Downtown Ashland Association and Ashland Branch Library Empower Entrepreneurs with Monthly Boot Camps

Downtown Ashland Association Executive Director Coach Antonio Miller speaking during the first Wednesday Entrepreneur Boot Camps in Ashland Branch Library

Local entrepreneurs are growing, connecting, and thriving through a new monthly Entrepreneur Boot Camp Series, held the first Wednesday of every month at 6 PM inside the Ashland Branch Library’s conference room.

The first boot camp, held in November, was a resounding success—bringing together business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and creative minds from across the Center of the Universe for an evening of collaboration, resource-sharing, and inspiration. Attendees networked, learned about new opportunities, and gained tools to take their ventures to the next level.

“I learned such valuable information in a short amount of time,” Local business owner Anna Riccio of GRIT and Drift Beverage Co. shared. “The whole group was so welcoming! I truly felt like I had a ‘seat at the table.’”

The next Entrepreneur Boot Camp will be held Wednesday, December 3, featuring a holiday meet and greet designed for connection and cheer. Participants can mingle with fellow business owners, exchange ideas, and celebrate the season in true Ashland style.

“These monthly gatherings are about more than business,” said Coach Antonio Miller, Executive Director of Downtown Ashland Association. “They’re about community—because when our entrepreneurs connect, the entire town grows stronger.”

Downtown Ashland is already known as a hub for small business innovation. Main Street is lined with local shops, farm-to-fork restaurants, and vibrant public art—all powered by passionate local owners who make Ashland unique. Downtown Ashland Association also offers year-round resources, including a free online Start Up Business Accelerator, on-demand video workshops, and Happy Hour Vibes Networking and Recording Parties at K101.2 POP Richmond—a partnership that helps businesses engage 1.3 million listeners while enjoying mocktails, games, and laughter.

The Ashland Branch Library complements these opportunities by offering free access to powerful entrepreneurial tools through library card membership, including the Hoopla and Libby apps.

To explore more programs from the Pamunkey Regional Library, visit www.pamunkeylibrary.org. For questions or accessibility accommodations, email ask@pamunkeylibrary.org or call the Ashland Branch Library at (804) 798-4072.

Mark your calendars now—the first Wednesday of every month belongs to Ashland’s entrepreneurs.

Glow Big or Glow Home: Ashland’s Grand Illumination Costume Contest Lights Up the Night

The Grand Illumination returns to the Center of the Universe on Saturday, November 22, and it’s guaranteed to shine brighter than ever! While 10,000 twinkling lights will outline two miles of Downtown Ashland, it’s the community sparkle that truly brings the magic to life.

This year, the Downtown Ashland Association is inviting everyone to deck themselves out in light-up and sparkling attire for a chance to win glowing prizes from cherished local vendors. Starting at 3:00 PM, DAA volunteers will roam the downtown festivities, keeping an eye out for guests dressed to dazzle. Anyone spotted in glowing garb will receive a raffle ticket and be entered to win.

Contestants are encouraged to stay for the full evening of festivities, with the Ashland Town Tree lighting at 5:00 PM marking the grand finale. Until then, there’s no shortage of merriment to enjoy!

The holiday market will stretch from the Dominion Energy Innovation Center, across Ashland Town Hall, and wrap around 110 Thompson Street, featuring an array of local artisans, makers, and food vendors. Favorites include On the Fly Events with their lit mobile arcade and Minuteman Press of Ashland, printing cozy Light Up the Tracks apparel on-site.

Center Street Sound Co. will fill the air with festive, family-friendly tunes while Santa, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, and Clarice greet guests on the Ashland Town Hall Pavilion stage. With a donation of your choosing to the Downtown Ashland Association, you can have your photo taken with Santa—on your own phone or by the Snow Queen herself with a professional camera.

The fun continues at 4:30 PM with a performance by MKH Dabke Entertainment, offering a dazzling cultural dance experience rooted in Middle Eastern tradition, athleticism, and joy. The Ashland Dance Academy will take the stage next, lighting up the night with their glowing costumes and choreography before the Randolph-Macon College Choir leads a community sing-along of “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.”

Then, at 5:00 PM, our sponsor Dominion Energy will flip the switch on the Ashland Town Tree, illuminating the heart of our winter wonderland. Immediately after, four glowing winners will be drawn from the costume contest raffle for their choice of local prizes:

Or a sweet treat from Funcakes—your choice of Santa’s Delight (funnel cake), Elf’s Magic (deep fried Pop-Tarts), or Reindeer Bites (deep fried Oreos)

It’s the delight of these talented local vendors to share their art and gifts with the community, according to vendors like Eva Boggs of EccaEva. “I just love getting to take part in these events!”

All contestants have to do is show up and glow for their chance to light up the night and win. Guests are encouraged to take Amtrak Virginia, which stops right in historic downtown—offering the perfect postcard view of Ashland’s winter wonderland from your spacious train seat.

For all the details, six weeks of holiday events, raffles, and more, visit LightUptheTracks.com.

Manning Memorial Services Honors Veterans with Free Flags and Free Services This Veterans Day

This Veterans Day, Manning Memorial Services invites the community to honor America’s heroes in a simple but meaningful way—by visiting their new location at 134 Thompson Street in historic downtown Ashland and taking home a free American flag.

The local memorial service provider, founded by Daniel Manning Jr. and Mary Renee, is welcoming visitors throughout Veterans Day to learn more about the no-cost services they offer to veterans and their families. Manning Memorial Services provides free restoration and preservation of fallen veterans’ graves, including headstone cleaning, alignment, installation, and assistance in completing VA paperwork.

“We want to make sure every veteran’s final resting place is honored with dignity,” said Daniel Manning Jr., co-owner of Manning Memorial Services. “It’s not just about the stone—it’s about the story. Every veteran deserves to be remembered.”

Manning Memorial’s new location at 134 Thompson Street in historic downtown Ashland

Manning and Renee will be outside their new downtown Ashland location on Veterans Day, greeting guests and helping them complete a brief form to record information about local veterans and their burial sites. Their goal is to create a registry of veteran graves in the Town of Ashland, ensuring they receive regular care for generations to come. "We follow up, find their final resting places, and preserve them. It takes a community to make sure that veteran graves are taken care of," says Manning.

For Daniel Manning Jr., this work is more than a profession—it’s a personal mission shaped by his years of military service and his time at Arlington National Cemetery. After working at the Pentagon during the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Manning was transferred to Arlington, where he helped assign and maintain the graves of fallen service members.

“I uncovered graves from every era of American history—including the Civil War,” he recalls. “I took every cracked, leaning, crumbling stone and saw they were cleaned and stood erect. That became my purpose.”

His dedication inspired the founding of Manning Memorial Services, where that same care is extended to veterans across local cemeteries and churchyards. “Not every hero rests in a national cemetery,” Manning says. “Some are here, right in our own backyards—and we will find them, preserve them, and honor them.”

Co-owner Mary Renee, a veteran herself, shares that commitment. “All of my grandparents were in the military,” she says. “I joined the Army because I wanted to continue that legacy of service. This work allows us to give back to others who’ve served.”

Together, Manning and Renee are building a community of remembrance—one that ensures every name is known, every headstone stands tall, and every sacrifice is honored.

Manning Memorial Services’ new office in downtown Ashland reflects that vision: a place where stories of service, love, and legacy continue to live on.

This Veterans Day, stop by 134 Thompson Street to pick up a free flag and learn how Manning Memorial Services is helping preserve the memory of America’s heroes—because no veteran should ever be forgotten.

Ashland Stars Shine Bright at Grand Illumination

Ashland Dance Academy performing at the Grand Illumination in historic downtown Ashland, Virginia.

Downtown Ashland stars are shining brighter than ever this holiday season! On Saturday, November 22, the Downtown Ashland Association (DAA) will launch their annual Grand Illumination, lighting up two miles of historic downtown with over 10,000 sparkling lights and a massive tree on the Ashland Town Hall lawn—all while celebrating the incredible talent and creativity that thrive along the tracks.

Visitors can take Amtrak Virginia directly to the heart of downtown, where festivities begin at 3 PM with a vendor market featuring local food, art, crafts, and businesses. The outdoor market, stretching from the Dominion Energy Innovation Center across Ashland Town Hall to 110 Thompson Street, is a winter wonderland perfect for finding unique gifts for everyone on your list. Every purchase supports local artisans and small businesses, ensuring you’re definitely on Santa’s “nice” list.

Santa and Mrs. Claus outside Tiny Tim’s Trains and Toys in historic downtown Ashland, Virginia

Speaking of Santa, he’ll be joined by Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, and Clarice on the Ashland Town Hall Pavilion stage. Guests can make a donation of their choice to the DAA and have their photos taken by the Snow Queen—either on your phone, with her professional camera, or both.

MKH Dabke & Middle Eastern Dance Entertainment

Center Street Sound Co. will keep holiday spirits high with classic seasonal tunes until 4:30 PM, when cultural dance company MKH Dabke & Middle Eastern Dance Entertainment takes the stage. Founded in 2016 by Lebanese-American dancer Michael “Misho” Kahwajy-Hyland, MKH Dabke celebrates culture, connects communities, and empowers audiences through Middle Eastern dance, music, and storytelling. “Dabke is a dance from the Cradle of Civilization that's full of empowerment and meaning. It comes from, and therefore represents, the strength of community everywhere it happens,” Kahwajy-Hyland says. "In today's world, it's a powerful dance because it's a statement of identity, welcomes anyone in the room, and creates a shared energy that can't be found anywhere else... all without a single word.” It is this power that has inspired the Richmond-based company to perform nationwide over the last decade and spread the beautiful message & culture behind this dance in interactive workshops and educational residencies - leaving audiences in the Center of the Universe and beyond energized, empowered, and inspired.

Following MKH’s performance, the Ashland Dance Academy will dazzle with illuminated choreography, and the Randolph-Macon College Choir will lead the crowd in a sing-along of Walking in a Winter Wonderland.

At 5 PM, join Dominion Energy, the Town of Ashland, and DAA for the official countdown as the Ashland Town Tree and 10,000 lights illuminate the night, transforming the downtown into a holiday postcard come to life.

Tierrapy Soaps vending in historic downtown Ashland, Virginia

The festivities continue on Sunday, November 23, with vendors returning at 11 AM outside the Dominion Energy Innovation Center and 110 Thompson Street, ahead of the Kiwanis Club’s Olde Time Holiday Parade, marching through downtown at 2 PM. Visitors can end the day with a cozy railside farm-to-fork meal, then head home with sugarplums dancing in their heads.

For more information on the Grand Illumination and all of Downtown Ashland’s holiday events, visit LightUptheTracks.com.

Free Entrepreneurial Boot Camps

In celebration of National Entrepreneurship Month, Downtown Ashland Association (DAA) and Pamunkey Regional Library’s Ashland Branch Library are teaming up to launch Entrepreneurial Boot Camps—a new, free monthly series designed to help small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs connect, learn, and grow.

Starting Wednesday, November 5, Entrepreneurial Bootcamps will take place from 6:00 to 7:30 PM on the first Wednesday of every month through September 2, 2026, in the Ashland Branch Library’s conference room. Each session will offer opportunities to collaborate, network, and discover resources to help local businesses thrive.

“Downtown Ashland is one of the top main streets in America because of the dreamers and innovators who set up shop on our historic streets,” said Antonio “Coach” Miller, Executive Director of Downtown Ashland Association. “It’s not only part of our mission to give these entrepreneurs the resources they deserve to thrive, but to pull everyone into our orbit, share what we know, and grow together.”

The view of historic downtown Ashland, Virginia, from the Ashland Branch Library.

Downtown Ashland’s business district is a true showcase of small-town entrepreneurship—made up almost entirely of local owners, makers, and risk-takers whose creativity and commitment keep the Center of the Universe vibrant. Entrepreneurial Bootcamps are an extension of DAA’s ongoing mission to strengthen this ecosystem through education, connection, and collaboration—while inviting entrepreneurs from across the region to join in.

And getting here couldn’t be easier. Participants can hop on Amtrak Virginia and arrive just steps from the Ashland Branch Library, making a quick and convenient trip for business owners and innovators from Richmond, Fredericksburg, and beyond. After the workshop, guests are encouraged to enjoy dinner at one of Downtown Ashland’s farm-to-fork restaurants located right along the tracks—an experience that pairs perfectly with the town’s entrepreneurial spirit and small-town charm.

Pamunkey Regional Library continues to be a trusted community partner, offering an array of free tools and resources for local businesses. With a Pamunkey library card, entrepreneurs can access business databases, market research, and professional development materials across all library branches.

For more information about these monthly events, visitAshlandVirginia.com/bootcamp.
If you have special physical or communication needs, please contact ask@pamunkeylibrary.org or call the Ashland Branch Library at (804) 798-4072.