Nelson County’s Thai Siam restaurant permanently closes its doors

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Late Monday a message was posted on Thai Siam restaurant’s Facebook page that has caught many fans of the tiny Nelson County eatery off guard. Without fanfare or warning, they made an announcement:

Thai Siam is permanently closed. Thank you for your patronage over the last 15 years.

The response was immediate as word began spreading that the local icon tucked away in the Virginia woods along Rt. 56 a short distance from Rt. 29 was no more. “Miss Mae,” as many knew the owner, had spent 15 years sharing her authentic family recipes from her homeland of Thailand, closing each year for a month or more as she returned to visit family and friends in her homeland. Patrons who included generations of Sweet Briar students waited until her return, knowing she and her brother would fire up the grills and reopen the doors.

Foggy Afton Mountain

By Lynn R. Mitchell

A foggy Route 250 driving west while climbing Afton Mountain heading home to Staunton on Monday afternoon. The temperature was 39 degrees and it was drizzling rain making for messy driving conditions for the second day in a row.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
November 30, 2015

Virginia’s Lockn’ Festival starts Friday after rain delay

By Lynn R. Mitchell

After powerful thunderstorms rolled through Nelson County, Virginia, on Wednesday afternoon, organizers of the 2015 Lockn’ Festival decided to delay opening the campgrounds until Friday and postpone music performances until Friday (see Opening of Campgrounds delayed, Thursday performances canceled).

An explanation of what happened was on the website:

Microburst delays Lockn’, there will be no show on Thursday: Lockn’ organizers are asking concert-goers to be patient while crews work to rebuild and replace equipment and other necessary elements. We are working diligently to resolve all matters related to guest and artist safety, and will make a further announcement two hours prior to the opening of the campgrounds.

Here is the latest update from the organization as of noon on Thursday:

Nelson 151 and other back roads

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Sunday afternoon road trip! With mostly-sunny skies and temps in the 80s, we headed out to meet friends for lunch and do a little roaming along the mountains. Driving from Staunton to Afton where Ron King’s Gourmet Popcorn food truck was open for business, we continued down Rt. 250 to Rt. 6, following the curvy mountain road into the Rockfish Valley where we turned onto Route 151, the scenic byway that offers three breweries (Blue Mountain, Devil’s Backbone, Wild Wolf), six wineries (Afton Mountain Vineyards, Cardinal Point Vineyard and Winery, Flying Fox Vineyard and Winery, Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery, Pollak Vineyards and Winery, and Veritas Vineyard), a cidery (Bold Rock Hard Cider), and a distillery (Silverback) as well as farm fresh produce, restaurants, shops, inns, and the entry to Wintergreen Resort.

Atlantic Coast Pipeline announces alternate routes in Nelson County

By Lynn R. Mitchell

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) announced on Monday that several potential alternate routes had been identified for the interstate natural gas pipeline through Nelson County and parts of Augusta and Buckingham counties. Letters were being sent immediately to landowners along the alternatives seeking their permission to survey, noting that surveys are the only way to understand fully the potential benefits and constraints of these potential alternatives. The alternate routes are in addition to the proposed route.

The ACP will host an informational open house on these alternate routes on Thursday, March 5, at a time and location to be determined.

‘Drill here, drill now’ proponents change tune with local pipeline

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Hypocrisy among energy proponents? From “Drill here, drill now,” to “Not In My Back Yard,” some change tune when energy is offered close to home. Naysayers are loud and vocal. Others move along with life. Too bad we can’t put it to the people and let them vote on it….

See more about the pipeline: Federal presence galvanizes pipeline open house by Bob Stuart.

Festivals, Saunders Brothers, Blue Ridge Mountains … just another day in paradise

By Lynn R. Mitchell

It’s summer with all the festivals and events that are available in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond so today we decided to spend the day just going where the wind took us. We plopped our straw hats on the back seat — I burst out laughing when I saw them and had to take a picture — and off we went. Our first stop was at our friends’ house near Crimora for a garage sale. After visiting a while and paying for our purchases, we headed to Waynesboro where the first day of the 2014 Extravaganza was going on.

We were fairly early to this annual event that features spectacular fireworks, ahead of the crowds that began showing up by the time we left. Crafters, artists, games, pony rides, carnival rides, food vendors, and live entertainment … there was plenty to do. We enjoyed talking with local photographer Brent McGuirt (www.brentmcguirtphotography.com) whose stunningly beautiful work showcasing the Shenandoah Valley and beyond was on display. (Check out his Facebook page for his latest works.)

It was great to run into Bill and Jean Ann Bolling who were spending the weekend nearby in the cool of the mountains.

Will marijuana, drug concerns sideline Nelson County’s 2014 Lockn’ Music Festival?

By Lynn R. Mitchell

My reaction this morning when reading the Buzz Kill headline in Cville, “ABC claims illegal drugs abounded at Lockn’ Music Festival,” held last year in Nelson County was, “Duh!”

Duh!

By Lynn R. Mitchell

My reaction this morning when reading the Buzz Kill headline in Cville, “ABC claims illegal drugs abounded at Lockn’ Music Festival,” held last year in Nelson County was, “Duh!”