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GOOD MORNING BLACKSBURG!
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY, THE INTERNET'S SHOUTIEST HOLIDAY!
IN TODAY’S BLACKSBURG CONNECT (…ok im done):
🏛️ Fotheringay vote moved: new hearing Nov 10
🏭 MELD PrintWorks expands: second county facility for 3D metal printing
🏀 Hokies hoops pick up preseason AP Top 25 votes
Let’s get to it.
Thursday
🧘 Autumn Qigong gathering with Mintaka Qi
9-10:30am, Anahata Education Center. A free-form morning qigong session; no experience needed. (wellness)
🐕 Science on Tap: What the Nose Knows
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.
🎶 Joe Kessinger in Concert
6-9pm, Long Way Brewing, 501 2nd St, Radford. A debut show from a self-described "human jukebox": fans pick the songs. (variety)
💃 Compagnie Herve Koubi, "Sol Invictus"
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
7pm, Thompson Field, Blacksburg. Free admission.
🚶 16 Squares Walking Tour
12-1:30pm, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg. A lunchtime walking tour of downtown.
🎓 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.
🗳️ Radford City Council candidate forum, hosted by Cardinal News
Radford Public Library. Cardinal News hosts a free forum on Radford's fiscal-distress designation with 4 of the 5 council candidates confirmed: Doug Kanipe, Bill Kovarik, Chad McClanahan, Charlie Meeks, and Jonathan Stewart, none of them incumbents. (See the election highlight below.)
Friday
🌲 The Dark Woods at Fithian Farms
7:30-10:30pm, 228 Shires Ln, Christiansburg. A mile-long outdoor haunted trail, $20 (cash or card); runs Friday and Saturday nights through Oct 31.
👻 Hexed Haunted Attraction 2026
7pm, 2059 Burkette Rd, Elliston. Six horror attractions on one ticket; parking is $10 cash only.
🎻 Showman & Coole Bluegrass Duo
6pm, Rising Silo Brewery, 2351 Glade Rd, Blacksburg. A bluegrass duo stopping through on an IBMA World of Bluegrass week tour. (bluegrass)
💃 Compagnie Herve Koubi, "Sol Invictus"
7:30pm, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. The second night of the French/Algerian company's contemporary dance performance fusing hip-hop, capoeira, and martial arts, with a post-show Q&A. (dance)
🏊🎈 CAC Kid and Teen Takeover
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. $25 residents, $30 nonresidents; ages 6-10 and 11-14.
🎈 Friday Nite Hype!
7-9pm, VA Techniques, 1550 Roanoke St, Christiansburg. A supervised kids' gymnastics open gym (ages 3-22): giant inflatable slide, trampolines, loud music, prize giveaways, and show-and-tell. $12 members, $15 non-members; pre-registration recommended.
🌲 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.
🏐 Women's volleyball: USC Upstate vs Radford
6pm ET, Dedmon Center, Radford. The Highlanders open a four-match homestand Friday night against USC Upstate, streaming on ESPN+.
🏛️ Fotheringay vote moved: new hearing Nov 10
Montgomery County has officially taken the Stateson Homes (Fotheringay, LLC) rezoning off the Monday, Oct 26 Board of Supervisors agenda. The county says the legal advertisement for the Oct 13 hearing inadvertently left out a 47-acre parcel, so the request will be readvertised and a new public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov 10.
The amended request: 263.50 acres near 8339 Roanoke Road in Elliston, for up to 349 homes (124 townhomes and 225 single-family) built by Stateson Homes. The Oct 13 hearing drew nearly 40 speakers before the board tabled the vote. Citizens will have another chance to comment at the Nov 10 hearing. county notice | county calendar
🏭 MELD PrintWorks expands: new county facility for 3D metal printing
MELD PrintWorks is building a new facility in Montgomery County: nearly 12,000 square feet to house larger 3D metal printers. The machines, made by MELD Manufacturing, use a solid-state metal printing process invented in Christiansburg, and the parts they produce are large metal forging replacements used on aircraft, in heavy equipment, and in ships, supplied to aerospace and defense companies worldwide.
MELD employs about 50 people in the county now. CEO Nanci Hardwick said the company plans to move into the new building next year and expects to finalize its hiring projections by the end of the year. Montgomery County's Economic Development Authority approved a grant of up to $150,000 to support the project, structured as a tax rebate: the company pays its taxes over a series of years and receives them back for infrastructure development. WDBJ7
🏀 Hokies hoops pick up preseason AP Top 25 votes
Virginia Tech men's basketball landed 10th in the "others receiving votes" in Monday's preseason AP Top 25, collecting 10 points — the 35th-most points in the poll. The Hokies haven't opened a season ranked since 2018-19, when they started at No. 15, and they were last ranked in Week 7 of the 2022-23 season.
The votes follow a 19-13 season (8-10 ACC) in which Tech missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year; its last appearance came in 2021-22, when it won the ACC Tournament. Head coach Mike Young enters his eighth season (124-98 at Tech) with a retooled roster: five returnees, headlined by senior forward Amani Hansberry (a team-high 14.3 points per game last season, All-ACC Honorable Mention) and junior guard Ben Hammond (13.2 per game, including a 30-point game against Virginia), plus transfers Jaylen Curry (Oklahoma State), Isaiah Elohim (Florida Atlantic), Kuol Atak (Oklahoma), and center Miles Heide (San Diego State).
The season opens Tuesday, Nov 3, at home against Coppin State, followed by Mercer on Thursday, Nov 5 — both at 7pm on ACC Network Extra. SI ; Hokiesports
📰 News Around the NRV
📻 Q99's Dave Page retires after nearly 40 years. The Q99 morning co-host's final day on air will be December 11. (Oct 19, WDBJ7.) report
🏈 Hokies now 2.5-point underdogs at Clemson. Saturday's 7pm ESPN kickoff still has Tech as slight underdogs, and a win clinches bowl eligibility; ESPN's SP+ projects VT 26-23 with a 56% win probability. Gobbler Country | SI
📌 Community Board
🤝 Volunteer Montgomery partners with the Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry. The food pantry is seeking volunteers to help pack meals and keep operations organized for the holiday season. post
🍞 Vote for Phoenix Rising Dough. The Blacksburg bakery is asking followers to vote for it in WSLS10's Hometown's Best. post
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