Cello Concert at Historic Palace Theatre

Lee Jordan-Anders and Jeff Phelps will perform a free piano/cello concert 4 p.m. Sunday, October 7, at the Historic Palace Theatre.
Works by Beethoven, Debussy and Rachmaninoff will be featured.

Eastern Shore Birding & Wildlife Festival Weekend Schedule

Based in Cape Charles, the October 5-7 Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival is the perfect opportunity to experience the wonders of wildlife — from the keynote presentation by David Allen Sibley, America’s leading ornithologist/illustrator and author of the Sibley Guide to Birds, to unparalleled guided tours, boat trips, nature hikes, and much more.

It’s an incredible chance to catch sightings of species one may never have seen before. As one of the most important migration stopovers on the East Coast, millions of songbirds and butterflies and thousands of raptors will converge here on their long journey south. With the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge and Kiptopeke State Park nearby, this is a migration celebration to remember.

For complete information on schedules and pricing, visit the Festival website at http://www.esvafestivals.com/.
[Read more…]

LINDEMAN
Building Community One Conversation at a Time

“We’ve got to get back to the garden.”

By BRUCE LINDEMAN

October 5, 2012

I often wonder why I like to dig in the dirt. Most of my friends my age don’t enjoy gardening, or at least don’t want to admit it.

It’s not like I even consider myself a “gardener.” I couldn’t tell you the names of many of the plants in our garden, which my wife and I recently inherited with the purchase of our Tazewell Avenue home.

What I do know is that I enjoy it.

For some, however, gardening is a solitary affair: a chance to be alone with one’s thoughts. To escape the other, more mundane chores that await them back inside, to even get a little bit of exercise or to feel the warmth of the sun against their face. The reasons why people garden are about as varied as the shells you might find walking the shoreline of Smith Island.

For me, working in the yard has always been a chance to do all of the above – and to be social. Gardening is not usually a social activity, such as playing golf, or attending a dinner party. It’s usually different with me.

At some point during my yard work, a conversation with someone typically ensues. Oftentimes, a neighbor strolling down the street might toss out a “lookin’ good!” or even a “love what you’ve done with the place” and keep walking. Sometimes, such comments lead to a return of “thanks” and other times, it begins a 20-minute conversation about any variety of topics.

Often, I simply need a break from the work and find an unsuspecting neighbor to walk over to and chat. Such was the case last weekend.

My wife and I live in a wonderfully friendly block of Tazewell and striking up a conversation is never a challenge. But I realized this weekend when our conversation with our neighbors had ended and we went back to working in our respective yards, that there is such a more visceral need for such conversations than we might realize. As much as we may like gardening and the results it yields, we also like to commune. Commune, of course, is the root of the word, community. [Read more…]

20th Annual Harvest Festival Again a FEAST-A-FULL

Victor Abrahamian from Cape Charles wore Native American dress to Wednesday’s Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce Harvest Festival at Sunset Beach. He was promoting the theater production “Piece of Eden” scheduled for November at the Palace Theater. (Wave photos)

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

October 4, 2012

“You have to go at least once to the Harvest Festival.”

And so we did, and had a great time.

The weather behaved, and I did too —

by keeping my promise to my 60-year-old stomach not to try to get my money’s worth by eating $40 worth of food.

Because the Harbor Festival is not just all about the food.

(That’s a lie — it IS all about the food.)

But there’s a county fair spirit about it all, along with a see-and-be-seen atmosphere.

The weather was fine (hot and humid beats rain),

the food was par excellence,

and spirits were high.

And Sunset Beach is the PERFECT place for a few thousand Shore folks to gather.

So what’s not to like?

See you back next year! [Read more…]

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THURSDAY 10/4: Tall Ship Tours at Cape Charles Harbor

Tall Ship Harvey Gamage has called at Cape Charles Harbor and is offering tours to the public. [Read more…]

PLANNING COMMISSION: Beach Club Gets Building Permit

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

October 3, 2012

Two large construction projects are on the drawing board in Cape Charles, with one of them nearly underway.

Bay Creek Resort received a building permit yesterday authorizing construction to begin on the Beach Club and Fitness Center at Bayside Village in the Bay Creek golf course complex.

The members-only facility will include a 3,000 square-foot member lounge, cardio area with exercise equipment, indoor and outdoor pools, snack bar, and children’s game room.

Bay Creek spokesman Oral Lambert told the Wave last month he expects construction to take about eight months.

The other project is even more ambitious but still in the early planning stages: Eastville-based South Port Investors LLC envisions a Cape Charles Yacht Center, with yacht repair, manufacturing, and sales.

Cape Charles Town Planner Tom Bonadeo reported to the Planning Commission last night that South Port has submitted plans for permit updates, including wetlands mitigation.

The plans must be approved by the Northampton County Wetlands Board and others. South Port hopes to begin work this fall along the wetlands near the harbor, Bonadeo said. [Read more…]

ECHELON COUSINS: Cape Charles, Meet Chatham

Echelon Resources has contracted to pay $10,000 for the former Chatham Elementary School and plans to convert it to luxury loft apartments. (Star-Tribune photo)

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

October 2, 2012

Most folks in Cape Charles probably have never heard of Chatham, Virginia — and vice versa.

The town has nothing to do with Machipongo’s Chatham Vineyards. The Town of Chatham is in south central Virginia, a little north of Danville. Its claim to fame is as the home of Hargrave Military Academy.

But residents of Cape Charles and Chatham have more in common than they might expect:

— Chatham’s population is 1,300. Cape Charles is about 1,100;

— Chatham hosts a new state prison, which has led to upgrades in their water services. Cape Charles Town Council sought a prison in the 1990s, with hopes of upgrading sewer service as a consequence.

— And, most recently, Chatham’s Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted in May to sell the old Chatham Elementary School to Echelon Resources, Inc., for $10,000. Cape Charles Town Council voted in June to sell the old Cape Charles school to Echelon Resources for $10. [Read more…]

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