If you hadn’t heard of Boo Hanks before 2008, you could be forgiven. But after that – after the Roots of American Music Festival at the Lincoln Center, after sharing a bill with Patti Smith, after coverage in the New York Times, after the New Orleans Blues Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, a tour of Europe and countless festivals in this country – Southside Virginians should know of Virgilina’s favored son.

“He’s billed as basically the last of the Piedmont Blues [musicians],” says Ross LeCompte, a professional musician who retired to Clarksville after a career ranging from Broadway to “The Merv Griffin Show” and a friend of Hanks’.

TMI AutoTech, Inc. (‘TMI’), located at VIRginia International Raceway in Halifax County, announced in August that it has recently acquired all North American manufacturing, distribution, sales & service rights for HoodXpress from Litens Automotive Group (Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada) & Tendeco Sales Inc. (London, Ohio).

HoodXpress (www.hoodxpress.com) is a uniquely designed automatic engine hood lift mechanism for Class 8 trucks.  Comprised of a standardized HD base power unit + application specific installation kits, HoodXpress is custom engineered for each model of vehicle for which availability currently exists.  TMI is now undertaking a program to expand the range of HoodXpress Class 8 applications, on a priority basis.

Charity Event FRIDAY AUGUST 20TH to benefit both the Cancer Association and the Prizery.

The $100 ticket gets you two dinners before the raffle and a chance to win $10,000.
Tickets are for sale at the Prizery box office only; please contact (434) 572-8339 or prizery@mac.com for more information.

Hors Dourves start at 6:30 PM - BYOB.  Catering by Maynard Childress.

Despite a sputtering national economy, innovative entrepreneurship is alive and well in the Commonwealth of Virginia, where twelve thriving businesses have been named as finalists in the Tayloe Murphy Resilience Awards Competition.

The statewide competition, sponsored by the Tayloe Murphy Center at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, is designed to spotlight successful businesses located in the state’s most economically challenged communities. With this year’s finalists, the Tayloe Murphy Center has done just that.

Tips from the Southside Master Gardeners to keep your garden healthy.

PLANT Late August is the best time to plant Oriental poppies.  A mulch of oak or sycamore leaves will give them needed protection the first winter.

PRUNE
Maples and birches may be pruned after new growth has hardened.

FERTILIZE
At the beginning of the month trim back and fertilize perennials for the second blooming.

Feed roses for the last time this season.  When cutting blossoms, cut above the 5-leaflet leaf.

WATER
During dry weather be sure to thoroughly water azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, and heather