My Community: Goochland
Tell us what's happening in Goochland County! Maybe there's a community event planned at your child's school, or youth recreation signups are under way. Is your club recruiting new members? Have you - or someone close to you - received an honor lately? Maybe your church is looking for volunteers for a service project. Let us know by posting your news. Send us your photos too. Click here to submit your post. Please keep your post related to the county.

While there is plenty to see in Manakin-Sabot, some of the area’s most curious attractions are rooted in the past and can be found only in history books or shared by local history buffs.

Read all about Manakin-Sabot and Goochland County in this month’s installment of Stepping Out, our series with staff writer Meredith Bonny exploring metro Richmond communities to find the stories, hot spots and history hidden within. 

Historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Dover Parish, 12291 River Road in Goochland County. This Carpenter Gothic-style building was consecrated in 1878 and has a country cemetery dating to the 19th century. An additional sanctuary, a parish hall and an educational wing were completed in 1992.

I was driving down River Road on project, and happened to pass by this beautiful church. I’d never seen or heard of it. The entire church property was attractive, but I was most impressed with the sanctuary and bell tower. Even though this church was rennovated in 1992, the entire church look practically brand new and I couldn’t tell it was older than even a couple of years. I also loved the way the church’s architecture apparently stayed true to the original design.

Phil Riggan
DiscoverRichmond.com

Pvt. Harrison Hankins, son of John and Cherri Hankins, of Maidens, Va, recently completed basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC.  Harrison successfully completed 12 weeks of training designed to challenge new Marine recruits both physically and mentally.

Hankins and his fellow recruits began their training each day at 5 a.m., by running three miles and performing calisthenics. In addition to the physical conditioning program,Pvt. Hankins spent numerous hours in classroom and field assignments, which included learning first aid, uniform regulations, combat water survival, marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat and assorted weapons training. They performed close order drill and operated as a small infantry unit during field training.

Hankins also received instructions on the Marine Corps’ core values --- honor, courage and commitment, and what the words mean in guiding personal and professional conduct. Harrison and fellow recruits ended the training phase with the Crucible, a 54 hour team effort and problem solving evolution/ After graduation from Parris Island, he/she will be stationed at Camp Geiger for 8 weeks of combat training. Harrison is a 2005 graduate of Goochland High School.

The Benedictine monks of Mary Mother of the Church, Benedictine Abbey, in Goochland, want to further develop the 50 acres they own at 12829 River Road. The plan, still in its early stages, is to build a new monastery and renovate their current building as the new home for Benedictine High School, an all-boys college preparatory high school founded in Richmond in 1911. Benedictine is owned and operated by the Benedictine Society of Virginia, and the high school’s athletic fields are already located at the Goochland abbey.

Post your comments and tell us what you think about this development, and see two videos on Benedictine: one
& two

The following students enrolled at Virginia Tech were named to the Dean’s List for the Fall 2007 semester. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must attempt at least 12 credit hours graded on the A-F option and earn a 3.4 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) during the semester.

Lindsey K. Buracker, a senior majoring in biochemistry in the College of Science.
Christopher C. Johnson, a junior majoring in political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
Daniel A. Kronick, a sophomore majoring in chemistry in the College of Science.
Corey E. McCalla, a sophomore majoring in architecture in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies.
Karen E. Stump, a freshman majoring in animal and poultry sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Carter G. Vick, a freshman majoring in university studies in Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Tech.
Warren E. Welch, a sophomore majoring in music in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

I’ve been to Goochland County mostly riding by on I-64, which doesn’t count.  Does anyone have a place to visit for an eager tourist?  I’ll take any suggestions. Are there good spots on the James River?  How about parks?  The only one I have any word on is Hidden Rock Park.  There has to be more to see than Tuckahoe Plantation (personally, a worthwhile visit) and the Goochland County Historical Society.

The West End Church of the Nazarene (591 Broad Street Road, Manakin-Sabot, VA) is putting on a Sports Show on February 10th, from 9 am to 5 pm.  Fun for the whole family!  Admission is FREE!!

Winter got you down? Here’s your cure for cabin fever. Enhance your dreams of a rtophy fishing trip. Get better ideas for a bigger Buck. At the West End Sportsman Show you can talk with the experts to get the real scoop on how and where to make your outdoor experiences better.

Take this opportunity to learn about many aspects of hunting, fishing, and other recreational activities from the experts without driving a lot of miles and spending a lot of money.

Talks on developing a wildlife friendly environment in your back yard and community, fly fishing, restoring the quail population in VA and much more will be available throughout the day.

Come join us for a great day learning more about what you love. Admission is free; donations are welcome. Bring your friends and family and plan on having fun! Drawings and prizes for kids and adults.

This sportsman show gathers the top local, regional and national experts on its platform. For 2007, the West End Sportsman Show will present several topics and speakers.

Get tips and hear stories on survival and outdoor safety from our vendors and speakers.

Highlights
Knife Making
Wildlife Artistry
Archery
Sports Photography
Hunting Displays (bring your dull knives and scissors)
Fishing Displays
Live Music
Live Demonstration
Dog Training
Guest speakers
Sports Networking
Game Bird Breeding
Great Food

Call 804-784-4537 for more information.

By Steve Rosen
taken from The Goochland Gazette

About a month ago, Arthur Utley, the high school sports reporter for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, asked me, “When did Goochland become the center of the universe for sports?”

My response was, “I am not sure when this happened, but Goochland has been a great place to live and raise a family and it has been the best kept secret in Central Virginia.” Goochland is not only a place where you can call home, but the people have a great sense of community. 

Recently, we have all taken ownership of our local sports heroes and state championship football and baseball teams. It was a great thrill to see thousands of Goochland residents make the trip up to Harrisonburg to watch Coach Joe Fowler’s football team win the Group A state championship. Last spring, Coach Bryan Gordon took his baseball team to Radford and won a state title as well. 

Goochland can now be called the “County of Champions.” Two major sports championships ‘back to back’ do not happen very often. And our local sports heroes have made us all very proud of them.  Justin Verlander, the American League Rookie of the Year, has made everyone across the country know the location of Goochland County.  Then there is former Goochland football standout, Brandon Myles, who has made a habit of catching touchdown passes on New Year’s Day bowl games.

The Goochland Athletic Boosters are extremely proud of the accomplishments of our athletes and teams.  The Boosters exist to assist the athletic programs and to try to enhance the student/athletes experience while at Goochland High School.

Among the things that we provide for the athletic department are: (1) the seasonal awards ceremonies, (2) “Hall of Fame” where we recognize standout past athletes, (3) provide charter buses for teams making long travel trips, (4) provide sport specific banners that are hung in the gymnasium, (5) provide commemorative t-shirts for teams winning district championships, (6) assist in providing funds for the athletic department where the administration feels necessary. 

And, most recently, we bought and presented the baseball team state championship rings.  We did not do additional fundraising for this as we thought that it was something extra that we could present to the team and they could wear these proudly for years to come. 

We would like to do the same for the football team as they have earned the right to wear rings as well.  However, considering the size of the team, we will need your help as the rings will cost us close to $12,000. We are asking the business community, residents and anyone who is willing to help contribute to the Boosters so that we can make our goal of buying the rings. 

We plan on having a ring ceremony in the spring.

For those of you who can donate money for the rings, you will be personally invited to this event.  If you are interested in making a donation, please make your check payable to:  The Goochland Athletic Boosters, P.O. Box 45, Oilville, VA 23129. 

Here is your chance Goochland to show our Champions how proud we are of them and to reward them for all the hard work it took for them to put Goochland County on the map!

Steve Rosen is president of Goochland Athletic Boosters. For more information, contact him at 749-4533.