SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF CHESTERFIELD COUNTY 09.06.12

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Midlothian athletes take Roanoke College to new heights

Page 8

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CONTRIBUTED REPORT

The school year brings new devel-

opments throughout the county

school system.

New strategic plan: The school system has proposed a new strategic plan, the Design for Excellence 2020. Devel-oping the plan began in 2010 with forums to spark community conversations on such top-

ics as online education and the importance of science, technology, engineering and math. Parents, business representatives, community leaders and educators worked together on innovation teams to chart the future of Ches-terfi eld County Public Schools. The proposal they developed has three overarching goals for what students should know and be able to do in 2020. The School Board will consider

the plan during an Oct. 9 work session, Oct. 16 and Oct. 23 public engagement sessions and a Nov. 6 public hearing and is scheduled to vote on the plan Nov. 13.

A key strategy in the Design for Excel-lence 2020 is creating blended learning environments by integrating technology and digital content with face-to-face instruction. Blended learning already takes place in Ches-

terfi eld classrooms and will be expanding throughout the coming year. One tool that will aid blended learning is Edmodo, a secure social network that will allow teachers and students to communicate and collaborate online anytime, anywhere.

New website: Last year, the school system unveiled a new website – mychester-fi eldschools.com. This year, all 62 schools have new websites that provide consistent

Open for businessChesterfi eld Schools welcome students for 2012-2013 term

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

The Chesterfi eld-Colo-nial Heights Christ-mas Mother will hold registration for

holiday assistance from 9a.m. to 4p.m. beginning Monday, Sept. 17, through Thursday, Sept. 20, at the Chesterfi eld County Fairgrounds Exhibition Build-ing located at Courthouse and

Krause Roads.Registration is open to

families in need residing in Chesterfi eld County or Colonial Heights.

Families with children age 18 or younger may register for toys, children’s clothing, and food.

Senior citizens in need age 62 or over also may register for

holiday assistance (food, cloth-ing, household items).

Applicants must apply in person and provide the follow-ing documents.

Social Security card or Individual Tax Identifi cation Number (ITIN) card or an ITIN authorization letter.

Social Security card for each child included in the applica-

tion (exception for infants under six months of age).

� Current valid photo identifi cation such as a Virginia driver’s license or DMV identi-fi cation card.

� Proof of residence in Chesterfi eld County or Colonial Heights such as a current utility

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

A student at Mathematics and Sci-ence High School at Clover High has been named the recipient of the 2011 Bobby Chandler Student

Award.Venu Katta received the award, made

possible by the Kip Kephart Foundation, during a special lun-cheon on July 18.

The award is given to a secondary school his-tory student who dem-onstrates intelligence, creativity and research skills using primary source materials.

Katta was recog-nized for his work on an applied history class project, “Catherine Street, Detroit 1930, A Community Analysis: Convergence of Immi-

gration, Migration, and Perseverance.” His project examined a single neighbor-

hood composed of Eastern European im-migrants and African American migrants

How to apply for holiday assistance

Clover Hill student wins award for history project

Venu Katta won his award for a class project on applied history which examined a single neighborhood and its immigrant population.

CHESTERFIELD-COLONIAL HEIGHTS CHRISTMAS MOTHER

HANDBOOK page 2

HOLIDAY page 4

BY KOREY HUGHESSpecial Correspondent

Classical renditions of famous movie themes will soon fi ll the air in Chesterfi eld County, courtesy of a performance by the Rich-

mond Symphony. The organization will mark the start its

2012 season at the Pocahontas State Park Heritage Amphitheater on Saturday, Sept. 8.

The event is sponsored by the Ches-terfi eld County Department of Parks and Recreation and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Erin Freeman is the associate conductor for the Richmond Symphony.

Nearly 60 musicians will be present at the Pocahontas State Park performance.

Freeman will conduct the orchestra, and she said that the symphony members enjoy playing at the venue every year.

“Well, we have a great relationship with Chesterfi eld County,” Freeman said. “We love performing in the schools, our youth orchestra performs at Pocahontas around the fi rst of June, and we perform there in the fall every year.”

SYMPHONY page 3

AWARD page 5

BY BEN ORCUTTSpecial Correspondent

With the addition of activities sponsored by the Chester-fi eld County Coalition for Active Children, known as

COACH, Virginia State University’s 27th Annual Agriculture Field Day appeared to be a huge success last week.

Thanks to a grant from the Cameron Foundation of Petersburg, Debbie Jones, a health specialist with the Virginia Cooper-ative Extension and an assistant professor of public health at VSU, said COACH was able to put on a family fun day in con-junction with VSU’s annual Agriculture Field Day on Aug. 28.

“We piggybacked on our Ag Field Day so that we could have everybody’s family to come down and enjoy some physical activity and learn about healthy nutrition,” Jones said.

Jones said this was the fi rst time that COACH has held a family fi eld day in southern Chesterfi eld.

Part of the purpose of holding the fam-ily fun day was to remind children as they begin a new school year to eat healthy and get plenty of exercise, Jones said.

“And we also wanted to introduce our 5210,” she said, “which is fi ve fruits or vegetables a day, no more than two hours of TV or screen time, one hour of physical activity every day and zero sugary drinks.

That’s our message and so we’re really excited about introducing that idea to the community. We just know that children who eat healthy and get in physical activ-ity have just a better and healthier life and so that’s what COACH is all about – mak-ing sure that families know how impor-tant it is to eat healthy and get in physical activity.”

Janet Flowers of Ettrick attended the Agriculture Field Day and the COACH-sponsored family fun day along with her 3-year-old grandson, Michael Flowers of Chester, and two children she keeps – 3-year-old Ava Reed of Chesterfi eld and

PHOTO BY BEN ORCUTTClifton “Clif” Slade, left, a small-farm agent with VSU’s Small Farm Outreach Progam, shows 4-year-old Zebulon Goldman of Campbell County an up-close view of a collard bed during VSU’s 27th Annual Agriculture Field Day at Randolph Farm on Tuesday, Aug. 28.

Family events a hit at ‘Agriculture Field Day’

Richmond Symphony to premiere new season

FIELD DAY page 4

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BY KOREY HUGHESSpecial Correspondent

If you’ve considered adopting a cat, Richmond Animal League is looking for loving homes for the members of its shelter’s

feline population. Recently, one of the cats at

Richmond Animal League’s shelter showed symptoms associated with ringworm. And, for that reason, the shelter has been holding an adop-tion drive to fi nd families for all of its cats before it sterilizes its cat section on Saturday, September 8.

The adoption drive has been happening since Saturday, August 18. So far, it has been successful, but the organization would like to place more cats with new pet own-ers before the deadline.

Sarah Clinton, community man-ager at Richmond Animal League, works with closely with the cats in

the adult cat room. “The big thing is that if we can adopt all these cats out and send them to homes, we can sterilize the shelter,” Clinton said.

According to Clinton, ringworm isn’t a worry because it only af-fected one cat. And it isn’t detri-mental to an animal’s or a human’s long-term health, but it must be controlled so it doesn’t spread.

“Ringworm is a non-fatal fungal infection of the skin,” Clinton said. “It’s very similar to athlete’s foot, but it’s easily transmittable from cat to cat or from cat to human.”

But, because ringworm spores travel through the air, cats don’t necessarily need to make contact with each other for it to spread.

“The spores can be airborne, so you can get it from the environ-ment,” Clinton said. “You can get it from petting or grooming a cat, or they can get it from each other.”

“Or, you could develop ring-worm if you have an open lesion, sore or wound on your hand. But, we’re also focusing on the fact that I work with 20 cats in our adult cat area, and I have not gotten ring-worm.”

To be more specifi c, a kitten that recently came into Richmond Animal League’s care showed signs of ringworm. The organization quickly took measures to make sure that the affl iction didn’t spread.

“We have anywhere from 20 to 50 cats at one time, but we got a large infl ux of kittens recently,” Clinton said. “One of those kittens came from a rural shelter, and that was the one that showed the lesions.”

“But, it is easily communicable in a shelter. It’s not like being in a home, so when we diagnose ring-worm, we give them an oral medi-

cation and we give them weekly sulfur dips.”

And for the record, the ring-worm that affected the kitten didn’t reach the dog population either, because Clinton said the cats are sequestered.

“Our cat section is separate from our dog section, and it’s less likely for a dog to get it than a cat,” Clinton said. “It’s more likely that a kitten or a long-haired cat will get it.”

Richmond Animal League is offering an incentive for people who come in to assume care for a cat. For a limited time, the adoption fee is $10 per cat, and that includes spay and neuter surgery and dos-ages of itraconazole, a medicine that prevents or impedes the pro-gression of ringworm.

“It’s an oral medicine,” Clinton said. “You drop it into a syringe and

squirt in into their mouths, and we will show people the tricks and the trades of administering it.”

Clinton said a caring new pet owner can help a cat to combat ringworm.

“Well, they just need to be patient, consistent and loving,” Clinton said. “Only one cat has had lesions, but they still need to be consistent with the meds, patient while the cat adjusts to its new home and loving when they take the cat home.”

The Richmond Animal League’s shelter is located at 11401 Interna-tional Drive in Chesterfi eld County.

The shelter’s hours are 4:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The shelter is closed on Monday.

For more information, call 804-379-0046 or visit www.ral.org.

While a passenger in a small airplane on Thursday, Aug. 30, Powhatan Today reporter Emily Darrell had the opportunity to take some aerial photos, including this corn maze in Chesterfi eld County.

PHOTO BY EMILY DARRELL

Richmond Animal League holds adoption drive for its cat section

CONTRIBUTED REPORTThe Midlothian Garden

Club will be holding its fi rst meeting for the new club year at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at the Bethel Baptist Church at 1100 Huguenot Springs Road in Midlothian.

The meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. and includes business and the program.

“Let’s Get Fired Up and Ready to Go for Our Decem-ber House Tour and Standard

Flower Show!” will be pre-sented by Barbara Hollister.

Committee chairs will update members on prepa-rations for their House Tour and Flower Show.

Lunch will be served at noon.

The meeting is open to the public and all visitors are welcome to attend.

For more information, call Sandy at 804-379-4515 or Dolores at 804-794-3002.

Midlothian Garden Club meeting Sept. 11

information. The school websites are accessible via mychesterfi eldschools.com.

Health handbook: For the fi rst time, the school system has published a student health handbook. It includes details about immunizations, health screenings, what parents need to do for children with serious health concerns, EpiPens and other topics. The stu-dent health handbook is a companion publication to the parent handbook that families receive every year. Both publications will go home with students on the fi rst day of school; they are also online at mychesterfi eldschools.com.

New teachers: About 270 new teachers have been hired to fi ll positions left empty because of retirement or other reasons.

New principals: Eight schools have new principals: Marguerite Chris-tian Elementary, Curtis Elementary, Grange Hall Elementary, Reams Road Elementary, Salem Church Elementary, Robious Middle, Swift Creek Middle and Midlothian High.

Renovations: Renovations and additions are being completed at several schools:

� At Gates Elementary, additional

classrooms and a relocated administra-tive area to better monitor access to the building were to be ready for the start of school.

� At Watkins Elementary, the administration addition/renovation, music and art room addition, classroom addition, bus loop and parent drop-off area were scheduled to be ready for the start of school.

� At Midlothian Middle, additional classroom and kitchen/cafeteria space are scheduled to be ready for the start of school and phased renovations of exist-ing classrooms are scheduled to begin this month.

� At Robious Middle, HVAC renova-tions for the gym, locker rooms, coun-seling offi ces, band, chorus, auditorium and lobby were scheduled to be ready for the start of school.

� At Salem Church Middle, HVAC renovations for the gym, locker rooms, counseling offi ces, band, chorus, audi-torium and lobby were scheduled to be ready for the start of school.

Title I assistance: Crestwood, Elizabeth Scott, Hening and Salem Church elementary schools are now targeted assistance Title I schools. Title I is the U.S. government’s largest assistance program for schools, putting federal money into schools that have a high

percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Title I programs vary from school to school, but the goal at every school is increasing student achievement and strengthening com-munities. Students in 16 of Chesterfi eld’s 38 elementary schools benefi t from Title I: Bellwood, Bensley, Beulah, Chalkley, Marguerite Christian, Crestwood, Davis, Ettrick, Falling Creek, Harrowgate, Hen-ing, Hopkins, Providence, Reams Road, Salem Church and Elizabeth Scott

Teacher evaluations: Because of state requirements, job evaluations are changing for teachers. The Virginia Board of Education recommends that 40 percent of teachers’ evaluations be based on student academic progress. Under the model evaluation system, teachers earn one of four ratings: exem-plary, profi cient, needs improvement or unacceptable.

Standards of Learning: Also because of state requirements, Stan-dards of Learning tests in elementary, middle and high schools will be admin-istered online, unless a student has a documented need to take paper-and-pencil tests. Starting this year, English and science SOLs are more rigorous; this is similar to the more rigorous math SOLs that were adopted for the 2011-12 school year.

HANDBOOK from page 1

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 || 3MIDLOTHIANEXCHANGE.COM EXPLAIN NEWS || FEATURES

“Your Home is My Business”

The VCU Medical Center will be offering the following freeseminars at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s Education andLibrary Complex, located at 1800 Lakeside Avenue. Registrationis required. Free parking available. PLUS, if you come early,you can tour the gardens before the seminar for free.

Call (804) 828-0123 to reserve your spot today.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 | 5:30 p.m.A New Hope for Heart Valve ReplacementTranscatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a new innovativemedical procedure for people who have severe aortic stenosis andwho cannot endure traditional open-heart surgery. Join Drs. DerekBrinster and Zachary Gertz as they discuss this minimally invasiveapproach to heart valve replacement and who can benefit from it.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012 | 5:30 p.m.The Latest About Prostate CancerProstate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men foundto have prostate cancer do not die from it. Join Dr. MichaelHagan as he talks about the prevention, causes, symptoms andlatest clinical research for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012 | 5:30 p.m.Total Breast Cancer CareJoin a panel of renowned breast specialists from the VCU MasseyCancer Center as they discuss comprehensive care for breast cancerfrom screening and diagnosis to treatment and survivorship.

Save the Date

vcuhealth.org

We are honored to have Mrs.Anne Holton,wife of former Governor Tim Kaine and retired

District Court Chief Judge, as our keynotespeaker. Also speaking at the rally is Dr. EllaWard, Candidate 4th Congressional District.

www.powhatandemocrats.org

PowhatanDemocratic PartyRally/Fundraising/Voter Registration DrivePowhatan Fair Grounds 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

September 9, 2012

BY KOREY HUGHESSpecial Correspondent

Is your child’s backpack causing him or her back pain? You can probably see if the load that your

youngster lugs around before or after school is too heavy, but you might not know whether they’re wearing their bookbags properly during school hours.

Hunter Durvin is a certifi ed athletic trainer at the Boulders location of Chippenham Johnston-Willis Sports Medicine in Chesterfi eld County. He said back problems can be caused if a child wears a backpack improperly.

“Well, mostly it’s going to be short-term muscle strains in the shoulders and the back,” Durvin said. “That would come from it being overloaded and from them carrying too much weight for their body sizes and weights.”

That’s because many of the backpacks that are sold to school children aren’t constructed as well as those that are advertised to hiking enthusiasts.

Typically, the satchels that nature enthusiasts use have straps that encircle the chest and abdomen and provide more shoulder support.

Of course, that kind of gear isn’t necessarily cost-effective for families who mainly buy their bags for children to wear at school. The more cheaply made backpacks that kids wear, however, don’t include the kind of reinforcement that their growing bodies need.

“For hikers, they’re designed for that kind of weight, and they have a frame that sits closer on the back of the hips and has straps to keep it close to the body,” Durvin said. “The frame distributes the weight onto a wider part of the body.”

“Bookbags are not de-signed for carrying as much weight as the kids cram into them. Therefore, it’s causing pain to the low back and shoulders.”

Still, Durvin said that muscle pain can be easily avoided. For instance, if older students use their lockers more often, they can avoid back injuries, but they don’t utilize those storage units as often as they should.

“They’re more concerned about being social than they worry about their health, but it’s a matter of priorities,” Durvin said. “I watch these kids come in and out of school, and they’ve got big backpacks.”

“They don’t adjust them up to their shoulders where they should be carrying the weight. Instead, they let them hang way down to hyper-extend.”

At the same time, some students think that it looks trendy to wear a backpack strap on only one of their shoulders, but doing that can cause undue strain to the muscle in question.

Durvin recommends that parents make sure that their children use both straps.

“It’s going to load the shoulder and therefore the spine on one side,” Durvin said. “It will cause them to lean on one side and put more stress on that side, but it balances them when they wear two.”

So, what is the proper way for children to wear their backpacks? “They should have them strapped up closer to their shoulder blades instead of letting them hang,” Durvin said.

And how much weight should children carry in their bookbags? Well, as Durvin explained, the answer de-pends on the size of the son or the daughter.

“When I talk to kids about that type of thing, it’s what’s comfortable,” Durvin said.

“Usually, what I tell them is to not carry more than what they need.”

When asked what tips he has for parents who might be shopping for backpacks to choose the healthiest one for their child, Durvin said that smaller is defi nitely better.

“It needs to be smaller so they can’t put so much in it,” Durvin said. “The critical part is reducing the weight.”

And Durvin even suggested that high school students use multiple bookbags. That way, they won’t carry more than what they need at one time.

“The big thing is get two backpacks for high school-ers,” Durvin said. “They’re on even and odd day schedules, so get two backpacks for those even and odd days and only carry what you need.”

Anyway, if school-aged children carry less weight be-tween classes, they can avoid oncoming lower back pain and shoulder strain.

Freeman said the program will mostly feature big screen compositions by creator John Wil-liams, although a few other well-known movie themes will be a part of the program. For in-stance, songs that Williams wrote that appeared in fi lms such as the “Harry Potter” franchise, “Schindler’s List” and the “Star Wars” trilogies will be played along with numbers from “The Godfather III” and “The Hunt for Red October.”

Additionally, other songs that Williams composed and arranged such as “Air and Simple Gifts” that made its debut at the Pres-idential inauguration in 2009 and “Summon the Heroes,” a tune that he wrote for the 1996 Summer Olympics, also will be performed.

When asked if it’s any different for the Richmond Symphony to do outdoor perfor-mances than it is to do indoor performances, Freeman said it is. She said, however, that Heritage Amphitheater’s wonderful acoustics distribute sound well.

“You defi nitely have to have amplifi cation outdoors, but one of the great things about Pocahontas is that it has natural acoustics,” Freeman said. “The sounds of nature meld together with the music.”

“For instance, we do ‘Air and Simple Gifts,’ and if there are birds out there making sounds, it enhances it. It’s really beautiful.”

The program is the Richmond Sympho-ny’s inaugural appearance of the fall season.

Freeman said the group decided to start at Pocahontas because the weather will be nice enough to accommodate an outdoor perfor-mance.

“This performance will kick off our season, which lasts from September through May,” Freeman said. “Generally, as an orga-nization, we start with our performance at Pocahontas because it’s too cold to perform out there in October and November.”

So, if audience members haven’t seen the Richmond Symphony play live before, Free-man said they will be in for a treat. She said the atmosphere at its shows is friendly.

“It’s a welcoming one and one where the audience is really a part of who we are and what we do,” Freeman said. “We want them to feel like they’re a part of the music.”

“And, if you’re new to Richmond, the musicians in our orchestra are some of the most skilled and musical people who have decided to make their home in Richmond,” Freeman added.

At the same time, Freeman said attendees should arrive early enough to enjoy Poca-hontas State Park’s natural beauty. “People should come early to Pocahontas for a hike, have a picnic and come out to watch the stars,” Freeman said.

The Richmond Symphony will perform at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Pocahontas State Park Heritage Amphitheater at 10301 State Park Road in Chesterfi eld. The event’s rain date is 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9.

For more information about the per-formance, visit http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/poc.shtml.

For more information about the Rich-mond Symphony, visit www.richmondsym-phony.com.

SYMPHONY from page 1

Improperly worn backpacks can cause shoulder strain

Erin Freeman is the associate conductor for the Richmond Symphony.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

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Vol. VI, 32nd edition

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GUEST COLUMNIST

Labor Day a celebration of the American workforceBY JIM RIDOLPHISpecial Correspondent

Ever since they made all holidays fall on Mondays, I’ve approached offi cial obser-vances with a healthy dose of skepticism. While I certainly endorse and support

many of the messages associated with America’s list of approved holidays, I’m not sure about the signifi cance of others.

Which brings me to Labor Day. Now, I’ve always thought that Labor Day was a celebration of the American worker, and, in my earliest recol-lections, there was some association with unions and Labor Day.

As a child, we spent almost every Labor Day at my grandmother’s house in Gaithersburg, Md. At the time, the now sprawling gape of suburbia was just a sleepy village with a tiny downtown close to the railroad tracks.

Labor Day meant an annual parade, complete with fi re trucks, marching bands, groups of vet-erans and labor unions. So, what’s the connection between labor unions and Labor Day?

There’s no fi rm consensus on just who founded Labor Day, but everyone agrees that it resulted from the efforts of the labor movement in America.

Depending on which version you recognize, either Peter McGuire or Matthew Maguire (no relation) organized the fi rst Labor Day, celebrat-ed on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882.

Congress nationalized the holiday in 1894, and festivities like the one I experienced became a tradition in cities and towns across America.

At a time when the word union is associ-ated with bloated pensions and overpaid public employees, Labor Day seems sadly out of place in the current political climate.

Labor unions have taken a hit in past years,

and membership in local chapters is at all-time lows. Some politicians have taken direct aim at public employee unions in attempts to renegoti-ate wages and retirement benefi ts.

I make no judgment on any of those actions, but I will note the importance of the labor union in ensuring the safe and secure workplaces many of us enjoy today.

The 40-hour week, child labor laws, health and safety regulations and benefi ts are all prod-ucts of the labor union in America.

So, that idea either one or the other McGuire came up with more than a decade ago was a great vision.

The evolution has produced something every American can use: a day off. The backyard barbe-cues, family reunions and parades are all an evolu-tion of the original idea to celebrate the American worker with a day of rest and recognition.

Whatever Labor Day began as, it’s now a celebration of the 155 million Americans that make up the nation’s workforce. In challeng-ing economic times, these workers continue to increase productivity and make quality products that compete in a global market.

And the American workplace is changing. More than 6 million workers stay at home and perform their jobs.

And some things remain the same. The aver-age salary of men is almost $48,000 annually while women still get the short end of the stick with a median of $36,931.

So, while the new Labor Day represents the end of summer, the start of school, a new fashion season and a great time to cook on the grill, it’s also is one of those holidays with a meaning. My gosh, there is a method to the madness.

I hope Americans had a good day off. They earned it.

4-year-old Krystin Davenport of Petersburg.

Flowers said the girls liked playing on an air-fi lled appara-tus called “Boot Camp,” while Michael’s fascination was trying to milk a cow.

Marcy Patterson of Matoaca, an offi cer with the Petersburg Police Department, brought 12 kids from a summer camp and her two children – 9-year-old Maurice and 4-year-old Michael – to the COACH event.

“I think it’s wonderful and especially on a day like today and there was a lot of help out here and a lot of people who weren’t just helping out, but they were giving really good information not only for the parents, but for the kids,” Patterson said. “They supplied vegetables and toys and there were a lot of fun activities and things where you can exercise and I just think it’s wonderful. It’s a wonderful thing to have and I think they should have it more often.”

Maurice said he had a good time.

“I enjoyed like getting to ex-ercise and getting to eat all these good and healthy foods and be creative with all the fun creativ-ity,” he said.

Thaddeus Huff, coordinator of the Chesterfi eld COACH pro-gram, said the event went well.

“We are super pleased with the turnout,” Huff said.

“We haven’t counted yet, but we’re pretty sure that we got way more than we were expecting at our minimum and we’re pretty sure we hit our goals -- a low of 200 and a high of about 500 and I think we’re right there in the middle somewhere between 300

and 400 kids.” Huff said COACH would be

happy to partner again with VSU as part of its Agriculture Field Day.

“We’d love to,” he said. “We haven’t made plans yet, but we’ll probably within the next three or four months try to fi gure that out if we’re going to be able to do that.”

Andy Hankins, an Extension Specialist-Alternative Agriculture, has worked at VSU for 25 years and is the coordinator of the university’s annual Agriculture Field Day.

“We always have it on the fourth Tuesday of August at our 416-acre farm out here – Ran-dolph Farm,” Hankins said.

VSU conducts research and education on the farm, Hankins said, in areas like small fruit, corn and soybeans, greenhouse production of strawberries and tomatoes, production of livestock – such as goats and sheep – and aquaculture or fi sh farming in 100 ponds.

Clifton “Clif ” Slade, a small-farm agent with VSU’s Small Farm Outreach Program and a small farmer himself in Surry County, said the annual Agricul-ture Field Day “is a wonderful thing.”

“It’s what we call an educa-tional multiplier because every-thing that we do here, people get a chance to take some of these practices that they learned here today and put them on their farms,” Slade said.

Brick Goldman, a 60-year-old farmer from Charlotte County, attended VSU’s Agriculture Field Day with his son, Brian, a 39-year-old farmer from Camp-bell County, and his grandson,

4-year-old Zebulon. “I enjoyed seeing the new vari-

ety of vegetables that they got out here – the high-tunnel vegetables that are grown in the big [hoop] houses,” the elder Goldman said. “Just looking at the varieties, the new technologies.”

Brian said he also liked some of the things his father men-tioned, as well as learning ways of “being more effi cient on the farm to just get the most that you can out of the land that you have that you’re farming. So I enjoyed seeing all of that stuff.”

Hankins said meeting people like the Goldmans and helping them preserve their land is what he enjoys most about VSU’s an-nual Agriculture Field Day.

“These farmers are the salt of the earth,” Hankins said.

“You know, real good hard-working people and they’re trying to hold on to their land – not let it just be sold for development. They’re holding their land for future generations for food pro-duction. That’s very important. You don’t want all of Virginia to be developed and so holding land for future generations for production of healthy food, that’s the part I enjoy the most.”

VSU works primarily with small or part-time farmers and farmers who have limited re-sources, Hankins said.

“And because it’s really a tradi-tional black land-grant university, we have a lot of interest in trying to maintain some support for the African-American farmers in Virginia,” Hankins said.

“There’s about 4,000 Afri-can-American families that own farmland in this state. We don’t want them to lose that land to development or anything else.”

FIELD DAY from page 1

bill, lease agreement, real estate deed, mortgage statement.

� Proof of legal guardianship if applicable (court orders or custody papers).

� Proof of all sources of in-come such as recent pay stubs, no-tifi cation of Supplemental Nutri-

tion Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) amounts, Social Security payments, SSI pay-ments, pension award notice, child support payments.

� List of children’s birthdates, clothing sizes, height measure-ments.

The Chesterfi eld-Colonial Heights Christmas Mother Com-mittee reserves the right to pro-vide client information to other organizations that provide holiday assistance for purposes of eligibil-ity and verifi cation.

For more information, call 748-1183.

HOLIDAY from page 1

23112Aug. 125400 block of Windy Ridge DriveUnknown suspects entered an un-locked vehicle. Nothing was reported stolen.

Aug. 204600 block of Twelveoaks RoadUnknown suspects forced entry through the rear door of a residence. Items reported stolen fell in the follow-ing categories: clothing and furs, cur-rency and notes, jewelry and precious metals, TVs/radios/computers.

Aug. 2310900 block of Hull Street RoadMiscellaneous property was stolen from the bed of a truck parked in a parking garage/lot.

Aug. 245500 block of Windy Ridge DriveUnknown suspects entered unlocked vehicle. Items in the currency and notes category were reported stolen.

12700 block of Spectrim LaneUnknown suspects broke a vehicle’s rear passenger window. Miscellaneous property was reported stolen.

15300 block of Windy Ridge RoadUnknown suspect/s entered a locked vehicle. Miscellaneous items were reported stolen.

3800 block of Hendricks RoadVictim reported license plates stolen.

Aug. 254000 block of Mallard Creek CircleUnknown suspects entered two unlocked vehicles at two residences. The suspects forced a tool into the vehicles’ ignitions, but were unsuc-cessful in their attempts to steal the vehicles.

12200 block of Gable WayUnknown suspects fi red three shots into an occupied residence. No injuries were reported.

Aug. 2710800 block of Hull Street RoadItems in the TVs/cameras/computers category were reported stolen from a building.

12200 block of Chattanooga PlazaPossible known suspect stole miscel-laneous items from a car in the Eco Labs parking lot.

1600 block of Oak Lane BoulevardUnknown suspect/s broke out the rear windows of two work vans at Stone-man Heating and Air Conditioning. Miscellaneous items were reported as stolen.

23113Aug. 242800 block of Chartstone CourtAn unknown suspect was observed in the resident’s unlocked garage. Noth-ing was reported stolen.

11900 block of Reeds Bluff LaneUnknown suspect/s entered an unlocked vehicle. Victim reported miscellaneous property and consum-able goods stolen.

Aug. 261245 Sycamore Square Shopping CenterUnknown suspects forced entry by breaking a side window to the Ski Center retail store. Miscellaneous items were reported stolen.

Aug. 2711900 block of Fairlington LaneUnknown suspect/s used a ladder to enter a second-story window. The victim reported consumable goods and items in the TVs/cameras/com-puters category stolen.

Aug. 2814200 block of Midlothian TurnpikeItems in the category of TVs/comput-ers/cameras and miscellaneous items were reported as stolen from Murry & Kuhn Dentistry.

23114Aug. 2612900 block of Crescent Park DriveUnknown suspect/s entered an un-locked vehicle. Items in the category of currency and notes were reported stolen.

Aug. 2812900 block of Crescent Park DriveUnknown suspect/s entered an unlocked vehicle. Miscellaneous items were reported stolen.

23235July 188000 block of Provincetown RoadItems in the TVs/cameras/computers category were reported stolen from a commercial/offi ce building.

Aug. 2110000 block of Midlothian TurnpikeUnknown suspect/s stole currency from a service-station’s coin-oper-ated machine. There were no signs of forced entry.

Aug. 228300 block of Luton RoadMiscellaneous property from outside a resident’s home was reported stolen.

Aug. 231100 block of Joliette RoadMiscellaneous property from a resi-dence was reported stolen.

Aug. 249300 block of Groundhog DriveUnknown suspects entered unlocked residence. Items in the TVs/cameras/computers category were reported stolen.

10500 block of Jason RoadUnknown suspects entered an un-locked vehicle. Miscellaneous items were reported stolen.

2500 block of Pocoshock PlaceUnknown suspects entered the busi-ness through unlocked front windows. Items in the TVs/cameras/computer category were reported stolen.

Aug. 2510400 block of Midlothian TurnpikeMiscellaneous items and items in the currency/notes category were reported stolen from a location in the Pocono Crossing shopping center.

Aug. 2610000 block of Robious RoadItems into the categories of currency and notes, and TVs/cameras/comput-ers were reported stolen at a restaurant in the Robious Hall Shopping Center.

Aug. 2711300 block of Midlothian TurnpikeMiscellaneous property was reported stolen from the Ukrop’s/First Market Bank.

Aug. 288600 block of Larkspur RoadUnknown suspects attempted to enter a residence by breaking a basement window. The victim observed the suspects outside the window. Nothing was reported stolen.

11500 block of Midlothian TurnpikeItems in the category of TVs/cameras/computers were reported stolen from a retail store at Chesterfi eld Towne Center.

23236June 110300 block of Saint Joan AvenueA resident’s white 1995 Honda sedan with Virginia license plates was re-ported stolen.

Aug. 1610900 block of Penway DriveSuspects entered an unlocked vehicle. Items reported stolen fell into the categories of currency and notes, and TVs/radios/computers.

Aug. 23100 block of Rosegill RoadVictim reported that the rear vehicle license plates were stolen.23832

Aug. 188300 block of Hampton Crest CourtUnknown suspects entered possibly through a second-story window. Items reported stolen were in the jewelry and precious metals, and the TVs/radios/computers categories.

Aug. 208500 block of Hampton CrossingUnknown suspects entered possibly through a pet door or basement win-dow. Items reported as stolen were in the TVs/radios/computers category.

Aug. 2513600 block of Brandy Oaks RoadUnknown suspects entered two un-locked vehicles. Items in the currency and notes category were reported stolen.

10900 block of Brandy Wood TerraceUnknown suspect/s entered a locked vehicle. The victim reported that items in the TVs/cameras/computers category and miscellaneous items were stolen.

All data are based on the publicly available Chesterfi eld County Police Department daily arrest and crime releases and are reported according to Federal Incident Based Reporting rules.

CRIME REPORT

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 || 5MIDLOTHIANEXCHANGE.COM EXPLAIN NEWS || FEATURES

FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT

CLUES ACROSS 1. Essential fl oral oil

5. Boast

9. A way to travel on skis

11. Austrian capital

13. Sensationalist

journalism

15. Taxidrivers

16. Atomic mass unit

17. A rock-boring tool

19. Actress Farrow

20. The trunk of a tree

22. Satisfy to excess

23. Cleopatra’s snake

24. Single-reed

instrument

25. Volcanic mountain in

Japan

26. Bon ____: witty

remarks

28. Competitors

31. Republic of Ireland

32. Late Show host

34. Parrot nostril

membrane

35. Moves into action

37. Back talk

38. A pointed end

39. British Air Aces

41. 1st weekday

42. Sound in mind

43. Hypothetical original

matter

45. Head covering

46. Classical musical

dramas

49. God of war & sky

(Germanic)

50. Beginnings

53. Coarse fabric used for

bags

55. High legislative

assembly

56. What a ghost does

57. Pats gently

58. Ceases to live

CLUES DOWN 1. N.M. National Lab: Los

____

2. In columns

3. Inclusive

4. Underground plant

part

5. Top part of an apron

6. Confederate soldier

7. Make lively

8. Metamorphic rock

type

9. Thrust with a weapon

10. Russian space station

11. Rotates showing wind

direction

12. As fast as can be done

(abbr.)

14. Desalinate

15. Marcus Porcius

18. Perching bird order

21. Citizen rejects

26. Missing soldiers

27. Cantankerous

29. German river

30. Fed

31. Large Australian

fl ightless bird

33. Lasso users

34. Spanish saloon

36. Common cracker

37. Glided high

38. Draws from

40. Deceptive tactics

41. Conductance units

42. Unit of loudness

44. Steins

47. Express pleasure

48. A large amount

51. Talk

52. Belonging to a thing

54. Language spoken by

the Khonds

AUTUMN WORD SEARCH

ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20You are on a roll, Aries, and now it is

just a matter of maintaining the mo-

mentum for a few more days. Don’t

let anyone slow you down this

week.

TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21Taurus, there are many opportuni-

ties within your reach, but you are

not sure which way to go. Seek ad-

vice from Sagittarius when you get a

spare moment.

GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21Others can see you haven’t been

yourself lately, Gemini. So relax and

take a break from something that’s

been bothering you, and you will re-

turn to being your old self. You won’t

be disappointed.

CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22Now is not the time for dawdling,

Cancer. You have a full plate of things

to tackle and it seems like the hours

will be slipping away. Recharge and

get focused.

LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23Leo, don’t let anyone discourage you

when tackling a big project. As you

have proven time and again, you

simply need to establish a goal and

your eff orts will help you achieve it.

VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22Virgo, though you may not know

where your path will lead this week,

you are deeply aware that an adven-

ture is in store. Take some time to

prepare your mind and body.

LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23Libra, no one will know who you tru-

ly are unless you share a few secrets.

You don’t have to give everything

away, but allow others in by sharing

some personal information.

SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22Scorpio, though you don’t shy away

from challenges, you do know when

to pick your battles. When some-

thing inconsequential comes up this

week, let it pass.

SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21Sagittarius, when a past confl ict re-

surfaces this week, push it aside be-

cause that is ancient history. It is bet-

ter to focus on the positive things

that are in store for you.

CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20Capricorn, when you love someone,

it can be diffi cult to step aside and let

this person make his or her own

choices. But this is what you have to

do for lessons to be learned.

AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18Your eyes are bigger than your stom-

ach at work this week, Aquarius. Del-

egate some tasks so everything goes

smoothly and your project is com-

pleted on time.

PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20Learning from your weaknesses can

help you to grow stronger, Pisces.

Accept a challenge that is presented

this week, even if it scares you.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

HOROSCOPES

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS

9/5-9/6

from Alabama. Katta is the 17th recipient since

this award was created in 1996. Six out of the last seven Bobby Chandler Student Award winners have attended Clover Hill High School.

“This is my fi rst award for a class project,” Katta said. “It is al-ways exciting to get recognized for the work that you do. The idea of understanding why events cause

other events to happen makes his-tory interesting to me.”

The Virginia Historical Society (VHS) presented awards to indi-viduals who have made signifi -cant contributions to research, education, and the mission of the society. Nine VHS awards were presented to teachers, a collector, an author, students, volunteers and staff.

“It is in history that many of us fi nd comfort, that we fi nd mean-

ing,” Dr. Paul Levengood, VHS president and CEO, said to award winners and their guests, trustees and staff present at the event in July. “We are here as a refuge and as a place to learn and put our lives in context. What else but history, and perhaps faith, allows us to do that? With these awards handed out today you will see those who have excelled in the fi elds of schol-arship, service, and support of the Virginia Historical Society.”

AWARD from page 1

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY JENNIFER GUILDVirginia Historical Society president and CEO Dr. Paul Levengood presents the 2011 Bobby Chandler Student Award to Venu Katta.

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

W. Gerald Speeks of Midlothian cap-tured the first place Super-Select title

in western pleasure on Wednes-day, Aug. 29, at the 2012 Adequan Select American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show in Amarillo, Texas.

Speeks showed his homebred American Quarter Horse, Hotrod For Sure, a 2005 bay gelding.

Hotrod For Sure is sired by Certain Potential and out of Miss Heartrodder.

Launched this year, AQHA is recognizing the top three Super-Select competitors in every class at the Select World Show.

Super-Select is a new recogni-tion for exhibitors age 70 and over.

Exhibitors winning the Super-Select division receive a plaque and the achievement will appear on the official records of the

horse and exhibitor. AQHA is celebrating the 10th

year of the Adequan Select World. Adequan Select World is the

pinnacle event for American Quarter Horse exhibitors, ages 50 and over, around the world, who must qualify for the event by earning a predetermined number of points to compete in each of the classes representing halter, English and western disciplines.

The 1,273 entries at this year’s event, representing competitors from 40 of the United States, Ar-gentina, Canada and Sweden, are competing for 43 world champi-onships.

The show was held Aug. 24 through Sept. 1 in Amarillo at the Tri-State Fairgrounds.

For more news from the Ad-equan Select World, visit www.aqha.com/selectworld.

Information submitted by The American Quarter Horse Journal, Amarillo.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE JOURNALW. Gerald Speeks of Midlothian and Hotrod For Sure, a 2005 bay gelding, took fi rst place and received the Super-Select title in western pleasure at the 2012 Adequan Select American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show in Amarillo, Texas.

Local captures fi rst place Super-Select title in western pleasure

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

Two members of Bethia United Methodist Church in Chesterfi eld County were among 381

pastors and congregation leaders at a Stephen Series Leader’s Train-ing Course (LTC) held July 29 through Aug. in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Susan Seamster and Terri Woods attended the one-week training event hosted by the St. Louis-based Stephen Ministries organization.

Participants came from across the U.S. and Canada to learn how to implement and direct Stephen Ministry, a system of Christian caregiving in their congregations.

“Stephen Ministry gives Bethia UMC an effective way to train and organize members to provide one-to-one Christian care to in-dividuals struggling with a crisis like grief, divorce, loneliness, relo-cation, hospitalization, a terminal illness or unemployment,” the Rev. Jay Carey said. “The need for this type of care greatly exceeds what pastors alone can provide. All Christians are called to care for and to love one another; it’s not just the pastor’s job. By equip-ping laypeople we can help them fulfi ll their calling as Christians and also expand the amount of caring ministry available through Bethia UMC.”

Seamster and Woods were trained as Stephen Leaders at the event. One of their next steps will be to recruit, select and train members of Bethia to be Stephen Ministers – the ones who will provide one-to-one care. They will then match each Stephen Minister with an individual in need of care and provide the Stephen Ministers with ongo-ing supervision and continuing education.

Bethia United Methodist Church is located at 10700 Win-terpock Rd. in Chesterfi eld.

For more information, call 804-739-3459 or visit www.bethi-aumc.org.

Two Bethia United members attend leadership training

6 || SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 MIDLOTHIANEXCHANGE.COMEXPLORE YOUR WORLD || TRAVEL

A special supplement to Powhatan Today

Saturday, October 20, 2012Advertise in our keepsake souvenir!

Color included with purchase of an ad.Distribution:

Publishes: Deadline:Reserve your space today!

A special supplement to Powhatan Today

Saturday, October 20, 2012Advertise in our keepsake souvenir!

Color included with purchase of an ad.Distribution:

Publishes: Deadline:Reserve your space today!

CONTRIBUTED REPORTThe Chesterfi eld County

Department of Parks and Recreation is offering two family-friendly programs at Eppington Plantation on Saturday, Sept. 8.

Eppington was a large tobacco plantation built in 1768 by Thomas Jefferson’s brother-in-law, Francis Eppes VI, and is rarely open to the public.

A tour of the house and grounds of historic Epping-ton Plantation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m.

Experience what planta-tion life was like in the 1700s.

The house features items on display from the Eppes and Hines-Cherry fami-lies, as well as agricultural displays.

The tour is $8 per person

(course 25563). Another way to explore

the house and grounds of the plantation is by looking for historical geocaches.

From 2 to 4 p.m., adults and children aged 8 and older can participate in a scavenger hunt to uncover clues about Eppington while learning GPS skills.

Garmin hand-held receiv-ers will be provided.

The fee is $10 per person (course 25559).

Registration is required for both events.

For more information, call Bryan Truzzie, 804-751-4946, or e-mail truzzieb@chesterfi eld.gov.

To register, call 804-748-1623. Eppington Plantation is located at 14602 Eppes Falls Road in Chesterfi eld.

Family-oriented plantation programs offered

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

The Chesterfi eld Historical Soci-ety of Virginia (CHSV), with

support from Modern Woodman of America as this year’s event title spon-sor, will present its 6th An-nual Golf Classic fundraiser, starting at noon, on Mon-day Oct. 1, at the County Club at The Highlands.

All proceeds will benefi t the Chesterfi eld Historical Society of VA in its mission to collect, preserve, interpret and promote the history of Chesterfi eld County for the education and enjoyment of present and future genera-tions.

Hole sponsorships are available at $150. Practice

Area sponsorships are $250 and Refreshment Cart spon-sorships are $300.

All sponsor levels are en-titled to one free player per foursome and will receive signage, product display and recognition at the awards dinner. The cost per player is $85, including dinner in the clubhouse at the conclu-sion of the event.

Various tournament priz-es will be awarded as well as numerous door prizes.

Dinner guests are wel-come at $20 per guest.

Registration deadline is Thursday, Sept. 20.

For more information, call 804-796-7131. For sponsorship or registration, click on www.chesterfi eldh-history.com.

Historical Society the title sponsor of Golf Classic

CONTRIBUTED REPORTAs part of Active Aging

Week, the Chesterfi eld County Department of Parks and Recreation will hold a special workshop for adults aged 50 and older from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the Bon Air Baptist Church at 2531 Buford Road.

This workshop, Ac-tive Aging with Exercise Prescription, will feature

sample fi tness classes, re-freshments and vendors.

The guest speaker will be gym owner Mike Craven, who will discuss the ben-efi ts of prescriptive exercise as a tool to obtain better health.

Register at least one week in advance by calling 804-751-4135. To learn more about Active Aging Week, Sept. 24-28, visit www.icaa.cc/aaw.htm.

Exercise workshop for older adults

STUFF TO DOE-mail your event to editor@midlothianexchange.com. Subject line: EVENT

FRIDAY, SEPT. 7Bon Air Artists Association’s monthly meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the Congregation Or Ami at 9400 Huguenot Rd., in Richmond. Linda Hollett-Bazouzi will present a painting demonstra-tion. She is an en plein air oil painter who attempts to capture the fl eeting moments of nature within a few hours while painting outdoors. She paints and photographs while traveling, and she will share her unique approach of work-ing with her images on her computer to create her compositions. For more information, contact Nell Chesley at 804-217-8950.

St. Mark’s Preschool at 11551 Lucks Lane in Midlothian will be celebrating 40 years of offering a quality preschool to the Midlothian community from 10 a.m. to noon. Friday is an open house for all preschoolers for the 2012-2013 school year to visit. A banner, balloons and refreshments will be on the playground to celebrate the occasion.

Homeward Bound Country/Bluegrass singing will begin at 7 p.m. at Shiloh P.H. Church at 2400 Courthouse Rd. Food will be available at 6 p.m. For more information, call 804-276-0479 or 804-598-2660.

Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church at 1100 Mt. Pisgah Drive in Midlothian will have carnival style fun from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in its Christian Family Life Center. Families and children, preschool through 5th grade, will enjoy pizza, pop-corn, drinks, desserts, activities, games with prizes and a bouncing castle. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the church of-fi ce at 804-794-5856.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 8A free hour of Irish dancing will be offered from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Heart of Ireland School at 14257 Midlothian Turnpike in Midlothian. All ages are welcome and the event is open to boys and girls, tots to teens, moms to grandmoms and granddads. Registra-tion is required. For more information, e-mail info@heartofi relandschool.com. The limit is one per person.

MONDAY, SEPT. 10Breath Matters, a support group for the Greater Central Virginia community for patients who are suffering from all lung diseases, will meet from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at CJW Chippenham Hospital in the Kraus Auditorium at 7101 Jahnke Road in Richmond. Dr. Demetrius Julius, medical director of Chippenham/John-ston Willis Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center, will discuss sleep apnea and related ailments. Refreshments are provided and valet parking is available as a free courtesy. For more information, call 804-378-0628 or online at www.breathmatters.org.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 11The Chesterfi eld County Department of Parks and Recreation is offering a series of programs for adults 50 and older this August and September. Unless otherwise noted, classes are held at the Chesterfi eld Senior Center at 4000 Stigall Dr. in Midlothian. To register, call 804-748-1623. A full list of programs can be found in the current Program Guide, available online at chesterfi eld.gov. “Coal Mining in Chesterfi eld County” will be discussed by Robert “Peppy” Jones, who will talk about coal, horses and trains in the Chesterfi eld County area. Note: This program will begin at 10 a.m. at Beaufont Health and Rehabilitation at 200 Hioaks Road.

The Midlothian Garden Club will be holding its fi rst meeting for the new club at Bethel Baptist Church, 1100 Huguenot Springs Road, Midlothian (23114). The meeting begins at 10:30 a.m., including business and program. The program title for that day is “Let’s Get Fired Up and Ready to Go for Our December House Tour and Standard Flower Show!” Barbara Hollister and Committee Chairs update members on preparations for our House Tour and Flower Show. See the brochure, talk publicity and tickets, sign up to do a design and select your duties for this exciting day. Lunch will be served at noon. The meeting is open to the public and all visitors are welcome to attend. For more info, please call Sandy at 379-4515 or Dolores at 794-3002.

The Midlothian Garden Club will hold its fi rst meeting for the new club at Bethel Baptist Church at 1100 Huguenot Springs Road in Midlothian. The meet-ing begins at 10:30 a.m., including busi-ness and program. The program title for that day is “Let’s Get Fired Up and Ready to Go for Our December House Tour and Standard Flower Show!” Bar-bara Hollister and committee chairs will update members on preparations for the House Tour and Flower Show. See the brochure, talk publicity and tickets, sign up to do a design and select duties for the day. Lunch will be served at noon. The meeting is open to the public and all visitors are welcome to attend. For more information, call Sandy at 804-379-4515 or Dolores at 804-794-3002.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12The New Virginians, a club for women new to the Richmond area in the last two years, will have its monthly lun-cheon at 11:30 a.m. at the Jefferson Lakeside Country Club, 1700 Lakeside Ave. in Richmond.. The guest speaker is the decorator and owner of Feather-nesters, who will present a program on fall themed decorating. The cost for the luncheon is $25 for club members and their guests. Reservations for the lun-cheon are requested by noon on Sept. 5. Contact membership@thenewva.org.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 13Dr. Seuss’s “A Retrospective & Interna-tional Touring Exhibition” -- First-Ever Showcase in Virginia will be hosted by Bella Arte Gallery. The exhibition will celebrate the art and life of Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss). Thirty-two special panels will present original and reproduced historical pieces from 1927 through 1990, along with a selection of authorized estate editions reproduced under exclusive permission from his family. Visitors to the exhibition will come away with an in-depth look at the multifaceted artistic career of America’s best known children’s book author. The exhibition will run

FRIDAY, SEPT. 14The Virginia Museum of Radio Entertain-ment will present Foreigner at 6:30 p.m. at Pocahontas State Park at 10301 State Park Rd. in Chesterfi eld. Tickets are $20 advance, $25 at the gate and $40 for Gold Circle seating (advance only). Gates open at 6 p.m. For tickets, direc-tions or more information, visit www.pocahontaslive.com. Tickets also are available at the Pocahontas State Park offi ce, at all Capital Ale House locations in Richmond, or by calling 804-794-6700.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 15The Clover Hill choral students will hold a Discount Divas’ Dress and More Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the new Clover Hill High School at 13301 Kelly Green Lane in Midlothian. Note: GPS does not direct you to the new Clover Hill school unless the address above is placed in your global positioning system. New and like-new long and short formal dresses, shoes, purses, jewelry and more will be sold at prices up to 90 percent off retail. Everyone is welcome. There is no entrance fee. Proceeds will directly support fi nancially in-need students with choral program expenditures. For more information, contact Janai at LuvinShowchoir@aol.com or go to the Clover Hill High School Choral Program website http://cloverhillshowchoir.com.

Red Bird Mission’s Appalachian Craft Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, and Sunday, Sept. 16, in Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church’s Christian Family Life Center at 1100 Mt. Pisgah Drive in Midlothian. Contact the church offi ce at 804-794-5856 for more information.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19The Chesterfi eld Women’s League will start its 2012-2013 club year from 9:30 a.m. to noon at The Villages of Charter Colony Clubhouse at The Charter House at 1101 Charter Club Way in Midlothian.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 29For their 45th reunion, members of the Henrico High School Class of 1967 are hosting a celebration at the Torque Club at Richmond International Raceway with the theme, “Fifty Years of Friendship,” to commemorate the school’s opening in September 1962. In that regard, an in-

vitation is extended to the HHS classes 1965, 1966 and 1968. These four classes were the original student body for HHS. For more information, contact Bobby Haurand at bobaleen_81@yahoo.com or 804-516-8307.

Yard Sale will be held from 7 a.m. to noon at Clover Hill High School. Sellers wanted. Contact 804-744-8572 or chh-syardsale@aol.com for more informa-tion. Proceeds will benefi t educational scholarships.

The Annual “SPC Fall Fest” will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Salisbury Presbyterian Church, with kids’ games (bouncy houses, face painting, carnival games and more), a special appearance by Jonathan the Juggler and music all day. Food service will include hamburg-ers, hot dogs, BBQ, homemade fries and other goodies. The purpose of the SPC Fall Fest is to raise funds to further Salisbury Presbyterian’s support for local and international mission, and the Youth and Music mission programs. All proceeds will go to support these im-portant Outreach Ministries of SPC. Vol-unteers are needed throughout the day, as well as set-up and break-down times. For more information, or to donate time and talents, contact the Rev. Elizabeth McGuire at 804-794-5311 or emcguire@thesalisburychurch.org.

TUESDAY, OCT. 2Bon Air Artists Association’s monthly meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Congregation Or Ami at 9400 Hugue-not Rd. in Richmond. David Tanner will demonstrate how he “sees the world through a painter’s eyes” in a live oil painting demo and question and answer session. His work recently appeared on the cover of the September issue of Artist Magazine and in an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. For more information, contact Nell Chesley at 804-217-8950.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10The New Virginians, a club for women new to the Richmond area in the last two years, will meet at 11:30 a.m. at Hermitage Country Club at 1248 Hermit-age Road in Manakin-Sabot. The guest speaker for this luncheon is a Henrico County Police offi cer who will present a program on “Safety for Seniors,” includ-ing identity theft. The cost is $25 for club members and their guests. Reser-vations for the luncheon are requested by noon on Oct. 3. Contact member-ship@thenewva.org.

SATURDAY, NOV. 3The annual Clover Hill High School fall arts and crafts fair runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the new Clover Hill High School at 13301 Kelly Green Lane (near the intersection of Genito and Coalfi eld roads). Shop for holiday gifts, hand-made toys, jewelry and baked goods provided by 150 artists and crafters from southern Virginia. Concessions are available for purchase. All rental space fees benefi t the Clover Hill High School Athletic Association. For more information on the fair and on becoming a vendor, visit www.chillfootball.com/craftfair/home.php or contact Sallie Kirchhoff at 804-335-6533 or crcraft-fair@gmail.com.

WEEKLY TUESDAYSOvereaters Anonymous Group #51606 meets at 2 p.m. Tuesdays at the Central Baptist Church at 1510 Courthouse Rd. in Richmond. For more information, call Peg at 804-379-9558.

FACES (Family Advocacy Creating Edu-cation and Services) meets the fi rst and third Tuesday of every month at 11601 Lucks Lane in Midlothian. For more information, call 804-378-0035 or visit www.FACESVA.org.

WEEKLY WEDNESDAYSBridge is played from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at St. Mark’s Church at 11551 Luck’s Lane in Midlothian. Players of all levels are welcome. No advance sign-up is required. Call Carol at 804-594-0995 for more information.

WEEKLY THURSDAYSThe Al-Anon meeting Awaken to Hope meets at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays at St. John Neumann Catholic Church at 2480 Batterson Rd. in Powhatan.

CONTRIBUTED REPORTDiscount Diva, offer-

ing homecoming and prom dresses for inexpensive prices, will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15, at Clover Hill High School at 13301 Kelly Green Lane in Midlothian.

Long dresses will be sold for $30 and short dresses for $20. Shoes and jewelry also will be available for purchase.

Donations are welcome and, as organizers said, greatly appreciated. Those wishing to donate are asked to come by the school from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12.

For more information, contact luvinshowchoir@aol.com.

Inexpensive homecoming, prom dresses offered

CONTRIBUTED REPORTThe Greater South-

port Business Association Networking Luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Tues-day, Sept. 11, with network-ing at the Holiday Inn Koger Center at 1021 Koger Center Blvd. in Richmond.

The meeting will follow from noon to 1 p.m.

Pre-registration is $15 for

members and $20 for non-members.

On-site cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members.

To register online, go to http://www.southportasso-ciation.com/.

For more informa-tion, contact LaTika Lee at latika_lee@yahoo.com or 804-873-7363.

Greater Southport Business Association meeting Sept. 11

CONTRIBUTED REPORTIvan Parker, described

as “one of America’s most exciting gospel artists,” will appear at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 7, at the Bethany Place Baptist Church at 1501 S. Providence Rd. in North Chesterfi eld.

He has been appearing on national television and mak-

ing guest appearances on the Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming Video Series.

Parker is a veteran in the gospel music industry. He has been voted Favor-ite Male Vocalist 12 times and Favorite Lead Vocalist six times for the southern gospel Singing News Fans Awards.

Ivan Parker to appear Sept. 7

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Discover ChesterfieldPublication: October 18Deadline: September 21Circulation: 18,300

CONTRIBUTED REPORTThe Chesterfi eld Historical Society of

Virginia, in partnership with the Chesterfi eld Department of Parks and Recreation, pres-ents programs in support of homeschooling families.

These programs, designed for all grade levels, are fun and engaging while covering specifi c learning objectives.

Discovering Chesterfi eld’s Past: This program, to be presented from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Sept. 7, at the Chesterfi eld Museum at 6813 Mimms Loop in Chester-fi eld, will address life in rural Chesterfi eld long ago with a visit to a country store, a tour of the Courthouse Green and a lesson on Chesterfi eld’s role in the Revolution.

Chesterfi eld Coal: Tour the Midlothian Mines Park, the site of the fi rst commercial coal mines in North America, while learning of the impact this industry had on the region between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon on Friday, Sept. 14, at 13301 North Woolridge Road in Midlothian. This activity addresses geology and coal mining.

Life on the Plantation: Tour Magno-lia Grange house and grounds while learning about daily plantation life, including the role of the herb garden and the importance of herbs for fl avor, medicine, fragrance and pest control from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Sept. 28, at 10020 Ironbridge Road in Chesterfi eld. This session includes crafts and games.

The cost is $5 for children 6 and older. There is no fee for adults.

Reservations for these programs can be made by visiting the Chesterfi eld Historical Society website at www.chesterfi eldhistory.com and using PayPal.

The Chesterfi eld Historical Society of Vir-ginia serves as the center for Chesterfi eld his-tory. Established in 1981 as a private, nonprofi t 501(c)(3) organization, its mission is to collect, preserve, interpret and promote the county’s unique past for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations. For more in-formation on CHSV or to volunteer, visit www.chesterfi eldhistory.com, follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Chesterfi eldHistory or call 804-796-7121.

BY KOREY HUGHESSpecial Corresondent

Seasonal changes can have an effect on all forms of plant life, but they defi nitely infl uence lawn growth. Fortunately for local homeowners,

a free educational seminar called “Lawns, Weeds and How to Control Them” that gets underway on Saturday, Sept. 8. at Central Library in Chesterfi eld County will teach homeowners tips that will help them to care for their lawns all year long.

Chesterfi eld County Public Library is hosting the event, but the facts will be pre-sented by the Chesterfi eld County Offi ce of the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Susan Edwards is an agricultural and nat-ural resource technician and master gardener coordinator for the Chesterfi eld County Offi ce of the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Bill Bishop, another master gardener, will conduct the seminar on Saturday.

According to Edwards, the county presents programs at public libraries because it is a great way to get horticulture tips out to the community at large.

“A lot of people enjoy spending time in their landscapes to keep them looking nice,” Edwards said. “It’s an easy and cost-effective way for them to get information.”

The program will provide answers to questions that participants might have.

Edwards said attendees are welcome to bring in examples of weeds from their own yards to gain greater understanding about controlling them.

“Well, it’s a chance for people to bring in samples,” Edwards said. “Maybe there’s a weed that they haven’t been able to treat, and they can identify them during the presenta-tion.”

“He’s going to talk about the different types of weeds and different options for management, depending on the life cycle of the weeds, how timing factors into it and what kinds of controls work. Chemical controls can vary, depending on the type of weed it is.”

But, as Edwards said, the plants that people often call weeds aren’t necessarily nuisances. That is, a land owner must decide if an unwanted plant should be removed in order to maintain consistency on his or her lawn.

“Well, whether or not weeds are a problem

is in the eye of the beholder,” Edwards said. “What one person considers a weed, others call a wildfl ower.”

“A weed is usually a plant out of place. So, if you don’t like it, get rid of it.”

At the same time, there are simple mea-sures that land owners can take to ensure that their lawns look presentable.

“With a lawn, it’s important to do things that promote a healthy dense turf,” Edwards said. “A weak, thin turf will not help, so mulching landscape beds and using chemical controls can improve lawns.”

Fall is just around the corner. Hom-eowners need to prepare their lawns for the change, but Edwards said that cool season lawns must be handled differently than warm season lawns.

“For those who have cool season lawns with a tall fescue, they should fertilize,” Edwards said. “They should get a soil test to learn the PH and nutrient levels.”

“It will tell them if they need lime and fer-tilizer, and it helps to save them money in the long run. That way, they’ll know if they only need one bag of lime or one bag of fertilizer.”

In contrast, if you have a warm season lawn type, such as Bermuda or zoysia grass, Edwards said that it isn’t necessary to do much to prepare it for cooler temperatures.

“Those people with warm season lawns don’t need to fertilize those at this time,” Edwards said. “Those lawns will be winding down in the fall, and people who treat them will be doing weed control applications on a dormant lawn.”

Edwards also suggests that new homeown-ers or people who are renovating their lawns locally should plant a warm season grass because they require less maintenance in Central Virginia’s climate.

“Well, if you’re going to renovate or put in a new lawn, I recommend a warm season grass rather than a cool season grass,” Ed-wards said. “They’re more tolerant and stay green in the summer, and they’re pretty good at keeping the weeds down, but it’s an annual struggle for cool season grass.”

The “Lawns, Weeds and How to Control Them” educational seminar will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8, at Central Library at 9501 Lori Road in Chesterfi eld County.

To register for the program, call 804-751-4401.

CONTRIBUTED REPORTThe Bon Air Artists

Association’s monthly meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 7, at the Congregation Or Ami at 9400 Huguenot Rd. in Richmond.

Linda Hollett-Bazouzi will give a painting demon-stration. She is a plein air oil painter who attempts to cap-ture the fl eeting moments of nature within a few hours while painting outdoors. She paints and photographs

while traveling, and she will share her unique approach of working with her images on her computer to create her compositions.

For more information, contact Nell Chesley at 804-217-8950.

Chesterfi eld Historical Society offers homeschooling programs

Seminar at Central Library teaches lawn care techniques

Bon Air Artists Association meeting

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

The classic rock band Foreigner will perform at 6:30 p.m. on Fri-

day, Sept. 14, at Pocahontas State Park at 10301 State Park Rd. in Chesterfi eld.

The James River High School Senior Choir will join Foreigner on stage to sing the #1 hit, “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

Foreigner’s show is part of the “Pocahontas Live” concert series presented by the Virginia Museum of Radio Entertainment.

Pocahontas State Park is southeast of Richmond, and is easily accessible from Highway 360 or Interstate 95.

Tickets are $20 in ad-vance and $25 at the gate and $40 for Gold Circle seat-ing (advance only).

Gates open at 6 p.m. For tickets, information

and directions, visit www.pocahontaslive.com.

Tickets also are avail-able at the Pocahontas State Park offi ce, at all Capital Ale House locations in Richmond, or by calling 804-794-6700.

Foreigner has a catalog of multi-platinum songs, in-cluding “Cold As Ice,” “Feels Like the First Time,” “Juke Box Hero,” “I Want To Know What Love Is,” and critically-acclaimed hits from the 2009 Can’t Slow Down album.

Founder Mick Jones is

described as the vision-ary maestro whose stylistic songwriting, indelible guitar hooks and multi-layered talents continue to escalate Foreigner’s infl uence after more than 30 years in the music industry. Joining him in the band’s lineup are lead vocalist Kelly Hansen, bass guitarist Jeff Pilson, multi-instrumentalist Tom Gimbel, keyboardist Michael Bluestein and drummer Brian Tichy.

Foreigner has 14 Top 20 hits, as well as 10 multi-platinum albums.

Can’t Slow Down entered the Billboard chart in the Top 30 and had great success on radio with two Top 20 singles. The next two years were an almost constant run of sold-out shows across Eu-rope and the United States, culminating with the release of a live album recorded in Nashville’s Ryman Audito-rium that spent 13 weeks in the Billboard Top 200.

Foreigner’s three-disc set, Feels Like The First Time, was released in September 2011.

The Virginia Museum of Radio Entertainment (VMRE) is a nonprofi t 501(c)3 organization based in Crewe.

The mission of The VMRE is to archive, sustain and perpetuate roots-based American music and to enhance public awareness of

central Virginia’s rich musi-cal heritage.

The VMRE partners with school systems in several counties, presenting special programs to educate stu-dents about music business.

The VMRE also works closely with Virginia State Parks, Virginia’s Retreat, and many other community service organizations.

The VMRE concert series features a wide variety of great music at several differ-ent venues in the Richmond area, including Virginia Crossroads Live in Crewe, Innsbrook After Hours in Glen Allen, Powhatan Vil-lage in Powhatan and Ken-bridge Community Center in Kenbridge.

Artists who have per-formed in 2012 include Lynyrd Skynyrd, Willie Nelson, Bruce Hornsby, Leftover Salmon, Dark Star Orchestra, Lee Brice, The Avett Brothers, The Band Perry and The Temptations.

For a full list of venues and upcoming events, visit www.vmre.org.

The Virginia Museum of Radio Entertainment welcomes donations, which are tax-deductible, and may be made on the website or sent to VMRE, PO Box 607, Crewe, VA 23930.

For more information about The VMRE, contact executive director Christopher Gowin at: 804-678-8013.

Foreigner to perform at Pocahontas State Park

SUBMITTED PHOTO

8 || SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 MIDLOTHIANEXCHANGE.COMSPORTS || FITNESSEXERCISE

BY FRED JETERContributing Writer

Roanoke College’s softball trophy case has Midlothian fi n-gerprints all over it.

Cay Manuel, from Midlothian High, and former Cosby star Kelly Higbie were co-pilots last spring in Roanoke’s magic carpet ride to the NCAA Division III World Series.

After transferring from Wingate (N.C.), Manuel dazzled with the glove at sec-ond base and with the bat.

Freshman Higbie domi-nated from the pitching circle.

The twosome from the 23112 area code helped RC to a 35-11 record, champion-ships of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and Newport News Regional, and fourth-place World Series fi nish in Salem.

The World Series is held each year at Salem’s Moyer Complex, which also serves as RC’s home diamond.

RC defeated Bridgewater for the ODAC title and Christopher Newport for the Regional crown.

The Maroons won two World Series games before being eliminated by Linfi eld, Oregon.

Manuel was instrumental in a late-season 12-game winning streak despite suffering a knee injury in Newport News.

“You couldn’t ask for a better ballplayer than

Cay,” said RC coach Mike Mitchell. “She solidi-fi ed our infi eld and it was our defense that made us so good.

“You can see she is the daughter of coaches … even in her fi rst year she became a vocal leader.”

Her parents are Denise Manuel (longtime softball coach at Midlothian) and Patrick Manuel (football coach at Matoaca).

Batting fi fth, the 5-foot-1 sparkplug hit .313 with 41 hits, 26 runs batted in and six stolen bases in six tries.

Defensively she made 115 assists and 90 put-outs wearing Maroons Jersey No. 1.

Higbie was the unexpected star on the mound.

“She has pinpoint control,” said Mitchell.

To start the school year, Higbie was third on the depth chart behind incumbent Stephanie Clark and Virginia Tech transfer Abbie Rexrode.

When Clark suffered a shoulder injury and Rexrode backed off to concentrate on her Pharmacy major, Higbie became the No. 1 hurler.

The daughter of Rick and Susie Higbie didn’t disap-point.

The wind-milling right-hander posted a 30-10 record and a 1.39 earned run average. She struck out 141 batters in 261.1 innings, earn-ing All-ODAC and Region Pitcher of Year honors.

“It all fell into place,” said Mitchell.

“When Stephanie couldn’t pitch, we moved her to short, Cay to second … and Kelly to the pitching rubber.

“Wow! What a combination.”Mitchell says he learned of both Manuel and

Higbie through the Rampage travel program, coached by Butch Ledford.

Higbie continue to play for Rampage this summer while Manuel worked on rehabilitating her knee.

The Maroons are involved in a 15-day fall training program this fall with an Oct. 7 game at James Madison.

An encore is expected next spring. Seven of the Maroons’ starters, counting Manuel and Hig-bie, will be returning to Mitchell’s lineup.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROANOKE COLLEGEFormer Midlothian standout Cay Manuel (above) and former Cosby star Kelly Higbie (below) helped Roanoke College to a 35-11 record, championships of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and Newport News Regional, and fourth-place World Series fi nish in Salem last season.

Midlothian athletes take Roanoke College to new heights

RIDEMAGIC CARPET

BY DAVE LAWRENCEsports@midlothianexchange.com

Midlothian’s four Division 6 football teams have a lot to

fi ght for in this year’s Divi-sion 6 campaign. First and foremost, the priority is to unseat L.C. Bird as the reign-ing district champion.

Two of them, Cosby and Manchester, fi nished in a three-way tie with L.C. Bird for the title last year, but yielded the Central Region playoff berth to the Skyhawks on power points. Of the four teams, which include Clover Hill and James River, Man-

chester seems to be getting most of its squad back intact, while Clover Hill’s and James River’s lineups will feature a lot of new faces.

CLOVER HILLThe Cavaliers (7-3, 5-3

Dominion last year), who fi nished fourth in the district overall, graduated 17 starters from last year’s squad.

“We’ve got a lot of new faces, a lot of young kids who worked hard in the off-sea-son and are working really hard in practice right now,” said Clover Hill Sean O’Hare “We’ve got our hands full every week. There’s some teams in the Dominion and in

the Central Region that have a lot of proven players. … We’re going to fi ght to be competi-tive week in and week out.”

O’Hare has some solid veterans, chief among them is Bobby Fulp who had played as defensive back and receiver the past two years. Fulp will start as quarterback and free safety this year. Another re-turning leader is Kyle Flaherty, who like Fulp, will play both ways as middle linebacker and fullback. The Cavaliers’ most experienced lineman is Brandon Tyson. Tyson, a three-year starter, will also play both ways.

The Cavaliers have two

newcomers worth watching Ty Ferrell as slot back and kick returner and A.J. Fox at tailback and linebacker.

COSBYUnlike Bird and Manches-

ter, with whom The Titans (9-1, 7-1) shared the Do-minion regular season title, Cosby had had more turnover than either of its rivals, which may dampen its changes for surviving into the playoffs. But coach Pete Mutascio is not daunted.

“At the same time, I feel confi dent, that if things go our way the fi rst few weeks, if we get some confi dence with our kids that are stepping up

… I think we have a very good offensive line that will allow us to play with and compete against, … and have an op-portunity to beat those two teams,” Mutascsio said.

Most of the experienced players on Mutascio’s squad are up front, including right tackle Andrew Miller, right guard Ryan Wall and center Tyler Powell. Mutascio is looking for a lot of leader-ship from quarterback Aaron Birnbaum and execution from wide receivers Zach Horvath and Tyler Fitzgerald. On defense, O’Hare gets a lot of experience in returning start-ing linebacker Troy Barden

as well as Powell as defensive lineman.

Promising newcomers include freshman Drew Birch-meyer, who will get looks at tight end, fullback, and on the defensive line; offensive lineman Joey Orcutt, and line-backers Grayson Turner and Cole Hobson.

JAMES RIVERThe Rapids (3-7, 1-7) lan-

guished through a disastrous year, winning their fi rst two games, then losing all but one throughout the rest of the season after their starting quarterback, Sam Hunt, was knocked out for the season with a shoulder injury.

This year they return only a handful of offensive and defensive starters, and a lot of them are going to be young.

“We’re going to play eight or nine sophomores who ex-pect to see signifi cant playing time,” said James River coach Greg DeFrancesco. “That’s a lot of inexperience that we’re going to have to overcome.”

But he likes what he sees.“They’re great kids , they’re

tough kids, they’re scrappy kids. And we fi ll in around them with some guys who may not have started last year, but are stepping up and had really strong off-seasons,” DeFrancesco said. “We scrim-maged Thomas Dale and Henrico last week, and we held our own.”

Among his more experi-enced players are Mac Caples, who started the past two years as safety and running back, but who moves to quarter-back this season; Stacy Jen-nings, who is a defensive back and slot receiver this year.

DeFrancesco is looking forward to the return of inside linebacker Tim Francis, who missed last season after breaking his leg in a moto-cross accident. Among the new starters, cornerbacks Najee Jones and Preston Beale stand out.

MANCHESTERWhile some of the other

Division 6 teams struggle with a dearth of experienced start-ers, the Lancers (7-3, 7-1) will have an abundance. This year’s squad features 35 seniors.

Manchester coach Tom Hall hopes the experience helps the Lancers avoid slow starts, such as last year, in which they lost their fi rst two games – and critical power points which may have cost them the Dominion’s playoff bid.

“We kind of regrouped. The kids did a nice job bouncing back and having a good year,” Hall said. “Hope-fully now, with the number of seniors and returning starters that we have, we’re hoping to get off to a little quicker start.”

While Manchester retained the majority of its offensive lineup, its defense will not share in the bounty of return-ing starters. In all, eight gradu-ated from last year’s squad.

Nevertheless, the Lanc-ers’ bounty of experience has produced a bounty of

Midlothian football teams ready for battle

FOOTBALL page 9

BY DAVE LAWRENCEsports@midlothianexchange.com

The new football season gears up with most of the Dominion

District united around a common goal – fi nd a way to knock L.C. Bird off the top of the pack.

The Skyhawks, led by head coach David Bedwell, have dominated the dis-trict throughout the cur-rent millennium, claiming the district title in 2001 and successfully defending it every year since.

But it won’t be easy.“They’re how you rate

yourself, how you grade

Teams look to knock L.C. Bird from perch

L.C. BIRD page 9

Independence Golf Club recently hosted kids from the Fresh Air Fund, a program offering children from the inner city the

opportunity to enjoy the summer in fresh air.

PHOTO BY LATIKA LEE

Independence Golf Club

offers a bit of ‘Fresh Air’

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leaders, with eight selected to guide the team on and off the fi eld. They include Brandon Allen at quarter-back; Cody Wilburn, in his third year starting at center; linebackers Matt-son Deuche and Holland Fisher and defensive back Waki Lewis.

Hall has great expecta-tions for three newcomers on the Lancer lineup: wide receiver John Duhart, run-ning back Troy Cory and cornerback Dazjjon Igner.

FOOTBALL from page 8yourself, on them,” said Cosby head coach Pete Mutascio, whose Titans fi nished in a three-way tie for the district title last year with Bird and Manchester, but the Skyhawks earned the automatic bid on power points. “You’ve got to go through Bird to win the district. They’re in deep. Until somebody beats them, you compare yourself to Bird because of how suc-cessful they’ve been.”

Beating the Skyhawks is especially important for Dominion teams. Because the current Central Region postseason format which allows only four teams each in the Division 5 and

Division 6 playoffs, many teams with excellent records – such as Cosby, with a 9-1 record – were left out in the cold.

Anyone wishing to surpass Bird this season faces a huge challenge. The Skyhawks lose only fi ve starters from last year, two on offense and three on defense, although some of those graduates – such as quarterback Anthony Harris and running back Yahkee Johnson – leave a daunting legacy for their replacements.

If any team will succeed in knock-ing L.C. Bird off the top of the Do-minion heap this season, it will likely be from Midlothian, and if experience

is any guide, the successful challenger is most likely to be Cosby or Man-chester.

Knocking off the Skyhawks would be especially sweet for the Lancers.

“We’ve been the bridesmaids fi ve times when it comes to the points system,” said Manchester coach Tom Hall. “We’ve been pretty successful. I think over the last decade, we’ve had seven wins … playing in one of the toughest conferences in the area.”

Hall said Manchester was pretty young last year. As with the Skyhawks, this year youth won’t be a problem.

“We are pretty senior heavy. I think we have 35 seniors on this year’s

team,” Hall said. “You’re hoping with the experience you can get a little quicker start than we did in past years. It seems it always takes us a couple of games to get rolling.”

Cosby should again be within range of the district title, but playing experience may not be the Titans’ strength.

“We graduated 17 starters,” O’Hare said. “We’ve got a lot of new faces.”

As far as the rest of the district goes, the rest of the Midlothian-area teams – Clover Hill, James River, Midlothian and Monacan – have a good chance of fi nishing in the middle of the Dominion standings.

L.C. BIRD from page 8

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