Local Teenager, American Idol Contestant, Performs at Franklin Park

Sixteen-year-old Maddy Curtis, a junior at Loudoun Valley High School and a Bluemont resident will sing to raise funds for Haiti in its time of need. The benefit concert will take place Saturday, January 30th at 8pm at the Franklin Park Arts Center in Purcellville, VA.

The event is free, but donations will be accepted for World Vision International's Haitian relief effort. A World Vision staffer who recently returned from Haiti will also share her first-hand experiences.

"Maddy came home from school one day last June and said she wanted to audition" for the American Idol TV show writes her mother, author Barbara Curtis, "taking me by surprise."

"But 24 hours later we were headed for Boston," she added.

"For 6 months it was a secret that she made it to Hollywood - a unanimous vote by Randy, Kara, guest judge Victoria Beckham and Simon," recalls Curtis.

The Bluemont teenager then appeared on American Idol on its opening season show, January 12, 2010. ...more...

Celtic & Old Time Music Jams!
At Hill High Orchard Store on Route 7, hosted by the Round Hill Arts Center

Return of the RHAC Music Jam!
Beginning January 24th!

The Round Hill Arts Center will host a twice-monthly jam session for Celtic and Old-time Music at the Hill High Orchard Store.

The schedule will be:

2nd and 4th Sundays of each month
1:00-3:00 Celtic Jam
3:00-5:00 Old-time Jam

Location: Hill High Orchard Store, 35246 Harry Byrd Hwy, Round Hill, VA. ...more...

Bluemont Community Center: Enroll Now for Children's Fall Classes

February is Fall 2010 enrollment month at the Bluemont Community Center, which is currently operating out of the Round Hill Community Center, awaiting renovations at our Bluemont site.

We are offering 7 preschool classes for children ages 2 to 5 years old with variety of schedule choices. For elementary aged children BCC is operating our popular After-Kindergarten, First Graders, and Kid's Club programs. ...more...

Romancing the Railroad:
Part 1: How Bluemont Citizens Brought the Railway to Bluemont in 1900

Many know that the railroad came to Snickersville in 1900, reportedlymaking its initial run onthe first Independence Day of the Twentieth Century.  Many also know that at the suggestion of the railway company, and in the hope that a more upscale name might draw a stronger trade of summer visitors, the people of Snickersville acquiesced in changing the village’s name to “Bluemont.”

Many people know that story.  But few know the story of what the citizens of Snickersville did for themselves to make the railway extension happen.  They notified the public, organized themselves to conduct business, subscribed and collected money to construct the depot, and handled legal considerations around obtaining the right of way and adjusting “damages.”  All these actions helped make the railway extension from Round Hill to Bluemont become a reality. ...more...

Bluemont Cards

Featuring 3 scenes of Bears Den based on antique postcards.

For details & to purchase...

Friends of Bluemont Launches "If This House Could Talk"

Does your house have a story to tell?

This year, Friends of Bluemont is launching a new project—“If This House Could Talk” —to spotlight homes or other buildings of the Bluemont area – houses up on the mountain, down in the village, and nearby.  We will be taking photos, collecting stories, and scanning historic photographs and documents.

Most of Bluemont is outside of the village itself.  We'd love to hear from anyone in the 20135 zip code, or just beyond the official boundary, with something interesting to tell.

Please tell us about the history of your house.

Friends of Bluemont’s house history project has the potential to collect a great deal of information about the life and times of Western Loudoun that might otherwise be lost—and to make it widely available.