Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
COMMUNITY NEWS
The next Civic League board meeting will be January 15, 2000, at 7 pm, 710 Georgia Avenue.
Take pictures! A space has been reserved on the CPRV web site for you to show off your home as decorated for the holidays. Photos can be e-mailed to jullian@sprintmail.com (one to a message please) or dropped off/mailed to 4400 Mayflower Road.
Our web site celebrates its first birthday next month. With age has come the need to make a few changes. A site index has been added to enhance access via the reliable alphabetical method. All file endings have been shortened from .html to .htm to faciliate file transfer, a change that might affect any bookmarks you have made. Finally we have decided to start archiving the newsletter as a text file rather than as a graphic file, starting with the November 2000 issue. While we lose all the great layout and design features of the newsletter, we gain considerably in download time and searchability.
There will be (this holiday season as in seasons past) folks who will do their holiday shopping at the wonderful Colonial Place/Riverview Department Store. They will come to our neighborhood looking for items of value left out in plain sight. After the holidays they will be back for city license stickers. These grinches will smash a $300 car window for a handful of change, CD's, purses, cameras, etc. Please don't encourage theft and vandalism by lack of prudence. We are all responsible for the safety and security of our neighborhood. Let all those grinches know that if they come to our little corner of Whoville, the pickings will be slim and they may just spend a night or two in the Whoville City Jail!
What to watch for: * Two to four juveniles looking in vehicles or at homes (one or two are lookouts, the other two do the crime) usually after dark. * Three to Four kids riding into the neighborhood on one or two bikes, riding double. They may be here to steal bikes. * Adults, usually but not always, working alone walking on the street side of vehicles looking in cars and at homes.
What to do: * Call the police non-emergency number immediately @ 441-5610 to report the suspicious activity. * Call 911 for an actual crime in progress - when they try the door handles, pry a door open, break a window and/or enter a vehicle or home.
When you call, be prepared to state the activity/crime, exact location, number and description of suspects (Race, sex, age, clothing, height, weight, etc.) and last known direction of travel. Always report all crime, no matter how minor the offense so that our crime prevention committee along with the Norfolk Police Department can apply the proper resources to quickly curtail the criminal activity.
The Eastern Virginia Brass Quintet will be at Knox Presbyterian Church on Saturday, December 23rd, 2:00 pm, for a special holiday concert. If you will be home for the holidays, this concert will be a real treat and not to be missed. As always, the concert will be free. It is part of the Arts Within Reach program sponsored by the City of Norfolk. Mark it on your calendars and bring your neighbors, your visitors, your family, and yourself.
If These Walls Could Talk (Nov. 2000)
I incorrectly reported that the house on the corner of Gosnold and Connecticut was previously a sanitarium and then later an orphanage. It was originally the Gosnold Sanitarium, but I was corrected by Barbara Zimmer, who believed that the orphanage was actually in another building near the corner of Massachusetts and Gosnold. A 1940s City Directory confirms the existence of The Turney Home For Boys at 715 Massachusetts Avenue - though I imagine it was in a building that preceded the current house with that address.
It's time again for the Colonial Place/Riverview Holiday Decorations Contest. The categories this year include Best Door, Best Lighting, Best Yard Display, Most Original, Best Use Of Natural Material, Best Group of Homes (3 or more homes), and Judges' Favorite. Judging will be held on December 20. Listed below are the generous sponsors who have donated some great prizes.
| Fellini's Gourmet Pizza Café 3910 Colley Ave. 625-3000 Gourmet hamburgers, pizzas, pasta, salads, & desserts |
Greater Grinders 4311a Colley Ave. 451-4512 We have party subs | |
| O' Sullivan's Wharf 4300 Colley Ave. 423-3746 Fresh Seafood, Live Lobster, Angus Beef |
Sandy Point Tackle and Marine 5015 Colley Ave. 440-7696 Fly fishing, bait, tackle repairs, marine supplies | |
| Seeley Florist 4301 Colley Ave. 440-0414 Quality fresh flowers |
Simply Salads Plus 5111 Colley Ave. 489-7748 Good food, best prices, better for you |
LYDIA H. ROPER
CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10
2 PM UNTIL 5 PM
127 East 40th Steet in Riverview
When you walk behind Fellini's these days, you'll see heaps of compost-in-the-making and beds that produced bountiful produce just a few months earlier. The Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden enjoyed a prosperous first season, with thanks to all the folks who planned, planted, tended, and weeded - plus, abundant rain this summer!
In October, the Norfolk Environmental Commission presented two awards to Becky Kiser, organizer of the Community Garden: an Honorable Mention Landscape award and a plaque to Becky for Outstanding Environmental Stewardship. Garden folks welcomed neighbors and visitors for "Tea In The Garden" during the Front Porch Art Walk. Plans for new beds and a more secure compost container are underway. Garden members are still delivering lots of coffee grounds from many of the area's Starbuck's. (It makes good compost!)
This time of year, you may want to consider joining the Garden as a member or giving a membership to a friend, family member, or neighbor. For a $15 fee you become a member of the Garden, which means you are invited to participate in the planning and maintenance of the garden and celebrate the harvest as it comes in! For more information, call Becky at 627-7007.
The Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
P.O. Box 6347
Norfolk, VA 23508
(757) 640-5555 extension 20943
WEB PAGE: dcf.net/cprv
Community News Editor: Wayne Johnson, Phone 623-1078
Community News Distribution: Margaret Bright, Phone 627-2815
Advertising: Jeff Stark, Phone 640-8938
Please deliver typewritten newsletter items to:
Wayne Johnson
637 New Jersey Ave
Norfolk, VA 23508
e-mail houstori@pilot.infi.net
The deadline for the January issue is Tuesday, December 26.