Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 4, 1995 TAG: 9508040016
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
``People plan too far in advance to come that they aren't going to be deterred by the weather,'' said Mindy Black, a spokeswoman for Monticello, the Jefferson estate near Charlottesville. ``Whether it's hot or cold, they're coming.''
In Richmond and Central Virginia, the number of consecutive days with daily highs topping 90 degrees stretched to 25 Thursday. More of the same is predicted through the rest of the week.
As usual, 2,000 to 2,500 people visited Jefferson's Monticello each day during July, and George Washington's plantation, Mount Vernon, met its seasonal average of 3,500 tourists a day despite the relentless swelter.
``I've been amazed at the number of people we've had, even on these hot days,'' said Sue Keeler, an interpreter at Mount Vernon.
The heat wave has been big business for Virginia's oceanfront. Eighty-six percent of the hotel rooms in Virginia Beach were booked during the first two weeks of July, compared with 73 percent in June, said James B. Ricketts, director of the Virginia Beach Department of Convention and Visitors Development.
Hot weather hasn't cut into attendance at the state's biggest theme parks, according to employees at Kings Dominion just north of Richmond and Busch Gardens and Water Country USA near Williamsburg. But shady areas, cool drinks and air conditioning are in high demand at the parks.
``We encourage guests at both parks to take it easy and take it slow,'' said Cindy Sarko, public relations director for the Williamsburg-area parks. ``I think our guests are taking heed of all the heat warnings.''
A few people each day who ignore warnings to drink plenty of fluids and limit time in the sun, however, suffer heat-related ailments at the parks, employees said.
Most visitors to Colonial Williamsburg adjust to the heat and high humidity, spokeswoman Susan Stuntz said.
``They make the walk down Duke of Gloucester Street a little slower. They take their time and enjoy things a little more,'' Stuntz said. ``The benches in the sun are less popular these days.''
Virginia's historic sites have a built-in advantage: They were developed in an age without air conditioning. The twin tulip poplars that Jefferson planted nearly 200 years ago to shelter visitors from the sun still serve that purpose.
``We're lucky that we're graced with a lot of shade trees,'' Black said. ``That helps people to stay cool.''
by CNB