While the campaign has whittled my bike riding time down to just 6 hours per week, it has also offered me the opportunity to attend some community events. This past Saturday, after knocking 90 doors in the City of Radford, my campaign Field Director and I attended the Mt Tabor Ruritan Fish Fry.
Before joining the long line of hungry patrons, we walked and talked and enjoyed the atmosphere.
The pastoral scene,
the local music,
the opposition to the Mountain Valley Pipeline,
and finally, the fish, fries, and coleslaw, served up by hardworking Ruritans.
I’m tellin’ ya, that fried fish was yummy!
All you can eat for $8, in a lovely Virginia setting. Not a bad way to spend the evening.
The Mt Tabor Ruritan Club has been serving the Blacksburg and surrounding communities since July 16, 1965.
Ruritan National’s purpose is to create a better understanding among people, and through volunteer community service, make America’s communities better places in which to live and work
The word Ruritan is a combination of the Latin words for open country “ruri” and small town “tan,” interpreted as pertaining to rural and small town life
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 
The coleslaw looks like it has the power to change anybody’s weeknight to amazing.
Yep! and that fried fish was a surprising treat. Not a typical choice but well worth the calories that night
It looks as good as ours
The fish fry, that is
So Derrick, are you part of a civic group that holds a Fish Fry?
No, but we love our fish and chips 🙂
Lovely photos Laurie – it looks like a lovely venue even with the lowery sky…….. !
It really was! and I was saying to Bruce that the “fried fish was a surprising treat. Not a typical choice but well worth the calories that night”
Forgive me for interrupting, Pauline and Laurie. I had to look it up. What an excellent word: lowery. Webster’s says “dark, gloomy and threatening.”
Oh, Laurie, you are such a treasure. These are wonderful photos. For their content and their simple beauty. From someone who just started out wanting to blog about life on the bike, look at where you’ve gone. I am so glad to have “met” you and followed you on this ride.
I hope we can REALLY meet some day, Mary! I feel sure it would be a fun, fun get together.
Thank you for always making me smile!
I love fish and chips! 😀
Simple goodness for sure! Worth every calorie!
Oh yes 🙂
Probably not worth it, but I enjoy every mouthful 😀
Great photos to capture this homey event. I especially like the picture of the banjo!
I liked that one, too, Kerry. Bluegrass and Old Time music are a big part of Appalachian heritage and is a part of many events in SW Virginia. In fact, I was able to squeeze in 45 minutes to hear some great music yesterday!
Great post and images Laurie 🙂 Save a piece of that fish and fries for me !
I gotta tell ya, Joe – that fried fish was soooooo yummy! Only thing missing was a cold beer
The joys of small town/rural living!!!!! “Fish fry”=a Midwest tradition!!!! LOL!
It seems to be a particular favorite for sure! I’ll do my best to get back there next year, win or lose the campaign.
Yay! 😍
This place is beautiful and I love the new turn your life has taken!
Thank you, Mae. It truly has been quite the experience! Yesterday I had a well loved former Congressman host an event for my campaign. Win or lose, no regrets!
I love stepping into little moments like this in communities. They are what communities are actually about, but the media portrays so differently.
These events really do make the community, don’t they? Nothin’ but goodness there on that beautiful evening!
All you can eat for $8.00? That’s a bargain and your photo of the fish just made me hungry.
It truly was a bargain and I could have eaten a lot more fish than I did . It had just the right amount of crunch and really good flavor! I’ll be going to back next year!
Seems like a delightful visit to small-town America. Lovely!
A big ol slice of Americana … I hope we never lose these types of traditions.
Way to mingle LB. The fries would be hard to resist and I love coleslaw. Gah! Pipelines…it’s hush hush round here because I’m surrounded by people making their living doing stuff in the industry. I’m not for it, about it, with them, onboard in any way shape or form. These companies make billions raping the environment, don’t pay their share of taxes and make lame apologies when ever the inevitable happens and the land is ruined for the rest of our life-time and generations to come. Naturally, I’m in the small minority as people and the companies they work for are making oodles of money. As we both know, the money talks. It’s hard to reconcile at times. I wish we were know for producing Organic Banana’s xoK
One of the many reasons I love you: you are an activist at heart and speak your heart. Right on, my friend!
Laurie, I may never have the privilege of seeing you live on the campaign trail, but I really hope that folks who are fortunate enough to do so, also have the opportunity to see your photographic talents, as they tell a story in and of themselves. I hope you can show slides or do a Power Point presentation.
Finding ways to communicate that which we want and need to say is hard enough, but you have the power of art and a savvy flair for making your words come alive with color, texture and the craft of pinpointing where the heart of the story is. It’s powerful.
Love the banjoes photo. Get some rest and soldier on!
Shelley! What a great idea! It would be so fun for me to share my photography during the campaign. Not because I think that everyone would like my work, but because it would make ME feel connected to photography.
I’m absolutely committed to the campaign …but I sure do miss reading, photography, and the bike!
Laurie, I’m so glad you’re campaigning in your community as it gives more and more people the opportunity to realize how wonderful you are. I”m in awe of the number of doors you’ve knocked on and the calls you’ve made. These smaller town events make me pine for a simpler life in a small community. I know there are pros and cons to both, but when I see your gorgeous photos, I want to step inside of them. LOVE those banjos in the grass. Fabulous, like you.
Hi Alys! It’s only been a few days but I swear it seems forever since I’ve been on WP!
Your comments are like a soothing balm, lifting me up and sending me energy. Thank you and love you, too!!
You’re living two full lives in one body. I don’t know how you are doing it, but I hope you are finding small pockets of time to breath, ride, and just be. xox
You should join my fitness challenge. Bikers unite!
Oh Susie, I definitely need to do that!
Beautiful photos Laurie … especially #3 with the musical instruments.
Oooh! I’m all about the silver linings. Here I am worrying that your soul may be suffering by working so hard at campaigning, but you are just your bright, strong, vivacious Laurie self even while shaking hands and making appearances. How could it be any other way.
So of course you see these opportunities to gather and meet people as opportunities to experience fairs and festivals you might not otherwise have made it to. That is so much fun – a fish fry! I wish I could have been there. Totally worth the $8, and your reader Derrick (who knows his fried fish) even gave a stamp of approval.
I’m amusing myself with imagining you at a fair, talking with a group who opposes the pipeline, and you say, “Do you mind holding that up for me so I can take a photo? Just so. Ah, perfect, now hold it….” Look what fabulous publicity they just got!
Great photos of a great day, Laurie! I’d like to be able to say the “fried fish” spoke to me, but truly the banjo and guitar case grabbed me. Music is definitely my muse 😀