
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 11, 1993                   TAG: 9306100089
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KEN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

RAILSIDE ART DEPOT

With the exception of an occasional roar from a passing coal train, life in the small Christiansburg community of Cambria is a perfectly pristine experience.

Like a scene reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting, the 125-year-old Cambria train depot looks quite at home in this historic neighborhood.

But once a year, this picture of tranquility comes alive and the old depot becomes the center of activity.

Then the fifth annual Whistlestop Arts Festival, a two-day outdoor celebration sponsored by the New River Valley Arts Council, brings artwork, crafts and music to the streets around the old depot.

"We're going to have food, art, poetry and several different kinds of music - from standard to contemporary," said Cheryl Leweke, one of the organizers of the festival.

She said exhibitors will include musicians, woodworkers, magicians, face painters, photographers and many other artists and craft workers from around the New River Valley.

"There's going to be something for everybody," she said.

The festival has become bigger and better every year since its creation, Leweke said, as word has spread through the art community. She said organizers hope to expand the festival even more next year.

Barbara Capps, the principal organizer, said about 25 exhibitors will be in Cambria over the weekend, giving demonstrations and selling some of the products of their talent.

Capps, an artist, art teacher and one of the founding members of the Arts Council, said a combination of respect for the historic beauty of Cambria and a desire to see arts promoted in the New River Valley prompted her to organize the festival five years ago.

"We want to help build up the area with arts and antiques," she said. "It's simply a beautiful place."

Capps, who has been working for years to promote local art, said people don't have to leave home to see good artwork.

"We have some of the best artists in the country right here in the New River Valley," she said. "I've been in the art business for many years. I've traveled all around the West Coast, and I really don't think we can be beat."

The festival will be at Cambria and Depot streets on Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information, contact the Arts Council at 381-1430.

by CNB