Things To Do in Roanoke, Virginia — Get Outside! Weekend Update: 1.15-1.17

April 1, 2010 – 11:49 am | Comments Off

Every event on myScoper.com can be found on this calendar. Yes, we mean everything! From pancake suppers to pillow fights. If you’re the type of person that wants to know all your options, check them out here! We think you’ll find something or a whole lot of somethings you’ll like!

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Get Outside! Weekend Update: 1.15-1.17

Submitted by Wendy on January 15, 2010 – 2:05 pmNo Comment

January 15 to January 17, 2010
Courtesy of RoanokeOutside.com
By Pete Eshelman

From snow tubing with Roanoke Parks and Rec to Veer, a movie all about bike culture, and winter hiking to a very merry KIVA (Kids in the Valley Adventuring) birthday bash, there’s plenty to do outside this weekend. RoanokeOutside.com highlights our region‘s phenomenal outdoor amenities and opportunities each week through the Weekend Update. Get Outside Roanoke!

Weekend Update

Snow Tubing w/ Roanoke Parks & Rec – 1/16. Email for details.
Veer, The Move (at Sharebike) – 1/16
Apple Orchard Falls and Cornelius Creek Loop Hike – 1/17
KIVA Birthday Bash – 1/17

Pete’s Picks

What’s my recommendation?

On Saturday – Choose a hike you’ve never done before from RoanokeOutside.com’s new Hike Map, go explore, and then let us know how it was.

When you’re done, head over to Sharebike (9pm) to watch the documentary VEER – a film about the bicycling culture. (watch a Youtube preview).

On Sunday – grab some canned good to donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank and head up to the Mill Mountain Discovery Center (2-4PM) to celebrate KIVA’s 2nd birthday. KIVA (Kids In the Valley Adventuring) is a free monthly family nature club. They organize monthly outdoor activities to help connect kids (and families) with nature. They will also be providing guided hikes to help you learn the Mill Mountain trail system. Can’t make it? Join KIVA’s monthly newsletter.

Still too cold for you? Spend some time online supporting the outdoors. Complete the Mill Mountain Trail Survey, provide comments to the NPS Bike Plan, and Facebook-support the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s chance to win one million dollars. Oh, and you can explore the newly launched RoanokeOutside.com too…

Got an idea? Send it to pete@roanoke.org

Mill Mountain Needs You!

Well, at least the trail system does. A survey has been created to gather public perceptions of Mill Mountain Park’s trails. Roanoke Parks and Recreation wants to provide numerous creative recreation opportunities to enhance the public enjoyment of this park and its trails. This survey is to help them better understand what kind of trail system the citizens and trail users would like to have. Let your voice be heard – take the survey!

The Appalachian Trail Needs You Too!

Chase is exploring a new way of charitable giving – harnessing the power of social networking to give individuals and communities a voice in corporate philanthropy. Facebook is the medium through which people can vote on their favorite charity/cause. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy submitted a proposal that identifies and nurtures the next generation of volunteer stewards of the Appalachian Trail. Their plan will engage one million kids, families, and communities in outdoor recreation, education, environmental stewardship, and civic engagement. Learn more about their Big Idea.

Here is how you can help the Appalachian Trail:

You must be a registered Facebook user
Voting begins January 15
Become a Fan of Chase Community Giving
Find the Appalachian Trail Conservancy listing
Vote – you get 5 votes, use them all
Tell your friends to vote

Roanoke Can Recycle Glass Again

A contract with a Portsmouth firm that plans to build a recycling facility in the Roanoke Valley means city residents can recycle colored glass once again.

Roanoke residents once again can recycle their colored glass.
It’s been more than five years since the city stopped accepting the glass in recycling pickups, but a contract with Recycling & Disposal Solutions of Portsmouth now allows residents to throw their brown beer bottles and other such glass recyclables somewhere other than the trash.

The new contract doesn’t officially start until March, but Skip Decker, manager of the city’s solid waste department, said residents can go ahead and begin recycling the glass now.

The Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority, which has been taking Roanoke’s recycling load since April, accepts colored glass, but the city hadn’t wanted residents to get used to it while bids still were out on the new contract, Decker said. The city was concerned that the vendor chosen for the new contract might not take colored glass – and that would require the city to kill the program again after just restarting it. Now that the Portsmouth vendor has agreed to take the glass, the city will haul it to Montgomery County until the new contract starts.

Read the Full Story Here>>>

Year’s Best Gear Gear Reviews

Getting kids off the couch – and into the outdoors – is something Eugene Buchanan, former editor-in-chief of Paddler magazine and founder of Paddling Life, believes strongly in. To help parents get their kids header outside, Buchanan wrote “Outdoor Parents, Outdoor Kids,” a 300-page tome to hiking, camping, swimming, paddling, snow sports, biking, fishing, and virtually any other outdoor activity a family can do.

Through a mix of anecdotes and lessons learned, he brings real experience to the page. A Men’s Journal editor recently wrote “Buchanan isn’t the smug expert who makes you feel like an idot, but a friend who’s been there.”

Buchanan is an experienced writer, avid outdoorsman and the father of two girls. He touts the book as a set of training wheels for first-time parents or parents inexperienced in the outdoors. Another area covers tips for the outdoor veteran parents out there.

The book will be available in February for $20. You can pre-order the book here: http://outdoorkidsbook.com