Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 19, 1995 TAG: 9511200009
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
RADFORD - Businesses in downtown Radford will kick off the holiday retail season with their annual open house today, featuring special Sunday hours and sales.
Up to two dozen stores are participating in Main Street Radford's Holiday Open House and will open from 1 to 5 p.m., said Lewis ``Bud'' Jeffries, executive director of the organization.
The event's purpose is to highlight downtown Radford's stores, some of which sent invitations to preferred customers.
The sale also give the stores the opportunity to get a head start on other area retail outlets, such as malls, which may be the focal point for many holiday shoppers, Jeffries said.
Also occurring in downtown Radford during the holidays will be the city's annual Christmas parade on Monday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m., and extended shopping hours at participating stores. These stores will remain open to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from Wednesday, Dec. 6 through Friday, Dec. 22.
Career Day planned for ninth-graders
BLACKSBURG - Up to 1,000 area ninth-graders are expected to participate in this year's Career Day on Tuesday, sponsored by local school systems and the Blacksburg, Christiansburg-Montgomery and Giles County Chambers of Commerce.
The students will attend two sessions with a local businessman or woman in a career of their choosing and a session on interviewing skills. The sixth Career Day will occur in Virginia Tech's McBryde Hall while Tech students are on Thanksgiving break.
Along with students from Montgomery and Giles counties will be ninth-graders from Radford. Sponsors are considering expanding the program to students from Pulaski and Floyd counties next year.
Dozens of local businesses are participating, including banks, computer and engineering firms, media, law enforcement, hotels and restaurants and social service organizations. Representatives will conduct presentations in a classroom setting.
Ninth-graders are being targeted so they can use the information they learn during the event to make course selections during their high school years.
``The message we're sending is you need to have as much education as you can to be successful,'' said Richard Ballengee, supervisor of vocational programs for Montgomery County's schools and president of the Christiansburg-Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.
Nominees named for Chamber board
CHRISTIANSBURG - Five people so far have been nominated to fill five vacancies on the Christiansburg-Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
The three-year terms begin March 1, 1996.
Nominated at the chamber's Nov. 15 meeting were:
Richard Ballengee, director of vocational programs for Montgomery County Public Schools and president of the chamber.
Kent Bond, a consultant at Lanier Financial Services.
Truman Daniel, a member of Christiansburg's Town Council.
James Stewart, director of the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology at Virginia Tech.
Ballengee, Bond, Daniel and Stewart have all completed one three-year term and are eligible for another.
Tim Rosche, a consultant at Edward D. Jones and Co., is the nominee to replace Betty Thomas, Montgomery County's administer, who is completing her second three-year term and cannot yet run for a third.
The deadline for further nominations is Thursday, Nov. 30. If no nominations are received, the five candidates will be declared elected at the board's Dec. 20 meeting.
For more information, call the chamber at 382-4251.
by CNB