The Rockbridge Advocate

Douglas J. Harwood, Editor and Publisher

This is the home page of The Rockbridge Advocate, a fine little news magazine , almost as good as this, based in a fine little portion of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. You will find very little from the magazine on this page - why give away what we sell? Then again, you will find very little from this page in the magazine. Oh, we have a Facebook page but some hacker keeps spitting odd images onto it.

The Rockbridge Advocate subscription (US or International) is a dandy gift, guaranteed to deliver not only the news, but also humor, delight and confusion throughout the year. What better holiday gift could there be, to bring delight to your favorite person, or to needle your least favorite?

The Advocate draws its material from the culture of Rockbridge County - the people, the news, the gossip, the troublemakers, and the way of life. Without the county, and without the kinks that make it unique, there would be no Advocate. The Advocate, then, shows the local color of one corner of the globe, something that some folks seem to be trying to stamp out or ignore these days most everywhere.

If your electronic wanderlust got you this far, you might be interested in a fine description of a battle the Rockbridge Militia fought against the British in the American Revolution, written by Odell McGuire and published in the Advocate in December of 1995. (History is big in Rockbridge County, especially the War Between the States.) Odell also described an invention of his called the Slidewhistle Mousetrap for the magazine in April 1993.You could also find out a bit about our colleges, our politics, or our mountains.

You may also be interested in the "global village" virtually erected in honor of our actual village, or the pages of the Rockbridge Regional Library or Lexington photos. We are stubbornly provincial, even as we concede that a few things might happen outside of Rockbridge County. The example of our hero has stimulated us to contemplate bold new ventures - maybe a sister publication in another fertile locale.

For the last 48 years, the editor has hosted a pioneering radio program called The Anti-Headache Machine every Saturday night (it keeps him off the streets) on WLUR-FM, Lexington. The show airs from 8 PM until midnight, except when the station bumps it to broadcast a W&L basketball game. Through the wonders of the internet, the mostly vinyl music show (no news, no chat, no format, no requests) can now be heard by all the ships at sea.

"When journalists start to feel smug, they should remember that the last newspaperman elected as president was Warren Harding."
- anon.

"The trouble with this business is nobody gets drunk anymore"
- Joseph Pulitzer.

AWARDS

Editor's Boffo Speech at Virginia Communications Hall of Fame, upon his induction. (press release)

And, although the Advocate's publisher is not in the habit of entering contests, he did one year just for the heck of it and won 1997 awards from the Virginia Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.
First place, Editorial writing; Critique: Funny, sharp, enjoyable writing style mixes well with strong local coverage. These pieces stand out.
Second place, In-depth or investigative reporting; Subject: Trust lawyer. Critique: Good descriptions and easy-to-follow chronicle of a complex situation.

If you like this page, you might like the magazine. If you would like a free sample, send your name and address to rbadvocate@embarqmail.com .If you'd like a 1-year subscription to The Rockbridge Advocate, send $35 ($50 international) to P.O. Box 70, Lexington, Va. 24450, or click the button below for web orders.

Rockbridge Forum - Lively electronic discussion over any news that's fit to chat about. Do not click on this unless you are very, very brave. Really. We warned you.

Last edited February 22, 2019

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