Town Talk

Juanita Shanks with FailSafe-ERA talks about the Holiday Shoppe in December, where families can shop for Christmas gifts for children with an incarcerated parent. Donations and volunteers are needed. She also talks about the effort to build a new playground at Old Greenwich, the site of a deadly shooting last year, and previews a January 9th conversation about youth violence in the community. Learn more at failsafe-era.org.

Doug Jackson, Erin Creighton and John Blankenship (not pictured) talk about genealogy and legal resources at the library.  The Virginiana Collection is downstairs in the Caroline Street branch and helps people go beyond basic database searches.  We also talk about legal information and public programs at the library. librarypoint.org

Stephanie Cordner and Karen Brace talk about the wonders and benefits of spiders.   Karen, from Possum-Bilities on William Street in Fredericksburg also brought in Chilean rose haired tarantula named Big Mama.

Patrick A'Hearn, CEO and Producing Artistic Director of the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts, joins us to talk about the response to Sweeney Todd, which closes October 25, and why good script writing matters. Next up is A Christmas Carol, running November 11 through January 3.   Riverside is now nonprofit.  We talk about how the community can help keep the stage lights on.   More info at riversidedt.com

Dana and Mark Brown talk about the Zoe Freedom Center and their work helping people break free from substance abuse. The faith based center offers free counseling, peer support groups and family support, plus Narcan training and a mobile harm reduction unit.  Zoe has also opened a restorative care home for women recovering from addiction and trafficking. zoefreedomcenter.org for more info.

Three keepers of Fredericksburg's past are in studio with us: Billy Withers, Florence Barnick and Roy McAfee of the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, housed in the gym of the old Maury School on Barton Street. Hear what they've preserved, what's still rolling in the door, and how you can get involved as a volunteer or member. crhcarchives.org

Fredericksburg At-Large Councilman Will Mackintosh talks about the ongoing effort to lessen motor vehicle noise downtown, with another push planned in the General Assembly next year. We also talk about whether the city should convert some downtown one-way streets to two-way, and we get into data centers.

Andrea Chum, Kathleen Daley-Becker and Von Young talk about two upcoming events: the Subaru Spooktacular Trunk-or-Treat and Adoption Event on Oct. 17 and the Animal Rescue Festival on Nov. 7. They also explain why the SPCA needs volunteers and foster homes and how the community can help animals in need. More info at fredspca.org

Katerina Vollten, Zack Carter, Doug Gately, and Joel Young preview this year's Jazz4Justice concert, at Dodd Auditorium on the UMW campus on Saturday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m. The UMW Jazz Ensemble, directed by Gately, takes the stage for the annual benefit, with net proceeds split between Legal Aid Works and jazz scholarships for University of Mary Washington students. General admission is $10, $5 for students and seniors. Tickets at legalaidworks.org/jazz4justice.

Ricky and Esther Jones discussed their work with immigrant families in the region. Their nonprofit, the Fredericksburg Immigration Justice Fund (fxbgimmigration.org), seeks to remove financial barriers to quality immigration legal representation and provides practical support to families navigating immigration crises. The faith-based nonprofit serves people of all faiths and backgrounds.