www.roanoke.com

Good morning, today we present the second installment in our “Betcha didn’t know” series, highlighting features from roanoke.com that you might not know about.

Today’s theme is oldies but goodies.

As you think about outdoor activities this summer, please check out our hiking and biking guides to the Roanoke Valley and beyond. We built these guides some time ago, but they’re still relevant and useful. For instance, you can search for a hike by difficulty or a bike ride by location.

In the redesign, we plan on giving these guides a more prominent and permanent home. Until then, don’t let them go to waste! Happy trails!

… that we have an archives database where you can search for stories published in The Roanoke Times dating back to 1990.

Today we present the first of an occasional feature highlighting Roanoke Times resources that readers may not know about. We know there is always a strong interest in past stories, so this digital archives database is an easy way to find an old story — as long you have some good keywords.

Some things to know before searching:
- Searching The Roanoke Times Archives is free; viewing the full article costs $1.95.
- You’ll need a password to retrieve stories: simply perform your search and click on the link to ”view the full text of the article.” A window will open with a link to register as a new user.
-  Services will be billed to a Visa or Mastercard account only. Checks, cash or money orders cannot be accepted. Roanoke Times newspaper subscription accounts cannot be credited.

David Oyler, his wife Kristen, and daughter Kathryn, 2, watch fireworks with his mother Audrey Oyler in 1989.

Also, for those who like old photos, we’ve started a board on The Roanoke Times Pinterest page featuring just that. Currently, we’re highlighting photos from July 4 celebrations past (see photo at left).

What other Pinterest boards would you like to see from The Roanoke Times?

And what other kinds of resources would you like from The Roanoke Times?