Today's News

Two festivals, held Saturday, complemented each other, rather than competed.

Johnson’s Orchards held it’s annual Horse and Hound Wine Festival. Danny Johnson noted that this was a significant anniversary for them as this year marks the orchards’ 80th anniversary operating at it’s current location in Thaxton. Johnson said that his father, Elmo Johnson, and grandfather, Robert Lee Johnson, purchased the property in 1918.

A project that the planning commission struggled with last month resulted in a split vote by the board of supervisors Monday night.

The Peaks and Pieces Quilt Guild has decked out the Bedford Central Library with scores of brightly colored, hand-made quilts, some of them even hand-stitched. This is part of their annual quilt show, which runs until July 22.

One of the features of the show is a raffle quilt. Visitors buy chances to win this quilt and proceeds are distributed to area non-profits. This year’s beneficiaries will be Hospice House, the Bedford Christmas Station, Bedford Habitat for Humanity and Bedford Domestic Violence Services. Half of the proceds go to the liberay.

Saunders Volunteer Fire Department members would have had to cook up a lot of chickens to pay the $226,000 that their new tank truck cost. Fortunately, county money and a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reduced the amount that they have to raise.

The new truck, with a 3,000 gallon capacity replaces a 31-year-old truck with a capacity of a little more than two-thirds of that. What’s more, the old truck was worn out and could no longer be safely kept on the road.