Photo By Diana Garland : Youngsters check out crafts at this past weekend's Christmas Crafts Show at The Rockfish Valley FD.
Nelson County, Virginia
The weekend across Nelson was full of things to do. Above at The Rockfish Valley Volunteer Fire Department, there was the annual Christmas Arts and Crafts show. Just in time for the holiday season!
Plenty of arts and crafts awaited folks coming through the Christmas Arts and Crafts Show.Photo By Nancy Mulrine : Jeff Vogelgesang and wife Jan Smith performed to a sold out crowd at The Hamner Theater.
Photo by Heidi Crandall : Steve Crandall, left, looks on as Jason Oliver, Brewmaster, at Devils Backbone Brewing taps some of the first beer brewed.
And on down the road, they are days from throwing the doors open at Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Beech Grove / Roseland. In the photo above some of the first beer brewed is ready. We hear they will be opening in just a few days!
Finishing touches are being put on the DBBC which is scheduled to open in just a few days.Photo By Henri Weems : Gerald Boggs of Wayfarer Forge in Afton was one of several stops on this year's Artisians Studio Tour.
Photo By Paul Purpura : The annual Festival Of Trees is getting into swing at Wintergreen.
At Wintergreen Resort, Paul Purpura grabbed the photo above. They are getting underway with with their annual Festival of Trees. It’s always beautiful on the mountain when they start decorating for Christmas!
Whew! I am tired already. And another weekend is just five days away!
For over three decades June Curry in Afton, Virginia has been helping out bicycle riders as they make the steep journey up Route 6 in front of her home. An estimated 14,000+ cyclists have stopped by for a rest, and yes, a cookie, in that time. This past Sunday, members of the Richmond Area Bikers Association (RABA) presented June with a surprise proclamation and a check to say thank you for her years of helping out bikers. Members of other bike organizations as far away as New York made the trip Sunday to be there for the presentation. “”I’ve know the Cookie Lady for over 30 years. I did the Bike Centennial trip in ’76 and I decided to come support this event today when I heard about it, from the MPZ group. (Milepost Zero). It’s still inspiring to know she’s still here,” says Stephen DeDalto who drove in from New York City for Sunday’s event.
Champe Burnley, of RABA, presents The Cookie Lady with a thank you for her years of service to cyclists passing through Afton.
“The bikers are so appreciative no matter what I do. I’ve met so many wonderful people from all over the world. And, since I never got to travel, which I wanted to do, I got to meet people from all 50 states and about 50 foreign countries,” says June from her porch in Afton.
“June has given so much to cyclists over the past 30 years, and she has touched so many lives over the past 1/3 of a century. With her health failing now and having a tough time getting around, the people in this bike club and across the states have contributed to this,” says Champe Burnley with the Richmond group.
The Cookie Lady in our July 2005 issue of Nelson County Life.
We first told you about June back in July of 2005. (You can download the entire 2005 NCL article by clicking here.) That was before she suffered a stroke and a broken arm a year or so later. Though somewhat recovered, she just recently broke the other arm and it is now becoming increasingly difficult for June to get around.
Stephen DeDalto from New York City looks on as The Cookie Lady receives her gift from fellow cyclists.
“I live in Nelson County and Wintergreen. This is quite an institution. I see the Cookie Lady sign out there all of the time as I drive by here,” says Dick Elder, a recreational cyclist who also serves on the board of Bike Walk Virginia. Dick heard about Sunday’s event through an internet news group closely associated with RABA.
Tom Powell of Richmond gives The Cookie Lady a bag of cookies in appreciation for all of the cookies she's given to bike riders over the years.
A big thanks to RABA and everyone else who thought about June Curry and what she’s done for cyclists over the years!
Larry Whitaker, Judy Barnes and Boo, (front dog) in an NCL picture from the Blue Moon Antique Mall opening in 2006.
Lovingston – Nelson County, Virginia
NCL sadly reports on what had become one of Nelson and Lovingston’s most famous K-9 celebrities. On Friday, Judy Barnes of Blue Moon Antique Mall in Lovingston, Virginia stopped by our office. While here, she let us know their longtime K-9 member of the family, Boo, passed away late in the week. He had just celebrated his 14th birthday a few days ago.
If you have ever strolled into Blue Moon, you always would see Boo right there in the doorway to greet you. What a fantastic dog!
We’ll miss him Judy & Larry, and we know all too well how it feels to lose a beloved member of the family. Ironically, almost two years to the day, we lost Millington (our beagle) in 2006. Not much makes it feel better immediately, but smile and rest assured Boo is having the time of his life now hanging out with with Millington and all of the other pets that precede him. As Yvette said about Millington when he left us; “He”s having steak with God!” Now so is Boo!
Everyone please remember Judy and Larry over the next few days. It’s tough to lose a pet that’s been with you for so, so long.
Wintergreen Performing Arts
A Blue Ridge Christmas
The Virginia Consort, Judith Gary, conductor
Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008
4:00 pm
Rockfish Presbyterian Church
Wintergreen Performing Arts presents A Blue Ridge Christmas with The Virginia Consort, Judith Gary, conductor, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008 at 4:00 pm at the Rockfish Presbyterian Church, 5016 Rockfish Valley Highway, Nellysford, VA. What would the holiday season be without this annual event? Tickets are $30 and are limited to the first 180, so order yours soon: www.wintergreenperformingarts.org or (434) 325-8292.
Wintergreen Summer Music Festival FlexPack tickets will not be accepted.
Photos By Diana Garland : The ribbon is offically cut opening the latest section of VA Blue Ridge Railway Trail in Piney River at Roses Mill.
Piney River – Nelson County, Virginia
Wednesday of this week folks from Nelson and Amherst counties were on hand to make the opening of the latest section of VA Blue Ridge Railway Trail in Piney River official. “The 1st section of trail in Nelson County opened on June 7, 2003 (1.75 miles), the new section is in Amherst (2.75 miles),” says Emily Harper, Director of Nelson Parks & Recreation.
With Wednesday's dedication, a total of 4.5 miles of trail is now open for walking, bicycle & horseback riding.Folks at this week's dedication look over what is thought to be an old light that hung at the train depot at Piney RiverPopie Martin, VA Blue Ridge Railway Trail Foundation member, and Nelson Supervisors, Tommy Bruguiere and Connie Brennan along with others check out the new trail.
Here’s how to get to the newest section of the trail: 1. From Rockfish: Come south on 151 turn LEFT onto Rte 56 east, go about
1 mile. Turn RIGHT at the Rose Union Church onto Roses Mill Rd. Go about
1.4 miles to the Trail parking area (right after you cross the Piney
River
2. From Lovingston: Go SOUTH on Rte 29. Turn RIGHT onto Tye Brook Hwy
Rte 56 W. Go about 4 miles to Rose Union Church. Turn LEFT onto Roses
Mill Rd. Go about 1.4 miles to Trailhead.
3. From Amherst: 29 north to Rte 151 N. Go about 4.5 miles. Turn RIGHT
onto Athlone Rd. When road splits bear LEFT onto Roses Mill Rd. From 151
to the Trailhead is about 2 miles
For more information on the new trail call: Nelson County Recreation at 263-7130 or Amherst County Recreation at 946-9371
The Rockfish Valley Ruritan Club will be holding the 3rd Annual Christmas Tree
Lighting/Caroling at the Rockfish Valley Park on Saturday, December 6th, at 6
p.m. The 4th and 5th grade choir from Rockfish River Elementary School will be
present as well as the Rockfish Valley Presbyterian Church Choir. For further
information, call 434-361-9349.
NCL is back up and running after server problems for much of Thursday.
Thank all of you for your phone calls and e-mail! Whew, more than we can count! As you probably noticed we have been down for much of Thursday since the wee morning hours. Thanks to (you) all of the new traffic coming to our site, the server just had to take a rest and couldn’t keep up! He’s all rested, tanned, and refreshed now!
We’re continually making adjustments behind the scenes to keep up, so thanks for your patience and thanks for all of your calls of concern, we’re glad you missed us and that you noticed!
Screen Grab of A Yahoo / AP story that moved Wednesday regading the IBEC / IBM partnership.
In a very surprising announcement, NCL has learned from an Afton, Virginia reader who saw this story linked via The Drudge Report, International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC) will apparently be teaming up with International Business Machines (IBM) to work on improving broadband over powerline. (BPL)
Here’s part of the article:
“Now, with somewhat scaled-back goals, improved technology, and a dose of low-interest federal loans, IBM is partnering with a small newcomer called International Broadband Electric Communications Inc. to try to make the idea work in rural communities that don’t have other broadband options.
Their strategy is to sign up electric cooperatives that provide power to sparsely populated areas across the eastern United States. Rather than compete toe-to-toe with large, entrenched cable or DSL providers, International Broadband is looking for customers that have been largely left out of the shift to high-speed Internet.”
NCL has been telling you about the delayed deployment underway of BPL by IBEC in conjunction with CVEC in all of these previous stories by clicking here.
-Just what does this mean for BPL here in Nelson, if anything?
-Is Nelson a test site for this?
-Maybe Asa Gage with IBEC can chime in and post a comment, Asa?
Today David proudly dedicated the fountain and it officially opened to the public with a fitting ceremony recognizing the sponsors who put up the money to have the fountain installed.
Since the pond was a bit too large for a ribbon cutting, Wintergreen Fire Department fired a water stream over the course to the pond starting the dedication.David signals the fire department to start the ceremony by waving one of the flags from the green.Dana Quillen, VP of Sales & Marketing at Wintergreen, thanks David for his effort in getting the fountain established.Golfers look on as the fountain is offically dedicated this past Wednesday.As part of the dedication, golfers were given the chance to shoot for a hole in one, worth $10,000, across the fountain!Pros from Wintergreen measure the distance of the shots on the green.Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton was on hand to provide free samples of their microbrews, including a brand new winter ale!A plaque recognizing the sponsors is displayed at the entrance to the fountain.Tim Merrick from Wintergreen Real Estate decided it was just the event for his dog to attend!David presents the sponsors with a special framed print and certificate as a thank you for their help.
Congrats David on an outstanding and successful project!
Thirty-three artisans in seventeen open studios will be showcasing their newest work and sharing some of their creative processes through educational demonstrations.
Since 1994, the Artisans Studio Tour has endeavored to enhance the community’s awareness of the artisans living and working in their neighborhoods. Visiting the studios offers a unique opportunity to understand the working process of each artist, permitting a deeper understanding of traditional and contemporary craft in America.
Come visit studios and earn a chance on a gift certificate from the artisan of your choice through our Passport Program, and indulge in the tasty delightsgenerously donated by fine area chefs.
