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🏴‍☠️ Pirates, Pedals & Popcorn

🏴‍☠️ Pirates, Pedals & Popcorn

SML Pirate Days, MTB Nationals, and 3 Balloons’

July 14, 2025

Good morning, Roanoke! It’s July 14, and Pirate Days are about to splash down at Smith Mountain Lake. Fingers crossed the rain holds off so we can all soak up a sun-soaked weekend on the water.

Here’s what’s on deck today:

3 Balloons opening
USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Bike Nationals
Smith Mountain Lake Pirate Days

Let’s get into it!

The Report

Adopt Pets

Looking to add a little love to your life? Say hello to Andromeda, a silky Domestic Longhair kitten who thinks every lap is a galaxy worth exploring, and Brownie, a tricolor hound mix whose tail beats time like a metronome whenever you say “walk.”

House of the Week

9245 Patterson Dr, Bent Mountain, VA 24059 Perched high on Bent Mountain, this 29-acre hideaway serves up its own stocked lake, orchards, organic garden beds, and a five-run dog kennel—basically summer camp for grown-ups and pups. The five-bedroom lodge adds a self-contained apartment suite and a whole-house generator, so you can vanish into the Blue Ridge without missing a beat. 🏡

Local Businesses

🎈 3 Balloons lifts off: Roanoke’s first bookstore + art shop staffed by adults with disabilities

A brand-new nonprofit called 3 Balloons just grabbed the keys to 536 McClanahan St. SW and is turning the former soccer shop into a children’s bookstore, handmade-art boutique, and job hub for up to 18 local adults with intellectual disabilities. Expect story-time Saturdays (complete with fresh popcorn) plus jewelry and wall art crafted in-house from repurposed goodies. Renovations are under way, and the crew is hunting for volunteers, donated craft supplies, and funding to hit a grand-opening goal of Nov 1. Employment with a purpose—and a future neighborhood hangout we can all cheer for.

Where: 536 McClanahan St. SW (corner of McClanahan & Franklin)
Jobs created: Up to 18 positions for adults with intellectual disabilities
Get involved: Donate supplies or volunteer at 3balloonsroanoke.com

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

July 14–20 – USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Bike National Championships rev into Explore Park with XC, short-track, and enduro titles on the line. Spectator zones, live music, and vendors run daily. 🚴‍♂️

July 18–20 – Smith Mountain Lake Pirate Days storms the marina with cannon salutes, flotilla parades, and treasure hunts. 🏴‍☠️

July 19 – Diamond Rio brings sing-along country hits to Dr Pepper Park. Grab tickets, parking deets, and chair-rental info here. 🎤

LIVE MUSIC

Monday – July 14
Big Lick Brewing Company | Irish Music Session | 6:30 PM | Free jam session

Wednesday – July 16
Martin’s Downtown | Adam Hill Project | 9:30 PM | Free

Sunday – July 20
Floyd Country Store | Sunday Music Jam (Old-Time & Bluegrass) | 1:30 PM | Free

Weather

Monday
90 🌡️ 71 | ⛈️ | 42% | 💨 WSW 6 mph (5 knots)

Tuesday
87 🌡️ 71 | ⛈️ | 61% | 💨 SSW 7 mph (6 knots)

Wednesday
90 🌡️ 73 | ⛈️ | 46% | 💨 SSW 10 mph (9 knots)

Thursday
89 🌡️ 73 | ⛈️ | 51% | 💨 WSW 9 mph (8 knots)

Friday
88 🌡️ 72 | ⛈️ | 60% | 💨 W 8 mph (7 knots)

Saturday
89 🌡️ 72 | ⛈️ | 61% | 💨 WSW 6 mph (5 knots)

Sunday
91 🌡️ 73 | ⛈️ | 34% | 💨 W 8 mph (7 knots)

💧🌡️ Smith Mountain Lake water temp = 77 ºF