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Back Creek Elementary Kindergarten classes visited Jeters Pumpkin Patch on Oct. 29 and had a great time. Mrs. Abbitt and her class are pictured here in the first photo. The 2nd and 3rd photos are kids from both Mrs. Abbitt and Mrs. Colitons classes feeding the baby cows.

Send your photos to news@swo-co.com.

Submitted by Karin Shuck

Sam Carr took these pictures from Bent Mountain while coming back from grandma's house.

Send your nature photos to news@swo-co.com.

Submitted by Sam Carr

Cave Spring is at home against Pulaski. Hidden Valley travels to Christiansburg.

If you're going to either game, prepare to bundle up. Here's what weather journalist Kevin Myatt says to expect:

"Cloudy, damp and chilly ... temperatures mostly in the 40s. Snowflakes are not impossible in colder areas mainly west of I-81."

For more weather news, see Kevin's Weather Journal blog.

As always, though, take pictures! You can share a news@swo-co.com.

We've been sharing reports of bear sightings around Southwest Roanoke County. The latest comes from Raynelle Lankford, who tells us:

It was very interesting reading your article about bear sightings in Southwest Roanoke County last Friday. I live at 6263 Mt. Chestnut Road and we have had bears on our street. A couple of weeks ago, my neighbor called to advised bears had gotten into our trash cans which had been left up at the street for garbage pickup on Tuesday morning. We had to go and clean up the trash from our yards and the street. Apparently the Mexicans who work up at Valhalla Winery had seen them and called my neighbor, who in turn called us. That didn’t bother me too much although picking up trash early in the morning before going to work wasn’t fun. The real scare came on Wednesday morning at 1:10 a.m. on October 7. I have two schnauzers that started barking and running through my house. I first thought there might be deer in the yard. When the deer hear my dogs barking, they usually go away. My dogs didn’t stop barking and I finally pulled myself from the bed. I went to the bathroom and looked out the back window. There sitting under my bedroom window was a large black bear. He had turned over my garbage can, had pulled out the trash and was eating. I got my husband up and went to the kitchen to turn on the back light thinking that would scare the bear away. It didn’t. He looked up toward the back door and continued eating. My husband finally started beating on the window and he then left. We all went back to bed and haven’t seen him since. My husband has been pouring ammonia over the trash to keep him away. We also heard that on Thursday last week, several garbage cans on the back side of Mt. Chestnut Road had been turned over by bears.

Well that’s my bear story. I hope he doesn’t come in my back yard again as I fear for my dogs and my family. It worries me that they would come so close to a house and not be scared of barking dogs or lights being turned on.

Have you seen a bear in Southwest Roanoke County? If so, let us know at news@swo-co.com.

OTHER BEAR SIGHTINGS IN SOUTHWEST ROANOKE COUNTY:
* Oct. 13: Judy Hensley once saw a bear in Canterbury Park
* Oct. 1: Lisa Lauria sees bear in Fairway Forest
* Sept. 22: Richard King shares photo of bear rummaging in trash can on Kings Chase
* Sept. 2: Leslie Terry sees bears in Fairway Forest

This one is a little old, but still interesting.

Judy Hensley tells us: "We live in Canterbury Park. Two years ago, on an August, Sunday afternoon a black bear ventured into our backyard, down the side, crossed the street and disappeared in the neighbors' yards. When I called 911, the dispatcher said since he/she was just passing through, to stay indoors and leave it alone."

Have you seen a bear in Southwest Roanoke County? If so, let us know at news@swo-co.com.

OTHER BEAR SIGHTINGS IN SOUTHWEST ROANOKE COUNTY:
* Oct. 1: Lisa Lauria sees bear in Fairway Forest
* Sept. 22: Richard King shares photo of bear rummaging in trash can on Kings Chase
* Sept. 2: Leslie Terry sees bears in Fairway Forest

Members of Colonial Presbyterian Church enjoyed the afternoon hiking to the top of Flat Top Mountain (Peaks of Otter) on Sunday, October 4th.

Submitted by Kim Roe.

Do you have photos from your church in Southwest Roanoke County? If so, you can share at news@swo-co.com.

Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs presents Holiday House: A Thanksgiving and Christmas Bazaar.

When: Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: 3640 Colonial Avenue

What: arts & crafts, plants, year round gifts, white elephant, baked goods, Santa's Pack Drawing, lunches available, and silent auction.

Cost: Free

Garden Club members from all over the area gathered on Wednesday, September 30, at 11:30 a.m. at the Garden Club Center to have lunch together and enjoy a fashion show. The event is an annual fundraiser for the Sugar Loaf Garden Club.

The money raised will be used to award a scholarship to a Virginia Western Community college horticulture student and donate the Arboretum, upgrading and maintaining their award-winning butterfly garden at Oak Grove Elementary School, present a program at a local nursing home, supporting Valley Beautiful and Clean Valley Council, VA Hospital Veteran's cookie plates at Christmas, support Friends of the Blue Ridge parkway and Scenic Virignia - planting trees, and support of Southwester Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank.

Garden Club member, Lydia Celin said that this is the fourth annual and  largest fundraiser that the Sugar Loaf Garden Club does. She also said that the scholarship has been increasing every year. 80 tickets were

The afternoon began with a welcome and a luncheon and the fashion show by Henri Kessler Furs and Second Hand Rose. A silent auction was also going on during the event.

Door Prizes were also given out and there was a raffle drawing. The door prizes and raffles were created by donors which include, gotekgo.com (Susan Lucas), William Adkins CLU-ChFC with Nationwide Ins., Maria Lin Jewelry, Lavender Dreams, Colors & You, Plantagenet Rose, White Oak Tavern, Townside Gardens, Cindy's Greenery, VA Greenhouse, Showtimers, Mulch 'n More, Doreen's Gourmet, Virginia Western Arboretum, Sanctuary Spa, Taubman Museum of Art, Wine Gourmet, Toad'ly Kids, Petal Pushers, Glebe Gardens, Hallmark, Chocolate Paper, Willow Grove, and Star City Playhouse.