THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 7, 1996 TAG: 9604050157
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 126 lines
Friday, March 29
1:30 p.m. - Farm Fresh parking lot at the corner of Princess Anne and Baxter roads.
Larry Colton believes in giving credit where credit is due.
Colton, disabled and in constant pain, accidentally locks his keys, as well as his much-needed prescription, in his car after shopping in the grocery store.
Flipping through the Yellow Pages, he calls one locksmith who never shows up. Then, he calls another who promises to be there as soon as possible.
Colton figures he has plenty of time to order a slice of pizza and eat it before the locksmith arrives. But, before he can take his first bite John Puckett, a locksmith from Eastern Lock & Key based in Chesapeake, arrives.
``He was out in eight minutes!'' says an awed Colton. ``He had the door open in three minutes and only charged me $22. He really, really deserves some recognition. I really needed that medicine, and he saved me a lot of anxiety.''
- Lori A. Denney (As told by Larry Colton)
Saturday, March 30
8:45 a.m. - Farm Fresh at Providence Square.
A store employee is chatting with a dairy company worker who is stocking the refrigerated case with 1-gallon jugs of milk. The conversation pauses momentarily as a father cuts between them to grab a plastic jug for himself.
The father places the item in his shopping cart, which also holds his toddler son, then turns back to the dairy case to look over the selection of chocolate milk.
A few seconds later, all three older males - the father and two workers - hear a thud then watch as a sea of milk quickly pours across the floor in all directions.
``Oh, no!'' the father exclaims. ``How could you do that?''
The toddler crouches inside the cart, realizing he has made a big mistake.
``I'm really sorry,'' the father says to the two workers.
``It's OK,'' one assures him while the other goes to fetch a mop.
``I'm sure that's not the way you wanted to start your day,'' the embarrassed father says.
``Well, actually, most of them start that way,'' the dairy worker says.
- Kevin Armstrong
Sunday, March 31
8:27 a.m. - Virginia Beach United Methodist Church.
The Rev. Bill Bruner is giving the morning announcements before the start of the 8:30 a.m. service. Easter is next Sunday, he reminds the congregation.
Then he starts listing the Easter services and times. First, there's the Easter sunrise service at Fort Story at 6:42 a.m. Then, the church itself is having a special schedule of services, one at 8 a.m., one at 9:30 and one at 11. Come to an early service, he encourages the congregation. ``We're expecting standing room only at 11.''
His next comment, however, is met with groans as the meaning of what he is saying sinks in.
``Next Sunday is also the first day of daylight-saving time. Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour.''
Everything will seem an hour earlier than usual, he reminds his flock.
- Melinda Forbes
Wednesday, April 3
10:30 a.m. - Stoplight at Kellam Road and Virginia Beach Boulevard.
A truck sitting at the intersection bears a sticker on the rear window of the camper shell.
It reads, ``The More I Learn About Women, The More I Like My Truck.''
- Gary Edwards
10:45 a.m. The post office on Cleveland Street.
More than 15 people are standing in a line that snakes out the door. The three harried postal clerks attend to the customers as quickly as possible, but it's obvious they need more hands.
One woman, finally making it to a clerk, plops down a package of photos to be mailed. The clerk places the package on the scale and announces the price.
``That'll be $1.24,'' she says.
``Wow, is that all?'' the customer replies, stunned. ``What a bargain. I thought it would be at least $2.50.''
The clerk laughs out loud.
``Oh, no, we're not that expensive,'' she says. ``You have a good day, now, and God bless you.''
- Pam Starr
4:20 p.m. - Independence Boulevard.
Two vehicles sit side-by-side waiting for a green light.
One is a big red pickup truck with a sticker in the rear window reading, ``Bad Religion.''
Personal plates on the ancient Cadillac next to it read, ``God Hp Me.''
- Kay Reynolds
8 p.m. - 73rd Street.
The eclipse of the moon is in full swing. Neighbors are out on the street watching as the eerie orange ball begins to come out from under the shadow of the earth. Soon, a bright sliver of moon, lit by the sun, is revealed on the underside.
Now, some folks become confused as to where the earth, sun and moon are in relation to one another.
``Here, Karen, you be the sun; Ed, you be the earth; and you be the moon,'' says a neighbor to three bystanders. He gets everybody lined up and slowly moves them around the street for a quick astronomy lesson. The neighbors, a little confused, are nonetheless impressed.
``He's Mr. Wizard!'' says one.
- Mary Reid Barrow
Thursday, April 4
12:30 p.m. - Newspaper office.
Lisa Herman of the Commissioner of Revenue's office is excited about a ``pie in the face'' event for which she and co-workers are selling tickets to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Graciously volunteering to be the targets are three city officials - City Manager Jim Spore, Commissioner of Revenue Bobby Vaughan and City Treasurer John Atkinson.
Come noon Thursday, they'll be spattered with whipped cream pies.
``This could be a VERY popular event,'' Lisa adds.
- Melinda Forbes ILLUSTRATION: A surreal framing
Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
A not-so-real dog is joined by a not-real paper rabbit for an Easter
window display at at framery. The duo is in the window at Framed
Expressions in the Byler Building on Virginia Beach Boulevard.
by CNB