Some months ago, I made a decision that the time had come for me to retire (again) and have more time for travel, for my family, and other pursuits. I’ve never been much good at retirement, but I think I am getting better at it lately.

A ten-day trip to England in May reminded me of the joys of doing nothing but having fun and visiting new places. We’re going to do more of that in the weeks ahead, especially spending time with kids and grandkids–which can be a full-time occupation when you have six of one and eleven of the other.

All this is by way of explaining that RappVoice will go quiet this summer. I am hanging a “Gone fishin’” sign up here from now until after Labor Day. What will become of RappVoice at that point remains an open question, but for now we will put aside our reporter’s notebook and camera while we enjoy the lazy days of summer.

We trust the Rappahannock News will keep you informed of what’s going on locally, and that all the news will be good.

Now, where did I put that old fishin’ rod?

Nearly 50 exhibitors will showcase working models of alternative, green and energy saving systems. Children from 5 to 105 will delight in the Energy Bicycle requiring degrees of effort to power various lights and appliances, the Piedmont Railroaders’ model trains, the DC Electric Vehicle Association model solar race cars and the restored MIT Aztec which competed in the 1990 Tour de Sol.

Piedmont Environmental Council, John Marshall Soil & Water, Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection and other conservation groups will be represented. Learn from experts on living green, eating local and protecting our environment.  Food available will include Mount Vernon Farm hamburgers and hot dogs served by the Rappahannock Lions Club, Cows-n-Corn cheeses, local chutneys and Cold Creamery ice creams.

Admission of $5 per adult is charged; hildren and students are free.

EXPO is an initiative of the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection, a 501(c)3 non-profit.  For more information, go to www.RLEP.org and click on 2009 Alt Energy EXPO, or call Kaye & Rick Kohler 540-675-1373.

Rappahannock County’s annual Fourth of July celebration this year will offer not only the usual family fun and the big bangs of fireworks, but big bucks as well–$2,500 in cash raffle prizes to go to seven lucky winners.

$8,000 worth of fireworks will light the July 4 sky

The committee planning this year’s celebration has added a new element–a raffle drawing for cash prizes. The Grand Prize winner will receive $1,500; second prize will be $500, and there will be five additional winners at $100 each.

Up to 5,000 people are expected at the celebration to be held for the third year on about 100 acres of the Thornton Hill Hunt grounds, donated for the occasion by owner Bill Fletcher. The site is along Route 522 between Woodville and Sperryville, VA.

Rappahannock’s Independence Day celebration, which was held for many years in the town of Washington, will take place on the rolling, grassy site on Saturday, July 4. In its first year there, the event drew about 4,000 people, but attendance slipped a bit to 3,000 or less last year due to rainy weather.

Event Co-chair Richie Burke predicts a crowd of 4,500 to 5,000 this year, partly because the holiday falls on a Saturday rather than a weekday. He and Co-chair Gary Settle and their committee have been planning the event for months with an aim to make the celebration “bigger and better” than ever.

“The committee’s plan is  for an event that will allow an old-fashioned family picnic type event, where you will be able bring your blanket and picnic basket and set up your area on the rolling hills to enjoy the day’s events,” Burke said.

The event is a fund-raiser to benefit the Sperryville Volunteer Fire Department, of which Burke is chief. The proceeds help the fire company to upgrade its equipment and make payments on new apparatus recently purchased.

Those attending will be charged $20 per vehicle for general parking, or $30 for “sponsor” parking in a reserved tailgating are where families or groups may set up tables and chairs for a tailgate party. For a $250 donation, a business or corporation may set up a tent in a prime viewing area, both to enjoy the day’s events and to promote their products or services to the public.

“We will have food, games, bands, jugglers, public safety displays, antique tractors and cars, also areas for civic groups and non-profit groups to set up displays,” said Burke. “We will be setting off a display of aerial fireworks that cost over $8000.00.” The committee is signing up food-vendors, offering vendor spots first to local non-profit groups.

Gates will open at 1 p.m. Tickets for the cash-prize raffle are being sold in advance at $1 each through the Sperryville VFD. Ticket purchasers need not be present to win in the drawings, which will be held about 6 p.m. that day. The top ticket sellers will be crowned Mr. or Miss 4th of July.

Financial support for the celebration has come from a number of underwriters  including:  Harris Hollow Foods LC, B&B Signal Co ( Julian & Paul Brown) , Greve Foundation, Rappahannock National Bank, Greg Williams Tree & Landscaping Service,  Beverly & John Sullivan and one anonymous donor.

For the latest up-to-date information  please check  the SVFD website, www.sperryvillefire.com.  For general information or for vendor spots, call Richie Burke, 540-987-8570, or e-mail to  

  rvburke@sperryvillefire.com

By James P. Gannon

Something is missing along Rappahannock County highways and back roads as summertime approaches this year. Missing are those work crews on tractors with bushhogs, cutting down the tall weeds and grasses along the roadsides and in the median strips.

Overgrown intersections limit view of oncoming traffic

The Virginia Department of Transportation, which hires the mowing crews to control overgrowth along the state’s roads, is in a budget squeeze and has decided to drastically cut back on mowing. VDOT has notified county governments not to expect to see much mowing done this summer.

The result is that the county’s roadsides are being overgrown with high grass and weeds, especially in view of the generous rains that boosted growth during May. Along Route 211, the county’s main highway, the unmowed median is nearly waist-high in grasses and weeds. On the county’s many secondary roads, the growth is encroaching the roadway on both sides, often obscuring sight distance for motorists, especially at intersections–many of which already are dangerous due to hills and curves.

“This is the shape of things to come,” County Administrator John McCarthy told the Board of Supervisors last Monday. “It is the way it is going to be.” He warned that sight distance problems are going to bother motorists along many roads. Clerk Diane Bruce cited another problem–with the grass so high along roads and in 211’s median, it’s harder to see the deer lurking in the growth; they can be virtually at the edge of the roadway without being seen, leaving drivers with no warning when they leap into the travel lanes.

Along some roads, it appears that private citizens are taking the problem in their own hands, doing some roadside mowing since VDOT has abandoned the job. While this is commendable as civic volunteerism, it also raises another danger of volunteers exposing themselves to traffic dangers as they mow along the roadways.

VDOT has no higher responsibility than maintaining safety on the state’s highways and secondary roads. This policy of letting the growth go wild along the roads is an abdication of that responsibility. It may be more satisfying for VDOT officials to build a new road or widen an interstate, but to abandon its duty to keep lesser roads safe is simply not justified.

Maybe this is mostly a rural issue and thus a low priority for the bigwigs at VDOT. We don’t have the votes or the clout of the urban counties that are constantly clamoring for more lanes, more roads, more multi-billion projects. But cutting back basic maintenance in rural areas is just plain wrong, and a disservice to the safety of citizens.

This is not a matter of keeping our roads pretty and neat. It’s matter of life and death. Many of our rural road intersections are dangerous enough without having vision obscured by 3-foot tall weeds and grass. At some of them, you simply can’t see a speeding vehicle coming until you’re virtually out into the intersection.

It shouldn’t take a fatal accident for VDOT to reconsider this policy. We know money is tight in state government these days, but it’s a misguided set of priorities to ignore safety issues while continuing to spend billions on new projects.

Where is all the Federal “stimulus” money going at VDOT? They may be pouring it all into “shovel-ready” projects, but we could show them some “mower ready” roadsides to get to work on–and that would put some people to work also.

Memo to VDOT: Cut the damn grass!

Panther Runners Perform Well – Including Breaking Some School Records - at State Track Meet: Assistant Coach Heather Puskar reports: “Daniel Rollins had two amazing performances.  In his first event, the 100 Meter Dash, he placed 7th while breaking the school record with a time of 11.03 seconds.  In Daniel’s second event, the 200 Meter Dash, he placed 3rd with another school record of 22.46 seconds.  Sarah Garrison, a new student this year to Rappahannock, entered States with little experience running the 400 Meter, but did incredibly well by placing 7th.” Congratulations!

Message from RC Band Boosters (RCBB)- June 3 Concert and Dinner:

RCBB official Krista Hale writes: “The community is invited to attend the annual Spring Concert scheduled for Wednesday, June 3^rd, at 7 pm in the RCHS auditorium.  The Rappahannock County High School concert and jazz bands will perform under the direction of David DeBoer, and will be joined by the RCHS chorus.  Admission is free.
“Please also consider attending the benefit dinner for RCHS band student Taylor Light which will precede the Spring concert at 5:30 p.m. with live music and dinner. The dinner will be pulled pork or chicken with drinks, sides and deserts. Donations will be accepted in lieu of admission, all of which will go toward Taylor’s trip with ‘Sound of America.’ Come out for the dinner and a show, all here in Rappahannock County.  Hope to see you there!”

Deadline to Sign Up for RCPS Basketball Camp for Girls Entering Grades 3-9 is June 4:
Amy Gubler writes: “Time is running out to sign up for the first girls’ basketball workshop at R.C.E.S. The Rappahannock County Girls Basketball Summer Workshop will be held

on Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19 from 9:00-12:30.   The Cost is $45.   The workshop is designed for girls entering grades 3– 9.  There will be individualized instruction and team play each day! Registration is due by Thursday, June 4. Contact Amy Gubler (987-8259 or amygubler@rappahannock.k12.va.us with questions. All the proceeds will be used to support RCPS girls’ basketball programs.

RCHS and RCES “School Report Cards” Are on the State Website:

For the RCHS Report Card–Click on https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=78&schoolName=811

For the RCES Report Card–Click on

https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=78&schoolName=812

RCHS Test –Exam Schedule:

June 4, June 9, & June 12 - Cambridge Testing

June 4 - Senior Final Exams Blocks 2 & 3

June 5 - Senior Final Exams Blocks 1 & 4

June 9 - Underclassmen Final Exams Block 2 & 3

June 10 - Underclassmen Final Exams Block 1 & 4

June Events (Subject to change)

June 2nd - 3rd grade “A Kaleidoscope of Learning” 7:00 pm @ RCES

June 3rd – Taylor Light Benefit Dinner 5:30 – 6:30 @ RCHS Commons; RCHS Spring Band and Choral Concert at 7:00; Yearbook Signing Party

June 4th - 6/7 Band, Chorus, & Drama perform “School Daze” –a musical @ 1:30 pm & 7:00 pm @ RCES

June 5th - DARE Day/Field Day @ RCES

June 7th - 7:00 pm Community-Sponsored Baccalaureate - RCHS Auditorium

June 8th - RCES PE Field Trip to Graves Mountain

June 11th - 9:00 am 7th Grade Graduation; Last Day of School - Early Dismissal 11:00- Lunch not served

June 13th – 9:00 RCHS Graduation

June 24th - Sports Physicals at Rappahannock Medical Center from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Rappahannock Food Pantry Opens on June 2, 2009: According to a news release from Rappahannock Plant a Row: “Please let all parents of children in the schools know that a local food pantry will open its doors to help any Rappahannock residents who may be in need of food assistance. The pantry will be located at the old Senior Center, next to the Old Washington School at 603 Mt. Salem Avenue in Washington.

“The pantry will stock nonperishable items transferred from the food bank in Warrenton, as well as canned goods, day-old bread, and frozen meats; plus fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs donated by Plant-a-Row gardeners in Rappahannock. The pantry is staffed by Rappahannock volunteers and managed by the Fauquier County food bank. Gardeners are encouraged to donate vegetables, fruit and eggs. Volunteers are needed to receive and distribute.”

Days and Hours of operation

To Drop Off Donations Recipients May Pick Up

Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:00 -11:30 am Noon - 4:00 pm

Saturdays 9:00 -10:00 am 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

*Direct questions about the food pantry to Mimi Forbes:

540-937-2067 or 222-0667 © or by email: mimilialacfarms@aol.com

*Direct questions about Plant a Row to Cheryl Crews: 540-937-2737 or cielo@livingsky.org

–
Bob Chappell, Superintendent
Rappahannock County Public Schools

Rappahannock County’s Board of Supervisors formally adopted a slimmed-down, recession-year budget that allowed them to cut the real estate property tax rate for fiscal year starting July 1 by about 3.3%.

At its monthly meeting Monday, the supervisors voted unanimously to adopt the fiscal 2010 county budget totaling $20,152,069, a reduction of more than $2 million from the current year’s budget of $22.2 million.

They then voted unanimously to adopt a real estate tax rate of 58 cents per $100 of valuation, a 2-cent cut from the 60-cent rate in effect in 2009. On a property assessed at $500,000, the lower tax rate will produce a savings of $100 in the owner’s tax bill in 2010, compared with 2009.

The tax cut was made possible by a county effort to hold down spending in all departments, plus the completion of several large capital spending projects in 2009 that will not recur in the coming fiscal year. The county’s schools budget, which accounts for 57.6% of all county spending, holds the county contribution to schools level with the previous year, and most other county offices trimmed spending as well.

According to County Administrator John McCarthy, the actual reduction in property taxes is the first outright cut in more than 20 years.

Board Chairman Bob Anderson expressed thanks to all county departments and employees “for helping us keep the tax rate down.”

Piedmont District Supervisor Eddie Wayland pointed out that the budget cuts spending by nearly $2.1 million. “The fact is we are cutting taxes,” he said. “It is something that not many counties around us are doing.” Many Virginia counties have had to increase tax rates even though they also cut spending, because of a severe decline in revenues brought on by the economic slump.

School Superintendent Robert Chappell told the board that state authorities have informed him  that Rappahannock Public Schools will receive $373,673 in Federal “stimulus” funds provided by Congress in the Economic Recovery Act. That’s considerably more than initially estimated.

The stimulus funds will include $177,632 that was included in the School Board’s 2010 budget, which will be used for various facilities improvements. In addition, the schools expect to receive $112,880 for Special Education programs; $3,800 for pre-school Special Education; and $79,360 for Title I programs for disadvantaged students. These latter amounts were not included in the already-approved 2010 schools budget, but Chappell said he would ask the Supervisors in October to add these appropriations to the budget.

“It makes no sense to spend this money on personnel,” Chappell said, because additional staffing would become an expense burden to county taxpayers after the one-time stimulus funds are spent. The Special Education funds will be spent on equiment, training and other non-personnel expenditures, he said.

Chappell said he’s been told that Rappahannock schools will not receive any additional stimulus money for improving school facilities; in February, he requested more than $2 million from Gov. Tim Kaine’s program to allocate Federal stimulus grants, to be used for school renovation projects including new windows, air conditioning, roofing and other improvements.

The superintendent said he is now pursuing another possible grant for these improvements from a division of the state’s Energy Department, and expects to hear by July or August whether any funding will be granted from this source.

McCarthy accepts thanks on Scrabble School project

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Scrabble School Foundation President Robert Lander presented a resolution of recognition and thanks to John McCarthy, “for his untiring and dedicated service to securing contracts for and managing the rehabilitation of Scrabble School.” The former school for African-American children in the era of school segregation recently reopened as the county’s Senior Center, a project overseen by McCarthy in cooperation with the non-profit Foundation, which raised most of the funds needed for the historic renovation.

In other action Monday, the Board of Supervisors dealt with these other issues:

• The county’s Economic Development Advisory Committee was officially renamed as the “Economic Revitalization Advisory Committee,” banishing the dreaded “economic development” wording. McCarthy said members of the committee were “taking an unwarranted amount of heat” from residents opposed to “economic development”–the kind that implies suburban sprawl and strip malls. The panel’s mission makes it clear that kind of development is not its aim, but the supervisors agreed to the name change at the request of the committee.
• A Regional Jail proposal that has been lying dormant for many months may be revived, McCarthy told the Board. The proposed regional facility, as originally proposed, would have served Rappahannock, Page, Shenandoah and Warren Counties, but Page dropped out and the sheriff in Shenandoah has expressed opposition. McCarthy said Warren County plans to propose a new regional jail site within its borders soon, and that may revive the plan. “We should know by the end of the week if we are going forward or not,” he said; if a site is agreed upon, the matter will be brought back to the Rappahannock supervisors in July.
• Open Burning–the Board discussed, and then decided against implementing, any new system that would require a permit or require formal notification of any resident’s plan to burn trash piles in the open. County attorney Peter Luke advised the board that any formal permitting system would entail costs and complications, and possible liability risks, that are out to proportion to the problem. Residents who are planning to burn trash or debris piles on their property are asked to notify the Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office, as these fires are sometimes mistaken for out-of-control fires, triggering unneeded fire department response.

The pantry will stock non-perishable items from the Warrenton Food Bank — canned goods, day-old bread, and frozen meats — plus fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs donated to the pantry by Plant-a-Row gardeners in Rappahannock. The pantry is staffed by volunteers and managed by the Fauquier food bank. For details, see the June 2 Events Calendar posting or the Plant-a-Row website.

For the past 10 days, my wife Joan and I have been away on a 1,200-mile tour of England, digging into her family’s roots, pub-crawling, rambling though country gardens in the rain, and discovering the spectacularly beautiful coast of Cornwall.

Stonehenge--still a mystery

We visited Oxford, the Cotswolds, Shakespeare’s Stratford-on-Avon, the Roman city of Bath, ancient Stonehenge, the lovely Cornish seacoast town of Looe, Salisbury, and London. We found distant relatives of Joan’s ancestors named Rogers, in the little village of Castle Morton, where her great-grandfather lived.

RappVoice went quiet during our travels, as some of you may have noticed–but I did warn you that I was retiring, didn’t I? Now that I have tasted it, I rather like the freedom of retirement and expect to indulge in its pleasures more regularly from now on.

The place where mystery fans gather

I will write more about our ramblings in England, but for now it is good to be back in Rappahannock, which looks at least as pretty as the best of the English countryside. The English would find our ratio of pubs to people distressingly low, however–an attitude I now share after sampling some of the county’s old ale houses, including the Sherlock Holmes pub in London, the Robin Hood in Castle Morton, and one called The Hung, Drawn & Quartered near the Tower of London.

More on all that later. First I must sober up.

8th grade SOL testing will be held May 20 – Reading, May 21 - Science , May 22 - Math 8

Scholarship Assembly May 22 - 2:15 PM

Senior Banquet will be held May 17 at 5:00

Academic Awards will be held May 20, 7:00 PM sponsored by Headwaters

End of Course SOL Testing will be held May 27 - 1st Block, May 28 - 2nd Block, May 29 - 3rd Block, June 1st - 4th Block

RCES SOL Test Schedule:

May 12- Gr. 3 & 5 Reading

May 13- Gr. 3 Reading and Gr. 5 Science

May 14- Gr. 3 Science, Gr. 4 Reading, and Gr. 7 Reading

May 15- Gr. 6 Reading

May 18- Gr. 7 Civics

May 19- Gr. 3 Math and Gr. 6 History

May 20- Gr. 3 Social Studies, Gr. 4 Math, Gr. 5 Math AM, Gr. 6 Math PM

May 21- Gr. 7 Math AM, Algebra I in AM, Gr. 5 Va History PM

Quiz Bowl Challenge- Won by Team McCarthy

Varsity Softball –Coach Jamie Harris reports: “Rapp lost an exciting extra inning game  heart breaker to # 1 Clarke County 2-1. Rapp was led offensively by Megan Early who had two hits and a stolen base. Lauren Settle scored the only run with a single, stole 2nd, and moved over to 3rd on a sacrifice by Brittani Dodson. Settle then scored on a wild pitch. Early kept the hot hitting Eagles at bay with her pitching, and the Panther defense led by Emily Carter turned another double play. Clarke scored the winning run in the top of the 9th and held off the Panthers for the win. We keep telling the girls that we want to be peaking around the time of the district tournament, and I really think we made a statement tonight. That Rapp is back.”

JV Softball – Defeated Clarke Co. 4-3. Report by Coach Stephanie Shaw: “Friday night JV Softball defeated Clarke 4-3 in 11 innings.  Jessica Shaw pitched a great game with 10 strike outs.  The awesome defense had 23 put outs.  In the 11th Caitlin Miller got on base with a single. She stole 2nd and 3rd on passed balls.  Allie Yowell hit a single to bring in Caitlin for the winning run.”

JP Softball – No report available

JP Soccer (Girls) –Defeated Fresta Valley 3-0 in the Valley Middle School Tournament Championship. Congratulations ladies on a fine season!

Varsity Baseball – No report available

Varsity Soccer (Girls) – Defeated by Clarke County 8 – 0; Defeated by Manassas Park 7-3

Varsity Soccer (Boys) – Defeated by Clarke Co. 4- 1

JV Soccer (Boys) - Defeated by Clarke County.

Track - Results reported by Assistant Coach Heather Puskar.

Track and Field Team Results (Girls) - 1^st Clarke,  2^nd RCHS

Individual Results (Girls) -1st  and   2nd  places for Rapp listed:

300 Meter Hurdles – 2nd   Scavetti, Marie

400 Meter - 2^nd Garrison, Sarah

4×100 Meter Relay – 1st RCHS

Track and Field Team Results (Boys) – 1^st Clarke, 2^nd RCHS

Individual Results (Boys) -1st and 2nd places for Rapp listed:

100 Meter Dash - 1st   Rollins, Daniel

200 Meter Dash – 1^st Rollins, Daniel

200 Meter Dash - 2nd   Stokes, Brook

300 Meter Hurdles - 1st Armor, Tyler

400 Meter - 2nd   Frye, Josh

4×100 Meter Relay – 1st   RCHS

Long Jump – 1^st Rollins, Daniel

Discus - 2nd Diley, Jeremy

Track and Field Team Results (Girls) - 1^st Manassas Park, 2^nd RCHS

Individual Results (Girls) -1^st and 2^nd places for Rapp listed:

100 Meter Dash – 1^st Smith, Joslyn,  2nd Dore, Allie

200 Meter Dash – 1st Smith, Joslyn,  2nd  Dore, Allie

100 Meter Hurdles - 2nd   Scavetti, Marie

800 Meter - 1st Garrison, Sarah

4×100 Meter Relay – 1st RCHS

Long Jump -  2nd  Day, Carly

Triple Jump – 2nd  Day, Carly

Track and Field Team Results (Boys) – 1^st Manassas Park, 2^nd RCHS

Individual Results (Boys) -1st and 2nd places for Rapp listed:

100 Meter Dash -  1st Rollins, Daniel , 2nd  Stokes, Brook

200 Meter Dash – 1^st Rollins, Daniel

400 Meter - 1^st Frye, Josh

800 Meter - 2nd Wayland, Zack

300 Meter Hurdles - 2nd Armor, Tyler

4×100 Meter Relay – 2nd RCHS

4×400 Meter Relay - 1st RCHS

Long Jump – 1^st Stokes, Brook

Triple Jump - 1st  Stokes, Brook

Up Next for Rapp April 13 - May 22 (For changes and cancellations click on http://www.highschoolsports.net/defaultcal.cfm?ct=m&schoolid=VA227474482&spt=-1&lvl=-1&division=-1&timeoffset=240 )

May 12 - 5:30 JV Soccer (Boys) followed by Varsity HOME VS. Strasburg High School; 7:00

Varsity Soccer (Girls) @ Strasburg High School; 7:00 Varsity Softball / Baseball @ Strasburg High School; 7:00 JV Softball HOME VS. Strasburg High School

May13 - 3:00PM Varsity Track - Bull Run District Tournament @Manassas Park; 7:00 JV Softball HOME VS. Manassas Park High School

May14 - 7:00 Varsity Baseball & Senior Night HOME VS. Clarke County High School

May 15 - Times and Locations TBA Bull Run District Quarter-finals in Baseball, Softball, & Soccer

May 19 - Times and Locations TBA Bull Run District Quarter Semi-Finals in Baseball, Softball, & Soccer; RCES PTO will be nominating AND electing new officers on TUESDAY May 19, 6:45 PM  Room 20 RCES

May 21 – Times and Locations TBA Bull Run District Finals in Baseball, Softball, & Soccer

May 22 - 4:00PM Varsity Track - Region B Track @ Monticello

–
Bob Chappell, Superintendent
Rappahannock County Public Schools