Suffolk Living November-December 2018

suffolklivingmag.com

Mushrooms UNUSUAL CROPS AND UNKNOWN HISTORY

november/december 2018 • vol. 9, no. 6

2 suffolk living

suffolk living 3

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FEATURE

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Midway Park is a piece of Suffolk history many may not know of, but it was an important institution for AfricanAmericans in the area.

CONTENTS nov. - dec. | 2018 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

Damiani honored

10 More than a year after his death, the iconic former Suffolk mayor was honored in his beloved downtown.

ON THE COVER suffolklivingmag.com

Mushrooms in Suffolk

12 Take a walk in the woods with Steven Kirkpatrick as he seeks mushrooms and discusses invasive species.

Mushrooms UNUSUAL CROPS AND UNKNOWN HISTORY

november/december 2018 • vol. 9, no. 6

by Alex Perry

editor's note nov. - dec.

2018

Enjoy holidays in Suffolk If you’re like us, you’ve been watching the long arm of Christmas slowly take over November and even, lately, October. When Christmas-related commercials start running when the highs are still

EDITORIAL Tracy Agnew Editor

Alex Perry Writer & Photographer Jen Jaqua Photographer Kellie Adamson Writer news@suffolklivingmag.com

ADVERTISING

Earl Jones Marketing Consultant

regularly in the 80s, well, that’s just a little bit too much, too soon for us.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t love Christmas. We also love Thanksgiving and New Year’s, too, and all of those fun, meaningful holidays are happening during the shelf life of this edition of Suffolk Living magazine.

We may not have the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree or a dazzling ball drop after a midnight countdown on New Year’s Eve, but there are plenty of opportunities to have a merry, festive time during this season. If you check out our calendar of events, you will find a lot of ways to celebrate with the family or just your spouse or friends.

Whether you enjoy the twinkling lights, Christmas carols and warm beverages of the Grand Illumination ceremony, the fun

Lindsay Richardson Marketing Consultant

and delicious Breakfast with Santa, or one of the holiday-themed

Dana Snow Marketing Consultant

you can find a way to celebrate to your liking this season.

Kandyce Kirkland Marketing Consultant

that many younger folks may not know about. Midway Park was an important part of the culture

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PRODUCTION Troy Cooper Designer

ADMINISTRATION John Carr Publisher

Cathy Daughtrey Business Manager Hope Rose Production

performances at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, we’re sure We have a couple of great stories in this edition, telling the history of a part of Suffolk history for black people in Suffolk, and it welcomed some big-name musical acts over the years.

In another of our stories this edition, you can follow Steven Kirkpatrick on a walk through the woods as he looks for the coveted oyster mushroom and discusses invasive plant species that affect Suffolk and much of the South.

As always, we are looking for submissions from photographers for our Through The Lens feature and photos of your travels, with Suffolk Living along for the ride, for our On Vacation feature. You can email those to news@suffolkliving.com.

We also want your answers to our Where Am I? feature and your story tips, and you can email those to us as well.

We hope you have a great holiday season. We’ll see you in January!

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

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8 suffolk living

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

Suffolk Grand Illumination NOVEMBER 16

The holiday season officially begins with the Suffolk Grand Illumination Ceremony at Market Park, 326 N. Main St. The event rings in the holidays with the park opening at 6 p.m. Watch the 32-foot tree light up when the switch is flipped at 6:15 p.m., illuminating Suffolk for the holiday season. Be there when Santa arrives in style around 6:30 p.m. and enjoy seasonal music courtesy of local choirs. Be sure to bring along your camera to capture your children's smiling faces as they whisper their Christmas wishes to Santa Claus. Stick around to purchase tasty treats from local vendors, as your children decorate their letter to Santa and visit the Suffolk Seaboard Station Railroad Museum.

There will also be horse and carriage rides available for purchase.

suffolk living 9

what to do THROUGH DECEMBER 7

The Suffolk Art League’s annual Juried Exhibition will be shown at the Suffolk Art Gallery, 118 Bosley Ave. The exhibit will feature work by artists from throughout the Hampton Roads area. The juror is Dr. Cole Welter, professor of art at James Madison University. Admission is free and open to the public; the gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

NOVEMBER 17

Start your holiday shopping at the seventh annual Suffolk Artisan Gift Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Suffolk Visitor Center Pavilion, 524 N. Main St. Held in conjunction with the Suffolk Farmers’ Market, the traditional outdoor holiday market features artisan-quality crafts, jewelry, soaps, fine art, candles, woodcrafts, birdhouses, crocheted items, jams and jellies, totes, holiday ornaments, wreaths, baked goods, seasonal produce, meats and more.

NOVEMBER 17

Luke Willette will be featured in Downstairs at the Center from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, 110 W. Finney Ave. Willette grew up in Missouri and settled in Hampton Roads after a stint in the U.S. Navy. Luke lives in Suffolk with his wife Amy and two children. He owns Willette Plumbing. Luke has been playing guitar on and off since he was 12 and has been working at songwriting for the past 10 years.

NOVEMBER 24

Meet Luciana Vega, the Girl of the Year for 2018. Riddick’s Folly House Museum will have an American Girl program with three sittings at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. A doll will be given away to one girl who attends.

Call 934-0822 for reservations. Luciana is over the moon — she’s going to Space Camp! But when she’s picked to lead her team in a robotics challenge, instead of rocketing her crew to success she steers them straight into trouble. It’s great to be good at science — but Luciana learns that it’s not enough. If she’s ever going to make it to Mars, she has to be someone her crew can depend on, no matter what.

NOVEMBER 24

Deck the halls this holiday season with handcrafted, homemade and eclectic gifts.

Visit the ReStored: Pop-Up Shop Initiative in downtown Suffolk from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Merchants and food vendors throughout Suffolk’s historic downtown district will

offer artisan-quality crafts, jewelry, soaps and bath salts, fine art, candles, glass, needlework, ceramics, greenery, woodcrafts, crocheted items, jams and jellies, nuts, pottery, totes and handbags, holiday ornaments, baked goods, home decor, and more. Shoppers will also find discounts and holiday specials from downtown’s established retailers and restaurateurs as well.

DECEMBER 1

NOVEMBER 30

DECEMBER 1

Meet your next two best friends — Jeremy Davis and Clay Johnson, along with their fiery hot 17-piece big band. They’ll play at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, 110 W. Finney Ave., starting at 7 p.m. All across America, audiences have fallen in love with these two sophisticated Southern gentleman and the high-energy show that is the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra.

Along with the greatest songs, the best original arrangements and phenomenal musicianship, these two bring their rich friendship and charm to the stage.

Fashioned in the style and swagger of the legendary entertainers lead by Frank Sinatra, Davis & Johnson are putting their own original stamp on the Great American songbook, graced with a touch of Motown, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Elvis and more, offering a freshness and relevance that speaks to every soul.

Come out for Lunch with Santa at the Northern Shores Recreation Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Children ages 12 and under can participate in this holiday-filled event with a donation of one new, unwrapped toy per child that will be donated to a local charity. Adults wishing to have lunch can do so for $5 per person. Not only can children share their lists with Santa, they can also play games for fun prizes and take a free professional photo with Santa.

Join the fun from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront for Breakfast with Santa. For $4 for kids and $6 for adults, you'll get to partake in a delicious breakfast buffet that the whole family can enjoy, while kids can participate in coloring station fun and make an awesome holiday craft and get a photo opportunity with Santa.

Be sure to bring your camera!

DECEMBER 8

Be sure to join in the lights and sounds of the 2018 Suffolk Holiday Parade at 7 p.m. Find the best spot to watch the floats, equestrian units, marching bands and festive vehicles stroll down West Washington Street and take a turn up North Main Street, with the parade route ending on Finney Avenue.

10 suffolk living

in the news

Damiani honored downtown Story and photos by Kellie Adamson

S

uffolk city leaders and family of Andy Damiani gathered on Sept. 19 in downtown’s “Character Corner” to honor the former city councilman and mayor.

The corner of Main and Washington streets, where Mr. Peanut sits, will now be known as Damiani Square, and Character Corner will be a part of the shaded corner lot.

“I know that Andy is watching and enjoying this beautiful afternoon,” Mayor Linda T. Johnson said to the crowd. “He is still with us. There is no way that you can walk down the street and not see him all around downtown.”

Johnson fondly remembered Damiani walking down Main Street, waving with his cane to all who were passing by.

Damiani served as a member of City Council from 1970 to 1992 and as mayor from 1982 to 1986. From his love of the city of Suffolk, he was named “Mr. Downtown.” After his wife, Mary, passed, he finally made the move to the downtown core after living in the Riverview area.

City Council voted last October to approve the Damiani Square recognition.

Damiani’s nephew, James Daman, got help from Johnson to remove the black sheet from the plaque that memorializes the Suffolk legend. The plaque calls Damiani a “champion of downtown revitalization.”

While Damiani was born in Richmond, he gave his heart and soul to Suffolk.

“His heart was in Suffolk, and he was the biggest cheerleader we had in downtown,” Johnson said. “He wanted everyone to succeed, and if you talked to him long enough, you would know he just wanted to lift someone up.”

Suffolk was so important to Damiani that it influenced his nephew to move to Suffolk as well — though he did move to North Suffolk rather than to Damiani’s beloved downtown.

“He would love to be here, and he would be so touched and honored,” Daman said. “On behalf of the Damiani family, I want to say thank you so much.”

The former mayor died Aug. 5, 2017.

Top, officials and family members dedicate a plaque renaming a portion of downtown Damiani Square.

From left are Councilman Mike Duman, Delegate Emily Brewer, Councilman Roger Fawcett, Andy Damiani's nephew James Daman, Mayor Linda T. Johnson, Councilman Curtis Milteer, Vice Mayor Leroy Bennett and Councilman Tim Johnson.

suffolk living 11

12 suffolk living

suffolk living 13 Story and photos by Alex Perry

Problem plants, tasty mushrooms in Suffolk

T

he hunt was on in the cold, calm and sunny North Suffolk morning in late October.

Steven Kirkpatrick walked through the woods along Chuckatuck Creek with his eyes scanning for signs of life. There was no wind, and the air was still with the exception of birds chirping and the crackle of leaves, twigs and branches underfoot. A Jack Russell Terrier named Dante accompanied the excursion.

The invasive species specialist, North Suffolk Rotary Club president and foraging enthusiast was looking for mushrooms, and the family’s spunky, 10-year-old dog was just eager for a stroll.

“He doesn’t like to be left out of the action,” Kirkpatrick said with Dante beside him. “He always wants to tag along.”

Kirkpatrick and his wife, Susan, live on Swallowtail Farm, roughly six and one-half acres of wooded waterside property off Crittenden Road, where the couple has lived for more than two decades. They share the land with Dante, several cats and Gracie, a white and brown horse that can be seen laying in the grass beside her stable.

A self-described “nature boy,” Kirkpatrick and his wife also love to forage for their kitchen recipes. He wrote a story titled “In Search of the Wild Oyster (Mushroom)” in which he described how he combined his “nature boy” See MUSHROOMS page 14

Steven Kirkpatrick examines a find during a walk in the woods. Inset, chestnuts in a Food-Saver bag.

14 suffolk living MUSHROOMS continued from page 13

antics with his passion as a “foodie.”

“This includes picking wild berries in summer, harvesting chestnuts and pecans in fall and gathering mushrooms in winter,” he wrote.

The subject of this morning’s hunt was the titular oyster mushroom, a fairly common edible mushroom that can be found in grocery stores and trees throughout Hampton Roads. They’re found on hardwoods in the spring and fall and have a unique scent that’s often compared to sweet anise or licorice, according to mushroom-appreciation.com.

“There are a few closely related species that can be hard to distinguish from oysters,” the website reads. “Thus, it's helpful to bring someone knowledgeable when searching for them in the woods.”

Someone like Kirkpatrick, who spotted the evidence of woodpeckers in devoured branches on the woodland floor beside crab nests and wild turnips. Dante did his own sniff check to make sure the coast was clear.

As he wrote in the article, their preferred habitats are dead, moderately rotting deciduous hardwood logs with the bark still attached.

“Oyster mushroom prefer more organic nutrition,” he said, such as the bark of fallen trees or insect excreta known as frass. “They won’t grow on a dead, bare tree trunk.”

He also spotted different species of plants native to Virginia, like a patch of catbrier, one of nine different kinds that can be found across the state. Some species are armed with prickles that will catch your clothes.

But like most of Virginia, every corner of the woods surrounding Stillwater Farm was also marked by the vines, roots and leaves of invasive species. These are non-native plants that were imported into Virginia and became rampant. They proliferate because few species here eat them, and they have seeds that are dispersed far and wide.

Kirkpatrick found the berries of Chinese privet plant hanging from a tree. It was introduced to North America as an ornamental shrub and for hedgerows. It has since spread across the southeastern United States in dense thickets that reduce tree growth and prevent sunlight from reaching native species in the shade underneath them, according to invasiveplantatlas.org.

Part of the problem is that birds and other wildlife eat their abundant fruits, then excrete the seeds as they travel.

See MUSHROOMS page 15

Steven Kirkpatrick looks for oyster mushrooms on rotting trees in the woods.

suffolk living 15 MUSHROOMS continued from page 14

“Birds will come and eat the berries and spread them like crazy,” Kirkpatrick said beside a thicket of privet. “It will grow down here in the shade and tolerate a lot of different lighting conditions.”

There are about 90 species of plants among Virginia’s flora that are considered invasive, amounting to just about 3 percent. But the damages are far and wide.

According to the Nature Conservancy, invasive plants have directly contributed to the decline of 42 percent of threatened and endangered plant species in the country, and an estimated $120 million is lost annually because of these infestations. They cover 100 million acres across the country in a cumulative span of land that’s roughly the size of California.

Kirkpatrick addressed two specific problem plants during the morning hike. One is kudzu, a Japanese native brought stateside at the turn of the 20th century to stabilize soil, feed animals and, like many others, for decorative purposes.

According to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, kudzu went from being a nuisance in the 1950s to a common weed in the ’70s. It’s now spread along the Atlantic coast, as far north as Massachusetts, as far west as Texas

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and deeper south into the Florida Everglades.

Drivers in Virginia can see kudzu along roadways and bordering agricultural fields.

“Where it grows, kudzu has the ability to outcompete and eliminate native plant species and upset the natural diversity of plant and animal communities,” according to the Department of Conservation and Recreation. “Its extremely rapid growth rate and habit of growing over objects threatens natural areas by killing native vegetation through crowding and shading, and can seriously stifle agricultural and timber production.”

But the sneakier trouble maker, according to Kirkpatrick, is Japanese stiltgrass. This grows in dense mats and prevents seedlings of native forest plants from growing, just like Chinese privet.

They don’t harm existing trees but stymie the next generation of native vegetation.

“There was none here when we moved in, but now they’re everywhere,” he said, adding that the problem is only going to get worse as the stiltgrass continues to spread. “It’s very sneaky, and it is quietly infiltrating.”

Locals have been tackling the problem with herbicides, insects like flea beetles and borer moths that are hungry for certain invasive spe-

cies and the old-fashion elbow grease of pulling, mowing and cutting.

Kirkpatrick’s old-time hobby also bore fruit when he and Dante managed to find one oyster mushroom in the hollow trunk of a dead tree.

Past dogwoods and a brief but steady walk across a fallen trunk, the pair took a closer look at the mushroom.

They grow in clusters, each one about 2 to 10 inches across in shades ranging from pale tan to light grayish brown, Kirkpatrick said. There are obvious risks to going out into the woods and picking mushrooms for a recipe. Every amateur forager should be careful to avoid anything far less agreeable to the human body, not to mention beetles and other insects that frequent mushrooms.

But a successful wild oyster mushroom hunt can lead to a tasty dish, as long as you wash them thoroughly and cook them just right.

“If you have a good day of mushroom hunting, I suggest you cook them all, and freeze them in pouches equal to about a cup of cooked mushrooms per pouch,” Kirkpatrick wrote.

“Then, when the time comes for that veal marsala or stuffed clams with mushrooms, you’ll be ready to go.”

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16 suffolk living

through the lens: Erica Aaron

E

rica Aaron owns and runs E.Aaron Photography. She enjoys maternity, newborn and family photos and also loves sunshine, baking and coffee dates. She likes getting to know her clients personally during her sessions and is married with two children. We’re always looking for amateur and professional photographers who want to share their views. If you’d like to have your work considered, send an email to news@suffolklivingmag.com.

suffolk living 17

She’s a second-generation nurse, with over sixteen years of experience in cardiac intensive care. And she’s on your

With both a mother and a sister who are also practicing nurses, it’s easy to see that caring for others runs in the family of Nurse Erin. Combining her experience with her expertise in cardiac care, she delivers that care daily when other families need it most—like when faced with the stress of heart surgery. It can be hard work, but to the surgeons, physicians, support staff and patients whom she spends time with, her compassion often seems effortless. When it comes to your heart, the team you choose makes all the difference. Shouldn’t you have the best one possible? bonsecours.com/heart-team

18 suffolk living

Music at Midway

Claude Askew, Curtis Burley, Ves Artis, Everett "Blood" Hollin, Henderson Key, Charles "Skip" Fennell and Florine Wright, all of Carver High School, played at Midway Park.

suffolk living 19

Story by Phyllis Speidell Photos by John H. Sheally II

T

he party lights were on when thousands of music fans made the scene at Midway Park’s opening in Suffolk over the July 4 weekend in 1961.

The weekend’s entertainment lineup was dazzling — James Brown, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Drifters, Clyde McPhatter, Claudine Clark, Shep and the Limelites — and the Rockateers.

The Rockateers? The local group on stage that weekend was Sylvester “Ves” Artis and his band of Carver High School students and alumni from Newport News. The Rockateers, many still 15 or 16 years old, opened for some of the biggest names in early ’60s R&B.

Artis remembers his band being somewhat in awe and rushing to help the visiting, better-known performers, some not much older than the Rockateers, with their luggage and instruments.

“We all got to know each other, “he said.

“It was a new venue, and it was fun.”

He also remembers his mother — equipped, he jokes, with the nose of a bloodhound — kept a close eye on the young band, making sure they weren’t drinking or smoking.

Artis’ uncle ran a bus company and chartered out buses to bring in music fans to Midway from North Carolina and all over

southeastern Virginia. He uncle also had a big blue limo — sized just right to carry the Rockateers, sporting orange sequined jackets, to the park’s opening in style.

Part of the Midway Park mystique was its location just outside the tiny crossroads community of Driver in what was then Nansemond County. Most of the performers, barred from local restaurants, frequented the crossroads stores to buy sandwiches and drinks, post handbills advertising the park and chat with the locals.

Residents in Driver remember sitting on their porches to enjoy the music of Lloyd Price, The Marvalettes, Flip Flop Stephens, See PARADISE page 20 See MUSIC page 21

20 suffolk living

At top, James Brown was one of the acts who played at Midway Park. Above, a trumpet in Ves Artis' music shop. At right, Artis on the saxophone.

suffolk living 21

Sylvester "Ves" Artis in his music shop.

MUSIC continued from page 19

The Platters and more as it drifted across the country air.

Midway Park was one of a handful of parks developed before integration as black resorts with motels, dance halls, beaches, lakes and concert settings. Floyd Cooper, who had developed another successful black resort, Sunset Park, in Deep Creek in 1955, created Midway Park from 144 acres of farmland in just three months.

Newspaper accounts said when McPhatter arrived for the opening he told Cooper, “I was through this area just a while ago on a onenighter tour and all that was here was a bunch of trees — now look at it!”

The opening nights offered free cold beverages on Friday, autographed recordings to the first 500 ladies on Saturday evening and a Sunday raffle for a hi-fi stereo record player.

Artis said he rarely looked out from the stage to estimate an audience count, but he knows those nights the numbers ran into the thousands.

When integration became the law, black amusement parks became passé. Midway Park closed in early 1964.

The Rockateers stayed together until the late 1960s.

“We played the Chitlin' Circuit,” Artis said, adding that he later played some of the most

popular venues in the area and played with Marvin Gaye, Patti La Monte who later became Patti Labelle, the O’Jays, Bo Diddley and Bill Deal.

When the Rockateers all went their separate ways, Artis went into jazz.

Artis, now in his mid-70s, has been a musician all his life. His father, born in Chuckatuck, was a professional musician, a pianist who played with the Royal Hamptonians at Hampton University. He made a living delivering mail for the U.S. Postal Service. He tried to persuade his son to play piano or clarinet, but from the age of 4, Ves Artis knew he wanted to play a saxophone.

An Army musician, a friend of his father, gave the young Artis a used saxophone, tarnished silver and unable to play past G, but it was the start he needed. Over the years, Artis graduated from Carver High School and Norfolk State, served a year in Vietnam with the U.S. Army, owned a series of music stores that bought and sold instruments, offered rentals and lessons and kept him in constant touch with the music that made his life. He continued to play at venues around Virginia and the Outer Banks and played with The Cabarets, one of the area’s first integrated bands.

Currently, he owns The World of Music

shop in the Southampton Shopping Center in Hampton.

A few years after the park closed, a businesswoman, Mary C. Williams, built a two-story house in front of the motel and opened the “Senior Citizens Village,” which eventually closed too.

A group of 14 investors from Norfolk and Portsmouth bought the remaining 120 acres of the Midway Park site to develop an affordable housing project of 400 homes priced at $12,000 to $14,000. A six-acre commercial/retail center was part of the plan as well as underground utilities and plenty of room for churches and recreational green spaces. Premier Development Corporation hoped to start with 50 homes — all brick and California redwood construction — and build more as the demand increased.

Although the area remains listed as the Midway Park subdivision, few of the planned homes ever materialized.

Artis knows that Midway Park’s musical memories are also fading, and his hope now is that they might be kept alive with a Virginia historical highway marker placed along Nansemond Parkway to commemorate the musical phenomenon that was Midway Park.

As Diana Ross sang a few years after Midway Park closed, “Remember me as a good thing.”

22 suffolk living

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suffolk living 23

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on vacation

Above, Paul and Lavonne Fletcher enjoyed a cruise out of New Orleans to Honduras, Belize and Mexico. They're pictured taking Suffolk Living to Cozumel. At right, Harriet Wills and Melva West explored the spectacular Grand Canyon.

suffolk living 25

A New Home for the Holidays.

BayPort has a special holiday offer to help you get into the perfect home just in time for the holidays.

Until December 31, 2018, BayPort will gift you the cost of your appraisal up to $550. Spend this holiday season focusing on what matters most, with a little help from BayPort.

At top, Suffolk's Sally Perry visited with family in Bampton, Oxford, this summer. Above, Wendy Phelps stayed at a horse farm in Charlottesville on a getaway during which she also hiked Humpback Rocks.

bayportcu.org Membership eligibility required. Certain restrictions may apply. BayPort will reimburse appraisal cost up to $550 at closing. Offer valid through December 31, 2018. This credit union is federally insured by the NCUA.

26 suffolk living

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!

suffolk living 27

Make yourself at home in one of our 79 air conditioned rooms featuring mini refrigerators, microwaves and Keurig Coffee Makers. Wireless internet is complimentary and the Flat Screen Televisions come with HBO. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Convenience includes desks with free local calls.

Our Business Center has two new HP Computers available 24 hours. Rent our meeting space which boasts 672 sq. ft., that can host 40 people comfortably.

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28 suffolk living

suffolk scene

Suffolk Ruritan Shrimp Feast Suffolk Ruritan Club held its annual Shrimp Feast at the Suffolk Executive Airport Peanut Festival grounds on Oct. 4. Thousands of attendees enjoyed shrimp, barbecue, sides, fixings, beverages and music. PHOTOS BY KELLIE ADAMSON

Brenda and Larry Martin

Emily Nelson and Brian Schweitzer

Roger Fawcett and Susan Draper

Schneecka McAdoo, Debbie Callis, Taleia Gatling and Willia Mae Mcadoo

Steve Hearne, Eric Clary and Fuzzy Carr

suffolk living 29

Suffolk First Citizen More than 200 people packed into the Suffolk Center of Cultural Arts on Sept. 25 to celebrate Karla Smith, the First Citizen of Suffolk for 2018. The annual award is given to an outstanding individual who best exemplifies citizenship through a combination of leadership, talent and efforts to make Suffolk a better place to live. PHOTOS BY ALEX PERRY

Karla Smith

suffolk scene

Katie McAllister, Sarah Smith and Melissa Zawodny

Susan Draper, Bruce Bowles and Deborah Gayle

Rob Estes, Pam Turner, Mary Nancy Saunders, Lynn Barlow and Joe Barlow

Joe Bass, Chris Robinson and Barbara Bass

Susan Blair and Tom Powell

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suffolk scene

Driver Days The Driver Days Fall Festival returned on Oct. 20-21 to the streets of Suffolk’s vibrant neighborhood at the intersection of Kings Highway and Nansemond Parkway. The festival’s 25th year brought vendors selling wares, musical performances, car and motorcycle shows and plenty of exciting contests, along with the crowd-pleasing parade.

PHOTOS BY ALEX PERRY

Jamie Lane with Sadie Lane, 2

Alyssa Howard and her dog Roxanne

Noah Volkmann, 15

Sarah Murphy with her children Sean, 15, Sawyer, 5, and Seth, 13

Gloria Lawrence, Floyd Clark, Yvonne Lawrence, Ree Bosco, Calvin Lawrence

John Paschen, Iva Melinda Paschen, Katie Farrar, Brian Farrar

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Boys and Girls Club Oyster Roast Hundreds came out to a barbecue and oyster roast to support the Suffolk Unit of the Boys and Girls Club on Sept. 29 at Constant’s Wharf Park. PHOTOS BY KELLIE ADAMSON

Boo McGee, TJ Owns and Bury Ricks

Petia and Jason Downey

Jim Hill, Tucky Tucker, Gray, 2, Sandy Tucker and Judd Barrett

Tommy and Robin Salmon

Carl Farris, 4, Benjamin Klewer, 4, Josiah McDonald, 4, and Denis Farris

suffolk scene

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How do you see Suffolk?

Submit your photos to Through the Lens

news@suffolklivingmag.com

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Last edition’s Where Am I? Many folks know the bridge over the Nansemond River just north of the historic downtown Suffolk area simply as the Kimberly Bridge, after the name for that area of businesses. But its ceremonial name is the Robert W. where am I? Withers Memorial I Bridge, and that fact is emblazoned on the east side of the bridge wall, facing the street. Tracy Rountree was one of only seven who knew where it was and sent us an email. She gets a $25 gift card for her keen eye. Check out this month’s challenge on page 26. suffolk living 23

Over 60 Years Of Service Established 1958

The Virginian-Pilot READERS CHOICE AWARD

Of

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!

2018

SERVING THE PEOPLE OF THIS COMMUNITY AND THEIR BELOVED PETS FOR 30 YEARS! Open Daily 8-6 Except Thurs. 8-7 Sat. 8-12

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scrapbook

MONUMENT: Suffolk's World War I monument was erected by the American Legion in memory of men from Suffolk and Nansemond County who died in that war. It was dedicated on May 10, 1931, at its original site in the street in front of the old Nansemond County Courthouse. In the background, Riddick's Folly can be seen. The monument was later moved to the entrance of Cedar Hill Cemetery.

COURTESY OF SUFFOLK-NANSEMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY