Last night at the Vinton Wilco

For those of you curious about the incident at Wilco last night..

From the Vinton Police Department

"I can tell you that officers approached a vehicle parked on the lot of the Wilco station last evening at approximately 8:44pm, and took both occupants into custody. There was a large ...amount of marijuana and cash located in the vehicle. Both were charged with Possession with the Intent of Distributing Marijuana, which are felonies."

It's official...

It is official, the Vinton Voice has launched. We had our ribbon cutting today and we went ahead and released issue #1 early to those who wanted to pick it up. Had a great turnout at our ribbon cutting/cover unveiling and a massive amount of people showed up at our "early release."

Tomorrow, starting at 10 am, you too can come by and pick up a copy of the "Voice" or at any of our 75 pickup locations around town, stop by our office, or just go ahead and subscribe and make sure you get it at your house.

Special thanks to everyone who participated, subscribed, showed up to the ribbon cutting and came by the office to share words of encouragment.

More soon, keep checking back.

Mr. Deeds goes to Vinton

Creigh Deeds, Democratic Candidate for Governor, was on hand this morning with Dick Cranwell at the McDonald's in Vinton shaking hands and answering questions.

Today's accident at Vinton Vet Hospital

Vinton Police have charged Vickie Dooley of Vinton with failure to maintain control of her vehicle. Dooley sustained minor injuries however, no one inside the building was hurt.

Welcome to a familiar face.

The Vinton Voice is very proud to announce the addition of our local columnist. This lady is one of the most (if not the most) familiar faces in Vinton. Bootie Chewning will be taking us to "Bootie's Place" every Wednesday in the "Voice" starting August 26th. We're thrilled, as is she!

Gene Marrano joins the Voice.

The Vinton Voice is pleased to announce the addition of a person who has won awards for his work here in Vinton. He was the longtime Editor for several local papers and you can currently see his work all over the Roanoke Valley in print, on the radio and on TV. We are proud to welcome Gene Marrano as Senior Contributor to the Vinton Voice. Look for "Gene's Notebook" every Wednesday, starting August 26th!

Vinton Native Realizes Her Dream

Published author, Kelly Abell is a native of Vinton. She grew up here, attended Vinton Baptist Church and draws upon those experiences in her writing. She realized the achievement of her lifelong dream when she published her first novel Sealed In Lies in May of 2009. Released by Hearts on Fire books Sealed In Lies is a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Her second book, Haunted Destiny, just released this month, is a chilling ghost story that will thrill adults and teens alike. Kelly started writing in William Byrd High School in Vinton, Virginia and was first published in her school magazine called Sketches. By day she is a Sales Consultant for a major insurance company and has a Master's Degree in Adult Education. By night she is a writer of romantic suspense and paranormal novels with plots that will keep the pages turning. She now lives in Florida with her husband and two teenagers.
“This has been a life long dream for me and I am thrilled to have my books out there being read by the public. It is so exciting when someone reads something you’ve written and it gives them joy.” It was not an easy road to travel though as Kelly suffered through many rejections along the way. Her advice for other authors is, “Remain true to your writing, be patient, and don’t stop submitting your work. Make sure it is as good as it possibly can be and then keep submitting. You never know when you will hit that agent or editor on the right day.”

Sealed In Lies is a thriller/romantic suspense full of sinister characters, a plot to assassinate the President-Elect of the United States, a SEAL team gone bad, and an unlikely love between two people who find themselves in very extraordinary circumstances.
Coffee Time Romance says Sealed In Lies is “…s a very exciting roller coaster ride of a story. The author creates a situation where the reader is never sure who exactly is a good guy or a bad one for the most part. Warren and Jack have a long and not always pleasant history. Revenge is a recurring theme in this tale and the author really knows how to build tension and suspense. Any fan of this genre is going to have a great time reading this novel.” –Maura—

Haunted Destiny, just released on August 3, is a chiller of a ghost story. Destiny Dove learns she can talk to ghosts and is not very happy about it as it sets her up to be the town freak. When the one rich girl in town, that Destiny has a dispute with over a guy, needs her help with some particularly nasty spirits will she have what it takes to bring them down? Join Destiny as she takes this chilling journey into the spirit world.
To learn more about Kelly Abell visit her website at www.kellyabellbooks.com. Her books are available for sale through many booksellers such as www.heartsonfirebooks.com, www.amazon.com, www.fictionwise.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and www.coffeetimeromance.com.

Submitted by Kelly Abell

William Byrd Baseball Coach (es)

It has been officially confirmed by AD Crystal Worley that the new William Byrd baseball coach is actually two men. Chris Carr and David Mitchell will be co-coaches starting this season.

Carr is a former all-state baseball player for Byrd and a standout at Radford who currently coaches basketball and teaches at Staunton River.

Mitchell has been the Middle school coach and was a former standout at Longwood.

More to come...

Wallace Cundiff

Well known Vintonite Wallace Cundiff has passed away. It is a sad day for the Wallace family and all of Vinton as we have lost a man who has done so much for the community.

Hal Mabe, President of the Vinton Chamber of Commerce, had this to say-

"What a huge loss for our community and the Vinton Breakfast Lions Club. He started our club and did so much for others."

Look for our tribute to Mr. Cundiff in the August 26th issue.

In regards to the Byrd baseball coaching position, as of 4:15 pm no firm decision has been made.

When we called Principal Dr. Richard Turner his comment was "we're still evaluating all of our options at this time."


When we know officially, you'll know.

Terrier Baseball coaching situation...

There may be an announcement as soon as today regarding the William Byrd baseball coaching vacancy. After Steve Sizemore's unexpected resignation, the Terrier skipper job became a very sought after position.

Confirmed names that applied/interviewed are-

FL Slough (long time Franklin County baseball coach)

Chris Carr ('94 Byrd Graduate and Staunton River basketball coach.)

David Mitchell ( Current WBMS baseball coach.)

Gene Riggs (Assistant Varsity coach from '93-97, head coach from '98-'06.)

Rumors have swirled about who would get the nod and the wait could be over as soon as today.

We at the Voice have heard several situations being thrown around, including a "co-coaching" option.

We hope to get confirmation of the decision by this afternoon, so check back here at vintonvoice.com this evening.

Terrier Football coming soon!

The back to back Blue Ridge District Champion William Byrd Terrier football team officially begins their 2009 football season starting August 3rd.

The High School team's begins with back to back scrimmages on August 14th and 21st against Glenvar at home and at Patrick Henry.

The first official game is August 28th at home against Rustburg.

The JV plays their first game September 3rd, at home against Hidden Valley.

The Middle school team has a scrimmage against various teams on August 13th, starting at 10am at Salem stadium, then moves in to their first game against Roanoke Catholic on the 20th, at Terrier Stadium.


Give us your thoughts on what the Varsity has to do this year to "3-peat."


Find more information about Terrier football, including schedules here www.terrierfootball.org/index.htm

Finally...a hall!

After many years of perserverence, fundraising, heartache and the loss of two of the founding fathers, the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame building will be open as of tomorrow, Saturday July 25th. It has been a long time coming for the board and their years of hard work will all pay off tomorrow.

Folks in the Hall either from, or known in this area are-

Gary Walthall-Former Byrd baseball coach and athletic director

Bruce Spencer- Long time rec coach

Brian Hoffman-Long time Vinton Messenger (and Salem Times/Fincastle Herald/New Castle Record) sports editor

Jimmy Mitchell- Legendary American Legion coach and fast pitch softball great.

Both Walthall and Hoffman are on the board (Hoffman is a founding father) and we congratulate them as well as the entire board and the long line of inductees.

William Byrd High and Mt. Pleasant Elementary to be renovated by Martin Bros.

William Byrd High School and Mt. Pleasant Elementary will have their renovations and additions completed by Martin Bros. Contractors.

The contract is for $32 million dollars and also includes Cave Spring and Green Valley elementary schools. Martin Bros. recently completed the renovations to Northside High School.

Construction is set to begin this fall and is estimated to be completed in 2011.

Roanoke County Schools website- http://www.rcs.k12.va.us/news/current/schoolrenovationsaward-072309.shtml

Chamber Pancake Fundrasier!

For more info call Judy or Terry at the Chamber 343-1364 or go to www.vintonchamber.com

Retro Market at the Vinton Farmer's Market

The Town of Vinton is holding "Retro Market" at the Vinton Farmer's Market

Thursday, August 13th
Vinton Farmer's Market
5:30-8:30 pm

Buy and sell nice quality collectibles from the 50's thru the 80's. There will also be music by Fuzzy Logic, classic cars on display, a children's area and food available!!!

For more information go to www.vintonva.gov or call 540 983 0613



Vinton Farmers' Market – The Vinton Farmers’ Market is located on Lee Avenue in downtown Vinton. Since 1988 the market has provided a convenient location for local farmers to sell fresh produce, home-made baked goods, jam, jellies, greenery, handmade crafts, flowers, and plants.

The Vinton Farmers’ Market, recently renovated, features twenty-four covered stalls with tables for vendors and forty-four free parking spaces for customers. The market area also features a permanent stage at which concerts and special events are held throughout the year. Special events promote the market, the vendors, the downtown, and the Vinton community.

The market is owned and operated by the Town of Vinton. The market is supervised by the Town of Vinton Special Programs Coordinator (540-983-0613), 814 E. Washington Ave., Vinton, Virginia 24179.

From the Editor

The Vinton Voice was born for one simple reason...because you asked for it.

As the town of Vinton and the surrounding areas that feed into William Byrd schools continue to grow, they asked for a new voice, a new way to find out "what's happening in town" whether it be about news, sports or essentially anything that happens in our area.

Our focus is on Vinton, but we won't forget those of you in Mt. Pleasant, Bonsack and the portions of Roanoke County that might as well be considered Vinton. Basically, if you live in an area where your children would go to William Byrd, then we're covering you and your stories.

We will have over 3,000 copies of the Voice available every week and they will be distributed in a combination of ways. Chances are, they'll be available at the places you visit in town, occasionally, you'll have a copy show up in your mailbox. The easiest way to make sure you don't miss out on the information that is important to you is to go ahead and subscribe.

Subscriptions to the Vinton Voice are only $25 a year, giving you 52 weeks of all the information you want. Two years is only $40, not too bad, huh? When is the last time you only paid 20 bucks for a yearly newspaper subscription?

We will be doing things a little differently than you've been used to seeing, but we're hoping that will be a good thing. Every week, you'll have the information you asked for such as;

• Profiles of local businesses
  

• A look back at town history
  

• Information on elementary, middle and high schools, right from the horse's mouth.
  

• Updates and happenings from the Vinton Chamber of Commerce
  

• Local church columns
  

• Sports-rec and school
  

And so much more. I don't want to ruin it, but I can almost guarantee you that there won't be a week that goes by that you won't see someone you know in the Voice.

We want your help too, we can't do this alone. If you know of something happening in or around Vinton that we shouldn't miss, or if you were at something that we did miss and you've got pictures and can tell us a little bit about it, send us an email or even better, come on by the Vinton Chamber (our temporary office) and drop it off, because your Voice is our Voice!

Once the first issue comes out, we're really looking forward to hearing from you. We want to know what you like, what you don't like, what you like to see and any suggestions you might have, after all this is for you, we want to hear from you!


Dan Vance
Editor, The Vinton Voice
dan@vintonvoice.com

Welcome to the Vinton Voice

Thank you for visiting The Vinton Voice, Vinton's new hometown weekly news source. The goal of the Vinton Voice is to inform our readers about the happenings in and around Vinton, including the schools, the communities, the businesses, sports, history and government.

We want to be your source for everything Vinton and we're going to do that in many different ways, but the most important way is the fact that we're going to listen. We're going to listen to what you want to see, what you want to read about and what you want to know. The Voice was created at the urging of local business leaders and concerned citizens that were worried about Vinton's identity. We're hoping the Voice gives Vinton something new to be proud of to add to the already long list.

The first issue will be out in August and will be available several different ways, the easiest way to make sure you get the Voice, is to subscribe, there is a link on the right hand side for an easy form for that. You will also be able to pick it up at your favorite locations throughout Vinton.

Prior to the first issue, check back here at vintonvoice.com for updates and information from Vinton's new source!

I'm looking forward to this and I hope you are too. Please feel free to contact me with anything.

Chris Manning
Publisher, The Vinton Voice
chris@vintonvoice.com
PO Box 213
Vinton, Va. 24179