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Good morning, Blacksburg.
It is Wednesday my dudes. At 1pm, Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors votes to appoint the university's 17th president, and at 11am, downtown cuts the ribbon on The Local, its new front door on Main Street. The weather is cooperating: 84 and mostly sunny, the warmest day of the week and your last real taste of summer. Thursday brings showers (40 percent, high 75), and then the bottom falls out: Saturday's Homecoming game tops out at 52 with a low of 31. Enjoy the warmth while you have it.
In today's Blacksburg Connect:
🏛️ Virginia Tech names its 17th president today
🏪 The Local opens downtown
🔨 Auction Wednesday
Let’s get to it.
Wednesday, October 14
🏛️ Virginia Tech Board of Visitors special meeting
1pm, CLMS Building, Room 151, 355 Old Turner St, Blacksburg. The board votes on a resolution to appoint Virginia Tech's 17th president. The open session is livestreamed; there is no public comment period.
🏪 Grand opening for The Local
Ribbon cutting at 11am, 414 N Main St, downtown Blacksburg. The town-owned building opens as a retail incubator, community space, and visitors center, with Moon Hollow Coffee pouring daily. Festivities run 11am-6pm daily through Saturday, Oct 17.
🐱 VT Shelter Cat Adoption Event
5:30-6:30pm, 102 Plantation Rd NW, Blacksburg. Meet this fall's cohort of shelter cats from Virginia Tech's cattery program, all looking for foster or adoptive homes.
🍺 "Are You Smarter Than A Beertender?" trivia
6:30pm, Long Way Brewing, 501 2nd St, Radford. Weekly Wednesday trivia with prizes each round; food trucks on site 4-8pm.
🏃 Blacksburg Striders Wednesday fun run
6pm, meet at RunAbout Sports, First & Main, Blacksburg. A community run during Homecoming week; all paces welcome.
🎃 Costume Swap + October PTO Meeting
Swap 4:30-6pm, meeting 6-7pm in the library, 4021 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg. Trade outgrown costumes; donations accepted at the front office.
🖐️ Sensory Museum
10-11am, Christiansburg Library, 125 Sheltman St. A hands-on sensory museum with light, sound, and tactile stations; ages 17+ and care partners.
☕ Cousins Coffee Co. food truck @ VTCRC
8am-12pm, 2200 Kraft Dr, Blacksburg. The mobile coffee trailer serves espresso drinks and seasonal specials at the Corporate Research Center.
🧘 Wellness Wednesday + Adult Day Camp
9am-12pm, Big Cedars Farm. A weekly morning of yoga and fitness in a farm setting.
📜 Archival Adventures
3pm, streaming on Twitch from Virginia Tech Libraries. An archivist digs into university history, NASA pioneers, and campus urban legends.
🍗 Girl Scouts fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings
4-9pm, 460 Turner St NW Suite 200, Blacksburg. Dine in or take out with the flyer and 15 percent goes to the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council.
📋 Walk-In Wednesdays
10am-12pm, 201 Wheatland Ct, Christiansburg. Open job interviews; call 540-235-5687 for details.
🏐 VT volleyball at Virginia
7pm EDT, Memorial Gymnasium, Charlottesville. The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash goes on the road; streaming on ESPN.
Thursday, October 15
🧺 Christiansburg Farmers Market
3-7pm, Huckleberry Park, 300 Huckleberry Park Dr NW, Christiansburg. The weekly Thursday market, plus 4H Day: a 4H booth with info and a kids' activity at the playground pavilion.
🎃 Sinkland Farms 35th Annual Pumpkin Festival
4-8pm, 3060 Riner Rd, Christiansburg. The Thursday evening edition: hayrides, the 5-acre corn maze, Kids Zone, Terrace Bar, and food trucks. Thursday admission is $15.
🍦 Popsicles in the Park
5-7pm, Blacksburg Municipal Park, Shelter 9. An informal town-hall drop-in: casual conversation with town folks, held on third Thursdays.
🪐 Radford University Planetarium: "Unveiling the Invisible Universe"
7pm, Radford University Planetarium. A full-dome show; fall shows run Thursdays at 7pm and Saturdays at 10:30am ("Mysteries of Your Brain" this Saturday).
🎤 Open Mic Night @ Long Way Brewing
6:30-9pm, 501 2nd St, Radford. Local talent takes the mic; Cabo Fish Taco on site 4-8pm. (open mic)
🎸 Surrender Dorothy at The Farmhouse
6-9pm, 285 Ridinger St, Christiansburg. A Southwest Virginia band playing classic rock, funk, and soul. (rock)
🎵 Blue Ridge Vocal Connection Song Circle
6-7:30pm, Meadowbrook Public Library community room, Shawsville. A community singing circle. (vocal)
💻 "Life After Mythos" cybersecurity webinar
11am-noon, Zoom. Stephen Boyer of Bitsight talks cybersecurity; free and open to the public, recorded.
Friday, October 16
🎉 Homecoming Parade
6:45pm, downtown Blacksburg, ending on Alumni Mall. The 100th Homecoming parade marches down Main Street; the Alumni Mall watch party is sold out, so line Main Street instead. Road closures: Alumni Mall closed from 8am; Main Street and Alumni Mall closed 5:30-9pm. Blacksburg Transit runs parade detours.
⚽ Virginia Tech women's soccer vs Virginia
7pm EDT, Thompson Field, Blacksburg. The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash doubles as Kick Cancer Night. Free admission.
🏐 Virginia Tech volleyball vs Virginia
6pm EDT, Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg. The home leg of the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash.
🎃 Sinkland Farms 35th Annual Pumpkin Festival: Friday session
4-8pm, 3060 Riner Rd, Christiansburg. The Friday evening edition ($15): hayrides, corn maze, Kids Zone, and food trucks.
🤠 Line Dancing at Sinkland Farms
7-11pm (instruction at 8pm), 3060 Riner Rd, Christiansburg. All levels welcome; $15 cover, food trucks and adult beverages on site; ages 16 and under with an adult. (dance)
🕯️ Grave Matters: Folklore. Horror. One Unforgettable Night.
6:30-8:30pm, The Pavilion at Historic Smithfield, 1000 Merry Oak Way, Blacksburg. Appalachian folklore, fireside storytelling, and a chilling literary reading; the ticket includes hot beverages and heavy appetizers. Bundle up and bring a blanket.
🍸 Library Night Out: Spooky Speakeasy
6-8pm, Christiansburg Library, 125 Sheltman St. An after-hours Halloween evening: mocktails, moody music, and scary stories by candlelight. Ages 18+.
🎹 Sharon Edwards Music
6-9pm, Long Way Brewing, 501 2nd St, Radford. Angelic vocals with keyboards and guitar. (folk)
🛝 Friday Nite HYPE!
7-9pm, Virginia Techniques, 1550 Roanoke St Suite C, Christiansburg. A kids' open gym night with an inflatable slide, games, and prizes; pre-registration recommended.
🏛️ Virginia Tech names its 17th president today
Today is the day. At 1pm, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors holds a special meeting in Room 151 of the CLMS Building (355 Old Turner St) to vote on a resolution appointing the university's 17th president, ending a search that began in April when Timothy Sands announced he would step down after nearly 12 years at the helm. Gov. Abigail Spanberger appointed four new board members in April to join the search, and the committee, chaired by Vice Rector Nancy Dye with the search firm Isaacson, Miller, has worked under real time pressure, noting that competing universities were pursuing some of the same candidates. The process drew more than 2,000 survey responses and a formal statement from the Faculty Senate calling for an open, merit-based search. The meeting's open session is livestreamed for anyone who wants to watch it happen live; there is no public comment period, bags will be searched, and signs are prohibited. VT News announcement
🏪 The Local opens its doors downtown
Downtown Blacksburg gets a new front door today. The Local, the town-owned 5,000-square-foot building at 414 N Main St, a former dry-cleaning business the town renovated into a retail incubator, cuts the ribbon at 11am. Downtown Blacksburg Inc. will operate the space as an incubator for entrepreneurs creating or expanding product businesses, with an emphasis on merchants serving new or underserved markets, plus room for events and receptions. Moon Hollow Brewing's new cafe concept will be pouring coffee daily.
The inaugural shops include The SWVA Shop (Virginia Tech apparel and SWVA lifestyle goods), The Stray Shop (feline-themed art, stickers, and apparel), Pedestrian (curated footwear), and Millei Collective (Virginia-made craft and design), plus a men's boutique and five revolving wall spaces for rising regional startups. Grand opening festivities run 11am to 6pm daily through Saturday, so stop in, grab a coffee, and see what the town has been building. FB event
🔨 Auction Wednesday
Thursday brings a live one: a real-estate auction in Rural Retreat at 6:30pm, a 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home on 6.53 acres at 360 Mountain View Ave, offered in two tracts with no seller reserve, though the sale is subject to court confirmation. Linkous has added a new sale to its calendar: "Part 1 Vinton Personal Property," a collection of antique oak furniture on Oct 31, ahead of its "Classic Vinton Charm" real-estate auction Friday (a 3,086-square-foot home on two lots at 418 Cedar Ave, closing at noon) and the fall firearms auction Sunday at 2pm in Christiansburg.
Blue Ridge Land & Auction lists a new 100.48-acre Pulaski County tract with a solar-powered hunting cabin closing Nov 13 at 4pm, after the Bent Mountain tract (Oct 28) and the Christiansburg commercial parcel on North Franklin (Oct 30). Matthews | Linkous | Blue Ridge
📰 News Around the NRV
🏈 Open competition at kicker. After John Love missed three straight field goals, including two in Saturday's 25-20 loss at Cal, coach James Franklin said Monday that kicking and punting will be open competitions in practice this week. Love, a fifth-year senior, had never missed three in a row before; alternatives include kickoff specialist Cole Byrd and Love's younger brother Will. The Hokies (4-2) host Georgia Tech Saturday at 3:30pm. SI.com
🏈 Prime time at Clemson. The ACC locked Virginia Tech's Oct 24 game at Clemson into a 7 or 7:30pm ET kickoff on ESPN or ESPN2, with the final time and channel set after this weekend's games. It is VT's first trip to Death Valley since 2012.
📌 Community Board
🗳️ Early voting is open. In-person early voting runs weekdays 9am-5pm at the Montgomery County Office of Elections, 1546 N Franklin St, Christiansburg, through Oct 31. Sunday hours are Oct 18 and 25, 11am-4pm, and Saturday hours are Oct 24 and 31, 9am-5pm. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 3. Office of Elections
🍂 VT Rescue Squad leaf-raking fundraiser. VT students will rake and bag the leaves in your yard, $60 an hour, with all proceeds going to the VT Rescue Squad. Available the next few Sundays; spots are limited. booking calendar (questions: [email protected])
🛋️ Treasure Trove Thrift is stocked. The Blacksburg thrift shop has vintage lamps, pottery, furniture, and fashion on the shelves, and every purchase supports local seniors. FB post
🗳️ Radford City Council candidate forum, Thu Oct 22. Cardinal News hosts a free forum at the Radford Public Library with 4 of the 5 council candidates confirmed, as the city navigates its fiscal-distress designation. event listing
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