The Petersburg Citywide PTA will be hosting its 2nd Annual Golf Fundraising Tournament Friday May 16 at 1:00pm at the Prince George Golf Course. On Saturday, May 17, they will host a Run 4 Fund 5K run and walk, plus a two-mile run for children; the race will start at Petersburg High School at 9:30am, with registration as of 8:30am.

Minerva Book’s grand opening extravaganza is set to coincide with the May Friday for the Arts (May 9). Best-selling author Sheri Reynolds will be reading from her latest book, Firefly Cloak, and signing books at 7pm.  MB will have copies of all of Sheri’s books available for sale before and after the reading.

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The good folks of Poplar Lawn invite all Petersburg Historic Association members and guests to a Spring Fling Saturday, May 17, from 5-9pm at the yards of: Rob & Linda Jones, 236 S. Adams St.; Rick Strom, 241 S. Sycamore St.; Vic and Debra Robles, 243 S. Adams St. This event is potluck style — bring your favorite dish to share, and BYOB. Paper products and ice will be provided. Please also bring your lawn chairs, picnic blanket, etc.

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If you want to join members of the community in a march and rally against drugs, meet at the Farmer’s Market in Old Towne at 9am tomorrow (Saturday) morning. The P-I has the details.

This in the inbox: Auction, May 3, 6 pm / preview at 5 pm. 1825 S Crater Rd. Auctioneer Kevin Woodleif # 2907. Cash or check - no buyers premium! Partial listing includes: high back, oak bed, round claw foot table, ladder back chairs, marble tables, drop front secretary, oak dresser, wash stand, poster bed, rugs, clocks, tables of smalls & glassware, crocks, rods & reels, military items, toys, dozens of box lots and hundreds of other items. Info 804.748.3118 or 720.5959.

I’ve been out of town about 2 weeks. The email inbox is full of stuff I’m getting to with some delay. I hope to be caught up by early/mid next week.

Crater Community Hospice’s “Spring Auction” will be held this Saturday, May 3, at the Meadowbrook Country Club, 3700 Cogbill Road, Richmond, 23234. Time: 6:30pm Preview; 7:00pm Auction. Emcee: Wayne Covil, Senior Reporter-WTVR CBS-6. Your “Spring Auction” ticket opens the door to an evening of fun, fantastic food and fabulous items for both silent and live bidding!

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In the inbox: “FYI, Copper thefts starting again. Beware of your copper the evening of a rain storm. They have apprehended one , more thieves are on the loose, but maybe caught shortly. 4/30/2008″

National Women’s Health Week is May 11 -17! The Petersburg Health Department is providing free breast cancer screenings to women who meet certain income requirements or who are uninsured. Take charge of your health and call 862-8979 today to make an appointment.

The Board of the Petersburg City Public Schools announces the following public meetings for May (all to be held at the School Board meeting room, 255 E. South Blvd.):

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Mary D. Doering, a faculty member in the Smithsonian Institution’s Masters Program in the History of Decorative Arts will be giving an illustrated lecture on Saturday May 3 at 2pm at Centre Hill Museum titled, “All in the Family: Dress and Domestic Life, 1825-1915.” The lecture will focus on examples of historical clothing included in Centre Hill’s current exhibition, “Fashionably Dressed at Centre Hill Mansion: Attire from the 1820s to the Early 1900s.”

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Don’t Talk to Strangers; Earth Science SOL ‘Saturday School’; Gospel night; Halifax Jazz & Blues Festival; Lecture on Fashion History; March Against Drugs; Restoring historic windows; Halifax Jazz & Blues Festival; Mass meeting of Petersburg Republicans; City council meeting; Regular meeting of the School Board; Holiday / Faultline; Grand opening - Minerva Books; Scavenger Hunt in Old Towne; Tim Be Told; Petersburg Festival Chorus; MORE…

As always, let me know if your organization’s event is not currently on the following list, so I can get it up there!

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The upcoming sales tax holiday will be Sunday, May 25 through Saturday, May 31. During this seven-day period, purchases of items designated by the Department of Taxation as hurricane preparedness equipment (including portable generators) will be exempt from the Virginia sales tax. Portable generators must be priced at $1,000 or less, and other eligible items must be priced at $60 or less for each item. For more details, visit the Virginia Department of Taxation Hurricane Preparedness Equipment Holiday page.

Focus INC, the Cameron Foundation initiative established to provide affordable, flexible, and pertinent educational sessions for nonprofit, community, and faith-based organizations in the Tri-Cities and Southside areas, offer the following May sessions:

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Below is text taken from the program for this weekend’s Halifax Jazz & Blues Festival.

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In today’s P-I: “Moss Motors Ltd., a supplier of specialized vintage auto parts, is moving into the former Nippon Wiper Blade building on Simpson Road just outside Petersburg. The company’s $5.15 million investment will create 90 new jobs.” The article notes that the company will be both opening a distribution center in and relocating its HQ to Dinwiddie.

The 24th Annual Shrimp Feast will be Wednesday, May 14, from 4 to 7pm at Richard Bland College’s Pecan Grove. Tickets are $20; free hot dog meal for children under 10.

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Dinwiddie resident and historian Ronald Seagrave, PhD is currently writing a book to be entitled The Early Artisans & Mechanics of Petersburg Virginia, 1752-1860: Building of a Multicultural Maritime Community. In conducting research on the early Scottish influence on Petersburg’s literary base, he has found that the General Assembly granted Petersburg’s Speculative Society - a library association formed in 1793 - a charter in 1795. Per conversations with folks at the Library of Virginia, this appears to be “the earliest now known” library company in Virginia.

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The Friend House Gallery will feature 15 new oil paintings by Carol Meese in May and June. Painted on location in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, this is her third year working in this artist’s and writer’s Mecca tucked in The Sierra Madre Mountains. The opening is May 9, 7-9pm, and is free and open to the public.

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Last week, the P-I ran an article noting that People’s Memorial Cemetery - a historic African American cemetery - has been approved to be on the National Register. The registration form is available here.

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Historic Photos of the Siege of Petersburg seeks to show in period photos the time of the 1864-1865 trench warfare known as Siege of Petersburg. The book “recounts this pivotal event in the war through hundreds of historic photographs, [...]. Spotlighted here are many of the soldiers and officers embroiled in the contest, the ingenious fortifications they designed, and the harm they wrought and sustained in their struggle to champion a cause.”

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May 6 Agenda

We did another upgrade recently. So far, it looks like in the right column, searching by category gets one a whole lot of nada. The other search fields work. I will comment when this has been resolved. Please let us know if you find any other functionality that doesn’t seem to be doing what it should.

Click here to download/print the lineup for this month’s Friday for the Arts.

The Board of the Petersburg City Public Schools will meet Wednesday, May 7, at 7pm in the School Board Meeting Room, 255 E. South Blvd. Click here to read the agenda.