Temporary Signal Installation

Temporary Signal Installation

There will be temporary lane closures effective Tuesday, April 30, 2019 through Friday, May 17, 2019 at various locations throughout the Cummings Street and Cook Street intersection. These lane closures are due to new signals being installed and the existing ones being removed. Slow your speed in this area, be alert to workers, and choose an alternate route to avoid traffic backups.

Meeting Notice for May 2019-August 2019

ABINGDON MUSIC EXPERIENCE ANNOUNCES A NEW COMMUNITY PARTNER FOR THURSDAY JAMS 2019

ABINGDON MUSIC EXPERIENCE ANNOUNCES A NEW COMMUNITY PARTNER FOR THURSDAY JAMS 2019

Abingdon, VA – Each Thursday evening in the summer, downtown Abingdon is filled with the sounds of live music as Thursday Jams hosts some of the hottest names in Americana and Roots music.  Abingdon Music Experience is pleased to announce a new community partner to run the Thursday Jams beer gardens in 2019: the nonprofit Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy. 

Thursday Jams is presented by Blue Ridge Beverage and runs May 9 - July 18, 2019 at the Abingdon Market Pavilion in downtown Abingdon.  While the concert series is put on by Abingdon Music Experience, the beer gardens are always hosted by a nonprofit partner with all sales proceeds directly benefiting the organization.

The Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy (formerly the Virginia Creeper Trail Club) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to the maintenance and preservation of the Creeper Trail corridor. The VCTC partners with other trail stakeholders to support a safe and enjoyable experience for all trail users.

According to Event Coordinator Sara Saavedra, the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy was a natural partner for Thursday Jams.  “The goal of our music and festival programs is to get people out on the street and engaged in the community.  The Virginia Creeper Trail is one of our core attractions and many of the concert-goers have just come off a day on the trail,” said Saavedra.

Lisa Quigley, the Executive Director of the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy, said that the summer music events are appealing because they offer a way to reach new audiences with their message.  “Part of our mission is educating people about the value of the Creeper Trail and how important it is to invest in preserving and protecting it for the enjoyment of today’s users and future generations.” 

A new community partners brings with them a new campaign to ban single-use plastics. “With conservation in mind, we are eliminating plastic cups in the beer garden, replacing them with stainless steel pint cups that attendees can purchase once and bring back each week,” confirms Quigley. As recycling plastics has become more difficult around the nation, banning plastic cups at events and concerts has increasingly become the standard. The VCTC will also accept credit and debit cards and streamline the process by selling drink tickets at a separate table as you enter the beer garden area. “We are eager to see how VCTC’s organization of the beer garden area will enhance the experience for our attendees,” Saavedra says.

Each week of Thursday Jams includes free, family-friendly live music plus local food trucks and a beer garden.   No outside alcohol is allowed. In case of inclement weather, Wolf Hills Brewery will serve as the alternate venue, located at 350 Park Street SE in Abingdon.

Musical acts in 2019 include buzz-worthy young acts like Morgan Wade and the Stepbrothers (May 9) and The Happy Fits (July 11), plus popular names like Town Mountain (May 16) and Love Canon (June 27).   Closing out the series July 18 is acclaimed singer-songwriter John Paul White, who originally gained fame as one-half of the Grammy Award-winning duo The Civil Wars. For a full description of musical acts and dates, visit www.abingdonmusicexperience.com.

The series, which draws thousands of locals and visitors to downtown Abingdon each year, is presented by Blue Ridge Beverage, and sponsored in part by Eastman Credit Union, Universal Fibers, First Community Bank, Bank of Marion, Food City, State Farm Agent Jamie Barger and Ballad Health, with media and hospitality sponsorship from WEHC, 99.3 The X, and JJ’s Restaurant and Sports Bar.

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Council Report from Interim Town Manager for April 22-26, 2019

The Meadows Project - Response to J. W. LeVine April 23, 2019 letter to Jennifer Frye

The Meadows Project - Response to J. W. LeVine April 23, 2019 letter to Jennifer Frye:

https://abingdon-va.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Response-to-JLevine.pdf

Second Amended Agenda for Work Session on April 25, 2019

Creeper Fest Road Closure Announcement

Planning Commission for May day change

The regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting for May 27, 2019 falls on Memorial Day; the Abingdon Town Hall will be closed that day in observance of the holiday so the May meeting has been moved to May 20th, 2019. The location, Abingdon Town Hall, (Arthur Campbell Room, and the time will remain the same, (5:15 P.M.). Please call 276-628-3167 if you have any questions or concerns.

Town Council Meeting for May 6, 2019

Meet & Greet Notice for May 6, 2019

Council Report from Interim Town Manager for April 15-19, 2019

Public Meet & Greet on May 6, 2019

Celebrate the great outdoors with Virginia Creeper Fest 2019

Celebrate the great outdoors with Virginia Creeper Fest 2019

Abingdon, VA – Virginia Creeper Fest returns to downtown Abingdon Saturday April 27^th for its third year, with even more free, family-friendly activities. The festival takes place 11am to 5pm at A Street Park, next to the Creeper Trail’s Abingdon trailhead. Parking is available at the Abingdon Municipal Lot and along Main Street, or at Roses (with free shuttle service running 11:30am to 5:30pm). 

Virginia Creeper Fest highlights the multitude of outdoor recreation opportunities in Southwest Virginia, including its namesake, the award-winning Virginia Creeper Trail.  The festival includes hands-on activities and demos for all ages, plus live music, food trucks, and information about how to get outside and enjoy nature.

Virginia Creeper Fest is sponsored by Adventure Damascus, Jack’s 128 Pecan, A Likely Yarn, Food City, Food Lion, Smoky Mountain Living, WEHC, Blue Ridge Outdoors, and USA Raft.

The festival is designed for plenty of hands-on experiences for all ages.  Each vendor at the event will offer an experiential activity or game.  Featured activities also include a demo pool, where participants can try a kayak or stand up paddleboard, and a pump track for mountain bike practice.  Kids will enjoy the inflatable obstacle course, and the ever popular Disc Dogs. 

Other activities include guided nature walks, bike safety inspections with the Virginia Creeper Trail Club, brewery tours of Wolf Hills Brewing, and an exhibit of Virginia Creeper train photography by O. Winston Link.  In between activities, relax at the hammock hangout, or enjoy the local food trucks and wine garden presented by Abingdon Vineyards.

The festival takes place at A Street Park, located just off of Green Spring Road, one block from the trailhead.  Additional activities, like nature walks and bike rides, will take place on the trail itself. A full schedule and festival guide will be available on www.vacreeperfest.com.

One of the earliest rails-to-trails success stories, the Creeper Trail is now a major economic engine for Southwest Virginia, drawing over 200 thousand visitors annually.

Virginia Creeper Fest is presented by the Town of Abingdon in partnership with Virginia Creeper Trail Club. The Virginia Creeper Trail Club is a private non-profit organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote, and preserve the Virginia Creeper Trail.  For official Creeper Trail maps, merchandise, and volunteer opportunities, go to vacreepertrail.org.

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Drug Take Back Day- April 27, 2019

Amended Agenda for Work Session Meeting on April 25, 2019

Best Small Town Food Scene

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Congratulations! Abingdon has been nominated in our 2019 10Best Readers' Choice travel awards! Our expert panel selected Abingdon as a contender for Best Small Town Food Scene, which just launched. Our contest, which is being promoted by USA TODAY, gives voters four weeks to vote for the candidate of their choice at https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-small-town-food-scene/. A person can vote once a day for the run of the contest.

Voting ends Monday, May 6th and the winners will be announced on 10Best on Friday, May 17th, then later on USA TODAY. You can read the official rules here. Please note that the rules do not allow offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public in exchange for votes during the voting period.

If you'd like to have a different photo accompany your nominee's blurb, please email a high-res horizontal photo (at least 990 pixels wide) to lschrandt @ usatoday.com.

Prior competitions have been hotly contested, and we look forward to seeing how you rock the vote in your own community! Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest and we'll look for you, too.

Good luck, and once again - congratulations!

Cheers,

The Editors
USA TODAY 10Best

Council Report from Interim Town Manager, Ken Vittum for April 1-5, 2019:

VHCC Old Time String Band Featured in Crooked Road Series

VHCC Old Time String Band Featured in Crooked Road Series

Abingdon, Virginia – The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail presents the VHCC Old Time String Band in concert on Thursday, April 11^th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace (formerly Heartwood) in Abingdon, VA. This concert is part of The Crooked Road Music Series.

The VHCC Old Time String Band has arisen out of an exciting performance class that has been offered on the campus of Virginia Highlands Community College each spring since 2012. The music director, Mary Munsey, designed this class to welcome students, faculty and community members from all walks of life. The group performs music from the southern Appalachian region. The class is a non-credit course taught for enjoyment only and is offered through the Workforce Development office at VHCC.

The Crooked Road Music Series takes place each Thursday at the SWVA Cultural Center & Marketplace. Visit the SWVA Cultural Center & Marketplace and experience Southwest Virginia's creative and authentic culture. Located off I-81 at Exit 14 in Abingdon, VA, the Cultural Center features youth artists each 2^nd Thursday along with open jams on the 1^st, 3^rd, 4^th (and 5^th) Thursdays to showcase Southwest Virginia performers.

As part of The Crooked Road's Thursday night live music, the SWVA Cultural Center & Marketplace Cafe features a SWVA Patty Melt or Soup Beans & Cornbread. Admission to the concert is free and donations will be accepted for Crooked Road Traditional Music Education Program (TMEP).

The flavors of the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace are nothing short of inspiring. From the sounds of the region’s distinctive heritage music to the sights of world renowned folk artists from around the mountains, you’ll find moments of discovery for the entire family. Stop in and sit a spell with us as you get a taste of the culture, cuisine and music of #SWVA.

More information can be found at The Crooked Road website,www.thecrookedroad.org, and at SWVAculturalcenter.com. For additional information, please call (276) 492-2409 or email: admin@thecrookedroad.org.

- END-

Historic Preservation Review Board Change of Meeting Date in May 2019

Due to conflicts in scheduling, we will be moving the Historic Preservation Review Board meeting from May 1, 2019 to May 8, 2019.  The location, Abingdon Town Hall (Arthur Campbell Room) and the time will remain the same, (5:15 P.M.). Please call 276-628-3167 if you have any questions or concerns.

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

NEWS RELEASE

The Gallery @ Barr Photographics announces the spring installment of the Corner Gallery’s 2019 exhibition series with a collection of acrylic and resin mixed media works entitled “The Exquisite World of Color” by Bristol, Virginia artist Linda Puckett.

Linda was born in Mountain City Tennessee, and lived there until age five, when her family moved to Bristol, Virginia, where she attended Central Elementary and Vance Junior High. At the age of fifteen her family moved to Portsmouth, Virginia where Linda graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. At the age of thirty, Linda moved back to Bristol, Virginia. Linda reveals in her biographical sketch, “My art came along much later. I have never had any formal lessons in art.

I watched You Tube and learned about how to paint abstracts with acrylic paint. After becoming comfortable with acrylics, I began to incorporate resin, stones, crystals, and glitter in addition to my acrylics, onto canvases or wood. These aspects of mixed media give my abstracts a dimensionality not attainable with just acrylic paints.”

 In her artist statement, Linda states, “My art is made for the enjoyment of abstract acrylic lovers from bright acrylic paint, with the expressed intent to make viewers happy!  I am now influenced by beautiful skies, oceans and bright colors.”

“The Exquisite World of Color” will be celebrated with an opening reception and art talk by Linda Puckett, to which the public is cordially, invited, on Friday, 12 April from 7 - 9:00 PM, in The Gallery @ Barr Photographics, 152 E. Main Street, Abingdon, Virginia.  “The Exquisite World of Color” will hang, and be offered for sale, through 30June, 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: “Beautiful World”, Mixed media: Acrylic, Resin, Crystals, Stones and Glitter by Linda Puckett

Photo #2: “Life”, acrylic by Linda Puckett

Town Manager Meeting Notice 4-15-19

Employee Breakfast Meeting Notice for 4-25-19

Plumb Alley Construction Notice

ABINGDON’S THURSDAY JAMS RETURN FOR 2019 WITH FREE OUTDOOR CONCERTS MAY 9 THROUGH JULY 18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 3, 2019

Download artist images here: https://abingdon.sharefile.com/d-seee6da4572c4ebca

ABINGDON’S THURSDAY JAMS RETURN FOR 2019 WITH FREE OUTDOOR CONCERTS

MAY 9 THROUGH JULY 18

Abingdon, VA -- Abingdon Music Experience is pleased to announce the 7th annual Thursday Jams concert series, featuring some of the hottest names in Americana and Roots music.  The popular summer series is presented by Blue Ridge Beverage, and runs May 9 - July 18, 2019 at the Abingdon Market Pavilion in downtown Abingdon. 

Each week includes free, family-friendly live music, plus food trucks and a beer garden.   In addition to the 10 Thursday Jams concerts, the Town of Abingdon is also holding its traditional Independence Day celebration on Thursday July 4^th, making a total of eleven weeks of great free entertainment in summer 2019.

Musical acts in 2019 include buzz-worthy young acts like Morgan Wade and the Stepbrothers (May 9) and The Happy Fits (July 11), plus popular names like Town Mountain (May 16) and Love Canon (June 27).   Closing out the series July 18 is acclaimed singer-songwriter John Paul White, who originally gained fame as one-half of the Grammy Award-winning duo The Civil Wars.

According to Event Coordinator Sara Saavedra, Thursday Jams shows have gained increasing popularity over the last six years due to a diverse lineup with multi-generational appeal. “We are always looking for acts that bring something really unique to the Tri-Cities,” Saavedra said. “I make a point of seeking out female artists and artists of color, and of course all of the acts need to be just electrifying on stage. The feedback has been great, and we’re especially thrilled to see so many millennials and families with kids who show up week after week.” 

The series, which draws thousands of locals and visitors to downtown Abingdon each year, is presented by Blue Ridge Beverage, and sponsored in part by Eastman Credit Union, Universal Fibers, First Community Bank, Bank of Marion, Food City, State Farm Agent Jamie Barger and Ballad Health, with media and hospitality sponsorship from WEHC, 99.3 The X, and JJ’s Restaurant and Sports Bar.

Music will begin 7:00 pm each Thursday at the Abingdon Market Pavilion, with a beer garden opening at 6:30 pm. A variety of food truck and local vendors will be on hand offering concessions.  The events are family-friendly, and attendees are encouraged to bring their chairs and or blankets to enjoy the shows. No outside alcohol is allowed. In case of inclement weather, Wolf Hills Brewery will serve as the alternate venue, located at 350 Park Street SE in Abingdon.

Thursday Jams 2019 Lineup

May 9, 2019     Morgan Wade and the Stepbrothers

May 16, 2019    Town Mountain

May 23, 2019    Nora Jane Struthers

May 30, 2019    Flow Tribe

June 6, 2019     Devon Gilfillian

June 13, 2019    The New Respects

June 20, 2019    The Commonheart

June 27, 2019    Love Canon

July 4, 2019      Abingdon’s Independence Day Extravaganza featuring Carolyn Wonderland

July 11, 2019    The Happy Fits

July 18, 2019    John Paul White

For a full description of musical acts and dates, visit www.abingdonmusicexperience.com.

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Council Report from Interim Town Manager, Ken Vittum for March 25-29, 2019

TOWN OF ABINGDON BZA No Meeting Notice

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION, PAPER SHREDDING & E-WASTE RECYCLING

                  

For Immediate Release

Come Celebrate Earth Day in Abingdon!

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION, PAPER SHREDDING & E-WASTE RECYCLING

The Town of Abingdon will hold its 2019 EARTH DAY CELEBRATION on Saturday, April 13^th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fields-Penn House on Main Street across from the Farmers Market in Abingdon.  Admission is FREE. This year there will be approximately 60 groups (non-profits, private groups, local businesses, educators and state & federal agencies) providing a great deal of fun and information to share.  The theme of the event is Sustainability: What does it mean?

Several activities are planned throughout the celebration such as a rain barrel workshop where you can make your own rain barrel to take home (registration required).  There will be a free Kids Zone area with an inflatable slide, popcorn, cotton candy, free games & prizes, a “trash to treasure” crafts tent, educational displays, face painting, and a local foods food court.  There will be a food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. There is also a call for donations of pet supplies for the local animal shelter (food, bedding, towels, Dawn, bleach) and gently used shoes for a project with Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful.  Bring in 2 of any of these items requested and receive a free gift.  (One per family, while supplies last)

Just down the street in front of the Arts Depot, we will have free document shredding and a drop-off area for electronic waste (e-waste).  Any item that has a power-cord or uses batteries is considered e-waste. E-waste includes but is not limited to laptop/desktop computers, CRT /LCD monitors, hard drives, modems, plug and play devices, printers/scanners, copiers, commercial telephone equipment, fax machines, power backups, power transformers, misc. electronic business equipment, wires, cables, circuit boards, video game systems, DVD/VCR players, microwave ovens, televisions, and small electronic household appliances. This will be a free service provided by the Town of Abingdon.  Items with compressors like refrigerators, ACs and dehumidifiers cannot be accepted.  Other household hazardous materials (like batteries, chemicals, petroleum products and fluorescent light bulbs) can be taken to MXI Inc. during their annual HHW event in May.

For information, please contact Sarita Moore, of the Town of Abingdon Sustain Abingdon Committee, at 276-628-4321 or visit the Sustain Abingdon website: www.sustainabingdon.com or like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/SustainAbingdon.