Celebrating Black-Owned Organizations in Ashland

Founder Carolyn Hemphill stands inside the Hanover County Black Heritage Society museum within the Henry Clay Inn.

We asked you to name your favorite local Black-owned organizations and you answered! Throughout the month of June, tune into Downtown Ashland Association’s Facebook and Instagram to nominate your favorites. Scroll below to celebrate the most recent nominees…

• Andys
 Restaurant

• Serving up homemade food since 1968 with patio dining, evening dancing, and billiards.

• Around The Table | Food Good For The Soul

• A culinary team with over 27 years of experience in the culinary arts construct meals aimed to gather friends and family “around the table.”

• Ashland Catering Company

• A full-service caterer for occasions big or small.

• Circles Ashland

• Circles work to address poverty by increasing the capacity of communities.

• Divine Assist

• An organization committed to providing charitable community outreach programs, support for youth, families, and communities through a continuum of programs and services.

• Donald M. White Attorney At Law

• FoodiO

• A market dedicated to empowering people through food with delicious homemade meals.

• Hanover County Black Heritage Society 

• The Society seeks to uncover and preserve the history of African Americans in Hanover County and to help enrich and promote stronger family and community unity through our historical findings.

• Huddle Up Sports Bar

• This Sports Bar has 50 screens, pool tables, beer taps, and all-American dining with live music and dancing on Fridays and Saturdays after 8 PM.

• Keys and Associates Insurance

• Guides clients through creating their business while providing efficient strategies.

• Shiloh Baptist Church

• Offering weekly Worship to build a better church and stronger community.

• Sportpage Bar and Grill

• Family and pet-friendly sports bar and grill dishing out traditional American fare.

• Sweet Sharae's

• The ice cream truck offers a variety of ice cream flavors, toppings, and Sundays.

• Trackside Kitchen and Wine

• A family-friendly wine bar and restaurant serving American grill fare in a historic Ashland building.

• Union Baptist Church

• Celebrating over 130 years of ministry in the town of Ashland, Virginia.

Changes in the Center of the Universe

Notice something new in Ashland? Check out changes in the Center of the Universe below…

Andy’s Restaurant and Lounge revamped its patio

Diners have enjoyed Andy’s homemade food, dancing, and billiards since 1968. Now, you can also enjoy outdoor dining in style on the patio with expanded seating, outdoor screens, and twinkling lights.

Casa Herradura Family Mexican Restaurant expanded the dining room

Casa Herradura’s delicious delights can’t be contained! Now the signature margaritas and Mexican cuisine are served to two dining rooms and a patio–plus room for parties!

Dr. David A. Haine named a Richmond Magazine Top Docs Winner

Ashland has always known our own Dr. Haine at Family Eye Care Centers of Virginia is a top doctor. Now, thanks to the 1,302 professionals who participated in Richmond Magazine’s online survey, he is rightfully recognized as one of the leading optometrists in the region.

Trackside Kitchen and Wine unveils its new look

In April, 2023 Trackside Grill transformed to the chic and updated Trackside Kitchen and Wine. The renovations give guests a quintessential downtown experience, while continuing to embrace the business’s core values of family, life, and happiness.

The Ashland Theatre is the place for family programming this summer!

The Ashland Theatre is excited to announce a full summer of family-friendly programming at the historic theatre.

$2 Movie Mondays!  Starting June 26th, the Ashland Theatre will offer eight weeks of $2 Monday movies at 2PM!  The series kicks off with the 2022 film, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. Tickets for all showings are on sale now!

June 26th, 2PM:          Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

July 3rd, 2PM:             Hotel Transylvania

July 10th, 2PM:            Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

July 17th, 2PM:            Goosebumps

July 24th, 2PM:            Peter Rabbit

July 31st, 2PM:            Stuart Little

Aug 7th, 2PM:             Surf’s Up

Aug. 14th, 2PM:          Open Season

The Toddler Takeover Hour!  This free monthly event is open to all children ages 1 month to 6 years, and their families.  The theatre shows cartoons and other family-friendly fare for our young audience with short attention spans. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5 per family at the door. Coloring and craft stations are set up and the theatre lights are kept on throughout the hour.  Some months feature live-storytelling or in-person fairy princesses!

Upcoming Toddler Takeover Hours are Saturday June 10th at 10AM, Saturday July 8th at 10AM, and Saturday August 19th at 10AM!

New Release Films! Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse is the #1 movie in the world and now playing at the Ashland Theatre through June 15.  The Flash opens on June 16, and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kracken opens June 30!  Tickets for all showings are on sale now.

The Ashland Theatre is committed to offering a range of programming that appeals to all community members.  The Theatre welcomed over 12,000 patrons throughout 2022 for a mix of films, music, theatre, talks, and private rentals.

Unique Local Items in Toast of Downtown’s Silent Auction

We’d like to propose a toast - to you! Neighbors like you make Ashland the center of the universe. Toast to a vibrant downtown when you place your bid on unique local delights you can’t find anywhere else. Downtown Ashland Association’s Toast of Downtown online silent auction is open now through Thursday, June 22, 2023.

Hand Painted Sign from the Trackside Grill

Make your bid

Ashland Theatre Marquee Message

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Hanover Golf Club, Round for 4

Make your bid

Make your bid

Ashland Haunted History Tour for a Group of 10

Make your bid

Your Event at The Depot

Make your bid

RED VEIN HAUNT Fast Pass Tickets for 4

Make your bid

Ashland Tattoo Company Gift Card and Prints

Make your bid

RED VEIN Escape 60-minute Game for 8

Make your bid

Randolph-Macon College Football Fan Experience 

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4 Tickets and FanGround passes to Richmond Raceway

Make your bid

Membership to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture

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4 tickets to the Fredericksburg Nationals

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Barrel of Bourbon

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Ring Video Doorbell Pro

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Caravati’s Receives the Art McKinney Historic Preservation Award

Caravati’s Architectural Salvage, the family-owned showroom for unique and lovingly restored architectural pieces, is being recognized for breathing new life into the historic 201 England Street location. 

The Art McKinney Historic Preservation Award is awarded to businesses and property owners who have demonstrated good stewardship of Downtown Ashland’s historic structures. Caravati’s rehabilitating and repurposing of a building that has graced Ashland’s main street for over 100 years is deserving of this award.

The site was originally home to the Rawlings Motor Company in 1921. Following a fire in 1931, the location was rebuilt by Burley Pollard Loving and renamed the Loving Motor Company in 1936. The building was passed on to Burley’s daughters, Elizabeth Lee Loving Miller and Beverly Loving Vaughan, who have since passed it on to his granddaughters.

After a few years where it served as a consignment clothing store, Jimmy and Elaine Kastelberg started dreaming of Ashland as the new home for their famous architectural salvage business. Caravati's co-owner Ben Kastelberg explained, “We were very fortunate to be introduced to the owners through a relative. It was the Loving Family who were so gracious to work with us and tailor the renovation to our needs. The old Loving Ford Motor Company building fits our aesthetic so well, and it is a pleasure to occupy.”

Caravati’s officially opened in 2021 following extensive improvements to the historic building. Now celebrating two years in the Center of the Universe, Caravati’s uses the restored space to provide more than just architectural salvage.

“Caravati’s has been a family business for 84 years and it has been my life’s mission to continue, as it was my father’s and great grandfather’s before me.”

— Ben Kastelberg

“The showroom is a space where people who are unaware of our mission can browse and learn how old building materials can be repurposed,” Ben explains. “I hope that this award will increase awareness about what we do and why preserving historic building materials is so important to us.”

Originally located in the City of Richmond, the local family business is well known across our region for unique and expertly restored architectural pieces. Upon moving to Ashland, Caravati’s expanded its showroom and restoration services.

The company provides high-quality antique and vintage architectural pieces salvaged from historic buildings, including hardware, woodwork, wrought iron, brick, lighting, and more. For Ben Kastelberg, the business’s mission is even more personal. “Caravati's has been a family business for 84 years and it has been my life's mission to continue, as it was my father's and great grandfather's before me.”

The Ashland Museum and the Downtown Ashland Association welcome guests to a presentation of the Art McKinney Historic Preservation Stewardship Award at Caravati’s Architectural Salvage on June 21 starting at 5:30 PM. Following the award, guests are invited inside for a discussion of the business’s history.