By JOHN WAYBRIGHT
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It's difficult, perhaps impossible, to find a lighter side to a disaster such as the flooding which devastated the Shenandoah Valley in the wake of Hurricane Fran. People lost homes, businesses, lifetimes of memories in the raging waters which overflowed from once gentle, picturesque streams and creeks. It will be months before roads and bridges have been put back into pre-storm condition and some residents have been without power, clean water and telephone service for a week or more. Among the businesses suffering tremendous losses were two of the area's most popular restaurants -- Brown's Chinese and American on Main Street in Luray and Brookside on US 211 east of the town. At Brown's, the Hawksbill Creek, usually a quiet haven for ducks and boys with fishing poles, roared through the basement and first floor of the structure, causing heavy damage. Brookside barely withstood the torrential flooding of Pass Run, the tiny stream that babbles in whispers throughout most of the summer in back of the restaurant, gift shop and attractive cabins there. Trees were uprooted and the parking areas covered in heaps of mud at both places. Fortunately and with thanks to the perseverance and hard work of the owners, employees, families and friends, these two heavily patronized food service establishments will recover and again offer their extensive menus and excellent service. And that is the real story in the aftermath of the terrible destruction brought by this onslaught of nature. The waters had barely receded before the cleanup and rebuilding had begun. Essential travel routes were back in service almost immediately. Power, water and telephone service were being restored as fast as overworked crews could get to them. Neighbors helped neighbors. Kinfolk, friends and associates from unaffected areas came and assisted with the repair work or sent needed items to those hit by the hurricane's remnants throughout the Valley. "Well, we were gonna remodel anyway," a sturdy Pine Grove resident told a television reporter. Wearing a somewhat forced smile, he was standing in front of what little remained of his home and piles of smooth rocks washed from the stream bed into his yard and driveway. That spirit seemed to prevail all over the flood-damaged area. After some tears of remorse at the losses, a few complaints about the overwhelming job looming in the days and weeks ahead and a brief pause to survey the overall extent of this rare natural phenomenon, the Valley people jumped into the task of getting back to normal. "We were lucky," said one of my neighbors, a statement echoed by hundreds who went without power, water, telephone and other services for a day or two or whose flooded basements caused only minor inconveniences. Indeed, we were lucky. Many lives could have been taken or serious physical injuries suffered in such a disaster in years past when communications were not so sophisticated and weather forecasts were not so accurate. In difficult, even desperate and tragic situations such as the Hurricane Fran flooding, the feeling of togetherness in our Valley communities is almost palpable. We see the best in humanity. And we hope we never have to experience such horrible straits to have that feeling again.
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It's time for all those end-of-summer activities which crowd the few weeks before Labor Day. We have the county fairs, the family reunions, the picnics and cookouts, the swimming parties and hikes in the woods.Questions? Comments? Email waybrite@shentel.net .The grandchildren and their assorted cousins seem to be in some sort of preschool fun frenzy. "Take me to the fair, pleeaase, take me to the fair," my grandnephew Tyler begs in that tone that makes the beggee feel like he's refusing the poor child a life-saving morsel of food. "Granddaddy," screams four-year-old Logan. "I want to go with you to the park. I wanna go. I gotta go." Grady, who is only two, is less insistent because he can't talk that well yet. But he can make quite a racket if he wants to be pushed on the swing or pulled in the wagon.
The boys are, indeed, loud and demanding. The girls, Madalyn, almost 2, Ashley, 6, and Chelsie, 8, are a bit more subtle. They wheedle. They cajole. They whine. And, finally, they give up and scream just like the boys.
All of them know that school will be starting soon and their lives will change into the more regulated mode of autumn. There will be teachers to deal with. Homework. Early rising to catch the school bus.
They must be distracted from this sense of impending doom. And that is no easy chore for parents, who will, if they can, shuffle that task off onto unsuspecting aunts, uncles, grandparents or, when times get really desperate, the passing acquaintance.
In my own case, I generally don't mind participating in these distracting exercises as long as I have the time and the kids are reasonably well-behaved. The youngsters are usually pretty easy to entertain. A trip to one of the county fairs in the area, for instance, can be surprisingly refreshing if you're willing to look at some things through the eyes of a child. And you can even sneak in some educational tidbits -- a little horticultural knowledge about how pumpkins get so big, a dab of environmental lore at one of the 4-H exhibits, even some physics as you explain why the Tilt-A-Whirl's centrifugal force is a bit too much for an old man's equilibrium.
Likewise, a family reunion can offer some chances to explain hereditary traits and blood relationships. Of course, we don't want to get into the "nervous" problem suffered by poor old Uncle Ferdinand for the last dozen or so years. "Ah, could you pass the fried chicken," is the best response when that subject comes up.
All of these late summer events, it seems, have food as at least a secondary focus. The fair offers terrific country ham sandwiches and homemade ice cream. Family reunions give us a chance to overdo on Aunt Molly's German chocolate cake after a broad sampling from the family cookbook. The grill works overtime on steaks, burgers, hot dogs or more exotic salmon or cornish game hens at the final spate of picnics and poolside parties.
Thus, the all-too-imminent approach of autumn turns us to more serious considerations -- how to lose the extra pounds we have picked up in the process and how to adjust to not having the children around so much after school opens.
I think I can handle that.
August 9, 1996 --
Grandparents have nothing to do.At least, that's the myth accepted among the younger generation as they race helter skelter among their jobs, social obligations and family duties. In truth, many grandparents are still tied to regular jobs or have taken on part-time work as a means of surviving in our consumer-driven economy. Additionally, these older folks have social obligations, volunteer work, home maintenance, fence-mending, gossiping and HMOs (health maintenance ordeals). In other words, enough stuff to keep them busy far into the golden years.
We grandparents, as a rule, love those youngsters of the next-after-our-kids' generation. Particularly for special occasions, they are delightful. If we can combine their presence with another enjoyable activity, so much the better.
That was the case recently for my wife and me when we took Ashley, 7, and Logan, 4, to one of the summer al fresco entertainments offered by the Bluemont Concert Series in several rural venues in the Shenandoah Valley and in the northwestern horse country of Loudoun, Fauquier, Orange and Culpeper. This particular Saturday evening event was in Luray's Inn Lawn Park, a beautiful natural setting ideal for an evening of leisurely picnicking and music.
Our evening was not quite so leisurely as one could hope. Both of us older folks worked during the day at our paying jobs and had to rush like mad to pick up the children across town. It was nearly 7 and we hadn't had dinner nor the chance to pack a few sandwiches and drinks to spread upon the grassy knoll. Our best option was to drive through a fast-food place and get some burgers, chicken and drinks -- not quite the elegant layout of wine, fruit, cheeses, chocolate eclairs and silver candelabra upon a lace cloth we managed in the days when the concerts first began in Page County a decade or so ago.
But it was fun and we got to the site in time to eat and drink before the concert began about 10 minutes late. The performers were the magnificent Pan Masters from the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The group's members are truly masters of the unique steel drum instruments with 30 of the hand-crafted "pans" producing a full range of orchestral sounds, an eerie and wonder-filled interpretation of styles ranging from calypso to Johann Sebastian Bach.
The exuberant Caribbean Festival is an annual feature of the Luray concerts, with the second half of the concert program devoted to audience-participation in the rhythmic, swaying dances typical of "Carnival" in the Latin American tradition. It's a great transgenerational party with youngsters frolicking right beside their gray-haired and rheumatized grandfolks. So the little ones move faster and last longer, it is still a happy party.
Even Logan, the perpetual-motion moppet, listened to the music and responded with unbounded glee. During an intermission, he also had time to show his grandfather the nearby railroad tracks and some "boxcars" at the old Luray station. A transportation enthusiast, Logan is particularly fond of trains and has a unique knowledge of them for such a small child. "Wook, Dandaddy," he informs me. "The choo-choo twain twacks go way, way, way off." And so they do.
As fascinating as the railroad sidetrack may be, we are called back to the Inn Lawn by the jingling, jangling tropical-topical sounds of the Pan Masters. Logan leads the way through the undulating dancers as we return to our lawn chairs and blanket.
This and five other summer presentations are sponsored by the Bluemont Concert Series headquartered in Leesburg. That nonprofit organization works in cooperation with the local communities and hundreds of volunteers. A dedicated volunteer committee of Page County residents makes arrangements for the Inn Lawn Park musical performances with financial support from businesses, industries and individuals. Each concert is open for only a $3 per person donation to help defray some of the expenses.
The final concert of the Luray series will be 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10. It features Andrew Roblin and the Pocono Mountain Men with some rousing bluegrass and traditional Appalachian music. Another good time for granddads, grandmas, little kids and even the mamas and the papas.
August 2, 1996 --
Culture blossoms in unusual places in the Shenandoah Valley.In the charming village of Middletown, there's the Wayside Theatre, home to a troupe of acting and artistic professionals, which this year marks its 35th season. The theatre is small, cozy, intimate and the plays are fully as entertaining as any you could catch Off-Broadway, even though this experience is a lot easier to get to.
A recent matinee was typical of the pleasant dramatic fare provided under the artistic direction of Christopher Owens, a remarkable influence on the Wayside for the past ten seasons. This particular production of the farcical classic, "Charley's Aunt," was directed by Michael Haney with a fast-paced and physical interpretation of the somewhat dated comic material.
Anyone familiar with the Brandon Thomas play will know that it's one of those silly British upper class romps with so many comedic coincidences of plot that even a five-year-old would have trouble suspending disbelief. But the Wayside bunch take it on with unbridled enthusiasm and play it for the sight gags and slapstick.
It's a real tribute to the actors that they are able to wrest some genuine laughter from the audience, which on this late July afternoon packed the house. Charlie Shroeder was brashly unabashed as Jack Chesney and Patrick Holland pulled every comic nuance from the clownish role of the title's nephew. And Grant Neale, as the mischievous Lord Babberly masquerading in auntie's Victorian garments, was the consummate buffoon as he ran, jumped, tripped and somersaulted around the theatre's smallish stage.
Joseph Beal played the requisite put-upon butler with Jeeves-like decorum and the other cast members lent full support to the madcap performances of the main characters.
That small stage, incidentally, is enhanced to its fullest potential by the stunning scenic design of Kevin D. Wall. Victorian-era rooms at Oxford, a garden scene and an English manor's drawing room are executed with professional flair using genuine antiques and a superior knowledge of the decorative fashions of the period. Costumes by Dana Pinkston are likewise on the mark with colorful interpretations of fin de siecle finery.
During the two intermissions, playgoers could take a refreshment break at the small stage-door cafe next door where soft drinks and packaged snacks are available at the usual inflated price. Bistro-style tables and chairs are scattered in the room with more interesting antique furnishings and bric-a-brac around the walls.
For those who wish to enjoy a pre-performance dinner, the nearby Wayside Inn, a restored stagecoach stop dating to 1797, offers such treats as smothered chicken, Shenandoah trout, peanut soup and spoon bread. Just a few doors down from the theatre is McSylvies Restaurant with a full dinner menu or light fare which may be served on the garden patio if the weather is done with its recent rainy attitude.
Or some folks choose to stop, as we did, at the Spring House on Main Street (US 11) in Woodstock. You won't be disappointed in the fine selections of seafood, poultry, steaks and pasta served with impeccable attention and accompanied by a nice wine, mixed drink or fresh-brewed and aromatic coffee. The desserts are delectable, but you'd better plan to split the Double Devil concoction of cake, ice cream and whipped cream with a dining partner. It's a whopper and sinfully rich.
However you decide to complement your visit to the Wayside Theater, it can be an afternoon or evening which will linger in gratifying memory.
"Charley's Aunt" stays there until Aug. 10. The next offering is an new comedy, "Greetings," by Tom Dudzick, Aug. 14-Sept. 7, followed by "Ten Little Indians" and "Dr. Jekyll and Miss Hyde."
Ticket information can be obtained by calling 540-869-1776.