(Front Row) Annie Bond, Delaney Eller, Henry Ellis, Gaven Conner, Meghan Thompson, Andrew Hartman, Berkeley Wall, Charles Baynum, Charlie Angleberger, Riley Geddes, Audrey Hayes and Zella Kathryn Poarch. (Second Row) Mia Franke, Tucker Franke, Kirbie Conner, Adalynn Eller, Carrington Gardner, Gabby Peppers, Isabel Baynum, Emma Bradley, Rose Ellis, Rebecca Erwin, Ashby Garst and Phoebe Stevens. (Third Row) Sidney Epperly, Hannah Welch, Alexander Baynum, Paris Eve Reinhard, Joseph Hart, Skyler Hayes, Ava Smith, Grace-Marie Mills, Hadley Chittum, Eve-lynn Deegan and Rebekah-Lynn Mills. (Fourth Row) Sarah-Dale Mills, Natalie DeForest, Jordan Hayes, Molly Deegan, Savannah Stevens, Alyssa Bradley, Tess Drzymala, Carrington Austin, Charlotte DeForest, Urmila Bharathan and Allison Yu.

“The Piano School’s Christmas and Winter Recital took place on December 18, 2010, at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Salem. The program featured forty-six young pianists, the largest number in the school’s history, from Salem, Roanoke, Fincastle and Christiansburg. All are students of Sarah Reaser O’Brien.

Twenty students received trophies for outstanding practicing during the fall term, and the youngest performer was five-year-old Zella Kathryn Poarch who has studied piano for one semester. Paris Eve Reinhard of Salem and Sarah-Dale Mills of Roanoke played harp duets before and after the program. O’Brien is a nationally certified teacher of music who founded The Piano School in 1998. The school’s upcoming events for 2011 include the third annual Masterclass for Middle and High School students with guest teacher Dr. Lise Keiter of Mary Baldwin College. The theme for this year’s class is “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.” The school’s spring recital will take place in June at Hollins University where O’Brien is an alumna.”

Submitted by Sarah Reaser O’Brien.

From the Botetourt County website:

Review and approval of December 2010 Planning Commission public hearing minutes.

B. Resolution of Appreciation for Mr. James Laughlin, Jr.

C. The workshop for the Comprehensive Plan will be held on January 20, 2011 at 6:00 PM in Meeting Room 102 of the Old General District Courthouse, with an alternate date of January 24, 2011 in case of inclement weather.

2. Public Hearings:

A. Buchanan Magisterial District: Anthony W. Neal requests a Special Exception Permit for a Private Airport, with possible conditions, in an Agricultural (A-1) Use District on a 69.548 acre parcel. This parcel is located on Mount Joy Road (Route 625), south of its intersection with Park Vista Drive (State Route 1143). The property is identified on the Real Property Identification Maps of Botetourt County as a portion of Section 64, Parcel 7.

B. Buchanan Magisterial District: Anthony W. Neal requests a Special Exception Permit for a Private Airport, with possible conditions, in an Agricultural (A-1) Use District on a 69.548 acre parcel. This parcel is located on Mount Joy Road (Route 625), south of its intersection with Park Vista Drive (State Route 1143). The property is identified on the Real Property Identification Maps of Botetourt County as a portion of Section 64, Parcel 7.

3. Recess until January 20, 2011 for Comprehensive Plan workshop

“What use are the psalms? Are they dusty old prayers that have nothing to do with us? Cheery blessings that are irrelevant to a person that struggles or doubts or feels anguish over the course of life? This presentation will illuminate the relevance of the psalms for all of real life–the good, bad, and ugly.

The Rev. Dr. Jan Fuller studied at Hollins College, Yale University, and Wesley Theological Seminar. She has been the University Chaplain at Hollins for 24 years. She is a Christian scholar, Episcopal priest, and teacher of many religions. She spent the first half of her life in Beirut, Lebanon, and is committed to breaking down walls between the Arab world, its people, cultures and religions, and U.S. misconceptions.”

Join the Rev. Dr. Fuller for “Psalms for Doubters and Strugglers” on Thursday, January 13, from 2 until 3:30 p.m., at the Glebe Retirement Community in Daleville.

Submitted by Susan Mason, The Glebe Retirement Community.

Daniel Knight

Looking back on 2010 just before it slips away forever tonight, let’s think about some of the Botetourt things, people and events that made this year extra special.
How can we forget the fire at Daniel Knight’s home? But the owner of Blue Collar Joe’s kept on making his doughnuts, and business came back “better than ever.” The fire didn’t hurt his sense of humor, either. “It was one way to get out of spring cleaning,” he quipped. And better for all of us lovers of his donuts, he has a half price special on any left an hour before closing. Yum.
The race for the Fincastle District’s supervisor’s seat, to fill the rest of the late Don Meredith’s term, attracted three candidates but not one bit of mud slinging. Larry Ceola won the seat, while all of Botetourt won.
Their many fans mourned the departure of Daleville’s Lin-Z-Jack’s hot dog stand (and its delicious chili) as well as Buchanan’s Mountain View Restaurant, but hungry folks kept coming to Fincastle’s Leonardo’s Pizza, the Three Pigs, Li’l Cucci’s, Bella Pizza, Veranda Bistro and so many other great local places to eat, and greeted the new Chinese restaurant next to the Daleville Kroger, C. L. Asia.
Plus with Diane Dixon’s new twist on fine dining, Troutville’s Pomegranate now offers not only great food but also live music. Those who claim there’s nothing to do around here haven’t been to Pomegranate yet.
The Goodwill store opening turned into another big event for Botetourt. You can drive up, hand in your donations and never even have to leave your car. And the shopping beats all. A friend of mine just bought two pairs of like-new work jeans for less than eight dollars. So when you think that the proceeds from the sales go to support training and jobs for persons who otherwise could not work, it really impresses.
The Glebe shone as a Botetourt star this past year, bringing in music we just haven’t had before. Carole Edwards saw to it that the conductor of the Roanoke Symphony, David Wiley, came to play the piano along with Julee Hickox on the flute. Edwards and her piano ensemble gave several concerts, and presented Deanne Vance as a solo artist. When you combine the church cantatas, the school music programs and other events, you don’t have to go away from Botetourt to hear good music.
And speaking of music, if you missed Attic’s “My Fair Lady” this summer, you missed a gem. Attic is another organization that just keeps keeping on, getting better all the time. They ended their 2010 season with “Christmas Belles,” featuring Freda Wood as a ditzy female with enough business sense to use a disastrous holiday pageant to promote her BooBoo BoKay florist shop. When you have the chance, get a season ticket – only $60 for an adult – so you don’t miss a single play in 2012. A little bird told me they will present “Anastasia,” about the woman who claimed to be the last Czar’s daughter, in February. This you have to see.
Another Botetourt success story comes from Troutville. Saturday farmers’ markets, fun events in the town park, even a party for singles. Look for more good things to come out of Troutville in 2012. Buchanan, too, has offered many farmers market times, as well as its traditional Mountain Magic in the fall. And the continuing success of the Saturday market at Ikenberry’s store shows how much we all like buying from our local farmers. Plus Historic Fincastle’s emphasis on local creative talent made their Marketplace, joined with the home tour, a big success.
So stay tuned to this space for more about the exciting people and events of Botetourt. Happy New Year!

After yesterday’s Dec. 29, 2010 home invasion reports on Lugar Lane in Botetourt County and under our earlier story  on the top stories of 2010, the public safety view of  events specifically, the Botetourt View received an  email from a local citizen:

“Remember the Botetourt home intruders from about a year ago December 28, 2009? As you may have read in the last week or two, most have plead guilty on up to 25 home invasions through out the Roanoke Valley. Little if any mention has been made of who solved all the cases that the other jurisdictions mentioned  could not solve. That would be the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office. You would think the U. S. Attorney’s Office would at least acknowledge who did the work.”

Here are the links to all related stories and indeed the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office made the arrests:

http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/2010/07/15/home-invasion-arrests-just-part-of-a-sad-story/

http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/2010/03/05/sheriffs-department-makes-arrests-in-home-invasion/

http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/2009/12/28/home-invasion-on-glebe-hill-road/

Our  Botetourt 2010 stories of the year

Here’s a video of  a bobcat on Tinker Mountain. One of Ben Shrader’s trail camera’s captured the  cat in November.

A  coyote visited Tinkerview Gardens in the late night hours last week — this from a resident who lives there. Keep those little doggies and kitties in at night. Since Tinker Mountain hovers above the subdivision and Shrader’s photos and videos have shown coyotes  in the area, it would not be surprising that coyotes hungry for a quick feast might make into a subdivision near by!

On a brisk Saturday morning in December, 30 employees and spouses from Roanoke Cement Company traveled to the Hurt Park section of Roanoke to put the finishing touches on a Habitat For Humanity rehabilitation project. A 100-year-old house on Salem Avenue was being renovated through a collaborative between Habitat for Humanity and Total Action Against Poverty. Roanoke Cement employees worked on outdoor landscaping, which included planting trees and shrubs, laying down grass seed, straw, and spreading mulch. Another group of employees worked inside the house, painting walls and installing doors. The mission of Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley is to “improve the lives of families in need by providing affordable quality homes in partnership with homeowners and volunteers for the enhancement of our community.”

Roanoke Cement also financially sponsored the project.

Submitted by Roanoke Cement

A Botetourt County man charged with breaking into three of his neighbors’ houses early this morning and stealing three vehicles — crashing two of them — was arrested after a two-mile foot pursuit, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Michael C. Stewart, 25, of Lugar Lane about four miles southeast of Fincastle, is charged with robbery, three counts of breaking and entering, grand larceny and resisting arrest, the statement said.

Read more on this breaking news story here, and see the sheriff’s office statement earlier today on the incident.

Lugar Lane was allegedly terrorized by this man Michael Stewart in the wee hours of the morning.

Botetourt Man Facing Multiple Charges Following Rampage and Two-Mile Foot Pursuit in Freezing Early Hours.

Botetourt County Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle has announced that a 25-year-old Lugar Lane resident has been arrested and is in custody facing multiple charges following a rampage in the freezing early hours this morning that ultimately involved three residences, three stolen and wrecked vehicles, five Botetourt deputies including a K-9 unit, two Virginia State Police troopers, and a two-mile, tracking pursuit on foot.

Sheriff Sprinkle identified the man as Michael C. Stewart, who has been charged initially with robbery, three counts of breaking and entering, grand larceny, and resisting arrest. Additional charges are pending, the sheriff said.

“When the subject was located, he refused to comply with any commands and challenged the officers to ‘release the dog.’ After he was subdued, he was transported immediately to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment of multiple dog bites and then returned to the Botetourt County-Craig County Jail in Fincastle where he is being held without bond,” Sprinkle said.

The first incident in the ongoing chain of events occurred at 1:45 a.m. when a vehicle was reported to have rolled at the intersection of Brugh’s Mill Road and Lugar Lane. That investigation established that the car had been stolen from a garage at a nearby residence.

Occupants of a residence in the 100 block of Lugar Lane then reported that a van had been stolen after a lone male rang their door-bell, then forced his way into the home and demanded the keys to the vehicle. While one of the residents fired 13 shots at it, the van was driven across a field until it hit and sheared a utility pole. The driver fled on foot.

A similar scenario occurred a short time later at a residence in the 300 block of Lugar Lane, involving a pickup truck that was backed into a field where it became stuck. The driver fled on foot.

Botetourt County officers tracked the driver’s footprints in the snow until the trail led across a south-slope where the snow had melted. A Botetourt K-9 unit then tracked the man to the edge of Interstate 81, near Mile Post 157, where he was found huddled at the base of a bluff and taken into custody at 3:14 a.m.

-END– Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office

Angela Smith loaded these photos taken by Matt Flint of  Buchanan and the Peaks of Otter. Beautiful!

Send us your pictures, too!

news@botetourtview.com