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The Alleghany Traveler: Calypso Is A Jewel
Bath County Prom Notes; Real Bricks; DSLCC's Graduation; Tourism; I-64 Exit; & More

 
First, a note of sincere thanks. Miss Calypso, my trusty horse, hasn't complained at all about my demands for vastly increased travel lately. She's been to Hot Springs, nearly to Paint Bank, Eagle Rock, Longdale and Hematite. Sheesh.

Thank heavens for good farriers, without whom we just couldn't function. Oh, I can put a shoe back on if I must and I'm able to keep the leather leads and reins supple, but other than a hefty bag of carrots that I always keep in my hansom, I do not possess the fine skills of the people who know best how to care for horse hoofs.

We trotted up to the Homestead on Saturday to watch all the Bath County High School prom-goers come to the front steps, arriving in a multiplicity of vehicles, not the least interesting of which was a hay wagon!

There were classic cars and classy cars and trucks, and even one massive dual stack exhaust diesel semi that deposited the kids out front.

I'm getting old...now I know for sure, because I simply don't remember the girls in my high school class looking that sharp. Well, maybe they were and my memory has faded. The number one thing I remember about MY high school prom is that I simply could NOT find a way to keep my big, pointy ears from sticking out like Dumbo the Elephant. Oh, well.

It was an almost perfect evening too: moderate temperature, light wind, plenty of sun. Mother Nature was cooperating.

At any rate, there were more smiles at that front entrance than you could find at an ice cream shop. Also present was a couple HUNDRED parents, friends and well-wishers who either wanted to get a cool photo or was curious about all the beautiful dresses on display. There was a wide variety, no doubt about it.

(Another AlleghanyJournal.com staffer was on hand to "film" the scene. In case you missed it, you may find it HERE)

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After that brief Homestead visit, Calypso and I took a hard right and did a brief "tour" of "downtown" Hot Springs. The shops look great and one fellow told me "Psst, Traveler, Sam Snead's Tavern has a new owner and the food is excellent!" Alas, I didn't have time for all that, I wanted to get home before the sun went down because some folks drive like wild men on the portion of Rte. 220 south back to Covington. Yes, I've got one of those reflective, triangle type thingies on the back of my carriage, but that probably wouldn't help much if a Dodge Ram rammed us.

I must note that this particular stretch of road is a great place to get "pinched" by the Virginia State Police.

But one more short note about Hot Springs: the sidewalks are REAL brick pavers, put down in a first class manner. It creates the impression of not just quaintness, but quality, for as you well know, bricks will last a couple hundred years with very little maintenance.

As I looked down at those beautiful sidewalks, I was reminded of the phony brick-like crosswalks that Clifton Forge "installed" a few years ago - most of which ended up exactly as I thought: poor looking. Creating lines in the pavement INSTEAD of doing the job right was a mistake. I once volunteered to pay for the cost of ALL the bricks at one key intersection, but that offer was totally ignored. Clifton Forge has many nice aspects and many improvements have been made over the course of the last few years. All it would have taken was a small bit of "salesmanship" to get folks to cough up the money to have those jobs done right...but none was attempted. This is odd, indeed, because the downtown lights are some of the nicest you will find any place in the country.

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A friend of mine - yes, I still have one or two left - recently opined that the Clifton Forge I64 exit at DSLCC/Selma needs some work. I agree. Said he, "When the weeds get up, this looks like the exits off I-64 in West Virginia!" Oh, but he was wrong there, for many of the West Virginia exits look FAR better.

Virginia communities all across the state are increasingly dedicated to making their "corridors" look much better. Since VDOT normally owns the land within the exit ramps, that is the organization we must look to for initiatives to make things look better. I guess that creating some kind of a plan to make our entrances and exits look classy would be the best way to approach this. I must note one other item: there are a number of local people and organizations which have "adopted" certain stretches of area highways and work regularly to pick up trash and other debris along them. These people are JEWELS of public service. They should get a big banquet each year and at least a great photo, for without them, this place might start looking like parts of the AutoStrada in Italy.

Make me a General District Court judge for a week: after I issued about 50 fines of $500 each for drivers throwing out their trash on our roadways, and the word would get out REAL fast that this kind of lower class behavior is completely unacceptable.

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It was raining big time on Friday night. One might have thought that, like many other events, rain might have suppressed the DSLCC graduation turnout. Wrong! The crowd packed the Convocation Center and were treated to dual "jumbotron" displays (courtesy of the Lee Hartman & Sons company of Roanoke) that gave even the worst seat in the place a "clear view" of the action. DSLCC's Billy Ould (and crew) got all the sound devices set up perfectly and UNLIKE many of our local governments and at least one school board, voices could be heard.

And what would any decent graduation ceremony be without a few speeches? Highly unusual. Therefore, several were made. DSLCC's president, John Rainone made a good one and best of all, didn't bore everybody to tears with unusual length. He was even funny. (To listen to most of it, click here).

The "top dog" of the Virginia Community College System, Glenn DuBois showed up too. His story about going from washing dishes to his present status was interesting. Hopefully, his words were inspirational to many: yes, you can start out very humbly and yes, if you'll just get off your duff, work hard and do what your mother tells you, you can make it big time. (To listen to DuBois' speech, click here)

So, on the one hand "Dabney" (as what most of us old regulars call the college) did a great job at the 2017 graduation exercises, it completely knocked the ball out of the park with its recent capital campaign with a $4.2 MILLION tally. That was no accident folks. Far from it. Over the course of many years of surveying the local news scene here, your correspondent has never seen a better run, more thorough effort.

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I'm not prepared to say that "all hell will break loose" on June 6th, then again I'm not prepared to say it won't. That's the day of the budget public hearing for Alleghany County, where folks on both sides of the county pay issue may have their say. During the past two budget work sessions, Sheriff's Department employees and Regional Jail employees (and their supporters) have done a good job of laying out their concerns and requests for a pay hike. Sheriff Kevin Hall wants a $1500 pay hike for all of his workers, for example.

It does seem like there is now a majority on the Board of Supervisors to make that happen - but it has NOT happened yet. By putting out a revised budget with a proposed 2 cent (from .71 to .73 or about 2.8%) real estate rate increase, that news might cause some strong citizen reaction, which is normally formally expressed at the budget public hearing.

So, hold on to your hats on that day!

There's other action on June 6th in Bath County, as some officials are slated to look at some aspects of a proposed pipeline which has caused not a little controversy too.

I'm gonna park Calypso at the rear of the county administration building's parking lot so we can ride off quickly with any big news that results from the budget public hearing. I'll also ask a member of the staff to do some video so many of you may SEE what transpires!

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It's always good to end on a positive note. It appears that meals tax collections by area governments are trending upwards. While that may be a sign that more local folks are eating out these days (and I don't doubt it), it's normally a sign of more tourism. More tourism is a total no-brainer for a rural community like ours, bringing in much-needed tax dollars without any serious continuing costs. Great! The new corridor signs recently erected by the area Chamber of Commerce look very nice too. They do a good job of welcoming tourists and that kind of a classy display starts any visit off right.

Try to do YOUR part by giving folks good directions when they ask. Help them out with information they might need, please.

And if any need serious or intensive background data on local news happenings...well, send them to me for a comprehensive breakdown!

I look forward to seeing all of you right here again next Sunday!



 
 
 

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