Ashland Fourth Fridays

Celebrate the art, music and culture that flourishes in Downtown Ashland!

Each month, on the fourth Friday, you'll find Downtown Ashland alive with sidewalk sales, music, exhibits, outdoor dining, and more. Our next event is July 24 from 5-7pm.

Local artist Terry L. Chancelor paints the Railroad Avenue street scene during Ashland Fourth Fridays, June 26, 2020.

Ashland Fourth Fridays organizer Kitty Barnes of RED VEIN Escape explains, “Our goal is to support Ashland creatives while bringing attention to what Downtown Ashland already has to offer. As Ashland Fourth Fridays grows, we hope to provide a place for artists to regularly share their work and reach new supporters.”

Safety is our priority. Stroll the streets of Downtown Ashland while keeping your social distance. All exhibits are adequately spaced and sanitation measures are followed. You can confidently shop with local businesses and artisans safely during Ashland Fourth Fridays.

“There are incredible artisans in Downtown Ashland—jewelers, painters, musicians, bakers, chefs, and farmers. We have so much to celebrate!” said Maggie Longest, executive director of Downtown Ashland Association.

Checkout these highlights from Ashland Fourth Fridays on June 26, 2020:

• RED VEIN Escape welcomed artist Terry L. Chancellor, who painted a Railroad Avenue street scene live, during the event!

• GHT Insurance welcomed junior artist Cassidy Schloss, whose paintings are being donated to local nursing homes bringing cheer to vulnerable residents.

• Bell, Book & Candle, Gotta Have it Gifts, Origin Beer Lab, and Tiny Tim’s Trains & Toys offered special sale promotions during the event.

• Behind the Curtain Studio showcased its Ashland Peace Project and encouraged participation.

• Ashland Theatre offered free popcorn and info about After Dark drive-in movies.

Join the block party to celebrate the arts. Mark your calendar for the fourth Friday of each month to join us in Downtown Ashland!

Get the latest plans for each month’s event by following Ashland Fourth Fridays on Facebook and Instagram.

Ashland Train Day 2020 Cancelled Due to COVID-19

Downtown Ashland Association looks ahead to Ashland Train Day 2021

Downtown Ashland Association sadly reports that Ashland Train Day 2020 is cancelled. This was a difficult decision for the Board of Directors, but one we feel is a necessary precaution in the face of COVID-19.

We look forward to hosting a stellar Ashland Train Day event on Saturday, November 6, 2021. Mark your calendar!

Meanwhile, we will be publishing virtual highlights from Downtown Ashland for railfans of all ages. Please stay tuned to our website, ashlandvirginia.com, and social media channels (Facebook and Instagram) for updates.

Thank you to our Ashland community for making the past 17 years of Ashland Train Day so much fun. We look forward to our eighteenth event in 2021!

Untold Stories 2020

Sunday, February 23 hundreds of Ashland and Hanover residents gathered for “Untold Stories: Growing Up in Ashland/Hanover—Black & White Experiences”. 2020 was the sixth annual Untold Stories event. The program proved, once again, to be a moving experience for both the presenters and the audience.

Untold Stories is organized annually by a diverse group of volunteers who come together in support of telling our community’s history with our own words. We are proud to share a brief history of the committee’s success below:

Historic photo courtesy of Ashland Museum

How Untold Stories Came to Be
by Barry Green

In late 2013, a small committee chaired by Anthony Keitt and consisting of members of the board for the Hanover Arts and Activities Center met to consider ideas for a Black History Month program the following February.  They came up with an idea to record oral histories as told by older African–Americans who had grown up in Hanover County about what it was like growing up, working, and raising families in the county in the l940’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s.

A member of the committee contacted Ashland videographer and documentarian Tom Wulf to see if he would provide guidance on editing the video recordings.  Tom advised that the Ashland Museum was in the process of planning a birthday celebration for the Town of Ashland and planned to have older town residents speak about their experiences growing up in the town.

After a discussion between the two committees, a decision was made to join the two efforts and to have both black and white citizens sit as a panel and tell their stories to a County audience.  A larger committee was created, including the Center, the Ashland Museum, the Hanover County Black Heritage Society and Downtown Ashland Association (then known as Ashland Main Street Association) to plan the program.

The first program was held at the Center in February of 2014 before a standing-room only crowd.  “Untold Stories—Growing Up in Ashland/Hanover—Black  and White Experiences,” has been held each year since at various venues.  Each has had 3 black and 3 white speakers (3 women and 3 men) who grew up in different parts of the County.  Each program has ended with songs performed by the Hanover Community Gospel Choir, a group of white and black singers who join together to bring the event to a rousing conclusion.

Sue Watson smiles in the front row of the inaugural Untold Stories event in 2014, while Beryl Carter and Woody Tucker speak.

“I am always glad to bring people together to sing together in our Community Gospel choir that concludes our Untold Stories Program. Each year we try to get a different leader –a minister of music from a different church. And we try to get singers from many different churches and choirs.
The results are impressive. The rehearsals are hard and wonderful. People are learning music that they may or may not know. And that requires working together to teach and to learn. The singers help each other learn their parts and get to know each other as the rehearsal process continues. During the actual program, the choir’s songs are the last part of the program and the audience usually gets involved as the choir sings with keyboard, bass, and drums. The spirit on stage and in the audience is impressive. Singing together brings people together. And the process of working and learning and singing together for Untold Stories receives high praise and strong reviews as people value our shared musical experience that we share with the audiences.
Choir members use words such as joy, pride, happy, human, surprising, spiritual, meaningful, and important when they talk about why they value their community gospel choir experiences. They like that the rehearsals and performances bring the individuals together. They regularly ask, ‘When are we going to do this again?’”

— Sue Watson

“I really enjoy getting to know and understand people through their stories. The more we know and understand each other the better we can get along.”

— Mary Waddy

History in Our Own Words

Untold Stories: Growing Up in Ashland/Hanover — Black & White Experiences

Sunday, February 23, 2020
4pm at Patrick Henry High School.

In this one-of-a-kind oral history program, local residents tell their own personal stories of segregation, integration, and civil rights.

This year’s event will also feature an interview with local resident and National Park Service Ranger Ajena Rogers to discuss her Hanover County ancestors’ history in slavery and freedom. The program will close with an uplifting performance by the Community Gospel Choir.

2020 marks the seventh annual Untold Stories event. Each year’s program is a transformative experience for both the presenters and the audience.

Downtown Ashland Association asked several past speakers why they made the brave choice to participate in the Untold Stories program and why the continue to support the event:

“Untold Stories provided me an opportunity to share my perspectives through the eyes of my early years, to acknowledge personal biases I would later overcome, and to publicly proclaim the positive influences others have had in my life — Untold Stories has people talking! ”

— John Gordon

“I think sharing our stories of growing up in Hanover County strengthens personal connections among panelists and the audience. By opening ourselves up and sharing personal experiences a deeper, more authentic understanding is developed and a healthy dialogue created. It is rewarding to see increased attendance each year as a result of discussions in the community about what they heard during Untold Stories.”

— Hilda Kelly

“We continue to be indebted to the legacies of unspoken heroes and champions of our communities. These visionaries, by their own means, have their own experiences and wisdom worthy of sharing with generations. We encourage others to reap the history of the Untold Stories of a time not so long ago and not forgotten. In the spirit of community, thank you for entrusting their stories and indelible markings as a part of American history.”

— Earl & Francine Hunter

Earl Hunter, Hilda Kelly, John Gordon, Eloise Piccolo, Woody Tucker, and Beryl Carter (not pictured) spoke to a standing-room-only crowd at the inaugural Untold Stories event in 2014.

Brighten Your Holidays with "Light Up the Tracks" in December

Every December, Downtown Ashland transforms into a vintage Christmas village with Light Up the Tracks, presented by Dominion Energy — a mile-long light display combined with three weeks of special events designed to welcome visitors for a unique small town holiday experience.

“Light Up the Tracks, a signature event of Downtown Ashland Association, is a truly charming experience and quintessentially Ashland,” said Maggie Longest, Executive Director of Downtown Ashland Association.

“It is a privilege to support this beloved holiday celebration,” said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation.

“We love ringing in the holiday season with our neighbors in Ashland.”

Visit downtown Ashland throughout December for holiday sights, sounds, festive Christmas decorations, live music, photo stations, appearances by Santa, and more.

Shoppers wanting to experience the charm of Ashland’s main street will find high-quality local gifts and decorations at many of the local shops. Visitors are also invited to warm up with a glass of wine or hot chocolate and enjoy Downtown Ashland’s many restaurants.

“Whether it’s a family outing to see Santa and sing Christmas carols or a romantic dinner downtown followed by an arm-in-arm stroll trackside, Light Up the Tracks brings all things merry and bright to your weekends in December,” Longest said.

Light Up the Tracks, a signature event of Downtown Ashland Association, is made possible by presenting sponsor Dominion Energy, and is a collaboration with the Town of Ashland, Randolph-Macon College, Hanover Arts & Activities Center, residents and business owners.

For more information and a full schedule of events, please visit our Light Up the Tracks calendar.