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St. Patrick in Virginia
Alexandria 28th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade 2009
Saturday, March 7 Step off 12 noon
The 2009 Grand Marshal will be Mr. James V. Kimsey,Founding CEO of America Online (AOL).
42nd Annual Norfolk Saint Patrick's Day Parade in 2009
Saturday, March 14
The Parade steps off at 10:00am. Don't miss the After Parade Party, presented by the Columbian Club of Ocean View starting, at noon at the Knights of Columbus Lot featuring live bands: F.A.B. and Hot Cakes. Plenty of food and refreshments will be available as well.
24th Annual Richmond Saint Patrick's Parade March 21st, 10 AM
(Church Hill St. Patrick's Day Festival 2009)
March 21st and 22nd - The festival begins Saturday at 10:00 a.m with a the walking parade to include traditional Irish music and dancing. The celebration will continue with a street festival in front of St. Patrick’s Church on North 25th Street between Broad and Franklin Streets and will run from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm on Saturday and 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sunday.
McDonald's Roanoke St. Patrick's Day Parade 2009
Saturday March 14th Parade Line-up begins 10:30am. Check-in corner of Albemarle Ave.and Jefferson Street. Southeast's 2nd largest Parade!
7th Spotsylvania County St. Patrick's Day Parade 2009
Saturday , March 14 @ 10.00 am
The 7th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade includes fire trucks, classic cars, high school marching band, community organizations, Irish dancers, horses, military equipment and local pageant winners. Parade down Main St. in Bowman Center.
Saturday, March 7 Step off 12 noon
The 2009 Grand Marshal will be Mr. James V. Kimsey,Founding CEO of America Online (AOL).
42nd Annual Norfolk Saint Patrick's Day Parade in 2009
Saturday, March 14
The Parade steps off at 10:00am. Don't miss the After Parade Party, presented by the Columbian Club of Ocean View starting, at noon at the Knights of Columbus Lot featuring live bands: F.A.B. and Hot Cakes. Plenty of food and refreshments will be available as well.
24th Annual Richmond Saint Patrick's Parade March 21st, 10 AM
(Church Hill St. Patrick's Day Festival 2009)
March 21st and 22nd - The festival begins Saturday at 10:00 a.m with a the walking parade to include traditional Irish music and dancing. The celebration will continue with a street festival in front of St. Patrick’s Church on North 25th Street between Broad and Franklin Streets and will run from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm on Saturday and 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sunday.
McDonald's Roanoke St. Patrick's Day Parade 2009
Saturday March 14th Parade Line-up begins 10:30am. Check-in corner of Albemarle Ave.and Jefferson Street. Southeast's 2nd largest Parade!
7th Spotsylvania County St. Patrick's Day Parade 2009
Saturday , March 14 @ 10.00 am
The 7th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade includes fire trucks, classic cars, high school marching band, community organizations, Irish dancers, horses, military equipment and local pageant winners. Parade down Main St. in Bowman Center.
Give me Liberty or Give me Death
On Sunday, March 22nd, the Anniversary Reenactment of the Second Virginia Convention (1775) will be held at St. John's Church in Richmond courtesy of the Patrick Henry Committee. (Sunday, March 23, 1775 was the actual date of the original liberty declaration)
Professional actors in 1770s attire portray ten of the “founding fathers” who participated in the animated convention debates culminating in Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech.
The historical reenactment is preceded by a patriotic music program performed on the rare Adam Stein organ and a voluntary donation is collected at the end of each performance. Reenactments last approximately 45 minutes.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
1:00 p.m. Free tickets are distributed at the front door
1:15 p.m. Seating begins
1:30 p.m. Music program
2:00 p.m. Reenactment
Let me know if you are going to be there and I'll save you a seat. I plan to get there very early because there are just a tad over 300 places upon which to sit.
Professional actors in 1770s attire portray ten of the “founding fathers” who participated in the animated convention debates culminating in Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech.
The historical reenactment is preceded by a patriotic music program performed on the rare Adam Stein organ and a voluntary donation is collected at the end of each performance. Reenactments last approximately 45 minutes.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
1:00 p.m. Free tickets are distributed at the front door
1:15 p.m. Seating begins
1:30 p.m. Music program
2:00 p.m. Reenactment
Let me know if you are going to be there and I'll save you a seat. I plan to get there very early because there are just a tad over 300 places upon which to sit.
Father & Son find each other in Petersburg
(This story was in the Richmond Times-Dispatch and I just had to share!)
"For most of his life, an unsolved mystery lingered in the back of Petersburg police Sgt. Chris Walker's mind.
Then one day at work, he began hearing a name that rang familiar: Claiborne Hamilton -- a Richmond police veteran and newly hired detective at the Petersburg Bureau of Police.
The name was similar to one revealed, after the death of the grandmother who had raised Walker, as that of his real father. Walker researched the name on the Internet but didn't find anyone who fit the profile.
But Detective Clay Hamilton did.
Following up on his hunch, Walker visited Hamilton's desk and casually asked him some questions. He found that Hamilton was 53, about the right age and -- matching up with his mother's account -- grew up in the Richmond area, hung out with people in Goochland County and dated a girl named Billie Joe.
Walker, 37, spoke to his mother on the phone that night and told her generally about Hamilton. She insisted that his father's first name was Clayton, not Claiborne.
Walker then asked if she knew a Billie Joe Walker.
"There was a pause on the phone, and she said, 'That's your dad,'" Walker said, referring to Hamilton. Billie Joe was his mother's old nickname, coming from Bobbie Gentry's 1967 song "Ode to Billie Joe."
Walker then called Hamilton and told him, "I think you're my father."
"It shocked me, but I always believed that there may have been a possibility at the time," Hamilton said. "When I first talked to him on the phone, I cried."
Results of a DNA test came back a week and a half ago and confirmed that the two Petersburg police officers, who never met each other before working together, are father and son.
Hamilton said he had a brief romance with Walker's mother when he was 15. She was a few years older and separated from her husband at the time.
Hamilton said he lost touch with her after she became pregnant, went back to her husband and moved away. He said he tried to locate her and the baby he suspected was his son, but was unsuccessful.
Despite the separation, Hamilton and Walker followed similar paths in life, including stints in the military and choosing to work for urban police departments despite growing up in the suburbs.
They have spent the past month getting to know each other's families: Walker's wife and 5-year-old son, and Hamilton's wife, 12-year-old son, 35-year-old daughter and granddaughter, 8. They plan to have a family get-together that will include Walker's mother.
"I feel like we've got a lot of time that we've missed. Of course you can't ever make up for lost time. We're going to do what we can to make it up," Hamilton said.
Walker credits faith, as well as fate, for bringing them together.
"There's no hard feelings from me because I knew he did everything he could to locate me. He's my dad, and I love him, and I look forward to a lot of years with him," Walker said. "God works in mysterious ways."
"For most of his life, an unsolved mystery lingered in the back of Petersburg police Sgt. Chris Walker's mind.
Then one day at work, he began hearing a name that rang familiar: Claiborne Hamilton -- a Richmond police veteran and newly hired detective at the Petersburg Bureau of Police.
The name was similar to one revealed, after the death of the grandmother who had raised Walker, as that of his real father. Walker researched the name on the Internet but didn't find anyone who fit the profile.
But Detective Clay Hamilton did.
Following up on his hunch, Walker visited Hamilton's desk and casually asked him some questions. He found that Hamilton was 53, about the right age and -- matching up with his mother's account -- grew up in the Richmond area, hung out with people in Goochland County and dated a girl named Billie Joe.
Walker, 37, spoke to his mother on the phone that night and told her generally about Hamilton. She insisted that his father's first name was Clayton, not Claiborne.
Walker then asked if she knew a Billie Joe Walker.
"There was a pause on the phone, and she said, 'That's your dad,'" Walker said, referring to Hamilton. Billie Joe was his mother's old nickname, coming from Bobbie Gentry's 1967 song "Ode to Billie Joe."
Walker then called Hamilton and told him, "I think you're my father."
"It shocked me, but I always believed that there may have been a possibility at the time," Hamilton said. "When I first talked to him on the phone, I cried."
Results of a DNA test came back a week and a half ago and confirmed that the two Petersburg police officers, who never met each other before working together, are father and son.
Hamilton said he had a brief romance with Walker's mother when he was 15. She was a few years older and separated from her husband at the time.
Hamilton said he lost touch with her after she became pregnant, went back to her husband and moved away. He said he tried to locate her and the baby he suspected was his son, but was unsuccessful.
Despite the separation, Hamilton and Walker followed similar paths in life, including stints in the military and choosing to work for urban police departments despite growing up in the suburbs.
They have spent the past month getting to know each other's families: Walker's wife and 5-year-old son, and Hamilton's wife, 12-year-old son, 35-year-old daughter and granddaughter, 8. They plan to have a family get-together that will include Walker's mother.
"I feel like we've got a lot of time that we've missed. Of course you can't ever make up for lost time. We're going to do what we can to make it up," Hamilton said.
Walker credits faith, as well as fate, for bringing them together.
"There's no hard feelings from me because I knew he did everything he could to locate me. He's my dad, and I love him, and I look forward to a lot of years with him," Walker said. "God works in mysterious ways."
Happy Crossover Week!
This is one of the most important weeks during the whole legislative session:
It's Crossover Week!
Crossover is the deadline for each house of the Virginia General Assembly to act on its own legislation. Any House bill that doesn’t make it out of the House by crossover is officially dead.
Don't cha just love the Commonwealth!
(me too)
It's Crossover Week!
Crossover is the deadline for each house of the Virginia General Assembly to act on its own legislation. Any House bill that doesn’t make it out of the House by crossover is officially dead.
Don't cha just love the Commonwealth!
(me too)
Richmond Ex Party
Here's an interesting thing to do if you're in Richmond for Valentines Day.
Sharky’s Bar is throwing a ‘I’d Rather be Single Than With My Ex’ Party.’
What you do is bring a picture of your Ex and they will pin it to the dart board for target practice. Get all those frustrations out, baby!
Romantic? Not so much, but it does sound like great fun for those Virginians who are between engagements, if you catch my drift.
Live music and dancing and there is not cover charge.
Sharky’s Bar is throwing a ‘I’d Rather be Single Than With My Ex’ Party.’
What you do is bring a picture of your Ex and they will pin it to the dart board for target practice. Get all those frustrations out, baby!
Romantic? Not so much, but it does sound like great fun for those Virginians who are between engagements, if you catch my drift.
Live music and dancing and there is not cover charge.
Virginia Wine Expo 2009
February 27, 28th & March 1st
Three-day event showcasing Virginia's best wineries, restaurants, chefs and specialty foods. Hundreds of epicurean delights over one delicious weekend!
Here is the Virginia Wine Expo link:
view link
Three-day event showcasing Virginia's best wineries, restaurants, chefs and specialty foods. Hundreds of epicurean delights over one delicious weekend!
Here is the Virginia Wine Expo link:
view link
Please Rally for Clean Water
If you've ever wanted to give your legislators a piece of your mind about preserving the Chesapeake Bay and the Commonwealth's rivers, you will have your chance on January 26th!
If you are all for healthy water with thriving bay grasses and millions of baby crabs hiding among the blades, a gleaming, clear James River and enough native Virginia oysters to naturally filter all of Virginia's waterways, please get involved. (Yes, those little creatures do clean the water! who knew)
With tightening finances and state funding cuts, we need to fight for the Bay. We need to make sure Virginia's rivers and the Bay are a priority when the decisions are made in 2009.
Come share in the vision for a restored Bay on January 26, 2009 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Rally for Clean Water and CBF's Lobby Day. Make sure your elected officials understand the importance of protecting all of Virginia’s rivers and streams.
With the help of more than 50 partner organizations, momentum is building for the Rally. We'll gather in the morning, then proceed on foot to Capitol Square for a one-hour event. Once there, we'll let decision makers know that many Virginians care about the future of our rivers and streams.
Governor Tim Kaine will be joining in on the Rally.
In the afternoon, those interested will have the opportunity to learn more about the Bay's problems (and the solutions!) and talk with senators and delegates directly.
Your elected officials need to hear about YOUR vision for the Bay.
Click here to register.
view link
If you are all for healthy water with thriving bay grasses and millions of baby crabs hiding among the blades, a gleaming, clear James River and enough native Virginia oysters to naturally filter all of Virginia's waterways, please get involved. (Yes, those little creatures do clean the water! who knew)
With tightening finances and state funding cuts, we need to fight for the Bay. We need to make sure Virginia's rivers and the Bay are a priority when the decisions are made in 2009.
Come share in the vision for a restored Bay on January 26, 2009 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Rally for Clean Water and CBF's Lobby Day. Make sure your elected officials understand the importance of protecting all of Virginia’s rivers and streams.
With the help of more than 50 partner organizations, momentum is building for the Rally. We'll gather in the morning, then proceed on foot to Capitol Square for a one-hour event. Once there, we'll let decision makers know that many Virginians care about the future of our rivers and streams.
Governor Tim Kaine will be joining in on the Rally.
In the afternoon, those interested will have the opportunity to learn more about the Bay's problems (and the solutions!) and talk with senators and delegates directly.
Your elected officials need to hear about YOUR vision for the Bay.
Click here to register.
view link
Happy New Year from Virginia!
Well where the heck did those 12 months go?!!
Please share what you're going to be up to on New Year's eve so that anyone else that is as behind schedule as I am might get some last minute suggestions.
One cool thing in the Richmond area, besides the Carytown street bash, is a James Bond New Year's Eve Party at Popkin Tavern on W. Broad Street. The Bond party benefits a cancer charity and you must come dressed as your favorite spy, villain or bond-girl (a tux/cocktail dress will get you in).
Tickets are $35 at the door, but early planning types saved ten of that by purchasing in advance. Cost of the ticket includes 2 drinks (your choice), heavy appetizer buffet & hors d'oeuvres with a champagne toast.
Did I mention prizes? There are prizes, too... like Scuba Lessons, Rock Climbing, Aikido Lessons, Annual Shooting Range Membership, Gold's Gym Memberships, Indy Car Weekend Tickets at RIR and even some cash!!!
Popkin Tavern
123 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23274
(804) 343-1909
Just an idea if you aren't doing anything.
Any other cool events you know of happening around the Commonwealth?
Please share what you're going to be up to on New Year's eve so that anyone else that is as behind schedule as I am might get some last minute suggestions.
One cool thing in the Richmond area, besides the Carytown street bash, is a James Bond New Year's Eve Party at Popkin Tavern on W. Broad Street. The Bond party benefits a cancer charity and you must come dressed as your favorite spy, villain or bond-girl (a tux/cocktail dress will get you in).
Tickets are $35 at the door, but early planning types saved ten of that by purchasing in advance. Cost of the ticket includes 2 drinks (your choice), heavy appetizer buffet & hors d'oeuvres with a champagne toast.
Did I mention prizes? There are prizes, too... like Scuba Lessons, Rock Climbing, Aikido Lessons, Annual Shooting Range Membership, Gold's Gym Memberships, Indy Car Weekend Tickets at RIR and even some cash!!!
Popkin Tavern
123 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23274
(804) 343-1909
Just an idea if you aren't doing anything.
Any other cool events you know of happening around the Commonwealth?
Emergency gift wrap advice
When you click on the link below, it takes you to a pdf that shows you how to use your newspaper as a last resort for emergency last minute gift wrap.
Sounds cheesy, I know, but it looks really cute. (compliments of the Richmond Times Dispatch)
ho ho ho
view link
Sounds cheesy, I know, but it looks really cute. (compliments of the Richmond Times Dispatch)
ho ho ho
view link
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Bet all you fellow Virginians have frost on your pumpkins now!
How are you "weathering" the cooooooooooooooool evenings?
How are you "weathering" the cooooooooooooooool evenings?
