PLACES
The image at the top of the page is downtown Roanoke. In the center of the photo is the largest building downtown, the Wells Fargo Bank building. Three other noteworthy structures, starting in the top righthand corner and going clockwise, are the Basilica of Saint Andrew (built in 1902), the Hotel Roanoke & Convention Center (built in 1882) and the Taubman Museum of Art / Fralin Center for American Art, which is the modern structure at the far right of the photo (built 2008). I took this picture of downtown Roanoke from the observation deck of the Roanoke Star on Mill Mountain.
The Roanoke Star, also known as the Mill Mountain Star, is the world's largest freestanding illuminated man-made star. It was constructed at the top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia in 1949 by the local merchants association to draw publicity and trade to the city.
It was initially created to be a seasonal Christmas decoration intended to shine over the city during the holiday shopping season. Sponsored by the Roanoke Merchants Association, the Roanoke Star was supposed to be dismantled in 1950 after the holiday season was over.
The star is actually three stars combined to make a single star. Each frame contains three to five sets of clear neon tubes. In total, the Roanoke Star has 2,000 feet of neon tubes. Weighing 10,000 pounds, the Roanoke Star sits 1,847 feet above sea level and towers 1,045 feet above the City of Roanoke. The star cost $28,000 to build.
It was lit for the first time at 8:22 p.m. on Nov. 23, 1949 by Roanoke Mayor A. R. Minton. John Payne, a Roanoke native and Hollywood star, traveled to attend the formal lighting ceremony. Less than 100 people braved the cold on Thanksgiving Eve to celebrate the Roanoke Star lighting.
The all white star changed to red, white and blue in September 2001 to honor victims of Sept. 11. On April 16, 2008 the star went dark on the first anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings.
The star changes to red, white and blue every year on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Patriot Day and Veterans Day.
A canopy of colors where art takes flight at Garvan Gardens with “Where the Wind Lives,” a large-scale installation suspended above the natural landscape. This immersive exhibit transforms wind into movement, light, and color — creating a living, ever-changing experience.
Spence Cabin is located in the Elkmont Historic District in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The cottage was built in 1928 during the transformation of the area from a logging town into an exclusive summer resort. This vacation home was part of the Appalachian Club; a place for escape to the mountains in the summer to enjoy tennis, picnics, dances and swimming in the chilly mountain stream waters. The unusual, striking contrast between the pink paint of the cabin walls and the teal-green shutters gives the picture a storybook quality. I half expect to see a hobbit come out of the door by the chimney with the stone archway. A stone’s throw from Spence Cabin were more modest cottages, and our family spent time in the summers there when I was a young child. I called the area “the Green Mountains.” I remember spending a night in Spence Cabin with my uncle, and we fished for rainbow trout in the stream that runs behind the cabin. I also remember that I didn’t catch any fish….
Fairhope Pier
A canopy of colors where art takes flight at Garvan Gardens with “Where the Wind Lives,” a large-scale installation suspended above the natural landscape. This immersive exhibit transforms wind into movement, light, and color — creating a living, ever-changing experience.
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine