Legendary TV comics Colin Mochrie (far left) and Brad Sherwood pose with Zach and Emily Cooley after their March 29, 2014 show at Paramount Bristol.
Legendary TV comics Colin Mochrie (far left) and Brad Sherwood pose with Zach and Emily Cooley after their March 29, 2014 show at Paramount Bristol.
Fresh produce is a popular choice at the farmers market.
Multiple vendors typically sell produce at the market.
Recently, flower bouquets have been available.
Fresh baked goods and other sweet treats are also regularly available at the market.
The Rural Retreat Farmers Market is making its goods more accessible to the community, while giving its vendors an opportunity to reach a new audience.
This Friday will mark one of two Friday Night Lights Markets. The other is set for Oct. 16.
For these home football game nights, the market will be open from 4-7 p.m.
Leslie Vanover, the market’s manager, said the idea for these markets came about with the desire “to make fresh food accessible to working individuals who cannot make daytime hours, while creating a relaxed, ‘date night’ atmosphere complete with local foods, local artisans, and food trucks.”
Vanover says she is “thrilled for a new chapter in our market to open and also for Heritage Park,” which is has already seen growth with a new water park and mural this year and more to come.
Vanover, Southwest Virginia’s first certified market manager, described the market’s vendors as “incredibly excited about this format! It allows them to tap into a completely different crowd — shoppers looking to unwind, socialize, and treat themselves to fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, and unique crafts.”
She hopes the energy of a hometown high school football game night will extend to the new market opportunity. “We want people to shop us first and maybe grab a snack or two before the game. This gives them a unique opportunity to connect deeply with the community.”
“Above all,” Vanover said, “the main thing we want people to know is that these markets are a powerful engine for building community. When you attend, you aren't just buying food, you are supporting a neighbor's small business, keeping dollars in the local economy, and participating in a sustainable food system. It is a place where neighbors become friends and everyone is welcome.”
The market is right off Rural Retreat’s Main Street at 111 Church St. Vendors regularly sell fresh produce, canned and baked goods, sweet treats, crafts, and more.
The traditional market hours are 3-6 p.m. on Wednesdays. The market is expected to be open through Oct. 21. Follow the market on Facebook.
Virginia voters can begin casting their ballot for the Nov. 3 General Election as early as Sept. 18 in their locality. Early in-person voting will continue through Saturday, Oct. 31, and is available in every locality across the Commonwealth. Virginia’s official 45-day early voting period begins Saturday, Sept. 19, but general registrar offices that will be closed on that date must offer early voting starting on Sept. 18.
To vote early in-person, registered voters should go to their locality’s designated early voting location for the jurisdiction in which they are registered, present an acceptable ID and cast their ballot. A list of acceptable forms of identification can be found online.
Early voting locations, dates, and hours vary by locality, and some jurisdictions offer multiple early voting locations. Voters should confirm location details and operating hours set by the locality, including any holiday schedules (such as Oct. 12) by contacting their general registrar’s office. The information can also be found on the Department of Elections website.
New for 2026*, early voting will take place in all localities on the second and third Sundays before Election Day, in addition to the two Saturdays already available. For the 2026 general election, the weekend early voting days are:
Curbside voting is also available for those with disabilities and those over 65 who wish to vote in person. Contact information for general registrar’s offices can be found through the Department of Elections website.
Requested absentee ballots are mailed no later than Sept. 18, including ballots to registered military and overseas voters. Any registered voter can request an absentee ballot either in person, by mail, online (Citizen Portal) or by contacting their general registrar’s office. Registered voters do not need a reason to request an absentee ballot. The deadline to request a mailed absentee ballot is Oct. 23.
Absentee ballots may be returned:
To ensure a postmark, the U.S. Postal Service advises voters to take their ballot inside a post office location and request a postmark. Any ballot received after Election Day that is not postmarked will NOT be counted.
Due to routine delays in international postal delivery, voters who live outside the United States who requested a ballot by mail are advised to use a commercial delivery service such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. to return their ballot to the general registrar’s office.
Anyone choosing to mail their ballot should do so as early as possible. Voters can check the status of their mailed ballot through the Department of Elections Citizen Portal using the “Check registration status” link. (Virginia Voter Information – Citizen Portal)
Voters with visual or manual dexterity impairment may utilize an electronic ballot-marking tool to complete an absentee ballot. For additional assistance, voters may contact their general registrar’s office or the Department of Election at 1-800-552-9745 or email info@elections.virginia.gov.
On the ballot this year in Virginia are races for U.S. Senate, all 11 House of Representatives seats, local offices, a special election for House of Delegates District 20 and three proposed amendments to the Constitution of Virginia.
The first proposed amendment would add to the Virginia Constitution's Bill of Rights the fundamental right to make and conduct decisions about a person’s own reproductive care with only certain, specific exceptions. The proposed amendment specifically allows the state government to pass laws to regulate abortion care in the third trimester of pregnancy but requires any such law to allow for abortion care when it is medically needed to protect the life and health of the pregnant person or because the fetus is not viable.
The second questions ask should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?
The third amendment reads: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, (ii) to revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and (iii) to update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting?
Bland County will also have a commissioner of revenue election for a four-year term.
In Wythe County, Rural Retreat and Wytheville voters will decide on council races and mayoral races. Countywide, voters in Wythe will consider a 1 percent sales tax to be used exclusively for school construction and improvements.
Deer- and rabbit-resistant ranunculus bulbs are planted in fall for early spring flowers.
Deer- and rabbit-resistant ranunculus bulbs are planted in fall for early spring flowers.
Deputies on Sept. 12 stopped a 2020 Nissan Altima for a traffic violation.
Enter the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office’s K9 deputy Karma, who alerted for drugs being present in the car, which was operated by Robert Walter Bridgeman.
After a search of the vehicle, Bridgeman and a passenger, Marc Devin Pauley, were taken to the New River Regional Jail, each facing two drug charges.
A subsequent search of the car turned up $3,418, 67.8 grams of methamphetamine, 100 fentanyl pills, 83 grams of fentanyl powder, LSD and cocaine.
Bridgeman, the driver, was charged with possession of a Schedule I or II drug and possession with intent to manufacture a Schedule I or II drug. He has a hearing set for Nov. 6.
Pauley, too, was charged with possession and possession with intent, and has a Nov. 6 hearing scheduled. Pauley was also wanted in Smyth County on a charge of breaking a condition of his pretrial release on a February drug-related court case.
The Wythe County Sheriff’s Office seized the Nissan Altima.
