Archive for the Category ◊ Festival ◊

If you’re driving downtown and drive by the Clarksville Fine Arts Center and look to the right you might have already noticed the newly updated, brightly colored welcome sign featuring two of the Virginia Lake Festivals highlights on the sign. The old sign was dated & showing some wear (it had been up since 1997) it had been moved to its current location in 2005, the sign used to be located near the town docks and in 1995 was at the corner of 2nd and Virginia Avenue where McDonalds is now.

We wanted to add something to it, so tourists or any passer by would see it. This event brings upwards of 60,000 people to this town each year and we really wanted something that reflects the beauty of this festival into the sign. The Hot Air Balloons & Fireworks are fan favorites. This sign also displays our Admiral and Captain sponsors & logos for a full year for their sponsorship of the Virginia Lake Festival.

The sign design, photographs & construction was provided by Justin Eubank owner of Signs & Designs & Photography by Justin Eubank.

Sheila Cuykendall, Executive Director of the Chamber, Betty D’Ornellas, president of the Chamber and Administrator of MeadowView Terrace…Proudly displaying the Top 20 award & the New Lake Festival host & sponsor welcome sign.  This year’s festival is scheduled for July 17-19

Live on Stage July 18th: Josh Rogan

The music is Americana. Blues. Rock and Roll. And a dream. Not just an American dream—a universal dream, to be free, exchange stories, share music, to ride the open road. A dream of getting there, wherever there may be. But perhaps Rogan says it best himself, “Having a dream keeps you going, that’s for sure. If you have something you want and you don’t have it yet, it gets you up every day.”

Josh Rogan is true grit, living the love he sings. His music is rock roll soul with a near constant message: you’ve got to dream to make it happen, and it ain’t nothing if you don’t believe. It is about the emotions we share, it’s about down-and-out and up-and-up, it’s about freedom, fear, hope, passion, thrills and the beauty of the open country. Ben Sellers at Cville Weekly says Rogan’s “dark bluesy rock might just as easily have hopped from the same rail that carried Elvis into Memphis, or drifted ashore in the same Baha tide that produced Chris Isaak.” Rogan’s first two albums contained a gritty, hard-driven rock and roll sound. With his latest, At the End of the Day, he has tapped back into his acoustic blues roots and plays heart-felt, wrenching soulful original tunes. The album tells the story of his life with songs resurrected from a childhood of adventure and story-searching. The last track Scottsville Rain is a combination of old and new with an updated song written on a train in Spain as he sailed around the world on a tall ship at seventeen. It begins with a personal recording of a thunderstorm falling on beer cans at his house in Scottsville, Virginia. Rogan’s songwriting has a simple style where the silence is as important as the notes. The songs are about loss, longing, love, and the pain and joy of being human. He sings with a compassion that says I understand the feeling and I’ve been there too.

Performing live on Stage July 19th, 11 am to 2 pm: Celeste Kellogg & JRyan!

Singer/songwriter and top 40 finalist on X-Factor. J.Ryan received 4 yes’s from the judges including SIMON! J. Ryan is a 14-year-old singer-songwriter from the south & is a guitarist, and musician.

Opening for J.Ryan is Celeste Kellogg, an Actress, Songwriter and Nashville Recording Artist. Like many kids she started singing in her church and school choirs. It didn’t take long for her to realize this is what she wanted to do. A few years later, Radio Disney was holding auditions for a NEW Tween Pop Group called RD7 and she made it. They opened for Raven, The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and the Cheetah Girls. It didn’t stop there, she also performed an hour long show at the Kelly Clarkson, Addicted To Love Tour.

 Performing live on Stage July 19th: The Green Boys!

The Green Boys are a four-piece band based out of Richmond, Virginia. Equally mislabeled as bluegrass, folk, or honky-tonk, the boys sometimes mention the idea of being a part of a “country-revival”. It’s a half-serious notion that nonetheless approaches the crux of the band’s complex sound. The Green Boys are led by brothers Sean and Ryan Green, each a songwriter coming from and delivering very different lyrical and melodic styles. Yet like the Louvin, Delmore, or even today’s Avett Brothers, the distinction between the two voices is grounded by a blood harmony, their edges blending towards a commonality.

Rounded out by the talented Mike Emmons and Zack Miller, the band’s live show is a trek through low-tempo lap steel melancholies, banjo and mandolin barnstorming, and jug band sing-alongs. All the while, their well-honed hooks tend to catch the ear. The Green Boys flirt with many genres, yet the focus never strays far from their goal. The melody, the lyric, and the feeling assembled into the band’s small contribution to what they feel is a national revival of a simple ideal: the songwriter is the singer, the sound is the way it feels, the words, simple too, are the way it was and is.

The Green Boys released a self-entitled EP in 2010 and will release their first full-length album in early 2013. They have shared the stage with artists such as Southern Culture on the Skids, NO BS Brass, Jackass Flats, The Hot Seats, Frontier Ruckus, Spirit Family Reunion and Folk Soul Revival. They have played many prominent regional venues and frequent the Virginia festival circuit including a 2012 first-place finish in the Watermelon Park Bluegrass Festival band contest.

The arts & crafts show is juried and the jury has been kept busy reviewing applications and photographs since early in February. Artists this year are coming from not only Virginia, but also other states– Florida, Ohio, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Maryland, Georgia. The crafters have been extremely active in applying for this year’s show. Water ink, acrylic and oil paintings…even face painters, pottery, leather products, birdhouses and garden accessories, carvers and sculptures, personalized jewelry, items to be personalized on the spot, blown glass jewelry, photography, clothing, home accessories and even pet attire–just to name a few.

What are some of the food vendors on tap for this year? As of this moment, we have more than 20 food vendors…only two of similar offerings are approved by the jury…thus, there will be an extraordinary amount of variety. In addition to the typical festival foods such as polish sausages, gyros, alligator fries,  blooming onions, kettle corn, coated nuts, deep-fried candy bars, cheesecake/cookies and funnel cakes with your choice of toppings…the ethnic choices will include Caribbean–jerk chicken, shawarma, hummus; vegetarian offerings, Seafood–shrimp, crab cakes, fish tacos; Thai choices–Satay, vegetable cakes and spring rolls; Items to cool one down on a hot summer day…fresh squeezed lemonade, smoothies and icees, drinks such as homemade sodas & milkshakes, snow cones, homemade ice creams and old fashioned floats & yogurt!

April 12th, Noon ~ 5pm

Come out and enjoy the CHEERS of Clarksville’s Eight

h annual “Lake Country Wine Festival” in beautiful Clarksville on the Lake.  This year’s event will host 14 Virginia wineries, great food, live music by Jeff Bailey and Brian Parks, and the opportunity to see friends and meet many new ones.  Relax on historic lawns in downtown and taste nearly 100 varieties of fine Virginia wines and speak with those who have made these vintages possible.  NEW this year we will host a beer tent consisting of three craft brews, one from each of the following micro-breweries: Starr Hill, Sunken City & Natty Greene’s.

Tickets are now on sale online*, the Chamber of Commerce, Cooper’s Landing Inn & Traveler’s Tavern, Century 21 on the Lake and Galleria on the Lake, A & K Dock Service, and Virginia Avenue Mall. Tickets in advance are $20, $25 at the gate, ticket includes a souvenir wine glass.  For non-taster/DD tickets in advance are, $10, $15 at the gate; the event is for those 21 years of age and over only and it is a ran/shine event.  Ticket includes a souvenir wine glass.

*PLEASE NOTE: Additional $1 processing charge applies to online purchases. Online ticket purchases will not be sent to you by mail, the tickets will be held at the WILL CALL table at the front gate. Upon purchase you will receive a confirmation email. Tickets are non-refundable.

All festival proceeds will benefit the Town’s Chamber of Commerce and will go towards future projects.  For more information, contact the Chamber at www.clarksvilleva.com or 800-557-5582.

Wineries attending this year’s Wine Festival are:

• Annefield Vineyards, Saxe www.annefieldvineyards.com
• Bright Meadows Farm, Nathalie www.brightmeadowsfarm.com
• Coltsfoot Winery, Abingdon www.coltsfootwinery.com
• DeVault Family Vineyards, Concord www.devaultvineyards.com
• Fincastle Vineyard & Winery, Fincastle www.fincastlewine.com
• Greenwood Vineyards, Vernon Hill www.greenwood-vineyards.com
• Hilltop Berry Farm & Winery, Nellysford  www.hilltopberrywine.com
• Mattaponi Winery, Spotsylvania www.mattaponiwinery.com
• Rosemont of Virginia Winery, La Crosse www.rosemontofvirginia.com
• Sans Soucy Vineyards & Winery, Brookneal www.sanssoucyvineyards.com
• Stanburn Winery, Stuart www.stanburnwinery.com
• The Homeplace Vineyard, Chatham www.thehomeplacevineyard.com
• Three Sisters of Shiney Rock, Clarksville www.ThreeSistersOfShineyrock.com
• Villa Appalaccia Winery, Floyd www.villaappalaccia.com

Live Acoustical for Lake Country Wine Festival

Musicians Brian Parks and Jeff Bailey will be performing live acoustical music at the Eighth Annual “Lake Country Wine Festival” on April 12, from noon-5 pm in Downtown Clarksville.  Parks and Bailey have roots to Lake Country, as they both grew up in Chase City; they have been playing music together for more than 11 years.  Their music genre goes from Van Morrison to Bob Segar to the Allman Brothers—the best of rock, blues, and pop.  Both are accomplished musicians with their vocals and both play guitar; Brian also plays harmonica and saxophone.  Not only will they entertain those at the Wine Festival with their music, they will also entertain with their jokes and fun-loving conversations—these fellows really like to have a good time.  They perform monthly in Raleigh and Cary, as well as performing locally in Clarksville and South Boston, and South Hill.

ALL FOR WINE, WINE FOR ALL…one lucky person will be thrilled to win this magnificent raffle of prizes that will give any entertainment enthusiast the opportunity to host a fun filled night on their patio, deck or in their favorite room in the house, at least it will be once this raffle of prizes is in it.
The main attraction & the talk in your home will be this re-loved bar with stools that was donated to the Chamber by Rocky Branch Construction and refinished by the Cottage Barn in Clarksville.
Not only that but there will be some oohs and awes over the Wine time clock, beautiful stain glassed sun catcher, Godinger mirrored stand, & Wine bottle light which were all purchased from local merchants in Clarksville.
With this beautiful bar you will be saying “belly up to the bar, my friends, drinks are on the house”…. And they will be toasting your great luck with wine glasses donated by Annefield Winery & Clarksville Chamber and personalized beer glasses, purchased from Lakeside Creations. Your family & friends will have a great selection of wine to choose from because we have received a bottle from many of the wineries that are attending this years wine festival, and they are:

• Annefields’s 2012 Viognier
• Bright Meadow’s
• Coltsfoot’s Blueberry Wine
• DeVault’s Darions Reserve & Watermelon
• Fincastle’s Cabernet
• Hilltop Berry Farm’s Traditional Mead Voyage
• Rosemont’s Lake Country Red
• Sans Soucy’s Ginger Wine
• Stan Burn’s Bull’s Blush
• The Homeplace Vineyard’s Old Green Tractor
• Three Sisters of Shiney Rock’s 2012 Sweet Nannie
• Villa Appalachia’s Toscanello

Even with all that you will have all the accessories to host a great party, starting off with a pair of earrings donated by an attending vendor, Cork Creations.
Snacks are also covered for your group; they will have an assortment of lemon crab or caramel peanuts donated by Plantation Peanuts. Cheese & chocolates purchased from the Galleria on the Lake. Elderberry Wine Jelly donated by Coltsfoot Winery, Dip mixes from the Cottage Barn & a Vino Bread mix purchased at the Virginia Avenue Mall. Also included is a handcrafted wooden wine glass holder that fits right over a wine bottle, and to keep your chilled wine cold, this beautiful Crystalline Porcelain Wine Chiller. Your friends will surely want to come back and even might place a tip in your bar’s tip Jar, which was purchase locally. And last but not least you can count on an outing with this $20 gift certificate, donated by Sans Soucy to visit their Sans Soucy Vineyard in Brookneal, VA.

Purchase your tickets today!!! Don’t miss out on the chance to win all this in this year’s “All for wine, wine for all” grand raffle!

Raffle tickets are available at the Clarksville Chamber Office, 105 Second Street, Clarksville. Tickets are $5 each or three for $12, or six for $20 and you need not be present to win. The drawing will be held at the 8th annual Clarksville Lake Country Wine Festival on April 12, 4:45 pm. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit projects of the Clarksville Lake County Chamber of Commerce. For more information, call the Chamber at 434-374-2436.

The 18th annual Harvest Days Festival will bring a major celebration to Virginia’s only lakeside town on October 4th & 5th and most activities are free to the public.  Please note that Virginia Avenue from 3rd to 6th will be closed from 7 am to 9 pm on October 5th to accommodate all the activities & safety concerns, during the Harvest Days Festival!

Starting, Friday October 4th (4-7 pm) 

Mecklenburg’s Finest Chili Cook-off – Virginia Avenue Mall’s Back lot. Enter your best Chili, Stew or soup recipe & compete for your Charity. Or stop by and taste the entries.  For more information contact the Virginia Avenue Mall at 434-374-5949

Oktoberfest Beer Garden (7 pm- 10 pm)

We are bringing the beer garden back again this year, with a slight change it will be Friday evening 7 pm to 10 pm, before the actual Harvest Days Festival. This event for 21 years of age and older. ID will be needed to get into the gate. The location will be at the corner of 5th & Virginia Avenue in the grassy lot near New York Life.  The cost is $7 at the gate, which includes first glass & an Oktoberfest bottle Koozie. There will be great selection of fall craft beer available for $3 a glass. The Craft offerings will be Shiner Oktoberfest, Leinenkugel’s Orange, Woodchuck Fall Cider.  On tap we will have New Belgium Pumpkick, Sam Adams Oktoberfest

To entertain us… DoubleShot Acoustic, a 3 piece band based out of South Hill, Va. Members include Colt Rodwell (lead vocalist), James Gaskins (Bass), and Kevin Smiley (Guitar). Each member has performed with several bands over the years and has come together to give you an exciting variety of explosive music!! Our arsenal of tunes includes Classic Rock, Country, Motown, Funk, Blues!!! We play some older classics and mix it in with a twist of new TOP 20 from today!!

For more information contact our office at Clarksville Lake Country Chamber of Commerce, 105 Second St, Clarksville. 434-374-2436

Crafts, Food, Vendors (9am – 3pm)

Over 50 craft, food & commercial vendors that will line up along Virginia Avenue from 9am to 3 pm, offering everything from fall decorations, baked goods, funnel cakes, antiques, antiquity and specialty items.

Children’s Activities (10am-2pm)

Activities for the children will be from 10am- 2 pm, starting at  the corner of 4th & Virginia Avenue, Cornerstone Farms will host their farm of pet friendly animals & pony rides, Chris Williamson, will be offering free hayrides for everyone from 10 am to 2 pm.  At the corner of 5th & Virginia Ave will be games & crafts for the children. In the craft section for $1 they can decorate a pumpkin, make a memorable fall picture frame or a fall necklace.  The game area, kids can purchase a $5 game card that has ten fun games that they play for points and once they finish they add their points up and bring it to the prize table and choose their matching prize. Bring your kids to the Scarecrow & Sunflower cutout board and take a memorable picture of them and their fun day at the Harvest Days Festival! The scarecrow character board was painted by Ray Cherry, Boydton, VA.

Give me Shelter-Paws on Parade (10am-12:30)

Enter your favorite dog in this fun fundraiser for the SPCA. Applications available at the Chamber office or download here! ENTRY FEE $25 per DOG SHOW OFF YOUR POOCH! COMPETE FOR FABULOUS PRIZES! Includes a Photo of You & Your Dog, plus a fun Doggie-Goodie Bag for the first 25 Dogs Entered

CONTESTS & PRIZES!

• Best Dressed
• Best Owner-Dog Look Alike
• Most Unique
• Saddest Face
• Ugliest Dog
• Best Trick

Absolute Auction (Noon-?)

Absolute Auction items for the 15th annual Harvest Days Festival will be going on the “auction block” in Downtown Clarksville Saturday, October 5, at noon.  A total value of over $2200 of superb items have been received for the auction and provided to the Chamber by members—so it will definitely be a “crowd-pleasing event.”

Listed here are the items along with the Clarksville Chamber Businesses that graciously donated towards this auction:

• Autumn Flag with Candle & Decorative flowers~ Avenue Floral & Design
• Lawn & Garden Sprinkler~ Berry Hill Irrigation
• Duck Dynasty Cutting Board~ Bobcat’s Bait & Tackle
• Shark Pillow~ Bobcat’s Bait & Tackle
• Fishing Rod & Reel~ Bobcat’s Bait & Tackle
• Black Messenger Bag~ Clarksville Chamber
• Blanket & Coffee Mug~ Clarksville Chamber
• LED swivel lantern & work light~ Clarksville Chamber
• Rubbermaid Cooler~ Clarksville Ace Hardware
• 2010-2013 Youth small Lakefest t’s~ Clarksville Chamber
• 2010-2013 Youth Medium Lakefest t’s~ Clarksville Chamber
• 2 X 2013 Lakefest T-shirt~ Clarksville Chamber
• XL 2013 Lakefest T-shirt~ Clarksville Chamber
• Decorative Witch with Candle Holder~ Clarksville Furniture
• Jim Shore Pilgrim Figurine~ Clarksville Furniture
• 1 Day Pontoon Rental Boat~ Clarksville Marina, Inc.
• $10 Gift Certificate~ Clarksville Tire
• $10 Gift Certificate~ Clarksville Tire
• Frontline for Cats~ Clarksville Vet
• Frontline for Dogs~ Clarksville Vet
• Inflatable Lounge Float~ Water Sports
• One night stay at the Inn~ Cooper’s Landing Inn
• Handmade Blue Scarf ~ Creative Images/Myrna McGunis
• Orange Fall Mum~ Docks-n-More LLC
• 4 Plastic Tailgating Chair Cups~ DoodleBug’s
•  Set of five ornament owls~ Farm Bureau Insurance
• Wine & Cheese for Two~ Galleria
• Flickering Light Canvas~ Grandfather’s Country Creations
• $10 Gift Certificate~ Great Wall Chinese Restaurant
• Hand Carves Hummingbird pendant~ (Hall’s) Lakeside Gallery
• Brighton Gift Bag (Scarf, Cell phone holder, sunglasses case) ~ Hite’s
• Lake Country SPCA Cookbook~ Holly Burnette/LCSPCA
• One Hour Massage~ Lakeside Therapies
• Custom Corn hole Boards~ Lakeside Video Tan & Gift
• Decorative Tole Tray~ Lynn Smith (VA Ave Mall booth)
• Decorative Wooden Star with White Lights~ Mike Wagstaff Construction
• $25 Gift Certificate~ Morningstar’s Bed Bath & Curtain Outlet
• Evercraft 36 pc. SAE & Metric socket set~ Clarksville Auto (NAPA)
• Automatic Inflatable Life Vest~ Southside Marina & Auto
• Intex Inflatable Downy Bed, Queen Size~ Talbert’s Building Supply
• $25 Gift Certificate~ the Lamplighter
• $25 Gift Certificate~ the Market/Ann Gordon
• 6 Months Free Household Membership~ the Mecklenburg YMCA
• $20 Gift Certificate~ the Pizza Pub
• “Two Mecklenburg Towns, Boydton & Clarksville” Book~ Town of Clarksville

Proceeds will benefit the Chamber’s upcoming projects, which include the “Holiday Open House” on November 24th, and the Clarksville Christmas Parade slated for December 6th. The absolute auction will be conducted at the front entrance of Virginia Avenue Mall, 317 Virginia Avenue.  Preview the auction items on display in one of the Mall’s front windows.

Lake Country Cruisers ~ Cruise In (4pm)

Starting at 3 pm the Lake Country Cruisers will cruise-in to showcase their cool ride for the last time this year from 4 pm to 9 pm, along Virginia Avenue.

Harvest Days festival is coordinated by the Clarksville Lake Country Chamber of Commerce. For more information contact the Clarksville Chamber, 374-2436.

  Come and celebrate the fall season the first Saturday in October at the Annual Harvest Days Festival! Vendors will line the streets facing the storefronts and sidewalks along Virginia Avenue offering seasonal crafts, specialty items, antiques, collectibles and antiquities (items of an era) from 9 am to 3 pm. In addition to the vendors, the one-of-a-kind specialty shops and restaurants will offer specials throughout the downtown area, enjoy our annual fundraising auction along with a host of games & crafts for the kids to participate in and a galore of farm animals to see, & ponies to ride.

Come out and enjoy the beautiful autumn weather and the activities that are available. The event is opened to the public and there is no admission charge. This year the festival will continue into the late afternoon & evening, 4 pm-9 pm with the Lake Country Cruise-in & local music talent. Harvest Days Festival is hosted by the Clarksville Lake Country Chamber of Commerce. For more information contact us or call(434) 374-2436.