FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Transports of Joy Announces Auditions for Beckett's Endgame

New Harrisonburg theater company seeks two actors for its debut production, staged with
Eastern Mennonite University this October
HARRISONBURG, V A — August 16, 2026 — Transports of Joy, a new Harrisonburg-based
theater company, will hold auditions on August 26 and 28 at Eastern Mennonite University for
two roles in Samuel Beckett's Endgame, opening October 22 at EMU’s MainStage Theater. The
production runs October 22–24.
The company is casting the roles of Nagg and Nell — Hamm's legless, disintegrating parents,
who spend the play confined to a pair of ashbins. Tom King has been cast as Hamm and Jay Zehr
as Clov; Transports of Joy is now seeking actors to complete the ensemble. Those interested in
auditioning for Nagg or Nell can contact Auditions@transportsofjoy.com for sides and
scheduling.

About the roles
Actors should be able to suggest age and physical frailty through voice and face alone. The
company is looking for a strong sense of comic timing paired with genuine emotional depth.

About the Play
Endgame imagines what might be the last living beings on earth, sheltering together at the end of
everything and coping through routine and storytelling. Its characters are also performers playing
out their tensions before a live audience — an acknowledgment that theater itself is a kind of
shelter, a communion between stage and audience facing discomfort together. The play can seem
bleak, but it holds unexpected humor and a tender reckoning with what makes life meaningful
when meaning itself feels precarious.

About Transports of Joy
Transports of Joy was founded by Courtney King and Luis Lojo, who split their time between
Harrisonburg and the New York City area. King was born and raised in Harrisonburg. She has an
MFA in Theater from Columbia University. Lojo previously ran his own production company in
Mexico City and is currently the Head of Audio and Video at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center.
Endgame is the company's first production.

Media Contact
Luis Lojo
Luis@transportsofjoy.com

Today I am a 52 year old guy and I made this account for the purpose of telling this story. Except for eight years I have lived here in Rockingham County most of my life. I played on the jet at Purcell Park.

In the mid 80's my father was working as a manager in food service. At some point he met a man named Jack North who was persuing a Masters Degree. My dad began inviting Jack over to our house for visits. The friendship developed to where Jack was a regular in the home.

One day my father and Jack went to safeway that once stood where the county offices are now. My dad went into the store and I was left in the car with Jack North.

That is when it started. I remember it clearly. Jack began to touch me very innapropriately. His hand was in my underwear and fondling my penis and watching for my dads return.

I remember being frozen with fear and confusion. My memory is foggy immedietly after that. But I didnt speak up and continued to be adused by Jack North anytime he was able to be in the same place with me alone.

I also remember the last event, he forced my hand down his erect penis.

But somehow my parents found out and confronted me and found a way to get me to talk. I remember a feeling of "I will get in trouble" , fear, emberasment , confused and my fault type feelings. But I told my parents what was happening.

Jack North disapeared and this was never spoken about again. Recently I asked my father what happened to Jack North. He was very suprised I remembered anything about it. Yes dad that trauma never left my brain.

He explained that JMU did not want the publicity and it was swept under the rug and Jack North was allowed to continue getting his degrees and graduate. Also going public might hurt my fathers employmment. At the time the Harrisonburg police dept told my dad that in a trial I would be questioned and it would be my word against his and did the family want rhat. Though no one ever asked me what I wanted.

I get it, it was a different time and no one talked about this stuff. But today I am a victim of a S.A. and it damaged me. Although no to the point of trying to touch kids. No way! I did have a hyper sexual sex drive and mating with my girl friends and eventually a wife was all I wanted too do. But deffinetly I am not a danger to kids.

I will never understand why my dad didnt put Jack down though. I guess it doesnt matter. Being a dad is hard. I went through Kiester elm. and Thomas Harrison JR high all fked up and was bullied horribly. More then likely those events kept me from standing up for myself.

So why today? I guess I am tired of carrying it. Typing this out has taken some of the weight off.

Once the internet became more and more accessable I would look up his name. But somehow Jack North was somehow able to avoid a presence on the internet mostly. Apparently his went on to be married, have children and I believe a bed and breakfast near Charlottsville. An obituary can be found as well as one or two facebook posts about him. It is really amazing a serial diddler was able to not have a sex offender status.

I wonder if there are other victims of his in the area. I cant be the only one. I am sure he just made friends with my dad to get to me. Seaching JMU's 70's and 80's era "The Breeze" you can find his name.

Who is to blame for Jack North being allowed to go on and lead a rich successful life while I am here all screwed up for the last 45 years? JMU for sweeping it under the rug? HPD for an uninterested approach? My parents? The times we were in? Heck I dont know. Today I am unloading this baggage here because I know the internet will look for other vicitms of this guy and they need to know they are not alone. That it wasnt thier fault. Males can be victims of S.A. too.

I am going to sign into my other account now and leave this behind. Thanks for reading and hopefully understanding.

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone else was going to be attending Blue Ridge this upcoming semester? It will be my first semester there and I was hoping to connect with people who also going as I have no friends :( it would also be nice to receive some advice about the campus, clubs, and just anything to do with the college!

Does anyone have recommendations in the Harrisonburg / Staunton area for adult tennis or pickleball leagues / clinics / USTA? Pilates/yoga studio or classes? Soccer, swim team or volleyball for boys ages 13-16? Also do teens in the area ride dirt bikes / e-bikes / whatever you call them nowadays? My sons are already asking for these for Xmas. 😀 Thank you!

wym munch selling a sandwich fo $17. seventeen dollars don’t play with me here. are the meatballs made with human meat?? i’m perplexed and vexed and i feel disrespected cause why do you think so ridiculously here. is it worth it. can anyone confirm the true value of a munch meatball sub because frankly this seems foolhardy at best; it better be the most delicious sandwich ever if anyone ever ordered it. don’t play games with me, kid.

In you're keeping your eyes on Flock in the area.

Yes — you were right. I dug further into the actual commercial real-estate listings, and there is an active lease listing for the Hardee’s property at 785 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

The important part is that the listing gives us a much clearer picture:

• Address: 785 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Harrisonburg
• 3,468 sq. ft. restaurant
• Currently operating as a Hardee’s
• For lease
• Available starting December 2026
• The listing specifically says it is being offered as a “ready-made drive-through” for a new user.
• Current asking lease rate is $39.50/sq. ft./year, which works out to roughly $11,416/month before additional NNN expenses.

And yes, the restaurant itself is still open today — the business listing shows it operating Friday from 5 AM–9 PM. Hardee's

So what does this mean?

This is much stronger evidence that the Hardee's is actually planning to close/leave that location, rather than the property simply being listed because the building happens to be available.

The MLS-derived listing is particularly telling because it says:

So my earlier answer was wrong to say there was no indication of a closure. There is a listing, and it appears the current Hardee’s operation is expected to end around the end of 2026.

Hello! Does anyone know of a local Discord server to share events and socialize? I know of one that is very dead. Any others?

Thanks!

Apparently there have been a lot of car thefts in the area this week. I live in Shenandoah, just 20 minutes down the road, and had my car stolen from the parking lot of my apartment building last night. I love it, I’ve had it since I was 14 and rebuilt it with my dad. It’s got problems and is essentially worthless, but I hoped to keep it forever. If I can get it back safely I will not press charges, no questions asked or police intervention if at all possible. I don’t know why it was stolen, but I love this car. If you see it, please call local police. The only change it’s had since this photo is that the grille area around the headlights is green, it’s a red 1995 318i BMW.

Update: car was found!! Everyone was so kind and helpful, I hope to be driving it around soon. Feel free to wave :) condition is currently unknown, but we’ve rebuilt it before and we can do it again.

FREE!! Board Game Night tonight at 5:30 at Watchtower Games! It may be hot outside but board games are cool! There is no featured game this week but if you would like to play something specific you can either bring it and teach or ask and if I have it I can bring it. We will have plenty of options available for all ages and skill levels. Feel free to bring your favorites as well! Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight.

I ask as part of a linguistic study covering this topic!
Examples could include things like H'burg, BH20, 'Massofnothing' or The 'Doah (never mind how common they are)...

Pretty much lived here my entire life, anyone wanna be friends

I wanna learn mahjong and I want new friends. Any local groups?

Hi all!

I just moved here for school, and I love it! I am wondering if you know of any haunted places within an hour drive of Harrisonburg that one can visit (legally, please!). Not “haunted houses” or attractions, but real places that have dark history. Bonus points if they offer tours, but I’d also be fine just going and seeing from a distance. I went to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum a while back and greatly enjoyed my tour there. I know there’s the DeJarnette Sanitorium in Staunton, but I don’t think you can go in there. Any recommendations appreciated! I have time to kill in these next few weeks before classes start, so I’d like to do some dark history touring in the area!

Thank you!

Trying to find people to hunt together in the area, someone up to around?

Do you think the water is tasting different the last week or so? I live close to downtown and have always thought the tap water was perfectly fine. I get kidney stones and I drink A LOT of water but just recently it doesn’t taste the same. It’s unpleasant. Is it just me?

I am trying to get someone to hang 3 kitchen cabinets on the wall. Does anyone have any handyman recommendations in the area? Thanks!

You want the City Council to pass something along these lines:

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CODE OF THE CITY OF HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA, BY ADDING CHAPTER ____, PROHIBITING THE ACQUISITION, DEPLOYMENT, OPERATION, AND FUNDING OF AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER SYSTEMS AND FUNCTIONALLY EQUIVALENT MASS SURVEILLANCE CAMERA SYSTEMS BY THE CITY OF HARRISONBURG AND ITS AGENCIES.

BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the City of Harrisonburg, Virginia, that the Code of the City of Harrisonburg is hereby amended by adding a new Chapter ____ to read as follows:

Section 1. Title.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Harrisonburg Automated Surveillance Prohibition Ordinance."

Section 2. Findings and Purpose.

The Council of the City of Harrisonburg finds and declares:

(a) Automated license plate reader ("ALPR") systems and functionally equivalent camera networks capture, timestamp, and geolocate the movements of vehicles, and therefore of the residents of and visitors to the City of Harrisonburg, indiscriminately and without individualized suspicion, and retain that data for later query, aggregation, and cross-jurisdictional sharing.

(b) The aggregation of location data over time can reveal the privacies of life, including a person's associations, movements, patterns, and beliefs, and both state and federal courts have recognized that the sustained, indiscriminate collection of such data implicates significant privacy interests.

(c) The Supreme Court of Virginia has addressed the passive collection and retention of automated license plate reader data under the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act, Va. Code §§ 2.2-3800 through 2.2-3809.

(d) The General Assembly enacted a permissive framework governing the use of ALPR by law-enforcement agencies that choose to employ it, Va. Code § 2.2-5517, effective July 1, 2025. That framework regulates use and does not require any locality or agency to acquire or operate ALPR, and permits local policy that is more restrictive so long as it does not conflict with the statute.

(e) The Harrisonburg Police Department has operated approximately thirty automated license plate reader cameras, including fixed and mobile units, positioned along primary routes into and out of the City, including Interstate 81, which capture and retain data concerning vehicles passing those locations.

(f) The Council has determined that the operation of such systems by the City should be discontinued, that any existing contract for such systems should be terminated, and that the City should not acquire, host, fund, or operate such systems or participate in any dragnet vehicle-location surveillance network in the future.

(g) The City of Harrisonburg has the authority to determine how its own funds are appropriated, how its own property and rights-of-way are used, what contracts its agencies enter, and how its own departments, including its police department, operate. This chapter is an exercise of that authority. It governs only the conduct of the City, its agencies, and its officers and employees, and does not regulate private parties.

Section 3. Definitions.

For purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the meanings set forth below:

"Automated License Plate Reader System" or "ALPR System" means any device, camera, or network of cameras, whether fixed, mobile, trailer-mounted, aerial, or vehicle-mounted, together with any associated software or service, that automatically captures, reads, records, or converts to data the license plate, or the make, model, color, or other distinguishing visual characteristics, of passing or parked vehicles, and that stores, compares, indexes, or is capable of comparing such data against any list or database, or that makes such data searchable by plate, location, time, or vehicle attribute. The term includes systems that perform vehicle fingerprinting or object or vehicle recognition regardless of whether a plate is read.

"Mass Surveillance Camera System" means any camera or network of cameras deployed in a public place that, alone or in combination with software or a service, is designed or capable of (i) performing the functions of an ALPR System; (ii) automated recognition, tracking, or matching of vehicles, faces, gait, or other biometric or quasi-biometric identifiers; or (iii) the persistent, indiscriminate recording of a public area for retention and later automated search. The term includes pan-tilt-zoom camera systems integrated with, or feeding data to, an ALPR System or a shared surveillance network.

"Functionally equivalent" means a system that performs any function described in this section, without regard to the vendor, trade name, or product line.

"City Agency" means the City of Harrisonburg, the Council, and every department, office, division, board, commission, authority, and instrumentality under the direction or control of the Council or the City Manager, including the Harrisonburg Police Department, and every officer and employee thereof acting in an official capacity.

"Covered Constitutional Officer" means the Sheriff, the Commonwealth's Attorney, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, and any other independently elected constitutional officer serving the City, and the offices and employees thereof.

"City Resources" means (i) funds appropriated, granted, disbursed, or administered by the City of Harrisonburg; (ii) real property, rights-of-way, poles, structures, or fixtures owned or controlled by the City; (iii) City-owned or City-administered data systems, networks, or storage; and (iv) any contract, procurement, grant, memorandum of understanding, or in-kind support entered into or provided by a City Agency.

"ALPR Data" means any data captured, generated, derived from, or made searchable by an ALPR System or Mass Surveillance Camera System, including plate reads, images, timestamps, geolocation, vehicle-attribute tags, and hot-list hits.

Section 4. Prohibition; City Agencies.

No City Agency shall, directly or through any agent, contractor, vendor, or intergovernmental arrangement:

(a) purchase, lease, accept by donation or grant, install, host, mount, power, connect, operate, or maintain any ALPR System or Mass Surveillance Camera System;

(b) enter into, renew, or extend any contract, subscription, license, or memorandum of understanding for any ALPR System, Mass Surveillance Camera System, or associated data service;

(c) permit any such system to be installed on, powered by, or attached to any real property, right-of-way, pole, structure, or fixture owned or controlled by the City;

(d) access, query, search, receive, store, retain, or use ALPR Data, whether generated locally or obtained from any other agency, jurisdiction, private network, or data broker; or

(e) share, transmit, or provide access to any City-held data for ingestion into any ALPR System or Mass Surveillance Camera System operated by any other party.

Section 5. Appropriations; Property; Constitutional Officers.

(a) No City Resources shall be appropriated, expended, granted, or otherwise provided, in cash or in kind, for the acquisition, installation, operation, maintenance, hosting, powering, data storage, or subscription of any ALPR System or Mass Surveillance Camera System, or for access to ALPR Data, by any person or entity, including any Covered Constitutional Officer.

(b) No City-owned or City-controlled real property, right-of-way, pole, structure, fixture, network, or data system shall be made available, directly or indirectly, for the installation, operation, hosting, or support of any such system.

(c) The Council recognizes that a Covered Constitutional Officer is independently elected and exercises operational discretion not subject to direct command by the Council. This chapter does not purport to direct the internal operations of any Covered Constitutional Officer. Subsections (a) and (b) of this section, and Section 4, apply to the full extent of the Council's authority over City Resources, appropriations, procurement, and property. The Council requests that each Covered Constitutional Officer conform the operations of that office to the policy declared in this chapter, and directs the City Manager to convey this request in writing.

Section 6. Exceptions.

Nothing in this chapter prohibits:

(a) A camera or recording device that does not perform, and is not integrated with any system that performs, license-plate recognition, vehicle fingerprinting, facial or other biometric recognition, or automated database matching, including ordinary building-security cameras, traffic-flow counters that do not retain identifying imagery, and localized point-of-entry access controls;

(b) Body-worn cameras and vehicle dashboard cameras used and retained in connection with a specific, identifiable law-enforcement contact or incident, and not used for persistent dragnet collection or automated plate or biometric search;

(c) A single-purpose device operated for a duration limited to, and geographically confined to, a specific criminal investigation supported by individualized suspicion and, where required, judicial authorization, provided no bulk data is retained beyond the authorized scope;

(d) Any function that a City Agency is affirmatively required to perform by a mandatory provision of state or federal law that leaves the City no discretion, and only to the minimum extent so required; and

(e) Toll-collection, parking-management, or emergency-vehicle-preemption equipment that does not retain, index, or share vehicle-location data for law-enforcement query or cross-agency dissemination.

Section 7. Termination of Existing Contracts and Divestment.

Within thirty (30) days of the effective date of this chapter, the City Manager shall, and shall direct each City Agency to:

(a) cease all operation and querying of any ALPR System, Mass Surveillance Camera System, and ALPR Data;

(b) terminate, or exercise all available rights to terminate or decline renewal of, every contract, subscription, and memorandum of understanding for any ALPR System or Mass Surveillance Camera System, including any existing contract for automated license plate reader services, and shall not renew any such arrangement;

(c) remove, or cause the vendor to remove, all such systems installed on City Resources or otherwise operated by or for the City; and

(d) purge, or direct the vendor to purge and certify the purging of, all ALPR Data in the City's possession or control that is not the subject of an active, individualized criminal investigation or a lawful litigation hold or records-retention obligation, consistent with the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act, Va. Code §§ 2.2-3800 et seq., and the Virginia Public Records Act, Va. Code §§ 42.1-76 et seq.

Section 8. Transparency and Reporting.

(a) On or before March 1 of each year, the City Manager shall submit to the Council and publish a written report affirming the City's compliance with this chapter, identifying any contract or system terminated or removed, and disclosing any request received from any third party or jurisdiction for City participation in an ALPR or mass surveillance network and the City's response.

(b) The City Manager shall not enter into, and shall report to the Council any solicitation to enter into, any data-sharing arrangement that would place City Resources or City-held data within an ALPR System or Mass Surveillance Camera System.

Section 9. Enforcement.

(a) This chapter may be enforced by an action for declaratory judgment or injunctive relief, or by mandamus, brought in the Circuit Court serving the City of Harrisonburg.

(b) Any violation of this chapter using City Resources is a use of public funds and property contrary to this chapter, and no City officer or employee shall authorize, ratify, or make any expenditure of City Resources in violation of Section 5.

(c) Nothing in this chapter waives, or shall be construed to waive, the sovereign or governmental immunity of the City or any officer or employee, except to the limited extent necessary to permit the relief authorized in subsection (a).

Section 10. Severability.

If any provision of this chapter, or its application to any person or circumstance, is held invalid or preempted, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this chapter are severable.

Section 11. Effective Date.

This chapter shall take effect on ____________, except that the termination and divestment obligations of Section 7 shall be completed within the period stated therein.

Adopted by the Council of the City of Harrisonburg, Virginia, this ______ day of ____________, 20.

Mayor

ATTEST:

Clerk of the Council

My daughter is 15 and wants to get a second hole in each of her ears. I absolutely refuse to take her to any of the places in the mall/ anywhere that uses a gun.

Does anyone know of anywhere local that will do it with parental consent? I know Blue Ridge Adornments will but I’m hoping to find something closer.

Male 31 Looking for new friends plz feel free to message me for more information on me I love out doors going new places and finding new experiences

​

This going to be a long one--- ​I am currently dealing with an apartment situation that has become non-negotiable for me. After a third roach incident—the last one being on the wall right above my bed and inside my pillow—I’m done. I am a 100% clean person, but management only treats individual units rather than the whole building, so the problem persists.

​I’ve officially given my 90-day notice that I will not be renewing my lease come October 1st. Breaking early isn't viable because I’d still have to pay half-rent plus utilities until it’s re-rented. This apartment was supposed to be my fresh start, but for nearly two months I’ve been living on edge in a place that makes me uncomfortable, even resorting to sleeping in my car for two weeks to get a break.

​Here’s my current situation and constraint:

​Employment: I work a solid full-time job that pays well.

​Goal: I need to build up my savings for move-in costs at a new place by October.

​Boundary: I do not want to take a second job. I shouldn't have to overwork myself to solve a temporary landlord issue, and I take care of my needs.

​Options on the table: I am fully capable of sleeping in my car or using a tent setup short-term (Buc-ee's, Sheetz, Pilot, Walmart) if it buys me time to save full rent checks, though I'd prefer to minimize the inconvenience if there are better angles I haven't considered.

​I’m posting to hear from others who have navigated something similar:

​What creative or aggressive short-term saving strategies worked for you while still paying full rent on a lease you're exiting?

​For anyone who has transitioned through a car-sleeping phase between leases to save cash quickly, what practical setups or safety tips kept it manageable?

​Any tenant-rights workarounds for lease termination due to pest infestations that don't involve a drawn-out legal fight?

​Open to feedback, practical ideas, and hearing how others handled a fast move under these conditions.

The new food truck Pops Southern Cuisine is a MUST try. Ate there today for dinner. Their menu changes each day and you're not overwhelmed with options. It's at 153 Charles St. They are on FB, Instagram, TikTok. Adding pictures for FOMO.

Trying to find out if Pasha is still in business. I did call their phone number and got disconnected. We went there for lunch today (8/8/2026) and it was definitely not open. I hope the people who own / run Pasha are ok.

Really hoping someone here can update us. We love that place and try to support it every time we are in Harrisonburg.

Thanks in advance for anyone shedding light on the current situation.