The  Greenbrier’s 2nd Annual Winterfest Weekend was held on January 6-8 and featured nationally recognized ice carvers competing in individual and team carving competitions.

The winner for the individual competition went to Aaron Costic winning the Gold Medal with the ice sculpture “Wild Hare”. The prize was $2,000.

The team competition winners were Aaron Costic and Jeff Meyers winning the Gold Medal for the ice sculpture “Apollo’s Steed”. The winners received $2,000.

The temperature was in the high 40s and low 50s for this 3-day event, as compared to last year’s freezing temperature.   Below are the photos of the other ice scupltures in the competition:

Even though the two photos below were beginning to melt and break, you can still see the great detail in the sculptures. The below sculpture of a hand had a dragonfly on the forefinger, but with the warm weather, the ice was melting and breaking.

Part of the wing broke off of this beautiful sculpture.

The lifetime of an ice sculpture is determined primarily by the temperature of its environment and thus, an ice sculpture can last from mere minutes to possibly months.

Check out last year’s ice sculptures… Ice Sculpting Displays and more at The Greenbrier’s First Winterfest Celebration.

According to construction plans, The Livery Tavern, will be opening its doors in February 2012 in the historic town of Lewisburg, WV, known as America’s Coolest Small Town by Budget Magazine.  With this new construction and the opening of Stella’s Tea House on January 16, of this year, the owner, John Hirt, has been busy to say the least.  

Both Stella’s Tea House and the soon to open, The Livery Tavern, reflects  this town’s spirit, its warmth, charm and above all, it’s hospitality.  Both restaurants will be family operated…… John’s sister Tammy Hirt Perilli is the manager of Stella’s Tea House;  and his sister Nancy Stewart will be the manager for The Livery  Tavern.

Like Stella’s, The Livery Tavern will also have a farm-to-table approach to our menu. John Hirt  says he is working with a number of local growers and farmers to source as many of the menu items as possible, such as lamb, beef, buffalo, fish, goat and pork.

John said, “We’ll also be expanding our growing capabilities at Westwinds Ranch (my ranch in Virginia) so we can have better control of the quality of our ingredients. Customers of The Livery Tavern will be able to enjoy elegant indoor seating as well as outdoor seating in the front of the restaurant on Washington Street and in a covered pavilion to the rear of the restaurant. Total seating (indoor and outdoor) will be closer to 100. The interior style will reflect a mid 1800’s tavern but with contemporary styling cues. Dawn (my wife) uses Ralph Lauren influences to accomplish this.”

John is also planning a retail shopping area behind The Livery Tavern and will start construction mid 2012.

I stopped by the construction site and took some photos. The builder, Wells Friedman of Greenbrier Construction Company was kind enough to walk me through the building to take some photos. The large dining room will have cathedral wood ceilings, and a fireplace for those cool evenings; the kitchen and restrooms will be in the back of the restaurant.

The Livery Tavern will definitely be the place to visit for a wonderful dinner experience, just like Stella’s!

The Greenbrier Humane Society’s 2012 Furr Ball Event: Dancing with the strays will be held on Saturday, February 4, from 7:00 pm until 11:30 pm at the Lewisburg Elks Country Club.  Food will be provided by Blackwells.  Besides great food, there will be a Silent Auction.  For those that love to dance, music will be provided by the popular Dance Band In the Heat of the Night.

Ticket Price:  $25.00 in advance  OR  $30.00 at the door
($500.00 Sponsor to reserve 10 tickets and a table)

Tickets sold at

The Greenbrier Humane Society

151 Holliday Lane, Lewisburg, WV 24901

(304) 645-4775
Directions:  The Greenbrier Humane Society –  Route 60 West about 1/4 mile outside of Downtown Lewisburg, W.V.   After you pass Jim’s Drive-In, make a left  on Holliday Lane.

If you are interested in adopting an animal, go to the Greenbrier Humane Society website to see all the animals and the statistics on each one.  Pictured below are two of the animals… Freddy an adult male Airedale Terrier, and Carson, an adult male domestic medium-hair cat.

Hours of Operation:  The Greenbrier Humane Society is opened

Monday – Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

On Saturdays  – 11:00 AM  to 3:00 PM

Kennels open at 11:00 AM for animal viewing and adoptions

Come out for some good food, music and dancing, and support the Greenbrier Humane Society’s 2012 Furr Ball Event: Dancing with the strays.  It will be an enjoyable evening!

This special holiday event is free and open to the public. Celebrate the true spirit of the season and help brighten the holiday for others in the community by donating a new, unwrapped gift for the 2011 Toys for Tots program.

Start a new holiday tradition that your family will treasure for generations, at The Greenbrier.  Hope to see you at this holiday extravaganza, and don’t forget to bring a gift for the Toys for Tots program.

For more information, call The Greenbrier at 304-536-1110

If I can assist you in any way with your real estate needs, please feel free to contact me by phone at (304) 520-2133, email, or visit my website. Licensed in West Virginia and Virginia.

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