Town Crier Articles

 

New Town now has a local Buy Nothing group! If you are not familiar with this organization, Buy Nothing is a global initiative that operates on a hyperlocal level. This means you get to know your neighbors while keeping items out of the landfill, decluttering your home, and requesting items or neighborly help you would like. The best part is that all of this is free. No trades, barters, or cash is ever involved.

 

Gina Forster and Tammie Ortlieb are your local admins of the group. You can message either one of us with questions. Tammie has been involved with Buy Nothing groups for over a decade and has enjoyed the strong sense of community that is built within the groups.  I have personally enjoyed my Northern Virginia neighborhood Buy Nothing group and am excited to create that same sense of neighborliness here in New Town.  I have given and received plant cuttings, spices, art supplies, children’s items, and much more. People have even offered skills/actions such as a knitting lesson or a ride to a doctor’s appointment. Each interaction feels like a connection, not just a transaction.

 

Spread the word to all your New Town Neighbors!

 

To join, simply head to Buy Nothing New Town Williamsburg on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/share/A4pgKhZ4cCACj2XV/?mibextid=K35XfP 

(Remember to answer the membership questions and agree to the rules to be accepted into the group.)

 

Hope to see you there!

 

#gratitude

Living in proximity to others can be both rewarding and challenging. As we go about our busy lives, it’s easy to overlook the people living right next to us. However, building relationships with our neighbors can have a profound impact on our lives and communities. Moreover, getting to know your neighbors can also lead to new connections and opportunities. You may discover shared interests or skills that can lead to collaboration on projects or hobbies. You can also learn about local events and activities that you may not have heard of otherwise.

 

Obviously New Town is a diverse community – young professionals, students, families and retirees all call New Town home. But with busy lives, smart phones that seem to eat more and more of our time and life in general how do we connect? 

 

Sometimes the simplest way is a common interest, or a new hobby or even responding to a need. So how do you do that?

 

 

There are many clubs and social groups in New Town. Some are: Book Clubs, Garden Club, Retired Men’s Club, Women’s Lunch Group. Just go to the NTRA website and see the link for Pool & Clubs. Other small groups exist for those who like to sew, play bunco or mahjong, or enjoy good food. Ask around to get in touch with these residents.

 

But perhaps you don’t see something established that appeals to you. Why not start a club? This month’s Town Crier highlights some residents who have started a Buy Nothing Group. Other ideas could be a Film Club, Photography Club, Quilting/Crocheting Club, Walking Clubs, Breakfast Clubs (maybe slightly different than the club from the 1985 movie) or perhaps a club for old men who stand at the stop signs and shake their fist at the cars who roll the stop sign (ok, maybe that might not be a good club). If you have thoughts about starting a new club in New Town, you can contact the Communications Committee at ntrawebsitecommittee@gmail.com for support in getting the word out to recruit members. 

 

Although existing book clubs are currently full, it’s great to hear from Stuart Dopp about a book club she is in. I reached out to her to find out about the club. 

 

New Town Bookies (no horses involved…) 

 

“New Town is full of avid readers, and it’s small wonder that bookish neighbors enjoy discussion groups and friendships with other bibliophiles. One such group is chaired by Liz Fones/Wolf, a retired WVA University history professor. Other members come from varied backgrounds, each bringing a perspective to conversations about the month’s reading choice. For instance, our discussion of Demon Copperhead — a re-telling of Twain’s Huckleberry Finn set in Appalachia in modern times — elicited varied perceptions of contemporary poverty, human striving, and our own roles in the larger world society. Most of us reread Huck, which will be useful also when we next discuss James, the story of Huck’s traveling companion, Jim. 

 

Reading about civil war in Chechnya (A Constellation of Vital Phenomena) forced us to confront unspeakable cruelty and suffering but reminded us of the human potential for goodness and loyalty. It also required research into eastern European geography and history. 

 

Other books have spurred historical/ political inquiry, such as The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson, and At the Dark End of the Street, by Danielle McGuire.  A fictional account of a rural woman having to leave her farm and vital connection with nature to follow her husband to Detroit during WWII, Dollmaker, touched all of our hearts, and we re-visited the book with the movie. A recent selection (Cave Dwellers) was fiction but a thinly disguised critique of life amongst the rich and famous — or infamous — in Washington. We could visualize the characters as a parody of politicians and values in Washington. 

 

Each book has a discussion leader, but that role is rarely needed. Everyone has ideas to contribute, and even the occasional member who didn’t finish the assignment will find pertinent elements in the conversation. There is a strong sense of humanity within the group, and most of the members participate in civic /charitable endeavors such as the Porch food drives. 

 

Truly, reading helps us to walk in another person’s shoes, to experience worlds beyond our own fortunate lives even as we enjoy our friendships. Meeting as we do in our homes limits our number, but Liz is happy to assist anyone hoping to create a new forum for mind-opening discussions of literature.” Stuart Dopp 

 

Hopefully, as we move into the holiday season, you’ll find a few minutes to ponder 2025 and think about areas you’d like to explore in the new year. Being a part of a small club in a large community can bring many benefits to you and those around you. Not only is knowing your neighbors beneficial for you, it can also improve the general well-being of the community. By building a sense of camaraderie and support, neighbors can work together to improve the quality of life in their area. Community involvement, whether it’s through events, outreach, or simply being a good neighbor, can lead to increased civic pride and a stronger community spirit.

 

The holiday season is full of festive décor that pets find irresistible. Here’s a list of common hazards and tips for keeping them safe during the celebrations:

 

Christmas Trees
Cats love to climb, but a Christmas tree can be risky. Pine needles may irritate the mouths of cats and dogs or stomach if ingested.

• Tip: Secure your tree to prevent tipping, and consider using a tree guard or blocking it off.

Tinsel and Ribbons
Shiny tinsel and dangling ribbons are hard to resist, especially for cats, but they pose serious choking and digestive hazards.

• Tip: Use alternative decorations or place tinsel and ribbons out of reach.

Ornaments
Small, delicate ornaments look like toys and can shatter or break if swatted.                                          

• Tip: Choose shatterproof ornaments and keep smaller, fragile items higher up on the tree.

Electric Lights
Light cords can be tempting for some pets to chew on, leading to shocks or burns.

• Tip: Wrap cords in protective coverings, secure them tightly, and unplug when not in use.

• Tip: Consider using flameless LED candles for a safer, pet-friendly and indoor pollution option.

You may have heard that dumping pumpkins in the wild is a good way to dispose of your jack-o-lanterns after Halloween, wildlife experts says it’s a bad move.

 

“When we introduce a food source like a rotting pumpkin into the woods somewhere, you’re bringing all sorts of animals together who sniff it out." This can cause disease in animals and make them very sick, including death. Also throwing pumpkins out is bad for native soils, and the seeds can become invasive and deadly to animals. (Not to mention that it's a violation of James City County regulations to throw anything in our surrounding woods!) 

 

So please compost at home, or contact a nearby farm or zoo that may want clean pumpkins, free of wax or other harmful additions. Do people still burn candles in them? Otherwise, while not ideal, they'll make their way into landfills. But that's another article.

 

So let's keep New Town and our beautiful woodlands looking beautiful and showing concern for our neighbors, human, and animal.

 

Happy Halloween!  

Hey, have you read a good book recently and thought “I’d love to have a copy of that book, but they are so expensive," or perhaps a good book has spurred an interest in spending more time reading. Or maybe, you’ve decided it's time to put down that device and curl up with a good book? 

 

Have you checked one of the New Town free "Free Little Libraries"? We have four of them located throughout New Town:

1) at the corner of Elizabeth Davis and Center Street, 2) at the Main Street gazebo, 3) behind Ironbound Gym, and 4) at the intersection of Discovery Blvd and New Town Avenue. Books are free to take and return and you may add any of your own.

 

Of course, these wonderful libraries can only contain a small number of books. 

 

Well, don't despair - maybe a great book could be had for a cheap price. At your local library. 

 

“Wait, you say, I check out books from the library, but they make me return them."

 

Have you heard of the Book Nook? 

Perhaps you’ve wandered by it at the Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL) or the James City County Library and wondered what it is. 

 

 

Each item is checked by a volunteer to ensure it is in saleable condition and shelves are stocked daily by a team of wonderful volunteers. 

 

Here’s a current price list for items sold at the Friends of WRL Book Nook. As you can see, these are quite a bargain! 

 

 

And if you find that you have a collection of books, CD’s, magazines, puzzles or DVD sets that you need to part ways with but can’t bear the thought of throwing them in the trash, you can consider donating them to the Friends of WRL and let someone gain pleasure from finding a great deal and hopefully spending time curled up with that special read. 

Window bird strikes have been on the rise over the past few weeks with fall migration, but we hope it's also due to people's awareness that window-strike birds need medical attention!

 

Did you know? When birds collide with windows, if they don't die from the initial impact, they're often left concussed with internal bleeding, eye trauma, ruptured air sacs, broken bones, and more. While sometimes these birds can temporarily recover enough to fly away from a scary predator (you), they often succumb after hours or even days when their injuries go without treatment.

 

If a bird appears stunned (eyes closed, on the ground, allows handling), please contain that bird IMMEDIATELY in a box with a lid and give your nearest wildlife rehabilitator a call right away. Be sure to leave a message if they do not answer right away. While waiting to hear back from your local licensed professionals, keep these birds somewhere warm, dark, and quiet away from pets, children, and other loud noises. Do NOT attempt to release these birds, even if it sounds like they're moving around in the box or like they may have recovered on their own.

 

Better yet, make your windows bird-safe! Birds hit windows because they reflect the sky and trees on the OUTSIDE of the windows, not the inside. You must break up the reflection by placing stickers, decals, tape, or other mediums (glass paint, screening, etc.) on the outside of the windows, with no more than 2" between decals/designs so birds don't attempt to fly "between" them. Stopping birds from hitting windows is the best way to give these birds the best chance to survive, and prevent them from needing care.

 

According to the Heritage Humane Society if you have found wildlife in urgent need or rescue, please contact Wildlife Response at 757-543-7000 or Tidewater Wildlife Rescue at 757-255-8710.

 

 

 

Join your neighbors for an old-fashioned fun-filled, FREE event in the Village Walk neighborhood on the corner of Casey and Settlers Market Boulevard.  

 

Everyone is invited, adults and children, family and friends. Guests will enjoy popcorn, Halloween cookies and other goodies. As an added treat, there will be drawings for a large pumpkins and gift certificates donated by the New Town Commercial Association

 

Activities include cake walks, pumpkin painting, and games including corn hole, and shark toss, races, pie face showdown, a kid’s obstacle course, croquet, and cornhole and more. Get there early for a Halloween “egg” hunt at 2:15 across the street from the main venue. Watch out there may also be mummies!

 

Come to participate or just share the good time and the music.  Also, we really need volunteers. Please contact Liz Fones-Wolf at efwolf@wvu.edu if you can lend a hand.  

 

 

Over the last several years, New Town's summer lifeguards have been undergraduate students who come from all over the world, recruited and trained by Continental Pools, our pool management company.  We have had quite a few lifeguards from Jamaica, Turkey and China.  Our main lifeguard this year was Deanjilee Robinson, who lives just outside the city of Kingston, Jamica, and is starting her senior year at the University of Technology, majoring in finance. This was Deanjilee ‘s second year at our pool and I met her last year.  I learned that to earn as much as possible, she works extra shifts and had not seen anything of the U.S. aside from the airports in Miami and Richmond. I offered to take her and one or more friends to Washington D.C. for a day of sightseeing.  

       

One early Tuesday morning in mid-July, the day each week our pool is closed, Deanjilee, her best friend Beyance Turner, a Finance major, who she recruited to also work as a lifeguard with Continental, and I headed to Washington.  As we drove, Deanjilee and I chatted about the differences between living in Jamaica and the United States. Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean about the size of Connecticut with a population of just 2.1 million. It is known to Americans for its reggae music and as a tropical tourist destination.  She was fascinated as I tried to describe the sheer size and geographic diversity of the U.S.  While impressed with the speed of banking  (opening a bank account in Williamsburg took half-an-hour instead of an all-day ordeal in Kingston), she was appalled by how much processed food Americans eat and surprised that trees in New Town did not bear fruit.  

     

We dropped the car off at my son’s house in Alexandria and took the Metro to the Capitol South Station.  The Metro was a new experience for Deanjilee and Beyance since there are no trains or subways in Jamaica. Our first stop was the Capitol steps, where looking towards the Washington Monument, we took in the majestic view of the National Mall ringed by world-class museums of history, art, technology and the natural sciences. We then headed to the National Gallery of Art, starting with the East Building and its modern art collection. Both young women had visited the small National Gallery of Jamaica, which features two floors of Caribbean art, but were stunned by the magnitude of Smithsonian’s art collections.  Having read about and seen pictures of Picasso’s painting, they particularly enjoyed the impressionist galleries but also took delight in the works of Jackson Pollock and other modernists. We went through both tower galleries and at the rooftop terrace with its huge blue rooster, the young women took in an expansive view of Washington D.C. In the underground moving walkway  between the East and West Buildings, we experienced the “Multiverse,”  an amazing visual light display.  

       

We dashed through the National Gallery’s West Building, which holds master works from the 13th to 19th centuries and Deanjilee and Beyance were amazed by all the religious imagery.  Catching all of our eyes was a grisly 15th century painting on leather of David and Goliath by Andrea del Castagno of Florence. The painting was once attached to a battle shield. We then headed to the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum, where they wanted to see the Hope Diamond and dinosaurs and also enjoyed an exhibit on human evolution. The White House was next on their agenda, and we marched a mile through the high heat and humidity to get a view.  

 

On the way back to the Metro to cool off, we stopped at the first floor America on the Move transportation exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History.  The interactive and immersive experiences were their favorite experience of the trip. Most moving for Deanjilee and Beyance was sitting in a recreation of a 1927 segregated North Carolina train station and the experience of riding in a 1950s Chicago Transit Authority "I" train car, complete with sound and moving images. We arrived back in Williamsburg around 9:00 after an enjoyable if exhausting day, with Deanjilee and Beyance having learned more about the United States and me having learned more about Jamaica.

 

 

 

 

In case you missed it, on Saturday, September 21st, New Town residents held a community-wide garage sale. The goal of the community garage sale was to encourage participation from any and all residents, inspire community engagement amongst our residents (as well as with our broader Williamsburg community) and finally, if you were lucky, to lighten your load or pick up that treasure you just couldn’t pass up. While residential (seller) participation was on the lighter side, the traffic and interest along our New Town streets appeared steady and varied from both within and beyond New Town.

 

This inaugural community garage sale was a great start in what will hopefully become a more regular occurrence. The NTRA Board of Directors enthusiastically supported our ideas and graciously let us move out planning and advertising on a very compressed timeline in order to deconflict from other community events as well as take advantage of the warmer weather before fall arrives.

 

We hope the community enjoyed this event.  We learned several lessons to improve future events:

As a reminder, individual garage sales are not allowed under the NTRA rules. NTRA rules, Section II, Para 43, states: “Yard/garage sales are not permitted within the Properties, except that the Association may sponsor a community yard/garage sale at the discretion of the Board of Directors.” 

 

So this was your chance for 2024.  We hope you were able to participate in the community garage sale in a way that met your needs this time, and we look forward to future opportunities.

 

 

Two major events will take to our residential streets in October!

 

On Saturday, October 5, our streets and trails will be awash in pink as we welcome the Run for the Hills, hosted by Here for the Girls (H4TG.)  H4TG is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young women affected by breast cancer. You can learn more about them at hereforthegirls.org .

 

This event consists of both a race and a health and wellness expo in Sullivan Square. The race offers a 1 mile fun run, a 5K run (a Colonial Road Runners Grand Prix Event), a 5K competitive walk and a virtual run.  New Town residents and businesses can use special promo code NT2024RUN for a discounted registration fee! Register at hereforthegirls.org/run .

 

The health and wellness expo in Sullivan Square is free and open to the public—all are welcome, and this is a stroller-friendly, dog-friendly venue! There will be nutrition and health demonstrations, fitness classes and activities, educational information, health screenings and wellness checks, kids’ activities and much more.

 

New Town residents are invited to show their support for this event! You can request a Cheer Package, which will consist of a ribbon or other decoration to place in front of your home, a route map, a list of designated cheer spots where residents can gather to cheer on the runners, health info and more. If you would like a Cheer Package, please email your name and street address to sommer3553@gmail.com by September 15.

 

We will be doing additional decorating along the race route! If you would like to volunteer to help “pink up” our streets and trails, please email sommer3553@gmail.com by September 15, and I will add you to the volunteer list.

 

On Saturday, October 26, we embrace purple, as we welcome the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association. This is the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

 

This annual event begins and ends at the Gazebo on Main Street. The walk offers a 1 mile route and a 3 mile route. You can view details of the route here. If you would like to form a Walk team, you can register at the Walk's local website. Many of the neighborhoods in the area have Walk teams, and it would be great to see New Town represented!

 

The Walk could also use your help as a volunteer on the day of the event! Please sign up at https://signup.com/go/FKdadZT , where you will find a list of volunteer opportunities, times needed, and number of volunteers needed for each opportunity. 

 

NTRA residents are invited to show their support for this event! If you would like a yard sign or a purple ribbon to place in front of your home, please email your name and street address to sommer3553@gmail.com by September 30. The quantities of signs and ribbons are TBD, so you may get one or the other, or both!

 

We will be doing additional decorating along the Walk route! If you would like to volunteer to help “purple up” our streets, please email sommer3553@gmail.com by September 30, and I will add you to the volunteer list.