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Quinn Mongan, owner of SERVPRO of North Roanoke County, offers these safety tips for holiday cooking:

In anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday, many Salem-area cooks are busy stocking up on ingredients and perfecting family recipes. But before they mash the potatoes or roast the turkey, they will want to take precautions to ensure that their kitchen doesn't end up in flames.An unfortunate danger of home cooking, residential fires grow in prevalence during the holiday season. In fact, according to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), Thanksgiving is the top day for home cooking fires, with more than three times the daily average of fires reportedly occurring on the holiday.

"Thanksgiving is a day filled with food and family, but it is also a day that presents many hazards to your home," said Mongan. "With multiple tasks taking place in the kitchen at once, it is all too easy for cooks to get distracted and for accidents to take place."

Mongan says that by adhering to the following tips, provided by the NFPA, Salem-area residents can lessen their chances of a fire ruining their Thanksgiving feast:

* Be present - Fires often start when items cooking are left unattended, so always stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, baking or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the oven or stove.

* Dress accordingly - Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking. Loose clothing can easily catch fire if it comes in contact with a gas flame or electric burner.

* Keep kids out - Enforce a "kid free zone" of three feet around the perimeter of the stove. If kids are present in the kitchen, use the stove's back burners whenever possible and turn pot handles inward to reduce the risk that pots with hot contents will be knocked over.

* Clean, clean, clean - Be sure your stove top and oven are free of grease, which can easily catch fire. Additionally, keep all combustible cooking accessories, such as pot holders, oven mitts and wooden utensils, away from the stove top.

"We recognize people have a lot on their minds when they're entertaining during the holidays, but kitchen safety really should be an utmost priority," added Mongan. "Fires only take a matter of seconds to erupt. The best defense against them is to prevent them from ever happening."

Mongan notes that if a fire should ignite in the oven, residents should turn off the oven, unplug the appliance and remove any dish towels that may be hanging on the front of the oven door. A fire extinguisher should always be at hand to quickly extinguish any fires that may occur on the top of the stove. Of course, in the event of an emergency, Mongan says that residents should never hesitate to call 911.

In the event of damage caused by a residential fire, SERVPRO of North Roanoke County offers an assortment of services to help local residents quickly recover and restore any damaged property. Within four hours of the initial notification, a SERVPRO Franchise Professional will be on-site to start the mitigation process. Exceptions may apply under certain conditions.

For more information about SERVPRO of North Roanoke County, please contact
Quinn Mongan at (540) 375-8985.

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Carol Morehart, right, and her sister Joyce

Carole Morehart of Salem sends us details of her adventurous trip that will get any savvy-shopper's head spinning with dreams of summer yardsales and yearnings for Black Friday:

My sister Joyce and I set out on Wednesday, August 5 to the biggest yard sale in America: a 4-day, 654 mile extravaganza that stretches from Ohio to Alabama along a single road. (When Joyce saw it in the May 31 "Parade," she said "Let's GO!!!")

We drove directly to Chatanooga, Tennessee, using the GPS. Our motel was not in the greatest part of town, but outside the window we saw Rt. 27 that we were to take to Rt. 127, so off we went the next day.

We encountered many sales on Signal Mtn., only later to realize the 4 hours we spent in that area were mostly antique dealers, and not many bargains! Also parking was at a premium - alway salong a narrow road and one such area we parked a half a mile from the sale. As the day wore on we realized we didn't have lodging for the night, and bypassed a lot of great sales to get to Crossville - about 40 miles away ... We were stuck in  a very large traffic jam, and realized we should call ahead (remember, we're over 65 and new at this) so we found the last room in a Best Western and reserved it for two nights. We were tired and only covered about 20 miles of shopping, but we spent the night and got up early only to realize we were in a different time zone - instead of 6:30 a.m., it was 5:30 a.m.

After breakfast at the hotel, we drove back down Rt. 127 where we left off the day before - and proceeded north, feeling better that we had a secured room for the night - each day we were in the HOT Tennessee sun and spent a good eight hours shopping. We decided that night to reserve one more night there and travel north as far as we could make it the next day.

We discovered in the northern section, there were numerous field parking areas and port-a-potties, and several fundraising food areas that we hadn't encountered on the first two days. So all in all, we traveled about 100 miles in 3 days and we'd had enough.

Sunday morning, we checked out to find the hotel had refunded the third night stay. That made us happy. Crossville is right on I40, which turns into I81, so we had a direct shoot back to Salem - except we saw a Smoky Mountain flea market along the road and HAD to stop. We spent a good two-plus hours there before arriving home.

My sister is from Pennsylvania and wanted to shop in the Salem area on Monday, so we went to the area antique shops and malls and found more here than we did on the "Biggest Yard Sale in America." That doesn't mean we wouldn't do it again - the fun and fellowship we had together was priceless.

ps. If we decide to do it again we could stay one night in Crossville, head north and get a room in the Lexington, Kentucky area and explore further north. We'll see!

Despite the chilliness and misting rain, we were pleased with the turnout for this 1st time event. We had 68 children to stop by along with several adults that donated candy and took time to sign Christmas cards for the troops. We collected almost 300 lbs of candy. The feedback we received from the parents and the community was very positive. Dr. Wallace has indicated that we will make this a yearly event. We had a brownie Girl Scout troop stop by to donate their candy to help with earning one of their required merit badges. The average candy donated was 3-4 lbs per child with 8 lbs being the largest amt collected by a single child and ¼ lbs being the smallest amt collected.Dr. Wallace spent the afternoon talking to the children and parents and doing interviews with the media.

The "Tooth Fairy" aka Martina Slusser a 10th grade student at Glenvar High School spent the afternoon greeting/talking to the children and passing out goodie bags to each child that donated the candy. (There are a couple of pics of the tooth fairy with Snookums and one of the tooth fairy and her mom, Melanie who works for Dr. Wallace)

Snookums the Clown aka Lorain Myer spent the afternoon entertaining the children, passing out clown stickers and working the Christmas card table encouraging all the children to sign a card for our troops.

We would like to thank the following businesses that made monetary contributions or by donating prizes: Elderberry's, Lee Hi Lanes,McDonalds,Henry BBQ,Salem Donut Shop, Salem Ice Cream Parlor, Skate Center, Salon Capelli,Salem Police Department, Papa Johns in Salem, Salem Red Sox, Salem YMCA,DJ's Dental Lab, Blue Ridge Orthodontic Lab. Snookums for providing entertainment and Salem Printing Company for printing our flyers and posters.

Submitted by Melanie Slusser at Dr. Caroline Wallace DDS's dentistry office

Beth Carson shares the weekly market report:

Salem Farmers Market

October 30, 2009

Today on the Market: Your favorite growers are with us today and they have lots of fresh fall produce to choose from! Today’s items include:

Fruits and Vegetables: tomatoes, butter beans, green peppers, onions, eggplants, turnips, acorn squash, butternut squash, Crenshaw squash, potatoes, beautiful Bent Mtn. cabbage, mustard/kale/collard greens, and sweet potatoes. Lots of freshly picked local apples!

Other Items: Fresh local honey, and chow-chow. Also, Indian corn, corn stalks, hay bales, and several varieties of pumpkins to grace any front door!

Tomorrow : Rain or Shine we will be open! Customers can expect to find the above produce along with the following delicious items:

Baked goodies: Artisan breads, cakes, cookies, pies, yeast rolls, fried pies, freshly baked cinnamon rolls, muffins, scones, jams, and jellies. Yes, Mrs. Chappell will be bringing her now famous fried pies!

Meats: Highland farms will be offering hormone free and antibiotic free grass finished beef.

Other goodies: Fresh local honey, garlic products, Flowerpot bread, soup mixes, and cat and doggie treats.

Crafts: Yellow Mountain Crafts will be on the market this morning with homemade soaps (try the Magnolia Blossom!), lotions, and scented sprays to freshen up linens and other areas of the home.

Gardening: Fall is for planting! Check out Accent Nursery’s line of beautiful shrubs!

Pumpkinfest this weekend!
Saturday, 31st - "Pumpkinfest" - Salem Farmers Market, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Presented by Salem Parks & Recreation and Q99-FM .

Admission: $1, kids wearing costumes get in free. Trick or treating on Main Street will be held from 10 - 11 a.m., Valleydale hotdogs and chips from Frito Lay will be served throughout the day. Come take a walk through our Chefs vs. Surgeons Jack O' Lantern patch and vote for your favorite!! There will also be carnival games, a pumpkin give-away, costume contest, hay rides, and a pumpkin auction where all proceeds will benefit C.H.I.P. (Child Health Investment Partnership)

We have more photos of the helicopter that moved the AC units onto the new Lowe's store under construction on West Main Street this morning.

These photos come from Laura Tucker.

Thanks, Laura!

You can view her photos in the slideshow above or in this gallery format.

We posted other photos -- including a photo of Laura with her camera -- plus video from the AC unit move-in earlier today in this post.

Spencer Frantz

Claudia Whitworth

This year's Laureates will be recognized on November 10 at the Business Hall of Fame dinner at Fitzpatrick Hall in the Jefferson Center. Reception begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30. For more ticket information please contact betsy@ja.roacoxmail.com or call 989-6392.

Established in 1990 by the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia, the Business Hall of Fame honors leaders of the free enterprise system who serve as business role models for our region's youth.

Laureates for induction into the Southwest Virginia Business Hall of Fame are chosen based on their outstanding leadership in the free enterprise system and business success as well as contributions and involvement in the community.

A committee of their peers, distinguished business leaders in our area, selects laureates. Inductees must be retired or no longer occupy the position in which their principal business contributions were made.

Spencer Frantz is the third of four generations to be president and now vice chair of Graham White Manufacturing. The company began in 1914 by producing a sanding device for locomotives. Since then, Graham White has developed many more vital parts and devices patented and used in all forms of transportation. Mr. Frantz ran his own business, Tread Corp., from 1968-1987, distributing explosives and producing storage containers for the high explosives. The company led to the creation of Treadlok, which produced gun safes for the shooting sports industry. Mr. Frantz plays as hard as he works. His passions include hiking, spelunking and mountain climbing - he's reached the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro and scaled the upper heights of Mt. Whitney and Mt. Rainier.

His commitment to youth has included the chairmanship of YMCA campaign drives, leading to new facilities in Roanoke and Salem. Learning work ethic from his childhood days on the farm and orchard, his accomplishments are sure to inspire today's youth and entrepreneurs.

Claudia Whitworth is the middle child of a minister who published newspapers for African-Americans in Roanoke, Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Martinsville. Her education and teachings were influenced by the Quaker faith, which encouraged her to include servitude in her daily routine. Ms. Whitworth had determined by the time of 17 that college was not an option for her and instead she found that a "hands on" approach gave her the lessons that would help her shape her career and overcome barriers. Her first job was setting up linotype, a slow and tedious process that also required heavy lifting. She traveled often to large cities to learn about what it took to assemble a newspaper in a male-dominated production field. Each time she perfected a skill she would return to Roanoke to help her father process the paper with greater ease. Eventually, Ms. Whitworth took over the helm of the Roanoke Tribune, which outlasted several other African-American weeklies owned by her father. Despite the challenges faced by the newspaper industry, the Tribune remains a beacon in the community. Ms. Whitworth has never missed a deadline since taking over the operation.

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On Wednesday, Oct. 28, a proclamation was made by the Lowe's home improvement chain that they're putting a store in at the former site of the West Salem Plaza. Even though Lowe's filed a building permit with the city in July of this year, and even though rumors have been circulating for over two years now, they held off on the big announcement until now. (See more details here.)

"This was an unusual situation because of the contaminated site, but now that it's all clear we can go ahead and Lowe's permitted us to release their name," said Richard Wilkinson, a partner with the development group BET Wilkinson.

"We started looking at this site with Lowe's in 2003, and there were some complications with the landowner," he said. Home Depot and another developer struck up a contract "and as soon as he dropped his contract, we came in in 2007." They closed on the property on August 5, 2008, Wilkinson said.

City council was present at what is probably the most scenic event of the construction process: a helicopter lifted 21 AC/heating units from the ground to the roof on Thursday morning, Oct. 29, with city council members, other important folks from city hall, Wilkinson and a few members of media on hand to check it out.

Check out the photos from the lift-off above in the slideshow.

And hey! There's even a video. You can wait for it to come up in the slideshow, or click here to go to it directly.

This news will not come as a surprise to anyone, since construction is already underway, but Lowe's has just now formally announced it's coming to Salem. The projected opening date is someone in first quarter 2010.

Here's the official -- if belated -- release from Lowe's:

LOWE’S STORE SLATED FOR SALEM, VIRGINIA
The Do-It-Yourself retailer invests $18.5 million to build one-stop shop for appliances,

furnishings, building materials and lawn/garden products

Mooresville, N.C. – A new Lowe’s is under way at the southwest corner of Fourth Street and US 11/US 460. The new Lowe’s store is expected to open in the fiscal first quarter of 2010. The do-it-yourself retailer is known for helping homeowners find the right equipment and supplies to build, improve, beautify and enjoy their homes.

Lowe’s is proud to offer more than 40,000 products under one roof. The home improvement store will have 117,000 square feet of retail sales space. An additional 31,600 square foot garden center will offer an impressive selection of flowers, bushes, trees and garden supplies tailored to the Virginia climate and lifestyle.

A store of this size represents an average investment in the community of approximately $18.5 million and creates up to 175 new jobs.

Lowe’s reaches out to the community through relationships with Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, United Way and the Home Safety Council. In addition, in 2008, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $25 million to support community and education projects in the United States and Canada. To date, Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation has donated more than $2.8 million in the state of Virginia.

With fiscal year 2008 sales of $48.2 billion, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE® 50 company that serves approximately 14 million customers a week at more than 1,675 home improvement stores in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

FAST FACTS ABOUT LOWE’S:
· Opened first Virginia store in 1992; Currently has 66 stores in Virginia.

· Employs approximately 228,000 people, including more than 9,100 employees in Virginia.

· Nation’s Second largest appliance retailer, with more than 250 models in stock daily

· Lowe's is an ENERGY STAR® award-winner seven times running, from 2003-2009, recognized as retail Partner of the Year, for excellence in ENERGY STAR® outreach and excellence in ENERGY STAR® promotion.

Team captain Mary Crowder was on hand at the IUE-CWA local 82161 labor union meeting for GE employees where American Cancer Society representatives Abbie Bartley and Melissa Trotman awarded her team the Purple All Star Award. Crowder's 13-member-team raised the most money of all the Salem Relay for Life teams: $31,586.50, which averages out to about $2,429.73 per person.

How'd they manage to do it?

"We take just a couple of months off" after each Relay, said Crowder. Within their company, they put on raffles, yard sales, bake sales, breakfasts and dinners, as well as contributing their own funds and soliciting donations.

"Mary is an outstanding leader in fundraising in this community and she represents what we hope that everyone would strive to be" for Relay, said Bartley, the Roanoke area executive director

Here are the team members and how much they were able to raise individually:

Mary Crowder, team captain - raised over $6500
Ted and Sandra Calloway - raised over $4000 each
Anita Hardy and Diana Bird - raised over $3000 each
Carol Foutz and Martha Harman - raised over $2000 each
Rhonda Hartman - raised over $1000
Judy Ellis - raised over $600
Eula Sanders - raised over $350
Amanda and Craig Strong and Cindy Bucy - raised over $200 each

Beth Carson shares the weekly report of what's on the Salem Farmers Market:

Salem Farmers Market

October 23, 2009

Today on the Market: Several of your favorite growers are with us today and they have lots of fresh fall produce to choose from! Today’s items include:

Fruits and Vegetables: tomatoes, green peppers, onions, eggplants, turnips, acorn squash, butternut squash, Crenshaw squash, potatoes, cabbage, mustard/kale/collard greens, and sweet potatoes. Lots of freshly picked local apples!

Baked Goods: Freshly baked Cinnamon rolls, and a variety of delicious homemade breads from Suzanne Cook.

.

Other Items: Fresh local honey, and chow-chow. Also, Indian corn, corn stalks, hay bales, and several varieties of pumpkins to grace any front door!

Crafts: Yellow Mountain Crafts will be on the market this morning with homemade soaps (try the Magnolia Blossom!), lotions, and scented sprays to freshen up linens and other areas of the home.

Tomorrow : Rain or Shine we will be open! Customers can expect to find the above produce along with the following delicious items:

Baked goodies: Artisan breads, cakes, cookies, pies, yeast rolls, fried pies, freshly baked cinnamon rolls, muffins, scones, jams, and jellies. Yes, Mrs. Chappell will be bringing her now famous fried pies!

Meats: Highland farms will be offering hormone free and antibiotic free grass finished beef.

Cheeses: Saturday, Sterling Bridge Dairy should have several varieties of jersey cow and goat specialty cheeses to choose from including fresh mozzarella, Colby style, cheddar style, pepperjack style, farmers style, and soft cheeses.

Other goodies: Fresh local honey, garlic products, and doggie treats.

Gardening: Fall is for planting! Check out Accent Nursery’s line of beautiful shrubs!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Smoothie -Contributed By: mblighwww.3aday.org.

1 can (14 ounces) pumpkin, chilled

3 ounces Reduced-fat cream cheese

1 container (6 ounces ) low-fat vanilla yogurt

2 cups Low-fat milk

1/4 cup Brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg

6 teaspoons Graham cracker crumbs, optional

Place all ingredients (except graham cracker crumbs) in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into glasses and top each serving with a teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs, if desired.