The Friends of the Lower Appomattox River had a year-long campaign to receive a $100,000 matching grant from The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation of Richmond reach its goal last month, thanks to the generosity of the many supporters who donated a total of $105,000 to the effort. The funds are targeted at improving the Appomattox River Trail through Petersburg Patton Park and the Historic Petersburg area, which is a central section of FOLAR’s ongoing 20-plus mile long, multi-million-dollar Appomattox River Trail improvement campaign. The success of the fundraising effort means that FOLAR receives the matching funds. “We are so grateful…
Browsing: Outdoors
Colonial Heights resident Becca Wilson took two dogs to the new large dog run at the Chester Dog Park at Goyne Park last week. Wilson – who recently relocated to the area from Florida – trains, walks and boards dogs through the ‘Rover’ app. An agility course at the dog park is scheduled to open this fall. (Caleb M. Soptelean photo) Dog lovers have more confined space in which to take their dogs after a large dog run opened at Chester Dog Park at Goyne Park last week. The park – which opened a small dog run in mid-April behind…
Twenty-one students recently completed a Chesterfield County Parks and Rec horse camp at Hunter’s Lane Stables at 3578 Hunter Lane, south of Kingsland Road, west of Chester Road. The students learned to care for, groom and ride “hunt seat” on a variety of horses last month. Hunter’s Lane is a family-owned boarding and lesson stable operated by Elaine Wilson that has been hosting horse camps since 1984. ABOVE: Lenaya Conyers gives her mount, Chessie, a bath after her ride. (Diane Merryman photo)
Chris Accashian, Bon Secours St. Francis CEO It looks as if Chester may finally be getting an emergency room. Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center received notice that a Certificate of Public Need application it filed with the state last October was approved May 21. “We’re absolutely thrilled this was approved,” Bon Secours CEO Chris Accashian said last week. He thanked the Chesterfield County Fire and EMS and members of the public who helped by submitting public comments in favor of the application. Thirty-nine people submitted letters in support of the application, according to Bon Secours spokeswoman Jenna Green. “We’re…
Meadowbrook High student Liz Hernandez helped plant broccoli and cabbage at Shalom Farms, 2676 Venita Road, on April 25. She was part of Gwendolyn Goode’s Family and Consumer Science class. Students studied the roles of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and the importance of good nutrition. “It was such a rewarding experience,” Goode said. Locals interested in helping can email [email protected].
From left, Addy Stachura and Victoria Bryant and horses Puzzle, Sue and Nike stand in front of a run-in shed that was built for the horses recently. (Diane Merryman photo) When Jeannie Fee took on the leadership role of teacher for middle school students who were in the confirmation class at Bethia United Methodist Church, she was stumped when it came to choosing a community mission project for them. Little did she realize that the project would bring her so close to home, right next door to where she lives. Fee loves horses and lives on a few acres in…
Bensley resident LaTika Lee recently was recognized as one of four “stewards of the river” by the James River Advisory Council. Lee received the Historical Values Award from the nonprofit. She has coordinated presentations that explore the history of the James River: “Diversity on the River – Forgotten History Lecture Series.” She has coordinated lectures such as, “Diamonds, Education, Emancipation and Race: The Family of Silas Omohundro,” “Down by The Riverside: African American Heritage on America’s Rivers,” “The Story of Henry ‘Box’ Brown,” “The Secret Life of Lucy Bosman and Murder on Second Street: The Jackson Ward Murders” and “The…
June Peat (Radiant Snapshots photo)June Peat hiked at the Grand Canyon. Peat’s dog Honey walks too. June Peat has been virtually walking for nearly 12 years, and she enjoys it. In the summer of 2007, Peat and her family took their usual trip to Duck, N.C. “We were on the beach, and I looked so horrible in a bathing suit that I decided I needed to do something,” the 75-year-old said. That July, Peat began walking, and she hasn’t stopped. At the time, Peat worked for Lucy Corr, and Chesterfield County’s Government Center Trail system was new. “My daughter, Beth,…
Lyle Browning stands next to the falls. The remains of a pump house is on left. Falling Creek Ironworks Park likely would not exist if not for Bryan Walker, and the recently deceased 87-year-old will be honored at a May 4 ceremony at the park. Lyle Browning — who serves as a volunteer archeologist for the nonprofit Falling Creek Ironworks Foundation — said he first got involved with the ironworks in the late 1980s or early 1990s when Walker organized a meeting about it. “He nudged people to do something and was instrumental in getting the county to buy it,”…
Jocelyn Rowe and Charles Henshaw view the surroundings from a boardwalk at Dutch Gap Conservation Area last week. A fairly new boardwalk at Dutch Gap Conservation Area recently won an award. A boardwalk located at the last parking area before Henricus Historical Park was recently selected for the 2019 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award. The boardwalk was a gold medal winner in the competition. The award was announced at the annual Environmental Virginia Symposium in Lexington in late March. The Dutch Gap Relic River Boardwalk includes 148 feet of elevated boardwalk and 400 feet of floating boardwalk with a canoe/kayak launch,…