Art at the Farmers Market

Blacksburg, VA has many great sites to see, if you’re not bogged down with orientation at Virginia Tech! Certain weekends though, the town sponsors an event that gets the entire town excited. July 17th happened to be one of those events, the annual Art at the Farmer’s Market.

Luckily, I was able to sneak out of the inn for an hour and check out the sidewalk show. A storm happened to be passing through, so artists were packing up, or huddled inside canopies, trying to protect their artwork from the weather. Sporting a Clay Corner Inn umbrella, I ducked in and out of tents to appreciate the artwork that was for sale. Of course I was amazed at the local talent, but was not able to afford any of the pieces to bring back and display here at the inn.

Certain pieces stood out to me though… There were photographs taken of animals and landscapes that had been put behind old wooden windows. It gave the illusion that you were looking out a window into your backyard. Another favorite stand was glassware. There were bowls and vases that were sparkling with vivid colors that attracted the eye. I just kept thinking that one of those vases would look great on a breakfast table with some fresh cut flowers! My favorite stand, which had also won an award, was from Bimbur Books. They displayed all handmade paper and journals from an artist at Main Lee Art. The books were gorgeous, with different patterns, colors, and styles of paper. I suppressed the urge to buy one, but now that I have some downtown gift certificates, I just might meander down to the art store and support our local businesses!

As always, the farmers were at the market selling their fruits, veggies, and pastries. There was also breakfast at the market, but I bypassed that, since I knew it would not be as delicious as the breakfasts here at the Clay Corner Inn! I did hear from passersby that it was quite a treat though!

If you’re bummed that you missed out on this great event, then make sure you visit Blacksburg this weekend, August 6-7th for Steppin’ Out’s 30th anniversary. There will be tons of vendors, food, and music to entertain you all day! We hope to see you soon!

News for guests!

June 27, 2010

Many changes have come about in the past couple of weeks --- in recognition of our pledge to be Virginia Green, we now recycle mixed paper in addition to bottles and cans. While it comes naturally to me to recycle paper, I still catch Joanne throwing away paper -- then a few minutes later she’ll move it to the recycling bin on the other side of her desk. I’m confident that another week in training will make it second nature to her as well. She’s says it’s okay to write “you CAN teach an old dog a new trick!” As always, guests can leave paper recyclables on any counter, and a staff member will see that it goes into the proper receptacle.

The registration table now has brochures of local attractions and maps for campus, downtown and Virginia. A basket above the guest laptop is filled with restaurant menus -- most within walking distance. Downtown Blacksburg has restaurants for Italian, fish tacos, seafood, vegetarian, Greek, Mexican, Thai, and of course, American food fare.

The gift shop has moved to the office, which is convenient at check out. The most popular items are our hand-thrown stoneware mugs and the B&B guidebooks, which have a certificate for buy-one-get-one-free overnight at more than 1,200 B&Bs in the U.S. We also sell umbrellas, aprons, soap, ornaments and some books. Check out the new nightlights -- they look plain ceramic, but come alive to 3-D when turned on. There's one in the half bath and one in the office, and we have several styles (horses, wine and cheese, waterfall, tea) - the kind of gift anyone can use!

Joanne must have caught my green thumb because she planted an herb garden! Herbs such as basil, rosemary and lemon balm are wonderful in baked goods, as well as for fresh garnishes. We had guests this week who were just thrilled to see the herbs we have growing, and I garnished some plates with colorful pansies – only edible flowers and sprigs on the plates.

The inn surely is an interesting place -- constantly revamping its style and trying to anticipate your needs. I’m enjoying being a part of everything, as I close in on being here one month, and I’m having a wonderful time meeting new guests and the repeat crowd, many of whom have never stayed anywhere else in Blacksburg! I can see why! Liz