March 31, 2008Fiddle and Banjo Show will be April 5 at ClearbrookThe Roanoke Fiddle and Banjo Show will convene Saturday, April 5, at Clearbrook Elementary School, 5205 Franklin Road S.W. The show will feature the New River Trio, The Blue Ridge String Band, Against the Grain, The Blue Ridge Travelers, and Old Dominion Cloggers. The show runs 6 to 10 p.m. and costs $7, unless you're under 12 -- then it's free. March 28, 2008High Point Coffee releases April music scheduleHigh Point Coffee at Brambleton Plaza has released its April line-up of music acts. For the complete list, check out our cut'n'scratch music blog Also of note: Blacksburg-based singer-songwriter Kristi Emmons plays at High Point on April 12. We have two videos of her on our MusicCast site of local music videos. India Children's Choir to sing at Cave Spring BaptistThe India Children's Choir, on a 10-month tour of the United States, will perform at 6:30 p.m. April 11 at Cave Spring Baptist Church, 4873 Brambleton Ave. S.W. To read more about the choir's motivation for singing, click here. March 27, 2008"Blithe Spirit" is showing at Showtimers TheatreIf you’re looking for something a little more lively and charming than sitting on the couch with the dog, cat, or significant other with a video store rental or the latest episode of CSI in a far away metropolitan area, “Blithe Spirit” at Showtimers could save your Wednesday to weekend night sometime in the next two weeks. Don’t expect for it to bring you back to Roanoke, either: set in the 1930s, a British author’s information gathering during a séance goes awry when the zany Madame Arcati, played by Nancy Lawrence, conjures up his first wife. As if that weren’t enough, Charles and Ruth Condomine (Ruth is his second and current wife) must navigate through polite society as they deal with the unruly and “blithe” ghost of Elvira, played by Cris Emerson. Charles and Ruth Condomine are played by Phil Boyd and Stevie Holcomb, respectively. Continue reading ""Blithe Spirit" is showing at Showtimers Theatre" » March 26, 2008Find hidden treasure at North Cross fundraisersNorth Cross School has two fundraising events coming up that offer an array of shopping options and a way to help provide financial assistance to deserving students. The Mosaic Online Auction kicks off Friday, March 28, and runs through April 11. The auction features more than 100 items, including artwork created by students in every grade level at North Cross. Meanwhile, the Annual Big Flea Event is just around the corner. This white elephant and clothing sale will run 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 5 in the school's Carter Athletic Center. For more information on either event, contact Laura Neff-Henderson at 989-6641 ext. 259 or lhenderson@northcross.org. March 25, 2008Fun and learning in store at the libraryThe Roanoke County Headquarters Library has a lot of opportunities to offer in April. Computer classes, clubs and a bus trip to Poplar Forest are all on the calendar. Enigma Book Club Friends of the Roanoke County Library Annual Meeting & Dinner Continue reading "Fun and learning in store at the library" » March 24, 2008Showtimers holds auditions, and a showShowtimers Community Theatre will hold auditions for its next show, "The Boys Next Door," on Saturday, March 29, at 2 p.m. and Sunday, March 30 at 6 p.m. The production will include roles for seven men and two women, ages 20 through 60. For more information, call the director, Phil Boyd, at 563-2693. Meanwhile, if you'd just like to catch a show in the next week, "Blithe Spirit" opens Wednesday, March 26 and runs through, April 6. March 21, 2008Got news (or a photo) to share?Do you have news about something in Southwest Roanoke County? A neighborhood event, a school achievement, or other recognition? Share it with us, and your neighbors. Send your community news to: news@swo-co.com And if you have a photo, send that on, too. We look forward to hearing from you. Enter our photo contest!Got a favorite photo from Southwest Roanoke County? A school carnival, a bingo night, a hiking spot? Enter it in our photo contest and maybe win a prize! Email it to photocontest@roanoke.com by Friday, March 28 and you could win a $250 gift card to Best Buy. We'll select two lucky winners -- one adult and one youth. We'll announce the winners on April 25. Umm, some other rules: You must include the photographer's name, address, phone number, email, when and where the photo was taken, plus the story behind the photo in 100 words or less. They must be 200 dpi resolution with the largest dimension measuring at least 10 inches. All photos must have been taken within the last year and must be local. Submitted photos become the property of The Roanoke Times. By entering, you grant the paper and its affiliates the right to publish your photo in any way. March 20, 2008Roanoke County sets April 12 meeting to discuss 221 growthHousing growth, coupled with the future widening of Bent Mountain Road to Cotton Hill Road and the recent purchase of the Poage farm by the Roanoke County School Board, have prompted Roanoke County to update the overall plan for the U.S. 221 area. Roanoke County officials began studying this area back in January and are planning to start development of the plan by late 2008. At Tuesday’s Roanoke County Planning Commission meeting, Roanoke County planner David Holladay said the county has “mailed surveys to all that live in the Route 221 area, asking for their input on potential building plans.” The county hopes to have all of the survey responses back by April 30. Officials then plan to have one-on-one interviews with the stakeholders. The next step is to involve the community again. Holladay said county officials “want the voices of the community to be heard.” The first meeting will be held on Saturday, April 12 at the Back Creek Elementary School from 9 a.m. to noon. Other meetings have also been scheduled so that all who wish can have the chance to attend. By Chelsea Arner March 19, 2008Southwest man starts doggy-doo businessMatt Williams of Southwest Roanoke County has started a company that specializes in, um, doggy doo. He calls it The Scoop Group. Our pet blogger has details -- and some funny quotes -- on The Happy Wag. Roanoke County crime map updated through March 15We've just updated our Roanoke County crime map with offenses through March 15 -- the most recent data available. In Southwest Roanoke County, you'll find some larcenies, some burglaries, some motor vehicle thefts -- and even an aggravated assault. To see how this compares with other localities, we also have crime maps for Roanoke and Salem. All this appears on our Datasphere site, run by data delivery editor Matt Chittum. Got thoughts on crime in Southwest Roanoke County? Share your views by clicking on "comments."
Three students from Southwest music studio win state competitionThree students from the Susan Braden Music Studio in Southwest Roanoke County placed in the recent Virginia adjudication for the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition and now advance to regional competition. And two of those students have school ties to Southwest Roanoke County. They are: * Emily Smith, a junior at Cave Spring High School, who took first place in the junior / senior high school women in musical theatre category and second place in the advanced junior / senior high school women in classical voice. The three students will represent Virginia as they compete in the Mid-Atlantic regional competitions at Old Dominion University on April 5. The Mid-Atlantic Region of NATS includes Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, North and South Carolinas. Eight students were selected from the Studio to compete in the state-wide competition earlier this month. All eight received excellent or superior scores. March 18, 2008Hidden Valley girls' team "classy and impressive"The accolades continue to pour in for the Hidden Valley girls' basketball team, now state champions for the second year in a row. Sportswriter Robert Anderson calls the Titans "classy and impressive" on the March 18 edition of Varsity Cast, our weekly high school sports webcast -- and says a lot of other nice things, too. Want to share your thoughts of the team? Click "comments" below. We have fan photos of Hidden ValleyQuigg Lawrence has submitted three nice photos of Hidden Valley High School players in action at Saturday's state championship basketball game, where the Hidden Valley girls took home their second straight state title. You can find them on the Hidden Valley photo page on varsity.roanoke.com They feature Abby Oliver, Kylee Beecher and Abby Reddick. If you have photos to share, check out the Varsity site. March 17, 2008Time for tea and plantsThe Virginia Cooperative Extension has announced the Roanoke Master Gardener Spring Plant Clinic & Sale will be April 12 at the Brambleton Center, 3738 Brambleton Ave. S.W. The event will include the Tea Thyme Tea Room with brunch or lunch. The plant sale and clinic will run 8 a.m. to noon. Advance tickets of $12 each are needed for the tea room, where brunch will run 10 to 11:30 a.m. and lunch is noon to 2 p.m. For more information, call Shelby Snider, 992-3644; Betty Luber, 473-1789; Bonnie Surface, 977-0545; or Kathryn Debnar, 797-1146. Roanoke County crime map updated through March 8We've just updated our Roanoke County crime map with offenses through March 8 -- the most recent data available. In Southwest Roanoke County, you'll find some larcenies, some burglaries, and two motor vehicle thefts. To see how this compares with other localities, we also have crime maps for Roanoke and Salem. All this appears on our Datasphere site, run by data delivery editor Matt Chittum. Check out our Hidden Valley photo galleriesWe have not one, not two, but three photo galleries from the state basketball tournament in Richmond. The most recent is from Saturday, where the Hidden Valley girls won the Group AA state championship. We also have galleries from the semi-finals, from both the girls' game and the boys' game. If you have photos from any of the games, feel free to share them with us at news@swo-co.com March 16, 2008Hidden Valley girls emerge victoriousHidden Valley beat Waynesboro 59-45 in the girls' Group AA state championship game. Kylee Beecher had 21 points, and Abby Redick and Abby Oliver each had 16 points as the Titans won back-to-back state titles. For more on state finals, visit the Press Box blog. March 13, 2008Hidden Valley boys lose in semi-finalsOnly the Hidden Valley girls' basketball team will advance to the state championship game on Saturday. The boys lost this afternoon in the semi-finals: Brunswick 55, Hidden Valley 49. Details on both games are on the Press Box blog. 13 SW students in Jeff Center show April 10 Eleven students from Hidden Valley High School and two from Cave Spring High School will be featured in a musical performance at the Jefferson Center on April 10. Here's the scoop: Many of you are familiar with the annual show that the students from the Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio put on each year at The Jefferson Center. This year, it packed the auditorium for two straight shows. Well, Kevin -- whose studio is in the Cave Spring area -- also teaches at the Roanoke County Center for the Performing Arts and has a similar show coming up featuring those students on Thursday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Continue reading "13 SW students in Jeff Center show April 10" » Hidden Valley girls win, advance to finalsA blow-out in Richmond: The Titans rolled past Greensville County 65-32 this afternoon and advanced to Saturday's state championship game. Details on our Press Box sports blog. Bojangles plans Southwest Roanoke County locationStan Seymour, the local franchisee for Bojangles, says he's planning to open one of the chicken'n'biscuits restaurants in Southwest Roanoke County by August. It will be somewhere inthe Colonial-Brambleton area. Business writer Jenny Boone has the details on that and other Bojangles planned for the valley on her retail blog, The Storefront. March 12, 2008Sachith Gullapalli to represent Roanoke County in spelling bee
Sachith Gullapalli of Hidden Valley Middle School will represent Roanoke County in this week's 35th Annual Spelling Bee. He's won the past two years, by the way. The event is Saturday, March 15, 9 a.m., at the Holiday Inn-Roanoke Airport, and is open to the public. The winner of this regional bee will advance to the Scripps National Bee in Washington in May. We'll have coverage in Sunday's Roanoke Times and on roanoke.com March 11, 2008Hidden Valley girls picked as favorite in state basketball tournamentOK, maybe this isn't a surprise to Hidden Valley fans, but sportswriters Robert Anderson and Aaron McFarling call the Titan girls the favorite to win the state basketball tournament this weekend. (Semi-finals are Thursday.) They offer their take on both the girls' and boys' teams on the March 11 edition of Varsity Cast, our weekly webcast on high school sports. And in case you missed our previous post, we're still looking for your game photos. We'll tell you how right here. "Uncluttered" organizing class set March 25 at Brambleton CenterThe Brambleton Center has scheduled an "Uncluttered Organizing Basics Class." When: Tuesday, 25th, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Register by calling the Brambleton Center at 772-7529. Be sure to mention it's "Class # 12120." Those interested are also advised: "Bring with you something that needs to be organized!! A file, a drawer, a box or bag of "stuff", your purse or briefcase, use your imagination! We are excited about providing you with the tools you'll need to start your organizing projects this Spring!!" Instructor Leah Kinder's motto is "sort, purge, organize!" Brambleton store gets out of puppy businessNature’s Emporium in Southwest Roanoke County is getting out of the puppy business. That word comes today by way of business writer Jenny Boone. For more on the Brambleton Avenue pet store and other changes it might be making, see Jenny's retail blog, The Storefront. Send us your Hidden Valley basketball photos!OK, so everybody knows that both Hidden Valley's boy's and girl's basketball teams will be playing in the state basketball tournament this Thursday, March 13. But just in case you've missed it, here's the schedule -- along with an invitation of sorts. GIRLS: Hidden Valley (24-4) vs. Greensville County (25-1) at 2 p.m. at the Siegel Center in Richmond. The winner of that game plays in the championship game Saturday at 7 p.m. BOYS: Hidden Valley (28-1) vs. Brunswick County (25-4) at 3:45 p.m., also at the Siegel Center. The winner of that game plays in the championship game Saturday at 9 p.m. So, here's what we need -- your photos from the games. We have a nice collection of reader-submitted photos from football season on our Hidden Valley page -- but none from either the girl's or boy's basketball season. You can submit your photos to our high school sports page, varsity.roanoke.com. Appalachian Power plans involve S.W. CountyAppalachian Power is presenting plans that include a new substation in Southwest County. The company, which hopes to energize the new facilities in 2010, will gather public comments at an open meeting Tuesday, March 25, 5 to 8 p.m. at Green Valley Elementary School, 3838 Overdale Road. For more information, click here. March 8, 2008Roanoke County crime map updatedWhat kind of crime is happening in Roanoke County? And where is it happening? You can see for yourself on our crime maps. Data delivery editor Matt Chittum, who compiles such things, has just updated our Roanoke County crime map for offenses through March 1, the most recent date available. And here's something interesting: Even though there's a lot less crime in Roanoke County than in Roanoke, we get a lot more traffic to our Roanoke County crime map than our Roanoke crime map. (And our Salem crime map often gets more traffic than either of those.) Any thoughts on why? Feel free to post a comment below. Or check out other databases in the Datasphere.
Former Cave Spring resident releases bluegrass videoFormer Cave Spring resident Josh Shilling now makes his home, well, on the road -- as member of the popular bluegrass band Mountain Heart. The band recently released its first video since Shilling joined the band. Music writer Tad Dickens has the video, and an update on Shilling, and some background on his career, on our cut'n'scratch local music blog. Mmm ... what's in that sandwich?
Welcome to SWoCo!This is the community news blog for Southwest Roanoke County. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be building out a related Web site and, later this spring, launching a weekly newspaper for Southwest County families. In the meantime, keep coming back to this blog to keep up with what’s happening in our community. I’m Erica Myatt, and I’m the editor for SWoCo. I also live in Southwest County, so I’m really looking forward to capturing all the goings-on in our community. With SWoCo (a little shorthand for Southwest County – a bit like the “OBX” stickers for the Outer Banks), we want to highlight the people and news from our neighborhoods. One of the great things about news blogs is they’re a two-way street, so we’d love to hear from you. Just click below on "comments." Or share your news and photos with us at: news@swo-co.com |
About this blog Welcome to The Notebook, the community gathering place for news and tidbits from SWoCo, by community journalist Emily Flora. You can share your comments, stories, links and ideas here, too. This is your community conversation. Read more about SWoCo and this blog. Subscribe to the RSS feed to get the latest updates  For more news and information from Southwest County -- and to see the photo galleries, stories and letters from the SWoCo print edition, check out www.swo-co.com.
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