8/21/08 Make-believe, Summer Ending, Looking Ahead to Autumn

Our sweet town received a wonderful gift this past weekend- a gift of memory from Lorie Foley, Mary Kay Thompson, and Chris McKelvy. They gave us their time, patience, and laughter for this year's Hanover Arts and Activities Center's Theater Camp and their performance of "The Wizard of Oz". The play could not have been better. I wanted to catch them all in my arms and say, "Don't grow up-stay young & beautiful like this! Remember this summer because it is the way that life should be." Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Summer is really coming to an end. I can see the first day of school on the horizon, and the very last Bluemont is almost here. We've had great weather for these concerts, and I expect nothing less for the Martinsburg Jazz Orchestra who will be here this Sunday, August 24 at 7 pm on the lawn of the Hanover Arts and Activities Center, 500 S. Center St. Get there early to find a nice spot. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and Bluemont Friends, $2 for children under 12. Let’s all go and pretend that it’s June and summer is spread out before us.

This Friday, August 22nd, come to a free concert at the Ashland Library at 7:00 pm for their Summer Reading Celebration, featuring my favorite band, The Godfearin' Snake Handlers! Not only is the music free, but there will be free ice cream as well. Honestly, no one is going to be home this weekend. Come find us all in downtown Ashland.

Saturday morning the Patrick Henry Half Marathon will be running through town. Come down to west side of Railroad Ave., near the Henry Clay Inn, or over to the front lawn of the Arts and Activities Center to cheer on the runners, who should begin coming into town around 8 am. My fingers are crossed for a cool morning- stay away Fay! And of course, I mean the hurricane, not the mayor.

Register now for the 2nd Annual Tiger Trot to benefit the Henry Clay and John Gandy PTAs. The big day is Saturday, September 20th, with the children’s races (1 and ½ mile) starting at 8 am, and the 5K starting at 9am. You can register on-line at http://www.raceit.com/ , and there are special prizes waiting for the kids who complete the summer training program. If your child is interested, send an email to Tracy Brown at bob.and.tracy@comcast.net. If you don’t want to run, please call Tracy and tell her that you’ll be a volunteer.

I am not too sad about summer ending because we have such a fun autumn to look forward to. There’s another street party in September on the same day as the Tiger Trot, and then the big birthday celebration on October 18th. Then there’s Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and then look out- we’ve got a Variety Show in March! We’ll all need a lot of coffee for the next 10 months. Call or email me with your Ashland news: (804) 310-5320, or ashlandnews@gmail.com. Have a beautiful week!