Welcome to Stillmeadow Farm!

A visit with award-winning Marge Swayne at home

By Terry Haycock

Editor’s Note: With this series of member profiles, we hope to enhance our knowledge of each other on personal as well as professional levels.

Turning off the highway west of Farmville (the farthest I’ve ventured in that direction since moving to Virginia from the Midwest last summer) and encountering the winding gravel road creating dust clouds behind us leading into the tree-dense landscape, I was glad that my friend Kathie, a Virginia resident for ten years, was driving.  We soon found paved road, but WAZE took us in the wrong direction, so I had to call Marge Swayne for navigational help. Her warm greeting as we arrived at her farm eased my city-girl embarrassment; this welcome was enhanced by the clucking of three magnificent Red Star hens and the excited barks of two enthusiastic dogs.

Kathie being a goat enthusiast, I asked Marge if we could see hers first. She graciously led us to the goat yard, calling them out with the possibility of munching on delicious leaf-filled branches. Gentle and loving to her three caprine residents, one could see that her feelings were reciprocated. Further exploration of the 50-acre Stillmeadow Farm produced a magnificent garden adjacent to the house filled with the usual inhabitants as well as the more exotic horseradish and fig plants. A tiny cottage nearby intrigued us. Marge explained it was a heated and air-conditioned house they built to shelter “the stray cats that came to the farm.”

Upon entering her home, we were led to a lovely, intimate sunroom, its windowed walls overlooking the verdant lawn and woods. As we began talking, muted rumbles of thunder accompanied the tinkling ice in the refreshing spiced iced tea offered by our hostess.

VPC members may know Marge’s “retirement” includes serving as feature writer for Farmville the Magazine. When she’s covering a story, she spends four to five days interviewing, planning the layout, and doing the photography before writing. “Feature writing is my favorite; I like the in-depth experience.”  Reading her articles gives you a sense of celebration whether the subject is a people, hospital volunteers, fitness programs, or local art events — and her photos enhance the words, bringing an enlightening vividness. Marge also works for Letterpress Communications, founded by VPC member Ilsa Loeser.
It could have been intimidating to interview such an accomplished VPC member, but Marge’s warm willingness to share put me at ease. She has so many fascinating stories that I found I was either neglecting taking notes or making undecipherable scribbles. She humbly attributes her success to her mentors and diversified writing opportunities. An accidental journalist who majored in music and previously worked in banking, her stories have often impacted others and provided her with contacts she can call when needed. Asked if she has anything encouraging to offer to new writers, Marge says, “As a journalist you can make a difference in your community.” She certainly has.

As we took our leave that pleasant afternoon, there were two more surprises in store: the opportunity to pet a soft, fluffy black and white cat asleep on a chair in the living room and the gift of strawberry jam which, according to the date on the lid, was canned that morning! What a busy lady!

You can learn more about Marge, her history, and accomplishments by accessing VPC newsletter stories and reading her features in Farmville the Magazine (which are a delight). But I recommend talking with this music major-turned-journalist whose retirement includes building and maintaining a farm with her husband and embracing her community by providing stories covering the unique joys of small-town life that help make a difference in the quality of life around her. Seek her out at the next VPC event. You won’t be disappointed.

To recommend a member profile (and yes, it can be you), please contact communicate@vapc.org.