Congressman Ben Cline (VA-06) announced the 2020 Congressional Art Competition today. The Congressional Art Competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia.

The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in the District. The winning artwork will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol alongside other pieces from across the country and will also be featured on House.gov’s Congressional Art Competition page.

While schools remain closed due to the coronavirus, the Congressional Art Competition will continue as planned. This competition will allow students to remain engaged and hone their skills.

“All students from Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District are encouraged to participate in this year’s art competition,” Cline said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase artistic ability and for the selected winner to have their art on display for thousands of Capitol visitors throughout the next year. I am pleased that the competition will continue on as planned, and that the event has moved to electronic submissions to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved.”

Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork can be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive in Washington, DC, framed. Even when framed, it must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions. No framed piece should weigh more than 15 pounds.

Accepted mediums for the two-dimensional artwork are as follows:

• Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
• Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
• Collages: must be two-dimensional
• Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints
• Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
• Computer-generated art
• Photographs

Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws. Any entry that has been copied from an existing photo or image (including a painting, graphic, or advertisement) that was created by someone other than the student is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted. For more information on copyright laws, we recommend you visit the Scholastic website.

Due to COVID-19, submissions will only be accepted electronically. Students should submit photographs of their entry and the Student Release Form to ArtCompetitionVA06@mail.house.gov.

The Student Release Form can be found here.

Entries are due by May 1, 2020. A winner will be announced May 7. For more information, contact District Director Debbie Garrett at (540) 885-3861 or Staff Assistant Tyler Hook at (202) 225-5431.

Congressman Ben Cline represents the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia. He previously was an attorney in private practice and served both as an assistant prosecutor and Member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Cline and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Botetourt County with their two children.

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LFCC Workforce Solutions recognizes the challenges companies are facing as most workers are forced to temporarily work from home. That’s why it has developed this FREE live webinar “5 Ways to Support Employees During this Unprecedented Time” THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 12-12:30 p.m.

Speaker Jelise Ballon, Workforce Solutions’ corporate training product developer, will walk you through how to help your employees adapt – and thrive – during this national emergency. Ballon is an educator, writer, and speaker. She’s worked in a variety of industries, including healthcare, education, professional services, and technology. She has more than 15 years of experience leading and collaborating with virtual teams, and five years of experience designing learning for a blended workforce. She has both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in communications and is an ATD Master Trainer.

Register Here

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The Nonprofit Alliance of the Northern Shenandoah Valley will present a live, on-line Q and A forum for area non-profits impacted by the current COVID-19 crisis on Thursday, April 2, from 8:30-9:30 am. This dialogue will be hosted by Tom Morley of Snowflake, LLC., a noted consultant to nonprofit agencies both across our region and nationally. The forum will give area nonprofits a chance to ask questions and share how they’ve adapted in these unprecedented conditions.

The nonprofit community is understandably anxious as the current COVID-19 crisis is making life more difficult for area agencies. This free forum will allow nonprofit leaders to interact as they face critical decisions that will affect our non-profits’ futures.

All area nonprofits are welcome to participate in this forum, free of charge, zia Zoom video conference. Registration will be handled online at www.snowflakellc.com/forum.

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Spring is approaching, and Troop 53 is preparing for their annual mulch fundraiser. The funds raised will help support troop activities and send our Boy Scouts to summer camp, where they learn valuable skills in leadership, outdoors, and many more through the scouting program.

They will be accepting pre-orders through April 2, 2020, so please place your order to reserve the quantities needed before we sell out. All pick up orders will be available for pick up on Saturday, April 4, 2020, at the Front Royal Volunteer Fire and Rescue, and deliveries will be made the same day.

The mulch bags are the same 3 cubic feet (larger than standard 2CF bags at the retail stores) shredded hardwood in a dark brown color.

Pricing for this year:

• $4.05 per bag for pick up
• $4.55 per bag for delivery

Orders may be placed via:

• Email the completed order form to mulch@bsa-troop53.org
• Text 540-692-9110 with name, address, number, email, and quantity.
• Mail the completed order form to Troop 53 Mulch c/o Britton Bowman, 162 Ascalon Dr, Middletown, VA 22645
• Call 540-692-9110; If we are unable to answer right away, please leave a detailed message with name, number, address, and quantity and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

The Troop can accept payments via credit/debit cards with a 4% fee to cover the processing fees. Please let us know if you wish to pay via credit/debit card and a payable invoice will be emailed to you.

Please forward this message to family, friends, and neighbors to help us spread the word. Thank you for your continued support of Troop 53.

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An annual breakfast recognizing nine “Dare to Dream” candidates sharing more than $8,000 to help make their dreams a reality became, due to the coronavirus, a “no breakfast/breakfast” on-line where this year’s presentations were made by the Front Royal Women’s Resource Center (FRWRC).

Despite the international tragedy of the virus playing out this year, FRWRC was determined to publicly honor its 2020 list of women, selected from many who dared to dream, breakfast or no breakfast, and did so March 26. The FRWRC, established in 1996, launched “Dare to Dream” in 1999, meanwhile raising more than $100,000 for the program.

In a statement issued on-line, the Front Royal women’s organization said, in part: “One of the things our breakfast does that is subtle but extremely powerful, is to tell each of the grantees that we believe in them. Each of them has a story that touches us deeply and in turn, connects us to them and to each other. So now, in this extremely challenging time…we need to find other ways to reach out to touch, and to inspire, each other.”

Reach out they did, naming Megan Vardiman this year’s winner of the top award, the Elaine Bromfield Memorial Scholarship, including a check for $1,500. Megan, mother of four young children and enrolled at Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC), dreams of becoming a psychologist, specifically helping women heal from trauma. Currently, she volunteers at Blue Ridge Hospice, and with Young Lives, a program offering support to teen mothers.

Other “dreamers” include:

• Diana Cercy of Linden ($900) who brought her Healing HeARTS Toolboxes and workshops from Prince William and Fauquier Counties. She is expanding her non-profit to cover her new community and Warren County schools.
• Mary Cook of Browntown Road, an artist, whose dream is to offer free arts experiences to children and adults in need. She received a check for $900 to purchase materials for mobile art workshops.
• Taylor Fletcher was awarded $1,000 for her nursing studies at LFCC. Taylor’s dream is to become a Nurse Practitioner,
  encouraged by her experience with caring for her ailing grandmother.
• Mia Coffman, a Front Royal native now in her junior year at the University of Lynchburg where she is working toward a degree in special education. Her dream is to teach children with special needs. She received $600 to cover tuition costs for a class next semester.
• Amanda Horn, a fine art major at the Art Institute of Chicago and George Mason University, mother of two, with a current focus on painting plants and wildlife. She has shown and sold her work at wineries, art shows, and festivals, also murals in and on buildings locally. Her dream is to further share her paintings in the area. She received $1,000 to purchase a portable art display system.
• Eka Kapiotis, who established Valley Health’s Reiki Training Program, is a Cranio-Sacral Therapist (CST) dreaming of becoming a certified CST therapist at the highest level – that of “Diplomate.” She was award $600 toward the cost of gaining this certification.
• Meghan LeCompte is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and a medical technician at the Senior Living Center in Front Royal. She also volunteers at Warren County Fire and Rescue while studying for her Registered Nurse (RN) degree next year. She was awarded $1,000 for school expenses.
• Laura Ruby received $600 toward her dream of better addressing the needs of underserved populations, a trend. she discovered after opening Ruby Yoga in Front Royal three years ago. Specifically, she seeks training in kids’ yoga and in traumatic-informed yoga.

At its first on-line breakfast, FRWC noted that the year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of congressional ratification of the 19th Amendment in which “women’s right to vote was enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.”

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Belle Grove Plantation will delay opening for the 2020 season until Friday, April 24. This is in response to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Executive Order 53, that states “Closure of all public access to recreational and entertainment businesses, effective 11:59 p.m., Tuesday, March 24, 2020 until 11:59 p.m., Thursday, April 23, 2020…[including]…Theaters, performing arts centers, concert venues, museums, and other indoor entertainment centers…” We are closely monitoring news and guidance regarding COVID-19 from health and government officials; please check www.bellegrove.org for updates before planning your visit.

There is ongoing uncertainty of this public health crisis and likelihood that large gatherings of people will be discouraged, if not prohibited, by the time of the May 9, 2020 “Of Ale and History” Beer Festival at Belle Grove. We have, therefore, come to the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Beer Fest and expect to resume this great tradition in 2021. “Of Ale and History” Beer Fest is the longest running beer festival in Virginia and would have celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. It is an annual highlight to welcome the community onto the Belle Grove property and to support the craft beer industry as well as local food and merchandise vendors. However, the safety of our guests and participants are of upmost importance.

We continue to plan for a robust and joyful Belle Grove Wine Fest on August 29, 2020. Events such as the Beer Fest and Wine Fest are crucial fundraisers for our non-profit museum, and we appreciate the longstanding support we have received from attendees and sponsors.
Belle Grove’s website will include updates on additional special events to take place in 2020. The Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association GardenFest scheduled for June 6, 2020 has been canceled. Farm to Fork Shenandoah, a bicycle event planned by Wrenegade Sports for September 13, 2020 will be postponed until September 12, 2021.

Visit www.bellegrove.org for content about the historic site. Additional news will be also shared on Belle Grove’s social media streams at:

• www.facebook.com/BelleGrove
• www.twitter.com/bellegrove1797
• www.instagram.com/BelleGrove1797

The Board of Directors and staff of Belle Grove Plantation thank the health care workers and essential businesses for their continued hard work during this challenging time. We send our well wishes to you all.

About Belle Grove—Belle Grove Plantation is located off Route 11 at 336 Belle Grove Road just south of Middletown, Virginia 22645 and is conveniently located to I-81 (use exit 302) and I-66. Belle Grove Plantation is a non-profit historic house museum that is a National Trust for Historic Preservation historic site (www.savingplaces.org). Belle Grove is also one of the partners in Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park (www.nps.gov/cebe).

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