Western Branch Magazine August-September 2019

Park in Paradise And catching up with ‘Rabbit’ Howard

august-september 2019 • vol. 3, no. 5

2 western branch magazine

western branch magazine 3

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sept

what's inside?

2019

feature Former coach and educator “Rabbit” Howard turned a hardscrabble youth into a military career and an education career, with lots of odd jobs in between.

He still looks back fondly on local schools.

10 20

In the news Blue Bell Creameries makes ice cream the old-fashioned way, and they held an old-fashioned ice cream social for a few hundred guests when they opened a local distribution center.

Paradise for learning Paradise Creek Nature Park, just a short drive from Western Branch, offers an environmentally friendly playground and other amenities.

Through the Lens See the world from the point of view of Raven Speight.

Park in Paradise And catching up with ‘Rabbit’ Howard

august-september 2019 • vol. 3, no. 5

photo by Alex Perry

on the cover

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

Where am I? So you think you know Western Branch? Test your knowledge of its landmarks with this photo quiz. You could win a $25 gift card.

18 19

sept

2019

editor's note Time marches on into a new school year Summer is winding down, and students soon will be going back to school in Western Branch and surrounding areas. If it seems to you that this summer passed more quickly than most, you’re not alone.

EDITORIAL Tracy Agnew Editor Alex Perry Staff Writer

Despite the warp speed with which this summer has passed, we hope you got a chance to enjoy one of life’s most simple pleasures: ice cream. Blue Bell Creameries supplied it plentifully at the opening of the company’s new distribution center in North Suffolk on July 10, and they kept attendees cool

Jimmy LaRoue Staff Writer

in the process.

Jen Jaqua Photographer

at 45 degrees. Inside the cold storage freezer and the trucks, the ice cream

news@westernbranchmagazine.com

ADVERTISING

No matter the outside temperatures, the loading dock at the facility is kept is perfectly chilled at a frigid -20 degrees. That’s 20 below 0. Just thinking about it is enough to keep you cool on a hot day, never mind if you have any

Earl Jones Marketing Consultant

ice cream. Learn more about the grand opening on page 10.

Lindsay Richardson Marketing Consultant

Paradise Creek Nature Park. It’s slightly outside of Western Branch proper, but it has great amenities

Kandyce Kirkland Marketing Consultant sales@westernbranchmagazine.com

PRODUCTION Troy Cooper Designer

ADMINISTRATION John Carr Publisher

Cathy Daughtrey Business Manager Hope Rose Production

A great way to get outdoors, if you’ve run out of ideas these last few days of summer, is to head over to including a “green” playground made from recycled wood. You can also find an outdoor classroom, Little Free Library and more at this “paradise,” which you can learn about on page 20.

As students head back to school, folks of a certain age who were raised in Western Branch are likely to remember Ernest “Rabbit” Howard, who counted being an educator and coach at several area schools among his many careers. After military service, being a night janitor and drug store clerk, working in a commercial bakery and more, Howard is best remembered for working at Portsmouth Catholic High School, Churchland High School and Western Branch High School. You can read more about him on page 14.

We wish you a warm and wonderful end of the summer.

God bless, Tracy Agnew, Editor

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

western branch magazine 7

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Fall Market

Your autumn feast of Western Branch delicacies, events and more

october-november 2018 • vol. 2, no. 6

Hot Dog! Hot eats and cool beats in Western Branch

june-july 2018 • vol. 2, no. 4

issuu.com/suffolk

Springtime Red berries and new eateries

april-may 2018 • vol. 2, no. 3

8 western branch magazine

around the branch

Chesapeake Romance Writers SEPTEMBER 14

The Chesapeake Romance Writers will meet from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake.

The chapter meeting starts at 10:30 a.m., with workshops at 12:30 p.m. Talk shop with Romance Writers of America. Adults 18 and up.

Call 410-7016.

western branch magazine 9 your voice at Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, from 4 to 5 p.m.

Fundamentals of American Sign Language will be taught for ages 6 to 11. Call 410-7024 for more information.

SEPTEMBER 24

The Mocha Authors Club will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. at Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake. Stop by the information desk to discover this month’s title featuring an African American author, then check out a copy and come back for the discussion. Ages 18 and up; call 410-7016.

SEPTEMBER 26

Western Branch Farmers Market

ONGOING

The Western Branch Farmers Market, the first independent farmer’s market in Chesapeake, will be open from noon to 4 p.m. each Sunday at Chesapeake Square Mall, 4200 Portsmouth Blvd. The market hosts a variety of local and regional producers and accepts applications for vendors throughout the season. For more information and updates, visit www.WBFarmMarket.com, find it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or email WesternBranchFarmersMarket@gmail.com.

ONGOING

Get your shag on with Boogie on the Bay Shag Club, a Portsmouth-based organization dedicated to promoting and preserving shag dancing and beach music. Weekly dance socials are held from 6 to 9:30 p.m. every Friday night at Big Woody’s Bar & Grill, 4200 Portsmouth Blvd. There is no cover, and new friends are always welcome. Free weekly Carolina Shag lessons are provided from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, also at Big Woody’s.

Visit www.boogieonthebay.com or call 9677740.

ONGOING

The Old Dominion University Tri-Cities Center, 1070 University Blvd., Portsmouth, has an exhibit of art from local public school students on display. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except university holidays.

ONGOING

The Dunedin Civic League meets monthly on the first Monday at the Aldersgate campus of New Creation United Methodist Church, 4320 Bruce Road, Chesapeake.

ONGOING

The Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, holds “Hot Topics” from 10 a.m. to noon every Wednesday. Come engage in conversation about current events

with other interested people.

AUGUST 16

The Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will hold “What A Yarn!” from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Bring your needles, yarn, patterns and unfinished projects to craft and hang out with fellow crafters. Call 410-7016.

AUGUST 22

Ages 6 to 11 can have fun with Hula Hoop Mania from 4 to 5 p.m. at Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake.

Discover old and new ways to play with hula hoops and develop physical skills, creativity and have fun with friends. Call 410-7024.

AUGUST 23

The Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will host an end-ofsummer party for students in grades 6 through 12 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Those who read at least 10 books and got a ticket to the party can come hang out and enjoy pizza and games. Register at 410-7024.

SEPTEMBER 5

The Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will host a “block party” from 4 to 5 p.m. for children ages 6 to 11 to play with building toys including Legos, K’nex, IO Blox and Straw Builders. Call 4107024.

SEPTEMBER 9

The Teen Advisory Group will meet from 6 to 7 p.m. at Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake. Ask a staff member for an application so you can get involved, build leadership skills and earn community service hours. Open to students in grades 6 to 12. Call 410-7024.

SEPTEMBER 10

Learn a whole new language without using

Junior and Tween STEAM will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. at Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake. Handson activities and fun will spark literacy and interest in science, technology, engineering, art and math. Ages 6-11; registration required. Call 410-7024.

SEPTEMBER 28

Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will host an afterhours mindfulness retreat from 7 to 9 p.m.

Experience an evening of meditation, music and mood lighting. Kids ages 6 and up will learn introductory yoga techniques, while adults will participate in a guided meditation session. Call 410-7016.

OCTOBER 3

The Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will host a “block party” from 4 to 5 p.m. for children ages 6 to 11 to play with building toys including Legos, K’nex, IO Blox and Straw Builders. Call 4107024.

OCTOBER 7

The Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will host a Switch Gaming Challenge from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Cheer on friends and battle other teens in multiplayer Nintendo Switch games like Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Mario Kart 8. Snacks will be provided. For grades 6 to 12.

OCTOBER 12

The Chesapeake Romance Writers will meet from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake.

The chapter meeting starts at 10:30 a.m., with workshops at 12:30 p.m. Talk shop with Romance Writers of America. Adults 18 and up. Call 410-7016.

OCTOBER 12

Western Branch High School Class of 2009 will have its 10-year reunion on the Spirit of Norfolk from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. The price is $85 and includes dinner buffet, two-hour cruise, DJ, dockside party, cash bar and more. Register on eventbrite.com.

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in the news

A cool grand opening at Blue Bell Suffolk city officials including Vice Mayor Leroy Bennett and Mayor Linda T. Johnson help cut the ribbon at the new Blue Bell Creameries distribution center in North Suffolk on July 10.

Story and Photos by Jimmy LaRoue

For the hundreds who turned out on July 10 for free ice cream and frozen treats as part of the ribbon cutting for Blue Bell Ice Cream’s distribution center in North Suffolk, it will likely be the coldest they will get all summer.

During tours of its new 14,000 squarefoot facility in the Northgate Commerce Park, people got to go onto the loading dock, which is kept at a cool 45 degrees.

Inside the 7,000-square-foot cold storage freezer used to store Blue Bell’s products, and the trucks used to deliver them, temperatures are kept at an even cooler -20 degrees.

But the stars of the tour were those scooping and passing out Blue Bell’s ice cream and other frozen treats, as company workers scooped hundreds of cups

of ice creams to eager children and adults looking to cool off on a hot day.

Before the ribbon cutting had even begun, dozens had already been inside Blue Bell to get free ice cream, and Blue Bell branch manager Mark Comer had to keep people from going inside to begin the ribbon cutting.

“I promise we have plenty of ice cream,” Comer shouted to the crowd outside.

And indeed, there was. Even with its freezer at only 40 percent of capacity, it was plenty for everyone there.

As for the formalities, Mayor Linda T. Johnson praised Blue Bell’s presence in Suffolk, and noted her freezer at home filled with Blue Bell ice cream. She said she appreciated the company’s trust in

Suffolk to locate in the city.

“This is such a great story,” Johnson said. “We take it very seriously that you chose to make this your home. And we take it very seriously the investment that you’ve made. This is not a small investment. This is a huge venture, and we are just so grateful, and so honored to be a part of the Blue Bell family.”

Johnson was one of numerous city officials who turned out for the ceremony.

Much of the City Council, City Manager Patrick Roberts, Economic Development Director Kevin Hughes and Assistant Economic Development Director Greg Byrd were also among those on hand.

“This is one of the bigger ribbon cuttings we’ve seen in quite some time,” Byrd told the Economic Development See BLUE BELL page 11

western branch magazine 11 BLUE BELL continued from page 10

Authority meeting Wednesday afternoon. It echoed comments from Comer, in which he said it was one of the larger turnouts of any Blue Bell opening that he could recall.

Blue Bell’s Suffolk location has 18 employees — most full time, but three of which are part-time workers. Comer said its capacity is more than enough space to hold all of the Blue Bell product that comes from one of its production facilities in Alabama, Oklahoma or Texas. It is then delivered to stores within a 70-mile radius of the city, as the company has “a pretty refined system of getting product in and getting product out.”

“If the day comes where we need a greater output, we could bump our capacity up if we needed to,” Comer said.

The company’s drivers, because they interact with customers and

Hundreds of warm people turned out for a cool treat at the July 10 opening of the new distribution center for Blue Bell Creameries.

See BLUE BELL page 12

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12 western branch magazine

Distinctive tan-and-white trucks with a blue and yellow logo deliver Blue Bell Ice Cream to stores in the Hampton Roads area.

BLUE BELL continued from page 11

have first-hand knowledge of what Blue Bell products are in demand to get out to stores, have more autonomy than most, according to Comer.

“Our drivers control 100 percent of the inventory that goes onto their truck and off of their truck,” Comer said. “When they finish up any given day, they can take a look at what they have on their truck. They know what they need the next day.

They place that order and it comes back here, and we pick that order piece by piece for them so that they can reload the truck and be ready for the next day.”

Access was a big selling point for Blue Bell to locate in Suffolk, as Comer cited the proximity to Nansemond Parkway and Interstate 664. Comer says the sky’s the limit for the company in the city and said it is ready to grow with the Hampton Roads and northeastern North Carolina regions.

“We’re just honored to celebrate the opening of this new branch,” Comer said. “We’re glad to say we have thrown anchor in Suffolk, and we plan to do business here for many, many years.”

Children and adults alike enjoyed a taste and a tour at the Blue Bell Creameries distribution center opening.

western branch magazine 13

TGIF

Families came out to Bennett’s Creek Park on July 26 for the TGIF Summer Concert. The band Soul Intent performed for the session as part of the annual summer concert series held

by Suffolk Parks & Recreation.

Carla Morse and Renee Grisham with dog Lilly Pad.

Gwen Jackson and Warren Lamb.

Jamie and Mason Fields with dog Tris.

Ted and Michelle Collette with Erica Wimberly and her 2-month-old Grace.

Suzanne Georgen with her 8-month-old Will.

Angie Sumner with her parents Celeste and Mike Prezioso and her 6-month-old daughter Elizabeth Sumner.

Cole, 11, and Izzy, 2; Tom Pooler with Isla, 2; Ashlea Pooler with Ollie, 5.

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feature story

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RABBIT REMEMBERS Story by Phyllis Speidell Photos by John H. Sheally II

Hopping a freight train to school and surviving on charity meals may not be typically fond childhood memories, but one local man can credit the experiences of his hardscrabble beginnings with shaping him into a well-respected educator and a locally legendary coach at Portsmouth Catholic, Churchland and Western Branch high schools.

Now 88 and comfortably retired in Churchland, Ernest “Rabbit” Howard looks back on his life and reflects, “Whenever my own foolish choices slammed a door, a window opened” — one of his numerous life adages, often earned the hard way.

Quick and agile, Howard is a World War II and Korean War-era Army veteran, a natural athlete and a survivor. He turned difficult, often dire, situations into success stories with a resilience that grew from his childhood in Newtown, then one of the poorest sections of Portsmouth.

The early 1950s construction of the Downtown Tunnel decimated Newtown, but the neighborhood lives on in the memories of those with roots there. They remember the poverty, but also the closeness, of the residents. Many of them worked in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and many others, Howard remembers, owed their survival to the Salvation Army.

“The Salvation Army carried us through the Depression, and I still can’t pass up a Salvation Army kettle,” Howard said.

The Newtown he remembers had a grocery store, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, a public playground and Bray’s pharmacy. The iceman and “Joe the baker” still made their deliveries via horse and wagon. Few, if any, doctors practiced in Newtown, so residents relied on Bray’s to treat their ailments. Howard also rememSee RABBIT page 16

16 western branch magazine RABBIT continued from page 15

bers neighbors coming to his paternal grandmother, who was half Nansemond Indian and known for her natural cures.

He and his younger sister, Shirley, lived with their grandmother.

“She was already aging when she raised us, but she had me on my knees every night, praying,” he said. “Every afternoon, she sent me to the shipyard when the Navy chefs set out all the day’s leftover food on long tables and we lined up with our pails to get our share. It was the 1930s Depression way of feeding the hungry and might be where the phrase “pot luck” came from.”

“The Navy yard was hiring three shifts a day and my grandmother rented out rooms, sometimes the same room to a worker on each shift,” Howard added.

“I never knew what I would find when I came home.”

At 11 years old, he was selling newspapers and shining shoes. At 14, he was a sparring partner and corner man for a local boxer. When another fighter on the smoker program at Norfolk’s old Center Theater failed to show, Howard found himself, in borrowed trunks and sneakers, facing a Navy boxer, a ship’s champion.

“After one minute, 34 seconds, I hit the floor and all the lights on Granby Street went out.” Howard said. “I woke up at the eight count and the ref had his hand on my back, holding me down — he saved my life. I earned $7 that night and six weeks later, I went back. Overall I won two matches, but lost a lot more.

“Living in Newtown you never realized you were poor until you left,” he said.

His realization came when he attended Woodrow Wilson High School with more affluent students.

“It was a long walk to Wilson, so we hitched rides on the freight train that ran right near the school. The officials kept trying to throw us off the train, but we got to be pretty good at avoiding them,” he said. “At Wilson, I was just ‘that Howard kid’ with too much to do at home and without the right clothes or interest to fit in.”

Ernest “Rabbit” Howard had many jobs in the Western Branch area over the years, including coaching the boys’ basketball team at Western Branch High School.

He dropped out early in 1946 to join the Army. When his clumsily altered birth certificate didn’t work, he enlisted for a two-year hitch with a draft card for which he had fibbed about his age. He was 15 years old and, he remembers, “They needed bodies in Europe.”

Months later, while he was in uniform in Germany with the Infantry’s 16th Rangers, his grandmother received truancy notices from Wilson High School. ”The German Army had surrendered, but no one else had, and we were fighting the remaining active Nazi cells and German youth gangs, cleaning up the mess after the army surrendered — something like Afghanistan today,” he said. “I still get upset about people thinking the Holocaust never happened, that it’s a myth.

Near Munich, I stood in front of the ovens, smelled it, saw the bodies outside.

Our job was to blow it all up until someone stopped us, saying it would be turned into a museum.”

Discharged in March 1948, he came

home to Portsmouth and, briefly, Wilson High School. As a 17-year-old freshman, he had “graduated from spitballs,” and dropped out again.

On a trip to Chatham, with a friend who hoped to attend Hargrave Military Academy, Howard decided to use his GI Bill to go there as well.

“I went home, packed my Army duffle bag and took a Greyhound bus back to Chatham,” he said. “The school set me up with used uniforms and a new dress uniform. I had been a sergeant in the Army but at Hargrave, I was the ragtag cadet, a private with upperclassmen telling me how to stand at attention. I was patient with it all, because I knew this was my last chance and that you cannot lead if you cannot follow.”

In 1950, he was in summer school, catching up academically, when North Korea invaded South Korea and, as an inactive reservist, he was recalled for 21 months of active duty. He helped train new recruits in the 11th Army Airborne.

See RABBIT page 17

western branch magazine 17 RABBIT continued from page 16

the kids and his athletes.”

When Howard retired in 1991, he became the night manager at the YMCA in Churchland. When he turned 80, he retired, again, to work at Sleepy Hole Golf Course.

Howard still swings a mean club and enjoys frequent visits and golf dates with his former students. His life has come a long way from that scrappy kid in Newtown, but he cherishes the memories that fueled the journey.

The Rangers baseball team was one of many coached by Rabbit Howard over the years.

Months later, shipped back to Germany as a radio operator, he was often the only enlisted man among officers who encouraged him to finish his education.

After his 1951 discharge, he graduated from Hargrave and went on to Virginia Tech and Richmond Professional Institute, now Virginia Commonwealth University, all on the G.I. Bill. He married Mable, the love of his life, when he was 20 and worked as a night janitor, a drug store clerk, a copy boy at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, in the Dan River textile mill and in a commercial bakery. He credits Mable with seeing him through what he believes was a PTSD-like condition from his first two years in the Army.

Education finally completed, he, Mable and their two daughters moved to Portsmouth in 1959. He taught physical education and coached basketball at Portsmouth Catholic High School, where he started a baseball program. In 1963, he moved to Churchland High School to teach geography and coach boys’ basketball. The principal, Frank Beck, asked that he start a golf program there.

“I didn’t even own a set of clubs, and my players taught me to play golf,” Howard remembers. “Elizabeth Manor was our home course and on my first shot, I put the ball into the pro shop. The players laughed, but we won the state championship.”

In 1968, Western Branch High School opened. Howard and Art Brandriff both left Churchland High to join the new school’s faculty. Howard joined to teach government and coach basketball, cross-country and golf, and become the athletic director. Brandriff, who served as assistant principal and principal for 40 years at Western Branch, remembers that Howard made an impact because “Rabbit is a people person, thought a lot of the kids and understood the game.”

“Everybody loved Rabbit,” agreed Ann Klein, the long-time Western Branch High school secretary. “He really cared about

Rabbit Howard shows off his letter from President Harry Truman acknowledging his military service.

Savor the Last Sweets of the Summer!

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through the lens: Raven Speight

Raven Speight, 14, lives in the Western Branch area and found photography to be a passion of hers about two years ago. She prefers to focus on lighting and blur to make her photos more interesting. She loves to photograph nature and enjoys how photos capture life’s precious moments, both small and big.

If you’d like to see your photos featured on this page, send an email to news@ westernbranchmagazine.com. We work with amateurs, professionals and everyone in between.

western branch magazine 19

where am i?

I

n each edition the Western Branch Magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts, testing how much of Western Branch you really know. We photograph some location in Western Branch 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@westernbranchmagazine.com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card.

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

Go out and enjoy Western Branch!

20 western branch magazine

Paradise for learning and enjoying nature Story and Photos by Alex Perry

Western Branch residents only need to take a short drive to enjoy Paradise Creek Nature Park in Portsmouth, where a new playground has been added to help foster young environmental stewards.

The Elizabeth River Project and the city of Portsmouth opened Paradise Creek Nature Park in December 2012. The city operates the 40-acre site as a public park, and it also serves as a companion education site to the Elizabeth River Project’s Learning Barge, according to paradisecreek.elizabethriver.org.

The park features walking trails, a kayak launch, restored wetlands and the Fred W. Beazley River Academy, “the greenest little building in Portsmouth.”

Portsmouth also welcomed its greenest playground at an Earth Day celebration on April 27 this year, when the ribbon was cut for the TowneBank River Playground at Paradise Creek Nature Park. The playground features musical instruments, climbing structures, a wooden ship, an outdoor learning classroom and a Little Free Library.

According to Mark Palamarchuck, director of Portsmouth’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, said most of the materials used were plastic or unfinished locust wood.

Stumps from trees that were removed from the playground site are now seats in the outdoor learning classroom. Norfolk-based artist Peter Geiger produced artwork for the playground, including murals that show the ecology and history of the Elizabeth River.

These murals are useful learning tools for field trips at Paradise Creek, according to Elizabeth River Project Executive Director Marjorie Mayfield Jackson.

The park was handed over to the city of Portsmouth with the playground’s completion, according to Mayfield Jackson, who emphasized how the park allows for “untold amounts” of volunteer and education opportunities for young people.

“They’re going to be introduced to the Elizabeth River through the murals and the river otters,” she said. “It’s a balance of nature and man, which is what the Elizabeth River is all about.”

See PARADISE page 22

Justin Green, 17, and Hailey Wilson, 17, of Woodrow Wilson High School and Vernon Ballard, 16, of I.C. Norcom High School are rising seniors and youth conservation interns this summer at Paradise Creek Nature Park.

western branch magazine 21

22 western branch magazine

Paradise Creek Nature Park youth conservation interns Justin Green, 17, Hailey Wilson, 17, and Vernon Ballard, 16, with Yolima Carr, conservation landscape curator for the Elizabeth River Project, beside a compost box that’s under their construction.

PARADISE continued from page 20

Children today live in “concrete jungles” and are glued to their devices, she said, and studies have shown that being in the outdoors helps improve their concentration and overall mental health.

“It gives children a love of nature from a very young age, which is key to becoming lifelong stewards of the environment,” she said.

The Elizabeth River Project plans to further expand its education and recreational programs at Paradise Creek. Earlier this spring, for instance, 500 pre-kindergarten students came to the park for a Junior Ornithology field trip. According to Yolima Carr, conservation landscape curator for the Elizabeth River Project, the students learned to identify common birds at the park, including red-winged black birds, American robins and great blue See PARADISE page 23

The TowneBank River Playground at Paradise Creek Nature Park welcomes youngsters with a host of fun play activities made with environmentally friendly materials.

western branch magazine 23

Talise Carter, 13, with her siblings Mer’sei Carter, 6, and Helena Carter, 1, enjoy TowneBank River Playground at Paradise Creek Nature Park.

PARADISE continued from page 22

A wooden ship at the TowneBank River Playground is one of the environmentally friendly playthings at the park.

herons.

They also were given blueberry plants to grow in their classrooms.

“Teachers explained that many birds eat berries such as blueberries and that they would help the birds at Paradise Creek Nature Park by growing the plants and planting them during their spring field trip,” Carr wrote in an email.

Youth conservation interns from Portsmouth Public Schools and through the NextGen Regional Internship Program are planting and assisting Carr with various other projects at the park this summer. They’re planting different native species, removing invasive ones and building a compost box.

It’s not easy work in the heat and humidity this summer, but it’s also “therapeutic” to see the fruits of their labor, said Hailey Wilson, a 17-year-old rising senior at Woodrow Wilson High School.

“We can make a big impact on the world, and it starts small — with just one plant,” Hailey said. “It can go a long way if you help it grow.”

24 western branch magazine

TAKING A TRIP? Take a Western Branch Magazine with you

l a v i t s e F h s Poli ruin le B ture b a t a no eel fu And Tar H a with

june

-july

o.

3, n vol. • 9 201

Send us your travel photos with a copy of Western Branch Magazine. We'd love to publish them.

4

western branch magazine 25

How do you see Western Branch?

Submit your photos to Through the Lens

news@suffolklivingmag.com

26 western branch magazine

Last Edition’s Where Am I? A dozen readers knew the correct where am i? location of our June-July Where Am I? challenge. The playful kitten right above the “B” on the Western Branch Veterinary Hospital sign at 3320 Taylor Road was featured.

Sharen Reichard was among those who knew the location, and she was randomly I selected to win a $25 gift card for her keen eye and sharp knowledge of Western Branch. See page 19 for this edition’s challenge! western branch magazine 17

n each edition the Western Branch Magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts, testing how much of Western Branch you really know. We photograph some location in Western Branch 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@westernbranchmagazine.com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card.

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

Go out and enjoy Western Branch!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 | 11AM - 5PM Main Street - Historic Downtown Suffolk

Featuring Signature Flavors from Suffolk’s Independent Eateries Beer Garden Hosted by Brick & Mortar Brewing Co. | Free & Open to the Public

Music

11am-12:30pm The Groove Train 1-2:30pm Pete Kilpatrick 3-5pm Fox and the Bear

Faith-based Preschool in the Heart of Western Branch!

Merchants | Exhibitors New Vehicle Exhibition Children’ s Area 757.514.7267 suffolkva.us/tasteofsuffolk

PERFECT EYEBROWS

TRANSFORMING LIVES ONE MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE AT A TIME.

NOW ENROLLING AGES AS OF SEPTEMBER 2019

2 ½ Year Old 2 Days a Week �������������������� $175 3 Year Old 2 Days a Week ������������������������ $175 3 Days a Week ������������������������ $210 4 Year Old 3 Days a Week ������������������������ $210 5 Days a Week ������������������������ $250

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western branch magazine 27

scrapbook

In 1939, the U.S. Navy leased a 616-acre portion of the Monogram Farm to construct an Outlying Landing Field near Driver to support training at nearby Norfolk Naval Air Station. In 1941, the Navy purchased the property and began training on grass runways. Monogram had four sod runways and a single hangar with a control tower at one corner. The barracks could accommodate 230 people. In 1944, the Seabees installed a catapult and arresting system with a 1,500-foot paved runway on the north side of the grass runways. The airfield was closed at the end of World War II, but the site continued as a Naval Radio Transmitting Facility. In 1994, the facility was shut down and the land given to the city of Suffolk.

— COURTESY OF “PENINSULA IN PASSAGE,” BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, JOHN H. SHEALLY II AND KARLA SMITH

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6550 Hampton Roads Pkwy, #113 • Suffolk, VA 23435 • thecovevets.com Jeff Stallings, DVM, DACVS • Merrilee Small, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology) Jacqueline Nobles, DVM, DACVECC • Colleen Fox, DVM