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PATHS TO FREEDOM at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum on February 4, 2012, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship Portsmouth present “Paths to Freedom,” celebrating the African American heritage of Portsmouth. Enjoy traditional African American stories and crafts. Trace the path and stories of the Underground Railroad and see how it existed right here in Portsmouth. Enjoy a special presentation on quilting and the Underground Railroad with quilter, Diane Bakaysa. Make-n-take crafts for children will also be available. As with all our First Saturday events, admission and activities at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum will be FREE and open to the public.

FRIENDS LECTURE SERIES: Marcus W. Robbins, A Hands-On History of the Gosport Navy Yard in the Civil War at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum on February 9, 2012, Thursday, 7:00 p.m.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum, join us for a presentation by Norfolk Naval Shipyard Command Program Facilities Manager and Norfolk Navy Yard website historian/archivist Marcus W. Robbins, as he discusses the turbulent history of the shipyard during the Civil War. Through the use of historic images and artifacts from the period, Mr. Robbins will discuss the events surrounding both major efforts—Union and Confederate—to destroy the yard during the early years of the war and its reconstruction after re-occupation by Union forces in 1862. This program is FREE and open to the public.

SHIPBULIDING 101 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum & Lightship Portsmouth Museum on March 3, 2012, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Learn about the history of ships and their impact on our local history. Also, children of all ages will find out the different parts of a ship, and how ships developed over time—from the Chesapeake Indians to modern day. Visitors also will discover firsthand how a ship floats in the “Ballast Lab Experiment.” Additionally, to commemorate the Battle of Hampton Roads in March 1862 between the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, there will be special emphasis on the construction of ironclads during the Civil War. As with all our First Saturday events, admission and activities at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship Portsmouth will be FREE and open to the public.

THE CIVIL WAR IN PORTSMOUTH at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum & Lightship Portsmouth Museum on April 7, 2012, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

In the spring of 1862 during the Civil War, the conflict became more intense for the Hampton Roads area. Come and see how the war impacted Portsmouth and the Gosport Navy Yard. Learn about the construction of the C.S.S. Virginia, the Battle of Hampton Roads and how Portsmouth changed hands from Confederate then Union occupation in May 1862. Enjoy living history demonstrations, hands-on activities and exhibits exploring the conflict in depth. As with all our First Saturday events, admission and activities at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship Portsmouth are FREE and open to the public.

PIRATES at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum & Lightship Portsmouth Museum on May 5, 2012, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

As a part of the Portsmouth Museums event: Celebrate Kids, join the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum & Lightship Portsmouth for a fun, pirate filled day! Come meet the dreaded Moody Crewe pirates and muster in for the School of the Pyrate. Also, join our scurvy scavenger hunt and build your own pirate ship! As a part of our First Saturday programs, admission will be FREE to both the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship Portsmouth!

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship PORTSMOUTH are located at 2 Water Street, Portsmouth, VA. For more information, call (757) 393-8543, or visit www.portsnavalmuseums.com

Tags: Hampton Roads, History, Portsmouth, Tourism, Virginia

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Dec 13

Civil war decision helped turn Fort Monroe into a park

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by Robert Powell for Virginia Business, posted on November 30, 2011

In May 1861, the month Virginia voters ratified secession from the United States, three slaves appeared at the gates of Fort Monroe asking for asylum.

They would force the fort’s commander to make a decision that ultimately led to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. That bit of history is a big reason that Fort Monroe is now a national park, a development that could help promote tourism in Virginia.

The masters of Frank Baker, James Townsend and Sheppard Mallory contracted with the Confederate Army for the slaves to work on fortifications at Sewell’s Point (now the site of Naval Station Norfolk). They escaped at night, rowing a skiff across Hampton Roads to Union-held-Fort Monroe on a peninsula known as Old Point Comfort.

Their plea for asylum posed a legal dilemma. Although fighting had begun the month before at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, restoration of the union, not the emancipation of slaves, was Washington’s primary aim in the early days of the Civil War.

In fact, the federal fugitive slave law, which required escaped slaves to be returned to their masters, was still in effect. Lincoln’s administration feared premature talk of abolition would cause the four remaining “loyal” slave states — Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and Missouri — to bolt to the Confederacy.

Despite these concerns, Fort Monroe’s commander, Major Gen. Benjamin Butler, took in the slaves and put them to work behind his lines.

Under a flag of truce, Confederate Major John B. Cary, showed up the next day demanding the slaves’ return. Butler refused, saying Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Fort Monroe, Hampton Roads, History, Tourism, Virginia

Dec 13

The Sporting Life

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This February 17-19, 2012, join over eight-thousand spectators at the Hampton Roads Convention Center for the Third Annual Hampton, VA Sports Festival & Expo. Featuring over 15 sports with simultaneous competition and a free expo, the Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau-sponsored event is a must experience for any sports enthusiast.

“This is the third year we have hosted the festival,” said Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau Group Sales Manager Kris Smith. “Every year, the event continues to grow. The sports festival is helping to showcase our city as a dynamic sports scene to athletic planners from across the country. We are also receiving great support from the region’s residents, as well as out-of-town guests that travel to Hampton specifically for our action-packed sports weekend.”

Last year, the festival featured participants and spectators from neighboring countries such as Canada and Mexico, as well as states such as California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The Third Annual Hampton, VA Sports Festival & Expo will feature over 15 sports, including:

Arm Wrestling
Bikini Body Building
Body Building
Boxing
Chess
Cornhole
CrossFit
Fitness Body Building
Gymnastics
Jiu-Jitsu
K-1
Kickboxing
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
Muay Thai
No Gi Grappling
Power Lifting- Bench Press and Push Pull
Strongest Man and Woman
Taekwondo

During the festival, a free expo will take place in the main concourse of the building, directly in front of the convention center exhibit halls. The general public will have an opportunity to speak with local sports clubs, city departments, and area health representatives, as well as doctors specializing in sports medicine.

For more information, contact Craig Lenniger at (757) 728-5314 or clenniger@hamptoncvb.com. Like the “Hampton, VA Sports Festival” fan page on Facebook to become a fan and follow the developments.

Where: Hampton Roads Convention Center, 1610 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, VA 23666

When: February 17, 2012, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.; February 18, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; February 19, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Tags: Hampton Roads, Sports, Tourism

About Hampton Roads, Tourism, Arts & Culture

Dec 09

Mark Warner, Fort Monroe and STEAM

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More on Mayor Ward’s posting…

From the blog of City of Hampton Mayor Molly Ward

Mark Warner came to Fort Monroe on Friday, November 18 to tour the fort, talk about the National Park Service and explore the possibility a Science, Technology, Engineering and Applied Mathematics (STEAM) academy at the fort. The Senator was accompanied by an entourage of reporters, and he toured the fort on foot.

The proposed STEAM academy would be a public boarding school for grades 9 through 12 with a 24 hour day learning cycle. Students would be drawn from all over the Commonwealth, and there would be no fee to apply or attend. The concept is to build future generations who will be prepared to lead and succeed in the 21st century marketplace. There is a similar school in North Carolina that has seen tremendous success both for its graduates, and the state — as the majority of students stay and contribute to the North Carolina economy by both creating jobs and attracting employers looking for the best and the brightest.

I met up with the Senator at one of the TRADOC buildings for a tour. He greeted me and presented me with the green tie he described as “hideous” that he wore to the Senate hearing on the NPS effort on October 19. He also gave me a picture of him wearing the tie at the hearing.

After the TRADOC building tour, we presented the Senator with a proclamation from the City of Hampton thanking him for his support of the Fort Monroe National Monument.

Tags: Fort Monroe, Hampton

Dec 09

Virginia Tourism marketing grants in region

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The Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) has awarded $635,000 in matching grant funds to 35 local tourism initiatives as part of the VTC Marketing Leverage Grant program. Hampton Roads communities shares in just over 21% of the funds as follows:

Smithfield-Smithfield and Isle of Wight Encore Weddings Campaign, $2,500
Williamsburg-Christmas in Williamsburg, $50,000
Cape Charles, Chesapeake-20th Annual Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival, $5,000
Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Alexandria-Coastal Food Tours of Virginia, $25,000
Virginia Beach, Hampton, Suffolk, Williamsburg, Norfolk, Newport News-Coastal Virginia Web Site Marketing Initiative: “COASTAL VIRGINIA LOVE: Using the power of the Internet to build Coastal Virginia Visitation,” $5,000
Norfolk, Virginia Beach-Virginia is for Arts Lovers – Weekend Getaways in Virginia, $50,000

Pictured: Virginia state tourism office’s over-sized LOVE artwork at three Virginia State Welcome Centers.

Tags: Hampton Roads, Tourism

Nov 22

Glass Studio brings Art Museum’s collection to life

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The Chrysler Museum of Art opened the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio on November 2nd to complement the world-class glass collection in the Museum. The addition of the Glass Studio enhances the Museum’s stature as one of only two comprehensive art museums in the United States with a glass studio. The Glass Studio is located in a 7,000-square-foot building at 745 Duke Street, adjacent to the Museum in Norfolk.

The $7.5 million Glass Studio construction and operations are fully endowed from generous contributions from glass enthusiasts and Museum supporters. The Museum acknowledges the Pat and Doug Perry family for their significant investment in its creation. Internationally known glassmaster Lino Tagliapietracreate da work of art to inaugurate the Glass Studio in a private event for donors and media on Nov. 1.

“The state-of-the-art facility will accommodate both aspiring and master glass artists with a furnace that can melt 560 pounds of glass, a full hot shop, a flameworking studio, nine annealing ovens and a coldworking area,” says Charlotte Potter, studio manager. “The Museum will have a visiting artist series and an artist-in-residency program that will attract some of the leading artists in contemporary glass, as well as emerging artists.”

Visitors will be able to enjoy free glassblowing demonstrations, and the Museum will offer a series of classes and workshops for students and adults. These will include a range of educational programs from beginners to master classes for accomplished professional artists.

“It will be an entirely new experience for our visitors,” says Bill Hennessey, the Museum’s director. “In addition to the study and display of art, we can show them the magic behind the creation of art as well. The Glass Studio will allow our visitors to experience glassmaking and be involved in every step of the process. We anticipate this will draw people to the region to learn about glass and meet visiting glass artists and tour our collection. We expect this to be a significant educational component for the region—one that will allow us to further strengthen our partnerships with Virginia Wesleyan College and the Governor’s School for the Arts. With more than a third of our 30,000-object collection devoted to glass, this is clearly a strong suit for the Chrysler. This Glass Studio will bring these works of art to life.”

The Museum’s glass collection includes more than 10,000 pieces that span 3,000 years and is considered one of the largest and most wide-ranging collections in the world. It has inspired glass enthusiasts for decades with its depth, including a world-famous Tiffany collection, plus American, French, English, Italian and contemporary glass art.

“The Glass Studio will help our visitors gain a better understanding and appreciation for the wonderful objects in our collection,” says Kelly Conway, curator of glass. “We devote a lot of time explaining the technical processes used to make these artworks. The Studio will provide far more capable and lively answers for these technique-based questions from our visitors, and tours will connect the live studio experience with the contextual history explained in the glass galleries.”

The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums with a world-class collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America and the new Glass Studio. The Museum is located at 245 West Olney Road in Norfolk, and the Studio is located across the street at 745 Duke Street. Both are open Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thursdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sundays, noon-5 p.m. The Chrysler campus is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, as well as on major holidays. Admission to the Museum’s collection in 62 galleries and the new Glass Studio is free. For exhibitions, programming, classes and special events, visit chrysler.org or call (757) 664-6200.

Top Photo Caption: Exterior Glass Studio Photo Credit: Ed Pollard

Bottom Photo Caption: Glass Studio Team from left to right – Charlotte Potter, Glass Studio Manager; Robin Rogers, Glass Studio Technician; and Julia Rogers, Glass Studio Instructor. Photo Credit: Echard Wheeler

Tags: Arts, Culture, Hampton Roads, Norfolk

Tourism, Arts & Culture, Transportation

Nov 14

Changing Airline Landscape and Hampton Roads

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Norfolk International Airport ‘well served,’ expert says

The Hampton Roads Norfolk Airport Task Force recently hosted Michael Boyd, President of Boyd Group International, Inc., a well known expert in futurist aviation issues. (Click on photos for Flickr credits)

By Debbie Messina for The Virginian-Pilot, posted November 11, 2011

In today’s shrinking airline industry, the value of an airport should be measured not by the number of passengers but instead by its connections to hub and international gateways, an aviation expert said Thursday.

And Norfolk International Airport “is very well served,” Michael Boyd, president of Boyd Group International Inc., told a gathering of business and community leaders of the Hampton Roads Norfolk Airport Task Force.

Norfolk has direct connections to 10 airline hubs, with six hub connections to Asia. It’s more important to get international business leaders here than to get local families to Orlando on the cheap, he said.

“Do not tell me you don’t have good service,” he said. “You have an enormous amount of quality service.”

Norfolk’s passenger counts through September are down 4.5 percent compared with last year. While counts nationally are up 2.3 percent, fewer people are flying than did in 2008.

Boyd said there are “no gaping service gaps” in Norfolk. Instead, airlines are cutting capacity.

Comparing the first half of this year with airline schedules for the same period next year, there will be 2.6 percent fewer departing flights and 1.2 percent fewer seats. Boyd said that closely mirrors the national trend.

He predicted, however, that Delta Air Lines might eliminate direct service to Cincinnati. He said there are limited opportunities to serve new markets from Norfolk. One possibility is Frontier Airlines to Denver, but that airline is now for sale and has scaled back service out of Newport News just a year after launching it.

Boyd said it’s likely some small to midsize airports will close within 10 years as the industry continues to contract – including Toledo, Ohio; Champaign, Ill.; and Brownsville, Texas. But Norfolk and Newport News/Williamsburg International are not on that list.

Newport News/Williamsburg, however, does face challenges with the loss of AirTran Airways service, which will be eliminated in March in a merger with Southwest Airlines. AirTran accounts for about 45 percent of passenger traffic at the Peninsula airport. Those passengers, he said, will use other airlines out of Newport News, or travel to Norfolk or Richmond.

He expects Norfolk will pick up about a quarter of that business, or about 50,000 passengers each year.

As for fares, he said, “You’re not out of whack,” but warned that ticket prices are rising. The average fare for Norfolk is $224; Newport News, $186; and Richmond, $211.

Airline analyst: Hampton Roads airports strong players in weakened industry

By Jon Cawley for the Daily Press, posted November 10, 2011

Airline passengers — already stung by drastic changes in the industry — should expect more of the same (or worse) in coming years.

That was the not-so-happy picture painted Thursday morning by Michael Boyd, a long-time airline industry consultant and commentator who spoke to about 50 people gathered at the Norfolk Airport Hilton for a seminar sponsored by the Hampton Roads Norfolk Airport Task Force. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Hampton Roads, Tourism, Transportation, Virginia

Nov 11

Wining, Hampton Roads-style

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“Wine a bit, you’ll feel better”

It’s no secret that in Hampton Roads, we love our wine. The past month hosted two of the region’s wine-centered events, the FestEvent’s Town Point Virginia Wine Festival and Chesapeake Wine Festival, both great successes.

For those of you questioning why two such afternoons happened in one month, here are the differences: the Town Point festival occurs on the waterfront in downtown Norfolk, while the other takes place at Chesapeake City Park. The Norfolk event has been around over two decades and the younger, Chesapeake event, for two. Despite its young age, the Chesapeake festival attracts a great crowd, even given the awful weather we saw this year, and hosts wines from all over world, rather than the Virginia-only focus of Town Point.

At the Chesapeake wine festival, you can try many of those mysterious bottles you’ve seen sitting on the shelves but not wanted to pay for, and the pours tend to be heavier, but less frequent. With the Virginia vineyards, you’ll, more often than not, receive small tastes of each red, white, rose etc. that their grapes produce. There is something to having the sommelier experience with the people who work on the land, but also nice to pick only the types of wines you know when tasting.

This year Town Point lucked out with some fabulous weather. A light breeze off the river and lots of bright sunshine made what should have been a cold rainy day perfect for an outdoor afternoon. The addition of more food tents and a beer hut for those non-wine enthusiasts seemed much appreciated, and the private chalets hosted corn hole games, lovely lunches and private wines. On the chalet note, Chesapeake had tables in the middle of the festival for companies to reserve, though given the dreary day, they were not as packed as I imagined. That said, Chesapeake had a great turn out, even the occasional “Halloweener” all ready to go in costume.

If you haven’t already been, plan to get out next year for these wonderful events, and please let us know if there is an additional festival we should add to the list.

Megan C. O’Reilly is the manager of government relations with the Hampton Roads Partnership and has an M.A. in Global Communications from The American University of Paris and a B.A. in Public Relations from Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee.

Photo credit: top wine tasting by FestEvents. Bottom group shot by Megan.

Tags: Chesapeake, Culture, Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Tourism

About Hampton Roads, Tourism, Arts & Culture

Nov 02

White House Video: Hampton Roads gets its national monument

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