Chester’s original “downtown” was a stop which was an intersection of the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad, running north to south, and the Clover Hill Railroad, which became the Bright Hope Railway, then the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad. In 1900, when the Richmond and Petersburg merged with the Atlantic Coast Line, that new railroad intersected the same east west railroad which became the Tidewater and Western Railroad in 1905. The Chester Station, which was located at Curtis Street and the CSX Railroad tracks, was the scene of a battle during the American Civil War. The Seaboard Air Line also passed through…
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There is a little-known gem in Chesterfield County Public School’s education system and it comes in the form of its Adult Continuing Education program. After working as a GED teacher for three years, Dawn Wells, the Adult Education Program Manager, came into this role five years ago. She said she enjoys working with adults. “After a couple years of teaching … I [became] a coordinator of testing,” Wells said. “[I] decided to leave teaching and pursue this full time, so I became a full-time GED coordinator overseeing the classes and the testing, and then slowly moved up when the administrator…
Eyes were sparkling and grins were wide on the 2,000 children who gathered for El Juguetazo, a celebration of the Epiphany held Jan. 14, at L.C. Bird High School. “A snowstorm caused a delay for the annual event, originally scheduled for Jan. 7,” said Juan Santacoloma, Multicultural Liaison for Chesterfield County. The event provides at least one new toy for each child in a low-income family. In the Bible, the Three Kings Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, visited the baby Jesus bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Volunteers representing the Three Kings give gifts to the children. For many in…
Bermuda news: January 2017, filling in the dots The state of Bermuda District By Dorothy Jaeckle, Bermuda Supervisor Chairwoman Happy New Year to all our citizens! It is hard to believe it has been over a year since we rang in 2016. A lot has happened in Chesterfield in the past year. We brought on the two new faces of Dr. Joseph Casey as the County Administrator and Dr. James Lane as the School Superintendent, and the Board of Supervisors is looking forward to a successful 2017. The three top roles of local government are public safety, education, and public…
The celebration of Black History Month in Chesterfield County is a 28-year tradition of producing education and entertainment events that are all free and open to the public. It is unique and special, with music, lectures, performances, and more. All events take place at Chesterfield County public libraries. Ban Caribe What: Enjoy an evening of singing and a blend of Latin, Caribbean, and rhythm and blues music. When and Where: Thursday, Feb. 2, 7-8:30 p.m., Meadowdale Library, 4301 Meadowdale Blvd. Sukey: Life with Dolley Madison What: Learn about life on James Madison’s Montpelier plantation and during his time in the…
Chester-based music groupSuzie and the G-Tones are promoting their debut album, “Wine, Tears, & Rain,” at Ashland’s Coffee and Tea in Ashland this Saturday. The band’s lead singer, Susan DePhillip, promised the audience a good time. “[The audience can expect a] little bit of everything,” DePhillip said. “We hope they enjoy it and have fun [Our job is] to keep the audience happy and hopefully touch them in some way.” (Though the band has played in Chester/Petersburg, most of the band’s tour dates are currently in Richmond and northern Virginia. However, DePhillip said they are in the process of scheduling…
John Randolph – the name is synonymous with education, healthcare, agriculture, and politics. A number of well-to-do families were all related to Randolph in and around Petersburg. Young John lived at Matoax (Matoaca) until he was nine years old. The old Matoax home was located on Randolph Farm in Chesterfield and is now part of Virginia State University. According to Alan Taylor, “The Internal Enemy,” Randolph vehemently opposed the War of 1812 and the Missouri Compromise of 1820; he was active in debates about tariffs, manufacturing, and currency. With mixed feelings about slavery, he was one of the founders of…
Dickie and Alena King celebrated their 10th anniversary on Nov. 14. It was also the day, Maria, an 11-year-old Bulgarian girl officially became part of their family. “That is the day I got her into my arms,” said Alena. The Kings had planned a trip to Las Vegas for their anniversary, tickets were purchased, but when the call came notifying the Kings that the adoption had been approved, Alena was on a plane to Bulgaria to bring their new family member home. “We [Dickie and Alena] always wanted to have a family together. From our first date we talked about…
Temperatures plummeted to 2 degrees on Monday morning; 22 degrees below the high of Sunday afternoon. By now, according to forecasts you are no doubt basking in a balmy 53 degrees. But according to Chesterfield’s favorite weather prognosticator, the weekend snow, measured at 6 inches, will be the only big snow for the rest of the winter. Normal temperatures over the last few days should range from a high of 47 to a low of 28 degrees. The record of 73 degrees was recorded in 2008 and the record low was a chilling 1 degree in 1940 when snowfall piled…
Chesterfield County Public Schools Adult Continuing Education opens registration at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 9 for the spring semester. Through the Adult Continuing Education Office, Chesterfield County Public Schools offers many opportunities in workforce training, GED preparation, enrichment and English for Speakers of Other Languages. New this year, various classes will be available to all ages when co-enrolled with an adult. Chesterfield County residents and nonresidents can register online at ace.mychesterfieldschools.com or in person from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday at the Adult Continuing Education Office at the Career and Technical Center @ Courthouse, 10101 Courthouse Road. Chesterfield County residents who are…