ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 15, 1997 TAG: 9701150033
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: A Cuppa Joe
Here's the story I heard.
Roanoke held a contest on its Internet Web page (www.ci.roanoke.va.us). People who visited the site could register for a drawing.
The prizes would be a night for two at the Hotel Roanoke, plus breakfast; a pair of three-month VIP passes to Center in the Square; dinner for two at Corned Beef & Co.; two tickets to any civic center event; and two tickets to a Roanoke Express game.
Two winners were chosen, one from the city and one from outside. The outside winner was a woman from Virginia Beach.
She and a friend came to town last week to use her prize, and she loved the area so much she decided to move here immediately.
The Star City had won over another unwary visitor.
It's an old story, but one that we never tire of retelling. Our town is a secret treasure tucked among comforting mountains, with friendly people, little crime and a bustling downtown core.
Scratch any Roanoker, and he or she will name a dozen people who stopped here for a Moon Pie and ended up moving in quicker than you can say, "flat population growth."
They arrive in just the right numbers to offset the departures of young people in search of good-paying careers.
What really happened
Was it true? Did the Web's prizewinner impulsively decide to start a new life in this Valley of Dreams? Did the contest actually bring a new resident to our midst?
Kathryn Thompson was the winner. Last week, she used her night at the hotel with Brenda "Cookie" Dickerson of Richmond, who is originally from Ironto.
I met them at breakfast in the Regency Room, and I asked if the story held water. Thompson's answer: Not exactly.
She had called up the Web page in August, when her daughter was considering Virginia Tech. While reading it, she signed up for the contest.
In September, without her daughter's knowledge, she visited the region to check it out. She loved it, and pretty much decided to move here.
In October, she and some friends attended the Ferrum Folklife Festival. She loved that, too.
When she got word in November that she had won the contest, she knew what she was going to do. Last week, she and Dickerson looked at rental houses.
For now, Thompson will borrow Dickerson's trailer at Smith Mountain Lake and build a place - out in the country, most likely.
About our new neighbor
Thompson, 44, grew up in Northern California, ran a marketing business, and moved to Virginia Beach a few years ago. She's a hypnotherapist, herbalist and the owner of Sound Support Network. It promotes Bioharmonics, a trademarked alternative health program that, she said, harmonizes the body using voice, frequency and sound.
She can live anywhere because she travels around conducting programs and because people come to her to learn.
All she needs is an airport, and Roanoke has one.
It needs her, too.
That's the story: The Web page filled her in on the area before her first visit; she liked it so well she thought about moving here; her second visit did not dissuade her; and winning the contest allowed her to come back and scout around.
Thompson plans to move by the end of the month.
Why? Scenic beauty, clean air, friendly people - you know the drill.
"I want to go back to small-town friendliness," she said, "where if your neighbor needs a cup of sugar, they're not afraid to come over and ask for it."
Her daughter? She moved to Las Vegas - turning her back on paradise.
What's your story? Call me at 981-3256, send e-mail to kenn@roanoke.infi.net, or write to P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010.
LENGTH: Medium: 78 linesby CNB