BlueRidgeLife™2013 – Photo By Tommy Stafford : Cardinal Point Winery in Afton recently completed construction of a new outdoor deck area between their tasting room and the wine making area. Just in time for those warm summer days!
Afton
Nelson County, VA
While I was out delivering the June issue of Blue Ridge Life Magazine, I noticed a brand new outdoor deck area had been completed at Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery in Afton, VA. It is NICE! Complete with ceiling fans to provide a nice breeze on those hot summer days ahead. While having some cool wine of course!
They added ceiling fans and also covered an already existing concrete deck just outside of the tasting room.
The recently finished projects follow an earlier one that added some cool seating on the mezzanine level of the winery where you can look down on the wine making process.
Publicity: On the dock at the marina in Annapolis, MD
Lexington
Rockbridge County, VA
Devils Backbone Brewing Company is pleased to announce the second annual release of their collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Striped Bass Pale Ale. Devils Backbone and their partnering distributors have raised $50,000 for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s educational awareness programs since the project’s inception last year.
Devils Backbone Founder Steve Crandall and his wife Heidi are stewards of the land. The streams and springs on their farm in Nelson County, VA are fenced off from livestock with water troughs built by the helping hands of the Virginia’s conversation program back in 1985. The Crandall’s take great pride in preserving their land and natural habitat in ways that preserve the Chesapeake Bay. The abundant water sources in the mountains around their home and Devils Backbone’s breweries eventually run to the bay, so the Striped Bass Pale Ale project is personal for them.
Striped Bass Pale Ale was fittingly spawned on an island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay while fishing for stripers in near gale force winds. Steve Crandall, a fully committed outdoorsman, wanted to create a beer that would satisfy your thirst while enjoying the outdoors but also help protect local waters. The crisp American Striped Bass Pale Ale is packaged in aluminum cans with recyclable toppers to be packable, portable and 100% recyclable.
Devils Backbone Brewing Company’s commitment to clean water and a healthy environment gives them and their distributor-partners in Virginia, DC and Maryland, a unique opportunity to support the efforts of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The program received support from five of their distributor partners: Virginia Eagle Distributing (Verona, VA); Brown Distributing (Richmond, VA); Hoffman Beverage Company (Virginia Beach, VA); Guiffre Distributing (Alexandria, VA); and Katcef Brothers, Inc (Annapolis, MD).
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, whose mission to “Save the Bay” extends thru out the Bay’s watershed and into the Blue Ridge Mountains, is actively working with the region’s landowners, businesses, residents, and local governments to restore and protect water quality in Virginia’s streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay.
Striped Bass Pale Ale has an active QR code on the can that leads the consumer to an informative page for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the need for “clean water”.
Photo Via National Weather Service – Blacksburg, VA – With Memorial Day behind us increasingly hot weather will begin moving in later this week. – Some of the hottest temperatures of the week will arrive by Friday as shown in the forecast above.
Central Virginia
Summer is still a few weeks away, but temperatures will begin feeling very summer like by mid week and easily reach the 90’s by late week across much of the area. As a matter of fact, by mid week and beyond it looks like warmer, even hotter, weather will be here to stay for the foreseeable future.
The graphic above via NWS Blacksburg, VA shows plenty of hot weather breaking out later in the week.
BlueRidgeLife™2013 – Photos By BRLM Mountain Photographer Paul Purpura : A youngster makes his along the trail at the 2013 Wintergreen Cliffhanger Challenge this past Memorial Day Weekend 2013
Wintergreen
Nelson County, VA
Picture perfect, the only way you could describe Memorial Day weekend 2013. After weeks and weeks of rain and cold temperatures the weather finally broke with plenty of sunshine and mild temps.
John Taylor (left) with Wintergreen Performing Arts pours wine at the annual wine festival held this past Memorial Day weekend 2013 in Nelson County, VA at Wintergreen Resort.Crowds enjoyed the mild but crisp mountain air this past Memorial Day weekend at Wintergreen Resort’s Blues & Brews Festival held on the mountains.To see all of the photos from Memorial Day events at Wintergreen in Nelson County, head on over to our Facebook album by clicking on the photo above.
The Virginia State Police are investigating the shooting into an occupied vehicle that resulted in the wounding of a tractor-trailer driver.
The incident occurred on May 25, 2013, at approximately 12:30 AM on Interstate 81 southbound at around the 245 mile marker in Rockingham County. The incident appears to have been the result of a road rage incident between the tractor-trailer driver and the driver of a passenger vehicle. The tractor trailer was southbound in the left lane when the driver of the passenger vehicle shot into the passenger side of the tractor trailer. The bullet went through the tractor trailer’s passenger door and struck the driver the right leg. The tractor trailer driver attempted to follow the passenger vehicle but lost it in traffic as they entered Augusta County. The tractor trailer driver pulled into the rest area located at the 232 mile marker and reported the incident to the Virginia State Police. The passenger vehicle was last seen continuing southbound on I-81 and is described as a Chrysler PT Cruiser or Chevrolet HHR type vehicle blue in color.
The driver of the tractor trailer a 43 year old male from Arizona was taken to Augusta Health Center for medical treatment with what was described as non life threating injuries.
Trooper D. M. Fisher of the Virginia State Police is the investigating trooper of this case. Anyone who has any information about this incident is asked to contact the Virginia State Police at (540) 829-7771.
BlueRidgeLife™2013 : Photo By Yvette Stafford : Nelson native and musician Sally Rose (center guitar) along with The Sally Rose Band opened in a debut at The Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville Friday night – May 24, 2013 Charlottesville
Now with a new band, and a soon to be released EP album number two called, Oh My Stars on the way, she took the stage at The Jefferson Theater Friday night – May 24, 2013 for the first time ever, The Sally Rose Band opened for the Chamomile & Whiskey CD Release Party. That band too has a strong Nelson native presence.
The cover of The Sally Rose Band’s soon to be released EP sometime in June 2013.
Be looking for lots more about Sally’s new release in the upcoming June issue of Blue Ridge Life Magazine.
Original post from 9:09 am – 5.23.13 Via VDOT Lynchburg:
Route 151 in the Clifford area of Amherst County is closed due to a tractor-trailer incident and motorists are urged to use alternate routes.
Emergency response crews are on the scene and a detour is being established.
A detour has been established on Route 151 near Route 610, Fletchers Level Road in Amherst County due to an incident involving a tractor-trailer.
Northbound traffic is being detoured onto Route 610, then US 29, followed by VA 56 and back to Route 151. Southbound traffic is being detoured onto Route 665, then to Route 778, followed by US 60 and onto US 29.
Law enforcement, emergency response and hazmat crews are on the scene.
There is no timeframe currently for the reopening of the roadway and no further details are available.
Merideth Young formerly of Heards Mountain, Virginia is now hopping across the country appearing at trade shows like this one in Orlando in 2012. Once the owner of Black Rock Gallery at Wintergreen for a number of years, she makes her home today in West Virginia and promotes her line of Merideth Young’s Upcycled Aluminum Can Jewelry.
Near Lewisburg, WV
Back in 2010, Merideth Young of Heards Mountain in Western Albemarle County knew it was time to leave the mountains, for awhile, and head for the sandy beach. “I moved to OBX (Outer Banks, NC) for a almost a year then family health problems brought me to WV outside Lewisburg in a tiny no name town….so unimportant that is unincorporated,” Merideth laughs from the porch of her home in West Virginia. Most people back in Central Virginia and Wintergreen remember Merideth as the owner of then Black Rock Gallery inside The Mountain Inn at Wintergreen Resort. Before leaving the area she was at Devil’s Backbone Brewing and was well known as the traveling artist with her work seen all over.
An extremely talented artist, Merideth Young paints the Devils Backbone logo on an old silo back in July of 2009 in Nelson County, VA. It still sits right next to the restaurant brewpub today.
“It all started in NC at food lion while walking through the soda isle….a cool turquoise and pink in color…an iced tea can. I started selling my earrings at a small gallery I worked at in Corolla, NC. They took off. Then I moved. Some people would raise an eyebrow at living in West Virginia but I would I beg to differ. The cost of living is less, beautiful mountains like in Nelson Co. and entertainment. All jokes aside I’ve lived here before but was to young to appreciate it and ran as far away as possible…to Colorado. This time is a better time now that I’m older I’ve adopted a more simple lifestyle.”
Merideth (far right) and friends on the beach at the Outer Banks, NC after surviving Hurricane Irene in August 2011.
“The good thing about West Virginia is they have an appreciation for the arts. When I lived here in the mid 90’s they built a rest area off of 64 that was a huge giftshop featuring West Virginia artists. It was a hit! A real boost for the economy and it provided a nice income for people that might not have a chance to get their art out of their rural hollow and into the world. It’s called Tamarack. When I came back I approached them with my trash turned into treasure and they bought it. Tamarack also chose me to participate in a Rosen show. If your an artist then you know what I’m talking about. It’s a wholesale show in Philidelphia, that is top notch. One more thing crossed off my bucket list. I always wanted to do a real wholesale show but couldn’t because my focus was on Black Rock Gallery. It’s funny, when I had the shop my focus was on what sells. For me and my artists. I as an artist would create stuff that would sell rather then what came from my heart,” Merideth continues.
A sample of the unique upcycled aluminum can jewelry Merideth Young is turning out today. Her work is in galleries all across the U.S.Merideth Young today from the porch of her home in West Virginia. She’s wearing one of the many pieces she makes as part of her upcycled aluminum can jewelry.This is how the jewelry all begins.
“Since begining this venture in February of 2011 and 2 wholesale trade shows later I have my jewelry in 57 galleries, museums and shops from Maine to California carrying my work. I miss Nelson County, it’s peeps and Wintergreen, but I must say visually West Virginia is pretty close and my view off my porch is a ten. Life changes, better hold on cause you never know what’s gonna happen.”
The VSP media relations office in Richmond updated this information on Thursday afternoon around 3:45 PM:
AUGUSTA CO. – Virginia State Police is continuing its investigation into an explosive device that damaged a passing vehicle early Thursday morning (May 16, 2013) in the community of Pastures in Augusta County.
At 4:45 a.m., the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene after receiving a 911 call about an incident involving a vehicle in the 200 block of Miss Phillips Road. When deputies arrived on scene they found a 2004 Toyota pickup truck with significant damage to its right front side. An explosive device lying alongside the road had detonated. The driver, a 61-year-old Staunton man, was not injured.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Appomattox Field Office, with the assistance of the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, ATF and FBI, is currently investigating the incident and following up on various leads. If anyone has information about this incident, then please contact the Virginia State Police at 434-352-7128.
By 1 p.m., the scene was cleared and Miss Phillips Road re-opened to all traffic.
AUGUSTA CO. – Virginia State Police and the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office are on the scene of what appears to be a minor explosion that occurred early Thursday morning (May 16, 2013) in the community of Pastures in Augusta County.
At 4:45 a.m., the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene after receiving a 911 call about an incident involving a vehicle in the 200 block of Miss Phillips Road. When deputies arrived on scene they found a pickup truck with significant damage to its front side. The driver, a 61-year-old Staunton man, was not injured.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Appomattox Field Office is currently at the scene with a bomb technician and explosives detection canine. At this stage of the investigation, it appears the damage to the vehicle was caused by a type of explosive device.
Miss Phillips Road will be closed at Hebron Road to through traffic for the next few hours as the investigation continues.
Photo Courtesy of media partners at CBS-19 Charlottesville
Afton Mountain
Augusta / Albemarle County, VA
Work began again early Monday morning on a stretch of I-64 on Afton Mountain to perform emergency repairs on the mountainside in that area. VDOT is highly encouraging drivers to take Route 250 as an alternate. For the first day back on the job after the heavy rains last week, backups were very, very significant.
“Traffic is crazy. It was a mile long wait this morning trying to get on 250 from 151. Average speed on I64 was about 50.” Nicole Small Garrison told us on our BRLM Facebook page around 8AM Monday. “The worst traffic back ups ive seen in along time,” Caitlin Christian Kennedy added on our Facebook page.
VDOT’s official notice from their website Monday morning:
I-64E at MM 100.3
Description:
On I-64 in the County of Albemarle at mile marker 100.3, motorists can expect potential delays in this area from 05/13/13 at 6:30 AM until 05/13/13 at 8:00 PM due to roadside maintenance. The east right shoulder is closed.
On I-64 eastbound and westbound in Albemarle County, motorists should expect delays due to road construction. There will be temporary stoppages throughout the day. Passenger vehicles should exit I-64 at Exit 107 onto US-250 westbound and follow I-64 signs to re-enter at Exit 96(Delphine Avenue). Truck traffic should remain on I-64 westbound in the left lane through the work zone. Motorists should expect delays as they approach the are
A shot from a VDOT camera well west of where the roadwork is taking place. The westbound lane is the closest the other side is eastbound traffic on I-64 around the 96 MM waiting in line just after 11:00 am Monday – May 13, 2013
The work is expected to continue all week long with rotating 45 minute closures throughout the day as work progresses.
