The Mill Mountain Star

Wednesday my husband had physical therapy in Roanoke, and I decided to drive up to the big star on the mountain while I was killing time.

 

This is now called The Roanoke Star, but I have always known it as the Mill Mountain Star. Mill Mountain is the name of the mountain upon which it sits, after all.

 

Roanoke sometimes is called The Star City, and this big neon structure is why. This the largest man-made star in the world.

 

 

The star was built long before I was born, so it has always been a beacon. When I was a child and we were coming home from vacations, seeing the star meant we were home.

 

 

 

For a while, the star glowed red at night when someone died in a traffic accident. That was a very long time ago, when I was a child. Sometimes it is a patriotic red, white, and blue. Mostly I think it glows white, though.

 

 

 

I had not been up to the star in many years. I was the only person there Wednesday morning. It was a bit chilly and I gloried in the silence and the natural surroundings.

 

 

 

This is the back side of the star. I thought I'd take a picture of that because most people don't.

 

 

 

There was debris hanging in the metal.

 

At the base of the star is an overlook where you can take photos of Roanoke. Of course I did that and will share those soon.

 

There is a "star cam" where you can see people on the overlook. You can access it online at the link. I suppose if anyone were looking at it Wednesday morning, they would have seen me out there.