My Community: Chesterfield
Tell us what's happening in Chesterfield County! Maybe there's a community event planned at your child's school, or youth recreation signups are under way. Is your club recruiting new members? Have you - or someone close to you - received an honor lately? Maybe your church is looking for volunteers for a service project. Let us know by posting your news. Send us your photos too. Click here to submit your post. Please keep your post related to the county.

2nd Annual Wide Open Doors Conference
Mark your calendar – May 5-6, 2007

Incredible presenters and keynote speakers – right here in Chesterfield County!!!

Workshops on a variety of topics including: ADHD, Virginia’s Alternate
Assessment Program, Assistive Technology, Grassroots lobbying, Anxiety
and Depression, Disaster Preparation, Transition, Person-Centered
Planning, Behavior Management, ADA, Music Therapy, Waivers, Sign
Language, Sibling Issues, Disability Etiquette and MORE!

More info and registration is available at:
http://www.woolridgeroad.org/Default.aspx?tabid=130

Birkdale Women’s Club holds event to benefit Spring Run Elementary’s Amphitheater

WHO: The Birkdale Women’s Club in conjunction with the Birkdale Golf Club is hosting its second annual spring fashion show and tea to benefit Spring Run Elementary School’s amphitheater project.

WHAT: Birkdale Women’s Club members will model fashions from Coldwater Creek of Short Pump.  Guest will also enjoy live music, traditional tea service, delicious sandwiches, pastries, and homemade chocolates.  All guests will be eligible to win great door prizes donated by area businesses

Last year’s fashion show raised close to $600 for the Red Cross and victims of hurricane Katrina.  The Birkdale Women’s Club is dedicated to community improvement and camaraderie through volunteer work, charity support and social activity.  Over the past seven years they have also supported the Chesterfield Domestic Violence Shelter and the National Arthritis Foundation. 

WHEN: Sunday, March 25, 2007
5:00 p.m

WHERE: Birkdale Golf Club
8511 Royal Birkdale Drive
Chesterfield, Virginia 23832

COST: $12 tickets can be purchased from Carol Lewis, 739-7617

Saturday, March 24 from noon to 4P.M. there will be guided tours of the Falling Creek Ironworks site, exhibits, and demonstrations. Special performance by Virginia Indians at 2P.M.

Details 804-751-4946.
Falling Creek Ironworks Park
6407 Jefferson Davis Highway
Sponsored by:
Chesterfield Parks and Recreation and Falling Creek Ironworks Foundation

Johnathan Cheatham, a seventh grader at Heritage Christian Academy, was recently recognized for placing in the top 13 in the state in the Patriot’s Pen, sponsored by VFW Post 6364 in this area. Johnathan won first place at the district level, receiving a monetary award as well as a plaque, and an additional monetary award at the regional level, moving him into competition at the state level. This is the second year in a row that HCA has swept the district and regional competition, with Gabriel Banner placing 3rd in the state last year. We are very proud of the effots of our students, and appreciate our local VFW Post 6364 for encouraging our annual participation. Thanks to all involved.

William Pegram, a 7th grader at Midlothian Middle School was recently interviewed and accepted to participate as a member of the People to People Sports Ambassador Program to Vienna, Austria this summer.  The objective of the program is to promote international understanding while building leadership skills among America’s youth.  The 10-day experience includes top level coaching clinics by the highest certified bowling coaches and trips to the Prater Amusement Park, the Schonbrunn Palace, and the Mauthausen Concentration Camp.  These activities will help the children learn about Austrian culture and give them the opportunity to interact with other students their own age from many different countries.  Last but not least, the experience includes participation in the Ambassador Games.  People to People was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as an initiative during his presidency in 1956.  Each tournament-based program fosters international friendship and understanding through the common language of athletics.  He will be representing the U.S. as well as the community in a spirit of understanding while on a quest for knowledge.

There is a plan to create a new park at Falling Creek Ironworks, a historic site and current wayside park at 6407 Jefferson Davis Highway in Chesterfield County.

Recently, the Times-Dispatch reported the ruins of a 17th century iron blast furnace built by some of the country’s first settlers were uncovered along the banks of Falling Creek.

According to a list of historic firsts in Chesterfield from the county’s website:
1619 - Falling Creek was the site of the first iron furnace in the New World.
1621 - Falling Creek was the site of the first lead mines in America.

A highway marker at the site also states that most of the workers at the ironworks were killed in March 22 of 1622 during an attack from local Native Americans. The ironworks were never able to get restarted successfully.

I visited the site today and could see that there is potential for a decent, but small park there. There is a stone bridge over the river (pictured) that had been worked on some time recently, but that’s about it. There is evidence of the potential for washouts along the creek banks, as happened in 2006. According to information on the Chesterfield website (see this .PDF) the funding for maintaining the park exists. A county broshure lists “Falling Creek Ironworks Park” as one of its featured attractions, along with the likes of the well-established Pocahontas State Park, Henricus and the Chesterfield Museum Complex. Will the recent findings help push up the county’s timetable?

Phil Riggan
DiscoverRichmond.com

A recent visit to the Chesterfield Museum Complex was my first look into some of the history of Chesterfield County that wasn’t a park or Civil War site. It may not sound like a huge leap, but I’m a Richmond/Henrico kinda guy and I’ve been trying to get around to more parts of the Richmond area.

I like the overall complex, especially the monuments and artifacts in the courtyard. The one that struck me the most was the confederate statue, dedicated “in memory of the confederate soldiers of Chesterfield and Manchester.“ I’m no history expert, but to the untrained eye the statue itself is very similar to the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument statue at Libby Hill Park in Richmond and another I’ve recently visited at Blandford Church Cemetery in Petersburg. The statue in Chesterfield has a beautiful granite base and stands high above the courthouse grounds, much the same as the other two statues (though with differing bases). Seeing these makes me think there must be many more similar statues in the area, state or around the South. Anyone know where others may be located?

One disappointment was that the jail and the museum were closed for rennovations. I’ve heard and read the jail was fun for kids, so maybe it will get another visit. We also visited Magnolia Grange (located across Ironbridge Road from the Courthouse), and that will be posted sometime next week.

Phil Riggan
DiscoverRichmond.com

The Manchester Middle School Mathcounts team participated in the regional competition Saturday, February 3, at VCU’s Siegel Center.  The team of Kevin Chen, Jason Kong, Ted Tanner, and Jerome Mueller placed first and will represent the chapter at the state competition on March 24.  Individually, Kevin placed first, Jason placed second, Ted placed third, and Tommy Casalaspi placed sixth.  Jonathan Kim, Jerome Mueller, Juan Garavito, and Kevin Renshaw rounded out the top ten. Jason Kong placed second in the final Countdown Round.

OK, I’ll admit.  Other than going to many of Chesterfield County’s fine parks, I don’t have much experience in the area.  When I was a sports reporter (early 90s) I covered a couple of races at Southside Speedway.  Otherwise, that’s it. 

The Historic Chesterfield complex, which includes Magnolia Grange and the Historical Society, sounds like a good visit.  I loved the views of the James River from Drewry’s Bluff (see the video our man West LaVan produced for that Civil War site).

What are the best attractions in Chesterfield? When the weather gets warmer we plan to go to the Metro Zoo and Robious Landing.  I want to go back to R. Garland Dodd Park at Point of Rocks in the spring.  That park was very impressive in our recent visit, and I think the Appomattox river and the Ashton Creek marsh would be better in the spring.  We might have to get a season pass to Pocahontas Park just to get the full experience (aqua park with the family, mountain biking trails for myself).

Phil Riggan
DiscoverRichmond.com

On February 3rd around 2:30 PM, eleven courageous souls from Midlothian based Getloaded.com will take a dip into the Atlantic Ocean for the 15th Annual Polar Plunge Winter Festival in Virginia Beach to raise money for Special Olympics Virginia.  Since 1993 more than $2.5 million has been raised for Special Olympics Virginia, with over 17,500 people taking the plunge into the Atlantic Ocean. Last year 3,433 people took the plunge and raised over $610,000 for the thousands of Special Olympics Virginia athletes with intellectual disabilities. 

When asked how he felt about entering the balmy 38 degree waters, Bryan Jones, president of Getloaded.com, said, “This should be a great bonding experience, but most importantly, it signifies our commitment to raise money and volunteer for Virginia Special Olympics in 2007.” 

Last year, Getloaded.com featured a fundraising page on their website to send athletes and coaches from Virginia to the first ever National Games in Iowa.  Associates of Getloaded.com also assist athletes every year during the Special Olympics Virginia competition at the University of Richmond.  This year will be no exception.  Getloaded.com will send a team to volunteer with the wheelchair races by helping athletes get to different events, cheering them on, and escorting athletes to their medal ceremony.

University of Richmond sophomore Naa-Koshie France of Midlothian, Va., won Philip Morris USA scholarships through the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC).

Students were selected through a statewide competition with applicants from all 15 member VFIC colleges. Each $10,000 scholarship carries an opportunity to be considered for a paid summer internship at Philip Morris USA in Richmond.

Scholarships are provided to sophomores who have academic promise, demonstrated financial need and an interest in internship opportunities with a Fortune 500 company. Each scholar will receive $5,000 toward the junior year and $5,000 toward the senior year.

“The competition for this scholarship was strong, so it’s a real credit to Trish and Koshie to be selected,“ said Ned Moore, president of VFIC.

Founded in 1952, VFIC is a nonprofit, fundraising partnership supporting programs and students of 15 leading private colleges in Virginia.

The Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia brings you the 2007 Friday EVENING LECTURE Series
Magnolia Grange 7:00 p.m.
(Members Free, Non-Members $5.00)
Call 777-9663 to order your tickets.

January 19, Friday, 7:00pm
“General Lee” -  Speaker:  Bob Krick

February 2, Friday, 7:00pm
“Virginia Indians in the 20th Century”  -  Speaker: Ken Adams

  February 16, Friday, 7:00pm
“A Window To The Past”  -  Speaker:  Bruce Baker

Monacan High School is sponsoring softball clinics for fourth- through eighth-graders on the following Sundays:

- Jan. 28: Pitching and catching
- Feb. 4:  Fielding
- Feb. 11:  Hitting

All sessions take place from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in the Monacan High School gym. (No cleats; sneakers only.) Cost is $25 per session, $65 for all three.

For details, call 379-6253 or 378-2366.