James River & Kanawha Canal display Saturday in Buchanan
On Saturday, April 30, the Buchanan Canal Historical Site Committee is presenting a display of the James River & Kanawha Canal in Buchanan during the Civil War History Weekend.
Our display will be set up near the Buchanan Grill on Main Street between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
At 2:30 p.m., we will show a short PowerPoint program in the Buchanan Theater.
We encourage you to attend and ask that you tell others about this display. Thank you.
Jessie & Mike Burton
Buchanan
Time to donate for Fincastle Fourth of July fireworks
Spring is here and it’s a beautiful time of the year. Even though it’s April, we still have to start collecting donations for the Fourth of July fireworks display. The fireworks display will cost $7,000 this year because we had to hire a professional fireworks company. We will be using the same company, Master Display, as we had last year.
Donations will be needed by the end of May. We appreciate all who have donated to the wonderful event in the Town of Fincastle.
Our Fourth of July fireworks display has been enjoyed by many people in Botetourt and other counties. Let your friends, co-workers, and families know about the Fincastle Fourth of July fireworks display. Come and have an enjoyable time together with family and friends.
Donations can be taken to the Fincastle Town Office or sent to Town of Fincastle, P.O. Box 250, Fincastle, 24090. You can call the Town Office at 540-473-2200 to use your debit or credit to make a donation.
Let’s make the 2022 Fincastle Fourth of July fireworks display the best show of the year.
Paige Ware
Fourth of July Fireworks Committee
Reader questions allegations about former truck stop
In regard to the letter to the editor in a past edition about the death of the bicyclist near Troutville, written by Mr. Grant of Troutville, was true and factful to myself and friend Anderson Harris.
Of the letters in the April 13 paper, one was the truth by the person from Buchanan, while the other from the former supervisor was mostly untrue.
What do I know about the old truck stop (TA)? The company I drove for, for 45 years, had an office in that TA and other TAs. I don’t think the safety department would have used the TA if these things were true since the owners were at the TA often.
What do the past workers at the TA think when reading about this sinful place, written by this supervisor? My son worked at TA when he went to school. He told me this past weekend he never heard about all this sinful stuff.
I guess it is who tells it. In the Bible, it talks about the sin of lying. I never heard all of those things from former Sheriff Norman Sprinkle.
Two weeks ago, while in Fincastle, I heard from two citizens of Botetourt of what the old TA land was now and how some used their stories to get the TA shut down and how they were going to develop the land. What happened?
It was told in our office that the TA company could go elsewhere and not put up with these false rumors. What company wanted to take the chance to have their drivers arrested?
If there were no taxes from the TA, then where did all the fuel taxes, store taxes, garage taxes and motel taxes go? Maybe this supervisor knows. If all the truck traffic was so bad, why did he use tankers to get gas to his station? Now I wonder why did we ever stop there. Most of the disaster has come out of his thinking.
If all these deaths and traffic will happen at Exit 162, why doesn’t VDOT put up and use traffic lights at this interchange to US 11? Is the cost of lights more important than someone’s life? A person in Buchanan made the comment this past week, “Why aren’t ramps used on the north side for this exit?” From Tennessee to West Virginia, the size of new truck stops are Sheetz and Love’s at interstate exits.
People talk about water getting into the creek from the fuel stop. One night I was going from Missoula, Mont., to Lewiston, Idaho on Highway 12 and talked to an officer at the state scales. He informed me about all the things that get into the water (creeks) – road salt in winter, livestock waste, used sprays, etc. I think the concerns about the fuel stop should be from the businesses at this interchange.
I have seen a lot of stop in 45 years in 48 states, but I didn’t hear the lies concerning the one in my home county. These people should travel the interstates into and through large cities and be in the traffic every day. While these big and little trucks from the truck stop are moving, the people have jobs, food and other things.
I thought a business at an interstate exit was what people traveling the highway were looking for and needed, not the views of some folks and a past supervisor.
Joe Huffman
Buchanan