DATE: Wednesday, August 27, 1997            TAG: 9708270002

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B12  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Letter 

                                            LENGTH:  117 lines

LETTERS TO EDITOR -- THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

RECREATION

Fair at the Beach

a regional bust

Your coverage of Fair at the Beach was outstanding; the articles were so good, I bought tickets right away. All those pictures. All that Pollyanna sweetness.

How could you mislead so many people into parting with their hard-earned cash? The parking field was so big and the fair was so small. All those tents, the size of my garage; all those city-sponsored displays, the size of a butterfly-fry stand. My children were so upset. It was dinky, dusty and extremely ``quaint.''

The craft fair at Princess Anne Park was so much better. It was shady, free and interesting.

If Fair at the Beach is a good example of cooperative regionalism, please just call me a resident of Virginia Beach.

Jodi Henley

Virginia Beach, Aug. 11, 1997

Prices not fair

I attended the Fair at the Beach on Friday, Aug. 8, with my teen-age daughter and her friend. The setup was nice and there was a good variety of rides, games and food stands, but I was very disappointed with the price for rides. In addition to the admission charge, we paid $13 for 20 coupons. Each adult ride was four or five coupons, so my daughter only got on four or five rides and that only took about 45 minutes.

The state fair charges one reasonable price that lets you ride all day long. The beach fair was much smaller but more expensive, which doesn't make sense to me.

Diane M. Tucker

Virginia Beach, Aug. 13, 1997

LABOR

A job for everyone

except the teacher

Reading the Aug. 17 Virginian-Pilot, I was reminded what a great country this is.

There were two or three stories about the unskilled, uneducated, striking UPS drivers who earn $18 to $20 an hour.

On the front page of the Hampton Roads section, a story featured professional skateboarder Sergie Ventura. In sports, there was angler of the week Rick Morris, a 35-year-old full-time professional bass fisherman who lives in Virginia Beach.

Finally, in Parade magazine, there was Martina Hingis, who says that the good thing about being a tennis professional is that she doesn't have to go to school.

What a great country in which to make a living!

And then again, some jobs in this country, such as my wife's job, are becoming obsolete. She's a schoolteacher in Virginia Beach.

Oliver C. Todd

Virginia Beach, Aug. 17, 1997

TAYLOR SCHOOL

Civic league did

not vote on site

I would like to clarify a significant point in your recent editorial concerning the future of Taylor Elementary School. While the West Ghent Civic League is on record as supporting replacement, this vote occurred in January, one week after the first public hearing, and did not address the issue of school location on the site. Also, this vote was taken on an evening when our paid membership increased by some 30 percent.

Just a thought: Perhaps the best solution at this juncture is new construction on the old footprint.

Fred Bianco

President

West Ghent Civic League

Norfolk, Aug. 18, 1997

EDUCATION

Ruffner's success

due to one woman

I am responding to the Aug. 7 article regarding Ruffner Middle School's biggest gain citywide on the Literacy Passport Test. It was refreshing to see positive media coverage after reading the statistics, year after year, with Ruffner at the bottom on standardized tests.

The credit goes to Pamela Hoffler-Riddick, the former principal. It was her vision and expertise that uplifted these students from the depths of underachievement to academic excellence. She did so under enormous pressure from the media, critics and nonbelievers.

Mrs. Riddick inherited what many considered to be the ``orphan'' school of Norfolk Public Schools. The consensus was that these students could not master the basic skills. Mrs. Riddick dispelled that myth and proved the students at Ruffner can excel if the tone is set.

Parents are re-enrolling their children at Ruffner because of the legacy Mrs. Riddick started there. She put discipline back into the school and improved test scores. She should be commended for her dedication and outstanding leadership.

Elaine D. Johnson

Norfolk, Aug. 15, 1997

REHABILITATION

Youths sweated out

landscape work

I was disappointed by the slant of your Aug. 8 article ``7 youthful offenders graduate from Norfolk's landscape course.'' One could almost sense the tongue in the cheek of the reporter. Not mentioned in the article were the number of hours of service to the Botanical Garden and its equivalent in financial savings to the city.

Amid growing concerns regarding the impact of our judiciary system, we need to encourage creative ways of dealing with troubled youth. This program may offer a legitimate vocational alternative for youths not destined for a high school diploma or further education.

For those concerned that these young people were rewarded for their efforts financially and by possible early release from probation, you may rest assured that these youths worked extremely hard, sometimes in triple-digit heat index for eight weeks of their summer vacations, while many of their peers were watching daytime TV or catching a wave at the beach.

Susan Harwell

Virginia Beach, Aug. 19, 1997

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