It’s a safe bet that a lot of people who watch Doomsday Preppers and other survival shows spend almost no time thinking about or preparing for emergencies—from the mundane to worst case scenarios. Jay Blevins and friends are trying to change that, and they’re backing it up by helping raise funds for people who provide essential emergency services to a big chunk of Clarke County’s population, the Berryville Fire Company and Rescue Squad.

The Berryville Gun & Prepper Expo is planned for November 2–3 at the John Enders Fire Company, 9 S. Buckmarsh Street in Berryville. The event is sponsored by High Caliber Events and SEPS; Saturday hours are 9am–6pm; Sunday the expo runs 10am–4pm.

Organizers say the goal of the expo is to educate the public on the importance of emergency preparedness, and provide goods, services, and topics related to prepping.

Jay has appeared on National Geographic Channel’s series Doomsday Preppers, Access Hollywood Live, The Steve Harvey Show, The Today Show and CNN Headline news’ Jane Velez-Mitchell show. He has been interviewed on syndicated and major market radio and web programs, and has been covered by major domestic and international print media outlets like the Washington Post, USA Today, and Agence France Press.

Blevins also served as a Deputy Sheriff in the Washington DC metro area, where he worked as a patrol and SWAT officer, and currently works as an analyst at a business consulting firm.

The event will include several speakers addressing topics of preparedness. In addition to Blevins, speakers include Dr. Thomas Stoner, a board certified practicing adult medicine specialist who has been in medicine since 1991. Stoner is co-owner of TSSP Inc, a company that provides emergency consulting as it relates to “survival scenarios” and common-sense emergency kits. His most recent book is MED-P, which describes modern diseases and techniques to prevent contracting them.

Nicole Sundine, who teaches women and girls personal protection skills, presents her “Realistic Safety Strategies,” based on a combination of psychological, interpersonal and physical components that empower girls and women to protect themselves from a wide spectrum of threats to their safety.

Ryan McCullough, author of Law, Money and the Bank, and president of Liberty Union Metals Exchange which buys and sells precious metals offers information on financial preparedness.

A variety of vendors will provide prepper-related items like firearms, knives, bugout bags, lights, food, fire starters, silver and gold coins, books, real estate, survival gear, firearm accessories and much more.

The Clarke County High School Class of 1963 celebrated their 50th class reunion September 14, 2013. The day began with tours of three of the county’s schools: Boyce Elementary., Berryville Primary, and Johnson Williams Middle School. The tour culminated at the Bell Tower overlooking the JWMS campus. The administrators of each school opened their doors so alumni could walk in, and off they went reminiscing and looking for memories like first-grade classrooms, and, says Alice Hummer, “what Ms. Holmes would think of us now.”

The group ended the day by celebrating at John H Enders Firehall with Mr. Herman Lloyd, principal of Boyce; Mrs. Betty Levi, PE teacher and coach at CCHS, and Mr. Rudy Telek, PE teacher and coach at CCHS.

Gallery Artists Gather To Look Ahead

Artists to suggest new programs with grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts

Twenty of the 50+ artists who show and sell their work through Berryville Main Street’s Fire House Gallery gathered at the gallery on September 5 for something gallery director Kate Petranech calls, “a very pleasant task.” The group is exploring ideas for new events and activities promoting art and artists in Berryville, made possible by a $5,000 grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

This is the third consecutive year that Berryville Main Street received the grant, demonstrating the funders’ satisfaction with the quality and variety of its programs which include:

Solo Artist Exhibits, such as last year’s highly praised Wood-Turning Wonder: Robert Van Meter, a homage to the late master wood-turner’s life and work.

Group Artist Shows like Fabulous Fibers for All. Featuring the work of a dozen-plus fiber artists, this show was so well received it will be an “evergreen” or staple in the gallery’s annual offerings. Indeed, the 2nd Annual Fabulous Fibers for All exhibit opens on October 18 with a special reception from six to eight p.m.

Art Awareness Endeavors such as the widely publicized 2011 and 2012 Community Supported Art (CSA) program. This novel initiative—modeled after one created to promote the purchase of local fruits and vegetables—encouraged people to buy a “share” or basket of art.

Art Pays Dividends for Local Economies

While fostering knowledge and appreciation for art is both desirable and laudable, initiatives such as these bring more than just a “pretty face” to a community. They can be economic engines that drive traffic and revenue to a town’s commercial center. That kind of promotion is the mission of Berryville Main Street, and a key reason BMS created the gallery.

A quick look at the numbers suggests it’s working. According to Petranech, “Since the Fire House Gallery doors opened in January 2010, close to 7,000 people have stopped by to have a look. They came to view art, attend exhibits as well as pick up brochures and flyers about other places to shop or events to attend in and around Berryville,” she said.

Even more significant, almost 2,000 of them made a purchase, putting coins into more than 50 artists’ pockets, contributing a small but meaningful amount of revenue to the county coffers.

Bigger and (Even) Better Ahead

Petranech says three themes emerged from discussions September 5.

• Increase offerings of current programs to one or more each month. This is already off to a good start, says Petranech, with the gallery’s new “Little Shows,” small displays of a single artist’s work. The next one, featuring hand-built pottery by Neenja Jhaveri, November 1. In addition, the number of the Saturday Art of Making Art demonstrations will increase.
• Increase exposure with two new exhibits. Like the Robert Van Meter and fiber arts exhibit mentioned above, these are major endeavors that offer an in depth look at an artist, a medium, or a theme. Ideas presented at the September meeting include: By the Beautiful Sea, photography, watercolors, fiber art, ceramics; From the Earth, wood, textiles, jewelry made from gemstones; Black and White, photography, painting, glass, jewelry, ceramics.
• Increase traffic and revenue by raising awareness about the gallery’s proud history, unique collection, and gifted artists. This will be done, says Petranech, through a reimagining of the gallery website. Funding will finally allow the gallery to hire various professionals to shoot the collection for promotional purposes, conduct interviews with artists; and do an overall audit to assess quality of content, visual appeal and ease of use.

“It’s an ambitious agenda,” said Petranech. “But with funding available and volunteers pitching in, it’s eminently doable. And a lot of fun to boot.”

Have a desire to work in the gallery? On an exhibit? Behind the scenes? Check out your options by sending an email to info@firehousegallery.com. Put “Gallery Volunteer” in the subject line.

Gallery Launches ‘Little Shows’ with Perry Exhibit

“I love the smell,” says artist Patricia Perry of oil paint. “The buttery texture … and the richness you get with it.” Perry paints a little bit of everything—but right now she’s focusing on landscapes. It’s an apt subject given her lifelong love of travel to places ranging from Turkey to Costa Rica to New Zealand. The latter inspired a beautiful painting “On the River: Christ Church, Zealand,” which you can see through September 30 in the Fire House Gallery’s “Little Shows” series.

Born in the U.S., Perry moved to Europe when she was 19. She lived in Bad Homburg, Germany and studied at the Goethe Institut in Kochel am See, before moving to Paris for a year and enrolling at the American College in Paris.

Inspired by the works of Goya, Rembrandt, Turner, and Blake which she saw in museums, she enrolled as an art student at UCLA after returning to the U.S. There she studied under noted abstract artist Richard Diebenkorn, who came to define the California school of Abstract Expressionism of the early 1950s.

After graduating with a B.A. in fine art from UCLA, she worked at the UCLA Art Galleries and the U.C. Berkeley Art Museum.

She says that her landscapes are an attempt to represent her personal connection with the natural world and her deep regard for its beauty and mystery.

Perry lives with her husband in Jefferson County, W.Va. Her paintings are found in private collections in Philadelphia; Annapolis; Washington, D.C.; Seattle; Pasadena, Calif.; and Shepherdstown, W.Va. She teaches oil painting at her studio near Shepherdstown.

“Little Shows” is a new monthly offering at the gallery which highlights the work of one of its 70 local and regional artists.  This endeavor is funded in part by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Meet Perry and learn more about her work while enjoying light refreshments at the gallery on Thursday, September 5.

Downtown Yard Sales

Save the date for the Downtown Berryville Yard Sales, Saturday September 14, 8am—3pm. Visit berryvillemainstreet.org and download the registration form or email info@bvmerchants.com or call 540-313-7467. Registrations due September 10.

Thanks to Rapphannock Electric

Crews from Rapphannock Electric hung the new banners in downtown Berryville free of charge. The banners were purchased through a grant secured by Berryville Main Street.