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Good morning, Blacksburg.
On this day in 1781, Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, effectively ending the Revolutionary War. Fitting, with Humanities Week's "Legacies of 1776" theme kicking off today. Monday hands you a sunny 68 after a freeze-warning weekend, and the 60s and 70s stick around all week, peaking near 73 on Tuesday.
In today's Blacksburg Connect:
🏭 Dublin's $750M data center deal dies; Google behind Roanoke County plan
📜 Humanities Week starts today: "Legacies of 1776"
🏛️ Fotheringay decision day: Monday's county meeting
🎸 A live-music week: Folk Night, Shelby Kemp, the Lovely Dark
Let’s get to it.
Monday, October 19
📜 Humanities Week: Jason Higgins
12:15-1:15pm, 124 Newman Library (Athenaeum), 560 Drillfield Dr, Virginia Tech; also on Zoom. Oral history specialist Jason Higgins discusses the descendants of families once enslaved at the Smithfield plantation. Free.
📜 Humanities Week: Center for Oral History panel
1-3pm, Blacksburg Public Library, 200 Miller St. An interdisciplinary panel on "documentation," citizenship, and democracy. Free.
📜 Humanities Week: AI Futures dialogue
3-4:30pm, Assembly Hall, The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center. AI Futures Working Group co-chairs Rishi Jaitly and Dean Warren Dixon on aligning engineering innovation with humanistic values. Free.
🚗 Free VIN etching at the Christiansburg Fire Department
3-6pm, 110 Depot St NW, Christiansburg. Free car VIN etching, free giveaways, and anti-theft tips from the HEAT Program and the Christiansburg Fire Department.
🚶 Weekly Monday Walk, Christiansburg Run Club
6-7pm, Town of Christiansburg. The run club's weekly Monday walk.
💃 Line Dancing with lessons and open dancing
6-8pm, The Milk Parlor, 211 Draper Rd NW, Blacksburg. Lessons 6-7pm, open dance 7-8pm; $2 for ages 21 and up, $4 under 21.
Tuesday, October 20
📜 Humanities Week keynote: Scott Simon, "The Responsibilities of Being American"
7:30pm, Lyric Theatre, 135 College Ave, Blacksburg. NPR Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon headlines Humanities Week, with a Q&A; Blacksburg Books sells books in the lobby, with a signing after. Free, registration encouraged.
💃 Workshop: Urban Movement
6-7:30pm, Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, 190 Alumni Mall. A free hip hop and contemporary dance workshop with artists of Compagnie Herve Koubi; ages 16 and up, all skill levels, registration required; come barefoot in comfortable clothes. (dance)
🎸 Folk Night
9pm, The Milk Parlor, 211 Draper Rd NW, Blacksburg. Acoustic guitars, harmonies, and storytelling from local and regional players. (folk)
❓ Trivia Night @ 540 Social
7:30pm, 540 Social, 125 N Main St, Blacksburg. The weekly Tuesday trivia: free to play, prizes and bragging rights, with free game cards for each round's winning team.
🌲 50th Anniversary Fall Forestry and Wildlife Field Tours
8am-4:30pm, Meadowbrook Community Center, Shawsville. Montgomery County's 50th anniversary forestry and wildlife field tours.
Wednesday, October 21
🎸 Shelby Kemp, Live at The Lyric
7:30pm, The Lyric, 135 College Ave, Blacksburg. An internationally touring blues and roots artist from South Mississippi; Delta blues slide and fingerstyle, and a 2024 Telluride Blues Challenge winner. (blues)
🎤 The Lovely Dark in concert
7:30pm, Studio Theatre (Black Box), Artis Center, Radford University, 801 E Main St, Radford. Goth, industrial, and synth-pop with live video art from two Radford music department alumni touring between New York and Detroit; spooky-season dress encouraged. $15 general admission, free with RU ID. (goth/industrial)
📜 Humanities Week: "Hamilton" Movie Screening and Sing-Along
6:30-9:30pm, Squires Auditorium, Squires Student Center, Virginia Tech. Disney's film version of Hamilton (2020, PG-13), with singing encouraged and an intro by PhD student Sean Chambers. Free.
⚽ Virginia Tech men's soccer vs Winthrop
6pm, Thompson Field, Blacksburg. The Hokies (7-5-1) host Winthrop.
🥬 Blacksburg Farmers Market Wednesday Market
Afternoon, Market Square Park, 108 W Roanoke St, Blacksburg. The midweek market: seasonal produce, baked goods, and more.
💕 Star City Singles Speed Dating at Sugar Magnolia
6pm, Sugar Magnolia, Blacksburg. A singles speed-dating night aimed at VT undergrads and grad students; free scoop of ice cream with the event.
👻 Haunted History Tour
Two tours, 7:30pm and 9pm, downtown Blacksburg (starts on the lawn between the Thomas-Conner House and Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd). A 60-90 minute haunted history walk; ages 8 and up, groups limited to 15, tickets must be purchased at least 3 hours ahead.
🌿 Wellness Wednesday plus Adult Day Camp
9am-12pm, Big Cedars Farm. A midweek wellness morning with an adult day camp.
Mark your calendar: Thu Oct 22 - Sun Oct 25
🐕 Science on Tap: What the Nose Knows
Thu Oct 22, 5:30-7pm, Rising Silo Brewery, 2351 Glade Rd, Blacksburg. What detection work demands of search-and-rescue dogs, with VT animal-behavior researcher and veteran handler Dr. Sally Dickinson, plus an interactive scent-tracking challenge. Free and open to the public.
💃 Compagnie Herve Koubi, "Sol Invictus"
Thu Oct 22 and Fri Oct 23, 7:30pm, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. Contemporary dance fusing hip-hop, capoeira, and martial arts from the French/Algerian company, with a post-show Q&A. (dance)
⚽ Virginia Tech women's soccer vs Wake Forest
Thu Oct 22, 7pm, Thompson Field, Blacksburg. Free admission.
🎓 Radford University Alumni Homecoming
Thu Oct 22 - Sat Oct 24, Radford University. Alumni Homecoming weekend: Golden Reunion, Alumni Awards, Coffee with the Coaches, the Women of Radford luncheon on Saturday, and live music Saturday at Alumni Village.
🚶 16 Squares Walking Tour
Thu Oct 22, 12-1:30pm, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg. A lunchtime walking tour of downtown.
🏊🎈 CAC Kid and Teen Takeover
Fri Oct 23, 5:30-8:30pm, Christiansburg Aquatic Center, 595 N Franklin St. A kids' night of recreational swim with certified lifeguards, pizza, a kid-friendly movie, and a themed craft while parents get a night out.
🌲 2026 Gather to Grow Forest Farming Conference
Fri Oct 23 - Sun Oct 25, The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, Blacksburg. The Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition's annual forest farming conference; registration details and keynote speakers to come.
🏃 Hope to Walk at VT Annual 5K
Sat Oct 24, 9:30am-12:30pm, Duck Pond Lot, 623 Duck Pond Dr, Blacksburg. $30; supports Hope To Walk's prosthetic care in underserved communities. First 100 registrants get a t-shirt; $125 to the top male and female finishers.
🛍️🎈 Fall Children's Consignment Sale
Sat Oct 24, 9am-1:30pm, Y Center, 1000 N Main St, Blacksburg. Deals on kids' clothes, toys, books, and baby gear; half-price from 12:30-1:30pm.
🚲 The Andrew Gold
Sat Oct 24, 10am, Bollo's Cafe & Bakery, Christiansburg. A local handicap-style cycling race, running since 2007 as a warm-up for the Owen Cup: the slowest riders start first so everyone finishes close together.
🛍️ Fall Vendor Fair at Terrace View Apartments
Sat Oct 24, Terrace View Apartments, Blacksburg. Vendors include Empanadas Meraki (Colombian street food: corn empanadas, arepas boyacenses, buñuelos) and Bonnie Charlotte's Botanicals.
🎃 Fall Festival 2026
Sat Oct 24, 11am, Trinity Community Church, 1505 N Franklin St, Christiansburg.
🎈 Fall Family Fun Day
Sat Oct 24, 11am-6pm, 3720 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg. Live folk music noon-3pm from Stella Trundel, plus Hot Diggity Dog.
🎃🎈 Hokie Spirit Day and Punkin' Chunkin' at Sinkland Farms
Sat Oct 24, 10am-5pm, 3060 Riner Rd, Christiansburg. Virginia Tech colors, the Marching Highty-Tighties, Hokie Bird, punkin' chunkin', live music by Noah Spencer from 1-4pm, vendors, and farm activities.
👻🎈 Harvest & Haints at Historic Smithfield
Sat Oct 24, 11am-3pm, Historic Smithfield, 1000 Merry Oak Way, Blacksburg. A day of fall fun, history, and Halloween: blacksmith demos, cider pressing, a colonial militia encampment, ghost story readings, a children's costume contest, Proclamation Theatre, and cemetery tours. No admission.
🏺 TRY IT! Pottery Wheel Class
Sat Oct 24, 4pm, Paint 'n Fun Ceramics, Christiansburg. A beginner try-it pottery wheel experience with instruction and wheel time included; no experience needed.
🎻 Sounds of Appalachia: Becky Buller Band
Sat Oct 24, 7pm, Christiansburg High School Auditorium. The Montgomery Museum's Appalachian music series presents the 10-time IBMA award-winning fiddler, singer, and songwriter. $25 advance, $30 at the door, $10 for students. (bluegrass)
🎼 Virginia Tech Philharmonic and Honor String Orchestra
Sat Oct 24, evening, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. The VT Philharmonic joins outstanding high school string musicians from across the region. (classical)
⚽ Virginia Tech soccer vs Clemson doubleheader
Sun Oct 25, Thompson Field, Blacksburg. Men's soccer hosts Clemson at 2pm ("Hokie Fall Fest"); women's soccer hosts Clemson at 5pm ("Hokie Haunt").
🎵 Virginia Tech Choirs and Honor Choir Concert
Sun Oct 25, 2-4pm, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. VT's choirs join outstanding high school singers from across the region. (choral)
🏭 Dublin's $750M data center deal dies; Google behind Roanoke County plan
The $750 million data center plan for Dublin is dead. Developer New River Valley LLC (CastleRock Partners) let its purchase contract with Virginia's First Regional Industrial Facility Authority expire on Oct 5 without closing on 475 acres at the New River Valley Commerce Park, after Cardinal News first reported the missed deadline. About $580,000 the company had in escrow will likely stay with the authority, executive director Michael Solomon told Cardinal News. Over 10 years the developer would have had to invest at least $750 million in industrial projects, including a possible data center, and create 40 full-time jobs; Solomon said no end user for a data center had ever been identified. Meanwhile $7.5 million in state money previously earmarked for utility infrastructure at the park remains untouched. Cardinal News
Meanwhile, Google is the company behind the proposed Roanoke County data center: the regional authority announced Friday that Google is evaluating the 94-acre Wood Haven Technology Park at the I-81/581 junction during a due-diligence period running through March 2027, after weeks of secrecy around the shell entity Clearview Dynamics LLC. Neighbors have posted "No Data Center" signs and raised health and noise concerns. Cardinal News
📜 Humanities Week starts today: "Legacies of 1776"
Virginia Tech's Humanities Week kicks off today with the theme "Legacies of 1776," and every event is free and open to the public. Monday brings three events: oral history specialist Jason Higgins on the descendants of families once enslaved at the Smithfield plantation (12:15-1:15pm, Newman Library, also on Zoom), a Center for Oral History panel on documentation, citizenship, and democracy (1-3pm, Blacksburg Public Library), and an AI Futures dialogue with Rishi Jaitly and Dean Warren Dixon (3-4:30pm, the Inn at Virginia Tech). The marquee is Tuesday at 7:30pm: NPR Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon delivers "The Responsibilities of Being American" at the Lyric Theatre, with a Q&A; Blacksburg Books sells books in the lobby, with a signing after. Wednesday brings a "Hamilton" movie screening and sing-along at Squires Auditorium, 6:30-9:30pm, with singing encouraged. schedule | keynote details
🏛️ Fotheringay decision day: Monday's county meeting
The Fotheringay rezoning vote is finally on the calendar: Montgomery County's Board of Supervisors takes it up at its Monday, Oct 26 meeting, alongside two tax-exemption public hearings (a real-estate exemption on leased property for Hacksburg in Blacksburg, and a personal-property tax exemption for the Humane Society). The item was tabled earlier this month after nearly 40 residents spoke. Over in Christiansburg, the Oct 27 regular meeting packet still hasn't been posted, though the meeting is set to include a public hearing on the Huckleberry Park 5.335-acre sale. county calendar | town archive
📰 News Around the NRV
🏈 All-American nod for Luke Reynolds. Tight end Luke Reynolds was named a first-team AP Midseason All-American, announced Thursday; his 41 receptions for 431 yards lead all FBS tight ends. 247sports (carries the full AP list)
🏈 Friday night lights. The Blacksburg Bruins beat Pulaski County 35-14 on Friday night, their third straight win and a homecoming victory under first-year head coach Phillip Reese. Quarterback Sam Szefc ran for two touchdowns, including a 75-yard score on a fake in the second quarter, and Jax Hilmandolar added an interception before halftime. Also Friday: Radford shut out Glenvar 29-0 at Bobcat Stadium for homecoming, and Christiansburg beat Hidden Valley 45-12. WSLS | MaxPreps
🖥️ Google behind Roanoke County data center plan. Google is the company behind the proposed Roanoke County data center: the regional authority announced Friday that Google is evaluating the 94-acre Wood Haven Technology Park at the I-81/581 junction during a due-diligence period running through March 2027, after weeks of secrecy around the shell entity Clearview Dynamics LLC. Neighbors have posted "No Data Center" signs and raised health and noise concerns. Virginia Business
🎓 Record applications, growing enrollment. Virginia Tech's fall census counts 7,495 first-years drawn from a record 58,052 applications, a new high for the fifth straight year; total enrollment stands at 39,213, up slightly, with nearly 21,000 in-state students. Virginia Tech News
🚀 NASA backs VT aircraft research. NASA awarded Virginia Tech $5.8 million through its University Leadership Initiative for a three-year project with Auburn and Tuskegee universities to build certification and safety requirements into aircraft design from the start, targeting electrified aviation. Virginia Tech News
🏛️ Griffith grant roundup. Rep. Morgan Griffith announced a $500,000 HHS grant to Blacksburg's Biotherapeutics, Inc. for Alzheimer's therapy research (Sept 25), up to $243,467 from the VA's National Cemetery Administration to expand the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin (Sept 17), and support for the state of emergency over the drought-driven hay shortage (Sept 16). press releases
🏗️ Christiansburg development pipeline. The town's Plans in Review page lists active projects including the Motor Mile KIA, Honda, and Hyundai expansions, the Shelor Subaru expansion, the Montgomery County Fire-EMS HQ, Sunset Drive Apartments, Wyatt Farms, and a Walmart Fuel Center. town page
📌 Community Board
🗳️ Early voting continues. In-person early voting runs weekdays 9am-5pm at the Montgomery County Office of Elections, 1546 N Franklin St, Christiansburg, through Oct 31. Saturday hours are Oct 24 and 31, 9am-5pm; Sunday hours are Oct 25, 11am-4pm. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 3. Office of Elections
🌽 Last call at the Radford Farmers Market. The market's own page posted its final official vendor list of the season Thursday; Saturday markets wrap for the year. post
🍎 Applebutter season. Mount Tabor Ruritan Club applebutter is out, available at Easy Way Packaging Center. A seasonal local tradition. post
🛒 Mobile Marketplace heads-up. The Mobile Marketplace comes to Blacksburg on Mon Oct 26, 2-4pm, at 2603 Warm Hearth Dr. event
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