Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
COMMUNITY NEWS
CPRV Holiday Social & Book Release Party
NEXT BOARD MEETING will be in January 2007.
DEADLINE for the January issue is Tuesday, December 26, 2006.
THIS MONTH'S MEETING AGENDA: CPRV Holiday Social & Book Release Party
This is a particularly exciting December for CPRV, as we celebrate this holiday season with the release of our commemorative book entitled Colonial Place and Riverview: One Hundred Years of History. This book is the fruit of a tremendous amount of effort from the co-authors Susan VanHecke and Artemis Stoll. You will be very impressed by the historical content and the visual appeal of this charming tome, which tells the story of our neighborhood in a gorgeous hardback volume, so we especially look forward to our December 11th CPRV Holiday Social & Book Release Party (7 p.m., New Belmont, 2117 Colonial Avenue). We will have the authors, sponsors, city officials and you on hand to celebrate our history and our future. We will have the books for sale at the event so please bring your holiday shopping list.
I would like to say a special thank you to our fellow CPRV residents David Block and Theresa Nock. Their personal sponsorship, through the William E. Wood Real Estate Company, made this book possible and we are forever grateful. I would also, like to thank David Spriggs for assisting the civic league with the distribution and sale of Colonial Place and Riverview: One Hundred Years of History as well.
The countdown has started...the CPRV holiday decorating contest is right around the corner. The elves will be around to judge your display. Though we will not be conducting a toy drive like last year, ForKids is accepting toys for their Angel Tree toy program. You may drop off toys at their location at 4000 Colley Avenue or visit their website www.homesforkids.org for details. Let's spread some holiday cheer to those who are struggling this holiday season as we celebrate with our family and friends.
Lastly, as many of you know, our community was touched by a terrible tragedy recently. Our neighbors and friends, Craig and Laurie Reilly, lost their daughter-in-law Elisabeth Kelly King Reilly. Many of you know Craig and Laurie Reilly as neighbors on Mayflower Road. Craig was President of the CPRV Civic League when I started becoming more active in the league. Laurie Reilly is an area educator, school principal and equestrian expert who is always a pleasure to talk with. Many of you know their son and the many relatives of the King family. Our hearts go out to them and, like a neighbor recently wrote, words fail to describe what we feel. To honor Kelly's life, a scholarship fund has been created to provide financial assistance for Maury High School graduates who will attend the University of Virginia, both of which are Kelly's alma maters. Donations to the Elisabeth Kelly King Reilly Scholarship Fund can be made online at www.norfolkfoundation.org or by mailing a check to The Norfolk Foundation, One Commercial Place, Suite 1410, Norfolk, VA 23510. Please designate the gift for the Reilly Scholarship Fund.
This holiday we have so much to appreciate. I look forward to seeing you at the CPRV Holiday Party and Book Release Event on December 11th.
It's not just a neighborhood, it's a lifestyle…
Steve Earnhart, searnhart@gmail.com
As Steve discussed in the President's Notes, in lieu of our regular monthly meeting, we will be gathering at New Belmont (Colonial Avenue between 20th and 21st Streets) for our annual Holiday Social. The owners of New Belmont have graciously reserved the entire second floor for our group and will be providing light to heavy appetizers and soft drinks. A cash cocktail bar will also be available. We will also be welcoming guests from the City of Norfolk to participate in the release of the new hardcover book, Colonial Place and Riverview: One Hundred Years of History, chronicling CPRV's one-hundred year history.
Due to these festivities, we will not be scheduling speakers for the December event. In January we will return to our new meeting location at Knox Presbyterian Church on Colonial Avenue at 37th Street, on Monday, January 8th at 7 p.m. We will be hearing from Ms. Nancy Johnson and Mr. David Pfiffer concerning the proposed improvements to the basketball courts in Lafayette Park. We will also hear from Mr. John Stewart, a CPRV resident, concerning the wetlands that wrap around and through our two neighborhoods. He will present his observations, concerns, and some proposed solutions.
The year is quickly coming to a close and 2006 civic league memberships will be expiring on December 31. I want to thank those individuals who supported the league in 2006, and in past years, by being a paid member. Your support is greatly appreciated. Annual dues are only $10 per person or $5 for persons 65 and over, so please consider renewing your membership for 2007. The membership form can be found on the back page of this newsletter or at www.cprv.org/mform.htm
Due primarily to even greater time restrictions being placed on our monthly meetings at Stuart Center (we have recently been asked to leave no later than 8 p.m.), the decision was made to find a location more suited to our needs. After contacting several CPRV locales, we have accepted a generous offer from Knox Presbyterian Church, located at the corner of Colonial Avenue and 37th Street.
Steve and I recently met with a representative from the church, Karen Tilley (a Colonial Place resident), and were given the full tour. We will have access to their Fellowship Hall, which includes table seating for around a hundred people, as well as access to a full commercial kitchen (which could come in handy for our holiday parties and other events). Karen will also be the one opening up the church for us prior to our meetings and seeing to our needs as we get accustomed to our new location. She tells us that she and her husband, as well as the leaders of the church, have wanted to become more involved with the CPRV Civic League – this appears to be an excellent opportunity for both groups.
We will have access to the meeting space from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m., ample time to prepare for and conduct our meetings – with some socializing time left to spare. There's plenty of parking available on 37th street as well as on the grassy area between the church and 36th Street (look for the huge magnolia). The entrance that we will be using is an awning covered double door that fronts 37th Street just to the rear of the main chapel (we'll put a sign out to assist).
The Riverview Village businesses would like to thank all our CPRV residents for your patronage and support over the past year. Happy Holiday & A Happy New Year!
Here's your invitation to the CPRV Holiday Social & Book Release Party
Happy holidays everyone! Don't forget the CPRV Holiday Decoration Contest! Judging will be sometime during the week of December 10th through 19. (Our judges are still juggling schedules.) Make it bright and have some fun! This is your chance to show off your holiday spirit and prizes WILL be awarded. Just for everyone's information, the judges come from outside Colonial Place and Riverview so it is fair to all who participate. Leave your lights on!
With the holidays fast approaching, please make sure to take extra care in being safe. Make sure to leave the porch light on when you head out at night and secure both the house and the car. Take precautions when shopping and make sure to take extra care on the roads. When purchasing the latest high tech items, please be sure not to leave the empty boxes visible on trash day - this is advertising what new items you have in your home. I encourage you to join forces in partnering together with the Norfolk Police Department and other neighborhoods to reduce crime in our community. The police cannot do this alone. They rely on residents to point out the potential problem areas, report the codes violations, and report suspicious activity when they see it. Please note that we will not have a monthly CPRV Crime Prevention meeting in December. If there is a way that CPRV Crime Prevention can help out with a specific problem, please don't hesitate to contact me. Have a happy and safe holiday season!
Now that Thanksgiving is over and Black Friday is a distant memory, hopefully, most of your major holiday work is done. I know, I know, even as I write this it sounds like a joke. Well, even with so much more to do for the holidays, it's my job to remind you what needs to be done in the December garden inside and out. So, I'm about to add to your list …
While we feed ourselves with delicious family dinners and parties, we sometimes forget to feed our trees and shrubs. These plants are still developing roots throughout the winter and need fertilizer to develop strong roots. Stick with a mild fertilizer in granular form and you really can't go wrong. Just sprinkle around the base of the tree or shrub and cover with mulch. And if you can find time between social gatherings, this is one of the best times to plant trees and shrubs. Just remember, in dry weather, your garden still needs one inch of water per week until the ground freezes. It is still not too late to plant spring blooming bulbs, but hurry before the ground freezes (usually in January). You should have your pansies and snapdragons set already but if you don't, some retailers might still have a few available at mark down prices. And don't forget the Osmocote. It's a perfect, worry free fertilizer for winter annuals.
And finally, with the environmental concerns and increased fire hazards, I recommend an artificial Christmas tree in the home, however, if you prefer a cut tree, look for one that retains needles when you shake it and it should smell fresh the same as you would pick out fruit in the supermarket. Look at how they are stored on the retail lot. Never accept a tree that has been stored tied in a bundle lying on the ground. They should always be vertical and open. Also, ask your local retailer when the tree was cut, how far it has traveled and if the trees have been sprayed. Better retailers will spray their trees and greens with Wilt-Pruf or similar product to help hold in moisture and make the greens last longer. This lowers the fire hazard in your home. It cuts down on the mess later on too!
So I hope I have not bogged you down too much with more things to worry about in the garden and home. I have always said that if we pay attention to our garden just a little in the cold months, we will reap the rewards in the warmer months. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, a Warm Kwanza and a Joyous New Year!
The Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
P.O. Box 6130
Norfolk, VA 23508
E-MAIL: president@cprv.org (checked weekly)
WEB PAGE: www.cprv.org
Community News Editor: Stephanie Hale, Phone 622-6999
Community News Distribution: Buddy Petzinger, Phone 622-0233 and Mary Hormell, Phone 627-2392
Advertising: Stephanie Hale, Phone 622-6999
Please deliver typewritten newsletter items to:
Stephanie Hale
Phone: 622-6999
e-mail: cprvnews@gmail.com