Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 9, 1994 TAG: 9409140038
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
That is the story McGowan's ancestors have handed down to her, and it's the story she gives to our children today.
McGowan, better known as "Little Dove," is a Powhatan Indian from the Mattaponi Reservation in King William County. Her father, 82-year-old Webster "Little Eagle" Custalow, is the chief of the Mattaponi tribe.
Chief Custalow recently was honored by the state legislature for service to his tribe and to all people of Virginia. Each year around Thanksgiving, Chief Custalow represents the Mattaponi tribe in an annual tribute to the governor by presenting him with gifts of game and fish. The custom dates back to 1645.
"The Mattaponi Reservation was granted in 1658," McGowan noted. "It's one of the oldest reservations in the United States."
Originally, the reservation stretched for hundreds of miles along the Mattaponi River. Today, the reservation has 125 acres where 117 members of the tribe live and work.
Adult members of the tribe believe in teaching children the lessons of their heritage through the spoken word. That's why McGowan is committed to sharing the ways of the Powhatan. For the past 30 years, she has carried her mission to schools, museums and other places where people come to listen.
McGowan will be at the Blacksburg Recreation Center Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. She will give living history demonstrations and talk about the Powhatan traditions.
You're welcome to stop by anytime during the day and stay as long as you like. An Indian lodge and artifacts will be on display, along with authentic reproductions of tools and crafted items. The center is at 725 Patrick Henry Drive.
On Sunday, McGowan will be at the Blacksburg United Methodist Church. For more information on her visit there, call 552-5424.
LIGHT CLASSICS Here's the perfect way to unwind after a week of work or school:
An Evening at the Pops!
The New River Friends of the Roanoke Symphony is sponsoring its first "Evening at the Pops" in Blacksburg. The event will be held in Squires Student Center's Commonwealth Ballroom on the Virginia Tech campus.
Light classics - the overtures, dances, marches and symphonic poems that appeal to all ages - are what you'll hear when Jim Glazebrook leads the 27-piece orchestra. Glazebrook, who serves as concert master of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and musical director of the New River Symphony, said the musical program is comprised of short, colorful, entertaining pieces by famous composers.
The musicians will play excerpts from popular works by Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Ravel, Greig and Rossini. The melodies were chosen with young people in mind, according to John Husser, who heads Tech's music department.
If you're planning to enjoy a meal before the music starts, come early Saturday. Starting at 5:30 p.m., local restaurants will be serving their specialties. Bogen's will have clam chowder and sandwiches, Domino's will have pizza, Famous Bar-B-Q will have hickory smoked barbecue and cookies and Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea will sell a variety of drinks and desserts. Beer and wine will be available, too.
Tickets for "Evening at the Pops" - $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under - are on sale now at the ticket office in Squires Student Center. You may order them by calling 231-5615. Tickets also will be available at the door Saturday.
TONIGHT, TONIGHT! Let's go way down yonder in New Orleans.
Montgomery Museum is having a Bayou blowout tonight, starting at 6. The Riverboat Ramblers, directed by Ed Schwartz, will play snappy Dixieland jazz at the gazebo on the museum grounds.
Museum volunteers will dish out a New Orleans-style dinner with red beans and rice. The cost for the whole thing is just $5.
The event is a fund-raiser for the museum which houses the Lewis Miller Regional Art Center. The center showcases work by local artists.
Organizers are asking folks to bring lawn chairs, blankets, a hearty appetite, friends, relatives and neighbors.
The museum is at 300 Pepper Street in Christiansburg. Call 382-5644 for more information.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Nils Lofgren has earned it over the past 22 years.
Lofgren joined Neil Young's band when he was only 17. He recorded two albums, "After the Gold Rush" and "Tonight's the Night," with Young. He produced four critically acclaimed albums with his own band, Grin, and eight solo albums. In 1984, he joined Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and in 1989, he joined Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band for a world tour and resulting live album and video.
The songwriter-guitarist recently went solo again to release his album, "Silver LIning," a debut on the Ryko label. Lofgren did, however, have a little help from his friends.
"Silver Lining" features guests such as Clarence Clemons, Levon Helm, Billy Preston, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr and Scott Thurston.
Lofgren will appear at Virginia Tech's Old Dominion Ballroom Thursday for one show at 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the show are $10, and you may reserve them by calling Ticketmaster at 951-8427. They're also available at South Main Cafe and The Record Exchange in downtown Blacksburg.
FIDDLIN' AROUND: Fiddler Greg Hooven and the New Ballard Branch Bog Trotters will set your feet to stompin' Saturday at the monthly jamboree put on by New River Community College's Fiddle, Banjo and Dance Club.
Hooven was picked "Best All Around Performer" at this year's Old Fiddlers Convention in Galax. The band has won first-place for "Best Old-Time Band" the last two years at the festival.
Saturday's jamboree is at the New River Valley Fairgrounds in Dublin. The fun starts with jam sessions and recorded music from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by live music from 7 to 10 p.m.
Admission is free but donations are appreciated to help the bands with traveling expenses.
by CNB