Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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49 Winchester, Wallflowers among Rhythm & Roots headliners
Russell County’s own 49 Winchester was announced Thursday as a headliner for this year’s Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion.
The 23rd annual festival runs Sept. 13-15 in downtown Bristol. Other acts announced Thursday include Ashley McBryde, The Wallflowers, The Red Clay Strays, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Sam Bush, Wilderado, The SteelDrivers, Brittney Spencer, Drayton Farley, Jaime Wyatt, Bella White and Silverada.
A full list of acts is online.
Weekend passes are currently $135, plus taxes and fees; the price will increased March 7. The festival is also accepting applications for food and craft vendors through March 31. For tickets and more information, visit BristolRhythm.com.
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Roaring Run to close for a month for maintenance
The Roaring Run Recreation Area near Eagle Rock will be closed March 11 through April 12 for maintenance, the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest announced Thursday.
Work will include the replacement of the deteriorating timber bridge superstructure that serves the access road to the recreation area. The new bridge superstructure will be concrete pre-cast beams.
For more information about the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/gwj or follow on Twitter (https://twitter.com/GWJNF) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GWJNF).
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McAfee Knob trailhead shuttle service resumes, expands into Salem
The shuttle that runs to and from the McAfee Knob trailhead resumes service Friday with an expansion into Salem.
The shuttle will Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 1, with additional service on Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to a news release from Roanoke County.
Shuttle stops include Longwood Park and 101 S. Broad St. in Salem, the Interstate 81 Exit 140 Park and Ride, and the Orange Market Park and Ride near Hanging Rock.
Reservations can be made at www.McAfeeShuttle.com. Tickets are $5 one way, plus booking fees.
McAfee Knob, a particularly scenic spot on the Appalachian Trail, attracts about 50,000 hikers a year, and parking at the trailhead has become a significant problem in recent years.
Roanoke County received state funding to launch the shuttle service in September 2022. Last year, it added stops in Salem.
The shuttle service expansion coincides with construction of a pedestrian bridge that will carry trail users from the McAfee Knob trailhead parking lot over Virginia 311. The trailhead parking lot is closed while construction is underway, but access to the trail is still available during construction, which is estimated to be completed in late fall of 2024.
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Salem police chief announces retirement
Michael Crawley, who in 2016 became Salem’s first Black police chief, will retire June 1, he announced Thursday.
Crawley, 50, joined the Salem Police Department in December 1999 as a patrol officer, according to a news release from the city. He came to Salem from the town of Vinton, where he’d been a sergeant.
Over his nearly 25 years at the Salem Police Department, he rose through the ranks, serving as services division sergeant and patrol division sergeant before being appointed to the rank of major in 2014.
“When Mike left his sergeant’s position in Vinton to take a patrol position in Salem, I thought he was crazy, but it turns out that he knew what he was doing,” Kevin Boggess, who served as city manager in Salem and town manager in Vinton, said in the release.
“He moved to a great community where he and his family have thrived, and he worked his way through the ranks to lead a department that he loves.”
Crawley is a Roanoke native and a 1991 graduate of Patrick Henry High School. He attended Virginia Western Community College and earned his bachelor’s degree in management and leadership from Bluefield College. In 2018, he graduated from the F.B.I. National Academy.
“It has been an absolute honor to work alongside the many men and women who have served in the Salem Police Department,” Crawley said in the release. “While the world has changed drastically in the past few decades the commitment to serve and protect our Salem community has remained strong.”
Salem City Manager Chris Dorsey plans to begin the process of hiring Salem’s next chief immediately.
