People who settled in the Floyd County area began holding religious services by 1795, and Pine Creek Primitive Baptist Church is one of the earliest churches established. It was founded in 1803 when four members of Salem Church – also known as Head of the River – were dismissed to form Pine Creek Primitive Baptist. They established the church just off the road leading to Spangler’s Mill. The initial property conveyance occurred in 1804 when Thomas Goodson conveyed five acres for the establishment of a church and graveyard at the site.

The current building is actually the second church constructed at this site. Due to age and fire, the first building was replaced around 1881, and has remained relatively unchanged since. However, the original stone foundation was replaced with cinderblock, and the roof was replaced at some point with corrugated metal.
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(From left to right: Robert Nickell, John McEnHill, and Joanna Nickell)

Former Chamber of Commerce leader, John McEnhill, is still somewhat amazed at how he ended up owning Buffalo Mountain Ziplines. He had announced plans to retire from his position as Executive Director in 2020 to pursue a business concept, but those plans were put on hold during the pandemic as he pivoted toward helping the Chamber and its members navigate the pandemic challenges.

He had been considering options for owning and operating a business for several years, but the pandemic also impacted his business concept, so he began pursuing other options. Eventually, McEnhill put in several purchase offers for commercial real estate in Floyd County.

“These offers helped clarify what was or wasn’t a good fit for me,” McEnhill recalls. “I had looked at the Buffalo Mountain Ziplines listing several times over several months until one day something clicked, and I asked myself, why not?”
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Located atop the magnificent Blue Ridge Plateau in southwestern Virginia, Floyd is a haven of natural beauty, where the people are renowned for their hospitality. Floyd has a vibrant culture of music, arts, local foods and wines, and outdoor recreation. With nearly forty miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway running through it, Floyd is a wonderful place to visit during the Spring and Summer months. For more information about below and other events, go to VisitFloydVA.com or call Visitor Center at 540-745-4407.

SAMPLING OF MAJOR EVENTS:

April 30 • Po’ Ramblin’ Boys Live @ Floyd Country Store
www.FloydCountryStore.com

April 30th (May 1st Rain Date) • Raise the Barre Dance Recital
www.FloydFamilyCampground.com

April 30 & May 1 • 16 Hands Spring Studio Tour
www.16Hands.com

May 1 • Mayfaire • www.FloydArtCenter.org/mayfaire

May 14 • FCHS Program: Tpm Perry ~ “Dr. John Stuart, William A. Stuart, and Jeb Stuart” 10:30-12 at the Floyd Center for the Arts

May 21 •Ray Wylie Hubbard – Performing Live
Historic Epperly Mill • www.EpperlyMill.com

June 3-5 • Little River Poetry Festival
www.LittleRiverPoetryFest.com

June 5 • Tim O’Brien & Jan Fabricius Live
Floyd Country Store • www.FloydCountryStore.com

June 18 • FCHS Program: Charlie Thompson ~ author of “Rock Castle Home”. 10:30am – 12:00pm at the Floyd-Montgomery Library Community Room.

June 18-19 • Floyd Artisan Trail Tour
www.FloydArtCenter.org/artisan-trail

June 25 • House and Garden Tour • Floyd Events Center
www.FloydArtCenter.org/house-garden-tour

July 9 • Replenish Festival • Burnett Farm
www.ReplenishFest.com

July 27-31 • Floyd Fest • www.FloydFest.com

August 14-20 • 3rd Annual Plein Air Biennial
www.FloydArtCenter.org/Plein-Air

September 10th • Floyd County Fair
www.FloydFamilyCampground.com

September 1-4 • Floyd Yoga Jam • www.FloydYogaJam.net

September 16th and 17th • VW Buses at FFC
www.FloydFamilyCampground.com

September 17 • FCHS Program: “Preserving Floyd’s Historic Records” 10:30am – 12:00pm at Floyd Center for the Arts
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Located at 880 Little Valley Road in Carroll County, within Meadows of Dan, is an historic treasure that is getting a second chance to shine.

It was during the early 1900’s when Carroll County’s schoolboard recognized the need for additional schoolhouses to serve the growing community. The project eventually saw the construction of several schools, built on carefully selected sites, so children would not have to walk more than five miles from their homes along the dirt roads and animal trails. One of these sites, located at milepost 185 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, became known as the Little Valley Schoolhouse.

Construction on the schoolhouse began in 1929 when the Jessup family donated the land to the School Board of Carroll County. In turn, Carroll County provided funds to build the schoolhouse. Local residents provided the needed labor and a nearby sawmill provided the building materials, most of which were sourced from local oak and chestnut trees. It was a genuine community effort, meant to provide opportunities for the children of the families living there.
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On March first of 2022, the quietness of the predawn hours was interrupted by the sound of a tiny bleat. A wooly brown dairy sheep named Siren had given birth to an adorable ram lamb. The precious baby was black with a white head and white socks, pink nose, and floppy black ears. He was also the first of nine lambs to be born at Floyd EcoVillage.

Large fields, bright skies, and friendly visitors are but a few of the experiences these tiny floofs can look forward to during their time on the seventy-five-acre property of the EcoVillage. There, they will be in the company of sixteen other sheep, two rams and fourteen ewes, as well as two nervous but attractive cows. This happy collection will be kept and cared for in the paddock located between the earth-bermed lodge and the pond, overlooked by the Event Center. Guests are encouraged to visit the animals while walking the trails but are not allowed to enter the pens without a staff member.
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Kelly Phillips has been interested in photography since her eighth birthday, when her parents gifted her a Kodak 110 cartridge camera. Like a flash, Kelly was snapping and shooting everything in sight. Anything that caught her eye, or her interest, ended up on film. She often wonders if her parents ever regretted having to develop so much film! But by the end of that first summer, she had photographed friends, flowers, leaves, interesting moss, bark on the trees, and views from her treehouse. “I photographed everything I saw,” says Kelly. “Capturing all the little details of my yard.”

During her high school years, however, photography had to take a back seat to the many after-school activities that kept her busy. She would have loved for her high school to have a photography course, or even a club. It wouldn’t be until after graduation, however, that Kelly was able to dive back into the fascinating art of capturing a moment, an expression, a perspective, or even a detail, then letting the whole world see it through her eyes.
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From Left to Right: Front row – Brad Warstler, Ellen Shankin, Silvie Granatelli,
Josh Manning, Hona Knudsen, Andrea Denniston, and Ron Sutterer.
Back row – Sarah Mccarthy, Wendy Wrenn Werstlein, Abby Reczek, Seth Guzovsky

New members and new fall tour dates are on the agenda for 16 Hands in 2022! Following these past months of Covid-related limitations, the members of 16 Hands are happy to announce that they are resuming face-to-face studio tours, welcoming friends and new customers to their studios and galleries twice a year.

The 16 Hands Studio Tour started over twenty years ago, offering visitors a unique look into the lives of the artists, as well as the opportunity to view and purchase new works from nationally known talents.
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While sitting in her car outside the front of Roberson Mill with the warm sun pouring through the windows, Regina Roberson Cox muses about the many childhood days she spent inside. Visions of those younger, carefree times produce a keen sense of belonging to the historic building.

She remembers a time when the cogwheels were turning, one dependent on the other, to rotate the big millstones. The sounds were deafening as the old wheel outside pushed water over its top. It was loud enough to force anyone inside or outside to raise their voices to be heard in conversation.
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