Town Crier Articles

Need a family-friendly place to work out, to escape daily stress and to meet new people? American Family Fitness in New Town is the place. 

 

Conveniently located on Main Street, this all-purpose gym is, as General Manager Mike Sabin says, "a place for everybody. With a Master’s degree in Exercise Science, Mike has been committed to personal fitness for all age and activity levels since 1986 and plans to continue that work in Williamsburg with the existing and new exercise programs at AFF.

 

 

Group classes include Active, Zumba, Power, Cycling, Fight and Blast and others all designed for great cardio workout as well as strength training.  All classes are led by well-trained certified instructors.

 

In addition to cardio and strength classes, AFF provides Mind and Body programs such as Vinyasa Yoga and Centergy designed to reduce stress and increase strength and flexibility.  Feeling anxious?  Tense? These classes may be the answer.

This was the beginning of Puzzle #5 at the 42nd Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament held in Stamford, Connecticut from March 22-24, 2019.   Number 1 Across has six letters and the clue is: Mallow family trees.  Number 1 Down has four letters and the clue is: Wow, with “over”.    (Answer below)

 

New Town residents David & Nancy Burket and their neighbors David & Marie Gaydos attended the tournament this year, travelling together over 17 hours on I 95, round trip, to be observers, not contestants.  If you are a crossword puzzle fan/nerd, this is the place to be in March!  

 

Will Shortz, Crossword Puzzle Editor of the New York Times, was the Tournament Moderator.  More than 470 people participated as contestants. They were given 7 timed puzzles to solve in difficulty from “easyish” to “hard,” ranging from 15 minutes to 45 minutes to complete.  The sizes of the puzzles varied between 15 X 15 squares to 21 X 21 squares.

 

The tournament has five skill divisions (A – D) with Division A being the most competitive.  All contestants compete on the same puzzles and begin rounds at the same time.  Contestants who finish early raise their hand to signal a referee to pick up their completed puzzle. It was not unusual to see a contestant solve a puzzle after only working 5 to 8 minutes on a 25-minutes timed puzzle. (A few of the people we talked to indicated they could solve the typical New York Times Sunday puzzle in 6 or fewer minutes!)

 

Scoring for each puzzle was as follows: a.    Ten (10) points for every correct word entered across and down; b.    Twenty-five (25) bonus points for each full minute the contestant finishes early (with 25 points reduced for each letter that is missing); c.    One hundred fifty (150) bonus points for a complete and correct solution.

 

A final puzzle #8, solved on the last day, was used to determine the top winners of the Annual Tournament.  Competitors are the top three winners each in Divisions A, B, & C.  They solve a timed puzzle on a stage at an easel with a marker on a large crossword puzzle board in front of the audience.  The puzzle is the same for each Division, however, the clues for the answers are different, with Division A having the most difficult clues. Watch highlights of the 2019 tournament, and Dan Feyer, an eight-time winner solving the final 15-minute timed Puzzle #8 in 6 min. 25 sec. at: crosswordpuzzletournament2019.  

 

By the way, the Burket and the Gaydos families remain friends after the road trip!

 

Answers:  #1 Across:  Balsas; #1 Down:  Bowl

Traudie McCullock does not beat around the bush about Comber Physical Therapy & Fusion Chiropractic located on Discovery Boulevard. “I love coming here,” she asserts. My visit to Comber PT Williamsburg in New Town tells why Traudie and others feel that way and I thank Kim Owens, Director of Marketing for guiding me on a very informative and fun tour of this therapeutic facility.

 

Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic is the vision of founder, Erika Stephan. In November 2003, her vision came to life and today she is the owner of Comber PT and Fusion Chiropractic, Williamsburg in New Town and in Lightfoot. It is the peninsula’s only Integrated Clinic that “treats most any physical condition [relating] to the musculoskeletal system and offers women’s and men’s health therapies” This year marks the 15th anniversary of Comber PT & Fusion Chiropractic and they are definitely not slowing down.

 

My visit began in the main building where physical therapy was in full swing addressing head, neck, shoulder, back, foot and ankle conditions. Sue Mulnix, a resident of Charlotte Park shared this about her physical therapy at Comber PT. “I went to Comber after I had my right knee replaced. I found the staff friendly, caring, and professional and, of course, convenient. Sue went on to say, “I was pleased that the techs were allowed to adjust their schedules so they could go to classes to further their education in the field.” It was true that the environment was warm and friendly, and I sensed the remaining part of my tour was going to get warmer. We were headed for the Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) program…yep, boxing.

 

Upon entering the recently renovated and expanded gym with updated equipment my education began. The Comber PT Williamsburg facility “is the sole outpatient provider of the LSVT® [Global] BIG protocol; i.e. an exercise treatment program for people with Parkinson's disease (PD)…based on the principle that the brain can learn and change (neuroplasticity).” It works on the same principle as the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT), which uses bigness of movement to improve movement quality in PD. Exercises involving boxing techniques and boxing equipment fit the protocol. The participants are called “fighters” and three of them joined the Lead Coach/Program Director, Rachael Carter to explain that “Big” in the RSB protocol stands for the increase of amplitude, with whole body movement, motor skills, and overall function. Rachael also contributed that her background in martial arts, her training in physical therapy and her personal experience with family members who have Parkinson’s disease afford her the skills, interest, and understanding to work with the fighters in RSB. Her face lit up as she talked about them.     

 

Bob Golub spoke next and he was emphatic about the camaraderie among the fighters and with their Coach. He shared that they “understood each other’s problems and were able to help each other” and Traudie added that the “support for one another was so important.” Melissa Hough contributed that the program “helps all the symptoms” and that she comes five times a week to RSB. The three fighters were in total agreement about another fact too. Rachael is a great trainer who is a part of the group and an active supporter of them all. Their faces lit up as they spoke about her. Among the many new programs for the Parkinson’s patients at Combers PT/ Rocks Steady Boxing, Williamsburg is a modified, boxing chair class for those who cannot participate in the higher intensity RSB classes. Comber/RSBW has also partnered with Brookdale Senior Living to provide a monthly Parkinson’s support group meeting. Kim is busy with outreach to local doctors such as inviting them to an evening RSB class called “Box with your Doc”, held on May 16th. They plan to continue those evening classes so area doctors can experience RSB with their patients. Hats off to the RSBW program, all the Comber PT treatment programs, the entire staff, the fighters and patients who make it no secret that they are grateful for the benefits of physical improvement, growing energy, and gratifying camaraderie.  

“Osher helps us to be successful” without any onerous oversight or requirements, explained Scherry Barra, Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at William and Mary. Scherry gave an interesting historical perspective on what led to the 2018 switch from the Christopher Wren Association to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute during the May 8th Noon Talks in New Town.  

 

The Christopher Wren Association had operated for 28 years without State funding as an independent agency associated with the College of William and Mary. Largely as a result of William and Mary’s review of about 20 independent agencies associated with the university as well as increased operating expenses, the Christopher Wren Board began considering whether to become an independent 501c3 nonprofit or an official part of the University.

 

When Scherry attended a conference of many lifelong learning programs in the Southern United States, she met Bernard Osher Foundation representatives and learned more about the funding opportunities they provide to 122 other “mature student” programs. (The Bernard Osher Foundation is a philanthropic institution supporting higher education, integrative medicine, and the arts. Four other Osher Lifelong Learning programs exist in Virginia at George Mason University, University of Richmond, Hampton University and UVA.)

 

She approached Osher management about sponsoring the Christopher Wren program. Working with the Board and William and Mary, the program demonstrated that it met the Osher Lifelong Learning’s criteria for success and sustainability and earned their financial support.

 

In July 2018 the Bernard Osher Foundation provided William and Mary with an initial $100,000 grant that will be subject to review in February 2020. The grant funded increased programming in the Spring 2019 semester and a variety of projects including the purchase of portable audio-visual equipment to provide greater flexibility in locating classroom space, upgraded equipment for the Wightman Cup classroom, and scholarships for students who may find the membership fee cost-prohibitive (55 scholarships are available to those in need in the community). If these projects are deemed successful, Osher at William and Mary hopes to become the recipient of a $1 million grant that would become an endowment for the future to help support annual operating costs.

 

Scherry explained that among the constant challenges are enrollment which fluctuates seasonally, and keeping fees reasonable. A future marketing study will help assess what options are available to balance these needs. Attendees asked for more information on the endowment funds, the 2019 summer program and suggested ways to enhance awareness of the program’s attractiveness to part-time residents. Scherry acknowledged that word of mouth has been a great advertising tool and that through Osher’s National Resource Center, the William and Mary program now has access to many new experiences and ideas. “It’s like joining a new family,” she said.

Tornado Safety

This part of Virginia will be exposed to possible Tornado activity and damages over the next  8 months.   You need to be Ready:

 

Know the Difference

Tornado Watch - Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. Review and discuss

your emergency plans and check supplies plus your safe room. Be ready to act quickly if a

warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching. Acting early helps to save lives!

Tornado Warning - A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Tornado

warnings indicate imminent danger to life and property. Go immediately to your safe room.

 

How to Prepare for a Tornado

• During any storm, listen to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio to stay informed about tornado watches and warnings.
• Pick a safe room in your home where household members and pets may gather during a tornado. This should be a basement, storm cellar or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows.
• Practice periodic tornado drills so that everyone knows what to do if a tornado is approaching.
• Consider having your safe room reinforced. Plans for reinforcing an interior room to provide better protection can be found on the FEMA web site.
• Prepare for high winds by for the summer by removing diseased and damaged limbs from trees.
• Move or secure lawn furniture, trash cans, hanging plants or anything else that can be
• picked up by the wind and become a projectile.
• Watch for tornado danger signs:

? Dark, often greenish clouds – a phenomenon caused by hail

? Wall cloud – an isolated lowering of the base of a thunderstorm

? Cloud of debris

? Large hail

? Funnel cloud – a visible rotating extension of the cloud base, Roaring noise (like a freight train)

 

What to Do After a Tornado-Check for injuries. If you are trained, provide first aid to persons in need until emergency responders arrive.

 

• Continue listening to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio for updated information and instructions.
• If you are away from home, return only when authorities say it is safe to do so.
• Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and sturdy shoes when examining your walls, doors, staircases and windows for damage. 
• Watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and report them to the utility company immediately.
• Stay out of damaged buildings.
• Use battery-powered flashlights, do NOT use candles.
• If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and get everyone out of the building quickly and call the gas company or fire department.
• Take pictures of damage, both of the building and its contents, for insurance claims.
• Use the telephone only for emergency calls.
• Keep all of your animals under your direct control.
• Clean up spilled medications, bleaches. If you have spilled gasoline or other flammable liquids, call the fire dept. vacate areas where there is a chemical or gasoline spill.

 

 

Emergency Information: •   Fire/Police: Dial 911 •  JCC  Emergency Hotline: 757-875-2424 •   JCC Emergency Management: 757-564-4315

Utilities: Dominion Power: 1-866-366-4357 Water/Sewer:757-229-7421; 757-566-0112 (after hours)  Virginia Natural Gas: 1-877-572-3342

 

 

This year of 2019 marks 400 years after the official beginning of the American slave trade. That year, some 23 Africans arrived in Hampton and were sold into enslavement.  Many of these newly arrived Africans were scattered throughout the James River area - including Jamestown founded in 1607.  Details of this arrival are still being research and studied. 

 

William & Mary marks 2019 as a year to remember and recognize it is 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived not far from New Town.  William & Mary, founded in 1693, has had an over three century relationship with African Americans; from owning enslaved Africans to build and maintain the campus; supporting enrolled students who brought their own enslaved to live with them; employing African American staff, supporting Jim Crow laws aimed at restricting the movements of African Americans and keep them separate from white Americans, enrolling African American students, employing African Americans in key administrative roles, creating the Lemon Project (a program to encourage scholarship on the relationship between African Americans and W&M), awarding African Americans Honorary Degrees, naming two dormitories after African Americans (one for the enslaved man named Lemon - the other after Associate Dean Caroll F.S. Hardy), to having African Americans on its governing body - the Board of Visitors. 

 

The 1619 - 2019: Remembering 400 years website contains a list of events scheduled during the year. William & Mary invites community participation in these events.   

 

The website also highlights two Board of Visitors’ resolutions important to 400 years of Remembering. In April 2009, the Board adopted a resolution that acknowledged William & Mary's role in slavery and the era of Jim Crow and established "The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation” as a long-term research project.  In April 2018, the Board adopted a resolution in which members acknowledged that “William & Mary enslaved people, exploited them and their labor, and perpetuated the legacies of racial discrimination.” The Board expressed profound regrets for these activities and apologized for them.

 

There are other events and related experiences that are not sponsored by William & Mary, such as the “Angela Site” at Jamestown. 

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You may have seen our neighbor Ed Elmore walking his Dalmatian Chompsie along the trails surrounding New Town.  Maybe you spotted them in town where businesses and restaurants are always happy to greet them, sometimes with a bowl of water for Chompsie on hot days.

 

Ed is originally from Baltimore, a fan of the city's Ravens and Orioles and the Colts who left that city years ago. He has lived since 1964 in the Tidewater area, most recently in Gloucester before coming to New Town. He left the Tidewater area for only five years in 1990-95 when his work sent him to Huntsville, Alabama. 

 

Before his retirement seven years ago, Ed worked as a civilian for the Department of the Army in the Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Monroe and later Fort Eustis. Each day he commuted to work from his waterfront home in rural Gloucester. Wanting a more convenient, walkable and lively community where he could continue his active lifestyle, Ed found New Town the perfect spot.  

 

Upon retirement from the Department of the Army as well as US Army Reserve, Ed has found the time to pursue the many activities he loves.  He fell in love with running while a student at Christopher Newport University where he ran track.  In earlier days, he competed in marathons including those in Boston, New York City, Virginia Beach's Shamrock, and the Marine Corps marathons. Today he continues to run regularly with a group of fellow enthusiasts.

 

Ed also loves biking, especially along the Virginia Capitol Trail, a route he loves for its safety from cars as well as its beauty.  He also hikes the many trails in western Virginia, including those around Crabtree Falls near Waynesboro. He once completed a multi-day backpack hike from Front Royal to Harper's Ferry. In his "spare time," Ed is politically active and an avid reader.

 

Chompsie, Ed's canine companion, is one of the many Dalmatians he has rescued after falling in love with the breed years ago.  Over those years he has given a home to several Dalmatians, male and female, but for the moment Chompsie is an "only child," although that may not be the case forever.  

 

When looking for the right place to live and play, Ed - and Chompsie - have found New Town the perfect place, so say hello when you see them.

 

 

So, what can you find at The Ivy Trellis? Owner and operator Rosa Mann says, “All my favorites things.  It’s like Oprah.  Only better!”

 

The Ivy Trellis is a new retailer on our Main Street that opened in New Town in March, 2019.  In all the variety on display, there is a logic of categories. There is home décor, home accessories and gourmet foods.  Does that cover it all?  Not really. You will have to go in and see for yourself because there is also the baby corner and all those handbags!

 

Rosa has been in the home décor business since 1994, always operating under the name of The Ivy Trellis.  She started the business in Farmville, VA.  (Side bar for New Town residents from other states:  if you have not gone furniture shopping in Farmville, plan a day trip.)  For about fifteen years, The Ivy Trellis was a full support interior decorating business, providing in-home design

 

Home décor products at Ivy Trellis

 

services, a show room for product sales and employing a support staff.  

 

When Rosa’s husband, Ed, began thinking about sailing and retirement, she re-invented the business as an on-line enterprise, still under The Ivy Trellis banner.  Then last year, she re-opened the store with a shop in Lightfoot Crossing.  That shop succeeded and Rosa loved its courtyard which was a natural space for selling home garden accessories.  

 

Experience showed a basic fact about shoppers:  they like to combine eating out with shopping. And that is what led her to open a shop this year in New Town where dining opportunities are plentiful.  

 

Additionally, the New Town store has extra storage space and that seems a good idea given all the stock Rosa includes among her favorite things.  Having extra storage space will help keep the shelves out front fresh during the change of seasons and trends.  Check out the pictures to get ideas for your own addendum to the Rodgers and Hammerstein tune.  

 

The Ivy Trellis no longer offers in home interior decorating services, but Rosa is happy to offer shoppers advice.  Bring in photos for a discussion.  Maybe Rosa will have something in stock that works for you, or can obtain an item from one of her dealers, or she may simply help you imagine what you need, like an orange chair, so you can go out into the larger marketplace with a specific concept of what you are looking for.   

 

Welcome to Rosa and Ed and The Ivy Trellis!

 

 

Some favorite things