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Apr. 23 - 29, 2010

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Ed Elswick, Roanoke County Supervisor for the Windsor Hills District, and Richard Caywood, VDOT District Administrator, were guest speakers at the Back Creek Civic League meeting Monday evening. Caywood addressed the Route 221 widening project along with other VDOT activity in the southwest county area. Els-wick also spoke about issues that he has been involved with during his first four months in office.

Caywood began with the announcement that VDOT is currently in its second round of layoffs this past year, which have affected over a hundred people in the region. He shared that the state agency is now a little over half the size that it was when he first started with VDOT about 18 years ago. “As we continue to get smaller, we will probably be doing more work than ever with contractors,” he said. “There are a lot of things that we used to do that we cannot do any longer, or not do as well as we used to.” He did praise the folks that work for him in their “Herculean effort” in trying to keep the roads clear this past winter.

Caywood said that recent work along Route 221 has involved the movement of utilities in preparation for the widening of the road and softening the accident-prone

“S” curve. The end result will be a four lane road between Route 668 (Cotton Hill Rd) and Crystal Creek Road. There will be a new right turn lane from Cotton Hill which will continue onto Route 221 as a “free flow right” which is a dedicated lane that will begin the two lanes going north towards Roanoke. The bulk of the new road will be on the Cotton Hill side of Back Creek. Two bridges will cross the creek as the curve is straightened. When the proj-ect is complete, Ran Lynn and Cotton Hill will meet at one intersection.

According to Caywood, the project has now been ful-ly funded and was one of the

Just as surely as the Norfolk Southern steam whistle has blown at 12 noon downtown since time immemorial, Roa-nokers, as well as people in up to 19 surrounding counties, came to expect to hear “God’s Minute” at high noon, just be-fore the daily newscasts on many radio and TV stations. Dr. Charles G. Fuller, then Pas-tor of Roanoke’s First Baptist Church, was the host of the on-air vignettes that sought to invoke thought, inspire, and ultimately direct listeners to the gospel message.

For 27 years, God’s Minute was on the air in Roanoke, chal-lenging people to see life in a new way, often taking ordinary experiences and re-focusing them through the perspective of the Bible. Each God’s Min-ute’s quick unfolding and famil-iar cadence made it easy to take in; for many, over time, it meant a changed life—and sometimes, a saved life.

Fuller once received a letter from a man who said he was parked on the Blue Ridge Parkway, with a pistol in his lap, contemplating suicide. “God’s Minute” came on the air on his car radio and God used the brief message to change his mind about ending his life and to start over again.

Just last month, Fuller pub-lished his first book, titled “Give Him Time,” a daily devotional which is largely a compilation

of edited scripts used for the God’s Minute broadcasts, along with some new material. He will be having a book signing at Lifeway Christian Bookstores at Valley View on Saturday May 1 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Life-way manager Dwayne French said that “we are always pleased to be able to do this, especially for our local authors.”

Those famil-iar with the God’s Minute broadcasts will likely recognize

many of the narratives used in the book. The writing evokes a friendly feel, occasionally with a light approach, as if the reader is heading down a water park chute with the inevitable splash (into truth) just seconds ahead. “God’s Half Hour,” Fuller’s taped sermons, is still being broadcast on some stations and on short-

wave around the world today.Although this is his first solo

endeavor, Fuller has been a “con-tributing author to eight books,” and in the 60’s co-authored a book, “For Building,” with his first wife Pat, that combined his sermons with her poetry, using the piece as a fundraiser for one of the church’s new buildings. The book was well-received, in part because it was linked with the “cause” of the building, ac-cording to Fuller.

As longtime pastor of First Baptist’s large congregation, Fuller became somewhat of a community icon. He was also active in Southern Baptist life nationally; his role as Chair-man of the Southern Baptist Convention Peace Committee--convened to address the con-

Photo by Quigg Lawrence

Dr. Charles Fuller and wife Carol.

Regional Fire EMS Graduates 22

The 13th Roanoke Valley Regional Fire-EMS Acad-emy, consisting of 22 personnel from Roanoke County, and the cities of Roanoke and Salem,

graduated Friday at the Roanoke Civic Center. Each recruit was called to the stage and pinned with their new firefighter badge as their families looked on.

Nine individuals representing Roanoke County Fire & Rescue, eleven representing Roanoke Fire-EMS and two representing Salem Fire-EMS Rescue spent 14 weeks re-ceiving instruction and practical training in the areas of basic firefighting skills as well as emergency medical tech-niques. The training included: rope rescue, vehicle extrica-

tion, emergency vehicle driving, and hazardous materials mitigation skills, along with EMS certification. Most of the training was completed at the Roanoke Valley Regional Fire-EMS Training Center located on Kessler Mill Road in Roanoke County. The graduates received their station as-signments immediately following the ceremony and some will start their first shift on Saturday.

Bringing the Fire and EMS departments together to learn, train, and grow provides consistency among all firefighter/EMS personnel, whether stationed in Roanoke County, Ro-anoke City or Salem, minimizing costs to each jurisdiction through shared instructors and equipment.

Photo by Jennifer Sexton

“The recommended budget for fiscal year 2011 is balanced,” declared Sherman Stovall, Di-rector of Management and Bud-get. The $253 million budget is a decrease of 1.4% from last year – it includes the 2% meals tax and fee increases approved by council.

Cuts in services include bulk trash pick up on alternating weeks, one day library closures, street pav-ing and c leaning r e d u c -tions. Pool operation will be scaled back to three days a week and production of the city calen-dar and magazine will be elimi-nated.

The closing of the Crisis Cen-ter brought another round of finger pointing towards Rich-mond. Stovall lamented that fur-ther cuts by the governor are still expected and that elimination of the program is inevitable even if council restored its share of the funding.

Maintenance of buildings and equipment are being postponed. “This is not sustainable over time,” said Stovall.

Fifty-one city employee posi-tions are being eliminated, along with employee training. In addi-tion, a $900,000 contingency will be maintained in anticipation of

[City Council]

Elswick Gives Update on Major County Projects

[Religion]

> CONTINUEDP2: Budget

Dr. Charles Fuller Believes It’s All In God’s Time

Photo Submitted

Ed Elswick speaks at Mon-day’s Back Creek meeting.

> CONTINUEDP2: Elswick

> CONTINUEDP2: Fuller

DayEarth

P3– Grandin Village hosts another intriguing and infor-mative Earth Day celebra-tion.

MemoryParkwayP4– Johnny Robinson shares his youthful adventure riding the Blue Ridge Parkway from beginning to end.

BigThinking

P10– Miss Virginia joined VA Tech Football Players and others in telling students to think big.

CheapStill Cookin’

P11– New York Times recognizes an old favor-ite; Roanoke-produced “Cookin Cheap.”

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flict between the moderate and conservative groups within the convention—garnered Fuller the respect of both sides, a testament to his leadership abilities.

Today, Fuller has been retired for over ten years and is in his late seventies. Along with a little more gray, the years have brought a more palpable serenity, a contagious sense of heightened humility, and a quiet yet te-nacious focus on being obedient and using the gifts he has. He continues to receive in-vitations to preach; he leads a men’s Bible study; he leads a worship service at “The Warehouse” in Penhook once a month; he encourages and mentors other pastors who call upon him. One of his most fulfilling in-vestments is working in his son’s ministry, “Answering The Call.”

He also has a website, www.godstim-eonline.com which is intended to further expand his ministry in an effort to reach others for Christ. Fuller explains that “The ‘time’ theme came after the choice of “God’s Minute” for a title to the daily, one-minute vignettes. The 30 minute broadcasts of ser-mons was like a sequel. Other ‘time’ themes then just fell into place. A passage of Scrip-ture is fitting, ‘Behold now is the acceptable time, behold now is the day of salvation’ (II Corinthians 6: 2b).”

He also observes that with time comes

the ability to come alongside others in their moments of need. “It is so very important to me that in the accumulation of years, the Lord gives you so many different kinds of experiences…You are a help because of your experiences [which] helps to qualify you to speak to other people and answer questions.” He points out that this authen-ticity is so valuable; it is frustrating when “people say they know how you feel when they actually do not.”

He credits many who encouraged him to consider becoming an author, especially his wife Carol, who has worked hard behind the scenes; “she really has put energy into it…she just threw herself into the project, which took the better part of a year,” re-marks Fuller. He admits to thinking about another book, which will likely follow a ser-monic theme, into which he would feed his personal experiences.

When asked why he did not write sooner, Fuller says that he always saw himself as “more preacher than writer,” viewing it as his first calling. He adds that “preaching is a love of mine; as Jeremiah said regarding God’s message, ‘It is burning in me like a fire in my bones and I could not keep it in.’” He adds that if “the Lord put a gift in you, He didn’t put it in you for you not to use it.”

The decades of ministry Fuller was in-

volved in were blessed and multiplied, but he also comments that “I have to be hon-est, there were things I did not do well.” He adds that “above all, it is important to finish well. The world is not so much interested in learning what it is to be a Christian when life is going right and all is well. But the world IS interested to know what difference it makes to be a Christian when your world falls apart.”

Fuller is grateful when he describes how “it has been encouraging for people to see me these days and say ‘thank you for all those years we got to see and hear God’s Minute.’” It would appear that “Give Him Time” breathes new life into Fuller’s minis-tries that began those many years ago, but in reality that ministry has been ongoing, al-beit in different ways, and at different times, all along.

“Give Him Time” will be available at Life-way Christian Bookstores for the book sign-ing and is currently available online at Cross-books.com. The book signing will be held Sat. May 1 from 11 to 1. For more information, visit www.godstimeonline.com

> Fuller From page 1

By Cheryl [email protected]

more state cuts.On the revenue side, the Di-

rector of Finance, Ann Shawver, “wished she could say some-thing positive about it.” The sales tax has decreased 16% from last year. Shawver expects further decreases due to the 220 Wal-mart relocating to the county and the opening of a new Lowe’s store in Salem.

The 36.42% school funding formula will adjust to 41% with the extra 2% meals tax funds. The pledge to increase funding by $500,000 yearly was halted and justified by the meals tax increase. The pledge stands at $1 million for this year. Shawver also made council aware that $7 million of debt service for

school capital projects is an ad-ditional city contribution.

The meals tax will gener-ate $4.4 million for the public schools but Shawver noted that the actual number is lower than that “because that is one of the taxes that is contracting.”

Shawver thinks it prudent to be conservative in revenue pro-jections as she anticipates future decline. “Our sales tax revenue is taking us back to our fiscal 2004 times,” said Shawver.

One of the only growth ar-eas is a $1 million increase in real estate revenue, primarily due to new construction. “This [increase] is the lowest growth we’ve seen in probably 20, may-be 30 years,” said Shawver, add-

ing “Roanoke is lucky to see any growth at all in comparison to other localities.

On May 3 there will be a public hearing on the budget at 6 p.m. A council budget study will take place on May 6 and 7 with the final budget adopted on May 10.

Elaine Bays, Director of Cable Access, RVTV presented their budget for fiscal year 2011. The limitations to televising council briefings in the EOC (Room 159) were touched on again. “It’s far livelier than what we do in council chambers,” said Coun-cilman Rupert Cutler. No high priority briefings have been moved to council chambers as suggested a year ago.

Public interviews of school board applicants took place at 4 p.m. The applicants inter-viewed were Reverend James Beatty, Chris Craft, John Elliott, Jr., Annette Lewis, Joelle Miller, Brenda Tatum and reapplying was Suzanne Moore.

At the 7 p.m. council meeting, 15 citizens presented their rec-ommendations for their school board candidates of choice. The candidate selected by council will be made public on May 3.

By Valerie [email protected]

> Budget From page 1

> Elswick From page 1

last stimulus projects to get money in the state of Virginia. “It is being advertised for bid next Tuesday and will be open for bid for 60 days,” said Caywood. He added that work will start late summer or early fall and then will continue through another two construction seasons. The anticipated completion date is in the fall of 2013.

Caywood spoke about several other construction projects that will begin when school lets out. One will be the completion of the Colonial Avenue roundabout and road work near North Cross School to add a dedicated right turn lane onto Route 419. The section of Colonial Avenue between Brambleton and Route 419 will close in June. Merriman Road at Meadowlark will also be closed for the summer for the construction of the new roundabout at that intersection. The traffic circle will have five legs which will include the entrance to Penn Forest Elementary School and the entrance to the new South County library.

Elswick said that his job as a county supervisor has almost been a full time job so far - meeting with county residents and addressing their questions and needs; researching issues before the supervisors; and attending one or two meetings per day. He stated that the budget issue has required a major time invest-ment with meetings that often go late into the night. He had high praise for the county employees that he has worked with, including County Administrator Clay Goodman.

Elswick represents the people of the Windsor Hills District and desires to know the opinions of the people. He spoke about

“Common Sense,” an organization which formed a few months ago with the objective of getting citizens involved in forming a political consensus, and making county decision-makers aware of their views.

He addressed the closing of Bent Mountain Elementary School and emphasized that the school building is the only fo-cal point that the community has. He added, “It has been there since 1872 and the desire is to keep it as a community center.” A group of Bent Mountain residents have been brainstorm-ing ideas such as fish fries on Friday nights, Saturday morning breakfasts, bingo nights, and bluegrass concerts - all geared to eventually raise enough money to run the facility without fund-ing from the county. Much to Elswick’s regret, the School Board is now considering leasing the building to an organization called “June Bug” out of Floyd, for a dollar a year, totally bypassing the wishes of the Bent Mountain community.

Another issue that Elswick has been involved with is the pro-posed wind farm of fifteen 400+ feet turbines on top of Poor Mountain. He said that research is continuing and the findings are not all positive; energy grids sometimes cannot efficiently accommodate the output of the windmills and there can be neg-ative effects on people who live within a mile of the turbines.

Elswick praised Pete Haislip, Director of Roanoke County’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism, for the incredible job that he has done recruiting members for the Green Ridge Recreation Cen-ter. It appears that the center’s operating costs may be covered for the first year; however, Elswick added that there is an addi-tional 1.8 million dollars a year due to cover the bonds used to build the facility.

Elswick spoke about the Slate Hill development, now called South Peak, calling it an “eyesore and not a good reflection on Roanoke County or the community.” He said that the developer, Jim Smith, is willing to put another $100 million into the project if the county will set up a community development authority to borrow 15 million to finance and oversee public infrastructure improvements to the site.

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“Earth Day” was celebrated in Grandin Village on Saturday April 17th after it was officially proclaimed by the Mayor and the proclamation was read. The street was lined with cars; the village was bustling. There were lectures by experts on various topics, and folks who happened to be in the area may have heard young Hailey Desper, age elev-en, profoundly spout her well-thought out theories on ani-mals and insects. For those who didn’t have a chance to stop by and enjoy the activities or visit the booths, here’s a sample of how all of us can make a differ-ence.

• If you would like to partici-pate by “saving money, saving time, and saving the world” then check out ridesolutions.org. They offer an easy way to save money without changing your daily routine, while easing traffic congestion and improv-ing air quality in the region. Use the calculator on their website to determine the cost of your current transportation lifestyle and find out how to register to win an IPOD Touch. Accord-ing to this organization, many of us spend 20% of our income driving, often spending more to drive than we do on food. They can also be reached at 342-9393.

• Do you have any idea what area you affect when you put chemical fertilizer on your

lawn? Check out vasos.org to discover the wide reaching im-pact of activity in the upper Roanoke River watershed area. According to Maureen Castern of The Roanoke River Round-table, (upperroanokeriver.org), “we’re all sitting in the same bathtub.” Now that’s a sobering thought!

• If you are unfamiliar with the concepts of “vermiculture,” Rosalie Kelp is the person to talk to. If more people understood the role of “the bugs we cannot see” in the life of our soil and our bodies, maybe everyone would be composting in their kitchen. She suggests a visit to cornell.edu to begin to educate yourself on composting both inside and outside of your home.

• Roanoke also has a very active branch of the Weston

A. Price Foundation. Check out westonaprice.org to learn how to change your body and its health by changing what you eat. You may contact the local chapter volunteer coordinator, Judy Harrington at [email protected]. You might be sur-prised to learn what the research says about the way this genera-tion has been taught to eat. You only have to look at the effects of obesity and chronic disease to wonder if you might be doing all the wrong things.

But Roanoke is doing many of the right things - and every-one who made it to the Village last Saturday got a wonderful view of how we can all make a difference in our future!

Earth Day on Grandin Points Roanokers to More Sustainable Future

By Christine [email protected]

Nary a disruption or ill-mannered, disrespectful sign could be found at the Tea Party Rally last week. Some signs were funny, some serious and some analogous to Tea Party-goers’ feelings about being Taxed Enough Already (TEA). The question is, did the estimated 500 people file their federal tax forms on time on this symbolic April 15th TEA day?

Roanoke City resident Blake Medding was anxious to voice his dissatisfaction with the sta-tus quo saying, “The word en-titlement is the worst word ever invented.” Medding wasn’t quite sold on the Fair Tax, however. The radical tax reform does away with the income tax and replaces it with a consumption tax.

Crystal Kelly, 18, of Roanoke County, is the youngest member of the 2nd Tuesday Constitution Group – a wing of the Tea Party. She waved her “Don’t Tread on Me” flag proudly saying, “we’re like a big family.” Their numbers are growing “and have reached about 30-45 members,” Kelly guessed. She said she used to vote like her parents but is learning to think for herself. The group goes to a shooting range in Franklin County for fun, but she doesn’t own a rifle yet – “not until I know all the rules,” said Kelly.

Greg Aldridge, Board Mem-ber and Public Relations Di-rector, kept the speakers mov-ing in their allotted time slots while President Chip Tarbut-ton queued the guests. Tarbut-ton believes the crowd peaked shortly after 6 p.m., at 1000 par-ticipants. John Lawless, Trea-surer and Board Member said, “Everyone wants to come talk to us – that shows you the power.”

Senator Ralph Smith made an appearance but did not take the stage. However, he had encour-aging words and advice for the young Republican candidate for city council, Mike Powell.

Powell was pumped. This was his venue and the crowd showed their support with fer-vent applause. Powell saw no need to increase the meals tax to fund the schools. He concluded, “The people on city council now don’t know how to run the city like a business.”

Aldridge pleaded with the crowd to support Powell and get out disenfranchised Roa-noke voters. “It will ‘freak them out’ when Powell wins,” he pro-claimed, referring to Roanoke’s current power structure.

Ben Ward, owner of The Isaacs restaurant and Mezé World Café, spoke about the burden that tax collection puts on businesses. He'd rather con-centrate on cooking - "Why does it have to be so complicated," he asked?

Eighth district House major-ity leader Morgan Griffith gave the assembled crowd a history lesson on the history of taxation - comparing the past Boston

Tea Party to the current day Tea Party movement. Griffith is op-posing Democrat Rick Boucher for Congress in the 9th District.

Afterward, Griffith said he’d been criss-crossing the district and had just come from a Tea Party in Bluefield. Griffith isn’t worried about living a stone’s-throw from the 9th district. Un-der the U.S. Constitution candi-dates only have to be a resident of the Commonwealth to run for Congress.

“I believe people would prefer somebody that may sleep 30 feet outside the district that votes like he is a Southwest Virginian instead of San Franciscan,” said Griffith. He added that “Bouch-er has not done the job on jobs [either].”

Griffith calculates that with redistricting, 65,000 people will move into the 9th district by 2011 - that will encompass his own residence then as well. With two small children to con-sider, he’s willing to “take the hit” by not moving to the 9th district now. He’ll wait for the ninth to come to him.

Tax Day Tea Party Fills Elmwood Park

The Faith Christian School community is deep-ly saddened by the recent passing of its founding Board Chair, Kathy C. Roberson. Serving sev-en years on its Board of Directors (1997-2004), Kathy was instrumental in the early growth and development of the School.

“[Kathy] had a vision for this school, and helped lead us to that vision through countless hours of diligent work, tremendous sacrifice, a true ser-vant’s heart, and most importantly, an incredible prayerful heart,” says Samuel P. Cox, Faith Chris-tian School’s Head of School.

Faith Christian began its journey in 1996 with a group of Roanoke parents meeting together in homes to discuss the formation of a new, non-denominational, independent Christian school. Quickly, Mrs. Roberson became the founding committee chairperson.

The founders included Drs. James & Evelyn Banks, Dr. Garry & Mrs. Nancy Bayliss, Mrs. Rob-in Conrad, Mr. Terry Schwenke, Mr. Ron & Mrs. Terri Sutherland and Mrs. Kathy Roberson. This group desired a Christian school that would teach all subjects from a biblical and Christian world-view, while also being steeped in academic rigor so that God could be worshipped with both heart

and mind. By the time the school began in 1997 with forty-seven students in grades six through eleven, a classical curriculum had been selected.

Faith Christian School rented space from Vir-ginia Heights Baptist Church in Grandin Village, then expanded a few years later to Cave Spring Baptist Church and St. Johns Evangelical Lu-theran Church. A Lower School (grades K-5) was added in 2004.

In 2007, Faith Christian School moved to its own 68,000 square foot campus on twenty-five acres of property in Roanoke County along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The fully-accredited school now serves nearly 300 students, and will graduate its 100th student this year (2010).

In the spring of 2009, the Faith Christian School conference room was named in honor of Mrs. Kathy C. Roberson for her years of faithful service to the School.

“Kathy’s vision, leadership, and passion for Christian classical education was instrumental in this school’s success,” said Cox.

Faith Christian School Mourns the Death of Founding Board Chair

Roanoke City Councilman and candidate, Dave Trinkle has secured three key nominations heading into the May 4th election. Trinkle's campaign recently announced the endorse-ments of the Roanoke Valley Association of Re-altors, The Roanoke Business Leadership Fund, and the Roanoke Education Association for his bid for re-election to Roanoke’s City Council.

“We thank you for all that you have done and will continue to do for citizens of Roanoke City and the students of Roanoke City Public Schools,” said Latasha J. Suggs, Roanoke Educa-tion Association Co-President.

In his first term on Roanoke City Council, Trinkle has consistently voted in support of lo-cal education measures. He voted to continue

funding for city schools to maintain programs like the Community College Access Program (CCAP) and recently voted in favor of the city wide meals tax to reduce the impact of state budget cuts on local public schools.

“Roanoke’s entire leadership team must work together to build a vibrant city through busi-ness friendly practices and a steadfast commit-ment to healthy schools," said Trinkle. "As we enter into this time of transition, I’m confident we will find reasonable and balanced solutions to funding challenges -- keeping Roanoke on track for a progressive future."

- Staff Report

Trinkle Receives Endorsements in City Council Run

The Tea Party rally drew strong attendance on Tax Day.

By Valerie [email protected]

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Ella Myers and her family visited from Portland, Maine. The popular hoops were in action all day, proving that the world does indeed keep moving around.

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PersPective | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 4/23/10 - 4/29/10 NewsRoanoke.com

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Second Chance for Wildlife

Volunteers may choose one of two roles:

1. Transporting animals/birds within the area and to Waynesboro [Virginia Wildlife Center.]

2. Come to the center [Roanoke County] and learn ‘hands on’ how to manage wildlife. You must be 17 years or older and have your own driver’s license.

Sabrina Garvin holds free programs for churches, schools and civic groups. She brings a Great Horned

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If interested, call Sabrina @ 798-9836 [leave message.]

• Also needed, perhaps by a scout troop or a building contractor, is the building of stairs or walkways to outside cages, assembling

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A privately funded animal rescue organization which takes in injured,

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Important Reminder!!

Join us for a day of shopping, or should we say “re-shopping,” at a variety of vendor booths and a Girl Scout garage sale booth.

Saturday, April 2410 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Tanglewood Malllower level adjacent to JCPenney

Sponsored by Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council and Tanglewood Mall

It’s just a trickle really. But it free falls for about 15 feet in a delicate and inviting stream. I’m lucky to notice it actually, high as it is on the road cut. I just happened to pull off the road to adjust the load on my rack and I glanced up at the sound of falling water. Jim rides up and with a nod I in-dicate the little cascade. We drop the bikes and clamber up the steep bank, pulling shirts off as we go. Ahhh, does it ever feel good to get the road dirt off after five days without a bath.

The two of us are on a two-week bicycle trip, the goal of which is to pedal the entire 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We’ll also ride through the two national parks on each end: The Great Smokey Mountains and Shenandoah. We started in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and even in 1979 it was a thriving tourist trap. The first day took us from the town into the heart of the Smokies, but this was preceded by an overnight Trailways bus journey, followed by reassembling the bikes and packing our gear onto them. The remainder of the day was spent riding uphill, all uphill. By the end of the day, when we pulled off into the woods at our spontaneously-chosen “unofficial” campsite, our leg muscles were tight as could be. High atop Clingman’s Dome our first day had ended, and spirits were high. The cheese noodles and sar-dines we ate for dinner that night tasted uncom-monly good, and our after-dinner entertainment consisted of writing a few lines in our journals before passing out in our sleeping bags.

Sitting in the sun after our invigorating show-ers our conversation turns again to a recurring theme, besides girls of course. That is, how incred-ibly beautiful is this mountain country we’re rid-ing through. It’s late May and the wild flowers are in full bloom, the foliage is a luxuriant green, and the freshets and streams flow merrily. The nights in these lofty mountains of North Carolina and Virginia are still chilly, but the sunny days are soft and warm.

Fixing another flat tire is a good excuse to sprawl out in the soft grass for a while. Fiddling with the bikes we don’t mind; it’s all part of the adventure, but sometimes it’s nice to be the one loitering as the other mends the tube. Some of the bike main-tenance requires both of our efforts, as in figuring out how to improvise some broken component of which we have no spare. I recall carving from the top of a toothpaste tube some missing bike part.

As we ride along we discuss this amazing rib-bon of asphalt snaking its way through the heart of these Blue Ridge Mountains, over and around, atop the highest ridges. The vision, the work re-quired to make such a thing reality is almost incomprehensible. The Parkway is the result of inspiration which came to fruition during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. The project put people back to work and brought money into the impoverished Appalachians. The country was on the move; families were taking automobile trips like never before, and the Parkway would become one of America’s most-cherished roadways. Ob-stacles in building the road were great, including engineering challenges, recalcitrant land owners, and the sheer enormity of the task. Except for a small portion covered by the Linn Cove Viaduct and completed in 1987, the Parkway was ready for use in 1935.

We ride our trusty mechanical steeds over high passes and through shady glades, by small mountain lakes and by log cabin homesteads. We ride through beauty, we ride through history. We pedal to elevations as high as 6,000 ft. at Richlands Balsam in North Carolina, down to just 600 ft. at the James River crossing in Virginia. The Parkway does not for easy bicycling make, and on such a trip as ours one spends most of the time riding

up the long grades, The descents are a joy, but the time that such glides occupy is nothing compared to the hours spent grinding up a six or eight-mile grade. However, a natural rhythm always sets in on these ascents and it’s not at all unpleasant when one gets accustomed to it.

We awake at dawn and quietly pack our gear in a matter of minutes. The early morning air is crisp; the bird’s song enchanting. It’s going to be another great day, sure enough, and we pedal out onto the asphalt of the Parkway with light hearts. The miles we ride in the early morning light always seem ef-fortless, and we’ll ride for an hour or two before we eat breakfast. That meal consists of whatever is in the larder –how about sardines- and it grows sparse before we reach another resupply point, a grocery store not far off a parkway crossroads. Last night the family at the adjacent campsite –we stayed in a real campground- brought us plateloads of spaghetti which we enthusiastically accepted. Such generosity is especially appreci-ated in light of the fact that as college students our wallets are thin. Come to think of it, much about this bike ride is a leap of faith, but we find that the Lord always seems to provide. Put another way, God looks after children and fools. So we are well covered.

“AAAggghh!!.” We’re hurriedly pushing our bikes through the waist-high growth, our destina-tion being the old rickety barn across the field. The gear lashed to the bicycles makes them unwieldy, and it feels like we’re moving in slow motion. The rain is pelting us hard now. Jim yells out some wisecrack, but it’s drowned out by the clap of a nearby bolt of lightning. Reaching the protection of the barn we lean our bikes and watch the awe-some spectacle of an Appalachian thunderstorm through the big open door. The storm passes but so does our desire to press onward on this day. We make acquaintance with the owners of our refuge, and we’re pleased when Mr. Johnson insists that we stay for the night. The womb-like feel of this old chestnut log barn is good, its hay dry and soft as a cool drizzle settles over the farm for the night. Before dark, as we write in our journals, Mr and Mrs. Johnson pay us a visit. They’re laden with food –how did they know?- and want to talk. The couple’s three children are grown and gone and Jim and I gratefully accept the gentle warmth and affection generously conveyed by the old folks. I realize that our trip will be over soon, but memo-ries of times like this evening with the Johnsons will last a lifetime.

It’s 2010 and the Blue Ridge Parkway is celebrat-ing its 75th anniversary. The parkway has come to be much more than just a road through the mountains. It’s not much of a stretch to think of the parkway as representative of much that’s great about America: vision, persistence, our culture, history, and natural beauty.

And a fine place to make memories.

Celebrating Parkway Memories

Contact John [email protected]

Johnny Robinson and Jim Lachman in 1979.

The arrival of spring makes me want to cook and eat crisp, cool and light foods like fresh veggies and pasta salad. Of course it falls in line with the weather. During winter we want warm, comforting foods to go along with our state of hiberna-tion. In spring we want light and cool foods to go along with the new fresh spring air.

Yesterday and today I sat in my backyard working on this newspaper and enjoying the beautiful day. What a blessing to be able to do that! I actually moved outdoors for the warmth of the sun. It was colder in my house than it was outside.

I love it when that happens; when the air is still cool but the sun is warm and we feel moved

to step outside to find warmth. I think God must like it when we find ourselves enjoying the perfect temperature and His children really take note of what that big amazing sun really pro-vides. It is so fleeting those cool yet warm spring days, soon comes the hot summer-like days that I love just as well but I will enjoy early spring while it is still here.

BLT Pasta Salad adds a unique twist to the traditional pasta sal-ad recipe. It is very scrumptious, make a plate and sit in the warm sun and enjoy!

8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp, and broken into ½ inch pieces10 cherry tomatoes¾ cup Thousand Island dress-ing¼ cup green onion, finely chopped1 egg, hard-boiled and chopped1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce1/8 tsp. hot sauce8 oz. spiral pastaleaf lettuce

-Cook and drain pasta. Place bacon, tomatoes, green onions, and pasta in large mixing bowl.

-In another bowl combine dressing, onion, egg, Worcester-shire and hot sauce. Pour over pasta and combine. Refrigerate at least one hour.

-Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to serving. If salad appears dry, add small amount of olive oil. To serve arrange let-tuce on a platter spooning salad onto center.

The Happy Chef by Leigh Sackett

BLT Pasta Salad

My grandfather died last week – a few days after his 95th birthday. Perhaps it should not have been a shocking event….but it was. Shocking and sad.

The 11 hour drive to Western Massachusetts for his funeral gave me time to think about regrets and the 11 hours home gave me time to think about legacy. My heart broke with ev-ery mile.

My grandfather (affectionately known to me as “Grampa”) was a life-long dairy farmer – tough and stubborn with the work ethic of an im-migrant and the moral clarity of a saint. He had the faith to en-dure the tough times…the grace to appreciate the good times…and the wisdom to know that

neither last forever. As with many of us who grow

up and head out to conquer the world – I didn’t take the time to tell him that his lessons were learned and his legacy lives in everything I do. It is a regret

that weighs heavy on my mind.

Did he know… …I thought about

him daily – often commenting that he’d disapprove of my dogs sleeping on the bed?

…I was listening when he told me to

be sure the gas tank never dipped be-low a quarter and

to change the oil regularly? …the sound of Johnny Cash

playing from the old 45 record player in the living room still lingers as a memory?

…I can still hear him saying “half the day is gone by 5am” as I stumbled out of bed at 9?

…I can still see him shaking the bottle of milk – mixing in the cream that had risen to the top?

…I learned the realities of life and death by watching the cows, chickens, pigs and lambs on his farm?

…I listened to the merits of locally grown food -- as I rode along with him delivering eggs – and that I seek it out every-where I live?

…I was aware of the battles he waged in my defense – even at times with his own family? Did he know his support mat-tered above all else?

…his example allowed me to know exactly what battles to wage and what lines to never cross?

…I still drink root beer -- and that it reminds me of the home made birch beer he made for me as a child?

…I love the feeling of press-ing seeds in the soil, the excite-ment of seeing them grow and the satisfaction of harvesting their fruit?

…I memorized every crip-pled turn on his rough farmers’ hands and loved to watch them as he sketched and painted?

As I sat in the small country chapel watching the spring rain fall on the newly sprouted grass and the horses graze outside – I was overwhelmed by the peace of it all. The peace of know-ing his legacy lives in the chil-dren, grandchildren and great grandchildren who loved him so much. Just like the lessons of the farm – there are beginnings, middles and ends. Some are happy and others are sad – but each one offers us the opportu-nity to grow.

And so it is with regrets and legacy. With regrets come les-sons learned and with legacy comes the opportunity to do it better next time.

In the end, I watched some family members scurry about -- staking claims to this and that -- while others simply wandered the land he cherished. Their own way of remembering, I guess. But for me it was simple, I picked up a smooth green rock that was nestled at the base of a big tree in the front yard and placed it in my pocket.

Strong and beautiful in its simplicity – just like my Gram-pa.

A Perspective on Regrets and Legacy

Contact Stephanie [email protected]

Stephanie Koehler

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“I want to personally thank the Roanoke Star Sentinel for their non-partisan approach to the Questions for Council Candidates feature. It is important for Roanoke’s citizens to have access to helpful resources like this in order to really understand where the candidate stands on the issues, and as a person. I understand the issues and I bring to the table qualities that Roanoke needs in an e�ective member of City Council. I respectfully ask that you cast 1 of your 3 votes for me in the Roanoke City Council General Election on May 4th. Thank you.”

Paid for and authorized by Ferris for Council -Raphael E. “Ray” Ferris

Oscar Wilde’s only novel is The Picture of Dorian Gray. The title character is a young man who becomes enamored with a hedonis-tic philosophy of life that finds gratification only in the immediate pleasures of the senses. Dorian despairs that life it too short to enjoy to the fullest, and as an artist is painting his portrait, Dorian cries out that he will sell his soul if only his youth, beauty, and enjoyment of life can endure. He gets his wish.

Dorian’s life carries on through the decades, and he abuses and debases himself in virtually every way. Those whose lives are in orbit around his own find themselves shattered by the way Dorian treats and betrays them. Strangely, Dorian himself takes on not a blemish. He remains young, beautiful, energetic, and desirable.

But Dorian notices that the portrait, which he keeps hidden, takes on all the effects wrought by his behavior. The picture of Dorian Gray becomes a twisted, contorted and perverse reflection of Dorian himself. As he looks upon it, he sees the true representa-tion of who he has become, no matter how pure he may appear to the outside world. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a horror story, reminding us that our way of being in the world transforms who we essentially are, no matter how well we may hide it.

God’s promise to us is that when we live by faith, the reverse hap-pens! In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul says until we know God through the person of Jesus, our understanding

of God and of who God has made us to be is cloudy, as though “a veil covers our hearts.” But when we realize that Christ desires to remake us through his grace, we “with unveiled faces” begin to “re-flect the Lord’s glory.” (2 Cor. 315-18, NIV)

Lest we misunderstand the awesome extent of this promise, Paul goes on to say that we “are being transformed into Christ’s likeness with ever-increasing glory.” This is Dorian Gray in reverse. De-spite the fact that our outward appearance ages and takes on the blemishes of experience and time, inwardly we are being remade like Christ himself. The early Church Fathers called this morpho-sis. Through our relationship with God-in-Christ and our lives of faith, the pocks and lines that crease our souls are being smoothed away. We are being morphed into spiritual creatures that look like the Son of God.

Next time you glance into the mirror, look long and deep. See not the ravages of age and time. Let your eyes gaze upon yourself through the light of God’s promise, and see the face of Christ re-flected back at you. - By The Rev. Barkley Thompson, Rector - St. John’s Episcopal Church

St. John’s Episcopal Church is located at the corner of Jefferson Street and Elm Avenue. Sunday worship is at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 5 p.m. Look St. John’s up on the web at www.stjohnsronaoke.org.

The Picture of Dorian Gray—In Reverse!Preacher’s corner

I entered his room. I saw a faded tattoo, a shadow of its former pride, on his forearm. “U. S. Army.” I shook the old man’s hand. “So you were in the Army.” He stared at me then fol-lowed my eyes to his arm. He read the tattoo. “I guess I was.”

“World War Two?”“Maybe.”“Where were you deployed?

Europe? Japan?”“Europe? France maybe. Pa-

cific…”I ordered tests and x-rays.

Pneumonia. Not bad. We should be able to cure it. I looked at his records. Purple Heart; wounded in action.

I went back in to see him. He stared at me. He’d never seen me before, you see. First time.

I shook his hand… the thumb-to-thumb-type hand-shake. It’s a man-thing. You shake hands like this, it’s more personal, more respectful than a traditional, polite handshake. It says, ‘You’re special.” Can’t tell

you why it’s so; it just is. Just for a second his eyes cleared and the slightest trickle of a smile. Then his look, his face went blank again. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“For what?” “For that.” I point-

ed to his tattoo. He didn’t get it.

I need to say when I took his hand, I did it with a thankful reverence. There was no effort on my part to pass myself off as a comrade to this man. He once knew – and sadly has now forgotten – more of bravery than I ever will.

I left him, but his memory held me fast that day. How had he earned his Purple Heart? Had he and some equally coura-geous buddies locked hands just before jumping waist-deep into a sea riddled with bursting shells

and floating bodies; firepower that roiled the sea and would just as impartially roil him? Or did he invade some South Pacific atoll without a name, in some long-forgotten battle front grimly defended by brave

Japanese determined to win or to willingly give up their lives trying? Did he fight in a battle forgotten by history – and now by him – the testing place of his cour-age? Was he scared to death yet bound by his honor to see

it through though it cost him his life? The very definition

of courage.He was an Army vet who can

no longer recall where or when his devotion was so severely measured. He passed me by on his stretcher heading back to the Veterans’ Center. I smiled and said, “Good-bye, sir; and

again, thank you.”He stared at me uncompre-

hendingly. I watched this old man leave, for years having suffered the subtle, cumulative subtractions from his self by the hands of an indifferent clock. This worn-out hero in a faltered body no longer remembers the time or the reason he was sum-moned to risk everything for his way of life. He passed the severest of tests he no longer remembers. I will never know what fears he bested, but I do know that because of his sacri-fices then, as with so many oth-er men and women, America is, for the time being at least, the God-blessed land it is.

Don’t forget to look for Lucky’s book of medical stories: “The Oath of Hippocrates.” Available locally and on-line.

Owing So Much to One Who Doesn't Remember

Contact Lucky [email protected]

Lucky Garvin

Between April showers, the warm, calm dusk deepened to-ward dark. Lightning flashed soundlessly in the far distance as I slipped on my boots, perched on the back porch bench. I clipped the leash on the dog and set out into the sultry spring evening, grumbling but secretly grateful for a duty that would require me briefly to enter the crepuscular world of the night shift creatures before I would give it up to them un-til morning.

The chickens would have put themselves both into their pen and into their house to roost by then, but they couldn’t close the door behind themselves to keep out the predators who might come over for a chicken dinner. It is an obligation that can be postponed a bit, of an evening, but when darkness falls, danger rises from those who prowl the night. We’ve not lost a bird yet, but why tempt Wile E. Coyote? I wouldn’t be surprised if those feral canines could and gladly would scale the six foot chain link fence to get a drumstick.

Somewhere along Nameless Creek, a Screech Owl trilled its throaty scream twice as its dark day dawned, and said no more. Just then, the rains returned, fat drops splatting against the barn roof and the back of my neck.

Usually by this late, one of us has gathered the eggs, but I wasn’t sure if Ann had been able to before she left for work. So surely, there would be a hen in the nesting box, and I’d better check. I’d have to slide my hand under her to find one or more eggs by feel alone in the near-dark, slip the brown ovals into my shirt pockets and go back to the house and finish reading my book.

That my fingertips touched a thing smooth, cold and soft was puzzling. Might have been the bird’s reptilian legs, I guessed with a raised eyebrow. I tried again, this time going a little lower to wedge my fingers un-der the setting bird. Coils of soft coldness lay heavy across the knuckles of my right hand. Rep-tilian indeed.

In the last hint of light from the indigo sky, I could just make out a dark mass that filled the round depression in the amber hay where the bird should be

warming the eggs. From the evidence I’d already gathered, I knew that there was now an un-identified snake occupying that space, and it was not a small one at that.

The circumstance called for a quick, calculated decision. I’ve not seen enough poisonous snakes on this land in a decade to think the odds were high that this egg-sucker could do me any real harm. In all probability

it would be a king snake or more like-ly, a mild-mannered rat snake.

I reached in, grabbed a loop of snake, and quickly dropped the cold-blooded intruder onto the hay of the pen. The weight of the adult creature thumped onto the soft ground like a sack of flour. It lay

in a loose coil, fifty feet of indus-trial hose with a white object in its mouth, swelling its head to three times its normal size.

Poking at it with my boot, it seemed disinclined to leave hungry. A few prods with the broken hoe we keep for coop-cleaning made him give up the egg intact, and got him mov-ing, inch by inch, foot by foot, through the chain link—and this continued for well more than five feet. There was the hint of a pattern on what (I think) was a dark phase gray rat snake. I feel certain this was not his first poached egg.

And I don’t know how to in-sure it will be his last. I wiped the snake spit off the single sur-viving egg, and headed towards the golden glow inside the white farmhouse, back across the rushing creek, immersed in the smell and chill of a soft spring rain to home.

Moral: We’ll gather eggs ear-lier and more often in the warm months. The snakes do more good than harm, and we’ll coex-ist. But from now on, I will look first before reaching in for cold, hard and smooth to be sure I don’t instead get a handful of cold, soft and scaly.

Predator, Prey and An Egg A Day

Fred First

Contact Fred [email protected]

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Colonel Bob CraigDo you support an amphitheater down-

town? I do not support building an amphitheater

downtown at this time and certainly not the $12 million extravaganza advocated by Dr. Trinkle. It is a “nice to have item” that would be a revenue drain on the city’s already fragile finances and cannot be justified as long as the city has a $60 mil-lion dollar storm drain “problem” which is a health and safety issue. Roanoke’s two biggest problems right now is the Councils inability/failure to establish priorities for the city and having completely lost control of the budget process.

What would you do with the Market Building?For the time being nothing. To the best of my knowledge there

is no business plan for a renovated Market Building, other than a scheme for a foundation to manage it in order to perhaps, possibly receive tax credits. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the Market Building other than the City deliberately mismanaged it, yet in the past two years the city has invested over $1.2 million in the building that will be wasted if it is renovated.

I think the market building should be left alone for at least three years, with vendors given contracts for that length of time with no promises made after that. Like the amphitheater I don’t see how we can justify the expenditure of $8 million for renovations, includ-ing $1.3 for faux brick street scaping, in this economic environment. Yes it would be funded as a capital expenditure but what everyone fails to consider is that for every dollar of debt service, and debt ser-vice is paid every year, the school system is denied 36.42 cents.

As a gee whiz figure, Roanoke pays approximately $27 million annually in debt service because we have maxed out the credit card (reached the debt limit) with approximately $247 million in bonded debt. That translates into $9.833 million that might have been made available to the schools under the so called funding formula and another indication that the City Council has lost control of the bud-geting process.

Have you always voted for members of your party? If not when and why.

I vote for the most qualified candidate(s) regardless of party af-filiation.

Questions for Council CandidatesDuring the month of April the Roanoke Star Sentinel will feature a Q&A section with the seven candidates running for Roanoke City Council. At a time when budgets are strained to the limit and past visions for the city are under heavy scrutiny, we urge our readers to pay close attention to the answers found on these pages and to then get out to vote on May 4th.

“You will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.” - John Quincy Adams

Dr. David TrinkleDo you support an amphitheater down-

town?This is a subject where my recent tenure

and experience on City Council allow me to have a unique, reasonable and well-informed perspective on an issue. I have learned an amphitheater can mean very different things to different people/groups. Based on regional economic de-velopment research and data, I have openly supported the concept of a downtown amphitheater and will continue to do so when the economic landscape is conducive to this growth. However, this is not the appropriate time to consider this issue ¬ as the city is facing such extreme budget challenges. When the city recovers from this recession and finds itself on more secure footing, I will revisit the plans, listen to new information and re-evaluate the definition and scope of the amphitheatre concept. What would you do with the Market Building?

The Market Building is another capital project discussion that has gone on way too long. While I believe prudent action is based on information and data ¬ there needs to be a point when action is taken.

The current gridlock and indecisiveness has placed undue burden on the current tenants and has hindered the recruitment of others. This building should be a cornerstone of our downtown revital-ization and should serve as a significant asset for the citizens of Roanoke and our visitors. We currently have a good plan and can budget to complete this project in a reasonable timeframe. This is the one and only capital project I support at this time and have voted to remove or delay all others. Most studies support municipalities doing some capital projects during a recession to secure employ-ment in turn helping the city come out of a recession in as positive a manner as possible. The architectural and engineering phase for this project is underway and there will be continued public input during the process. Have you always voted for members of your party? If not when and why.

Voting is a very personal matter. I am a thoughtful person who takes this privilege of citizenship very seriously. I carefully weigh the issues at hand and evaluate the skills, experience and character of the individual candidates and vote accordingly.

Tony WalkerDo you support an amphitheater down-

town? I support the arts and for Roanoke to be

a city richly filled with many artistic venues. However, I feel that given the current eco-nomic atmosphere, and our city schools re-quiring additional funding sources, I do not support erecting an amphitheater at this time. I feel that city council could re-prioritize the city projects to erect the amphitheater at a later date. I feel that delaying this project is being proactive and fiscally responsible with city tax dollars.

What would you do with the Market Building?I see the Market Building as an economic asset to Roanoke City. It

brings a uniqueness to downtown Roanoke. I would support reno-vating the Market Building, advocating to secure those vendors that have a commitment to staying in the Market Building, and work-ing with council members to draw additional vendors with various businesses to the Market Building. With its’ rich history and easy go-ing and friendly atmosphere, the Market Building provides a great service to Roanoke and will bring the city an abundance of much needed revenue. The Market Building also is a draw for tourism and attracts entrapenuers and families to the Roanoke Valley.


Since I have began voting, I have always voted for members of my party.

Bill BestpitchDo you support an amphitheater down-

town? When capital funding becomes available,

I support a downtown amphitheater that will enhance the events that are already suc-cessful in Elmwood Park and that will not require an excessive subsidy because it is too large for the entertain-ment market in the Roanoke region.

What would you do with the Market Building? I support the current plans for renovation of the Market Building

because of its positive impact on the rest of the downtown business district. From that perspective, the renovation is an investment that will produce economic benefits for other businesses and help keep taxes low. Based on discussions that occurred six to ten years ago, I am only surprised and dismayed that more progress has not been made already on this project.

Do you favor allowing street pushcart vendors downtown? This is an area where I definitely favor market forces over gov-

ernment prohibitions. If people like pushcart street vendors, they will be successful. If not, the citizens won’t need city government to take them away.


I have not always voted for the nominees of my party. How-ever, I have great respect for the sanctity of the secret ballot. Except when I have endorsed a candidate publicly, I never discuss my votes publicly. When I was on city council, one of my strongest alliances was with a member of the opposite party, Bill Carder, and I would continue to work with other members of city council based on the quality of their ideas, not their political affiliations.

Ray FerrisDo you support an amphitheater down-

town? There are two questions here. First, do I

support an amphitheater, and second, should it be downtown?

An amphitheater is a “want,” not a “need.” Roanoke simply cannot afford an amphitheater at this time.

Elmwood Park is a better choice than Reserve Avenue for any fu-ture amphitheater. However, I have reservations about the size and the expense of the current proposal. Nevertheless, if we eventually build an amphitheater we must realize that it will always be subsi-dized; historically these structures do not turn a profit, or even break even on their own. Therefore, if an amphitheater is built, it must be with the realization that overall economic development and quality of life enhancement are the reasons.

What would you do with the Market Building? The City Market Building is the historic anchor of an ongoing re-

vitalization of Downtown Roanoke. Its health is critical to the con-tinued success of Downtown, including commercial, entertainment and residential growth.

The City should be a responsible landlord, and deal fairly and openly with the Market Building vendors, which it has not done in the past. Hopefully, with the new city manager, and with sound, cost effective modernization and enhanced safety from this fall’s planned renovations, the City Market Building will continue to be the shining jewel of Downtown, with fresh, local food available from local businesses. The disruption to current food vendors dur-ing renovation should be minimal so that we can all enjoy a clean, refurbished building for years to come, which celebrates some of the best food in town and serves as a lunch and dinner beacon for visi-tors and citizens alike.


As various politicians have said in the past, “Just let me say this about that.” It is our right in this country to cast a vote for the can-didate of our choice, and that vote is cast on a secret ballot. As such, voters vote for candidates based on many factors. Some of those factors include friendship, experience, or simply because the voter thinks one person is better qualified than another, and that person can be from either party.

Mike PowellDo you support an amphitheater down-

town? An amphitheater would be a nice thing

to have. However, the city doesn’t have the money to build one right now. After we cut all of the fat from the city budget, we should look at ways to raise money to build the amphitheater. I would be absolutely be opposed to selling more bonds and increasing the cit-ies debt to fund the building the new amphitheater. One way we could obtain the money for the construction and maintenance of the building is to sell advertising space on the amphitheater. It could be the Carilion or Advance Auto Parts Amphitheater. The Grandin Theater raised a lot of money selling stars with patrons names on them that were placed in the sidewalk in front of the theater. The Salem Red Sox put the names of season ticket holders on the backs of their seats. I’m sure the citizens of Roanoke could come up with some more creative ways to raise money.

What would you do with the Market Building?The Market Building costs the city over $100,000/yr to keep the

doors open because they don’t bring in enough money from the vendors to cover their operating costs and the city hasn’t utilized the 2nd and 3rd floors for additional rental space. This is a perfect ex-ample of the cities failure to understand how to operate a profitable business. The Market building should be sold into the private sector with the stipulation that the first floor remain space for retailers and restaurants. Then let the buyer do what they like with the 2nd and 3rd floors. They may want to make those floors into office space or flats for living downtown. The sale of the Market Building would also keep the city from having to spend 10 million dollars renovat-ing it. After the sale, the city would be collecting real estate tax on the property year after year. Beyond that, the city will also have a few million dollars from the sale of the property.


No. I don’t think anyone should simply go into the voting booth and pull the levers for a particular party. I always do as much re-search on each candidate as possible in order to determine if that person will guide our country/community in the right direction. In the 2008 Presidential election I voted for the Libertarian candidate. John McCain’s voting record wasn’t very impressive to me. However, if Sarah Palin was the presidential nominee, I would have voted for her.

Carl CooperDo you support an amphitheater down-

town? No. We can not afford it and our track re-

cord on managing city business assets sug-gests that a city-owned amphitheater would be a financial drain on the city especially since by definition it would be used mini-mally 6 months of the year. Additionally, there is not adequate space downtown for amphitheater parking or to build an amphitheater of sufficient size to accommodate the business needs of the operator or the entertainment needs of the customer.

Before I spent money for an amphitheater, I would focus on up-dating the Civic Center to 2010 standards, demand an end to the Civic Center’s $400,000.00+ annual operating loss and work tire-lessly to ensure that all city-owned business assets are profitable.

What would you do with the Market Building?I would not invest 10 million dollars in it or subsidize its opera-

tion to the tune of almost $400, 000.00 annually. Conditioned on certain use restrictions, I would seek to enter into a public-private partnership and have the City maintain an equity position. Assisted

by the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Department of Economic Development I would focus on turning it into a tourist friendly destination with a sole focus on profitability. I would brand it and/or theme it and encourage vendors, artisans and other small businesses to relocate into the building.


No. I typically vote for the per-son who I determine shares my vision for the job and their ability to deliver results. At one time or another I have voted Democrat, Republican and/or Independent.

20

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Byrd batter #18 Jamie Green checks the pitch location as Titan catcher Melinda Boggs frames a strike.

Recap and Photos by Bill TurnerByrd pitcher #13 Jessica Mahoney delivers a pitch Sat-urday on the way to record-ing the eighth Terrier shutout on the season.

Terrier #2 Lindsey Brown connects for a hit in the “Strike Out Cancer” game. Brown went 2-for-3 in the victory.

William Byrd Defeats Hidden Valley 2-0 in “Strike Out Cancer” Softball Saturday

William Byrd scored a run in the bottom of the first and it proved to be the game winner as the Terriers improved to 8-1 on the season. Byrd pitcher Jessica Mahoney struck out 13 batters to pick up the win. All eight Byrd wins this season have been shutouts.

William Byrd fans, wearing pink “Strike Out Cancer” shirts, gather along the third base line during Saturday's softball game between Byrd and Hidden Valley at the Byrd field in Vinton.

North Cross Overpowers Roanoke Catholic

North Cross and Roanoke Catholic players battle for a ground ball in Monday's game.

North Cross ran up a 7-2 halftime lead and shut down Roanoke Catholic the rest of the game to capture the indepen-dent school lacrosse rivalry 12-2 Monday afternoon on Thomas Field at North Cross.

The Raiders struck quickly with a fierce offensive attack and led 5-0 after the first twelve min-utes of play. The Celtics, on the shoulders of attacker Mark All-man, kept the deficit in check finding the net twice in the sec-ond quarter.

But, North Cross dominat-ed in the final half with a strong defensive presence as well as superb goalkeeping by Raider

netminder Paul McNeil. Mc-Neil recorded 12 saves for the contest. North Cross added five scores in the second half to pull away for the victory.

The Raiders ran the field with ease and kept pressure on the Celtic goal all afternoon. Many of the North Cross shots came from point-blank range. North Cross was led by Quint Coles, who had four goals and an assist. Senior Will Stephen-son added three goals for the Raiders.

With the win, North Cross improved to 8-2 on the season. Next up for the Raiders is a key matchup against a powerful Vir-ginia Episcopal team set for 4:30 Thursday, April 22nd at North Cross.

Cave Spring Opens River Ridge Softball with 7-2 Win Over Salem

Cave Spring came back from a 2-run deficit with 4 runs in the fourth and 3 more in the fifth to pick up a win in the River Ridge opener.

The Knights took advantge of 3 Salem errors and a passed ball in the fourth to take the lead. Sopho-more pitcher Danielle Stump went the distance to pick up the win for Cave Spring.

Salem catcher Amanda Daulton comes out of the box throwing as she looks to gun down a Cave Spring runner.

Cave Spring baserunner #36 Caitlin Ragan stirs up the dust as she scores for the Knights.

Recap and Photos by Bill Turner


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Harry Woods of Goodview, VA was the overall winner of the Roanoke Valley Senior Golf Tour's April tournament held Tuesday, April 20th at the Bo-tetourt Country Club. Woods, playing in Division 3, had a net score of 62. Other division 3 net

score winners were: 2nd place - Gary Mitchell - 65; 3rd place - Leonard Stiff - 66; 4th place - Dan Durham - 67 and 5th place - Val Bernys - 67.

In Division 1, Lynnis Vernon of Cloverdale, VA carded a net 64 to earn 1st place honors. 2nd place - Ken Gross - 64; 3rd place - John Hubbard - 67; 4th place

- Mike Sledd - 67; 5th place - Dick Nelson - 67.

The Division 2 1st place win-ner was William Cox of Salem, VA with a net 63; 2nd place - Ken Voudron - 64; 3rd place - Michael Iroler - 65; Tied for 4th place was Charles Vassar and Donald Carlson - both with 65's.

121 players that came out to play on a beautiful day and Chris Koon and staff hosted a great event. Next up on the tour - Hanging Rock Golf Club on May 18th. Tour results and other information will be avail-able on our website at: HTTP://www.rvsgt.org

RVSGT Results - Botetourt Country Club

The Salem Red Sox exceeded all expectations on the field in their Home Opener at Lewis-Gale Field, dominating Myrtle Beach 13-2. On Saturday and Sunday, the Sox continued their stingy pitching and timely hit-ting, winning by scores of 7-4 and 9-3 to sweep the Pelicans and improve to 8-2 on the young 2010 season. Although just a small fraction of the games have been played, the Red Sox have quickly risen to the top of the Carolina League with their fast start out of the gates.

The Red Sox offense centers around three sluggers in the middle of the order. Manager Kevin Boles has steadied his lineup at the 3-4-5 combination with first baseman Anthony Rizzo, designated hitter Ryan Lavarnway, and third-baseman Will MIddlebrooks all starting the season strong offensively. In the three game series against Myrtle Beach, Rizzo, Lavarnway,

and Middlebrooks combined to bat an incredible .538 (21 for 39). Lavarnway was named Car-olina League Player of the Week after recording multiple hits in five straight games, a stretch in which he drove in 14 runs. Through ten games, Lavarnway led the league in batting aver-age, RBI, extra-base hits, and slugging percentage.

Aside from the sensational trio in the heart of the order, other position players have also gotten off to fantastic starts. Second-baseman Oscar Tejeda belted solo home runs in con-secutive games on Sunday and Monday and hit .389 in the first ten. Utility infielder Will Vazquez, in his second year in Salem, provides versatility and consistency, having gone 5-14 (.357) with four RBI in four games played.

Salem’s pitching staff has not overwhelmed its foe with strikeouts, but strikes and outs

have been plentiful on their own as the Red Sox arms have compiled the second-best team ERA in the league. Through ten games, the Sox had walked just 25 batters, by far the fewest in the league. Starting pitchers Stolmy Pimentel and Fabian Williamson each went 2-0 in the first 10 games, while the bullpen compiled a miniscule ERA of 2.19.

The Salem Red Sox return home Monday, April 26 for Dollar Monday with ballpark-wide $1 food specials include hot dogs, chips, and small bev-erages. Tuesday will be a “Go Green, Save Green” Tuesday which means if any fan brings an item to the game and donates it to Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, they will receive 2 for 1 admission. Wednesday will fea-ture afternoon baseball with an 11am start time to wrap up the series against the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Red Sox Continue Strong Opening Run Two Cave Spring seniors

signed letters of intent to play at the college level in a ceremony last Wednesday in the school auditorium.

Courtney Gaddy will play softball for Winthrop Universi-ty in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The talented Cave Spring in-fielder has been a 4-year player in the Knight's softball program and currently starts at second

base."Winthrop became interest-

ed in me after I appeared in a showcase tournament there last year," Gaddy noted Wednesday. She had also considered Greens-boro College and Guilford.

Although Winthrop was ac-tually the last school she visited, there may have been some fam-ily ties in the decision. Both of her parents, Russell and Terri

Gaddy, are Winthrop gradu-ates.

Also Wednesday, Luke Fel-denzer signed to play baseball for ODAC member Hampden-Sydney in Farmville, Va.

Feldenzer has been described as the best shortstop in Cave Spring baseball history. Not only talented in the field, he provides a strong pressence in the Cave Spring batting lineup. He also was member of the back-to-back state champion-ship Knight's basketball team.

"I was really impressed by the coaching staff at Hampden-Sydney," Feldenzer said after the signing. "The size of the school was also a major consider-ation."

Luke is the son of John and Karen Feldenzer.

Two Cave Spring Stars Sign

Luke Feldenzer with parents John and Karen.

Courtney Gaddy (front, center standing) with family and coaches Wednesday after-noon.


On Thursday afternoon, the Patrick Henry Pa-triots and William Fleming Colonels played four consecutive soccer games as part of a fundraiser to raise money in the fight against breast cancer.

All proceeds from the fundraiser went to ben-efit Roanoke’s chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

“Our kids had talked for a while about doing something like this, and the opportunity present-ed itself and it’s a really neat situation,” Patriots Head Men’s Coach Chris Dowdy said.

Beginning at 2:30pm, the Patriots and Colonels’ junior varsity programs played one another while fundraising efforts took place. Pre-sold student tickets (which allowed students to get out of class early to watch the games), bake sales, pink t-shirts

with the phrase “Kick for a Cure,” and private do-nations were some of the avenues used to raise money.

On the field, players showed their support by wearing pink captain’s armbands, pink wrist-bands, and pink t-shirts in warm-ups.

The event, held at PH, was sponsored by Blue Ridge Cancer Center and sanctioned by the VHSL, which has a partnership with the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation, which has been in existence since 1982, has raised over $1 billion for breast cancer research and awareness. The Roanoke chapter website is www.komenroa-noke.org.

Patriots and Colonels Join Forces For Worthy Cause

William Cox

Lynnis Vernon

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Star~Sentinel Crossword

By Don Waterfield

Local Crossword for 04/23/2010

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15

16 17 18

19 20 21 22

23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

32 33 34 35 36 37

38 39 40 41

42 43 44

45 46 47 48 49

50 51 52 53 54

55 56 57 58 59 60 61

62 63 64 65

66 67 68

69 70 71

www.CrosswordWeaver.com

ACROSS

1 Place 4 Speedy 9 Fall

13 West northwest 14 Paring knife 15 Utilize 16 Compass point 17 Having wings 18 Senile 19 Manner 21 Joint 22 Benefactor 23 Walk quietly 25 Flutter eyelashes 26 Active 28 Help with waterproofing is

just a phone call away. 32 Host 35 Name of the japanese

monkey who bolted from the roanoke city zoo.

37 Yea 38 Downtown tobacconist since

1912 39 Flying saucer 40 Bumpkin

42 Winter hazard 43 Towards 44 White poplar 45 Philippino language 48 Year in the 40s that mill

mountain star was constructed.

50 Marsh 51 Space platform 55 Fish tank dweller 58 Bullets 61 Hoard 62 Halos 63 Cooperatives (hyp.) 65 Distress call 66 Roanoke ----- and produce

co., wholesale fruits and vegetables since 1910

67 Thug 68 Number of times Salem was

attacked in the Civil War. 69 Has toed 70 Stuffed toy 71 Fast plane

DOWN

1 Perspire

2 Boredom 3 Idiot 4 Hotel 5 Local foundry located in the

Norwich community. 6 Asian country 7 Extravagant party 8 It was re-planted in the

middle of McClannahan Street where it didn’t belong in the first place

9 Mean 10 Break 11 National capital 12 Equal 15 Measuring instrument 20 Afloat (2 wds.) 24 Gaping 25 Mass transport 27 Baby, for example 28 Eating utensil 29 Levee 30 Gyrate 31 Island 32 Discharge 33 Mineral 34 Fly 36 Often poetically 40 Pull 41 Does what their told 43 Charged particle 46 Scared 47 Smallest 49 __ crustacean 52 Keeps 53 Affirms 54 Stupefy 55 U.S. President William

Howard __ 56 European monetary unit 57 In Roanoke VA it’s against

the law to advertise on tombstones True or False?

58 Account (abbr.) 59 Mulchn---- is a plantation

road business providing plants - shrubs - topsoil - decorative stone - fertilizers - and more.

60 Feeling 64 Welkin

You may not know that April is “National Do-nate Life Month.” In fact you may not know that the person next to you in the store is an organ re-cipient. You may not know that the family sitting next to you in church donated their loved one’s organs and tissue to save lives in the midst of their grief. You may not know that this writer is a living organ donor who shared her life with her grand-daughter. Now imagine being in one room sur-rounded by people who fall into one of the above categories.

Each year LifeNet Health, a Virginia-based or-gan and tissue procurement organization, which has a local office in Roanoke, holds a remem-brance and celebration ceremony in April. On Sunday April 19th the ceremony was held at Vir-ginia Western Community College. The names of every deceased organ donor in the state of Virgin-ia were read. Those people from the region who had given in their time of grief were honored. Or-gan and tissue recipients also participated in the ceremony. It was a powerful time in which love and gratitude were on open display.

In April 2003, Robert and Patsy Stull were faced with a terrible event—a car accident that took the life of their beloved son Adam. In that peculiar way that life sometimes has of throwing curves, Adam died on the day their first grandson was born. So, in the midst of new life, the Stulls made the decision to let Adam give the gift of life.

His pancreas and left kidney saved the life of a 39-year-old woman. A 54-year-old man re-ceived his right kidney and a 50-year-old woman received his liver. Patsy was the guest speaker at the ceremony, representing all the donor families. Some of them displayed their continuing grief in abundance as she shared her story. Thirty nine year old David Edmondson, a heart recipient, was the speaker representing those who have received the gift of life. He was thrilled to be able to say that he has been helping his family physically build a house. Not bad for a guy who couldn’t walk fif-teen feet before his surgery.

In the state of Virginia, the best way to sign up as

an organ donor is to go to save7lives.org and reg-ister there. People can still register at any Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles; that information is transferred to save7lives.org. For those who have registered at a DMV in the past, that infor-mation is currently held at save7lives.org. More than 2500 people in Virginia await organ trans-plantation, and approximately 700 transplants a year are done in Virginia. Previous medical his-tory does not necessarily preclude a potential do-nor from being included on the list.

Tissue donation can enhance more than 50 lives. Veins, bone, skin and heart valves can make a tremendous difference in quality of life. For those who are struggling with grief after the death of a loved one and the subsequent donation, LifeNet Health offers the website healingthespirit.org. In addition, donor family advocate Tina Pierce can be reached at 800-847-7831. To learn more, call Pierce or visit lifenethealth.org.

Transplant Remembrance Ceremony

Photo by Anne Harmon Hogan - photos2artbyanne

Robert and Patsy Stull’s son Adam in 2003.

The Western Virginia Land Trust works with Roanoke County landowners who wish to pre-serve their land and keep it in a rural or agricul-tural condition. They are holding a workshop at the Bent Mountain Fire and Rescue station on Thursday, April 29, at 7 p.m. for county residents who want to learn more about conservation ease-ments.

Grace Terry is one such landowner that has permanently protected her land with a conserva-tion easement. She donated the easement on Poor Mountain land she inherited from a large fam-ily tract because “it made sense when there was a chance to protect the mountain and beautiful Laurel Creek.” The land is located off Honeysuckle Road in western Roanoke County, near the Mont-gomery County line.

Terry won’t express an opinion on a recent pro-posal to build windmills for power generation on land near her property. “I did what I could…One reason I did it was to protect the viewshed” with an easement. So “I’m staying out “of the windmill proposal, she said. The plan is opposed by some and favored by others. She did note that her con-servation easement has required utility providers to seek alternative routes around her property when planning new utility corridors.

Terry recently drove from Roanoke County to Floyd at night and was dismayed to see the lights

on telephone towers. She’s pleased to save her land for deer, wild turkeys, grouse and other animals and birds in their natural habitat.

She would like to see her sister and two brothers save their adjoining land on Poor Mountain with conservation easements. This property has been in the Terry family since 1835 when their first set-tlers moved here from Pittsylvania County. Grace Terry and her siblings are the sixth generation on Poor Mountain.

For more information on conservation ease-ments or about Thursday’s workshop, please call the Western Virginia Land Trust at 540-985-0000.

Land Trust / Grace Terry Preserve Poor Mountain Land

On Thursday evening, the Roanoke County Administration Building was packed to capacity for the Roanoke County Republican Mass Meet-ing. The meeting convened to elect a new chair-man for the party, and was contentious to say the least. Current chairman Mike Bailey was running for re-election and right at the filing deadline, Al Bedrosian decided to put his name on the ballot as well.

Typical meeting attendance is about 75 people, but since this was a contested election, well over 300 people tried to pack into a room with a ca-pacity of only 150. The fire marshal was on hand to keep count; eventually he ordered the doors closed, limiting the overflow crowd to the hall-ways. At 7 p.m. the outside doors were locked and only those that made it inside were allowed to become a voting delegate.

After the credentials committee validated the delegates, speeches were given first to the audi-ence in the room and then again for those in the hallways. Many people became frustrated and left before the voting began. Bailey spoke of his numerous qualifications saying, “My role is not to be in the lime light. My role is to work with ev-eryone in such a way that we develop good party platforms, we elect good Republican leaders and we make everyone work together for a common cause. My role is to hold the umbrella under which we all may stand.”

Bedrosian stated that he felt it was his “time to lead,” adding that the group must become a Chris-tian organization, offending some in the room that were members of other religions.

Many in attendance were put off by the fact that Bedrosian ran as an Independent in the last election against the Republican candidate for the Hollins district in the Board of Supervisors race. Since Bedrosian is not a dues-paying member of the Roanoke County Republican Committee and has not been attending meetings regularly, some in attendance felt he should be disqualified from running.

Mike Bailey handily won by a three to one margin. In his acceptance speech, he thanked his

many volunteers and invited everyone who voted to come to the next meeting and consider joining the Committee “so that their voice can be heard.”

Republican Women’s Convention: Over the weekend, 300 women from all over the state ar-rived at the Hotel Roanoke for the annual Virginia Federation of Republican Women’s convention. The Saturday night banquet featured Governor Bob McDonnell as the keynote speaker, who ap-peared with his wife Maureen and daughter Jean-ine, who sang the national anthem.

McDonnell spoke about last year’s election and the fact that the Republicans swept the state for the top three offices. He was especially gracious to outgoing VFRW President Brenda Campbell, thanking her for all the hard work she and the other members did for him last year. He added that he could not have won the election without the support of the women, who donated over three million dollars worth of volunteer time to his campaign.

Local dignitaries in attendance included Roa-noke City Sheriff Octavia Johnson; Kathy Hayden Terry, RNC National Committeewoman; Sena-tor Ralph Smith; Delegate Dave Nutter; Delegate Anne B. Crockett-Stark and Congressman Bob Goodlatte and his wife Maryellen.

Sunday’s keynote speaker was Sue Lynch, Presi-dent of the National Federation of Republican Women. She spoke of her many travels around the country in support of Republican candidates and how the country’s attitude is changing in the face of Obama’s liberal agenda. Lynch then in-stalled the new officers for the 2010 to 2012 term, including new President Fay Williamson.

Achievement awards were presented to the Re-publican Women’s clubs from around the state; the Roanoke Valley Republican Women received the Gold Achievement Award, the highest honor.

Republicans Hold Mass Meeting and Women’s Convention

By Carla [email protected]

I would like to take the opportunity to respond to a letter to the editor regarding a story I often use to illustrate the true cost of the unprecedented spending that is occurring in Washington these days. The erroneous letter to the editor referenced inaccurate numbers that were reported in a recent news story. Since the numbers were reported incorrectly it resulted in the math not adding up. I know many of you have heard me say this before but it bears repeating. Within the last year Congress passed, without my support, the so-called stimulus bill which costs over $1 trillion and the health care reform bill which costs over $2.5 trillion. To give you a better idea of just how much $1 trillion is, think of it this way – you need a four inch stack of one thousand dollar bills to equal $1 million. In order to equal $1 trillion, you would have to stack the one thousand dollar bills 67 miles high. Unfortunately, this math adds up but it certainly won’t get America back on the path to economic prosperity.

-Congressman Bob Goodlatte

Goodlatte Clarifies Statement

Faith Christian School will kick off its 9th year serving the community of Roanoke with its annual service project and fundraiser, Project Faith, on April 30th.

Over the past eight years, Faith Christian School students, faculty and parent volunteers have donated over 10,000 hours of service to this community, benefitting the Salvation Army, the Rescue Mission, the Roa-noke Greenways Commission, the US Park Service, and oth-ers.

This year on Friday, April 30th, nearly 500 volunteers will work at four different locations. Kindergarten students through grade two will work on Mill Mountain mulching the trail from the Discovery Center to the Zoo, and will work with the Mill Mountain Garden Club on the Wildflower Garden. The two and a half acre Wildflower Garden was established in 1975 and is a recipient of the Com-monwealth Award given by the Garden Club of Virginia.

Students in grades three through five will be working in conjunction with the Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the US Park Service at the Roa-noke Mountain Campground. Volunteers will be clearing and preparing 110 camp sites before its opening the following week, which US Park Service official, Allen Lawson, states, "[these jobs] simply may not get done otherwise. This work is such a blessing to us. With most of my employees still working on the American Recovery and Rein-

vestment Act projects, I don't have the full work force to dedi-cate to getting the campground ready for opening."

Grade six and grade eight students will be traveling across town to work at the Blue Ridge Women’s Center on Williamson Road. They will be landscaping, cleaning, organizing clothing, and helping the organization prepare for an upcoming fund-raiser. BRWC Executive Direc-tor Phil Holsinger, said “We are so excited to have students from FCS help out the center to help make it more inviting to our cli-ents.”

Students in grades seven and nine through twelve will be working at the YWCA womens’ and childrens’ center in down-town Roanoke. Volunteers will be painting, cleaning, setting up a new room, painting a mural and setting up a children’s area. Melissa Woodson, YWCA Ex-ecutive Director shares, “It im-presses me that a private Chris-tian based school is stepping up

to take care of our shelter in a BIG way. You represent the fu-ture for our country and every single action of civic duty is a blessing to the whole of your community.”

The fundraising goal for this project is $150,000. Less than two weeks out, students have already raised over $117,000. If the goal is met, the students will have a party to celebrate and there will be other incentives, such as the Headmaster, Sam Cox, having his head shaved. “I look forward to this event every year,” shares Cox, “it is a win-win situation with the School raising much-needed funding, and our students getting their hands dirty and working hard for the betterment of our com-munity.”

For more information on this event and on Faith Christian School, please visit the website at www.faithchristian-school.com.

Faith Christian School Donates over 2000 Hours of Service

Students paint a mural during last year’s Project Faith.

Grace Terry on her land in Roanoke County.


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Career day field trips provide students with the opportunity to learn and interact with people in various fields and that’s ex-actly what Interactive Achieve-ment (IA), an educational soft-ware company, did recently at its downtown location for 240 third, fourth and fifth grad-ers from Westside Elementary School.

The presenters included Roa-noke City School Director for kindergarten through eighth grade Tom Dunleavy, Virginia Tech Defensive Ends Jon Graves and Josh Eadie, Attorney Anne Edenfield, Lewis Gale Internist Dr. Tim Henshaw, Carilion Surgeon Dr. Terri Watson, Vir-ginia State Police Senior Special Agent Francis Scott and Healthy Stuff Cakery Owner and Artist Al Hubbard.

“All of the presenters went over big with the children who were so excited,” enthused IA District Manager Michelle Dykstra. Graves and Eadie wore Virginia Tech gear and showed the children their rings during their presentation. The fact that Scott graduated from a local high school [William Fleming] went over well. Hub-bard [a vendor on the market] talked about character, earning respect and the importance of not compromising your values.

Following his presentation, he served the children squash cake containing berries, natural cane and navy beans.

Topping off the event was Miss Virginia Chinah Hellman-dollar, adorned with her crown and sash. She talked about the importance of service to family and community and gave the closing remarks.

The students have been an integral part of the develop-ment of the newly renovated IA building located at 601 Camp-bell Avenue, SW. “Each of the third, fourth and fifth graders drew a picture of what they want to be when they grow up and those drawings were trans-ferred to ceramic tile and pieced together to form the murals that decorate our walls. Based off of the drawings the students submitted, IA was able to re-cruit several notable figures to inspire and excite the Westside students,” remarked Dykstra.

Research has shown that the motivation of students is often enhanced after learning from presenters who share their own personal struggles and provide a roadmap to achievement and success. It is important for all students to understand that they have options and are able to realize their dreams for col-lege and the world of work.

Westside Elementary is IA’s adopted school for the current school year. IA has a staff of 17 employees, and every employee spends one hour weekly with students to help tutor the chil-dren and assist in the classroom as needed. The staff works with students at the school through a company sponsored program that has been found to be ben-eficial to both parties. The staff members feel a connection with the local area students and the students in turn receive individ-ual attention and guidance from staff members.

“The main purpose behind all of this is to encourage other companies to become involved and to do the same thing we are

doing. With the budget crisis, schools need the help. IA will work with any companies that would be interested in getting involved,” Dykstra stressed.

Earlier this month, IA was awarded the Rising Star Award by The New Va Corridor Tech-nology Council for its develop-ment of software for teachers to track students on Standards of Learning requirements.

For additional information on Interactive Achievement, visit in-teractiveachievement.com or call (540) 206-3649.

Miss Virginia, VT Players and Others Tell Westside Students to Think Big


Valley View Mall has announced that Twist and Turns will be relocating the retail store currently in the Roanoke City Historic Market to The District at Valley View Mall. The retailer plans be open in early September 2010 at The District. Twist & Turns designs and manufactures metal furniture and has had a retail operation on the Roanoke City Market since 1992. In addition to the sale of designer metal furniture, the locally owned spe-cialty shop offers home decor, gifts and garden accessories and will join other exclusive retailers at Valley View Mall including LOFT, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Hollister Co and more.

"We are thrilled to add this unique store to The District at Valley View Mall," stated Louise Dud-

ley, General Manager of Valley View Mall. "Twist and Turns will enhance Valley View Mall s retailer line up by offering guests another option for fur-niture, home décor and unique gift items."

Cynthia Gardner, President of Twist and Turns, said, "We are so looking forward to our new lo-cation and a new adventure. Our location on the Roanoke City Market has served us well and we feel our move to Valley View Mall is a great busi-ness decision. "

Valley View Mall is a 1 million square-foot re-gional shopping destination featuring more than 90 stores and eateries and is anchored by Belk, JC-Penney, Macy's and Sears.

Twist & Turns to Open in Valley ViewPublic broadcasting officials in Virginia are

expressing deep concern over Governor Bob Mc-Donnell’s proposed budget amendments to phase out all state funding for public television and radio over the next four years, beginning July 1, 2010.

“It is important to note that these reductions would be on top of the 15 percent cut already imposed in the budget bill recently passed by the Virginia General Assembly,” said James Baum, President and CEO of Blue Ridge PBS. “In fact, since 2000 the state’s funding for public broad-casting in Virginia has been reduced by over 40 percent. While Blue Ridge PBS has maintained services to our audiences during the period, the proposed cuts we now face are of a different mag-

nitude.”In the coming two-year budget cycle, Virginia

public television stations would lose over $2.2 million in state funding that provides on-air and on-line instructional programming, as requested and used by teachers in the classroom all over the Commonwealth. All funding would be terminat-ed in the subsequent two years.

The governor’s amendments would also imple-ment a four-year phase-out of all state funding to support public broadcasting’s programming in the arts, cultural matters and public affairs. State-wide, the reduced funding in this category totals $592,835 beginning in 2011, with total elimina-tion scheduled over the following two years.

Virginia PBS Faces Elimination of State Funding

Construction will soon begin on a $2.5 million renovation project to transform the Lewis-Gale Maternity Care Center into an upscale, state-of-the-art facility that will take quality, safety and the birthing experi-

ence to a whole new level. The entire unit is getting a

face-lift to create a high-tech environment with the latest technology, that is still warm, soothing and offers the com-forts of home. Every detail is designed with the family in mind, from the labor tub for pain management to the pri-vate roomy suites. Patients will hardly notice that their room can be quickly transformed into

a state-of-the art delivery room because all of the equipment will be concealed to preserve the home-like, relaxing ambi-ence.

“Patients will notice a level of quality, safety, and comfort that’s unmatched in the Roanoke Val-ley,” said Victor Giovanetti, President of HCA Southwest Virginia. “We’re growing and we knew it was time to acceler-ate our plans for this project.”

Just in the last month, deliver-ies have increased by nearly 35 percent. The Lewis-Gale Mater-nity Care Center now has seven OB-GYN’s on staff and the plan is to grow even more.

The Maternity Care Center will remain open during the renovation project. The work will be done in phases so as not to disrupt patient care. Con-struction is set to begin in late summer or early fall. The reno-vations will take less than one year to complete.

“We’ve always strived for ex-cellent patient satisfaction by providing quality care with our specialized nursing staff and personalized care. But we be-lieve this renovation will take the birthing experience to the next level,” said Rosemary Win-slow, Director of Maternity Care Center.

For more information see www.HCAVirginia.com.

Major Renovations Planned for Lewis-Gale Maternity Care Center

Virginia Tech's 2010 Sum-mer Session will mark the debut of the university's new online graduate certificate in nonprofit and nongovernmental organi-zation management.

The 12-hour online certificate can be completed by students in as few as two semesters. The ap-plication for Summer II enroll-ment is due by June 1.

The certificate is designed for both practicing profession-als and students looking to en-ter into the nonprofit sector for the first time. The curriculum covers nonprofit organizational management, leadership, gov-ernance, international develop-ment, and philanthropy.

The certificate provides grad-uate-level education and cre-dentials to individuals seeking to create or enhance a strong foundation for a career in non-profit organizational manage-ment and leadership. Interested students, with a bachelor's de-gree, may apply online to the Virginia Tech Graduate School. Program faculty members rep-resent the School of Public and International Affairs in the Col-lege of Architecture and Urban Studies.

The certificate is comprised of four courses:

UAP 5454: Nonprofit Organi-

zation and ManagementUAP 5534: Nonprofit Leader-

ship and GovernanceUAP 5364: Nongovernmental

Organizations in International Development

UAP 5354: Charity, Philan-thropy and Civil Society

Virginia Tech's School of Public and International Affairs has offered the nonprofit man-agement and leadership certifi-cate through classroom-based courses since 2005. Grounded in interdisciplinary perspectives, students interact with faculty from various backgrounds in-cluding political science, public administration, urban planning, community, and international development. Master's degrees are offered in urban and re-gional planning and public and international affairs. Doctorates are offered in planning, gover-nance, globalization, and public administration and policy.

Online education programs further extend these opportuni-ties to eLearners all over the na-tion, and around the world each year.

To learn more, visit the online graduate certificate in nonprofit and nongovernmental organiza-tion management website: www.iddl.vt.edu/nonprofit

Tech Offers New Online Grad. Certificate in Nonprofit Organization Management

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arts & cultureNewsRoanoke.com 4/23/10 - 4/29/10 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |

The artwork of winners Olivia Kershaw Smith, Rosanne Moon and Vikki King in The Rescue Mission’s Fourth Annual Art Collection Com-petition 2009, was featured at an artist reception held at 2nd Helpings Gallery on Saturday, April 10. Mark Walsh and his band provided music.

“The Guitar Player” Acrylic by Smith, “Bernie 220” Watercolor/Collage by Moon and the Peo-ple’s Choice Award, “Vietnam Memorial” Pas-tel by King were selected by Curator Taliaferro Logan, Director of the Olin Gallery at Roanoke College, as winners out of 65 entries in the com-petition.

Smith, originally from Maryland, resides in Boones Mill. Even though her major in college was art, it was only after raising three children and retiring from Salem VA Medical Center five years ago, that she had time to put her formal education and talent as an artist to work. Her artwork includes acrylic, watercolor, collage, abstract, landscapes and animals. She has par-ticipated in numerous art shows, including the annual art competition held at Westlake Library where she received an honorable mention in watercolor in 2008, placed second in acrylic in 2009 and placed first in acrylic in 2010. The Jef-ferson Center, WVTF Radio and Roanoke Val-ley Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RVSPCA) are three venues where her artwork has been on exhibit.

Moon resides on Bent Mountain. Originally from New York City, she holds a Bachelor’s De-gree in both Nursing and Fine Arts. Her three years as a registered nurse on Staten Island was followed by the birth of three children. She and her husband later went into the custom contract-ing business, providing her with the opportunity to utilize her art and talent. Her responsibilities included doing drawings for presentation of con-tracts and putting together collages for rooms with a primary focus on kitchens, baths and of-fices. This was a “wonderful period of time in my life for 30 years,” she remarked. They retired to South Carolina, but after living there only four years, her husband lost his battle with colon can-cer. She met her current husband in church. He had just lost his wife to breast cancer and they both had a lot of memories in South Carolina. While riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway, they wound up in Roanoke.

A prolific painter, Moon works with watercol-or, oils, and acrylic; she focuses on portraiture and nature. She is a member of the League of Roanoke Artists, Virginia Watercolor Society and Arts Council of the Blue Ridge. Her work can be viewed at several locations, including Brandon Oaks and Lewis Gale Medical Center. While in Pennsylvania, she received first place in watercolor media at “Sunday in the Park,” and she has received numerous other honorable mentions. “I feel blessed to have the talent, the health and to be able to do this is a joy,” Moon said.

Originally from Massachusetts, King has re-sided in Blacksburg since 2007. She graduated

from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1991 and within months after graduation was in a near fatal skydiving accident. As a result, her ca-reer in art was derailed for 17 years. “I’m back now with experiences that have changed my life and my art. I know difficulty. I know disabil-ity. They have made me more sensitive to ‘the individual,’ the general theme of my work,” King remarked.

Her preference is to depict a single individual who reveals their character through expression, body language or action. One example she cites is homeless Vietnam veterans. The medium that she most often uses is marker, pencil and colored pencil. She also works with pencil, pastel and ink together.

A member of the Blacksburg Art Association, her artwork “Vietnam Memorial,” was voted “People’s Choice Award” by the men at the Roa-noke Rescue Mission’s Men’s Shelter. When de-scribing the purpose behind her artwork, King said, “I want people to be comforted and to know someone cares about and appreciates them.”

Editor’s Note: There were six winners in this competition. The initial article published in the March 12-18 edition recognized artists Barry Wolfe, Mary Anne Meador and Sally Mook.


2nd Helpings Gallery Recognizes Winners

Photo by Rosalind Stanley

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It may have gone off the air in 2002 (after more than two decades) but “Cookin’ Cheap,” the gag-filled culinary show hosted by Larry Bly and the late Laban Johnson was still making news recently. And in a big way - Cookin’ Cheap was hailed in the New York Times of all places as the “Best Cookin’ Show Ever.”

In an editorial published on Friday, March 29, Lawrence Downes said that Cookin’ Cheap, which aired on Blue Ridge Public Television and for a time on PBS, was “the real deal…a heartfelt display of genuine Southernness.” Downes liked that recipes often came in from viewers, and con-sisted of items one might pull out of the freezer. “What makes this show so good,” wrote Downes, was also “the chemistry of Laban and Larry.”

Bly, who runs a Roanoke-based creative agen-cy these days, was contacted by the Times just before they published the editorial. Downes left a message, telling Bly he grew up watching Cookin’ Cheap “and just loved it.” The former host (John-son died before the end of the show’s run), was floored. “I just can’t believe that people are still talking about the show after all these years.”

Cookin’ Cheap, which was produced in Roa-noke, lives on via DVD’s that can be purchased at cookincheap.net, although masters of most seasons of the show were actually thrown out by Blue Ridge Public Television. In his editorial, Downes especially liked the part of the show where Bly and Johnson dressed as southern la-dies, The Cook Sisters, to dispense advice.

One viewer did write to say that she was up-set that the hosts often used their fingers to taste recipes – she called it a health hazard and said they should be taken off the air. Bly still gets let-ters from fans of the show and said many fans had taped episodes of Cookin’ Cheap. You Tube also features segments of the program.

Bly didn’t remember the particular episode

Downes referred to, where Johnson struggled to remove the skin from some chicken thighs – pausing to honor the memory of the birds that gave their lives for the host’s meal. “We did prob-ably five or six hundred shows. There were so many memories like that.” In later years the show found its way into larger markets like Philadel-phia, bringing their version of Southern cooking to other parts of the country.

Bly thought the piece would run in the arts & entertainment section; instead it wound up on the venerated editorial page of the New York Times. “It’s very humbling…but I shouldn’t be surprised. It obviously connected to a lot of peo-ple on different levels.”

He sums up Cookin’ Cheap thusly: “It was just two guys being themselves on the air, hav-ing a heck of a good time and making each other laugh. We did that on and off the air.”

Cookin’ Cheap Gets Props From NY Times

The Cookin’ Cheap guys, Johnson and Bly.

In keeping with the cutting edge events of late at the Down-town Library--all Roanokers are invited to check out the upcom-ing “Party” (Tuesday, April 27, 6:30 - 8) in honor of Roanoke novelist, Gina Holmes, who is celebrating the release of her debut novel, “Crossing Oceans.” She describes it as the story of a young mother who must return to her sleepy North Carolina town to face the ghosts of her past and tell the man she left behind that he’s about to inherit a daughter he didn’t know he had.

New York Times best-seller Tess Gerritsen called it “poi-gnant and unforgettable.” An-other NYT best-seller, Charles Martin describes it as “beautiful and heartfelt.”

Holmes has sometimes been referred to as a Christian nov-elist, but this book is “not what comes to mind as a Chris-tian novel; it is more ‘women’s genre,’” according to Holmes.

Holmes, who is still working as a nurse, has been writing for years; she says “this has been ten years in the making…ten years

of rejections” to get to this point. Along the way, she started a writers’ blog, partially to docu-ment her journey as an aspiring writer navigating the long and winding road toward hopeful publication.

After meeting some fellow authors at a writers’ conference, they joined forces and together write the blog www.noveljour-ney.blogspot.com which has evolved into a blog that inter-views established and often well-known authors. It has gained a reputation as a “must see” blog for aspiring writers.

Her nursing career has been a necessity, but it has also helped Holmes to be in better touch with the thoughts and feelings she needs to be a poignant writ-er. She points out that “when I'm working as a nurse, I get to see people at their best and worst, without their masks,” Holmes says. “When somebody is with a family member who is dy-ing, they don't care what other people are seeing. I get to pick up authentic emotions, which I wouldn't see in other profes-sions, certainly not if I was se-

cluded at my desk.”Holmes is under contract to

write a second book, leaving lit-tle time for celebration because there is more work to be done. However, she will gladly be tak-ing time out for the upcoming party this Tuesday.

Don’t miss the celebration; come find out what all the buzz is about, meet the author, hear how she broke into the pub-lishing industry, and enjoy an evening out. There will be food, door-prizes, music, a theatre production based on a excerpt from the book, and the premier of a fun video parodying the book. There’s something for ev-erybody in this free-of- charge event.

Holmes’ debut book party will be on Tuesday, April 27 at the Roanoke Main Library from 6:30 - 8 p.m.

To learn more about this au-thor and her work, visit: www.ginaholmes.com or www.novel-journey.blogspot.com.

Local Writer Gina Holmes Lands Two Book Contracts

By Cheryl [email protected]

By Gene [email protected]

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