Letter
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been exactly 10 years since the first issue of Greene County Living rolled off of the presses and into your hands. The Spring 2008 issue featured the wines of Shields Demesne Winery in Spraggs on its cover, with an inside piece about local farmers establishing wineries. It also featured a piece on Greensboro Pottery.
You have probably noticed that this issue of Greene County Magazine looks a little different than what you’ve been seeing over the last 10 years. In fact, the title Greene County Living is what you are used to. When we began publishing the magazine, the purpose was to showcase the people, places and things that make Greene County such a beautiful and special place to live. That mission has not changed. But, after a decade, it was time to update the look and feel of the publication, and that included a name change.
We’ve kept the content that you have grown used to over the years, including a calendar of events from Greene County Tourism and Dan Wagner’s seasonal cooking column. We went back to basics with our Health Focus column, and will bring you relevant health news and information from the Greene County experts who work for Washington Health System.
And since this was the first redesigned issue, we wanted it to be particularly special. What’s more special than a wedding? I can tell you – a wedding venue with heart. That’s exactly what Christy and Corbly Orndorff have with their Valley View Farm venue near Waynesburg. The farm has been in the Orndorff family since 1905, and it was Christy – a nurse at WVU Children’s Hospital – who had the idea to open the property to families, parents and children to grieve and cope with a loss. Like most things, it snowballed from there.
They’ve since hosted a farm day for WVU’s pediatric oncology department, the Greene County Community Foundation dinner last fall, and, of course, weddings. Sticking with their goal to provide respite, remembrances take priority over paid events, and 10 percent of profits from the paid events are donated to Butterfly Angels, a local nonprofit that assists with funeral and burial expenses for parents who have lost a child, as well as other support, including counseling. Staff writer Trista Thurston has the touching story on page 14.
Back in 2004, another seemingly small idea took off – that was when the first Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Festival took place. This year is the 15th annual event, and it’s grown quite a bit – it outgrew its original location on High Street in Waynesburg after just three years and had to move to the Greene County Fairgrounds. On page 22, writer C.R. Nelson looks back on how it came to be, and what attendees can look forward to this year. She’s got some great photos from over the years, too.
One of my favorite things about Greene County Magazine is the unique towns that dot the map and learning their stories. On page 20, regional editor Mike Jones dug into Dry Tavern and how the location got its name. It’s pretty interesting, and what’s even more so is that the name and location of the dry tavern that gave the town its name are lost to history – for now, anyway. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about history over the years, it’s that mysteries that are centuries old can be solved at any time.
We hope you like the new design, and of course welcome your feedback. Drop me a line at kgreen@observer-reporter.com with your thoughts and story ideas.
Here’s to another 10 years!