ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, June 12, 1996 TAG: 9606120028
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
Pond access closed
BLACKSBURG - The new and old entrances of Pandapas Pond will be closed to the public until the end of June while construction is being completed. Visitors can still access the pond, however, they cannot access the area through the construction zone, which includes the new and old parking lots.
Bridge party
BLACKSBURG - Bridge players are invited to a bridge party to help raise money for the Blacksburg Public Library. The party will be Tuesday and is sponsored by and will be at the Per Diem Bed & Breakfast at 401 Clay St.
A $15 donation is requested per person. All proceeds go toward the library and are tax deductible. Checks can be made out to the Montgomery County Friends of the Library.
Bridge players can participate in either morning or afternoon bridge. The times are from 9:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.
Reservations are required. Card tables, chairs and cards are needed. For information, call Joanne Anderson at 951-0809.
Extension services
PUALSKI - The Virginia Cooperative Extension, which enables people to improve their lives thourgh an educational process using scientific knowledge focused on issues and needs of Virginia families, publishes two newsletters which are available to families. "Extension Answers - Family and Consumer Sciences" is developed by Family and Consumer Sciences Agents in the Southwest District. Topics include food, nutrition, health, wellness, food safety and money management. "Focus on Children" is targeted to parents and child caregivers. Topics include child development issues.
In addition, another publication also is available. "Preserving Foods" provides information on how to safely can, freeze, pickle and make jelly. This publication is free.
The newsletters are published quarterly. The newsletters and the special publication and can be received by calling 980-7761.
Preservation meeting
PEMBROKE - There will be a meeting for the Citizens for the Preservation of Rural Values Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Pembroke Town Hall. The meeting concerns the 765KV power line. For information, call Stacey Hunt at 54--7215.
New DMV tests
RICHMOND - The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is changing the way it administers drivers license tests. It is replacing old tests with computerized tests at the Christiansburg DMV Customer Service Center.
The Knowledge Automated Testing System (KATS) randomly selects test questions accompanied by on-screen photographs that illustrate each question. To respond to questions, applicants touch the computer screen by selecting the correct answer from a list of choices. The computer then records the answers and advises the applicant if the answer selected is correct. If the answer is incorrect, the computer provides the correct answer. Answers are automatically tabulated by KATS so that the test will end as soon as the applicant reaches a passing or failing level. KATS is expected to provide faster service and shorter lines for DVM customers.
KATS initially was installed at select DMV offices in 1994. It is expected that all offices will have KATS by the end of the summer.
Eyes have it
RICHMOND - Beautiful eyes are wanted. Prevent Blindness Virginia is searching for the woman with the "Most Beautiful Eyes" in Virginia. The annual competition is designed to inform people about the importance of eye health.
The competition also is a fund-raising event for Prevent Blindness Virginia. It is open to all Virginia women who are 14 years and over. The criteria emphasizes the beauty and overall healthy appearance of the eyes, including clarity and symmetry. Entries will be judged locally, with the state winner competing for the national title of the "Most Beautiful Eyes in America" and an all-expense paid trip for two to Paris.
Entry forms can be obtained at Glamor Shots locations and Kroger Pharmacies. Contestants should send an unretouched color photo of their eyes along with the entry form and a $10 donation to Prevent Blindness Virginia, 9840 Midlothian Turnpike, Suite R, Richmond, Va. 23235. Deadline is June 30.
Car wash
CHRISTIANSBURG - The Belmont Christian Bodybuilders Youth will have a car wash Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The car wash will be at the Belmont Christian Church at 2149 Dominion Drive.
The cost is donations. Money raised will be used to send youths to the 1996 Southern Christian Youth Convention in Orlando in July.
Art exhibit
PULASKI - The whimsical, mystical, fanciful and quizzical world of folk artists of the southeastern United States will be explored in this month's exhibit, titled "Un-Trained," at the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley.
The exhibit comes mainly from the collection of Mitch Wilds and Ferne Winborne of North Carolina and Dorsey and Linda Taylor of Roanoke. Both couples are avid collectors who travel the back roads to meet artists on their own turf, not searching out work from galleries.
"Un-Trained" will be on exhibit through June 29 at the center at 21 W. Main St.
Jewelry seminar
PULASKI - Blacksburg jeweler Robert Smith will conduct an education session at 7:30 p.m. June 19 on assessing the value and condition of jewelry and learning something of a jewel's history.
The program will be in the annex of the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley at 44 4th St. Smith, a certified appraiser and gemologist, will tell jewelry owners about the genuineness and condition of pieces brought for inspection. Minor cleaning and repairs will also be offered.
Reservations to attend are requested by calling 980-7363.
Trail improvements
RICHMOND - Approximately $400,000 is available for trail development and improvements. The Virginia Recreational Trails Fund Program, created in 1933, is funded by the National Recreational Trails Act. In Virginia, it is administered by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). It is administered nationally by the Federal Highway Administration.
Applications will be accepted for trails that accommodate motorized vehicles and trails that are for hiking only. Forty percent of the grant funds will be awarded to multiple use trails. This si a 50 percent matching grante fund. Private donations of funds, equipment and services, as well as volunteer labor can be used as a match. Priority will be given to projects that maintain or upgrade existing trails.
Applications for the matching grant funds must be received by July 1, 1996. Call Jerry Cassidy, DCR grants administrator at 804-786-3218 for more information.
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