. Doors open from 11 AM until 7 PM Sundays.

Diane’s use of wire wrapping stones and semi precious gems to create unique earrings, necklaces, bracelets and Zen Catchers has become the hot commodity since being offered to the public in 2009.

Earrings from Huayruros Seeds and Wood Beads

King Street Art Works!
234 West King Street
Strasburg, VA 22657
King Street Art Works!

Don’t forget to check out the books for kids on MyWholeFamily.com’s Books section.

What a great gift idea. Take the family to see these amazing warriors.

Marcy McCann is a fan of

National Geographic Museum

Coke is a long time official beverage sponsor for this major Virginia Fair. “We are proud to be a sponsor of this great family tradition,” said Colby Shifflett the Business Development Manager for the Staunton/Charlottesville region of Coca Cola. “The annual drawing is a great way to repay the community for their support of Coke products,” he said. “Presenting the winners the tickets to the Julianne Hough, America, Jamey Johnson, as well as the Kenny Rogers concerts, will be a highlight for me.”

Steve Landes, DuPont Community Credit Union’s Community Relations Coordinator, added: “With the opening of our new facility in Woodstock we were looking for ways to make a more permanent connection with community. What better way than to sponsor Family Fun Day at the Shenandoah County Fair! To top that off, we decided to offer two free tickets to the Kenny Rogers concert, along with 2 free gate passes. Then, we learned the winners would be able to see the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Team performing before the concert. It should be a great evening for the winners.”

There are 20 registration boxes throughout the Harrisonburg to Stephens City corridor. Stop by DuPont Community Credit Union at 1025 Woodstock Commons Drive or Ben Franklin (both in Woodstock), 7Bends.com and LtdPrints.com in Strasburg, the Toms Brook Truck Stop or the Red Apple Shell in Stephens City to register. Coke also helps sponsor Veteran’s Day, Children’s Day and the Shenandoah County Fair Recycling Initiative.

Visit www.ShenCoFair.com to learn more about other exciting aspects of the 2009 Shenandoah County Fair.

Mac’s sits on a hill, and was my “view” for the first three and a half years I lived in the valley. The position of my windows was such that the view looked directly over Route 11.

Over, not at, the road.

Each season, much to my delight, the owners would decorate their property with colorful flowers, plants, and yard art. Hanging baskets were all along the roadway, hanging on fences and from poles.

Some summer days a chainsaw artist would sit creating eagles, bears, and other wonderful creatures from bark-covered tree trunks. Varoooom, varooooom, the engine would rev as the adept artist used his motorized carving tool. Chips flew in every direction as the animals emerged. I planned to walk over for a closer look and conversation, but he was usually engrossed in his work.

Often, throngs of people eager to transform their lawns with the current season’s plants, would visit. Small children would hide under the outdoor tables and men would lug bags of mulch to the cars, while women would delicately place tiny pots of bedding plants into the red wagons provided for the customers’ use. Spring, summer, and fall brought such a delightful array of colors that, more than once, I thanked the owners for decorating especially for me.

Today, I head south through Woodstock, passing the wonderful old barn on Lora Drive that John Makely purchased to house his appliance repair business. We became acquainted during conversations about hiking and canoeing as he worked on various pieces of my malfunctioning household machinery.

The barn, complete with a silo, now houses a variety of businesses including Hair Spray where my friend Tara Pederson expertly removes years from my appearance by hiding the ever increasing gray that sneaks its way onto my head. Tara’s salon is a colorful affair, complete with a manicure and waxing room. Southern Living and other types of tasteful reading material make any wait productive and enjoyable. The shampoo room has a fully reclining chair so that one’s head rests comfortably during a strong-fingered shampoo/massage. On Wednesday nights, we usually order take-out from a local eatery. Conversation is always interesting as doctor’s wives, stay-at-home moms, teenagers looking for a cool style, and even construction workers come and go. I enjoy frequenting businesses in reclaimed buildings. Re-adaptive architecture has long been popular in urban settings, but seeing these grand old barns put to a new use is exciting.

I pass the barn and silo and on through Edinburg.

Roll upon roll of hay dots the fields across from where I turn right to visit the Meem’s Bottom Covered Bridge. Built in 1894 and burned by vandals in 1976, the bridge was rebuilt after the original timbers were salvaged. One day, my friend Linda Lightfoot and I climbed down the bank to the north fork of the Shenandoah, where we spent a couple of hours hiking along the river’s edge.

There is a path for a good distance, and then a rock scramble. The brush was thick and full of brambles, but we gingerly picked our way along until we could go no further. We sat for a time, watching the water glide by, skipping a few rocks along the cool water’s surface. My sunglasses are in that thicket somewhere, having fallen from their usual Florida girl perch in my shirt collar. Linda says I am no longer allowed to hike, as I lose something each time we trek. We try to abide by the earth-friendly hikers’ slogan “Leave no trace,” and that gentle admonishment reminds me to be more careful.

Cars wait patiently to pass through the one lane bridge as those of us on foot make our way out. At the bridge’s edge, there is a picnic area next to a massive cornfield. Directly across the road is the site of the annual Corn Maize that is on the list for next fall’s adventures.

Originally published on Shenandoah.com

Marcy McCann is a writer who lives in the Shenandoah Valley. Her book, “Chelsea’s Tree,” is available on Amazon.com. She also owns LtdPrints.com in Strasburg, VA that sells art for hotels, restuarants, offices, and homes. 

Perfect gift for horse lovers.

Visiting Richard Seelbach in Bygones Antiques is always an interesting occasion because tourists seem to be drawn there. The art he displays now outweighs the antiques, so conversations go in every direction. So…the tourists got me thinking!

What adventure could I find close at hand on a slightly chilly Saturday afternoon? I headed for Belle Grove Plantation and found its self-guided walking tour of the garden and out buildings is free and interesting to boot. The ice house, blacksmith shop and dairy are still intact, as is a line of trees planted long ago. I talked Valley history with a very nice man who was dog sitting his two shiztues while his wife toured the mansion. 

As I was leaving Middletown along Route 11 I saw an “Open” flag hanging from an old log cabin and pulled over on a whim. What I thought was an antique store turned out to be the Civil Cricket Cafe, a new restaurant at 7868 Main Street. Robert Mangus had just opened that day. We chatted Strasburg, as his friend Tony made an excellent Breve for me and Robert’s sister was busy in the kitchen preparing food which she brought to the counter so we could all share.

Civil Cricket Table

She created a grilled sandwich to perfection with black-forest ham, a layer of fresh basil, Bree and a hint of raspberry on a grain bread Panini. Perfection is not an overstatement. It was light, slightly crunchy, warm, delicious and deserved my return visit the other night when I was fortunate to meet the General Manager Howard Hoover.  These guys are fun to talk to, have a clean and interesting cafe and serve up crab cakes and other dinner items worth the trip. They are open late to catch folks coming out of the playhouse.

Later that evening I felt the need for a little nightlife so walked across the street to visit Irene at the Strasburg Theater. The Greek Salad and fresh, cooked to order hamburger entice me as much as the thought of music and friends. The cheesecake is to die for, and the place is comfortable even for someone traveling alone. Tourists from the Hotel Strasburg were there as were many locals. Hummmmmm this is making me hungry. I’ll let you know what else I find wandering around our neck of the woods. 

Marcy McCann is a writer who lives in the Shenandoah Valley.  Her book, “Chelsea’s Tree,” is available on My Whole Family.com

 This series was first carried on www.Shenandoah.com