Thoroughly Good News - Thoroughgood Neighborhood

The Thoroughlygoo
d News
Membership Directory is
Thoroughly Good News
Newsletter for the Thoroughgood Civic League
November/December 2009
www.thoroughgoodneighborhood.com
Susan Atkins, Editor
Thoroughgood Resident Reflections
As part of the Civic League meeting
on October 12, 2009 those in attendance
were asked to provide some thoughts about
the neighborhood. Specifically, they were
asked two questions: ―What do you like
about the neighborhood‖ and ―If you were in
charge for the day what would you change?‖
Here are their thoughts:
Likes about the neighborhood:
 Its history and beauty
 Serenity and peacefulness
 Location, central to key cities and places
of interest (Norfolk, Chesapeake, the
Beach)
 The people! (and the trees)
 The mix of older and younger families
 The parade and picnic
 Its hard working, law abiding citizenry
 Clean yards and homes with pleasant


curb appeal
The azaleas!
Its long standing as a community
Challenges:
 Speeders!
 Litter!
 Standing water after a heavy rain!
 Traffic at the Pleasure House road entrance!
 Commercial Vehicles parked on roadway
 Need larger attendance at Civic League
meetings
 Homes and yards that need attention
We‘d love to hear your thoughts, both positive
and negative – theatkins4@verizon.net
Mark Atkins, President
Keeping Costs Down – “Thoroughly Good News”
Heads for the Web!
By Mark Atkins
Contrary to what you might be reading
about the demise of other newspapers across the
country your neighborhood newsletter is not
folding. However, in order to deal with rising
costs it looks like our newsletter will have to go
virtual. We have been blessed with great advertisers, but we no longer break even on the publication. We are facing our own financial challenges with the civic league budget in light of all
the events that are now offered throughout the
course of the year.
We know that you value this newsletter
and we want to continue offering it to you in the
days ahead. We anticipate that we will have the
funds to publish the newsletter for the remainder of this year and possibly two editions next
year.
In the past when the Civic League faced
financial challenges we mailed one or two
newsletters a year to all the residents in the
neighborhood and then mailed subsequent
newsletters just to members of the civic league.
Given the positive response to our website
(www.thoroughgoodneighborhood.com) and
the fact that there is a ―for members only‖ section, we anticipate posting the newsletters we
don‘t mail at that site for access by civic league
(see Thoroughgood On the Web p. 6)
THOROUGHLY GOOD NEWS
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Page 2
YOUR LETTERS
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
We live in a great neighborhood! As I walk through
it not only am I struck by its beauty I‘m also encouraged by
those that I meet along the way: the family on the bike
ride; the skateboard enthusiast; the jogger; the dog walkers
and those of you who are doing upkeep on you homes who
wave as I walk along. What a blessing it is that we have
each other.
Not only do we have each other, we have a great
Civic League! Just look at what is on the horizon -- a photo
session with Santa and chili cook-off in December! Next
spring and summer will bring another host of gatherings:
Art Show, Easter Egg Hunt, and Picnic. With the success of
the movies on the lawn this past summer expect to see
them return next year as well!
While we have all this on the schedule we remain
committed to maintaining our links with civic officials.
Last summer we agreed to reduce our meetings to two a
year – one in the fall and the picnic in the spring. We did
Classified Ads
Music Together - Bring your newborn, toddler, or
preschooler to one of our fun-filled classes and explore musical play, child-friendly instruments, songbooks, and CDs that you use at home. Try a free
demo class! Monday, November 23 at 10:30
AM. Please RSVP as space if limited! Call Emily at
971-1029.
Need a Babysitter? Red Cross certified babysitter
available for your babysitting needs. Princess Anne
H.S. and I.B. student, references available upon request. Call Anna at 318-7671.
agree to a meeting in February if the Civic League Board
felt it would benefit the neighborhood. In light of the
state elections this November, the Board felt it appropriate that we hold a meeting February 8, 2010. Not only
are we seeking to hear from our elected officials we also
will use that meeting to conduct the election of Civic
League officers for the 2010-2011 Civic League year.
Check out our website for more details:
www.thoroughgoodneighborhood.com
All this goodness requires volunteers! Feel free
to get involved! If you want to know how to connect –
send me a note – theatkins4@verizon.net or give me a
call 318-7671.
All the Best!
Mark Atkins
To submit a letter for publication, e-mail to theatins4@verizon.net or mail to 4537 Biscayne Drive, Virginia
Beach, VA 23455. Letters may be edited for content or
length. No anonymous letters will be published. Next publication deadline is December 18 for the January/February
newsletter.
To submit a classified ad for the January/February
newsletter, send a check for $10 with your ad to
Susan Atkins, 4537 Biscayne Drive, Virginia
Beach VA 23455. Deadline for the January/
February newsletter is December 18. Thorough-
Page 3
NEWSLETTER OF THE THOROUGHGOOD CIVIC LEAGUE
Thoroughgood Holiday Party
Adam Thoroughgood House
Saturday, December 5
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
The Thoroughgood Garden Club
And the Thoroughgood Civic League
cordially invite
the neighbors, friends and family
to join them for holiday festivities featuring:
The Annual Holiday Greens Sale
Artists and Craftsmen Show and Sale
The arrival of Santa Claus and photo sessions with Santa
Neighborhood Chili Cook-Off
All neighborhood artists and craftsmen (and friends) are invited to join us. All artists need to reserve a spot
and are responsible for setting up their own displays, but we will be glad to try to assist you. There are no age
requirements or fees to participate.
If interested, please call Karen Joynt at 963-0960 or email mjoynt@cox.net to register.
Everyone is invited to participate in the Chili Cook-Off.
Rules just show up with your cooked product. We will award a prize to whoever gets the most votes and will
publish the recipe in the newsletter if the winner so desires.
Please call Richard or Terry Stuart 464-0073 or email stu64@verizon.net for more information.
Santa may be arriving by Fire Truck and will be available for photos
so be sure to remember to bring your camera.
Does anyone have a Santa Costume?
Do we have any volunteers to be Santa?
Please contact Karen Joynt
THOROUGHLY GOOD NEWS
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Page 4
Bayside Presbyterian
Food Pantry
The Thoroughgood Garden Club’s
Annual Holiday Greens & Gifts Sale
Saturday, December 5th
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
at the
Adam Thoroughgood House
1636 Parish Road, Virginia Beach
Beautiful evergreen wreaths, swags, gifts
& natural greenery embellished with
seasonal decorations
The Food Pantry welcomes any donations….money or
food items in order to keep up with the unprecedented
demand. The Food Pantry is a volunteer group and
relies solely on donations. The Pantry is not a part of
the Church‘s budget. They serve the immediate three
zip code area and are open five days a week, 52 weeks
a year. The Pantry is low on all food items. There are
collection boxes at the sanctuary doors the first Sunday each month. Please consider bringing a food item
to the next neighborhood event and your donation will
be delivered to the Pantry. For more information,
contact Audre Cannell at 464-5088 or email dcannell1@juno.com.
Food items can also be delivered to Judy Fletcher at
4412 Delray Drive. She will make the delivery to the
Church. Judy's phone number is 460-9261 and email
is carlosandjudy@verizon.net.
2009-2010 Civic League Board
President
Mark Atkins
(757) 318-7671
theatkins4@verizon.net
Treasurer
Barbara Heckel
(757) 464-4807
Bah51747@cavtel.net
Chair, Advertising Committee
Tania Farley
(757) 464-2320
tntrockit@cox.net
Past President
David C. Johnson
(757) 363-7471
Daveandglenda@cox.net
Corresponding Secretary
Susan Atkins
(757) 318-7671
theatkins4@verizon.net
Chair, Refreshments and Social Events
Judy Fletcher
(757) 460-9261
carlosandjudy@verizon.net
President-Elect
Richard Stuart
(757) 464-0073
stu64@verizon.net
Sergeant-at-Arms
Richard Thieleman
(757) 363-2618
Rthieleman@cox.net
Vice President
Joe Ficarra
(757) 464-0069
joe@ficarrajewelers.hrcoxmail.com
Chair, Membership Committee
Joyce Blanton
(757) 275-7586
wblanton@cox.net
Temporarily Vacant:
Chair, Neighborhood Watch
Recording Secretary
Historian
Parliamentarian
Chair, Protection of Property Investment
(Contact Mark Atkins if you would like to
volunteer)
Page 5
NEWSLETTER OF THE THOROUGHGOOD CIVIC LEAGUE
THOROUGHLY GOOD NEWS
Thoroughgood on the Web
(continued from page 1)
members. We do recognize that some of our residents do
not use the World Wide Web or e-mail and we would mail
the newsletters to just those addresses who requested it
in conjunction with their civic league membership.
The bottom-line is this:
For the remainder of this civic league year newsletters will continue to be mailed to every address
in the neighborhood.
On the 2010-2011 civic league year membership
application individuals will be asked if they want
to receive their newsletter in the mail or on-line.
(Depending on availability of funds one or two
newsletters will be mailed to every address in the
neighborhood)
Questions? Comments? We‘d love to hear from you:
e-mail: http://www.thoroughgoodneighborhood.com/
cms/contact-us.html
snail mail: PO Box
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Page 6
Join the Civic League to get T-News blasts with
the latest updates on events and happenings
in the neighborhood as well as the membership directory and a great map of the
neighborhood.
Civic League memberships provide for the upkeep of the neighborhood entrances. Keep
the neighborhood looking great – join the
Civic League!
Your Civic League helps out! Your tax deductible membership matters and helps out organizations like the Scouts and Food Pantry!!
See page 10 for information about becoming a
member!
Page 7
NEWSLETTER OF THE THOROUGHGOOD CIVIC LEAGUE
Code Enforcement Presentation Headlines October Civic League Meeting
After the presentation of the colors by Den 1 of
Cub Scout Pack 364 sponsored by Bayside Presbyterian
Church, Fred Relic from the Code Enforcement Division
of the City of Virginia Beach provided an information session to the attendees of the October Thoroughgood Civic
League meeting. Fred covered a host of items and reminded us all of the need to keep our yards in shape, keep
up home maintenance and don‘t forget to bring your
trash bins back beyond the front plane your house on
trash pick-up days.
Neighbors were encouraged to look after each
other and look out after the neighborhood. Fred reminded us if we had concerns surrounding code enforcement to call 385-3111 or 385-4421. Citizens can voice
concerns anonymously at either of these numbers.
Under the category of old business the League
recognized the volunteers that pulled the rain delayed
picnic together and encouraged residents to get involved
in the planning for the May event. (If you want to help
out contact Terry Stuart (stu64@verizon.net or call her at
home 464-0073).
Attendees were also reminded that in light of the
passage of an amendment to the Thoroughgood Civic
League constitution there are only two meetings a year –
the October meeting and the picnic. The constitution
does provide an option for a February meeting and that
meeting will take place in 2010. Mark your calendars now
for a Civic League meeting February 8, 2010 at Independence Middle School The session is designed to hear from
City Leaders on strategic plans for the city/region and discuss the slate of Civic League officers for ‗10-‘11. If you
would like to participate on the Civic League Board please
contact any of the Board members listed in this publication
as we are looking for nominees!
Other matters highlighted at the session included:
Volunteers needed! The Events Committee is in full
swing and looking for volunteers to help out with
the Easter Egg Hunt, Picnic, Movies on the Lawn
and other events. Please contact Terry Stuart!
Movies on the Lawn at the Thoroughgood House.
Plans are now underway for four screenings next
summer (mark your calendars now for the second
Friday night of Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep!)
Civic League Members needed! Joyce Blanton the
new membership coordinator (wblanton@cox.net) will help
you with your membership!
Food Pantry cupboards are bare and your contributions matter! (Thanks to all who brought canned good donations to the meeting. If you would like to make additional contributions Judy Fletcher
(carlosandjudy@verizon.net, 460-9261) on Delray Drive
would be happy to receive your
donations.
Garden Club Green Sale December
5 – come out to the Thoroughgood
House and support this event.
(Details located in article on page
4). Election November 3, 2009 –
your vote matters.
Attendees provided some thoughts
about the neighborhood that are
located elsewhere in this publication. Thanks to all who came and
participated and thanks too for the
team that provided the awesome
refreshments!
THOROUGHLY GOOD NEWS
Page 8
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Recipe Corner - Seven Layer Magic Cookie Bars
submitted by Terry Stewart
1 1/2 cups graham cracker
crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (6 oz.) butterscotch flavored
chips
1 cup 6oz. Pkg) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
Heat oven 350° F. Spray 13 x 9inch baking pan with no-stick
cooking spray. Combine graham
cracker crumbs and butter; mix
well. Press crumb mixture firmly
into bottom of prepared pan.
Pour sweetened condensed milk
evenly over crumb mixture.
Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with
fork. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or
until lightly browned. Loosen
from sides of pan while still
warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into
bars.
Yield: 2 dozen bars
Established 1975
Class A License
Kitchens
Bathrooms
Room Additions
TERRY SIMONS
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Remodeling
4405 Hermitage Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
(757) 499-2069
Cell # (757) 472-1610
Page 9
NEWSLETTER OF THE THOROUGHGOOD CIVIC LEAGUE
Thoroughgood Neighborhood Events 2009/2010
Tentative Schedule*
Event
Date
Thoroughgood Garden Club Winter Greens Sale
December 5
Thoroughgood Civic League Meeting
February 8
Easter Egg Hunt*
March 27/rain date March 28
Thoroughgood Garden Club Spring Flower Sale
April 17
Neighborhood Picnic*
May 16/rain date July 4
Fourth of July Bicycle Parade
July 4
Movies on the Lawn*
June 11/raindate June 18
Movies on the Lawn*
July 9/rain date July 16
Movies on the Lawn*
August 13/rain date August 20
*event is subject to change or cancellation due to weather or scheduling conflicts with the Thoroughgood House
HOLIDAY BAZAAR
November 8, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Quality Suites & Sleep Inn
at Lake Wright
6280 Northampton Blvd, Norfolk
Entry Fee: $1 donation
(Children under 10 are admitted free)
For More Information, contact The King’s Daughters office at
757.668.7098
www.kingsdaughters.org/holidaybazaar
THOROUGHLY GOOD NEWS
Join the Civic League!
Here’s How The Thoroughgood Civic League is dedicated to
maintaining and improving the quality of life in our beautiful, family-oriented neighborhood. Members promote good
fellowship and an exchange of ideas to fulfill the goals of the
organization.
Membership brings pride and satisfaction in helping your community and gives you a voice in furthering the
best interests of the neighborhood. Your contribution helps
pay for the newsletter, the outstanding programs offered at
our meetings, and the landscaping at the three entrances to
the neighborhood.
Best of all, members receive a yearly directory of
members and a discount to the neighborhood picnic.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Page 10
Wait! There‘s one more thing: Submit your e-mail address and send and receive current announcements on our email network—T-News.
Send your check for $20 made payable to Thoroughgood Civic
League.
Mail to: Thoroughgood Civic League
P.O. Box 5853
Virginia Beach, Va 23455
Questions? Contact:
Joyce Blanton, membership chair
275-7586
Please note: The deadline for insertion of your name in the directory was October 26. All other benefits of membership will
apply.
Joyce Blanton, Membership Chair
Become a Tax-Aide Volunteer Tax
Counselor or Client Facilitator
In Hampton Roads, the AARP Tax-Aide Program used
about 110 volunteer Tax Aides last year to prepare approximately 18,000 Federal and State tax returns.
This amounts to at least $1.8 MILLION of FREE tax
service provided to the local community at no cost to
the tax payer. This year we are looking for more volunteers so we can help more tax payers.
What do Tax Aides do?
Volunteer Tax Aides, trained in cooperation with the
IRS, work at Tax Sites preparing Federal and Virginia
tax returns for the elderly and low to moderate income residents of all ages.
To qualify as a Tax Aide, you should:
 have an interest in tax work
 have prepared your own tax returns
 be comfortable using a computer
 be willing to contribute a minimum of four
hours a week from February 1 through


April 15
enjoy helping people
Tax Aides need not be AARP members
Tax-Aide volunteers are trained to prepare basic federal and VA state tax forms on computer using IRS software (complex returns are referred to a
professional preparer).
Some volunteers are trained for the Receptionist / Greeter position. No tax or computer
experience is necessary for this role, just people
skills.
Free Tax Preparation and IRS Software
Training for volunteers starts in early November at
TCC Computer Center.
See our web site at www.tidewatertaxaide.org for
details.
Page 11
NEWSLETTER OF THE THOROUGHGOOD CIVIC LEAGUE
THOROUGHLY GOOD NEWS
Gardening Corner
Thoroughgood Garden Club
Christmas Tree Care
Planning on buying a live Christmas tree? Avoid the
dreaded needle drop by following these simple directions: When
you get a cut live tree home, use a bow saw to remove an inch or
two from the bottom of the stump and then set it in a big bucket or
tub of cool water—not in its stand yet— for at least 24 hours; preferably 48. And keep refilling that bucket! Some of these trees have
suffered through droughts where they were grown, and will drink
up a lot of water.
After it‘s been able to drink all it wants, place it in its
stand and never let that reservoir dry out. Check it several times a
day, especially early on, when the warmth of the house will have it
drinking heavily. Some of these trees will suck up gallons, and if
that stump dries out for just one day, it loses the ability to take up
more.
Skip the advice of some who say you should add an aspirin to the water, or borax, Snapple, PAM, or any other
―guaranteed nutritious ingredient‖. If you must add something,
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Page 12
use a little 7-up or Sprite. It won‘t harm pets or your tree.
Adapted from www.gardensalive.com.
What You Can Do to Save the Bay
Make your lawn Bay-friendly. In your landscaping, use
native grasses or other plants that don‘t require watering
or fertilizing. Reduce or eliminate the use of chemical
herbicides and pesticides. Learn to live with a dandelion
or two. Lawn fertilizers and chemicals are a big source of
nitrogen and phosphorus pollution and toxic runoff.
Avoid pouring toxic substances down storm drains. Don‘t
dump hazardous materials like solvents, paints, and preservatives. They go directly into streams and waterways
to pollute the Bay. Use your county‘s hazardous waste
collection program instead.
Plant a tree. Besides providing oxygen to the atmosphere,
trees hold soil in place with their roots, preventing erosion that
runs into the Bay. They soak up fertilizers and other chemicals
before they seep into waterways. And by shading your home in
summer, they reduce energy costs. Source: Chesapeake Bay
Foundation at www.cbf.org.
Page 13
NEWSLETTER OF THE THOROUGHGOOD CIVIC LEAGUE
THOROUGHLY GOOD NEWS
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Page 14
THOROUGHGOOD REAL ESTATE UPDATE
In the last 30 days, the neighborhood had 5 properties either sold or pending a sale. The average number of days on the market
has been 59 days. The average sales price has been 97% of the list price.
Address
#Beds
Bath
Sq Ft
Days on Mkt
List Price
Rust Dr
Sales Price
$345,000
1608 Whitehorne
3
2
2,024
34
$385,000
$375,000
1432 Sir Richard
3
2.5
2,136
42
$385,000
Pending
1400 Wakefield Dr*
4
3
2,786
14
$349,900
Pending
4209 Thoroughgood Dr
3
2
2,596
146
$459,000
Pending
*Bank owned
Source: MLX Exchange, information courteously provided by Al Lozito
Pilates Is Top Choice In Fitness Programs
Everyone’s doing it… Hollywood stars such as Jennifer Aniston, top athletes like the San Francisco 49ers, baby boomers
and new moms are all turning to Pilates to meet their fitness
goals.
Maybe that‘s why Pilates was voted one of the top 10
fitness choices in 2008, by ACSM American College of Sports
Medicine survey. So why has this century old regime risen to the
forefront of the fitness industry? The answer is quite simple.
Pilates offers a practical, effective, versatile mind body conditioning for all ages and fitness levels.
The Founder, Joseph Pilates intended his method to be
a holistic health care plan that conditioned both the mind and
body. With nearly 600 exercises to his name, Joseph Pilates was
a man ahead of his time and a true genius in the anatomy of
human movement. The exercises are simple, performed on either mat or equipment and are designed to improve posture,
core strength, increase stability, mobility, repair imbalances,
reduce stress and create long lean muscles without bulk .
Performed in a smooth continuous fluid motion, the
focus of each exercise is on quality over quantity of movement.
Each level of exercise builds on the previous and modifications
of the movements allow for a range in difficulty from beginner
to advanced. The participant is able to increase the intensity of
movement as conditioning improves. Muscles are taught to
by Ann Geraci
move more efficiently, which is invaluable for sports performance,
injury recovery, good posture and optimal health. The results are a
stronger, more flexible, stable, well-balanced physique.
What results will regular Pilates exercise yield?











A balanced well toned body without bulk
Strong abdominals and back
Improved postural alignment
A stronger, more flexible spine
Greater flexibility
Pain relief especially to back and joints
Enhance mobility, agility and stamina
Improved muscle balance; restoring over-trained muscles
Improved performance for sports training and daily activity
Stress relief
Self confidence
Ann Geraci is a certified Pilates practitioner and operates the Pilates Total Body Studio at Town Center Fitness in Virginia Beach.
She specializes in functional training programs for sports conditioning and rehabilitation. She can be reached at
www.townfitness.com, 560-5438 or at annvgeraci@mac.com.
NEWSLETTER OF THE THOROUGHGOOD CIVIC LEAGUE
FREE RANGE
Would anyone like to have or know of anyone who would like to have a free 2003 Frigidaire smooth top range? The oven does
not work, but the burners, the timer, the
clock, etc. all work perfectly. Call at 4600527 if interested.
Page 15
The Thoroughgood Civic League
PO Box 5853
Virginia Beach, VA 23455