Sam Roach is an 11 year old 5th grader at Back Creek Elementary School. He has been riding and racing mountain bikes since he was 6 years old. He has almost always raced against older kids, which has helped make him better. This year he is not racing in the Junior class at most races, choosing to race in the mid-level adult field called Sport. In Roanoke’s local race series http://www.wednesdaynightdisco.com/  this spring he was not only the first 5th grader to race in this adult mid-level Sport field, he won! Obviously, he loves riding his bike and we get to do it together regularly.

He races for the East Coasters Junior Mountain Bike Team presented by Blue Mountain Sales, http://eastcoasters.com/about/the-east-coasters-junior-mtb-team-pg368.htm . Among their sponsors is Trek Bicycles. The team is headed up by Wake Fulp and has weekly rides at some of our area’s great trail systems. Some of the members attend races together. Sam has raced about 20 times so far this year already all over Virginia and North Carolina. We will be racing at the National Championships in Pennsylvania in July where Sam will get to race against 10 to 12 year olds from all over the country.

In the Virginia High School Mountain Bike Race Series mentioned in the previous email, Sam won all 5 races in the Junior Varsity Field, racing 30 to 35 older middle school kids from around the state, making him the Virginia High School League JV State Champion. For this he won a great series leader jersey and a paid entrance to a week long mountain bike camp at the Miller School near Charlottesville. His teammate Aaron Workowski from Fincastle was 2nd in the JV series. We are excited to host a race in Roanoke next spring in the series.

Sam also rides road bikes, and another impressive achievement has been his first 100 mile “century” ride last summer at age 10 in the Burkes Garden Century out of Narrows VA. He road 105 miles in 6 hours!

Submitted by Gary Roach

It’s a juggling act. Being a mother of three young kids is a lot of work, but throw running a successful interior design business in the mix and you’ve got more than just a juggling act… you’ve got a super woman. That’s Theresa Dorlini. She’s a hard-working mom to Dotti, Luca and Tyson, ages 5 and under. “I like to think of myself as a stay-at-home working mom,” said Theresa. She continued, “My first love was design, but nothing prepared me for the love I would have for my kids! I am extremely fortunate to be in a profession I love, and have the flexibility to be a mom. I knew that if I couldn’t make the two passions work together I wouldn’t be happy. ” And Theresa certainly is making it work. Her business, which she co-owns with her husband John, is called CIRCLE Design Studio. “When I tell some people I operate from a home office they kind of give me that ‘I feel sorry for you’ look or don’t take me seriously… but then they see our work and it speaks for itself,” she said. “In the end, being able to have lunch with my kids everyday makes it all worth it.”

Theresa and her husband live in Southwest County and make it their business to design beautiful spaces. Both are Certified Interior Designers (CID), and John also holds a Masters degree in Architecture. “There are definitely days that I feel like ‘I’m not going to make it,’” said Theresa. “But I am blessed because John and I are in the same profession. He is more than willing to help me pick up the slack. If we have to, we take the kids to our jobs with us. We have to go with the flow and most people respect that.”

Theresa jokes that the kids and chaos have made their work better. Since having their first child in 2007, they have consistently won awards for both residential and commercial design. In fact, The Roanoker Magazine just awarded CIRCLE Design Studio “Platinum” for Best of Roanoke for 2013. They said it is the first time in the history of the awards that an unranked company has gone straight to Platinum.

Theresa and her husband have been in practice for 15 years, working for several different architecture/design firms nationwide, but they started CIRCLE Design Studio together in 2005. The Studio began in Staunton, but once the economy took a down turn, the couple realized they needed to be in a bigger market and moved down to Roanoke three years ago. Theresa’s background is originally in corporate design, but her company does about 80 percent residential work now. Theresa describes her style as modernist, but also likes classical forms and therefore likes to mix the two. “We believe great design is timeless,” she said, “and should be attainable even on a modest budget.”

Being the owner of a small business and a mom is hard work but in Theresa’s case it’s her passion. “You’ve got to have a love for what you do and a love for the people you are serving…clients and kids.” said Theresa. It’s just this kind of dedication and passion that consistently wins Circle Design Studio awards and makes them a great addition to Southwest County and the Roanoke Valley.

You can see some of CIRCLE’s award-winning work at www.circledesignstudio.com

For more on the election, see this story by Chase Purdy of The Roanoke Times.

These photos of Hidden Valley High School’s spring sports teams were taken by Lifetouch Photography. You can view the pictures in a slideshow above, or in a gallery with captions here.

Share your photos by emailing news@swoco.com, or upload up to 10 photos at a time using our share tool.

- Submitted by Sandy Johnson

Roanoke County has more information on summer camps here.

Submitted by Roanoke County

Monday, May 20, 2013 – 6:00 pm

Does your water come from a well, spring, or cistern?

Do you want to learn more about the quality of your water?

How it works:

1. At a brief informational meeting, pick up a sample kit and get instructions to collect your household water sample. (05/20/13, 6:00 pm)

2. Collect a sample from your tap at home and complete a short questionnaire.

3. Drop off sample at a designated location and time (05/22/13, between 7:30-10:00 am)

4. About 4 weeks later, come back to get your confidential test results, an explanation of what the numbers mean, and information on how to handle any problems that are present. (06/17/13, 6:00 pm – or if you can’t make this day, then results can be picked up at our office).

Where: South County Library, 6303 Merriman Rd., Roanoke, 24018

Directions: One option – Electric Rd (419) heading South from Tanglewood Mall, Left on Starkey Rd. 1.5 miles, Right to stay on Starkey Rd, cross tracks, Right on Merriman to traffic circle, you will see library.

Cost: $49 (includes sample analysis cost to test for selected chemical and bacteriological constituents –a $200 value)

Space is limited – Must Pre-register by May 10th

Checks made payable to VCE-Roanoke or pay on-line at www.offices.ext.vt.edu/roanoke  and email or mail your receipt along with registration to VCE-Roanoke, 3738 Brambleton Avenue, SW, Roanoke, VA 24018-3639. There is a $50 fee for returned checks. Contact the Roanoke Extension Office at (540)772-7524 or Deb Chappell, dchappel@vt.edu  with questions.

Submitted by Deb Chappell 

100% of $5 Ticket Sale Proceeds Go to Local Charities

First 100 Customers Receive Gift Cards, Chance to Win More

– Thousands of participating charities across Belk’s 16-state footprint benefit from Belk’s semi-annual charity sales and in its 125th anniversary year, Belk looks forward to continuing that tradition.

Belk’s first charity sale of the year will take place Saturday, April 27 from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. in all Belk stores. The four-hour, in-store shopping event is an excellent fundraising tool for participating organizations that sell $5 tickets to their supporters. It’s also an opportunity for customers to give back to local nonprofits while taking advantage of special in-store discounts on purchases during the event.

On the morning of the Belk Charity Sale, the first 100 customers to arrive at each store will receive a Belk gift card ranging in value from $5 to $100, and a chance to win one of three $1,000 Belk gift cards being awarded companywide. All customers will also receive $5 back on their first purchase. Also, participating charities and schools will be registered to win one of three $1,000 donations from Belk in a companywide drawing.

Last year’s charity sale supported thousands of nonprofits such as the March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, Crisis Assistance Ministry, Special Olympics, Teens Do Care, Literacy Council, United Way, Girl Talk International, North Carolina Zoo Society, American Red Cross, animal rescue organizations, local school athletic and scholastic organizations and numerous local churches.

“As we celebrate our 125th anniversary, Belk is especially proud of our ability to give back to the communities who have supported us so much over the years,” said Jessica Graham, Belk vice president of communications & community relations. “There is no limit to the number of organizations that can participate, the number of tickets they can sell, or the amount of money they can raise – so everyone benefits.”

In 2012, more than 8,000 nonprofit organizations raised more than $10 million through Belk’s Spring and Fall Charity Sales.

“Some of the participating nonprofits raise more funds through this sale than any other effort, so we hope all Belk customers will take part in giving back to their communities while they shop,” said Graham. “If you’re an organization that needs help raising money, we hope you’ll sign up to participate. If you’re a supporter of a participating organization, we hope you and your family and friends will buy tickets through the organizations or at Belk stores, and get ready for a great shopping day.”

In addition to buying tickets from participating nonprofits, beginning Friday, April 19, tickets also may be purchased at Belk stores, with all revenues from in-store ticket sales equally divided among participating charities and schools in each local store.

Charity representatives interested in taking part in this one-of-a-kind fundraising event should contact their local Belk store manager for more information. In order to participate in the Belk Charity Sale, organizations must have an IRS Section 501(c)(3) designation from the Internal Revenue Service.

For more information about the Belk Spring Charity Sale, contact your local Belk store or visit www.belk.com/charitysale.

About Belk, Inc. 

Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk, Inc. (www.belk.com) is the nation’s largest family owned and operated department store company with 301 Belk stores located in 16 Southern states. Founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, N.C., the company is in the third generation of Belk family leadership and has been committed to community involvement since its inception. Each year, Belk gives a portion of its pretax income back to the communities it serves. In fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2013, the company and its associates, customers and vendors, donated more than $19 million to those communities. Belk.com offers a wide assortment of national brands and private label fashion apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family along with top name cosmetics, a wedding registry and a large selection of quality merchandise for the home. To connect with Belk go to Belk Get Connected.

Modern. Southern. Style.

Belk seeks to satisfy the modern Southern lifestyle like no one else, so that our customers get the fashion they desire and the value they deserve. Our vision is for the modern Southern woman to count on Belk first – for her, for her family, for life.

Submitted by Emily Moseley 

For the fifth year in a row, we asked readers to pick

“The Best of Southwest Roanoke County.”

And you sure did! Voting was up 50 percent over last year.

And now, here are the results:

Best reason for living in Southwest Roanoke County

1. Schools

2. People

3. Quality of life

Most fun thing that’s happened in Southwest Roanoke County (new category)

1. Episcopal Diocesan Council

2. Opening of the South County Library

3. Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio annual free show at the Jefferson Center

Best new thing in SWoCo in the past year

1. Star City Recycling Company

2. Cave Spring Middle School

3. Five Guys Burgers and Fries

(Last year’s winner: South Roanoke County Library)

Best place to go trick-or-treating

1. Tanglewood Mall

2. The Gardens and Groves

3. Penn Forest

Best place to take relatives from out of town

1. Mill Mountain

2. Farmers Market in downtown Roanoke

3. The Homeplace Restaurant

Best place to meet new people

1. Church

2. Downtown Roanoke

3. Kroger

Best place to take the kids for the day

1. Mill Mountain

2. Green Ridge Recreation Center

3. Olympic Swim club

Best church outreach program

1. Church of the Holy Spirit

2. Roanoke Rescue Mission

3. Young Life

Best community event

1. Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio annual show at the Jefferson Center

2. Dickens of a Christmas

3. Festival in the Park

Best community service project by civic group or other non-profit (new category)

1. Drumstick Dash by the Roanoke Rescue Mission

2. Project Faith; Faith Christian School

3. United Way

Best local politician

1. Rep. Bob Goodlatte

2. Del. Greg Habeeb

3. Cave Spring school board member Fuzzy Minnix

Best teacher

1. Danielle Johnson, North Cross School

2. Sue Ann Blades, Penn Forest Elementary

3. Tiffany Sakaguchi, Cave Spring Middle School

Best school staff member

1. Mike Brancati, Cave Spring Middle School assistant principal

2. Mary Beth Gregg, Hidden Valley Middle School

3. Mary Jo Truskey, Cave Spring Elementary School Special Education

Best bus driver

1. Penny Robertson, Oak Grove Elementary

2. Ruby Craft, Cave Spring Middle School

3. Wayne Dodson, Back Creek Elementary School

Best coach (school sports)

1. Billy Hicks, Cave Spring High School boys basketball

2. Derrick Roth, Cave Spring High School boys basketball

3. Jessica Ficarro, Cave Spring girls basketball

Best coach (non-school sports)

1. Cory Carroll, Roanoke Star soccer

2. Ricky Gregg, The Yard

3. Rick Krohmer

Best school event – high school

1. Cave Spring High School football

2. Project Faith, Faith Christian School

3. Kendall’s Karnival, Cave Spring High School

Best school event — middle school (new category)

1. Opening of Cave Spring Middle School

2. Project Faith, Faith Christian School

3. Relay for Life Dodgeball Tournament at Cave Spring Middle School

Best parks and rec activity

1. Green Ridge Recreation Center

2. Senior activities

3. Soccer

Best school event — elementary school

1. Pumpkins on the Playground, Penn Forest Elementary

2. Green Valley Elementary School Fun Run

3. Project Faith, Faith Christian School

Best summer camp for kids

1. Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio

2. Camp Roanoke

3. Roanoke County Parks and Recreation summer camps

Best park

1. Garst Mill Park

2. Penn Forest (Darrell Shell Park)

2. Elmwood Park

Best student-run school club or organization (new category)

1. Hidden Valley High School band

2. Student Cooperative Assocation

3. Cave Spring Middle School Squires Club; Fellowship of Christian Athletes (tie)

Best sporting moment of the past year

1. South County Softball League

2. Cave Spring High School girls soccer making it to regionals

3. Cody Amos’ win at Knights of the Round Table wrestling tournament

Best place for breakfast

1. Famous Anthony’s

2. The Roanoker

3. Froth

Best coffee

1. Dunkin’ Donuts

2. Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea

3. Starbucks

Best burgers (new category)

1. Burger in the Square

2. Five Guys Burgers and Fries

3. Three Li’l Pigs, Daleville

When we created this category, we just assumed the winners would be in Southwest Roanoke County — but enough voters wrote in the name of a Botetourt barbecue place (which also serves burgers) to make it number three. If you’re curious, the fourth-place finisher wasn’t from Southwest Roanoke County, either.

Best salads (new category)

1. Ruby Tuesday

2. Panera Bread

3. Montano’s

Best pizza

1. Frank’s Pizza

2. Grace’s Place

3. New York Pizza

Best place for lunch

1. Brambleton Deli

2. Wildflour

3. Burger in the Square

Best place for a fancy meal

1. Carlos Brazilian International Cuisine

2. Frankie Rowland’s

3. 419 West

Best place to hear local music

1. Blue 5

2. Brambleton Deli

3. Kirk Avenue Music Hall

Best restaurant to take the kids

1. Chuck E. Cheese

2. Famous Anthony’s

3. El Rodeo

Best happy hour

1. 419 West

2. Brambleton Deli

3. Macado’s

Best place to buy wine

1. Kroger

2. Mr. Bill’s Wine Cellar

3. Wine Gourmet

Best place to go after a game

1. Buffalo Wild Wings

2. Brambleton Deli

3. Mac & Bob’s

Best place for a first date

1. Montano’s

2. 419 West

3. Carlos Brazilian International Cuisine

Best place to buy fresh food

1. Fresh Market

2. Farmer’s Market, downtown Roanoke

3. Roanoke Fruit & Produce

Best convenience store

1. Country Store on Starkey

2. Sheetz

3. 7-Eleven

Best hair salon

1. Country Hair Saloon

2. Glo Salon

3. Zee’s Salon and Day Spa

Best nail salon

1. Polished by Claire V.

2. Beauty Bar

3. Perfect Nails

Best place to get pampered

1. Zee’s Salon and Day Spa

2. Azario Salon

3. Pure Spa

Best place to keep fit

1. The Roanoke Athletic Club

2. Gold’s Gym

3. YMCA

Best place to shop for antiques

1. Black Dog Salvage

2. Goodwill

3. Buy the Season

Best place to buy unique gifts

1. Two and a Half Sisters

2. Chocolatepaper

3. Steger Creek

Best consignment shop (new catetgory)

1. Consigning Women

2. Consignment First

3. New to Me

Best place to buy women’s fashions

1. Stein Mart

2. T.J. Maxx

3. Belk

Best jeweler

1. Fink’s

2. Two and a Half Sisters

3. Amrhein’s

Best florist

1. George’s Flowers

2. Striteskey’s

3. Petal Pushers

Best frame shop

1. Brambleton Frame Shop

2. A.C. Moore

3. Simply Framing by Kristi

Best dentist

1. Dr. Gary Roach (Roach, Lubeck, and Parks)

2. Dr. Scott Ward (Coots, Ward, Cross & Associates

3. Dr. Greg Wright

Best family physician

1. Dr. Donald Smith (Brambleton Family Medicine)

2. Dr. Nina Sweeney (Roanoke Partners in Health)

3. Dr. Ella Youngblood

Best lawyer

1. John Lichtenstein

2. Doug Wilson

3. Mark Skolrood

Best place to go for financial advice

1. SunTrust

2. BB&T

3. Jason Bialek of Atlantic Mortgage

Best insurance agent

1. Steve Nash of Allstate

2. Mark Meyer of Allstate

3. Amanda Christiansen of State Farm

Best builder

1. Structures DesignBuild, LLC

2. David James Homes

3. Parsell & Zeigler GCI

Best plumber/electrician/home repair service

1. Richardson Plumbing and Heating

2. Nelson Repair and Maintenance

3. Wisler Plumbing

Best lawn or landscaping service

1. Varsity Landscaping & Grounds

2. GreenUp

3. Valley Landscaping

Best dry cleaner

1. Cave Spring Cleaners

2. Harvey’s

3. Wheeler’s Fast Service Laundry and Cleaning

Best car wash

1. Tanglewood Auto Wash

2. Brambleton Car Wash

3. Southern Classic Car Wash

Best place to buy a car

1. Brambleton Imports

2. First Team Auto Mall

3. Berglund Automotive

Best place to get your car fixed

1. Crescent Heights

2. Cave Spring Auto Body

3. Brambleton Auto

Best place for music lessons

1. Kelley’s Music

2. Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio

3. Fret Mill Music

Best preschool or day care

1. HoneyTree

2. Cave Spring Baptist

3. Cave Spring United Methodist Preschool

Best apartment community

1. The Pines Apartments

2. Sunscape Apartments

3. Cedar Point Apartments

Best retirement community (new category)

1. Pheasant Ridge

2. Brandon Oaks

3. Friendship Retirement Community and Our Lady of the Valley Retirement Community (tie)

Best real estate firm/brokerage

1. Lichtenstein Rowan Realtors

2. Prudential Premier Realtors

3. Long & Foster Realtors

Best real estate agent

1. Glenna Bannister of Long & Foster

2. Beth Wilson of Prudential

3. Vickie Clarke of Long & Foster

Best veterinarian

1. Cave Spring Veterinary Clinic

2. Big Lick Veterinary Services

3. Roanoke Animal Hospital

Best pet grooming/pet sitting/pet boarding service

1. Clip & Dip

2. Yuppie Puppie

3. Padgett’s Dog Grooming

Best place to get a tattoo

1. Star City Tattoos

2. Asylum Tattoos

3. Alex’s New Tattoo

Best “hidden jewel” in Southwest Roanoke County that more people should know about (new category)

1. Alpine Sewing Machine Company

2. Froth Coffee Shop

3. Happy Hollow Gardens

Best thing not on this list

1. GPS Curbside Recycling

2. Star City Recycling

3. Alpine Sewing Machine Company

Here’s who won in 2012 and 2011 and 2010 and 2009.

From the Roanoke County website:

Bring a friend and your favorite games to share or come prepared to learn new games.