Live From the Lawn: Ashland Neighbors Strike a Chord with Free Concert

Crowds gather to watch live music performed on the lawn of the historic Hanover Arts and Activities Center

On Saturday, September 27, neighbors and visitors are invited to gather on the lawn of the historic Hanover Arts & Activities Center for the Songs from the Center of the Universe Concert, a free outdoor celebration of music, art, food, and community spirit.

Beginning at 11 AM, guests are invited to cheer on the Ashland Song Contest winners as they perform their original anthems live on the lawn. Each song will be recorded by Free Jambalaya for streaming on major platforms—and played on K101.2 POP Richmond for the whole region to enjoy. Visitors can picnic on the lawn with farm-to-fork flavors, shop for unique arts and crafts, and celebrate Ashland’s small-town creativity. Virginia Girl Scouts will also have the chance to earn their special Ashland Girl Scout Day patch.

“We hope the Songs from the Center of the Universe Concert will not only entertain and educate everyone about our rich history, but also introduce them to incredible small businesses, artists, and chefs,” said Louise Keeton, Director of Operations for DAA. “You know we want to make earning an Ashland Girl Scout Day patch more fun than ever and show off why downtown Ashland considers ourselves the center in the Center of the Universe!”

Ashland Girl Scout Day patch

The day will also bring special partnerships and interactive fun. Amtrak Virginia will host a booth to meet Virginia Girl Scouts and highlight September as Rail Safety Month, reminding everyone: See Tracks, Think Train. Amtrak is also sharing tips for enjoying Virginia’s breathtaking fall foliage by train—and offering 15% off tickets with the Virginia Anytime Fare at amtrak.com/Virginia15.

Minute Man Press of Ashland is rolling in with their custom apparel truck, offering Songs from the Center of the Universe gear on demand. Not everyone can earn the official Virginia Girl Scout patch, but neighbors can still take home the commemorative patch design, printed right on site.

Colette Maranda teaches at Ashland Dance Academy headquarters - 110 Thompson St - during Ashland Girl Scout Day 2024

Downtown Ashland brick and mortars are offering even more ways for Scouts to earn their Ashland Girl Scout Day Patch with deals like Free Limeade and Chocolate Mint Brownie with a lunch purchase at Homemades by Suzanne, drop-in crafting at the Ashland Branch Library, cookie decorating at Sugar Fix Bakery, local history at the Ashland Museum, and free dance classes at Ashland Dance Academy. “We had a blast last year,” delights Ashland Dance Academy’s Colette Maranda. “It felt like 300 scouts came through 110 Thompson!”

While downtown Ashland prepares to host hundreds of Girl Scouts, Ashland Song Contest winners are warming up their vocal chords and tuning their guitar strings for a full day of original music. Community favorites like Tim Nelson, John Rock, and Brad Tuggle will play their Ashland-inspired tunes live before Victor Gottlieb leads the crowd through 10 new Ashland Songs, including one song titled “Welcome to Ashland: Girl Scout Cookies.”

Grand prize winner Tammy Hart Mosby kicks off the show with her song 1800-Ashland where she will be presented with an award and a $300 check. She expressed her gratitude during an interview on K101.2 POP Richmond’s Happy Hour Vibes, sharing, “Winning the Ashland Song Contest is the honor of my life.”

This one-of-a-kind event is made possible through the generosity of Ashland’s neighbors. From original songs inspired by Ashland’s charm to farm-to-fork food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, and local businesses, the concert showcases the heart of the Center of the Universe. Thanks to the incredible support of the Downtown Ashland Association (DAA), donations from the community have funded a $300 grand prize for the Ashland Song Contest winner, ensuring that artists are celebrated and supported right here at home.

“Downtown Ashland is blessed to inspire artists and call so many neighbors,” added ‘Coach’ Antonio Miller, Executive Director of DAA. “Our community is literally paying them back with their generous donations. Now we’re not only able to offer a hefty Ashland Song Contest grand prize, but also invite and pay more musicians to play live at future free events.”

DAA invites sponsors to step in and make a lasting impact on Ashland’s cultural life. Sponsors receive exciting benefits—including their logo featured on Song Contest materials and marketing that reaches millions—while supporting future free artistic programming for everyone to enjoy.

✨ Grand Prize Sponsor ✨

$300.00

Step into the spotlight and power the Ashland Song Contest!
✔️ Your logo on our website + all contest marketing
✔️ Spotlight placement in our Get Centered newsletter
✔️ Complimentary vendor space at every DAA event including the Songs from the Center of the Universe Concert (except Train Day) – reaching 15K+ in-person fans + millions of media impressions

Purchase

✨ Honorable Mention Prize Sponsor ✨

$100.00

Celebrate local talent and get noticed in the process with the Ashland Song Contest!
✔️ Your logo on our website + all contest marketing
✔️ Spotlight placement in our Get Centered newsletter
✔️ Complimentary vendor space at the Songs from the Center of the Universe Concert – reaching 1K+ in-person fans + millions of media impressions

Purchase

✨ Album Sponsor ✨

$50.00

Put your business center stage at the Songs from the Center of the Universe Concert!
✔️ Your logo on our website + all contest marketing
✔️ Spotlight placement in our Get Centered newsletter
✔️ A ticket to Happy Hour Vibes Networking and Recording Party

Purchase

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Songs from the Center of the Universe Concert
📍 Hanover Arts and Activities Center Lawn – 500 S Center St, Ashland
🗓️ Saturday, September 27, 2025
⏰ 11 AM – Free and open to all!

Your Path Counseling Center launches Empowering Women: Veterans' Support Group

Ederis Martinez-Cunion, MS, LPC, NCC of Your Path Counseling Center
Press release provided by Your Path Counseling Center

Your Path Counseling announced today that they will be launching their Empowering Women: Veterans' Support Group. This is made possible by a grant from the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. The grant dollars provided by the state will enable female veterans or active duty members to participate in six months of free Group Therapy services utilizing the Seeking Safety curriculum, as well as financial literacy training. Seeking Safety is an evidence-based group therapy curriculum shown to help individuals with PTSD and other mental health disorders build the coping skills necessary to manage a range of topics, such as coping skills, healthy relationships, setting boundaries, and self-care. Participants will have the option to participate in daytime or evening in-person group sessions held at local libraries in Hanover County. 

Affirming decor at Your Path Counseling Center

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 22% of all suicide deaths in the U.S. are Veterans. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has ranked suicide prevention as one of its top priorities. In an effort to reduce suicide and opioid addiction, the Virginia Department of Veterans Services solicited applications for community-based grants to collaborate with state, local, community organizations, public and private institutions, and other service providers to develop programs to prevent suicide among service members, veterans, and families. Organizations were asked to develop programming to address the specific needs of Women Veterans, Homeless Veterans, Justice Involved, Caregiver Support or Financial Stability/literacy. 

After reviewing the current programming provided by the VA and other organizations participating in the SOS program, Your Path Counseling Center decided to pursue a grant to fund an in-person mental health group for female veterans in Hanover County and surrounding areas. Virginia is home to over 110,000 women veterans, with an increasing number living in Hanover or the surrounding counties. 47% of veterans report the transition from military to civilian life as “some what”, or “very difficult”. It is common for transitioning veterans to struggle with feeling disconnected from friends and family, paying bills, accessing health care, finding a job, and adjusting to the lack of structure that comes from civilian life. Research shows that the Seeking Safety (SS) group that Your Path Counseling Center will be offering is effective in reducing the symptoms related to PTSD by helping veterans become present-focused while building additional coping skills to enhance distress tolerance and affect management.  Your Path will also incorporate a financial literacy component into the program due to the strong correlation between mental and financial wellness. 

Active duty and retired female veterans can sign up to participate in the program by visiting www.yourpathcounselingcenter.com or calling 804-798-5327 ext. 0. They will have access to weekly Seeking Safety group sessions designed to help them improve their mental health, coping skills and financial literacy.  If additional services are needed, Your Path is able to provide individual, couples or family counseling as well.

Group Details
Empowering Women: Veterans’ Support Group
Starts Oct 3, 2025
Tuesday  from 6 pm to 7:30 pm at 7527 Library Dr. Hanover, VA, 23069A
Thursday from Noon to 1:30 pm at 201 S. Railroad Ave, Ashland, VA 23005

About Your Path Counseling Center

Founded in 2019, Your Path Counseling Center is a mental health practice based in Ashland, Virginia. It currently has two locations and provides traditional talk and expressive mental health services to children, teens, adults, couples, and families. Your Path Counseling Center is a racially and culturally affirming as well as an LGBTQ+ affirming practice. For more information visit www.yourpathcounselingcenter.com

Homemades by Suzanne Serves Up Fresh Flavors with a Legacy of Love

Homemades by Suzanne in historic downtown Ashland, Virginia

For more than 40 years, Homemades by Suzanne has been feeding neighbors, friends, and families in historic downtown Ashland with comfort food made the way you’d cook it at home—if only you had the time. Now, the beloved café and catering company is rolling out new menu offerings that keep tradition at the heart of every bite while giving folks even more delicious reasons to gather around the table in Ashland, in Richmond, and at events beyond the Center of the Universe.

Suzanne Wolstenholme inside Homemades by Suzanne in historic downtown Ashland, Virginia

Founded in 1982, Homemades by Suzanne started with a simple but powerful idea: give busy families and working professionals a way to enjoy wholesome, homestyle meals without sacrificing quality or flavor. “Around the time I started Homemades by Suzanne, there were a lot of women going back into the workplace,” Suzanne recalls. “If you were tired or wanted to do something after work, there wasn’t a place to stop in and pick up something wholesome to take home for dinner. If you did not want to cook at home, the food choices were very limited.”

From those first take-home dinners, Homemades by Suzanne has grown into one of the region’s most trusted names in catering, boxed lunches, and café dining—always with the same care, love, and local ingredients that built its reputation.

What’s New on the Menu?

Blackfin Crab Cakes at Homemades by Suzannes in historic Downtown Ashland

Neighbors can now enjoy expanded boxed lunch selections—from Backfin Crab Cakes with Key Lime Pie to vegetarian wraps paired with Chocolate Chess Pie—alongside fresh gift bags and trays perfect for family gatherings, holidays, and heartfelt occasions. Imagine sharing Sweet Potato Biscuits with Country Ham, creamy Almond Chicken Salad, or a Bountiful Imported Cheese Sampler at your next get-together.

For events big and small, Homemades by Suzanne continues to shine with full-service catering. Hors d’oeuvres like Sea Scallops Wrapped in Bacon, Miniature Beef Wellingtons, and cocktail Backfin Crab Cakes add a touch of elegance to weddings, retirements, and holiday parties. And for those who love the classics, their famous Chicken Salad and Virginia Baked Ham Biscuits never go out of style.

More Than a Meal—A Legacy

From comfort deliveries for neighbors in need to celebratory trays that make holidays brighter, Homemades by Suzanne has always been about more than food. It’s about connection. It’s about love. And it’s about being part of Ashland’s story for more than four decades.

The café at 102 N. Railroad Avenue is open Tuesday through Saturday until 2:00 PM—the perfect stop for lunch with a friend in the Center of the Universe. Catering and gift bag orders can be placed online at www.homemadesbysuzanne.com or by calling 804-798-8331.

So next time you’re wondering where to find a meal that feels like home—or a tray that turns an ordinary day into a celebration—consider your friendly neighborhood solution: Homemades by Suzanne.

ILoveAshlandVA.com Launches as the Digital Front Door to Ashland

ILoveAshlandVA.com in historic downtown Ashland, Virginia.

There’s a brand-new way to plan, shop, and support Ashland first—introducing ILoveAshlandVA.com, a one-stop hub designed to showcase everything the Center of the Universe has to offer. The visionary behind the project is none other than Ashland-famous entrepreneur Charmain Fougnie of XtraSweet Digital, whose creative spirit has already brought our community everything from XtraSuite Salon Studios (complete with Heated Zero-G Massage Chairs!) to PMS Parties—Paint, Massage, and Sip nights that mix artistry, relaxation, and good company.

Charmain Fougnie at the ribbon cutting of XtraSuite Salon Studios

Now, Fougnie has turned her talents toward a new mission: connecting residents, visitors, and businesses with a single click.

“First, I am a resident of Ashland,” Fougnie shared. “My husband and I moved here in 2018, and we both agreed—we found the home and town that we love. But even more than the town, it’s the people who make Ashland so special. I wanted to create a space that celebrated Ashland’s unique charm and made it easier for small businesses to thrive online.”

More Than Just a Directory

At first glance, ILoveAshlandVA.com might look like an online directory—but it’s so much more. Think of it as Ashland’s own Etsy, OpenTable, Angi, Airbnb, and Craigslist rolled into one. Businesses can build custom profiles, showcase products and services, accept bookings, promote events, sell merchandise, and even list rental spaces. Visitors, meanwhile, can explore events, shop local goods, book appointments, and find trusted service providers—all from one convenient platform.

ILoveAshlandVA.com vending at Downtown Ashland Association’s Ashland Fourth Fridays

“Businesses have been spread across countless apps and websites,” said Fougnie. “ILoveAshlandVA.com brings it all together. Whether you’re a boutique, a salon, a venue, or a vendor, the tools are there to help your business grow.”

Building Community Connections

Since its early development, the platform has been working hand-in-hand with the Downtown Ashland Association (DAA) to build free profiles for local businesses.

“At last! When my friends and neighbors ask me, ‘What’s happening in the Center of the Universe?’ I finally have one central place to send them to,” said Louise Keeton, Director of Operations for DAA. “ILoveAshlandVA.com is a hub where customers can shop, book, explore, and connect, and businesses can sell, promote, and grow—all in one place. It’s a dream for our neighbors and everyone hopping off the Amtrak train into our historic downtown.”

Kickoff Webinar

To help businesses and neighbors get acquainted with the site, ILoveAshlandVA.com is hosting a free online Lunch & Learn Webinar on Wednesday, October 1, at 12 PM. The session will demo key features, explain how the platform can save businesses money on costly subscriptions, and show customers how to plan their upcoming holiday season through the site. Registration is open now at ILoveAshlandVA.com.

A Vision for Ashland

For Fougnie, the project is about more than just convenience—it’s about pride of place.

“My goal is for ILoveAshlandVA.com to become the go-to resource for anyone wanting to explore, support, and engage with the Ashland area,” she explained. “I hope it boosts local business, drives tourism, and strengthens community pride. Ultimately, I want it to serve as a digital front door to our vibrant and growing community.” And judging by the early enthusiasm from businesses and residents alike, Ashland is ready to open that door. 

In addition to launching ILoveAshlandVA.com, Fougnie now serves as Publisher of Neighbors of Ashland magazine, a community publication delivered directly to local households. This dual role underscores her commitment to providing both print and digital platforms where businesses can connect with residents, share their stories, and grow. Community members and businesses interested in advertising opportunities or contributing to the magazine are encouraged to reach out.

Charmain Fougnie, Publisher – Neighbors of Ashland Magazine & Founder – ILoveAshlandVA.com
(804) 554-1819
cfougnie@iloveashlandva.com

School After Hours Consulting Calls on Community to Help Youth Find Their Voice Through Podcasting

Jenice Lee hosting School: After Hours

School After Hours Consulting, a youth development agency dedicated to equipping young people with the skills and confidence they need to succeed, is calling on the community to rally around a heartfelt need: 6–10 laptops for their youth podcasting program by October.

For many young people, after-school programs are more than just a place to go when the bell rings—they are a safe haven, a launching pad, and a place where voices too often unheard finally find a microphone. School After Hours Consulting has long been at the forefront of ensuring those voices are amplified. From planning and training for out-of-school-time program providers to delivering professional development for educators, their mission is simple: to give every child a chance to thrive.

This October, that mission comes alive in a special way. School After Hours Consulting is offering a podcasting program to youth in the Richmond area. Young people from afterschool programs will take their first steps into the world of podcasting—learning not just how to tell their stories, but how to shape narratives, edit audio, and speak with confidence in today’s digital age. But right now, the program cannot begin without one vital resource: laptops.

“Imagine a child with a story burning inside them, but no way to share it,” said the School After Hours Consulting team. “That’s what we’re trying to change. These laptops aren’t just tools; they’re doorways to self-expression, career skills, and the belief that their voices matter.”

Community members, businesses, and organizations are encouraged to donate new or gently used laptops to meet this urgent need. Each contribution will go directly into the hands of youth who are ready to learn, create, and be heard.

Beyond podcasting, School After Hours Consulting continues to shape the future of youth programming through training, management support, and curriculum development. Their School After Hours Podcast, released twice a month, also highlights the triumphs and challenges of afterschool programs nationwide—raising awareness for a field that often goes unrecognized but makes an immeasurable difference.

With October fast approaching, the clock is ticking. Every laptop donated is more than hardware—it is hope, opportunity, and empowerment for a child who deserves to be heard. 
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Contact: Jenice Lee
Educational Consultant for School After Hours Consulting, LLC
804-404-6475
info@sahconsulting.org
https://www.schoolafterhours.com/