The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 

              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.



DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995              TAG: 9511140279

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON    PAGE: 03   EDITION: FINAL 

                                             LENGTH: Long  :  120 lines


SLICES OF LIFE IN VIRGINIA BEACH

Monday, Oct. 30

2 p.m. - Kempsville High School.

P erhaps the missing letters on the school's marquee show evidence of the school system's $12 million budget deficit: GOOD LUCK TO FALL ATHLETES IN DIST. AND REG. LAYOFFS.

- Danny Valentini

Thursday, Nov. 2

8:15 a.m. - Burger King on Virginia Beach Boulevard.

C oughing and wheezing the drive-through teller leans out the window to hand over an order.

``Excuse me,'' she says to a driver, between coughs and while waving away a cloud of exhaust smoke left by a black Chevrolet truck. ``And I thought my car was bad!''

- Lori A. Denney

7 p.m. - Rockafeller's.

A waitress carries a candle-topped cake to a special birthday girl, seated in a booth in the middle of the busy restaurant.

Although ``Lobster Night'' is packed with locals and visitors alike, customers can't help but watch the event.

The brown-haired little girl, nestled in the lap of her father, is thrilled by all the attention, as her dad sings ``Happy Birthday'' by himself.

- Holly Wester

Sunday, Nov. 5

1:25 p.m. - Baby Superstore.

T he aisles are crowded with women in various stages of pregnancy, women with infants and prospective grandparents checking out the merchandise. One couple is waiting in a long line at the register to buy some baby items. The wife, who looks like she could give birth any day, turns to her husband.

``Did you see any bathrooms around here?'' she asks him.

``No, I didn't,'' he replies. ``Why don't you ask someone up front?''

Just then a woman in front of them turns around, a wide smile on her face.

``There's only one and it's all the way in the back,'' she says. ``I remember asking the same thing when I was pregnant. You'd think that with all these pregnant women in here they would have more bathrooms.''

- Pam Starr

5:15 p.m. - Surf and Sand movies.

A family - dad, mom and son - walk into the theater and start down the first aisle when dad stops.

``Lets go over there and sit,'' he says, pointing his family to the far side of the auditorium.

``Why do you want to go over there?,'' his wife asks as they head back up the aisle so they can cross behind the rows of seats to get to the other side.

``Too many people over here,'' Dad answers with a nod of his head at the ``crowd'' on the first side. It consists of two other couples.

- Melinda Forbes

Tuesday, Nov. 7

1 p.m. - Convenience store near Haygood Road and Aragona Boulevard.

A well-dressed man enters the store to pay for his gas. He removes his wallet, hands the clerk money and, as an afterthought, asks her to check his Lotto ticket.

``That way I can go ahead and throw it away,'' he says.

The clerk sticks the ticket in the machine and says, ``No, you don't want to throw this one away. You've won $33.''

``How much is tomorrow's jackpot,'' he asks.

She tells him $9 million.

``Give me 28 chances on that and keep a $5 tip for yourself,'' he says. ``I probably would have just thrown it away.''

- Gary Edwards

Wednesday, Nov.8

4 p.m. - Judicial Center.

C ommonwealth's Attorney Robert J. Humphreys is standing before reporters' microphones and fielding questions about his petition to the Circuit Court for a special grand jury to investigate the school district.

The conference is serious business. Three local television stations are present, along with the Associated Press and other members of local media. A question arises about grand jury's legal reach and whether it can force former school superintendent Sidney L. Faucette, who now works in Georgia to return to Virginia Beach.

Humphreys says the jury can not reach into Georgia.

``Can they send him a plane ticket?'' a reporter asks.

``Yeah,'' Humphreys retorts. ``He'd probably cash it in.'' There was some laughter and Humphreys quickly regained composure. ``I'm sorry,'' he added. ``I should not have said that.''

- Tom Holden

Thursday, Nov. 9

12:50 p.m. - Oceana Officers' Club.

T he Retired Officers Wives Society (ROWS) is celebrating Thanksgiving early with a special luncheon. It was organized in 1973 and boasts a membership of close to 500 women, many of whom served in the Armed Forces. Most of the members, however, are wives of veterans of World War II.

After a social hour, the nearly 100 women sit at long, elegantly laid tables. Bustling waitresses serve a caesar salad and rolls, roast turkey and dressing, whipped potatoes and gravy, green peas, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. As the members enjoy their bounty, talk turns to the recent elections.

``Can you believe that Clancy Holland lost?'' a visitor asks. ``He's like an institution in Virginia Beach.''

Heads nod in agreement. Judy Connors, an election official for Ocean Park, smiles wryly as she takes a bite of turkey.

``You know the old saying - rainy days bring out Republicans,'' says Connors.

Helen Spore, who is sitting across from Connors, shakes her head.

``I thought they said that about Democrats,'' she says, as everyone laughs.

The rainy weather could be blamed for an extremely low voter turnout, Lil Youell adds.

``I think 19 percent turnout is disgraceful and doesn't set a good example for young people,'' says Youell. ``And you know who the 19 percent are who voted - our age group. I'll bet the majority of women in this room voted.''

- Pam Starr ILLUSTRATION: A harvest moon

Staff photo by DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH

With a full moon seemingly attached to its roof, the dimly lit

Life-Saving Museum of Virginia was an elementary student's dream

study in shapes. The museum, located in the 2400 block of Atlantic

Avenue at the Oceanfront, was photographed at 5:15 p.m. on Monday.

by CNB