MEMORIAL DAY: Ceremony at Veterans Memorial Followed by Library Rededication
Veterans’ Memorial Day Ceremony is 11 a.m. at the Veterans’ Memorial on Mason Avenue. Immediately following will be the Cape Charles Memorial Library Rededication, with music and refreshments provided.
Tall Ships Arriving in Three Weeks for Festival
By JOAN PRESCOTT
May 20, 2014
Haul a yard arm! Hear the cannon roar! Dress up like a pirate, and meet some real ones, too! Tall Ships At Cape Charles Festival is welcoming three historic tall ships, the Kalmar Nyckel, Privateer Lynx, and Schooner Serenity, to Cape Charles Town Harbor June 14-15.
The third annual waterfront tall ships extravaganza features all kinds of family fun, deck tours, day, sunset and pirate sails, live music, great food, helicopter rides and arts and crafts vendors.
This is small town, family-friendly America the way it used to be. Cape Charles, our deep water harbor to hospitality, presents a rare opportunity to get up close and personal as you explore the decks and meet the crews of magnificent tall ships and encounter roving pirates, a troupe of costumed re-enactors, and all kinds of family fun throughout the historic town and harbor.
Kids and parents will love the Captain Mayhem Pirate Adventure Sails offered three times daily on Saturday and Sunday aboard the Schooner Serenity, and all three tall ships have afternoon or evening sunset cruises both days. Reservations are recommended — visit www.tallshipscapecharles.com. [Read more…]
JUNE 14-15: Volunteers Needed for Tall Ships Festival
Volunteers are needed to help out at the Tall Ships at Cape Charles festival Saturday and Sunday, June 14-15 for the following: [Read more…]
ORAL HISTORY: How Harbor Avenue Got its Skew
101 Tazewell Avenue, corner of Harbor, was “right on the beachfront” when built by Capt. Sadler c. 1912. Later, Harbor Avenue layout was skewed to accommodate the house.
May 19, 2014
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Cape Charles Historical Society has for more than a decade been recording oral histories of the area’s earlier days. A grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities enabled 15 interviews to be transcribed, and the Historical Society has made this one available for readers of the Wave. All the transcriptions may be read at the Cape Charles Museum.)
1990 Interview of Virginia Fitzhugh conducted by Virginia Savage
PART ONE
VIRGINIA SAVAGE: I am talking to Virginia Fitzhugh, who was born and raised in Cape Charles. Virginia, what was your maiden name?
Virginia Sadler. I was raised in Cape Charles. I was born next door to the old Virginia Hotel and the Henderson Travis House. [Across from the Post Office, on the southwest corner. Her father was Capt. Sadler, a NYP&N steamer captain.]
West side of Virginia Hotel? Which would be right across from the Post Office on the corner of Strawberry and Randolph.
That’s where I was born. And then Daddy bought the house up in the middle of the block on Randolph. I don’t know who lives there now but he bought right in the middle. Alva Stiles used to live there. And then Daddy built the first house that was built this side of Pine Street other than the house that was back in the woods. And he bought the lot from the Scott Estate and built down there. And we thought we were right on the beachfront. The corner of Tazewell and Harbor.
Did he have to build that house on pilings?
No. He happened to get the house part of the land that was down there. And see, the beach came right up to Harbor Avenue. Sand and everything. That’s a built in place from Harbor right up to beachfront. That was sand that was blown up and built up all that up there. Daddy thought he was right on the beachfront.
Isn’t that amazing! I knew that Jeannette Edgerton’s house, for one, was built on pilings.
Well, all those apartments across from us, they’re all built on pilings. And we used to watch them and the pile driver would hit one and it would go out of sight and they’d have to put another one right on top of it. You see, that’s all swamp there. And because it had the cat o’ nine tails and the grass that grows on the beach and all that stuff. [Read more…]
SUNDAY 6/1: Sunset Cruise for ESSO Spay Fundraiser
Sunday, June 1, is the Eastern Shore Spay Organization (ESSO) fundraiser. Wine & Sunset Dolphin Cruise on the Miss Jennifer departs 7:30 p.m. at the Cherrystone Campground Dock. [Read more…]
Friday Service for Glenn Roper at American Legion Post
May 19, 2014
Glenn Lee Roper, 83, husband of Essie West Roper and a resident of Cheriton, passed away Saturday, May 17, at his residence. A celebration of life service will be conducted 11 a.m. Friday, May 23, at American Legion Post #56 in Cheriton. Rev. Elizabeth Lutz will officiate with Post Honors.
Mr. Roper was a native of Staunton, the son of the late George W. Roper and the late Margaret Fitzgerald Roper. He was a United States Air Force Veteran, retired mechanic for United Airlines, taught airline mechanics, and member of American Legion Post #56.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by three daughters, Margaret R. Martin and her husband, Roger, of Townsend, Patricia R. Becker of Bloxom, Eva R. Jee and her husband, Edmond, of Vacaville, CA; eight grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. [Read more…]
WEEKEND: Messing About in Boats
WEEKEND: MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS
(May 17, 2014 Weekend edition) “There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” (Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows). But as boat enthusiasts know, much of the time is spent working on the boat. And that’s not a bad thing either — especially when there’s a boat yard at hand. The photo above, courtesy of Cape Charles Yacht Center, belies the activity going on there now — especially Thursday’s soirée hosted by Eyre Baldwin to mark the grand opening of the yacht center. Some 500 guests attended, and Baldwin announced that “Phase Two is now.” He was talking about accommodation for mega-yachts that will require a 300-ton boat lift. That was planned for sometime in the future, but according to Baldwin it’s going to happen now. Meanwhile, the 75-ton-capacity Travel Lift is up and running, and Cape Charles Yacht Center is open for business. It’s a great time to mess around in a boat!
Half-Millionth Visitor to Eastern Shore Welcome Center
Kerry Allison, Executive Director of the ES Tourism Commission; Jacques and Shirley Dumoulin; Fred Stant, CBBT Commission Chairman; Allan Burns, ES Welcome Center Manager; and Bill Murphy, ES Welcome Center Volunteer.
By KERRY ALLISON
Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission
May 17, 2014
Jacque Dumoulin and his wife, Shirley, driving from Florida to Pennsylvania to visit family, needed a break after they arrived on the Virginia Eastern Shore via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and stopped at the rest area on the right. As is often the case, they noticed the tiny, cheerful and information-rich visitor center housed in the same building and decided to take a look around.
When Mr. Dumoulin walked through the Welcome Center door, he was greeted by Allan Burns, center manager, as the official half millionth visitor to the Eastern Shore Southern Gateway Welcome Center, which opened in August 2009. It’s another milestone for the center, which has seen increases in utilization every year since opening and averages 10,000 visitors monthly.
The lucky Dumoulins were showered with gifts, all local treasures donated by Eastern Shore businesses. “We can’t wait to tell our daughter and her family,” Dumoulin said. “We’ve never stopped here before and had no idea this area was so interesting.” He pointed to the 3D map of the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, one of the state-of-the-art features of the Welcome Center, which has four attention-grabbing light box displays, two 3D exhibits, a real-time video weather feed, videos showcasing local attractions, area restaurant menus, and over 200 rack cards touting everything from history, recreation, shops, restaurants and lodging to upcoming events. A touchscreen information kiosk in a corridor just outside the center helps visitors who stop in during off-hours. [Read more…]
