From the archives: A slice of music

For John Huggins, there are two passions — music and food. And he has perfected a recipe, in which business and leisure are in just the right measure.

Huggins is the host and radio DJ for the Shenandoah Valley Local Music Hour that airs 11 a.m. on Saturdays at Star 94.3 FM in Staunton. And along with his wife, Cheryl Jessup Huggins, he ran Shenandoah Pizza in downtown Staunton, until the couple sold it last year. They continue to run Shenandoah Hops, a store in the wharf district that specializes in local and regional craft beers, microbrews, cider, wine, imports and even gluten-free beer.

Even before the radio show, Huggins is a music promoter for Shenandoah Concerts, bringing new acts to the Valley.

Now in its third year, the show, with help from Cassandra Johnson, the station's program director, features local talent. Segments include interviews, tracks by songwriters and bands, updates on live shows, albums and music events. The station reaches listeners from New Market to Lexington.

"Melissa Mesko and I started the show," says Huggins. "And what we did was pick songs from local artists and played them and told the story behind it. It evolved into a live show where there were in-house guests. Melissa moved out of town so I stayed with the show and then Karen Lawrence came in for a while from the Staunton Music Guild. Karen didn't have time to continue with the show, so then I just took it over myself."

"Karen and I also did a lot of charitable events and fundraisers at Shenandoah Pizza when I did a term on the Staunton Music Guild," says Huggins.

"We had a nice background of artists we could choose from," says Huggins. "It evolved into a 30-minute show, but we brought live guests in and we've had as many as one person to five in here at one time. We even had all 12 guests from the VSDB bluegrass band in here."

"We all gather around the mic, and I ask the artists questions," says Huggins. "We have three different segments and each segment ends with a song."

Huggins says what makes the show so special is "the rich history we have here with local musicians. It is nice that we are able to showcase them and it's great for the community."

"I'm a music fanatic," says Huggins. "I like being to find out what makes musician tick. I like the up close and personal feeling."

In a childlike smile, Huggins says, "For me, it's really fun."

His tone shifts and he begins to calm down as he shares his love for music and doing the show. "People have hobbies. Me being a 24-hour businessman, I don't have much time for myself, so this is my release. I get to come in here, and as you know I talk real fast, I'm pretty hyper, but when I come in here I seem to slow down a little bit so I think this is sort of therapeutic for me."

Then just as quick, he returns to his fast-talking self and adds, "It also keeps me in the know when I'm booking bands and people are looking for music."

For Huggins, the best thing about his radio gig is "getting lots of feedback. I get nice comments clear across the country."

Music is also one more way to connect with the community. "I grew up in a family that was very community driven," says Huggins, whose parents also operated a small business.

"Usually what you give, comes back to you," he says."But I just generally like being involved with people."

Among the efforts he is proud of include collecting instruments for musicians at the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind. "I found instruments for the whole band. People donated guitars, you name it, everything you can think of, we found for the VSDB bluegrass band. A lot of good things came out of that, and I always thought that was a worthy cause."

Born in Lumberton, North Carolina. Huggins went to Louisburg College and then to North Carolina State University. He lived in Raleigh for 15 years and then moved to the Outer Banks where he met and married Cheryl.

"I convinced her to open a pizza restaurant with me, and that's how we moved to Staunton," says Huggins. His love for music didn't take long to find a stage, and the pizza shop became a place where musicians could play every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Then Huggins started doing festivals. First, he helped start the Wine and Jazz festival, now he promotes the Blues and Brews and Good Times festivals.

"I've also done local events in town, like Boogie on Beverley and Jazz in the Streets," adds Huggins.

Huggins was part of the SDDA, Staunton Tourism and still continues to work with the Augusta Chamber of Commerce.

John doesn't just love music, he loves food — both making it and eating it.

He will proudly tell you, "I love barbecue and I make my own slaw. I'm part chef, a pizza guy, gourmet guy. All of the recipes at Shenandoah Pizza were mine."

Now the co-owner with his wife Cheryl, Huggins manages Shenandoah Hops. It seems to be a good fit with his personality. People take their time there, and Huggins likes to not just answer a customer's question but get to know them. The shop has a cozy atmosphere and carries items for sale by local artisans — pottery, foodstuffs, photography, paintings, jewelry, teas, homemade soaps — so you can linger a while until you are ready to pick your beverage.

Not surprisingly, John found a way to bring music to his new home away from home. Every Friday night, the shop offers free tastings from craft brewers while local talent plays music to add to the atmosphere that says stay a while, meet some new people, laugh a little, enjoy the music, what's the hurry. And Huggins and his wife make sure everyone knows kids are welcome. There are couches, floor space, games and people can bring in food and enjoy a fun evening out without having to find a babysitter, book tickets in advance or spend a lot of money.

Thinking about the future is something that is part of Huggins' makeup. He's got his hands in many different pots, and he's cooking up ideas and hoping for new opportunities to keep the community of Staunton thriving and fun.

"I hope to be involved with the new Sunspots Pavilion more in the future," says Huggins. "I was involved in the Pump'tober Fest."

Most importantly, family means everything to John and Cheryl. In Swoope, they have a daughter and two grandchildren ages 3 and 11. Huggins' father passed away recently.

"My dad's passing definitely put a different perspective on life and just made me realize how short life is and that's why I'm having fun doing what I'm doing besides working all the time," shares John.

Monique Calello can be reached at mcalello@newsleader.com.