Chili, blues and brews festival; Staunton hotel nominated for historic nod — The buzz – Staunton News Leader

Laura Peters, Staunton News Leader Published 4:45 a.m. ET Sept. 9, 2019

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STAUNTON – Get ready for the Virginia Chili, Blues ‘N Brews Festival and a Staunton hotel has been nominated for a historic award — here’s the buzz.

Chili, blues and brews

Like chili, blues music and drinking beer? This festival is for you.

The 12th annual Virginia Chili, Blues ‘N Brews Festival will be held Sept. 28 at Lumos Plaza in Waynesboro.

Those attending the event will be able to taste chili, listen to music and explore artisans and exhibitors while also sampling brews from Waynesboro. Those participating in the chili cook-off have the chance to win $2,000.

Gates open at 2:30 p.m. and the event begins at 3 p.m.

Line-up includes:

Big Bill Morganfield — Morganfield is the son of McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters) and has emerged in the past few years as one of the top blues talents in America. He has played all over the world in the past 15 years.
Chris Duarte — Duarte plays more than 150 dates a year and has headlined major festivals and clubs throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Linwood Taylor — Taylor hails from the Nation’s Capital Blues Scene, with one of the most highly respected names in the blues community with touring credits throughout the U.S. and European blues circuits.
Jon Spear Band — Based in Central Virginia, the band’s members are Jon Spear (guitar and vocals), Andy Burdetsky (bass), John Stubblefield (drums) and Dara James (lead vocals and guitar plus harmonica).

Beer on tap include:

Stable Craft — The Virginia Chili, Blues n’ Brews 608 Lager
Stable Craft — Blueberry Blonde
Stable Craft — Britchin’ Brown
Stable Craft — Madridiculous IPA
Stable Craft — Mossy Creek Chocolate Stout
Stable Craft — Total Entropy IPA
Blue Toad Cider
Bacova Beer Company

Tickets start at $10 before the event. For more information go to VirginiaChili.com.

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Historic hotel nomination

A Staunton boutique hotel is up for a Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence. The Blackburn Inn has been nominated for a Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year award.

The awards will take place in Pinehurst, North Carolina Nov. 7.

Nominee finalists are selected from nominations received from historic hotels, preservation supporters, prior award recipients, community leaders and leadership from Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide, a release said.

As official programs of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide provide the recognition to travelers, civic leaders, and the global cultural, heritage, and historic travel market that member hotels are among the finest historic hotels across America and around the world. The Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence program recognizes the pinnacle of this distinct group of nominees in a range of categories.

Staunton’s Blackburn Inn was nominated along with five other historic hotels:

Inn at Perry Cabin (1816) in St. Michaels, Maryland
The Stagecoach Inn (1852) in Salado, Texas
La Posada de Santa Fe, A Tribute Portfolio Resort & Spa (1881) in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Hotel Casa del Mar (1926) in Santa Monica, California
The Lodge at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort (1968) in Farmington, Pennsylvania

The Blackburn Inn opened in 2018. It took nearly a year to completely renovate the old administration office of what used to be the Western State Lunatic Asylum. It is now a 49-room boutique hotel, which also has a 40-seat indoor bistro and bar, Second Draft Bar and Bistro.

The hotel shares the historic grounds with upscale apartments and condominiums owned by Village Development Associates, comprised of partners Robin Miller and Dan Gecker, based in Richmond.

“The nominee finalists exemplify the finest historic hotels and hoteliers from the across the United States and from around the world. The historic hotels nominated include small historic inns, boutique hotels, lifestyle hotels, and resorts,” Lawrence Horwitz, executive director of the Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide, said in a release. “They represent small towns to large cities to UNESCO World Heritage destinations. We applaud the dedication and passion of the thousands of individuals working at these iconic and legendary hotels that keep the stories alive from the past and make staying or celebrating special occasions at these historic hotels memorable experiences.”

Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest Historic Hotels and has more than 300 historic hotels, a release said.

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You can reach reporter Laura Peters at lpeters@newsleader.com. Follow her @peterslaura.