Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 7, 1995 TAG: 9505090019
SECTION: DISCOVER NRV PAGE: DNRV-14 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS-BANKS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Have you bought sneakers lately? Treated the family to dinner out? Checked the price of cereal?
Fortunately, a modern mom - if she's frugal and a little bit foxy - can stretch a few dollars clear across the New River Valley.
Just ask me how I did it.
A few weeks ago, I was a mother with a mission. The managers of this newspaper gave me $50 (that's the bill with the picture of Ulysses S. Grant) and told me to treat my family of four to a whopping good time.
They also gave me a piece of advice: "Don't spend it all in one place."
Mission impossible?
Not if you know your territory.
A spring morning in the New River Valley is a feast for the senses. A nippy breeze carries the fragrance of wild cherry blossoms and daffodils. The cheerful chirping of songbirds is a concert.
It's the kind of morning that makes you cry out, "Let's have a picnic!"
That's what I cried out to my husband, Rick, and my sons (Dee, 13, and Darin, 12) a few weeks ago.
We grabbed the picnic basket, gathered up the fishing poles and climbed into Mom's minivan.
First stop: Montgomery County Humane Society Animal Shelter.
It just wouldn't be an outing without a family dog!
The dogs waiting to be adopted at the animal shelter in Christiansburg depend on volunteers for exercise and affection. My sons can give them plenty of both.
Frequently, we pick up a dog at the shelter when we're planning an outdoor activity. The dogs enjoy the fresh air and we enjoy the company of man's (and Mom's) best friend.
The hard part is choosing one dog.
At the shelter, we quickly spotted Ember, a pretty beagle mix with soulful brown eyes. She looked like she was just pining for a picnic.
Tail wagging, Ember hopped in the van and plopped herself in the back seat with Dee.
After a stop at the Christiansburg Deli Mart for a dozen nightcrawlers ($1.56 with tax), we headed toward Blacksburg.
We made another quick stop at Blacksburg Square for the picnic provisions. At Our Daily Bread, we splurged on a freshly baked loaf of Portuguese sweet bread ($2.75 and worth every penny) and four huge cookies ($2 worth of temptation). Then we checked out the deli at Wade's Supermarket, where we bought a pound of turkey and four bottled drinks ($5.32 total).
Now we were ready to head for one of our favorite spots in the area, the Virginia Tech Duckpond.
In the summer, you can have a cookout there. In the fall, you can take in the brilliant colors of the leaves. In the winter, you can skate on the frozen pond.
On this spring day, we munched on turkey sandwiches and tossed scraps of bread to the wood ducks and mallards.
Ember trotted happily around the picnic spot while Dee and Darin took turns fishing at the edge of the pond.
They were hooking small catfish and bluegills as soon as they plunked the fishing line into the water.
The boys were having such a good time, they were reluctant to leave.
(Mom's tip: Always head out before the kids get bored and they'll want to come back next time.)
When Rick and I told Dee and Darin they could choose the next activity, they didn't bicker over the options.
"Cox's!" they said in unison.
Cox's Driving Range and Putt-a-Round on Prices Fork Road is a low-cost diversion for kids of all ages. In addition to a golf driving range, they have a miniature golf course and batting cages for baseball and softball players of varying ability levels.
While the boys played a round of miniature golf ($6 for both players), I parked myself on a bench in the center of the course and entertained myself by admiring the landscape design. The course, with its dozens of varieties of shrubs and trees, is a botanical delight.
Next, the boys bought tokens for the batting cages ($1 for 16 pitches) and tested their swing against the automated pitching machines. Rick, meanwhile, walked Ember around the complex.
Back in the van, Ember sacked out for the drive back to Christiansburg. The low point of the day was returning her to the animal shelter.
"When will someone adopt Ember?" Darin asked.
It's always hard to take the dogs back to the shelter after spending time with them. We're happy, though, when the volunteers there find good homes for the animals.
Soon, we were zipping up Interstate 81, heading south for our next adventure.
We found it in the smell of gasoline and burning rubber. Admission to the open practice sessions at New River Valley Speedway in Pulaski County is better than cheap. It's free!
As soon as we got to the race track and heard the ear-splitting roar of engines, Rick's eyes lighted up.
We joined others in the grandstands watching the racing action. Even though it was only an afternoon practice session, the drivers were putting on a show. The colorful late model stock cars flew around the track, playing cat-and-mouse games.
After all that racing, we were on the road again. Everyone was hungry for the best (and cheapest!) pizza in the New River Valley.
The Pizza House on Radford's west end has been in business for 24 years. You'll find the locally owned pizza parlor at 311 First St. in one of the city's grand old buildings.
Inside, the place has an offbeat kind of ambience with its bright red walls, ornate white ceilings, old-fashioned wooden booths, peeling linoleum and pinball machines.
The shop sells nothing but pizza, loaded with your choice of six toppings: hamburger, sausage, pepperoni, onions, green peppers and mushrooms. Best of all, the prices range from $2.75 for a small cheese pizza to $9.15 for a large pizza with everything.
Soft drinks are available from a machine (50 cents each) and don't ask for plates or silverware. There aren't any.
Well, what do you expect for those prices?
My family ordered two medium three-item pizzas and put eight quarters in the Coke machine. We spent $13.20 for supper.
After Dee and Darin dropped eight more quarters in the pinball machines, we had $14.97 left.
More than enough for an evening at the movies ... if you don't mind a second-run show.
We took off for the Radford Plaza Cinemas. "Forrest Gump" was still playing there.
Admission at the Radford Plaza Cinemas is only $2 per person. We got in for half-price with coupons I had saved from Food Lion grocery receipts.
Pretty frugal and foxy, eh?
Of course, we did spend $10 for a bottomless tub of popcorn and sodas, but who's counting?
We even had change in our pockets when we left the theater.
There was one problem, though. As I listened to the conversation coming from the back seat on the way home, I sensed trouble.
"Next time, we could go bowling," Dee said.
"Yeah," Darin agreed, "and then we could go skating and swimming and play video games and ..."
by CNB