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WOW! What A Response : Nelson Co Pantry Makes Thanksgiving – Working On Christmas

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WOW! What A Response : Nelson Co Pantry Makes Thanksgiving – Working On Christmas
©2011 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Photos By Tommy Stafford : People packed the parking lot Saturday morning (11.19.11) at the Nelson County Pantry to receive a Thanksgiving meal. One that almost didn't happen.

Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia
Friday we told you about a real tragedy with terrible timing at The Nelson County Pantry. All of their Thanksgivings turkeys spoiled due to a freezer failure, just before the very weekend where they would be handing them out. The crew and volunteers avoided that potential holiday crisis by taking early delivery on their Christmas turkeys and handing those out right from the back of a truck Saturday morning.

Volunteers hand out turkeys Saturday morning for needy and underprivileged people from the Nelson area. These turkeys were slated for Christmas delivery rather than Thanksgiving.

“We are floored at the response, unbelievable,” said Marion Dixon with NCP. She was fielding phone call Saturday morning when were there. After posting our original story on Friday Marion said it went crazy with people wanting to do anything they could to help out. “I have a donor from Australia, one from Tampa, and on and on,” Marion told us as she sifted through donor forms. The donations coming in now will help cover the deficit for Christmas deliveries since those turkeys were handed out Saturday morning. Over $2000.00 in Thanksgiving turkeys was lost Friday when the freezer at NCP failed and all of them spoiled.

A volunteer at The Nelson County Pantry hands out potatoes a part of the Thanksgiving deliveries for this holiday season.

Though the immediate crisis has been temporarily dodged, NCP still needs your help to make sure they have enough money on hand to buy all of the Christmas turkeys for the December deliveries. Head on over to NCP’s website by clicking here and donate what you can.

Way to go Nelson for stepping up to the table, and way to go folks from outside of Nelson, this is a truly special holiday season 🙂

URGENT! : Nelson Pantry Loses All of Their Thanksgiving Turkeys In Freezer Failure

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URGENT! : Nelson Pantry Loses All of Their Thanksgiving Turkeys In Freezer Failure
Volunteers stock holiday food package at the Nelson County Pantry. Due to a freezer failure they lost all of their Thanksgiving turkeys.

Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia
The timing couldn’t have been worse. The Nelson County Pantry has lost all of their frozen Thanksgiving turkeys slated for delivery to needy families this coming week. “We had some people coming in early to pick up their food baskets. When we got here to prepare for that we discovered our freezer had failed. We found blood from the thawed turkeys running everywhere. They’re all gone. $2000.00 worth of turkeys,” says Marion Dixon with the Nelson County Pantry.

Earlier this week we told you about a fundraiser held by employees and friends of Devils Backbone Brewing. They were jumping to raise money to purchase turkeys. “Fortunately we can take early delivery on our Christmas turkeys and use them to replace the lost Thanksgiving turkeys, but we have nothing for Christmas at the moment. The money raised last week by DBBC will help toward the Christmas turkey purchase, but we will need more help ASAP,” Marion continued.

County and volunteer crews spend much of the day cleaning out the spoiled turkeys and hauling them away. Marion says an assessment of what’s wrong with the freezer is being made now. “We still don’t even know what the cost of repairing the freezer will be.”

Marion is asking anyone that can donate to please go to their How You Can Help section of the NCP website and donate. The highlighted hyperlink in this sentence takes you there.

We’ll be updating you along the way!

Fall Beer Dinner At Blue Mountain Brewery – Yummo!

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©2011 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Photos By Tommy Stafford : Blue Mountain Brewery's co-founder and head brewmaster, Taylor Smack, talks about several beer pairings at Thursday night's Fall Beer Dinner at the Afton brewery.

Afton
Nelson County, Virginia
Most know how yummy wine pairings can be with food, but beer is too! This past Thursday night Taylor Smack hosted the 1st Fall Beer Dinner at Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton. In short, it was incredible! The entire room was packed with people wanting to experience some of the custom BMB brews paired with fantastic local foods.

Click on the image above the enlarge the menu and pairing from Thursday night's menu at Blue Mountain.
Just one of 5 courses from the BMB Fall Beer Dinner. The main couse was Slow-Roast Polyface Chicken basted with BMB beer bbq: accompanied by local acorn squash, sweet red pepper & onion hash, mashed sweet potatoes, cheddar topped with honey beer gravy. It was paired with a perfect Lights Out Holiday Ale.
Taylor Smack of Blue Mountain Brewery chats it up with people attending Thursday night Fall Beer Dinner in Afton.

With the success of the Fall Beer Dinner we feel confident there will be more in the future! Let’s hope so.

Excellent evening, well done!

Planning Commission : Minutes : 11.16.11

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PLANNING COMMISSION
Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Present: Ms. Philippa Proulx, Ms. Linda Russell, Mr. Mike Tapager and Ms. Connie Brennan (Board Liaison and non-voting member)

Absent: Mr. Mike Harman and Ms. Emily Hunt

REZONING/HOPE FOUNDATION: The applicant applied to rezone two parcels of property located on the east side of Thomas Nelson Highway (Rt. 29) north of Lovingston. The parcels in that area along Rt. 29 have been zoned Residential R-1 for decades. The applicant has requested a rezoning to Agricultural, A-1 to permit the sale of the property and the placement of a singlewide manufactured home on one lot.

Mr. Boger reported that the applicant could request a Special Use Permit to place a doublewide manufactured home on each parcel without the rezoning, and that would be compatible with the character of the surrounding area. He noted that the rezoning of the two parcels does not appear to be in the public interest but rather to benefit the land owner in the sale of the property. Mr. Boger also said that rezoning to two parcels would break the integrity of the zoning in that area and would constitute spot zoning which is not good zoning practice.

Mr. Harold Bauer, representing Hope Foundation, said that the rezoning would raise the taxes on the property and therefore benefit the county. He said that the property is not visible from Rt. 29 and that it is not useful property except for the front part. He said that the rezoning would help the county and the Hope Foundation. Ms. Proulx pointed out that the applicant could put a doublewide on the property without a rezoning.

During the Public Hearing, Mr. Michael Horn asked if a doublewide could be put on the property, what the harm would be in a singlewide on the property.

Ms. Russell said that she has problems with the rezoning, noting that the area has been zoned Residential for many years and it is a sizable district. She said that removing one or two parcels from the district would break the integrity of the district. Ms. Russell said that the rezoning would benefit only one property owner rather than the entire community. Finally, she noted that the applicant could put a doublewide on the property without asking for a rezoning. Ms. Proulx said that she shares the concerns with spot zoning and said that she would not want to set a precedent based on whether or not the singlewide could be seen. She said that there is a use for the property without a rezoning. Mr. Tapager said that the area is one of the few actually zoned Residential in the county with the intention of creating a buffer for the agricultural uses behind the residential. He said that spot zoning the parcels to agricultural would allow all of the agricultural uses in a residential district, even though the area might not be a typical residential area.

Commissioners voted 3-0 to recommend denial of the rezoning from R-1 to A-1 because that area of Rt. 29 has been zoned Residential for several years; because the landowner could apply for a Special Use Permit to place a doublewide there without a rezoning; and because the rezoning would benefit one individual only and would constitute spot zoning which is not good planning.

CLASS III COMMUNICATION TOWER/BUFFALO RIDGE, GLADSTONE: Central State Tower II applied to erect a 120-foot monopole on property located at 16 Old Thirteen Lane in Gladstone, owned by Ellie Funk and L. C. Campbell. The application requests exceptions to Section 20-7-2 fall zone of 125% of the tower height; and to Section 20-13 location and height regulations with regard to setback to property lines. Mr. Boger reported that an engineer has provided a letter certifying that the tower has been designed to collapse upon itself.

During Public Comment, Mr. Mark Rosenthal, Afton, said that he can get service on his cell phone for about 97% of the US and he does not want to see trees cut down to grow towers.

Commissioners voted 3-0 to recommend approval of the permit with exceptions. Commissioners directed staff to notify the property owners that Section 20-7-5k(4) requires that existing trees within 200 feet of the tower shall not be removed except as may be authorized to permit construction of the tower and installation of access for vehicles and utilities.

Commissioners directed staff to set up a work session for Wednesday, December 7th or December 14th at 7:00pm to review:

Subdivision Ordinance;

Draft Transportation Plan for the Comp Plan; and

Draft language on Temporary Structures

Meeting continued until December 7th or 14th.

Copyright 2000-2011 by Rural Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Reports may be reprinted or excerpted with attribution.

Light Snow Accumulates In Nelson’s Higher Elevations

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Light Snow Accumulates In Nelson’s Higher Elevations
Photo Courtesy of Kimberly Dawn At Wintergreen Real Estate Company : A light dusting of snow fell during the early morning hours this past Thursday at Wintergreen Resort. This was at Black Bear Cafe on Devils Knob.

Devils Knob / Wintergreen
Nelson County, Virginia
A light dusting of snow fell Thursday morning in the mountains of Nelson County as brisk temps moved into the area after a cold front began moving through the area. Earlier in the week temps were in the mid 70’s with Thursday’s highs only reaching the mid 40’s in the valley and the 30’s in the mountains.

Conditions remain cold until the 2nd half of the weekend when temps move back into the mid 60’s once again in the valley and near 60’s mountains.

Rain May End With Some Light Snow Thursday Morning

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Rain May End With Some Light Snow Thursday Morning
©2011 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Photos By Mountain Photographer Paul Purpura : Low hanging clouds could be seen late in the day Wednesday as rainy and windy conditions moved across the mountain at Wintergreen Resort. Some light snow is possible Thursday morning as temps plummet behind a cold front.

Nelson County, Virginia
The past several days have been very mild, but that’s about to come to an abrupt halt for the next day or so before becoming milder by the second half of the weekend. There may even be light snow Thursday morning as temps begin diving, only reaching the mid 40’s for highs in the valley and the upper 30’s at Wintergreen.

Here at NCL we picked up just under 3/4 of an inch of rain by late Wednesday night. Our Nelson Mag FB Friend Brian Lacy our in Massies Mill says he got about 1.23 inches of rain. Head up to Wintergreen and our gauge at the Wintergreen Nature Foundation showed about 1/2″ of rain Wednesday night.

Upper and lower clouds hover over the Rockfish Valley as seen from Wintergreen Resort late Wednesday. Crawford's Knob is visible in the lower left corner of the image.

As colder air works in Thursday morning with some moisture still in the area, light snow could break out, especially in the higher elevations of Nelson along the BRP. If we do see some, it won’t be much of anything, maybe a dusting to an inch.

Look for temps back in the 60’s by Sunday into early next week.

Bouncing For Turkeys

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Bouncing For Turkeys
©2011 www.nelsloncountylife.com Photos By Tommy Stafford : Tori Ashley, a waitress at Devils Backbone Brewing, takes her shift Bouncing For Turkeys this past Monday morning at the brewery. The 2nd annual event is to raise money for the Nelson County Pantry this holiday season.

Roseland
Nelson County, Virginia
We first told you about Bouncing For Hams at Devils Backbone Brewing back in November of 2010. For the 1st event it was brutal. Temps were down in the 20’s with wind chills of 0°. Brrrrrrrrrrrr! Not this year, and not hams this time around! Temps on Monday hit a very comfortable mid 70’s. The crew and some customers of DBBC stopped by to jump for awhile to raising money for The Nelson County Pantry. The bouncing started at 6AM Monday and goes for a solid 24 hours until 6AM Tuesday. Roughly each 11 dollars raised will buy a turkey for someone this holiday season.

Duncan Lee (left) a busser with DBBC and frequent customer, Richard Boyd, bounce for turkeys this past Monday morning at Devils Backbone.

“We’ve already raised almost as much money as we did for the entire event last year. We’ve been taking donations for the past month here in the restaurant before the bouncing actually started,” said Brian Coe with DBBC. Last year the group raised $2100.00 for the Nelson County Pantry.

Juniorette Publisher Peyton Stafford hangs out with Tori Ashley (left) and Kelli Loughry of DBBC while they wait to Bounce For Turkeys!

If you’d like to donate to Bouncing For Turkeys, head on over to DBBC Monday evening and make a donation!

Annual Meetings Held This Past Weekend At Wintergreen

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Photos By NCL Mountain Photographer Paul Purpura : WPI and WPOA members held their annual fall meetings this past weekend at Wintergreen Resort.

Wintergreen Resort
Nelson County, Virginia
It was a busy weekend for Wintergreen Property owners and Wintergreen Partners as they held their regular annual fall meetings. All matters mountain were discussed including the addition of a couple of new AT&T cell towers along with a new water tank on the mountain to help out in making snow during ski season.

Dobie Fish with WFD discusses with property owners one of the displays on hand by Wintergreen Fire & Rescue at the 2011 annual fall meeting.
Doug Coleman (Wintergreen Nature Foundation Executive Director) discussed the ongoing anthropological excavations that are taking place at Wintergreen.

Additional routine business was discussed by both WPOA and WPI members.

Devils Backbone Getting Close On Outpost Brewery In Neighboring Rockbridge County

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Devils Backbone Getting Close On Outpost Brewery In Neighboring Rockbridge County
©2011 www.nelsoncountylife,com : All photos By NCL Valley Photographer Hayley Osborne : Devils Backbone Outpost Brewery in Rockbridge County is nearing completion with beer starting to roll out in mid January to distributors across central Virginia

Lexington
Rockbridge County, Virginia
In just a few weeks Devils Backbone brews will begin moving into stores across the area. The Devils Backbone Outpost Brewery in neighboring Rockbridge County is nearing completion with beer expected to be in the hands of Central Virginia distributors by mid January. The opening to the general public will follow in February 2012.

This past Friday night the DB Outpost Brewery held a Sawdust Party with the crew and close friends in anticipation of the soon finished facility.

Devils Backbone broke ground on the Lexington operation back in April 2011. Since then they have been on a fast track to get the brewery up and running so they could begin producing beer for commercial distribution.

The original Devils Backbone Brewing Company opened back in November of 2008 and will celebrate their 3rd anniversary in just a few days.

Brian Coe, originally with DBBC in Nelson, serves up a DB brew this past Friday night at the Sawdust Party in Rockbridge County.
Steve Crandall (left) founder of Devils Backbone in both counties shows off some of the brewing equipment to brewery business partner Rod Ferguson.
Welders continue work on the tanks at the Devils Backbone Brewery Outpost in Rockbridge County, Virginia
Jason Oliver (left) head brewmaster with Devils Backbone (Nelson) chats with folks at this past Friday night's Sawdust Party in Rockbridge County, Virginia

The DB Outpost is joined by Blue Mountain in the commercial distribution arena. They broke ground on their commercial production facility here in Nelson County back in October. They will have beer available from that facility starting in early 2012.

When completed, the new DB Outpost Brewery in Rockbridge will brew about 10,000 barrels of beer in the first year of 2012.

That’s a lot!

We’ll keep you posted on their progress.

Brush & Forest Fires Burn Sunday Morning In Augusta West Of BRP

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Brush & Forest Fires Burn Sunday Morning In Augusta West Of BRP
©2011 www.nelsoncountylife.com : Photo By Yvette Stafford : Traveling 664 after crossing Reeds Gap, smoke from forest fires could be seen Sunday morning off in the distance on the northern horizon.

Blue Ridge Parkway
Nelson/Augusta County, VA
Many people east of the Blue Ridge Parkway in places like Afton reported seeing thick hazy smoke and a smoky smell Sunday morning. The cause of that was several fires on the west side of the BRP back in Augusta County. Crews from Rockfish Valley Volunteer FD and Wintergreen FD assisted in battling the blazes Sunday. As of roughly 10:45 AM Sunday a fire nearest to Nelson on the west side had been contained, but another fire was reported points west back into Augusta.

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