Hot Dog Crawls and Civil War Relics

The Dawg Days of Summer Hot Dog Crawl sold out its very first year — over 3,000 hot dogs, a live band, temporary (and a few permanent) tattoos, and fans who flew in from as far as Chicago. Janet Michael sits down in the Secret Garden behind the Espresso Bar with Brady Cloven, Executive Director of Friends of Old Town, for their monthly Old Town check-in, then welcomes Jack Owens, Director of Land Preservation for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, for the rest of the conversation. Brady recaps the hot dog crawl's surprise success and previews a packed September on the Old Town Walking Mall — First Friday, Fiddles & Fifths, Celebracion, and a helicopter-themed block party with the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum. Then Jack takes listeners inside the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum — the 1840s courthouse turned museum on the Loudoun Street Mall — with the story of how it came to be, what's new on display, and why it's about to get a whole lot bigger. LINKS & RESOURCES Friends of Old Town — friendsofoldtown.org (community events calendar) Friends of Old Town on Facebook and Instagram  Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation — shenandoahatwar.org Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District on Facebook and Instagram Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum, Old Courthouse, Loudoun Street Mall — $12/adult, free for ages 17 and under, free for Winchester and Frederick County residents with ID. Open Mon–Sat 10 AM–5 PM, Sun 1–5 PM. Winchester Tales book series by Mike Robinson THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations. New podcast episodes drop weekdays at 11 AM. Catch the show on The River 95.3 and Fox Sports 1450 AM weekdays just after noon. Subscribe and listen at thevalleytodaypodcast.com — available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to leave a rating or review — it helps more listeners find us. Connect with us: Facebook — facebook.com/ValleyTodayFanPage Instagram — instagram.com/thevalleytoday