BRISTOL, Va. – For the second year in a row, Bristol Virginia has been recognized as one of the 21 most intelligent communities in the world for its expansive use of broadband to improve quality of life and economic opportunities in the city and across Southwest Virginia. 

Known as “Smart21,” the honor is the first phase for cities vying for the 2010 Intelligent Community of the Year award, a competition sponsored by the New York City-based Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). The ICF receives hundreds of applications annually from communities large and small, urban and rural, and from both industrialized and developing nations who have ventured into the world of fiber-optic broadband. 

The top 21 communities for 2010 were named in New York City on Oct. 16 at the residence of the Consulate General of Sweden, who was representing the City of Stockholm – the 2009 Intelligent Community of the Year winner. The semi-finalists are chosen based on a number of “intelligent community indicators,” including broadband connectivity, knowledge workforce, innovation, digital inclusion and marketing and advocacy.  

“We are pleased to have once again risen to the top in this impressive competition,” says Bristol Virginia Mayor Jim Rector. “Our leaders have gained a great deal of information by going through this process and having the opportunity to review what other communities around the world have done to integrate broadband into their local economies and improve the quality of life for their citizens. We believe we are doing much of the same for the people and businesses in our region. It is truly an extraordinary opportunity.” 

Bristol Virginia made an impressive showing in 2009 as the only American city to survive to the final round of Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year. “We’re not resting on our laurels from last year’s award,” says BVU Board Chairman Paul Hurley. “With the recent formation of our Community Broadband Integration Team to find new applications for our broadband service, we’re looking to continue providing the people of Bristol and our region with every opportunity to improve their quality of life.” 

The competition is carried out in three phases. Early in 2010, the ICF will narrow the list of 21 global semi-finalists to seven at the Pacific Telecommunications Council conference.  The ICF will then announce an overall winner in May at its annual summit held in New York City.

In 2003, BVU OptiNet was the nation’s first municipal utility to launch a fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) broadband network offering voice, cable and data services. 

The Smart21 of 2010
The Smart21 list of 2010 includes communities from 13 nations and from every continent except Africa. 

• Arlington County, Virginia USA; population: 210,000
• Ballarat, Australia; population: 88,000
• Besancon, France; population: 122,000
• Bristol, Virginia, USA; population: 17,590
• Dakota County, Minnesota, USA; population: 398,500
• Danville, Virginia, USA; population: 42,000
• Dublin, Ohio, USA; population: 40,000
• Dundee, Scotland; population: 142,000
• Eindhoven, The Netherlands; population: 733,000
• Gold Coast City, Queensland, Australia; population: 500,000
• Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada; population: 65,000
• Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; population: 1,148,000
• Porto Alegre, Brazil; population: 1,416,000
• Riverside, California, USA; population: 296,800
• Suwon, Korea; population: 52,000
• Tallinn, Estonia; population: 404,000
• Taoyuan County, Taiwan; population: 1,970,000
• Tel Aviv, Israel; population: 391,300
• Tianjin Binhai, China; population: 2,020,000
• Trikala,

More about Bristol Virginia and BVU honorsBristol Virginia and BVU have received a number of other prestigious awards in recent years. These include the 2009 Community Broadband Fiber Network of the Year Award from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors; 2009 Smart21 and Top Seven awards from the Intelligent Community Forum; 2008 Gold Award for Municipal Excellence from the National League of Cities ; Governor’s Technology Award (2008) from Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine; Cornerstone Award for Outstanding Customer Service (2007) from Broadband Properties Magazine; Smart Community Award (2008) from Last Mile magazine; and the American Public Power Association Community Service Award (2008).  

About ICF
The Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org) is a think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st century community. Whether in industrial or developing nations, communities are challenged to create prosperity, stability and cultural meaning in a world where jobs, investment and progress increasingly depend on broadband communications. The Intelligent Community Forum seeks to share the secrets of success of the world’s intelligent communities in adapting to the demands of the broadband economy by conducting research, hosting events, publishing newsletters and producing an international awards program.

The jack-o-lanterns are sitting on the curb waiting to be picked up and the aisles in the grocery store are stocked with boxes of stuffing and baking essentials.  That can only mean one thing, boys and girls; the holiday season is upon us.

The season between Thanksgiving and Christmas is my absolute favorite part of the year and this year is no exception.  There are so many things to do in Southwest Virginia this time of year and after looking at the laundry list of regional activities, I think I’m ready to make my suggestion.

The Wolfhart Haus in Wytheville, VA is offering A Wolfhart Haus Christmas…Christmas in New York, which opened last week and runs until December 31.  This show features a holiday song and dance revue.  A delightful mix of traditional and contemporary music makes this show a favorite for the whole family!  Since it is a dinner theatre, it is affordable, offering a holiday themed dinner.

 My next suggestion is a personal favorite.  I highly suggest WMKS: Christmas 1942 at the Barter Theatre. Radio Station WMKS: Where Music Kills Sorrow is back on the air for another Christmas season, offering a mix of traditional Christmas music, old-time and patriotic tunes in a regional WWII era tale. It’s worth the drive to Abingdon, be sure not to miss it!

 Whatever your plans for the holiday season, keep in mind that these are only two of the many, many choices you have in Southwest Virginia.  Be sure to check out our regional events calendar for more ideas!

GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES MORE LAND PRESERVED TOWARD 400,000 ACRE GOAL

~ Mill Mountain also to be placed under conservation easement ~

ROANOKE – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today highlighted the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s approval of 17,000 acres throughout Virginia to be placed under conservation easement. He also announced that the Roanoke City Council has agreed to support plans to establish two perpetual conservation easements on Mill Mountain and the surrounding 600 acre park.

“One of the best things we can do for our children today is to preserve the environment for tomorrow,” Governor Kaine said. “These actions will bring us even closer to meeting my goal of preserving 400,000 acres of open space by the end of the decade.”

The initiation of the easement process for Mill Mountain was announced today by Governor Kaine on Mill Mountain following the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s final 2009 meeting. The City of Roanoke, led by the efforts of Councilman Rupert Cutler, will work with the VOF and the Western Virginia Land Trust to establish the two permanent easements, and hope to complete the process this year. The mountain, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, will be protected forever by this easement.

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I’m from Southwest Virginia.  That’s no secret.  I feel like when you’re from a place as special as Southwest Virginia, you don’t take many of your regional assets for granted, but the outside world does.  That’s why I am so glad that other people have discovered and rediscovered Ralph Stanley.  I know, I know…you’re probably saying, “who DOESN’T know Dr. Ralph?” Well, I’m here to tell you, there are people that don’t and people that only discovered him in the post-2001 “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” world known as the Bluegrass/Old Time Renaissance.  Anyway, Dr. Ralph has just published his memoirs and The New York Times picked up the story while he was in New York to perform in Carnegie Hall with Steve Martin, another amazing banjo player.

 It sounds like this reporter was genuinely impressed with the legacy and man that is Ralph Stanley.  The interview and book review read like a Ralph Stanley primer for those who are not yet fortunate enough to know him.  It covered his life in Dickenson, County, or as Dr. Ralph puts it, where he was “borned and raised way back in the hills,” and asks about his God given musical talent.  The good Doctor’s answer? “It tends to run in families like a good line of dogs, and there ain’t nothing you can do to change that.”

This article embodied the very essence that is Dr. Ralph.  It sounded down home, felt genuine, but at the same time, Mr, Stanley was not afraid to remind the interviewer that he was in the prescence of someone truly great.  The interviewer wrote, “It used to be said that when you heard a Ralph Stanley tune, you either wanted to get drunk or go to church and get saved.” I know this to be true and I believe that the interviewer saw the light after sitting down with the man.

 Where does this leave us and what does this blog even mean? It means 1) be thankful we have cultural gems in the area like Dr. Ralph.  2) The good ‘ol Doc is 82 and I highly suggest you go enjoy him at your earliest convenience and 3) We’re not the only ones that appreciate great music and yes, there are those who are quite jealous of our cutlural heritage.  Do yourself a favor today; read the article and bask in the thought that The New York Times just wrote something about a good ‘ol boy from Dickenson County, VA.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/books/14stanley.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

Let me tell you…I love fall.  No. scratch that.  I LOVE fall!  It gets cold, you can have bonfires and there are multiple festivals throughout the region to indulge in.  Last week, I went to the 57th Annual Chilhowie Apple Festival.  It was amazing! We did the whole parade thing and then got rained-no-poured on at the Annual Band Competition.  Hopefully, we’ll have better luck with the festivals going on this coming weekend.

This weekend marks an exciting time for Radford University.  Originally Homecoming weekend, this weekend is Welcome Back Reunion Festival, Radford Highlanders Festival and Family Weekend all rolled into one…and don’t forget the Annual Appalachian Folk Arts Festival! 

At the Highlanders Festival, you can sample Scottish food items, meet the clans, watch the traditional Scottish Highlander Games, see sheepherding demonstrations, meet a falconer, hear great music and pick up a variety of Scottish and Irish wares from any number of vendors.  It’s a great time!  I suggest getting there in time to watch the march of the clans. That’s when all clans parade in their respective tartans and it is Awesome!  The McIntyre’s are the honored clan of the year for the festival, so be sure to say hey! The festival runs from 10-5, so there’s plenty of Saturday to take that in.

On the opposite side of campus, there is the Appalachian Folk Arts Festival, now in its 26th year.  Folks that go to that festival will have the opportunity to not only buy handmade items from crafters, but actually watch the crafters demonstrate their abilities.  There’s pencil artist Willard Gayheart, apple butter, carvers, quilters, blacksmithers, bee keepers and more.  If you want to see a cultural progression– how we can come from the Scottish and be proud Appalachians, then you should definitely check out both festivals.  You can even compare musical stylings and listen to the evolution of Scottish Highland music to Bluegrass and Old Time music. Do NOT miss this opportunity! It runs from 10-5 also.

 Think you’re all festivaled out? Not quite.  My last suggestion to you is to go to the Williams  Orchard in Rural Retreat.  Pick Your Own Pumpkin starts this week.  Not only do they have pumpkins, but a lot of other awesome produce and fun for the entire family.  They’ll be around all weekend, so if you’re coming from the south, you can drop by on your way home from the great weekend you’ve had in Radford! 

 Are there any festivals I’ve missed or should know about?  Let me know!

Shai Cullop

Let me tell you, last week I had the ability to truly traipse through Southwest Virginia and if you get the chance sometime soon, I fully suggest that you do so. 

I began my week in Radford, which is busy shaping up for fall.  Radford is a beautiful little town, home to Radford University.  If you make it to Radford any time of the year, make it this coming weekend.  October 3-4 is the Annual Highlander Festival– formally known as Homecoming Weekend and the Appalachian Events Committee’s 27th Annual Folk Arts Festival.  You can watch the Scottish games, get authentic scones and wear a kilt in public while petting a Highland Coo and seeing how far a man can sling a boulder.  What’s not to love?!  After you’re done being Scottish, you can swing over to the Appalachian Folk Arts Festival which is comprised of local artists who make and demonstrate their craft on site.  You can see everything from legendary pencil artist Willard Gayheart to Brad Smith’s carved Roosters andDanny Wingate’s leather working, all while listening to some of the best bluegrass and old time bands in the area.

After departing from Radford last week, I made a stop in Wytheville, which was charming as usual.  We  held a meeting at the Wytheville Community College.  They have an incredible facility there, not to mention they’re just down the road from Smokey’s BBQ.  I didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time in Wytheville, but it is one of my frequent stomping grounds.  I believe they’ve recently painted the hot air balloon shaped water tower, so there’s something to look for next time your east bound and down.

Thursday, I had the opportunity to be at Natural Tunnel State Park at the Cove Ridge Center in Scott County.  This place is GORGEOUS!  If you just go to look at the views off the deck of the Cove Ridge Center, it’s well worth the drive!  The weather was beautiful and Natural Tunnel State Park is by far one of the prettiest places on the face of the earth.

Keeping in mind that I was traipsing and not being able to hold still, our next stop was in Bristol on the VA/TN line.  I love Bristol and always have, but one thing keeps me coming back: Stateline Bar and Grill’s fried pickles.  ‘Nuff said.

After a restful night at the Exit 7 Holiday Inn, we got to go to Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands.  I ahve always loved their King Center for the intricate brick carving in the foyer, but their new building is truly exquisite.  Animal carvings with a water feature down area river rock and views from the new library that would challenge the looks of Heaven.  I was certainly impressed and left breathless.

 Southwest Virginia is a great place to live and it’s trips like these that keep that a constant reminder in the back of my mind.  What’s your favorite Southwest Virginia spot?  Let me know and I’ll  be sure to check it out sometime.

 Shai Cullop

 For about the past seven years, I have been keeping up with the regular media mention of the possibility of a Wal-Mart in Abingdon.  There are those for it, those against it and those who probably don’t care.  With the building plan yet again up for debate in this morning’s Bristol Herald Courier, I decided that enough was enough and that I would offer my two cents—what they’re worth—to the world for consideration. 

Building a Wal-Mart in Abingdon has certain truths to it.  Number one:  It would secure jobs for certain Abingdon residents and those who live in the surrounding communities.  With a store in the community, who wouldn’t want to retrieve buggies and perform clean-ups on aisle nine because some snot nosed teenager thought it’d be fun to drop a gallon of milk.  Number two:  In this tumultuous time when healthcare or the lack there of is the only thing that matters, Wal-Mart does in fact offer most of their employees healthcare.  The quality I’m not sure of, but it’s there. And finally, Number three and perhaps the most compelling argument for most people—it gives citizens of Abingdon an unwavering supply of toilet paper, underwear and .55 frozen burritos when you need them most—at 3:00am. 

Let’s look at the evidence above…I’m convinced, aren’t you?!  Let’s build tomorrow!

Wait a minute…that wasn’t me.  Sorry.

So, why wouldn’t people want a Wal-Mart in Abingdon?  Let me tell you.  First of all, have you looked at Abingdon?  It’s beautiful.  It’s serene.  It’s everything a little town should be and more…I’ve looked forward to living there one day for years.  It’s being called “the next Asheville” for its amazing atmosphere, local art and small business focus.  Abingdon is the one town in Southwest Virginia that most other towns in the region are trying to emulate.  They have meshed historical beauty with a small town economy and it works for them.  They are prided and talked about the world over because the town has a feeling to it.  What other town is like that?  None that I’ve been to recently.  Yes, Abingdon has its “Hamburger Hill” district as we called it in high school, but that’s just a minor blemish on the town’s surface—a town that single handedly has more character than most people I know.  That’s saying a lot, by the way.

My advice to you, Abingdon is this:  Progress is great.  I love it when it’s done right, but is it really progress when you add a Wal-Mart to your landscape when there is one literally 10 miles away?  Don’t build.  It’s like that guy/girl you see at the bar after one too many and you think about asking them to dance, but your gut tells you no.  Don’t dance with Wal-Mart.  You’ll thank yourself in the morning. 

Shai Cullop

Radford City Schools, one of only two school districts in the state that charge students for riding the bus, are looking at a prepay system for the students for the 2009-2010 school year.

In past years, the school’s have sold tickets in a bundle of 10, paying $1.70 or pay .40 cents a day to ride the bus.  Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch ride free.

Many students, I would be one of them, are afraid of loosing their bus tickets and not being able to get home.  That being taken into consideration, Radford City Schools are offering a prepaid system where the child will be assigned a code, and the bus driver provided a list.  For a full year of bus riding goodness, it would be $55.  A half year, $28.25 and quarterly rides, $20.40.  The full year plan equals out to 42 days of free riding, or a total of $16.80 in free riding fun.

I’m not going to lie, I’m not entirely sure of this whole paying to ride idea.  For one, I’m not familiar with the entire process and I’m really intrigued by it.  Where I’m from, we rode the buses for free and that may be why they were need of repair?  I don’t know.  But one thing is for certain, I am so glad that they have this new option so some kids can choose to go ticket free.  Children already have too much to keep up with.  I can’t imagine that kindergartener with her name on her bookbag and a note from the teacher pinned to her dress would be able to present a ticket to ride the bus. Way to go, Radford for coming up with an easier, more cost effective system for getting to school!

Shai Cullop

Last week, August 3-8, was the 74^th Annual Old Fiddler’s Convention in Galax, Virginia.  That’s right, the Galax Fiddler’s Convention has been going strong since 1935, and this year was certainly no exception.

Every year, hundreds of performers come to Galax to show off their talents, competing with the best of the best.  They come from places as far away as Independence, VA and Mt. Airy, NC…just kidding.  Well, they come from those places, of course, but they also come from Ohio, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, Texas and beyond.  In addition to the performers and hopefuls, thousands of people come to see who’s going to be the best in a host of different categories. 

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