The group of artists who meet regularly at Firnew Farm in Hood is reaching out to Madison County and offering an open showing of their work.
A 6-8 p.m. Nov. 20 opening reception will launch the Firnew Farm Artists Circle show, which is called “A Christmas Art Show.” The reception will be at Sweely Estate Winery’s hospitality center at 6109 Wolftown-Hood Road (Route 230) between Oak Hill and Wolftown. Following the reception, the exhibit continues 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Dec. 3 at Sweely.

Madison’s production of “Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie,” an adaptation of Jason Sonnenblick’s novel, by the director, Donald Hitt, will be offered to the public in an evening performance on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. in the MCHS auditorium, admission $3. “We hope the public will support the show, and many will come out to wish the students well as they embark on the next level of competition,” Hitt said.

While many people have heard of Take your Child to Work Day, fewer are aware of Take your Pet to Church Day.  The celebration of St. Francis of Assisi is Sunday, Oct. 4 and the Rev. Brad Jackson will offer a pet-friendly service outside Piedmont Episcopal Church in Madison for the occasion. 

The Madison County Quilters Guild will offer folks the chance to explore quiltings fascinating techniques at two shows this weekend – while at the same time helping an important pair of Madison County nonprofit organizations. The shows – both at Madison County High School – are set for 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 and 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4. Proceeds from the $5 admission will be split between the Madison County Free Clinic and the Madison County Food Bank.

Even those long familiar with September’s Taste of the Mountains can find new offerings in the 2009 edition of the annual downtown Madison street festival.
The project, which takes almost a year to put together, according to the Madison Chamber of Commerce’s Tracey Williams Gardner, is set for 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 5 on Main Street.

At this year’s Sept. 5 Taste of the Mountains street festival a few more unique voices will be heard, seen and experienced. Madison County businesswoman Janine Jensen has pulled together the work of several artists to display during the festival. The art exhibit will be free to the public, though the art is for sale. It will be set up in the historic downtown brick building at 117 N. Main St. The original building was built in the 1830s, though it has been added onto several times, and features an old-fashioned vault door, a remnant of its days as a bank at the turn of the century.

With large, sturdy tires, powerful engines and detailed paint jobs, these aren’t your typical lawn mowers. These mowers – set to debut at the 2009 Madison County Fair – are the kind that require riders to wear protective gear. “These guys really ‘soup’ these [lawn mowers] up. They almost look like little race cars,” Madison County Fair Treasurer Terri Tatum said of the Shenandoah Valley Tractor Pullers Association, set to host a lawn mower pull at the fair at 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 17.

Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria will again host its annual free community fireworks display a little after dark on Independence Day—Saturday, July, 4. This year, Sweely Estate Winery near Wolftown also has a special Fourth of July program.

We humans are not going to go away and, with careful management, neither are the bears, so the best thing for us is to learn to live with our ursine neighbors. At 11 a.m. Saturday, June 6 at the Rappahannock County High School, bear expert Jaime Sajecki will explain how. Sajecki will start her talk with the video “Living with Black Bears in Virginia,” and will then answer questions from the audience.

The Madison County Historical Society will host Michael Theard at the May 24 quarterly meeting to speak about the “Buffalo Soldiers.”

Four of the five stops on this year’s annual Dolley Madison Garden Club Tour are in Madison County – William and Ann Tidball’s Ashland in Wolftown, David and Trish Crowe’s Firnew Farm in Hood, Graves Chapel in Graves Mill and Jess and Sharon Sweely’s Sweely Estate Winery between Wolftown and Oak Hill. The tour, entitled “Legacies from the 1800s Amid the Blue Ridge Foothills … with One Modern Twist,” is set for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. this Saturday, April 18.

Make your plans now to enjoy the March 25 Spring Tea at the Kemper Residence. It’s a wonderful way to welcome spring! There is limited seating, so it is necessary to make a reservation. Call (540) 547-4398 and give your name, telephone number and how many are in your party. Spouses and other guests are welcome, and small groups can be accommodated.

A collection of old Madison County-made wooden chairs owned by local resident Steve Hoffman is currently on display at the Arcade museum.

The Harlem Superstars will invade Mountaineer Country to take on the Madison All-Stars Jan. 31 in basketball action in Wetsel Middle School’s gym.

The gifts parents are grabbing off the shelves for their children this holiday season bear only a slight resemblance to typical toys from the past. Before miniature laptop computers and stuffed animals that walk and talk on their own were commonplace – children played with toys that relied heavily on the imagination.

After years of wear and tear, the “candles” on downtown Madison’s Christmas tree no longer shine so brightly. In fact, not a single one of the more than 1,000 lights adorning the branches of the Main Street tree would light up this week. The last minute discovery prompted officials to make other plans for this weekend’s tree lighting ceremony, which is typically in the park in front of the War Memorial Building each December.

This holiday season, residents will be treated to more than just the sweet-smelling wreaths that typically brighten each corner of Main Street in downtown Madison. A new contest – sponsored by the Brightwood Ruritan Club – aims to fill the town with an abundance of holiday cheer. All town residents and businesses are invited to participate in the club’s first annual Christmas Door Decorating Contest.

Lights fade in on the still tableau of students dressed in black and faces covered with white masks. The music fades in and the students gently come to life discovering their devastated “lives” in what remains of the bombed Hiroshima.Madison County High School’s show of “A Thousand Cranes” explores life in Hiroshima, Japan, through the eyes of Sadako, a 12-year-old runner, and Kenji, her best friend and running companion, 10 years after the atomic bomb fell upon the city.

Throughout the spring, summer and fall, Madison County’s weekly farmers market has provided an opportunity for fresh, locally grown food and fellowship. During the market’s second season – which comes to a close at the end of this month – between 10-20 vendors have set up shop at Hoover Ridge every Saturday, according to Madison County Extension Agent Brad Jarvis.

Self-described “cancer conqueror” Ada Summers of Aroda has organized a free cancer awareness workshop set for 9:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, Sept. 20 at the George James Community Center in Radiant. The workshop will feature a variety of speakers, including cancer survivors.

Once again, Madison’s annual Taste of the Mountains festival will transform Main Street as thousands of visitors and more than a hundred vendors flock into town next week. The 16th annual event – set for 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30 – includes various food offerings, a variety of musical performers and non-stop entertainment.

Love at first sight is a wonderful thing. In the case of the Four County Players’ summer Shakespeare production of “As You Like it,” it’s the premise of an amusing, outrageous and intentionally confusing adventure that opened July 31 in Barboursville.

During a charcoal making demonstration – set for Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Madison County Farmers Market – demonstrators will use a modified chicken feed hopper designed to moderate the burn such that it distills the wood to its raw carbon form. This is accomplished through a low oxygen burn that not only drives all the moisture away but also ignites a chemical reaction exuding gasses and tar resulting in nearly pure carbon.

Colorful costumes and bright-red engines will dot Main Street as the annual Madison County Firemen’s Parade rolls into town July 15. The Tuesday evening event will kick-off the Madison County Fair, which will run until Saturday, July 19. Hundreds of spectators pack downtown Madison each year to enjoy floats by fire companies, rescue squads and organizations from Madison and surrounding counties, according to Madison Chamber of Commerce Tourism Coordinator Tracey Williams, who helps organize the event.

This year’s Fourth of July celebration at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria will have residents tapping their toes and snapping their fingers. The Michael Wayne Project – featuring Madison County native Dennis Weaver – will provide jazz music starting at 6 p.m. Friday, July 4 at the Sycamore Pavilion.

Where can you find a homemade, local, fresh, budding community with a party atmosphere? The Madison County Farmers Market, which is now in full bloom showing off the county’s fresh produce, meats, herbs and honey every Saturday morning at Hoover Ridge.

Saturday, May 17, hundreds are expected to spend the day scoping the sights of Madison County on two wheels.
The area’s expansive scenery and minimal traffic are just two reasons why the Tour de Madison, now in its 21st year, has become such a success with bicycling enthusiasts from Madison County and across Virginia. 

This past spring, nearly 500 people made their way to Madison County’s first ever Business Expo. This year the Madison Chamber of Commerce – which sponsors the event set for 1-7 p.m. Thursday, May 15 at the Madison County Volunteer Fire Company fire hall – hopes the business affair will be even bigger and better than before.

In the early 1900s, the buzz of a dentist’s drill sounded more like a quiet hum. A century-old pedal-powered drill is among the tools once used by Dr. Lee Taliaferro, who treated Madison County residents in the early 20th century. In addition to the drill, Taliaferro’s polishing discs and vials of tablet triturates (a precursor to the medicinal pills used today) are currently on display at the Arcade museum in downtown Madison.