ISSUE 29• FALL 14 ISSUE 29• FALL WHETHER A DISPATCHER OR POLICE CHIEF, JEFF DUDLEY HAS ANSWERED THE CALL TO SERVE Salem’s citizens WITH HUMILITY In Tune with Richard Kiser and the Blue Ridge Music Festival ALSO: SPECIAL SHS FOOTBALL POSTER & TRIBUTE TO SALEM SCHOLARS Your Hometown Real Estate Company Thank you Salem for George Barker 25 Great Years! 389-6727 David Barker Lewis Barker Susan Craft Diane Davis Pat Dew 389-3860 389-6451 597-7788 384-7003 580-1467 Nancy Duffy Ginny Fisher Jenn Fountain Sarah Goodman Wayne Goodman 387-9196 312-3009 314-0029 AD598-6542 580-2868 AD AD Mike Helvey Egon Hofmann Brenda Mason Hamp Maxwell Joan Prillaman 562-2435 389-1527 986-6132 353-2194 365-2470 David Pollock Bob Saunders Doris Smith Fay Wingate 312-5174 798-8725 580-9811 384-8087 [email protected] Turn over a new leaf. In Salem. Now open in Salem. Service that goes above and beyond. Friendly people who know you by name. Banking that fits your life and your schedule. If this sounds like your idea of how banking should be, we invite you to take a closer look at 852 W. Main St., Salem VA 24153 HomeTown Bank. With 7am-7pm full-service hours and (In front of Lowe’s) mobile deposit, there’s never been a better time to switch. hometownbankva.com Expect More. Member FDIC Contents ISSUE 29• FALL 2014 Turn over a new leaf. 36 Chief Jeff Dudley Salem’s Police Chief is retiring after 37 years of service to the city of Salem. Dudley started as a night dispatcher before the days of 911 and is finishing in the internet age. Inside City Hall 7 City Council 11 9 Kevin’s Corner Changes are coming to Lake Spring Park. In Salem. 10 Newsmakers 16 Our Community 16 In Tune Richard Kiser shares his talents across the country. 19 Back-to-Back Home Runs 22 Softball teams from 32 states came to town. 22 Salem’s Small Town Throwdown The Blue Ridge Music Festival returned for a big year. 33 Magical Midway The Salem Fair set records from tickets to funnel cakes. Our Schools 40 40 East Salem Expansion The elementary school gets a facelift. You can view this edition of the Salem Magazine as well as previous issues for free at www.salemva.gov 42 Distinguished Scholars Now open in Salem. PUBLISHER Salem High School celebrates scholarship recipients. City of Salem Service that goes above and beyond. Friendly people 50 Parks & Recreation PRINTER who know you by name. Banking that fits your life and Chocklett Press, Roanoke your schedule. If this sounds like your idea of how 54 A Long Time Ago EDITORIAL, LAYOUT banking should be, we invite you to take a closer look at On the cover Police Chief Jeff & DESIGN 852 W. Main St., Salem VA 24153 Communications HomeTown Bank. With 7am-7pm full-service hours and Dudley is flanked by Deputy Chief (In front of Lowe’s) Tim Guthrie and Captain Mike Department mobile deposit, there’s never been a better time to switch. ADVERTISE WITH US ISSUE 29• FALL 14 FALL 29• ISSUE Green. Dudley will be retiring from hometownbankva.com the department before the end Mike Stevens & Clark Ruhland City of Salem of 2014. Communications Expect More. Member FDIC [email protected] Department [email protected] 540-375-4112 www.salemva.gov | FALL 2014 5 ED FOUND 1802 WERED THE CALL TO WHETHER A DISPATCHER OR POLICE CHIEF, JEFF DUDLEYalem’s HAS citizensANS WITH HUMILITY SERVE S Inside City Hall STREETS & MAINTENANCE 2014-15 Holiday Trash Collection Schedule Veterans Day - November 11, 2014 Tuesday- November 11 - route collected Wednesday (11/12) Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday routes unchanged Thanksgiving Day - November 27, 2014 Thursday - Nov. 27 - route collected Monday (11/24) Friday - Nov. 28 - route collected Tuesday (11/25) Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday routes unchanged Christmas Week - December 25 & 26, 2014 Thursday - Dec. 25 - route collected Monday (12/22) Friday - Dec. 26 - route collected Tuesday (12/23) Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday routes unchanged New Year’s Week - January 1 & 2, 2015 Thursday - Jan. 1 - route collected Monday (12/29) Friday - Jan. 2 - route collected Tuesday (12/30) Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday routes unchanged Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Jan. 19, 2015 Monday- Jan. 19 - route collected Tuesday (1/20) Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday routes unchanged Streets & Maintenance - Sanitation Division 540-375-3071 Community Recycling Bins Indiana St. Recycling Center West Main Walmart Parking Lot (newspaper, mixed paper, aluminum & plastic are accepted at both sites) Inside City Hall city council Randy Foley Mayor [email protected] John Givens Vice Mayor [email protected] Salem City Hall is located at 114 North Broad Street. Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month at 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers located on the main level of the building. city departments directory Animal Control - Shelter (540)375-3038 Planning Department (540)375-3007 Jane Johnson Building Inspections & Zoning (540)375-3036 Police Department (540)375-3078 [email protected] City Manager (540)375-3016 Purchasing Department (540)375-3063 Civic Facilities (540)375-3004 Real Estate (540)375-3058 Commissioner of the Revenue (540)375-3019 Rescue Squad (540)375-3001 Commonwealth’s Attorney (540)375-3041 Sanitation Division (540)375-3071 Communications (540)375-4112 School Division (540)389-0130 Electric Department (540)375-3030 Sheriff's Office (540)375-3040 Engineering Department (540)375-3032 Social Services - Welfare (540)387-6087 Lisa Garst [email protected] Farmer’s Market (540)375-4098 Streets & Maintenance (540)375-3039 Finance Department (540)375-3061 Technology Systems (540)375-4080 Fire & EMS Department (540)375-3080 Treasurer (540)375-3024 Health Department (540)387-5530 Utility Billing (540)375-3026 Human Resources (540)375-3060 Utility Collections (540)375-3021 Library (540)375-3089 VASAP Court Community Corrections (540)986-1301 Management Info. Systems (540)375-3099 Voter Registration (540)375-3034 Bill Jones Parks and Recreation (540)375-3057 Water & Sewer (540)375-3029 [email protected] www.salemva.gov | FALL 2014 7 Inside City Hall REMOVAL REMINDERS The City of Salem Street Department will collect leaves curbside from november through the end of December. Beginning January 5 and continuing through March 20, these crews will only collect leaves on an “as needed” basis. After January 5, Residents must notify the Street Department at 375-3039 to schedule a loose leaf pick-up time. Loose leaves will not be collected after March 20. After that time, they must be bagged or boxed in order to be picked-up. Salem prides itself on having the best snow removal operation in the state, but citizens also need to do their part to help get streets and sidewalks cleared. • When possible, park your vehicles in your driveway. This will allow the snowplows to not only clear more of the street, but also the area in front of your roadside mailbox. • Remember, all residential, retail and commercial property owners, who have sidewalks, are required to clear these walkways no later than six hours after a snowfall ends. Help us keep our streets and sidewalks clear and our citizens safe! Inside City Hall Kevin’s Corner Kevin Boggess - City Manager [email protected] 375-3016 For residents and visitors entering the downtown corridor Lake Spring’s current situation before we headed up to Augusta from the west, Lake Spring Park is often the first city landmark that County. Before Tuttle had even made it halfway around our facility, catches their attention. It has been a popular attraction dating back he suggested that we create defined areas for the ducks. to the late 1800s when the area was home to the once popular Lake The idea of “giving them a Spring Hotel. home” sounded like something Lately, the park has been that was way too simple of a home to some not-so-hospitable solution. But once we actually guests, who are taking advantage saw how Staunton’s addition of of the plush accommodations fencing around an entire pond on the corner of West Main and and the creation of “landing” 4th Street. Simply put, the ducks areas at the pond to keep the and geese that are supposed to ducks contained, we were sold. compliment the lake are running Right now, we are looking at amuck and refusing to clean-up not only the addition of fencing, after themselves. but also signage that will better The problem is two-fold. educate the public on why no The ducks are being fed too much one should feed the ducks bread, of the wrong kind of food too French fries, donuts or other foods that lack nutritional value. To often and their bathroom habits that end, Staunton has had great success with duck food dispensing are causing the Street Department to spend way too much time machines. Money generated from the sale of the food is used to cleaning up their mess. feed the ducks every morning. For months, city officials have been studying the situation Lake Spring Park has been the site of hundreds of wedding and looking for long term solutions to the problem beyond a daily photos, prom pictures and to this day it is easily the most power washing. We all want children, parents and visitors to be able photographed place in the city. All of us want to make sure it to enjoy the park and the ducks, but in the proper mixture. remains that way for years to come. That likely means we will have Recently, members of the Street Department traveled with to embrace some changes to the park that all of us hope will be huge me to Staunton’s Gypsy Hill Park.