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Small Town Summer returns
Staff reports
DownRiver Collective.
Submitted photo
Willie Williams
Submitted photo
Floyd’s Small Town Summer music series returns tonight with the Willie Williams Band and Downriver Collective.
As always the Small Town Summer events are free and kick off at 6 p.m. in Warren G. Lineberry Park.
Willie Williams is part Americana, part country, part hippie jam band rock and all fresh. With vocals that carry a Carolina twang that brings to mind the soul of J.J. Cale and the Allman Brothers, Williams brings combination of authenticity and polish to the stage. In short, Williams is the real things, with a guitar steeped in the emotion of the blues, enriched by jazz sophistication and hammering with the power of rock and roll.
Also on the bill is Nashville-based DownRiver Collective, one of the most electrifying new forces in American roots music. Winners of the 2024 IBMA Momentum Band award, DownRiver Collective blurs the lines between classic folk tradition and forward-leaning acoustic innovation. Their music holds a raw and simple truth — yet it arrives with gripping intensity, soulful intention, and fearless originality.
DownRiver Collective is known for their powerful harmonies, thoughtful songwriting, and genre-blending sound. The band seamlessly weaves in elements of classic country, Americana, rock, and modern pop—creating music that honors tradition while pushing it forward.
The group introduced their full-band sound with the debut EP Off the Shelf in Fall 2023, a project that quickly established them as one of the most exciting emerging acts in bluegrass. Their momentum continued in 2024 when they were named IBMA Momentum Band of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.
In September 2025, DownRiver Collective released their first full-length album, Give It All Away. That same year, the band was named the 2025 FreshGrass Bentonville Awards Band winner. Lead vocalist Ali Vance also received individual recognition as IBMA Momentum Vocalist of the Year, cementing her reputation as one of the most compelling new voices in bluegrass.
With a sound that bridges tradition and innovation, DownRiver Collective continues to carve out a distinctive place in the modern acoustic music landscape.
Leroy
Page A1
Leroy
SPorter
Sage is a versatile herb, enhancing flavors in both savory and
sweet recipes.
Page A1
SPorter
Sage is a versatile herb, enhancing flavors in both savory and
sweet recipes.
Free concert planned for Mabry Mill
Staff reports
Jason Phillips will be free in concert at Mabry Mill in
August.
Submitted photo
Jason Phillips & Friends will perform a free Milepost Music concert from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 2, at Mabry Mill.
The outdoor concert is one of the free Milepost Music sessions offered at popular destinations in the national park.
Jason Phillips is a local old-time fiddler player with a driving style that gets people up dancing. He will be accompanied by friends on guitar, banjo and bass.
Mabry Mill is the most photographed spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Milepost Music concerts are held the first and third Sunday of each month, June through September, outdoors near the sorghum shed in the Mill Village. Future 2026 concerts at Mabry Mill are Slate Mountain Ramblers on August 16, Lovely Mountaineers on September 6, and Eulalie on September 20.
Concertgoers are invited to bring camp chairs or blankets and picnics. Alcohol is not permitted.
Milepost Music concerts are free Sunday afternoon music performances featuring local and regional traditional musicians and are hosted at popular locations along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Performances are offered at Mabry Mill near Meadows of Dan, Va., The Bluffs Restaurant at Doughton Park near Laurel Springs, N.C. and Peaks of Otter near Bedford, Va. Milepost Music is presented by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation in partnership with the Blue Ridge Music Center and the Blue Ridge Parkway / National Park Service.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Blue Ridge Music Center preserves, interprets, and presents the evolving musical traditions of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Music Center is a national park facility, a major attraction along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and a venue partner of The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, and Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina. For more information, visit BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org.
The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park to the north with Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the south. The route travels the crests, ridges, and valleys of five major mountain ranges, encompassing several geographic and vegetative zones ranging from 600 to more than 6,000 feet above sea level. It provides visitors with many varied vistas of scenic Appalachian landscapes ranging from forested ridgetops and mountain slopes to rural farm lands and urban areas. The Parkway offers a “ride-a-while, stop-a-while” experience that includes scenic pullouts, recreation areas, historic sites, and visitor contact stations. It is known nationally and internationally for its designed landscape as a scenic motorway.nps.gov/blri/
Programming at the Music Center is supported by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising partner of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The organization helps to ensure cultural and historical preservation, natural resource protection, educational outreach, and visitor enjoyment now and for future generations.
Fellows graduate from Appalachian Leadership Institute
Staff reports
Three from around the region were among the 40 fellows to graduate from the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Appalachian Leadership Institute.
The training program equips the region’s public, private and nonprofit leaders to use economic development as a tool to drive positive change. Members of the class of 2026, along with their families and friends, attended the graduation ceremony in Charleston, West Virginia.
“Congratulations to the Appalachian Leadership Institute Class of 2026! The dedication these fellows have demonstrated by actively participating in the institute will no doubt lead to stronger communities and a stronger Appalachian economy as a whole,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “I look forward to seeing these graduates draw from their experiences at ALI as they continue to drive positive change in our region.”
Throughout the eight months prior to graduation, fellows traveled to six Appalachian communities around the region for skill-building seminars, which incorporated case study analysis, peer-to-peer learning, and field visits to observe ARC-funded projects in action.
These Appalachian leaders will apply the skills and knowledge from the ALI curriculum to continue serving their communities through business and workforce development, healthcare, tourism, and a variety of other public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Additionally, graduates of ALI gain access to the Appalachian Leadership Institute Alumni Network, with more than 250 leaders who help facilitate continued learning and idea exchange to strengthen economic development across Appalachia’s 13 states and 423 counties.
Those from Virginia graduating include Jenny Bolte, Jen Otey and Chelsey Hodge.
Bolte serves as executive director of the New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board.
With nearly 30 years in workforce development, she has built strong partnerships and led award-winning initiatives that expand opportunity across the region. A proud Radford University alum with both a BS and MA in English, Bolte also writes Southern fiction and dreams of publication. Now empty-nesters, she and her husband enjoy a lively household of pets—from dogs and ducks to a potbelly pig and a Russian tortoise named Gaylord—while celebrating life with their four grown children.
Otey, of Wytheville, is an Outdoor Recreation Development Manager at Friends of Southwest Virginia. She previously spent 10 years in public education, where she developed and instructed STEM curricula for middle school students. Before transitioning to teaching, she was an architectural project manager for 15 years. Additionally, Otey has been a small business owner for 25 years, producing and selling artwork and offering classes to individuals of all ages. In 2023, she co-founded a nonprofit organization, Forge Appalachia, dedicated to preserving traditional craft and providing accessible classes and events led by regional makers, regardless of participants’ financial means.
Roanoke’s Hodge is an Economic Recovery Corps Fellow with the International Economic Development Council, advancing rural economic development across Southwest and Western Virginia. She partners with communities to strengthen local economies and quality of life through initiatives such as small business development, childcare needs assessments, lodging studies, and tourism projects. She is also the Owner of Ascend with Purpose LLC, a small business dedicated to supporting rural communities through tailored development efforts. Hodge holds an MS in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University and enjoys hiking, camping, and kayaking with friends and family.
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