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Vol. 38, No. 45| Richmond Suburban News |June 29, 2022
Juneteenth festival draws hundreds of Hanoverians
Calabash Seafood and Club Midway, located at 7514 Lee-Davis Road, Mechanicsville, is officially closing its doors July 3.
By Christina Amano Dolan Editor
Hundreds of community members joined in the Juneteenth festivities on Sunday, June 19 at a day-long bash presented by Hanover NAACP and the Town of Ashland. The festival was held on Ashland Town Hall Square and spanned from noon to 7 p.m., with over 400 community members filtering in and out throughout the day, according to the Ashland Police Department. According to Hanover NAACP President Pat Huntersee FESTIVAL, pg. 4
Photo by Christina Amano Dolan
Calabash Seafood and Club Midway is closing its doors
Photo by Christina Amano Dolan
A crowd of community members enjoyed live music and refreshments on the lawn of the Ashland Town Hall Square throughout the Juneteenth celebration.
Severe thunderstorms leave thousands without power By Christina Amano Dolan Editor A series of severe thunderstorms swept through the region last week leaving thousands in Hanover County and surrounding areas without power. A severe thunderstorm passed through the county around 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22 with wind speeds reported up to 80 mph.
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The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning in the area until 4 p.m. and urged residents to take shelter immediately. The storm spurred a wave of power outages and all county government offices were closed as of 4 p.m. due to lack of power. The board of supervisors meeting was interrupted by the power outage and shifted to a closed session for several hours. The meeting resumed
its open session around 6:30 p.m. without power. “During and directly after the storm we were inundated with weather-related calls for service,” said Lt. James Cooper, information officer for the Hanover County Sheriff ’s Office. “From trees down on power lines to weather related alarm activations. Cooper said they received three calls for weather-related alarm activations, 33 traffic
complaints or hazards and six reports of downed wires. “These calls for service were mainly in the central and eastern portions of the county,” he said. “Thankfully no damage to homes or injuries to our citizens were reported.” Hanover Fire-EMS responded to a total of 74 calls for service from 3 to 11 p.m. in relation to the storm, with see STORMS, pg. 2
By Christina Amano Dolan Editor After 44 years of serving as a community staple, Calabash Seafood & Club Midway is officially closing its doors on July 3. Dennis Smith, longtime owner of Calabash, reflected on his family’s decadeslong journey of running the beloved community re st aurant and club since its very first opening. The establishment was first opened in October 1978 by former owner Maurice Parker, the man who would later become Smith’s fatherin-law. Smith’s father and uncle owned and rented out the building to Parker for several months before Parker realized the challenges of running a restaurant. Hoping to keep the establishment
alive, Smith, his father and brother bought the business from Parker and the family has owned and operated the restaurant ever since. “I just kind of fell into it,” Smith said when commenting on joining the restaurant industry. Prior to working at Calabash, Smith served as a commercial pilot and flight instructor in 1979. “I didn’t know nothing about restaurants,” Smith said. “Nothing. I was a flight instructor – what I knew was how to fly airplanes and teach people.” Despite the sharp learning curve that came with running a restaurant, Smith refused to PHOTOS COURTESY OF CALABASH SEAFOOD AND CLUB MIDWAY
Shown is one of the bars of Calabash Seafood and Club Midway. see CALABASH pg. 8
