Hoedown for the Shenandoah

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You don’t have to be a hardcore fisherman or boater to go. Maybe you just like to walk your dog on Tilthammer Mill or Lockes Mill Road, or maybe you just admire the Shenandoah River when you drive over it. Regardless of how or why you treasure the river, you’re invited to a hoedown celebration and fundraiser at George Ohrstrom’s Barn Camden, 400 Sunny Canyon Lane, Boyce. The event takes place Saturday, October 25, 4pm till twilight.

The hoedown will be filled with country shenanigans like cornhole, Best Camo King & Queen contest, hay bale throwing, music and dancing, local brews, and a pig pickin’.

The nonprofit Shenandoah Riverkeeper, a branch of Potomac Riverkeeper Network, is dedicated to the protection and preservation of the Shenandoah River throughout Virginia. “People in the Valley have very fond feelings for the river and many are drawn to it,” said Shenandoah Riverkeeper Jeff Kelble, who founded the effort in 2005 and is now president of Potomac Riverkeeper Network. “We like to think of our event as a way that our friends can enjoy a fun afternoon and express their interest in protecting this river.”

Shenandoah Riverkeeper’s mission is to assess major pollution threats and maximize pollution reduction by seeking polluter compliance with environmental laws, governmental reform, lawmaking, and community action in order to enhance and protect public use of the Shenandoah.

“This event is our first full-blown fundraiser after operating in Clarke County for nine years,” said Kelble. “We have put together what we hope will be a fun event, one that is also designed to support the work we do to protect and enhance the iconic Shenandoah River.”

Kelble says that in nine years the organization has amassed quite a few “feathers in our hat,” including sweeping regulatory improvements in construction-site pollution controls, poultry manure use, and urban runoff. “We have discovered and eliminated the illegal pollution from nearly a dozen major sources, and we have worked with dozens of landowners to bring better winter feeding and manure storage practices as well as stream fencing,” said Kelble.

Potomac Riverkeeper Network is funded entirely by private donors and foundations, notes Kelble. “In 13 years of operation, the Network has received just one small government grant. We feel this is critical because when it’s time to take positions on difficult issues, we don’t want to have to think of which governmental organization or business we might not get funding from next year as a result. We also feel this makes our advocacy very community driven.”

For information visit http://potomacriverkeeper.org/harvesthoedown.

Clarke County Community Band Brings Music to the Valley

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By Claire Stuart

 

“Music is the universal language of mankind.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Every culture has its music. It brings communities together, whether to play or to listen, and it is with us at every important event, from weddings to funerals and everything in between.

The Clarke County Community Band, sponsored by the Clarke County Board of Supervisors, the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, has been spreading music across the Shenandoah Valley for over 20 years.

Clyde Crosswell served as Conductor from the band’s inception in 1992 until 2000. He recalls that he was working with the high school band when some students, teachers, parents and community members expressed that they would like to get together and have a band. The music bug bites many people when they are still in grade school, and they go on to play in their high schools bands. But after high school, there are few opportunities to continue playing for those who don’t become professional musicians.

Crosswell himself began playing saxophone in the 5th grade and never left music behind. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and became a member of the U. S. Marine Corps Band, first as a player, then as a conductor, and eventually became its Director of Music. He served for 29 years, including the Viet Nam War.

The community band started with about 25-30 members and has grown to over 50, with 40 or more players participating in any given concert. It includes players of all ages, ranging from high-schoolers to seniors, at all playing levels and with various musical backgrounds.

Steve Stephens, Associate Conductor 1995-2009, also brought military band experience into the community band. A 28-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he served as Drum Major of the United States Air Force Band.

Former Conductor (2000-2009) John Ford was a music educator in public schools for 38 years.

Larry Correll, Conductor for the past four years, is a percussionist and organist with 40 years as a church musician and music educator. He is organist at the First Baptist Church in Winchester and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Education at Shenandoah University.

Jessica Tavenner teaches music at Boyce Elementary. In addition, she is Assistant Director for the Clarke County High School Marching Band. She took a break from the community band to accompany the marching band during their season but intends to return in November when the marching band season is done.

“I love our community band and have been in it off and on since I was in 7th grade,” she says. “I was Assistant Band Director for a while and now I am back to playing trumpet.”

Crosswell says that the band was founded to be inclusive. Anyone who wants to play in the band is welcome. There are no auditions and no membership fees.

“If they want to play, the band finds a place for them,” says Crosswell. “They find out themselves if they can make it or not, and some might decide it’s not for them. They self-select.”

The band tries to play one concert a month, and sometimes two, according to Conductor Correll. They have played at churches, schools and retirement communities, at the Balloon Festival, Apple Blossom Festival, and everywhere that there is celebration. Dixie Rhythm is a smaller subgroup of the band that plays jazz and plays for community groups at no charge. There is also a brass group that plays periodically at concerts.

Correll says that the band plays a variety of familiar pop music from l940s to the l980s and beyond, and patriotic tunes like God Bless America. They also feature a vocalist, John Hudson, who usually gets in a song or two. Currently, says Correll, they are working on a band arrangement of highlights from the movie “Frozen.”

A free Veterans’ Day concert is coming up at the Barns of Rose Hill on November ll. “We just did a 9/11 concert, which was a memorial,” says Correll, “but the Veteran’s Day concert will be a celebration of the people who served or are serving in our armed forces.”

Correll welcomes any prospective band members to come out for a rehearsal. They are held every Tuesday night at 7:30 in the Johnson Williams Middle School Band Room in Berryville.

He adds that the band is available for performances. See their web site for information: http://www.staggersorthodontics.com/clark_county_community_band.htm

Much Ado About Chicken Coups

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By William Bigelow

I was surprised and disappointed Tuesday night to witness the Chicken Ordinance be tabled for now. It should be noted that the three members of the Berryville Town Council who voted it down were not the ones on the relevant committees that had worked on it. Chances are, at least one or two have not even read through the proposal. The opposition to hens in Berryville was clearly overstated. While Douglas Shaffer concluded he should vote against it due to constituent opposition, he did mention at the meeting that most of the opposed citizens lived in areas of town that are governed by HOA covenants. When he explained to them that those covenants would keep chickens out of their part of town, they did not mind the ordinance. I have a hunch that Mayor Kirby didn’t talk to anyone except for some residents of that part of town.

It is short-sighted to reject the ordinance on account of the advertising and legal personnel costs. For one thing, by dropping it now as opposed to earlier, there will have already been money spent on this issue. It is irresponsible therefore not to proceed on something like this with such high benefits and minimal risks as assured by the ordinance’s parameters. While Mary Daniel did a very good job addressing any concerns about health problems caused by chickens, the public health benefits were not addressed at this meeting. Chickens actually make for good disease CONTROL as they eat bugs including Lyme disease-carrying ticks. Residents of Berryville would also have the opportunity to eat far healthier eggs and chicken, and save on their grocery bills at the same time. It would lead to less gasoline usage and, more importantly, less chemical weed and pest control management. These are environmental and public health benefits, among others, that should not be ignored.

Not only are legal hens good enough for Leesburg and Purcellville, they are legal in places like Arlington County and the City of Roanoke. Most towns and cities in Virginia actually do not experience problems with egg layers in urban situations. The chicken ordinance here would keep order quite well, as hen owners would need to know the rules with regard to noise, waste, structures, etc. In fact, the neighbor consent provision almost made the legislation too restrictive. Fortunately, in an auspicious sign, the Town Council and staff expressed near unanimous concern about this being in it, so hopefully it’ll not make it through if hen legalization passes in Berryville eventually.

Finally, I would like to add that it is highly ironic that in the most agricultural county in Northern Virginia we do not permit hen ownership in its county seat, whereas our more urban neighbors to the east have it!

 

William Bigelow is a Berryville resident.

West Virginia Chemical Spill: A Predictable Water Crisis

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By Angie Rosser

On January 9, I was one of 300,000 West Virginians who learned their water had been contaminated by a chemical leak two miles upstream from the state’s largest drinking-water intake. Predictably, politicians and the public are clamoring for heads to roll—most notably those of managers at the Freedom Industries plant responsible for the leak.

Freedom Industries should be held accountable, but that won’t fix the problem. That’s because the Elk River spill wasn’t an isolated accident. It was the inevitable consequence of weak regulatory enforcement over many years, made possible by our collective failure to uphold the values we profess.

We all say we value clean water, so why do we accept pollution as the status quo, as a byproduct of everyday life? In public opinion polls, Americans routinely and overwhelmingly say that it’s the job of government to ensure clean water. And yet we continue to let elected officials off the hook when it comes to clean water laws.

In this light, the Elk River spill could be the future of many American cities. It’s one in which systems failures cause local catastrophic events—leaving taxpayers to foot the bill to clean up after polluters.

Since the earliest days of the chemical industry, it has been a major part of West Virginia’s economy. We live every day with the potential for toxic leaks into our waterways, knowing the consequences can be devastating. We shouldn’t have to live this way.

Since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, industry has worked diligently to weaken the law’s enforcement and oversight.

As the director of an organization that advocates for clean water, I regularly witness the audacious influence of industry as it cajoles lawmakers and regulators to lower production costs by lowering the bar on public health. I review the same data as the politicians do on the risks to public health posed by weakening clean-water standards. But when it comes to environmental stewardship, data and facts are no match for industry’s sway over government.

And at times like these, I see the irony of politicians scapegoating a company whose pollution is enabled by government’s failure to adequately regulate. We’ve allowed them to foster a culture of neglect instead of one of oversight and accountability.

The Mountain State enjoys an abundance of water, but year after year we have seen access to clean water diminish. Our water has paid the price for our legacy of mining, gas drilling, coal-burning power plants, and chemical production. We have seen the steady chipping away of our water quality standards to help reduce costs to big coal. We have seen the injustices of people’s right to clean water usurped by industries. Indeed, there are parts of West Virginia that will never have access to clean water, where industrial pollution has caused irreparable harm to water supplies.

I hope the West Virginia water crisis reminds us about how dependent we are on clean rivers for our health and security. Now is the time to take a critical look at how to better protect our water sources. We can do this only by acknowledging that the Elk River spill is not a story about an isolated leak. This is about the need for systemic changes in industrial practices and our national responsibility to establish and enforce adequate protections.

We need to look at ourselves and remember our values. We need to be true to our relationship with water by expanding our expectations of elected leaders. And industries and consumers need to accept the costs of safer, more environmentally-sound production of certain goods and services. That’s the price of clean water.

Clean water is essential for life. It is also essential for our national and global security. I hope that once the immediate crisis is over, serious thought will go into meaningful reforms and investment in protecting our rivers and streams that are our lifeline.

Angie Rosser is executive director of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition in Charleston, W.Va., a statewide nonprofit organization focused on water quality issues. She lives on the Elk River upstream from the spill.  In 2013 she was part of a successful effort to secure endangered species status for the Elk River Diamond Darter, a fish found only in the Elk River in West Virginia. © Blue Ridge Press 2014.


Diana Kincannon Returns To The Barns

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By David Lillard

The Barns of Rose Hill announced that Diana Kincannon would return to the Barns of Rose Hill to serve as chairman of its board of directors. Her term of office began January 1. Kincannon led the capital campaign from 2004 to 2011 that resulted in the restoration of the Barns in Rose Hill Park. The Observer asked her to outline some of the Barns’ challenges and its aspirations for the future.

What are the primary challenges the board will tackle in your first six months as chair?

We will be focused on establishing a sustainable operating platform and beginning both an endowment fund and a maintenance fund. We’ll also be looking at our programming, and we will welcome input from the community in that area.

How will the board work to diversify the funding streams needed to sustain the Barns?

The Barns is like small and large arts organizations all over the state and nation in having an ongoing need to raise sustaining funds. The most important funding stream is that of major gifts from patrons, private individuals who wish to support the work of the Barns in promoting “the power of beauty and the deep power of harmony” (Wordsworth). These are individuals who value the arts and their power to interpret life and discern meaning, the power to influence people of all ages to experience life in a deeper and more positive way.

Other income streams include grants, memberships and appeals, special events, corporate sponsorships and event underwriting. We have already begun working in these areas, and the next six months are very important ones in our  fundraising efforts.

What types of programming changes do you foresee in changing the financial prospects for sustainability? 

I mentioned that we will be looking at programming, and that will be led by a programming committee made up of both board and community members. Input from the community would be appreciated. We have a wealth of talent in all visual, literary and performing arts in the region, and we have people who have had extraordinary careers and life experiences; one of our efforts will be to feature a greater diversity of programs featuring nearby resources that will appeal to our members and supporters. We will have to consider in each case if the proposed program will be profitable.  Establishing a sustainable financial basis is extremely important.

Do you anticipate different types of musical programming that would appeal to a broader audience?

The programming committee will be open to ideas. We’ve been able to feature just about every kind of musical programming—serious music of the classical and romantic eras, blues, bluegrass, country, contemporary dance.  I’d personally like to have a Broadway musical review, a ballroom dancing event, a music of the 40s swing and dance event—really, we’re open to your ideas and invite readers of the Observer to tell us what they would like.  Send a message to programs@barnsofrosehill.org.

How is the organization doing right now? Can it be sustained while going through the current transition? 

The Barns is in a challenging financial situation right now. I expect to be able to sustain an even keel while we work to establish a strong foundation, particularly if all those whose belief in the vision for the Barns led them to help build this beautiful facility. We have built the structure—the “body”, if you will. Now we must feed the “soul” of the Barns, its life as a vitally functioning center for community, arts and education. We will need, we do need, for Barns angels and patrons to sustain the organization.

What else would you like to tell Observer readers?

While there have been growing pains, and certainly a steep learning curve over the first two years of serving the community, these are to be expected. My aspirations, the board’s aspirations, are to establish an income stream that is predictable and reliable, that allows us to operate at the professional level our community deserves, and that allows us to initiate an endowment fund and a maintenance fund. We are committed to fulfilling our governance responsibilities by ensuring the Barns’ future. These actions are essential to support the Barns’ reason for being, the reason thousands of gifts were given to restore the old barns—to serve those who come to the Barns with ever more meaningful and delightful programs and events to enrich their lives and make the world a better place in the process.

Study Cites Berryville As Potential Hotel Site

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By David Lillard

The Town of Berryville has released a market feasibility study for developing a hotel site at the corner of U.S. 340 and Virginia State Road 7 north of town. The study, conducted by the Florida-based firm Nichols Hospitality Consulting, Inc., projects that a hotel on the site would generate more than $20,000 in lodging excise revenue for Clarke County—which would nearly double the roughly $23,000 in lodging taxes received in 2012.

According to Berryville town planner Christy Dunkle, funding for the study came from a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant provided to hire a consultant to conduct the study.

“The intention was to have a professional determine whether this would be a viable effort,” said Dunkle.

Jan Nichols, the lead researcher on the study, looked at different sites in the town and county to find the most viable site for a hotel. She felt that the location north of the Food Lion would be the best option, added Dunkle. “We have forwarded the study to the representatives for the property owners.”

Nichols cited several advantages of the site. Among them, quoting directly from the study, are:

Good Accessibility: The subject site is accessible to a variety of local, county, and state highways, and features good access to SR 7 (the most highly trafficked roadway in Clarke County with an AADT of 21,000 to 25,000 near Berryville). Berryville is the County Seat of Clarke County, and is centrally located with good access to numerous leisure, meeting and group, and commercial lodging demand generators within the region.

Excellent Ingress and Egress: A planned extension of McNeill Drive and/or McClellan Street, which intersects with Mosby Boulevard one block southwest of the site, will provide ingress/egress. Mosby provides access to North Buckmarsh Street/US 340 within one block, which provides access to SR 7, located within one block. A traffic signal eases access from North Buckmarsh Street in both directions.

Excellent Visibility: Due to its location directly adjacent to and above the highway grade, the subject site should enjoy good visibility from North Buckmarsh/US 340 and SR 7. Prominent signage on the proposed two story hotel building and at entrances to the site will enhance the property’s visibility. Signage on SR 7 indicating lodging at the Berryville US 340 exit should be provided as well.

Ample Land, Zoned for Hotel Use: The subject hotel site is part of a greater parcel with a total of 11.6 acres, and is zoned for Business and Commercial, which allows hotels as well as other commercial/retail land use that would complement a hotel facility. Public water, sewer, and utilities are available to the site.

Complementary Adjacent Uses: Food Lion grocery store (convenient for hotel guests to purchase deli and other food or sundry items), a bank, and several retirement/assisted living facilities (can generate lodging demand) are nearby, with room for additional commercial development, including restaurants. Within one mile north, a new mini market and gas station, “Route 340 Depot” is scheduled to open in 2014, and a gasoline service station is located within one half mile of the site on N. Buckmarsh.

Proximity to Restaurants: The site is approximately one-half mile north of Main Street via N. Buckmarsh Street, within walking distance of +12 restaurants plus unique shops and entertainment in downtown Berryville. Numerous additional restaurants are located within a 10-minute drive, including fine dining.

No proposals yet

According to Dunkle, the objective of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of attracting a hotel operation. Nichols evaluated a number of market-area factors to determine demand. The objective of this study is to evaluate the supply and demand factors affecting transient accommodations in the subject market area and determine the market feasibility of a proposed hotel, and estimate the occupancy, average rate, and net operating income available for debt service for its first ten years of operation.

Dunkle said the report would be used by the Town of Berryville and/or potential investors in connection with business decision-making purposes.

The most likely investor in the hotel site, according to Nichols is a chain hotel that could support the brand through affiliated advertising and promotions. She concluded that the site could support a midscale to upper midscale hotel of 40 to 50 rooms, plus a small conference center.

Ingress and egress to the subject hotel site is planned via an extension of McNeill Drive and/or McClellan Street, which intersects with Mosby Boulevard, one block southwest of the site. Mosby provides access to North Buckmarsh Street/US 340 within one block, which provides access to SR 7, located within one block.

North Buckmarsh Street, said Nichols, is the potential hotel guests’ primary access to downtown Berryville, and many will want to walk the half-mile distance. “It is important that this be a pedestrian-friendly route,” writes Nichols. She recommends, “That the town consider streetscape beautification and wayfinding signage to enhance visitors’ experience traversing to Main Street.”

Dunkle said the study also recommends the development of a tourism strategic plan, projecting that as much as 50 percent of the accommodation demand would be from tourism. “We have been discussing this for years—the town, county, Economic Development Advisory Committee and through a series of community summits held in 2009 and 2010,” she said. A tourism plan has been drafted, Dunkle added, and is now being reviewed by county staff. The scenic country roads, wineries, historic sites, and other attractions bring in about $17 million a year in travel dollars to local businesses. Currently, Clarke ranks near the bottom of all Virginia counties in terms of tourism spending, according to figures compiled by the Virginia Travel Corporation and the U.S. Travel Association, says Nichols. The two most significant reasons for these low numbers cited by Nichols are the lack of a marketing effort and the absence of a hotel to serve out-of-town guests.

Destination marketing programs are funded in large part through taxes on lodging. At 2 percent, Clarke County’s hotel/motel tax is among the lowest of all surrounding counties—including in the nearby counties of West Virginia and Maryland. It creates a chicken-and-egg scenario: In order to increase tourism, counties need to invest in marketing, but to have the funding for marketing they need a stronger tourism industry.

Nichols suggests one way to expand the marketing outreach to tourists is by raising the current county lodging tax to 5 percent. The increase would align Clarke County with surrounding jurisdictions. Loudoun, for example, taxes hotels and motels at a rate of 7 percent. This increased revenue would expand resources available to promote Clarke’s attractions beyond county borders.

Research suggests that modern destination marketing relies on a robust social media effort. Travelers increasingly visit travel blogs and websites like Tripadvisor.com to plan their trips.

The good news for Clarke County is that its B&Bs and country inns are highly rated in Tripadvisor.com, says Nichols. Smithfield Farms, Rosemont Manor, Berryville Inn, and Battletown Inn all get great scores from guests—people who, in turn, become online ambassadors for the county. What the county tourism industry needs, according to the study, is more rooms at mid-scale prices and highway convenience.

Good Sports for a Good Cause

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By Jennifer Lee

Clarke County Education Foundation brings Harlem Wizards back to play February 9.

The Harlem Wizards basketball team returns to Clarke County High School for a second consecutive  year to take on the fierce Clarke In Motion team for a game that guarantees more entertainment than competition. “The response was just overwhelming last year,” said Kim Stutzman, executive director of the Clarke County Education Foundation (CCEF), who is hosting and benefitting from the event. The game was played in front of a packed house in 2013, prompting the CCEF to invite the Wizards back for a return performance.

The Wizards are a travelling troupe of former college and NBA ball players that combine athleticism with fun, humor, and wild antics to entertain audiences, mostly schools and non-profit organizations, around the country. “They are extremely entertaining. They are both skilled basketball players and entertainers,” Stutzman said. “And they are very fun and easy to work with.”

This is the fifth year of a CCEF-sponsored basketball tournament, an event created to invite the community to have some fun with school officials while raising funds for the foundation, whose mission is to promote, expand, and augment the educational opportunities for students and staff in the Clarke County Public Schools. Twelve thousand dollars were raised from the game last year to further that mission. CCEF has contributed a total of over $2.3 million to the school system in the last 20 years.

Tickets are available before game day at all of the county’s public schools, each of which engages in a contest to sell tickets. The school that sells the most tickets wins a prize. D.G. Cooley Elementary won overwhelmingly last year, and was awarded ten new basketballs.

“I have a point person at each school” to help coordinate and promote the effort, Stutzman explains. The roster of the Clarke In Motion team is comprised of four staff members from Clarke County High School, four from Johnson-Williams Middle School, four from Boyce Elementary, two from Berryville Primary, two from D.G. Cooley Elementary, one from Powhatan School, and a couple of community leaders.

“There will also be a referee, who becomes part of the show,” said Stutzman. Even though the game is played according to standard game rules, they are often twisted a bit to bring a theatrical and interactive experience to the audience. “They got a ton of people on the floor last year to do the Harlem Shake,” Stutzman said, referring to a popular video that combines dance, music, and comedy.

Tickets are also available at the Berryville branch of the Bank of Clarke County. Tickets are $11 for adults, and $9 for students until February 7. If any spaces are left, tickets can be purchased at the gate for $15/adult and $12/student. Concessions will be sold by the Eagles Booster club and souvenirs will also be for sale.

The high school’s gym capacity is approximately 1,150, and Stutzman predicts the event will be a sell-out again, so, she says, get your tickets today!

Game Day Details:

Harlem Wizards vs. Clarke In Motion , February 9; Clarke County High School gymnasium. Doors open at 2pm, game starts at 3pm. Sponsored by Jim Stutzman Chevrolet, Courtyard Marriott, Bank of Clarke County, and The Observer.

For more information, call 540-955-0430 or visit www.ccefinc.org.

LaRock, Minchew Praise New Park

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Virginia Delegates David LaRock and Randy Minchew applauded Governor McDonnell’s announcement of a new state park in nearby Loudoun County following donation of 600 acres adjacent to the Blue Ridge. The land is part of the 900-acre Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, a popular day-hiking and camping location for local birders, walkers, and scouting and youth groups. The Blue Ridge Center also managed Bears Den Trail Center in Clarke County in the early 2000s.

The land was donated by the Robert and Dee Leggett Foundation to the Old Dominion Land Trust, which, in turn, is donating the land to the state. LaRock, who represents the district where the park is located in addition to parts of Clarke County, sees the park as part of the expanding tourism and “agri-tainment” zone. “I’m excited about this new parkland being made available, and thankful for the Leggetts’s generosity and Governor McDonnell and Secretary Domenech’s efforts to bring this to pass,” said LaRock. “This Park will be a great addition to Western Loudoun’s already-vibrant winery and tourism industries.”

The property includes historic farmsteads, deep woods and wildflower meadows, and borders the Appalachian Trail. Much of the land witnessed action of Mosby’s Rangers and others during the Civil War.

“Through the work of the Leggett Foundation and now the Old Dominion Land Conservancy, lands of both natural and historic significance have been preserved in an area of the state where such lands are rapidly disappearing,” said McDonnell. “Because of their most recent efforts many of these lands will be available to future generations as a Virginia State Park. I want to commend Robert and Dee Leggett, whose foundation acquired land that became the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship in Loudoun County, and will benefit future generations as a Virginia State Park.”

The announcement might surprise land conservation advocates, since McDonnell entered office four years ago amid statements that the Commonwealth had no business owning land of any kinds. According to Leggett, though, the deal has been in the making almost since the beginning of the McDonnell administration. “I want to thank Secretary Domenech and the staff at State Parks, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Governor for all their work to make this happen,” said Leggett.  “I have enjoyed this land for a long time and now I am pleased to share it with the people of the state.”

“As a Loudoun County Scoutmaster, I have had the opportunity to spend many campout weekends at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship enjoying its wonderful and scenic attributes,” said Delegate Randy Minchew. “Now, as our newest Virginia State Park, this land will provide our citizens with both active and passive recreation opportunities and a beautiful venue for conservation education and environmental stewardship training. I join Governor McDonnell and Secretary Domenech in thanking Bob and Dee Leggett for their generosity and leadership.”

Virginia has 36 state parks open for the public, which host more than eight million visits per year.

Exchange Students Enjoy Homes In Clarke County

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By Colleen Lentile

Have you wondered what it would be like to learn about another country from someone who lives there, speaks the language, and knows all about its culture—all without going overseas? Thanks to the Program of Foreign Exchange (PAX) and Clarke County’s local community coordinator Tanya Barton that dream can be made into a reality.

Barton has been the local coordinator for 13 years and has hosted 13 foreign exchange students herself. She is assisted by her co-coordinator Olivia Lanham, senior at Clarke County High School whose family has hosted three foreign exchange students.

“I love how the program connects everyone,” said Lanham, who has travelled to Spain to visit her foreign exchange student’s family. Together Barton and Lanham arranged for eight students to stay and connect with families in Clarke and Loudon counties until June of 2014.

This year there are four girls and four boys staying in the two counties. The girls are Natalia, age 17, from Finland; Dania, age 15, from Jordan; Fanisyah “Fani”, age 17, from Indonesia; and Catherine, age 16, from Tanzania. The boys are Pierre, age 16, from France; Japheth, or “Jeff,” age 16, from Ghana; Javier, age 15, from Spain; and Laban, age 17, from Kenya. They all reside with families in the Clarke and Loudon County areas, and all but Laban attend Clarke County High School.

The foreign exchange students are not only placed under the care of host families, they become a part of their family. The host families play a large role in a student’s experience. To be chosen, they are interviewed by Barton before a student can be placed with them. The students become completely integrated into their host families and are supposed to keep limited contact with their families in their home countries.

Barton believes that since the students are so young, they could easily become homesick, so she tries to manage how much they communicate with their families without cutting them off completely. “I want them to embrace what they are gaining here,” said Barton about the students focusing on what’s going on here, instead of thinking about what they are missing out on at home.

The host family is required to have a separate bed for the student. If they are to share a room with another child, it is preferred that they are of the same age. Then, as with their own children, the parents provide the necessities and treat the student like a part of their own family—including having the student do chores and live up to certain expectations.

More often than not, students and their host families make a lifelong connection. “They are our sons and daughters for a lifetime,” said Julie Kerby, host mother to Jeff and Barton.

Besides becoming a family member, students are encouraged to join organizations and sports teams and to spend time with their new American friends during their stays. They are required to do community service as well. Some of the students volunteer at places like the local animal shelter or nursing home. “I want them to give back to their community and take back what they’ve learned. We want them to go back [to their home countries] and give back,” said Barton.

When the students first arrived in the United States, Barton and Lanham took them on a bus ride through Berryville with CCHS teacher Ed Novak. During their stay, Barton plans a weekend trip each month to attractions like New York City and Washington, D.C. They do spontaneous trips throughout the rest of the month that may include hiking, parties, or pumpkin picking.

Barton says the trips allow the students to “bond and become closer,” but she also considers the possible learning experiences that may come out of the trips. She takes the students to the Newseum in Washington, D.C., hoping they will learn about the free media enjoyed in the United States—some of the students come from countries where the media is restricted.

Among the observations offered by the students:

Typically, there are no problems with their fellow classmates making fun of their accents, but sometimes Americans have trouble understanding them.

Many students were surprised by the style of dance in the U.S., and that American students could dance with whomever they wanted to, even if they did not know them.

Jeff, from Ghana, has become fond of eating hamburgers, which he eats every day, according to Kerby. Some other popular foods among foreign exchange students were Chipotle Mexican Grill and pizza.

Jeff and Catherine are having trouble getting used to the cold weather, and are looking forward to seeing snow for the first time in the upcoming winter.

All of the students had trouble understanding the currency in the United States when they arrived. They wondered why the penny is larger than the dime. Most found sales tax a puzzling concept, and the prices of products either much higher or much lower relative to what they are used to. Importantly, all of the students plan to come back to the United States in the future.

PAX brings foreign exchange students into people’s lives and deeply enriches the lives of everyone that is involved in their journey in the United States. Kerby hopes that the students can give their fellow Americans a new perspective on diversity and hope that people remember that, “It’s just us, there is no them.”

If you are interested in being a host family or learning more about the program, contact the local community coordinator Tanya Barton at tb@tanyabarton.com or 540-955-9135 or visit the PAX website at www.pax.org.

 

Colleen Lentile is The Observer student reporter.