It's Move In Time at Shenandoah Terrace!

We’ve enjoyed updating you about the progress of our sister facility, Shenandoah Terrace. The Terrace is an innovative memory care community designed to optimize the comfort and safety of its residents. With amenities like a resident-adapted kitchen and a therapeutic sensory room, it offers state-of-the-art memory care right here in New Market.

After lots of hard work, we’re happy to announce that Shenandoah Terrace is now open. As you can see from these photos, the facility is complete and looking great! It has been a real pleasure to welcome residents, the most important part of our new community.
We thank you all for your support as we made our plan for Shenandoah Terrace a reality. For more information about the facility, visit www.shenterrace.com, or contact us directly. We’re excited to spread the word about all the Terrace has to offer.

Resident Spotlight: Tommy May

Tommy May is one of our newest Shenandoah Place residents, but his ties to the Valley Run deep. He was born in 1930 in Mount Crawford, and over the years, has lived in Pleasant Valley and Broadway. Around Harrisonburg, he is probably best known as the long-time owner of T&E Meat Market, which he ran for 35 years alongside his wife, Erma. Though Tommy and Erma sold the business in 2007, it remains a fixture in the local community.

Tommy’s involvement with agriculture began long before he opened T&E. As a young man, he worked on a farm just south of Harrisonburg in Pleasant Valley. He lived in an almshouse just across from the farm. Tommy laughs when he thinks back on that time, recalling how he was “an ugly boy”: a horse had broken some of his teeth by kicking him! Still, he met Erma, his wife of a remarkable 65 years, during his time in Pleasant Valley.

Erma lived and worked in the almshouse and initially resisted Tommy’s requests for a date.
“She said, “That’s the last man I would ever go with,’” he remembers! But, she eventually let him take her out in his 1936 Chevrolet. Not long after – “first thing I know,” Tommy says – the pair were married in Melrose Church, which is still active in Harrisonburg.

After the poorhouse closed, Tommy found work in a grocery store by the Harrisonburg courthouse earning $3.00 each week. He acknowledges that times were tough, but also remembers feeling rich with $2.00 or $3.00 in his pocket. Erma worked in a poultry plant. He saved every penny he could, and eventually was able to open his business.

In addition to their work, which included the Meat Market as well as Harrisonburg Wholesale Meats, Tommy and Erma kept busy raising a family. They are parents to three children, two boys and one girl. His daughter frequently visits, and a grandson works in a cabinetry shop in Broadway. Tommy and Erma also are members of the Linville Creek Church of the Brethren.

We enjoyed our talk with Tommy, and hope you’ll tell him hello if you see him at Shenandoah Place. If you’d like to know more about the business he and Erma founded, check out www.TEMeats.com. Their website includes an interesting description of the company’s history, as well as information about their current projects.

New Market News

The town of New Market does a great job of coordinating seasonal festivities. Just last month, local businesses welcomed costumed kids for Trick or Treat on Congress St. November saw the Fairway 5k Walk/Run, a new fundraiser for fitness trail equipment in the New Market Community Park. And, coming up in December, we’ll see the return of the ‘Tis the Season Holiday Celebration.

This year’s event will be held on December 3, and will offer a full day of fun! Beginning at 9 AM, Congress St. shops will host open houses. Many will have holiday deals, and some will feature special appearances by local artists. Other diversions include a farm celebration at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War and a book sale held by the New Market Library.

Evening fun kicks off at 5PM with the town parade. Head over to City Hall afterward for the annual tree lighting, where visitors can enjoy a choir performance and treats from hot chocolate to homemade cookies. Keep the kids busy with face-painting and a Santa visit. The Celebration concludes with a 7PM performance of “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Rouss Center for the Arts.

We’re already looking forward to this excellent event. For more information about the day, visit
www.newmarketvirginia.com. Hope to see you there!

From the Market Place to Our Place - Fresh Local Produce

If you’ve visited New Market recently, you may have noticed that we have a new neighbor. In July, local farmer Bill Champion opened The Market Place just down the road from both Shenandoah Place and Shenandoah Terrace. We already enjoyed visiting Bill’s pick-your-own strawberry and pumpkin fields, and are excited to visit The Market Place to shop for local produce, much of which he grows himself. The store also sells jams, honey, crafts, and more.

Once a week, Bill packs up some of his goods for a special delivery to Shenandoah Place. Our residents place orders on Fridays, and by the following Tuesday, they have local food delivered to their doorsteps. As you can see below, string beans recently were a big hit!

Bill wasn’t always a farmer. In fact, he was a diesel mechanic for 25 years before he quit to open a mowing business and, eventually, his pick-your-own farm. While we’re sure he did good automotive work, we can’t say we’re sorry he switched careers! We’re grateful to our new neighbor and hope you’ll stop by The Market Place.