The Cutting Edge of Virginia

About The Cutting Edge of Virginia

There is a particular quiet to Salem after midnight in January — the Civic Center lots emptied out, the tall lights burning, and snow crossing the pavement sideways. The Cutting Edge of Virginia keeps its hours there and all over town, plowing lots and driveways, clearing sidewalks and entryways, and spreading salt wherever the melt will refreeze before dawn. A storm in this valley rarely stays one thing; it turns to rain, then turns back, and the pavement it leaves is the whole reason for a second pass. Push it out to the edges, open the full width, and morning arrives to something usable. Storm after storm, that is the entire ambition.