Fluco Cheerleaders Fly at Oct. Jefferson District Championship

The Rural Virginian
Fluvanna Hopeful’s firm
owes back taxes
Page 10
Lake Christian Church
turns 10
Page 12
By Terry Karnes
The drive along Route 53 is
scenic but it’s within the walls of
the blue two-story house of The
Goodie Bag Consignment Boutique
that colors pop.
On the front porch are muchneeded
baby items, including
gates and a stroller. Through the
front door is a large rack full of
Halloween costumes for any age.
To the right of the foyer is what
I’ll call the boy room and it contains
racks upon racks of boys
clothing—from the littlest outfits
POSTAL
PATRON
LOCAL
PRESORTED
STANDARD
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit 67
Charlottesville, VA
Serving Scottsville, Palmyra, Lake Monticello, Fork Union, Troy, Schuyler and Buckingham Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Fluco Cheerleaders Fly at Oct.
Jefferson District Championship
Fluco Flyers Cheer Captains Altiea Howard, Darienne Hammer and Meagan Prather hold the second
place trophy on Oct. 22. Courtesy Photo
Turning Trees Into Fuel For Needy
INSIDE
By Terry Karnes
Shawn Metcalf has spent the
past several years rising to meet
the need of warmth for his Fluvanna
County neighbors, and
he’ll do it again this Saturday.
Metcalf, who runs Metcalf Tree
& Landscape Services Inc., in
Troy, noticed residents struggling
to heat their homes and he began
to donate excess firewood generated
by his business. He invited
members from his church annually
and the event has grown from
there. This will be the seventh
organized Annual Charity Wood
Harvest and Chili Luncheon.
Volunteers split the wood and
deliver it free of charge and ready
to burn to those in need, including
the elderly. The group is on
the contact list for several churches,
Department of Social Services
and Meals on Wheels. Metcalf
said they also have individuals
from previous years’ lists they follow
up with.
He stressed the goal of the
event is to get the wood donations
to those in the community who
cannot get it themselves or have
a sudden need.
“We’re here for them,” he said.
Last year’s event donated about
$5,000 worth of firewood to those
in Fluvanna and Louisa, Albemarle
counties; the year before it
Asperger’s Network
First in the County
By Wendy Edwards
Fluvanna Asperger’s Network
has had a small start, but since its
arrival at Antioch Baptist Church,
word has spread about this one-ofits-kind
group that is a valuable
resource for families and teachers
of children with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Director Teresa Atkins described
group meetings as gettogethers
where parents can talk
and share their experiences and
coping strategies about the challenges
they and their children
face. Occasionally, there is a guest
speaker, but the main reason for
the gathering is to be around
other people who understand the
challenges and can offer support.
Atkins was coping with the af-
fects of Asperger’s Syndrome
long before she knew her son was
dealing with it. Similar to a lot of
young children, Bryant was once
afraid of loud noises. He disliked
the sound of the vacuum cleaner,
and especially did not want to see
fireworks.
The thunderous booms in the
sky terrified him so much that his
father would take him to the lower
level of the stadium before U.Va.
football games to be as far away
from them as possible. At Disney
World, Bryant could not attend
any of the shows other little kids
could because the noises were so
intense for him he just had to get
out.
In kindergarten, while other
little boys and girls enjoyed the
See ASPERGER’S on Pg 5
COLuMNS
Ask Cheryl ........................................ pg 4
Don’t Get Me Started .................... pg 5
In the Woods .................................. pg 8
In the Garden .................................. pg 9
to the adult male. The racks are
well-organized with signs for the
sizes. Above the sizes is a corresponding
bin that is labeled with
the clothing’s size. In the center
of the room is the 75 percent off
rack—organized again by size.
One wall contains shoes and
across from it are toys that are decidedly
boy in nature. Through
the boy room is the sun room and
within that room are maternity
clothes, formal gowns and baby
hardware, i.e., carriers and bouncy
seats and the like.
See GOODIE on Pg 2
CONTACT uS
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Calendar/Editorial, (434) 978-7216
rv@dailyprogress.com
Advertising, (434) 286-3366
srhodes@dailyprogress.com
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Volunteers help in 2008.
Fall Baby
Levi Kimmell enjoys his first trip to the pumpkin patch in Nelson County.
Photo Courtesy Michelle Mayo
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See TREES on Pg 3
Hunting For Treasures
At The Goodie Bag
����
By Terry Karnes
If there’s a Cinderella story in
Fluvanna it has to be the varsity
cheerleading squad, who in three
years has gone from last place in
the Jefferson District to second
place in October. They accomplished
this feat despite serious
obstacles and set backs the past
two months that might have sent
other squads running from competitions.
“That’s a really, really, really
great group of girls, really,” said
Coach Tracy Howard-Gough.
“They all have really stepped up.
I am really proud of all of them.”
Who wouldn’t be? The squad
started the school year with 20
girls and two alternates. By the
time of competition on Oct. 22
the squad consisted of 16 girls and
no alternates. The squad has been
plagued with injuries (all but one
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happened outside of cheerleading)
and two seniors, one a captain and
one a main flyer, who quit.
“We lost those who were major
aspects of the routine—flyer, base
support—we lost a lot of experience,”
said Senior Captain Meagan
Prather. “Others had to step
up.”
“Both of those girls were big
leadership roles on the team, as
well as technique, the additional
cheer stuff they brought to the
squad,” Howard-Gough said.
Facing these obstacles throughout
the season forced the squad to
continually change their competition
routine—moving girls into
positions they had never done
before. The week before competition
the girls approached Howard-Gough.
“The girls said ‘we don’t think
we’re going to be able to go to
See ChEER on Pg 2

2 The Rural Virginian • november 4, 2009
CHEER
ConTInueD FRoM Pg 1
competition and really
produce what we really
want to produce’,” Howard-Gough
said. “I said ‘I
really think that we can.
You have more potential
than I’ve ever seen you
have’.”
The Flyers cheerleaders
are not solely a competition
team—the girls are
responsible for practicing
routines for games and
pep rallies, as well. This is
something that is unusual
for high school competition
teams. When the girls
face the other districts in
the regional championships
on Nov. 7 at Orange
County High School they
will compete against teams
that learn a routine and
attend competition after
competition, but do no actual
sideline cheering, according
to Assistant Coach
Shannon Higgenbotham.
“They learn a routine
and do it all year,” Higgenbotham
said.
“It’s like travel soccer,”
said Junior Captain Darienne
Hammer.
The Flyers, however,
focus two practices a week
on the competition routine
and then devote two
practices a week to getting
ready for games and other
responsibilities.
“We someone quits or is
injured, the routine has to
change,” said Senior Captain
Artiea Howard, daughter
of Howard-Gough.
She said if one member
leaves then someone else
has to fill that spot, and
they must be taught the
new position.
GOODIE
ConTInueD FRoM Pg 1
Down the hall from the
front door is the 90 percent
off rack and beyond that to
the left is the girl room. It is
arranged in the same format
as the first one. Clothing
ranges from newborns to
plus-size women’s clothing.
To the right of the deepdiscount
finds is a large
room, where customers
check out, that is a cornucopia
of must-need items:
board games, baby hats, a
princess play castle, strollers,
Disney movies, books,
clothing and so much
more.
The Goodie Bag is the
brainchild of Lake resident
Kamille Shifflett. It started
January 2008 in the small
cottage behind the house
where it has been housed
since May 2009.
Shifflett, who was a
single parent for 15 years
in Chicago, wanted to do
something that helped others.
While she was a single
parent she never qualified
for aid but could have used
the help, she said. Her
goal with The Goodie Bag
is offer that help for others
when they consign their
merchandise with her.
“God gave me the idea,”
Shifflett said.
She doesn’t get paid.
The shop makes enough to
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©2009
Media General Operations, Inc.
All rights reserved.
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shall be property of The Rural Virginian. No part thereof may be
reproduced without prior written consent. Direct all inquiries to:
The Rural Virginian
P.O. Box 9030
Charlottesville, Va. 22906
Higgenbotham said the
week before competition
the girls were really nervous
and conflicted about
whether to go.
“By losing those people
they really felt so overwhelmed
that they weren’t
going to go,” Higgenbotham
said. “And we kept
telling them that you have
these members that can
still do these things…have
to have faith…even if you
lost your best person there’s
20 other people who are
really good, too.”
And Howard was never
convinced the squad
should pull out of competition.
“Though some girls
wanted to give up when
we lost a lot of people and
they didn’t want to do competition,
we still had a lot
of girls—myself—that still
wanted to go to competition
who still had spirit, still
believed in everyone, were
excited; they felt like they
could do it even though we
lost other people,” Howard
said. “A lot of people had
to step up like Meagan
said we had a lot of girls
who didn’t get to shine but
because we lost a lot of our
strong points, they got to
show themselves off.”
Before three years ago
the Flyers took a nearly
20-year hiatus from the
Jefferson District Cheer
Championships. The second-place
finish is the
highest the squad has ever
placed in its history, the
girls said.
The coaches and captains
really hope community
members come to the
competition on Nov. 7 to
cheer them on!
“Knowing my peers are
cover the overhead but she
offers a greater percentage
of the sale of each item
back to the consignors
than most other shops, she
said.
“I don’t want to take advantage
of anyone,” Shifflett
said.
Shifflett stays focused
on the consignors, offering
them first shelf space—
leaving her garage and
basement full of items that
The Goodie Bag originally
bought when it first began.
Now it’s entirely consignment
run unless there’s
room to move those items
In the “In The Woods” article the date was incorrect for when
it is legal to hunt doe in many of the counties in our region.
In Fluvanna, Buckingham, Cumberland and Louisa counties
either sex hunting days are nov. 21 and 28 and then from
Dec. 21-Jan. 2 (end of season). In the eastern half of nelson
County the dates are: nov. 21 and 28 and then Dec. 5-Jan.
2. Please be sure you’re following the guidelines in the game
book. The Rural Virginian apologizes for the confusion.
The Fluco Flyers after placing second at the Jefferson District Cheer Championships on Oct. 22. The girls
will compete on Nov. 7 at Orange County high School to place in the regional championships.
there I do 100 times better,”
Prather said.
“I would really like to see
the community involved,”
Howard-Gough said.
While the competition
was on a Thursday night,
Higgenbotham said “it was
the most we have had before”
to cheer them on at
competition.
Prather said, “A cheerleading
competition is one
of the funniest things you
can go to.”
Coach Howard-Gough’s
goal for Saturday’s competition
is for the girls to go
and have fun.
“I just want the girls to
stay positively motivated,”
she said. “For me it’s not
necessarily an additional
from her home to the
shop.
Alessia Krepton, Shifflett’s
oldest daughter, is
23 and “instrumental” in
helping her mother keep
things running smoothly.
Shifflett has two other children,
8 and 7, who help at
the shop, too. After school,
the bus brings them to The
SUPER SAVE
Reid
MARKET 600 PRESTON AVE.
TOP
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$ 2.49 LB.
LIBBY
WHOLE OR CREAM
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FRESH GROUND
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14 3/4 OZ.
ARMOUR
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point in their score. It’s not
to go or to even really place;
I want them to have a good
time, and keep smiling because
they have already accomplished
so much.”
Howard-Gough sees a
bright future for the squad
and hopes to coach again
next year. This is her first
year coaching football varsity
squad and only the second
with the basketball squad.
“I’m hoping to coach,”
she said. “I’m excited to.
I’m looking forward to it, I
really am.”
Half the squad this year
is seniors, but there are
three freshmen and one
sophomore on the team
who cheered at the competition
level for the first
Goodie Bag where they do
their homework or help.
“I like having them
here,” she said.
Shifflett left a high paying
job to take on this shop
and some days she misses
having a paycheck, but
noted: “God’s taking care
of the rest of our needs.”
Shifflett said she tags
HOURS: MON.-SAT. 8 A.M.-9 P.M.
SUN. 10 A.M.-6 P.M.
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PRICES EFFECTIVE WED. 11-4-09
TUES. 11-10-09
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CHICKEN WINGS
$ 1.79
LIBBY
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.79 ¢
5 OZ.
LB.
FRESH
PORK SPARERIBS
$1.49 LB.
ANYSIZE PKG. ANYSIZE PKG.
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GOLDEN 49 FLORIDA
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JUICE ORANGES
¢ $ GREEN GIANT 2.49
ALL PURPOSE
4 LB. BAG MINI PEELED CARROTS 1 LB. BAG WHITE POTATOES 10 LB. BAG
15 OZ.
BYRD MILL
SPOON BREAD MIX
$ 1.59
10 OZ.
JIFFY
CORN MUFFIN MIX
2/.89 8 1/2 OZ.
¢
time this year.
“The sophomore used
to be a base and we told
her you’re going to have to
learn how to fly,” Howard-
Gough said. “She learned
those fold downs and toe
touch tosses in three practices.
I don’t think I learned
how to do a fold down until
I was in college. I was
amazed; they’ve done really
well.”
For Prather, the best
thing about this season is
“how everyone tried their
hardest—even if they
weren’t the most experience
they still had spirit
and were excited; they
stepped up.”
For Hammer it is “how
much of a family the squad
about 15-60 new items a
day and sells about 30 a
day. The goal is to get the
items out and on the rack.
Items are placed in the
overhead bins where they
get shuffled to the racks
when space opens up.
“We’re constantly filling
the bin to keep the racks
full,” she said.
As new items come in,
they are tagged with the
consignor’s number. Once
tagged with The Goodie
Bag colored tag they are
full-price for about four
weeks. From there they get
discounted to 30 to 50 to
75 and finally to 90 percent
off at four-week intervals.
Shifflett will keep a wish
list for customers on her
computer and when specific
items come in she
contacts the customers to
let them know right away.
She offers a 45-day layaway
program with 20 percent
down and payment every
two weeks.
“The goal is to always do
the best we can for every
customer,” Shifflett said.
She noted about 10 percent
of her merchandise is
new with tags, and several
ANYSIZE PKG.
SOUTHERN
BISCUIT FLOUR
2/ $ 3 5 LB. BAG
NEW YORK
STRIP STEAKS
$ 4.99 LB.
GWALTNEY GREAT DOGS CHICKEN 16 OZ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 ¢
COTTAGE BRAND BACON 12 OZ. PKG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 ¢
CAROLINA PRIDE PORK SAUSAGE HOT OR MILD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..99 ¢
RICHFOOD
HOT COCOA MIX
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10 OZ.
CLOROX
BLEACH
$ 82-96 OZ.
1.59 SELECT VAR.
RICHFOOD
SOUR CREAM
.99 16 18 OZ. ¢
99 ¢ $ 2.59 BOSC
89 ¢
PEARS LB.
became.”
Howard has been most
impressed with how members
“got over the selfishness
of not being in the
position they want to be.
We’ve gotten together a lot
more as team.”
Howard-Gough said for
her the best thing to come
out of this season is how the
squad “has done a good job
of combining [sisterhood
and athletics]; they have
that sisterhood with each
other but they have really
stepped up to that level of
being athletes. I’m very,
very proud of them.”
The Nov. 7 regional
tournament will be held
at Orange County High
School.
area residents offer their
homemade items at her
shop, such as a diaper cake,
perfect for a baby shower,
children’s aprons, cards by
Valerie Young and hair bows
made by a granddaughter of
a shopper who then takes
her checks and places them
in her college fund.
When someone said to
her that she can’t possibly
enjoy this job, she had to
retort that she really does.
She gets a big thrill when
someone finds that perfect
item, saying she feels like a
“matchmaker of things.”
“The community is just
so welcoming,” Shifflett
said. “We enjoy what we
do.”
The Goodie Bag Consignment
Boutique is at
6440 Thomas Jefferson
Parkway just outside the
gates of Lake Monticello in
Palmyra. The shop is open
Tuesday from noon to 5
p.m., Wednesday, Friday
and Saturday from 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m., Thursday from
noon to 7 p.m. and closed
Sunday and Monday. Visit
www.thegoodiebagva.com
or call (434) 589-1016 for
more information.
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RICHFOOD
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.89 ¢
8 OZ.
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SEV. VAR.

Residents Seek Answers on Debt, Communications
and Economic Development at FTA Candidate Forums
All five candidates participated in the Fluvanna Taxpayers Association’s “Board of Supervisors Candidates
Forum.” From left: Don Weaver, Cunningham District; Shaun Kenney, Columbia District; Joe Chesser, Rivanna
District; Keith Smith, Cunningham District; Marvin Moss, Columbia District; FTA chair Elizabeth Franklin;
and moderator Dennis Holder. Courtesy photo
More than 150 people
attended. Eight candidates
took part. Residents
contributed some 65 questions.
And attendees came
away knowing more about
candidates’ positions on everything
from cash proffers
to pipeline funding, zerobased
budgeting to school
maintenance issues.
Two candidate forums
hosted by the Fluvanna
Taxpayers Association were
a great success, according
to FTA Chairperson Elizabeth
Franklin.
“We had a terrific turnout,
vigorous discussion
and wonderful feedback,”
she said. “These were the
first forums we’ve ever
hosted—FTA is barely a
year-and-a-half old—and
we’re thrilled with the outcome.”
The debates at the Fluvanna
Library featured
School Board hopefuls
on Oct. 20 and Board of
Supervisors candidates on
Sept. 29. A packed room
of more than 100 people
greeted candidates for the
Supervisors forum: Joe
Chesser, Rivanna District;
Shaun Kenney, Colum-
bia District; Marvin Moss,
Columbia District; Keith
Smith, Cunningham District;
and Don Weaver,
Cunningham District.
About 50 residents attended
the School Board forum
to hear candidates Doug
Johnson, Cunningham
District; Vivian Leach,
Rivanna District; and Brian
Phillips, Rivanna District.
Rennie “R.J.” Searcy,
running for School Board
in the Cunningham District,
had to bow out due to
illness.
“My husband and I
were at the forum and we
thought you did an excellent
job of organizing and
presenting it. Kudos to
FTA!” said Ellie Mikalchus,
a Columbia District
resident.
“You all obviously put
a lot of thought and planning
into the evening. It
was very beneficial to be
able to hear all the candidates
at once and get
their opinions on such a
wide variety of topics,” said
Christina Guseman of the
Rivanna District.
FTA received many such
good comments on the fo-
rums, Franklin said.
“One supervisor said he
thought it was as professional
an event as has ever
been held in the county,”
she said. “Another supervisor
said he gave it an
A-plus. We got some new
FTA members as a result of
the forums. And the sheriff
said he thought he was
watching NBC.”
Fluvanna resident Dennis
Holder, a prize-winning
journalist with more
than 40 years of experience
in print, broadcast and
electronic media, served as
moderator for the forums,
which focused on tax-impact
issues. The format
included a “Big Six Questions”
segment, a “Lightning
Round” with questions
randomly picked out
of a bowl and queries from
the audience.
FTA invited advance
questions from people
across the county. “The
questions citizens submitted
clearly indicate that
Fluvanna County’s debt
and the debt service that
goes with it are the subjects
on most people’s minds,”
said Holder. “We also re-
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ceived a lot of questions
indicating concern about
the fiscal impact of growth
on taxpayers. Economic
development and communications
with taxpayers
were other big question
categories.”
Residents submitted so
many good questions that
not all could be asked in
the allotted time. As a result,
FTA sent a complete
list of questions, both asked
and unasked, to all candidates
following the forums.
“We wanted to be sure
that people who made the
effort to contribute questions
were heard in some
fashion,” explained Franklin.
“As we told the candidates,
we hoped this list of
questions would give them
valuable insight into what’s
on citizens’ minds as they
campaigned and addressed
taxpayers’ concerns as
elected officials.”
The Fluvanna Taxpayers
Association is a nonpartisan
organization focused on the
impact of county policies
and decisions on citizens’
tax bills. For more information
about FTA, go to www.
fluvannataxpayers.org.
TREES
ConTInueD FRoM Pg 1
���
november 4, 2009 • The Rural Virginian 3
was about $3,000.
As the economy has gotten
worse, Metcalf expects
the need to be greater this
year and hopes for a greater
turnout on Nov. 7 to get the
wood split and delivered.
This year, Metcalf said,
he has a commitment from
the Walmart Distribution
Center for volunteers, but
he needs many more, as
well as equipment for the
volunteers.
The Charity Wood Harvest
needs volunteers for a
range of tasks—from cutting
wood to delivering it,
but also less physically demanding
jobs such as making
chili or having someone
with a medical background
on site.
“We haven’t had a need
for it, but would like to
have a nurse here just in
case,” he said.
The Metcalfs also need
equipment donations, such
as hydraulic wood splitters,
axes and splitting mauls, as
well as those experienced
with such equipment. He
needs those experienced
with chain saws, too.
“There are lots of ways
people can donate,” he said.
Metcalf is working to
transform the Charity
Wood Harvest and Chili
Luncheon a non-profit
organization so it can accept
monetary donations to
help community members
with heating costs. “We
haven’t reached that point
yet, so it’s strictly wood donations,”
he said.
The Charity Wood Harvest
and Chili Luncheon
starts at 7 a.m. at 6407
Union Mills Road in Troy.
Metcalf said the event will
go all day, breaking for
lunch.
Metcalf said he’d like
to know in advance how
many are able to donate
their time and skills, what
their experience levels are
and what equipment they
can bring.
Metcalf wanted to recognize
all the volunteers from
last year, but especially
Scott’s Backhoe Service for
wood donations throughout
the year, Ruhlman’s
Hauling—who had a team
of volunteers who did “a
wonderful job and split the
most wood.”
For more information
and to RSVP, call (434)
996-3701 or email metcalf2011@gmail.com.
Volunteers enjoyed a chili lunch, including corn
bread after helping split wood for the needy. This
year’s event is Nov. 7 at sun up and volunteers are
needed greatly. Courtesy photo
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Sold Below Cost
and We’ll Pay the tax!
Something for Everyone
Over 40 Styles of Winter & Work
Gloves
Pet Supplies
Landscaping Supplies
Waterproof Hunting Jackets and Hats
Hunting Supplies
Floor Care Products
Carpet and Vinyl Remnants
Paint Supplies
Cabinets, Doors and Windows
Chicken Coops
Water Filters
Light Fixtures
Rope
Many more items –
to numerous to mention....
All items included in YARD SALE PRICING
will be located outside of the main store