Looking to enjoy some fresh air? Stop by The Black Dog Coffee Company at 8001 Charles Town Road in Shenandoah Junction on Saturday, September 12 from 11am to 5pm for an outdoor “Makers Market.”
Staff Contributor
Tuning In Virtually
With its regular concert activities on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the eastern panhandle’s Friends of Music organization is experimenting with technology to produce virtual concerts they’re calling “Musical Postcards,”
Absentee Voting Has Begun
The last day to register to vote in West Virginia for the November election is October 13. If you are registered, you may request an absentee ballot anytime until October 28. Rules for absentee voting have been updated to allow any voter to claim Covid-19 as a health reason for requesting an absentee ballot
Gearing Up For Fun
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Peddle & Paddle in Shepherdstown is providing multiple avenues to get outside and be active while social distancing.
Temporary Quarters: Park Association Pop-Up Book Store
The Harpers Ferry Park Association bookstore in lower town has been closed since March due to COVID-19, but starting in September, the organization will have a pop-up bookstore outside on the green across the street from the bookstor.
The Vintage Lady Doesn’t Sit Still
Cindy Dunn has owned The Vintage Lady shop since 2004, and she’s seen a lot of people walk through the door in the past sixteen years. That changed when the pandemic shut down her shop in March.
Believing in the Community
For Libby Powell, it started with a carnival-type popcorn popper that her kids got her as present. Thinking it might be fun to repurpose the popper to roast coffee, Libby began to experiment a quarter cup of beans at a time.
It’s OK to Ask for Help
The Brian O’Neill Jr Foundation has a simple mission: to empower individuals and their families to help prevent suicide in youth and young adults. For Lee O’Neill, the president of the foundation, this mission is personal.
Keeping the Vibe on German Street
In 1995, Garth Janssen found an opportunity to realize his own vision when he saw a space being vacated by another shop-keeper and opened the Lost Dog. For 25 years, that vision was his life, his family, his community, his art.
Remembering Hartstown
Appalachia is often viewed through a narrow lens. The stories of Black communities throughout the region are often left untold or simply overlooked. Acknowledging these communities and preserving their stories helps us to truly understand the broad patterns of the cultural landscape in which we live today.
Solar in Jefferson County
With this post, The Observer introduces SIGHTLINE stories, in-depth explorations intended to engage and inform the community on key topics. Our first SIGHTLINE story explores the implications of large-scale solar development in Jefferson County.
Honor D Fine Shoes & Hats
March was planned as a grand opening for a new street-front space on German Street in Shepherdstown. Honor Thomas had orders for spring merchandise being delivered to the freshly-painted shop and plans for an event-filled spring for her regular customers. “When the shut-down restrictions hit I stayed home for a week. I have a daughter who lives in Queens, in New York City, and hearing the stories from there, it seemed frivolous to be thinking about my hats and shoes.”
Hamilton’s Tavern 1840: Creating A New Space in the Community
Chef Jeremiah Brooks and his partner in business & life, Anthony Brooks, were looking forward to the spring of 2020 when crowds would begin returning to the small restaurant they had opened in historic Harpers Ferry the previous July. With a small dining room and patio, and an even smaller kitchen, Hamilton’s Tavern 1840 was an intimate space guaranteed to draw in travelers and locals alike
CATF UnMuted: A New American Theater Experience for 2020
If the CATF team found themselves lost in the woods, they wouldn’t just look for the signs to get back on the old road — they’d figure out how to blaze a new trail. We’ve all learned a lot over the past four months, enough to know that the CATF organization made the right decision to postpone the summer season. While the community has been mourning the loss, the team got to work at what they do best — being creative.
Protected Farmland Expanding in Jefferson County
Six years ago, the Farmland Protection Board set a long-term goal of obtaining conservation easements on 20,000 acres — representing roughly one-third of the total farmland in Jefferson County.