Random Ten List of Places to Go in Roanoke, Virginia:

Our good friend Jason, well we have many friends named Jason as well as a cousin named Jason (perhaps there are even people in Pakistan named Jason), but I am referring to Jason Turner who has an outstanding web site called 'Roanoke Doesn't Suck.'

It is designed to help local folks and tourists know what is going on in Roanoke. While his blog is more specific to Roanoke, I am going to stray over some city and county lines, and include things which are in relative proximity to Roanoke, such as the Statue of Liberty (ok, New York is an eleven-hour Greyhound bus drive).

But, we will include places in Blacksburg, Floyd and Salem.

Of course, this means we will have to inadvertently snub some places we like in Roanoke itself, including Kirk Avenue Music Hall, the Village Grill and Happy's Flea Market as well as Showtimers Theatre, which is now staging the musical-comedy "Once Upon a Mattress."

However, we think this list will help anyone looking for the proverbial thing to do rather than sit at Starbucks and read "Infinite Jest" (the late Daniel Foster Wallace's novel is some 1,100 pages long):

1) A Little Bit Hippy: An always unique place inside Towers Shopping Mall which offers cool tye-dye t-shirts and organic soap..........yes, they are the reason why we have '60 activist Wavy Gravy pictured.

2) The Bazaar:  This shop across from Towers offers records (we can't promise that you will find David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' there, but you just might), vintage clothing and live music.

3) The Taubman Art Museum

4) Mill Moutain Zoo

5) CUPs: This Grandin village coffee shop features a very large collection of bobble-head dolls. They also have Trivia Night on Tuesdays (yes, they are the reason for the image of coffee beans which we found via Turkish Wikipedia).

6) The Lyric Theatre (Blacksburg): A great place to see movies in Blacksburg; the critically-acclaimed film "Before Midnight" starts there on Friday.

7) Fork in the Alley: A great place to eat outdoors in the Crystal Springs neighborhood.

8) Third Street Coffeehouse: This little gem-of-a-palce is only open on Friday nights and we had a hard time finding it (use Mapquest or ask a friend), but there is some great local music there.

9) Star-Lite Drive-In (Christiansburg): Along with Hull's Drive-In in Lexington, this is the last remaining drive-in within driving distance from Roanoke.

10) The Salem Museum


http://www.roanokedoesntsuck.com

http://www.showtimers.org

http://www.alittlebithippy.com

http://www.taubmanmuseum.org

http://www.cupscoffeeandtea.com

http://www.forkinthealley.com

http://www.salemmuseum.org

There's more on our sister blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time," regarding Things To Do in Roanoke: http://www.politicscultureandotherwastesoft.blogspot.com

Status Update_ Perhaps, God Meant for Us....

I must profess that those who know me well, and perhaps all too many of you reading this actually do, know that I'm really not a religious at all.

But, since I can't remember the over-the-top church sign I saw as I was driving past a fundamentalist church near Boones Mill, Va., on Route 220- not far from a radical, in-your-face pro-life billboard, I was thinking what I might say if I were to put something on a church sign (obviously, it would have to be a Unitarian church).

And, since I was a lot of problems trying to watch the 1970 film "The Landlord," from the late director Hal Ashby ("Harold and Maude") via Netflix streaming, I think it would have to be this:


"Perhaps, God Meant 4 Us to Watch Movies in a Cinema and No Place Else!"

That would assuredly get some passer-by's attention....well, we hope!

As for old cinemas, The Lyric Theatre in Balcksburg, Va, (pictured here) is showing "The Black Swan" with Natalie Portman, which could my choice for the best film of 2010 (don't worry kids, I'm making a list as we speak).

And, another one of my favorite college-town cinemas, The Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC, which is one of the few zip codes in The Tarheel State without a hell-fire Southern Baptist church (well, there probably is one there too) is screening "The Social Network," which is also a film that I might designate as my favorite of 2010?!

Speaking of radical, hell-fire churches, I wonder what the Rev. Johnny Robertson of Martinsville, Va., is up to these days. He happens to be a real person; and he does actually match the stereotype of an over-the-top preacher! If you don't believe me, then just ask my good friend Chris Knight.

Lastly, one does not have to see films at an old cinema to be a devout cinemaniac. My friend Jason Garnett will be screening "Heathers," the vintage late-80s teen comedy that is definitely darker than your typical John Hughes flick at 8:00 at The Shadowbox in downtown Roanoke (damn, wish I could be there!).

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Coffee Shop Employee

Today we once again focus on Lynchburg, Va, for the 12th (of 13) installment in our series within a series examining summer jobs. In the Hill City, students who have the summer off (yes, we know it's coming to an abrupt end) from E.C. Glass High School could potentially seek employment at The Muse and Roastery Coffee Company on Enterprise Drive.

I must say that I was impressed that a coffee shop located in Lynchburg, where Jerry Falwell started the Moral Majority, is open on Sunday from noon-7:00 p.m.

We should also mention that while we love E.C. Glass HS, the actual High School of the Week for this blog (well, ok, there will other high schools of the week) is the Belfast Area High School in Belfast, Maine, a place I've actually been to! (We took a trip there in the summer of 2007; it's quite a lovely place).

The Belfast Area HS' nickname is The Lions. School will begin very shortly there on Aug. 30. Butch Arthers is the school principal, and school lunch for high school students is $2.50. (That meat loaf better be worth it!).

There are of course other coffee shops within the Lynchburg region, and we don't mean Starbucks (but, yes there are several of those in Lynchburg).

Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea has four locations within the Roanoke, Va., area-which is my hometown. And, for those of you in Hokieville (Blacksburg, Va) there is The Easy Chair Coffee Shop which promotes itself on its web site as being a 'zombie free zone,' whatever that means!

Assuredly, if my Facebook friend, Shannon Wheeler, the creator of the off-beat comic book character "Too Much Coffee Man" comes to Virginia, he will now know where to get his cappuccinos now!

SIDEBAR_We want to wish a speedy recovery to Michael Poythres, 24, a soldier from Caswell County, North Carolina, near Danville, Va., who was injured by an explosion in Iraq last week. Angela Evans of "The Caswell Messenger" in Yanceyville, NC, reports that surgeries were performed to save Poythres' arm. He was flown to Germany after leaving a field hospital in Basra, Iraq. Once he is stabilized, he will be relocated to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC.

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Lynchburg Hillcats' Mascot

We continue our series within a series that focuses on summer jobs with Southpaw, the mascot of the Lynchburg Hillcats. They are a minor league baseball team in Lynchburg, Va., where the late Rev. Jerry Falwell (one of the main reasons I became a Democrat) once preached his morality and imposed his judgment from the pulpit (we couldn't resist).

The Falwell family has actually been closely linked with minor league teams in Lynchburg- in fact they play at Calvin Falwell Field, but since we love SouthPaw we won't hold that against them!

The Hillcats are currently in the middle of a homestand against the Potomac Nationals who play in the DC suburbs of Virginia. The Nationals won last night's game 6-4, and the two teams play again tonight at 7:00 p.m.

The 'Cats have several promotions coming up, including a fireworks display on Aug. 14when they host to the Kinston Indians from Kinston, NC, and on Aug. 16, there will be a 50-Cent Hot Dog Night when the team plays The Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

As for our local team, The Greensboro Grasshoppers lost a road game to The Kannapolis Intimidators 7-4 in the South Atlantic League. The Intimidators' pitcher Cameron Bayne retired 14 'Hoppers in a row.

SIDEBAR: In Danville, Va., an hour and a half south of Lynchburg down Route 29 a maricahi band will play at Los Tres Magueyes Mexican Restaurant during dinner time on Monday, Aug. 9.

SIDEBAR TWO: I recently 'lost my virginity' (term they give first-time diners) at The Texas Tavern in my hometown of Roanoke, Va. There used to be a Texas Tavern in Lynchburg as well. I had the establishment's speciality which is a bowl of chilli for a mere $1.60. It was definitely worth the proverbial price of admission.

Movies of Our Youth_ (11 of 12) "Ghostbusters"

My good friend Jason Garnett is screening the 1984 comedy classic "Ghostbusters" at the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va., on the eve of Halloween with a midnight show on Friday, Oct. 30.

We'll forgive the kitschy title song by Ray Parker Jr.


PS_ There is a related Harvey Comics image on our sister "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time" (check our links below).

Special Screening_ Army of Darkness

This very weekend my good friend Jason Garnett is bringing Sam Raimi's cult classic "Army of Darkness" to the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va., for two midnight screenings on Friday and Saturday.

Garnett has done an excellent job managing the oldest cinema in the Star City for several years now.

Amazingly enough, I have (somehow) never seen this film!

Movie Theatre of the Week: The Grandin, Roanoke, Va.

Today we start a new series in which we will profile a historic cinema in the United States every week or so. I hope to profile at least one cinema from every state plus Washington, DC.

I begin with the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va. The only reason I have not been going to movies there since the 1930s* when it initially opened is because I was not around in the 1930s.

The first movie I saw there was a revival of Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" in 1984 when I was 14 years old, which means that Jason Garnett, the current manager of the Grandin and a good friend of mine, was 8 years old at the time!

On Dec. 20, The Grandin will screen John Waters' 1981 cult film "Polyester" in smell-o-vision. There will NOT be a seance to bring Waters' frequent star Divine back to life, but the first 200** folks who come in will get smell-o-vision cards.

The Grandin is also one of the six or seven reasons why my hometown is more socially progressive and hip than Provo, Utah, though I've heard arch conservatives Republicans go there just to eat the popcorn.

Perhaps, they will come by on Dec. 20 expecting to see "It's a Wonderful Life."

Hmmm.........in that case, a seance, even one for Jimmy Stewart, would be a very bad idea.

*-I believe that is the right decade the theatre opened

**-I believe 200 is the right number

See our entry about the North Theatre in Danville, Va. on our sister blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time."