The 32ndAnnual Western Virginia Sport Show is coming up on Feb 22-24 at the Augusta Expo in Fishersville. For over 30 years, Mark Hangar and family have featured some of the best displays and the biggest names in the hunting and outdoor world. This year looks to be more of the same. From the heart of Montana’s secluded Yaak River Valley, Tom Oar has made a home for himself far removed from … [Read more...]

By Bruce Ingram The most dangerous incident of my paddling career occurred on the James River when a friend and I overturned in his canoe. Earlier, my water temperature gauge had registered 54 degrees and the air temperature 65 degrees. When I fell in, I felt as if a sledge hammer had struck my chest, and my buddy and I struggled to swim to shore – losing most of our gear. That day, the air … [Read more...]

Want to win a great gun? If you hurry, you can participate in the DU/Geen Top Annual December Raffle Calendar. Each day from December 1 through December 31, a name will be drawn for a free gun – great pistols rifles and shotguns. A ticket costs just $40 and only 1,500 tickets (chances) will be issued, so the odds are way better than the lottery. Daily gun winners will be posted on the VADU … [Read more...]

  By Emily George   While the woods are heating up and the waters are cooling down, this is a great time of year is to catch trophy fish. People are switching gears to hunting season, which is leaving fish less pressured and more apt to seek food before the winter, and walleye are high-quality fish to hook this time of year. DGIF’s walleye fisheries produce ample … [Read more...]

  “What can we do to bring more business to our small town,” was a question raised among a group of Urbanna’s businessmen back in 1958. “Let’s have a parade, a party,” someone suggested. “People like parades, people like parties.” It was party on! They all agreed. They called it Urbanna Days, the beginning of the Oyster Festival. The inaugural event was a two-day affair. The Ten … [Read more...]

  One of the hottest tickets to any conservation fundraiser is for the Annual Wetland Conservation Banquet to benefit Ducks Unlimited, America’s premiere conservation organization. And it’s coming up soon. The 2018 Jefferson’s Country Banquet is set for November 1 at King’s Family Vineyards at 6550 Roseland Farm I Crozet. Doors open at 5:30 with great food and drink, prizes galore, … [Read more...]

It’s time to get lost. It’s time to head to Somerset and wander around within a cornfield maze for several hours, hoping someone will find you and you can get out. Actually, they have mazes of varying degrees of difficulty and no one has ever been permanently lost at Liberty Mills Farm, though buzzards have been seen circling the back of the field on several occasions. But the maze is … [Read more...]

Our favorite musician and our favorite winery destination? That’s a hard combination to beat, and Jimmy O will be strumming his guitar and playing endangered (oldies) music for a CrossKeys Vineyard audience this Sunday. Cross Keys, located near Weyer’s Cave in the Shenandoah Valley, is noted for terrific Sunday Brunches artfully prepared by Chef Dexter Burgess (formerly with The Greenbrier). … [Read more...]

  If you have a camper, it’s an easy choice. Cherrystone Campground. The 500-plus site campground is wooded, clean, and has tons of things to do for old and young alike. They have several swimming pools, four fishing and crabbing piers, a rec hall with video games, ice cream, snacks and food. They offer numerous activities to keep kids busy. They have a huge trampoline, a paddleboard pond, … [Read more...]

Looking for a fun way to spend the 4th? Consider a trip to Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria. Each July 4, Jimmy Graves and his family put on a spectacular show. They open their place for visitors with absolutely no admission charge. Young and old alike enjoy the scenery, swimming, hiking, pony riding, face painting and some of the best food in Central Virginia. For purchase, of course, guests can … [Read more...]