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In this issue of Blacksburg Connect
🗓️ Upcoming Local Events
🏀 Are you ready? Parks and Rec registration kicks off Sept 1.
🚧 Around Town: Which streets are closed this week
🥕 Home Grown: Tuesday farm stand on Glade Road
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Upcoming Events
Wednesday, August 26th
New River Valley Business Exchange — 8:30–10:00 AM (Entrepreneur Resource Center, 2200 Kraft Dr., Suite 1325, Blacksburg)
American Red Cross Blood Drive — 10:00 AM–2:00 PM (In Balance Yoga, 2000 Kraft Dr., Suite 1204, Blacksburg) — $20 gift card, plus $10 more for O+/O−
Sustainable Blacksburg Lunch & Learn: "How to Garden…When Deer Are Everywhere" — 12:00–1:00 PM (Blacksburg Library, 200 Miller St. SW, Blacksburg) — free
VTCRC Walking Club — 12:30–1:00 PM (Wikiteria Cafe patio, 1715 Pratt Dr., Blacksburg) — free, all fitness levels
Midweek Farmers Market — 2:00–6:00 PM (Market Square Park, 100 Draper Rd., Blacksburg)
Jazz Zoo — 6:00–9:00 PM (Rising Silo Brewery, 2351 Glade Rd., Blacksburg) — every fourth-Wednesday jazz
Think & Drink Trivia — 7:00 PM (Eastern Divide Brewing, 3175 Commerce St., Blacksburg)
Market Square Jam with Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small — 7:00–9:00 PM (Market Square Park, 100 Draper Rd., Blacksburg) — free, bring a chair
Thursday, August 27th
Science on Tap: "Mosquitoes eat nectar?? How flowers fuel mosquitoes" — 5:30 PM (Rising Silo Brewery, 2351 Glade Rd.)
16 Squares Walking Tour — 12:00–1:00 PM (Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd. SW)
Tech Talk Live season premiere — 6:00–8:00 PM (McClain's at First & Main, 1614 S. Main St.)
Friday, August 28th
Computer, Tablet & Smart Phone Help Sessions — 4:30–5:30 PM (Blacksburg Community Center, 725 Patrick Henry Dr., Blacksburg) — free, no registration
Men's Soccer: Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech — 6:00 PM (Thompson Field, Blacksburg)
Hidden Brain: The Perceptions Tour — 7:00 PM (Moss Arts Center, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg) — sold out
Poetry Open Mic Night — 7:00–9:00 PM (Blacksburg Books, 401 S. Main St., Suite 106, Blacksburg) — free, no registration
🏀 Are you ready? Parks and Rec registration kicks off Sept 1.
Blacksburg Parks and Recreation has posted its fall lineup, and registration opens in two waves:
📅 Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 9:00 AM — Active Adult programs and Joy Rides
📅 Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 9:00 AM — everything else
Both open at nine sharp. Three ways in: online, by phone at 540-443-1100, or in person at 615 Patrick Henry Drive.
Times and days come from the fall About Town catalog; Make sure to follow Parks and Rec on Facebook for up to date information about cancelations.
For Active Adults
A lot of the Active Adult lineup costs nothing at all. These meet weekly at the Community Center:
Day | Program | Time |
|---|---|---|
Tuesday | Bid Whist — new this fall | 12:30 PM |
Tuesday | Party Bridge (1st & 3rd Tuesday) | 12:30 PM |
Tuesday | Game Club — chess, backgammon, Parcheesi, or bring your own | 2:00 PM |
Tuesday | Cantonese Mah Jongg | 3:15 PM |
Wednesday | American Mah Jongg | 1:30 PM |
2nd Wednesday | Knitters | 10:00 AM |
Thursday | Spunsters — spinning fiber into yarn | 1:00 PM |
Friday | Duplicate Bridge — donation | 12:00 PM |
Friday | Free tech help — VT CS Squared volunteers | 4:30–5:30 PM |
Tech help starts this Friday and runs through Dec. 4. Bring the phone, the tablet, the laptop, the questions. No sessions Sept. 4, Oct. 9, or Nov. 20 and 27.
📚 Book Club meets at 2:00: The Black Wolf by Louise Penny (Sept. 10), On the Hippie Trail by Rick Steves (Oct. 8), The Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (Nov. 12), and Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia by Stephen Starring Grant (Dec. 10).
🏛️ AARP New River Valley Chapter meets at 11:30 on Sept. 8, Oct. 20, and Nov. 17. Bring a bagged lunch; a presentation follows. Open to the public.
Paid classes include Art Lover's Club and two new yoga series — one built around grounding, one around holiday stress.
For Youth
Program | Ages | Resident | ⏰ Register by |
|---|---|---|---|
Youth Volleyball | 8–14 | $65 | Sept. 13 |
Pee Wee Basketball | 6–8 | $85 | Sept. 14 |
Fun Beginnings Basketball | 4–6 | $60 | Sept. 21 |
Rising Juniors, Boys & Girls Basketball | 9–14 | $85 | Sept. 29 |
Non-resident rates run about $10 higher. Pee Wee placement practice is Sept. 26 at 11:00 AM; the older leagues place Nov. 3 and 4.
Other offerings:
Kids Poetry & Creative Writing — five Thursdays from Sept. 17, 5:30 PM, $10. Teen section at 7:00.
Bike Maintenance — four Saturdays at the Hokie Bike Hub, $20, ages 11+. Trailside repairs, brakes, drivetrains, then a hands-on workshop.
Jump Rope Basics ($10) · LEGO STEM for ages 3–5 ($10) · Sensory Art ($15) · Skateboarding Sessions ($35)
School's Out Fun Day on teacher workdays ($65),
Parents Night Out on Oct. 23 ($25)
Floating Pumpkin Patch on Oct. 10 — capped at 40 kids, $5 including the pumpkin.
Swim lessons run in two- and three-week blocks from September through mid-December.
🚧 Around Town: Which streets are closed this week
Through Friday. The sidewalk on Eheart Street and the right-turn lane onto South Main, between New Church and South Main, are closed 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. That's construction on the apartment building, not the bike lane.
Next week. The Marlington and Grayland intersection will be partially closed Monday, August 31 through Thursday, September 3, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, for Atmos Energy work.
And the long one. Winston Avenue between Progress Street and Kabrich Street is closed for the 801 North Main construction — through April 15, 2028.
The town keeps a running list of every closure, with block ranges and reasons, and updates it as jobs get added.
🥕 Home Grown: Tuesday farm stand on Glade Road
Tuesdays, 9:00 AM–5:30 PM · Glade Road Growing, 2351 Glade Rd. · Across from Heritage Park
The Tuesday farm stand at Glade Road Growing is open today, with a full line of what they raise: produce, pork, chicken, beef, honey, eggs, and more.
The stand accepts SNAP EBT and Virginia Farm Market Fresh vouchers, including Senior and WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers, during full-service hours on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
Everything green is certified naturally grown, and the farm sells only what it grows itself. The eggs come from their own ducks and chickens. The poultry — chicken, duck, and turkey — are heritage breeds, free-ranged on the farm and fed certified organic feed. The pigs are raised on site and rotated through paddocks around the property.
Stop by on your way home. Or order online for pickup.
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