Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 1, 1993 TAG: 9309010055
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Beck, who sang "We Have This Moment Today" in the talent competition at the Sheraton Inn Airport, will represent Virginia in the Ms. National Senior Citizen pageant in Joliet, Ill., Oct. 6-10.
The 1991 Ms. National Senior Citizen, Dotty Talbott, is from Dublin.
First and second runners-up were Virginia Ann Freeman, 72, of Fredricksburg, and Elaine "Lee" Tompkins, 85, of Salem, who also got a trophy for being the oldest contender.
There were 13 contestants from eight Virginia localities at the pageant, including two from the New River Valley. The pageant will become an annual affair in the Star City.
Here's the apple-butter update from the RETIRED SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM of Montgomery County:
RSVP still is desperately seeking apples! The group also still needs donations of pint or quart canning jars so they can start cranking out apple butter. They also need rings and lids, which apparently are becoming scarce in the New River Valley this canning season.
Assuming both fruit and jars are forthcoming, the big kettle will be on the fire early on the morning of Sept. 16 at Park United Methodist Church, 306 Church St., Christiansburg.
The fruits of their labor will be on sale two days later at the RSVP booth during the Wilderness Trail Festival in downtown Christiansburg, Sept. 18, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and the jars may still be warm when you get them: $4.50 a quart; $3.00 a pint.
RSVP hopes to put up 115 quarts of apple butter from its single-kettle production line.
If it's successful, RSVP hopes to make the apple-butter project an annual event. It'll also add a kettle or two.
At the festival, RSVP also will sell baked goods and its "world-famous" cookbook, which contains recipes "handed down from generation to generation." The cookbooks are $7 and come highly recommended as holiday or birthday gifts.
You also can order one through the RSVP office. Call 382-5775 to reserve a copy.
If you have either apples or canning supplies you'd like to donate, take them to the RSVP office in the courthouse annex in Christiansburg or call 382-5775 to arrange for pickup.
The 1993 LEGACY QUILT SHOW, sponsored by the Christiansburg Senior Center and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, will be Sept. 11, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at the National Guard Armory, College and Depot streets.
Admission is $1 for adults; children younger than 12 are free.
The show is restricted to quilts, quilted items, quilting supplies or merchandise related to quilting.
Ribbons will be awarded for first, second and third places in all categories, and there will be a grand prize for best in show. There's also a category for antique quilts, which will compete for "The Peoples' Choice Award." Antique quilts must be at least 50 years old.
Quilts will be judged Sept. 10 at 5:30 p.m., and winners will be announced at 4 p.m. the next day. Judging will focus on general appearance, design and workmanship.
Call 382-8173 or 382-5775 to find out more.
There will be a free VISION AND GLAUCOMA SCREENING for senior citizens Friday, 8-10 a.m., at the Drysdale Eye Center, 3645 S. Main St., Blacksburg, across from Montgomery Regional Hospital. Call 951-3806 for more information.
A REMINDER: The Pulaski, Christiansburg, Radford and Giles senior centers will be closed Monday, Labor Day.
\ SENIOR JOB SEEKERS: If you're age 55 or older, out of work and meet certain federal low-income guidelines, you could be eligible for training through Green Thumb Inc., a nonprofit group that provides training and employment opportunities through the Senior Community Service Employment Program, funded by a U.S. Department of Labor grant.
Jo Eggers, who handles the program for Virginia and North Carolina, says training is "totally unlimited" for qualified seniors, and includes nearly all fields.
There also are on-the-job training opportunities with participating employers and with qualified nonprofit organizations. Green Thumb will subsidize qualified trainees who go to work for private employers. Seniors meeting guidelines also can be assigned to work with nonprofit groups that hold Internal Revenue Service 501 (c) 3 status. They'll be paid minimum wage ($4.25 per hour) for up to 20 hours per week.
For more information in the New River Valley, call 633-1614; or write: Green Thumb Inc., care of Jo Eggers, Route 2 Box 191-B, Buchanan 24066, telephone (703) 254-2202.
Radford artist Lyndall Mason will teach a series of WATERCOLOR CLASSES for adult beginners, sponsored by the Radford Senior Center. The classes will be held Thursdays, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Sept. 16 through Oct. 14 at the center, 27 First St.
Register next door at the Radford Recreation Department, 29 First St., by Sept. 9.
The fee is $35.
For more information, call Mary Jane Harmon, 731-3634.
The registration deadline is Sept. 24. to participate in the 15th annual SENIOR CRAFT FAIR, Oct. 1-2 at the National Guard Armory, College and Depot streets, Christiansburg. Sponsored by the Christiansburg Senior Center, this event will feature more than 50 booths of handmade crafts by seniors.
There will be plenty of food, with lunch and homemade goodies on sale Oct. 2 by the Montgomery County Senior Athletes.
The Senior Athletes will be taking donations of $1 on a handmade quilt. The winner will be announced at the end of the fair.
Call Sherry Kostric, 382-8173, for details.
The VIRGINIA CENTER FOR ACTIVE RETIREMENT will present "Why Do People Volunteer?" Oct. 6, 9-11 a.m., in Conference Room F of the Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center on the Virginia Tech campus.
R. Bennett Crawford, a specialist with the Institute for Leadership and Volunteer Development at Virginia Tech, will speak.
The cost is $5.
This program is one of the "First Wednesday Wonderings" series of topics of interest to seniors, held on first Wednesdays. Future offerings will deal with genealogy and staying healthy through the holidays.
To register, call J. C. Gordon, 231-9446 or 231-5241.
The Virginia Center for Active Retirement - which calls itself C-FAR (get it?) - was established last year. It offers continuing education programs and information on services and volunteer opportunities for retired New River Valley residents.
Mark these TRIPS FOR SENIORS your calendar:
Pulaski Senior Center, 106 N. Washington Ave., Sept. 10: Cruising the Blue Ridge Parkway. Transportation is $5 and leaves the center at 9:30 a.m.
Oct. 30: "Picnic with the Pops" to see the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and guest Roberta Flack. These trips fill up fast.
Call 980-1000.
Christiansburg Senior Center, 655 Montgomery St., Friday: A breakfast trip to K&W Cafeteria and Towers Mall, Roanoke. Transportation is $3 and leaves the National Guard Armory, College and Depot streets, at 9 a.m.
Sept. 10: Wytheville excursion. Transportation is $3, and the van leaves the armory at 8 a.m.
Call 382-8173.
Radford Senior Center, 27 First St., Sept. 10: Mount Airy, N.C., and the outlet stores. The van leaves the center at 9:30. Transportation fee is $2. Lunch will be on your own at Libby Hill Seafood Restaurant. Register in advance. All trips are first-come, first-served.
The center also has itineraries and information on Road Runner Trips with All America Tours Inc. A Road Runner trip is set for Sept. 24 through Oct. 1 to Mackinac Island, Mich. Another in early October will take in the Ozarks, including Branson, Mo., as well as Eureka Springs and Hot Springs, Ark.
Call 731-3634.
At the CHRISTIANSBURG SENIOR CENTER, Montgomery St., 382-8173:
There will be a coffee hour Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., followed by a gospel sing at 11. It's free.
The Senior Athletes will meet next Wednesday, 9 a.m., at the National Guard Armory, College and Depot streets.
There will be a free hearing screening Sept. 9, 11 a.m.-noon.
The Senior Choir will meet Thursday at 1:30 p.m. The director is Mary Dotson. New voices are welcome. There's also a nondenominational Bible study each Thursday, 10:15-10:45 a.m.
Senior aerobics each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8-9 a.m., at the armory. The class is free.
The less-strenuous exercise class for seniors, "Easy Motions," will be Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-10 a.m., at the armory.
It's card night the second and fourth Monday of each month, 6:30-9 p.m., with all levels of bridge and other games.
At the RADFORD SENIOR CENTER 27 First St., 731-3634:
Bridge gets under way at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
The ceramics class meets Tuesdays at 10 a.m. Bring a sandwich for lunch. The fee is $2 plus the cost of your ceramic item.
The quilting group meets Tuesdays at 10 a.m. Newcomers and beginners are welcome.
Enjoy the free concert Tuesday, 7 p.m., at the gazebo in Bisset Park with The Wheeler Band. Bring lawn chairs or blankets.
The creative writing class meets Wednesdays at 10 a.m.
At the PULASKI SENIOR CENTER, N. Washington Ave., 980-1000:
There will be a coffee hour Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
Because Monday is Labor Day, the ceramics class will be next Wednesday, 1-3 p.m.
There will be a free blood pressure screening Tuesday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Sept. 9, there will be a coffee hour at 9:30 a.m. Volunteers will tie SHARE bags at 10 a.m.
At the GILES COUNTY SENIOR CENTER, Wenonah Ave., Pearisburg, 921-3924:
Transportation for the physical therapy swimming program at the Blacksburg Aquatic Center pool leaves the center Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:15 a.m.
Pearisburg chapter 445, American Association of Retired Persons, meets Friday at 12:30 p.m.
A free legal aid clinic will be held Tuesday, 2-5 p.m., by appointment only. Call toll-free, (800) 468-1366.
There will be duplicate bridge Tuesday, 1-4 p.m., and party bridge next Wednesday, 1-4 p.m. Anyone who would like to learn to play bridge - or who wants to learn some new bidding techniques - should call the center.
by CNB