The Smith Mountain Lake 2010 Wine Festival is an event you don’t want to miss. If you have been to one you know what you will be missing. If not, grab a friend and spend a wonderful day at the lake, eating good food, tasting fine wines and talking to nice folks.

If you have some extra time and want to volunteer to help at the Wine Festival, that will earn you free entrance to the festival and a free t-shirt. Simply sign up to volunteer for September 25th (Saturday afternoon) and September 26th (all day Sunday) and receive your t-shirt and ticket free! If you have questions or would like to sign up email jims@visitsmithmountainlake.com.

Advance discount tickets will be available until September 22nd at 5pm and you can purchase them at the Smith Mountain Lake Visitor Center Front Desk, area ticket outlets and online with PayPal at: SML Wine Festival Tickets.

We recently received a question from a reader about whether you could take the Smith Mountain Lake boater safety course online. We were pleasantly surprised to find that not only can you take your boating safety course online, but you can even get a video series of the course if you prefer.

If you enjoy the water and spend a good deal of time in your boat it is essential that you take a boater safety course. It is good to know you can now get all that valuable information in your home and study it at your convenience. Below is some more important info. you should know if you are on the lake frequently.

- By Virginia law you must carry certain safety equipment in your boat: a fire extinguisher, personal flotation devices designed to fit each boater, a loud horn, a flat flotation cushion, and the registration for your boat (or rental agreement).

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Exciting stuff is going on around Smith Mountain Lake these days. School starting, Monster making contests, Movies being produced……..

Who in our neck of the woods would dream of becoming famous for their design and invention of a monster to go in a movie produced at Smith Mountain Lake? Few people that is for sure, but someone will do just that in the next month or so. The Lake Effects movie needs a monster…….Submission deadline is now September 11th, 2010. For more info. see http://lifeoutloudfilms.com/Monster_Contest.html.

And if you are a professional actor or actress you may want to try out for the Lake Effects Movie being produced here at Smith Mountain Lake.

The health of those you love at Smith Mountain Lake may possibly be improved by a service or health care opportunity offered by nearby groups and businesses. Have you ever considered trying yoga? Classes are now available. Do you have a family member with Alzheimers? There is help and support in the area.

Generation Solutions, At Home Senior Care Company, is now serving the Smith Mountain Lake area. They provide quality care, (home health care, private duty services, medical equipment/supplies) in the privacy and comfort of your own home.  Call Sheila Andrews at 434.841.0073 to discuss their services. www.GenerationSolutions.net.

SMLRV will host a 4 part series of Alzheimer’s education seminars every Tuesday night in September from 6p-7p.  Q&A time will follow and refreshments will be served.  Please call 540-719-1300 by noon on Monday of each week to reserve your seat. They look forward to having you visit!

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The weather has most definitely been on the warm side at Smith Mountain Lake this summer. Warmer than I can remember in fact. But for the sun lovers that has not been a bad thing. Many of us hate to see the summer change into fall, though I confess cooler temperatures are very appealing right now.

While you might think spicy things are taboo during the hotter months, that seems to be one of the times when you will find folks at all the Mexican restaurants of an evening or at home on the patio dipping chips in hot salsa. Salsa is one of my personal favorite foods, so when a friend gave me this deluxe salsa recipe, I was excited. It is delicious!

Black Bean Chile Dip

2 cans black beans, drained (save juice till the end for thinning)
1 avocado
1/2 cup green or sweet onions
1/2  bunch cilantro (for those like me who do not care for cilantro, this is barely noticeable, but adds something to the final taste)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1 tsp chipotle chile pepper
2 tsp Tony Chachere’s seasoning (optional)

Put all the ingredients together in a food processor and blend. If it is too dry or clumpy for you, add back in some of the bean juice. Serve with tortilla chips or cut vegetables. YUM!

When thinking of buying your long awaited piece of real estate at Smith Mountain Lake, you may perhaps feel a bit overwhelmed with the details, particularly if it is your first home purchase. Selling your home can also be full of confusing and seemingly complicated tasks that can add stress to your life. The following post is by an author who has some ideas for minimizing the stress involved in buying or selling real estate.

THE STRESS OF BUYING AND SELLING A HOME
By Stanley Popovich

Many people deal with the anxiety when buying or selling a home. This process can be a bit overwhelming and even confusing to many people. In this article you will find some ideas for ways to manage the anxiety of purchasing or selling a home.

The first step is to determine your goals. Whether you are selling or buying a home, determine exactly what you want to accomplish.  It will save you a lot of time and money in the long run if you know your desired outcome. Sit down and think about the overall goal of what you are looking for and convey this to your real estate agent. Some people like to write down their goals on a piece of paper so they have something to go back to when stress makes things unclear.

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When I first read this in some newsy email about Smith Mountain Lake I had to go and verify that it was true: Liza Minnelli w/ the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra!

Hard to believe someone so famous is going to be just down the road from Smith Mountain Lake. But sure enough you can buy tickets for Friday, September 10th at 8pm at the Roanoke Civic Center to see Maestro David Stewart Wiley and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, performing  with Liza Minnelli!

As you can imagine all seats are reserved for this fabulous event. Tickets range from $25 seats in the upper corners of concourse on up to $75 seats at tables (which seat 8 people). Dinner is an extra $25 served by the well-known Encore Catering by Ovations. Dinners are available for purchase in advance and will be served at 6pm. allowing plenty of time to eat before the entertainment.

Tickets on sale through HometownBankTix.com, the Roanoke Civic Center Ticket Office, or charge by phone at (877) 482-8496. For more info. or to see the coming season of events visit RoanokeCivicCenter.com.

It is easy for the needs of folks less fortunate in the Smith Mountain Lake neighborhood to go unnoticed. Thankfully there are neighbors and friends who try to make sure things are happening to bring enjoyment to many of those who are having a rough time. The first item of note is a fundraiser to help the children around the lake with various needs. The next few mentions regard older people and things relevant to their lives. Get involved and have fun doing it.

SML Good Neighbors invites you to the 2nd annual Mini- Golf Tournment at Hot Shots on September 11, 2010 (Raindate Sept. 18). Pre-Registraion $15.00. Many door prizes and free hot dogs and soda.  Join us for a fun event fundraiser helping children in our community.

Come to a Lunch & Learn at King’s Grant on August 12th or 24th and see how moving to our Continuing Care Community is a piece of cake!  We will have a Senior Moving Specialist give advice on downsizing and the complete move process. Call for reservation: 800-462-4649 or dbiga@kingsgrant.cc

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Bodies of water like Smith Mountain Lake call out messages of peace to me. I never tire of water. My family talks often of the day when we can purchase a summer home on the ocean or perhaps on a large river in the mountains. It is healthy to dream. And perhaps one of these days we will do it. In the meantime, you may be at just the right place in your life to live out one of your dreams.

This lakefront home on Smith Mountain Lake is absolutely sweet! I cannot think why anyone would not fall in love with it. It is in a prime location (in Moneta near Westlake) with wide water views, a gentle lot, and recently remodeled.

Remodeling includes new cabinets, granite counter tops, tile flooring, carpets, paint, light fixtures & 3 full baths. Stone fireplace, lots of windows/natural light & cathedral ceiling. New siding/roof.

VERY PRIVATE, level 2 acre lot, nice landscaping/trees, BEAUTIFUL lake views, EASY walk to large 2-slip dock, deep/clean water & large 3 car garage.

Located at 417 Mariners Cove Drive in Moneta, Va. this is one of the prettiest homes on the lake for only $599,000! Truly a great property -  Click here to view the “Virtual Tour”.

For more details or a viewing call the Smith Mountain Homes Team at 1-877-765-4663.

Our lives at Smith Mountain Lake are filled with blessings, but we all have bad days once in a while when we could use a bit of humor. I think you will find that the story below is one of the more creative and original bits of humor you have read for a while. So get ready to grin….

Husband banned from Department Store

After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to the store. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is like most women – she loves to browse.

Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from our local Dept. Store.

Dear Madam,

Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion in our store.. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against your husband, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras. We apologize for any inconvenience to yourself.

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