Hello dear reader!

You are holding the debut issue of Radford Magazine!  The very first one! How exciting! The mission of Radford Magazine is to celebrate the people and businesses of Radford, Virginia, as well as the nearby parts of the New River Valley.  Radford Magazine is free to the public and will be published twice a year, featuring a Spring/Summer issue and a Fall/Winter issue.  The magazine will be sharing the stories of small business owners, events and festivals, art, theater, wine, beer, and more!
In this issue we begin by visiting the fine jewelry institution that is P.R. Sturgills, the legendary lady behind Elliott’s Military Surplus & Fishing Tackle, the legacy of Dean’s Body Shop, the colorful story of Painting Consultants, a clear-ringing piece about New River Valley Hearing, and the refreshing new tale of Long Way Brewing.
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by Vickie Holt

Sally Muse grew up on a farm in Vinton, Virginia and dreamt of a life working with animals.  To help make this dream come true, she enrolled in Virginia Tech after high school, and earned Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology.  From there, she wanted to travel while pursuing a career in wildlife biology.  Life, however, seldom goes according to plan.
During her final year at Virginia Tech, Sally was contacted to help Longhorn Steakhouse in Blacksburg establish a strong wait staff.  With wildlife biology in her rearview mirror, she spent the next ten years of her life at Longhorn.
But it wasn’t all waiting tables.  Steve Elliott worked for the produce company that supplied the restaurant.  After dating for a while, the couple were married and Sally’s life began not one, but two new chapters.
Steve and his father, B.J. Elliott, had opened a store in Blacksburg called Elliott’s Gun and Coin Shop.  It was a popular place for enthusiasts, and one of their customers was the owner of Nester’s Trading Post in Radford.
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From left to right: Back row – Casey Dillon, Kaylynn Oliver, and Sharra Shores; Front row -Joanne Dillon

by Vickie Holt

New River Valley Hearing, Inc. was founded by Audiologist, Joanne Dillon, through a passion for making her community hear and understand well.
Born and raised in Roanoke, Joanne grew up and went to school in the Hanging Rock area.  At the time of her high school graduation, she still had no idea what she was going to do.  The only thing she knew for sure is that working in restaurants for the rest of her life didn’t sound fun.
To get herself started in some direction, Joanne got a job designing kitchens for Quality Kitchens in Roanoke and enrolled at Hollins College.  There, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1988.
Even though she had received her degree, and even though she had loved the Psychology courses, Joanne just wasn’t sure she wanted to pursue it further.  After all, she had a pretty good job with Quality Kitchens.  It had paid her way through school and was allowing her to live comfortably on her own.
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by Vickie Holt

During art class at Radford High School, young Philip Sturgill found that he loved making jewelry.  He loved it so much that he would often turn up at Luffman’s Jewelers to ask questions and get help with mistakes.
Curtis “CC” Luffman had started the jewelry store in 1961.  Known as “the jewelry store on the corner”, Luffman’s quickly became a reputable name in the watchmaking and jewelry repair business, offering great service and quality pieces of fine and estate jewelry.
Where most other seniors of Philip’s graduating class were pouring over college applications, visiting the career guidance counselors, and otherwise trying to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives, Sturgill had only one aspiration – to become a jeweler.  He had originally planned to go to college for jewelry making, but his frequent trips to Luffman’s resulted in a unique opportunity.  Store manager, Fances Lyles, saw his potential and hired him.
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From Left to Right: Jeff Kleppin, Nicole Barnett, Rob Gropman, and Keith Weltens

Six years ago, Keith Weltens, Rob Gropman, and Jeff Kleppin were a group of brewing hobbyists that enjoyed sitting around the back yard with their friends, chatting, having a laugh, and drinking their home crafted brews.  After a few years of this camaraderie, talk turned to speculation about what to do after retirement.  It was Weltens who encouraged the others, saying that brewing might be the way to go.
Not only did the trio know something about craft brewing, but they also felt that Radford could use a popular brewery.  Between funding, licenses, certifications, equipment, and supplies, there was a lot to do and a lot to plan for.  The first concern, however, was to find a location.
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Located at the center of the majestic New River Valley in southwestern Virginia, Radford is an exciting city with an identity that spans centuries. From the daring journey of Mary Ingles in 1755, to the academic excellence of Radford University, to the New River, to the people that live, work, dream, create, and work here. Whether it’s outdoor activities, art, shopping, intellectual interests, sports, or even the nightlife, Radford has so much to offer!

SAMPLING OF EVENTS:  

Every weekend September 24th – October 30th
St. Albans Sanatorium Unhinged – Haunted House at St. Albans Sanatorium

Every weekend, September 25th – October 15th
Pumpkin Festival at Sinkland Farms in Riner

Every Day, October 1st -31st
DAK Lights at Randolph Park in Dublin

Saturday, October 2nd
SMART Tour at Motor Mile Speedway

Saturday, October 2nd
October Cruiser Night at downtown Pembroke, VA

Saturday, October 2nd
Rockin’ Main Street—Fallin’ Into Fun at downtown Christiansburg

Every weekend, Oct 8th – Oct 30th
The Dark Woods Haunted Trail – Haunted House at 228 Peppers Ferry

Saturday & Sunday, October 9th & 10th
Newbern Fall Festival at 5240 Wilderness Road

Saturday, October 9th
Radford Highlanders Festival at Radford University

Saturday, October 16th
Craft & Draft at Glencoe Mansion Museum and Gallery

Saturday, October 16th
Craft & Vendor Fair at The NRV Mall

Saturday, October 23rd
Region Four Virginia Bass TBF 2021 Championship Event at Claytor Lake

Friday & Saturday, October 22nd & 23rd
12 Hours of Madness at Motor Mile Speedway

Sunday, October 24th
Spirits Along the Wilderness Wagon Ride at Wilderness Road Regional Museum in Dublin

Saturday, October 30
PUMPKIN SMASH! at Motor Mile Speedway

Saturday, October 30
Jack-O’-Lantern Spectacular at Randolph Park in Dublin

Sunday, October 31st
Halloween Party with 220 South at Fatback Soul Shack in Christiansburg

Friday, November 5th
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver at The Little River Bluegrass Barn

Friday – Sunday, November 12th -14th
52nd YMCA Craft Fair & Annual Book Fair at The Christiansburg Recreation Center

Thursday, December 2nd
Town of Pulaski Christmas Parade

Friday & Saturday, December 3rd & 4th
Winterfest at Randolph Park in Dublin

WEEKLY 

Thursday Tunes 6:00 PM  9:00 PM at Longway Brewing
See www.longwaybrewing.com/calendar for other music events

Every Saturday from May – October
Radford Farmer’s Market 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

NOTE:  The above events are scheduled as of time of printing.  We suggest that you check with the event organizers for continual updates. Also, we accept event submissions for subsequent issues

Radford Virginia in 1981 was a different place in a different time.  Before the information age, things moved more slowly.  Tasks that are instantaneous today took hours, days, and sometimes even weeks back then.  During 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot.  NASA launched the first space shuttle flight.  The Oakland Raiders beat the Philadelphia Eagles for the Superbowl trophy while Dolly Parton hit the charts with “9 to 5”.  And while everyone was glued to their television sets to finally learn who shot J.R, a young man named Dean Young was just starting out on his new business adventure at 1620 East Main Street in Radford.
Dean’s father had been a mechanic, but the internal workings of the vehicles were not for him.  Dean wanted to work more with the outside than the inside, so he began working for other body shops until he had the skill and motivation to strike out on his own.
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Mark Brookner worked at the Lynchburg Foundry for eighteen years before finding work as a material handler at Mar-Bal in Dublin.  Mar-Bal is a manufacturer of electric insulators, and Mark worked there till he was laid off from his third shift job in 2007.  As it turns out, getting laid off was one of the best things to happen to Mark Brookner.
Over the years, Mark’s brother had taught him a great deal about painting.  So, with plenty of time on his hands, Mark started painting for relatives and friends.  Word spread.  His aunt told a couple of her friends, and soon the requests began pouring in.  “Hey, can you paint my house?”
It wasn’t long before Mark found he had regular work as a painter.  The painting, however, led to other odd jobs.  Folks would hire him to paint, then ask if he could also take care of other things.  Through this process, Mark became a general handyman as well as a sometimes landscaper, doing mowing and various lawn maintenance.  The main work, though, was painting.
The layoff wound up lasting three months.  Even after returning to his third shift schedule at Mar-Bal, Mark tried to continue painting during the day.  But it was just too much.  He told Mar-Bal “I appreciate the opportunity, but I’m going to see if I can make it on my own.”
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I have been talking with a lot of advertisers and there is a lot of excitement out there for Radford Magazine. Our first issue will be the Fall/Winter issue. The deadlines for it will be as follows:

• August 16th for Article Submissions and Events
• September 1st for Ad Placement and Payment
• September 7th for Ad Art
• Distribution will begin the last week of September

Contact me at 540-815-1079 or john@brilldesigns.org if you would like to place an ad or submit a story.

– John Brill