Arts & Entertainment

A huge crowd turned out for the annual Raphine Volunteer Fire Department’s parade Friday evening. The parade featured lots of fire and rescue vehicles, floats representing local churches, other vehicles of all ages and descriptions, horses, politicians, a majorette and drum unit – and even puppies. (Mary Woodson photos)

Kling Elementary School and Enderly Heights Elementary School will both receive $5,000 through the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries.

RHS Class Of 1983

For Memorial Day

Fundraiser Includes Bands, Guest Speakers, Cruise-in

Second Annual Event Saturday

The weather was perfect and the crowds were large for the annual Raphine Volunteer Fire Department’s annual carnival last week. There were plenty of rides, games, music and food, including barbecue chicken dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings. Helping to serve the chicken dinners was (in photo at bottom right, in foreground) Gertrude Shull. Among those playing the dime toss game (in photo at bottom left) was Kayden Ruley. (Mary Woodson photos)

Woman’s Cells Led To Medical Breakthroughs

The following students were named to the honor roll at Rockbridge ChristianAcademy for the fourth nine weeks of the 2022-23 school year: First grade – Aaron Chambers, Max Hostetter and Charlotte Selmer.

Juneteenth celebrations are once again planned in Lexington and Glasgow this year.

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col Woody Sadler, past district governor of Rotary District 7570, served as the guest speaker at the Memorial Day Ceremony in Marion, N.C., sponsored by the Rotary Club of Marion, N.C. In his speech, Sadler talked about his experiences during the Vietnam War, including fighting during the Tet offensive and escorting 81 dead Marines via helicopter on the first leg of their final journey home. His full speech can be found on The News-Gazette’s website.

Hay making equipment has been busy for some weeks due in part to a spate of dry weather favorable for drying newly mowed hay. Harvesting hay is a centuries-old rite of summer revolutionized by mechanization. Escalating costs of replacement equipment, parts, and fuel in recent years prompt me to return this topic.

Carrying on a tradition that started at the former Rockbridge Middle School, faculty and staff at Maury River Middle School used checkerboard racing flags to send their students off into the summer on the last day of school on May 25. At least one student paused to get his yearbook signed as he left. (Hope Huger photos)

Mike Strickler, board member of the Brownsburg Community Association, presents one of the association’s three $1,000 scholarships to Rockbridge County High School senior Sarah Allen. The two other scholarships went to Layne Campbell and Summer Wallace, both of whom graduated from Riverheads. The BCA was able to award three scholarships this year thanks in part to a significant donation from Bruce and Margaret Alexander. Allen, who was awarded a scholarship in honor of Chris and Julie Fox, plans to attend Mountain Gateway Community College for a year before transferring to a four-year school to become a nurse.

RCHS Graduate Applies Her Experience In Family Genealogy

Kindergarten, first and second grade students at Mountain View Elementary School perform their spring musical, “Bugz” last month. Dressed as various insects, students read dialogue and sang songs about the day in the life as a bug. (Hope Huger photos)

Evelyn Ayres

Wednesday, June 14 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ‒ Rock-bridge Area Health Center’s mobile dental unit visit, old Goshen Public Library; to schedule an appointment, call (540) 464-8700, ext. 7195.

The local group Shester, Blake and Newhall perform on Boxerwood stage this past Friday as part of the nature center’s Music in the Garden summer concert series. The next concert will be June 23 with Bruce Allen and Jason Burke. (Claudia Schwab photo)

The transformation of a bank building into a Starbucks is nearing completion in the College Square Shopping, north of Lexington. The interior of the structure was gutted and a second floor removed, leaving the first floor with a cathedral ceiling. All of the electrical and plumbing work was redone, the roof was replaced and the outdoor parking lot was reconfigured and is being repaved. A retaining wall was installed on the outside edge of the parking lot’s west side. Construction work began last fall and is expected to be completed this summer. The bank building was constructed in the early 1990s. It was a Bank of Rockbridge branch originally and most recently was a branch for CornerStone Bank.

The 29th annual Maury River Fiddlers Convention will be held at Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista this Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17. The convention gets under way Friday at 6 p.m. and again on Saturday at 10 a.m.