Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: How close is the Roanoke River Greenway to finally connecting end-to-end?
Coming up on the Roanoke Patch calendar: Roanoke's Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl
Good morning Roanoke! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- How close is the Roanoke River Greenway to finally connecting end-to-end?
- When and where you can catch Roanoke’s Dickens parade and pet contest
- Why a returning Roanoke strip club has neighbors split
Also on today's calendar: Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings and 7 more events.
Find out what's happening in Roanokefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
And lastly, we have a post from a neighbor, Kathleen R.!
Today's riddle: What did one tuna say to the other after getting caught stealing files from work? 🤔 (Answer below!)
Find out what's happening in Roanokefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
From our Partner
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Find a T-Mobile store near Roanoke.
- Thursday: Cloudy, brisk and colder, with a high of 36 and low of 26 degrees.
- Friday: Afternoon snow showers; cold, temps: high: 37, low: 33.
- Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 46 and low of 23 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Then & Now: The Roanoke River Greenway inched closer to completion this year, with the opening of almost 3 more miles of trail (cardinalnews.org) — Roanoke-area residents have nearly three more miles of Roanoke River Greenway to explore after several 2025 projects wrapped up, including a new 0.6-mile West Roanoke River section in Salem. Local leaders explain funding challenges, flood setbacks, and next steps toward connecting the trail to Green Hill Park and Explore Park for almost four continuous miles of riverfront path. 
2. Delta Dental Dickens of a Christmas continues with Roanoke parade (wdbj7.com) — Downtown Roanoke’s signature Dickens of a Christmas celebration continues this month with a big Christmas parade on Friday, Dec. 12, followed by a pet costume contest on Dec. 19. Organizers detail the parade route through Jefferson, Campbell, Market Square and Williamson, plus how to register your pet for categories like Best Holiday Theme and Funniest Costume.
3. Neighboring businesses react to Roanoke strip club returning (wdbj7.com) — A long-vacant Franklin Road strip club building in Roanoke is being renovated to reopen as Lust Gentleman’s Club under new management, after the city issued a building permit. Nearby business owners and residents are split, with some worried about crime and parking while others welcome fewer vacancies and more traffic for local shops and restaurants.
4. Former pastor accused of grooming minor pleads guilty to federal charge (wset.com) — Roanoke County residents are learning that former local pastor Jacob Barnett has pleaded guilty to a federal charge after being accused of grooming a 15-year-old girl online. Arrested in Roanoke County in August, he faces potentially a decade in prison, and investigators believe there may be additional victims.
5. ‘Get Ready to Fly With Me' program to help preschool students (wdbj7.com) — Families in the Roanoke region with preschoolers headed to Franklin County schools will soon see a new support program aimed at fixing pandemic-era learning and social gaps. The “Get Ready to Fly” campaign will screen rising pre-K and kindergarten students and connect those lacking key skills with local churches, agencies, and community partners, with a full launch planned for spring 2026.
📸 Around Roanoke
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🗓 Upcoming Events in Roanoke
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- Roanoke's Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl
Martin's Downtown, 413 1st St SW, Roanoke
4:30 pm
Saturday December 13
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Dickens of a Christmas
Downtown Roanoke Streets - Roanoke VA 24011 - Dickens of a Christmas - Christmas Parade
Downtown Roanoke Streets - Roanoke VA 24011 - City Council Public Hearings
Roanoke, VA Calendar , 215 Church Ave. SW , Roanoke
7:00 pm - Gun Violence Prevention Commission
Roanoke, VA Calendar Roanoke, VA 24011 - Ribbon Cutting - Hermitage Roanoke
Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce , 1009 Old Country Club Rd NW , Roanoke
10:30 am - Dickens of a Christmas
Downtown Roanoke Streets - Roanoke VA 24011 - Lucy Addison Historical Marker
At the east corner at the intersection of Orange Ave NW and Burrell Ave NW , 40 Douglass Ave NW , Roanoke
11:00 am - Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings
Taubman Museum of Art 110 Salem Avenue Southeast Roanoke, Virginia 24011
6:30 pm - Candlelight: Queen vs. ABBA
Taubman Museum of Art , 110 Salem Ave SE , Roanoke
8:45 pm
Friday December 12
Monday December 15
Tuesday December 16
Friday December 19
Saturday December 20
🗓 Events Nearby
- Huntridge Road Community Meeting
Roanoke County, VA Calendar , Bonsack Elementary School 5437 Crumpacker Drive , Roanoke
5:00 pm - Holiday Open House
Vinton Chamber of Commerce , 118 E Lee Ave , Vinton
5:00 pm - CSMS Choir Winter Concert
Cave Spring High School
6:30 pm - Winter Student Recital
duPont Chapel , 7980 E Campus Dr , Roanoke
7:00 pm
Thursday December 11
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
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🪧 Patch Classifieds
- F150 Pickup
1987 Ford F150 pickup in good condition text me at 540-312-9970 for more information (More info)
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Snow day activities with my Florida babies!
What an amazing winter wonderland. We flew down the hill and finished up with some appliqué craft sweaters from our great grandmother passed down… (Nextdoor Oak Grove) - Twitchy escaped from home in the mountain view area around December fourth and has not yet returned this time.
He is not chipped or neutered yet unfortunately. He is wearing a reflective green collar that has an "ESA ANIMAL" tag with my other phone number on… (Nextdoor Mountain View)
- State of Virginia posted a job opening for Psychology Adjunct Faculty (Part-Time) in Roanoke. Apply here.
- Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated posted a job opening for Operator Manufacturing IV in Roanoke. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Roanoke here.
Ok Roanoke! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I could get canned for this!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!
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