Arts Culture

All hail the queens

It’s not every day that one gets to meet stage royalty. In that respect, drag shows offer a unique opportunity to connect with multiple monarchs at once. I’ve always been intrigued by drag, but had never attended a live show. I voted for drag diva Shangela on the reg when she performed on “Dancing with […]

Kristie Smeltzer | April 16, 2025

Culture Living

Escaping the Dungeon of Fire

Cville Escape Room cvilleescaperoom.com For many of us, the winter doldrums make us particularly susceptible to adventure’s siren song. Answering the call often takes the form of vacations to warmer climes, but for those looking for something less typical (that might be easier on the budget than a full-blown vacation), solving an escape room may […]

Kristie Smeltzer | March 12, 2025

Culture Food & Drink

Gearharts desire

There is something magical about chocolate. I used to spend every Sunday with my Nana, and these visits included a chocolate treat or two from her sweets jar on the gold-speckled white Formica counter. In my youth, my dad was my best Valentine (yes, I’ve been to therapy)—he bought Mom, my sister, and me fancy […]

Kristie Smeltzer | February 12, 2025

Culture Living

Putting a fine point on self-care

When someone said “acupuncture” to me, the image that used to come to mind was Pinhead from Hellraiser. With maturity, though, I’ve developed an earnest desire to try traditional Chinese medicine. In the new year, the new me decided to take a stab at acupuncture (sorry!). What Getting acupuncture through Common Ground’s community services. Why […]

Kristie Smeltzer | January 15, 2025

Culture Living

The sport of queens

A delightful side effect of writing this column is that people in my life now give me ideas based on their bucket lists and more obscure interests. When a friend said she’d always wanted to try falconry and asked if I would join her, “Heck yeah!” was my nigh-instant response. Like many wheezy, middle-aged folks, […]

Kristie Smeltzer | December 11, 2024

Culture Living

Pull! A tale of sporting clays

Since childhood, I’ve been fascinated with the idea of shooting skeet. I must’ve seen it in a Bugs Bunny cartoon or something. My father liked hunting, and to varying degrees, family members enjoyed the venison from his efforts. I grew up around guns and, therefore, grew up with a healthy respect for them. During grad […]

Kristie Smeltzer | November 6, 2024

Arts Culture

The glorious goat of improv

One of my favorite things to do is laugh. A hearty laugh makes a bad day a little less bleak and a good one golden. Live comedy has always been something I enjoy and have often fantasized about trying. As a small child, I enjoyed performing—ballet, school plays, living room magic shows. Then adolescence crash-landed […]

Kristie Smeltzer | October 23, 2024

Arts Culture

Live Arts stages compelling he-said, she-said plays

We humans are social animals, which is one reason why theater endures as a way for people to share space and feel something together. In a time when our nation feels quite divided (ahem: understatement), any opportunity to learn from history and engage with challenging subjects in thought-provoking ways is a good opportunity. The current […]

Kristie Smeltzer | October 16, 2024