Town Crier Articles

This summer, the New Town Women’s Lunch Club donated nearly 50 bags of classroom supplies to the Teacher Supply Shop, a program of the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (WJCC).  According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school teachers, on average, spend close to $500 of their own money each year on unreimbursed classroom supplies. Teachers serving in low income areas spend considerably more. WJCC established the Teacher Supply Shop as a way to reduce this financial burden on our public school teachers.  WJCC accepts donations of classroom supplies from the community and then distributes these to teachers. Information about this program can be found on the WJCC website.

 

When the New Town Women’s Lunch Club learned of this opportunity, many eagerly participated in contributing supplies. Some also expressed interest in learning about other programs or needs where, together, we might be able to make a difference.  An informal grassroots workgroup of New Town women formed for the purpose of exploring opportunities for those of us living in New Town to give back to the greater Williamsburg community.  The hope is to involve not only the Women’s Lunch Group, but also other New Town neighbors and groups to participate in giving back initiatives on a quarterly basis.  

 

With colder weather approaching, one area of need is for warm coats for children of all ages. After reaching out to several organizations, Williamsburg  House of Mercy and FISH, Inc. both expressed a strong interest in receiving children’s coats and are capable of distributing these to those most in need. Our group of New Town women want to make it easier for anyone interested in making a donation of a NEW or NEARLY NEW coat to do so.  

 

Women attending the New Town Women’s Lunch may bring donations to the October, November, and December lunches.  If you would like to participate or make other arrangements to donate a child’s coat or if you would like to learn more about our giving back initiatives, contact Gale Hyatt (ladyhappy73@gmail.com) or Eden Glenn (edenaglenn@gmail.com). If you would like to learn more about the New Town Women’s Lunch Club, contact Angela Lesnett (Alesnett@verizon.net).

 

The New Town Activities Committee hosted a pool pizza party on Saturday, August 26th to celebrate the end of summer together. We were pleased with the large turnout of neighborhood families who enjoyed the pizzas with a variety of toppings, watermelon, brownies, cookies, and drinks. Everyone had a fun time visiting with neighbors and meeting new ones.

 

 

We look forward to having more events this Fall so everyone can keep in touch with each other. The next event is our second Fall Festival on Saturday, October 14 at Village Walk from 2:00-4:00.  Hope to see you there!

Our New Town Residential Association (NTRA) website was launched in March 2019. As our community grows, it’s always good to review how the site is being used. Some restructuring appeared beneficial, so a few tweaks have been made to the website layout. 

• NTRA business-related content for the site has been moved to a new tab “ASSOCIATION.”  This is an owner-access area of the website where you can find the current Committee files, Governing Documents, annual meeting packages, and financial information (now in a standalone page).

• General information for residents, including the “Report an Issue”/ticketing feature, remains under the "RESIDENTS" tab. There is a new page "Tools for Residents" to make some of the homeowner resources, like the list of neighbor suggested vendors and the Village Walk maintenance chart, more visible.  Do you have ideas for what you’d like to see linked to this page? Just let us know.

We still need volunteers to maintain the currency of our website info and to keep it relevant to the community.  Please consider sharing your skills with the Communications Committee. Writers for our monthly newsletter articles, photographers to provide new banner photos and capture events, and any techies who want to spruce up our Facebook communications are most welcome.  

Can’t find something on the new layout? Send an email to ntrawebsitecommittee@gmail.com.

 

 

 

Manor on the Green, scheduled to be completed fall of 2024, is moving along presently with sitework, including the concrete pours to support vertical construction of the buildings. Our intent was to get as much of the site utilities, including water and sewer connections in the streets along with stone for the parking lot, completed prior to the installation of the building foundations. Due to the limited space available onsite, completion of these site items early allows for construction parking and storage of materials in the future parking lot as the work continues with the buildings. 

 

Framing is now underway. The contractor, Henderson Inc. has been asked to walk the property edge and parking areas to look for trash. They are doing this daily to keep the site and surrounding areas clean. We installed the parking lot in the center of the site also earlier than typical to prevent tracking of mud on the roadways and keep dust down. We are doing the best we can to stay good neighbors during this process.

 

Challenges of being able to procure materials due to the impact of the pandemic is a constant constraint on being able to perform at the level of efficiency that we are accustomed to. We have already started to compile a list of interested individuals, a majority who already live locally, who are wishing to lease a residence at Manor on the Green. That level of interest is a testament of how wonderful the New Town Community is. In addition, we have heard from many businesses in New Town inquiring about our completion as they are encouraged by the opportunity to be supported by these future residents.  

The free concerts in Sullivan Square are restarting in mid-September on Wednesday evenings – starting at 5:30 PM.  Let’s hope for some cool evening weather. Bring your lawn chair or blanket and enjoy being outdoors. Dogs welcome! Gates open at 5pm. Shows start at 5:30pm.

 

Here’s the lineup!

 

 

Well, we’re in the final stretch of summer, now.  For those “Summer People” out there, sadness has already set in.  Picnic baskets, pool noodles, flip-flops, and Hibachis will soon be mothballed for another year and many a constitution steeled against the cooler days ahead.  For those who are less charmed by summer months in the Tidewater, mosquito welts, sticky clothing, weeding woes, and the dreaded failure to hear the AC “click,” will be, blessedly, things of the past.  You can hear them all cheering, now.

 

But whatever your sentiments about the season, be safe and enjoy the days ahead.  Take those opportunities to see friends and family that will soon be engulfed in work and school, once more. Visit those places—seaside park and mountain trail—that will quickly offer less accommodating vistas and opportunities.  Most importantly, glory in the ever-changing Joys of the Seasons. Your favorite is never far away, and those seasons you can do without, make those favored seasons even more precious.

Riddle for the Month:  Where do you go to find a hot date?   

 

	The Months by Sara Coleridge
January brings the snow, makes our feet and fingers glow.   February brings the rain, Thaws the frozen lake again.   March brings breezes loud and shrill, stirs the dancing daffodil.   April brings the primrose sweet, Scatters daises at our feet.	May brings flocks of pretty lambs, Skipping by their fleecy damns.   June brings tulips, lilies, roses, Fills the children's hand with posies.   Hot July brings cooling showers, Apricots and gillyflowers.   August brings the sheaves of corn, Then the harvest home is borne.	Warm September brings the fruit, Sportsmen then begin to shoot.   Fresh October brings the pheasants, Then to gather nuts is pleasant.   Dull November brings the blast, Then the leaves are whirling fast.   Chill December brings the sleet, Blazing fire, and Christmas treat

In the spring, New Town neighbors came together on May 5th to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Chelsea Green's green space common area. Neighbors enjoyed tacos with all the fixings desserts and salads. We played badminton and corn hole and had wonderful conversations in a circle that formed. It was good to connect with each other.  The children took turns and actively swung a cane at the pinata until the pinata broke open and the kids dived on the candy 

 

A raffle (gift card, courtesy of New Town Commercial Association) was won by Sue and Jim Turbish from Charlotte Park.

 

   

 

Our events at the pool have also made a splash! So far this summer, neighbors have enjoyed two lunch-time pizza parties. Pizzas with various toppings, watermelon, brownies, and beverages were available for all. The watermelon is always a big hit on hot summer afternoons. There were some groups of families that included several generations, which is always fun to see. We also had some recent newcomers in attendance; they received a warm welcome to the New Town community.  

 

Two evening socials were also held at the pool. At the June 28 poolside social, residents appreciated an inviting array of appetizers.  The large dessert tray was also a hit as was the raffle.  July 28th was another fun evening, even though it was sweltering. 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

The Activities Committee will host a final lunchtime pizza party on August 26th. We look forward to seeing you there.
 
Stay tuned for details about events planned for the fall months brought to you by your New Town Residential Association Activities Committee.

 

1. The Liberty Bell is struck 13 times, every July Fourth (It no longer is rung due to its crack, of course.);
2. Massachusetts was the first state to celebrate the Fourth of July;
3. There have been 27 versions of the American flag;
4. Apple pie has been the “go to” dessert for Americans since the 1700’s;
5. Bristol, Rhode Island, has the longest standing tradition of a Fourth of July parade;
6. Three US presidents have died on the Fourth of July--James Monroe, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson—and President Zachary Taylor fell fatally ill on the day after attending Fourth of July orations.  He died on July 9th;
7. Hawaii’s fiftieth star was added to the Flag on July 4, 1960;
8. Americans consume 150 million hot dogs on the Fourth of July;
9. Only John Hancock and Charles Thompson signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776;
10. 16,000 fireworks displays take place every Fourth;
11. The Fourth of July was first celebrated 100 years AFTER the signing of the Declaration of Independence;
12. The Star-Spangled Banner was not adopted as our national anthem until 1931; and
13. It was once considered disrespectful to keep your business open on the Fourth of July.

Mark your calendars for some great summer fun for New Town residents. All events are at the New Town Community Pool.

 

These events are organized by the New Town Residential Association Activities Committee. Volunteers to help us staff events are always welcome – if you can help on any of these dates, contact Liz at efwolf@wvu.edu

 

Bring your pool pass for admission to all of these activities.