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Rhonda Vincent set for Floyd show
Denim & Plaid.
Submitted photo
Handmade School of Music.
Submitted photo
Rhonda Vincent
Submitted photo
Missouri-born bluegrass superstars Rhonda Vincent and The Rage are slated to play the Small Town Summer event on Thursday, July 2, in Warren G. Lineberry Community Park.
Vincent has earned a ton of accolades, including a 2017 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album. She was also named Entertainer of the Year in 2001 and her song “Kentucky Borderline” was named Song of the Year in 2004. In addition, Vincent, from 2000 to 2006, received seven consecutive Female Vocalists of the Year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association. She won an eighth in 2015.
The Rage is comprised of Mickey Harris on bass, Aaron McDaris on banjo, Zack Arnold on guitar on guitar and Adam Haynes on fiddle.
Opening for The Rage will be Denim & Plaid and the Handmade Music School.
Denim & Plaid is a hot, on-the-rise super group of young bluegrass talent that has been seen on the stages of Merlefest, Floydfest, Woodsongs and the IBMA World of Bluegrass festival. The five band members met at fiddlers conventions and festivals in North Carolina and Virginia.
On guitar and vocals is Tucker Conner. Hollace Oakes is on fiddle and vocals Berkley Stewart handles vocals and banjo. Truett Wagner is on mandolin and Elliot King is on bass.
Founded in 2016, the Handmade Music School is a hub for traditional music education, celebrating the region’s rich musical heritage while fostering community and creativity. Specializing in the art of handmade music, the school offers a variety of workshops, classes, camps, special events, and private lessons in traditional Appalachian instruments such as the banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. The Handmade Music School’s mission is to cultivate and strengthen community through experiences in music, dance, art, and food rooted in Appalachian traditions. Enjoy a set of songs and tunes by several different performing groups comprised of Handmade Music School students.
SPorter
Buttonbush Cephalanthus has flowers that turn into spherical
fruit that persist through winter.
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SPorter
Buttonbush Cephalanthus has flowers that turn into spherical
fruit that persist through winter.
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Fiona
Mountain Valor Fest coming Sept. 12
Mountain Valor Veteran Services will host Mountain Valor Fest 2026 on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Crooked Mountain Campground in Floyd. Admission is free. Gates open at noon.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services will both have representatives on site, offering benefits counseling, enrollment assistance and resource navigation to veterans and their families. More than three dozen federal, state and local community agencies are expected to participate.
"Most of the veterans we serve have never had someone sit down with them and walk through what they've earned," said Katt Whittenberger, a 21-year Navy veteran and the organization's founder and executive director. "That's what this event is — we bring the resources to them, at no cost, in their own community."
The event will feature two live acts. Dr. Phil's Kimo Therapy, a Roanoke-based band rooted in Appalachian punk, rockabilly and blues, will perform alongside Glam'r Kiti, an 80s rock tribute act that has shared the stage with Sebastian Bach, formerly of Skid Row, the Bullet Boys, Dokken, Warrant and Appetite for Destruction. A 5:30 p.m. remembrance ceremony will honor those lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and through the wars that followed.
Mountain Valor Fest also includes food trucks, live music, a kid zone, military displays, artisan and retail vendors, and community resource exhibits. Federal and state agencies will be joined by local organizations providing services that often fill gaps traditional veteran support systems miss. Additional vendor and exhibitor space remains available for both resource providers and vendors. BAE Systems returns as primary festival sponsor for the third consecutive year. Blue Cross Blue Shield is the Kid Zone sponsor.
Mountain Valor Veteran Services serves veterans of all generations, their families, survivors and caregivers across seven rural Southwest Virginia counties: Floyd, Montgomery, Pulaski, Franklin, Carroll, Patrick and Wythe. Since its founding in 2024, the organization has reached more than 3,000 veterans, family members, survivors and caregivers, with 1,200 served in person. The nonprofit was named 2025 Nonprofit of the Year by the Floyd County Chamber of Commerce.
"Rural veterans face barriers that veterans near major metro areas don't," Whittenberger said. "We skew older, less reliant on digital communications, and are significantly more isolated. Distance and fewer resources means veterans are incredibly disconnected. This event closes that gap for one day — and we keep building from there."
Mountain Valor Fest 2026 is free and open to all. The event is accessible for those with mobility limitations.
Roanoke man killed in Floyd crash
A 69-year-old Roanoke man was killed in a three-vehicle crash in Floyd County on Sunday.
Virginia State Police said Kenneth Martin Wingfield was riding north on U.S. Route 221 in the Check community when his Harley-Davidson motorcycle crossed the center line and sideswiped a Chevrolet Cruze.
Police said Wingfield’s motorcycle then struck a southbound Range Rover head-on.
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