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Good morning, Blacksburg.
Did you know, Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean is the farthest place from land on Earth.
It’s so isolated that if you were there, you’d be closer to astronauts on the ISS than to any human on land.
In today's Blacksburg Connect:
🏈 Big win helping bring business to downtown
🎒 Walkabout's gear swap sale opens today
🏛️ Recap of the latest Town Council
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, September 9th
🚗 School zone speed camera citations begin. Toms Creek Rd. (Gilbert Linkous) and Prices Fork Rd. (Blacksburg Middle).
🥕 Blacksburg Farmers Market — 2:00–6:00 p.m. (Market Square Park)
🎨 Artist Talk: Guadalupe Maravilla — 3:00–4:00 p.m. (Moss Arts Center, 190 Alumni Mall) — free. The fall exhibiting artist in conversation with visual arts director Brian Holcombe
🥣 Community Soup Dinner — 4:00–6:00 p.m. (Market Square Park) — $12 suggested donation for soup, salad, rolls and dessert, while supplies last. Proceeds go to the market's SNAP program, which runs Virginia Fresh Match: spend $10 in SNAP benefits at the market and receive another $10 for fruit and vegetables. Details are at the information tent. Sponsored by Roots Realty Group
🖼️ Opening Reception: Fall 2026 Exhibition — 4:00–6:00 p.m. (Moss Arts Center) — free
🎻 Market Square Jam — 7:00–9:00 p.m. (Market Square Park) — free, bring a chair. The season wraps at the end of the month
Thursday, September 10th
🗳️ Community forum on the three constitutional amendments on the November ballot — 7:00 p.m. (Blacksburg Town Council Chambers, 300 S. Main St.) — free. Hosted by the League of Women Voters and Virginia Tech's Lifelong Learning Institute
🥕 Christiansburg Farmers Market — Thursdays (Huckleberry Park, 300 Huckleberry Park Dr. NW)
🚶 16 Squares Walking Tour — every other Thursday, departing the Alexander Black House (204 Draper Rd. SW)
🎸 Travis Reigh at The Farmhouse — 6:00–9:00 p.m. (285 Ridinger St., Christiansburg) — Southwest Virginia singer-songwriter, rock roots with a country sound
Friday, September 11th — 25th anniversary of 9/11
🇺🇸 Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets remembrance formation — morning, Upper Quad. The Gregory Guard precision rifle drill team fires a rifle salute with blank ammunition between 7:15 and 7:40 a.m. The public can watch from the porch of Lane Hall
🎻 Jam Session: Solitude Strummers — 12:00–1:00 p.m. (Solitude Porch, 705 W. Campus Dr.) — free open jam with Cedric Watson et Bijou Creole
🕯️ Radford "A Tribute to Heroes" ceremony — Glencoe Mansion & Glencoe Field, 600 Unruh Dr., Radford. New River Classic Cruisers on display at 5:00 p.m., music from Rotary president Jim Mitchell at 5:30, ceremony at 6:00. Hosted by the Radford Noon Rotary Club with Glencoe Mansion, VFW Post 776 and the DAR
🪕 Cedric Watson et Bijou Creole outdoor concert — 6:00 p.m. (Moss Arts Center lawn) — free. Four-time Grammy nominee, Creole and zydeco. Bring a blanket
🔥 Intro to Glass Blowing — 6:00–7:30 p.m. (Paint 'n Fun Ceramics) — registration required
🤸 Friday Nite Hype — kids' night with inflatables and giveaways (1550 Roanoke St., Christiansburg)
Saturday, September 12th
🥕 Blacksburg Farmers Market — 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. (Market Square Park)
🏈 Virginia Tech vs. Old Dominion — 12:00 p.m. (Lane Stadium). Noon kickoff, so campus and downtown traffic builds through the morning
🎤 Rockin' Christiansburg — 5:00–9:00 p.m. (Uptown Christiansburg, 782 New River Rd.) — second concert at the series' new Uptown location
🐟 Mount Tabor Ruritan Fish Fry — 5:00–7:00 p.m. (Slusser's Chapel Picnic Shelter, 1543 Mount Tabor Rd.) — fish, fries, slaw and homemade desserts. Adults $12, under 12 $6, under 3 free, carry-outs $12. Music from the Blue Ridge Vocal Connection. Rain or shine. This is the last fry of 2026. 540-449-6178
🎺 1940s Swing Dance Night — 7:00–10:00 p.m. (1531 N. Main St., Suite C, Blacksburg) — The Old Pro's Big Band, open to the whole community
Sunday, September 13th
🕰️ Blacksburg Vintage Market — 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (Market Square Park, corner of Roanoke and Draper) — second and fourth Sundays through November
Have an idea for a local event, business, or anything else you think would be good to get the word out to fellow Blacksburg locals? Hit Reply to share your ideas!
🏈 Big win helping bring business to downtown
Four downtown owners and managers told WSLS that the VMI weekend rescued a slow start.
The week before the opener was quiet. Michael Hauck of The Cellar said the usual pre-season buzz never showed up. Tanner Martin at Benny Marzano's said it was dead until Friday, then night and day. Thomas Buckley at Campus Emporium watched students who normally buy game day gear early all arrive at once, backing up the fitting room.
Then after Tech won 73–3. Long lines, packed dining rooms, cleared shelves.
All four treat the outcome as an economic input. Hauck said a loss visibly shrinks the celebrating. Martin said a win means a line out the door from open to close, and that it reaches his staff's take-home as much as the register. Chris Linden of The Maroon Door said the back half of last season was rough for downtown merchants, credits James Franklin with drawing new people to town.
Next test is Saturday's noon kickoff against Old Dominion.
🎒 Walkabout's gear swap sale opens today
Walkabout Outfitter spent the last few weeks taking in used footwear, outdoor gear and clothing — sellers set their own price and got store credit. Collection closed yesterday.
Today the sale opens. Used gear on the floor through Tuesday, Sept. 15, and you negotiate your own price. 1560 S. Main St., Suite 100. Open 10 to 7, 11 to 5 Sunday. 540-739-3263.
Good timing if a kid outgrew boots between last October and this one.
🏛️ Town Council, briefly
Town Council had three ordinances on its consent agenda last night which are now scheduled for public hearings on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m., Municipal Building, 300 S. Main St.
🏠 Ordinance 2073 — homestays. Updates the town's homestay ordinance to match state law and establishes civil penalties, amending Town Code sections 6-601, 6-602, 6-605 and 6-606.
🍽️ Ordinance 2117 — meals tax. Amends sections 22-700 through 22-705 to change the definitions of and exemptions from the meals tax, and adds a penalty for late payments.
⚡ Ordinance 2121 — utility easement. Authorizes conveying a utility easement over town property to Appalachian Power.
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