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I grew up in a small city. My neighbors knew who I was and would say there is Ms. So or So's grandson. If you came home from school and your neighbors were at home but your parents weren't the neighbors were in charge and had permission to discipline you. If you were disciplined by your neighbors, you would also be disciplined by your parents. Roanoke was the first city in the world to have an all volunteer Life Saving Crew. Which is a really distinguished honor to have bestowed upon us.

Let's look at some history of Roanoke. The town first called Big Lick was established in 1852 and chartered in 1874. It was named for a large outcropping of salt which drew the wildlife to the site near the Roanoke River. In 1882 it became the town of Roanoke, and in 1884 it was chartered as the independent city of Roanoke. During colonial times the site of Roanoke was an important hub of trails and roads. The Great Indian Warpath which later merged into the colonial Great Wagon Road, one of the most heavily traveled roads of 18th-century America, ran from Philadelphia through the Shenandoah Valley to the future site of the City of Roanoke, where the Roanoke River passed through the Blue Ridge.

The weather in Roanoke varies depending on the season. Though located along the Blue Ridge Mountains at elevations exceeding 900 ft (270 m), Roanoke lies in the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), with four distinct, but generally mild, seasons; it is located in USDA hardiness zone 7b, with the suburbs falling in zone 7a. Extremes in temperature have ranged from 105 °F (41 °C) as recently as August 21, 1983, down to −12 °F (−24 °C) on December 30, 1917, though neither 100 °F (38 °C) nor 0 °F (−18 °C) is reached in most years; the most recent occurrence of each is July 8, 2012 and February 20, 2015. More typically, the area records an average of 7.7 days where the temperature stays at or below freezing and 25 days with 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs annually. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from 36.6 °F (2.6 °C) in January to 76.7 °F (24.8 °C) in July.

Based on the 1981−2010 period, the city averages 16.6 inches (42 cm) of snow per winter. Roanoke experienced something of a snow drought in the 2000s until December 2009 when 17 inches (43 cm) of snow fell on Roanoke in a single storm. Winter snowfall has ranged from trace amounts in 1918–19 and 1919–20 to 62.7 inches (159 cm) in 1959–60;[42] unofficially, the largest single storm dumped approximately three feet (0.9 m) from December 16−18, 1890.

Flooding is the primary weather-related hazard faced by Roanoke. Heavy rains, most frequently from remnants of a hurricane, drain from surrounding areas to the narrow Roanoke Valley. The most recent significant flood was in the fall of 2004, caused by the remains of Hurricane Ivan. The most severe flooding in the city's history occurred on November 4, 1985, when heavy storms from the remnants of Hurricane Juan stalled over the area. Ten people drowned in the Roanoke Valley and others were saved by rescue personnel.

What is it like to live in a small town? I love it for many reasons. One reason was any new neighbor that moved into the neighborhood was given a lot of home grown tomatoes. Most of the neighbors had a small garden. There was something about the small city I grew up in and that was the neighbors would go visiting their neighbors. It was always fun to sit around and listen to those who were so much older and wiser than I talk. I loved my neighbors. One thing that all kids loved is if there was snow in the city, schools were automatically cancelled. Roanoke has a lot of hills and the buses can't make the necessary traction to make it to school.

Roanoke, VA is a small city in Southwestern Virginia, approximately one hundred ten miles Southwest of the capital city, Richmond. Roanoke was primarily a railroad town used by Norfolk and Western which is now Norfolk Southern, Last year they closed the shops that made cars for the railroad. Moved everything to Atlanta. Roanoke's other chief sources of employment was text tile and the service industries. Now in conjunction with UVA, Virginia Tech and Radford they are turning it into a medical center.

In 2005 when we had the shooting at Virginia Tech, the airport closest to that college was the Roanoke Blacksburg Regional Airport. The distance from Roanoke to Virginia Tech is approximately forty miles. There are many good colleges and universities near Roanoke. I have already mentioned VA Tech, but fifty miles north of the city is Virginia Military Institute. If you are looking for a Christian College, Liberty Baptist is fifty-two miles east of here and we also have a women's college in town.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollins.edu%2Fon-campus%2Flocation-and-directions%2Froanoke-va%2F&psig=AOvVaw1T-Sw8VSdLJBhhA0mvxDev&ust=1624763679607000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAoQjRxqFwoTCJiGrsGqtPECFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD one of our pride and joys is the Mill Mountain Star. It normally lights up white at night. It used to be if it was solid red then either a soldier dies overseas or someone died in a car accident. The red, white and blue is for holidays such as Memorial day.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dreamstime.com%2Fview-cityscape-signs-roanoke-virginia-usa-va-may-th-dr-pepper-h-c-coffee-mill-mountain-star-top-balcony-image148284493&psig=AOvVaw1T-Sw8VSdLJBhhA0mvxDev&ust=1624763679607000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAoQjRxqFwoTCJiGrsGqtPECFQAAAAAdAAAAABAN Roanoke is where Dr. Pepper is brewed and has been brewed here until the late 1990's Now Coke uses it.

I also love going to the Farmers Market in Downtown. Great fruits and vegetables also be prepared for the best tasting melons you ever ate. There is plenty to do in Roanoke, it is just minutes away from the Blue Ridge Parkway., which has many beautiful sites to visit. May I suggest Mabry's Mill? You won't regret that one. Hike up to the Peaks of Otter or some where else. Just to the south of Roanoke is Dixie Caverns a rally cool cave to visit. The championship game in Remember the Titans was filmed in Roanoke. They called the stadium Roanoke Field, but it's actual name was Victory Stadium. The stadium was torn down after the flood of 1985, which caused so much damage. The stadium wasn't structurally safe anymore. Until then, all Roanoke City high schools played their home games on that field.

There are many festivals to attend. The strawberry festival is but one. Summer in the park is another one and the dogwood festival is another one. We have the single A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox here in town, when I was growing up it was the affiliate of the Pirates, then the Cardinals, and Rockies. My favorite time of year here is the fall where the leaves turns the city into a town that looks as if God's paint brush has painted a picture. There is a team here called the Roanoke Rail Yard Dogs a professional hockey team. In 1969, we landed an ACFL semi professional football team. Roanoke, Virginia was the final stop for this well-traveled Mid-Atlantic minor league football outfit that first formed in Maryland as the Annapolis Sailors in 1965. The team played in a different city for each of the next four years, moving from Annapolis to Arlington to Alexandria to Herndon. Along the way, the team won back-to-back Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) championships as the Virginia Sailors in 1966 and 1967.

By 1969 the team landed at Roanoke’s Victory Stadium, with former Boston Red Sox All-Star outfielder Jimmy Piersall installed as General Manager and a new name – the Buckskins – that reflected the team’s new status as a farm club of the NFL’s Washington Redskins. Back during the 1960's and 1970's we would have the annual Thanksgiving Day match up between VMI and The Hokies. There was always a parade and the cadets from both colleges would paint the children's faces. It was always a family atmosphere and a sell out. We also had college teams that would play a fund raiser for youth football and two youth teams would get play at half time.

Virginia is rich in history for all of you history buffs out there. I didn't know this until I was told by a friend; but people plan their vacation to come to Roanoke for genealogical research. The Roanoke River runs through the city down to Roanoke Rapids, NC. In 1985 we had really nasty mess to clean up. https://youtu.be/2yA5n2nFmdw

Roanoke is surrounded by the following Mountain ranges: North. Catawba Mountain is to the north. ...

Northeast. To the northeast are the Tinker and Read Mountains.

East. To the east is the Blue Ridge. ...

South. The Blue Ridge is also to the south. ...

West. Fort Lewis Mountain is to the west. .

You can hike to McAfee's Knob, or many other scenic places just off the Appalachian Trail. McAfee Knob is a geological feature with an elevation of 3,197 feet (974 m) above sea level, located on Catawba mountain in Catawba, Virginia, United States. It is named for a Scotch-Irish 18th-century settler. Considered to be among the most iconic points along the Appalachian Trail, the vista offers panoramic views of the Catawba Valley, 1,600 feet (490 m) below. McAfee Knob is located on the Appalachian Trail, a four-mile hike northbound from the intersection with VA-311 in Catawba, Virginia or a 16-mile (26 km) hike southbound from US-220 in Troutville, Virginia. The Appalachian Trail is a 2,190-mile (3,520 km) hiking trail following the Appalachian Mountains between Georgia and Maine, and is a unit of the National Park Service. The McAfee Knob hiking trail is along the Appalachian Trail and is managed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. This is a part of over 120 miles (190 km) of hiking trails in the Roanoke region, which are maintained by the volunteers of the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club (RATC). Moonshine used to be a primary revenue source for the mountain people of Appalachia. Still is if you watch Moonshiners. Boones Mill, VA is the Moonshine capital of Virginia which is about twenty miles south of Roanoke.

You can hike to the Peaks of Otter. The Peaks of Otter consists of three mountain peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains, overlooking the town of Bedford, Virginia. These peaks are Sharp Top (3862 feet), Flat Top (3994 feet), and Harkening Hill (3372 feet). This is another wonderful place to visit. The summit offers an impressive 360-degree view of the Peaks of Otter area, the Piedmont to the east, and the Shenandoah Valley with the Allegheny mountains to the west. Allow two hours for hiking up and one hour for hiking down

Like other small cities Roanoke has had some major changes, mainly economic as the railroad pulled out and left us with an empty manufacturing shop and the textile industry has cut back people have had to adapt. Currently the major employment is Government, Health Care, Retail and Manufacturing. You can still see signs of our railroad heritage on display by the number of trains that pass through here. If not, then our Transportation Museum is a reminder of our reliance on rail travel to the star city. Amtrak is starting to bring rail travel back to Roanoke with expansion into and out of Washington, DC.

Air travel is real simple in our city. We have six functional gates and four airlines that flies into our city. United, Delta, American and Allegiant. But we still strictly enforce the cutoff limits.

The fall colors are absolutely amazing along the Mountains and roads during the fall. You can look at the mountains that surrounds the valley as each day passes and see the colors grow deeper every day. You can't imagine such beauty exists, but it does. As the locomotives pulls it's freight into and out of the city and the big black cars are moving along the rails to distribute it's load to it's destination, As you drive down the interstate towards North Carolina, the colors are just as fabulous as you drive each mile.

Roanoke is a diverse city. It is an accepting city and it accepts those who live as gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual. I haven't seen or heard of any discrimination based on sexual orientation here.

Roanoke does have a zoo. It is called the Mill Mountain Zoo. The Mill Mountain Zoo is a zoo located atop Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. When it opened in 1952, the zoo was operated by the City of Roanoke. In 1976, the city turned its operation over to the Roanoke Jaycees

Roanoke's connection to an African elephant named Frump Frump. Dedicated to the memory of the elephant of Mill Mountain. Frump-Frump, we loved you! You were an animal with a thousand souls.

It is said that an elephant never forgets and Elliephant, a special Travel Bug,(see photo) was incrediably found by us at a nearby cache, only hours before, on the VERY day this cache was placed. (Perhaps you would like to track her with us.) ElliePhant was guided into place to help us remember one special EleFrump from not so long ago. So, come along with TracksAll and Ketchum to a place not far from here where one kind and gentle soul once fell.

For Leg # 1, once you have completed your task, take a moment to remember that gentle and kind soul. Stand with your back to the gate nearest you. The tree to your left upon the hill approximately 60 feet away at the 11:00 position is lovingly referred to by some Mill Mountain Zoo employees as "The Elephant Tree"*. Just below, about 2/3 of the way between you and the tree, you will notice a large indentation in the ground. This is the ("Shhhh"!!! - "Secret") final resting spot of Frump-Frump. (It is also a location that some people would like to see a future memorial to her.) * NOTE: The tree was cut down in spring of 2005.

The Roanoke Star: THE ROANOKE STAR’S HISTORY

The Roanoke Star was initially created to be a seasonal Christmas decoration intended to shine over the city during the holiday shopping season. Sponsored by the Roanoke Merchants Association, the Roanoke Star was supposed to be dismantled in 1950 after the holiday season was over.

CONSTRUCTION

Designed and built by Roy C. Kinsey, former owner of Kinsey Sign Co., and his two sons, the Roanoke Star is actually three stars combined to make a single star. Each frame contains three to five sets of clear neon tubes. In total, the Roanoke Star has 2,000 feet of neon tubes. Weighing 10,000 pounds, the Roanoke Star sits 1,847 feet above sea level and towers 1,045 feet above the City of Roanoke. The star cost $28,000 to build.

THE FIRST LIGHTING CEREMONY

It was lit for the first time at 8:22 p.m. on Nov. 23, 1949 by Roanoke Mayor A. R. Minton. John Payne, a Roanoke native and Hollywood star, traveled to attend the formal lighting ceremony. Less than 100 people braved the cold on Thanksgiving Eve to celebrate the Roanoke Star lighting.

WHAT COLOR IS THE ROANOKE STAR?

The Roanoke Star was originally all white. Over the past decade, however, Roanoke’s City Council has chosen to change the star’s color on three occasions:

In September, 2001, Council decided to change the Roanoke Star’s colors to red, white and blue to honor those affected by the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001

In April 2007, the star remained white from April 22 to May 24 in honor of the victims from the Virginia Tech shooting

On April 16, 2008, the Roanoke Star went dark on the first anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting

The Roanoke Star is currently white year-round, with the exception of Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Patriot Day, and Veteran’s Day. On these special occasions, the star is illuminated in red, white, and blue to demonstrate the region’s patriotism.

Roanoke and Dr. Pepper have rather unique relationship. We'll be hosting a FREE event on Wednesday, October 24th in Market Square, Downtown Roanoke from 11am - 2pm with free product, free t-shirts and other goodies while supplies last! Join us as The City of Roanoke proclaims 10-24 as Dr Pepper Day in Roanoke. See you there and thank you Roanoke for years of Dr Pepper love!

“Drink a Bite to Eat at 10, 2 and 4” was a legendary slogan used for decades to remind Dr Pepper fans to enjoy their favorite “pick me up” at three intervals during the day when research showed human energy to lag. Now Roanoke is celebrating “10-24” as “Dr Pepper Day” with a free downtown event Wednesday, October 24th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will feature free product and t-shirts while supplies last.

The original Dr. Charles T. Pepper opened Dr. Pepper's Drug Store in Rural Retreat in the late 1800s. A young man from Christiansburg named Wade Morrison worked at the drug store and eventually left Rural Retreat for Waco, Texas. There he and his partner opened a drug store of their own and began selling a new drink Texans could not get enough of. They named the drink Dr Pepper after Morrison's old boss in Virginia.

In 1936 Bill Davis opened Virginia’s first Dr Pepper Bottling plant on McClanahan St. in Roanoke. Roanokers consumed more Dr Pepper per capita than any other place on earth from 1957 to 1959 and again in 1961! To this day, Roanoke has among highest per capita consumption rates in the US.

Dr Pepper and Roanoke have a “One-of-a-Kind” relationship with the large, historic, and iconic Dr Pepper sign that can be seen for miles and have supported community events with the addition of Dr Pepper Park at the Bridges. Dr Pepper has been a great contributor to the community for over 80 years and the company is excited to celebrate that relationship with Dr Pepper Day on October 24th.

DR PEPPER is a registered trademark of Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. ©2015 Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc

Roanoke had another great company called H&C Coffee.The History of H&C Coffee

In 1927, Harold and Clarence Woods, brothers from Greensboro, North Carolina, established Woods Brother’s Coffee Company in Roanoke, Virginia. They started the company with the simple belief that “Service, Quality and Freshness would sell”. After a brief period, Harold purchased Clarence’s interest in the young company and Clarence returned to North Carolina.

Harold Woods grew the company by purchasing one 150-pound burlap bag of green coffee at a time. The coffee was hand-roasted, ground and packed and then sold to the local merchants of the Roanoke Valley. The coffee was branded “H&C Coffee”, and has been so to this day. Harold handled all facets of the growing company, from manufacturing to delivery. Initially, he converted the rumble seat in a 1920’s model car to haul his coffee to market. In just a short ten years, Woods Brother’s Coffee Company had grown to the point that fresh H&C Coffee was being delivered directly from the roasting plant in Roanoke to customer’s throughout most of Virginia and portions of North Carolina, West Virginia, and Tennessee.

During the war years of the 40’s, Harold made a trip to New York and was impressed by the neon signage used in advertising. Upon his return to Roanoke, he enlisted the help of a local sign company to design and install the “H&C Coffee” sign on top of the roasting plant located on east Campbell Avenue. The sign remained there until the mid 60’s at which time the plant was torn down. The famous sign was relocated to a building on Salem Avenue, which is currently home to Billy’s Restaurant. In 2005, after years of not working, the sign was repaired through funds raised from the local community and moved to its current location just a block away. It is now classified as a Historical Landmark.

Between the early 50’s and the late 70’s, Woods Brother’s Coffee Company enjoyed their best years. At one point the company sold more than four million pounds of H&C Coffee annually. Harold stuck to his belief in taking care of his customers. All requests, regardless of how trivial, were never ignored. Upon gaining knowledge of a death in a customer’s family, the company would immediately send flowers and send a representative to the funeral. The company was very proud of the employees and treated them well and with great respect. The salesmen were all addressed as “Mister” by all of the employees including the management staff. For the most part, all of the employees remained with the company until retirement. Currently, Robert (Red) Hartberger, who was hired in 1954 by Harold Woods, remains on staff and contributes greatly to the company’s success.

Harold Woods had nine children, of which eight were active in the business. At the time of his death, six of the children remained stockholders. His four sons became known as the “Woods Brothers”. They all served the company in numerous capacities, ending their respective careers as President.

• Nevin Woods Sr. / President / '56 - '59

• Norman (Mutt) Woods / President / '59 - '66

• Robert (Bob) Woods / President / '66 - '72

• Edwin (Eddie) Woods / President / '72 - '89

In 1985, Roanoke experienced a devastating flood that affected most of the city. Woods Brother’s Coffee Co. was hit hard, losing the entire inventory of product, vehicles, equipment, and office records. The impact was so great the company was never able to recover. The doors were closed in 1989.

In 1990, the company was reopened as H&C Coffee Company by a group of private investors and was managed by Ed Woods, the former President of the company. The company remained a viable entity in Roanoke for the next ten years, meeting the needs of their loyal customers. In September of 2000, H&C Coffee Company was acquired by Quality Coffee Company. Like H&C, Quality Coffee was Roanoke-Born and Roanoke-Bred. Established in 1981 by David Booth, a past employee of Woods Brother’s Coffee, Quality Coffee was built on the similar tradition of meeting and exceeding the customer’s needs.

The joining together of these two great local companies has been well received by the Food Service Industry. Every day, more and more fine establishments are discovering that they can trust their highly profitable beverage program to Quality Coffee / H&C Coffee. Quality Coffee’s years of experience, outstanding product selection, and value-driven pricing, coupled with service and delivery that’s second to none, makes the choice in beverage service crystal clear. The future looks bright for Quality Coffee / H&C Coffee and their customers.

I hope you have enjoyed learning something about my hometown.