With the many talented young people and adults in Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia there is bound to be a need for professional help in honing those talents. The arena of music is one to which many people find themselves drawn but often with no idea where to go to start learning or how to improve their ability.

There are several places in our area that offer a variety of lessons using a wide variety of instruments. Don’t let your interest in the art of music fade away. Take a look at a sampling of local offerings below and find yourself or the young person in your life, the right instructor and instrument to fuel their gift.

G-Mel Studios is located at 115 Mulberry Lane in Hardy, Va. They provide a variety of musical instruction. You can reach them at 540-427-4442.

The Bower Center for the Arts at 305 N. Bridge St. in Bedford offers Individual music lessons for various instruments, all ages and levels. For more info. you can email them at bowercenter@gmail.com.

 Westlake Music at 130 Scruggs Road in Moneta can supply private lessons on electric, acoustic and bass guitar, and drums. The cost is $50 per month for half-hour weekly. For more information call 540-721-0600.

Leslie Brengalcan be found at 241 Arthur Cir, Ferrum, Va. She offers music lessons and can be reached at 540-365-2279.

Or if you would like to find a teacher in Virginia that offers lessons on a specific instrument check out http://www.privatelessons.com/metro/Roanoke_Virginia_Music_Lessons.htm.

The following story is one of the best analogies ever written in regard to not judging a book by it’s cover. May all of our readers at Smith Mountain Lake be as inspired as we were by this short but meaningful little tale.

A man was exploring caves by the Seashore.  In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls.  It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.   They didn’t look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him.  As he strolled along the beach, he would occasionally throw one of the clay balls out into the ocean as far as he could.  

He was lost in thought and forgot about the bag of clay balls, until he tripped and one of the clay balls fell out of the bag and cracked open on a rock ..  Inside was a beautiful, precious stone! 

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Many of us at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia are eagerly keeping tabs on progress of a movie company called Life Out Loud Films. All the excitement is due to the fact that they are planning to begin production of a movie here at the lake this fall. Here is the most current update straight from the lady who had the original vision for the movie, Sara Elizabeth Timmins.

Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia has it’s share of dogs and cats needing homes, like any area of the country. We have several  Humane Societies located in the counties surrounding the lake that will help you choose just the right animal to take home. Every child needs a pet and every pet needs a loving home. Don’t forget to think about adding a dog or cat in need to your family.

Adorable dogs and cats for adoption at the Bedford Humane Society!  Visit  www.bedfordhumanesociety.petfinder.com  or e-mail them at thebedfordhumanesociety@msn.com.  They use foster homes for their animals and they are healthy, socialized and ready to become a part of your family! Call 540-586-6100 for more info.

The Franklin County Humane Societyis located just outside Rocky Mount, Virginia. You can visit them at 18401 Virgil Goode Highway, Rocky Mount, Virginia. Or call at 540-489-3491. Email: plannedpethoodrockymount@yahoo.com. Website: www.petfinder.org/shelters/VA29.html.

Pittsylvania County Humane Societyis located at 996 South Boston Road in Danville, Virginia. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 3352, Danville, Virginia 24543
You can also contact them by phone at (434) 799-0843, or by email at dahsinc@yahoo.com. Visit their website at http://www.dahsinc.com/dnn/.

With temperatures warming slightly at Smith Mountain Lake, thoughts of spring cleaning and work needing done around the house comes to mind. It seems each time we accomplish a project we notice another needing our attention. Thankfully some of those jobs that we are not equipped to do on our own, can be hired out to local businesses, which benefits both us and them. Take time to see if any of the listings below would benefit your spring labors at the lake.

Westlake Wash, LLC specializes in those hard to get to windows on your lake home. They have all the right equipment & take greatest care in their work, respecting your home in the process.  We can clean out those gutters too!  Many references available!  Call 540-797-9117 for a quote.

Leonard Lucas Contracting can take care of any remodeling, deck building, landscaping, roofing and just about anything else you may need in the contracting realm. For a free estimate and work that is 100% Guaranteed, call 540-484-1177. You can also visit their website and see pictures of their work at www.leonardlucascontracting.com.

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I came across some news that is relevant to all at Smith Mountain Lake who are concerned about their health. The following is from Dr. Mercola’s Website.

Aspartame producer Ajinomoto is launching a new initiative that will re-brand the sweetener as “AminoSweet”.

Aspartame is used in many foods and beverages marketed as low calorie or sugar-free. However, its reputation has been clouded somewhat by studies that have investigated reports of ill effects.

Just to remind you, the side effects of aspartame can include:

Headache
Change in vision
Convulsions and seizures
Hallucination
Nausea and vomiting
Joint pain
It can cause many, many other problems as well.

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Mariners Landing at Smith Mountain Lake is the place to be on March 7th, 2010. This is one of the best kinds of parties, the kind where you benefit a good cause and enjoy yourself immensely all at the same time.

If you recall a while back we wrote about Life Out Loud Films and the movie they plan to shoot at the lake this year called “Lake Effects”. You can be part of that exciting venture by joining us for the Academy Awards Party to benefit Life Out Loud Films.

 Watch the Oscar awards show on the big screen in a red carpet atmosphere. Games and giveaways and much more. The Party will be held at Mariners Landing, Smith Mountain Lake. That is the Mariners Landing Resort Community and Conference Center on March 7th from 6-9pm. For more info. call 540-297-4900 or 800- 851-4988 or email them at  info@marinerslanding.com.

Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia is known for it’s beautiful scenery, gorgeous real estate, retirement properties, bass fishing and tournaments, and fabulously fun activities just to name a few. There is always a variety of entertainment, marvelous restaurants, and unique events happening around the lake. Here are a few of those events you won’t want to miss.

The Grand Winter Gala, at Water’s Edge, March 6, 2010, 6:30 till 11pm. Charity event to benefit Lake Christian Ministries and SML Christian Academy, 60 a person / $100 couple dinner included.  Entertainment byThe Kings.  Black tie optional. 12 local artists paint chairs to be auctioned off. For more info. visit www.grandwintergala.com.

Pottery Class at the Southern Virginia Artisan Center located at 54 West Church Street in Martinsvillel, Va.  The class will be held on March 6th from 9:00am. to 1:00pm.
For pricing and other information call 276-656-5461 or visit the website at http://www.southernvirginiaartisancenter.org.

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While it may feel as though spring at Smith Mountain Lake is months away, in reality it is just around the corner. Two weeks from Sunday Daylight Savings Time begins! And March 20th is the first day of spring! Not at all too early to consider Smith Mountain Lake houseboat rentals.

I doubt there is a single soul who is not looking forward to warm weather this year considering the extra cold winter we have had. And it is not too soon to start thinking about weekends off and vacation time and how we will enjoy the water this summer.

One excellent way to enjoy the summer is by taking advantage of Smith Mountain Lake boat rentals. At the lake you can find houseboats, fishing boats, pontoon boats, etc. that you can rent by the hour, day or week. What a fabulous way to spend the day! Just writing about it makes me eager for the day when I can get out on the water.

Some of us do not have boats of our own of course, and that is where the Smith Mountain Lake boat rentals come in handy. If you would like to know where to rent a boat there are a few listings below. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but gives you a place to start.

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Do you have a loved one at Smith Mountain Lake who is feeling the effects of age and time? Are you unable to provide all the care you would like them to have?

If you said yes to those two questions then you have likely also found that it is difficult to find good care for the elderly without paying an entire fortune. I don’t know how many people in the past few years I have heard saying how hard it was to get help with their parents that they could trust.

For those who just need someone to come to the older persons home and help out you may want to check out Home Instead Senior Care. They provide non-medical companionship and personal care services to seniors helping them to maintain their independence at home.  Services include meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, incidental transportation and more.  You can contact them for more info. at 434-385-0321.

If you need someone to actually keep the aging person and be a home for them where they are lovingly cared for and have someone there all the time there is a sweet and caring family in our area you can contact for those kind of services as well. Melissa and George Barker can be reached at 276-650-2878.