Announcing August Ashland Fourth Fridays Artists

☀️What ART you doing August 25? Cooks, creators, and all new artists are DRAWN to Ashland Fourth Fridays.👇

Live entertainment:

🩰 5 PM Ashland Dance Academy’s junior dancers perform inside The Depot.

🎵5 - 8 PM the Ham Biscuits cooks up New Orleans-style jazz, soul, and blues in the Ashland Town Hall Pavillion. 

🎵6 PM Saint Square plays unique indie rock married with heartfelt lyrics in The Depot

🏛️Ashland Museum tells the story of our town through historical artifacts, oral histories, biographies, and more.

👻 Ashland Haunted History Tours reenacts the haunted history of our Victorian town.

🐇 RED VEIN Escape challenges guests to puzzling games.

🎥 Ashland Theatre shows a movie at 7 PM.

Eat and Drink:
🍜 Ban Thai Restaurant dishes out authentic Thai tea and cuisine for carryout.

🥘 The Henry Clay Inn provides dine-in options inside the historic space. 

🍺 Origin Beer Lab pours craft brews inside, on the patio, and in their beer garden.

🥘 The Iron Horse Restaurant serves seasonal elevated southern cuisine on the patio.

🥘 The Caboose Market & Cafe pairs beers and wine with farm-to-table meals indoors and out.

🥘 Ashland Meat Co. At Cross Bros serves up sandwiches, salads, ice cream, and beverages indoors and out.

🥘 The Depot serves pizza and libations with three art vendors on display and a 5 PM performance by Ashland Dance Academy.

🥘 Trackside Kitchen and Wine show off their renovated space with all-American meals.

🍨 Sweet Frog lets you make your own frozen yogurt dreams come true.

🍹 Casa Herradura Family Mexican Restaurant offers a can’t-miss margarita special on the patio or in the expanded dining room.

🥘 Huddle Up Sports Bar is the destination for a giant dance floor, drinks, and dining.

🥘 Andy's Restaurant & Lounge’s homestyle plates pair perfectly with their outdoor patio and billiards. 

🍲 Tops China serves Chinese food favorites for dine-in or takeout.

Food trucks:

😋 Bikini Panini LLC wants you to taste the sun with Mediterranean and Cote d'Azur-inspired pressed sandwiches and cuisine.

🥤 Pop's Kettle Corn LLC pops out salty and sweet treats
🧁 Sugar Florist Bakery specialty baker sets up their booth for custom-made cupcake bouquets, floral sugar cookies, and boozy treats in Origin Beer Lab’s beer garden.

🍦Farmview Creamery in the Caravati's Architectural Salvage parking lot sells fresh, farm-made ice cream and flavored milk.

Art:

📝ReFunkIt curates funk, handcrafted art, and gifts 

🏠The Shop at 112 is open to peruse posh antiques and collectibles shop.

🚂Tiny Tim's Toys & Trains features unique toys and games for ages 0 to 99.

🌻 SkyCart Crafts makes custom signs, wreaths, and home goods. 

👕 Give for You on Town Hall lawn sells original t-shirts and cup designs.

🎨 Immagine', LLC on Town Hall lawn produces art prints, stationery, and gift items.

🕯️ Living with Grace on Town Hall offers stylish home decor.

🧢 BeKurved is an iconic fashion brand with sweatshirts, hoodies, hats, and more on Town Hall lawn.

🐶Wigglebutts dog bakery bakes organic, locally made dog treats and hand-stamped ID Tags on Town Hall lawn.

☕️ Marigold Art Studio on Town Hall lawn sells affordable watercolor prints on paper, mugs, totes, tee-shirts, and more.

🖼️ Aergase Art on Town Hall lawn displays original stained glass art.

🪴 KP Jenkins Jewelry and Fine Arts on Town Hall lawn have jewelry inspired by nature.

👕Say Hello Threads inside The Depot prints shirts that promote inclusivity.

🕯️Luxx Design Studio inside The Depot has wall Art, wood door signs & candles.

🚲 Ashland Dance Academy raffles off a bike inside The Depot to fundraise for their bike-a-thon.

✨Sassy Sparkles Fairy Hair inside The Depot makes you sparkle with hand-tied silk hair extensions.

🧵AVA Handmade on Robinson Street sells sewing bags and accessories. 

🌟 Sazha Star’s Closet on Robinson Street repurposes jewelry and art.

🖼️ The Asylum on Robinson Street is a self-publishing and collaborative press working in the traditional printmaking techniques of intaglio, woodcut, and monotype.

📝 Handmade Greeting Card Factory on Robinson Street creates custom cards and journals.

🪵 Tailored Crafters on Robinson Street is a family of craftsmen and artists making custom woodwork.

🐢 The Box Turtle Sanctuary of Central VA on Robinson Street totes their turtles to Ashland Fourth Fridays for meet and greets as well as educational activities.

Ashland Halloween 2021

A weekend of special events and spooky fun for all ages!

Ashland, VA (October 18, 2021) – Building on the success of a festive and safe event in 2020, Downtown Ashland Association is excited to host Ashland Halloween again this year with an entire weekend of festivities organized by local businesses, community organizations, and residents.

“From October 29th to 31st, we invite you to join us as the mysteries of Ashland's historic district come alive,” said Maggie Longest, Executive Director of Downtown Ashland Association. “It is sure to be a spooktastic Halloween weekend in the Center of the Universe!”

There are bewitching events for children and adults alike, including:

•  Kids trick-or-treat in all Ashland neighborhoods with the candy stop map. Families pack the streets to take in elaborate decorations such as flaming pumpkin torches, candy catapults, and skateboarding vampires.

• Adults celebrate with a Trick-or-Treat Bar Crawl. Origin Beer Lab and surrounding businesses host this scavenger hunt. Each establishment along the route features ghostly food and drink specials for participants’ enjoyment.

• Lantern-Lit Haunted Walking Tours hosted nightly by professional storytellers. Let the ghost stories of our historic town’s most mysterious events, buildings, and personalities entertain you!

• Ashland Theatre hosts classic spooky movies all weekend. Plus, signature cocktails, popcorn, and snacks.

Visit AshlandHalloween.com for more information and a full calendar of events.

Welcome Caravati’s!

Friday, June 25 from 4-7pm, Caravati’s Architectural Salvage will celebrate its Grand Opening in downtown Ashland.

201 England Street is the new location of Caravati’s Architectural Salvage and the historic home of Loving Ford dealership, first built in 1921.

The local family business is known across our region for unique and lovingly restored architectural pieces. The new location will offer customers an expanded showroom and restoration services.

Owners Ben, Jimmy, and Elaine Kastelberg are Hanover County residents and the relocation to Ashland is a move home, in many ways. 

“I like the small town feel of Ashland,” says Ben. “It’s a nice historic town and the atmosphere jives with what we do here at Caravati’s.”

“When we talk to people about the relocation, it’s great to be able to tell them Ashland is a destination spot to come shop, eat and sightsee.”

Ben, Elaine, and Jimmy Kastelberg with the full Caravati’s Architectural Salvage team.

Caravati’s provides high-quality antique and vintage architectural pieces salvaged from historic homes, including hardware, woodwork, wrought iron, brick, lighting, and more. “My grandfather was known to salvage everything but the plaster dust. That was the one thing he couldn’t save,” says Jimmy about the business’s founder, Louis Caravati.

The Caravati’s showroom includes historic photographs of the family business.

“We were fortunate grandchildren, my grandfather had plenty of work for everybody. I was one who worked there every summer with him, and I enjoyed it. He had us cleaning brick. We pulled glass out of old windows. He had us stripping paint off of old doors and windows and shutters and mantles; anything that had paint on it.”

By the time Jimmy took on the business in 1983, Caravati’s had grown to fill warehouses in south Richmond. He explains, “the biggest challenge we’ve faced is changing times. We've been through a couple of recessionary periods, back in my grandfather’s time, in the eighties, and with COVID. We’ve had to make adjustments. As the business owner, you have to sacrifice and to adapt. With experience and being really attuned to our market, we’ve overcome some tough times.”

Stained glass and wrought iron displayed in the Caravati’s showroom.

Relocating to Ashland will help Caravati’s continue the tradition. Jimmy and Elaine proudly report that Ben will soon be taking on the leadership role. And it was Ben who envisioned the move to Ashland and adapting during changing times.

Ben explains, “moving to Ashland allows us to delve further into the art of what we do. We can specialize in restoration services and provide installation as well. This location will help us serve our customers and make sure our inventory is fully customized to their needs.” The Ashland showroom is surrounded by workshops for each trade. Caravati’s craftsmen specialize in antique lighting, replication, woodworking and repair, historic glass cutting, and hardware fitting.

Historic doors and fixtures in the Caravati’s showroom.

Even the new location is an historic restoration success story. The Loving Ford Building has graced Ashland’s main street for 100 years. The building is flanked by the iconic Ashland Theatre and just one block from the railroad tracks in the center of town. Following the owners’ renovation, Caravati’s business fits perfectly in the historic space. Today, there are architectural pieces showcased in the picture windows and craftsmen in each garage bay.

Everyone is invited to join Caravati’s Architectural Salvage Grand Opening Celebration on Friday from 4-7pm at 201 England Street, Ashland VA 23005.

Ashland Fourth Fridays will be going on simultaneously. Downtown Ashland is sure to be an exciting destination for customers new and old.

Ashland Train Day Rescheduled to Spring 2022

Downtown Ashland Association announces the next Ashland Train Day will be held on April 30, 2022. The beloved street festival and celebration of trains will become a spring event, to be hosted the last weekend in April annually.

“We look forward to continuing Ashland Train Day’s long history of family-friendly fun in Downtown Ashland,” said Executive Director Maggie Longest. “By moving the event away from the busy holiday season and into the spring, we hope even more families and train lovers will come to Ashland and enjoy the festival.”

In 2019, the 17th annual celebration of Ashland’s love for trains drew more than 10,000 participants. The celebration included 17 model train displays, two kiddie train rides, a touch-a-truck area, arts and crafts, local foods, and live music.

Mark your calendar for the 18th Ashland Train Day on April 30, 2022! Event updates for railfans of all ages will be published on the website, ashlandvirginia.com, and social media channels, Facebook and Instagram.

JOIN THE FUN!

• Volunteers are needed to help with event planning. Please visit ashlandvirginia.com/volunteer.

• Sponsor Ashland Train Day to support a vibrant Downtown Ashland. Business sponsors benefit from high-profile media coverage before and during the event with thousands of visitors, residents, and community leaders. Learn more at ashlandvirginia.com/giving.

Ashland Fourth Fridays 2021

Friday, April 23 from 5-7pm Ashland Fourth Fridays will launch its 2021 Season celebrating arts and culture in Downtown Ashland. Stroll the streets for sidewalk sales, art exhibits, live music, and outdoor dining!

Now in its second year, this event is an opportunity for local artisans to showcase their work. Downtown Ashland enjoys a vibrant community of jewelers, painters, designers, entertainers, chefs, farmers, and musicians—just to name a few!

“Our goal is to support local creatives, while bringing attention to what Downtown Ashland already has to offer. We hope to provide a place for artists to regularly share their work and reach new supporters,” says Kitty Barnes the event organizer and co-owner of RED VEIN Escape.

Stay updated on the latest plans for each month’s event by following Ashland Fourth Fridays at the links below: