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Adrian Crounauer made famous in "Good Morning Viet Nam," now lives in Botetourt and will portray Kris Kringle in Showtimers"Miracle on 34th Street."

Adrian Cronauer of the movie "Good Morning Viet Nam" made famous by actor Robin Williams portrayal of his radio career in the armed forces, now resides in Botetourt County. After serving the Pentagon as a specialist in MIA and remains recovery as a Bush administration appointee, Cronauer and his wife of 40 years, Jeane, have located to the Fincastle area.

He is currently going through his Viet Nam materials and MIA materials and donating the non-classified items to Texas Tech University where they have a Viet Nam War museum, he said. He remains actively involved with his time in the military.  "We are going on a Caribbean cruise as a guests on a Veteran's Cruise  and I will be a  speaker," said Cronauer.

The Cronauers have a beautiful home and love the rustic location full of wildlife, birds and a happy squirrel who seems to have adopted the Cronauers or at least the bird feeder. They also have the most spacious and wonderful smelling cedar lined closet. How appropriate for Kris Kringle and the Mrs!

Cronauer has spent the better part of his life using his deep voice for service and career. He actually moved to Roanoke Valley over forty years ago in 1968. He was part of Showtimers then and well he fell in love with that beautiful costumer, Jeane, while he participated in the theater group. A lawyer by trade, he moved around the Northeast a bit before the stint in Washington, DC.

He is letting his hair and beard grow and well he has a nice size for a Santa as Jeane pointed out with a pat to his belly one night when we met in CVS. "Miracle on 34th Street" will play the following dates at Showtimers on McVitty Road in SW Roanoke County.

December 2 - 13

Wednesday - Saturdays 8 p.m.
Sundays 2 p.m.
Extra performance
Saturday, Dec 5
2 p.m.

Ticket prices:
$12 adults
$5 ages 18 & under

For Box office ticket information To order tickets, call our box office at

(540) 774-2660

(877) 336-9294, toll-free.

The Greenfield Elementary PTA recently held its annual Reflections arts contest, which this year celebrated students' achievements in visual arts, photography, music composition, and film production. The program was sponsored this year by Marie and Justin Powell of d'Artisti Photography of Daleville and the Bank of Botetourt's Art by the James Series. Winners in grades 3-5 photography were Delaney Alls (1st), Emily Morejon (2nd), Danielle Hogue (3rd), and Jaren Hollandsworth, Grace Helmick, and Jake DuVall (Honorable Mentions). For grades Pre-K-2, photography winners were Logan Hollandsworth (1st), Kenleigh Gunter (2nd), Mary Morejon (3rd) and Daylie Ji Umbarger (Honorable Mention). For Music Composition, Shannon Filer won first place. For Film Production, Ben Rochford won first place. For Visual Arts, winners were Charlie Floyd (1st), Olivia Murry (2nd), and Melissa Spangler (3rd), with additional honors to Harper Pace and Tyler Emick (kindergarten) and Sara Helmick (2nd grade).

Greenfield Art Winners photo caption:
Back Row: Delaney Alls, Emily Morejon, Danielle Hogue, Jaren Hollandsworth, Grace Helmick, Jake DuVall.
Middle Row: Logan Hollandsworth, Kenleigh Gunter, Mary Morejon, Shannon Filer, Ben Rochford, Tyler Emick, Sara Helmick. Front Row: Charlie Floyd, Olivia Murry, Melissa Spangler, Harper Pace. Not pictured: Daylie Ji Umbarger

submitted by Lisa Rochford

Travis Bierer posed at the Box Office of the Buchanan Theatre.

Travis Bierer of Buchanan likes to sing in his car, at home and in his church. He also likes to watch CMT's popular show, "Singing Bee." He is a 2006 grad of James River High School.  Bierer also flatfooted for the cameras out in Nashville. "They didn't even know what that was," he said with a laugh. He did admit to being a bit nervous, though!

The CMT show's website describes exactly what the show is all about: "CMT brings you the karaoke-style singing competition, The Singing Bee, hosted by comedic actress Melissa Peterman. Contestants are tested on their knowledge of lyrics to well-known songs, and those who fail to accurately sing the correct lyrics are eliminated from the competition. New to CMT, The Singing Bee blends a mix of 60 percent country music with 40 percent popular favorites from other genres."

Bierer watched the show this season and figured he knew as many songs as anyone else, so he stepped up and contacted the show. He went to Nashville a couple of weeks ago for an audition. He was at work at AlTec the other day when the cell phone rang and he was asked if he wanted to go tape a show in Las Angeles, California. The top prize is $10,000. He leaves for California on November 20.

Though his wife Pam nor 2-year-old son Walker will be able to come, Bierer is ready for his first airplane ride, and his grandmother is going to go with him. "They are paying all of my expenses out there. I am pretty excited."

He described the audition as a series of songs and a 50 question test on songs. He got 48-50. He will not be able to say at first whether he won or not until the show plays; when he gets back he plans to give us an update of the trip.

Good Luck, Travis! Stay tuned for more!

Attic Productions is announcing auditions for our first show of the 2010 season "Harvey" to be held at the D. Geraldine Lawson Theatre on Monday evening, December 14th at 6:00 PM.  Auditioners will be requested to participate in cold readings from the script.

Six (6) men and six (6) women of varying ages are needed for the production.  Although helpful, previous acting experience is not a requirement.  In addition to actors, individuals interested in participating in a technical capacity are also encouraged to attend the audition to leave their contact information.  Backstage workers, set builders, lighting and sound technicians are a few of the technical areas where workers are needed.

This beloved comedy is sure to be one our actors and audience members will enjoy.   Performance dates are February 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13 and all participants must be able to attend all shows.

If you cannot attend the audition and would like to make special arrangements with the director, please contact director, Jayne Brill at qcjayne@aol.com or call 540-765-7574 after December 1st.

If you've ever considered auditioning for community theatre, this is a great show to start with! It's a great way to make new friends.  Hope to see you there!!

Submitted by Cathy Henderson, Attic Productions Artistic Director.

Book Fairs are fun as evidenced by the Colonial Elementary School students who participated!

Colonial Elementary School had their fall book fair Oct. 26-30. Every book fair students can participate in a program called "Friends of the Library". Participants purchase a book from the book fair and donate it to the school library. On November 9th students gathered in the library to check their books out for the first time, get their picture taken as a group, and have a snack. The following students donated books to the library:

Kayla Hamlin, Darryn Hamlin, Linsey Baker, Brandon Harper, Grace Spangler, Emily Dressler, Molly Cothran, Marina Swann, Price Meador, Kailynn Lashley, Zachary Prillaman, Aaron Jenkins, Dylan Jenkins, Justin Jenkins, Garrett Stewart, Kendall Lythgoe, Sydney Harris, Emmy Harris, Nathan Yates, Rachel Williams, Arron Burns, Lance Dalton,Tessa Dalton, Lydia Floyd, Nathan Bedwell, Alyssa Bedwell, Grayson Evans, Sophia Graham, Maddie Cothran, Hunter Deel, Tyler Byers, Kim Hoyle, Madison Sloan, Josh Thomas.

-- submitted by
Angie Bock
Library Media Specialist

On November 7th, the Cavalier's competitive season came to a close with their final performance at the BandBEAT Championships hosted by Carolina Crown, Yamaha Instruments, The Arts and Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Inc, East Lincoln High School, and Nation Ford High School. The season has been an exciting one for the Cavaliers, with many positives and a great deal of success.

The season started with Cavaliers debuting their show at the William Byrd Preview of Champions. The Cavaliers received Best Music, Best Marching, Best Effect, a rating of Excellent, and 1st Place Band in their classification. The band then prepared for the Mountain Magic Invitational at James River. The band received 2nd Place Music, 1st Place Marching, 1st Place General Effect, 2nd Place Colorguard, 2nd Place Percussion, a rating of Superior, and 1st Place Band in their class. The band continued their success at the Patrick County Celebration of Pride. The band earned 2nd Place Drum Major, 2nd Place Percussion, 1st Place Colorguard, 1st Place Colorguard, 1st Place Music, 1st Place Marching, 1st Place General Effect, a rating of Superior, 1st Place in their class, and they were also recognized as having the highest band score of the day when they received the William Ponds Band of The Day trophy.

Following the Patrick County competition the band hosted 14 bands at the annual Cavalier Classic held at Lord Botetourt High School. The following week the Cav's prepared for the USSBA Virginia State Championships. After their strongest performance of the year, the band left the field with an unspoken feeling that they had performed their best show to date. After their performance, the band relaxed and enjoyed watching the performances of the other bands in competition. At the awards ceremony that night, the band learned that their hard work and efforts had been noticed by the judges. The band received Best Effect, Best Music, Best Visual, and Best Colorguard in Group III A, earning them the Virginia State Championship title for their classification. Their final competition, BandBEAT, provided the band with a great experience. After traveling for several hours, the band had the privilege of competing against some of the finest bands on the East Coast.

"The group has worked extremely hard this year. The experiences and success they have had will not be easily forgotten. I could not be more proud of the group. Their leadership abilities and the way they carried themselves was evident everywhere we went. I couldn't ask for a better group."

submitted by- Chris Caldwell

Cheryl Lunsford of The Guitar Dojo Studio in Fincastle sent us these pictures of her students. A mother, Jane Bailey took the pictures of the guitar class called Guitar Heros, taught by Lunsford at Wasena Elementary.

Top photo: Circle from top left Reid Donihe, Ella Scoville, Ethan Lee, Garrett Kelly

Bottom photo: Garrett Kelly, Ethan Lee, Ella Scoville, Ethan Lee with their guitar teacher, Cheryl Lunsford.

Thanks, Cheryl!

James River’s Knightly Players will perform “The Fourth Wish” for the general public at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 19th in the high school auditorium.

No admission will be charged but donations will be accepted at the door.

“The Fourth Wish”, written by John F. Kendall, is a one-act comedy that focuses on the predictability of all human beings – well at least most human beings!  When the genie (played by Sean Aaron) grants Jack (played by Jordan DiPalma) his usual four (not three) wishes, Jack proves he is different because he doesn’t follow the normal pattern of asking for material possessions, resulting in some unusual outcomes.

Other members of the cast are; Emily Kettelson, Kristina Dant, Chelsea MacCormack, Tali DiPalma, Sandi Mahon, Allyson Cahoon, Katie Kane, and Trent Smith.

“We’ve had a great time working on this show and look forward to sharing it with our friends and family members” said director, Cathy Henderson. “Our show is family friendly and a great opportunity for parents to introduce their children to theatre since the show will only be about 30 minutes in length.”

Following the public performance on November 19th, the cast will perform the play at the Region C Theatre Festival on Saturday, November 21st at Radford High School.  There is no admission charged for the festival where seven one-act plays or cuttings from plays compete for the right to advance to the VHSL State Theatre Festival, held in Charlottesville in early December.

Anyone interested in the performance times for the regional festival may call Cathy Henderson for more information at 473-2282.

Submitted by Cathy Henderson.

Pat Moss on the left with Rachel Nichols of the Apple Barn Gallery in Buchanan.

Pat Moss is a well known artist more commonly as P. Buckley Moss and she was in Buchanan on Sunday November 8 at the Apple Barn Gallery on Main Street. The Apple Barn Gallery is owned operated by Rachel Nichols of Troutville.

Moss is famous for her country scene paintings containing spindly legged Amish and Mennonites and animals. Her art is a source of collection by fans across the nation and the world. On Sunday she didn't want to talk so much about her art, but about life and inspiration.

She said, "I had Dyslexia and school was a source of failure for me, but I had Art. My advice to parents of children who have learning disabilities is to concentrate on what you do well and you will find success in what special talents you have." To read more about her life.

She will leave soon to spend a month etching in her Tuscany villa.  Born in 1933 and the mother of 6, Moss likes to spend time with family. Last year she took 21 family members on a Mediterranean cruise she sponsored for her Moss Society members.

Interestingly, Tuscany is one of her favorite subjects and she shared these glimpses of her life. "My mother was Silicilan and three of my children have married Italians." She is a neighbor in Tuscany to Frances Mays, who wrote "Under The Tuscan Sun" which became a hit movie starring Diane Lane.

"That is our town in the movie. with the exception of the nude statue which was made of paper mache and covered when not being filmed. It is really as beautiful as it looks. Frances has a shrine in her wall like the one in the movie. My granddaughter is the  girl who runs into Lane in the movie scene." She has a view of ancient history as well. " When I look out, I see in the valley below the place where Hannibal drove the Romans into the lake."

She signed prints for folks who came to the Gallery to see her as well as the framed paintings on the walls that are for sale.  JRHS icon and coach of 48 years, John Shotwell dropped in to get prints signed and to meet Moss.

"I come down here every time I travel south," she said. Moss lives most of the year in the Waynesboro area and travels to Radford to see one of her daughters via  I-81.

Another favorite place in Buchanan?  "I always eat at the North Star.  The food is great and prices reasonable."

Claire Gross and Zeb Camper, 7th grade students at Read Mountain and Central Academy Middle Schools respectively, have taken the first step to becoming internationally recognized artists by winning local competitions at their schools sponsored by the Troutville Lions Club.  This is the second year in a row that Camper has won at Central Academy.
The posters drawn by Gross and Camper were among more than 375,000 entries submitted worldwide in the 22nd annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest.  Lions Clubs International is sponsoring the contest to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere.
The winning posters were selected by a panel of judges from their schools for originality, artistic merit and portrayal of the contest theme, “The Power of Peace”.  The judging at the schools was held in October under the supervision of Susanne Sellars and Mark Woodie, art teachers at Read Mountain and Central Academy.
Two students at each school were cited for honorable mention.  They are Lindsey Owens and Giorgia Borges at Read Mountain and Allison Gooden and Payton Hatcher at Central Academy.  The six students reside in Buchanan, Troutville, Daleville, and Cloverdale.
Troutville Lions Club President Ken Venable said he was impressed by the continued high quality of the winning posters at Central Academy and Read Mountain Middle Schools.  “This is a reflection of these young students’ outlook and vision about seeking world peace.  The Troutville Lions Club is proud of them and the fact that we are able each year to provide them with a way of expressing and sharing their vision with others.  Our club is cheering for Claire and Zeb as their posters compete.”
The posters drawn by Gross and Camper must advance as winners through the district, multiple district and international rounds of competition if they are to be declared the international grand prize winner.  Four years ago a local winner also won at the district 24-E level and advanced to multiple district competition.
One grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners will be selected.  The grand prize includes a cash award of $2,500, plus a trip for the winner and two family members to New York City for the awards ceremony at Lions Day with the United Nations.  The 23 merit award winners will each receive a certificate and a cash award of $500.
Locally, Gross and Camper and honorable mention winners Owens, Borges, Gooden, and Hatcher will be honored at PTA evening assemblies at their respective schools on December 14th.  The winners will each receive a $100 US Savings Bond and a framed certificate.  A $50 US Savings Bond and framed certificate will be awarded to the four honorable mention students.  The bonds were donated by the Bank of Botetourt and Bank of Fincastle.  Past international grand prize and merit award winners and posters can be viewed at www.lionsclubs.org.

Top photo: Payton Hatcher (honorable mention), Zeb Camper (winner), and Allison Gooden (honorable mention) display their posters from Central Academy Middle School.  Their art teacher is Mark Woodie.

Bottom photo: Lindsey Owens (honorable mention), Claire Gross (winner), and Giorgia Borges (honorable mention) display their entries in the Troutville Lions Peace Poster Contest recently held at Read Mountain Middle School.  Their art teacher is Susanne Sellars.

Submitted by Stan Diez, Troutville Lions Club, Peace Poster Chairman.