Blue Ridge Bagels: Bagels, Coffee, and Community
The longer I live in Lynchburg, the more opinions I hear regarding who serves the best bagels in town. If you are a local, odds are that you have a strong opinion on the subject. While I am no New...
Central Virginia Angel Hearts: Harmony for Hope
Twice a year, in February and August, church doors open and shut out the cares and stress of the outside world. If only for a few hours, music and a common goal bring everyone together. Sometimes,...
Claire’s Gift: Turning Heartache Into Hope for Families Fighting Cancer
The pastel tulle tutu fanned out over her sweet bare feet, worn over her onesie. She smiled, not just with her mouth, but with her nose and eyes. It was a day of ones — of firsts. The number one on...
Chef Valerie Braxton: Catering To Comfort: A Recipe for Community Service
Inside Val's Comfort Kitchen, patrons from all walks of life find a welcoming atmosphere. From lone diners with downcast eyes to weary employees of nearby businesses, each seeks comfort from the...
Pastor Carlton Duck: Fighting to the Finish
"I'm 77 years old, and I’m not about to quit,” Pastor Carlton Duck said, and he proves that statement every time he cuts his grass, drives his car, or stands up Sunday morning to preach a sermon at...
Casey Wood: Breaking the Glass With Class
A white man in his 30s facing a room mostly filled with black youngsters in their teens. An English teacher established in his career preaching to students who barely know their next step. True...
Sarah and Shawn Hyska: Shelter From the Storm
Haven on Garland is a warm, supportive temporary residence for four Afghan women who have left that war-torn nation — with its extreme strictures on the rights of women and girls — in order to...
Letter From the Editor
The people of the year 1000 faced division, uncertainty, and fear for the future. They didn’t know it then, but they stood at the edge of change, transitioning from the Dark Ages to the Middle Ages....
A Legacy of Care: Honoring Lives Through Compassion
SHE PLUNGED her hands into the water, the towering suds transporting her to the old ladder-back chair pulled up to the kitchen sink at her mama’s side. One dish at a time, in no hurry, she washed...
Letter From The Editor
AUTUMN SETTLES into our town like a puppy in a warm bed. There’s a magic in the air that only this season can bring. Golden leaves drift gently from the trees, painting the sidewalks in shades of...
Your New Favorite Restaurant, 221 Tap & Table, Raises the Bar
221 TAP & Table offers a charming atmosphere that perfectly complements its thoughtfully curated menu. During my recent visit, I was particularly drawn to two standout dishes: the short rib...
Saved By A Stranger
IT’S A beautiful sunny day. You and your family and friends are spending the day at the lake. The kids are playing in the water while most of the adults lounge on beach towels, soaking up the sun....
From Melodies to Memories: A Journey of Meaningful Connections
“HELLO, MY baby, hello my darlin’, hello my ragtime gal …” The tinkling and plinking of an old upright piano danced out of the speakers as he danced around the dining room, straw boating hat waving...
A Friendship Forged in Art: Preserving History in Comic Book Form
CAN COMIC books communicate history? For lifelong friends Stan Webb and Dion Lee, the answer is definitely! Webb and Lee are Lynchburg natives who met in the third grade. Both entered an art contest...
Engines of Change: Puzzled Car Show Breaks Barriers for Autism
AS THE family of four unloaded from their van, their oldest child pulled on his father's arm toward the train. Cory Osborne’s scaled-back, coal-black engine with its silver cowcatcher waited...
Waffles With a Side of Hope
YOU BELONG here. You are enough. Those words are not just positive, encouraging phrases. They are a small part of one Lynchburg resident’s mission to raise awareness of and point people to resources...
Virginia Hamlett: A Legacy of Personal Growth and Community Service
Warren Taylor Jr. understood that personal growth enhances not just the individual’s life but also the lives of their family, friends, and community. He was the driving force behind his...
Loud and Proud: Lorena Andress Makes Fitness Fun For Seniors
AS WE age, one of the things that becomes more challenging is staying active and healthy. When we get older, it can become harder to move and exercise as much as we did when we were in our 20s and...
Taylor Perkins: CraveABLEs: Changing Perceptions of Disability In Lynchburg
WHEN YOU pull into the parking lot of the CraveABLEs ice cream shop on Route 221 in Lynchburg, you’ll instantly notice two things. First, your eyes will be drawn to the ocean-like baby blue paint...
Jennifer Irwin: From Dream to Reality: Accessible Camino Break Barriers
BEST FRIENDS Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck from Eagle, Idaho, were searching for adventure. Skeesuck, a wheelchair user, asked Gray one day if he would hike 500 miles of northern Spain with him. ...
Sandwich Spotlight: What Makes Westside Deli a Local Favorite
WITH A gumball machine in the corner, New York cheesecake at the counter, and regulars walking between tables to greet one another, it is easy to feel at home at Westside Deli. We sat ourselves,...
Letter From The Editor
SHE FLASHES her lights and pushes the gas pedal a little harder. The walkie-talkie is too quiet, so she spins the dial and makes her bulletproof vest a little more comfortable. She worked hard to...
Peter Begley: The Weight of Duty: Lifting Lives in Lynchburg
WHILE MOST of the city slept, Lynchburg police pursued a vehicle that failed to respond to their direction to pull over. The closest responder, Officer Peter Begley, followed the chase’s location on...
Pamela Watson: Calm In The Chaos
AN AD for a 911 dispatcher job surely stirs many emotions and ideas for most of us. We imagine we could never do that. How could we help someone else if we couldn’t remain calm ourselves? Or, for...
Cultivating Community and Sowing Seeds of Change
IT’S A typical Saturday morning at Tractor Supply Company in Forest. With each swish of the automatic sliding doors, carts piled high with feed and supplies roll out while others stride purposefully...
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