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.

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).

- While all passengers must have access to their own life jacket, kids under 14yrs. of age are required to WEAR their life jacket or flotation device at all times on the lake. 

- In a no-wake cove (indicated by no-wake buoys) you are required by law to operate your boat at your boat’s lowest possible navigable forward speed.

- All of these safety equipment laws are extremely important and failure to follow them can result in steep fines. To report boating violations on Smith Mountain Lake, call the Virginia Wildlife Crime Line at 800-237-5712. You will need the boats registration number, a description of the people in the boat, and at least two witnesses including yourself.

And again, don’t forget to take your Boater Safety Course.

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!

Confused about the new Health Care Reform Act and how it will affect you?  Call BMS Consulting, 540-721-4045, to get the latest update.  Or stop by our office at 13245 Booker T Washington Hwy, Westlake.  We offer free competitive quotes for your health care, dental, disability, and retirement plan needs.

The Centre at VitaZen now offers yoga classes 6 days per week. Try our newest classes on Monday, Wednesday, & Friday at 9:00am. The Centre at VitaZen is located at 12787 Booker T Washington Hwy. (rear entrance). For more info call 721-9365 or go to www.VitaZen.net/yoga.

Please join the Alzheimer’s Association of Central and Western Virginia at Hollins University on September 25  at 8:00am for the Roanoke Memory walk or at Riverside Park on October 16 at 8:00 a.m. for the Lynchburg Memory Walk.Go to www.lynchburgmemorywalk.com  or www.roanokememorywalk.com for more details.

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

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.  We look forward to having you visit!

Life for One is co-sponsored by Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory and Bedford Hospice Care’s next brown bag lunch meeting will be 11 AM, Mon., Aug. 16th at Trinity Ecumenical Parish.  Speaker – Donna Proctor with the Bedford Community Health Foundation.  Topic – What’s Right With Your Life.  Everyone’s welcome.

CARE GIVERS: Adults With Aging Parents…a road map for caring for loved ones. Assessment – Assistance – Assurance provided for families when they need it most. Mary Anne Leslie maleslie@lifeskillsforexcellence.com 540-721-1216

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.

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in other people’s carts when they weren’t looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in House wares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women’s restroom.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, ‘Code 3 in House wares. Get on it right away’. This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to lose time and costing the company money.

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway.

6. August 14: Moved a ‘CAUTION – WET FLOOR’ sign to a carpeted area.

7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told the children shoppers he would invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children obliged.

8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, ‘Why can’t you people just leave me alone?’ EMTs were called..

9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.

10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the ‘Mission Impossible’ theme.

12. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled ‘PICK ME! PICK ME!’

13. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed ‘OH NO! IT’S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!’

And last, but not least:

14. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, and then yelled very loudly, ‘Hey! There’s no toilet paper in here.’ One of the clerks passed out.

“Movies at the Amp” is fun for the whole family at the W.E. Skelton 4-H Center! This will be the second annual FREE family movies series.  August 14th: Diary of a Wimpy Kid(PG), September 4th: Marmaduke (PG), October 2nd: Ramona and Beezus (G).  Bring your lawn chair or blanket. Concessions available on-site. Visit www.skelton4hcenter.org for more details and showtimes!

Hot Shots:  Come give their world class Mini-Golf a try, or maybe cool down on their Blaster Boats.  How about an air conditioned Arcade or an excellent breakfast, lunch or dinner at the lake.  Don’t forget the glow in the Dark Mini-Golf every Friday in August.  Visit them at Smlhotshots.com.

Smith Mountain Lake Republican Women’s Club meets first Tuesday every month at 10:30am. at Westlake Country Club located at 360 Chestnut Creek Drive, Hardy, VA. Their business meeting is followed by an optional lunch for $10.00 and then a program. If you are interested in reservations, call Virginia Johnson before noon on Mondays at 540-719-3344 or e-mail debarwg@yahoo.com.

Beyond the Green will be an exciting place to golf, eat, and watch all your favorite teams play. Find them on Facebook at Beyond the Green Indoor Golf and Sportsbar to keep updated on our opening date and developments. 

Join Hickory Hill for Sunset Saturdays where you listen to acoustic musicians while enjoying a relaxing evening of close friends, family fun and great wine. Bring a picnic, chairs and blankets and settle in to watch the sun set over the vineyard!  August 14th  & September 4th.  7-10pm, www.SMLwine.com or call 540-296-1393.

“What was your favorite childhood movie? 

Mine was Brian’s Song.  Ironically.  It was the story of Gale Sears and Brian Piccolo, two pro football players, one black and the other white.  They became best friends while competing for the same position with the Chicago Bears in the 60s.  

Brian Piccolo was diagnosed with cancer.  The rest of the movie showed how Gale stood by him and cared for him until his death. 

The most moving point in the movie came when Gale tearfully announced to the team: “My friend… Brian… has cancer.”  From that time on, the rest of the team, many Bears fans, and others around the country rallied around Brian and his wife.  It was very touching. 

I have a heavy heart today, as I make a similar announcement.  My dear friend… Brian Puckett – has cancer.  He was recently diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, and it has spread to his liver.  For those of you who know about this form of cancer, it is very bad.  He is only 38, and everyone’s puzzled about “Why.” 

We can’t answer that question, but there is something we can do.  Something important.  For him and his wife, Gretchen, and for their two children Maddie (14) and Kyle (4). 

Understandably Brian hadn’t been feeling himself for some time before his recent diagnosis and things are very tight for their family financially. 

In fact, they’re losing their house back to Suntrust on the morning of August 11th. 

So they will need to find a place to move… this coming week… while Brian is undergoing chemo treatments.  They need to come up with about $9,500, or their home of five years will be sold at the courthouse steps on that day. 

I can’t imagine how I would feel battling this deadly disease and losing my family home and facing other extreme financial difficulties as well.  Can you? 

Here’s how we can all help…

Gateway Ministries is a licensed 501c3 not-for-profit organization that helps out people in various situations like this.  My family set up this organization 12 years ago, and I am the Director.  We are pulling together funds now for a 2 to 1 match for every dollar that is contributed. 

If you will donate to help the Puckett Family, every dollar will turn into $2.  Every $25 into $50. Every $100 into $200.  Up to $10,000 total. 

In order to make this work, we have to set a strict deadline of August 9th.  If you are willing, please send a check to Gateway Ministries at the address below by that day. 

Please write “Pucketts” and include your full mailing address and email on a separate note so we can send along a tax-deductible receipt at year-end. 

Thank you for considering this.  Please pray for the Puckett family, and drop him a note of encouragement (with your check – we will pass it along) if you choose. 

Sincerely,
Paul Moore
Associate Broker, Wainwright & Co. 
(540) 400-1595

PS: 100% of your gift – plus the double match – will go straight to the Puckett Family.  This will really help them save their home and provide other living expenses during this difficult time. Thank you. 

PPS: Sometimes a large chunk of cash to save a home from foreclosure just stalls the inevitable.  Not here.  Brian’s wife is working, and we have figured out a way for their family to earn what they stay current after catching up now.  This one-time gift will literally allow them to get back on track!” 

Please send a check before August 9th to:

Gateway Ministries
PO Box 7301
Roanoke, VA  24019

The Answer Network can service your callers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year or answer your calls only at times you specify. The even guarantee that their operators will offer the same level of customer service that you expect from your own staff.

What are the advantages to having a phone answering service? Knowing someone is providing customer support while you do what you are most gifted at, will give you great peace of mind as well as allowing your staff to focus on other tasks.

The Answer Net  is very likely SW Virginia’s largest telephone call center and answering service. They believe their popularity is due to their high quality of service. So if you have a need for phone help, check them out at http://www.theanswernet.com/.

Even better still if the event is FREE like the latest Halesford Baptist Church entertainment. Take the entire family out for a wonderful evening at Bridgewater Plaza every Tuesday from now till August 17th at 7:00 p.m. 

The kids will enjoy the free face painting, small prizes and fun food. Here is an overview of the upcoming fun: On July 27th you can watch Mark Fuller perform tricks and illusions. On August 3rd Ziggy the Clown will come to entertain. On August 10th you can enjoy the talented Radford Baptist Praise Band, Choir and Dance Team. And finally on August 17th come see Christian Comedian, Barry McGee.

The SML Chamber has received an extension on the collection of enough names for a Smith Mountain Lake license to actually be produced. They will now be able to continue to collect applications for the new 2011 SML license plate until Jan. 1, 2011.

There must be enough requests by January 1, 2011 to qualify before other requirements can be implemented and the state begins production and distribution of the Smith Mountain Lake license plates. The goal is for a completion by fall 2011. 

To receive a DMV/SML Chamber application, CLICK HERE.

Complete the DMV/SML Chamber application and return it with a check (no cash, please) made out to “SMLRCC” in the amount of $10.  Bring by or mail your application and check to the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, 16430 Booker T. Washington Highway, Moneta, VA 24121 to be added to the list of 350.   If we do not collect 350 prepaid applications by the deadline, you will receive a refund.