DOWNTOWN-A-THON will be broadcasting LIVE from the Academy Center of the Arts for a full 12 hours on Thursday, July 30th. That’s a long time for just one person, so we are excited to welcome SIX amazing co-hosts to join us throughout the day. Take a minute to learn a little more about them!
9am-11am: Dave Henderson, Owner of The Water Dog & DLA Board Member
11am-1pm: Ian Sola-Yates, WNRN Development Director
1pm-3pm: Libby Fitzgerald, Downtown Lynchburg Resident
3pm-5pm: Bill Bodine, President & CEO of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation
5pm-7pm: Tony Camm, The original Mr. O-Foe
7pm-9pm: Rebecca Frye, DLA Donor
Of course, our fearless leader Ashley Kershner will be with you ALL DAY LONG. Will she overload on coffee? Maybe. Will she find time to eat her lunch? There are NO guarantees! You will just have to tune in to find out.
Ashley Kershner
Ashley Kershner has been the Executive Director Downtown Lynchburg Association for 4 years. Throughout her life, she has lived in 12 states and 14 cities, which helped shape her love of urban downtowns and strong communities. Through her work, she gets to do what she loves most - share what’s best about our city.
“What do I love most about downtown? Food!!! All the food!!!!”
Dave Henderson
A Lynchburg native and graduate of Virginia Tech, Dave built a successful career in the financial services industry building digital and social marketing programs for one of the world’s largest banks before taking the leap to leave corporate America and pursue his passion and tame his entrepreneurial spirit. Having a passion for craft beer and bringing people together, Dave set off to bring the best of the brewery scene to Lynchburg, VA in the hopes that bringing good people, beer and food together can create a new Lynchburg experience. He opened The Water Dog Taphouse and Oyster Bar in 2016 and, across the street, opened The Glass House, a music venue, in 2019. He’s a lover of the great outdoors and slightly obsessed with music. Life is short. Get after it.
"When I get to hear from people who visit our restaurant after having spent time walking our streets and window shopping all along the way, mentioning just how beautiful downtown is becoming or how pleasantly surprised they are by what they’ve seen and experienced, that gives me such a huge sense of pride and only makes my love for our city that much stronger."
Ian Sola- Yates
Ian Solla-Yates is the development director with 89.9FM WNRN. He is based in Charlottesville, splitting his time with Lynchburg and WNRN's various other signals. Ian organized efforts to increase WNRN's power in Lynchburg through various fundraising and marketing efforts and was instrumental in bringing Dead Air 2 to the Academy Center in November 2019.
“I love Downtown Lynchburg because it's an important resource for me both personally and professionally. I can bring my family for a day of shopping and playing or meet with business owners with exciting ideas for the area.“
Libby Fitzgerald
For 20 years, Libby was a news reporter and public affairs program moderator/producer for WSET-TV, often co-anchoring election night returns as well. Subsequently she did news reporting for WVTF Public Radio in Roanoke for 15 years as their Lynchburg stringer, moderated a weekly live call-in public affairs program with in-studio guests, and moderated programs with legislators in Richmond during sessions of the Virginia legislature. Libby completed a Masters degree in Communication from the University of Virginia and wrote and published a memoir/biography of her family’s family's years in national politics, culminating with her father’s run for Vice President in 1964.
“I adore Downtown because of its vitality -- seeing the crowds of folks of all ages flocking here daily to exercise and eat and see shows and just enjoy the ambiance of the Bluff Walk and the river and the park is so exciting! We started out in New York City so we feel like we've come full circle!”
Bill Bodine
Originally from Cherry Hill, NJ, Bill got to Lynchburg by way of University of Lynchburg (formerly Lynchburg College). He has lived here for about 40 years now and is the President of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation. He is active in local theatre, likes to play golf and paddle his kayak, and can be seen riding his Vespa, often with the local Vespa/Lambretta scooter club.
“I love downtown Lynchburg because I can remember a time when it was not so vibrant as it has become. Downtown has evolved beautifully and is still developing into the fun and exciting destination for people from all over we hoped it could be.”
Tony Camm
Tony Camm is a recording artist, bandleader, radio host and Downtown hotelier, who utilizes his creativity to and artist resources to promote a vibrant and cool community environment.
"What I love about Downtown Lynchburg is its blend of commerce and art, and a sense of small city camaraderie amongst its neighbors."
REBECCA FRYE
Rebecca is a Lynchburg area native, graduate of Amherst County High School and Ferrum College, who returned to the area in the mid 2000s after spending time in New York City, Baltimore, and Hampton Roads. She currently resides near Randolph College, surrounded by a gaggle of men (husband Nick, son Ian, and dog Rocky) and is active in the community through her work with WNRN, the Junior League of Lynchburg, and Madison Heights Baptist Church. She also fills her days working for L3Harris Technologies, Inc. where she manages their strategic partnership program, the Mission Critical Alliance.
"I feel this kindred connection with downtown Lynchburg. It's as though we came of age together; downtown changing to offer new and unique experiences as I grew up alongside it. I met my husband downtown and now several friends are helping to create this unique community through their leadership and entrepreneurship. I am proud to be from this area and hope that my son will grow up feeling the same way; grateful for his experiences that connect him to our city."
Watch on any of your devices by visiting DowntownLynchburg.com or on Youtube Live (great for Smart TV viewing). Click to subscribe and be notified when we go LIVE.
