Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 1, 1993 TAG: 9311010009
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Roanoke's erstwhile Lone Star Cantina and Brewery was listed as a winner in last month's Great American Beer Festival in Denver.
But it was a case of mistaken identity.
The Lone Star beer that won silver medals in the American lager and light beer categories is from the Lone Star state of Texas.
Shoot, pardner! You might have known the Lone Star Cantina that was on the Roanoke City Market wouldn't have won any medals! Why, after it opened in September 1992, it took the place eight months to get the necessary licenses to pour its first batch of home-brewed beer. And it closed in June.
More brew
The newest joke craze in Bedford isn't lawyer jokes, dumb blond jokes or ethnic jokes.
No, the targets of the home-spun humor are Bedford County law-enforcement officers.
Joke told at the last Bedford County Board of Supervisors meeting by a member of the audience: "Why did the Sheriff's Department return all their patrol cars to the manufacturer?"
The answer: "Because they didn't come equipped with coolers."
For those not in the know: At a court hearing back in September, many deputies testified that they had consumed alcohol while on duty.
Party pranks
The message behind a postcard depicting three shirtless, tattooed prison inmates was supposed to be that Democrats are soft on crime.
But someone within the state Republican Party apparently saw the postcard, which was mailed to voters in the 14th House District - where Republican Bud Brumitt is challenging Democrat Dick Cranwell - as an opportunity to play a joke on one of his colleagues.
A computer enhanced the photograph to give one of the mean-looking inmates an extra tattoo - a heart surrounding the initials "R.B."
It just so happens that the state GOP official in charge of campaign literature has the same initials.
Ron Butler, director of campaigns, could not be reached for comment.
"Somebody is definitely playing a joke," laughed Rich Jefferson, the party's director of communications.
Not-so-hot tickets
Holiday Sports Tours of Danville is advertising a 20 percent price cut on its Nov. 7 Redskins-Colts game packages.
Could there be a connection between the "Redskins Price Blowout" and the scoreboard blowouts that Virginia's favorite pro football team has been suffering this season?
Ervin Richardson, owner of Holiday Tours, says the Redskins' less-than-stellar play has made it a bit harder to sell ticket packages this season. But he says the main reason he's discounting the 'Skins-Colts transportation-and-ticket package is its less-than-ideal kickoff time: 8 p.m. on a Sunday. That puts fans from Southwest Virginia back home barely before dawn Monday.
Overall, though, he says it's been a good season for his company. "Redskins fans are Redskins fans. The fans are going to stay with them for a while. The real test will be next year."
Besides, Richardson is looking forward to a nice expansion of his business in 1995: He already has dibs on 40 season tickets for the inaugural season of the National Football League's newest member, the Carolina Panthers.
Smooth ride
Come next year, all of Valley Metro's passengers will ride in style.
The company soon will acquire 18 new buses to replace five 1976 models and 13 1979 models.
With the new vehicles, the oldest bus in Valley Metro's fleet of 38 buses will be a 1988 model.
But transit officials said passengers will have to wait until the year 2000 for more new buses.
The federal and state governments won't provide grants to acquire new buses until the old ones have been used at least 12 years, said Stephen Mancuso, Valley Metro's general manager.
Federal and state grants covered most of the $3.4 million cost for the new buses.
by CNB