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By Katie Mitchell / Photos Courtesy of Maressa Cortes: Y’all. What a long, strange few weeks we’ve had. I went from a life of being surrounded by noisy, spirited middle schoolers and taxi-ing kids to soccer practice to a life where walking to the mailbox constitutes “going out.” Where just the thought of going to the grocery store induces fear. Where I worry my face will freeze in an unattractive expression during a Zoom meeting with my colleagues. more
By Katie Mitchell — As you’re well aware, downtown Harrisonburg’s response to the COVID-19 has been swift, thorough, and multifaceted. People of all backgrounds and businesses of all kinds are putting their heads and hearts together to innovate ways to keep local businesses afloat and Harrisonburg residents healthy and supported. As one business after another announced changes to their regular hours, curbside service, or closures, HDR threw together a directory to organize all that information. Businesses have begun offering their space for COVID-related community needs, and ordinary people have organized grassroots initiatives to promote local business and advocate for residents who are struggling to make ends meet. During a time when we are physically isolated from one another, the heartache of this collective struggle vibrates in a way that brings us closer together. more
By Katie Mitchell / Photos by Philip Meador: Like other subjects of this series, I’ve “known” Luke Watson for years. He is the man running around Clementine doing everything, the guy who waves a friendly hello when I see him at local concerts, the dude who owns that dumpling truck. And although we occupy the same space fairly frequently, I couldn’t really tell you who Luke is. Now I feel a bit more informed. more
By Katie Mitchell / Photos by Philip Meador: If you’re a regular downtown, you’ve likely been to Beyond Restaurant Pho and Sushi by now, located in the space once occupied by Spanky’s, sharing West Water Street with other inspired restaurants like Bella Luna, Cuban Burger, Sabor a Mexico, and the Harrisonburg classic, Finnegan’s Cove. But before Beyond, there was Taste of Thai, located on South High Street. And what came before Taste of Thai is a long and moving story of a family from Laos. more
Bahir Al Badry’s art studio sits perched on the 2nd floor of Oasis Fine Art & Craft with a bird’s eye view of the gallery and shop below. Like any nest, it is a place of comfort and creation. Music drifted upwards as I climbed the stairs to meet Bahir, and on entering his space I found myself surrounded by color, meaning, and intensity. more
By Katie Mitchell / Photos by Philip Meador: Remember that Disney/Pixar movie Ratatouille, the one where a rat lives inside a chef’s hat and shows the chef how to cook? The idea of rodents anywhere near my food is repulsive, but somehow I found myself loving those little scoundrels by the end of the film. The best part, of course, is when the food critic Anton Ego finally relaxes and reveals a covert truth: “In the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.” He admits, at last, what renowned chef Auguste Gusteau stated at the beginning of the film, that “anyone can cook.” Those words are a distant shout to the ordinary guy who aspires to greatness, arriving only as a barely audible yet soul-stirring whisper: JUST TRY. So often a fear of failure or criticism keeps us from trying something new. But the creators of Harrisonburg’s Making Space sincerely believe anyone can create, and they invite you and everyone you know to check your fears at the door and enjoy a couple of hours of free, low-stakes art-making. more
When you see Zaharia Ford-Byrd’s painting, currently housed in the Arts Council of the Valley’s Smith House Gallery, of a Stars and Stripes wrecking ball slamming into a bright, colorful, enlivened house, you might recall artist Hugo Gellert’s image of a strapping, muscular man wielding a sledgehammer over the quaint town beneath him. Gellert’s image, however, was used in a 1946 pamphlet titled “THIS IS IT,” generated by Norfolk’s Redevelopment and Housing Authority to promote the “creative destruction” involved in urban renewal initiatives. The simultaneous resemblance and contrast of these two images highlights an urge to conveniently blur the line between progress and violence. Hearing the voices of the urban residents on the receiving end of the wrecking ball lends the balance needed to understand the consequences of urban renewal and opens a space where it’s possible for healing to begin. more
By Katie Mitchell / Photos by Philip Meador: If you ask a small child what they want to be when they grow up, they often have very creative answers, like “ice cream taste tester” or “ninja mermaid.” I once had a dream of being a backup singer for Pat Benatar. Usually, however, we don’t wind up doing what we dreamed of as a child. If we’re lucky, we can earn a decent living and once in a while, taste a new ice cream or find a karaoke joint. Sara Christensen, the fantastic human behind The Lady Jane on S. Main Street, dreamed as a child of owning a shop, even though she knew she’d be a school teacher. more
The Denton sign is a beacon to Harrisonburg locals and visitors alike, and now that the building’s future is uncertain, people are getting concerned. Last night, about 200 folks gathered to hear an informative presentation about the situation. Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance executive director Andrea Dono presided over the meeting, which also featured Dr. Carole Nash, associate professor in the School of Integrated Sciences, of James Madison University, who talked about how Court Square downtown has changed through the years. more
Written by Katie Mitchell, photos by Molly Whitmore — The morning sun burned through the last wisps of autumn fog and the promise of a new day unfolded with every curve on Runion’s Creek Road. I was on my way to meet Travis Coyle and Mark Lambert and learn about their Living Waters Farm Initiative, a space where veterans can congregate in the spirit of solidarity, hope, and healing. As I drove up the dirt path, the land was quiet; mountains loomed in the distance and trees displayed their fall flair. A couple of pot bellied pigs shared breakfast with some farm cats behind the house. Horses glistened in a neighboring pasture, and a white-tailed deer strode silently by. more