Legacy Hall Showcase is Back
James City County is inviting guests to the biannual Legacy Hall Showcase on Sunday, April 6 from 1-4 p.m. at Legacy Hall in New Town.
Those planning a special event — from birthdays, to banquets, weddings and other private functions — are invited to explore the space and meet local vendors who can help bring their vision to life.
Visitors can enjoy refreshments and enter for a chance to win prizes, including exclusive rental discounts and more.
Vendors are still needed; deadline: March 1. For more information about the event or to become a vendor, email legacy.hall@jamescitycountyva.
Avalon Center Elects Five New Board Members
WILLIAMSBURG — The Avalon Board of Directors announced it recently welcomed five volunteers beginning their first term of service.
Steve Nichols, a staff psychiatrist for Western State Hospital in Staunton for 30 years; Randy Casey-Rutland, President and Founder of Town Management in Williamsburg; Colleen Stephenson, financial advisor with Davenport & Company LLC in Williamsburg Megan Ochoa is an ambassador and front door associate with Burn Boot Camp and Donna Potts, a retired software engineer with 40 years of professional experience.
Avalon Center is a nonprofit organization formed over 45 years ago with a mission to end domestic and sexual violence by offering education, prevention, shelter and support services in the greater Williamsburg and Middle Peninsula communities. To learn more about Avalon and how you can get involved visit avaloncenter.org.
Virginia State Parks Volunteer Numbers Increase
RICHMOND — Virginia State Parks are excited to announce that in 2024, volunteers donated a grand total of 221,132 hours of service.
At the rate of $33.49 per volunteer hour, volunteers provided over 7.4 million dollars ($7,405,710,68) worth of work to Virginia State Parks, it said. The volunteer rate is calculated by the Independent Sector, with the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland.
Individual and group volunteers contributed 107,000 hours, AmeriCorps and Youth Conservation Corps donated 25,168 hours and camp hosts dedicated 88,655 hours.
Compared to 2023, both individual and group volunteer hours increased. This is due to the work of park staff getting their volunteers up to date on background checks, hosting more events and focusing on volunteer appreciation. The growth can also be attributed to the new wage volunteer positions that several parks have now but have not had in previous years.
To learn more about volunteering at a Virginia State Park, check out the Volunteer Opportunities web page at dcr.virginia.gov/
St. Mark Lutheran Church and Sine Nomine Presents . . . Beckett Behel
YORKTOWN — St. Mark Lutheran Church and Sine Nomine Presents . . . will feature Beckett Behel on Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m.
Beckett Behel is a classically trained pianist living in Williamsburg. He graduated in 2024 from William and Mary with a degree in music. He started on piano when he was 6 years old and studied with Hellen Heifetz, according to the series.
He has performed with various local orchestras as both a soloist and accompanist and was a regular performer at A Chef’s Kitchen in Williamsburg. Outside of piano, he enjoys reading, singing in the W&M Choir, and the Williamsburg Choral Guild.
According to the series, his program is structured as a survey of classical music, with emphasis on its modern evolutions. It traces a path from Bach through Liszt and Rachmaninoff to the 20th century with lesser-known composers such as Hägg and Godowsky. The program ends with pieces from modern classical composers such as Jianzhong, Hamauzu, and Yoshimatsu which illustrate how classical compositions are continuing to evolve even today, it added.
The program is free and open to the public, and donations are appreciated.
Enhanced Card Security Feature Now Available for SNAP Customers
RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Social Services ANNOUNCED IT has launched a new lock and unlock security feature for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program customers to help protect against Electronic Benefit Transfer card theft.
The rise of Electronic Benefit Transfer card scams across the nation has significantly impacted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program customers, with fraudulent schemes like card skimming and phishing leaving families without the benefits they depend on to purchase food, according to the department. Customers can now lock and unlock their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards between uses, helping ensure that only authorized transactions occur when the card is ready to be used. The new feature is easy to access using the ConnectEBT app available for download on both Android and Apple devices.
To ensure the successful implementation and widespread awareness of this new security feature, the Department conducted comprehensive training sessions and shared a resource toolkit with local departments of social services to equip staff with the necessary expertise to support customers effectively.
If cardholders need assistance by phone, customer representatives can be reached by calling the Virginia Electronic Benefit Transfer Client Customer Service Helpdesk at 866-281-2448, where support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Customers can also access the ConnectEBT customer portal online at ConnectEBT.com/VaEBTclient.
Seaford Yacht Club to Host Award-Winning Author Ann Eichenmuller
YORKTOWN — The Seaford Yacht Club of Yorktown announced Virginia mystery author Ann Eichenmuller as the guest speaker at its monthly meeting on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Eichenmuller, a marine and travel journalist, has served as a contributing writer for Chesapeake Bay Magazine, All at Sea, RV Magazine, and Motorhome, and is the winner of four Boating Writers International Awards for Excellence, according to the club. She is best known for her Sandi Beck mystery novels, a four-book series featuring a female liveaboard sailor set along the Rappahannock, Chesapeake, and the Intracoastal Waterway. In addition to her novels, Eichenmuller is also the author of a children’s book, Foo’s Way Home, the Writing RX, and There When Needed, the history of Smith Point’s all-volunteer marine rescue organization.
A sailor, scuba diver, and private pilot, as well as an educator and recipient of the Washington Post Agnes Meyer Award for Excellence in Education, Eichenmuller enjoys sharing the experiences and sailing adventures along the Atlantic Coast that shaped her career as a writer. A question and answer period will follow her presentation.
Seaford Yacht Club is located at 3108A Goodwin Neck Road. The program begins at 10 a.m. and is open to the public.
Fido Fest Returns March 22
WILLIAMSBURG — Fido Fest returns to Jamestown Beach Event Park Saturday, March 22, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Festivities include:
- Best Trick Contest (two minute maximum; enter on site)
- Fido Fashion Show (prizes for best overall, best couple, funniest and most creative)
- Photo Row (multiple themed photo ops for your pup-props & costumes included!)
- Family-friendly, dog-friendly activities & games
- Arts & crafts for kids and adults
- Food ($), merchandise ($) and community vendors
Parking is $5 per car (cash or check). Leashed pets only. No retractable leashes. Dogs must be current on vaccines. Weather permitting. In the event of inclement weather, call the activities hotline at 757-259-3232. For event questions, call 757-259-5353.
ORF delivers $2.2 billion annually to the economies of Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, ODU reports
NORFOLK — Norfolk International Airport (ORF) announced it powered the economic growth of Coastal Virginia and portions of northeastern North Carolina to the tune of $2.2 billion in calendar 2023, according to a recently completed economic impact analysis.
The Norfolk Airport Authority engaged the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University to produce the report, which was the first post-pandemic examination of ORF’s growing economic prowess within the greater Hampton Roads region, it said.
According to the report, by attracting business and tourism, ORF generates spending within the region that contributes to economic growth beyond the airport. Analyses estimate the impact of an event of specific duration and location on economic activity at the local, regional, or national level. The activity may range from a public event, organization, sector, industry, or a change in public policy, regulation, or law. To estimate the economic impact of ORF, the Dragas Center estimated the number of jobs at the airport, consumer and capital spending there, plus spending outside of ORF that occurred because individuals were attracted to the region by the airport’s presence. The effects of spending and employment were broken down to measure ORF’s direct impacts, indirect impacts and induced impacts.
In 2023, nearly 17,000 local jobs were attributable to ORF, amounting to nearly $982 million in earnings. The gross domestic product stemming from activities at ORF tallied nearly $1.4 billion that same year. ORF welcomed more than 4.55 million passengers in 2023, a record that was later surpassed by 2024’s 4.86 million annual passengers. More than 40% of ORF’s annual travelers come from outside Virginia.
View the Dragas Center’s full report here: norfolkairport.com/about-us/
Foodatude Owner Plans to Open Brick-and-Mortar Restaurant on Jamestown Road
WILLIAMSBURG — The owner and operator of the food truck Foodatude said on Facebook he plans to open a brick-and-mortar establishment this spring in the former Jamestown Pie Company building on Jamestown Road.
While Kennedy does not have a specific opening date for his new restaurant, he said in his Jan. 29 social media post he is aiming for a March soft opening with a larger grand opening at a later time.
For more information, visit Foodatude on Facebook.
James City County Holding Summer Job Fair
JAMES CITY COUNTY — James City County Parks & Recreation will hold a summer job fair on Saturday, March 1.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Human Resources Building, 101 Mounts Bay Road (Building F).
Seasonal, part-time and on-call positions will be available offering competitive salaries and flexible schedules, according to the county. Same-day, on-site interviews will also be available.
Job openings include lifeguards, recreation leaders, assistant recreation supervisors, therapeutic recreation leaders, class instructors, park attendants and fitness attendants to work outdoors in our parks and indoors at our recreation centers.
Seasonal positions are up to 40 hours per week for the summer season only (through Sept. 30). Year-round, part-time regular and on call (up to 28 hours per week year-round) positions are also available.
Applicants can save time by applying online before attending the event, and those interested in part-time regular positions are required to apply online. All applicants must be at least 16 years old at the time of hire. If an applicant is under age 18, parental consent is required to complete the post offer checks, if selected for a position. And all applicants must successfully complete a drug test and criminal history/sex offender check (other post-offer checks may be required depending on position offered.) Bring a picture ID and copies of certification (if applicable).
To learn more about these positions, visit the James City County Career Center at careers.jamescitycountyva.gov. For more information, call James City County Human Resources at 757-253-6680.
Gloucester, Yorktown Residents Join Virginia State Police Ranks
NORTH CHESTERFIELD — Residents of Gloucester, Newport News, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Yorktown were among the 48 Virginia State Police Troopers who graduated from the 142nd Basic Session on Friday, Feb. 7 at the VSP Academy in North Chesterfield.
During the 142nd Basic Session’s 30 weeks at the VSP Academy, trooper-trainees received instruction in more than 100 different subjects over the course of hundreds of hours, police said. Academy training includes areas such as crime scene investigation, judicial procedures, self-defense, cultural diversity, and firearms.
Graduates included:
- Trooper Stephanie Roberts, 21, of Gloucester, has a first duty assignment of Mathews County.
- Trooper Peter Haughton, 29, of Gloucester, has a first duty assignment of Gloucester County. Haughton previously served in the Newport News Police Department.
- Trooper Jonathan Surran, 23, of Yorktown, has a first duty assignment of Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
New troopers will report to their duty assignments on either Feb. 18 or March 3. For their final phase of training, each Trooper will spend an additional six weeks paired with a Field Training Officer learning his or her new patrol area, police said.
Thos interested in applying are encouraged to contact the Virginia State Police Recruitment Office at vatrooper.com.
