4/17/08 Yard Sales Sprouting, Arbor Day Ahead, Half Marathons & 5Ks, Rumors of Re-Routed Rail Traffic

Oh Ashland, there is so much going on in April! Of all the words that I could use to describe you, “sleepy” would never be one of them. (The poster above is one of two commemorative designs available, for $15, at Train Town Toy & Hobby- 798-0330. See below for other poster.)

Liberty Middle School is having a Yard Sale in the school parking lot on Saturday, April 26 from 7 until noon. If you’re considering spring cleaning, you can participate in this PTA fundraiser by purchasing a space for $20. All profits are yours to keep. Please contact Debbie Agliano at 883-6160 or djagliano@embarqmail.com.

Arbor Day is Saturday, April 26. Put on your old clothes and meet at Town Hall at 9am to help plant the new town Christmas tree and clean up Carter and DeJarnette Parks.

Congratulations to our police-chief-to-be, Doug Goodman! We look forward to Doug taking the reigns of the Ashland Police when Chief Tom Clark retires this summer. Although he was only here for a short while, Chief Clark made many friends in Ashland and will be missed.

Mark your calendar for the spring performance of the Central Virginia Masterworks Chorale, set for Saturday, April 26, at 8 pm at Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church in Ashland. This concert will feature Franz Schubert's Mass in G, as well as a wide variety of shorter works, including six brief waltzes from Liebeslieder Walzer by Johannes Brahms. Tickets are $5, $10, and $15 and may be purchased in advance or at the door. To reserve tickets, please call 798-7123 or stop by Cross Brothers.

If you’ve ever thought of running a Half Marathon, the Patrick Henry YMCA has a great program to help you reach that finish line. Sign up to participate in the Patrick Henry Half Marathon Training Team that will guide you through a fifteen week program to get you in top condition. Saturday morning training runs begin May 10th. Visit their website: http://www.quickteams.com/rrrc-hmt or contact Tom Grant for more information: tom.grant@comcast.net

Always thinking ahead, the Co-Directors of the Second Annual Tiger Trot 5K have begun planning their race to be held on September 20th, 2008. This is a major fundraiser for the PTAs of our two elementary schools. The goal this year is to raise enough money to buy a new sign for Henry Clay, which was stolen this past summer, and a new copier for Gandy. If you work for, or know of a company that would be interested in being a corporate sponsor, please contact Tracy Brown at 752-6672, or Susan Spence at 537-5257.

Wicked rumors abound that CSX is trying to divert all train traffic away from our town, and they appear to be true. CSX has asked for a study from VDOT to determine the benefits of re-routing train traffic away from Ashland and through Hanover instead. While it’s unlikely that this would happen, it wouldn’t hurt to let VDOT know how much we would lose without our trains. There is a public hearing on Wednesday, April 23rd at 6 pm at the VDOT Central Office Auditorium, 1221 E. Broad Street. If you can’t make it to the meeting, you can send your comments to: Public information Office, Virginia Dept. Of Rail & Transportation, 1313 E. Main St., Suite 300, Richmond, VA 23219, or email drptpr@DRPT.Virginia.gov.

Call or email me with your Ashland news, and have a wonderful week! 804-310-5320, ashlandnews@gmail.com