It was Halloween when Gary Stiteler realized he’d have to give up the ghost.

When the average theatergoer thinks of opera, words such as “boring” or “hard to understand” may spring to mind. With the fall production of “Carmen,” Don Rierson, director of the James Madison University Opera Theater, aims to change that.

At Westover Park, fifth grade girls gather inside the Cecil F. Wilkerson Community Activities Center after school. They giggle and joke with one another, eager to catch up on the day’s events as most fifth grade girls are apt to do. But these girls are gathered for more than a social hour. They are training, physically and mentally, for a 5K run in less than two months.

Although a person’s birthday and the date of their death are among the most prominent things on a headstone, what makes the death of that person something to mourn is everything that happened between the two.

Sarah-Daye Hand’s eyes light up as she explains her job as crew on her co-ed varsity sailing team at Christopher Newport University.

A continuous video plays outside of JMU’s Sawhill Art Gallery in Duke Hall, presenting Huh Hwe-tae and his unique art style to the United States for the first time. The Korean artist debuted his exhibit, featuring his art technique, emography, this month at JMU.

It took a mid-life crisis for Robert Detrich to get his wings.

Kelly McNamara hasn’t thought about shopping in more than two months. Amy Kelch has a new view on Michael Jackson. And Nicole Ferraro has learned to appreciate the simplicity of helping others.

Every Sunday, the men show up to play football.

You won’t just walk your way through this fall’s Museum & Gallery Walk. You’ll dance, drum, sip and sing your way around, experiencing Friday’s final First Fridays event. Along with feasting your eyes on photography, drawings, quilts, sketches, mixed metal works and a smorgasbord of other artists’ works, you can join in the performing arts: play along with Rhythm Playground’s drum circle at the Harrisonburg League of Therapists and tango or swing dance in the Massanutten Regional Library Courtyard hosted by Dancing With Karen, or sip wines at Downtown Wine and Gourmet and taste the German brews at Cally’s. Or show off your artistic flair by trying your hand at drawing on The Big Draw, a community work of art at the OASIS Gallery.

For some musicians, concert tours are all about the bus. For Trent Wagler and the Steel Wheels, tour transportation tends to be more of a headache than a highlight.

JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance presents “The Diviners,” its first play of the Masterpiece Season Sept. 29-Oct. 3.

When 2-year-old Layla bounded into the swimming pool at Westover Park for the first time last Saturday, she sank right to the bottom.

When nights get crisp and leaves start to turn and it’s time for Bergton’s Martin Luther Lutheran Church to boil up a batch of apple butter, a church member calls Showalter’s Orchard and Greenhouse in Timberville to request Rome Beauty apples.

Occasionally, when Tim Parrish has a particularly good — or bad — meal at a restaurant, he’ll hop on the computer to review it for other potential customers.

James Madison University’s School of Theatre and Dance presents the New Dance Festival ’09, an evening of contemporary dance to commence the artistic performance season at the university. The festival showcases dances by professional choreographers and JMU’s nationally renowned dance professors.

During your college days, regardless of how serious you are about your studies, it’s inevitable that you’ll encounter a party or two. Most alumni harbor fond memories of their college blowouts, but some recall grimly the night their shindigs got busted for noise violations or the time they got in trouble for sipping a drink outside of a party. Make sure your college experiences place you solidly in the former group by familiarizing yourself with the party laws in Harrisonburg.

Surely you’ve noticed changes in the downtown scenery. It’s all a bit greener, plants seem to pop up under the cement of the sidewalks, and you swear there wasn’t a cart of veggies by that building yesterday.

Bryan Brady entered James Madison University’s Grafton-Stovall theater Tuesday afternoon as just another second-year student. But he exited a world-record holder.

Yes, the thermometer may read 94 degrees outside, and an iced tea may be your current go-to refresher. But, for some people, soup is as logical a choice in August as it is in January — or, so they tell Katrina Didot, owner of A Bowl of Good, which is set to open Aug. 24 at its new location near Artisans Hope on Mount Clinton Pike in Harrisonburg.

OASIS Gallery is spotlighting the work of Nancy Jan Dodge through August. Dodge’s exhibit features the eight paintings of her oil on canvas series, “Pitcher Plant Blossoms.”

From the front lobby of the Best Western Inn on U.S. 33, Gini Boyers can see into the cars idling at the stoplight on the corner. Frequently, the people inside are laughing. And Boyers thinks the proximity of the light to the Best Western’s marquee sign might have something to do with it.

The Playhouse’s next production, “The Last Night of Ballyhoo,” will examine the role of assimilation and identity.

Anomaly  No. 1: The street name snafu.
As you may or may not have noticed, there are two Hillcrest Drives in Harrisonburg, one adjacent to the JMU campus and one in Park View, on the city’s northwestern border. And there is a Dogwood Drive intersecting the Park View Hillcrest, which is a different Dogwood Drive than the one that runs north-south from Red Front Supermarket down beyond Hillandale Park. And to top it all off, there is a Central Avenue in Park View and another Central Avenue running by Keister Elementary School.

Denyelle “Dede” Stroup can laugh now when she tells how her line of homemade pepper jellies and butters earned the name “Hell’s Kitchen.” But, she wasn’t laughing 15 or so years ago when she came up with a moniker for her burgeoning business.

On the first night of their trip, a group of Eastern Mennonite High School students camped out on Kayford Mountain in West Virginia and listened to a local resident’s impassioned case against mountaintop removal coal mining.

Say you need a buggy, a proper Amish-style black buggy like the ones driven by Rockingham County’s Old Order Mennonites.

The Keezletown practice hill, in a pasture just below the Massanutten Ridge, is long and gentle, sloping ever so slightly to the southwest, ideal, say, for a 2-year-old’s first-ever sledding expedition.

The thing about serious horseshoes is the same thing about pretty much any pastime taken to competitive extremes (e.g. ping-pong, darts, spelling bees): there’s way more going on than the casual fan could ever imagine.

Every year around the end of June, the white tents begin to appear. There’s one in the parking lot of the Dayton Wal-Mart; huge, decorated with rows of red, white and blue plastic flags that flutter in the summer breeze. There’s another (much smaller) in Bridgewater, between the Dairy Queen and Mountain Magic Auto & Cycle Repair, where fluorescent “No Smoking” signs dangle from folding tables. Inside of each, workers sit in collapsible camping chairs, but these tents aren’t for outings in the woods. They’re loaded with fireworks, ready for purchase by at-home pyrotechnicians.

Of all the people attending Harrisonburg’s Valley 4th celebration — musicians, parents, children and more than one Uncle Sam — Mr. Slomo may be the most unique. Of course, it’s not really a fair fight since he’s from another dimension.

"[My kids] are very popular now. All their friends want to come over to play,” said Jodi Cyzick, motioning at the 20-foot-tall tangle of twisting, brightly-colored plastic tubes towering above her backyard, inside of which at least several of her five children, plus a friend or two, were climbing, sliding and shrieking with laughter.

"I assure you, this is live,” says clarinetist Les Nicholas while introducing John Williams’ “Air and Simple Gifts.”

Greg Ballou doesn’t have kids of his own, but he seems to have a handle on the things they enjoy. When he heard about the difficulties facing multiple local children’s haunts — The Boys & Girls Clubs have fallen short of fundraising goals and the Gus Bus needs volunteers — “I realized the children aren’t going to have anywhere to go this summer,” said Ballou, 42, owner of Ballou Studios in Harrisonburg.

The last few weeks have been an exercise in contrasts for Lars Åkerson and Jon Spicher, pedaling from barren ground to verdant, from sea level to nearly three miles in the clouds. They are in Peru now, six months, nine countries and nearly 6,000 miles gone from Harrisonburg, bound for the Mennonite World Conference, in Paraguay in July — an adventure, a spiritual journey, a fundraiser for other young people to attend the conference and more.

HARRISONBURG, June 1

Here comes Team British Rust, clattering up the ramp onto the roof of the Water Street parking deck, the men inside whooping with excitement as their decrepit Range Rover shudders to a halt.

Kathleen Kraft remembers when she and a small but dedicated group decided to try out a little idea they had to draw people to downtown Harrisonburg. Fridays on the Square was all about “just trying to make something happen the first Friday of the month,” said Kraft, a member of Citizens for Downtown and owner of Laughing Dog Custom Printed Sportswear and Gifts.

The Arts Council of the Valley will celebrate art in its many forms this summer with First Fridays Downtown, a free monthly event that promotes Harrisonburg’s artisans and downtown shops and restaurants. This month’s event will be held Friday, June 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. throughout downtown.

Spring is traditionally a bustling season for greenhouses, but this year local plant businesses are busier than ever — largely thanks to hordes of first-time gardeners looking to start vegetable plots in their backyards. Local proprietors said they’ve heard several reasons for the sudden interest, the most popular being the economy (it’s cheaper to grow than to buy) and a desire to provide safe, pesticide-free food for loved ones.

n Keep it simple. “The first thing for a first time gardener that we always encourage is, do not...

Every Monday night, dancers walk in close connection with one another — forward and back, massaging the floor with the soles of their shoes, adding toe taps, leg flicks and other embellishments to the music at Harrisonburg’s Argentine Tango Society (HATS).

On Sunday afternoons behind Fulks Run Grocery, a small group of men gather on a manicured green to whack some balls around. The grass on their field is the same close-cut, spongy variety used on golf courses, but the similarities between golf and this game end there. These men aren’t using clubs, they’re wielding square-headed mallets, and instead of tapping small, pockmarked balls into holes, they’re hitting grapefruit-sized ones through wickets. Welcome to the weekly meeting of the Fulks Run Croquet Club.

It is a beautiful day at the park, a Friday afternoon, mostly cloudy, though in an entirely friendly, warm and non-gloomy sort of way. The grass is freshly cut, fragrant and verdant. There are sparrows flitting from bush to freshly-mulched bush. The tulips are blooming. A breeze is blowing, and there is a joyful, irrepressible quality to the air that makes you want to whistle.

Even the clowns get down to business as the show winds down. There's one outside, dismembering a concession stand during the camels' synchronized running-in-circles act, and this is how it's gotta be. Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency.

The goal of roller derby is NOT to take out your opponent by tripping, hitting or choking them with your helmet straps.

Bout – a roller derby game

Jam – each two-minute period of skating action in a bout

...

It was a Wednesday afternoon, May 3, 2006. Nick Letendre was 18, nearly finished with his senior year at Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge. When the call came, he was closing up the music store where he worked.

If you’ve tried to get people active in your special cause or raised money for a friend in need, think about how you did it. Was it through the grapevine — and is that “grapevine” called Facebook? The online social networking site is one of many that offer easy, cost-effective ways of organizing local people for social or political causes.

Though hiking trails — several-foot wide dirt corridors winding through the woods — don’t always look like much, these don’t appear or remain by accident. Holding the ever-encroaching forest back takes constant attention; clearing downed trees after wind gusts and ice storms can require hours of sawing. Building new stretches of trail means days of planning, flagging, clearing and digging.

Your friend is on a diet, you’re on a budget and your colleague is in a hurry. It’s lunchtime, and the dining dilemma is familiar — where to go, what to order and how much will it cost? Oh yes, and how fast can you eat and run before your next appointment. Slow down for a minute and take a look at the new local food blog and information site, JMUeats.com.

April may bring seasonal showers, but at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, it also brings Valley artist Anne McFarland, whose works are on display at the arboretum’s Frances Plecker Education Center.

Last semester, students from Bridgewater College’s theater group, Pinion Players, held ice cream socials and discussed the details of senior Jennifer Payne’s decision to direct a student-produced, full-length musical — the first in BC’s history.

Curt and Jackie Hartman are biking enthusiasts who live just outside Bridgewater’s city limits on a narrow country road that winds through beautiful scenery. There’s just one problem.

First, the name. Granofsky sounded like something scary from behind the Iron Curtain, and Teter seemed too easy to mock, so the band resorted to bassist Carl Shapiro’s last name. Shapiro, by way of simple elimination. It was 2003, and with that decision behind them, the Harrisonburg quartet — Carl, plus brothers John and Nathan Granofsky (drums and guitar, respectively) and their cousin Jeremy Teter (keyboards and vocals) — got down to making a name for themselves on the local music scene.

It’s a sad thing, according to Everyone. Plan 9 has gone under, and now there’s no such thing as a record store in Harrisonburg anymore.

If Cecilia Carter Browne could create the perfect day for the Harrisonburg Spring Museum and Gallery Walk on April 3, she’d choose this: a leisurely stroll down the sidewalks of Harrisonburg; strains of diverse music wafting from open doors, the rich aromas of fine foods joining in rapturous riot in the warming spring air.

Perhaps you’ve seen it — that round, turret-like room beneath a cone-shaped roof that’s topped with a weathervane, high above the Bank of America on the southeast corner of Court Square. Perhaps you’ve wondered, too.

Matt Snyder was always a sports junkie. When he attended Pence Middle School in 1997, he pretty much played any sport he could get his hands on — except lacrosse. That changed the following year when his family moved to Pennsylvania and Snyder was exposed to the sport, which was very popular there.

Maybe it was the fact that they hang a bike helmet on a mic stand and hit it. Maybe because they’ve spent frigid nights on tour sleeping in a van. Maybe the group simply has that unique je ne sais quoi whenever they are together. Whatever it is, the uniqueness of Yours For Mine has recently landed the band another rarity — a record label.

It was the first Tuesday in January, cold and rainy, when Jon Spicher and Lars Åkerson began pedaling south. In the 45 days and 2,000-plus miles since then, they’ve made steady progress, about five days of biking and two of rest each week, cutting a gentle arc across the Southeast, crossing the border in Laredo, Texas, and heading south into Mexico — Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and now, San Luis Potosí.

Unless you’re a legislator, the freedom of escaping to recess ended after elementary school. But thanks to Harrisonburg’s Department of Parks and Recreation, you can recapture a bit of that recess euphoria — by signing up for the spring kickball league.

When the touring choir of Eastern Mennonite High School needed to raise money for their summer 2010 European trip, music director Jay Hartzler turned to another group of musicians. The fact that they happen to be European is just coincidence.

Put together 55 local musicians, toss a bunch of names in a hat, draw and what do you get? Twelve randomly arranged bands set to perform at a two-night event called Rock Lotto.

How does an obscure Canadian rock n’ roller, trying to make a name for himself in a new country, create a devoted American fan base? For Fred Eaglesmith, it started by telling a joke.

You make a painting and you never know where it’s going to end up,” said artist Robert Gravelin. “You paint and you never know where you’re going to end up.”

Imagine learning about math by playing with Legos. Or studying chemistry by cracking racquetballs. Sound crazy? It’s not.

The announcement came by mail, a glossy tri-fold pamphlet entitled “Discover Prophecy,” in a vaguely menacing font with some flames roasting part of the headline. This is emblazoned across the bottom of a nightmarish painting in which a four-winged, four-headed leopard, a Godzilla-type reptile, a winged lion and a grizzly bear roam a desolate beach beside a stormy sea beneath foreboding clouds.

On Tuesday, Jan. 27, some snow actually fell from the sky and piled up an inch or two — enough generally to paralyze the Harrisonburg metro area for a day or two and put the city’s sledding hills back into business (briefly, very briefly).

One by one, the landmarks that defined Leslie Edwards’ childhood in Harrisonburg disappeared or changed in the years since she left town after graduating from high school in 1994.

Still looking for a job? Stuck in traffic? Frustrated with the cold? Get your mosh on, shake your locks and hear what the big guys in the heavy metal scene are screaming about.

Harrisonburg and Rockingham Thermal Shelter is on the move. Literally. Now in its second year, HARTS continues its weekly travels from church to church providing beds and shelter during the cold winter nights.

At the turn of the new year, people attempt a variety of typical resolutions — lose weight, eat better and try to keep the house clean.

Of all the purchases made during the holiday season, the Christmas tree may be the most important. More than just a symbol of the season, the tree serves as a gathering place for family, the centerpiece for wrapped gifts and the focal point of many holiday celebrations.

Steve America, who lives on a quiet cul-de-sac in McGaheysville and works weekends loading trucks at the Wal-Mart distribution center, got a hand-held Nintendo DS for his birthday last March.

When the founding members of the Friendly City Food Co-op began meeting in early 2006, their plan was to open a downtown grocery store stocked with local goods by the end of 2008.

It’s cold outside and it’s dinnertime. But for the dancers at Rockingham Ballet Theatre, their thoughts are focused solely on the end of a long rehearsal season for “The Nutcracker.”

What’s Thanksgiving dinner without the pie? Pie sound too boring? What about a panna cotta or simple chocolate fondue?

Coffee shops are for coffee and real estate offices are for property sales, right?

Walking down Water Street in the autumn sunlight, you’re greeted by a skier heading down a steep slope.

Since its construction in 1870, the white clapboard meetinghouse of the Mount Sinai United Methodist Church sat along Port Republic Road, hardly changing during the next 14 decades as the city grew out to meet it (the church is just beyond the current city limit). It was only a matter of time until change reached the church itself. It arrived in a major way last month, with the construction of a circus tent-like, giant yurt-looking thing adjoining, in sharp contrast, the old, plain country church.

Rockin’ out may seem like the thing to do at Rocktown Grill. After all, it’s a bar.

It was through a mutual friend that Chris Lythgoe met Collin Taderera, a 26-year-old Charlottesville man suffering from brain cancer for four years.

Walk through the lobby at Wilson Hall Auditorium and you’ll hear voices soaring to lofty heights and a light-hearted harpsichord animating the song antics onstage.

Depending on your point of view, Frank Warren is either the world’s best secret keeper — or the worst.

A frenzied excitement reigns at Republican Headquarters early this evening, as people gather after the local polls closed to watch the long-awaited election returns.

In Harrisonburg:

c. 9:30 a.m., outside the Artful Dodger

Attorneys Tim Cupp and Grant Richardson stand, clad in suits with their briefcases at their feet. Their conversation doesn’t center on politics, but both are willing to offer opinions about Obama’s Harrisonburg appearance.

Ron Copeland loves taking his children trick-or-treating every Halloween. Two or three hours of door-to-door trips, costumes and candy are fine for most kids, Copeland admits, but for him “afterwards ... it’s anticlimactic.”

When miniature pinscher Rufus got sick and Tina Farris couldn’t afford his medical expenses, she called The Mosby Foundation for help.

The attendees at this year’s Broadway-Timberville Fall Festival are expected to be the usual: Parents, children, teenagers — and around 200 antique cars, three llamas and a baton and pompom troupe.

For those who’ve asked, “What Would Lloyd Do?,” some possible answers to this not-so-rhetorical question are provided in a new play with music written by and starring Ted Swartz and Trent Wagler, that will premiere at Eastern Mennonite University’s fall homecoming and parents weekend.

Traffic was heavy on South Main Street, leaving little room for Denise Martin to maneuver her bicycle as she approached the skewed railroad crossing just north of the Sheetz station. It was May 1, the first time she’d ridden this stretch of road, and it all happened so quickly:

Downtown Harrisonburg will have a different vibe this Friday.

How much fun can you fit into six hours on a Saturday? Ask the organizers of Harrisonburg’s 11th annual International Festival and they’ll tell you — a lot.

The crime: the murder of Blue Ridge Community College president Dr. James Perkins.

The ninth annual Bluegrass Thursdays Concert Series at Court Square Theater in downtown Harrisonburg begins Sept. 18 with a 7:30 p.m. show by the Asheville-based Steep Canyon Rangers. Event organizer Chuck Troutman called this season’s lineup one of the strongest yet.

blue stone sky’s debut album “Here Now” may have photos of five dogs on the back, but don’t be confused: the canines are just honorary band members.

Right now, he’s feeling good. Musician and luthier Steve Parks is still playing music, still making guitars, still living his life. But his prognosis is not so good.

The last time Eddie From Ohio played the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival in Orkney Springs was a memorable night for the festival’s executive director, Dennis Lynch.

James Madison University’s School of Theatre and Dance will start the school year in style with the 13th annual New Dance Festival Sept. 5 and 6, bringing “cutting-edge professional modern dance to Harrisonburg and the surrounding area,” said co-founder Cynthia Thompson.

The Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance will make its annual outreach effort to the students of local universities when it presents the Block Party in the ’Burg from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12 in Court Square.

Off-campus parking options for the nearly 4,000 freshmen at James Madison University are expanding.

College students who love Harrisonburg will have an opportunity to express it artistically this fall by designing a tourism poster for the downtown area.

Ten years after graduating from James Madison University, Parrish Ellis and Joseph DeJarnette are coming back to the ’Burg. Their self-described “vaudevillian ragtime-jugband-blues and hillbilly swing” band The Wiyos (WHY-os) will perform at Clementine in downtown Harrisonburg on Aug. 23.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia, a teaching and research hospital for native wildlife, has scheduled five open houses for fall 2008. Visitors can see the inner workings of the wildlife hospital as well as meet some of the wild animals that serve as the center’s education ambassadors.

It’s hard to find words to describe the creature that greets passersby on Chicago Avenue across from Waterman Elementary School in Harrisonburg.

The hum of insects, the gentle swish of the wind through the trees. A clear sky full of stars. The scent of hot dogs, marshmallows or scrambled eggs cooked over an open fire. Falling to sleep close to the ground, close to nature. There are few activities linked as closely to summer as camping. And, whether you choose to “rough it” in a tent and carry in what you need or go deluxe in a “good as home” RV, camping remains a popular way to relax and get away from it all for a few days.

Jeff McDaniel started playing drums in a rock band in the ’70s, soon after The Who released its double-album rock opera, “Tommy.” Later, he saw the movie adaptation starring Jack Nicholson, Eric Clapton, Elton John and Tina Turner.

Conor and Chrissy Smith heard it on their way out of church one Saturday evening.

Growing up near Dulles airport, Kathy Compton longed to be on every plane she saw. So when she became a jazz pop singer, she wanted to take her shows overseas.

There’s really not much difference between campfire songs and drinking songs. Or between sitting around a deck of cards for a drinking game and circling around a roaring fire.

Larry Keel is cutting back on the touring budget for his alternative bluegrass band, Natural Bridge.

From small-town bike parades to elaborate firework displays, the Valley’s July 4 celebrations have something for everyone.

Baby Audrey follows Heather Baker around her store like, well, a little duckling.

Author Emilie Richards will visit the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 29, to sign copies of her latest book, “Sister’s Choice,” the fifth in a series of six “Shenandoah Album” novels.

Erin Murray was searching for stability her sophomore year at the University of Washington. So she padded barefoot into a Seattle dance studio.

Jason Heller hates needles. Well, he did. So it’s ironic to see him lying on a table with three hairlike needles sticking in his foot.

What better name than “Modern Vintage” to grace the cover of Miss Tess’ latest album, summing up her timeless sound.

There are two things everyone needs to know about Eastern Mennonite University’s 16th annual Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, says artistic director and conductor Kenneth Nafziger. “One, I don’t want everybody to say that they’ve done it all.

Ben Arthur is a little embarrassed to recount how his career began.

Pierce Hodges took off on his Red Bull First Person adventure on May 27 that began when he was selected by a panel of Red Bull executives in April.

Soon after Nita Gibson moved to Harrisonburg three years ago, she found herself one of the leading ladies in the city’s social circles. She became the mayor’s wife.

Tart or sweet, alone or loaded with extras, people definitely have their preferences on how to make lemonade. But, there’s one fact everyone can agree on: there’s no substitute for fresh lemons.

Starlings are usually considered aviary pests. So vocalist Joy Mills isn’t surprised when listeners initially scoff at her Seattle-based country band of the same name.

Inside a fifth floor studio on Court Square, six women stand in a row behind three silver poles. They’re wearing typical exercise clothes — you know, shorts, T-shirts, men’s button-up shirts, fedoras, 3-inch heels.

Valley Fest 2008, the Shenandoah Valley’s eighth annual Beer and Wine Festival, returns May 24 to kick off the Memorial Day weekend.

A star-covered sash hangs from the portico of Casual Friday in New Market. Bright blue shutters offset the red brick building, and small flags peek out from flowerpots. A red dress with white polka dots and a blue sash — the store’s logo — hangs near the door.

Americana singer-songwriter Trent Wagler and Indiana-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Jay Lapp announce the release of a new album of neo-traditional old-time and original roots music, entitled “Adrienna Valentine.”

Students usually hand in final papers for a single set of eyes to read. But Corey Hickerson’s advanced public relations writing class at JMU has been writing for thousands of readers for the past couple months.

People have made Virginia their home for 17,000 years. Virginia’s first state archeologist, Mike Barber, will give a talk on “17,000 Years of Human Occupation: Virginia Archeology from the Coastal Plain to the Appalachian Plateau.”

Charlottesville’s Sarah White “might resemble some kind of Hazel Dickens/Patti Smith/Cat Power love child,” if you ask the singer/songwriter’s guitarist, Ted Pitney.

Julia Bragan always paid her bills on time. So when she had to call in a late credit card payment for the first time a few months ago, she knew her overload was official.

A few years ago, you could have caught Matthew Archer Stephenson playing guitar on his Ashby Crossing porch. Although he was studying art at JMU, he found just as much joy in music.

Reading “Dick and Jane” was a dreadful experience for young Jon Scieszka (pronounced SHEH-ska). He wanted to read about dogs driving cars in “Go, Dog. Go!” or Frank and Joe’s search for clues in “The Hardy Boys.”

Lorrie Kirk loves cashmere suits and little green dresses. But that’s the fashion-savvy side of Kirk, the manager of Madison Chic.

Music and exercise equipment might help lift the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County out of the red.

The Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference (MACRoCk) returned to Harrisonburg after a yearlong hiatus, moving downtown for its 11th year.

There was a time when Nathan Neff couldn’t miss an episode of “Survivor.” Now, with a schedule of constant trips from Staunton to Nashville, he doesn’t even bother with a TV.

Art manifests in a variety of wondrous ways. From painting to pencil drawing, sidewalk chalk to ceramics, from song to spoken work, such creativity is capable of forging a connection, bringing together people of all age groups, interests and life experiences.

With the Spring Museum and Gallery Walk and MACRoCk both happening this weekend, downtown is full of art and music. Venues and scheduled events are subject to change. All events are free unless specified.

"We don’t want to play in cover bands anymore.”

Five miles outside of Athens, Ga., about 10 people live in a farmhouse on a 150-acre nature preserve. Others dwell in trailers scattered around the former Girl Scout camp, and many more flock to the natural amphitheater for occasional concerts.

They know the city. They know the crowds that go to shows. They know the stages they’ll perform on. Basically, Valkyrie knows MACRoCk.

None of them are “comic book nerds or anything.” But for a while, guitar and synthesizer player Michael Triplett was so engrossed in Chinese culture that a friend suggested the band name Fin Fang Foom, after the alien dragon from Marvel’s Iron Man comic books.

Our interview with Black Moth Super Rainbow was postponed. We'll update the site as soon as possible.

Less than a year after Jeremy Paredas started his internship at RedPeg Marketing in Alexandria, he landed a full-time job there.

Vivian Myers isn’t trying to sound like a graduation speech. But, like the song advised the class of ’99, sunscreen is the hottest tip this spring, says the president of Merle Norman in Harrisonburg. In the past two weeks, two of her clients were diagnosed with skin cancer.

Laura Ullmann radiates. It's not just her cheery smile, her contagious laugh or her passion for her new business.

Gingerbread CookiesRecipe by Carol Mishler, submitted by Anna Steele

Cream 2 sticks butter and 1 ½ cups sugar....

Last October, Aaron Saufley asked his dad to start growing a beard.

"Do I have to?" Steve remembers responding. "It's been years and years since the last time I had a beard. And it wasn't white then."

But after a little explanation from Aaron, he agreed. "When he found out what it was for, he was all for it," Aaron says.

Leave the candy corn and sugary sweets for the kids. To celebrate Halloween like an adult, trade in the jack-o'-lanterns for jack-o-tinis and the sweet treats for more sophisticated dishes.

Who wouldn't like the chance to kick back at a favorite hangout, enjoy some good food and good music, all while contributing to a good cause?

The party's moving downtown. The Block Party in the 'Burg, a mixer for incoming college students in Harrisonburg's downtown, is back for a third round.

It’s a biannual tradition in the ’Burg: Shopkeepers, artists and art lovers unite for a night on the town.

This year’s Spring Museum and Ga...

Mid-March brings Virginia’s unpredictable weather, with 78-degree days followed those featuring snow showers. But there is one day the sun will shi...

So why in the world did Toni Patrick write a cookbook?

Valentine’s Day is full of hearts and flowers and candy and balloons. It’s a day to dress up and take your snookie wookums out for a nice candlelight dinner. A day to curl up on the couch and snuggle.

While other businesses close for Christmas, Finnigan’s Cove, The Artful Dodger and The Pub are opening their doors on the 25th and spreading holida...

Shouts of “clear!” echoed as a colored strand of lights streaked through the intersection of North Main and Elizabeth Streets.

What in the ...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Eggnog and mistletoe, carols and the tree, decorations and… work.

Oh yes, presents must be paid for, and a seasonal job offers the means.

A cornucopia of young people is going home, wherever home may be, for a traditional Thanksgiving feast this year.

But what about you, oh diligent worker? Oh far-from-home Harrisonburg-er?  How are you giving thanks in the ’Burg?

Tim Reynolds can play anything with strings.  He rips on the guitar, sitar, mandolin, piano, violin, you name it. And the musical legend will ...

Adrienne Young can’t wait for her show at the Little Grill tonight.

She played on the tiny stage at the worker-owned collective before and she loved it.

New York’s CBGB is known for giving a stage to seminal punk acts like the Sex Pistols, Ramones,

Television and Blondie.

One? Yeah. Two? Maybe. Three? Ummm.

Knitting is big right now. But can a city of 42,000 people surrounded by a county of 70,000 really support three yarn stores?

Eric Plowman has a saying: it’s just beer.

It’s not that Plowman doesn’t take beer seriously, as the brewmaster at Calhoun’s on Court Square, he makes his living off high-end microbrews.

Who wears a watch anymore?

Not Andrew Carnahan.

He used to wear one everyday. But for the past three years, he’s been happily bare-wristed.