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Woven Legacies: Floyd Center for the Arts presents lecture
The Floyd Center for the Arts will welcome museum professional and fashion historian Ashley Webb for Woven Legacies: Stories, Traditions, and the Material Culture of Appalachian Overshot Coverlets on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 5:30 p.m.
The free lecture will explore the rich Appalachian tradition of geometric woven coverlets, including the mechanics, creativity, skill, and labor that went into creating a single coverlet.
Highlighting historic coverlets from the Old Church Gallery featured in the exhibition Strings Attached: The Enduring Appeal of Overshot Coverlets, Webb will take a deeper look at the material culture surrounding these treasured textiles. Through patterns, weaving techniques, and the objects themselves, the lecture will reveal stories of family, community, and identity while exploring the enduring legacy of Appalachian textile traditions.
Webb received her BA in History and Anthropology from Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, and her MA in Museum Studies from Bournemouth University in Dorset, England. She is the Executive Director and Curator of Collections and Exhibitions for the Historical Society of Western Virginia, which operates the Roanoke History Museum and O. Winston Link Museum.
In addition to her work with the Historical Society, Webb works with several local museums as a contract museum collections specialist, including the Taubman Museum of Art and the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. She has also guest curated exhibitions throughout central and Southwest Virginia.
Webb serves as a Director-At-Large with the Virginia Association of Museums. In 2026, Gov. Abigail Spanberger appointed her to the Virginia Commission for the Arts as the Region 6 Commissioner. Her specialty is fashion history, and she is the owner of Bustle Textiles, a historic dress preservation company with an emphasis on creating traveling fashion exhibitions for small museums.
The Floyd Center for the Arts connects people through visual arts, handmade craft, and music, honoring living traditions while embracing innovation. Located in Floyd, Virginia, the Center offers exhibitions, classes, workshops, community events, and opportunities for artists and visitors throughout the region.
Plant daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and other bulbs in fall for additional color next spring.
Plant daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and other bulbs in fall for additional color next spring.
Meth cases dominate court
Cases involving misuse of crystal meth dominated Floyd County Circuit Court Tuesday with all but one ending with a first felony conviction and warning that such a record forbids them owning guns and ammo, losing the right to vote and possible deportation under new federal customs enforcement tactics.
All cases were plea bargains.
Kristian Nicole Wallace, 29, of Radford pleaded guilty possession of Schedule B drugs (Meth) and was sentenced two years suspended with two years on probation. It her first felony.
Same sentence, same first felony, for Kelsey Lynn Riden, 24, of Rural Retreat. She was found with meth in her car and her belly by Floyd County deputies on Aug. 20, 2025. Two years suspended, two years on probation. Two other charges, one for possession of meth and a second for having drug paraphernalia, were dropped as part of the plea deal.
Athena Faye Cass of Floyd offered a guilty plea to violating her probation on a previous conviction of possession of meth. She was sentenced to two years, with one year, 11 months and 16 days suspended.
David Edward Johnson of Floyd, who has a record of several convictions, including felonies in domestic abuse cases, assault and drugs, was granted a conditional $2,500 secured bond along with a warning to “stay out of trouble” or face new jail sentences.
In a non-drug case, Michael David Critzer, 35, of Floyd, entered a guilty plea after a charge of Possession of a weapon as a violent felon was reduced to possession by a non-violent felon, still a felony, and a second charge of violating a protective order was dropped, was given a three year sentence with seven months in prison with two years, five months suspended.
Two afternoon trials were continued. One plea deal was scrapped after a defendant decided he wanted to be tried.
Drought advisory lifted for much of SWVA (copy) (copy) (copy)
After months of sustained drought across the Commonwealth, officials charged with monitoring conditions have declared that one region is back to normal. That region is the Big Sandy, which includes Smyth County.
The Drought Monitoring Task Force (DMTF) cited the region’s sustained precipitation over several weeks in lifting the drought watch advisory that had been in place for the Big Sandy, which also includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, Washington, and Wise counties, and the cities of Bristol and Norton.
Late last week, the DMTF said that this is the first time since April 16 that any drought evaluation region in Virginia has returned to normal status.
The DMTF did note that the drought is continuing in much of Virginia, especially in the Roanoke River region. That area is in a drought emergency advisory.
Eight regions are in drought warning advisories.
Four regions, including the New River, remain in drought watch advisories. The New River region includes Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, and Wythe counties and the cities of Galax, and Radford.
When deciding its advisory designations, the DMTF considers streamflows, soil moisture, groundwater levels, reservoir levels, and precipitation.
It noted that several monitoring wells, including one in Patrick County, are at or near record lows.
The DMTF also noted that localized storms brought 3 to 5 inches of rain in the Big Sandy region.
