Farm2Fork Affair is a one-day connector event between Shenandoah Valley farmers, producers and commercial buyers throughout Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The event provides Shenandoah Valley producers an opportunity to directly promote their products, network, and increase sales. Producers, farmers, makers, wineries and distilleries take time to talk with buyers, offer samples, and educate buyers about their products. Through this event, buyers can taste the flavor of the Shenandoah Valley, experience the region firsthand, create new supplier partnerships, and discover its significant impact on local food systems.

Farm2Fork is a collaborative effort of economic development agencies, tourism departments, business development organizations, and local food initiatives. The event has been held since 2015 and in 2019 expanded to draw on the Shenandoah Valley’s reputation as a farm-to-table hub. Buyers at the event include restaurants, universities, hospitals, retailers, grocers, distribution centers, and full-service hotels and B&B’s. This year’s Farm2Fork Affair will be held on March 14 at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds.

In 2023, the CSPDC celebrates 20 years of providing the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program in the region.  Since 2003, over 600 people have participated in the CERT Basic Course and currently over 100 people serve as CERT volunteers.

The current CERT course is the 40^th time that the CSPDC has offered this training.  Please contact Rebecca Joyce, Community Program Manager at rebecca@cspdc.org or 540-885-51174 ext. 112 if you would like to register for the training.

Starting February 13, Afton Express riders will have new options for their commutes. The expanded schedule includes a new stop in Charlottesville, expanded access to existing stops, later service, and new options for traveling from Charlottesville back to the Shenandoah Valley.

The new schedule is designed with 12-hour hospital shift workers in mind. Many of these workers are not currently served by the existing schedule, as the bus does not pick up and drop off late enough in the evening for those starting or ending their shifts at 7:00 pm. In the morning, there will be a new loop back on Trip 2 that will provide service to overnight workers getting off work and heading back to Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro. In the evening, there will be a fifth trip that will depart Waynesboro at 6:00 pm to get employees to work by 6:45 pm, and will then circle back to pick up workers getting off at 7:00 pm.

While this schedule was inspired by hospital employees, we hope the later evening service will make the service more accessible to any commuters who work later shifts. These additional times may also provide connections with Greyhound and Amtrak routes that arrive early in the morning, and depart late in the evening.

The morning departure times from Staunton, Fishersville and Waynesboro remain unchanged, but two additional departures from the Staunton Mall stop have been added. Previously, the Staunton Mall stop was only served by two of the four morning trips. Now all trips will serve the Staunton stop.

In the afternoon, Trip 2 times have been shifted about 15-20 minutes earlier to better accommodate passengers who get off work at 3:30 pm. We are hopeful this change will significantly reduce the amount of time these commuters need to wait for a return bus.

In addition to the later service, a new stop has been added in Charlottesville. Riders will now be able to get on and off at The Omni Hotel at Ridge McIntire Rd. This stop is located near the Courthouse and serves the Downtown Mall.

Overall, we are pleased to be able to expand service to reach new groups of riders while still providing reliable service to our existing riders. We are receptive to rider feedback and will continue to explore ways we can improve the schedule with future changes.

The new schedule is available on the Afton Express website at https://www.britebus.org/afton-express-expansion-schedule-released/.

The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) and the City of Harrisonburg are partnering with Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP) to offer a series of free Homebuyer Readiness short-courses in the months of February through April. The courses will provide information on homebuying basics, including what is needed to qualify for a mortgage, how to increase financial readiness and save for a down payment, and budgeting and credit preparedness. Jacob Hodges, a Housing Counselor with SERCAP, will facilitate the series.

The first four sessions are scheduled for the following Saturdays from 10am-1pm at the Lucy Simms Center in Harrisonburg, and will culminate in a full-day Homebuyer Education Training Class on Saturday, April 15:

• February 18: Homeownership Preparation Overview – Clients will learn the basics of what’s involved in the process of buying a home, including budgeting, credit preparedness, and saving for down payments.
• March 4: Homeownership Preparation Overview Session 2
• March 18: Homeownership Partners and Personalized Paperwork – Clients will continue their homebuyer readiness journey by learning about programs and tools that eligible borrowers can access to reduce down payment and closing costs. Following the presentation, attendees can schedule one-on-one pre-purchase and credit counseling. Partners and presenters for this event TBD, more details coming soon.
• April 1: Details TBD (Participants from prior sessions will select topics of interest)
• April 15: Certified Homebuyer Education Training Class – This full-day class will be accompanied with a Virginia Housing Certificate, which is required to access many down payment and closing cost assistance programs, including the CSPDC’s First Time Homebuyer Program.

 For more information about the course, including a flyer available in English and Spanish, contact Olivia Raines at olivia@cspdc.org.