— December 20, 2008, 9:16 am
Construction of the new Chincoteague drawbridge is conintuing. Crews are currently working on wall pours, forming retaining walls and pouring concrete. A few months ago, they began pile driving on the Marsh Island connection. In addition, electric control panel components were assembled and tested. In August, the first deck pour took place and decks continue to be poured at a rate of two pours per week.
When traveling through the project area on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., drivers should expect multiple, alternating lane closures on Route 175 and traffic interruptions at the intersection of Main Street and Maddox Boulevard for equipment and materials mobilization.
Motorists may also encounter early morning lane closures on Saturdays. However, all lanes will be open beginning Wednesday, December 24 at 5 a.m. through Friday, December 26 at 8 p.m. and again from Wednesday, December 31 at 5 a.m. to Friday, January 2 at 8 p.m. to ease holiday travel.
This year, VDOT has noticed a slight reduction in the volume of traffic on interstates when compared to 2007. Still, highway crashes are one of the leading causes of death in the commonwealth. This holiday season please do your part to help prevent highway fatalities by buckling up, avoiding distractions, sharing the road, obeying speed limits and driving drug-and-alcohol free.
The Historic Main Street Merchants on Chincoteague Island are hosting the Third Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, November 29 at 5:00 p.m. at the Robert Reed Downtown Park in the heart of Chincoteague.
The merchants are providing hot cocoa and warm cider and Santa’s elves will be passing out candy canes.
Attendees are invited to bring a donation for the local Food Bank and/or a donation for the Toys for Tots drive.
The Chincoteague Library is again selling luminaries to raise money for the library expansion. The luminaries will be lit this evening and the names will be read for those being honored with the luminary.
There will be holiday songs and caroling. Town officials, dignitaries and local celebrities will be among those attending. Everyone is invited to join these festivities. Many of the shops will be open after the tree lighting to offer end of season sales or early holiday shopping.
Contact Cathy at 757-336-2610 for additional information.
— November 4, 2008, 6:12 am
On Monday evening, November 24th, at 7:00 pm the Chincoteague Benevolent Association will host a Community Thanksgiving Celebration at the Chincoteague Island Community Center at 6155 Community Drive in Chincoteague, VA
All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.
All donations will benefit The Chincoteague Island Food Pantry.
For more information contact:
Chincoteague Island Benevolent Association
Nolan Warnick 757-336-3008 or Kathryn Tolbert 757-336-5741
During the Ninth Annual Chili Chowder Festival, 34 entries were judged in the cooker division. The following is a list of winning dishes.
Professional Chili
1st Place Eric Shocket from Robesonia PA
2nd Place Sea Star from Chincoteague VA
3rd Place Mallards from Onanock VA
Professional Chowder
1st Place Mallards from Onanock VA
2nd Place The Sea Shell Cafe from Chincoteage VA
3rd Place Mr Baldys from Chincoteage
Amatuer Chili
1st Place Brian Cramer from Wilimington Deleware
2nd Place Rick Cralle from Chincoteague VA
3rd Place Scott Selfridge from Glassboro NJ
Amatuer Chowder
1st Place Scott Selfridge from Glassboro NJ
2nd Place Owen Hooks from Chincoteague VA
3rd Place John Turansky from Lewes DE
Peoples Choice Kenneth Knock from Melfa VA
Little Miss Chili Pepper — Emma Faith 6 yrs old Parents Robert & Jennifer Faith
Little Mr Hot Stuff —– Christopher Perras 5 yrs old Parents Chris & Carrie Perras
As a town with a large summer visitor population, Chincoteague Island has many businesses that provide services to the thousands of people who visit the Island from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Once the busy summer season is over, we often hear the question “What shops are open?” from residents and visitors alike. A group of shop-owners from the Chincoteague Cultural Alliance (CCA) and the Historic Main Street Merchants Association (HMSMA) are working together to provide an answer.
The goal of the Chincoteague Island Extended campaign is to help year-round residents and visitors by providing information about the shops that are open during the Extended Season. The schedule will be printed three times a year covering three time periods - October through December, January/February, and March through May. The Chamber of Commerce is assisting with copying the printed schedules and with distributing the information through the Visitor Center on Maddox Blvd. Copies will also be distributed to all local hotels, inns, restaurants, the town offices and participating shops. A new web site, www.chincoteagueislandextended.com includes shop locations and hours as well as a .pdf version of the print schedule that can be downloaded and copied as needed. To further assist in identification, each participating shop will display the Chincoteague Island Extended logo in the window.
Both associations encourage visitors to take advantage of the slower pace of the extended season and visit the Island throughout the year, saving time and gas by shopping local.
The campaign began this fall with participants from the CCA and HMSMA but other shops, restaurants and services open all year are invited to join the effort. Anyone interested in including a shop, restaurant, hotel or inn as part of the Chincoteague Island Extended campaign, please email Carla Leonard at islandbutterfly26@yahoo.com or Jane Richstein at jane@sundialbooks.com.
