November 2008
The Greater Raleigh Court Civic League
www.grccl.org
R a l e i g h C o u rt — A H i s t o r I C A L N E I G H B O R H O O D L O O K I N G F O R WA R D
Kids in the Valley, Adventuring! By Chad Braby “Want to lead a hike in a local park for over 50 children ranging in age from 2 to 12?” To some, that question elicits shudders and has them looking for the exits. To Chip and Ashley Donahue of Salem, the answer is a definitive, “Yes! And let’s do it again next month!” The Donahues are leaders of a local group called Kids in the Valley, Adventuring, or KIVA. Founded in January, 2008, KIVA is a monthly gathering, newsletter, blog and activist group all rolled into one, with the intention of getting children and families out of the house to enjoy the many parks and outdoor recreation opportunities in the Roanoke Valley. Their motto is “Play, Learn, Volunteer,” and giving back to the community is an important part of their effort, with recent and upcoming events scheduled to include trail maintenance, waterways clean-ups, and participation in National Family Volunteer Day. The effort of the organization is inspired by the recent national bestseller, Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv. In his book, Louv contends that today’s children are increasingly disconnected from nature. The causes of this “major shift in culture” vary, from parental tendencies to over-schedule their kids, to the non-stop digital barrage from television, video games and computers, to safety concerns in today’s cities and towns. But the effects are well documented. Children today are far more likely than previous generations to suffer from childhood obesity, ADD/ADHD, and
Inside This Issue
President’s message...................................................... 3 Biking to Work.......................................................... 4 Cleanup Day............................................................. 5 Music at Virginia Heights.......................................... 7 Passport Envy............................................................ 7 Shrine Hill................................................................ 8 Calendar................................................................... 8 Things you need to know.......................................... 10
depression. Humans are hard-wired to experience connection with the natural world, and suffer physiological breakdown when this connection is absent. Louv labeled the malady Nature Deficit Disorder, for which the prescribed remedy is to allow kids more unstructured, outdoor, pure-and-simple play time; enter Kids in the Valley, Adventuring. Chip and Ashley and their three children held the first official KIVA gathering at the Mill Mountain Discovery Center on a snowy January morning. Other events this year found them building bluebird houses in Green Hill Park, playing frisbee golf at Fishburn Park, hosting a talent show at Happy Hollow Park, learning in the rain at the Community Arboretum, and —continued on page 4
November Membership Meeting Set By Lori Livingston Chip and Ashley Donahue of Kids in the Valley, Adventuring! (KIVA) will be our guests at our upcoming meeting on November 13 at 7:30 pm. The Donahues will tell us more about KIVA and how to incorporate more outdoor family time into our lives. The meeting will be held in the fellowship hall of Christ Lutheran Church at the corner of Brandon Avenue and Grandin Road. We will also be voting on the nomination of Chad Braby for Civic League Vice President. We're looking forward to seeing you there!
Greater Raleigh Court Civic League Officers OFFICERS President Susan Koch 345-9977 s.koch@verizon.net Vice-President Open Treasurer Ruth Dickerson 345-2187 Recording Secretary Keith Dabbs 224-3082 kdabbs@carilion.com Corresponding Secretary Cassandra Van Hyning 798-1996 cvanhyning@spectrumpc.com Directors at Large Chad Braby 343-3975 cbraby@ullimanschutte.com Karyn McAden 342-8930 blackcat29@cox.net
Melissa Morgan 312-3587 melissamorganhomes@msn.com Lori Livingston 981-1145 lomaliv@juno.com Jake Gilmer jgilmer@rvarc.org Immediate Past President Chad Van Hyning 798-5983 cvanhyning@hsmm.com COMMITTEE CHAIRS Membership: Karyn McAden Adopt-a-Highway: Kurt Navratil 343-7373 kdavidn@cox.net & Brook Dickson bdickson@hollins.edu Neighborhood Affairs: Frank Eastburn 342-8063 haikune@msn.com
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Program: Melissa Morgan & Lori Livingston Newsletter (incl. advertising): Jim Huizenga 345-9977 j.huizenga@verizon.net Special Projects: Tony Stavola 345-0010 astavola@carilion.com Building Management: Chad Braby Grandin Road Merchants Liaison: Kurt Navratil Webmaster: Michael Meise 343-0805 mmeise@roanokecountyva.gov Greenways: Mike Urbanski 344-1388 mike_urbanski@cox.net The Court Reporter is published by the Greater Raleigh Court Civic League fives times a year on or about the first week of September, November, January, March, and May.
From the President
Your Civic League Continues to Strengthen This year is the 30th birthday of the Greater Raleigh Court Civic League. That’s a pretty amazing run for an all-volunteer organization. This summer I attended a meeting of neighborhood association presidents that reinforced my feelings of how lucky we’ve been in Raleigh Court. Many of the presidents complained that they could only get a few members to attend meetings. Several mentioned that they had been serving as president for over 20 years! Thank goodness for term limits, I thought. One of the strengths of the Civic League is the ability to attract new leaders, creating an organization that re-invents itself and welcomes the ideas of everyone. This summer, when Andy Matzner, our newly elected Vice President resigned because of a job change, we needed to find a new leader. I took this personally, since the main function of the vice president is to become president. Being “president for life” wasn’t in my plans. I am pleased to announce that Chad Braby, a current director of the Civic League, has accepted the nomination for Vice President for 2008 – 2010. In accordance with the bylaws, Chad’s nomination will be voted on at the November membership meeting. A Director at Large since 2007, Chad is very committed to the neighborhood and the Civic League. He helped organize our first Block Party in 2005. He worked many hours on the Dan Wright Trailhead, and manages the Civic League’s volunteers at the Holiday Parade. Chad is also our building manager. As many of you know, the Civic League owns the building that houses Pop’s Ice Cream. Chad handles all the issues that arise from maintaining an old building and being a landlord. You may also be familiar with Chad through the articles he’s contributed to the Court Reporter, including one in this issue. He has been active with the Cool Cities initiative, and most of his articles involve environmental concerns. Chad grew up in Troy, Ohio. He graduated from Ohio Northern University with a degree in civil engineering. He’s an area manager at Ulliman Schutte Construction LLC where he specializes in the construction of waste water treatment plants. Chad and his wife Shelley have two daughters. Many thanks to Chad Braby and Chad Van Hyning, our immediate past president, for all the hours they put in working on Civic League business and neighborhood issues.
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Biking to Work By Chad Van Hyning
With the current national concern on global climate change there is has been an apparent resurgence of an alternative mode of transportation – the bicycle. What a novel concept; it’s cheap, there’s no carbon footprint, and it’s a great way to get in shape. Perhaps you think that it just isn’t feasible to ride your bike to work. That’s what I used to think too – until this past June. There were several hurdles to overcome. I like to go to the gym during my lunch break. This required having access to a vehicle due to time considerations. I also need to have athletic attire. So the first thing I did was to get a locker at my gym and put a lock on it. This allows me to store a whole week’s worth of gym clothes. My normal routine is to put my bike in the back of my truck on Monday and drive to work. Then I can drive my truck to the gym at lunch and bring a whole week’s worth of clothes on Monday. On Fridays I do the opposite; at lunch on Friday I put all of my dirty gym clothes in my truck and then drive home after work with my bike in the back. The next hurdle was my "work clothes." I normally wear decent clothes at work, which to me means slacks, dress shirt and tie. So in the morning I pack these items up in a small duffle bag. I put on shorts, a t-shirt, and running shoes for the actual commute. Once I get to work, I’ve found that after about 20 minutes of sitting in the air conditioning, I can change in the restroom into my “work clothes” without feeling sweaty, uncomfortable, or otherwise unapproachable due to stench. Another issue is food. I do not follow the traditional three square meals per day eating regiment. I eat several small meals a day and take an above average amount of food to work. I managed to find two soft side containers/coolers in my attic that keep things cold and are on average the right size. The duffle bag with my clothes and two food containers fit nicely into a plastic storage crate that I’ll discuss in a minute. The final obstacle was the business items that I take back and forth to work each day in a soft-side briefcase. This was quite easy to solve; I simply brought an old bookbag out of storage and put it into service. I put it on my back and then I have my hands free to ride my bike. So what about the bike? I have an old (but good) mountain bike that I bought 15 years ago. I bought a rack and put it on the back and attached the aforementioned plastic crate to the rack with bungee cords. I also put on some smoother tires to make it roll easier. To finish things off I bought a side mirror, front and rear lights, and a helmet for safety. I bet this whole setup wouldn’t cost $150. I work on Franklin Road, so from my front door to my office it is almost exactly three miles. This commute takes about 12 minutes each way. At my normal travel times, 6:45 AM and 5:45 PM, the traffic is light and I have not
yet feared for my safety. I’ve found that I feel trimmer and feel more energized. Most importantly I’ve found a different attitude about driving. I find ways to perform multiple errands in one trip; I rarely drive anywhere to accomplish only a single task. This may seem like a major hassle just to get to work. That’s what I thought it would be. Now that I have been riding to work for several months it is now just part of my routine. I don’t even consider driving to work. I consider the changes that I have made simply part of what that we must all make to address the daunting issues that confront us. In order for us to successfully overcome the challenges that we are facing, we don’t necessarily have to turn our lives upside down to contribute. Small changes by a large portion of our society can make a huge difference. One thing is for certain, change is inevitable. We can’t continue down the road we’ve been traveling. KIVA—continued from page 1
hiking at Peaks of Otter, Carvin’s Cove and Mill Mountain. The group’s membership has swelled from a handful of Salem-area families to over 200 families around the Valley. And that’s just in 2008! Along the way, they’ve begun to gather local, regional and national attention. A film crew from NBC’s Today Show accompanied them on a local July hike, and Mayor David Bowers joined in on the August event. Sponsors are taking notice too, with KIVA getting donations and volunteer effort from heavyweights like Kroger, Advanced Auto and Starbucks. Chip and Ashley recently attended a national conference on children-and-nature leadership in Nebraska, and continue to work on various coalition building efforts with similar organizations around the state and country. So what’s next? “More of the same,” says Chip. “I enjoy each event more than the previous. It’s just so much fun to see the kids outside in a relaxed, unstructured setting.” He and Ashley have been astounded by the popularity of their effort, but it speaks to something larger. At a core level, most parents recognize that Nature Deficit Disorder is a real phenomenon and seek ways to get outside with their children. The Donahues hope to see KIVA continue to grow and to fill the Roanoke Valley’s parks with laughing, playing, exploring, connected kids.
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Neighborhood Cleanup Day
a Friday night football game at PH, we were all pleasantly surprised.
By Kurt Navratil We had a perfect day for a neighborhood cleanup on Saturday, September 20. As part of the Adopt-A-Highway program, GRCCL holds cleanups 5 times a year and this was the first one of the new GRCCL year. Turnout couldn’t have been better with 19 volunteers pitching in for the effort. The cleanup covered the intersection of Grandin and Brandon, going down each road. With the turnout, we were able to cover Grandin Road from Bluemont all the way to Guilford and Brandon Rd, from Lakewood Park almost to Carlton, along with the alley between Brandon Avenue and Patrick Henry High School, from Grandin to Blenheim Road.
Special thanks go out to non-GRCCL member volunteers Matt and Natalie Huebschman, Susan, Chip, and 6-monthold Mason Jolley. Big GRCCL thanks go out to the following member volunteers: Brook Dickson, Kurt Navratil, Perry Smith, Efren Gonzalez, Alice and Ray Higgins, Isabel and Chad Braby, Pete Johnson, Jr., Kelly, Gabe, and Austin Zappia, and Cassandra and Chad Van Hyning.
The best news was that the consensus of the volunteers was that litter wasn’t too bad! Considering it was Saturday after
Our next scheduled Adopt-a-Highway cleanup is Saturday, November 15. We plan to meet behind the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op at 8:45am and focus on cleanup of the Village, Grandin and Memorial Avenues ahead of the Annual Holiday Parade the following weekend. Please come join in – it’s great fun and for a great cause. We promise to work no more than 1 hour, freeing you up around 10am. The schedule for cleanups this year is shown below. Look for additional details in future issues of The Court Reporter. Date
Gathering Spot
Sat., Nov. 15, 2008 8:45am
Parking lot behind Co-op
Sat., Jan. 17, 2009
8:45am
TBA
Sat., Mar. 14, 2009
8:45am
TBA
Sat., Apr. 4, 2009
8:45am
TBA
Sat., May 23, 2009
8:45am
TBA
(part of Clean Valley Day)
Kurt Navratil gives pointers to Cassandra and Chad Van Hyning and Alice and Ray Higgins.
Time
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Dan Wright's daughter, Stephanie Wright, his sister Brenda Burnham, and brother-in-law Dale Burnham gave of their time while visiting Roanoke in June.
Trailhead The Dan Wright Trailhead near Shrine Hill has become a favorite for hikers and those just wanting a nice quiet spot for relaxing. It doesn’t take care of itself, however. Some of the people who pitched in to help maintain the natural beauty of the area are shown here. (Photos by Jim Loesel)
Jake Gilmer and his son Rowan worked on the trailhead this summer. Jake is a newly-elected board member of the GRCCL.
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Chad Brady, a GRCCL board member, came with his daughter Isabel.
Serious Passport Envy By Kelly Zappia
When I first met Laura Bradford Godfrey, I must admit I had serious passport envy. I mean really, who has to have pages added two, three, or four times? And the stamps, wow, the stamps. From Afghanistan, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam never mind New Zealand, India and most of Europe. She has attended a cooking school in France, punched a shark in the nose on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia and worked at an orphanage in rural Cambodia. She has sailed from Fiji to New Zealand and then managed to stay in a gold miner’s hut when she got there. For many folks, a trip to Borneo might involve a luxury resort and fruity cocktails, but for this adventurer it involved climbing the tallest mountain in South East Asia, Mt. Kinabalu and living in a longhouse with a tribe for ten days. Sounds fun? Ask her about the leeches. Evidently the bathing facilities for the longhouse involved a river. This local CEO calls Raleigh Court her home and loves the neighborhood. Ms. Bradford Godfrey is the founder and CEO of Claire V. Her company designs and makes beautiful handbags and accessories. The bags are designed here in Roanoke and then manufactured mainly in Cambodia and Vietnam. With lines ranging from silk handbags that are hand embroidered to stylish straw bags, Claire V. has brought the beautiful work of impoverished and disabled artisans in Cambodia and Vietnam to the western fashion market. Their baby line includes luxe silk booties and stylish diaper bags and there are exciting new rumors of a men’s tie line in the works. Claire V.’s headquarters are located in Downtown Roanoke and they have a stylish boutique there as well as design, sales, shipping and operations departments. As I was speaking with Laura, her dog was sound asleep under her desk and she was receiving email photos from a family of weavers in Mongolia who are weaving a line of pashminas for Claire V.
Laura Bradford with her husband Tom Godfrey
When she isn’t traveling all over the world on design trips for Claire V. she also manages to carve out time for a charitable organization called BPEACE. BPEACE or The Business Council for Peace is an organization that believes that entrepreneurship is a foundation for creating hope and stability in regions where conflict exists. She spent a few weeks in Afghanistan last year with BPEACE training women on how to start a small business. And that is something that Laura has quite a bit of knowledge about. She has taken Claire V. from a small start up enterprise to a strong player in the luxury accessory market. The company has had a bag featured in InStyle Magazine; one carried on Desperate Housewives, and even had a showing in the Emmy gift bags. With new lines ready to debut this winter and spring, Claire V. is growing by leaps and bounds. Did I mention her love of bungee jumping? And the Grandin Theatre?
Music at Virginia Heights Baptist Church Beautiful weather and free hamburgers and hot dogs brought out a huge crowd for the finale of summer music festival series at Virginia Heights Baptist Church. Everyone was treated to an entertaining concert by the Pan-A-Mania and Pan-Amigos drum bands. The bands are made up of students at Quest Academy, a music school (on the web at www.questschoolofmusic. Band members performing at Virginia Heights com). Richard and Delilah Baptist. Rudolph are the academy's teachers and directors. page 7
The amphitheatre filled to capacity.
Raleigh Court History
Shrine Hill By Nelson Harris
In 1924 one of the most ambitious plans for the Raleigh Court area was announced by the Kazim Temple. The Shriners purchased 101 acres that now comprises the present-day sites of Patrick Henry High School, Raleigh Court School and Shrine Hill Park. The purchase price was $237,500. The Shriners had grand plans for their acquired acreage, namely a grand mosque surrounded by a professionally landscaped “Kazim Park.” The mosque would contain a 3000-seat auditorium, reading rooms, quarters for officers, and a clubhouse. The park would provide many amenities to include a 25,000-seat concrete stadium, a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts and a swimming pool. The total cost was estimated to be $550,000. Following an overwhelmingly positive vote of local Shriners to proceed with the project, the “playground of the Masonry” was proclaimed to be “one of the greatest civic enterprises ever planned for Roanoke.” On May 16, 1925, nearly 1,500 Shriners from across Virginia gathered under a tent pitched on the site to help promote donations. The Roanoke Times reported, “One look at the magnificent view afforded from this point and the majority of the visiting Nobles were converted into enthusiastic supporters of the undertaking.” At that celebration, the Shriners launched a campaign to solicit $400,000 in pledges to pay for the project. Although well-organized, the campaign ultimately fell some $57,000 short of the goal, and the grand master plan was abandoned. The property remained in the hands of the Shriners for two more decades until the City of Roanoke purchased the tract in April of 1947. In addition to a purchase price ($125,000), the Shriners also acquired through a property exchange arrangement city-owned land at the corner of Campbell Avenue and Seventh Street, SW, where the temple is located today. While the city ultimately dedicated its use of the property to the erection of schools, the land that remained a park still retained the name “Shrine Hill” in honor of its legacy as a once-promising location for the regal-styled mosque and grounds for Virginia’s Masonry. Nelson Harris is the author of “Greater Raleigh Court: A History of Wasena, Virginia Heights, Norwich and Raleigh Court” published by The History Press (available at local bookstores).
Calendar AECP Green Living Expo...................................... Nov. 7-8 Hollins E-waste recycling............... Sat., Nov. 8, 9 am-3 pm GRCCL Membership meeting.....Thurs., Nov. 13, 7:30 pm Cleanup day......................................Sat., Nov. 15, 8:45 am Holiday Children’s Parade....................Sat., Nov. 22, 11 am Village Open House........................... Sat., Dec. 6, 12-5 pm OSW Parlor Tour............................... Sat. & Sun., Dec. 6-7 GRCCL Membership Meetings January 8, 2009...................................... Thursday, 7:30 pm March 12, 2009..................................... Thursday, 7:30 pm May 14, 2009......................................... Thursday, 7:30 pm page 8
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Things you need to know… It's Parade Time The Grandin Village Business Association is sponsoring the Annual Grandin Village Holiday Children’s Parade, Saturday November 22nd at 11:00 am. The parade starts at Christ Lutheran Church on the corner of Grandin Road & Brandon Avenue and proceeds through Historic Grandin Village, ending at Mick or Mack on Winbourne. Held the Saturday before Thanksgiving each year, this is a neighborhood favorite and includes the Mounted Police, Santa on a Fire Engine and much more. No registration is required to participate and children of all ages are welcome. If you’d like to enter a float, come to the parking lot of Christ Lutheran Church between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. As this is a children’s parade, only small floats will be allowed (wagons, etc). No motorized vehicles, please. Scout groups, dance groups and baton twirlers are encouraged to participate as well. If music is needed for this type of group, then a motorized vehicle will be allowed for that purpose. Boy Scout Troop 8 will be collecting canned goods for charity so please bring a donation. If you're willing to volunteer some time to help with the parade, please call Susan Stump of Valley Bank at (540) 777-1790 or Robert Turcotte at (540) 989-0214.
Clean and Green At the environmental summit at the Civic Center on the second day of autumn, city departments were on hand to update the community on progress toward reducing our carbon footprint. Mayor David Bowers recalled being part of an effort at Patrick Henry High School in 1969 to rename Arbor Day to Earth Day. Sean McGinnis, director of Virginia Tech's Green Engineering Program, described the establishment of the city's baseline carbon footprint and the plan to reduce it by 12.5% over a five-year period. Council Member Gwen Mason, a leader in the city's
green movement, encouraged us to visit the city's website at www. roanokeva.gov and click on the "Clean and Green" link to find out more about the city's initiatives and what you can do to help reduce Roanoke's carbon footprint. Also, check out the AECP Green Living and Energy Expo on November 7 & 8 at the Roanoke Civic Center. Learn about green building, sustainable living, and more. Visit www.aecp.org for more information.
Hollins E-Waste Recycling Event On November 8th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm you can bring your end-of-life electronics to the Hollins campus. Get rid of your unwanted computers, TVs, cell phones, etc. at no cost.
Grandin Village Holiday Lights To celebrate the season, the following donors have sponsored light post decorations on Grandin Road: • Bella Magazine • Rockfish Food & Wine • Ed Walker • Greater Raleigh Court Civic • Grandin Theatre League • Kroger • Valley Bank • Reid's Fine Furnishings • Virginia Heights Baptist Church Thanks for making our spirits bright!
Best Restaurants The winners of City Magazine's 2008 Best of the City Dining awards included many Grandin Village restaurants. Grace's, Pop's Ice Cream and Soda Bar, Isaac's, Surf N Turf, Local Roots, Happy Beli Deli, Village Grille, Norberto's, Community Inn, and Rockfish were all winners. The best of Roanoke is right in our neighborhood.
Grandin Village Open House Save the date! On Saturday, December 6th, from noon until 5 pm, the Village will be the site of festive holiday shopping. Light refreshments will be available. Be sure to come out to visit your favorite shops. Details are still being worked out so please check grandinvillage.org for the latest.
Old Southwest Holiday Parlor Tour This year's Parlor Tour, the 29th edition of this wildly popular event, will be on Saturday, December 6th and Sunday, December 7th. Go to www.oldsouthwestinc.com for information on times and tickets.
Anniversaries Happy anniversary to two Village businesses. The New To Me consignment boutique has been in Grandin Village for five years. Reid's Fine Furnishings celebrates its 13th year.
Roanoke Times Headline… …says it all.
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q new member q renewing member Name
Greater Raleigh Court Civic League P.O. Box 3092 Roanoke, VA 24015 Address Service Requested
New members are welcome to join the Civic League at any time. Your mailing label shows Address when it’s time to renew your membership. You may pay your dues at the next membership City meeting. Multiyear or life memberships are welcome! The Civic League is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Donations may be claimed as charitable deductions for tax purposes. Home Phone Please mail your membership dues ($10 family, $15 business, or $100 life membership) or Amount Enclosed gifts to: GRCCL, P.O. Box 3092, Roanoke, VA 24015 Or go to www.grccl.org and click on “JOIN US” to fill out a membership application online. I’d like to help out with:
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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID ROANOKE, VA PERMIT NO. 78
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