THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 1996 TAG: 9603050125
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
The Creeds Ruritan Club, one of the premier volunteer groups down in the agricultural area of old Princess Anne County, has found a home, appropriately enough, in a renovated barn.
Since the new year, the club has been the proud owner of the former Rainbow Gardens on Princess Anne Road in the Back Bay section. The main part of the 4,000-square-foot building is a barn that's been a part of county life in one fashion or another for decades and the Ruritans are calling their new home the Ruritan Community Barn.
The group purchased the barn and four acres, complete with bulbs and other plantings left behind by Rainbow Gardens, for $250,000. Already, 35 percent is paid for, said Building Committee Chairman Don Horsley. But the Ruritans didn't have to go to the bank for the rest of the money. Community spirited citizens pitched in.
``All the rest of the money was lent by individuals, Horsley said. ``We are paying them a little bit of interest and our goal is to pay for it in five years.''
The Ruritans plan to let non-profit groups, like the 4-H Club and Scout troops, use the barn for meetings and other activities at no charge. Others can rent the facility for wedding receptions and social events. The rental fees will help pay off the loan, Horsley said.
``We're hoping that people would like some kind of country atmosphere for a wedding reception,'' he said.
The surrounding atmosphere may be country but the landscaping is more formal. Beds of Rainbow Gardens daffodils are peeking through the ground now and other amenities like a fish pond spruce up the exterior of the building. Wooden tables, lined up underneath an open trellis behind the building, once held annuals and perennials and will now be used as picnic tables.
The Virginia Beach Farm Bureau, which has moved its offices to the facility, also will be paying rent, which will help the Ruritans with operating costs and loan payments. The Farm Bureau has agreed to show the building and make arrangements for rentals, Horsley added. The bureau can be reached at 421-3625.
But the Ruritan's annual barbecue is the club's most important source of funds for paying off the loan. This year the club is celebrating the 20th year of its popular feast and members are hoping to raise a record $15,000.
Ruritans will be serving up whole-hog barbecue from hogs donated by members and dishing out homemade hush puppies, beans and coleslaw from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at their new barn, 1057 Princess Anne Road. Tickets are $6.
This year they will have a take-out window, Horsley said.
That way, folks who want to take their barbecue and fixin's home, won't have to stand in line to make their purchases.
For us up here in the ``city,'' good country barbecue is only part of the pleasure. There's also the possibility of seeing a few snow geese on the Knotts Island Causeway straight down Princess Anne Road and across the North Carolina line.
Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge did the first proscribed burns of the season in the marsh along the causeway last week. That means the snow geese might move into the burned areas to feast on new marsh grass shoots that were exposed when the winter dead grasses were burned off.
And as always we can take a little bit of country home with us by stopping for some homemade sausage at Ansell's Grocery next door to the new community barn.
``A club building has been talked about for many years - since the 1970s,'' Horsley said. ``For a lot of our older members, it was a dream they had and now it's finally come true.''
So, visit the Ruritan's building, feast on their barbecue and help them pay for their dream-come-true.
P.S. KEMPSVILLE DISCOVERY, the popular series of fall and spring programs at Community United Methodist Church, begins today at 10 a.m. and continues on Wednesday mornings through March. A choice of programs focuses on nature, travel, museums and Bible study. A month of programs costs $8 or $20 which also includes four lunches and a luncheon speaker. The church is at 1072 Old Kempsville Road. Call 495-1885 or 495-1021 for information.
THE CAT'S MEOW 1996, the Artists at Work gallery's annual exhibit of feline art, opens at a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the gallery 2407 Pacific Ave. Guests are asked to bring cat food for the Virginia Beach SPCA. More than 50 local artists will be represented, featuring cats in everything from oils to fabric. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by\ MARY REID BARROW
The club is celebrating the 20th year of its popular feast. Building
Committee Chairman Don Horsley shows off the club's new home at the
former Rainbow Gardens.
by CNB