Can you believe that the Fourth of July has rolled around already! Enjoy the festivities at Ft Lee (Williams Stadium) on 7/4 from 2-10 p.m. Enjoy the music, food, arts and craft festival, and the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s famous KidZone. The KidZone is free for children between the hours of 2-4 p.m. (after 5 p.m., tickets are on sale for $1). Throughout the day, enjoy live entertainment from The Wallers (Motown, 70s and 80s music), and the 392nd Army Band. There will also a 50-gun salute to the nation. Parking and admission to this event is free and open to the public. Personal pyrotechnics and pets are not permitted. Coolers may not be larger than 6×6x12 inches. A fireworks show is set for 9:35 p.m. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 765-3176 or visit Fort Lee Morale Welfare and Recreation

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The deadline for nonprofit organizations to submit applications for The Cameron Foundation’s Excellence in Organizational Management Award is July 9, 2009. Only nonprofit organizational staff or board members are eligible to apply for this award on behalf of their organization. Applications can be found on the Foundation’s website, www.camfound.org, or by calling the Foundation at (804) 732-8900. One candidate will be selected to receive a single, unrestricted $30,000 gift for demonstrating excellence in overall organizational management. Up to two honorable mentions, with awards of $10,000 each, will go to organizations that exemplify excellence in one or more of the specific areas reviewed during the scoring process.

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Units of the Bureau responded to the 1700 block of Varina Avenue in reference to a shots fired call. As units canvassed the area, two separate vehicles were discovered to have broken windows. Police received another call that occupants of a dark colored SUV on Brandon Avenue were breaking out car windows. While en route to canvass Brandon Avenue, dispatch again advised of a dark colored SUV on Northampton Road breaking out car windows. An officer located the suspect vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. Police discovered that in about a 45 minute time span, approximately 45 vehicles received damages including broken windshields, rear and door windows on Varina Ave, Johnson Road, Oakridge Road, Matoax Ave, Tuckahoe Street, Berkeley Ave, Brandon Ave, Westover Ave, Northampton Road and Hampton Road. This is the Walnut Hill area of the City. The suspects were taken into custody without incident. All are from North Carolina and were possibly visiting relatives. Charges are pending as the investigation continues at this time.

Citizens who have been victimized should call the Petersburg Police non emergency number at 804-732-4222.

In its June meeting, The Cameron Foundation’s Board of Directors approved $2,654,796 in new grants for 27 nonprofit organizations across the south-central region of Virginia. This is the Foundation’s second grant cycle for 2009, with a third round of new grant awards slated for October.

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Click here for a copy of the application and more details.

Now, this is a story of Petersburg Area Art League’s (PAAL’s) upcoming July exhibit, “Fresh Prints: Daphne’s Doors,” featuring the photographic work of acclaimed actress Daphne Maxwell Reid, star of the NBC hit comedy The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Enter the creative mind of Daphne Maxwell Reid as she leads you on a visual journey past the breathtaking doorways, gates and portals of Italy and the Cape Verde Islands of Africa. It seems modest, almost paradoxical, that Daphne titled her debut collection with a term as simple as “Doors.” Replete with rich textures, bold colors and exotic imagery that conjures childlike curiosity, Daphne’s photos capture how a mere architectural frontispiece can transform into a stunning and timeless work of art.

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Click here for a copy of the June 10 2009 ARB agenda.

Click here for a copy of the June 24 2009 ARB agenda.

The Petersburg Health Department (with funding from The Cameron Foundation) is teaming up with the Petersburg Public Library System to provide a FREE heart health program called “Crater Communities On The Move!”. This program includes:

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Click here for a copy of the agenda.

In case you didn’t see the article in the P-I, or did and forgot the date and time …Chef Emeril Lagasse recently visited Ft Lee. Planet Green will air two episodes related to Fort Lee on “Emeril Green,” a new series, at 8 and 8:30 p.m. June 29. Comcast offers Planet Green on channel 103. For more information about TV listings, go to http://planetgreen.channelfinder.net/ or to learn about Planet Green TV go to http://planetgreen.discovery.com.

Below are some upcoming events in Old Towne. You may also check oldtownepetersburg.com any time for up to the minute information on Old Towne happenings.

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Developers Dave McCormick and Kristopher Haase have teamed up to create a cozy residential eight-unit apartment complex. The structure will include a coffee shop and bakery as well! According to Mr. McCormick, the apartments will have a modern look. With Terry Ammons as principal architect, we can expect an efficient, clean and cool design. The apartments will be roughly 600 square feet. The design of the coffee shop will be simple in aesthetic, similar to something one might see in a bigger city. The shop will serve high quality coffee and foods and will be located on the corner of Bank and Third. The anticipated completion date is sometime in October. My mouth is already watering………….

On June 27, 2009, the Virginia Organizing Project and Hopewell/Prince George Volunteers for Change will be doing videography of YOUR HEALTH CARE STORIES. If you are a direct service provider or you have been affected by the cost and/or lack of quality, affordable, health care please tell your story. We want Congress to know your story. Are you the under insured or the uninsured? Please help us tell your story!!! Our health care system is broken and needs to be fixed now. We support a solution that will guarantee quality, affordable health care for everyone. Help us tell Congress your story!

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Citizens for Positive Change is a citizen focused forum. The goals of the forum is to provide a venue for the citizens of the City of Petersburg to express their community concerns and learn how to campaign for change and to mobilize communities to take action and responsibility for resolving socioeconomic issues.
The forum will be held on Friday, June 26, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Tabernacle Baptist Church Community Center, 418 Halifax Street, Petersburg, Virginia. For more information or registration, please contact Jessica Brown, 804.524.5964 or email her at jbrown@vsu.edu.

The Route 36 Task Force, an initiative of the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, this week released a study that suggests practical redevelopment strategies for the distressed Route 36 corridor. The Route 36 Study Report analyzes the current challenges facing the Route 36 corridor (Washington and Wythe Streets) between Petersburg and Fort Lee and suggests several scenarios under which redevelopment could be accomplished.

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One of the best aspects of Olde Towne is the entertainment.  On any given night one might find live music at half a dozen venues here.  And Petersburg gets some extremely talented acts.  This weekend featured performances by world renowned smooth jazz artist Jim Adkins.  Songwriting genius Dewey Via played a two night stand at the Dixie Diner.  Zach Artis laid down his amazing guitar skills at Wabi Sabi.

And Olde Towne also frequently enjoys performances by buskers. 

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The summer school location for PCPS students in Grades 6 and 7 will be Peabody Middle School. Their school hours will be from 7:50 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This is a change from earlier scheduling.

Summer School Pre-Registration will be held at Vernon Johns Jr. High School on June 16 and 17 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This pre-registration is for all elementary and secondary students, and it will be located in the cafeteria of VJJH.

For the 2009 bus routes, click here.

Click here for a copy of the agenda.

Legendary singer songwriter and native Ettrickian Dewey Via will be back in Petersburg tonight.  After a triumphant tour of Florida and other points south, the native son is returning to Olde Towne.  The “Dewey Duo” also known as “Lick ‘n Gravy” will take the stage this evening at 9:00 and play originals as well as your favorite covers.  There is also rumored to be a pre-show jam session at an undisclosed private bar on Market Street.  For those who have never heard Dewey play, this is a great opportunity to catch some serious talent in an intimate venue.

Petersburg Police and surrounding law enforcement jurisdictions are participating in the annual Special Olympics Torch Run on June 12, 2009 at 8:15 a.m. The run is estimated to pass through Petersburg at 8:45 a.m. The route is from the Ft. Lee/Petersburg City line on Washington Street to Adams Street. The torch will be passed to Colonial Heights Police at the Martin Luther King bridge. Support the cops!

We have added a ‘help wanted’ category to the classifieds section of the site. Simply click on ‘classifieds’ then click ’submit’ and follow the instructions to post your own advertisements.

Join us for the inaugural offering of Battersea Foundation’s Leisure and Learning Series Saturday June 13th, from 2:00 – 7:30.

Event Schedule:

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After researching PPN’s archives (including comments), and attempting to reintegrate myself into the area, I have found truth in what I suspected five years ago as an Old Towne resident and business owner: The citizens of Petersburg are a unique, diverse and needy (yes needy) group of people who sincerely want to contribute to and improve their community. They care about their city, schools, government, economy and, above all, each other. Although opinions may differ and tempers may flair, it is for the greater good. The venting that occurs through the expressive vehicle of writing (or typing) serves as a catalyst for change, accountability, and a call to action.

Therefore, citizens of Petersburg, I call you to action.

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Click here to view the flyer for this FREE event.

Jim Adkins, an award winning songwriter and guitarist from Prince George, Virginia, HAS OVER 20,000 SALES ACROSS THE U.S. AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES including Spain, Switzerland, Great Brittan, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, Hungary, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Indonesia, Portugal, Canada, Brazil, Belgium, Turkey, Denmark, Singapore and Germany.

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