tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69015202864023666442025-10-29T10:26:11.670-04:00The Ashland News The weekly news from the Center of the Universe <br> by Meriwether GilmoreUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger293125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-57693208063533013992020-02-26T13:35:00.002-05:002020-02-26T13:35:41.452-05:00It's a shame we didn't get any snow this winter...
Especially since we're building this new town ski lodge.
I mean, I guess it could potentially bring in tourism dollars, if we built some slopes and bought some snow-making machines.
And in the summer months, they could use all those rooms with the big windows for modern meetings, like where people Skype-in from their home offices. We need more rooms in townUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-15550283285161782892020-02-14T15:50:00.000-05:002020-02-14T15:50:01.860-05:00Valentines Day and a new feature: The COTU Calendar!
Happy Valentines Day Ashland!
I have thought for a long time that we needed a centralized calendar for our dear COTU. There are so many things going on that we really need just one calendar to put it all on. And personally, I get annoyed with Facebook on a regular basis; I've gotten tired of the aggressive advertisements, the political posts, the annoying gossip, and the feeling that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-68532674141015342652020-02-07T11:52:00.002-05:002020-02-07T20:33:08.102-05:002/7/2020 Report from the Ball, Black History Stories, Valentine Town needs Council Members
Obviously I am not a professional photographer, but what I'd like to emphasize here is...those empty chairs that you see? Its because everyone was one the dance floor!
The 6th Annual Ashland Police Officer's Ball was an amazing event. The cause was worthy, the decorations were beautiful, and the food was incredible. The silent auction, organized by the Ashland Rotary Club, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-49301057613819985332020-01-31T15:00:00.000-05:002020-01-31T15:00:02.606-05:001/13/2020 Bad Dreams and Construction Updates, Memory of Failed Developments
Twice in the past week, I have woken up from bad dreams about development in the Center of the Universe. Just last night, I dreamed that I came back to Ashland and there were woods all around where Henry Clay St. crosses Railroad Avenue. Someone told me, in my dream, that the Henry Clay Inn had been torn down to build a park. I woke relieved that such drastic measures hadn't Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-17244893143931254892020-01-24T15:38:00.000-05:002020-01-24T15:38:36.009-05:001/24/2020 Officer's Ball SOLD OUT; Busy Hands, Warm Hearts; Goodbye Mr. Bass
Dear Ashland,
I have told you before that those Ball tickets sell out fast! I do feel partially responsible since I didn't remind you this past November when they went on sale, but this is the 6th year in a row that we have held this spectacular event, so I don't feel that guilty. Put a reminder on your phone for the week after Thanksgiving this year and make sure to get your Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-30083676413146174442020-01-17T10:22:00.000-05:002020-01-17T10:22:51.543-05:001/17/2020 Reading the Signs, Hanover Idol, Tickets to the Ball
Bear with me....
Does anyone else not understand this sign, or is it just me? This sign bothers me every time I drive past it. It sits at the crosswalk by Sweet Frog and Maple St. and directs pedestrians to cross Rt. 54 on the cross walk and go south towards Maple to avoid the sidewalk closure ahead around the train station.
So if I am walking east on 54 from Rt 1, lets say Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-89694146574528439682020-01-10T14:29:00.000-05:002020-01-10T14:29:17.595-05:002020: New Decade in the Center of the Universe
Happy New Year Ashland!
It seemed fitting to me to begin a new decade with a revival of the weekly news from the Center of the Universe. The closing of the Herald-Progress was tough, it felt like some had died and there was a big emptiness in town. I wrote letters to the publisher and I tried get other newspapers to pick up this column by telling them about the importance of news inUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-89564247149258988902019-11-13T16:52:00.000-05:002019-11-13T16:52:37.628-05:00Final Installment: Coleman v Ashland, and the End of Segregation Ordinances
Part III
Highlighted plots are the possible sites for John Coleman's house. Dates listed are when existing houses were built. Arrow shows direction of Coleman's relative who would have lived two blocks to the north.
As quickly as the segregation
ordinance was passed in 1912, it was challenged the next month.
On October 27th, John
Coleman, a black entrepreneur and native Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-22870470668699493602019-09-04T17:18:00.000-04:002019-09-04T17:18:17.814-04:00The Segregation Ordinance, Part II: Race Riots
The Segregation Ordinance, Part II: Race Riots
Ashland, VA, taken in 1900, courtesy of the Ashland Museum.
After the war, Ashland’s main source of income, the Slash Resort, had closed and was
abandoned. The horse racing track in Ashland had been transformed into a soldier camp and was never restored. Fortunately, the college of Randolph-Macon, located in a small town inUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-53779110245860559252019-08-16T09:30:00.000-04:002019-08-16T09:30:43.595-04:00The Segregation Ordinance; Part I: Cleaning Up
The Segregation Ordinance
Part I
Cleaning Up
The town of Ashland, Virginia was a thriving community in 1911. Randolph-Macon
College had established itself on the grounds of the old Slash resort over forty year earlier
and the school continued to grow. The college was a main employer for the town, and a
center of activity: many local homes served as boarding houses forUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-16320049789768288522019-07-23T09:03:00.001-04:002019-07-23T09:03:32.462-04:00Coming Soon!
Coming Soon! An investigative journey by Meriwether Gilmore into the history of segregation in Ashland and the story of John Coleman, the black man who fought against it. Watch for this story to be published in four segments in the Ashland Hawk Newspaper: in stores and online.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-69110493165803479032018-09-28T14:59:00.000-04:002018-09-28T14:59:48.976-04:009/27/2018 Classic COTU Weekend: Parties, Music, Food, & Old Friends
It seems too good to be true.
The weather report for this Saturday doesn't seem normal considering all the clouds and rain that we have had for 2018, BUT the forecast calls for sunshine, clear skies, and a high of 76. It will be a beautiful day for all things Ashland, which means being out and socializing.
A big happy birthday to the place that has raised so many Ashland kids!&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-79132366570050616982018-09-14T14:33:00.000-04:002018-09-14T14:33:15.539-04:009/14/2018 The Storm that Wasn't, Craft Beer on the Lawn, Small Town Friday Nights
Murphy's Law # 327:
The amount of effort one puts into hurricane preparations is inversely
reflected in the strength of said storm on the prepare-er.
Example:
This past Tuesday, we tied the trampoline to a tree, ya'll.
In light of the non-weather event this weekend that cancelled all of our plans, I propose multiple post-hurricane parties where Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-59656629990571904692018-08-23T14:25:00.001-04:002018-08-23T14:25:29.681-04:008/23/2018 Late Summer Storms, Yellow Jackets return, Open-Air Film Festival
Like a hurricane always makes that turn to the north along the east coast, so does summer always turn towards fall. I have hurricanes on my mind because it is that time of year. I was working in my yard last Friday around 6:00 PM, and I noticed how quiet it was- the cicadas had stopped their constant singing and the air was still. "Oh," I immediately thought, "its hurricane Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-5116847668714126532018-08-16T16:03:00.001-04:002018-08-23T10:13:51.015-04:008/16/2018 Summer Stretched Thin, Patrick Henry Half, September Schedule
It's mid-August. College kids are packing to leave, and grade-schoolers are eyeing school supplies. Carter Park pool is quiet most afternoons, and most of us are focused on September instead of August. These last weeks can be a blur; what did we not accomplish this summer?
It reminds me of how fast the days in Ashland have flown by. Our summers used to be filled withUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-28312711289020371652018-08-02T12:48:00.000-04:002018-08-02T12:48:04.644-04:008/02/2018 Empty Lots, Swimmers End Season, Main Street Welcome New Director, 32 Days Left
We are very tempted to hang out own signs on the chain-link fence that surrounds the empty lot on the corner of Rt. 1 and England Street. "Coming soon- more PVP pipes sticking out of the ground!" "Coming soon- better pop-up tents!" "Watch up dig up dirt so we can smooth it out again!"
Although the Ashland Barracudas took a small group to the Championship meet, they Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-14939948061787997872018-07-19T13:21:00.000-04:002018-07-19T13:21:26.075-04:007/19/2018 Life Guards Make Two Saves, Barracudas Close Season, Traveler Returns, Summer Stock
Congratulations to the Ashland Barracudas who concluded another successful swim season last night! We'd also like to congratulate all of the seniors who stood on the blocks last night with a combined 86 years of participation. Standing on those blocks of Carter Park Pool while Coach Trent reads off their accomplishments and college destination has become just as much as a rite of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-29162806744143572702018-07-12T12:38:00.000-04:002018-07-12T12:38:20.017-04:007/12/2018 The Gravitational Pull of the Center of the Universe
Last week I took a trip far on the other side of the world and I almost didn't come back.
Now, don't be alarmed, I love Ashland more than I have ever loved another town, but I have always felt the desire to move and have a great love of the unknown destination. I never liked the feeling of being settled, and I struggle with it as I attempt to have a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-40924295943342835022018-06-28T10:21:00.000-04:002018-06-28T10:21:01.620-04:006/28/2018 Swimming Records Breaking, 4th of July Preparation, Keep the Guards Well Fed
Do Not Attempt.
It's a short column this week, chaps, because there is just too much to do to be spending time in front of a computer screen.
Your Ashland Barracudas are on a winning streak after defeating Chestnut Oaks by a score of 1088.5 to 985.5! Christine Datovech broke another GRAL record for the 11/12 girls 50 meter free style. If you haven't noticed, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-41291395031096064512018-06-21T11:03:00.001-04:002018-06-21T11:03:16.366-04:006/21/2018 Looking for Uncle Sam, Barracudas Breaking Records, Spoonfuls of Sugar, and Observing the Sunshine Law
Patriotism in the United States can be a tricky thing: too much and its scary nationalism, not enough and its apathetic socialism.
To celebrate who and what we are as a country means taking a good look at our 242 years and saying, "How can we make it better?" An easy way to do this is to turn to your neighbors, friends, and family. Start with them.
Your Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-38720338717453862052018-06-14T11:17:00.002-04:002018-06-15T10:42:21.819-04:006/14/2018 An Open Letter to WHAN, Feed the Life Guards, Local Kids Earn Their PHDs
We have been without a local newspaper now for two months and the void is still there. It hasn't been without effort, though. I have reached out to the Richmond-Times Dispatch and the Mechanicsville Local, and I have been in touch with the owner/editor of the Progress-Index in Petersburg who was interested in continuing the H-P, but nothing. I know that no one has had any Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-58034317424978388942018-06-07T09:59:00.001-04:002018-06-14T11:18:24.377-04:006/7/2018 Things of Summer: Bees, Pool Water, Books, Tomatoes
And just like that it is summer. Randolph-Macon has sent its graduates out into the world and the streets around campus are empty and quiet. Swim team practices have begun at the pool with the wonderful addition of Ari Brothers as a coach. She is reportedly tough, but encouraging, and the allure of ribbons and a ticket to the championship meet surrounds her swimmers.&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-54360078652661773792018-05-31T09:00:00.000-04:002018-05-31T19:39:32.919-04:005/31/2018 Season of Mud, First Street Party of Summer- CANCELLED, Will Kimbrough, Ashland Hawk
I think somehow we missed spring this year; winter lasted into April and May has been a soggy mess. Now, we know that it's almost summer because a tropical system moving up from the south and hurricane season begins Friday. Regrettably, all signs point to a very humid summer.
Sorry to report that this event has been cancelled due to the predicted weather for the evening. &Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-74703847195155078222018-05-24T10:07:00.000-04:002018-05-30T22:13:58.750-04:005/24/2018 Yellow Jackets Look To World Series, Cross Brothers Re-opens, Saturday Shopping, Memorial Day
Photo courtesy of Randolph-Macon College
So, not only are they headed to the 2018 NCAA Division III Baseball World Series, but the Randolph-Macon Baseball team is seeded number 1! The team leaves today bound for Appleton, Wisconsin- way over on the other side of Lake Michigan- almost a thousand miles away. Their first game will be tomorrow, Friday, May 25th, at 2:15 (our time) Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6901520286402366644.post-90923913142334263282018-05-17T09:02:00.000-04:002018-05-17T09:02:26.447-04:005/17/2018 Rain, Street Party Moved, Rain, Cross Brothers Reopens, Rain
Oh, now I remember what I forgot to bring out last week when I put winter clothes away...rain boots. Although we don't have it as bad as our New England friends who are just beginning their mud season, it is certainly wet around here. Our spongy Ashland soil will soaks up all this moisture to ensure that we have lots of humidity as soon as the sun returns. We are Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0