Because this section is free of charge, community events are subject to run based on available space. Religion items are published on the Saturday church page. Email events to [email protected].
TODAY, MARCH 16
ADULT ARTS AND CRAFTS: Let creativity shine to create a cute craft or inspiring art piece from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Ruby B. Archie Library auditorium. Ages 18 and up. No fee. Registration is required by calling, 434-799-5195.
FRIDAY, MARCH 17
FAMILY GAME NIGHTS: Relax with family and come out for a fun night of board games, sports and outdoor games at Coates Recreation Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m. No fee. Registration required by calling, 434-799-5150. Sponsored by Parks and Recreation.
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SATURDAY, MARCH 18
CARS & COFFEE: Old Dominion Classic Sports Car Club will hold Cars & Coffee from 9 to 11 a.m. at Crema & Vine, 1009 Main St. For more information, call 434-548-9862.
JAPANESE CULTURAL EVENT: George Washington High School Japanese class and club will host the third annual Japan Day free event in the GW auditorium from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be Kendo, Taiko Drumming, a tea ceremony, prizes and more. Register online at https://tinyurl.com/yse2tj2z.
CLASSIC MOVIE CLUB: Enjoy a classic movie with discussion following at the Ruby B. Archie Library auditorium from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. “The Adventure of Robin Hood” (1938) for ages 18 and up. Registration required by calling, 434-799-5195. No fee.
ARCHERY 101 WORKSHOP: Learn the basic safety, anchor points, draw and release, care of equipment and essential safety skills with a USA Archery certified instructor for ages 5 to 17 at Coates Recreation Center from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Cost is $12. Registration required by calling, 434-799-5150.
HOMESTEADING 101: Learn from local homesteaders Ben and Amber Martin at Glenwood Community Center from 10 a.m. to noon. No fee. For ages 5 and up; registration is required a week prior.
MONDAY, MARCH 20
PRESSURE CANNER LID TESTING: Virginia Cooperative Extensive Office, 19783 U.S. 29 South, Suite C, Chatham, will check pressure cooker lid and gauge used for canning at no cost from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information, call 434-432-7770.
TUESDAY, MARCH 21
THE WRITE…
, To read the original article from godanriver.com, Click here
A major Republican victory in Lynchburg politics, a damaging tornado in Bedford County, a brighter outlook for the old Central Virginia Training Center property and more: Here is a selection of some of the top local news events from 2022.
1: GOP sweep in Lynchburg City Council elections
Three Republican candidates claimed victories in the at-large Lynchburg City Council elections, ousting two incumbents and paving the way for a Republican majority on the governing body.
Stephanie Reed, Martin Misjuns and Larry Taylor were the top three vote-getters in the November election. The three were on the ballot alongside incumbents Treney Tweedy and Beau Wright plus newcomers Patrick Earl and Walter Virgil Jr.
This marked the first year the council election was held in November rather than May, following a law passed last year by the Virginia General Assembly that moved local general elections to November.
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Misjuns, Reed and Taylor were endorsed by the Lynchburg Republican City Committee. With Republicans Jeff Helgeson of Ward III and Chris Faraldi of Ward IV already on council, the GOP will have a…
Earlier this year, the Dalton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) installed two practice disc golf baskets outside its visitor information center that is in the old freight depot at 305 S. Depot St., just off Morris Street.
“We are trying to share with our visitors things made in Dalton and Georgia grown,” said Margaret Thigpen, director of tourism for Dalton and Whitfield County, who directs the CVB and the Dalton Convention Center.
Prodigy Disc, a Whitfield County-based manufacturer of disc golf equipment, donated one of the baskets and sold the CVB the other.
“They (the practice baskets) are getting a lot of use,” said Thigpen. “They are not only being used by our visitors, but by our locals, especially those living in the Belk building.”
“We took that idea and expanded it,” Thigpen said. “We thought it would be great to have something throughout downtown. We got with the DDDA (Downtown Dalton Development Authority), Prodigy, the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department and Whitfield County. Voila, we now have a par 2 disc golf course downtown.”
The course, which is open for play, has eight baskets in four locations: the Burr Performing Arts Park, Dalton Green, the county-owned greenspace across from the courthouse and the freight depot. Discs will be for sale at the freight depot.
“To our knowledge, this is the only permanent downtown disc golf course in the nation,” said DDDA Executive Director Candace Eaton.
“I think it’s a huge deal because it will bring a different market downtown,” Eaton said in a press release from the city. “As they walk the course they’ll see local businesses downtown or stop and eat lunch or dinner, or maybe grab a beer or shop.”
“From a tourism standpoint, it absolutely opens our downtown for visitors to have something more to do, to keep them there a little longer,” Thigpen said in the press release. “For all of our tournaments and events coming into our community, just to have something else for the visitors to do when they’re waiting for their next game or their next event, that’s a great addition.”
The Greater Dalton area has several full-sized disc golf courses.
The Whitfield County Parks and Recreation Department’s Westside Park Disc Golf Course was voted one of the top four courses in the United States in 2020 by the readers of Connect…
With five public courses, Bedford County is no stranger to disc golf.
Now, capitalizing on the sport’s growing popularity and local tourism campaign, “Destination Bedford Disc Golf,” a $19,500 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation to support marketing efforts will help promote the county as a disc golf destination.
“Disc golf in general, in this area, especially Bedford County, has skyrocketed,” said Kenny Palmer, parks and recreation operations coordinator for Bedford County. “Disc golf is, at the moment, by far the most participated-in amenity at our parks. That includes the trail systems, too. Our trails get used quite a bit, but disc golf definitely outnumbers trail users.”
Over the past several years, Bedford County has continually worked to maintain, improve, or expand disc golf courses as a driving tourism attraction, drawing visitors and professional or hobby disc golf players from far and wide. Bedford’s five courses are managed by the county’s parks and recreation department.
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“For this particular application, I chose Destination Bedford Disc Golf as the marketing program because people are coming from across the country to play the courses here,” said Nicole Johnson, director of tourism in Bedford County, via email. “The tourism department started promoting disc golf in 2019 with the roll-out of the Destination Bedford branding and marketing campaign. Now I want to take it a step further. I not only want to generate more awareness of the courses here, but also encourage those who come for disc golf to stay longer and discover other activities and attractions.”
When applying for a Virginia tourism grant, Johnson said, the applicant must have a specific project in mind. The grant money will fund email, print, digital, social media, broadcast television and radio advertising for Destination Bedford Disc Golf.
Part of the draw of disc golf is that it is an outdoor activity, accessible to most everyone, and an activity not negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Palmer said.
Whereas many venues and events were shut down or limited, particularly indoor ones, disc golf in the open air lent itself perfectly as something to…