THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9503310192
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 133 lines
Saturday, March 25
3:40 p.m. - Mount Trashmore.
Dozens of people are successfully flying their handmade kites in the strong winds by the lake, listening to the oldies sound of the Stingrays. Suddenly their attention is diverted to a vacant field across the lake, right across from Shoreline Apartments.
A brush fire is burning out of control. Wind gusts fuel the flames, which shoot higher each second, as smoke billows up and across the water. Two fire engines and several fire and rescue vehicles respond to the scene and start hosing down the fire.
Within minutes the flames are contained, and firefighters stay in the field to check for hot spots. Nothing is damaged and no one is injured.
Capt. M. Meredith says that they were lucky. ``We had a ditch right there,'' he says, pointing. ``Mother Nature helped us.''
Several apartment residents who had been anxiously watching the fire return to their homes. Battalion Chief Donna Brehm says they suspect several juveniles started the fire. Witnesses had reported seeing teenage boys flee the area.
``They were probably smoking; that's real typical,'' she says.
- Pam Starr
Sunday, March 26
6 p.m. - Frankie's Place for Ribs, Fairfield Shopping Center.
A couple sits in their regular booth and receives attentive service from their regular waiter, Brady. After wolfing down their usual entrees - king rack of ribs and fries for him, grilled swordfish and baked potato for her - Brady returns with the check.
``Can I get you anything else?'' he asks. ``Dessert, coffee?''
``Uh, yeah,'' says the man, wiping his mouth with a napkin. ``Do you have any beef bones?''
Brady doesn't skip a beat. ``Let me check,'' he replies smoothly.
As his wife bursts into laughter, the man realizes that he forgot to say he wanted the beef bones for his dog.
- Pam Starr
Monday, March 27
10 a.m. - Oceanfront scenes.
A couple of senior citizen lovebirds stroll the beach, holding hands, stopping to hug.
A mom, dad and 4-year-old son race the waves trying to beat them on this cold day in March.
In the front seat of an old, dusty Plymouth two grizzled men sit looking at the ocean - swigging from a bottle wrapped in a brown sack.
- Marlene Ford
4:20 p.m. - Intersection of Holland Road and Lynnhaven Parkway.
A white Jeep Cherokee bears a thought-provoking sticker on its back window. It reads: I'm making it difficult for my child to fail! Parents are teachers, too.
- Holly Wester
5:55 p.m. - Route 44 westbound.
A red Firebird gives under-exercised drivers another reason to worry about their bodies. Surrounded by a border that says ``Bodybuilding is a natural art,'' the license plate questions: RU-NSHPE?
- Holly Wester
Tuesday, March 28
7:45 p.m. - Regino's at Hilltop.
I n this Italian restaurant (offspring of Norfolk's popular eatery of the same name), most customers this evening are craving Regino's pizza.
As they sit waiting for their pepperoni creations, the owner walks out of the kitchen, shaking his head and moving slowly from booth to booth as he imparts bad news.
``We're having a little problem with our pizza oven,'' he repeats over and over to customers. ``It turned itself off automatically. It could be off five minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes. We just don't know.'' He offers diners the chance to reorder (anything but pizza) or to wait. He also offers a free round of drinks.
Most patrons decide it's pizza worth waiting for and stick with their original orders.
After another 30 or so minutes, he's back, visiting table to table. The oven's still not working right, he apologizes. Please order something else off the menu. ``On the house,'' he says. And, in a further display of goodwill, he hands each table a gift certificate for a free meal in the future.
- Melinda Forbes
Wednesday, March 29
11:45 a.m. - Virginia Wesleyan College parking lot.
A blue Honda is proud to support school prayer. Posted on the rear bumper is a red and white sticker that says: ``How can God bless America when we kicked HIM out of our schools?''
- Holly Wester
Thursday, March 30
7:10 a.m. - The Witchduck Road exit from Route 44.
A big burly man, wearing a blaze orange vest, blue jeans and a white T-shirt stands on the right shoulder of the road.
The man's hand is outstretched, holding something up for passing motorists to see.
Closer inspection reveals he is actually offering a new curbside service. He is ``hawking'' copies of the daily newspaper.
- Lori A. Denney
4:30 p.m. - McDonald's Playplace, Bonney Road.
Every chair and table in the newly opened playplace - a three-level playground of tunnels, slides and a plastic ball bin - are occupied by adults watching the dozens of children climb, slide and jump.
One woman, trying to negotiate the release of her little one from the too-deep-for-a-toddler ball bin, leans into the black netting, trying to coax the unsteady youngster over to the exit.
A boy, about 6, with carrot-red hair, freckles, big brown eyes and a grimace on his face, spots the woman against the net.
Seeing an easy target, the boy picks up a blue plastic ball and hurls it at her. It misses its target and bounces off the net.
The woman glares at the boy and looks around for the Ronald's Rangers - the employees who patrol the playplace to be sure order is kept.
Spotting another opportunity, the Dennis the Menace type hurls a red ball at the woman. The ball misses the woman but pops a young child on the head.
Before the unruly child has the chance to pick up another ball, the woman reaches through the net and scoops up a handful of the colorful balls.
She gently throws a few to the child, who giggles, and, apparently, calls it a match. He works his way out of the overflowing ball bin and to a table to finish his Happy Meal. Lori A. Denney ILLUSTRATION: Photo by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Kids' dream grand opening
Michael Price, 3, found a very practical use for the hundreds of
plastic balls covering one section of the new McDonald's Playplace.
He chucked one at the photographer who was invading his privacy.
by CNB