Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 22, 1993 TAG: 9311220078
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Now that they've gotten it into the building, staff members at the Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts are crowing about a new painting on display in the museum's second-floor gallery.
It's an oil-on-canvas by John Alexander, a Texas native with fans in this area. It's on indefinite loan from New York collector Bill Douglas. It's even politically correct: The scene of a Texas bayou features vegetation and creatures of all kinds and is called "Developer's Dream."
Get it?
It's also big. Ruth Appelhof, the museum's executive director, feels certain it's the biggest painting the museum has ever shown, and maybe the largest in the valley. Ten feet high and more than 33 feet long, it might be one of the largest in the country, she said. It's divided into three panels, each more than 11 feet long - too long for the building's freight elevator.
Wangling it up the winding staircase and into place took several hours, a task that, in the end, only served to multiply the staff's pride in having it.
Almost fat-free
In a recent "Seinfeld" episode, a frozen yogurt shop caught loading up its "nonfat" yogurt switched to a truly fat-free desert that turned off customers.
In Roanoke, a local chain with the same problem has decided to keep selling the not-so-fat-free yogurt under a new label.
"We have reclassified our vanilla as 98% fat free," according to a letter given to customers at Mr. Sundae's Ice Cream & Yogurt outlets at Crossroads Mall and Tanglewood Mall.
The Roanoke Times & World-News - in an experiment to determine if life immitates "Seinfeld" - tested the milkfat content of yogurt from several local stores.
The one flavor - vanilla - tested from Mr. Sundae's contained contained more fat than is allowed under federal labeling guidelines.
In its letter to customers, Mr. Sundae's states that all other flavors do meet the nonfat labeling standards.
Puzzling purse
Roanoke County employees faced tough choices while cleaning out closets last week for the move to a new administration building.
Like, should they keep a perfectly good box of corrective ribbons even though the county got rid of its typewriters years ago?
Nobody, however, suggested tossing out the mystery purse.
The black purse turned up several months ago. A pocketbook inside contained a few clues about the little girl who lost it - a family photograph, snapshots of school friends and a pass to the Skate Center of Roanoke Valley in the name of "Samantha K."
Melinda Rector, the county's community service secretary, said no one turned up to claim the purse after the county ran a lost-and-found notice in the newspaper.
For information about the purse, Samantha should call 772-2010.
Sign of the times
Residents of Stanley Avenue Southeast in South Roanoke finally have gotten four-way stop signs.
City workers installed stop signs on 26th Street after theresidents appealed to City Council for help.
Previously, there were stop signs on Stanley, but not on 26th Street.
The residents complained that speeding cars threatened the safety of children who cross the street to play with friends.
But Traffic Engineer Bob Bengtson said he couldn't recommend four-way signs at the intersection because the traffic volume is too low and there are no visibility problems.
Council members made it clear they wanted the signs to be installed.
After the residents took their case to council, Bengtson said, he got a call from William Clark, public works director, telling him to put up the\ signs.
Olin back in school
Former Rep. Jim Olin, who has popped up recently pleading with Roanoke County supervisors not to allow developer Len Boone to build a subdivision within sight of the Blue Ridge Parkway, is staying busy in his retirement.
"I'm really enjoying life," Olin says. "I'm doing only things I like and not doing anything I don't want to do."
Specifically, he's also doing some fund raising for the Garth Newel music center in Bath County and his alma mater, Deep Springs Junior College in California. Olin also is the co-chairman, with former Gov. Linwood Holton, of the Virginia wing of The Concord Coalition, a bipartisan group founded by former U.S. Sens. Warren Rudman and Paul Tsongas that wants to cut the federal deficit.
To make his fund-raising chores easier - "I don't have a secretary," he points out - Olin has gone back to college: He recently completed a computer class on WordPerfect at Virginia Western Community College.
"I can put out a good-looking piece of literature now," Olin says.
Make deposit and pledge
You gave at the office. Now you can give at - the bank.
United Way of Roanoke Valley is broadening the way it raises money. This year, the organization is placing pledge envelopes in branch offices of banks to supplement traditional campaigns at the workplace.
Envelopes - placed in a display that reads "If you didn't give at the office" - are aimed at retirees, homemakers and self-employed people.
The majority of United Way's 40,000 contributors give at work. But United Way estimates that more than 100,000 Roanoke Valley adults are not being reached through that traditional approach.
United Way has raised more than $2.6 million since kicking off its campaign in September. A new tally is expected this week.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***