Best Annual Charity Event
First place: Union Drumstick DASH Downtown, RoanokeDrumstickDash.net, 540-343-7227
Get your workout in before the feast at Roanoke Rescue Mission’s Union Drumstick DASH. The 5k race, held each Thanksgiving, weaves through downtown Roanoke and gives awards to top male and female overall runners, as well as top runners in 14 age groups and teams. In its 11th year, the dash has raised more than $2 million for the organization.
Second place: Martinsville Charity League Bargain Fair, CharityLeague.org, 276-734-0603
Third place: Rooster Walk, AxtonRoosterWalk.com, 276-690-9255
Best Art Event
First place: Art on the Lawn, PearisburgGilesArtsCouncil.org, 540-921-1221
This year, Art on the Lawn is introducing Kid’s Art Adventure, a new area with art lessons disguised as play, says president Betty Herbert. While guests peruse works from potters, sculptors, painters and photographers, kids up to seventh grade enjoy art lessons and teenagers compete in their own separate juried show.
Second place: Sidewalk Art Show, RoanokeTaubmanMuseum.org, 540-342-5760
Third place: Expressions at Piedmont Arts, MartinsvillePiedmontArts.org, 276-632-3221
Best Art Gallery
First place: Piedmont Arts Association, MartinsvillePiedmontArts.org, 276-632-3221
In Piedmont Arts’ Studio 107 Gallery, guests can take home art that is truly locally sourced—artists with work for sale in the gallery craft their jewelry, textiles, paintings and more on-site. This summer, Piedmont Arts’ Hooker Garrett Gallery will house Expressions, an annual open-entry juried art exhibit, which showcases a variety of media and styles.
Second place: Benjamin Walls Gallery, BristolBenjaminWalls.com, 877-989-2557
Third place: Moss Arts Center, BlacksburgArtsCenter.VT.edu, 540-231-5300
Best Charity
First place: Charity League of Martinsville and Henry County, MartinsvilleCharityLeague.org, 276-734-0603
When Martinsville’s Charity League launched in 1931, the organization raised money for eye screenings and vaccinations for area children. Today, all of the organization’s proceeds from events like the annual Bargain Fair and Touch A Truck events still benefit kids in the community. Last year, the league raised $28,000 in scholarship funds.
Second place: Rescue Mission, RoanokeRescueMission.net, 540-343-7227
Third place: Grace Network, MartinsvilleGraceNetworkMHC.org, 276-638-8500
Best Family Entertainment
First place: Frank Theatres CineBowl & Grille, Blacksburg, Blacksburg.CineBowlAndGrille.com, 540-750-4588
Along with its 11 film screens (one of which is IMAX), Frank Theatres CineBowl & Grille offers bowling, an arcade, a restaurant and a bar. Party packages like the Ultimate include two hours of bowling or a movie, game pass, dinner entrée, and unlimited soda and popcorn.
Second place: Barter Theatre, AbingdonBarterTheatre.com, 276-628-3991
Third place: Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, BristolRhythm.com, 423-573-1927
Best Food Festival
First place: Roanoke Greek Festival, RoanokeRoanokeGreekFestival.com, 540-362-3601
Popular offerings include spanakopita, open-fired kebabs, souvlaki, baklava and moussaka pastichio (which festival chairman Peter Simopolous playfully refers to as the “Greek perfection of lasagna”). On the go? Call ahead 30 minutes and you can pick up a drive-thru meal.
Second place: Community School Strawberry Festival, RoanokeStrawberryFestivalRoanoke.org, 540-563-5036
Third place: Fork & Cork, Blacksburg, BlacksburgForkAndCork.com, 540-443-2008
Best Movie Theater
First place: The Grandin Theater, RoanokeGrandinTheatre.com, 540-345-6177
Though the Grandin Theater usually screens first-run independent films or Hollywood blockbusters on its four screens, the historic cinema also runs classic film series and midnight movies—upcoming attractions include Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor in Father of the Bride and the Brad Pitt hit Se7en.
Second place: Frank Theatres CineBowl & Grille, Blacksburg, Blacksburg.CineBowlAndGrille.com, 540-750-4588
Third place: Lyric Theater, BlacksburgTheLyric.com, 540-951-0604
Best Museum
First place: Taubman Museum of Art, RoanokeTaubmanMuseum.org, 540-342-5760
On view through July 16 is special exhibit Homeward Bound, featuring works by Virginia artists from a variety of disciplines selected last March from the first of the museum’s new triennial show. Opening Sep. 10 of this year, the exhibit Play showcases the work of four artists who work in some unexpected media—think crayons, building blocks and inflatables.
Second place: Virginia Museum of Natural History, MartinsvilleVMNH.net, 276-634-4141
Third place: William King Museum of Art, AbingdonWilliamKingMuseum.org, 276-628-5005
Best Music Venue
First place: Harvester Performance Center, Harvester-Music.com, 540-484-8277
This summer see performances by Chris Thiel and Béla Fleck, Toto, Lee Greenwood, and Don McLean. What’s the best way to make sure you don’t miss out on a performance by a favorite artist? Keep up with the website, where new shows are added every day year-round.
Second place: Rives Theatre, MartinsvilleRivesTheatre.org, 276-403-0872
Third place: Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, BristolRhythm.com, 423-573-1927
Best Performing Arts Company
First place: Barter Theatre, AbingdonBarterTheatre.com, 276-628-3991
The longest-running professional theater in the nation, the 84-year-old Barter Theatre has featured acting legends including Gregory Peck and Patricia Neal. This summer, the players are putting on productions of Footloose: The Musical and adaptations of The Neverending Story and the Grimm Brothers’ Cinderella.
Second place: Opera Roanoke, OperaRoanoke.org, 540-982-2742
Third place: Mill Mountain Theatre, RoanokeMillMountain.org, 540-342-5730
Best Special Event Venue
First place: Bolling Wilson Hotel, WythevilleBollingWilsonHotel.com, 276-223-2333
The George Wythe Ballroom is the hotel’s best space for weddings and corporate events, with capacity for up to 120 guests, while the Vault, a private dining room, is ideal for smaller functions. Book a space on the Perch, the hotel’s rooftop terrace, to take in the surrounding natural beauty.
Second place: Elmwood Park, RoanokeDowntownRoanoke.org, 540-853-2000
Third place: Jefferson Center, RoanokeJeffCenter.org, 540-345-2550