Friday, June 28, 2019

Creeper Trail Watauga Road Project Information


The Virginia Creeper Trail Watauga Road Parking Lot and Entrance Road Project will begin on Monday, July 1, 2019. Please use caution in this area during the construction. Flagmen will be onsite during phases of the construction to assist with passing. The project is scheduled to be completed in 120 days, weather permitting. Questions or concerns about the project should be addressed through the Abingdon Parks and Outdoor Recreation Office at (276) 492-2144.

*The current Watauga Road Parking Lot will continue to stay open during the construction.

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Green Spring Road/Cummings Street Paving Notice


Starting Sunday, June 30, 2019, construction contractors plan to start the Cummings Street paving operations. The paving operations will continue nightly from approximately 9:00pm to 5:00am until complete unless impacted by weather. The contractors expect to finish the morning of Wednesday, July 3, 2019.

*In the event of inclement weather, no paving will occur over the holiday weekend.

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Abingdon celebrates Independence Day Thursday July 4th with a day of family fun


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2019


Abingdon celebrates Independence Day Thursday July 4th
with a day of family fun

ABINGDON, Va.—On Thursday July 4, 2019, downtown Abingdon will be alive with an All-American Independence Day Extravaganza. This free event takes place at the Abingdon Market Pavilion and along Remsburg Drive in downtown Abingdon. Free activities include a watermelon eating contest, a kids’ craft area, historical reenactors, block party with a foam pit, stilt walkers, antique tractors, concert, and firework finale. Food trucks will be present to provide concessions.

The free concert starts at 7:00pm, featuring the blues and southern soul of Carolyn Wonderland. A musical force equipped with the soulful vocals of Janis and the guitar slinging skills of Stevie Ray, Carolyn Wonderland reaches into the depths of the Texas blues tradition with the wit of a poet. She hits the stage with unmatched presence, a true legend in her time.

At 4:00 p.m. the festivities begin with a watermelon eating contest for those ages 5 to 18. Just like any good watermelon eating competition, no hands or other unique equipment are allowed. Contestants should arrive at 3:30pm to sign up, accompanied by their parent or guardian.

Come to the Kids’ Craft area from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m, where kids of all ages can participate in creative craft projects for free. Activities at the craft area include rotating art projects every hour.

Other draws for families include an antique car show, historical reenactors celebrating Abingdon’s rich Revolutionary War history, and a block party and foam pit.  The entire extravaganza will end in true American style with a firework finale at 9:15.

All activities will take place on Remsburg Drive in downtown Abingdon, either at the Fields Penn Lawn, the Abingdon Market Pavilion or along Remsburg Drive. Public parking is available in the Municipal Lot on Main Street, or on the street as available.

For a full schedule of events and activities, visit https://www.abingdonmusicexperience.com/independence-day-extravaganza



####

Monday, June 10, 2019

Discontinuation of Curbside Recycling


Discontinuation of Curbside Recycling

As of June 28, 2019, the Town of Abingdon will be discontinuing the curbside, single-stream recycling program contracted through Waste Management, Inc. Waste Management, Inc. will place a notice of service discontinuation on the eighteen (18) gallon recycling bins during the week of June 17-22, 2019, as a reminder to citizens. The last week of service is June 24-28, 2019, so place your recyclables out that week for Waste Management to collect, along with the bins.

The fee on the resident waste collection bill will not change. The Town of Abingdon has been subsidizing the cost for recycling services with Waste Management, Inc. since 2000.

The discontinuation of recycling services is a global issue that has taken several years to reach our region. With China, the largest buyer of recyclable items, no longer purchasing recyclables the demand for these materials is no longer cost effective or sustainable. The decision to end the curbside recycling program within the Town of Abingdon was a mutual decision after consulting with Waste Management, Inc. Because of the lack of a global market for recycling materials, most of them end up in landfills. The Town’s goal is to look at other opportunities to reinstate modified recycling services in the future.

If you are looking for other ways to continue to recycle items, you can check with Wise Recycling in Bristol, Virginia, Revolution Recycling in Bristol, VA, the Carter County, TN Recycling Center, and other facilities in Knoxville, TN.

“It is unfortunate that we must discontinue recycling services at this time,” said Town Manager Jimmy Morani. “However, we encourage residents to practice REDUCE and REUSE to help promote sustainability.”

If you have questions regarding the elimination of curbside recycling program within the town limits of Abingdon, please contact Matt Bolick, Director of Public Works/Construction at 276-628-3167.

BZA Cancellation Notice for the June 11, 2019 Meeting



TOWN OF ABINGDON
Abingdon, Virginia 24210

June 4, 2019

                                                            MEMORANDUM


TO:        Board of Zoning Appeals Members

FROM:  Jason Boswell, Director of Planning/Zoning

RE:        Regular Meeting, Tuesday, June 11, 2019

The regular scheduled meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals for Tuesday, June 11, 2019 will NOT be held due to having NO items on the agenda.

            The next scheduled meeting is Tuesday July 9, 2019.

Thursday, June 6, 2019

The Gallery @ Barr Photographics announces the summer installment of the Corner Gallery’s 2019 exhibition series

The Gallery @ Barr Photographics announces the summer installment of the Corner
Gallery’s 2019 exhibition series, with the return of Abingdon, Virginia artist, Thelma Blake.   Ms. Blake is exhibiting some of the finest paintings of her career with a collection of watercolor florals and still life works entitled "The Presence of Water”.  A portion of "The Presence of Water” is presented as traditional, framed water colors utilizing mats and glass but the vast majority of the thirty seven works are presented utilizing an innovative glazing technique. This technique gives the watercolor media a richer, deeper color presentation, preserving the opaqueness of the media while eliminating the need for mats and glass in the frames. This elimination of framing components allows for a lesser price point making the art more affordable! "The Presence of Water” exhibit is reminiscent of the Georgia O’Keeffe style of florals, with wonderful rich detail and color.

Thelma Vannoy Blake is a native of the Lodi community In Washington County, Virginia, Thelma reveals in her personal biography,” I entered this world on May 18th, 1944! Being nurtured and cared for on a wonderful farm, in the county of Washington, I had the best of all worlds. A wonderful, devoted set of parents who saw to the needs of 5 children was not an easy task. Having two brothers and two sisters, I was the baby girl, so therefore my father doted on me. My oldest brother, now deceased, shared with me the reason for my father’s dotage was that he thought I might die, because I was very sickly. My brother said my dad would walk the floor at night holding me in his arms…that was the beginning of bonding for us. I was truly a “Daddy’s Girl”, Dad was always taking me with him wherever he went and splurging on me while the other four siblings remained with my mother. One of my early memories with my father is him feeding me cheerios when my youngest brother was born……I was an extremely picky eater then. Another memory very clear in my mind after all these years, was Dad taking me to the drugstore in Damascus, VA, sitting me upon a swivel stool and buying me ice cream one cone after another until I was full and could eat no more. On one of these trips he found a little golden locket there and bought it for me. I still have that little locket today!  As I grew up, I loved playing in the water. Each winter, when I was young, I ended up with Pneumonia and had to have penicillin shots. I can distinctly remember when penicillin came out in tablet form…no more shots. I always tell everyone I was raised on Cheerios, Ice cream, and Penicillin.  My youth on the farm was a wonderful experience with lots of happy memories.  My mother and father were both creative people; therefore it seemed natural for 3 of the 5 children to explore the arts. I can easily remember making Easter and Christmas decorations and just painting in general. Adolescent years were filled with chores on the farm, homework, and sports. My high school was small, each student knew the others and each teacher knew all the students. I lived in a world where education was very important. Having graduated Valedictorian of my class, we became the last class to graduate in 11 years in Washington County”. 

            Upon graduation from Liberty Hall High School Thelma began her matriculation at Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia. Thelma left Emory & Henry, after the death of her mother, during her junior year. After some time of working and trying to find a center to myself and balance in my life, I met a confirmed bachelor by the name of William (Bill) Blake aka Jim Nasium. After a year of dating, we married and later had one son who is now William Blake, II. Because my husband was in radio broadcasting, we moved throughout his career. Bill’s career took them to six different states and while in Texas, Thelma finished her undergraduate with a BA, University of Texas ’86. As life began to move full circle, Thelma and Bill came back to Virginia and she earned a MA in Education, Tusculum University ’97.  Thelma taught art for the public school system in Washington County, Virginia where she was the head of the art department at John S Battle High School, until her retirement in 2011.

Thelma also reveals in her personal biography where she states, “My career has been dedicated to teaching our youth about Fine Art and the proper discipline that it is. Now that I am retired, a widow, and a grandmother, I make frequent trips to Texas to visit my son, his lovely wife and my three grandchildren who are joys to my life. I continue to participate in education by offering private art classes, in my studio, to those interested. The sharing of technique while relating to real world experiences during instruction is the secret to my success. The mentor / single student instructional model has also given me personal time to focus on my art and the creation thereof”.

            In her Artist Statement, Thelma reveals some of the motivation behind her art with this quote, “Art is a biological necessity” – Laszlo Moholy Nagy –This is why I create art. It is a biological necessity for me! I am drawn to the media of watercolor for its fluidity on paper and the magical presence as it moves about on paper. Sometimes I force the paint to do what I want and see in my mind; other times I allow the paint to do what it wants to do, always watching for those “happy accidents” to develop.” Thelma has always been prolific in her production of art and has garnered critical acclaim throughout her career. Now in retirement these attributes have never been more pronounced!


"The Presence of Water” will be celebrated with a reception and demonstration of technique by Thelma Blake, to which the public is cordially invited, on Friday, 14 June from 7 - 9:00 PM in The Gallery @ Barr Photographics, 152 E. Main Street, Abingdon, Virginia.  “The Presence of Water” will hang, and be offered for sale, 01 June through 31, July 2019.   The Gallery @ Barr Photographics is housed in the Greenway Trigg Building, located in the heart of Abingdon’s main street historic district.  Please call 276- 628-1486 or visit http://barrphotographics.com for further information.  

Photo #1: “Large Iris”, Watercolor by Thelma Blake




Photo #2: “Glads”, Watercolor by Thelma Blake


Photo #3: “ Summer Beauty II” Watercolor by Thelma Blake


Monday, June 3, 2019

Lane Closure for Jonesboro Road- South Abingdon Extension



Starting June 4, 2019, Roadsafe will be doing single lane closures with an arrow board and proper signage after 9:00 A.M. on Jonesboro Road. The remainder of this week, equipment and materials will be moved to start the duct package across Jonesboro Road. Weather depending, the construction will be finished within the month. Slow your speed in this area, be alert to workers, and choose an alternate route to avoid traffic backups.

2019 LIVING HISTORY EVENTS AT THE ABINGDON MUSTER GROUNDS


2019 LIVING HISTORY EVENTS AT THE ABINGDON MUSTER GROUNDS

Abingdon, VA --  The Abingdon Muster Grounds announces its 2019 schedule of Living History events, featuring history reenactors in costume, bringing colonial backcountry Virginia to life.    The first event takes place June 22, 2019 from 1:00 pm-4:00 pm, with additional dates scheduled in August.   There will be activities for the whole family, and all events are free and open to the public. 

This event will highlight the importance of the Washington County, Virginia militia and the Revolutionary War Battle of Kings Mountain, 1780.  There will be demonstrations related to life in backcountry Virginia during colonial times.  Join the Overmountain Victory Trail Association, Blacks Fort Chapter-DAR, and General William Campbell Chapter-SAR as they bring history to life. 

Activities include musket and rifle demonstrations, Colonial kids games, textile demonstrations, colonial music. Living historians will interact with the public in character as backcountry colonial Virginians. 

Attendees can also view recent improvements to the Abingdon Muster Grounds, including native plantings and trout stream restorations along Wolf Creek, as well as the just completed walkway connecting The Muster Grounds to the Abingdon Urban Pathway. 

Parking for the event is located at the end of Hurt Street, alongside the Abingdon Urban Pathway.  Visitors can also park at the Abingdon Municipal Lot on Main Street, and walk approximately 1.2 miles along the Urban Pathway to the event.

The Abingdon Muster Grounds is a picturesque 9-acre park with significant history, certified by the National Park Service as the northern trailhead of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. Under the leadership of Colonel William Campbell, 400 Virginians set out to join patriot militia from modern-day Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia to confront the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain.  Thomas Jefferson said it was “the turn of the tide of success which terminated the Revolutionary War, with the seal of our independence”. 

The Keller Interpretive Center, located at the Abingdon Muster Grounds, houses southwest Virginia’s premier Revolutionary War exhibits.  Artifacts associated with backcountry Virginia and the Battle of Kings Mountain are on display.

Directions to event parking: From I-81 Exit 17, take Cummings Street north; left on Main Street. Go  0.5 miles to left on Preston Street. Take the second right on Hagy Street and follow it until it dead ends at the Abingdon Muster Grounds. Parking will be on the left.
Additional Living History Events are scheduled for August 1-3, 2019 and August 24, 2019.  If you would like more information, please call 276-525-1050 or email lhunter@abingdon-va.gov.



####

Cummings Street Lane Closures-Temporary Traffic Patterns


Cummings Street Lane Closures-Temporary Traffic Patterns

There will be temporary lane closures effective June 4, 2019 through July 1, 2019 at various locations and times throughout the Cummings Street and Cook Street intersection. These lane closures are due to construction and completion of the new Cook Street Extension and Green Spring Road. Slow your speed in this area, be alert to workers, and choose an alternate route to avoid traffic backups.

Please note the following dates:

·       June 6 – June 9, 2019--Milling & Paving Operations on Cummings Street and Cook Street from 7:00 pm-6:00 am.

·       June 6 – June 7, 2019--Barrier Rail Removal from 9:00 am- 4:00 pm.

Second Amended Agenda for Town Council Meeting on June 3, 2019