Townhound

Jeremy Witt Exhibit at the R-MC Welcome Center

Admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:43:06 +0000

The R-MC Welcome Center is hosting an art exhibit by artist and alumnus Jeremy Witt ‘92 throughout March. Come by Monday – Friday between 9 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to see this compelling exhibit. Come meet the artist at the Open House on Tuesday, March 16 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Welcome Center.

Witt has always been interested in photography and since his college days he has continued to explore the medium with great intensity. He has tried his hand at color and digital photography, but his first love is black and white film. “I still shoot film and develop it in my darkroom, along with my prints,” he says.

Witt also makes music and writes fiction, including screenplays and short stories.

“I have seen for years how all of the disciplines I explore inter-react,” says Witt. “All creativity comes from the same place, or at least the same general direction, so all of the things I make have a similar vibe. They are filtered through my unique personality, but their real force is much more primal. In this way the images are new and old at the same time. Black and white photography, being a medium of subtlety, can demonstrate this reality very well. It doesn’t scream. It doesn’t need to. It’s very hard to speak directly about the images. They are emblems of a process and not really about representational reality. They exhibit, in a visual manner, that which we all feel and experience in life: light and dark, black and white, movement and calm and everything inbetween.”(Witt’s book, inbetween, was published in 2006 by Cross Mill Gallery.)

“Mammalogues” – a one woman show this Sunday, March 14 at RMC

Admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:46:29 +0000

Gene Glave, who used to live in Ashland and now lives in Charleston, SC, has written a one-person show, “Mammalogues.” Ms. Glave had breast cancer. This show is a funny and poignant look at what she went through. March 14 at 7:00pm (Blackwell Auditorium at R-MC). All proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Tickets are $10. For more information, and to purchase tickets, please call 804-752-7318 or email studentlife@rmc.edu.

Ashland Police Department will host a Safe and Sober Driving Event

Admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:05:57 +0000

On Friday, March 5, 2010 from 12:00pm – 4:30pm the Ashland Police Department will host a Safe and Sober Driving Event at Randolph-Macon College. The Ashland Police Department would like to extend an invitation to all drivers, young and old, to join us as we kick-off “Checkpoint Strikeforce” & “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving: St Patrick’s Day impaired driving awareness campaign”. This event is also being held in conjunction with Randolph Macon College’s “Spring into Safety Campaign” and is sponsored by their Residence Life, Office of Alcohol and Drug Prevention and Campus Safety Office. Officers and representative from Mother Against Drunk Drivers organization will be on hand to educate drivers as to the dangers and consequences of driving impaired. Volunteers will wear “fatal vision goggles” while maneuvering a golf cart through traffic cones to simulate the effects that alcohol has on a person who operates a motor vehicle under the influence. Officers will also offer field sobriety tests to the volunteers after they complete the driving course. Also during this month, the Ashland Police Department will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint in an effort to remove impaired drivers from our roadways. In NHTSA statistics show that in 2008, there were 134 crash fatalities on St. Patrick’s Day. Out of that number, 50 people were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. Please remember that “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.” Designate your sober driver before the St. Patrick’s Day parties begin.

Pet Portraits – Hanover Humane Society Fundraiser

Admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:56:50 +0000

On March 19 and 20, Jessica Robertson Photographic Artistry will donate the session fee of all Pet Portraits to the Hanover Humane Society. Hurry and make your appointment before they’re all gone! Call 798-7980.

Giant Flemish Rabbits

Admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:43:33 +0000

Saturday March 20 at 1:00 p.m. at the Richard S. Gillis, Jr. Ashland Branch Library, 201 N. Railroad Ave. (804) 798-4072. Celebrate our Snuggle up with Peter Rabbit read aloud program with a visit from some Giant Flemish Rabbits.

If you have a special physical or communication need that may affect your use of library services, please ask a staff member or call Tom Shepley, Director at (804) 365-6211.

1960s The Meaning Behind the Music

Admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:40:49 +0000

Thursday, March 25 at 7:00pm at the Richard S. Gillis, Jr. Ashland Branch Library. Other Voices, an acoustic vocal band, will take you on a trip through the sixties, with the protest anthems, pop songs, and expressive ballads that made the era unforgettable.

If you have a special physical or communication need that may affect your use of library services, please ask a staff member or call Tom Shepley, Director at (804) 365-6211. Richard S. Gillis, Jr. Ashland Branch Library, 201 S. Railroad Ave , Ashland. 804-798-4072.

Sue Watson wins coveted YWCA Outstanding Women Award for Education

Admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:36:26 +0000

Sue Watson was among 10 women selected for the YWCA honor (out of nearly 80 candidates). To celebrate, the YWCA is hosting a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Friday, April 23, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The luncheon is a fundraising event and nearly 900 members of the Metro Richmond community attend each year. Funds raised support the YWCA’s three core program areas: domestic violence, sexual violence and early childhood education. Tickets are $50. Sales will begin in March.

House of Delegates Action Could Jeopardize Virginia Commission for the Arts!

Admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:49:55 +0000

Your Help is Needed NOW! On February 21 the Appropriations Committee of the House of Delegates voted, 15-7, to cut state funding for the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) by 50 percent in 2010-11 and to eliminate the agency completely as of July 1, 2011. The Senate Finance Committee has adopted the proposal in the budget bill submitted by Governor Kaine not to make further cuts in state funding for the Commission for the Arts. There will be votes on the House and Senate floors later this week on the proposals from the two committees. The different versions of the 2010-12 budget will be approved by the two houses of the General Assembly, then go to a Budget Conference Committee to resolve the differences. Virginians for the Arts is encouraging arts advocates to do two things:

1. Contact your representatives in the General Assembly, both Delegates and Senators (fax and phone calls best), protesting the recommendation of the House Appropriations Committee.

2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers with the same message.

These actions must be taken in as soon as possible in order to have any impact on the final decisions on the state budget. Please take action and help us spread the word with other arts advocates in every way (website, email, social networking, etc.). Particularly in light of the current economy, this is very troubling news, as Barksdale and Theatre IV each receive significant grant funding from VCA each year. However, with your help, we can send a message that Virginians value and support the arts in our communities.

As patrons and faithful supporters of Barksdale and Theatre IV, you know that the arts do far more than entertain — the arts change lives and build communities. Thank you for your tireless advocacy of our theatres and for your action on this issue! Phil Whiteway Managing Director, Barksdale and Theatre IV

Rail Track Replacement Begins on Monday

Admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:04:15 +0000

Expect delays from Gwathmey Church Road to England Street (St. Rt. 54) until March 5, 2010

Jacksonville, FL – February 15, 2010 – CSX Transportation (CSXT) will begin rail track maintenance in Ashland, Virginia on Monday, February 22, 2010. The work is part of CSXT’s ongoing track maintenance program to ensure safe and efficient rail service.

CSXT’s project in Ashland was supposed to begin on February 15; however inclement weather caused the project’s postponement. Although contingent upon good weather, the work will begin on February 22 on the west track, which runs close to town on the north side of Gwathmey Church Road to England Street. CSXT aims to complete the rail track maintenance project by March 5, contingent upon favorable weather conditions.

Road crossings will not be taken out of service, but pedestrian crossings will be removed and replaced when the job is complete. CSXT is working closely with local officials to ensure emergency responders are aware of the status of each affected crossing over the next few weeks.

Crews will replace rail tracks before deploying a surfacing team to level the rail and vibrate new rock into place. CSXT will work with Ashland Police to limit access on Center Street in order to prevent property damage to parked or moving vehicles from loose gravel and will coordinate with the town on clean-up.

For the duration of the project there will be no trains on the west track, but the other track will be open. Passing trains on the other line will sound their horns to comply with federal regulations and protect workers placing the rail as well as residents.

The Ashland track maintenance is part of CSXT’s broader effort to create safer, less congested roadways, improve the environment and promote rail infrastructure will support and sustain economic growth.

CSX Transportation is a principal operating company of CSX Corporation. CSX Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the leading transportation companies, providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services. The company’s transportation network spans 21,000 miles with service to 23 eastern states and the District of Columbia, and connects to more than 70 ocean, river, and lake ports. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at the company’s web site, www.csx.com.

From the Ashland Police Department:

No parking will be allowed on the West side of South Center Street while this CSX work is being conducted. Pedestrians will also need to stay away from the work zone as this is a dangerous operation. At this point, they envision shutting down sections of S. Center Street to facilitate the work and all the moving equipment. CSX will need the room for the equipment and there is a possibility that this process will throw rocks from the track bed. CSX is concerned that if cars are allowed to be parked on the west side of S. Center Street, they will be damaged. They do not anticipate that they will be in the business area until around noon on Monday and APD will make appropriate arrangements with Public Works officials.

Next Ashland Arts Network Meeting

Admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:08:02 +0000

Our next meeting of the group is 3/1/2010 at 7 pm at Ashland Coffee & Tea.

First draft of the mission statement was sent to you, a Facebook page is in the works.

We need to talk logo as well. It would be nice to finalize both mission statement/logo and move forward from there.

Don’t forget we have June reserved for our group show at the Listening Room Gallery at Ashland Coffee & Tea.
We will also discuss plans for an April Arts Social.