Winter Weather Slows Schools

Patchy ice on roads throughout the Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Roanoke and Rockbridge areas has led to 2 hour delays for schools in Roanoke and Rockbridge Counties.

Schools in Alleghany, Augusta, Bath and Highland are also on a 2 hour delay while Craig County schools are closed today (01/03/12).

Wind chills in Western Virginia are 0 to 10 below this morning with the exception of Highland County where temperatures are dipping to 10 below.

Winter Weather Advisories are posted for Alleghany, Bath and Craig Counties along with the New River Valley and all of Southwest Virginia.

Winter Storm Warnings are posted for western Highland County and Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

VDOT has posted minor advisories for all of Southwest Virginia indicating some issues with patchy ice and snow. Visit 511Virginia for complete details on road conditions.

*UPDATE 0800 - Alleghany, Bath and Highland County schools are now Closed. Augusta County Schools are now operating on a 1 hour delay. Blue Ridge Autism Centers in Buena Vista, Roanoke and Salem are operating on a 2 hour delay.

Hot Ash Concerns

Virginia forestry officials continue to warn about the improper disposal of ashes from fireplaces and wood stoves. They say wood ashes retain enough heat to ignite other combustible materials and high winds can uncover still-hot coals and start a wildfire.

The Virginia Department of Forestry advises homeowners to store ashes in a metal container that can be tightly closed with a metal lid. Dump ashes into the container and douse the ashes with water. Place the lid on the container and place the closed container outside your home away from combustible materials. Leave ashes in the container for several days before disposing of them. Wood ash, once completely cooled, can safely be disposed.

Forestry officials warn Virginians never to place hot ashes in a dumpster and don’t dispose of ashes in paper, plastic or cardboard containers.

Thanksgiving Travel

The AAA is forecasting that 42.5 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a four percent increase over the 2010 holiday. Travel in the Commonwealth will mimic the national trend with about 1.3 million Virginians traveling for the holiday up 3.8 percent from last year.

Thanksgiving travel has remained at a lower-than-average level since the recession-driven decline in 2008.

VDOT's Thanksgiving Plans

 The Virginia Department of Transportation will suspend lane closures statewide from noon Wednesday, Nov. 23, until noon Monday, Nov. 28 for the Thanksgiving weekend.
The days before and after Thanksgiving traditionally have the highest concentration of vehicle traffic of any holiday period nationwide.
This year, to help motorists plan the timing of their trips during the Thanksgiving holiday, VDOT has created detailed online maps showing peak travel times from previous years. The maps can be accessed at VDOT’s website at http://www.virginiadot.org/.
Based on traffic data from previous years, the least amount of interstate congestion during the week of Thanksgiving is likely to exist before noon Wednesday, Nov. 23. The heaviest congestion is likely to occur the afternoon and evening of Sunday, Nov. 27. 
VDOT has several other resources available for travelers to monitor road conditions and traffic incidents in real time as they travel and plan their journey. For real-time traffic conditions or to view traffic cameras, visit VDOT’s 24-hour travel information website, http://www.511virginia.org/. 511Virginia also is available by calling 511 from any phone in Virginia.
Lane closures and crash reports available on 511Virginia are also communicated through VDOT’s Twitter accounts, targeted for different parts of Virginia and specific interstate corridors, such as I-95 or I-81.
To report a road hazard or to get answers to your transportation question, you can call VDOT’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-FOR-ROAD (1-800-367-7623) around the clock.

Holiday Season in Lexington

Downtown Lexington will be hosting several holiday events over the next few weeks.

The Annual Candlelight Processional and Lighting of the Community Christmas Tree will take place Friday, November 25^th. Those taking part will gather at the gates of Stonewall Jackson Cemetery at 5:15 p.m. with lighted candles and song sheets. As the procession moves down Main Street, many downtown businesses will illuminate their holiday windows. Mr. and Mrs. Claus, in a horse drawn carriage, will lead the processional to Hopkins Green where Lexington Mayor Mimi Elrod will greet them and light the Community Christmas Tree, officially ushering in the holiday season.

The Christmas Parade takes place Friday, December 2. The theme is “A Miracle on Main”. The parade starts at 6:30 p.m. at Main and Houston Street. Fire and rescue departments will lead the parade, which will feature VMI cadets, bands, floats, horses and the Grinch.

Lexington’s annual WOW (Wide Open Weekend) will take place that same weekend, December 2-4, as downtown merchants offer holiday refreshments, extended store hours and in-store promotions and specials.

Dixie Bee-Liners At Lime Kiln

Dixie Bee-Liners

Theatre At Lime Kiln Presents "The Dixie Bee-Liners" in concert Sunday June 12th at 7:30p. Gates open at 6:00p.

Tickets are available at the box office and the weather promises to be perfect for this outdoor concert.

Visit http://www.theateratlimekiln.com/ for tickets and a complete schedule of events this Summer!