Home and garden events in Central Virginia this spring

Recycle Easy Helps Lynchburg Help Environment
A new program in the Lynchburg area is making it easier for residents to be easier on the environment. Recycle Easy, launched in January, provides curbside recycling pick-up in Lynchburg, Madison Heights, Forest and Sweet Briar, in numerous zip codes and on multiple days of the week. For a quarterly or annual fee, homeowners can recycle glass, plastic, mixed paper, magazines, phone books, cardboard and more into one bin provided by the program—no hassles of sorting (though glass should be in a separate bag within the bin). Recycle Easy also provides quarterly “e-waste” pick-ups—old cell phones, computers, radios and the like.
The program also offers commercial pickup for businesses; plans are offered based on the number of bins serviced. For more information, visit www.recycleeasy.com.
Art All Around
Searching for the perfect piece of art for your living room? Want to spruce up your lawn or garden this spring with unique ornamentation? Plan to hop on the Greater Lynchburg Transit Company Art Trolley during First Fridays for a tour of area art galleries and a budding bouquet of original art, live music, hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. On the first Friday of each month, the trolley leaves from the Academy of Fine Arts at 5 p.m. and runs a continuous loop to participating galleries throughout downtown Lynchburg and on Rivermont Avenue until 8 p.m. There is no charge for riding the Art Trolley or for visiting the galleries on tour.

Lynchburg’s burgeoning art scene provides numerous creative home décor options, and there’s no better way to take it all in than during First Fridays. According to Ted Batt, exhibition curator at the Academy of Fine Arts, First Fridays began to take off in 2004 and has been drawing attention to local galleries ever since. The Dancing Leaf, new on 5th Street downtown, is just one of many participating galleries that offers entertaining and unique monthly tours. Other regular participants include Riverviews Artspace, Beeswax Candle Company, 921 Main Street, Hardwicks, Avenue Arts Studio Gallery, Rivermont Studio, The Lynchburg Art Club, Light Wings Gallery, and the Blackwater Creek Gallery. Pick up an “Art Walk” brochure at these participating galleries for more information.
HOME to Exhibit at Home Expo

Central Virginia HOME invites you and yours to visit us at the upcoming Central Virginia Home Expo 2009, brought to you by Builders and Associates of Central Virginia (BACV). To be held Friday, March 6 through Sunday, March 8, the expo features the latest and greatest
resources in home design and home improvement, including kitchen and bath, carpet and tile, custom home building, landscaping and more. Vendors and specialists will be on hand to discuss services, information and goods you may need to enhance your home; realtors and finance brokers will show attendees the best way to purchase that dream home. And Central Virginia HOME staff will host a booth offering expo attendees an inside look at our exciting publication.

The expo, held at the Lynchburg City Armory in the City Market Place, features a world of ideas under one roof. Bring the whole family! Refreshments are available for purchase, and there are lots of things to see and do. Join us! For more information, call BACV at
(434) 385-6018.
BACV is a nonprofit trade association comprised of over 200 members associated with the building and new construction industry. BACV promotes homeownership, quality, affordable housing and positive relationships between members and potential
and present homeowners. Buy mobile home near me you through homenation.com. The Central Virginia Home Expo is produced by a core group of volunteer BACV members who have spent hundreds of hours to bring this annual show to the community.

Garden Day Offers
Something For Everyone Savor signs of spring inside and out in several local homes during annual Garden Day. To be held Tuesday, April
21, rain or shine, the tour is part of the statewide Historic Garden Week in Virginia, also known as “America’s Largest Open House.” Hosted by the Hillside Garden Club, Lynchburg Garden Club, and the Garden Club of Virginia, Lynchburg’s Garden Day will feature five private homes and other public points of interest. Visitors will marvel at historical architecture, stunning interiors and glorious gardens.

Properties include:

• 416 Washington Street: Located in the historic Diamond Hill district, this 1885 Renaissance Revival house has been renovated from two townhomes into one graceful single-family residence. The brick-lined garden features established hydrangea, boxwood, roses, peonies and more.
• 1695 Indered Farm Road: A brick colonial-style residence was masterfully crafted in 1976 and modeled after the George Wythe House in Williamsburg. Set on 17 acres, the gardens feature beds of azalea, hosta, oakleaf hydrangea and boxwood in numerous garden rooms or “conversation nooks,” as well as a fenced formal garden and fountain.
• 3228 Landon Street: “Little Woods” is a colonial-style house in the heart of Lynchburg—one of three dwellingsbuilt in the 1940s on property owned by the C.P. Neher family. The garden features a stone terrace surrounded by beds of perennials and flowering shrubs, a wrought-iron arched arbor covered with New Dawn roses and more.
• 1569 Trents Ferry Road: This 1798 farmhouse retains its original architectural character while incorporating elements for modern living. The grounds feature stately maple trees, beds of spirea, azaleas, hydrangeas, laurels and Lenten roses, as well as more than 50 established boxwoods. A back pasture is home to the family’s collection of farm pets, including miniature donkeys.
• 300 Harrison Street: Located in the Garland Hill Historic District and built in the Federalist style in the 1840s by one of Lynchburg’s first private bankers, this house has twice won merit awards from the Lynchburg Historic Foundation. The gardens also feature a Federalist-style design, including a pond containing water iris, lily pads and goldfish. Beds of perennials, herbs and native wildflowers, as well as a “no weed” vegetable garden, surround the pond.

Historic Garden Week is the oldest and largest statewide house and garden tour event in the nation. Tours benefit the restoration of  important historic grounds and gardens throughout the state. For more information, visit www.vagardenweek.org.