Here’s a round-up of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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Former Statler Brother Jimmy Fortune to play at Historic Masonic Theatre
Jimmy Fortune performs at The Historic Masonic Theatre on Friday, December 9 at 7:30 pm. Jimmy Fortune toured, sang and performed with the Statler Brothers for 21 years. He joined them first as a temporary replacement for Lew DeWitt, after DeWitt heard him singing at a ski resort and recommended him. Following an audition in Nashville, Fortune was contacted by the Statler Brothers and performed his first show with them on January 28, 1982, in Savannah, Georgia. Due to the debilitating effects of Crohn’s Disease, Lew was unable to return to the stage with the Statlers, and Jimmy was hired as a permanent replacement in August of 1982.
He wrote the group’s second No. 1 hit, “Elizabeth,” on their 1983 album Today, and followed that with two more No. 1 hits–“My Only Love” (from 1984’s Atlanta Blue) and “Too Much On My Heart” (from 1985’s Pardners in Rhyme). Fortune also wrote the top-10 hit “Forever” from 1986’s Four for the Show and co-wrote the top-10 hit “More Than a Name on the Wall” from 1988’s The Greatest Hits.
After The Statler Brothers retired in 2002, Fortune launched a solo career. Tickets may be purchased online at www.historicmasonictheatre.com or by calling the Theatre Box Office at 540 862 5655. To learn more about Theatre upcoming shows and events, please visit the Theatre website or Facebook page.
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Roanoke County names assistant director of economic development
Roanoke County has announced the appointment of Danielle Poe as Assistant Director of Economic Development. Poe will assume her new position on November 28.
Poe is coming from the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission, where she has been the business manager for nearly three years, managing the day-to-day operations within the organization and overseeing risk management strategies in various projects. She has gained over 15 years of experience in various additional roles including as the Economic Development specialist for Downtown Roanoke, Inc.
Poe earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise, Sport, and Health Education with a Concentration in Sports Administration from Radford University. She has a number of affiliations, most notably a Chair of Leadership Roanoke Valley, with additional involvement in the Roanoke Boosters Club and Wasena Elementary PTA.
Poe is a native of the Roanoke Valley.
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DePaul Community Resources names new CEO
DePaul Community Resources has announced that Renee Brown has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer.
Brown received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her master’s degree in Clinical Child Psychology from Virginia Tech. She started her career as a case manager for the intellectual and developmental disabilities population at the local Community Services Board (CSB). While working, she obtained her Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) certifications and was promoted to her first supervisory position in 2000. She continued to work at the CSB managing programs that supported individuals with mental health needs and/or developmental disabilities until she came to DePaul in January of 2017. For almost six years, Brown has been the Vice President of Child and Family Services overseeing the Foster Care, Independent Living, Adoption, and Community-Based programs. During her time at DePaul, her restructuring of the CFS Leadership Team allowed for the expansion of the Independent Living program and the reimagining of pre-service training for prospective foster parents.
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Forest Service seeks concessionaire for Bolar Flat Marina in Bath County
The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests have opened the application process for a qualified concessionaire to manage the Bolar Flat Marina and Day Use Area at Lake Moomaw in Bath County.
“The Bolar Flat boat ramp, store and gas services are an important part of the Lake Moomaw experience for campers and visitors,” said acting District Ranger Kevin Kyle in a statement. “Securing a quality concessionaire is one part of the operation plan for the summer 2023 recreation season and for the next 5 years.”
The marina is located on the northern end of Lake Moomaw, the second largest lake in western Virginia with 43 miles of undeveloped, wooded shoreline. The selected concessionaire will operate and maintain the picnic day use area, group picnic shelter, marina store, boat dock with wet storage, dry RV and boat storage, flush toilet restroom, one courtesy dock, one kayak loading dock and one handicap accessible fishing pier. Previously, the Bolar Mountain Recreation Area at Lake Moomaw was run by a concessionaire until December 2020.
The Forest Service anticipates choosing a successful applicant and issuing a special use permit in April 2023, with the intention of having operations begin in spring 2023.
The prospectus is being advertised on SAM.gov <https://sam.gov/opp/e5be82e78b624cf9915f7c114aed8ae7/view/> Applications are being accepted through January 10, 2023.
A scheduled site visit is planned for December 5 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with an alternate rain date of December 9. For additional information, or to RSVP for the site visit, please contact the James River and Warm Spring District Recreation Manager, Jake Lewis at 540-892-2521.