Suffolk Living May-June 2019

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Community Garden AND VOLUNTEERS THAT LOVE BOOKS may/june 2019 • vol. 10, no. 3

2 suffolk living

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FEATURE

18

Hope for Suffolk has a community garden that’s growing more than just flowers.

CONTENTS may - june | 2019 23

WHERE AM I? | Think you know Suffolk well? Then see if you can identify this photo.

Advertising rates and information available upon request.

Subscriptions are $20 annually in-state; $25 annually out-of-state; $30 for international subscriptions.

Please make checks payable to Suffolk Publications, LLC P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439

12 In the News

Hundreds of students from NansemondSuffolk Academy recently helped at locations across the area.

ON THE COVER suffolklivingmag.com

Treasure trove

24 The “fossil” volunteers at FOSL — Friends of the Suffolk Library — love books and have a great sense of humor.

Community Garden AND VOLUNTEERS THAT LOVE BOOKS may/june 2019 • vol. 10, no. 3

by Troy Cooper

editor's note may - june

2019

Digging in the dirt with Suffolk Living In this edition, you’ll find a couple of stories that will take you digging in the dirt, one figuratively and the other literally.

EDITORIAL Tracy Agnew Editor

We’ll take the literal first: one of our feature stories is about a great new program called Hope for Suffolk, which has a community garden at Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church. The program has for the past few years been engaged in growing vegetables and providing work — not

Alex Perry Writer & Photographer

to mention food — to adults in its program with the community garden.

Jen Jaqua Photographer

along. Now growing cut flowers, the program is at the same time

Jimmy LaRoue Writer

work in the flower garden at the same time.

news@suffolklivingmag.com

ADVERTISING

Earl Jones Marketing Consultant

The program has now shifted focus, and the garden has followed “growing” young people who need some extra mentoring and can The metaphor is hard to miss, and it’s reasonable to expect some beautiful things from this particular garden.

Now for the figurative digging in the dirt — the fossils.

No, that’s not because the Friends of the Suffolk Library work

Lindsay Richardson Marketing Consultant

with some old books or a pejorative term referencing the fact that

Kandyce Kirkland Marketing Consultant

(pronounced “fossil”) volunteers lovingly call themselves that, and they work with any books

sales@suffolklivingmag.com

PRODUCTION Troy Cooper Designer

ADMINISTRATION John Carr Publisher

Cathy Daughtrey Business Manager Hope Rose Production

many of them have entered their retirement years. The FOSL donated to them, from the older editions to the never-been-cracked-open.

The group sells donated books at a steep discount and uses the proceeds to support library programs, including its summer reading program and even some high-tech needs like software.

How’s that for fossils?

We hope you enjoy your late spring and early summer months in Suffolk and look forward to seeing you again for the July-August edition.

We’re always looking for your submissions to help us make Suffolk Living better. We need you for story ideas, submissions for the Through The Lens and On Vacation features, guesses for the Where Am I? feature and any other suggestions you may have. Please send these items to news@ suffolklivingmag.com.

God bless.

Tracy Agnew, Editor

Suffolk Living is published six times per year by Suffolk Publications, LLC. P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439 www.suffolklivingmag.com • (757) 539-3437

suffolk living 7

LOCALS CHOICE

2018

LOCALS CHOICE

2018

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what to do Send us your news To submit your calendar or news item, simply email it to: news@suffolklivingmag.com

Stars and Stripes Spectacular JULY 4

Enjoy the festivities of the Fourth with the Stars and Stripes Spectacular from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Constant’s Wharf Park & Marina, 110 W. Finney Ave. The park opens at 5:30 p.m. with entertainment, children’s activities, local merchandise vendors and food vendors. Music will be provided, and the children’s area will cost $5 for kids 12 and under. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m. Free shuttles from First Baptist Church of Suffolk, Godwin Courts Building and City Hall parking lots begin at 5:15 p.m.

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what to do THROUGH JUNE 7

JUNE 1

The Suffolk Art Gallery and Suffolk Art League’s exhibits “Thoughtfully Awake” and “The Effects of Jim Crow on Advertising” will be on display at the Suffolk Art Gallery, 118 Bosley Ave. “Thoughtfully Awake” is a juried exhibition of artwork examining social issues and awareness. “The Effects of Jim Crow on Advertising” will feature artifacts from the collection of Therbia U. Parker Sr. Both displays are free and open to the public. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

The Suffolk Elks Club 685 and Suffolk Humane Society will hold “Breakfast with Animals” from 8 to 10 a.m. at 329 W. Constance Road. The humane society will bring various animals for participants.

Breakfast will be $5 per person at the door and advance registration is also available.

Reservations will be accepted no later than May 25. Proceeds will support the humane society, and pet supply and old blanket donations are welcome. Call 218-2003 for reservations.

Do you have an event you'd like to share?

Contact Suffolk Living at news@suffolklivingmag.com

JUNE 14 MAY 16

The Suffolk Art League will present “SelfMade Men,” a conversation between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, at 7 p.m. at the Suffolk Art Gallery, 118 Bosley Ave. Eric Richardson will play Lincoln while Nathan Richardson will be Douglass.

This performance is free and open to the public. Call the Suffolk Art Gallery at 5147284, Suffolk Art League at 925-0448 and Parks and Recreation at 514-7250 or visit suffolkva.us.

Fork Road. Teams of three adults will work together to spell words and compete for the coveted title of “Best Spellers in Suffolk.”

Teams will be wearing costumes and adding to the fun by “stinging” other teams with lifelines. Tickets are $5 a person, kids 8 and under free. Call 925-6752 for more information.

MAY 18

MAY 18

The Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, 110 W. Finney Ave., will host the third annual “Plein Air” painting event called “In Plein Site.” Artists will gather from 8 to 8:30 a.m. for coffee and registration, then disperse to paint in the outdoors. Painters will need to provide their own lunches. Painters will then gather from 4 to 5:30 p.m. for a critique, wet paint sale and refreshments. Registration costs $25, and all artists are welcome.

Each artist will need to bring his or her own paints, easel and canvas. The deadline for registration is May 10. Visit suffolkcenter.org for registration or contact either Sandy Hart or Pat Eelman at 925-1800.

MAY 18

The Healthy Suffolk Spring 5K Run-Walk and 1-Mile Walk will take place from 7 a.m. to noon at Bennett’s Creek Park, 3000 Bennetts Creek Park Road. All ages and friendly pets welcome; trophies and prize drawings; Sentara health fair; all participants receive T-shirt and medal.

MAY 18

Enjoy the Grown-Up Spelling Bee, a fun event to benefit the Suffolk Education Foundation, a nonprofit that enriches teaching and inspires learning in Suffolk Public Schools. The event will begin at 2 p.m. at King’s Fork High School, 351 Kings

Riddick’s Folly House Museum, 510 N. Main St., will hold an American Girl Program.

There will be three sittings: 10 a.m., 11:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. Molly McIntire, a 10-year-old who lives in Jefferson County, Ill., during World War II with her parents and older siblings, will be featured. The program is free.

Space is limited (20 girls per sitting) and reservations are required. Ages 5 and up are welcome; all children must be accompanied by an adult. Call 934-0822.

MAY 25

Regina Boone will hold a local history talk from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Morgan Memorial Library, 443 W. Washington St. She will discuss her grandfather Tsuruju Miyazaki, the well-loved owner of Suffolk’s Horseshoe Café restaurant and one of two Japanese residents in the city detained in the 1940s after the Pearl Harbor attack. Visit suffolkpubliclibrary.com.

MAY 30

The Hampton Roads Digital Photography Club Exhibit will have an opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 30 at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, 110 W. Finney Ave. It will be on display through June 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Free and open to the public.

The T.G.I.F. Summer Concert Series kicks off at Constant’s Wharf Park and Marina, 110 E. Constance Road, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. with Bobby BlackHat performing. This concert series is free and family-friendly with a children’s activity area.

JUNE 15

The Amazing Peanut Chase Citywide Scavenger Hunt will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Get ready and get set for the fourth annual event that will take you all over the city solving a series of puzzles.

Return for the afterparty and prizes for the winners. The event kicks off at the Suffolk Public Libraries. Registration is strongly encouraged but not required. Call 514-7323 or visit suffolkpubliclibrary.com for more information.

JUNE 18

The Suffolk Art League’s annual Open Members Show will have its opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Suffolk Art Gallery, 118 Bosley Ave. The reception is free and open to the public. The show will remain on display through July 19.

The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m.

Sundays.

JUNE 21

The T.G.I.F. Summer Concert Series continues at Constant’s Wharf Park and Marina, 110 E. Constance Road, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. with The Fuzz Band performing.

This concert series is free and family-friendly with a children’s activity area.

JUNE 28

The T.G.I.F. Summer Concert Series continues at Constant’s Wharf Park and Marina, 110 E. Constance Road, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. with Schooner or Later performing.

This concert series is free and family-friendly with a children’s activity area.

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LOCALS CHOICE

LOCALS CHOICE

2017 & 2018

2018

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12 suffolk living

in the news Saints help others with Day of Caring Story by Tracy Agnew Submitted Photography

A

bout 250 students and 30 faculty members from Nansemond-Suffolk Academy recently fanned out across the area to make a difference with more than a dozen nonprofit organizations and community areas.

The Saints spent April 12 helping at different areas, including planting trees at Bennett’s Creek Park, building oyster cages for Chesapeake Bay Foundation, cleaning horse stalls at Equi-Kids, sorting items for the ForKids Good Mojo Thrift Store and more.

“Character has always been an essential element of a Nansemond-Suffolk Academy education,” school spokeswoman Karen Schompert said. “Early on, students learn the meaning of honor and respect for self and others. They participate in community service projects to connect what they are learning in the classroom to the real world while building

leadership, collaboration and communication skills.”

The annual event, known as the Day of Caring, includes students in grades nine through 12.

Senior Sarah Christiansen said she enjoys participating in the event.

“That day is one of the things I look forward to most each year,” she said. “I always feel like I did something really helpful that day.”

Christiansen said her group painted buildings and helped prepare for summer camp at Camp Darden, a Girl Scout camp in Southampton County.

“I think it’s really important for kids to get a sense of understanding why it’s helpful to do things you wouldn’t normally do and spend a day not thinking about yourself and thinking about the betterment of your community,” Christiansen said.

In past years, Christiansen has helped plant oysters, clean up community centers and organize the ForKids food pantry.

Other groups this year visited the Suffolk Humane Society to organize, clean and socialize pets; YMCA Camp Arrowhead to paint the pavilion and clean activity areas; Spikes K9 fund to paint and perform maintenance on the K9 training course; Norfolk Botanical Gardens to clean up the gardens; and more.

Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve, Lake Prince Woods, East Suffolk Recreation Center, the American Cancer Society and the Isle of Wight Animal Shelter also benefited from the students’ work this year.

“Service learning also allows students to explore their values and beliefs, to learn about social issues and to grow their understanding of diverse cultures and communities,” Schompert said.

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Nansemond-Suffolk Academy Upper School students helped out at several local nonprofits on April 12. Above, Evie Trinh and Emily Forrest paint at Spikes K9 Fund. At right, Kennedy Dryden and Amanda Goldbach Ehmer, in the foreground, with other students help clean up after the horses at Equi-Kids.

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through the lens: Brittany Palmer

B

rittany Palmer has lived in Suffolk most of her life. She is an amateur photographer who loves to capture her children as well as artistic scenes she encounters. She takes most of her photographs with a Nikon D3300. We’re always looking for amateur and professional photographers who want to share their views of Suffolk. If you’d like to have your work considered, send an email to news@suffolklivingmag.com.

suffolk living 15

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on vacation

We love to see all the places Suffolk Living has traveled! Above, Dick and Susan Talton and Mike and Kay Gambardella enjoyed a sunny day at Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. At right, Cathy Stancell enjoyed a trip to Morocco with her daughter, Suzanne Kawasaki, her husband, Kevin, and grandchildren, Mia and Luke.

NETWORK WITH SUFFOLK LIVING ON FACEBOOK

suffolk living 17

Above, Wayne Livesay, Rose Bowers, and Troy and Robin Tilley visited the Caribbean island of St. Kitts with Suffolk Living. At right, Marie Walls and her son, Keegan, visited Myrtle Beach and went four-wheeling with tour guide, Adam Rousch. Be sure to snap photos with Suffolk Living on your travels and send them to news@suffolklivingmag.com.

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A new Hope for Suffolk Story by Jimmy LaRoue Photography by Troy Cooper

A

s Hayden Blythe walks amidst the yarrow, larkspur and other flowers in Hope for Suffolk’s community garden at Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church, she sees the growth as an allegory to the teenage students who will be participating in the revamped program.

Starting as a seed, the students have much in the way of potential, but like the flowers that need the backbreaking TLC, they need people to invest in them, too.

“Some of these kids have that already, and we’re just another factor,” says Blythe, director of the Hope for Suffolk program. “Some of the kids don’t have a whole lot of that. Seeing them growing something from nothing into this beautiful thing that somebody wants to buy is kind of like an analogy to what they do.”

On a warm spring day, Blythe, Farm Manager Meredith Alphin and Assistant Farm Manager Sierra Bernacki were out in the field tending to the field’s growth, and as spring turns into summer, they’ll be alongside the students, helping tend to their growth.

“Our blood, sweat and tears are literally in this garden,” Alphin says. “All those things have literally happened.”

Bernacki started out in the program as a volunteer before becoming part of the Hope for Suffolk staff. She always knew working in a community garden was something she wanted to do.

“I’m working my dream job here, actually,” Bernacki says. “I want to get into horticulture. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. I enjoy weeding, as weird as it sounds.”

Walking through the garden, Alphin notes that not all the flowers are native to Suffolk, but they are all ones that do well with its climate. They planted a mixture of hardy annuals, half of which were planted in the fall and winter over, and then planted the other half earlier this spring. They just put out See GARDEN page 20

Hope for Suffolk Farm Manager Meredith Alphin says it was always a bucket list item for her to try cut-flower farming. "Our blood, sweat and tears are literally in this garden," she says.

suffolk living 19 Assistant Farm Manager Sierra Bernacki says she is working her dream job in Hope for Suffolk's community garden.

20 suffolk living

Hope for Suffolk Assistant Farm Manager Sierra Bernacki, Farm Manager Meredith Alphin and Director Hayden Blythe look forward to seeing the community garden, and its student interns, bloom.

GARDEN continued from page 18

all of its warm-season tender annuals, such as zinnias, cosmos, basil for filler and ageratums.

The program, which began in 2010, started out working with adults and grew vegetables, but due to a few issues, transitioned this year to working with teens and growing flowers.

In recent years, it was getting more difficult to keep adults in the program longer than a couple of weeks, Blythe says, with pests and disease issues also becoming problematic. Those things, along with a personal interest in flowers, gave

Alphin the impetus to try something new.

“It’s always been a bucket list item of mine to try cut-flower farming,” Alphin says. “We also wanted to give the land a rest from intense vegetable production.”

The flowers grown in the garden are being sold to the public through a CommunitySupported Agriculture, or CSA, program, which started May 1. People can purchase full or half shares in the program.

Under a full share, which costs $50 per

month, people will get a weekly bouquet of flowers that consist of 10 to 12 stems. Those paying the half-share cost of $25 per month will receive a bouquet every other week.

“Even though we’ve switched to flowers, we’re still doing all organic and we use very sustainable farming practices,” Blythe says, “which means it’s a whole lot of backbreaking, armbreaking work.”

It’s a lot of manual labor — something the program needs, because the interns who will See GARDEN page 22

suffolk living 21 Assistant Farm Manager Sierra Bernacki says she doesn't mind getting her hands dirty in the Hope for Suffolk community garden.

22 suffolk living

The Hope for Suffolk community garden will give high school students the opportunity to grow flowers while they earn money, community service hours and gain life skills.

GARDEN continued from page 20

be working the field need work to do. They hand-weed everything and don’t use traditional farming methods, as Hope for Suffolk is trying to run a work program and a small business.

“It’s a social business enFor more information about Hope for Suffolk, terprise, where go to hopeforsuffolk.org. you’re purchasing something that beautiful, you’re getting value, you’re getting all that,” Blythe says, “but you’re also giving back to the community with your purchase.

So you’re investing in the community. You’re

investing in future leaders when you do this.”

They are pumped by the young people — people ages 15 to 20 years old — coming into the program this year. Through a partnership with Suffolk Public Schools, the teens are chosen through an application and interview process. They ask students to commit to a seven-month program, and while they get paid for the internship, they also get community service hours for the life-skills classroom training they undergo.

“I’m personally excited by the kids we’ve got right now,” Alphin says. “I think it’s awesome,

and it’s really fun to work with a younger demographic.”

Currently, the program has nine teens in it, who work one day per week during the school year, and two days per week in the summer.

Workshop-style classes, which take place once per week, began in May. Blythe says they plan to expand the scope to include up to 15 students.

“Whatever their obstacles are, that’s the kind of person we want,” Blythe says, “because we want to be a part of helping them to overcome their obstacles and invest in them.”

suffolk living 23

where am I?

I

n each edition the Suffolk Living staff provides a challenge of sorts, testing how much of Suffolk you really know. We photograph some location in Suffolk that is readily accessible and open to the public, and see if you can tell us where it is.

If you know where this photo was taken, submit your answer, along with your name and contact information to news@suffolklivingmag.com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to any one of our partner advertisers.

So, if you know where this is, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner.

Go out and enjoy Suffolk!

24 suffolk living

Treasure trove for Suffolk readers Story by Alex Perry Photography by Troy Cooper

O

ne of Suffolk’s best-kept secrets is a small store on Carolina Road that sells a massive collection of cheap books, all donated by local readers and sorted by tenacious Friends of the Suffolk Library volunteers — or “FOSLs,” as they like to call themselves.

Thomas Baines, 76, will reach eight years of FOSL volunteering

this October. Baines had spent 33 years as a farmer before retiring, and another 22 or so years working for the city, digging graves at the cemeteries and cutting grass.

His late wife, Delores Mathias Baines, who passed away in 2005 at age 55, was an avid reader. Thomas said she could read an entire book in a single night. He stopped by the shop one day to pick up some See BOOKS page 26

suffolk living 25

Josie Brackett, Brad Halcums, Debby Bradford, Thomas Baines, Chris Brackett, Janie Brackett and Janet Wray are among the many volunteers for the Friends of the Suffolk Library.

26 suffolk living BOOKS continued from page 24

more and got interested in volunteering there.

“They said you could come (volunteer) anytime you want,” he said as he sat at a table in the storefront, packed shelves of books and magazines behind him. “I’ve been here ever since.”

Friends of the Suffolk Library was founded in 1981, and ever since the volunteer-driven nonprofit has promoted literacy and supported the library’s reading programs. They helped pay for the software the library used in the Beanstack Winter Reading Challenge in 2018, for example.

For about eight years, their storefront has been at 300 Carolina Road, just at the intersection of Carolina Road and Fayette Street, inside a former paint store near the overpass.

It can be easy to miss for passing cars, despite sandwich-board signs placed by the road for their book sales, and a storefront sign that’s about a year old as of April.

Every week these FOSLs sort through hundreds of donated books.

Regulars will bring them in bags and boxes filled to the brim, and library staff will pack up all the books donated at their branches and deliver them by the truckload.

FOSL Vice President Janet Wray said that they’ve gotten more attention for their book sales in recent years thanks to social media, newspaper and library advertising — plus word of mouth. But it’s the faithful that have kept them in business for so long.

“I’ve been here for a little over seven years, and we’ll have faithful customers that come in every single month.

Some of them have even gone to school with (Thomas Baines),” Wray said.

Readers come to peruse roughly 30,000 books organized on shelves and tables in the front end of the store, along with CDs and DVDs and other donated entertainment. Their items are all on sale for mere dollars and cents.

“They’ve got great books here, and you can get them at a great price,” Baines said.

Debby Bradford organizes books in the sorting bay at the Friends of the Suffolk Library building on Carolina Road. Below, Chris Brackett sorts through donated books as a Friends of the Suffolk Library volunteer.

suffolk living 27

The trove covers seemingly every genre. Tons of mystery authors like David Baldacci and James Patterson. The works of William Shakespeare and a slew of frightful Stephen King favorites. Puzzles and Harry Potter and other children’s books, many in complete sets and all at a fraction of the cost.

“We have books come in and we don’t know where to put them, because the subject is so obscure,” Wray said as she walked through the stacks that had titles like “The Bathroom Brain Teasers Almanac” and “The Six Husbands Every Wife Should Have.”

These are organized by volunteers every week, including high schoolers in need of community service hours and seasoned book veterans like Baines, who will often come in the mornings with snacks and coffee for the others.

“He is a wonderful, generous person, and he always brings us Dunkin’ Donuts,” said volun-

Thomas Baines holds one of the many books at the Friends of the Suffolk Library store. teer Debby Bradford, 66.

Bradford just started volunteering at Friends of the Suffolk Library in January. She said Suffolk’s secret book store is a treasure for readers.

“I feel like this place is a real treasure for the citizens in Suffolk, or anyone else in the area,” she said. “It provides the opportunity to get some books for next to nothing, and a lot of people don’t (even) know it’s here.”

Friends of the Suffolk Library is located at 300 Carolina Road. New hardcover books dated 2014 or later are $3 each; new softcovers are $1.50. Hardcovers dated pre-2014 are $1.50 and

softcovers are $1. Mass-market paperbacks are 50 cents each. Children’s books are 75 cents per total inch of books purchased.

Their monthly book sale is held on the first Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The next sales will be on June 7 and 8, then July 5 and 6. Credit cards are also accepted.

Book donations are accepted on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon at the store, or at any library location during their regular business hours.

Visit facebook.com/FriendsoftheSuffolkLibrary or call 514-1024 for more information.

28 suffolk living

suffolk scene

Tour de Cure The 2019 Hampton Roads Tour de Cure was held on April 27 at the Suffolk Executive Airport, with more than 800 cyclists, runners and walkers that participated in the annual fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association. PHOTOS BY ALEX PERRY

Lorie Larkins with her dog Princess Meme

Rebecca Abston and Mike Cross with Brews Cycling

Liz Ly, Tiffany DeJarnette, Christina Conner and Chrissy Anderson with Ferguson Enterprises LLC

Stacey Flynt and Hiedi Lavergne with Virginia Eye Consultants

Pat “Diesel” Harris, BL “Street” Lawrence, Sue “Sprint” Gregory, and Rod “Tank” Gregory with the Blue Suit Pacers

suffolk living 29

Oyster Roast The Chuckatuck Ruritan Club’s annual oyster roast returned on April 10. The club’s 43rd annual oyster roast was held at the Rose Farm off Everets Road, where newcomers and roast regulars enjoyed wheelbarrow-loads of freshly cooked oysters, plus clam chowder, tasty beverages and sunshine. PHOTOS BY ALEX PERRY

suffolk scene

Amy Davis and Veronica Brengle

Patrick Grundler, Haywood E. James II and Brandon Wood

Debbie Jackson and Joe Jernigan

Amanda Majewski, Erin Kessinger, William Kessinger and Parker Baines

Jay Saunders, Sam Howell and George Fly

Eleanor Ismail holding 3-month-old Zoe and John and Del Toscano

30 suffolk living

suffolk scene

IconiCon Wizards, superheroes and Stormtroopers descended on the North Suffolk Library on March 30 for the fourth annual IconiCon. The Suffolk Public Library’s multi-fandom convention drew roughly 1,000 fans this year with a variety of vendors and activities, plus good company and great cosplay. PHOTOS BY ALEX PERRY

Delaney Mathes and Elizabeth Bunch

Conner Workman as Spiderman, Norman Warren as Nightcrawler and Krista Eyre as Bendy

Brittany Hamlin, dressed as Jester Lavorre from the web series “Critical Role,” with her children Ellieahna, 4, and Nathan, 7

Ellieahna Hamlin, 4

Siblings Shaun, 11, Saniya, 10, Amaya, 3, and Raina, 3, Allen alongside the 501st Legion of Star Wars cosplayers

Spiderman cosplayers David Lewis and Conner Workman

suffolk living 31

Earth and Arts Festival The Suffolk Earth and Arts Festival was held April 27 at the Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church. Thousands enjoyed the more than 70 vendors, entertainment and food at the festival. PHOTOS BY JIMMY LAROUE

suffolk scene

Roslyn Rotan, 12, Andrea Rotan and Raegan Rotan, 14

Sarah Erickson, Erika Ferry and Micah Ferry, 6

Keirstin Winslow, Lakecha Green, Cory Bland and Joseph Ficklen

Kiley Miller, Brian Miller and Hogarth Miller, 1

32 suffolk living

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suffolk living 33

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Suffolk Primary Care

Last edition’s Where Am I? We knew the photo for the Where Am I? where am I? feature in the March/ I April edition would be very recognizable, and seven people submitted correct answers. The silhouette of a karate athlete on the side of Triple T Sports Center near downtown Suffolk is a common sight for those driving in and out of town. Kasey Smith was among those who submitted a correct answer, and she wins the $25 gift card this month.

Check out page 23 for this month’s challenge.

(Steve Lindblad was the winner of the January/February contest that featured the APB Paving building on Central Avenue. The winner’s name was inadvertently omitted from the answer in the March/April edition.) suffolk living 27

n each edition the Suffolk Living staff provides a challenge of sorts, testing how much of Suffolk you really know. We photograph some location in Suffolk that is readily accessible and open to the public, and see if you can tell us where it is.

If you know where this photo was taken, submit your answer, along with your name and contact information to news@suffolklivingmag.com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to any one of our partner advertisers.

So, if you know where this is, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner.

Go out and enjoy Suffolk!

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scrapbook

JOHNNY MARVIN: A group of people outside the Paul-Gale-Greenwood Co. on West Washington Street. The photo is labeled “circa 1930,” but a banner on the back of the vehicle to the left advertises an event at the store on Wednesday, Aug. 29, which means the year was not 1930 but may have been 1928 or 1934. The banner advertises an appearance

by Johnny Marvin, a Victor recording artist.

COURTESY OF SUFFOLK-NANSEMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETYY