Month: October 2014

Wythe County Youth Football: Super Bowl XIX

by wytheCommunity

This past Saturday, Wythe County’s Department of Parks & Recreation completed the 2014 youth football season for its varsity and junior varsity leagues.

In total, sixteen teams from Wythe and Bland counties competed in the ten week season, which culminated in Saturday’s Super Bowl XIX games.

Held at the Rural Retreat High School, Super Bowl XIX’s junior varsity championship game pitted the Rural Retreat Indians (WHITE) against the Wytheville Maroons (SILVER).  The Indians (WHITE) won that game by a score of 7-0, thanks to a 52 yard touchdown run by Brock Smelser.  Elijah Blevins earned the PAT on a 2 yard run into the end zone.

Later that afternoon, the Wytheville Maroons competed against the Max Meadows Pioneers in the 32-minute varsity game.  The Maroons won the varsity championship game by a score of 12-0, posting a pair of red zone touchdowns by Nick Martin and Malik Taylor.  Both PATs failed, thanks to the efforts of the Pioneers’ defensive line.

The championship teams — from both divisions — will have their names added to the matching set of Kirk D. Heldreth Memorial Trophies and enjoy the honor of displaying the trophy in their school over the next year.

“We’ve had a great season and we certainly have a lot of people to thank.  It takes an entire army of people working together in order to have a successful youth football and youth cheerleading season,” said Kevin Williams, director of Wythe County’s Parks & Recreation Department.  Williams added, “The booster clubs, volunteers, officials, parents, staff and so many others have dedicated countless hours to make this season happen.  Their work is greatly appreciated.”   In addition to Saturday’s championship games, the annual multicounty event provided local youth cheerleaders with an opportunity to showcase their talents.

Performing inside the Rural Retreat High School gymnasium, each cheerleading squad displayed routines including a chant, cheer and dance, in the yearly cheerleading presentation dubbed “Cheermania.”

Echoing Williams’ sentiments, Scotty Vaught, Wythe County’s youth sports coordinator said many of the lessons picked up over the past ten weeks will accompany the young athletes for life.  “They all – cheerleaders and football players – were able to learn the value of hard work and commitment; skills needed in the real world,” Vaught went on to state, “It’s great watching the players and teams mature over the course of just a few months.”

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Wythe County to Host Youth Basketball Clinic this Weekend

by wytheCommunity

WYTHEVILLE — The Wythe County Department of Parks & Recreation has announced a region-wide youth basketball clinic, scheduled to be held Saturday, November 1 at the Fort Chiswell High School.

The clinic, which is completely free of charge, will be open to all local boys and girls in grades 4-7.

Slated to last from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the clinic will be led by members of Wytheville Community College’s Wildcat basketball team, under the supervision of head coach Tyler Cannoy.

“The one day clinic will place an emphasis on fine tuning the young players’ fundamental skills, including ball handling, as well as defensive and offensive skills,” said Wythe County’s youth sports coordinator Scotty Vaught.

Vaught stated that in addition to gaining valuable basketball expertise, youth athletes will be given a unique opportunity to develop local role models.

“He [Coach Cannoy] has them on the right track on and off the court and it’s great to have positive influences for our young people right here in Wythe County,” stated the veteran youth worker.

County parks and recreation workers say students need only to show up at Fort Chiswell High School gymnasium next Saturday morning to participate, as there will be no formal registration process leading up to the event.

The junior-varsity basketball season begins in Wythe County in early December for grades 4-5, while the varsity season (grades 6-7) is scheduled to begin after he new year.

Parents with any questions may contact Scotty Vaught at 276-223-4518

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SLABTOWN AREA TO BE WITHOUT WATER THURSDAY

by wytheGovernment

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Wythe County water officials say some residents in the Ivanhoe area will be without water Thursday, for four to six hours, as workers transfer the county’s water to newly constructed lines.

The affected areas will include all water customers in the Slabtown area, as well as those who reside along Ivanhoe Rd. within approximately one-half mile of the Slabtown intersection.

County officials say that despite the inconvenience, the temporary outage is necessary in order to ensure the waterline remains in top working order for years to come.

Many of the waterlines being replaced in the Slabtown area date back to the 1960s.

Over the past several years, Wythe County has launched a series of infrastructure projects, all aimed at updating the county’s utilities.

Tim Reeves, chairman of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors says that these updates are necessary in order to bring additional jobs into the county.

“In order for Wythe County to be competitive on a global market, updates to our infrastructure must be made – not just for businesses and industries, but also for residents,” said Reeves.

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BOB ROSS PAINTING CLASSES EXPANDING IN WYTHE COUNTY

by wytheCommunity

(PICTURE: Painting by Debbie Johnson Cassell, student at last week’s Bob Ross painting class.)

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Over the past few years, Wythe County’s Department of Parks & Recreation has been offering a once-a-year, afternoon Bob Ross painting class for local citizens to attend.

Held inside the Max Meadows Ruritan Building, the classes have continued to grow in popularity, attracting attendees from across the region.

This past week, county residents were again provided with the unique opportunity to paint a duplicate of one of the legendary artist, Bob Ross’ masterpieces – a snowy barn scene which appeared on Episode 12 of the thirty-first season of his long running television show, The Joy of Painting.

Led by certified Bob Ross instructor, Judy Moore-Gist, participants were instructed on how to use the “wet-on-wet” painting technique used by Ross.

Among this year’s first-time students, was longtime Wythe County resident Debbie Cassell.

Sharing her picture, Cassell stated, “It was a really great class.”

Cassell was not alone in her assessment of the Bob Ross painting class, Wythe County Parks & Recreation director, Kevin Williams, said the response was so great following this year’s class, that his department will offer two additional painting classes this spring – another one in Max Meadows and one in Rural Retreat.

The Max Meadows spring class is scheduled for March 2015 and will be held inside the Max Meadows Ruritan Building, while a class will be held the following month inside the Rural Retreat Community Center.

Kevin Williams said that registration for the spring classes are already filling up and is encouraging local residents who may be interested in attending these classes to register early.

Though no final price has yet to be set for spring painting program, registration for the four-hour class is generally about $65 and includes all the necessary tools needed to paint.

Residents desiring additional registration information are encouraged to contact the Parks & Recreation Department via phone (276) 223-4519 or email [email protected]. The class is open to the general public ages 15 & up.

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WYTHE CITIZENS NEEDED TO FILL VACANCIES

by wytheGovernment

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Members of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors are calling upon local residents to serve on a number of committees and boards.

County leaders say several vacancies exist on various committees and ask citizens who have interest and expertise to make application to assist in filling these gaps.

In addition to groups with vacancies, local officials say many previous appointees are nearing the end of their terms on a handful of committees; creating additional opportunities for other local residents to serve.

The Board of Supervisors appoint representatives to serve on the following committees and boards: Community Policy & Management Team, Emergency Planning Committee, Fire & Rescue Board of Directors, Industrial Development Authority – County & Towns, Mount Rogers Community Services Board, NR/MR Workforce Investment Board, Planning Commission, Recreation Commission, Smyth-Wythe Airport Commission, Social Services Board, SWVA Emergency Medical Services Council, Tourism Advisory Committee, Wall of Honor Committee, Wythe/Bland Joint Public Service Authority, Wythe/Grayson Regional Library Board and Wytheville Community College Board.

Residents interested in serving on any of the above mentioned committees or boards are encouraged to fill out a committee application, which is available at the county administrator’s office (340 S. Sixth St., Wytheville, VA). Though not all committees and boards presently have vacancies, filling out the application will give local residents an opportunity to express their interest should a future vacancy occur.

“Much of the groundwork of local government is performed by engaged citizens,” stated Wythe County Public Information Officer Jeremy Farley, who added, “These committees provide county residents with a very real opportunity to make a big difference in their communities.”

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LOCAL EMERGENCY TEAM TO TEST CITIZEN ALERT SYSTEM

by wytheGovernment

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Emergency officials at the Wythe County Consolidated 911 Center will be performing a test of the countywide citizen notification system next week.

The test, which is scheduled for Thursday, October 16 at 2 p.m. will be the second such test of the year and is anticipated to serve as the final one for some time.

“Since we performed the first test in July, we have registered hundreds of additional mobile devices into the system and we simply want to make for sure that it is still operating as it should,” said James Copeland, Wythe County’s Director of Emergency Communications.

According to Copeland, residents and businesses will receive a call on their landlines, informing them of the system test.

Copeland added, “Residents who have registered their mobile devices will receive a phone call, text message or email, depending upon their registration preferences.”

Throughout the summer, local leaders have encouraged citizens to register their mobile phones in order to receive special notifications from emergency officials regarding extreme weather and other dangers. Residents who wish to sign up their mobile devices can do so by visiting filling out the forms available at the administrative offices of the Town of Wytheville, Wythe County and the Town of Rural Retreat.

Emergency officials say most residents have expressed a sincere gratitude for the alert system, which is designed to notify local residents in the event of catastrophe.

In addition to emergency alerts, citizens can also sign-up for optional weather alerts, supplied by the National Weather Service.

The mass notification system was funded by a grant from the Wythe-Bland Foundation and is part of a cooperative effort between the towns of Rural Retreat and Wytheville, along with Wythe County.

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SOME WYTHE COUNTY RESIDENTS MAY SEE VEHICLES THEY NO LONGER OWN ON THEIR TAX TICKETS

by wytheGovernment

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – This month, Wythe County residents will be receiving their personal property tax tickets from the county’s treasurer’s office.

Unlike in previous years, this year’s tax tickets will include an assessment for all vehicles titled in an individual’s name, not just those which are registered – per the Code of Virginia.

Through this process, it has come to the attention of many residents that several vehicles they thought were no longer titled in their name actually are – either they or the person they sold the vehicle to never transferred the tags through the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

County leaders are advising any individual who receives a tax assessment for a vehicle they no longer own to go to the Virginia DMV (800 E. Main St., Wytheville) and notify them that they are no longer the owner of the vehicle.

Once an individual has contacted the DMV, they may then notify the Wythe County Commissioner of the Revenue (located inside the Wythe County Court House) and have the vehicle exonerated from their tax ticket.

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