Updated Thursday, May 15, 2008
Published: April 6, 2008

Thursday, May 15

The Madison Chamber of Commerce’s second annual Business Expo is set for 1-7 p.m.Thursday, May 15, at the Madison County Volunteer Fire Company’s meeting hall. Come out to see what more than 50 businesses have to offer, get free popcorn from the chamber, win a door prize, pick up some freebies and learn some useful information. Children can ride the Madison County Sheriff’s Office barrel train from 3-5 p.m. Food will be available for purchase from the Madison County Rescue Squad Auxiliary. For information or to enroll your business, call the Madison County Chamber of Commerce at (540) 948-4455.

Skyline Community Action Program Head Start in Madison is a preschool program for 3- to 5-year-old children. Applications for the 2008-2009 school year are being accepted continuing through Thursday, May 15. Children with special needs are encouraged to apply. Skyline CAP Head Start is a free program for income-eligible families. The only cost to the parents is a small amount of your time each month. For information, call Charmane Grant at (540) 948-3916, ext. 180.

The total number of all children, ages 5-19, living in Madison County (in public, private or parochial schools, schooled at home, or those already out of school) directly affects the amount of one percent sales tax Madison County receives from the state. This sum of money helps run the county and lessens the burden on local taxpayers. Continuing throughThursday, May 15, the school division is making every effort to contact families of all children living in Madison County to gather census information. If you have recently moved into Madison County or haven’t been contacted by the school division by the end of May, contact Bob Francis, census coordinator, at the School Administration Offices at (540) 948-3780. Information is available at http://www.madisonschools.k12.va.us.

If your organization would like to help during times of disaster and you would like to learn about becoming a member of the Eastern Piedmont Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), bring your own brown bag lunch to a meeting noon-1 p.m. today, Thursday, May 15, at the Depot in Culpeper. Beverages will be provided. For information, call Paula Shaver, Emergency Services director, at (540) 735-0598.

The Northern Piedmont Beekeepers Association’s next monthly meeting is set for 7:15 p.m. today, Thursday, May 15, at the Culpeper County Library. Expected topics include colony strength and what beekeepers should be doing with their bees at this time of year. All are welcome. For information, e-mail Madison County’s Kathy Miller at .

Friday, May 16

Hartland College’s Combined Choir will perform “Sing the Story” 6 p.m. Friday May 16 at Hebron Lutheran Church. The free show is a musical journey celebrating three centuries of the Madison County region’s religious heritage. Listen to hymns sung by the Germans who first settled the Madison County area, psalms sung by the area’s first English settlers, lyrics penned by pastor and patriot John Leland (who worked with James Madison to secure a Constitutional separation of church and state), the spirituals of slaves who cried out to God in their bondage, anthems that stirred the national soul during the Civil War, as well as music that expresses Christian faith today. The event is co-sponsored by Hartland, the Madison Chamber of Commerce and the Madison County Historical Society. There is a reception right after the show. 
Enjoy an evening of bluegrass and gospel music 7-10 p.m. Friday, May 16 at the clubhouse next to Waugh’s off Route 20, Orange. Come for the fun and music or bring your bluegrass instruments and play; open to all individuals and groups. Call Pete at (540) 854-7468 to schedule your group to play. Contributions go to area children groups.

A free Practice GED will be given 5-9 p.m. Friday, May 16 at the office of the Madison Literacy Council at 304 Thrift Road. You must pre-register to take the test. It is half the length of the actual test and gives a good indication of how well you will do on it. Like the actual test, the practice test has five parts. It gives you an idea of how the real tests are set up and lets you see where your strengths are so that you can concentrate your studies where you need them. You can take parts of the actual GED test separately. Each segment costs $7, but there is a $10 fee for first-time test takers, making the total cost $45. Call (540) 948-5514 to register for the practice test. You may leave a message if you call after office hours.

Celebrate spring by going to see “Lend Me A Tenor,” the Tony award-winning farce by Ken Ludwig complete with slamming doors, mistaken identities and crazy characters at the Four-County Players theater. Madison County High School student Frankie Daily is the Four County Players’ production’s assistant stage manager. Shows are 8 p.m. May 16, 17, 23 and 24 and 2:30 p.m. May 18 and 24. Tickets are $5-$12. For information, call (540) 832-5355.

The Auxiliary to the Brandy Station Volunteer Fire Department will have an open to the public fried chicken dinner 5-7 p.m. Friday, May 16 at the new Brandy Station fire hall. The menu consists of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cole slaw, corn pudding, rolls, desserts and beverages. The cost is $10 for adults, children ages 6 through 10 is $5; children 5 and younger are free. Carryouts will be available. For information, contact Doris Myers at (540) 825-8213.

Saturday, May 17

Saturday, May 17, 3-3:40 p.m., there will be a grave marking and unveiling ceremony for John and Andrew Gaar/Garr, Revolutionary War veterans near 100 Beamers Road, just beyond Oak Grove Methodist Church in Aylor. For questions, contact , (281) 361-3112 or (540) 825-9673.

A Longaberger/Vera Bradley bingo get-together is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, May 17 in Greene County’s William Monroe High School’s cafeteria. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at-the-door. For information, call Katie Brunelle at (434) 985-1397 or e-mail her at . All proceeds benefit the Adam Fargo Fieldhouse.

Shenandoah National Park invites the public to join in a weekend to Save the Meadow! May 17-18. (Rain dates are June 7-8.) Staff and volunteers from the park will illustrate the beauty and rare importance of the site and species found within Big Meadows, which is mostly in the Madison County area of the park. The public is encouraged to participate in invasive control activity led by park staff and volunteers. Invasive species threaten to degrade the highly valued plant community found at Big Meadows Swamp, a wet meadow. The swamp is a natural heritage site of rare significance. Save the Meadow! follows the Park’s Wildflower Weekend of the previous week. It is intended to demonstrate how the public can volunteer to fight back against invasive plants and how with simple awareness they can avoid environmental problems in their own neighborhoods. Free park admission is offered to those who attend the event by contacting the invasive plant control volunteer leader in advance at (540) 999-3492. Activities begin at the Byrd Visitor Center auditorium at Big Meadows 9 a.m. Saturday (repeated at 1:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday). Informative talks will be followed by opportunities for volunteering to control invasive plants in the Big Meadows area. ARAMARK Inc., the concessionaire operating the park’s motel and restaurant system, invites people interested in staying overnight to contact them for reservations at (800) 999-4714. Save the Meadow! is part of a larger program for increasing public volunteerism in national parks. It is made possible by a grant from the National Park Foundation and the Tauck Foundation. More than 25 percent of the documented SNP plant species are not native to the area. Many of those plants do not have the normal biological control agents from their home environments and thus have unfair advantage over natives. They are therefore invasive. Though exotic plants are not new to the area, invasive impacts are increasingly serious. Native species are being displaced and the process of forest succession is being stopped by the overwhelming presence of such plants as garlic mustard, kudzu, mile-a-minute vine, Oriental bittersweet, Oriental lady’s thumb, tree of heaven and others. Without controls, it may become impossible to maintain the park’s designated federal wilderness in a natural untrammeled condition. By presidential Executive Order No. 13112, the National Park Service is directed to control invasive species and ensure that no new exotic infestations become established. For information, call (540) 999-3492 or visit http://www.nps.gov/shen/ then press “Support the Park” and “Volunteer.”

Whether you’re a first-time college student looking for a career change or just want to explore opportunities for personal enrichment, Piedmont Virginia Community College invites the community to attend Spring Fling 2008 on Saturday, May 17, from 9 a.m. until noon. The annual free event provides fundamental information about taking classes at PVCC and introduces prospective students to the more than 52 programs of study offered at the college. Register for Spring Fling by May 15 online at http://www.pvcc.edu or contact Don Landis, interim enrollment and outreach services manager at or (434) 961-5275.

Sunday, May 18

The quarterly Madison County Historical Society meeting will feature Maxine Weaver Crane speaking about her book, “Ask for Nothing.” This is the true story of a mother traveling west in the mid-1800s who left one of her children with a Madison family. A fascinating story involving three Madison families, the Deals, the Yowells and the Weavers. The meeting will be 2 p.m. Sunday, May 18, in the auditorium of the Madison County office building. Refreshments will follow in the Kemper Residence and everyone is invited.

Monday, May 19

The Madison County High School Band and Director Keith Cottrill invite MCHS band alumni to participate in a combined band piece for Cottrill’s farewell spring concert in May. This invitation is extended to any former band member under Cottrill’s direction. All alumni are encouraged to come out and play a few notes in honor of the success the band has achieved under Cottrill’s direction. The MCHS spring concert will be held in the MCHS auditorium Monday, May 19, at 7 p.m. and any alumni interested can contact Daniel Upton at .

The Piedmont Landowners Association will meet 6 p.m. Monday, May 19, for a potluck dinner at Middle River Farm in Hood. The agenda will include touring the gardens, the woodland pond and discussing erosion of the Conway River. The Piedmont Landowners Association is composed of landowners and friends from Madison, Culpeper, Greene, Orange and Rappahannock counties. The public is welcome. For information, call (540) 948-4136.

Madison-Orange Action for Healthy Kids (M-OAHK) will meet 3:30 p.m. Monday, May 19, at Madison Presbyterian Church. The purpose of M-OAHK is to promote and facilitate children’s health in the areas of physical activity and family nutrition education. The meeting is open to all who have an interest in the well-being of Virginia’s children. For information, call Mary K. Collins at (540) 948-5481.

Tuesday, May 20

Madison County Aging Together meets at 1:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Madison Department of Social Services. The next meeting is set for May 20. This team of the Aging Together partnership is taking steps to improve supports and services for Madison County older adults and their families. The group plans ways to improve transportation and housing options, increase volunteerism and develop programs to meet the needs of seniors and their families. For information, contact Kathi Walker at (540) 829-6405 or Nan Coppedge at (540) 948-5521.

Alfred S. Regnery, publisher of The American Spectator magazine and author of “Upstream: The Ascendance of American Conservatism,” will be the guest speaker at Madison County Republican Women’s meeting 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 20 meeting at Madison Presbyterian Church, Route 722 at the north traffic light. Everyone is invited to attend this informative meeting. Dinner: $7. For information, call (540) 923-4300 or (540) 547-2156.

The Greene-Madison Retired Teachers Association will meet at noon Tuesday, May 20 at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria. All retired school-related personnel are invited to attend. For information, call (540) 948-4304.

The deadline for reservations for the Madison Lions Club Madison Award dinner honoring Frank Anderson is no later than Tuesday, May 20. (See May 27 listing.) For information, call (540) 948-6745.

Sunday, May 25

“Y’all Come and Bring the Family” is the call for a Memorial Weekend celebration Sunday, May 25, to benefit The Link, the Rappahannock Nonprofit Center’s new community center in Sperryville as former Georgia congressman, actor and author Ben Jones reprises his 1980s Dukes of Hazzard’s TV role as “Cooter Davenport,” the fun-loving, grease-monkey garage owner from Tennessee. Jones played Crazy Cooter on the “Dukes” show for seven seasons. A new author, his rollicking memoir of “Redneck Boy in the Promised Land” published by Harmony, has already chalked up excellent reviews and arrives in book stores nationwide, June 3. “We are so happy to once again be appearing where it began in good ol’ Sperryville,” said Jones, where he and wife Anna Viator first opened “Cooter’s Place” gift and performance venues in 1999. The popular songfests and annual celebrations drew major crowds to this area and now are attracting thousands of fans to their new Dukes of Hazzard museum complexes in Gatlinburg and Nashville, where an annual Dukesfest celebration is staged. “It will soon be four years since we moved Cooter’s Place to Tennessee and we have missed seeing all our great friends in Virginia. Cooter’s Garage Band will be joining us for old time’s sake along with the General Lee. We hope all our fans and friends will pack up the car, bring the kids and come celebrate a grand fun-filled afternoon with us,” Jones continued. The May 25 benefit is raising money for the Rappahannock Nonprofit Center’s new community center and is expected to attract a large crowd. Folks are encouraged to bring chairs/blankets for enjoying the show to be held rain or shine on the grounds at The Link’s home at the Schoolhouse in Sperryville, where Route 522 and Route 211 come together. Cooter and the Band play 1-4 p.m. and there will be an opportunity for people to meet Cooter and the band members and view his General Lee, the renowned orange 1969 Dodge Charger of TV fame. The gates open at noon. Admission is $10 for adults, children 12 and younger free. There are no advance sales. Food concessions will be available but no alcohol is permitted. Call (540) 987-9750 for information.

Monday, May 26

The Madison County Memorial Day Service is set for 11 a.m. Monday, May 26, at the War Memorial Building on Main Street in downtown Madison. In the event of rain, the service will be in the Madison American Legion Hall on Thrift Road. This event is sponsored by Kemper-Fry-Strother Camp No. 19, Sons of Confederate Veterans and American Legion Post 157. For information, call (540) 672-4816.

Tuesday, May 27

The 2008 Madison Award will be presented to Frank Anderson at the Madison County Lions Club’s Award Dinner. Established in 1991, the award is intended not only to recognize outstanding voluntary service to Madison County but also to encourage it. Those wishing to join in honoring Anderson and attend the dinner should contact Lions Dink Kreis at [540] 948-4597 or . by May 20. The dinner will be at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria (6:15 p.m. social hour, 7 p.m. for dinner).

Thursday, May 29

The annual Bluegrass Festival of Music is set for May 29-31 at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria. See more than 20 of your favorite Grammy and IBMA award-winning bluegrass bands. Camping is available on a first-come, first-serve basis, no hookups. Three-day tickets are $90 at the gate. Campground opens Friday, May 23 at 8 a.m. For information, call (540) 923-4231 or visit http://www.gravesmountain.com.

Saturday, May 31

The regular meeting of the Madison County Democratic Committee is set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 31 at Madison Presbyterian Church. Please note changed date. This meeting will be the only meeting for the months of May and June; the group will go back to its regular schedule in July. For information, visit their table at the Madison Business Expo today or call Suzanne Long at (540) 547-2537.

The Seventh Virginia Infantry Regiment, Company A, will present the 16th annual 24-hour Vigil at Fairview Cemetery in Culpeper. The event begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 31, and ends at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 1. During the vigil Confederate reenactors will guard the Confederate grave in half-hour shifts. During late afternoon May 31, and the morning of June 1, the names of the soldiers buried there will be read. At 10 a.m. June 1, there will be a short closing ceremony. Nearly 600 Confederate soldiers who died at the Culpeper Confederate Hospital are buried at the Fairview Cemetery site. The public is invited to visit with the reenactors and attend the event. For information, call Capt. Bill Graham at (540) 672-4816.

Sunday, June 1

Madison County High School Class of 1969 will have its 40th class reunion in June 2009. Those interested in helping to plan this reunion should write to Linda Gigel at 5659 Wolftown-Hood Road, Madison, VA 22727. Anyone having addresses or phone numbers of members of the class should include those in the contact.

Tuesday, June 3

The regular meeting of the American Legion, Madison Post 157, will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, at the post home, 310 Thrift Road, Madison. One of the items on the agenda is the installation of officers for the 2008-2009 year. All wartime veterans and current active duty service members are welcome to attend and become members of the Post. For information, call Post Adjutant Sherry L. Brockman at (54) 948-6683.

There will be a free pregnancy workshop offered jointly by the Madison County and Orange County Health Departments. Registration required. It will be 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays, June 3, 10 and 17 at the Orange County Library, 146A Madison Road, Orange. This workshop is for anyone who wants to learn more about how to have a healthy pregnancy, but men can attend too. Topics will include staying healthy during pregnancy, signs of pre-term labor, labor and delivery and caring for infants. Contact Mary K. Collins at (540) 948-5481, ext. 21, for information or to register.

Monday, June 9

A seminar, “Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) Homeownership Program,” is set for 6-9 p.m. Monday, June 9 and Monday, June 16, at the Madison County Cooperative Extension Office, which is located on the second floor of the War Memorial building in downtown Madison. The Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) Homeownership Education Program is designed to take the mystery out of the home-buying process and help homebuyers prepare to make important decisions about buying a home. Completion of this class is required by all borrowers in order to become eligible for all VHCA loan programs. Sign up today for this free homebuyer education class to learn about the entire home-buying process including personal finances and credit reports, role of the lender, working with your real estate agent, home inspections and closing your mortgage loan. RSVP needed. Call (540) 672-1381 by Monday, June 2. Registration is required. Attendance for both days is required to receive a certificate of completion.

Wednesday, June 11

The Kemper-Fry-Strother Camp No. 19, Sons of the Confederate Veterans, will celebrate the birthday of Madison and Orange counties’ famous leader, General/Governor James Lawson Kemper 6:30 p.m. June 11, at the Kemper family graveyard on Walnut Hills farm near Madison Mills. The public is invited to share this moving tribute to one of Virginia’s famous sons. For information, call Bill Graham at (540) 672-4816.

Thursday, June 12

The All American Bluegrass Festival is set for Thursday-Saturday, June 12-14, at Booster Park in Orange. Performers include The Grascals, Claire Lynch, Ralph Stanley II, George Clark and Dixie Flyers, Dark Hollow, Michelle Nixon, Bill Yates, Wildwood Valley Boys, Courtney Hollow, Carolina Sunshine, Little Mountain Boys and the Kirk family. Some of these are Madison County groups. This event is co-sponsored by the Boosters. Show times are Thursday, potluck supper at 4:45 p.m. (bring a covered dish). Boosters will provide ham, turkey or beef. Shows run from 5:45 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and Saturday from 12 noon to 10:30 p.m. Ticket prices for Thursday are $25 and Friday and Saturday, $30. A three-day ticket through May 30 is $60. Children 12 and younger free with parent and ages 13-17 half-price with parent. Food will be available at the park and there is free “rough” camping. For information, call (540) 825-5838 or visit http://www.allamericanbluegrass.com.

Saturday, June 14

The Martin Luther Lohr annual family reunion will be held June 14 at the Lohr homeplace, 1930 Carpenter’s Mill Road, Madison. Descendants of Noah, Rebecca, Martin Jr., Casbianca, Mary Margaret, Silas, Paul, Sarah and Edgar are welcome. RSVP by May 30 to your family representative Steve or Annette Willis at (540) 672-2004 or Russell and Janet Lohr at (540) 948-4734.

The Madison American Legion Post 157 will hold a Flag Day celebration and barbecue chicken dinner at the post home and its adjacent park pavilion, 310 Thrift Road, Madison. The dinner will be served from 5-8 p.m. and the Flag Day activities will begin at 6:45 p.m. The cost of the all-you-can-eat chicken dinner will be $10 for adults and $5 for children age 12 and younger. For information, call Post Commander Gerry Stephenson at (540) 948-5019.

Thursday, June 19

The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) Association is searching for shipmates (Ship’s Company, Staff, Squadrons and Detachments) who served on board the Nuclear Attack Aircraft Carrier for a ship’s reunion in Nashville, Tenn. June 19-22. The Nimitz is currently deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. For information, contact Joe Brunner at , or (619) 466-2132 or log onto http://www.usnimitzassociation.org.

Sunday, June 22

The first regional Bowl-For-Seniors event will be conducted at the new Mountain Run Bowling Center in the Culpeper Town Mall on Sunday, June 22. This is a five-county event, encompassing Madison, Culpeper, Fauquier, Orange and Rappahannock counties. The Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board/Area Agency on Aging provides services to more than 400 seniors in our five-county area. In order to continue these services, they are requesting sponsorships, pledges and/or donations, which will go directly to all RRCSB/AAA aging service programs in Planning District Nine. Home-delivered meals, adult day care, advocacy, transit services, social interaction, a hot nutritional meal, as well as educational and recreational activities, are just a few of the many services provided to seniors. These programs rely on local support from local government, Piedmont United Way, client donations and fundraisers. Encourage your friends, family and co-workers to organize enthusiastic individuals to form teams of four and come enjoy the afternoon and support this worthwhile event. There will be prizes awarded based on the amount of paid pledges, as well as from drawings and special competitions throughout the day. They are actively seeking corporate sponsors. There are various levels of sponsorship, all receiving publicity by having its name on the back of team t-shirts, special event publicity and in local media and the RRCSB newsletter. For information, call July Seale at (540) 825-3100, ext. 3013, or Lola Walker at (540) 825-3100, ext. 3358.

Sunday, July 20

Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria hosts Cherryholmes, the 2005 International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainer of the Year, 4 p.m. July 20. (Gates open at 2 p.m.) Also featured are Dark Hollow and Acoustic Endeavors. This is a $15 per person advance ticket price until June 30, $20 later. For information, call (540) 923-4231 or visit http://gravesmountain.com/cherryholmes.htm.

Wednesday, July 30

It is that time of year again in Brandy Station, the time of the year to be making plans for the annual Brandy Station Volunteer Fire Department fund-raising fair. This year’s fair will run from July 30-Aug. 2. The fire department is once again looking for attractive young ladies interested in representing the fire department as the firefighters honorary fire chiefs. The honorary fire chief contest is broken down into two separate categories, the junior ladies, 8-14 years old and the senior ladies, 15-21. The person who sells the most fund-raising raffle tickets for the fire department determines the winners. Each young lady finishing the contest is awarded a percentage of the amount of tickets they sell. The two winners are crowned the senior and junior honorary fire chief and represent the fire department in area parades during the year. The crowning takes place during the carnival. To sign up, contact Coordinator Peggy Bailey at (540) 825-0354.

Saturday, Sept. 13

Madison Troop Support is going to have another barbecue at The Barn benefit in Syria this fall, Sept. 13. It will be pretty much what it was last year: speaker about current military affairs, military honors (Scouts), music, dinner, wine and beer, wonderful ambiance and fun all around. It will also have a silent auction. The cost is $60 per person. If you would like to attend, please let them know soon, as tickets tend to go very quickly. All proceeds go to support Madison troops (minus the cost of the caterer who charges only for the cost of food, not his services) and the rest is gratis. If you have questions, call (540) 923-4526.