Author: Mike Tripp
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Mike Tripp, Contributor
Mike Tripp is a freelance reporter based in Staunton. He has worked as as a photojournalist in the Shenandoah Valley for more than 25 years.
Starting as a freelance photographer with the News Gazette in Lexington, Tripp’s first staff position was with the Staunton News Leader back in the ’90s. He later worked as a photographer with the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg before moving back to the News Leader where he was Chief of Photography and Multimedia for more than 15 years.
In 2019, he struck out on his own and started his own business, Mike Tripp Media LLC, which specializes in the art of storytelling through images and multimedia. Tripp is a huge fan of Star Trek and science fiction, and he’s something of a history nut. He “commands” the U.S.S. Maelstrom — a local chapter of an international Star Trek club named Fleet 31.
Small town, big cheer
Holiday lights are joyous, bringing a smile to the Grinchiest face. After the past year, the idea of this season’s outdoor light displays brightens the gloom of 2020. So, when asked to photograph the light display at 210 Keswick Circle in Dayton that even dances to music piped into your car, the answer was easy.
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New historical marker on Court Square tells story of Charlotte Harris’ lynching
Law enforcement dragged Charlotte Harris from a friend’s home in Albemarle County in March of 1878. They took her back to Rockingham County to face a preliminary hearing, resulting in an order she be taken to the county jail in Harrisonburg. Because that was 15 miles distant, they decided to wait until morning.
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Planting time in Port Republic
Over about 20 years, Chris Anderson has planted thousands of trees. Last Friday, she added a few more to that total on a farm near Port Republic. “Oh, I’ve got a beautiful farm with a lot of different slope aspects,” she says. “And gorgeous soil, incredible soil, really deep, rich loamy soil with a lot of earthworms.”
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Once a Marching Royal Duke, Always …
The last scheduled home game of the season always marks the return of MRD alumni, proving that once you join the band, you never leave. It doesn’t matter how long ago you graduated or how old you are; once a Marching Royal Duke, always a Marching Royal Duke.
The Rocktown Rollers take on SuperNOVA
Things got serious at Funky’s Skate Center recently, with two roller derby teams facing off in fierce competition. Armed with roller skates, pads and mouth guards, Harrisonburg’s Rocktown Rollers battled the SuperNOVAs from Northern Virginia on Sept. 14 in a Women’s Flat Track Derby Association-sanctioned bout.
Old ways live on in Hugo Kohl’s workshop
A light illuminates local jewelry maker Hugo Kohl, sitting at
his workbench, file in hand, shaping his latest creation.
“This is a one-off piece that may or may not make production,” he says, working deliberately.
Sighting of Bigfoot and hundreds of exotic and (not so exotic) creatures is common at Harrisonburg landmark
In their workshop, a cat is born … next to a lion. Brian Miglionico slowly pulls back the molding to free one of the concrete felines, carefully so as not to break the ears. Tim Shifflett and Andrew Milroy peel away the other’s shell.
Local choir brings love and harmony to the final farewell
Music fills the Strite Auditorium at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC) as 19 women lift their voices in song, practicing to be at their best when called for a private performance. Often, it’s for an audience of one person, facing the end of life.
