32nd Annual Steppin’ Out
Step
pin’ Out was voted the Best Community Event in the Roanoke Time’s Best of 2012. Be sure to mark your calendars and attend the 32nd annual street festival August 3 & 4, 2012 from 10am until 10pm. The Main Stage will keep the entertainment going until 11pm on Friday night with the Zydeco party. Browse at the tables of more than 150 vendors from around the country selling handmade art, jewelry, furniture, toys, gourmet foods, pottery, and more. There will also be plenty of performances to keep you entertained including Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience, The Floorboards, Underhill Rose, the Electric Woodshed, the Back Porch Studio Cloggers, and the Kindle Bellydancers to name a few. For more information, visit Blacksburg Steppin’ Out.
Main Street Improvements Bring Communications Award for Blacksburg
The improvements along downtown Blacksburg’s Main Street have not only garnered attention for their aesthetic and pedestrian improvements, but also for the way information was shared with local residents throughout the planning and construction phases.
The Town of Blacksburg won the 2011 Achievement Award in the communications category from the Virginia Municipal League. The town was honored for its Main Street Improvement Project Communication Plan, which sought input from residents and business owners during the plan’s development phase, and offered information on the disruptions created by the construction phase.
The communication plan included one-on-one meetings with business owners, and a web page that provided updates, maps, and information. The town also launched a blog to post photos and construction videos during the project, and to offer residents and visitors a chance to share their comments and questions. The town also shared information through Facebook, Twitter and an advertising campaign.
The Town of Blacksburg was judged to be best of 12 entrants in the communications category. The award will be presented to the town during the Virginia Municipal League Annual Conference on October 4.
The Budget Savvy Bride
With the sagging economy and the average cost of a wedding estimated at $20,000 couples are worried about how they will pay for their big day. The wedding and honeymoon industry which up until now has been considered recession proof is feeling the pinch leaving many couples searching for less expensive alternatives and creative and do-it-yourself solutions.
As a result, venues, vendors and merchants are changing their mindset as well to come up with ideas and ways to add value to their product or service. The Holiday Inn University Blacksburg has a new concept for the budget savvy bride, a complete wedding package for $999
Having an inexpensive wedding does not make you a cheap skate, especially if finances don’t allow for a lavish one. If anything, budget weddings say that a couple is financially reasonable and that money is better suited for a down payment on a home. Weddings are just the beginning. Couples should be able to enjoy the wedding without the added stress of large debt they will be paying off for years to come.
Virginia Tech’s Center for the Arts
The construction for Virginia Tech’s new Center for the Arts is well under way. The plans for the new 130,000-square-foot, $89 million facility were approved earlier this year by the university’s board of visitors. The center will help redefine downtown Blacksburg and shape the performing and visual arts environment throughout the region.
The Center for the Arts complex will include both new and renovated facilities located at the intersection of North Main Street and Alumni Mall. “Its location — at the main entrance to campus near the center of the Town of Blacksburg — symbolizes our commitment to the arts and its importance to the university and to our broader community,” noted Ruth Waalkes, executive director for the Center for the Arts.
The complex will comprise three major areas — the performance hall, several visual arts galleries, and the Center for Creative Technologies in the Arts. The performance hall will seat 1,300 peopl
e and will have the flexibility to present theatre, music, and dance performances.
The visual arts galleries will incorporate display space for traditional visual art as well as interactive and digital forms and will exhibit both temporarily donated and university-owned artwork. The space will also be suitable for interactive and distance-learning activities and will further facilitate collaborations with the recently opened Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Va., to include exhibitions and educational outreach opportunities.
The Center for Creative Technologies in the Arts will be housed in new space as well as renovated space in Schultz Hall. The center, a technological incubator, laboratory, and studio setting to be sued to explore the many intersections of art, education, and technology, will enhance public education at the primary, secondary, undergraduate, and graduate education levels. The center will include the Collaborative Performance Lab that will provide a venue for exploration for the visual and performance arts using the latest interactive technology.
Construction of the facility is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2013.
Parent’s Key Club
The Holiday Inn Blacksburg has developed a program exclusively for parents of Virginia Tech Student’s, The Parent’s Key Club.
If you are a parent of a Hokie you will no doubt make many trips to Blacksburg over the course of your student’s education. For example there is moving your student in, Parent’s Weekend, home football games, and of course those just because visits.
As a program participant parents can make the most of their visit to Blacksburg with discounts on hotel rooms, catering and our restaurant, discounts for referring friends and family, discounts at local businesses, free catered tailgate during home football games, monthly newsletters with Blacksburg happenings and much more!
And of course the most important reason to come to town is your Hokie’s graduation. As part of the Parent’s Key Club we offer Graduation Guarantee. When graduation is announced hotels in Blacksburg typically sell out within an hour. With us you can avoid the hassle of the phone lottery and trying to get a reservation. We will guarantee you one.
Holiday Inn University-Blacksburg would like to welcome you to Virginia Tech and the Parent’s Key Club. If you have any questions please call our Front Desk at 540-552-7001 or email us at PKC@thevthotel.com
New Virginia Tech Visitor’s Center to be open in time for 2011 Orientation
Virginia Tech New Student Orientation will take place beginning July 11th. Two day sessions provide students and parents with the opportunity to meet other new Hokies, register for classes, and receive their Hokie Passport (student id), experience life in the residence halls and much more.
This year new Hokies and their families will be the first to experience the new visitor’s center. This signature building will establish a new, mo
re convenient, front door to campus. The new center will have dedicated space for information sessions, interactive displays showcasing different aspects of the university and a two-story atrium with views overlooking the Duckpond, Burruss, and Lane Stadium.
Day one of orientation begins with check in from 8-9:30am where incoming freshmen will begin by meeting 30 energetic Orientation Leaders who will guide them through the full two days ending at around 4:00 pm on the second day. Click here for a tentative schedule.
Things to Bring to Orientation
- YOUR STUDENT ID NUMBER!
- Official/unofficial copies of your transcripts, AP scores, and IB scores
- Driver’s license or international passport
- Walking shoes
- Comfortable Clothes including a sweater or sweatshirt
- Alarm Clock
- Fan
A complete orientation checklist is available here.
Parking
Expect lots of walking, as there is only one lot where attendees will be allowed to park, at the intersection of Southgate and Spring Road, without receiving a ticket. A shuttle bus will be offered on day 1 but day 2 attendees should be prepared with proper shoes and attire that fits the weather.
Lodging and Meals
Parents, your child is going to college, not you. Forget the on campus accommodations and meals, and come stay with us at the Holiday Inn University Blacksburg. We are conveniently located right across the street from campus and provide complimentary shuttle service to campus. Our newly renovated hotel boasts 42” flat panel tv’s, custom built Amish furniture, granite counter tops and more. For your meals, we offer room both room service, as well as a full service restaurant and after your long day at orientation come relax by our pool.
Best of all parents, the Holiday Inn Blacksburg offers something no other hotel in Blacksburg does!
Parents Key Club: Join and ear EXCLUSIVE benefits when you use your membership at our hotel.
Discounts on Hotel Rooms Catering and our Restaurant • Discounts for Referring Friends and Family• Earn Double Priority Club Points • Discounts at Participating Restaurants • Free Catered Tailgate During Home Football Games • Graduation Guarantee (earn a hotel room for graduation)* • Monthly Newsletter with Blacksburg Happenings • And Much More! Visit www.thevthotel.com/parentskeyclub to register, limited Memberships, for a full outline of eligibility and benefits email PKC@thevthotel.com. Only Available at Holiday Inn Blacksburg.
*Graduation Guarantee: Were you aware that that once graduation is announced our hotel along with others in the area, sells out in and hour. Bypass the hassle of the phone lottery for graduation reservations. If you are a parent with incoming Freshmen graduating in 2015. Stay with us 20-25 nights and we guarantee 1 room for graduation. Stay with us 26-30 nights and we guarantee 2 rooms for graduation. Graduation rates apply. For more information on the graduation guarantee call our Front Desk 540-552-7001.
The Greenbrier Classic is Back!
The 2011 Greenbrier Classic returns for 2011 with an all-star lineup of PGA TOUR players and music superstars on July 25 – 31, 2011. Tournament badge options include your choice of FREE concerts by super group The Black Eyed Peas and country music megastars Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert at the WV State Fairgrounds.
For details about The Greenbrier Classic tournament badges and concert series, visit thegreenbrierclassicbadges.com or call 1-877-322-2870. Badges are also available at Ticketmaster and your local Kroger’s or United Bank.
New this year, you can enjoy the Classic and scheduled Concert Series in style. Forget about the parking, waiting in line, and shuttle transfers at the Greenbrier. Enjoy VIP transportation, including refreshments, during the rides up and back in a luxury University Travel motor coach from Blacksburg!
Buses will be leaving from Bull & Bones (the First & Main Parking Lot in Blacksburg) to the Greenbrier Resort (Golf Buses leave daily at 7:30am, Concert Buses will leave at 4pm). Buses will also be stopping at the Salem Park & Ride off I81.
If you are leaving from Blacksburg, you might as well stay in Blacksburg. Book your room at the Holiday Inn Blacksburg and receive a 20% discount on your room rate and complimentary transportation to Bull & Bones. Based on availability, call our Front Desk at 540-552-7001 for complete details and reservations.
Motor coach tickets are limited, so buy your BUS & TICKET, TICKET ONLY, or BUS ONLY package now. Each ticket entitles you to round-trip motor coach transportation, the appropriate golf/concert tickets or BOTH! All purchases are final and there will be no refunds for any reasons. For more information on buses and tickets call 540-605-1545.
10 things Kate Middleton won’t be able to do once she is married
Just one generation ago someone like Kate Middleton would have been tasered for getting too close to the British Royal family. So when Clarence House relaxed their stun guns and let their future king propose to a ‘commoner’, Britain awoke in a postmodern-like daze where realities became relative and class boundaries blurred.
The only problem with such superb forward thinking is that the Royal Family is still very much backward and old fashioned when it comes to some matters, namely rules and etiquette. And as the first normal woman to enter the Windsor fold, Kate will feel the changes to her life on a higher level than many past princesses. Here are ten things the bride-to-be will no longer be allowed to do once she walks down the Green Mile – ahem, aisle – in Westminster:
1. Be referred to as ‘Kate’
When Kate Middleton joins the House of Windsor this year, her official title will become ‘Her Royal Highness the Princess William of Wales’.
She can be addressed as ‘Catherine’ or ‘Ma’am’ (pronounced like ‘ham’). But ‘Kate’ isn’t going to cut it anymore by Royal standards. Clarence House officials will probably wine and dine London’s Royal correspondents and then ask them to please refer to Kate as ‘Catherine’ in the future.
2. Vote
Technically, the Queen and other members of her family are allowed to vote, but they do not do so because in practice it would be considered unconstitutional and not in accordance with the need for neutrality. This is in keeping with the Royal Family’s public role, which is based on identifying with every section of society, including minorities and special interest groups.
3. Run for political office
For the reasons stated above, this is also a no no.
4. Escape the scrutiny
As arguably Britain’s most dysfunctional family, the Monarchy provides the British public with a generous source of voyeuristic entertainment, and an opportunity for heartless slander.
Having already been under the media spotlight for the best part of nine years, Kate has copped her fair share of criticism from the media over the most mundane and insignificant of things. This scrutiny will grow existentially and extend to all aspects of her life.
5. Play Monopoly
In 2008, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, said that the Royal Family was not allowed to play Monopoly at home “because it gets too vicious”. No member of the family has yet revealed what they play in its place during the Christmas holidays.
6. Say or do anything controversial
This includes accepting large amounts of money from ‘businessmen’ for access to your husband and getting your toes sucked in public by your financial adviser. You know who you are, Fergs. But it also encompasses Kate’s expression of her preferred political position, social position, sexual position – basically anything within the realms of personality. So far she has succeeded seamlessly in this, not putting a foot wrong in any situation. Granted though, the world has only heard her speak once after her and William’s engagement and that was a heavily rehearsed affair.
7. Eat shellfish
British Royals are apparently never served shellfish, because of a fear of food poisoning. So if Kate can’t live without crustaceans, she will have to seek them out in her own time.
8. Work
It is well known that Royals and careers don’t mix well. As proven when Prince Charles’ plan to work part time in a factory failed and Countess Sophie Wessex was forced to abandon her PR firm. In Kate’s case though, the whole unemployment scenario shouldn’t be too difficult to handle. At 29 years of age she is the oldest spinster ever to marry a future king, and though she has a History of Art degree and years of life experience, Kate has spurned work wherever possible.
9. Sign anything unofficial
As a potential future counsellor of state if William becomes king, Kate might at some stage have to sign government papers and brings legislation into force in her husband’s place. People in this position are strictly not supposed to sign anything that could lead to their signature being copied and forged.
10. Finish her dinner
If she is a slower eater than her grandmother-in-law, Kate could go hungry. In Britain, when the Queen stops eating, you stop as well, fork in hand.
Special Touches for a Vintage Inspired Wedding
One of the season biggest wedding trends takes its inspiration from the past. Best of all, you don’t need a time machine or an unlimited budget to make your day a vintage masterpiece.
Using muted colors, candles and greenery instead of flowers, and maybe a glittery chandelier or two are all you need to create that ro
mantic atmosphere of a simpler time.
Cover reception tables with vintage-inspired fabrics with bold prints and patterns or opt for retro plates and glasses to serve your quests. Arranging antique knickknacks on reception tables can be a charming touch as well. Antique perfume bottles, picture frames, or hatboxes work well.
Dress your bridal party in vintage accessories like pillbox hats, birdcage veils, small capes or stoles, and vintage broaches always add a touch of glamour.
Lace gives anything a vintage touch. Incorporate into your dress, bridesmaid dresses or in unexpected places, like your cake or invitations.
Vintage means different things to different people, but whatever you are looking for, don’t forget, sometimes you have to look no further than your parents or grandparents attic to find plenty of ideas to make your day a blast from the past!
Price House Nature Center
The Price House Nature Center offers a chance to learn about Blacksburg’s local ecology in a fun setting. Through exhibits at the Nature Center, field trips, theme days and other events, the center encourages visitors to learn about life cycles, sustainable living, civic responsibility and cultural awareness.
Some of the exhibits at the nature center have been created by local students, including one exhibit on fruits and seeds. Other exhibits showcase local birds, insects, trees and habitats. The nature center also features places to play and read and a backyard garden.
The nature center is run by SEEDS (Seek Education Explore DiScover), an organization founded in 1995 to encourage civic responsibility and a sustainable society. Blacksburg staff and SEEDS volunteers renovated the vacant historic house, and SEEDS relocated its office there in December 2009. The grand opening of the nature center was held in the spring of 2009.
Activities and exhibits organized by SEEDS focus on play, travel, study, independent thought and creativity. Recent field trips include explorations of the Stroubles Creek watershed. SEEDS also organizes after-school programs and summer camps.
The Price House Nature Center is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is located at 107 Wharton St. SE in downtown Blacksburg.
The VT Hotel 