Center in the Square celebrated its grand re-opening on Saturday with a black tie event. Our paparazzi photo crew was there and here are the Southwest Roanoke County people who stepped onto the red carpet.

* Glenn and Sandra Neighbors
* Paula and Sam English
* Mike and Theresa Mercier, and Linda and Jack Siar
* Burman and Karen Clark
* Rachel Witt
* Hetal Vora
* Ben and Missy Chapman
* Ron Cronise, Megan Cronise and Chad Cronise
* John and Katrina Ford
* Chris and Mary Beth Venable
* Amanda Young and Gary Gilmore y
* Bridgett Martin
* Craig Balzer, Jr., Crystal and Becky Balzer, and Craig Balzer, Sr.
* Shea and John Jessee
* Robyn Thomas and Brian Pitts
* Sally and Walt Scott
* Rick and Rebekah Allred
* Barry and Bethanie Polakowski
* David and Rhonda Maddox
* Kristi Sutherland
* Tyler, Mary and John Carlin, Jr.
* Marie and Steve Dracko
* Gini and Tony Lefkowicz
* Joyce Waugh
* Joseph and Katharine Wells
* Skip and Ulita Taliaferro
* Juliet and Donald Vile
* Jeff English and Marie Shockley
* Jonathan Carlin and Beth McGee
* Ashley Ingle
* Gregory and Maureen House

Click through to see the photos one at a time or click here to see them all at once as thumbnails.

Divine Dance Center completed their 2013 Regional Competition Season and is headed to the Showstopper National Competition in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on July 1-6.  Regional Season Highlights:

Christina Lauria (Hidden Valley High School), Sarah Wilkie (Salem High School), and Canyon Carroll (Glenvar Middle School) were all scholarship winners at the Dance Makers Inc. Regional Event in Richmond, VA.  Christina and Sarah were accepted into summer programs in California while Canyon was awarded a scholarship to attend the Dance Makers Inc Workshop next year for free.

Also at Dance Makers, Hannah Mixon (Oak Grove Elementary) was the Miss Preteen 3^rd Runner up with her solo “The Kite Song”.  Natalie Hamilton (Cave Spring High School) was the Miss Teen 1^st Runner up with her solo “How to be Loved”.  Lexie Simpson (William Byrd High School) was named the Miss Senior 3^rd Runner up with her solo “In My Arms” and Joey d’Alelio (Cave Spring High School) was named Mr. Senior High Score with his solo “Lovestoned”.

Dancers also fared well at the Showstopper Regional Event in Lenoir, N.C.  Highlights include: Read more »

South County K-3 Crafts will be held Tuesday, May 14 from 4 to 5 p.m. at the South County Library. We will be making cool crafts out of coffee filters. Call today to sign up, 777-8772.

– Submitted by Roanoke County

It’s a juggling act. Being a mother of three young kids is a lot of work, but throw running a successful interior design business in the mix and you’ve got more than just a juggling act… you’ve got a super woman. That’s Theresa Dorlini. She’s a hard-working mom to Dotti, Luca and Tyson, ages 5 and under. “I like to think of myself as a stay-at-home working mom,” said Theresa. She continued, “My first love was design, but nothing prepared me for the love I would have for my kids! I am extremely fortunate to be in a profession I love, and have the flexibility to be a mom. I knew that if I couldn’t make the two passions work together I wouldn’t be happy. ” And Theresa certainly is making it work. Her business, which she co-owns with her husband John, is called CIRCLE Design Studio. “When I tell some people I operate from a home office they kind of give me that ‘I feel sorry for you’ look or don’t take me seriously… but then they see our work and it speaks for itself,” she said. “In the end, being able to have lunch with my kids everyday makes it all worth it.”

Theresa and her husband live in Southwest County and make it their business to design beautiful spaces. Both are Certified Interior Designers (CID), and John also holds a Masters degree in Architecture. “There are definitely days that I feel like ‘I’m not going to make it,’” said Theresa. “But I am blessed because John and I are in the same profession. He is more than willing to help me pick up the slack. If we have to, we take the kids to our jobs with us. We have to go with the flow and most people respect that.”

Theresa jokes that the kids and chaos have made their work better. Since having their first child in 2007, they have consistently won awards for both residential and commercial design. In fact, The Roanoker Magazine just awarded CIRCLE Design Studio “Platinum” for Best of Roanoke for 2013. They said it is the first time in the history of the awards that an unranked company has gone straight to Platinum.

Theresa and her husband have been in practice for 15 years, working for several different architecture/design firms nationwide, but they started CIRCLE Design Studio together in 2005. The Studio began in Staunton, but once the economy took a down turn, the couple realized they needed to be in a bigger market and moved down to Roanoke three years ago. Theresa’s background is originally in corporate design, but her company does about 80 percent residential work now. Theresa describes her style as modernist, but also likes classical forms and therefore likes to mix the two. “We believe great design is timeless,” she said, “and should be attainable even on a modest budget.”

Being the owner of a small business and a mom is hard work but in Theresa’s case it’s her passion. “You’ve got to have a love for what you do and a love for the people you are serving…clients and kids.” said Theresa. It’s just this kind of dedication and passion that consistently wins Circle Design Studio awards and makes them a great addition to Southwest County and the Roanoke Valley.

You can see some of CIRCLE’s award-winning work at www.circledesignstudio.com

It was a night to remember at Penn Forest Elementary School on Tuesday, May 7.  It was the school’s annual Spring Fling and even though the weather didn’t allow the event to be outside, the festivities were still just as fun.  The Spring Fling featured inflatables, a photo booth, a petting zoo, games, Homestead Creamery Ice Cream, food from Hometown Family Restaurant, prizes, and even glitter tattoos.

Everything was a big success, but the petting zoo seemed to be most everyone’s favorite.  A representative from Blue Ridge Wildlife Management was there to show the kids several different types of… snakes.  You can just imagine the excitement that this brought forth from the kids.  Boys, girls and even some parents got in on holding the slithery reptiles.  There were even some brave kids who allowed the snakes to crawl up their arms!

The event not only featured all the fun activities listed above.  There was also a dance floor on the stage in the cafeteria of the school, complete with a disco ball and some great music.  The kids had a great time dancing and, hopefully for their parents, wore off some of their extra energy!  This was a fun, family-filled night and according to the Penn Forest Elementary School’s PTA: “was a huge success!”

Photo Courtesy of Stefanie Weber

It was meant to be. That’s how Jennifer Thiers, owner of Toad’ly Kids, describes her decision to move the children’s boutique store from the Forum to a free standing building on Colonial Avenue. “Once I knew I wanted to add a photography studio and combine it with the store, I was trying to think of a free standing building that had two levels. It seemed like a great location too,” said Jennifer. Fortunately, everything seemed to work out perfectly and Jennifer moved the store to the Colonial Avenue location and re-opened in February.

In August of 2012, Nancy Leggett, the long-time owner of Toad’ly Kids decided she wanted to retire. She had been the owner for 25 years. The initial plan was to simply close, not to sell. Fortunately, Jennifer was able to convince her once she told Nancy she was going to buy the store on Colonial Avenue and combine the boutique and photography studio together. “We had been acquaintances for years… but she’s become a second mother to me now… she’s an awesome advisor. Her wealth of knowledge about the industry is amazing,” said Jennifer. She continued, “we have a lot of the same lines as Nancy, but we also have a lot of lines that are more budget friendly. There’s a need for well-priced quality baby and children’s clothes in Roanoke.”

Even though Jennifer has a background in photography and is very talented herself, she knew she couldn’t run the boutique and the photography studio at the same time. “The holiday season came and I realized I couldn’t do it by myself… I didn’t feel like photography could sustain itself alone, but I knew 100 percent that the store and studio combined would be a perfect match.” After making the decision to find a photographer to help her run the studio, Jennifer kept looking for someone to bring in, but she had a hard time finding the right fit. Until, she found Stefanie Weber, a very talented, artistic photographer. “I begged and pleaded for her to take a leap of faith and join me,” said Jennifer. Stefanie had been running her own businesses and doing photography on the side, but photography had always been her passion and she was thrilled to join Jennifer. “I still come in every day thinking how lucky I am, and how cool this is… I get to do what I love in this environment,” said Stefanie. “One of the things we feel strongly about: we’re a boutique clothing store and we are offering a boutique photography session. We are really passionate about crafting every session so that it is representative of that family.”

Now, the two run the store and studio together and say they wouldn’t want it any other way. “It all fell into place so well. I wanted to find someone who shared my vision. I don’t have to ask Stefanie… she just knows. We are on the same page completely. Our photography style is so much the same.” Said Jennifer. Not only do the two feel content about their business, they also feel content about running a business in Roanoke. “Roanoke, in general, is a very tight knit community of people. Our kids grow up together, play sports together; people in this area are really good about supporting local, small businesses. Small business is what drives our community. When a grandmother comes in, and I know her granddaughter, it’s huge because I can help her find just the right thing,” said Jennifer.

It’s not all about shopping at Toad’ly Kids though. Jennifer and Stefanie are both committed to volunteering. “I love it that there are kids who can come and shop at our store. But there are a lot of kids who don’t have that opportunity. It’s important for people to know that they are out there.” So each month, Toad’ly Kids is partnering with non-profits that benefit children. Every month, each featured non-profit organization can design the display in the front window. “This will help those organizations promote any events they have coming up. We’ll put any printed materials in our customer’s bags. At the end of the month, a portion of the sales from that month will go towards the non-profit,” explained Jennifer.

So, with volunteering, running a store and a photography studio, as well as hosting events, Jennifer and Stefanie are remaining very busy. Not only that, but both women are mothers and therefore stay constantly occupied. They may stay busy, but the two women are certainly committed to making the store and studio a success. “We like to watch our clients grow up. We want to see them when they’re born, on their second birthday… we want to see when they have kids,” said Stefanie. And the two can certainly do that because the store offers not only a baby registry, but also a first birthday cake smash photo session. You can read more about that here. All in all, Toad’ly Kids is bound to be a success just as it’s always been, here in the Roanoke Valley.

Every year the 5th grade class at North Cross School performs an epic historical battle for parents, teachers and faculty. Victor Lamas, the Assistant Director for the Lower School, has planned, choreographed and directed the mock battle for ten years now. “We do different battles every year,” he said, “this year I decided to focus on the gladiators. Not to be cliché, but this really helps history come alive to these kids.” Even parents were asked to participate in the mock battle by dressing in togas and sitting in the stands to act as the gladiators’ audience.

This year’s battle focused on the famous slave uprising against the Roman Republic. History recalls that Spartacus and Crixus were fellow gladiators who became disillusioned with their role and led a rebellion against their oppressors. “These kids practiced their moves for many hours in slow motion. For the most part, I choreographed it just to keep them safe, but then I let them create their own moves too. I trust them to do a good job on their own,” said Lamas.

At the end of the choreographed battle, 5th grader Greg Pearson, who played Spartacus, led his fellow gladiators to the stands where their parents, teachers and Victor Lamas sat. This was where the climax of the event took place: Spartacus, aka Greg Pearson took his sword and held it against Victor Lamas, who represented the gladiators’ persecutor. This was followed by a very moving speech by Pearson in his role as Spartacus. It was too long to be repeated here, but the general idea centered on the ending of slavery and the oppression of men and women. When asked what part of the battle was his favorite, Pearson said, “I really liked doing my speech at the end and forcing my teacher to his knees.”

This year’s battle was very complex and was well performed. It was easy to see that the students had practiced long and hard to get the moves just right. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the battle and, as you can imagine, the kids really got into their fight scenes. Chris Moore, the Director of Development at North Cross, said “it’s a highlight for the entire school. It teaches so much about history.”

To read more about North Cross School, click here.

Our Lady of Nazareth Church is having a Health Fair on Saturday, May 11th from 10am to 2pm

Fellowship Hall

Address: 2505 Electric Road

Free – Open to the Public – All ages welcome

The Health Fair will feature:

Door Prizes – Car Seat Safety – Back Pack adjustments – Healthy Snacks cooked on site

Vendors:

Carilion Clinic… High Risk Diabetes

LGMC… Weights and BMI

Tuck Chiropractic – Dr. Camidge

Miller Motte Technical College - Chair massages by: Massage therapy students

Cosmotology students:makeup/nails

Jefferson College O.T. Dept

Backpack adjustments

Hand massages

Home Health Equipment

Healthy Eating snacks cooked on site by Dieticians

Jefferson Surgical Clinic - Dr R.L.Keeeley

Carilion Clinic Podiatry – Dr. John Clements

Lions Club- Vision Testing

Health & Fitness: Gold’s Gym

Dr. Steve Harris: Plastic Surgery

Dr. Kara Matala: Osteoporosis

Submitted by Maggie Caldarella

Faith Christian School, a distinctively Christian classical school serving students in grades K – 12, is pleased to announce that senior, Katherine Quiroz, has been named as one of the only 1,000 high school seniors across the country to receive the highly coveted Gates Millennium Scholarship for 2013. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the scholarship will pay for her undergraduate education at any college or university in America. Valued at $350,000, it will also cover study abroad as well as her Master’s and Doctorate degrees at the university of her choice, should she choose to pursue. Nominees are assessed based upon academic achievement, leadership, and community service, and must complete a series of in depth essays.

Quiroz was also one of eleven high school seniors in the state of Virginia to receive the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. $10,000 cash Leadership Award. She was also awarded $1,000 by the Virginia Gentlemen’s Barbershop Quartet, and the recipient of a $1,500 scholarship from the Philanthropic Educational Organization. She has also been notified by the Foundation of Roanoke Valley that she was chosen to receive scholarship funding, but hasn’t yet learned of the amount.

“When I was in eighth grade and at another school, I begged my mother to send me to Faith Christian School.” Quiroz shares, “ I told my mom, who wasn’t working at the time, that if she paid for me to go to FCS that I would pay for college. I felt like being a student at FCS would not only provide me an excellent education, but would help me get scholarships for college.”

Katherine Quiroz has a younger brother and is the daughter of single mother, Elaine Quiroz of Roanoke County. She is a member of the Roanoke College Children’s Choir, the President of Faith Christian School’s Hi-Y Government & Service organization, and a student leader at church.

Quiroz says that she’s been saving money for college for a long time, babysitting five to six days a week during the school year and holding down a full-time job during the summers “just in case.”

Quiroz will attend Christopher Newport University in the fall, majoring in Communications with minors in Leadership and Spanish. She will be completing her Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in her fifth year. She plans on pursuing a doctorate after working in the field for a few years.

Visit Faith Christian School on the web at www.faithchristian-school.com.

Submitted by Susan Childs

Gilbert with Stylist Liz Smith

Gilbert with Receptionist Alyssa Howell

On April 26, Glo salon on Brambleton Avenue, received a phone call for an appointment from someone that had never been there, he gave the name Jeff Gilbert. At 2pm Jeff showed up with another guy… when the hairstylist Liz Smith approached him for his haircut, the bodyguard that is with Gilbert tells Liz that the haircut appointment is for his friend and announces to Liz that its Brantley Gilbert.  Liz was very nervous but said Brantley was very down-to-earth and friendly, he chatted about the concert that he was performing later in the evening at the civic center.

Submitted by Karen Killingsworth