🌱 Roanoke Star's New Star Of The Year + Farmer's Market Turns 140!

Hello, friends! It's Sunday. Let's take a look at some local news to get the day started.

First, today's weather:

An afternoon thunderstorm.

High: 77 Low: 65.

🏡 Looking for more real estate leads in Roanoke? Let us help you reach prospective home buyers and stand out from the competition. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top four stories in Roanoke today:

1. The Roanoke Star has a new name thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke. The star was honorarily named for Dr. Brenda Hale, longtime president of the Roanoke NAACP and the first African American elected as secretary for the Virginia State Board of Nursing. The Kiwanis Club auctions off honorary naming rights to the Roanoke Star once a year to raise funds for its community projects and this year Cheri Hartman and her group decided to bid in honor of Hale. "So, I wanted it to be a person who could bring to light the hope that we can overcome the negativity by lifting up a very positive spirit,” said Hartman. (WFIR, WDBJ)
2. WSLS Channel 10's “Home for Good” project, done in partnership with Habitat of Humanity of the Roanoke Valley, continues in southeast Roanoke and this week local sponsor Ideal Cabinets was on site helping with several projects for the home being built for a deserving family. Ideal Cabinets is a returning sponsor and says the project hits home for them because it is a family owned business. "We just like doing it. It’s part of the DNA of the company. The Roanoke Valley has been very, very good to Ideal Cabinets and so this is a chance for us to give back and help the Roanoke Valley at the same time," said Koy Farthing, Project Manager for Ideal Cabinets. (WSLS)
3. The Roanoke City Farmers Market in downtown Roanoke is the oldest of its kind throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and will soon turn the ripe old age of 140! The market began giving licenses to vendors in 1882 and one of its oldest licensees today is Woods Farms of Boones Mill whose relationship with the market goes back to the 1930s. "The earliest memory I have is when the Agnew Feed and Seed was there in the market square. Our truck was right in front of it. I loved it because I got to come down here with my grandma and just see all the different people and just got to talk to everybody, said Barbara Kochendarfer of Woods Farms. (WDBJ)
4. The 4th annual 'Park it on the Market' event, hosted by Alcova Mortgage, was held Friday and raised over $20,000 for Roanoke City Schools, helping to give area kids the supplies they need to go back to school. The event parks a school bus on the market in downtown Roanoke and volunteers fill the bus with donations such as notebooks, pencils, backpacks, markers and lunchboxes. "We know that a lot of kids are really hurting, families are hurting, this year with the economy being down and coming out of this pandemic. We are thrilled to announce we have raised 20,000 dollars worth of school supplies,” said Kim Foerst, Alcova Mortgage's Vice President and Marketing and Communications person. (WSLS)

Today in Roanoke:

• Salem Red Sox Stadium Challenge at Salem Memorial Ballpark (8 a.m.)
• Meet the Artist: Robin Poteet at Lackey Studio and Art Gallery (2 p.m.)
• Yearning / Terrafirma / Orange Culture at The Spot on Kirk (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "Squirrels, squirrels, and more squirrels! Staff Casey and intern Jilly (George Mason University student) worked most of the evening to get these little babies of all different ages settled!" (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke City Public Schools: "It was a busy summer in Ms. Bentley’s RCPS+ Middle School STEAM class! 💡 They used Sphero bots to race, navigate obstacles courses and even bowl with Lego-made bowling pins." (Roanoke City Public Schools via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "This tiny trio may look like trouble, but they're simply engulfed in play time! This may seem like simple fun, but play is essential for our pets and as a Fear Free Shelters we want our pets to be happy and healthy in our care!" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• The Rescue Mission of Roanoke: "How sweet! Donna J. and her grandson came by the mission to drop off diapers for families who stay with us. Thank you to both, and thank you to Donna for teaching her grandson such a good lesson! 👶" (The Rescue Mission of Roanoke via Facebook)

You're officially in the loop for today! I'll see you tomorrow.

— Ian

About me: Ian Graham is a novelist, screenwriter, and freelance contributing writer. His interests are in politics, history, and religion and the stories and characters he writes about are centered on the explosive conflicts created when the three intersect. He is a firm believer in being yourself… unless you can be Batman. Always be Batman.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Roanoke Daily? Contact me at roanoke@patch.com