Inside A8 School board honors Future Problem Solvers
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Greenhow sets state meet records in 100m, 200m
Vol. XXXIV No. o. 51
June 23, 2021
Free Clinic of Powhatan now fully operational By Laura McFarland
Moslow gave a tour to State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, and Del. Lee Ware, R-65, in an effort to demonstrate the value of the Free Clinic and what it can offer the public with its new expanded operation. Four supervisors – Chair Karin Carmack, David Williams, Mike Byerly, and Bill Cox – also attended the event, although they had already seen the new facilities. “I think it is important for them to physically see it, because the Virginia Association of Free Clinics asks money every year from the General Assembly… So the purpose was also to make them aware of some of the needs of the people. And we talked about that as we were going through the rooms – what our patients need,” Moslow said. Moslow spoke about how powerful it is for their clients to come into a space like the clinic’s new location on Skaggs Road. The high quality facility says to
Editor
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OWHATAN – State and local officials recently came together in a small reception meant to showcase the Free Clinic of Powhatan’s new location, which is now fully operational. During a reception on Tuesday, June 15, Executive Director Connie Moslow showed off the facility, which opened in March but only reached its full capabilities this month with the official opening of the dental clinic. The clinic saw its first patients in its dental unit on May 27 and has been going full speed ever since, seeing 27 people in the dental clinic’s first three days in operation, Moslow said. With dental services now being offered in-house, Moslow was excited that she could show off the Free Clinic’s full potential to several visiting legislators.
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Executive director Connie Moslow, center, gives a tour of the Free Clinic of Powhatan to visiting legislators, board of supervisors members, and other visitors. The clinic has been open since March but only this month began offering the last of its services, an in-house dental clinic.
see CLINIC, pg. 6
Cochran shows programs succeeding at encouraging young firefighters By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – When Powhatan County started supporting programs to encourage young people to get involved in the field of firefighting, Tyler Cochran is an example of one of the best outcomes they could expect. Starting with the Powhatan JET (Junior Emergency Technician) program at the age of 12, he fell in love with the fire service. Over the next several years going through the proPHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND gram and learning about the field, Tyler Cochran, a volunteer at Huguenot Volunteer Fire the teenager started to think he could Department, is the first graduate of Powhatan’s JET and make a career out of this activity he Powhatan High School program’s to become a career firefighter. He began work on June 16 in Augusta County. FILE PHOTO ANJIE KAY
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
see FIREFIGHTER, pg. 4
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
Friends Madilynn P. and Addy R. celebrate at the Powhatan Freedom Festival in 2020. The festival returns for a second year at 5 p.m. on July 4 at the Powhatan County Fairgrounds.
Freedom Festival back for second year By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – Local residents will have the opportunity to celebrate the nation’s birthday close to home again this year with the second annual Powhatan Freedom Festival. The event will begin at 5 p.m.
on Sunday, July 4 at the Powhatan County Fairgrounds, located at 4042 Anderson Highway. Once again, the event will include food, music, vendors, and a fireworks show that begins at dark. There will be a few changes to the event this year, starting with the number of people who can attend. see FREEDOM, pg. 6
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DREXEL-MORRELL CENTER
Shown are descendants of William Sturdivant Taylor, builder of the historic Rosemont House, now the home of the Drexel-Morrell Center. His descendants are front row, from left, Charles Taylor and Tiffany Floyd, and back row, Erika Floyd and Bridget Taylor.
Drexel-Morrell Center awarded two grants Staff Report The Drexel-Morrell Center, a living museum of land and story, has received two major grant awards for its new eco-social justice site in Powhatan County. On Thursday, June 10, two major awards were approved through the stewardship of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for permanently preserving 56 acres of land and its two historic buildings in Powhatan. The corner of Bell, Cartersville and Cosby roads will permanently become the site for a new living museum of land and story, environment and history, a place for quiet enjoyment and well-being, and a place to nurture and grow eco-so-
cial justice. The nonprofit owner of the land is Belmead on the James Inc. (BOJI), also now known as the DrexelMorrell Center, said Sister Maureen T. Carroll, executive director of the organization. This nonprofit group has taken on the mission, vision, and responsibility of providing for and developing this site as a place of story, environment, and community enrichment “unto the 7th Generation.” Since its beginning in 2016, BOJI has received $295,600 in support from individual community and alumni donors. The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation granted the Drexel-Morrell see GRANTS, pg. 5
Lions Club decides not to hold 2021 Labor Day Parade By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Lions Club recently announced that it would not host the annual Labor Day Parade in September. Unlike 2020, when the parade was canceled because of COVID-19, the local civic organization decided at its June meeting not to hold the parade in 2021 because it was already stretched too thin on manpower at that time of year, said Mike Jones, membership chair. Previously, the Lions Club hosted the parade from 2012 to 2019.
The club, which supports numerous local charities, is already planning three events that happen in the space of about a month in September and October that involve the majority of members, Jones said. It is planning a White Cane Day in September to collect donations in the community; will drive golf carts at the Powhatan Festival of the Grape on Oct. 2, and will hold its annual golf tournament, which has been delayed, on Oct. 6. “That is three events with almost the whole membership in a 35-day period,” Jones said. The parade itself takes months of planning and 35 to 40 members to set it
up, run it, and clean up afterward, he said. “It was really good for the county and good for the club for exposure. But it literally took at least 1,000 man hours to plan it and run it. You had to meet so many times. You had to figure out the line up to make sure one political party wasn’t near another political party and logistics like that,” he said. If another group or groups is interested in taking on the task of planning the parade instead, Jones said the Lions Club would be able to share its knowledge to help the process. “It would be nice if somebody did it,” he said.