Nelson County, Virginia
Update : 9.22.24 / 5:15 AM
Less than 100 CVEC customers were still without power.
Original post below:
Shortly before 6 o’clock Saturday night, severe storms started moving into the area from the northwest. The first round caused numerous power outages and according to Central Virginia Electric some power poles in Tyro were also broken causing a delay in power restoration.
More updates as they are available.
Nelson County, Virginia
Last week we mistakenly thought we’d solved the mystery of the military style helicopters flying low over Nelson and other nearby counties. Here’s a link to that post.
Today on Monday we were sent an email from the US Geological Service saying, nope that’s not our guys.
“Hi Tommy ,
About your post on Thursday: The two helicopters USGS contractors use for Earth MRI to scope out new sources of critical minerals (including deposits in mine waste), map aquifers, fault lines and radon deposits, and better understand fundamental geology – are very far away from the Blue Ridge at the moment. When we checked Friday they were both in Idaho. And if you look at the photo of our contractor’s helicopter in the release you linked to, it has a boom sticking out of it (to detect those deposits!), unlike the helicopter in the video.
Many thanks,
Seth
Seth Amgott
Office of Communications and Publishing
U.S. Geological Survey
Reston, VA
So just who was flying around last week? The short answer, we don’t know. We have been told everything from DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) to military exercises. But none of those are confirmed by anyone.
We do greatly appreciate Seth with USGS setting the record straight, so the mystery continues!
Nelson County, Virginia
This story has been updated to reflect corrections. Apparently the helicopters seen on September 12, 2024 over Nelson were not USGS.
Here’s a link to the updated story.
To say our inbox and messaging has been blowing up Thursday afternoon would be an understatement. People were sending us photos and videos of a low flying, military style helicopter over Afton and some other parts of the county.
Be sure and click through (above on the Facebook logo – lower right) and read the comments on Facebook page.
We checked with Nelson County Sheriff Mark Embrey to see if a search was ongoing or smething similar. The sheriff told us no.
After lots of checking and Facebook commenter, Travis Wheeler on our page, we have the answer.
On their site in the release they say, “Low-level airplane and helicopter flights are planned over broad regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia to image geology using airborne geophysical technology. The airborne survey will be conducted from August of 2024 for approximately one year, weather and wildfire restrictions permitting.
The survey is being coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey with the goal of providing images that expand the fundamental knowledge of geology across the region.
The survey will help map rocks and minerals at the surface across vast regions that may have limited outcrop due to vegetation and unconsolidated rock cover. It will also help map subsurface geology, where some rocks can be located hundred to thousands of meters (more than 3280 feet) below the surface based on their magnetic signature. Such mapping can improve the understanding of the geologic framework within which the potential mineral resource may occur.
The new geophysical data will be processed to develop high-resolution three-dimensional representations of bedrock composition and structure to depths more than 3,280 feet (1 kilometer) below the surface.”
So that’s what folks are seeing!
Here’s a link to the complete release.
Luray, Virginia
The Blue Ridge Montañitas Festival is a first-of-its-kind music festival, a vibrant celebration of music, culture, and community set against the backdrop of the breathtaking mountainous views of Luray, in the heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The festival is scheduled to take place September 28, 2024, from 11 am – 7 pm, and will bring together a dynamic lineup of musicians and dancers, along with educational programming, for an unforgettable experience that highlights the unique spirit of the Latine and Appalachian community.
The festival is part of the larger Montañitas Reimagined project, a collaboration between Estela Diaz Knott from the Lua Project, the Luray Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 621, and Dr. Amy Price-Azano, Director of the Virginia Tech Center for Rural Education, to reimagine Appalachia as a shared and co-created space with, by, and alongside Latine communities. In addition to the festival, the project – funded by Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia (a Mellon Foundation sponsored grant project) – will create an interdisciplinary place-based community curriculum and a digital album so that a more nuanced and complex story of the region can be shared locally, regionally, and beyond.
The Blue Ridge Montañitas Festival aims to create a harmonious blend of Latin American and Appalachian expression, inspired by the lived experiences of Montañitas co-founders Knott and Price-Azano who grew up together in Luray and shared a vision for a festival and monument that would showcase the rich tapestry of cultural influences in this region of Appalachia. “People often think of rural communities, especially in Appalachia, as white, monolingual, monolithic spaces when, in reality, they are wonderfully diverse,” said Price-Azano. “We areexcited to share the culture, language, music, food, art, and dance from Appalachians with Latine heritage who make up the core and fabric of the Shenandoah Valley.”
The festival will take place at the VFW Comer-Jones Post 621 in Luray, where a core group of veterans and auxiliary members have been instrumental as community partners in planning the event. The festival co-founders have deep ties to the VFW. Price-Azano recalls fond memoriesof her childhood, growing up and playing on the grounds of the VFW where her father, a veteran and officer at the Post, would go and volunteer his time. And for Knott, the VFW post is the spot where over 40 years ago, her mother Lupe, who was the first permanent Mexican resident of Luray, hosted Fiestas to share her Mexican culture— the food, music, and dance, with the local community.
“When I was growing up, my mother did everything she could to engage our community in learning about and participating in the joyous traditions of Mexican culture. As more Latin American people began to settle in the Valley, my mother became the go-to person, serving as the town’s local interpreter, and she has done that for over 50 years,” explained Knott. “The Fiestas at the VFW are one of my fondest memories of being a kid so with the Blue Ridge Montañitas Festival, we are renewing that gesture but with stories, songs, and foodways from the whole Shenandoah Valley, and from the richer, more complex “Appalachiano” community that lives here today.”
Lupe Knott is very excited that her family and local community are re-kindling the festival she started so many years ago. As she says, “I am just flabbergasted that Amy, who was one of the first kids who participated in the community fiestas, when she and Estela were in elementary school, was so moved by her experiences that she connected with Estela to work on reviving the fiesta and making it a part of a school curriculum. With all my years teaching about Mexican culture, I just never imagined that the kids would care so much about it that they would want to do something this special.” Knott and Price-Azano agree that education is a key component of this work. As Lupe explains, “You just never know when you’re teaching kids, what they will absorb. It’s beautiful to me to know how sharing my culture with kids like Amy, who grew up with European Appalachian roots, has impacted them. My community is going to really enjoy it. There are many more Latino people here now and they are really going to enjoy it!”
Attendees can expect a carefully curated selection of performances with energetic traditional dances from the Shenandoah Valley Cloggers and Villa Sabrosa Dance troupe; various musical genres, including old time, Norteño, Ranchera, Son Jarocho, latin Popular music and Country.
The festival will include Lua Project’s signature Mexilachian music, which features a beguilingblend of instrumental and vocal timbres, including the banjo and fiddle of traditional Appalachian fiddle music, with the jarana and requinto of Veracruz, layered with accordion, zapateado, and South American percussion sounds. In addition to the musical performances, the festival will feature a variety of cultural, artistic, and food-oriented workshops. There will be a Mexican art workshop hosted by the talented Mexican-American artist Marissa Kalo, a side-by-side demonstration of tamales, presented by Maria Peralta, along with traditional biscuits and gravy, taught by Sue Price, who is Azano’s mother.
Participants will be able to taste the delicious results. There will also be a panel discussion of veterans, sharing their experiences, and two dance workshops, one of traditional Appalachian clogging, led by Deloris Judy, and a ballet folkloric workshop, led by Stephanie Castro.
The festival entry and parking are free, and all are encouraged to attend. For more information, follow the Montañitas Reimagined project on Instagram at @montanitasproject and Facebook to learn more about the musicians, artists, activities, and other exciting announcements leading up to the festival.
About MAAV
Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia is based in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech and is part of a $250 million initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation. The Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project began in 2020 to support public projects that reimagine commemorative spaces and transform the way history is told in the United States. MAAV is led by Dr. Emily Satterwhite of Virginia Tech’s Appalachian Studies Program and Dr. Katrina Powell of Virginia Tech’s Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies.
MAAV is proud to enable, support, and reward meaningful and extensive university-community collaborations. Through these collaborations, MAAV works to ensure greater participation in decision-making and governance by community partners. They are committed to collective, reflexive, and reciprocal working relationships through which new projects develop in coordination with organizations, constituents, stakeholders, and designers. Montañitas Reimagined is one of nine MAAV Projects. To learn more about those projects please visit www.moremountainstories.org.
Nellysford
Nelson County, Virginia
The year was 1924. A plaque in the church says, “AFTER MANY YEARS OF TRAVELING 1-2 HOURS BY HORSE AND BUGGY TO CHURCH, A COMMITTEE, LEAD BY J.T. PHILLIPS, WAS FORMED AND IN 1924 ROCKFISH VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH WAS ORGANIZED.” That’s how Rockfish Valley Baptist Church, right off of Route 151 in Nellysford got its start!
Sarah LaFleur is a former member of RVBC now living in Dyer, Virginia. She remembers her early days at the church. “In a time before electricity had reached the Valley, every stone used in the construction of this church was gathered by hand from the fields of its original members and carted by wagon down mountain roads to build this now historic edifice. What a joy to celebrate 100 years of Rockfish Valley Baptist Church. Our very first church that our family was a part of, where I was baptized, and where all my children had their first taste of corporate worship. While home is no longer in the Blue Ridge, Rockfish Valley Church will always feel like home.”
The 100 year celebration took place in late August to commemorate a century of the church’s existence.
In addition to celebrating 100 years, Sarah LaFleur the former member mentioned above, submitted many photos from the early days of church.
To learn more about Rockfish Valley Baptist Church, you can visit them on their Facebook page by clicking here.
Happy 100 RVBC!
Central Virginia Blue Ridge Area
Firefly Fiber BroadbandSM, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC), suffered damage to its infrastructure during opening day of the 2024 Dove Hunting Season on September 2. The costly damage resulted in internet and phone outages across Appomattox, Buckingham and Cumberland counties.
In the days leading up to hunting season, Firefly advocated to protect their fiber lines from this unlawful destruction by educating the public on the dangers of shooting at electric and communication lines. Firing at power lines is a federal offense and can cause costly damage to electric and fiber infrastructure.
In the opening season of 2023, Firefly’s fiber optic cable was damaged in six localities from birdshot, resulting in internet and phone outages for thousands of customers and a hefty bill for Firefly. The Firefly footprint has expanded to over 30,000 customers and is growing by 200-250 per week. Fiber optic cable is being placed adjacent to overhead electric lines at a rapid pace to deliver world-class broadband services to central Virginians. The optical fibers used to deliver internet are protected by glass tubing, which shatters upon impact when shot and can disrupt internet and phone services.
“The damage to our fiber network caused by bird shot is a reminder of the continued challenges we face,” said Firefly Communications and Customer Service Manager, Melissa Gay. “However, I firmly believe that with our collective resilience and determination, we can turn this setback into an opportunity for education and growth.”
Dove hunting season will continue in segments through January 2025. Firefly is urging the community to share this information with family and friends.
Woods Mill
Nelson County, Virginia
Press Release verbatim from VSP:
“Virginia State Police is investigating a two-vehicle crash involving a tractor trailer that occurred at approximately 7:57 a.m. today at the intersection of River Road (Route 6) and Thomas Nelson Highway (Route 29) in Nelson County.
A tractor trailer was traveling southbound on Route 29 when it was unable to avoid a sedan, which was attempting to turn left onto River Road from the northbound lanes of Route 29. The tractor trailer struck the sedan on the passenger side.
The occupants of the Sedan were transported to UVA Medical Center. One occupant suffered serious injuries.
The driver of the sedan was also charged with speeding.
The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured.
The crash remains under investigation.
Matthew Demlein
Interim Public Relations Director
Virginia State Police”
Verbatim joint press release from Nelson County Sheriff Mark Embrey and Nelson Commonwealth Attorney Daniel Rutherford – Friday – August 30, 2024
Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia
“In response to a troubling increase in motor vehicle accidents resulting in serious injuries and fatalities from traffic-related violations where speed has been a factor, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office has forged a strong partnership with the Nelson County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, in collaboration to curb this dangerous trend and make our roads safer for all motorists.
Speeding is not only a violation of the law; it is a direct threat to the lives of everyone in our community. Accidents involving speeding are absolutely preventable. We each have a responsibility to adhere to posted speed limits in an effort to protect each other.
The partnership between our offices will enforce stricter consequences for speeding violations, and any other traffic-related violation that is a direct contributor to motor vehicle accidents. This collective effort is designed to send a clear message: If speed limits on Nelson County highways are not followed, violators can expect enhanced enforcement and more severe penalties. We are working together to reduce speed-related incidents and save lives.
The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney urge all residents and visitors to slow down, follow speed limits, and help prevent unnecessary tragedies on our highways.
Together, we can create a safer, stronger community by making responsible choices behind the wheel. Let’s al do our part ot protect the lives of our neighbors and loved ones, as every effort counts.”
Sheriff Mark Embrey
Nelson County Sheriff’s Office
84 Courthouse Square
Lovingston, VA 22949
St. Mary’s Wilderness Area
Augusta County, Virginia
From VSP:
“On 5:23 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 24, 2024), members of the Virginia State Police Med Flight -1 team responded to a call for a fallen hiker in Augusta County
The hiker, a 20-year old female, sustained serious back injuries after jumping into the Saint Mary’s River from a cliff along the Saint Mary’s Falls Trail.
For this rescue mission, the Med-Flight 1 crew consisted of a Virginia State Police Trooper-Pilot and four Chesterfield County Fire and EMS flight paramedics. Once on scene, the ground crew directed the helicopter into position over the scene and Med-Flight lowered a rescuer from the aircraft to the ground. Augusta Fire-Rescue personnel on scene assisted in securing the injured hiker for a hoisting operation back to the aircraft some 175’ above.
This call was part of a busy afternoon for Med-Flight-1, as just proceeding this rescue, at 3:55 p.m., the team responded to a farm machinery entrapment in Amelia County. Med-Flight-1 also responded to an ATV incident involving a child in south Chesterfield that came in at 5:23 p.m., approximately the same time as the Augusta County call. Both the Amelia patient and the Chesterfield patient were individually transported to area hospitals before Med-Flight 1 refueled and flew the 82 nautical miles to the Augusta County rescue.
Med Flight-1 is a joint effort between Virginia State Police pilots and paramedics from the Chesterfield County Fire and EMS Department.
Video from the rescue recorded by Augusta County Fire and EMS can be viewed here: youtu.be/RQ-v_VefD88
Matthew Demlein
Interim Public Relations Director
Virginia State Police”
VDOT – Richmond, VA
Venturing out on the roads for one final summer holiday weekend? Planning ahead could make all the difference between smooth sailing or getting stuck in congestion.
Labor Day weekend marks the end of the summer season, and whether it is to explore one of Virginia’s many scenic trails or lounge at a beach, many people will be traveling through Virginia. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) wants to help make the trip a safe one and reminds motorists to be alert.
VDOT will be suspending many highway work zones and lifting most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Friday, Aug. 30, until noon on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
While lane closures will be lifted in most locations, motorists may encounter semi-permanent work zones that remain in place during this time. Check VDOT’s Travel Advisories for the latest travel alerts in your area and around the state.
Additionally, VDOT offers several resources to help plan travel ahead of time.
TRAVEL TRENDS MAP HELPS ESTIMATE CONGESTION
VDOT’s online, interactive travel trends map shows peak congestion periods anticipated on Virginia interstates during the upcoming Labor Day weekend. While it cannot precisely predict when congestion will occur this year, it can help motorists avoid travel when traffic has historically moved the slowest.
Based on historical data:
PLAN AHEAD WITH VDOT 511: TRAFFIC INFO AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
VDOT’s free mobile 511 app offers information about construction, traffic, incidents and congestion as well as access to traffic cameras, weather, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and more. Use 511’s “speak ahead” option for hands-free and eyes-free audible traffic alerts for incidents and construction along your route. Traffic information is also available at 511Virginia.org or by calling 511 from any phone in Virginia.
NORTHERN VIRGINIA EXPRESS LANES SCHEDULE AND OTHER INFORMATION
Find directional schedules for the reversible I-95 and I-395 Express Lanes, and information for the I-495 Express Lanes at expresslanes.com.
HAMPTON ROADS TUNNELS AND OTHER INFORMATION
Travel to Virginia Beach — Peninsula traffic to Virginia Beach is encouraged to use the I-664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (MMMBT) as an alternative to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT). If traveling to Virginia Beach, take I-664 south to the MMMBT. Then take the Portsmouth/Norfolk exit (exit 15A) to I-264 east to Virginia Beach.
Travel to Outer Banks — Traffic to North Carolina’s Outer Banks should use I-664 and the MMMBT as an alternative to the HRBT to save time. From I-664 south, take I-64 west (exit 15, Chesapeake/Virginia Beach) to exit 291B [Chesapeake Expressway (Route 168)/Great Bridge/Nags Head]. Continue south on Route 168 to the Outer Banks.
STAY SAFE
Here are some additional tips for safely navigating the roadways during the holiday weekend:
For questions or to report hazardous road conditions, contact VDOT’s 24-hour Customer Service Center by visiting my.vdot.virginia.gov or calling 800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623).
