Firearms exhibit opens at Virginia Museum of the Civil War

The largest public exhibit of Civil War-era firearms in Virginia was dedicated earlier this month at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War, located at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park.

Forty-four pieces in the new exhibition were donated to Virginia Military Institute in 2014 by Martin Kaminsky, law partner of Joseph Reeder, a member of the VMI Board of Visitors. Also on display alongside the Kaminsky firearms are more than 100 additional weapons that have been in the VMI Museum System’s possession for some time but have not been displayed before due to lack of space. One such item, a Model 1860 Colt revolver captured from one of Gen. George Custer’s men at Lacey Springs, Virginia, has been in the museum collection since 1916.

The Kaminsky Gallery of Civil War Firearms illustrates the technological advances made in firearms during the period 1850 to 1865.  Weapons from more than 100 makers and inventors are represented in the exhibition. A rare Lemat revolver and its carbine counterpart are on exhibit. This weapon, favored by cavalrymen, combined the accuracy of a revolving pistol with the firepower of a shotgun. Invented by Jean LeMat of New Orleans, the revolvers were made in Paris and used almost exclusively by Confederate soldiers.

Another piece significant in telling the story of mid-19^th century weapons technology is the Merrill carbine, a firearm with ties to VMI. The Merrill was field-tested at VMI by Professor Robert Rodes, a member of the VMI Class of 1848 who went on to become a major general in the Confederate Army. A battlefield-recovered Merrill barrel sits close by, probably dropped by a member of the 1^st New York Cavalry during the Battle of New Market, May 15,1864.

One of only three known Agar, or Union “coffee mill,” machine guns is also on exhibit. About 60 of these advanced weapons were purchased by the Union Army after President Lincoln saw it demonstrated.

“I hoped my collection would find a home at a university, a battlefield, or a museum,” said Kaminsky. “All three objectives were accomplished with a donation to VMI.”

The Virginia Museum of the Civil War is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, visit vmi.edu/museums-and-archives/virginia-museum-of-the-civil-war/.

Garth Brooks is coming to Richmond Coliseum Nov. 12

Garth Brooks will make his first appearance in Richmond in 19 years with a concert at the Richmond Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 12.

Brooks will appear with Trisha Yearwood at the show. Tickets go on sale on Friday, Sept. 30, at 10 a.m.

There is an eight-ticket limit per patron.

Tickets, including taxes, facility fees and service charges, are $74.98.

Tickets are available online at www.ticketmaster.com orticketmaster.com/garthbrooks and at Ticketmaster Express 1-866-448-7849 or 1-800-745-3000.

Laughter is Sacred Space highlights Fall Spiritual Focus at Bridgewater College

Ted Swartz of Ted & Co. will present Bridgewater College’s Fall Spiritual Focus on Tuesday, Sept. 27, in the Carter Center for Worship and Music.

Swartz will present “The Big Story” at 9:30 a.m. and “Laughter is Sacred Space” at 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Office of Spiritual Life and Bridgewater College Active Minds respectively, both performances are free and open to the public.

In the morning, Swartz uses thought-provoking humor to tell “The Big Story” of the whole Bible in 60 minutes or less.

In “Laughter is Sacred Space,” Swartz walks the audience through his relationship with friend and business partner, Lee Eshleman, who took his own life in 2007. Using multi-media, Swartz explores the paradox of working with a comedic partner struggling with bipolar disorder, as well as the challenge of writing and performing stories about God while experiencing the absence of God following Eshleman’s death.

Swartz, a writer and actor who combines theater and a seminary education, has been in the business for more than 20 years. He is owner and creative director of Ted & Co., a professional touring company based in Harrisonburg, Va.

Swartz is the creator or co-creator of more than a dozen plays, which he performs across the United States and around the globe.

Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to nearly 1,900 students.

Smith Center exhibit shows elections past were sometimes not like elections today

The U.S. is in the prolonged throes of a contentious presidential election.  It may be messy, but it’s all part of how we’ve always picked our leader.

Or is it?

On September 23, the Augusta County Historical Society will open a new exhibit that provides a detailed look at the evolution of elections and voting, across the nation, in Virginia, and right here in Augusta County.  “The Verdict of the People: The Evolution of Elections in Augusta County and the Nation” will fill the R. R. Smith Center History Gallery from September 23 through Inauguration Day, January 20, 2017.

The display will use local poll books, ballot boxes, campaign, paraphernalia, and political cartoons to demonstrate how elections – and how we see them – have changed over the centuries.  “The Verdict” exhibit will open with a reception in the History Gallery from 4:30 – 6:30 Friday, September 23.  Both display and reception are free and open to the public.

The new exhibit will show how, during the post-colonial years, elections in the new United States were reserved for the elite, and voting was restricted to white male property owners.  But the right to vote began to expand.  Slowly and with great effort, immigrants, African Americans, women, Native Americans and eighteen-year-olds gained the vote.

Elections evolved to embrace the secret ballot, and the concept of referendum appeared to give voters a say directly on major issues.

The new exhibit will feature several prints by Augusta County native George Caleb Bingham.  A nationally-known artist in the mid-19th century, his most important works revolved around elections with his painting “Verdict of the People” capturing the quintessential character of the unruly local election.

Another local native, Fannie Bayly King was an important figure in the statewide passage of the 19th Amendment that gave women the vote.  She is also included in the exhibit.

The exhibit will also feature political cartoons by Jim McCloskey, a talented and award-winning editorial cartoonist who worked for the Staunton newspaper and donated his collection to the society. His creative and striking work frequently focused on campaigns and elections.  Some of the more recent included the 2008 Obama-Clinton primary contest, and several on Senator – now vice president hopeful – Tim Kaine’s political career.

The new exhibit will be highlighted by an actual mechanical voting machine used in Augusta County elections from the 1960s until the early 2000s.  Visitors may actually get to vote on the machine.

The ACHS was founded in 1964 to study, collect, preserve, publish, educate about, and promote the history of Augusta County and its communities. More information is available online at www.augustacountyhs.org.

Shenandoah National Park features Monarch butterflies, milkweed on National Public Lands Day

Monarch butterflies and milkweed seeds will be the focus for the 23rd National Public Lands Day volunteer event in Shenandoah National Park. National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands.

This event will be held Saturday, September 24, at Byrd Visitor Center, mile 51 on Skyline Drive. The event begins at 9:00 a.m. and is open to the public. Park entrance fees are waived on this special day.

Here is a brief schedule of activities for this year’s National Public Lands Day in Shenandoah:

Milkweed Seed Collection Volunteer Event, 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Join us to collect the seeds and pods of the poke milkweed,Asclepias exaltata, and common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, in Big Meadows. Participants will learn to identify the milkweed plant and the differences between the fruit of these two species. Park botany staff will lead groups at collection points. Collected seeds will be used in various plant restoration projects throughout the Park to re-establish native habitat, especially helpful in places where invasive plants are removed. More milkweed plants in the Park mean more food for Monarch butterflies!

Volunteers of all ages are welcome. Volunteers must register at Byrd Visitor Center between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes, apply sunscreen and bug spray, and bring plenty of water.

• Interpretive Table & Children’s Activity Table, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Learn all about Monarch butterflies, their biology, and migration, with butterfly activities and coloring pages for kids of all ages. Come color and tag your own paper butterfly!
• Wild Side of Shenandoah Ranger Talk, 11:30 a.m. – Join Ranger Mara for her talk on butterflies and the important role the Park plays in protecting their habitat. 20-30 minutes.
• Monarch Tagging Demonstration, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Park Rangers will demonstrate and describe the hows and whys of Shenandoah’s first-ever Monarch tagging project. Tagged butterflies will be tracked as they migrate south to overwinter in Mexico. Data gathered will help scientists determine Monarch migration patterns, survivorship, and population trends. The Monarch tagging program is being presented in conjunction with the University of Kansas Monarch Watch.
• Monarch Butterfly Release, 3:00 p.m. – Watch as we release the tagged Monarch butterflies!

National Public Lands Day is a great day to visit Shenandoah National Park, because it’s your chance to help with a Park-improving volunteer activity while learning how to help even more in the future.

This event is possible because of a generous donation from the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF). NEEF works to connect people to public lands in their community, inspire environmental stewardship, and encourage use of public lands for education, recreation, and general health.

Blackfriars Playhouse celebrates 15 years

Fifteen years ago the American Shakespeare Center opened the Blackfriars Playhouse, the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre.

It has since been the home of an ambitious sixteen-title artistic year, a training ground for the next generation of Shakespeare scholars, and the host of the bi-annual Blackfriars Conference. The American Shakespeare Center, an internationally acclaimed authority on Shakespeare performance and scholarship, will celebrate the fifteen years of accomplishments at the Blackfriars Playhouse throughout the month of September.

The American Shakespeare Center rounded out its Summer/Fall Season with the opening of The Rise of Queen Margaret (King Henry VI, Part 2) on September 9. Margaret is the second installment of the Wars of the Roses Ride, a four-part series beginning with last year’s Shakespeare’s Joan of Arc (Henry VI, Part 1) and continuing in 2017 with The Fall of King Henry (Henry VI, Part 3) and in 2018 with Richard III.

The company also launches its nine-month national tour the second week of September with the new Discovery Space touring set designed by ASC Props Master Chris Moneymaker that will bring the Blackfriars Playhouse experience to theatres across the nation. The 2016/17 Hungry Hearts Tour is an inspiring tour, with 44 tour stops and 76 performances planned throughout the east coast, south, and midwest.

As a thanks to the community which embraced the American Shakespeare Center and helped build the Blackfriars Playhouse fifteen years ago, the ASC is offering $15 tickets to the evening performance of The Rise of Queen Margaret (King Henry VI, Part 2) on September 21, the official anniversary. Tickets can be purchased online at AmericanShakespeareCenter.com with discount code SEPT21.

On September 24, the ASC puts Shakespeare on Trial at the Annual Benefit Celebration sponsored by Union Bank and the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center. The Benefit Celebration will include a Facebook Live Red Carpet Event, one-night-only performance, and three course meal at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel.

The ASC concludes its month-long celebration on October 2nd with a staged reading of The True Chronicle History of King Leir and His Three Daughters featuring the ASC administrative staff. The True Chronicle… is an anonymous play often considered a source for Shakespeare’s King Lear.

For more information on ASC events and the Blackfriars Playhouse, visit www.AmericanShakespeareCenter.com.  Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at 1.877.MUCH.ADO or by visiting the Blackfriars Playhouse on 10 South Market Street in Staunton.

Ticket prices start at $26. Residents of Staunton and Waynesboro or Augusta County can take advantage of $18 local rush tickets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Student, Senior, Military, and AAA discounts are available.

Third annual Healing Heroes Ride scheduled for October 1

Hundreds of motorcyclists will take to the country roads participating in the third annual Healing Heroes Ride. The 100-mile motorcycle ride through the scenic Piedmont and Shenandoah Valleys is a popular high stakes poker run, which raises money to support Boulder Crest Retreat for Military and Veteran Wellness in Bluemont. This year’s ride takes place onOctober 1, with a rain date of October 2.

“This is a favorite ride for so many local motorcyclists,” shared Ken Falke, chairman and founder of the Boulder Crest Retreat. “It’s a beautiful scenic ride with great prizes and entertainment and a great way to support the health and wellness of our military veterans and their families.”

The Healing Heroes Ride goes from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and begins at either Patriot Harley Davidson in Fairfax, Virginia or at VFW Post 9760 in Berryville, Virginia and ends at Boulder Crest Retreat in Bluemont, Virginia. Hundreds of bikers, spend the day riding through the beautiful scenery, and spending time with fellow riders. The day includes riding, a BBQ, and live entertainment.  All of the funds raised are donated to Boulder Crest Retreat to support military members, veterans, and their families.

Since the inaugural ride, over $60,000 has been raised. The entry fee is $30 for a rider and $60 for rider and passenger, and includes a poker hand, breakfast, lunch, drinks, and entertainment. Many of the riders and passengers are veterans themselves, and come out annually to support fellow brothers and sisters.

“The excitement within the motorcycle community is building as local riders and riders from as far away as Florida are getting ready to participate in the 3rd Annual Healing Heroes Ride to support BCR,” says ride chairman Jack Causa.  “Bikers, many of whom are veterans, are avid supporters of this ride and the great work being done by Boulder Crest Retreat to support our combat veterans and thei families.”

For the second year in a row, John Marshall Bank is the Presenting Sponsor for this ride.

“As a locally owned and managed financial institution, John Marshall Bank participates in a number of worthwhile community events throughout the Washington region,” added Bill Ridenour, president of John Marshall Bank. “This particular event is important to me because I am the father of a wounded Iraq War veteran.  I have also been a motorcycle enthusiast for over 45 years. The Healing Heroes Ride provides a unique opportunity for me to enjoy the Northern Virginia countryside with fellow riders while supporting the exceptional programs that Ken Falke and his Boulder Crest staff provide to our warriors and their families.”

More individual and corporate sponsors are being sought for this event.  To learn more and to register for the ride, log online to Healing Heroes Ride.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to speak at VMI, W&L

In February 2017, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will visit the Washington and Lee University School of Law and will give a seated interview, open to the public, at VMI’s Cameron Hall Feb. 1, at 11:15 a.m.

When she was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, Ginsburg became only the second female justice, after Sandra Day O’Connor, in the history of the Supreme Court. Along with Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, she is now one of three women serving on the nation’s highest court.

Throughout the course of her professional life, the 83-year-old Ginsburg has been an advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. In the 1970s, she co-founded the women’s rights project at the American Civil Liberties Union and later became the organization’s general counsel. Also during that decade, she became the first woman to earn tenure as a professor at her alma mater, Columbia Law School. At the time she entered academia, at Rutgers University in 1963, there were fewer than 20 female law professors in the United States.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a position she held until her appointment to the Supreme Court 13 years later.

In 1999, she won the American Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award for her contributions to gender equality and civil rights.

More information on her visit to Lexington will be available at a later date.

Third annual Healing Heroes Ride scheduled for October 1

Hundreds of motorcyclists will take to the country roads participating in the third annual Healing Heroes Ride. The 100-mile motorcycle ride through the scenic Piedmont and Shenandoah Valleys is a popular high stakes poker run, which raises money to support Boulder Crest Retreat for Military and Veteran Wellness in Bluemont. This year’s ride takes place on October 1, with a rain date of October 2.

“This is a favorite ride for so many local motorcyclists,” shared Ken Falke, chairman and founder of the Boulder Crest Retreat. “It’s a beautiful scenic ride with great prizes and entertainment and a great way to support the health and wellness of our military veterans and their families.”

The Healing Heroes Ride goes from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and begins at either Patriot Harley Davidson in Fairfax, Virginia or at VFW Post 9760 in Berryville, Virginia and ends at Boulder Crest Retreat in Bluemont, Virginia. Hundreds of bikers, spend the day riding through the beautiful scenery, and spending time with fellow riders. The day includes riding, a BBQ, and live entertainment.  All of the funds raised are donated to Boulder Crest Retreat to support military members, veterans, and their families.

Since the inaugural ride, over $60,000 has been raised. The entry fee is $30 for a rider and $60 for rider and passenger, and includes a poker hand, breakfast, lunch, drinks, and entertainment. Many of the riders and passengers are veterans themselves, and come out annually to support fellow brothers and sisters.

“The excitement within the motorcycle community is building as local riders and riders from as far away as Florida are getting ready to participate in the 3rd Annual Healing Heroes Ride to support BCR,” says ride chairman Jack Causa.  “Bikers, many of whom are veterans, are avid supporters of this ride and the great work being done by Boulder Crest Retreat to support our combat veterans and thei families.”

For the second year in a row, John Marshall Bank is the Presenting Sponsor for this ride.

“As a locally owned and managed financial institution, John Marshall Bank participates in a number of worthwhile community events throughout the Washington region,” added Bill Ridenour, president of John Marshall Bank. “This particular event is important to me because I am the father of a wounded Iraq War veteran.  I have also been a motorcycle enthusiast for over 45 years. The Healing Heroes Ride provides a unique opportunity for me to enjoy the Northern Virginia countryside with fellow riders while supporting the exceptional programs that Ken Falke and his Boulder Crest staff provide to our warriors and their families.”

More individual and corporate sponsors are being sought for this event.  To learn more and to register for the ride, log online to Healing Heroes Ride.