Inside A5 State Fair competitions offer blue-ribbon bragging rights
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Powhatan archer continues to ascend
Vol. XXXVI No. o. 02
July 13, 2022
Large crowds gather for July 4 celebrations By Laura McFarland Editor
P
OWHATAN – Powhatan County marked July 4th weekend with great fanfare as two local events drew thousands out to celebrate Independence Day. Organizers of both the Freedom Fest hosted by 5 Stone Church on Friday, July 1 and the third annual Powhatan Freedom Festival offered by the Powhatan Dental Outreach Foundation for Children on Sunday, July 3 say they saw an estimated 1,300 people come out to celebrate at their respective events. Jeff Lambert, lead pastor of 5 Stone Church, described the Friday night event as incredibly positive with a joyous atmo-
LEFT PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND / RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF RUTH WOODFIN
Shown left, Anna and John Curd and their children Hannah, 2, and LJ, 4, had a great night out July 3 at the Powhatan Freedom Festival. (See more photos Page 8A.) Shown right, spectators at the 5 Stone Church’s Freedom Fest watch the fireworks display at the end of the July 1 celebration. (See more photos Page 6A.)
sphere. Children played games, got their faces painted and vis-
ited with the firefighters; the food vendors sold out; visitors
appreciated the car show and family atmosphere, and the fire-
works going off to patriotic see JULY 4, pg. 6
Summer reading program thrives
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Powhatan residents David Amburn and Tricia Frohman were in a motor vehicle accident July 4 in which he lost his leg. He is recovering well.
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
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Representatives with AWARE Wildlife show animals to families attending a Powhatan Summer Reading program event held July 7 at Flat Rock Elementary School.
By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Having more than 500 people attend Powhatan’s Summer Reading Program Kickoff Party gave organizers a big clue that the 2022 series was likely to be well attended, but even they didn’t foresee the overwhelming response that the program has experienced. With the summer reading program put on by Powhatan County Public Library and Powhatan County Public Schools now about halfway through, organizers are thrilled with the huge turnouts they are seeing across the board, said Anne Blankman, youth services librarian. “This has been the first real summer reading program in two years, since the start of COVID, and it has been tremendously exciting to see the turnout that we’ve had this year. It has
been an incredibly successful and well-received summer reading program – one of our best ever,” she said. As of July 6, the library had 575 children, 60 teens and 100 adults register for their respective summer reading programs, which are amazing numbers for the program, she said. The best part is, people are signing up but they are also getting involved. In addition to the huge turnout at the kickoff party, the program saw a combined more than 400 people for the two shows Jonathan the Juggler put on June 30, and AWARE Wildlife’s show last Thursday at Flat Rock Elementary School had 73 adults and 183 children. The remaining performance, Mad Science, will appear twice at Flat Rock Elementary School on Thursday, July 14, first at 12:45 p.m. and later at 2 p.m. The program wraps up on Thursday, July 28 at 6 p.m. at the library. see READING, pg. 3
Army veteran survives July 4 crash, loses leg By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – A Powhatan army veteran whose quick thinking after a July 4 motorcycle crash meant he lost his leg but not his life is recovering well and already dreaming of the day when he will be riding again. Speaking from his hospital room at VCU Medical Center by phone on Sunday, David Amburn, 37, was in good spirits as he shared that he was healing nicely and expecting to go home by next week. He said he had been taken off of all of the machines he had been on and had even walked the day before – the first time since his crash. “It was with a walker, but I walked. I know I am going to make it through this. I’ve got to. I have no choice but to stay positive about it,” Amburn said. Amburn was severely injured in a crash that occurred at about 9:22 p.m. on July 4 in the 3500 block of Maidens Road in Powsee VETERAN, pg. 5
Ride Assist Services receives grant to help seniors By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Powhatan’s volunteer transportation program, Ride Assist Services, will continue to help seniors stay independent thanks to it being awarded grant funding for fiscal year (FY) 2023 through the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT). Ride Assist Services coordinator Jayne Lloyd recently announced the program had received its second Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 5310 grant, which will carry the program through the end of 2023. Ride Assist Services offers local residents 60 and older free rides so they can reach doctor’s appointments, pick up prescriptions and complete other important errands they could not do on their own. It is a need-based program, not income-based, helping people who find see RIDE ASSIST, pg. 4
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Ride Assist Services volunteer Tony Hackenberg is shown with client Geneva Henderson.