Community Calendar

Rural Idaho. Difficult Memories. An estranged father’s house to sell. From the acclaimed author of The Whale, Little Bear Ridge Road confronts issues as wide as galaxies and as intimate as family secrets.

After the death of his long-estranged father, Ethan returns to the tiny hometown he once escaped—only to find himself face to face with the only family he has left: his sharp-tongued, fiercely independent aunt. While cleaning up years of a failing family, the two are forced to confront old pain, unfinished conversations, and the orbit that keeps pulling them back to a place they want to leave.

At its core, Little Bear Ridge Road is a deeply human story about distance and return, silence and understanding, and the complicated ways families try—and sometimes struggle—to show up for each other, even when words fall short.

Performances on Wednesday (alternating 2PM and 7PM), Thursdays and Fridays (7PM), Saturdays (2PM and 7PM), and Sundays (3PM)

Ticket link: https://va-rep.org/events/little-bear-ridge-road/

Address: Virginia Repertory Theatre - 114 W. Broad St, Richmond VA
Phone: 804-282-2620

tickets@virginiarep.org

*Ages 18+ for explicit content

Reggie Watts is one of the most original and boundary-pushing performers working today. Born in Stuttgart, Germany, and raised in Great Falls, Montana, Watts developed an early passion for music before discovering a singular talent for blending performance art, comedy, and live looping into something entirely his own. A trained musician, he builds intricate vocal soundscapes in real time using loop pedals and beatboxing, layering them beneath sharp, absurdist humor and surrealist storytelling.

Watts came to national prominence through his acclaimed Comedy Bang! Bang! appearances and his long-running role as bandleader on CBS's The Late Late Show with James Corden, a position he held for the show's entire run from 2015 to 2023. His solo specials, including "Reggie Watts: Spatial" on Netflix, have earned widespread critical praise. Celebrated by critics and fellow artists alike, Watts remains a one-of-a-kind voice in contemporary performance, consistently astonishing audiences across the globe.

Join the VMHC for the fourth annual Conrad M. Hall Symposium for Virginia History, an event where historians, practitioners, and members of the public will gather to explore our shared past. Beginning the day will be a special keynote lecture from award-winning journalist Tom Gjelten on his book A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story, which looks at the profound demographic changes in the United States since the 1965 Immigration Act. Gjelten tells this story through a special focus on Fairfax County, Virginia, sharing the experiences of several immigrant families that illustrate broader themes of the immigrant experience. Tom Gjelten is a veteran journalist and author of Sarajevo Daily: A City and Its Newspaper Under Siege and Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause. Over a thirty-year career as a correspondent for NPR News, he has covered wars in Central America, the Middle East, and the former Yugoslavia, as well as major national stories in the United States. His NPR reporting has won him two Overseas Press Club Awards, a George Polk Award, and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. He has appeared as a panelist on the PBS program Washington Week, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a member of the Editorial Board at World Affairs Journal. Guests will then have the opportunity to hear from 11 panels comprising more than 30 experts from across the Commonwealth during a full day of engaging presentations that highlight groundbreaking research into Virginia history around the theme of "Migration." This year's presenters will cover such varied topics as loyalism during the American Revolution, the use of public art in telling stories of migration, immigrants’ involvement in public service to the U.S., migration and movement during slavery, and many more. In addition to compelling panel discussions, guests will have access to tailored museum experiences that highlight migration in Virginia. Ending the day will be a reception for guests and speakers to mingle and reflect on the day’s learning. Tickets to the event include museum admission, the keynote lecture, all panel discussions, and an evening reception.

Persian/Iranian-American artist Maryam Safajoo works in oil on linen, creating intimate and vulnerable narrative paintings. Safajoo documents the stories of the Iranian Bahá’í community’s systematic persecution after the 1979 revolution—stories that are often erased, silenced, or preserved only in the memories of those who endured them.

Many of the incidents she depicts only exist in the memory of those who experienced them and have no pictorial evidence. Through conversations, interviews, and archival research, she reconstructs these histories with meticulous detail, incorporating the clothing, artifacts, and environments that were present at these events. 

Through her work, Safajoo reflects on a world free from prejudice—one where people are not judged by their beliefs, gender, identity, race, or social status.

Maryam Safajoo: The Dream of Freedom will be on view at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum from August 6 - December 12, 2026. 

Please be sure to join the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum for Safajoo’s artist talk on Friday, September 18th at 6 PM in the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center, Room 119.

Image Credits: Maryam Safajoo, As Leaven to the World, 2024. Oil on linen, 24 x 20 inches. Courtesy of the Artist. 

Mallory Zondag, award-winning artist and educator living in New York, uses fiber arts and sculpture to explore the natural world and how it relates to the physical body and the human experience.

She explores deeply personal and connective universal stories through the meditative and hands-on practices of wet felting, weaving, sculpting, and stitching, seeking to bring the ephemeral into physical being. 

This exhibition of work includes a site-specific installation at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, which was created using hand felted wool, wax, fibers, fabrics and objects both found and recycled. 

Mallory Zondag: Transmissions from the Anthropocene, on view at the museum from July 30 - December 5, will be accompanied by an artist lecture and a series of community workshops in the Roanoke Valley.

Image Credits: Mallory Zondag, the VOID, 2026. Wood, Blackest Black in the Known Universe paint, tufted wool yarn, felted wool, wire, plastic waste, paper mache, sound. In collaboration with Peter Ossi, woodworker, and Lin Furio, sound designer.

Celebrate the beauty of fall at the 35th Annual Sinkland Farms Pumpkin Festival, returning September 19 through November 1, 2026 in Christiansburg, Virginia. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia's Favorite Fall Festival welcomes families from across the region for seven weekends at an award-winning pumpkin patch and corn maze with unforgettable farm fun.
This year's festival introduces America's Harvest Celebration, honoring 250 years of America's agricultural heritage, family traditions, and the spirit of the harvest. Throughout the festival, guests will experience America's Harvest Celebration through the traditions of farm life, live music, seasonal activities, local artisans, delicious food, and the simple joys of gathering with family and friends to celebrate the harvest season.
Recognized by USA TODAY's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards as the 4th Best Pumpkin Patch and 4th Best Corn Maze in the Nation in 2025, Sinkland Farms has become one of Southwest Virginia's premier fall destinations.
Wine Festival admission includes Pumpkin Festival admission.
Festival favorites include:
• Hayrides to the pumpkin patch
• Pick-your-own pumpkins and sunflowers
• A nationally recognized corn maze
• Farm animals
• Kid's Zone with giant slide, jump pad, barrel train, zip line, and games
• Live music (Sat/Sun)
• Special performances by university a cappella groups
• The Virginia Tech Highty-Tighties during Hokie Spirit Weekend
• Radford University dance performances during Highlander Weekend
• Arts & Crafts vendors (Sat/Sun)
• Art in the Barn (Oct) featuring talented local artists and handcrafted goods
• Food trucks
• Face painters
• Pig races (Sat/Sun)
• Blacksmith demonstrations (Sat/Sun)
• Chainsaw carving (Sat/Sun)
• PumpkinTron, Scarecrow, and Juggling Geoff
• Pony rides and horseback trail rides (Sat/Sun, extra cost)
• Blue Ridge Extreme Mobile Laser Tag* (Fri/Sat/Sun, extra cost)
• Beer & wine on the Terrace
Opening weekend also features the 4th Annual Sinkland Farms Wine Festival on September 19-20, where guests can sample wines from Virginia wineries and spirits from local distilleries while enjoying live music and beautiful mountain views. Wine Festival admission includes Pumpkin Festival admission.
Punkin' Chunkin' returns to the farm on October 3rd and 4th with Team Carbo's trebouchet, an innovative new catapult design that uses large rubber bands to power it. This catapult won't be using any motors - it's manually cocked and operated.
Special musical guests include:
Saturday, Oct 10 - Makenzie Phipps of NBC's The Voice
Sunday, Oct 11 - Lily Comer a country favorite
Saturday, Oct 24 - Noah Spencer of NBC's The Voice
Come celebrate autumn where family traditions, agriculture, and Appalachian hospitality come together at one of Virginia's favorite fall festivals. Photographers are encouraged to get photography passes for their clients with the beautiful backdrop of sunflowers, pumpkins, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
When: Sept 19-Nov 1, 2026
Thursdays (October) & Fridays: 4:00–8:00 PM (limited activities)
Saturdays & Sundays: 10:00 AM–5:00 PM (full festival)
Where: Sinkland Farms
3060 Riner Rd
Christiansburg, VA 24073
Admission:
Thursdays(Oct)/Fridays - $15 per person, $14 seniors, military & first responders, free for children 3 and under
Saturdays/Sundays - $20 per person, $19 seniors, military & first responders, free for children 3 and under
Details: https://sinklandfarms.com/pumpkin-festival-about
Tickets: https://sinklandfarms.ticketspice.com/sinkland-farms-pumpkin-festival-2026

"No Excellent Beauty: Disability Aesthetics" is a two-person show that features the work of photographers Kristen Olinger and Michael Van Huffel. Both Olinger and Van Huffel work in the medium of digital photography to engage in self-portraiture as a means to process living with late onset chronic illness and disability. Neither artist carries visible signs of their illness, which can make describing their challenges and experiences more difficult, but through their photographs they are able to make the unseen visible.

The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum has partnered with Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired to provide braille printings of all text included in this exhibition, as well as Swell Touch prints of a selection of pieces for all to feel and enjoy.

Image Credits: Kristen Olinger, "Opulent Dolls," digital photograph, 2025. Image courtesy of the artist.

Jake McCord, a self-taught artist from Georgia, frequently said that making art was something he did “just for fun.” He lived and worked alone and considered his art to be “company” – Once a painting was complete, McCord would install it on his front porch to share the work with the community, engaging passersby and sparking conversation.

McCord’s works are products of his imagination and his unique vision of the world. Looking at his paintings is an invitation to enter McCord’s lively and colorful world and a reminder that anyone can express themselves through creating art. "Jake McCord: Jolly Company" is on view at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum August 13 – November 14, 2026, and is on loan from Chris Ross and Traveling Art Exhibitions. Please go to Hollins.edu/Museum to find our open hours!

Please also join the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum for a community workshop inspired by McCord's paintings on Friday, October 23rd from 2-4 PM on the front plaza outside the museum.

Image Credits: Jake McCord, "Untitled (Purple Dog with Ball)," 1998. House paint on found wood, 20 x 15 inches. © Private Collection.

Marks of Memory examines time, data, ancestry, and personal experience through the work of three contemporary artists—Veronica Jackson, Annette Lawrence, and LaRissa Rogers—who question what stories get told, who gets remembered, and what data gets counted and recorded. Highlighting printmaking and patterning as physical processes and systems of communication, this exhibition explores how personal and collective histories are remembered, preserved, and disseminated.

You are cordially invited to the Pangea Gardens Grand Opening Benefit Concert with The Paul Thorn Band on October 3rd, 2026. Show starts at 2PM - Gates open at 12:30PM

Tickets: $20 General Admission - available online at PangeaGardens.com

The gates open at 12:30 pm. Enjoy a picnic lunch before the concert starts. Pack your own or purchase a delicious lunch prepared by The Floyd Country Store. While you’re here, stroll the paths throughout our three beautiful gardens, explore the wider grounds and discover one delightful surprise after another. The Paul Thorn Band will play from 2-4 pm in The Love Nest, a 220 seat indoor music hall on site.

This event is a benefit for the Blue Ridge Music Center