Submitted by the City of Salem.

Experience the adventure, pageantry, magic and romance of the medieval times at Roanoke County’s Green Hill Park. On Saturday September 29th from 10AM to 6PM and Sunday September 30th from 10AM to 5PM ye can revisit history made reality and explore the festive tentage of merchants offering wares from mystical lands. Throughout the day ye will smell the luscious aromas of treats and turkey legs, experience music and merriment, colorful dancers, nobles, ladies, knights, and the sounds of haunting bagpipes drifting over the Blue Ridge Mountains. Attend the Faire dressed in medieval garb and receive FREE admission; otherwise entry is $5 cash-only at the gate, and those under 5 are free.

This year’s Faire promises to be like no other. In support of the community that has supported us we are showcasing statewide performers and living history groups. We are proud to present Fencing and Archery demonstrations from the Kirk Family YMCA and Northside High School in Roanoke, the Roanoke Sword Guild, belly dancing performances by the Rhythm Fire Dance troupe in Floyd, a Falconer from Franklin County, and Scottish Dancers performing on Sunday from Montpelier, VA.

Also new this year the Masquerade Ball will be held on both days! Saturday beginning at 4:30PM and Sunday beginning at 3:30PM the Masquerade Ball will begin with Her Majesty’s Royal Pageant; dress for the ball if ye so desire, engage in the wooing contest and learn the dances from days of old charm.
The Highland Games will return on Saturday September 29th. Athletes of varying skill levels will compete in seven challenging and varied categories. Ye won’t want to miss the incredible feats of agility and strength performed by these talented athletes!

Attention Students! The Green Hill Medieval Faire and Highland Games is of importance for the younger lads and lassies as the relevance of this time period in history is often included in SOL testing. Also scouting badges and patches are available for Scouts of all ages who attend the Faire. For those college students in the area be sure to participate in the College Clan Competition and check in Sunday, September 30 at 3:30 to see which school reigns supreme!

For more details about the Green Hill Medieval Faire visit www.RoanokeCountyParks.com.

Submitted by Roanoke County Parks and Rec

From the Roanoke County website:

Roanoke County administrative offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 3, in observance of the Labor Day Holiday.

Offices will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 4. For more information, visit the Roanoke County website.

Weather journalist Kevin Myatt

Salem kicks off its football season tonight with a 7:30 p.m. home game against Lord Botetourt.

Glenvar has its second game — but its first at home — with a 7 p.m. clash against James River.

Weather journalist Kevin Myatt offers this forecast:

This may well be the warmest night of the football season. Afternoon highs could reach low 90s in Roanoke Valley and well into 80s in the New River Valley, with temperatures hanging in the 80s at kickoff most places and only slowly falling into the 70s. Can’t rule out a few isolated showers and storms, but it looks like most of that will wait until some of Isaac’s remnants can make it our way late in the weekend – perhaps raining on Virginia Tech’s opener Monday night.

For more weather news, see Kevin’s Weather Journal. We’re expecting photos from each game, so check back this weekend for those. Or you can share your own at news@sosalem.com or use the “share” tool to upload 10 at a time.

We had these photos from last week’s Glenvar opener at Galax.

Flaky Biscuits performed at Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea. Emily Paine Carter, special to So Salem

Music upcoming and music just passed:

* Local musicians aren’t just good with instruments. They’re also good with causes.

No surprise, then, that many GREAT bands are gathering their forces to benefit the family of one-of-their-own: Longtime singer / guitarist Gary Wimmer.

Wife Kim Lafon Wimmer taught at Clearbrook and Green Valley Elementary School until hit by a particularly aggressive case of MS, said friend Jimmy Gladden. “She’s wheelchair-bound, and they had to buy a special van. And Gary became a Realtor not long before the market crash….”

So, said Gladden, musician Jimmy Carroll “worked hard to put this thing together to help them out.” (Friends also held a successful golf benefit at Hanging Rock Golf Club Aug. 18th.)

Both Jimmys sound enthused! You can step in, help out and rock on to this heckuva lineup: The Kings, The Rhythm Doctors, The Left Overs, Tim Shepherd & The Sock Monkeys, The Mad Iguanas, The Elderly Brothers and Truckers’ Delight.

It’s to be Sept. 15 (Sat.), 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Salem Moose Lodge #2573 (East Main St. and Kessler Mill Rd.) is generously donating space, food and money (“Chris Thomas is coordinating things on the Moose end,” said Gladden). There’ll also be a silent auction, a 50/50, a bake sale and face-painting for the kids. Bring a chair but no pets. Advance tickets: Mac&Bob’s and the River Rock, $20. At gate, $25.

Maybe you share a link with the Wimmers: Clearbrook (Kim), Salem High School (Kim, grad), Glenvar High (Gary, grad), Northside High (son Carson, 16). Or you know someone with MS. Or you have a good heart. But just wanting to have a rollickin’ good time with good music is reason a’plenty.

There also will be a benefit Wednesday, Sept. 5, for Kim Wimmer Night at Hollywood’s Restaurant and Bakery at 7770 Williamson Road in Roanoke from 4 p.m. to close. Ten percent of all sales will go towards the fundraiser, noted the Friends of Kim Fundraiser/Benefit Committee.

* On a recent Monday evening fans of other kinds of music filled Mill Mt. Coffee Shop. The “Flaky Biscuits” band was jammin’.

They play an eclectic mix — uh, “preserving” old-time, Celtic, gospel…. “And things that don’t quite fit into a genre,” said Mark Poore. He does the booking and plays clawhammer banjo. Son Luke plays the hammered dulcimer.

Other members: Carolyn Day, mandolin; Jeff Phillips, acoustic guitar; Hannah Robbins, big ol’ upright bass; and Amy Rockhill, fiddle. They all seemed to enjoy each other and the audience.

Gary Whitt came to hear and to banter with his Roanoke College co-worker Mark. Some of us recognized the guitarist from the Farmers’ Market Saturday night jam session two days’ prior (where I counted five clusters of musicians playing throughout the parking lot; cool!).

Find music and videos from that very coffee shop scene: www.flakybiscuits.info/

Competitive twirler, Rebecca Keller has had a very busy and rewarding twirling season this year as an Advanced NBTA twirler.

In February at Twirlmania held in Disney World, Rebecca won the coveted Mousker Award for being the Divisional Winner with the most outstanding performance in Intermediate 2-baton.  She also placed in the top 10 in Advanced solo, 2nd  in Advanced xstrut, 1st in advanced  modeling, and 5th in high school show.

In March at the Congressional Cup Invitational held in Emmitsburg, MD, she was 2nd runner-up in the Advanced Over-All competition which included solo, 2-baton, and modeling.

In May at the Miss Majorette of Virginia competition held in Newport News, VA, Rebecca was crowned Jr. Miss Majorette of Virginia.  Rebecca took first place in Advanced  solo, xstrut and modeling part of the pageant.  She also placed first in open solo, open xstrut, 2-baton, and 3-baton.

In June, Rebecca went on to compete at the Virginia State Twirling Championships held in Richmond, VA.  Rebecca was named the Virginia State Jr. Solo Champion, Virginia State Jr. X-strut Champion, Virginia State Jr. Rhythmic Champion, 1st place 3-baton, and Jr. Miss Old Dominion.

From there she went to the TU National Championships held in Canton, OH.  Rebecca was 3rd runner-up in the Advanced  3-part pageant.  She also placed first in Advanced 3-baton and Intermediate 2-baton.

In July Rebecca competed at AYOP National Twirling Championships held at Notre Dame.  She placed 2nd in Advanced 3-baton, 5th in Int. 2-baton, 9th in Advanced Solo and 9th  in Advanced Rhythmic.

Rebecca is a Junior at Glenvar High School and Feature Twirler of the Marching Highlanders.

Submitted by Cheri Keller

Principal Forest Jones and the other teachers and faculty welcomed their rising sixth-graders (all 330 of them!) during new student orientation on Thursday, Aug. 30 at the school.

Students met with their homeroom teachers and toured their new school, while parents had a meeting with Principal Jones in the auditorium.

School begins again in Salem City on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

The ribbon cutting at the First Bank of Virginia on Thursday, Aug. 23. / Photo courtesy of the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce

The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for First Bank on Thursday, August 23, 2012. They are located at 1406 Colorado St. in Salem.

Members of the community, the Chamber of Commerce, friends and family joined Jim Grubbs, SVP Regional Executive, Phil Barbour, VP City Executive & Branch Manager and local staff to celebrate their location in Salem. The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber would like to thank First Bank for their membership and support.

Submitted by the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce.

My name is Chad Briscoe and I am a 1991 Northside H.S. graduate. I currently am an athletic director at a high school on the west side of Indianapolis.   Each Labor Day Weekend I return home to Roanoke to direct a church softball tournament that has been in existence since 1987 and has been played in the Roanoke Valley since 1980.  The Interstate Church of God Softball Tournament. (www.interstatesoftball.com)

The tournament will have over 40 churches from 9 different states travel to Roanoke for Labor Day weekend to play church softball, but more importantly to raise funds for mission work in Paraguay, South America. The tournament annual raises between 20K and 30K to send to assist with churches, schools, a Christian radio station and other ministries and needs throughout the country of Paraguay each year.

We will be playing on ten different fields most of the day Saturday with a church service Saturday evening and all day on Sunday at the Botetourt Sports Complex, Burton Fields in Roanoke County, Huff Lane in Roanoke City and W. Pines in the county.  My parents started the tournament to raise funds for my mothers college roommate who went to the mission field with her husband in 1977 to Paraguay.  When we moved to Roanoke in 1980 it has continued now for 34 consecutive years.  To date this tournament is the oldest and longest consecutively running tournament held in the Roanoke Valley.

My father retired from the ministry and passed the tournament on to me to direct in 2002.  I was told that you were the person to pass along the information…we thought it might a small worthy story of some coverage and appreciate you even taking the time to read the information.  The tournament will have close to 3 thousand people attend the weekend and provide great economic impact to the valley.  The teams pay to play and then raise money at their churches throughout the year to give.

We do have a website:  www.interstatesoftball.com and we have videos on youtube at: Interstate Softball which are videos we show each year with updates on Paraguay at our church service.
INTERSTATE CHURCH OF GOD SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
2012 Participating Teams
“Softball For a Reason”

ALABAMA
Bessemer – First
Falkville – Fairview (2)
INDIANA
Indianapolis – Church at the Crossing
Indianapolis – Westlake Community (3)
Mooresville – Life Pointe
New Albany – First Church
KENTUCKY
Clay City – Brush Creek Church
Lexington – Kentucky Church
Morehead – First Church
Morehead – United Churches
Mt. Sterling – First Church (2)
NORTH CAROLINA
Archdale – First Church
Drexel – First Church
Hickory – First Church
Morganton – First Church
OHIO
Ansonia – First Church
Dayton – Salem Church
Franklin – Towne Blvd. (2)
Gallipolis – First Church
Hamilton – First Church
London – London Nazarene
Springfield – HOPE
PENNSYLVANIA
Cambridge Springs – First Church
Ellwood City – First Church
Kittanning – First Church
Punxsutawney – First Church
TENNESSEE
Hermitage – Grace Place
VIRGINIA
Christiansburg – Mission 188
Lynchburg – Timberlake
Lynchburg – Missions Ministry (2)
Roanoke – RC Church
Salem – FCC Life
Wytheville – All Nations Church of God
WEST VIRGINIA
Parkersburg – Liberty Street

2012 Interstate Tournament in Memory of Missionaries Julie & Timmy Kurrle
Paraguay, South America

Submitted by Chad Briscoe

The Performing Arts Series is proud to present the iconic vocal group Anonymous 4 in its only Virginia performance this season, October 2, 2012 at 7:30pm in Roanoke College’s Olin Theater. To mark its 25th year together, Anonymous 4 has created a unique concert program, “Anthology 25.” It features ancient, traditional and modern works from each of the group’s 19 prize-winning, chart-topping harmonia mundi CDs. The selections are in one, two, three and four voices. They range from 11th century plainchant, richly harmonic English conductus to spicy French motets of the 13th century, exotic 15th century Hungarian polyphony, 19th century shape note hymns and contemporary works.

When four young women gathered to sing through some medieval chant and polyphony in the spring of 1986, it was something that countless small groups of musicians do every day in a search for artistic adventure and autonomy that their normal musical pursuits cannot provide. Once every now and then, the people themselves and the unity of their musical intent just click . . . there’s a chemistry . . . and a long term musical relationship is born.

Renowned for their unearthly vocal blend and virtuosic ensemble singing, the four women of Anonymous 4 combine historical scholarship with contemporary performance intuition to create their magical sound. Their programs have included music from the year 1000; the ecstatic music and poetry of the 12th-century abbess and mystic, Hildegard of Bingen; 13th-century chant and polyphony from England, France, and Spain; American folksongs, shape note tunes, and gospel songs; and works newly written for the group. Anonymous 4 has performed for sold-out audiences on major concert series and at festivals throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East; and has made 19 best-selling recordings for harmonia mundi usa. The group writes:
“In partnership with each other, and with harmonia mundi usa and long-time producer Robina Young, we’ve been privileged to be able to record almost all of our concert programs. In Anthology 25, we’ve created a special concert to celebrate 25 years together. It contains one piece from each of our harmonia mundi usa recordings, as well as a work written for us by Richard Einhorn, the composer of Voices of Light, — PLUS a brand new work by the celebrated New York composer David Lang. We offer this as our anniversary gift to you, our listeners, who have helped to make it all possible. “

Tickets to the October 2 performance are available by calling the Olin Hall Box Office at (540) 375-2333. General admission tickets are $12, $8 for students and senior citizens (55+) and $5 for groups 8+. Tickets are available by calling the Olin Hall Box Office at (540) 375-2333 or on-line at www.roanoke.edu/tickets

Submitted by the Olin Hall Box Office