SATURDAY 7/12: ‘Summer of Love’ Fundraiser for Cape Charles Band
Enjoy ’60s and ’70s music, wine, beer, face-painting, food, and fun at The “Summer of Love” fundraiser for Cape Charles Band Saturday, July 12, from 4-8 p.m. in Central Park. Dress up as your favorite hippie and win a prize. A “groovy time” for all ages! [Read more…]
THURSDAY 7/10: Northampton Middle School Renovation Project Community Meeting
The public is cordially invited to attend a Community Meeting concerning the Northampton Middle School Renovation Project Thursday, July 10, from 6-7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the former Northampton Middle School, 7247 Young Street, Machipongo. [Read more…]
July 4th on the 5th: A Record-Breaking Holiday!
JULY 4TH ON THE 5TH: A RECORD-BREAKING HOLIDAY!
(July 7, 2014 Edition) Hurricane Arthur (or Hurricane “Author” as the town’s Route 13 sign dubbed him) couldn’t dampen Cape Charles’ July 4th celebration, which from an unofficial count looked to be the largest ever in modern times — certainly judging from the number of occupied parking spaces. Saturday, July 5, proved to be a picture-perfect day for a belated 4th, and residents and tourists made the most of it. Eastern Shore artist Gertraud Fendler captured the best photo of the Town Harbor we have EVER seen, thanks to the fireworks-illuminated sky. Ms. Fendler has graciously shared a proof photo for Wave readers, while prints suitable for framing (without the copyright signs) are available at the new Ellen Moore Gallery, 223 Mason Avenue.
COMMENTARY
Do You Know Where Your Tax Dollars Are?
By MARY MILLER
Citizens for a
Better Eastern Shore
July 7, 2014
Counties around the state are finishing up their budgets for the next fiscal year. This is the time of year we can easily see where our county’s tax dollars are going – and take a look at similar expenses for the counties around us.
This year, and not for the first time, Northampton County wins the spendthrift award. Compared to Accomack County, and compared also to several eastern Virginia counties with similar populations, Northampton spends more per person for county administration, public safety and debt service, and provides more education dollars per student than most of the others. Northampton also tops the list in per-person local tax revenue collected.
When comparing expenses of the two Eastern Shore counties with a disparity of population (Accomack’s population is about three times Northampton’s), it’s more informative to compare the costs for what are assumed to be similar services on a per-person basis. For instance, Northampton collects almost $1,700 in local tax revenue per person, while Accomack collects about $1,100. Assuming that the actual costs of several locally funded services are similar from one county to the next, it would be logical that the same costs spread over a larger population would make the services less costly per person. All things being equal, one might assume that the total costs for many services in Accomack could be as much as three times as much as in Northampton, which has one-third the number of residents. [Read more…]
Town Moves Independence Festivities to July 5th
July 2, 2014
July 4th will come on the 5th this year, with a tip of the hat to Hurricane Arthur. The whole day’s schedule remains the same — just on Saturday instead of Friday. The parade starts at 10 a.m. and the fireworks begin after dark. The decision to change the date was made by town officials Wednesday morning with fingers crossed that they got it right.
Washington Post Discovers Eastern Shore (Again)
Washington Post photographer Jay Westcott captured this image of Custis Pond in Savage Neck Dunes Natural Area Preserve — near Cape Charles but missed by most tourists and more than a few residents.
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
June 30, 2014
In August 2012 the Washington Post sent travel writer Becky Krystal to the Eastern Shore, where she discovered then newly opened Hotel Cape Charles, as well as Brown Dog Ice Cream, and gushed over both of them. Two years later the Post has discovered the Eastern Shore all over again, this time through the person of Andrea Sachs, who appears not to have read the yellowed clippings of her colleague’s story.
Ms. Sachs’ upbeat account in this past weekend’s Post will no doubt bring even more tourists our way – especially those looking for something new and different. She writes:
Travelers familiar with the extrovert to the north, Maryland’s Eastern Shore, will be surprised by Virginia’s subdued and understated character. Maryland is the lazy man’s summer retreat: Simply follow the dancing crabs to your stretch of sand or pot of seafood. Virginia’s section is more mysterious and challenging. You have to work for your water views, your beaches and your summer requisites.
That’s the first hint that this travel story will be different. The second comes when Sachs, overnighting at the Exmore Holiday Inn, asks a question. As she tells it:
On the drive to my Exmore hotel, I’d passed a sign for Silver Beach, imagining a sparkling strand with sand spun of the precious metal. When I asked a Holiday Inn employee for information about it, she had none. Instead, she directed me north to Chincoteague (done it, and didn’t want to repeat it) or south to Cape Charles (on the itinerary).
Imagine – a travel writer who purposely skips Chincoteague! Instead, Sachs highlights the following: [Read more…]
COMMENTARY
Hope for Sea Turtles, One Hatchling at a Time
By WAYNE CREED
June 30, 2014
A few years ago, when my work was based near Oceana Naval Air Station, one of my guilty pleasures was to sneak over to the Virginia Aquarium during lunch and hang out by the loggerhead turtle exhibit. Light and graceful swimmers, those blithe movements belie the power and strength held in their huge heads and jaws which are easily able to crush right through a conk shell. Another guilty pleasure is being able to treat my wife to some sort of pampering from the wonderful Breezes Day Spa in Cape Charles. Recently, these two guilty pleasures sort of came together to help shed light on a scientific mystery that had been plaguing marine biologists for some time.
After Loggerhead sea turtles hatch, they begin a frantic race off the beach into the surf. Once into the sea, the hatchlings start a journey that lasts several years, and when it’s finished, leaves them across the Atlantic near the Canary Islands. How they get there, however, has always remained a mystery. The time between hatching and rediscovery has always been referred to as the turtle’s “lost years.”
For some time now, marine scientists at NOAA have been using satellite tracking devices to monitor the travels of adult turtles. The transmitters are glued to the shell, and location data is beamed back and captured. This worked fine for adults, but young turtles grow so quickly that their shells shed whatever scientists tried to use to attach the transmitters. It was here that a professional spa technician, like those working at Breezes, provided a breakthrough.
Marisol Marrero, who is a nail salon technician at Not Just Nails in Boynton Beach, Florida, had a customer, Jeanette Wyneken of Florida Atlantic University, who was also part of NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center study tracking loggerheads. While getting her nails done, Wyneken was reflecting on the problem of getting the transmitters to stick to the baby turtles’ shells, which she mentioned are made out of a protein called keratin, the same material as fingernails. Ms. Marrero suggested that they try a similar technique that the salons used for attaching artificial nails: try using an acrylic base coat. Wyneken took the suggestion back to the lab and tried it. It worked. This serendipitous trip to the salon has helped to finally shed new light on sea turtles’ “lost years.”
Lines on maps show routes of loggerhead turtles, who favor warm, deep water.
Register for Scholastic Chess Tournament July 26
Calling all chess players! Kiptopeke Elementary School is pleased to be the host for the Virginia Scholastic Chess Association’s “Eastern Shore Summer Scholastic” chess tournament, Saturday July 26. [Read more…]
