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Recycling was the key to the Earth Week celebrations at Greenfield Elementary.

Students at Greenfield observed Earth Week by recycling paper in all their classrooms.
That was just one of the many activities students in all grade levels participated in during Earth Week. Others included Arbor Day Tree Planting kits for each student, decorating grocery bags for Kroger for use on Earth Day, recycling game bags for all classrooms and a visit from Mill Mountain Zoo for presentations.

At Greenfield Elementary SCA and homeroom reps from every classroom gathered 20 boxes of paper to be recycled.

The Botetourt United soccer club will hold try-outs May 10 and May 17.

Full details are outlined in this press release from the club:

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<img alt="prayinghands.JPG" src="http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/prayinghands.JPG" width="484" height="324" /Thursday,
May 1 is the National Day of Prayer and all around Botetourt County at noon prayers will be offered according to the theme: "The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped."

Ten Botetourt locations will hold prayer vigils on Thursday at noon.

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Troutville Rescue Squad wants the public to know it will conduct a portrait fundraising drive and it will begin in the near future.

Families and friends in their service area will be getting a phone call in the next days and weeks to make a donation to the squad. Those who give to the volunteer squad will receive an 8x10 family portrait for their efforts. Funds will go to assist the squad in training.

"The Troutville Rescue Squad appreciates your continued support," said Lynn Cox and Forrest Kessler, co-presidents of the squad.

Hardly a parking spot could be found as the Botetourt Family Farmer's Market opened to rave reviews at Ikenberry's in Daleville on Saturday.

People milled in and out of the porch at Ikenberry's in a steady stream where the following Botetourt farmers are going to be providing produce, meat and dairy products. Three months ago these growers formed to bring locally and naturally grown foods to their own community.

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The Kroger store under construction at Bonsack isn't in Botetourt, but it's close enough that some folks in Botetourt -- especially those in Blue Ridge -- will be interested. Business writer Jenny Boone has an update on just what stores are lining up for the new development.

In case you missed it, here's a story on some people around Western Virginia who have been successful in losing weight -- and keeping it off. Two of those people featured are from Botetourt -- Pam Sink of Blue Ridge and Erin Lunsford of Fincastle. Here's the story -- and here's a link to the before-and-after photo gallery.

Several hundred middle-schoolers from both middle schools braved the thunderstorm raging on Read Mountain to come to Botetourt Town and Country Woman's Club's Teen Scene on Saturday night.

RMMS sixth-graders Lacey Blankenship, Carissa Robertson, Taylor Rutrough, Dakota Crawford and Danielle Brewer hang out at Teen Scene on Saturday night, April 26.

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Civil War enthusiasts got a first hand view of Hunter's Calvary attacking McCausland's troops, heard period music, the roar of cannon, the clash of swords and even a lecture on Hunter's Raid.

Looking like a carousel horse, this piebald steed with "glass-eyes" raced toward the Union Calvary during the clash between the Confederate and Union Calvary units at the Buchanan Town Park.

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The green and red and yellow wagon parked in a yard on Mountain Pass Road in Blue Ridge has a lot of family history in the Martin Family.

Martin is a Republican occupying the seat vacated by then supervisor Wendy Wingo. The retired head postmaster for Roanoke has a busy life yet not one that allows him to forget the past.

The old Conestoga wagon looks like a buckboard sitting in his yard. It belonged to his great-grandfather Gaspard Martin of Patrick County who was a farmer. He would hitch his white mule Tom to the wagon and carry his produce and goods to market said Martin.

Martin has rebuilt the wagon bed and restored the wheels and undercarriage to its original shape. he plans to fix the cover part as his next project."It was in rough condition but I will get back to the way it should be."