Virginia Distillery Company recently launched the voting process for its 2018 Charity Cask. The distillery team asked staff which local Nelson County charitable organizations they would most like to give back to, and now the top three (Nelson County Community Fund, Almost Home Humane Society/SPCA of Nelson County and Nelson County Pantry) are in the running to be the beneficiary of the net proceeds from the sale of the bottles that come from the cask, which will be released in August 2018.
Through the end of December, the community can go to the voting site and submit a vote, once per day. Results will be announced on January 3rd, 2018. In addition to voting, the community also has the option to make a donation to the selected charities here.
The 2018 Charity Cask will be the second batch of a single barrel of Coffee Cask Finished Virginia-Highland Whisky, following the 2017 dedication to Nelson County First Responder teams. The coffee cask is a partnership with Snowing in Space, a nitro coffee company in Charlottesville. The whisky Virginia Distillery Company is proud to support local organizations that benefit the community of Nelson County.
On December 13, the Central Blue Ridge chapter (CBR) of the Virginia Master Naturalist program awarded a grant of $700 to the Nelson County Middle School for support of the Nelson Environmental Leadership Club. The club, sponsored by teacher Mary Haines-Johnson, provides students with investigative and environmental opportunities.
Currently 17 students are enrolled as club members with about 15 actively involved. They are a mix of students in grades 6-8. They have varied interests but all of them love the outdoors and living things. Community service and outreach activities are important parts of the club program.
In the early fall, they gathered and identified native wildflowers. Then they dried the flowers and created laminated hall passes for teachers with information about the flower on the hall pass. They also made a tea out of the goldenrod they collected.
CBR chapter Vice-President, Paul Davis, presents the check for $700.00 to Mary Haines-Johnson at Nelson Middle School this past Wednesday – December 13, 2017.
The club has taken 2 field trips this school year: one to Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center to work on team building and water ecology and another to Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary to tour and learn about the center. Since then, the students have done one community service project. They donated and made smores kits for Nocturnal in Nelson, held at Woodridge Brewery, an educational outreach project of the Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary.
Club members are currently working on educating their peers about wildlife and its importance to the ecosystem by establishing Wild About Wildlife Fun Fact Friday. Students worked with a partner to research an interesting fact about an animal and to design an informative slide show shared at lunch.
An ongoing project is the creation of a rain garden and native plant installation of co-adapted species for the purpose of attracting locally adapted wildlife. They will reuse rain and storm-water to maintain a butterfly garden and pond.
The garden project will involve students every step of the way from being part of the site preparation crew, to digging, hauling rocks, planting, and weeding as they embark on establishing an outdoor living classroom. They will be working under the expert guidance of Devin Floyd, from the Center for Urban Habitats. The plan is to invite the master naturalists to work with the club as partners and mentors to students. This winter, students will begin learning about the plants to be installed in hopes of later creating botanical drawings and publishing a field guide of the garden.
Haines-Johnson has also received grants from various local and regional groups, including the Rockfish Valley Foundation (RVF), where several Master Naturalists volunteer at the Foundation’s Natural History Center. Nelson County school students have participated in field trips to the Center for hands-on experience with environmental science. It is hoped that the chapter’s donation will allow continued enrichment programs for students.
CBR chapter Vice-President, Paul Davis, presented the check to Mary Haines-Johnson at the school. Davis, whose career included assisting in many early NASA space flights, has long been an advocate of science in the schools. A Nellysford resident, Davis is also active in the VA Bluebird Society and has built and monitored hundreds of birdhouses for bluebird trails throughout Nelson County.
The VA Master Naturalist Program is a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Interested Virginians become Master Naturalists through training and volunteer service.
The program is jointly sponsored by seven Virginia agencies and departments. It is based in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation within the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech. There are 29 active chapters of Master Naturalists.
The Central Blue Ridge chapter, whose members volunteer mainly in Nelson County, hopes to offer a Basic Training course for prospective members in 2018. Classes cover many of the natural sciences and focus on volunteer opportunities in the area. Current members are involved with water quality monitoring, butterfly and bird counts, park trail creation and maintenance, and educational programs and docent activities at the RVF, Quarry Gardens, Fortunes Cove Nature Preserve, and other locations. Members meet 6 times per year for advanced training. A recent talk was about the Chesapeake Bay Oyster shell recycling program.
For more information about the Master Naturalist program check out the website at: www.virginiamasternaturalist.org. For information on the Central Blue Ridge chapter contact Lovingston-based chapter advisor Corissa Vanden Hoek at wcorissa@exchange.vt.edu.
[This article was prepared by the CBR chapter with input from Mary Haines-Johnson and the VA Master Naturalist website.]
Above the recipe from the late Earl Hamner, Jr. sent to us in 2006. It’s the recipe his mom used to make applesauce cake for the holidays. He sent it to us for publication back then in our charter magazine Nelson County Life. Earl wrote in our magazine for a number of years. His poems and humor became a favorite, especially at the holidays! – Click photo to enlarge.
Nelson County, Virginia
By Tommy Stafford
Every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas we are reminded of our friend, the late Earl Hamner, Jr. Earl wrote for our magazine for a number of years right after we started. I’m pretty sure he felt sorry for us in those early days stumbling around in a brand new business. He wouldn’t ever let us pay him. But always willingly accepted some great Virginia wine we often shipped to the west coast! Wintergreen Winery’s Black Rock Chardonnay was his favorite. He always held a special place in his heart for Nelson, though he’d been living in California for decades.
One of our favorites was the recipe he shared with us for his mother’s applesauce cake. It was even mentioned in The Homecoming (the pilot movie that inspired the TV series The Waltons).
Earl’s humor was one of a kind and so welcome. You can tell it from the email he sent us way back on November 17, 2006. Jane he refers to in this email is his wife. Today she still loves in their California home. Earl, sadly, passed away in March of 2016. We still miss him dearly.
We’ve kept this all of these years. He’d want us to share it with you.
BRL received numerous messages on Tuesday night about cars being broken into at Rockfish River Elementary School during a Christmas program being held there.
“I was there with my grand children, my car was not broken into, but the one next to it was! The gentle man was telling us when we came out, my five year old grand daughter was so very upset and anxious about it all the way home! So sad children have to experience criminals so young! I hope they catch them,” Donna Evans posted in a thread on our Facebook page about the break-ins.
Release from Nelson Sheriff David Hill’s office:
On December 12, 2017, Deputies with the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office responded to Rockfish Elementary School for the report of several vehicle vandalisms and larcenies. Unknown suspects damaged several cars and stole items of value from within while the owners attended an after school program.
The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office is working to identify leads in this case. Citizens are reminded that during this holiday season, take additional time to safeguard your valuables. Place items out of view in your vehicle such as securing them in the trunk or a locked glove box. Consider making a trip to your home to drop off large numbers of gifts before leaving your vehicle unattended for an extended period of time.
If you have any information about this case you are asked to contact the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office at 434-263-7050 or via Facebook at “Nelson County Sheriff’s Office”. Help us bring this modern day “Grinch” to justice. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
“That is a absolute shame!!! Families there to see our kids sing and perform and enjoy a break from the world and enjoy Christmas music and then THIS!! Whomever did it, SHAME on you and I pray for your soul. This is sad, Get a job!” Krystal Torres added in the post.
It’s believe between 5 and 10 cars were broken into or purses stolen from ones that were unlocked.
We have a requested in to Nelson’s a sheriff David Hill and will update this story when we have more info.
A very strong cold front dropped through the area Tuesday afternoon and as it did, the winds kicked up and some strange frozen stuff fell from the sky. Some folks described it as styrofoam looking snow, others were just excited to be learning a new word!
So just what is graupel? More or less it’s supercooled water droplets. ”
Contact between a snow crystal and the supercooled droplets results in freezing of the liquid droplets onto the surface of the crystal. This process of crystal growth is known as accretion. Crystals that exhibit frozen droplets on their surfaces are often referred to as rimed. When this process continues so that the shape of the original snow crystal is no longer identifiable, the resulting crystal is referred to as graupel.”
Above the video of the graupel as it started in Roseland Tuesday afternoon.
Above my Facebook live talking about graupel and the light snow that moved through.
Above, I talk more about what we can expect in the coming days in my weather forecast for Wednesday and beyond. Hint, a warm up after a very blustery midweek!
Around 2:15 p.m. today (Dec. 12, 2017), Virginia State Police was called to the scene of a fatal crash near Churchville in Augusta County.
A 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer was traveling eastbound on Route 250 (Hanky Mountain Highway) about a half mile east of Route 728 (Stover Shop Road) when the driver lost control of the vehicle and ran off the right side of the road. The driver overcorrected then ran off the right side of the road a second time and struck a tree.
The SUV driver – Michael G. Salinger, 89, of West Augusta, Va. – and passenger – Susanne O. Salinger, 89, of West Augusta, Va. – were both pronounced dead at the scene. They were both wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
The crash remains under investigation.
Susan Rowland
Public Relations Coordinator
Virginia State Police
WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST WEDNESDAY
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
611 PM EST Tue Dec 12 2017
Eastern Highland-Northern Virginia Blue Ridge-
Central Virginia Blue Ridge-Eastern Pendleton-
611 PM EST Tue Dec 12 2017
…WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST
WEDNESDAY…
* WHAT…Very cold wind chills expected. The cold wind chills
will cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes to exposed
skin. Expect wind chills to range from 10 above zero to 10
below zero.
* WHERE…In Virginia, Eastern Highland, Northern Virginia Blue
Ridge and Central Virginia Blue Ridge. In West Virginia,
Eastern Pendleton.
* WHEN…Until noon EST Wednesday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…The cold wind chills will cause frostbite
in as little as 30 minutes to exposed skin.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and the wind will
combine to create low wind chills. Frost bite and hypothermia can
occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure you wear a hat and
gloves.
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Blacksburg VA
249 PM EST Tue Dec 12 2017
…Accumulating snow showers through this evening followed by
bitterly cold wind chills overnight…
.Accumulations of upslope snow showers will continue in parts of
southeastern West Virginia and the mountains of northwestern North
Carolina through tonight. The strong winds and cold temperatures
later tonight will produce wind chills below zero at times.
Roanoke-Botetourt-Rockbridge–
Including the cities of Roanoke, Salem, Fincastle, Lexington,
and Buena Vista
249 PM EST Tue Dec 12 2017
…WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO
9 AM EST WEDNESDAY…
* WHAT…Very cold wind chills expected. The cold wind chills
will cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes to exposed
skin. Expect wind chills to range from 10 above zero to 0.
* WHERE…Roanoke, Botetourt and Rockbridge Counties.
* WHEN…From midnight tonight to 9 AM EST Wednesday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Northwest winds will also be gusting as
high as 50 mph, especially this evening.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and the wind will
combine to create low wind chills. Frost bite and hypothermia can
occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure you wear a hat and
gloves.
The Board of Directors of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC) recently authorized $1.48 million in capital credit refunds to Cooperative member-owners in December. This is the eighth consecutive year that CVEC has issued capital credit refunds reaching a total of nearly $17 million returned to members.
CVEC is a not-for-profit cooperative that allocates any revenues above expenses to its member-owners in the form of patronage capital. Patronage capital represents the members’ ownership and investment in the Cooperative for each year the member received electric service. This patronage capital is eventually returned to members in the form of capital credit payments. Vice President and CFO Tina Mallia explained that, “One of the benefits of belonging to a Cooperative is that all profits are allocated to its members each year. These profits or patronage capital are invested in Cooperative plant and eventually refunded to members in the form of cash or a bill credit.”
The refunds this year will be used to retire 10% of the 2016 patronage capital allocations and 100% of the allocations from 1990. Those funds will be distributed to members by mailed check if the refund is $100 or above, or as a bill credit for refunds below $100.
Members may learn more about this feature of the cooperative business model at http://www.mycvec.com/capital-credits.html, where one can also review a list of unclaimed capital credit refunds, the result of previously mailed checks that were not cashed or were returned to the Cooperative due to an outdated mailing address.
Headquartered in Lovingston, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric-distribution utility serving over 36,000 meters in 14 counties across central Virginia. For more information, visit www.mycvec.com.
After a brief vacation from the homeplace of the Nelson County Christmas Parade it returned this past Saturday night to a very welcoming crowd.
Folks line the street in cold weather in anticipation of the Nelson County Christmas Parade starting this past Saturday night – December 9, 2017.
Concerns over traffic and logistics prompted the parade to move to away for a couple of years. But with the move attendance dwindled severely and a push to get the parade back into Lovingston finally happened with the 2017 event.
To see more of the photos Jenn took, click on our Facebook album above.
Welcome back to Lovingston and see you again next year in 2018!
As I mentioned in my forecasts for the past few days, snow fell on the Blue Ridge overnight Friday into Saturday morning. It was really the perfect snow. Pretty to look at but didn’t cause many travel problems due to the ground being warm. Off to the south and east that wasn’t the case, higher amounts caused power outages and slick roads.
But here, just pretty to look at!
See more photos in our gallery below and have fun in the snow!
Stoney Creek in Nellysford.
A touch of Christmas with a snowy backdrop at Rogers CPA in Nellysford.
The old Wintergreen Store now the Rockfish Museum of Natural History.
Ski Barn at the foot of Wintergreen in Nelson County.
