Podcasts about Luray

Laughers, today, we're inviting you to join us on a journey through the serene landscapes of the Shenandoah Valley with Farmer Tony of Madeline Farms. Known for his dedication to rescued animals and crafting unique, immersive farm stay experiences, Farmer Tony is here to share the heartfelt journey behind his top-ranked oasis. In this episode, you'll discover the perfect blend of rustic charm and modern comforts that his farm offers to visitors seeking adventure, tranquility, and connection with nature and each other. Laughers, brace yourself for inspiring stories, unexpected discoveries, and a peek into the loving community Farmer Tony has cultivated—one where both humans and animals find healing and joy. So, saddle up as we delve into the magic of Madeline Farms. Cheers to more connection, relaxation and unique experiences! Tik Tok: farmertonymadelinefarms Instagram: @madeline_farms Facebook: Madeline Farms Website: madelinefarms.com Address: 1080 Antioch Road South, Luray, VA  Phone: 540.244.7133 Email: tony@madelinefarms.com This podcast is brought to you by: FWAF [f-wahf] = The Funny Womacks & Friends We offer comedy shows, classes & this podcast! thefunnywomacks.com Facebook & Instagram: @thefunnywomacks YouTube: The Funny Womacks Get some free stuff & discounts to support this podcast!  Love Podcasts? Love Audiobooks? Get a Free One on Us!

In this episode of The Valley Today, host Janet Michael chats with Gina Hilliard, President of the Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce, and Jen Jenkins, Parks Superintendent for Luray Parks and Rec, about the plethora of exciting events lined up for the community this year. Kicking things off, Gina and Janet discuss the chamber's rebranding efforts, which include a vibrant new logo, updated core values, and an impending website redesign. “We've received a lot of compliments on the new look,” Gina says, hinting at a fresh, community-focused vibe for the organization. Janet shares her enthusiasm, giving Gina a virtual pat on the back for the facelift. Jen Jenkins then takes the spotlight to outline the bustling calendar for Luray Parks and Rec. From the 21st annual Youth Trout Derby set for April 12th, to Arbor Day celebrations the following weekend, and the Movies on Main series, there's no shortage of activities. Jen passionately describes the Youth Trout Derby: “It's a big event for us. This year we're partnering with several groups to stock additional trout, ensuring a fantastic experience for everyone.” The derby, Jen highlights, is a community-sponsored affair, teeming with prizes, free lunches, and engaging activities for kids aged 2 to 15. Moving deeper into the spring and summer months, the conversation shifts to the upcoming monthly concert series, Evenings on Main. Starting in June, this free event features a variety of music from bluegrass to rock, accompanied by local food trucks. “Each concert is unique. It's a great place to hear good music and meet new people,” Jen explains. With a stellar lineup including local favorites and new bands, attendees are in for a treat. The July 4th celebration, dubbed Food, Tunes, and Boom, promises an expanded festival atmosphere with ten food trucks, multiple bands, and a fireworks finale. “It's really becoming a destination event,” Jen notes, highlighting new additions like inflatable activities and craft markets. PACA's beloved Sunflower Festival follows in August, bringing crafts, hayrides, and potential new attractions like axe throwing and a water obstacle course. “It's the hottest event literally,” Jen jokes, given August's sweltering heat. They discuss the finer details of these events, ensuring locals have all the information—whether it's where to register, what's new, or simply how to stay engaged through the town's online platforms. Gina briefly mentions the Luray Chamber's upcoming Business After Hours event at Blue Ridge Bank and the much-anticipated annual banquet in June. Mark your calendars for a Western boho chic-themed evening at Stover Hall, complete with a silent auction and Hanks BBQ.

Laughers, today we dive into the heart of one of the Shenandoah Valley's vibrant experiences as we transport you to Stover Hall, a stunning wedding and event venue nestled amid breathtaking mountain views. Christina Grieve, who owns the venue with her husband, Wes, shares their offerings, their story, inspirations and much more! From its origins as a dirt floor horse barn to a chic event space, listen to this heartwarming journey of turning dreams into reality. We'll explore what's in it for you at their wine tasting room, fun year round events and uniquely charming setting for weddings complete with captivating Blue Ridge Mountain vistas—from intimate elopements to grand celebrations. We'll uncover the venue's history including where it got its name, its evolution, and delightful rustic charm. Plus, you'll hear stories about the personalized touches they offer couples, including a lock wall for newlyweds to commemorate their special day!  Find out more about what's next at Stover Hall as Christina reveals plans for expanding their array of events including comedy nights, live music, popular pop up markets and upcoming Valentine's Day dinner and dance. Whether you're a local or planning a visit to the Shenandoah Valley, tune in to discover the magic, romance and unforgettable memories with friends that await you at Stover Hall. Cheers! Stover Hall: stoverhall.com Address: 1381 US Hwy Business 340, Luray, VA 22835, US Phone: (540) 742-1703 Facebook: Stover Hall Instagram: @stoverhallweddingvenue This podcast is brought to you by: FWAF [f-wahf] = The Funny Womacks & Friends We offer comedy shows, classes & this podcast! thefunnywomacks.com Facebook & Instagram: @thefunnywomacks YouTube: The Funny Womacks Affiliate Links You May Also Be Interested In: Love Podcasts? Love Audiobooks? Get a Free One on Us!

In this episode of the Valley Today, host Janet Michael welcomes Gina Hilliard, President of the Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce. They discuss several topics starting with Gina's recent chamber-sponsored trip to Italy, highlighting the advantages of group travel. Gina shares future travel plans with the chamber, particularly a 2025 trip to Greece. Janet and Gina then shift gears to the Shop Small campaign, emphasizing the importance of supporting local businesses during the holiday season. They explain how shoppers can participate and potentially win prizes by submitting receipts for purchases made from November 30th to December 22nd. The conversation also covers the upcoming ninth annual Chamber Holiday Festival on December 6th, describing various activities including photos with Santa, festive treats, crafts, a holiday market, and more. The event is framed as a community-building occasion, likened to a Hallmark movie setting. Concluding the discussion, they touch upon other chamber events, including Business After Hours and Women in Business activities, and Gina invites interested vendors and sponsors to participate in the festival.  Learn more on their website: https://www.visitluraypage.com/chamber/ and follow them on Facebook.

The Clarke County Eagles look to finish the regular season strong after a win against Luray last week they can claim The Bull Run District with a victory at Madison County tonight. Eagles Head Coach Casey Childs talks about the big win over Luray after a hard fought battle against Strasburg the week prior and getting set for the last week of the regular season. Stay tuned for more High School Sports coverage to come on The Kirby on Sports Podcast. A huge thanks to our sponsors! PM+ Reserves Shenandoah Primitives Transformative Alignment Group Mark Francis with ICON Real Estate Barrett Pest and Termite Services Mark Lynch with Guild Mortgage Shenandoah Music www.kirbyonsports.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thekirbyonsportspodcast/support

The Clarke County Eagles are back in action against Luray after a thrilling 7-6 victory over Bull Run district rival Strasburg. Josh chats with Eagles Head Coach Casey Childs talks about the win over Strasburg and heading into their matchup against Luray. Stay tuned for more High School Sports coverage to come on The Kirby on Sports Podcast. A huge thanks to our sponsors! PM+ Reserves Shenandoah Primitives Transformative Alignment Group Mark Francis with ICON Real Estate Barrett Pest and Termite Services Mark Lynch with Guild Mortgage Shenandoah Music www.kirbyonsports.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thekirbyonsportspodcast/support

The Strasburg Rams are gearing up for a thrilling Bull Run District matchup against Clarke County. Last week the Rams defeated Luray, hear from Rams Head Coach Tripp Lamb on the big victory last week and getting ready for Clarke County. Stay tuned for more High School Sports coverage to come on The Kirby on Sports Podcast. A huge thanks to our sponsors! PM+ Reserves Shenandoah Primitives Transformative Alignment Group Mark Francis with ICON Real Estate Barrett Pest and Termite Services Mark Lynch with Guild Mortgage Shenandoah Music www.kirbyonsports.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thekirbyonsportspodcast/support

Hear from the Head Coach of The Strasburg Rams Tripp Lamb as the Rams prepare to travel to Luray, last week the Rams defeated Page County 50-7. Stay tuned for more High School Sports coverage to come on The Kirby on Sports Podcast. A huge thanks to our sponsors! PM+ Reserves Shenandoah Primitives Transformative Alignment Group Mark Francis with ICON Real Estate Barrett Pest and Termite Services Mark Lynch with Guild Mortgage Shenandoah Music www.kirbyonsports.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thekirbyonsportspodcast/support

Our conversation with Gina Hilliard from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce welcomes Judy Suddith, Manager of Laurel Ridge Luray Page County Center at Jenkins Hall to discuss the upcoming Luray Day event, fall semester registrations, and the services available at the college. Judy highlights the benefits of the open house event, particularly for veterans, and discusses various educational programs, financial aid, and supportive services provided by the college. Gina promotes upcoming chamber events, and both stress the importance of community involvement and educational opportunities.  For more information about Laurel Ridge Luray Page Center programs & opportunities, contact Judy via phone: 540-843-0701 or via email. 

Virginia politicians condemn Saturday's attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump… New federal funding will go to agencies in Harrisonburg and Luray to reduce youth substance use… Some Virginia legislators want to help those who have lost access to Medicaid….

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday with Gina Hilliard from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce included Dunnzy Kaufman, CEO of Sojourn, and Melissa Reynoso, Innkeeper at The Legacy Inn in Luray. Our conversation revolves around the Legacy Inn's offerings and unique characteristics. Dunnzy explains Sojourn's role in managing the aesthetic and experience of the Legacy Inn, while Melissa shares her passion for her daily responsibilities as the innkeeper. They discuss the Inn's suitability for family reunions, weddings, business retreats, and artist gatherings, emphasizing its unique blend of homely and hotel-like amenities. They also touch upon local partnerships and the potential for community events. Before we wrap up, Gina shares information on the Chamber's upcoming events, including a business after-hours event and a travel informational session for a trip to Italy.    

Heading to Shenandoah National Park and looking for a scenic camping experience with all of the conveniences and amenities? Put Spacious Skies Shenandoah Views at the top of your list. This bucolic campground offers panoramic mountain views, easy access to national park highlights, and tons of family-friendly activities. The post Spacious Skies Shenandoah Views in Luray, Virginia (Campground Review) appeared first on The RV Atlas.

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce also includes Megan Pettit, Events & Marketing Coordinator for the Town of Luray. Megan gives details for various events  including the Trout Derby, Movies on Main, Concerts on Main, and the 4th of July celebration. She also touches on the community engagement, coordination with vendors, and other upcoming activities. Learn more by following them on Facebook.  

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Luray/Page County edition - features Edison Emmons and Clancey Arnold from the Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce. They discuss the value and benefits of Luray/Page chamber membership, highlighting networking, business connections, professional development, and advocacy opportunities. They also mention specific programs like Women in Business, job fairs, and wedding forums provided by the chamber. Learn more on their website: https://www.visitluraypage.com/chamber/ and follow them on Facebook.

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce featured Karin Crawford from TripForth, a vacation rental property management company. Karin explained how their services work and the wide range of properties they manage in a variety of ways. We talked about the different booking/marketing platforms available to those who choose to offer short term or long-term rentals. She told us about a few rules and regulations that some localities have implemented and encouraged listeners to reach out for a projection or to book your next trip/vacation at one of their properties. Learn more about TripWorth on their website: https://www.tripforth.com/ and by following them on Facebook.

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce included Jeremy Seal. Jeremy is the owner of Mend My Mobile. Jeremy explained the services he offers at his mobile (and tablet) repair shop located at 1416 US HWY 211 West, in Luray. He talked about the types of repairs such as screens, camera lenses, batteries, and charging ports - some which can be fixed in 2 hours or less. Learn more about his selection of accessories, cases, prepaid phones, and more on his website: https://mendmymobilephone.com  and by following him on Facebook.

Our conversation today with Gina Hilliard and Edison Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce gave us all the details for their 8th Annual Holiday Festival. This is a FREE event for all to attend! Families can come and enjoy Santa's workshop with lots of crafts the kid can take home, write a letter to Santa and leave it in the mailbox, make a Christmas card, and take home some reindeer food. Enjoy festive cookies, popcorn, hot cocoa, holiday punch, and s'mores by the firepit. Take a barrel train ride or enjoy the live holiday music. Bring the whole family and get your picture taken with Santa for a $5 cash donation or canned food donation. The proceeds will benefit Page One and Page Paws. Get a headstart on your Holiday shopping at the Holiday Market featuring over 30 vendors. We also talked about their Shop Small in Page County campaign that kicks off on November 25 and runs through December 17, 2023. When you shop or dine locally, send a picture of your receipt by email to events@lurayapage.com, or drop it off in person at 18 Campbell Street, Luray, to be entered to win a $500 shopping spree. Each receipt equals one entry, even for online purchases. Each entry must include your name, phone number, and a copy of the receipt. Receipts are due to by Sunday, December 17th, at 5pm. The drawing will take place live on Facebook on Monday, December 18, 2023. For more information follow Luray Page Chamber on Facebook, send an email to events@luraypage.com or call 540-743-3915.

Meet Morry from Kamara Cabins - Kamara Cabins is a beautiful A Frame in Luray, Virginia. In this episode of the podcast Morry walks us through how he made a beautiful A Frame with African and Scandinavian influences. We jump into his experience building a property from the ground up and why he would never buy a property moving forward as well as much more ⁠Follow Kamara Cabins on Instagram⁠ Check out the full house tour here Check out the full breakdown of the cost of the house Book the property About the Show Beyond the Property is brought to you by Direct Vacation Bookings - a company that creates direct booking websites for vacation property owners so that they can automate their direct bookings, save themselves and guests on OTA fees and reduce their reliance on OTAs You can find us at ⁠www.directvacationbookings.com⁠ or connect with us ⁠@directvacationbookings⁠ Beyond the Property is hosted by Jared Johnson, the founder of Direct Vacation Bookings and you can connect with him at ⁠@jaredjohnson2807

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce took us to Pretty on Y'all to meet owner, Catalina Cenchich. Catalina told us how she and her mother moved their business from Pittsburgh to Luray and their lifelong love of all things artistic. We talked about the many, many options that people of all ages have when they come to the crafting studio and she gave details for hosting events and private parties. Pretty on Y'all is open on Wednesdays from 10am - 6pm, Thursdays & Fridays from 10am - 7pm, Saturdays from 10am - 6pm, and Sundays from 12pm - 4pm. They are typically closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but are available by appointment and for private events. Pretty on Y'all is located at 58 W. Main Street, Suite E, in Luray and can be reached via phone (540) 274-4105 or email: prettyonyall@gmail.com. Follow them on Facebook, or visit their website for more information.

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce featured Justin Horn, Executive Director for Page One of Page County. Justin explained the services they offer, the history of the organization, and the other nonprofits that have spawned from Page One. He talked about the huge need within Page County. He encouraged listeners to support the organization in multiple ways that included volunteering, donating food, donating items to their thrift stores, as well as monetary donations that help them assist residents in a variety of situations. Learn more on their website: https://www.vapageone.org/  Page One has been serving the Luray/Page County community since 1977.  They were organized by individuals and churches who had compassion for meeting the human needs in the community. To fund their family assistance program, they operate three thrift stores - two in Luray and the other in Shenandoah.  The income from these stores and financial contributions by churches, businesses, and individuals allow Page One the means to provide those essential services to needy families.  The sale items are donations from estates and yard sales including clothes, household goods, books, toys, furniture, and jewelry. Follow the thrift stores on Facebook. ​In 1979 the Page One Board of Directors approved a location in the southern end of Page County to help serve needy families in that area.  They also service clients with financial assistance (rent, water, fuel, and electricity) as well as a food pantry.  Family Assistance (Main Office) Hours: 8:30am – 11am Luray Food Pantry (35 North Bank Street, Luray / 540-743-4863) Hours: Mon/Tue/Thur 8:30am – 11am  Shenandoah Thrift Store, Food Pantry & Family Assistance (600 Comer Lane, Shenandoah / 540-652-8780 Thrift Store Hours:  Mon - Fri 10am – 3pm / Saturdays 9am – 12pm Food Pantry Hours: Mon/Wed/Fri 10am – 3pm Family Assistance Hours: CLOSED Page One Thrift Boutique (1 Cave Street, Luray / 540-743-4357 New with tag & slightly worn clothing, Household Items, Furniture Department NEW Arrivals Added Daily Hours:  Mon - Fri  8am – 4pm / Saturdays: 8am – 2pm Page One Treasures Thrift Store (42 West Main Street, Luray / 540-743-4357 Hours:  Tue – Fri 8:30am – 4pm / Saturday 8:30am - 2pm

This podcast is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/D0_1-2dtUWk Stealth is DEAD! Except it isn't—it's just misunderstood. We'll explain. We'll also visit a cave that's been turned into a musical instrument, talk about battery chargers instead of converters, learn from someone in Finland, and extol the virtues of Alien Tape.  FIND US: We're on Facebook (Built to Go Group), Instagram (@CollegeOfCuriosity) If you'd like to support this podcast, please visit BuyMeACoffee.com/BuiltToGo Camper or no? Vanlife News FnA Vanlife seems to have removed their photo Westfalia Campers Returning To North America In 2024 Advances in Aluminum Batteries https://scitechdaily.com/cheaper-safer-and-more-powerful-batteries-aluminum-materials-show-promising-performance/ Tech Talk An affordable battery charger that does profile charging https://amzn.to/3Q1QCw9 Product Review Alien Tape is GREAT! Ignore their claims—just use it judiciously and you'll find many places for it Cheaper if you buy multi-roll packs, and I haven't tried the 3rd party brands: https://amzn.to/3F47CeI A Place to Visit The Luray Caverns Organ https://luraycaverns.com/ Resource Recommendation Luke Bland's Secret Finnish Beach https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbPvt87bZUU Some links are affiliate links. If you purchase anything from these links, the show will receive a small fee. This will not impact your price in any way. 

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce took me to Main Street Flavors to meet owner, Tydel Wilson. Tydel gave us a bit of background for how he came to be the owner of the ice cream shop that features Hershey's Ice Cream as well as several flavors from local creamery, Smiley's in Bridgewater, VA. He told us what his first idea was when he purchased the business - which was already an ice cream shop - and why that idea wasn't something he pursued. Main Street Flavors also carries a large variety Dippin' Dots flavors - which Edison enjoyed during our conversation - plus offers milkshakes, smoothies and even ice cream(s) for dogs complete with biscuits for toppings. On Thursday, September 21, 2023, he will be hosting the chamber's Business After Hours be sure to ask about the "speakeasy" if he doesn't have your flavor in the case. Main Street Flavors is located at 40 E. Main Street in Luray (across from the pink movie theatre) and is open Thursday - Monday from 1pm - 10pm. Click here to follow them on Facebook. 

Our conversation today with Megan Gordon, Executive Director for Page Alliance for Community Action (PACA) and Ryan Cubbage, Asst. Superintendent of Luray Parks/Rec gave all the details for the Page Valley Sunflower Festival happening on Saturday, September 2, 2023. The pair talked about the various activities that will be available when the festival kicks off at 10am - there's a fun run that kicks off at 9:30am - until 4pm at Ralph Dean Park (625 Sixth Street) in Luray. Now in its fourth year, Megan gave us a bit of history and Ryan told us about the work that goes into growing and maintaining the sunflower field. The event will feature kid's activities, entertainment including music, a petting zoo, pony rides, hayrides to the sunflower fields, a butterfly garden, food from concessions, vendors, pumpkin painting, and more! Megan reminded listeners to get their medallion at the welcome tent that can be used for food and shopping deals at various Luray/Page County businesses.  Learn more on their website: https://www.pagevalleysunflowerfestival.com/  Page Alliance for Community Action (or PACA) is a non-profit coalition of agencies, parents, youth, and concerned citizens. Their main goal is to promote healthy life choices for the youth and families in Page County. They work to provide a healthy, drug-free environment for those in our community through volunteers and funding from federal, state, and foundation grants. PACA focuses their attention on preventing substance misuse among our youth and combating childhood obesity with physical activities and nutritional education. Find more information at www.pagecoalition.org

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce took me to South Court Inn in Luray to chat with innkeeper, Shannon Socolosky.  Shannon told us the story of how she & her husband Joe came to be innkeepers at the 1875 property which includes the manor house, a cottage, and beautiful outdoor gardens. She walked us through the process from making your reservation til you sit at the breakfast table, including what that breakfast consists of. We talked about her passion for the business and how they've made the house their home and hope that's the feeling others get when visiting. Learn more (and make your reservation) on their website: https://www.southcourtinn.com/ and by following them on Facebook and Instagram.

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce featured Anthony Craft, a financial advisor with Edward Jones. Anthony explained how a high school class led him to his career as a financial advisor. We talked about the different services he offers, and how his core values make him different from other advisors. He gave details for his ribbon cutting/open house happening on Wednesday, August 16. His office is located near Food Lion in Luray - 1456 US Hwy 211 West Suite B. You can reach him by phone: 540-742-7150. Learn more about Anthony on his website: https://www.edwardjones.com/anthony-craft   

Shownotes and Transcript We have reached peak insanity as it appears that agriculture and farming are under attack from the left because they see food production as a bad thing.   We are joined today by Dr Brooke Miller to discuss this and more.  Brooke is a doctor but is also a cattleman, he served as President of the US Cattlemen's Association until recently and knows the pressures on the industry.  Brooke explains what goes into looking after cattle which parts of the US are known worldwide for and talks about the impact that COVID had.  He discusses the regulatory and political pressures and how multinational's control the industry before sharing the benefits of a carnivore diet. D. Brooke Miller, MD graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Virginia Tech Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1982. He was a National Champion, beef cattle judging , and member of the Livestock Judging Team at Virginia Tech. He graduated the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1986. His Residency was in Family Medicine at the Medical College of Virginia. He is board certified in Family Medicine and has worked in Emergency Medicine in both Virginia and Montana. Dr. Brooke has practiced Family Medicine for nearly 25 years, currently employed by Valley Health System with offices in Luray and Washington, VA. Brooke is the 8th generation of his family to live in Washington, VA where he carries on the family's purebred Angus cattle operation, Ginger Hill Angus. Through his passion for cattle and farming, he became active in the United States Cattlemen's Association, formerly serving at the organization's president.  Together Brooke and his wife Ann have 4 children and 4 grandchildren. While his first love is his family, he is passionate about cattle and agriculture as well as health, wellness and preventive medicine. In his spare time, he is an avid cross fitter.  Connect with Brooke at... WEBSITE:    https://www.gingerhillangus.com/  TWITTER:    https://twitter.com/Brookemillermd?s=20 SUBSTACK: https://brookemillermd.substack.com/ Interview recorded 30.6.23 *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art https://theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com/ and follow him on GETTR https://gettr.com/user/BoschFawstin and Twitter https://twitter.com/TheBoschFawstin?s=20  To sign up for our weekly email, find our social media, podcasts, video, livestreaming platforms and more...  https://heartsofoak.org/connect/ Please subscribe, like and share! Transcript (Hearts of Oak) Hello, Hearts of Oak, and welcome to another interview coming up in a moment with Dr Brooke Miller.  I've got to know Brooke in my travels in the US. He is a doctor, obviously, but he's also a cattleman, and he's just stepped down as president of the US Cattlemen's Association. It's an industry that I know zero about, so I wanted him to come on to discuss the industry, the meat industry, the cattle industry in the US, the different pressures they face. We look at the COVID pressures, we look at the regulatory and political pressures, We look at the difficulty of actually individuals now getting involved in the industry and he as a doctor has one source of income, the difficulty if you rely on the cattle industry as your source of income. We also look at the multinational corporations and the pressures they apply on the industry and how they stranglehold at various points. And then we end up on the carnivore diet. He's a big proponent of the carnivore diet. We look at the health benefits of that.  Dr Brooke Miller, it's wonderful to have you with us. Thank you for your time today. (Dr Brooke Miller) Well, thank you, Peter. I appreciate you having me on.  Not at all, great to have you and people can find you @BrookeMillerMD on Twitter, also on Facebook, Substack, all the links are in the description. And we're going to discuss all things cattle. And I, being a Brit, don't know much, so I'm looking forward to learning. But, can I, I saw pictures of you, you were over in my neck of the woods, round the corner in the European Parliament. What on earth were you doing there?  Well, as you know, I know Robert Malone, Robert and Jill Malone, and they've become great friends. And they're always traversing the globe, trying to fight injustice and untruths. And we went over to Brussels to have the International COVID Summit number three in Brussels. We had a meeting of physicians and scientists and interested parties. It was a private meeting on one day. And then the next day, there was a part of our delegation, testified in the European Parliament regarding COVID and the COVID response. And then the following day was a media day, but it was fun and it was informative and we had a great time. So I really appreciate Robert and Jill in dragging Anne and I along, and it was a life experience. Let me start with you. Your background is a medical background, but you also will get onto the cattle side and you're, what, born and bred Virginia. Do you want to just introduce yourself before we get into the topic. Did you say just describe myself you said?  Yes, so just introduce yourself to the viewers and listeners.  Yeah, well I grew up, I'm born and raised in a small town in Washington called Washington, Virginia. It was the first Washington of them all. George Washington surveyed it as a 17-year-old young man. We're nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains about 70 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. It's a very rural area, sparsely populated. I grew up here, I'm eighth generation to live here in my family. My grandchildren will be the 10th generation. My wife, Anne and I own and operate a family medicine clinic here about a mile from the house, Miller Family Health and Wellness, where we provide, you know, primary care, preventive medicine, small surgical procedures, pretty much everything that most people need in a small rural community. I also grew up on a cattle farm, third-generation cattle farmer and rancher here in Washington, Virginia. We have a purebred Angus operation where we sell purebred Angus seed stock. We also market some beef directly to consumers in the form of freezer beef. Well, yes, I want to ask you a little bit about that commercial cattle industry. And I think the headwinds at the UFAS. Were president of the US Cattlemen's Association and as a Brit, I've no idea what that means. So I wonder, could you just explain to me what that is? The United States Cattlemen's Association is a grassroots organization where we represent, the production side of the cattle industry. You have the production side and then you have the packing and the retail side, and we represent the producers who basically have been taken advantage of by big, large, multinational corporations. So we're a nationwide organization of cattle producers here in the United States, and we basically try to lobby and shape, policy here in the United States that's beneficial to cattle ranchers, so cattle ranchers can stay in business and we can continue to feed our country and the world. Unfortunately for most of my lifetime, there's been sort of a war on cattle ranchers. The big multinational corporations, there are only four of them that control about 85% of our slaughter cattle market worldwide. And they basically have a monopoly and they exert their power and their influence in Washington, DC and worldwide. And there's no real free true market for cattle ranchers to make a good fair living. And consequently, we have lost thousands of cattle ranchers over the last several decades and eventually it's going to reach critical mass and it's gonna seriously harm our country.  What has it traditionally been like? Has it traditionally been small holdings of kind of small farms? What kind of has it been like up until I guess the advent of the large multinational companies? Yeah, I think we had a secretary of agriculture back during the, maybe it was the Reagan administration, I'm not sure, that said get big or get out. And that's really been harmful for cattle farmers and ranchers and small family farms. And small family farms are actually going by the wayside. And, you got to get bigger and bigger and bigger. And even the guys in the production side that are getting bigger and bigger and bigger are having a hard time because our production costs are going through the roof, especially with the inflation that we've seen in the last several years. And what the retailer or what the packers are paying us for our end product, really hasn't been worthwhile. Now, recently there's been, and with environmental disasters and the cattle market being so bad for so long, our nation's cow herd is smaller than any time since 1965. So our cattle prices recently in the past six months have come up dramatically, but those things are very cyclical. We'll probably enjoy a good cattle market for a couple of years and then it'll be back to famine, you know, just barely scraping by and not being able to put any money back into your production and your program and not really make a living. As you know, I'm a medical doctor and I loved cattle ranching my whole life and my dad and I had a special bond because he loved it too. And he saw the handwriting on the wall when I was a kid and he directed me away from just being a solo, only cattle ranching is my only means of income and raising family, and thank goodness that he did. And so I have to be a medical doctor in order to be able to, I'm not going to say to afford to ranch, but possibly to afford to ranch because I couldn't, you know, we make a little bit of money on the ranch, but not near as much money as we could if we did other things with that time, and it's really not economically feasible. And consequently, a bunch of young people in our country are not going into it. And we're losing cattle ranchers, you know, it's at epidemic proportions. And eventually, if we lose enough cattle ranchers, we're not going to be able to feed this nation and we will be dependent on foreign countries for our food sources and we know how that would turn out. I mean being dependent on anybody for something that's so critical as your food is a disastrous plan. It's curious when you say you need to be a doctor to actually afford to look after cattle. I mean, is it possible for someone to run a, I don't know what you call it, a cattle ranch? Is it possible for someone to run that and actually make money? Or are you saying it's probably getting to the point where that's not possible anymore? Well, I don't know what the statistics are, but they're getting worse and worse as far as the number of family farms and ranchers that require or depend on outside income from some family members. Back in the 50s and 60s, the wife didn't work on the ranch, I mean, she didn't work in town. Now a lot of those families are requiring outside income and it's becoming more and more. Some of my best friends get all of their income solely through ranching and you can see how they are struggling and they're finding other revenue streams to support themselves and their family in addition to what they can make on the cattle ranch. Tell me, when you talk about multinational companies, those large companies, what part of the kind of chain is that in? Is that the beginning? Is that the process? Is that packing? Is that the supermarket?  That's the packing and processing industry. There's basically a bottleneck. What you have is you have seed stock producers like me who produce the seed stock to go out to the commercial cattle ranchers to provide the genetics for their herds. The commercial cattle ranches are usually a little bit bigger. They have more cattle, but I sell them bulls to breed their cows to hopefully produce superior livestock, to more efficiently produce good healthy tasting beef. Those people then sell to some middlemen usually, sometimes they take it all the way through to the fattening, but essentially those, most people that are in the commercial cattle business raise their calves till they're about seven or eight months of age, maybe a little bit longer, and then they sell them. From there, they'll usually go on to grass to people that purchase cattle to grow them out and put more of a frame on them so they can put feed on, I mean weight on them in a very economic fashion when they go to the feedlot, once they're eight, nine hundred pounds, they go to the into the feedlots where they're fed for the most part a very high concentrate ration. And when those animals are what we call finished, where they're adequately fattened at an adequate size and weight, then they're sold to the packers and there are basically four multinational packing companies, two of them owned in Brazil, one of them I think is heavily invested in China and one of them is American. And they basically there's, they have contracts and they contract with these big corporate feeders. They don't let, there's no sort of free market. These contracts, are secret and the independent cattle feeders are, they try to squeeze them out. Right now, depending on what part of the country you are, in this country there's feeding areas like in the south in Texas and Kansas, less than 10% of the fed cattle are sold on an open market, so you really don't know what the true value of those animals is. And in other areas like Iowa and Nebraska, there are a few more independent farmer feeders, and it's probably 25 or 30% at most but there are weeks where those these farmers and ranchers can't even get bids on their cattle and it's just a purely a monopolistic practice and our government, our Department of Justice, and our Congress, and The Agricultural Department has allowed this to happen through mergers and acquisitions and through their regulations. The regulations are just so much more beneficial to these big multinational packers because these big multinational packers have a lot of money and they have more money to put into lobbying and influence. And it's really a sad situation for both the American consumer and the American farmer and rancher. And as our cattle market goes, so goes the Canadian cattle market, the Australian cattle market. We pretty much set the cattle market here. So it hurts basically all other countries as well. And those farmers and ranchers in those other countries, because, you know, they look at what we're getting. And to be quite honest, the packers try to use those foreign cattle in our country to control the market, and try to get them at a cheaper price. And unfortunately, our labelling laws allow it to happen where they can deceive the consumers. They can label foreign product as product of the USA. And we don't really have any labelling laws that are truthful right now, as far as, you know, grass fed is not even truthful. Product of the USA is not even truthful. They're just ways that people can get around and they change definitions. And the average consumer doesn't know where their food is coming from. And that's becoming more and more important because everybody is really concerned about their food supply and the safety and the health benefits of their food supply, and what those animals have been treated with, what they've been fed. And this country has the highest safety standards in the world. And they're not allowing the American cattle ranchers to compete on a global scale if we can't identify our product. And if we're able to identify our product, it's gonna help the cattle market in general and help farmers and ranchers all over the country, all over the world, I mean. You talked about the pressures from governments. and you look at the Democrat Party, they seem to support anything but homegrown products. We have the same issue in the UK, where it's a destruction of industry and products in the UK. Tell us about the political pressures that there are on the industry and why is there not more political support? Because there are not many farmers and ranchers in this world, and they don't, they're not a lot of votes. There's not a lot of money behind it, and there's not a lot of votes. And that's why it doesn't get support from either party in our country across the board. We had a bill in Congress last year that would have created a mandatory minimum number of, percentage of cattle that each packer had to procure there on the open market each week. In other words, a mandatory minimum. Our open market has been dwindling year after year after year. And we were trying to put a stop on that and require these packers who are exerting their monopolistic powers to require to, you know, bid on cattle on the open market. And these cattle that are on the open market are superior in their quality. And we couldn't even get, we had, I think there were 27 sponsors in the Senate, bipartisan, and we couldn't get the head of the Senate to even bring it to a vote. And, it's not one party or the other, they're both equally responsible for this. I mean, there are some people in the Republican Party in powerful positions that are beholden to the big corporations, Tyson Foods and Walmart, because they're big factories in their states. And they're very powerful and they exert all the influence that they can. And in order to get this turned around, we have to create a partnership with the American consumer and basically the worldwide consumer, and they have to become more aware of what's going on. They have to realize that there's a lot of deceit in the labelling process in food, not only in this country, but worldwide. And more and more people, this this past spring there was the big hot button issue was mRNA vaccines in livestock. And consumers are really paying attention to that. And they want to make sure that they're they know what they're eating. And the United States Cattlemen's Association is all about truthful labelling. And we know we are in partnership with consumers and we want to produce the safest, best product, available. But in order to do that, we have to be able to differentiate it. And we can't do it so far. Yeah, we are having the same conversation about mRNA in the cattle industry here in the UK. Can I ask you about the last three years COVID, I think I read something on the US California Association discussing the impact of COVID and the damage to the industry. What kind of have the last three years been like? Well, when COVID-19 hit, it seemed like the World Health Organization and the American, I guess, agencies, the CDC, NIH, it seemed like they were trying to scare people, and people were really scared about this disease. And as we know, it's turned out a lot of what they put out was not true. But there was, the concentration at our industry, we have four packing companies and they have very large packing plants where they slaughter, a couple, you know, tens of thousands of animals each day. And if one of those packing plants, isn't operational, then it creates a food shortage in the grocery store where we don't  have a food shortage on the supply end. We have a bottleneck in the packing plants. And it just so happened that some of the workers got sick, and they closed down these packing plants. And so then those corporations use that basically to their advantage. They made money and the poor farmer and rancher were getting nothing for their animals because they were told that they didn't have the capacity to kill these finished market animals. And they told the retailers they didn't have any beef, and then you saw beef skyrocket in the grocery store, and there were some shortages on the shelves. And they were making upwards of $1,000 an animal, and they slaughter hundreds of thousands of animals each week. And they were making upwards of $1,000, we hear, as high as $2,000 per animal. And it was just basically price gouging on two ends. It was price gouging on the production side and price gouging the consumer. And that just showed how fragile our system was when you put all your eggs in a couple of baskets, and a couple of those baskets go bad. And our food supply chain was not very resilient. So there has been a move on in this country, and I think worldwide, to develop a more regionalized, food system and spread the risk out amongst many many smaller regional packing plants and unfortunately it had gotten so that these large mega corporations with economy of scale and all the rules and regulations these packers have, these packing plants independent packing plants have to go under that it just wasn't it's just not feasible and it's a direct result of all of our policies in this country. There's something else specifically I want to ask you, and that is, I guess, the push to net zero, and we're seeing across Europe, certainly in the Netherlands, a push to restrict farming because farming is bad and meat is certainly very bad. Many farms in the Netherlands have been forced to close, and as somebody who works in the food industry. I mean, are you having some of the same pressures in the US against farming, against the whole carbon issue and being told that farming and meat are bad? Well, you know, we hear it. We hear a lot of people beating the drums that meat is harmful, not only for your health, but harmful for the environment. And some people that are beating that drum actually believe it, but the main players, I think, in the reality, you have to look and see where their money is invested and how they're going to make their wealth. And I think, again, it's a fear tactic. I'm 62 years of age, and I remember back in high school hearing that we were going to have an ice age and then followed that it was going to be Los Angeles was going to be be underwater in 10 years. And it started out as global cooling, and then it was global warming. And since our globe hasn't warmed appreciably in the last 50 years, now it's just climate change. And the climate, as you know, is always changing. But it always has changed, and it always will change. Anybody that thinks carbon dioxide is an environmental pollutant is, I think, just nuts. Carbon dioxide is part of our environment. That's what plants use to produce oxygen and photosynthesis. So it's a necessary part of our atmosphere, and it's a very small part of our atmosphere. So I think it's nuts. I think it's the push is mainly through, you know, wealth and power to for people to gain more wealth and power. You look at Bill Gates as a big climate alarmist. And if he if he thought that we actually were going to melt all the polar ice caps and the sea level is going to rise, why would he have so many houses on the coast near sea level? If he really believed in that, why would he own three private jets and 30 mega mansions? You know, he's been one of the one of the main pushers of beef being bad for the environment. Well, he's heavily invested in cell cultured protein and fake meat and is buying up a lot of farmland around around the country. So, you know, you have to look at the guys that are pushing this. Where do they stand to benefit? And unfortunately, that's that's where it's coming from. And I hope and pray that the world wakes up and sees this for exactly what it is, because it's nothing more than that. My cattle are not ruining the environment. All you have to do is go out and look. We live in one of the most ecologically stable parts of the world. And these people that are saying cattle are so bad, they live in their mega mansions, and they have their drivers, and they have their private jets, and they're going all over the world beating the drum. And I think it's just hogwash. 100% and hypocrisy is in full swing. My big concern is with governments pushing it. Before you've had pressure groups or organisations, it seems as though certainly the government in the Netherlands, in Holland are 100% behind this and I've heard reports of 4,000 farms being forcibly taken over by the government and just left to fallow. That seems to be spreading certainly across Europe. And part of it is the whole climate change alarmism, but part of it seems to be just destroying industries in the countries and I guess making us more reliant, but possibly that hasn't yet swept or hit over there in the US, even though your politics is just as crazy as ours in Europe. Yeah. Yeah. I look at that in the Netherlands and I'm thinking, what are they trying to do? They're trying to destroy their ability to produce food. For what reason? I mean humanity has to has to eat. And there are certain things that humanity needs, in order to exist. And I think it's more of a power. It's more of a power grab. We can control these people if we can control their food, we can control their monetary supply, we can control their ability to move and travel. It's just something to, it's tyranny is what it is, and they want to whip the population into being a subservient, non-free people. And I don't think it's going to, you know, change is very slow, but I don't think it's going to be something that they will be able to sustain. I mean, I guess, how are they going to feed their nation? Are they going to make all their food in a laboratory? I don't think so. Are they going to be dependent upon foreign countries for their food? That doesn't seem like a very good plan to me. So I really don't get it, but I think it's a power grab. Yeah, I would propose that anyone like that they can eat grass and the rest of us can enjoy meat and we'll see how that works,  Absolutely. Well, you know we've heard, I've heard since, I went to medical school, graduated from medical school in 1986 and all through medical school we heard about the cholesterol theory of heart disease and beef and fat is bad for you and it was all based on some from faulty scientific cherry-picked epidemiologic studies. And what we've seen happen more in this country, but when we were in Europe, we saw a lot of the result of it in Europe too. Like 10 years ago, it wasn't as prevalent, but big food, the big food corporations are pretty evil, and they will put out anything they can make a profit and try to make people think it's healthy. And since we've been traveling down this path our country, and I think many countries have become much unhealthier. We have so much more chronic disease, so much more obesity, so much more cancer, so much more diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorders. And it's a direct result of what people are eating, just processed crap. And they've got people, they label food like it's low fat. This is low fat. Well, I submit our body needs fat. Our brain needs fat in order to survive and thrive. And they're making people very, very unhealthy and they're addicting people to certain foods all along the way. Well, that's something I've certainly been looking into in the last few months, the whole issue of processed foods and ultra processed. And the unknown effect on many of us. And I know you're a big proponent of the carnivore diet. And I'm wondering, is that just PR, publicity, or are you yourself finding that healthy? Tell us about that. I truly 110% believe in a low carbohydrate, high protein, high fat diet with time limited food intake and intermittent fasting. Carnivore diet is just the, it's that, just to an extreme. And I'm not saying everybody needs to be a carnivore, but with so much chronic disease that we have here and that I see on a daily basis, most of my patients are tremendously overweight. Many of them have diabetes or pre-diabetes, they're completely inflamed. A lot of them have autoimmune disorders, a lot of them have anxiety and depression. And their food is deficient in essential nutrients and fat. And the carnivore diet is the best way to counteract what we're seeing causing chronic disease in this country, and I think worldwide. It's really simple. You don't have to really think, all you have to do is, is your thought process is, is it did this grow from the soil? Or is this an animal or a living being product? And if it's an animal or living being product, and it's not been tainted, or, you know, unhealthy chemicals or additives added to it, it's carnivore. And I have seen a tremendous improvement. I have so many type two diabetics. And the ones that really will stick to a carnivore diet, they can get off all medications and they become so much healthier and their life becomes so much better. It's amazing, we can cure autoimmune disorders with this, cure diabetes, hypertension, depression, anxiety. The list just goes on and on and on and of what I have seen in my clinical practice, when I heard about the carnivore diet initially, my son's in medical school, and he was following a guy named Sean Baker, and Sean was a big proponent or still is a big proponent of the carnivore diet. And my son mentioned it to me and I go, that's hogwash. But then I actually got to know Sean and I started, have created a great friendship with him. And he was stating a lot of really good scientific studies and there was a lot of science and proof behind it. And so then I started following it for myself because at one point in time, I was probably 10, 15 pounds overweight and I was on blood pressure medicine. I didn't feel good. I started feeling old. I was feeling stiff and sore and not looking forward to aging. And I, myself, my wife and I started on a carnivore diet after meeting with Sean one fall. We started on in January, that following January. And I leaned out tremendously. My blood pressure plummeted into the normal range and actually got really low on antihypertensive medicine. So I stopped my blood pressure medicine and my indicators of chronic inflammation improved dramatically. Triglycerides and HDL cholesterol have never been so good as they are on a carnivore diet and improve my sleep. And the other thing, as you may or may not know, I'm a CrossFit athlete, and I used to do it competitively. But when I'm on a regular, what we call a standard American diet, I just eat pretty much what everybody else eats. My body hurts, and my hands hurt, and I get arthritic symptoms in my hands. And I really struggle just basically throwing around and carrying the weight when that happens. And, you know, when I go on a strict carnivore diet, all those symptoms go away and I don't even think about it. So I couldn't believe any more in the carnivore diet than what I do, what I already do, just from what I've seen personally and in my practice. And then the stories, the more and more stories of people that we know that have changed their lives with the carnivore diet, it's completely counterintuitive to what we've been hearing for the last 30 years, but what we've been hearing for the last 30 years hasn't worked, obviously. Exactly. It's intriguing that you bring that medical understanding that it's not just this tastes good, but you see the effects of unhealthy eating in patients. And then that's made you question, but I'm assuming that there is no push towards healthy eating as such, because there is always a drug to correct. And I know we sometimes look at the U.S. and think, well, you guys have got a drug for everything. But I guess that's the way that the industry stops any push towards healthy eating. Well, it's almost like the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry are in cahoots with one another because the food industry is one of the many things that's making our population in the world become unhealthy and need medications. And then the pharmaceutical industry, unfortunately, they have exerted so much influence in our agencies and in the media and on celebrities, and they pay these people to push the narrative. If the pharmaceutical industry doesn't come up with it, it can't work. You know, cheap repurposed medications or natural remedies are felt to be bad alternative types of medicine, not backed by sound science. And we know, I mean, that's one of the things that the COVID pandemic opened up my eyes to is all the things that are out there that we can do for our patients and encourage our patients to do that will get them off medications. They don't need medicine for everything. And it's really sad. I tell my patients when I meet with them, I spend a lot of time when I meet with them for the first time trying to explain the science and the rationale behind what I'm recommending them to do, and one of which is a carnivore diet with time-limited food intake and sunlight and vitamin D is I'm trying to get myself out of a job. I mean, if I get them healthy, they won't need to come see me and they won't need medication. And they appreciate that. I mean, a lot of them come to see me and they say they heard that I was a straight shooter and would tell them what they needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear, and not push of medicine on them and not push this therapy on them if we could do it more natural ways. Just to finish off, could I ask you what advice you would give me? You understand the cattle industry for generations. I kind of feel that you would be probably encouraging someone who's wanting to get into that and maybe steer them elsewhere, but what changes do you think would need to be made to actually make it a better industry for people to actually get involved and take it as a career. Well, on the national level, they need to break up the monopolies. I don't think there's going to be the political will to do that right now, but maybe if the people get behind it, that would solve a lot of problems. That would give us a true free market where you could make a fair living raising food in a healthy manner. In the short term, and the United States Cattlemen's Association will push to fight against rules and regulations and improve the laws and everything as far as that for our industry. But in the short term, and actually maybe in the long term, we need a more regionalization of our food supply chain and we need to make consumers and farmers and ranchers partners. And I encourage young people that are getting into the livestock industry, they want to raise cattle and raise food, to develop a direct to consumer marketing approach, whether be online or just through local. I mean, we have a limited number. We probably sell 30, 35, maybe 40 animals a year direct to consumers. And it's really easy. You don't have to advertise at all. They just, you know, they hear about it, they taste it, they taste how much better the product is when it comes directly from the farmer and rancher and they're not getting the leftovers. They're not getting the 10 year old cow that's been at the end of her lifespan or the 10-year-old bull is after the end of her lifespan, and they're getting a better product and they really love it, and they also develop a friendship with you, and you basically try to educate them and let them know the practice that you are performing in order to raise these animals in a healthy and wholesome and environmentally sound method. I'm definitely an environmentalist, I don't want to destroy our environment, especially right where I live or anywhere really. So we're very environmentally conscious on what we put on the land and our practices, but we're also very conscious on how we we care for and and treat our livestock and people appreciate it. They come out and they see the animals and they see what you do and it just makes them want to buy their their food directly from the source. When you buy food in a grocery store, you really don't know what's happened to that food before it gets to the grocery store, how it's been treated, both plant food and livestock. So buying food directly from a farmer and rancher, I think would be the most superior way. And it also bypasses all these multinational corporations and the consumer can get it for a better price and the farmer is getting a better price for his product too. So direct to market consumption model is what I'm recommending and trying to encourage young people to do when they get into the farming ranching business. Okay, Brooke, I appreciate your time. Thank you so much for coming along and explaining your industry. Well, thank you for having me, Peter. It's always good to see you and talk to you and I hope to see you when you're in the States.

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce featured Ryan Cubbage, Assistant Superintendent of Luray Parks & Recreation. We recorded our conversation on the front porch at Main Street Catering & Bakery - last month's guest. Ryan gave us all the details for Downtown GetDown happening on July 4, 2023, beginning at 1pm. The event will feature live music at Ruffner Plaza & Mechanic Street lot, food trucks, lawn games & inflatables, the PACA Duck Race, LDI's Star Spangled Cruise-In at the Main Street Bridge, and fireworks at the fairgrounds to end the evening.  He also told us about Concerts on Main and Movies on Main. Get a full list of events on their website: https://www.townofluray.com/news-and-public-notices/2023-luray-events 

Our conversation today for Tourism Tuesday - Luray Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce featured Chef Chuck Arnaud from Main Street Bakery. He told us about his baking inspiration, when and why he decided to make a career change, and we talked about all the deliciousness that you can find at Main Street Bakery. He explained his philosophy not just in the kitchen, but in how he does business and the value of locally sourcing what he can and serving his community. We talked about his passion for catering and making each event as unique and special as the hosts. Learn more about Main Street Bakery on his website: https://mainstreetbakery-catering.com/ and by following him on Facebook. Edison gave us details about an upcoming Women in Business event happening on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.  

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce also included Clancey Arnold, Membership Development & Investment Administrator to talk about all the benefits that come with chamber membership. We talked about networking opportunities, marketing opportunities, as well as educational opportunities. Clancey walked us through the process of becoming a member and gave a few reasons that make it a good fit for any size business. Edison gave several marketing options that members should take advantage of including inserts in the monthly mailed newsletter and social media features. Clancey also gave us a quick rundown of some upcoming events that are happening in the next few weeks. Daisy's Country Cravings and Deli Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Wednesday, April 19th at 10am - 882 East Main Street, Luray If you plan on attending, please RSVP to (540) 743-3915 or events@luraypage.com by Monday, April 17th.   Business After Hours - Blue Shepherd Spirits   Thursday, April 20th 5:30pm – 7pm - 622 West Main Street, Luray All members who attend are entered into the drawing for great door prizes. You'll also be able to enjoy tasty refreshments and craft cocktails with their vodka, gin, or rum. This event is designed for Chamber members to meet and build relationships with other local business members. It is time to get together and enjoy each other's company. Bring business cards for networking and to be entered in door prize raffles. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to events@luraypage.com or (540) 743-3915 by Tuesday, April 18th. Page County Chamber Volunteer Day Friday, April 21st 10am – 4pm Give back to the community and connect with local nonprofit organizations as part of Page County Chamber Volunteer Day. This pairs members of the business community with rewarding half-day service projects throughout Page County. This is a great opportunity for nonprofits to develop relationships with Page County businesses and for businesses to have an afternoon of team building while giving back to the community. Women in Business - Paint & Sip Wednesday, April 26th 5:30pm – 7pm - 55 East Main Street, Luray (The Valley Cork) The Wine & Paint class will be led by local artist Marlise Lee, who will walk participants through the steps of creating their own piece of art. Each participant will leave with their own unique 11x14 acrylic painting and will be fun for all experience levels. All supplies are included, and refreshments are provided by The Valley Cork. The price for this class will be $50 for Chamber members and $55 for potential members. If you are interested in attending, RSVP to events@luraypage.com or (540) 743-3915 by Monday, April 24th

Ever wanted to know what it takes to create a TV pilot? In this special episode, Anne is joined by Scott & Miranda Parkin to discuss Comet Casino. Comet Casino is a story centered around found family. It talks about those relationships & friendships that grow so near and dear that they feel like family. Scott & Miranda voice two of the characters, but were heavily involved in the creation of the show. From planning out the story to animating, Miranda was in charge and excited about this mid-century modern tale. After two year, the pilot episode is ready & shipped out to all the right people. So what's next for the duo? There may be more planning, creating, and meeting taking in their future…but you have to listen up to hear the whole story.    Transcript   It's time to take your business to the next level, the BOSS level! These are the premiere Business Owner Strategies and Successes being utilized by the industry's top talent today. Rock your business like a BOSS, a VO BOSS! Now let's welcome your host, Anne Ganguzza.   Anne: Hey everyone, welcome to the VO BOSS podcast. I'm your host, Anne Ganguzza, and today I am so excited and pumped to have the Comet Casino team here with us, special guests Scott and Miranda Parkin. You guys, welcome to the show. Thank you so much. Yay!   Scott: Thank you so much for having me. You were an early supporter of this. (inaudible) merch on your show, you donated money, and now we're in the pitch phase. So we really owe a great debt of gratitude to the VO BOSS.   Miranda: Yeah, seriously.    Anne: Well, thank you. Thank you. I mean, it's not hard to support and love what you guys are doing. So for those BOSSes out there who may not be familiar with the famous Comet Casino team, I thought we would start with a little bit of an introduction of each of you so that the BOSSes can get to know you a little bit better. So let's start with Scott,‘cause he's older. (laughs) So Scott, I mean actor, amazing improv instructor, voice actor, I mean everything. Tell us how you got started in the industry and where it's going (laughs) and your life.    Miranda: And your social security number.    Anne: Yes.    Scott: No, that's horrible. That's horrible advice.  I'm from Sacramento, California, and I started in radio when I was in college. I interned at KCAP, the home of rock. When I was around 20, 18, 19 in that sort of range, I was able to weasel my way onto the air with a guy named Kevin Anderson. He got fired, but he made a tape of the time we were together, sent it to Tulsa, Oklahoma. They had us come out for an audition. They asked me if I'd ever been to Oklahoma. And at the time I said, uh, the furthest east I've been is the Nevada side of Heavenly Valley, dude. And that is literally how we all spoke in Northern California. You were more like this, like, are you gonna put change on your car before you go to Tahoe?    Went out there to Oklahoma and did that. And then I got fired again. Came back to Sacramento, got a gig in Dallas, was there for 11 years, got married, got — moved to Los Angeles in, I wanna say ‘98. Had a kid in 2000, got divorced in 2003, done voiceover and writing for television and acting, and I always say you gotta hit it from every angle possible, so I'll do most of the stuff that they'll pay creative wise. So Miranda's been raised on TV sets and in voiceover lobbies and all that. And she started in the business when she was about five.    Miranda: Pretty crazy.    Anne: So, yeah. So Miranda, let's talk about that because you did grow up in the business. Yeah. I'm so excited again to actually see you and talk with you. And so tell us how you kind of got started, and was this something that, because you were around it for all the time when you were small, is it something that you loved right away, or did you kind of grow into it?    Miranda: Well, I mean, I feel like I loved it first because I was like, oh, I just really love reading. Like I love reading out loud. Like that very much fun.    Scott: Nerd!   Miranda: Shut up.    Anne: That was me too. That was me too.    Scott: Yeah.    Miranda: I liked reading out loud. So when they were like, “hey, do you wanna read this thing out loud,” a little five year old? And I was like, yeah, of course I wanna read that thing out loud. So I did. And then I was like, oh, oh, they like it when I do that. That's cool. I like that. You know, I was five, so I didn't really know, but it just made me feel happy, you know? Like I've always loved reading out loud. And then I got paid to talk about SeaWorld, and I'm like, I love animals and I love talking about whales, like of course I, I'm gonna do that.    Anne: Was this when you were five or a little bit later on?    Miranda: A little bit later on because I started when I was five, and then it was kind of went until eight or nine I think. I think nine was when I, I got the --    Scott: When the hammer got dropped.    Miranda: Yeah. Yeah. I got the job of, uh, Lucy in a direct to DVD Peanuts movie. And my mom was like, no, you can't do that. So I was like, oh, alright. I really like reading out loud. I really like the Peanuts.    Scott: But her dad was a voiceover actor, and anything that had something to do with me was --   Anne: Ah.   Scott: Yeah.   Anne: Okay. So there's the six degrees here I think because you said Lucy, right? You read for the —    Miranda: Right.   Anne: Okay. So my maiden name is Lucy. Okay?   Scott: Excellent. Is that true?    Anne: Yes, it's very true. It's very, because people called me Miss Lucy when I was a teacher, and then they would sing, Miss Lucy had a steamboat. The steamboat had a bell. Exactly.    Scott: I forgot you were a teacher. My mom was a teacher for 35 years. I have I have so many teachers throughout our family.    Anne: Well, so that's number one. And number two is that when I was young, when I was about six, when I was in kindergarten, I love to read out loud as well. And here's where my claim to fame, my creative claim to fame is that I wrote books. I wrote books about Nibbles the Rabbit. And as a kindergartner, I read them to the first graders. So that's my claim to fame. I mean, I --   Miranda: Kind of a power move.    Anne: I mean, so Miranda, if I could only be half as good of, and I illustrated and wrote, and you know what I mean? Which is, that's incredible.    Miranda: That's, that's amazing.    Anne: You do everything. And so I just feel like the apple doesn't far fall from the tree there, I think; the writer, artist, voice actor, actor.   Scott: I can't draw a stick figure without uh, without help. So.   Miranda: That's true. He can draw a palm tree and a lightning bolt.    Anne: There you go. Very good.    Scott: And I can draw an oak tree too though.    Miranda: And an oak tree. Oak tree. Sorry, forgot about that. One of the three.    Scott: Yeah.   Anne: I got good at drawing a rabbit as a kindergarten. But other than that --    Miranda: Nibbles the rabbit.    Anne: — that's kind of where it stopped. Although I always was in awe of people who could draw. And so I want to actually talk about Comet Casino because that's really why I wanted to bring you here so that we can talk about the whole process. Because BOSSes out there, if you're listening, the whole concept of Comet Casino is BOSS from start to as it evolves. Because you have encompassed all areas of the creative arts, all areas of funding, of marketing, of starting something and seeing it grow and seeing it evolve. So I love the evolution of Comet Casino. So before we do that, let me show the BOSSes a little preview of what we have here. So let's do this first.    Scott: Can we set it up real quick?    Anne: Yeah. Let, we're gonna set it up right now.    Scott: This is not a trailer. There's no voiceover or anything like that. This is the first 90 seconds of the pilot, and the shuttle attendant is the lovely great Delisle Griffin. And we love it. And so you get an idea of where our story takes place, who are the principals, and what's going on in the first 90 seconds. The whole thing, the whole pilot presentation is just over 10 minutes. There you go.    Miranda: Yeah, there we go.    Anne: All right. We're gonna give you guys the first 90 seconds. All right. Here we go.    >> Attention passengers. We will be landing shortly on Luparif Omari, please return to your seats. If you've morphed during the flight, please regenerate and buckle up. Okay? And remember, as long as you look like you're gambling, they gotta keep bringing you drinks. Good luck.    >> Luparif Omari. Everybody knows it as the loop. Number one adult playground in the galaxy and the armpit of the fucking universe. Everyone is thrilled when they get here and broken, disillusioned when they leave. That's just after a weekend. I spent the first 18 years of my life here. On the loop, after high school, you pretty much have three choices: bartending school, dealer school or alcoholic gambler. I wanted something more. So I went to law school on the nearest planet. After graduation I took a really good job as a defense attorney. It's difficult and none of it comes easy, but okay, it's somewhere else, and that's all that matters.    So what am I doing back here? My dad, owner of the formerly luxurious Comet Casino passed away. How? Uh, he just stopped breathing while a guy was choking him to death, which on the loop is considered natural causes. The loop is 100 miles of casinos, clubs, and general debauchery crammed into a thin band of oxygen. Everything else is toxic. My dad used to drop off associates in the desert when it was time for them to die of natural causes.    >> Hurry. Hurry, everyone.    Anne: Haha, awesome. I love it. And can I tell you that honestly, when I first heard it, I love the beginning, right, with the introduction. But Miranda, when you start telling the story, I teach like storytelling to students for years. And you have such a beautiful, wonderful presentation of storytelling in that, like it is so damn impressive.    Miranda: Hey, I used to love reading stories out loud. Now I do it all the time.    Anne: If Scott knows me, I don't say that lightly. I love, love the performance.    Scott: That's not — this whole thing, this has been two years in the making, and we directed all these legends who are friends of ours and have always supported Miranda. And if Miranda wasn't able to hold their own with these legends, it doesn't work. All of what we've done, it just doesn't work. So.   Miranda: That was one thing that I got scared about. Like I know literally like after we like got all these people to do it, and they were like, all right, now it's time to record your part. And I'm like, oh, I have to actually, I have to go up against these — oh my God. Not, not go up against, but like work with, like be in the same cartoon as, and I'm like, oh my God, that's like a dream come true regardless of where this thing goes.    Scott: Yes. And frightening as hell. And same for me. ‘Cause Miranda actually does video games and animation. I don't do so much of either of those. So after asking these people and then having to, you know, what was really cool was that we recorded our parts at SoundBox LA with Tim Friedlander. So first Miranda and Tim directed me, and then we switched, and Tim and I directed Miranda. So that was really, it was really cool. And he's been so supportive and known Miranda for a very long time. So it was, it was just really cool to do our parts at Tim's with Tim directing.    Miranda: Yeah. ‘Cause he's such a good friend and such a great dude. And he supported it all the way through. It just seemed like a natural fit.    Anne: So let's talk about, how did it all start?    Miranda: Ooh, ooh, ooh. I've got this one.    Anne: Okay.    Scott: Keep it tight and bright.    Miranda: So essentially it started as an FBI agent gets teleported into space and works off her debt at a space casino. So that was like our initial idea. And I wanted to do something    Scott: That was all Miranda's --   Miranda: Yeah. And then I was like, okay, well the FBI thing is kind of silly, stupid. Let's just go with a mother-daughter story about a girl that actually lives in the casino and went to the casino and like lived at the casino, and her mom was the boss and she had to come back. And then we were just like, okay, let's cut the mom. Because I don't know how to tell a mother daughter story. I know how to tell a father-daughter story. So let's make a father-daughter story about a dysfunctional --   Scott: Well Miranda, you have to be honest, Ed Jager, our head writer and 23 year veteran television writer came in and said, I'm killing the mom. There's no story there. It's a father-daughter story. It's all about the daughter. Going away. Wanting to get the hell outta home, and then having to come back and then finding out that, ah, you know what? I hate this place, but I work here. It works. I have a connection here, and I'm really good at all the jobs I'm doing. It's the Joan Didian. You can't go home but you, maybe you can kind of thing.  Does that make sense?    Miranda: See the thing is like at the beginning of it, it morphed and switched. But I always wanted to make it a space casino. Always, always, always.    Anne: But then, let me backtrack here. So you're telling me the beginnings of the story, but what's the beginnings of the idea, Miranda? Was it something that you said, I wanna create? So not many people in this industry, and I know BOSSes out there, this is the whole enchilada, this is the writing, the artistry, the production, the casting. So did you just one day say, I wanna make a show like (laughs)?    Scott: We pitch ideas back and forth and have written a bunch of stuff, but Miranda always said that whenever they go animated shows, they have an episode at a casino. But I forget how you said it, M, I'm sorry.    Miranda: So like in a lot of sci-fi media, there's always like a one-off episode with a casino. Like in Cowboy Bebop, there's a one-off episode with a space casino. In Star Wars, they go to a space casino in one of the newest Star Wars movies. In like Rick and Morty, they go to a Dave and Busters type thing called Blips and Shits. And I'm just like, why don't you stay there? There's so much potential. You have beings from all over the galaxy. You know, you have people that go to Vegas for conventions. You've got people that go to Vegas in sororities. You have gangsters and mobsters and bachelor parties    Anne: I love it.   Scott: Corporate convention. Always bringing different people. And if you put it out in space, 200 years in the future, the hell knows what --   Anne: Right. So many stories. I mean, I think so many stories can evolve from that. So yeah, there's longevity there. Yeah.    Scott: The other thing we really liked was the found family because Miranda's been, was at my house from age 16 on solo and moved out two years ago. So big on found family. At my house growing up there was always an extra person. Somebody that just got divorced or some teenager had been kicked out of their house. So we're big on found family. A found family is such a lovely story. You can take in so many different directions, and in Miranda's situation, it's right here, found family.   Miranda: But also it's relatable to everyone. Whether you have a good relationship with your parents or not, you always have friends. You know, friends are the family that you choose. I know it's cheesy, but everyone can relate to it. Everyone has a friend that you feel like you're a sibling.    Anne: So then you had this idea that you wanted to do this. The two of you were bouncing ideas and then you said, yes, this sounds amazing. Let's get a writer. Like what happened after that? Just get a writer involved.    Scott: Like I said, we've had multiple ideas, and I think they're very solid ideas, but Miranda is a voracious performer and artist. They like to keep going and going and going. So if we didn't get something with legs on it early, it got set aside and fan art and something else, or voiceover or her life just got in. But this was much more substantial. And it has something that Miranda really likes is retro futurism and 50's --    Miranda: Like mid-century modern atomic age type stuff, Jetsons style.    Anne: Yeah, absolutely.    Scott: They really enjoyed drawing. So it was very inspirational. And then I showed it to my buddy Ed. We had made a little video presentation and it's 1000 degrees different than that, than the thing that we first made. But he goes, this is great. We showed it to Swampy Marsh, the creator of Phineas and Ferb, who's sort of Miranda's mentor and my good friend. And then we all got together with a couple of the writers from Gary Unmarried, that show my buddy Ed wrote about my life that was on CBS, and other writers that I'd worked with on their pilots. And we all got a room and sort of hammered out a thing.    And then the found family thing, or how each of the casino employees used to work at the casino as a crooner or a fighter or something like that. And now the old man me has hired him to work on the, on the thing because they're no longer viable as performers. So we had that, and then Ed just took it off and built this great daughter goes away and comes back to save the found family sort of thing.    Miranda: And it was so well done and well-written. And we pitched on jokes, and I would be like, oh, this character probably wouldn't say that, or this and that. But most of it was Ed really. He just brought this huge heart to it.    Scott: Ed started on Roseanne and worked on Darma and Greg and so many great shows. And I was a joke guy, so you know, we were able to make the jokes crackle, and then you just crank it, crank it down, crank it down until it's tight. And then we hired Swampy Marsh and Bernie Patterson at Surfer Jack to do the staging animatics. So each time they go through, it's single line, really rudimentary, but it gives you a good idea of where everyone's going and what it will look like. I think they did four passes there. They hired Miranda to work on small projects. So Miranda got to work on her own pilot there.    And then I think after we had our thank you party last summer at Tim's, Miranda said, I want it all to be -- I have so many ideas. I want more characters, I want some different backgrounds. This would be funnier if a chop from above. And so Miranda said, I wanna do all of this. So she redid everything. And so every frame you see in the thing is her character's shirt background, a couple backgrounds. We hired her roommate Lauren to do, really wonderful stuff. But almost all of it is Miranda's vision. So there you go. And then laid in all the sound. Tim West at Rebel Alliances donated hours and hours and hours of time. So the sound design is really good. Adam Gutman, Miranda, you can talk about.    Miranda: Yeah. He's like a, he's a Disney composer. He does like all the music for these Star Wars land rides, and Amphibia, and he's worked on Greatest Showman and all these things. And I did a lot of work with him during the lockdown, and he had this like musical project, and I was able to do some animatics for him. And then after that, you know, we kept in contact and then he was like, if you don't let me do the music for Comet Casino, I will be very sad if you don't let me just do it. You know. And I was like --   Scott: Of course, of course.   Miranda: He had all these like great kind of almost hotel lobby tracks from like a Star Wars thing that he worked on. And he's just like, I can tweak this and do this. I'm like, that is so cool. It was crazy.    Anne: So a few things that I wanna point out to the BOSSes out there, because again, I think a lot of people that listen to the VO BOSS podcast they're thinking very much in just voiceover. And again, the scope of this project is so amazing, and I'm hearing a couple of things that just keep coming back to me. Number one is having a great network, right? And having a wonderful team to help put this together. And so I think that networking is such an important thing to have a successful --   Scott: Without, without it, this wouldn't exist.    Anne: Yeah.    Scott: I called in and asked every favor I had to get us at this point.    Anne: Yeah, absolutely.    Scott: Listen, I don't constantly work for free, but I work with friends and things I like mm-hmm and everyone liked all these people that are in this, Maurice Lamar, Billy West, Tara Strong, Luray, Newman, Mindy Sterling — all of them have known Miranda since about three years old because I was asked to be divorced when Miranda was three. So I had her with me, and they all sort of watched her grow up and watched her. So when I said, hey you guys, this is what we're doing, would you be willing? And they all said the same, some version of yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Tara Strong's like, just tell me where to talk. They didn't owe me anything, but I, we asked favors.    Miranda: And one thing that I was so happy about is they've always been, ‘cause we're, you know, a lot of us are at the same agency. So like from being a kid, like not not a kid, but like, you know, in my 20s, early, early teenage years, they were always like, if you make something, if you make something, you know, put me in it. Please. So, you know, and then we finally followed through with an idea, and now it was like, I can do that. I can ask these people and they'll say yes. And that's just a such a great feeling to have, to have such a great support network of all these incredible talented people. I'm really honored.    Scott: And Miranda designed each of the characters for each of those actors. Aunt Maisie was designed for Tara Strong. Gary Anthony Williams is Hendrix. So that's kind of a cool thing too. But you definitely have to be willing to work with -- I mean I've worked on so many pilots that got shot and didn't get to air. I don't get any money from that. I just get the experience providing and supporting. So when I have something, I call those guys and they're like, yeah, let's get together and write this.    Anne: So then yet another thing that I wanna talk about that I think is so important in the development of this is you're still pursuing this, you're still getting funding for this. And so --   Scott: We've just started this phase.    Anne: Right.   Scott: We, it's taken two years to get up to that.   Anne: Yeah. And I think that there's something to be said for the level of commitment obviously, that you have to have for this. I mean in my brain, there's no way that it can't not be successful for you guys. I mean that's the way I feel. I don't know.    Miranda: I honestly think it's successful already. I am just, I am happy to be involved with these incredible people. I'm happy to have this part of my portfolio, and I'm ready to get this, this art in front of people who work in amazing studios. Like all these studio people are going to be seeing my art. So that was like the goal from early on was to get my art in front of studios, and whether it gets made or not, it's just a step in the right direction regardless.    Anne: I love that.    Scott: The beginning premise was to get experience at storyboarding character design and backgrounds. So when we hired Surfer Jack, the idea was that Miranda would sit on Bernie's shoulder and watch him staging storyboard. But then Swampy screwed that up by hiring Miranda before they even started on the pilot to be head of small projects there. So the idea was to get all of her stuff in front of as many people as possible. And because of Ed -- his theatrical representation is APA — they saw that 90-second trailer and called us in for a strategy meeting. So now we're actually represented by APA.    Anne: Love it. That's huge.   Scott: They're not only showbiz adjacent, but they represent people like 50 Cent, Mark Ruffalo, you know, that kinda people. So now, next week the pilot goes out to every animation studio and every streaming service, full support of the head of animation at APA. And they'll bug them to watch it and then hopefully take a meeting. So we already won because all of that stuff is in front of them. And Miranda -- by the way, she's like, in my early twenties — these are your early 20's; you're 28 (?) until next week, you know.   Anne: That's phenomenal. Miranda, I love that you said that it's already a success because it truly is in my eyes, and that's why I feel like it can't be anything but a success already. I've seen it evolve, I've seen it progress, and to me I'm in awe. I think it's amazing. I love the evolution, I love the whole creative process. And I think that it would help BOSSes to maybe wrap their heads around the whole production process of a creative project because I think it will help us to become better actors, become better business people, understanding the networking that you guys are going through and the process to get this produced and and get this out and see if — it's like a big huge audition. Right?    Scott: It is. The other thing is, I told you I don't book animation. So what we did was build a pilot and write ourselves into the pilot. So if I book animation, it'd likely be something that we wrote then Miranda drew. So I think that's a really important thing for anybody getting into it. Don't wait to be asked to the dance. Get out there and start dancing.    Miranda: I also think like the thing about networking that you said like Swampy, a friend of ours, you never know who you are going to meet or who's gonna hire you or who's gonna be your friend and let you work on their project or whatever. ‘Cause like, you know, I hired my roommate to work on some of the backgrounds for Comet. And the networking is so important in this industry, especially with animation, the way that it is right now. ‘Cause animation is very weird and not an incredible industry to get into right now. ‘Cause everything is very up in the air.    Scott: What do you mean, not a great industry? Do you mean it's uncertain?    Miranda: Yeah, it's very uncertain and there's lots of things.    Scott: Voiceover and acting --   Miranda: No, no, but like animation in particular, a lot of animated projects are getting canned. Like they took so much off of HBO Max and Netflix. Like all these animated projects on Netflix.   Scott: That happens in every facet of the entertainment --   Miranda: Right. That's true.   Anne: Ebb and flow.    Scott: It's building your house on mud and hoping for the best.    Miranda: Yeah.    Anne: Yeah.    Miranda: But you know, like you just never know who is gonna hire you. You never know who's gonna be part of your story next. So.   Scott: It's also a good reason to be nice to everybody.    Miranda: Exactly. It costs some money.    Scott: ‘Cause you never know. And that's why I always say, hey people, I know we have, we're represented by an agency, but please if I sent you the pilot and said, hey, send it to creators that you know, it's always great when something comes to the same point from different connections.    Anne: Sure. Absolutely.    Scott: Oh, this is the pilot. Oh this is the guy that Apple, the Apple guy sent me this. So I believe you gotta get as many lines in the water as you can.    Anne: Absolutely. And that networking completely helps that. And I think that it's just something that's so important for us to know as we progress in this industry because this industry's uncertain, voice acting. Oh, oh my gosh. You know?   Scott: Also the other thing is Miranda's not stopping. She's doing Comet art for the pitch deck. Should we get the meeting, I feel confident people are gonna say, hey come in. We like it. We'd like to chat, doing that. But she's also prepping a bunch of stuff to submit for Smiling Friends. She just had a meeting with the storyboard director from Mitchells and the Machines. So you know, you can't just go, well, we've got our pilot. Let's just sit back and let the money roll in.   Miranda: Not over until it's over.    Anne: That's not over.    Miranda: It doesn't start till it starts.    Scott: Ah, I like that one.    Anne: Yeah. Now lemme ask you, Comet Casino, what's next? What's the next step?    Scott: Next week. Well, Miranda's doing art for the pitch deck. Hopefully it goes out to all the stupid buddies, the the titmouses, the --   Miranda: Bento boxes, the tornates, the 20th Century Fox.    Scott: It's gonna go out to every relevant animation company and every streamer, Amazon, Apple, all of those. And then we clear our schedule because we'll be just meeting so many people and having a bidding war on the Comet scene.    Anne: There you go.    Miranda: One would hope. One would hope.    Scott: We still, did you get one of these, Anne?    Anne: I did not get a bag.    Scott: We wanna send you a bag as a gift from the Comet Casino.    Anne: Oh, I love it.    Scott: And we'll put one of the lucky chips in there too.    Anne: Oh, I love that.    Scott: I always keep 'em in my pocket when I audition and I booked three commercials with one ofthese in my pocket.    Anne: Well, thank you. So let me ask you guys, before we go, first of all, how can somebody buy Comic Casino merch? Where do they go?    Miranda: They go to the Comet Casino gift shop, and it's the first thing that comes up on Google. I'll also send you the link so you can put it in the description of whatever podcast.    Anne: The Comet Casino gift shop. And guys, I have a few things. I have a few things from the Comet Casino, but I do not have a bag, so I would love that.    Scott: We'll send you the retro airline bag.    Anne: Thank you.    Scott: Cool thing where you put the cardboard on the bottom, and they put hard glasses in the bottom.    Anne: I love it.    Scott: And then we still have a bunch of shirts. We don't have a lot of stuff. We got hit pretty hard. Oh, we do have some of these handmade pendants that are really, really cool. We only have a -- I think there's only five of those left. They're really, really, really stunning.    Anne: That's very cool.    Scott: Our friend Lori Magna is this artisan in Boston, and she made, she does all the little -- I mean --   Anne: Oh, I love it.    Miranda: Aren't they so cool?   Anne: I love it. So Comet Casino gift shop.    Miranda: Yes, indeed.    Anne: And how can someone follow you, Miranda?    Miranda: Oh, well my Instagram is Parkinart, Parkinart. No spaces, no caps, no nothing. No, no underscores or dots or dits or numbers.    Anne: Perfect.    Scott: You can see me on a Tide commercial    Anne: Ah yes.    Miranda: And his Instagram. His Instagram --   Scott: Hang on, I forgot to say we just got these, the premade --   Miranda: The booklets.   Scott: Big comic books with all the concept art. They're 22 pages, and we just got these. There was a misprint. We got to help with the pitch and they did a misprint --   Anne: Will you be signing?    Scott: We're signing. Miranda will sign. I'll sign it. It doesn't really matter if I sign it, but Miranda's gonna sign it, and then if you get other cast members to sign it, you got something there.    Anne: Very nice.    Scott: That'll be up on here very quickly as well.    Anne: Very nice.    Scott: Anne, thank you so much. So sweet of you to have us on.    Anne: Thank you, guys. It was amazing. So much fun. And I'm looking forward to interviewing you again after it gets picked up and you guys --   Scott: Absolutely. And remember, we're voice first, and we have a very long memory and we remember everybody that was so supportive and helpful. And believe me, we'll be working hard. We don't know who's gonna buy it or what the situation will be. They may buy it outright, tell us to go away, you know what I mean? So we have no idea what that looks like. But if we have any say in it, we're gonna bring people to audition. Everybody gets up to bat, we're gonna write your names as a character, spread the wealth.    Anne: Love it. And your cat wants to say hello. I love it. You know, I have three cats, so I'm all about that. Well fantastic, guys. Thank you so much again. It was amazing. So much fun. Love, love, love what you're doing.    Miranda: Thank you so much for having us on.    Anne: Absolutely.    Scott: You've been so supportive, Anne. You jumped on the bandwagon and gave away merch very early on. This was an expensive proposal, right? Hiring an animation company to do four passes, and then I was sending random money to not take any other work while they worked on this thing. So it's really, really helpful to have such support. The main thing is, it's just really fun to see the cool logo and all the great art on it. It's very nice.    Anne: Absolutely. All right, well BOSSes, here's your chance to use your voice to make an immediate difference in our world and give back to the communities that give to you. Besides giving to Comet Casino, you can go to 100Voiceswhocare.org to find out more and commit. And also big shout out to our sponsor, ipDTL. You too can network communicate like BOSS. Find out more at ipdtl.com. You guys, have an amazing week and we will see you next week. Bye!   Join us next week for another edition of VO BOSS with your host Anne Ganguzza. And take your business to the next level. Sign up for our mailing list at voBOSS.com and receive exclusive content, industry revolutionizing tips and strategies, and new ways to rock your business like a BOSS. Redistribution with permission. Coast to coast connectivity via ipDTL.

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce included Ryanne Hodson from Broad Porch Coffee. We've talked to Ryanne a few times over the years. You can hear the conversation from March 2021 by clicking here, and our conversation from December 2021 by clicking here. Ryanne told us about her relationship with the owners (now partners) in Harrisonburg, VA, and how the expansion to Luray happened. We talked about her in-depth education to learn about coffees, roasting, and operating the equipment. She's a certified Q Arabica Grader. She also walked us through how tasting and latte art competitions work and told us about one that's happening on March 25, 2023 at Black Sheep Cafe in downtown Harrisonburg. Ryanne has won several tasting competitions and will compete in the nationals taking place in Portland, Oregon next month. We learned about their new partnership with several Valley Health hospitals (Winchester Medical Center, Hampshire Memorial Hospital, Warren Memorial Hospital) that serves Broad Porch Coffee coffee in their cafeterias. Our conversation included information about the types of coffee they roast, why freshness is important, and we talked about their menu that changes seasonally in the coffee shop. Learn more (and order online) about Broad Porch Coffee on their website: https://www.broadporchcoffee.com/ and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Are you aware of the world's biggest organ?Learn this and more while job searching!https://luraycaverns.com/caverns/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/mother-nature-pentagon-mathematician-created-worlds-largest-instrument#:~:text=The%20stalacpipe%20organ%20is%20so,and%20a%20particularly%20creative%20mathematicianhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2018-04-28_16_19_48_The_Great_Stalacpipe_Organ_within_Luray_Caverns_in_Luray,_Page_County,_Virginia.jpghttps://www.history.com/news/the-hindenburg-disaster-9-surprising-factshttps://www.destguides.com/united-states/new-jersey/new-jersey-facts#it's_where_the_hindenburg_disaster_happenedhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZ_129_Hindenburghttps://americacomesalive.com/ice-cream-cones-the-true-story/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/basketball-invention-james-naismithhttp://www.accidentmd.org/history.htmlhttps://www.destguides.com/united-states/illinois/illinois-facts#chicago_railroad_tracks_are_set_on_firehttps://www.beverlyhillshistoricalsociety.org/history#:~:text=By%201868%2C%20the%20land%20was,another%20 drought%20 thwarted%20 Preuss'%20dream.https://youtu.be/VXoyfEh3xiA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pin_Point,_Georgiahttps://libguides.ccga.edu/gullahgeecheeThank you for listening! Please subscribe, share and rate! Chris Pintohttps://www.chrispinto.com/ IG: @chrispeterpinto FB: https://www.facebook.com/chris.pinto.940Twitter: @chrispeterpintoLI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pinto-employment-search-llc/Email: chrispintoactor@gmail.com Music and Sound FX Credits: https://freepd.com/

Our Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County - conversation today featured Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce and his guest, Bill Huffman from Luray Caverns. Bill gave us the history of Luray Caverns and answered several questions about the experience. He also explained that the Car & Carriage Caravan Museum, Shenandoah Heritage Village, and Toy Town Junction are included with every Luray Caverns ticket. He also gave us details for The Garden Maze and Rope Adventure Park. You can get more information (and purchase tickets) about Luray Caverns on their website: https://luraycaverns.com/ and follow them on Facebook (and coming soon - TikTok!)

Our conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County edition - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce included Marlise Lee, owner of Cameo Galleries. Marlise told us about her passion for photography and the journey to opening her own studio and gallery - Cameo Fine Art & Photography - a unique art studio that offers high-end photography services as well as custom paintings and original artwork.  Her studio is equipped for indoor photo sessions plus she travels to a variety of locations based on client needs. We talked about the value of hiring a professional photographer for a wide range of needs from family portraits, weddings, and headshots to product and real estate. Cameo Galleries is located in Luray, VA and offers photo sessions and fine art viewings by appointment.  Learn more on her website: https://www.cameogalleries.com/ and follow Cameo on Facebook and Instagram.

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page Chamber of Commerce featured Joyce Krech, Director of Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center. Joyce explained the concept of small business development centers and gave us an overview of the no-fee services they provide to current and budding small business owners. Headquartered in Harrisonburg, VA at James Madison University, the Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center serves the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia region which includes the counties of Augusta, Bath, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, and Rockingham, and the cities therein. They maintain offices in Harrisonburg and Verona, but also meet with clients in Monterey, Lexington, and Luray. The Shenandoah Valley SBDC is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration as well as funding from the localities they serve. The mission of the Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center is to advise, train, and inform small businesses to help them achieve success. They do this with a three-prong approach providing one-on-one consulting/advising, access to resources, and various trainings and webinars. They are one of 27 centers across Virginia. We talked about the types of questions they are frequently asked, the types of business situations they guide clients through, and whether you can access a center outside of your own locality. For more information about Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center, visit their website: https://www.valleysbdc.org/ and follow them on Facebook. To find a Virginia Small Business Development Center near you, visit: https://www.virginiasbdc.org/ or nationwide: https://americassbdc.org/

Our Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County edition - conversation featured Gina Hilliard & Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce. The pair talked about their 7th Annual Chamber Holiday Festival happening on Friday, December 2, 2022 from 4pm - 9pm at the chamber office - 18 Campbell Street, Luray. Gina gave us all the details for the free event which will feature free activities in Santa's Workshop, live holiday music, Christmas characters, wagon/barrel train rides, and lots of food: festive cookies, popcorn, hot cocoa, holiday punch, and s'mores by the firepit. Photos with Santa will be offered for a $5 cash donation or canned food donations (to benefit Page One and Page Paws.)  A holiday market will also be on-site filled with local craft vendors, plus dinner will be available from Main Street Bakery & Catering or El Amigo Food Truck. Edison told us about their twist on Small Business Saturday - Shop Small for the Holiday - which kicked off on Saturday, November 27, 2022, and continues through December 18, 2022. Between those dates, everyone is encouraged to shop small/local at all the wonderful shops located throughout Page County. Every time you shop or dine local, send a picture of your receipt by email to events@lurayapage.com, or drop it off in person at 18 Campbell Street, Luray, to be entered to win a $500 shopping spree. For each receipt you bring or send, you will receive one entry, even if it's for an online order. Be sure your entry includes your name, phone number, and copy of the receipt. Receipts must be received by 5pm on December 18, 2022. The drawing will take place live on the Luray/Page County Chamber's Facebook page on December 19. For more information visit @LurayPageChamber on Facebook or contact the Chamber via email: events@luraypage.com or phone: 540-743-3915.

Mantz and Mitchell go underground! In the pristine Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, close by a National Park, Luray Caverns invites you to explore beneath the surface beauty and discover the largest, most popular caverns east of the Mississippi. A “fairyland in stone” has been millions of years in the making. Having visited recently, we decided to take up the subject with management.

We have an entire month's worth of movies for you to Enjoy as Jovial Jay runs down his entire lineup of 31 Days of Horror! Join us for some spooky classics both old and modern on Enjoy Stuff: A TechnoRetro Podcast   Jovial Jay's annual October tradition of a scary movie a day returns on RetroZap.com. Join us as we discuss each of his articles that you can pair up with the movies and how to Enjoy your October with plenty of chills!   News Sydney Sweeney is set to star in a new Barbarella film  Got some time on your hands? Then you can start putting together the largest Marvel set ever with the new Hulkbuster set  Spirited is a new Christmas movie with Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell A sweet, Original NES ornament is available at a pretty sweet price   The sequel you didn't know you needed is on its way! Twister 2!  Hope Jabba isn't gluten intolerant, because Han Solo has been turned into a giant loaf of bread  Make sure you check out our TeePublic store to get ready for the holidays and all the latest fashion trends What we're Enjoying Jay recently visited the Luray Caverns in Virginia, the largest caverns in the eastern United States. It's wide variety of stalactites and stalagmites is a beautiful example of how nature still remains the most amazing features on our planet. Shua has been listening to the classic suite of music from Gustav Holst called The Planets. This music has inspired many composers, including John Williams when he wrote the soundtrack to Star Wars.    Sci-Fi Saturdays/MCU Location Scout   Enjoy Movies! 31 Days of Horror is Jovial Jay's annual analysis of some great scary movies. This week we look at the 2022 collection.    [SFS] Night of the Creeps (1986) The Final Girls (2015) Trick ‘r Treat (2007) Elizabeth Harvest (2018) Hush (2016) Malignant (2021) The Babadook (2014) [SFS] Critters (1986) Nosferatu (1922)  Frenzy (1972) Visiting Hours (1982) Army of Darkness (1993) Ju-On: The Grudge (2003) American Mary (2012) The Blob (1988) Out of the Dark (1988) The Descent (2005)  Last House on the Left (1972) Hostel (2005) Fear No Evil (1969) Wrong Turn (2003) [SFS] Flatliners (1990) Tomb of Ligeia (1964) Happy Birthday to Me (1981) ← ”TODAY” 30 Days of Night (2007) Happy Death Day (2017) I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) Friday The 13th Part II (1981) [SFS] Event Horizon (1997) Misery (1990) Halloween Kills (2021) Check back in to RetroZap every day this month to see what creepy movie Jay will give us next. And don't forget his articles on MCULocationScout.com for some great, interactive maps of filming locations.    Which movies on the list have you seen? What were your favorite articles? First person that emails me with the subject line, “31 Days Rock!” will get a special mention on the show.  Let us know. Come talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to EnjoyStuff@RetroZap.com  

Our conversation today with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce gave us details for several events happening across Luray/Page County from this weekend through Thanksgiving. Edison told us about a festival happening at Massanutten Country Corner & Wisteria Farm & Vineyard. We also got the details for the Halloween events happening across the different towns in Page County. We talked about the value in shopping local and the Shop Small promotion the chamber is kicking off on Small Business Saturday. For more information about events, visit their website: https://www.visitluraypage.com/

i took a little week off but i’m back with a new episode of 5432fun radio. Is it still radio if it’s not on *the radio* ? whatever it is, i’ll keep doing it. probably weekly. cool? cool.DOWNLOAD/STREAM RECORDING00:00 (intro by omar)00:20 UV-TV “Happy” HAPPY02:56 Thom Lucero w/ Ben Varian, Miles Wintner, Shigeru Akakura, & Jonny Kosmo “Toyota Comfort” Tokyo Days04:51 Merival “Good Enough Again” Lesson07:18 Little Wings “Scratchers” People11:00 The Just Joans “Please Don’t Talk To Me” Buckfast Bottles In The Rain14:42 Scarves “Shelter” Dinner Dates for the End of Days17:38 Chris Weisman “License Rock” Valence With Tassels19:04 Depression Breakfast “Art Girl” Just Because I’m a Womxn20:33 The Paranoyds “Hungry Sam” Hungry Sam EP23:26 Littlest Sister “Dimensional” Slow Motion Collision26:53 YAAWN “Ax” Ax29:33 Cursing & Swearing “Double The Heartbreak” Cursing & Swearing32:47 Mope Grooves “Smashed Landscape” Desire35:00 DEAN CERCONE “Sinking Like Stones” Haunted House36:52 Slaughter Beach, Dog “Heart Attack” Safe And Also No Fear39:09 barnacle “urchin” demo41:05 Mauno “Vampire” Really Well43:49 Jean Marie “Don’t Fret!” Lean46:53 Noche Tras Noche “Dance ” Caer y caer50:16 All Hits “Dirt Snake” Introducing…52:15 Inland Island “Haven’t Got a Clue” Salbum54:17 Diamondtown “Forever” The Voice EP56:52 River Gods “Stressed Out” Let Me Live58:20 Mikey Erg “Hopland Superette” Waxbuilt Castles61:07 Beeef “Horse” Bull in the Shade64:33 FET.NAT “Tapis” Le Mal68:11 The Birthmarks “Fan Fiction” No Slash EP71:06 PERSE “Cat’s Cradle” prequel72:25 Movies “Both Fell” Rolling Fog on the Highway74:52 Teenage Bigfoot “The Company Dime” Do It or Don’t77:15 The Stroppies “Switched On” ENTROPY, And Other FIRST HAND FAVOURITES79:23 Pet Fox “Swerving” Rare Occasion80:47 Luray “Mountain” Dig A Pit

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today - Luray/Page County edition with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce, featured Ben Dolewski, Executive Director of the Page Free Clinic. Ben told us about an upcoming fundraiser - Thanksgiving Dinner - hosted by Faithbrooke Barn & Vineyards. Get more information and tickets by clicking here. We talked about a few of the services offered at the clinic: Basic Lab Work Prescription Assistance Program Women's Health Program offers specialized medical care on the first Tuesday of each month with Dr. Virginia Baker by appointment only. Dental services are now available by appointment Testing for HIV & HEP-C is scheduled once a month for anyone interested.  See Aids Response Effort website for helpful information. The clinic has returned to seeing patients in person (masks are required) and is open every Tuesday from 4pm - 7pm. Page Free Clinic is located at 250 Memorial Drive, Suite C, in Luray, VA and can be reached via phone: 540-743-1054. For more information, visit their website: https://pagefreeclinic.org/

America's rural hospitals face an uncertain future. One in three are now at risk of closure as doctors and nurses quit, patients struggle to pay their medical bills and government covid subsidies stop. We hear from the front line of one rural hospital in Luray, Virginia. Travis Clark, the hospital's president, and Dr David Lee explain the everyday challenges facing patients and staff. Alan Morgan from the National Rural Health Association tells us why rural hospitals are struggling. Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute in Washington DC argues that rural hospitals should stop relying on subsidies and close their doors if they can't become more efficient. Presenter and producer: Szu Ping Chan. Image: Dr David Lee in the emergency room of Page Memorial Hospital in Luray, Virginia; Credit: BBC

What's better than a vacation?  A vacation with your DOG!  In this episode of the pawdcast, Karen is joined by her friend Christine (a fellow Aussie owner) with a special interest in dog-friendly vacations. According to tripswithpets.com, 78 percent of Americans who have pets, travel with them. Sara Sokol, founder of Dogs Welcome, is working to make it easier for dogs and owners to find welcoming accommodations.Sara, a dog lover from Bath, Maine, created Dogs Welcome as a Facebook Group to connect travelers with owners of pet friendly vacation rentals, small inns and bed and breakfasts.  Within three months, the response was so positive, Sara is now launching the Dogs Welcome website.  Similar to other vacation rental sites, the filters are more dog/pet focused, for instance does the property have a fenced in yard.  The Dogs Welcome website will allow travelers to book directly with the properties – without additional fees for hosts or travelers.  Sara is also developing a Dogs Welcome Certified Property seal of approval, making it even easier to create your perfect dog-friendly vacation.The Dogs Welcome Facebook Group and website currently feature properties in the US and Canada.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043741576357003/  www.dogs-welcome.netChristine and her husband JUST finished building a vacation rental outside of Luray, Virginia specifically for dogs.  Mountain View Retreat boasts dog friendly furnishings, a dog washing station and soon a fenced in yard.  You can learn more about the property by contacting her at christine@christinesennott.com.And of course, Sara has a great vacation rental https://www.littlewhitedogproperties.com/ that inspired Dogs Welcome.  When Sara isn't revolutionizing travel with dogs, she's a trainer, practicing positive reinforcement techniques.  Mr. Dog Training was recently voted BEST trainer in Maine.  http://mrdogtraining.com/index.html  PawsUP!If you enjoy the PawsGO  pawdcast, please share with friend and leave us a nice comment or review!

Our Tourism Tuesday conversation today with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce featured Jen Jenkins from Luray Parks & Recreation. Jen gave us details for a few upcoming events: Arbor Day Celebration happening on Saturday, April 23, 2022 at Lake Arrowhead beginning at 1pm at the Ruritan shelter. The event will feature presentations, free tree seedlings, community tree planting, and light refreshments. Movies on Main happen the second Tuesday of each month beginning at 6:30pm at the New Page Theatre. May's featured movie is Where The Wild Things Are. Evenings on Main free concert series kicks off on Friday, June 3 at Ruffner Plaza beginning at 7pm and will feature Robbie Limon Band. For a list of all the Parks & Rec events, click here or visit their website: https://www.townofluray.com/parks---recreation.html

Our conversation for The Valley Business Today with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce was full of information about upcoming chamber events & some insight into chamber membership. He explained how membership worked, talked about the priority the chamber places on member success, and encouraged residents to consider being a patron member of the chamber. More information about the chamber can be found on their website: https://www.visitluraypage.com/ Details about the events we discussed can be found here: FREE webinar: Ditch the Boost! 5 Tips to Grow your Facebook Reach Organically hosted by Janet Michael from Java Media. NEW Small Business Growth interactive workshop series in partnership with Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Women in Business: Mugshots & Mimosas at The Valley Cork. Business After Hours at The Warehouse Art Gallery, co-hosted by Wisteria Farm & Vineyard. Job Fair and Workshop hosted at Lord Fairfax Community College -  Luray Page Center.

Page Alliance for Community Action and Northwestern Community Services Board are partnering to host New York Times Best Selling Author Sam Quinones on February 23rd at Luray High School from 6:30pm until 8pm, 243 Bulldog Drive, Luray, VA 22835. This event is free and open to the public and those who attend will have the opportunity to have a book signed following the presentation. Sam's book “The Least of Us” shows the hardships families who have dealt with addiction have suffered but also how we can work together and create a community of healing. Shannon Urum Coordinator of Northwestern Community Services Board Prevention and Wellness Services joined us in the first segment with Megan Gordon, Program Director for Page Alliance for Community Action (PACA) to talk about Sam's message and why it was important to bring him to Luray High School for this talk. We discussed who should attend, what people can expect and the hope for our community this talk will provide. In the second segment, we spoke with Sam Quinones about his books; the impact he saw first-hand of the opiod epidemic on families across the country; and, he explained why/how community building is part of the solution. To register for this in-person event please visit the Eventbrite page at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-with-best-selling-author-sam-quinones-tickets-211930438647 The Prevention Department at Northwestern Community Services Board has a mission to prevent substance misuse and suicide and to promote mental wellness in the Lord Fairfax Planning District. The Department utilizes evidence-based programs, practices, and strategies targeting concerns identified by needs assessments and using the Strategic Prevention Framework as its guide. An emphasis is placed on community collaboration and mobilization, enabling groups to be brought together for the benefit of the community. Find more information at http://www.nwcsb.com/prevention.php Page Alliance for Community Action (or PACA) is a non-profit coalition of agencies, parents, youth, and concerned citizens. Our main goal is to promote healthy life choices for the youth and families in Page County. We work to provide a healthy, drug-free environment for those in our community. With the volunteers in our coalition the funding from federal, state, and foundation grants, we have focused our attention on preventing substance misuse among our youth and combating childhood obesity with physical activities and nutritional education. Find more information at www.pagecoalition.org Here are links to things we discussed during the conversation(s). https://www.facebook.com/LordFairfaxYRA https://www.facebook.com/Pageallianceforcommunityaction Awareness2Action podcast (Apple): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s2-e9-sam-quinones-on-addiction-community-and-finding/id1546020026?i=1000551139010 Awareness2Action podcast (Google): https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2F3YXJlbmVzczJhY3Rpb24vZmVlZC54bWw/episode/YXdhcmVuZXNzMmFjdGlvbi5wb2RiZWFuLmNvbS8xNGFiNzBkNy02NTdmLTM0YWYtYjNkZS1jZjhjYTlmMWQxM2E

For our "Tourism Tuesday" episode today, it was Luray/Page County's turn at the mic so we were joined on the screen by Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce and his guest, Bonnie Anthony from Performing Arts Luray. Bonnie told us about all the upcoming performances that will be returning in the coming weeks for the all-volunteer non-profit. She talked about COVID's impact and how the community came together to support them throughout the pandemic. For more information about upcoming shows and performances, visit their website: https://performingartsluray.org/  and follow them on Facebook.

We had a lively conversation for Tourism Tuesday - Luray/Page County - with Edison Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce and his guests: Barbie Stombach (owner of Virginia Gift Shop) and her store manager, Tyler Bogle. We talked about the history of Virginia Gift Shop that has been open in Luray for nearly 77 years. Barbie is the 5th owner and explained how it's changed with the times but stayed the same in many relevant ways. She & Tyler told us about the items they carry, the priority they place on customer service, and how changes they made to adapt to the pandemic will continue even after it's over. For more information about Virginia Gift Shop, follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vagiftshop

This week I headed to Luray/Page County for my Shop Local series to chat with Kristen from Massanutten Country Corner, Kevin from Nest & Hive, and Ryanne from Broad Porch Coffee. This is part of a weekly series in December where I'm sharing some of MY favorite places to shop local & chatting with some of my favorite local business owners from our surrounding communities. Massanutten Country Corner: Follow them on Facebook Nest & Hive: Follow them on Facebook Broad Porch Coffee: Order from their website: https://www.broadporchcoffee.com/ and follow them on Instagram.

Today's conversation for The Valley Business Today - Luray/Page County edition - with Edie Emmons from Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce and guest, Bill Dudley from Bill Dudley & Associates Real Estate gave us some insight into the real estate market in Luray/Page County. Bill told us about average number of home sales, prices and days on market in the last several years. We talked about the wide range of information and community involvement required of real estate agents and the rules and ethics guidelines they must follow. For more information about Bill Dudley & Associates Real Estate, follow them on Facebook or visit their website: https://www.billdudleyandassociates.com/