July is Independent Retailer Month, an event that encourages people to visit their local shops and markets and support their community’s business sector. After all, small businesses are the backbone of the economy.

How it started
Independent Retailer Week was created in 2003 by Tom Shay, the founder of Profits Plus, a web-based company providing support to small businesses. With this event, he sought to educate small business owners on the importance of engaging with their communities and customers.

Six years later, Kerry Bannigan, a co-founder of Nolcha, launched her own version of Independent Retailer Week. This time, the campaign targeted New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. The event focused on independent fashion retailers and was a tremendous success.

In 2011, Shay and Bannigan discussed creating a new, more inclusive event that celebrated and raised awareness of the importance of independent retailers of all kinds. Independent Retailer Month was born in July 2011 and quickly spread around the globe to places like the UK and Canada.

How it’s celebrated today
Today, Independent Retailer Month is an annual event that brings together independent retail associations, small business groups, and thought leaders to highlight independent retailers’ positive social and economic impacts on towns and cities.

Although July is Independent Retailer Month, local merchants need your support all year long.

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Elaine Kay Clatterbuck, 82, of Front Royal, Virginia, passed away on Friday, July 1, 2022, surrounded by her loving family.

Elaine Kay Clatterbuck

A graveside service will be held on Friday, July 8 at 11:00 am at Prospect Hill Cemetery with Sammy Campbell officiating.

Mrs. Clatterbuck was born October 17, 1939, in Front Royal, Virginia, the daughter of the late Oscar Hamilton and Nora Bertha Williams Barnard.

Surviving is her loving and devoted husband of 64 years, Charles E. Clatterbuck; two daughters Sharon Clatterbuck-Kerns and husband James W. Kerns; Kim Clatterbuck Yates; one grandson Wesley Kerns and wife Chelsea Kerns; two granddaughters, Amanda Thomas and husband Mark Thomas and Victoria Luttrell and husband Mitch Luttrell; four great-grandchildren, Eli Kerns, Kate Kerns, Abigal Thomas, and Annalee Thomas; and two nieces, Gloria Jean Keyser of Culpeper and Brenda K. Kunkle of Wyoming.

She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

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Richard William Tennett, 58, of Front Royal, Virginia passed away on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

A funeral service will be held for Richard at 11:00 am on Thursday, July 7, 2022, at Maddox Funeral Home, 105 W Main St, Front Royal with Sammy Campbell officiating. Following all services, the burial will take place at Howellsville United Methodist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

Richard was born on December 29, 1963, in Warren County to the late James and Hazel Tennett. He was also preceded in death by his former significant other, Ethel V. Flynn; and several aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings.

Surviving Richard is his significant other, Bobbie Spencer; his sons, Delbert and Christopher Flynn; his uncle Robert M. Tennett; his 11 grandchildren; his good friend, Michael McDonald and numerous nieces and nephews.

Richard loved passing the time by going fishing.

Pallbearers will be Chris Tennett, John Duncan, David Boyce, Steve Boyce, Joe Wines, and Jeffrey Costello.

Honorary Pallbearers are Michael McDonald and Robert M. Tennett Jr.

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The Virginia State Police is seeking the public’s assistance with a fatal pedestrian crash that occurred on Interstate 66 in Warren County.

The crash occurred Sunday (July 3) at 3 a.m. on I-66 near the 14-mile marker, approximately a mile east of Exit 13 for Route 79/Linden/Front Royal. An adult male pedestrian had been struck in the eastbound travel lane. The striking vehicle immediately pulled over and remained at the scene. Another vehicle was already on the shoulder with two Hispanic males standing outside of it. When the other driver approached the males, they got into their vehicle, a 4-door sedan, and drove off.

The male pedestrian died at the scene. He is a Hispanic male and believed to be in his mid-20s and possibly Honduran, based on information found on his person at the scene. The male was transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner for positive identification, examination, and autopsy. It is possible that the pedestrian had been in the sedan prior to being struck.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has any information related to this incident and/or the deceased male is encouraged to call the Virginia State Police by dialing #77 or 540-829-7766 or emailing questions@vsp.virginia.gov.

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Whether served neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail, spirits are becoming increasingly popular for both winter and summer. Here’s a guide to the standard choices.

• Vodka. Many people appreciate this neutral-flavored spirit that’s typically made from grains, vegetables, or fruit. Vodka is an essential ingredient in many cocktails, including the bloody mary and cosmopolitan. It’s often assumed vodka comes from Russia and is made from potatoes. However, depending on where you are, you may find unique vodkas from local distilleries made with surprising ingredients like maple sap or quinoa.

• Gin. This spirit is a definitive ingredient in G&Ts and other cocktails. It results from the combination of macerated and distilled juniper berries with aromatic ingredients like herbs, citrus fruits, and flowers in neutral grain-based alcohol. London dry is a well-known gin variety whose name represents a distilling style and is not exclusive to England. Genever has Dutch and Belgian origins and is now also produced in Canada.

• Whiskey. Made from cereal grains such as corn and oats, whiskey has distinct identities according to the country where it’s distilled. Whiskey brewed in the United States is mainly bourbon, while the Canadian version is rye. Scotch refers to the variety produced in Scotland.

• Rum. Made from molasses or fermented cane syrup, this spirit drink is typically available in light, gold, and black varieties, depending on their filtering and aging processes. Spiced rum is usually aged for the same duration as black rum. Among the must-try cocktails that use rum are the mojito and the piña colada.

Visit licensed retailers in your area to stock up on these essential spirits for your collection or visit a bar or distillery to discover new ways to enjoy them.

Please DO NOT drink and drive.

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Do you know who made these patriotic statements?

1. “Where liberty dwells, there is my country.”
a. George Washington
b. John Adams
c. Benjamin Franklin
d. Thomas Jefferson

2. “America is another name for opportunity.”
a. Jack Kerouac
b. Henry David Thoreau
c. Jon Krakauer
d. Ralph Waldo Emerson

3. “Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.”
a. Martin Luther King, Jr.
b. Ronald Reagan
c. Rosa Parks
d. John McCain

4. “America, to me, is freedom.”
a. Johnny Cash
b. Kris Kristofferson
c. Willie Nelson
d. Lyle Lovett

5. “We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.”
a. William Faulkner
b. Thomas Wolfe
c. Willa Cather
d. John Steinbeck

6. “The fact is, with every friendship you make and every bond you establish, you are shaping the image of America projected to the rest of the world.”
a. Jill Biden
b. Nancy Reagan
c. Michelle Obama
d. Barbara Bush

7. “Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.”
a. Jimmy Carter
b. Woodrow Wilson
c. John F. Kennedy
d. Calvin Coolidge

8. “The magic of America is that we’re a free and open society with a mixed population. Part of our security is our freedom.”
a. Madeleine Albright
b. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
c. Sonia Sotomayor
d. Condoleezza Rice

9. “True patriotism springs from a belief in the dignity of the individual, freedom, and equality not only for Americans but for all people on earth, universal brotherhood and goodwill, and a constant striving toward the principles and ideals on which this country was founded.”
a. Betty Ford
b. Eleanor Roosevelt
c. Hillary Rodham Clinton
d. Laura Bush

10. “You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.”
a. Dave Barry
b. Dorothy Parker
c. Art Buchwald
d. Erma Bombeck

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Answers:
1. c, 2. d, 3. b, 4. c, 5. a, 6. c, 7. d, 8. a, 9. b, 10. D
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