Kapstone recently released their rockfish painted by one of their own employees Mike Haislip. The fish is painted with an aerial view of the mill property on one side and an American flag on the other, letting all who see the fish know that Kapstone paper is proudly "Made in America." The fish is located on the main road leading into the mill, surrounded by a beautifully landscaped flowerbed.

In 1907, when the Kapstone mill was known as the Roanoke Rapids Paper Manufacturing Company, the mill was the first in the nation to manufacture Kraft pulp, using a new pulping process imported from Europe. By using local Southern Pine as raw material, the mill was able to make paper of superior quality and strength. After the mill was acquired in 1977 by Champion International, millions of dollars were invested in advanced manufacturing and environmental technologies to produce quality paper products while minimizing the impact of the paper-making process on the environment. In June of 2000, the Roanoke Rapids Mill became part of International Paper’s Containerboard and Kraft Papers business.

The Roanoke Rapids Mill was acquired by KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation in January 2007 and operates as Kapstone Kraft Paper Corporation. The mill currently employs 489 people with an annual payroll of $49 million and comprises approximately 1,900 acres. Kapstone produces approximately 156,000 tons of kraft liner and 273,000 tons of kraft paper. Kapstone truly gives back to the community; in fact, the mill and its employees gave $110,000 to various local community charities in 2010. For those reasons and many more, Kapstone really Rocks the Roanoke Valley!

Les Atkins Photography/Atkins Ad Group ROCKS the Roanoke Valley.

The les atkins Photography/Atkins Ad Group rockfish, "Fisheye," is a unique look at Roanoke Rapids' past. One side of the rockfish features a 1920s couple being photographed on the banks of the Roanoke River. Artist Tina Gregory captures every detail of this couple's photo session. The 1920s was a pivotal time for photography. Photographs actually started to replace drawings in advertising as people thought the camera wouldn't lie.

les atkins Photography opened for business in 1995 and has expanded over the years to offer a wide variety of photographic services including wedding, event, and corporate photography. The studio is located on Roanoke Avenue across from the post office.

The Atkins Ad Ad Group is a full service advertising agency that opened in 2006. The company expanded in 2009 to serve eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia in the areas of public relations, logo development, branding, media placement, video production, event marketing, graphic design, and website development.

OSAIL ROCKS the Roanoke Valley!

Recently OSAIL decided to participate in the Halifax County CVB Rockfish art project.  OSAIL selected Lake Gaston artists Gail Smith, Gail O'Neil, and Maggie Chalifoux to design and paint the fish.  

The fish started as a five foot fiberglass moulded rockfish; a blank slate for the artists.  The artist team collaborated on a number of designs for the fish, and finally decided on one using sun symbols and bright lake colors.  The artists named him "Sunny" for the sun symbols.  Layers of paint and glazes were applied using various artist techniques and materials, and using the sun patterns.  The artists achieved a beautiful, shimmery, glistening effect for "Sunny".  From there he was coated for weather protection and mounted on a pole and installed. 

The result is a bright, cheerful work of art reflective of the Lake Gaston community.  "Sunny" is located at the OSAIL kiosk at the Food Lion in Littleton.  Stop by and see him up close.

Pictured left to right:  Maggie Chalifoux, Gail Smith, Gail O'Neil, and Kathy Dikeman.

Newsom Oil has been in business since 1929. Located at 1503 W. 10th Street in Roanoke Rapids, Newsom Oil was started by Major Charles Newsom, then operated by his son M.C. Newsom, Jr. and is now run by his grandson David Newsom. This business has quite a family legacy here in the Roanoke Valley. Newsom Oil is a full-service LP gas distributor, offering oil and gas for heating fuel, commercial sales, HVAC service, as well as selling LP gas appliances, fireplaces, gas logs, grills and more. David Newsom wants consumers to know that oil and gas are cleaner and greener fuels, so much so that his slogan for the rockfish Newsom Oil recently launched is “Cleaner and Greener Fuels. This ‘Rock’ Powered by Oil & Gas. Get Hooked on Newsom.” The fish was painted by local artist Tina Gregory and depicts an old-fashioned gas truck that was inspired by one of David Newsom’s old cast iron toys. The dominant color of the fish is green, echoing the cleaner, greener fuel message. Newsom Oil added a green gas hose and nozzle in the fish’s mouth. Wintertime is coming. Make sure your home is warm and cozy. Contact Newsom Oil at 252-537-3587 or www.newsomoil.com. Shown here welcoming this cleaner, greener fish to the Newsom Oil family are David Newsom, President/CEO; artist Tina Gregory; Sylvia Newsom, Special Projects Coordinator; and Kevin Vincent, Secretary/Treasurer.

Hampton Inn Roanoke Rapids, which opened in June 2008 with 126 beautifully appointed rooms, has that certain something that makes a great hotel. In their case, we call it “Hamptonality.” That “Hamptonality” led the hotel to become a Circle of Excellence award winner for 2009 and 2010 and Wall of Fame award winner for 2009, 2010 and 2011. Their “Hamptonality” is also showcased in the beautiful rockfish, painted by local artist Jane Deese, that Hampton Inn recently released. The fish is ready for bed or a relaxing morning at Hampton Inn. He is wearing a robe and sleeping mask. Under one fin, he has a luxurious Hampton Inn pillow. In the pocket of his robe is the television remote for leisurely channel surfing. On another fin is a helping of Hampton’s delicious breakfast. All of these comforts mean that whether you are a fatigued fish or a tired traveler, Hampton Inn will make certain that your stay is a comfortable and relaxing as possible. The Hampton Inn staff are pictured here (l-r) welcoming the fish to their team: Ellorse Robinson, Angelique Powell, Vickie Johnson, Allen Cooper, General Manager Percilla West, James Handsome, Jennifer Randsome, Lakiesha Kearney and Gladys Handsome.

Lake Living Lifestyles is all about how we live, whether it is at Lake Gaston or beyond. By building relationships with our family, friends, and community, we create our lifestyle. The design team of Mary Sherwood Lake Living is ready to help you design your own lifestyle. Visit their unique, eclectic retail boutique for a memorable shopping experience or work with their designers to help you transform your home. Let them work with you to design your lifestyle! Incorporating that unique lifestyle concept, the Mary Sherwood team took The Roanoke Valley Rocks concept and made it their own. Their brightly colored, mosaic tiled fish, aptly named Swish, is an amazing work of art by designer Autumn Wenger with painted “swishy” fins that mirror the design and colors of the tiles. But the creativity of the Mary Sherwood staff did not stop with Swish’s design. Instead of being located inside the shop or mounted on a pole outside, Swish is getting a bird’s eye view of Lake Gaston living from his perch atop the roof of Mary Sherwood’s building. The staff is pictured here (l-r) Mary Sherwood, Autumn Wenger and Traci Watson climbing to new heights to mount Swish on the roof. With the holidays fast approaching, visit the Mary Sherwood Lake Living boutique, located at 326 Lizard Creek Road in Littleton, for all your unique gift items and festive holiday décor. Who knows, you might even catch a glimpse of Swish playing Santa! Mary Sherwood Lake Living…Working With You to Create Your Lifestyle! Contact them at 252-586-2437.

DrugCo Discount Pharmacy of Roanoke Rapids released their rockfish this week. Their fish, covered almost entirely with triangular mirrored tiles reflects the importance of their customers and was designed and crafted by artist Traci Watson of Mary Sherwood Lake Living. DrugCo offers a discounted alternative to national pharmacy chains with all the usual pharmacy staples, including a one-hour photo and home care center. DrugCo makes filling or refilling a prescription easy with a two-lane drive-thru, home delivery to local customers and monthly automatic refills of prescriptions. The retail section sells pain relievers, home medical supplies, children’s products and much more. The pharmacists of DrugCo can administer shingles, flu and pneumonia vaccines, perform blood sugar and cholesterol screenings and check blood pressure. DrugCo has locations in Roanoke Rapids, Ahoskie and Littleton. You’ll find the Roanoke Rapids store at 107 Smith Church Road. Store hours are Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30-6 p.m. Learn more about DrugCo Pharmacy at www.drugcopharmacy.com or call them at 252-537-7010.

Women’s Health Specialists, PA, the office of Dr. Thomas McDonald, Dr. Frank LaBarbera, and Heidi Little, PA-C, has been practicing OB/GYN services in the Roanoke Valley since November 2000. WHS, located at 1381 Medical Center Drive in Roanoke Rapids, offers complete and total health care for women of any age. The WHS Rockfish, designed by local artist Sarah Deese-Davis of Roanoke Rapids, was created to celebrate life, hope and strength after cancer, especially breast cancer, with its butterfly and ribbon design. Do your part! Schedule your yearly examination with Women’s Health Specialists by calling their office at 252-535-1414.

The Daily Herald, the number one source of news and information for residents of the Roanoke Valley, proudly released “Newsie” the rockfish during the August Business After Hours, which the newspaper hosted for the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce. “Newsie” was painted by Napoleon Hill and is based on the newsboys who often delivered newspapers using sacks, which hung from shoulder straps around their necks. These newsboys were affectionately known as newsies. The Daily Herald is pleased to participate in and support The Roanoke Valley Rocks public relations/public art campaign. You can catch “Newsie” in the parking lot next to the front entrance of The Daily Herald building on the Avenue in Roanoke Rapids.

Quality Inn released their beautiful and brightly colored rockfish, painted by Jessica Matte of Littleton. This fish is a bright and cheery welcome to the hotel and to Halifax County, much as is the friendly and courteous staff of Quality Inn. Quality Inn offers its guests a pet-friendly hotel with comfortable rooms complete with coffee makers, refrigerators and microwaves. The hotel features a free continental breakfast and an outdoor pool.