Copied from, Virginia Knits

On Saturday, May 17th at the Heathsville Farmer's Market, the Northern Neck Spinners and Weavers Group will be holding a fleece to shawl demonstration. The demonstration will begin at 8:30 and conclude either when we are done or 4 p.m. whichever comes first.

We hope to finish before 4…

We will be demonstrating and teaching how to flick and comb wool, spin it on both wheels and spindles and weave the finished singles into a shawl.

The shawl, once completed, will be donated to the Hughlett Inn - Rice's Tavern organization for either a raffle or auction to benefit this teaching and historic preservation organization.

What makes this fleece to shawl demonstration unique is that any visitor interested in participating will be brought in, handed and spindle with some fleece and taught how to spin. Your resulting yarn will be incorporated into the shawl.

That same day at the Farmer's Market they are also celebrating Crab Crawl and will feature food, organic vegetables, locally grown plants, local crafts persons, and more. The Blacksmith shop will be open and the members of that guild will be doing blacksmithing demonstrations next door to where we will be spinning and weaving.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Contact Information

Mark Huffman

President

MediaMax

804-456-0052

mark@northernnecktoday.com

Virginia’s Northern Neck, bordered by the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers and Chesapeake Bay, has increasingly drawn retirees who enjoy the peaceful setting and hassle-free lifestyle. Now, the Northern Neck Tourism Council is making it easier for people contemplating retirement to take a first hand look.

The council is sponsoring its first “Northern Neck Pre-Retirement Tour” May 17, 2008, in conjunction with the Fourth Annual Kilmarnock Crab Festival.

“Folks who are thinking about where they want to live when they retire will have the opportunity to see what we have to offer that weekend,” said NNTC President George Beckett.

Beckett said the “tour” is self-guided, but Council volunteers will provide information, literature about the area, and answer questions. Visitors will then set out to visit the region’s museums, farmers’ markets, wineries and other attractions.

“We chose to hold our first tour during the Crab Festival because it’s a great introduction to the culture of the Northern Neck,” Beckett said.

The Crab Festival, initiated by Kilmarnock businessman Shawn Donahue, celebrates the local watermen’s culture. It features crafts, art exhibits, food and entertainment.

“This year we have added lots of live entertainment, so it should be bigger and better than ever,” Donahue said.

The festival begins Friday evening, May 16 and resumes Saturday May 17 for a full day of activities.

“On Saturday, our volunteers will be set up in the festival’s Welcome Center,” Beckett said. “We invite people to drop by and pick up a map, our Tourism Guide, and a suggested itinerary of things to do.”

“Both the Crab Festival and the Pre-Retirement Tour are great ways to meet the other people who live here, and decide whether you might one day also want to make the Northern Neck your home,” Donahue added.

The Northern Neck is made up of four rural counties, but is as close as an hour away from Richmond, Virginia and as close as 90 minutes from Washington, DC.

On Tuesday, April 23, VMRC will impose more regulations on the crabbers.

The crabbers have been accused of overfishing for years but they have started fighting back. Too late but they are fighting.

For over 30 years commercial waterman have been screaming about the degradation of the Chesapeake Bay that has been causing the decline of life in the Bay.

Although the crabbers will take another hit they have united and several environmental organizations have joined with them as they have threated suit.

Lawyers have advised them that they do have grounds for such a suit. This week the Virgina Waterman's Association will meet with an environmental group that has passed word to them that they have already prepared the legal work for such a suit. They have just been waiting for the right group to come along. They think the Virginia Waterman's Association is that group.