Marty Gordon
Gnomes are often depicted as small humanoids with beards and pointy hats, living underground and guarding hidden treasures.
They are sometimes described as hunchbacked and resembling old men.
Recently, a group of these small “creatures” have decided the New River Valley is the perfect place to live.
The Town of Blacksburg has been ranked fourth on a list of the “10 Happiest Small Places in America,” by national real estate blog Movoto.com. Thus, somewhere along the line, the Gnomes Times had brought that fact to the attention of the new inhabitants.
At least nine small doors to gnomes’ homes have popped up around Pandapas Pond near Blacksburg. Over the past three weeks, visitors have discovered at least nine doors to the unknown.
The doors to the homes are spread throughout the underbrush along a trail around the pond. In most instances, the doors are no more than five inches in height and include a stone sidewalk, leading up to a colored door.
According to folklore, gnomes are associated with the classical elements of earth, fire, water, and air. They are said to be in tune with the earth’s energy, activating earth energy lines and keeping them clear.
Gnomes are often depicted as living underground in burrows and caverns. They are known to build earthen homes with cellars and escape tunnels.
No one has seen the area’s newest gnome inhabitants, making some suppose they only come out at night.
Pandapas Pond is a pastoral, eight-acre pond located just outside the town of Blacksburg. It sits on the Eastern Continental Divide and is surrounded by a forest of hardwoods and rhododendron.
Visitors will enjoy strolling the one-mile wheelchair accessible trail that encircles the pond. A wooden boardwalk separates the pond from a small wetland area that is abundant with dragonflies, turtles, songbirds, and waterfowl. The trail system that can be accessed from the upper parking lot.
Again, walkers have discovered nine small gnome doors and entryways. But no one has signed their work. Several of the doors are labeled with characters and names from several popular novels that include the mystic underworld.
The site is managed and overseen the U.S. Forest Service and is part of the Jefferson Forest. A call to a USFS spokesman found they too were left in the dark to the rising population of the forest area. By New Year’s Day, the Forest Service had kicked the gnomes out of the area.
A flyer posted in and around Pandapas Pond said, “We love gnomes in their proper homes. The National Forest System lands are not where they belong. We bid them farewell with a smile and a song.”
Gwen Mason is the public affairs officer for the Forest Service.
“Despite the craftsmanship and charm of the gnome homes, they are not allowed on National Forest System lands without a permit. Those are our requirements for managing public lands in the Forest Service,” she said. “We don’t know who the creator is, and with a tip of the gnome hat to his/her creativity, there is surely a suitable park or public area – not the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests – where such uses are allowed.”
All of the miniatures have now been removed. Thus, walkers were given a short time to notice the gnomes and their homes.
It also still remains a mystery who designed or is the artist of the miniatures. If the anonymous artist would like to unveil their identity, please contact this newspaper.
