Holidays at Thrill of the Hunt

Saturday, November 12, Thrill of the Hunt welcomes you to the showroom at 315 England Street for a Holiday Open House.

With an ever-evolving selection of painted furniture by Lyden Home, home furnishings, local goods, artisan gifts, bespoke lighting, and vintage finds. The shop will inspire your home’s interior design.  

For the holidays, Thrill of the Hunt features many Christmas trees and holiday displays, each in a different theme. Owner Kristina Lyden explains, “we feature new and fun design trends, alongside our Lyden Home style of refined, handcrafted décor.” As your local Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Stockist, they also have you covered for the next project—big or small. 

Throughout this holiday season, Thrill of the Hunt invites customers to revisit the showroom and find something new.

UPCOMING EVENTS

For sneak peeks of the showroom and for upcoming events, follow Thrill of the Hunt on instagram.

Light Up the Tracks in Downtown Ashland

Beginning Saturday, November 19th, Downtown Ashland will transform into a vintage Christmas village with Light Up the Tracks, presented by Dominion Energy. A light display and special events will welcome visitors for a unique small town holiday experience.

“Light Up the Tracks invites visitors to enjoy the quaint setting of our historic downtown,” said Maggie Longest, Executive Director of Downtown Ashland Association. “Customers will find excellent shopping, dining, and entertainment with friendly, small town charm.”

Downtown buildings are outlined in twinkling white lights, along with historic homes and Randolph-Macon College. Ashland’s entire Center Street is illuminated, giving visitors a chance to step into a real-life holiday postcard. Plus, local merchants and community groups offer special events all season long.

“We are proud to be a part of this one-of-a-kind celebration in Ashland,” said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. “It’s a great opportunity to support the community and spread holiday cheer.”

Visit Downtown Ashland throughout November and December for holiday events and specials. The calendar of events includes:

You are invited to stroll Ashland’s main street and enjoy an old fashioned holiday. Find handmade gifts and decor at local shops, and warm up with a glass of wine or hot chocolate at Downtown Ashland’s many restaurants.

“Whether it’s family fun or a grown-up getaway, Light Up the Tracks makes your holiday season merry and bright,” Longest said.

Please find the special events calendar and visitor information at LightUptheTracks.com.

Insider Tips for Ashland Halloween

The season of ghosts and goblins is upon us! Don’t miss any of the fun events planned in Ashland for Halloween.

  1. Lantern-lit Ghost Tours led by professional storytellers. Walk with the Spirits of Railroad Avenue led by Ashland Haunted History Tours, beginning on Robinson Street and lasting about an hour. Pair a tour with the 10-minute Phobia game at RED VEIN Escape for a special thrill!

  2. Ashland Theatre hosts a series of classic spooky movies. Featured movies include Friday the 13th, Gremlins, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and even The Addams Family! Try the signature cocktail for each movie, if you dare.

  3. Off the Rails Craft Beer Festival serves up boos, brews, & BBQ. Enjoy autumn on the lawn of Hanover Arts & Activities Center with barbecue by Ashland Meat Company, 12 craft brews on tap, and live music all afternoon. Get your tickets before they sellout!

  4. Downtown Ashland restaurants host seasonal menus. It’s not just about frights, but also the season of all things delicious. For instance, apple cinnamon donuts are now on the menu at FoodiO!

  5. Kids Trick-or-Treat in all Ashland neighborhoods. You won’t want to pass up the traditional evening of collecting candy. New this year, a scavenger hunt map will lead you around town for special candy stops and the chance to win a prize.

Ashland Halloween will be October 28-31, 2022. Visit ashlandhalloween.com for more information about all of the events and activities planned.

Foodio: Farm, Farmers' Market, Eatery

FoodiO, as described by founder Jamie Grant, is a non-traditional farmers’ market with goals of empowering people through food. The business serves up breakfast, lunch, and takeaway dinners, while funding outreach programs to help individuals struggling with food insecurity. Grant is driven by her mission to help others purchase, cook, and afford an ample diet.

Saturday, October 29, FoodiO celebrates its one year anniversary in Downtown Ashland! In anticipation, Downtown Ashland Association met with Grant to learn more about FoodiO and its plans for the future.

FoodiO’s grand opening celebration in October 2021

Grant is a native of Tappahannock, Virginia, and a graduate of Randolph-Macon College. “As a kid, we would come up to Ashland and I always thought it was the cutest and most genuine town,” says Grant. Following graduation, Grant continued working as staff at Randolph-Macon College. It was during this time she developed a vision for owning her own business in the community. When the business of Ashland Coffee & Tea came available for purchase, she jumped at the chance!

Beginning in 2021, Grant rebranded the business FoodiO: Farm, Farmers’ Market, Eatery to reflect its new direction. She expanded the menu–with entrees, baked goods, smoothies, and ice cream–and rearranged the space. The result is a fast-casual eatery that provides a hot breakfast, satisfying lunch, or takeaway dinner. 

Jamie Grant

Grant prides herself on offering produce from her own farm and from other local growers. FoodiO provides retail spaces for fresh produce and handmade goods from partnering farms and makers. This model is popular at the FoodiO location in Tappahannock, and Grant looks forward to bringing an expanded version to Ashland. 

By building businesses in each community, she is creating a platform for food security outreach. Grant’s efforts encourage individuals’ agency. She helps people learn financial literacy, paying bills, and even growing their own food to help with expenses. Grant explained that her greatest joy in outreach work thus far has been “customers that couldn’t read or write understanding food better and really taking away hope and confidence of their own abilities.”

When asked about future plans, Grant stated, “I would love to have a FoodiO in every food-insecure community in Virginia! Virginia is a rather food insecure place with 1 in 6 people being food insecure.”

—-

Visit FoodiO at 100 N. Railroad Ave; open 7:30am- 3pm Wednesday through Saturday.

Railroad Park Awarded $25,000 Grant

Downtown Ashland Association is proud to announce it has received a $25,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to help fund construction of the Mid-Atlantic Railroad Park. The Park will take the form of a walking tour and tell Ashland’s railroad story in nine exhibits. Railroad Park is a placemaking initiative to drive tourism and economic activity in downtown Ashland.

The grant brings current funds raised to $185,000—fulfilling the construction budget! Fundraising continues to meet the cost of signage on Interstate 95, which will make Railroad Park a highly visible attraction. A total of $220,000 is needed. Downtown Ashland Association asks residents and businesses who wish to support the project to visit ashlandvirginia.com/railroad for more info.

Exhibits are under construction now, and engineering has begun for site plans. Construction will begin next year in hope to open exhibits by Ashland Train Day on April 29, 2023.

Downtown Ashland, with its quaint and quirky charms, already draws visitors to stroll by the shops and restaurants along the railroad tracks and to cross over between the train station and Randolph-Macon College. Railroad Park will enhance that experience by telling the community’s story alongside the exciting evolution of American railroads. Exhibits will include the 1923 train station, a restored 1926 red caboose, the 200-foot steam train mural, major railroad inventions, and the 45 freight and passenger trains traveling the rails through the heart of downtown daily.

Railroad Park is a joint project of Downtown Ashland Association, Ashland Museum, Hanover County Black Heritage Society, and the Town of Ashland.  More than one hundred individuals and businesses have donated toward Railroad Park’s construction. Doswell Limited Partnership is its largest supporter, followed closely by the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation. CSX and The Port of Virginia provided support as well.

Learn more and add your support at ashlandvirginia.com/railroad.