Download the articles from the September 2010 issue of Southwest Airlines’ Spirit Magazine:

• Part 1) Meet Hampton Roads:  Virginia’s hub of convenience, commerce, and coastal charms. History, commerce, military power, and hometown hospitality intersect in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Freedom was won here, and independence was conceived here. Rob Cross, Virginia Arts Festival’s Executive and Artistic Director, is featured as Hampton Roads’ very own music man.
• Part 2) Live:  From waterside condos to downtown Victorians, lifestyle choices abound.
• Part 3) Work:  A strong military presence sets the pace. Hampton Roads is at the forefront of the art-meets-science modeling and simulation industry, initially supported by the military and now heavily used in commercial transportation, medicine, and other fields. A hub for healthcare, too.
• Part 4) Play:  From boardwalks to Broadway, there’s no shortage of entertainment in Hampton Roads. The Sporting Life: Hampton Roads takes sports seriously. Passionate fans make up for the absence of a big-league franchise with their support for a wide range of collegiate and amateur athletics as well as minor league competition.
• Part 5) Eat:  Seafood naturally, but so much more.
• Part 6) Sleep:  The past never sleeps at these historic inns, but you can.

Link to more on “Meet Hampton Roads from the air“

Escapes: Norfolk is more than just a Navy town By Cindy Loose, Special Contributor to The Washington Post on August 13, 2010 (a former Travel writer for The Post, Loose now works in public relations)

Having lunch at Rowena’s Tea Shop in Norfolk is like dining inside a nursery rhyme. One wall features a garden mural with larger-than-life images of Mr. Jellyford Jam III and other whimsical characters that owner Rowena Fullinwider has created. Quiche, sandwiches and the desserts that have been featured in Gourmet and Bon Appetit are delivered on tiered silver platters.

Fullinwider began making cakes from her home to raise money for the Norfolk opera. Today, her shop ships tons of gourmet food across the country.

Her progress is emblematic of what has been happening in Norfolk the past decade or two, as government and private entrepreneurs have worked to transform a deteriorating Navy town into a thriving, attractive, fun city for residents and tourists alike.

A recent visit proved that the effort has paid off. Norfolk is ready for prime time. A long weekend provided art, history, gorging and an outdoor adventure.

It started with a Segway tour that begins and ends along the waterfront, where tall ships and tugboats, sailboats and barges traverse the Elizabeth River near the Chesapeake Bay. Until the city completes a tramway that will eventually run all the way to Virginia Beach, Segways and bikes can ride along the tracks through town.

The city has invested millions in its waterfront, including a recent renovation of Town Point Park, where kids run through water fountains and play on grassy fields in front of an outdoor concert stage.

Norfolk is a city of waterfront festivals: One of the biggest, the wine festival, comes to town Oct. 16-17. Vintners from 30 wineries will join restaurateurs and musicians and sailors who parade and race on the river.

The waterfront is dotted with outdoor sculptures. During the Segway tour, we stop to read the collection of bronzed letters sculpted to look as if they’re blowing in the wind. Each letter is the last written by an American serviceman or servicewoman killed in war. The dates range from 1777 to 1991.

On Aug. 29, 1862, Robert Henry Miller wrote to his mother: “War looks a great deal better in the newspapers than anywhere else.” On Oct. 21, 1944, a nurse named Frances Slager wrote: “They are brought in bloody, dirty, and most of them so tired. Somebody’s brothers. Somebody’s fathers. Somebody’s sons.”

I’ve been looking forward to renting a bike and riding a miles-long path along the water, through a park and a wildlife sanctuary. The heat of a late July afternoon, however, drives us inside. No sweat: The Chrysler Museum of Art is a gem, the building itself a monument to beauty.

That evening, after a fabulous dinner in the historic neighborhood of Ghent, we stroll the lively streets. Night life is centered on Brandy Street [SmartRegion Editor:  actually, Granby, not Brandy, Street] and Colley Avenue. The Granby Theater, opened in 1915 as a vaudeville theater, now operates on weekends as a nightclub and concert venue. Live music is playing at Fahrenheit, famous for its exotic martini mixes.

Night life of a more cultured variety begins in the fall. Highlights: the Harrison Opera House, which opens its season Oct. 2 with Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The Attucks Theatre, once known as the “Apollo of the South,” has hosted most of the great African American performers — musicians including Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole — since opening in 1919. Among upcoming events: a Black Film Festival in October.

The grandest theater in town is the Wells [Editor: home of the Virginia Stage Company], a beaux-arts National Historic Landmark restored not long ago to its original 1913 splendor. Its season begins Sept. 21 with “The Diary of Anne Frank” and ends April 17 with August Wilson’s “Radio Golf.”

The rest of our trip is devoted to history, including a stop at the Black Soldiers Memorial in Elmwood Cemetery. It stands, in the heart of Dixie, honoring African Americans who fought for the Union in the Civil War.

After a tour of the USS Wisconsin, one of the largest battleships ever built, we board the tour boat Victory Rover for a narrated trip to the huge Norfolk naval base. One fact stands out: A single nuclear-powered ship we saw cost $8 billion.

Mostly I remember the cool breezes and the views of a city that takes full pride in and advantage of its beautiful waterfront location.

Getting There: Norfolk is 194 miles from Washington. Take Interstate 95 south to I-295 south to I-64 east to Exit 284A.

For more… [CLICK HERE]

Virginia Tourism Corporation, the folks who brought us “Virginia is for Lovers” is hitting the road and headed to Smithfield! They will be setting up their “Help Desk” at Smithfield Center to help area businesses maximize their tourism potential.

This free workshop is open to the public and offers hands-on, one-on-one advice on marketing, research trends, customer service tips and other resources essential to tourism.

Learn how local businesses including hotels, B&Bs, shops, restaurants, attractions & others can tap into the marketing power of Virginia is for Lovers! Free listings on Virginia.org, the state’s official tourism  website which reaches 6 million+ visitors a year…Advertising in Virginia’s award-winning travel guide…and other affordable & effective advertising opportunities.

ALL visitor-friendly restaurants, lodging, events, attractions & retail shopping venues are eligible, including B&Bs, hotels, motels, diners, fast-food & deli’s, retail, wine, culinary, clothing, home & accessory shops. Bring your existing ad & marketing copy, print brochures, images on CD &your current web site address if you have one. State tourism staff will also provide information on customer service enhancements, group tour planning, public relations, research and tourism development.

Virginia Tourism Corporation hosts the Tourism Help Desk each month in a different locality in Virginia. The workshop brings the state’s key tourism resources directly to localities to help boost local tourism efforts & increase visitation & spending on state & local levels.

No appointment necessary
Best times in the morning & early afternoon
Free and convenient parking at event

For more information, contact the Smithfield & Isle of Wight Tourism Bureau or Angela Wiggins at awiggins@virginia.org or (804) 545-5553) or visit www.VATC.org/workshops.

Contact Judy Hare Winslow, Director of Tourism or Lois Chapman, Marketing & Public Relations Manager (357-5182) for further information.

Save the Hampton Roads Film Office

Tourists bring more than traffic to Hampton Roads. Residents reap financial and cultural rewards from money spent to attract them.

By Bill Glose, Hampton Roads Magazine

As summer days grow long and already congested roadways bog down with out-of-town vehicles packed with everything but the kitchen sink (except in the case of RVs, which have that too), one could be forgiven for wishing the vacationers would just find somewhere else to go. Except we need them.

It’s easy enough to say tourism is important to Hampton Roads. More than 40,000 workers are employed in jobs that are directly travel-related, and the bulk of their $750 million in annual pay is spent on goods and services throughout the local area. But what if you work a 9-to-5 and don’t sell a product locally? Does tourism have any affect on your life? Yes, even then.

“In Greater Williamsburg (City of Williamsburg, James City County, York County), tourism is responsible for more than 11,400 jobs, more than $1 billion in spending by visitors, and $81.32 million in state and local tax receipts,” says Linda Stanier, director of communications for the Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance. “For an impact-on-your-wallet perspective: Local taxes generated by our tourism sector are equivalent to about $760 per household annually—taxes that support the programs and services we enjoy from our municipalities but don’t have to pay out of our own pockets. Without tourism in the Greater Williamsburg area, our three municipalities would need to raise taxes by that much per household in order to maintain their current levels of spending.”

According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, travelers spent $3.76 billion in Hampton Roads during 2008, $142 million of which went to local tax receipts. State tax receipts were even higher, with a portion of that money returned to Hampton Roads earmarked for various programs.

“Tourism has been and still is a huge benefit to the local residents,” says Chris Canavos, president of the Williamsburg Hotel & Motel Association. “It’s clean business. It doesn’t require schools, roads, fire, police. The tax collections from it are phenomenal. It’s a way to showcase an area. Visitors come in a short period of time, and they leave a good amount of money and you don’t have to build an infrastructure for them.”

But nothing in life is free. Each city and county hoping that tourists will come with fat wallets and leave with skinny ones must first spend a few bucks of their own. Take Virginia Beach, for example, which spends approximately $8 million per year on travel-related advertising and marketing. That might sound like a lot, but in 2008 vacationers spent $1.15 billion dollars at the Beach, producing local tax receipts of $47 million. An almost 6-to-1 return on investment (ROI).

In many cases, the money spent to market Hampton Roads as a tourist destination is supplemented by the advertising budgets of privately owned attractions. While the Historic Triangle spends $25–30 million per year on marketing, local businesses kick in up to an additional $20 million. “Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens are the primary marketing drivers for our area,” says Stanier. “The attractions play the major role in marketing to individuals, but since 2004 the Williamsburg Area Destination Marketing Committee (WADMC) has added an important layer to area marketing efforts. WADMC, formed by the General Assembly to oversee expenditure of funds raised from a $2 occupancy tax, markets all aspects of the area: attractions, accommodations, dining, shopping and other activities available to visitors.”

“Over 50 percent of the budget for the city of Williamsburg is tourism related,” Canavos says. “But look how many people they employ and how many companies support them. Vast. It’s a great industry for a municipality.” True enough. Slightly less than half of Williamsburg’s population works for the tourism industry, with a payroll approaching $100 million. Makes sense that the city would spend half its budget to keep its residents employed.

But how has the recent recession influenced vacationers? In hard economic times, those affected tend to cut the frills first, which includes vacations. For the year 2009, real travel and tourism spending across the U.S. declined 4 percent. Hampton Roads fared better than many vacation spots thanks to its central East Coast location; travelers who found airplane tickets to far-off destinations too expensive could still afford to pack the family in the car and drive to Hampton Roads.

“Most people say 2009 was the worst year in the history of travel,” says Tony DiFilippo, president and CEO of the Norfolk Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB). “But our largest markets are the association markets and the government and military markets. So they keep meeting. The associations need to have their annual meetings, because that’s how they make money; that’s how they keep their associations alive.”

Conversely, destinations that typically appeal to vacationers from other states and countries saw a larger drop off in attendance. Last year, Colonial Williamsburg suffered its lowest attendance since 1962. To boost its numbers, WADMC added a new, interactive visitor’s center at Jamestown, opened a new archaeological museum and launched a wide-reaching television and internet advertising campaign meant to showcase the interactive splendor of Colonial Williamsburg.

Some communities have opted to go in the other direction, forgoing out-of-state marketing to focus instead on day trippers from nearby cities. Taking vacations without leaving your local area became so popular during the recession that a new term—staycations—was coined and now appears in the 2009 version of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. In this vein, Portsmouth adopted the new marketing slogan:  Give us a day, we’ll give you a vacation.

“We have shifted our focus from marketing our overnight stays,” says Lynette P. James, marketing coordinator for Portsmouth’s Marketing Communications Department, “to that of what the hospitality industry knows as attracting more ‘feet on the street.’ Olde Towne has a quaint, neighborhood feeling. There are plenty of antique and specialty shops within a 10-block radius of the waterfront, and everything is within walking distance to most of our hotels. Once people get here and walk through historic Olde Towne, their impressions tend to be, ‘Omigosh, I didn’t realize all this was here.’ And they want to come back. Which suits us just fine.”

Attracting tourists in a tight market means that locales need to specialize more than ever. It’s not enough that Hampton Roads has the world’s longest pleasure beach, one-of-a-kind historic sites, world-class museums, theme parks, and restaurants to suit every palette. No, the tourist trade in Hampton Roads thrives because cities go out of their way to service special wants and needs. There’s newly opened JT’s Grommet Island Beach Park and Playground in Virginia Beach, the first-ever handicap-accessible oceanfront park. There are resorts for vacationing nude and conventions where one can attend dressed as a Klingon. And there are festivals galore with events to appeal to every niche, from shag dancing to gospel singing to parading your hermit crab in a beauty pageant.

Cities are also searching for ways to provide special services to visitors. Norfolk offers an electronic golf cart called FRED (Free Ride Every Day) that picks tourists up and drops them off free of charge anywhere in the downtown area. “We also have public service ambassadors out on the streets with hand-held computers to help conventioneers,” says DiFilippo. “So when a convention comes, we’ll have their whole agenda programmed into those computers. If people walk up to the ambassadors and say, ‘How do I get to the Chrysler Museum?’ they can print out a map … They will already know, for example, that certain conventioneers have exhibits at Scope Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and that they’re on their own for dinner Thursday and Friday night. So they’ll be positioned strategically throughout the city where the major shopping patterns are anticipated.”

Amenities Aplenty

The fat time for Hampton Roads has always been summer, when tourists come in carloads. But with fewer people traveling, locales have been finding ways to fill the rest of the calendar with vacationers as well. “Our city has evolved into a year-round destination with well over half of our almost 3 million out-of-town visitors coming between September and May,” says Pamela Lingle, communications manager for the Virginia Beach CVB. “Center stage in this renaissance has been the new (515,000-square-foot) Virginia Beach Convention Center … hosting meetings, conferences, conventions and sporting events for people from throughout the country.”

But the festivals, special events, facilities and services aren’t just for the benefit of tourists. “Residents in Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads area enjoy many amenities that would not be here if it were not for our out-of-town visitors,” says Lingle. “Facilities like the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center are available to locals year round because they are used by both locals and visitors. These amenities benefit our residents from both a quality of life perspective and a financial perspective … It is a win-win for everyone involved.”

Dawn West, a transplanted Chicagoan who served on Newport News’ Sheriff’s Department for 20 years, figured she’d probably move somewhere else after she retired. “Whenever family or friends would come down to visit,” she says, “rarely did I have anything to show them in Newport News. But in the last 10 years, something happened to our dreary city. It woke up, dusted itself off, and put on its Sunday suit. Now we’ve got the revamped Virginia Living Museum, the new USS Monitor Center (at the Mariners’ Museum) and outdoor art festivals at Port Warwick. And Christopher Newport University’s transformation is just incredible. What was once a tiny commuter college now has a Broadway-quality main theater (Ferguson Center for the Arts) that brings in world-class performances. Now I love it when friends come to visit so I can show the place off!”

“Whether it is answering a visitor’s questions, sharing a favorite restaurant or fishing spot, or helping someone research their past,” says Suzanne Pearson, media relations manager for the Newport News Tourism Development Office, “tourism gives us the opportunity to meet, share and learn from other Americans, as well as from people of other countries and cultures.”

Sporting events have been a particular boon to Hampton Roads, bringing in overnight guests from throughout the state and sometimes the country. Hampton plays host to annual high school all-star games, Williamsburg features 14 championship golf courses, and Virginia Beach offers up its flat, fast roads for 24,000+ runners in the Shamrock Marathon.

When the Virginia Beach Convention Center hosts an event such as the National High School Wrestling Championship, it isn’t just the 3,000 individual wrestlers who come to the area; coaches and family members come as well, filling up hotel rooms and restaurants. Likewise, Virginia Beach’s boardwalk, Norfolk’s Town Point Park and Portsmouth’s nTelos Pavilion host events throughout the year, drawing visitors to the area in droves.

The North American Sand Soccer Championship (NASSC) attracts nearly 10,000 players to Virginia Beach for the largest single weekend of beach soccer in the world, with teams coming from as far away as Bosnia and Norway. Fifty thousand spectators also descend on the beach, turning it, like so many other boardwalk events, into one big beach party. West attended one of the tournaments, marking the only time she’d ever watched a complete game of soccer. “The kicks up in the air, the speed, the rhythm of the ocean,” she says, “and of course hunky muscles and shirtless sweaty men with sand stuck to their backs. What’s not to love?”

So, the next time traffic slows to a crawl and you’re surrounded by out-of-state license plates, try to give thanks instead of a toot of the horn. There’s a good chance the destination you’re driving to wouldn’t exist without them.

The Cheroenhaka (pronounced CHAIR-IN-HOCK-AH), or “People at the Fork of the Stream,” will celebrate the Commonwealth of Virginia’s formal recognition as a tribe and 430 years of documented ethno-history with traditional dancing, foods, artifacts, arts and crafts and more in a family-friendly atmosphere. Master of ceremonies will be Jerome “Good Eagle” Kays.

The Fairgrounds are located 1.5 miles South on New Market Road off Highway 58 in Courtland, Virginia. For more information, contact Powwow Chairman, Vice Chief Ellis “Soaring Eagle” Wright at (434) 658-4796 or Chief Walt “Red Hawk” Brown at (757) 562-7760 or wdbrowniii@aol.com.

The Cheroenhaka Tribal Website: http://www.cheroenhaka-nottoway.org

Members of the Cheroenhaka, recognized tribe of Virginia, with Regional Crier at Vision Hampton Roads Regional Day. Photo courtesy of Bob Harper.

Tough economic times have taken their toll, and after months of searching, the funding for the Hampton Roads Film Office ran out on June 30.

This is worse than just bad timing considering the legislation passed in this year’s General Assembly, which gives incentives in the form of grants and tax credits to production companies to bring their projects to Virginia.

That will provide Hampton Roads the best chance in many years of landing major productions, which brings in additional jobs and creates even more economic impact. However, without local financial support, there will no longer be a proactive single point of contact to bring those dollars to the region.

What will Hampton Roads lose?

The HRFO opened its doors July 1, 2006, in partnership with the Virginia Film Office as a division of the Hampton Roads Partnership.

During those four years, according to the VFO, production in the Hampton Roads region annually accounted for an average of $124 million in economic impact and $9 million in direct state tax revenue.

Most importantly, it has created over 750 jobs annually to taxpaying citizens in Hampton Roads.

In these four years the HRFO has:

• Helped bring in production companies from out of Virginia to produce their films, television shows, commercials;
• Provided a single contact for coordination between production companies and the municipalities and venues of Hampton Roads;
• Worked with local production companies to help their business;
• Worked with colleges, universities, private and   public schools on their film programs and education of their students;
• Provided pro bono work to local nonprofits;
• Provided much needed jobs to the Hampton Roads community; and
• Helped elevate the region’s profile on a national and international stage.

I feel so strongly about this community and the economic impact of the film industry that I have decided to keep the HRFO open and continue to perform the duties of commissioner on a limited, volunteer basis while trying to find a sustainable source of funding.

If you have questions or, better yet, solutions please feel free to write or call me. Your comments and support would be greatly appreciated.

W. Jeffery Frizzell is commissioner of the Hampton Roads Film Office. Reach him at FilmOffice@HRP.org. Letter to the editor printed in The Virginian-Pilot’s Sunday Forum on July 11, 2010.

Hampton, Virginia Hosts Huge 400^th Anniversary Weekend Celebration July 9-11, 2010
–Highlights include the Blackbeard Pirate Festival, live music, fireworks–

Hampton, VA- This July 9-11, Hampton, Virginia will celebrate its 400^th anniversary in grandiose style, complete with a festival, fireworks, live music, cake, and more. The event, which spans the entire weekend, will take place during one of Hampton’s most popular festivals, the 11^th annual Blackbeard Pirate Festival. Unless noted, all events are free and open to the public.

The 400^th anniversary celebration festivities “unofficially” kicked off Thursday night with the 11^th annual Grand Pirates Ball (business casual, creative black tie or period attire) at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina Hotel, located at 700 Settlers Landing Road in downtown Hampton.  The ball, a recreation of Blackbeard’s Party at Okracoke, will feature sea chanties, food, libations, and more.

That evening, The American Theatre hosted a very special viewing of the film “Hampton:  From the Sea to the Stars”, a documentary featuring local historian John Quarstein. U.S. Senator Mark Warner was in attendance along with other local dignitaries. The premiere of the film, which provides an overview of the qualities and resources that make Hampton a special place, is sponsored by the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Leadership Institute. The film will air on WHRO and other PBS affiliates on Monday, July 12.

Friday, July 9, 2010
At 12:00 noon, Hampton Mayor Molly Joseph Ward will officially introduce Hampton’s 400^th Anniversary Weekend at the Hampton Maritime Center, located at 710 Settlers Landing Road on the Hampton waterfront. The introduction will include the dedication of Hampton’s historical marker series, created specifically for the 400^th anniversary, and produced in partnership with Civil War Trails. There are 65 markers total, each highlighting historical sites in Phoebus, Buckroe, Aberdeen Gardens, Fox Hill, Downtown Hampton, and other sites in the city.

During the welcome, the Colonial Seaport Foundation will introduce a recreation of an 18^th century Customs House. The interactive, traveling display will stay on exhibit at the Hampton Public Piers throughout the weekend, helping to educate visitors regarding the role of the customs officer.

Following the noon ceremony, join roughly 50,000 other seafaring attendees, as Blackbeard (personified by first person interpreter Ben Cherry) and his crew once again invade downtown Hampton during the 11^th annual Blackbeard Pirate Festival! The free festival officially opens in Mill Point Park.

The rest of the day will include activities such as extemporized street skirmishes between pirates and militia (costumed interpreters), a replica of Blackbeard’s pirate camp (complete with living history interpreters teaching the skills of the sailor circa 1700), and the trial and escape of William Howard, one of Blackbeard’s fellow pirates with ties to Hampton. Interact with Blackbeard and more than 100 other authentically costumed pirate re-enactors as they run rampant on the cobblestone streets of America’s oldest continuously English speaking settlement.

Later in the evening, Queens Way will be rocking with live music and libations. At 9:30 p.m., a ten-minute fireworks display will take place over the Hampton River. The show can be seen throughout all of downtown Hampton, including Queens Way, however the best site for viewing the fireworks is Mill Point Park (100 Eaton Street Hampton, VA 23669). Don’t forget to check out the tall ships that will be on display along the downtown Hampton waterfront the entire weekend, towering over more than 50 pirate-decorated private sail and powerboats.

Saturday, July 10, 2010
On Saturday, July 10, the Blackbeard Pirate Festival continues with an exhilarating re-enactment of the classic sea battle between Lt. Maynard and Blackbeard, featuring two full – scale replica vessels in the Hampton Harbor. At the conclusion of the sea battle a presentation ceremony will take place in which Blackbeard’s severed head will be bestowed upon Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood (1710-1722).

Other Saturday amusements include jugglers, musicians, a pirate procession, street entertainers, and a very special pirate-themed Summer Street Fest (a free seasonal street party with live music that takes place every Saturday night on Queens Way in downtown Hampton April – September) from 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Also that evening, St. John’s Episcopal Church (the oldest continuous speaking English-speaking parish in the U.S.) will host a Celebration Dinner 6:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina Hotel. Special guest is The Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, USA, The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts- Schori. The cost to attend the dinner is $30.00 per person. For further information, contact St. John’s Church at 757/722-2567 or office@stjohnshampton.org.

Saturday’s festivities conclude, much like Friday’s, with a fireworks display over the Hampton River. It begins at 9:30 p.m. and will span about 15-minutes. Finish off the night at the Saturday Summer Street Fest on Queen Way until 11:00 p.m.

Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Blackbeard Pirate Festival continues on Sunday. If you have little ones, you will be sure to want to check out the Little Swashbuckler’s Stage, located in the children’s area. The stage will host several performances on Sunday, including a puppet show and a variety of musical acts. There will also be a number of inflatable rides, hands-on crafts, contests, and a treasure dig.

In addition, festival attendees will have the opportunity to stroll through Blackbeard’s Pirate Camp where they can learn how to use a cutlass, load a cannon, or even sing a sea chantey at Pirate’s Cove. Inside Pirate’s Cove is The Bunch of Grapes Tavern, an actual recreation of Hampton’s original Bunch of Grapes Tavern from the 1700s.

At 10:00 a.m., St. John’s Episcopal Church will host a 400^th Anniversary Service with Presiding Bishop, The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts-Schori and The Rt. Rev. Herman Hollerith, IV, Diocese of Southern Virginia. Many of Hampton’s city leaders will also be in attendance.

Following the service, the Virginia Air & Space Center will host a reception with a special anniversary cake prepared by Charm City Cakes, the bakery featured on Food Network’s reality television program entitled “Ace of Cakes.” Charm City Cakes has decorated and designed cakes for Superbowl XLI, Baltimore Zoo, and the premiere of “Kung-Fu Panda”, among countless others. The reception begins at 12:00 noon and is free and open to the public. The Blackbeard Pirate Festival concludes at 4:00 p.m.

For more information, contact the Hampton Visitor Center at 757-727-1102 or visit www.Hampton400.com or www.BlackBeardPirateFestival.com.

Hampton, Virginia, the oldest continuous English speaking settlement in North America, celebrates four centuries of history in 2010.  We invite you to “Explore Old Worlds, New Worlds, Our World.”  The Explore Hampton 2010 committee consists of Hampton citizens and representatives of businesses, churches, neighborhoods, Hampton University and the City of Hampton. For information on upcoming Explore Hampton initiatives, visit www. Hampton400.

July 29-August 7, 2010

Less than a month to go until 15,000 athletes, hundreds of which are local talent, will showcase skills and sportsmanship at the 2010 AAU Junior Olympics Games to be held in various locations around Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Athletes, families and fans from all 50 states will be making the pilgrimage to our area again this summer, with a projected economic impact close to $50 million. Nearly 45,000 people are expected in total. This event has proven to be a sound investment in past years for both tourism and youth sports.

You won’t want to miss out on one of the largest amateur multi-sport youth events in the country. Hampton Roads has hosted previous games in 1998, 2001 and 2006 and is one of five areas in the nation to host the games through 2016. From July 29 to August 7, twenty events are slated for venues in Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach. The Games are produced by the Hampton Roads Sports Commission, an affiliate of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.

Fans can delight in more traditional sports such as baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, field hockey, wrestling and beach tennis, to more unique ones such as bowling, baton twirling, jump rope and trampoline and tumbling. Additionally, there are individual competitions such as gymnastics, weightlifting, swimming, table tennis and track and field events.

Download the full list of events and schedule.

Download a detailed track and field schedule.

Tickets and wristband/passports (includes admissions to all events throughout the 10-day course of the games) may be purchased at the registration centers at each competition venue. Free admission is available to children ages 6 and younger.

Volunteers are still very much needed! If interested, please contact Ashley Branum at abranum@hrccva.com, or call the Hampton Roads Sports Commission at (757) 664-2571. There are a variety of dates and times to fit even the busiest of schedules. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old and groups are always welcome.

For more information on the 2010 Hampton Roads AAU Junior Olympic Games, visit the Hampton Roads Sports Commission’s website, http://www.HamptonRoadsSports.org or the AAU Junior Olympics website, http://www.aaujrogames.org.

Story and photos by Kelly Copeland

This year the tournament stretched 20 city blocks, and there were 882 registered teams. All levels of ability from beginner to professional, as well as all age ranges, competed in men’s and women’s single gender, co-ed, college, and professional match ups. Teams came from all over the country with nearly 20 states represented.

This tournament even attracted international teams with some players coming all the way from Brazil, Germany, and Norway. Vendors lined the boardwalk selling everything from handbags and jewelry to funnel cake and snow cones, and they weren’t the only ones benefitting from the huge crowd.

Nearly every hotel was completely booked. Between matches, the soccer players quickly turned to soccer fans as they flocked to the nearby restaurants and bars to cheer on Team USA in the World Cup, who was playing in a much anticipated match against England that afternoon.

The 2010 North American Sand Soccer Tournament did not disappoint. It had such a positive impact on the area, bringing in big business for the local economy and was a ton of fun for all of the participants. It was the perfect way to kick off the summer season.

Kelly Copeland is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington where she majored in Film Studies and minored in Theatre. While searching for the right position on her communication-focused career path, Kelly is interning at WCTV, the City of Chesapeake’s television station, where she is working on Channel 48 News and “Thinking Out Loud” among other programs. She’s also covering Tourism and Arts & Culture for the Hampton Roads blog. Contact Kelly at kellycplnd@gmail.com.