Celebrating Thomas Jefferson in Forest, VA

It isn’t often you to participate in the retirement celebration for an American President. This weekend, October 3rd, you can! Poplar Forest will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s retirement and his return to Virginia. The Richmond Symphony will be entertaining on the beautiful lawn of Poplar Forest, Jefferson’s secluded retreat. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door, they also include a catered reception on the lawns of the retreat.
Jefferson retired from public life in 1809. He returned to what is now the town of Forest in Bedford County VA. The home at Poplar Forest was one of his greatest designs, but unknown to many outside the area. The home itself is described as such: “Poplar Forest is considered Jefferson’s most mature architectural masterpiece. At Poplar Forest, elements from ancient, Renaissance Palladian and 18th century French architecture, as well as British and Virginian design, fuse into a harmonious whole.” It has also been designated a National Historic Landmark.
This weekend also offers a chance to visit with “Jefferson” himself. Bill Barker of Colonial Williamsburg will visit with guests as late president! Mr. Barker has portrayed Jefferson for the last 20 years. He has even portrayed him at the Palace of Versailles and the White House. It isn’t often you can spend the afternoon with Thomas Jefferson and the Richmond Symphony!
Franklin County and Bedford County VA are full of great opportunities! In an area rich with history and natural beauty, there is much to see and do! Come for a visit, if you like it, then move here! If you are interested in relocating to the area, call Vicki Millehan! She can help you find your own Virginia retreat!

Buying a Retirement Home in Smith Mountain Lake

For many people, buying a home after retirement is not on the agenda. But with the final days of the tax credit upon us, it may be time to take a second look at purchasing a home. In the boom days of the real estate market, many couples who were retiring decided to sell their homes at top prices. But, instead of buying, they chose to rent or maybe even spend time travelling. Well, now maybe a perfect time to become a first time home buyer… again!


If you have not owned a principal property in the last three years, you may qualify for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) $8000 Tax credit for first time home buyers. Time is quickly coming to a close on the program that is scheduled to end on December 1st. That means if you are considering buying a home you must close no later than November 30th. First time home buyer can qualify for a tax credit of 10% of the purchase price. The maximum credit is $8000. You can find more information in the previous blog, Attention First Time Home Buyers in Franklin and Bedford County, VA! This is good news for retirees that may be ready to purchase a home again!


Smith Mountain Lake is a wonderful place to retire! There are many different types of communities and homes to choose from. With award winning golf courses to beautiful wineries, Franklin and Bedford County in Virginia are wonderful places to call home. If you are looking for an income producing property , there is even a winery for sale with a great family home on site. With the tax credit incentive; the time is perfect to purchase a retirement home now! Home prices are still low, but are starting to rise. In order to qualify for the ARRA, you should begin the contract process no later than October 15th! There is still time to find that perfect home!


Golfing, fishing, hiking and boating are all wonderful ways to spend your golden years! Franklin County and Bedford County offer all of that and more! If you want to see what kind of home can meet your retirement needs call Vicki Millehan! She has lived in Smith Mountain Lake for over 20 years and has been lake properties for over 18 years! Come for a visit, if you like it- move here!!


Golfing, fishing, hiking and boating are all wonderful ways to spend your golden years! Franklin County and Bedford County offer all of that and more! If you want to see what kind of home can meet your retirement needs call Vicki Millehan! She has lived in Smith Mountain Lake for over 20 years and has been lake properties for over 18 years! Come for a visit, if you like it- move here!!

2009 Smith Mountain Lake Wine Festival is Here!

If you have been looking for a reason to come check out the area, there is no better time than this weekend! September 26 and 27 is the Smith Mountain Lake Wine Festival at LakeWatch Plantation! It is still not too late to buy advance tickets at a discount! You can even buy them online, but hurry, advance tickets are available until September 23rd!


The SML Wine Festival is a favorite event and one of the most popular with visitors! Wineries from across the state come to offer samples of their top wines. Add to that wonderful food and live music and you have a great weekend ahead of you! With so many wines and so little time, how do you know what wines to sample first?


Well, first off, if you are going to be sampling a lot of wines: bring a designated driver! Law Enforcement will be present to make sure everyone stays safe. Secondly, bring your ID! You would hate to miss out on sampling award winning wines. This may sound simple, but they are very important tips!


When it comes to sampling, you may want to check out the different vendors BEFORE you start. Taking a stroll around the Festival will give you an idea of what wines are available to try. With such a large variety of wines, some people even have a little notebook to make notes in so they know which wines they want to go back and sample. They can also make note of what they liked the best! This may sound serious, but with such diverse wines to choose from, it really helps!


Just as an example, let’s take a look at a Peaks of Otter Wine; Chili Dawg. This is an apple wine with chili pepper wine blended in. This is one HOT DAWG! Of course it isn’t as hot as their Kiss the Devil wine. That one is made from 30 varieties of peppers! The name says it all! Then if you take a look at some of the Hickory Hill wines, you will see how broad the difference in wines can be! Smith Mountain Lake Redbud is a sweet dark rose wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc. There is also a wonderful “breakfast wine”, Smith Mountain Lake Sunset, it is a great dessert or brunch wine (and the 2007 Virginia Governor’s Cup Winner).


There is almost no better time to visit Smith Mountain Lake than during the SML Wine Festival! With over 20 wineries participating, you can truly see and taste the best of Virginia! So come for a visit, if you like it, then move here! Vicki Millehan can help you find the perfect waterfront home! She can even tell you more about the Savoy Lee. An award winning winery for sale now in the Smith Mountain Lake area! Who knows, maybe next year YOU could be a vendor at the wine festival!!

Finding the Dream on Smith Mountain Lake!!

You have finally decided you are ready to take the plunge and purchase that dream home on Smith Mountain Lake! You couldn’t pick a better place to buy a home! The area has much to offer. With so much to choose from, how do you decide the home that is right for you? The answer depends on your needs.


Let’s start with the reason you are buying a new home. Is this home going to be your primary residence or a second home? If you are looking for a place to get away from it all or looking for a place to grow roots, knowing the answer to this basic question will help your agent narrow down the potential homes for you! If you are not sure yet what you are really looking for, make a list of what you WANT in a home and what you need. This list will be a big help as you look at properties.


The next thing you want to determine is LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!! Do you want a waterfront property with its own boat slip? Do you prefer a view of the mountains? Do you need your own dock or is a community marina OK? It may seem like you have many different options, that’s because you do! Do you want to live in a community with all the amenities or in a luxury waterfront home of your own?


If you desire the convenience of community living, check out the Cottages on Contentment Island. You can have a lake view of the sunset or enjoy the pool! There is even off lake storage for your boat in the wintertime! With these features, the townhouses here make a great retirement home or second home!


If you want a luxury home all your own, you can’t go wrong with a custom home with its own dock and houseboat slip. However, if you are looking for a place to take the family on the weekend or for and investment property, there are condos available that would be perfect! So knowing what you are going to be using your home for makes a big difference! From $1.6 million luxury homes to a townhouse on the lake, Smith Mountain Lake has a home for you!


If you are ready to start looking for your Waterfront Dream Home, call Vicki Millehan! She is your local real estate expert! Vicki can even help you become the owner of the Savoy Lee, an award winning winery! If you have not decided you want to live in the area yet, then come for a visit; if you like it, then move here!!

Water's Edge Greens

Dear Water’s Edge Member,

I would like to thank you for your patience during the past couple of months with the condition of various greens. As you may be aware, we have struggled with a new disease called “Take-all Patch,” which attacks the root system of new greens. We have worked closely with Virginia Tech over the summer to correct the problems and we are seeing many improvements. The last couple of weeks have been ideal growing conditions and the weaker greens are recovering nicely.

During the course renovation there was much debate as to the type of fairway greens we should use. Currently, we have a mix of Bluegrass and Rye in the fairways along with some Bent. We chose to move forward with Bluegrass because of its playability and the color it provides year-round; however, we have not seen the results we were looking for with the new Bluegrass.

After much consultation and close guidance from Virginia Tech, we are making a change in the fairway grasses. This does not mean we will be closing the course, but we will be interseeding all fairways with “Memorial” Bentgrass, This is a creeping Bentgrass that is one of the top rated fairway grasses on the market. This means fairways will be able to be cut at lower heights and provide a pristine playing surface. In addition, we should be able to keep fairways drier throughout the year giving the ball more roll for distance.

Interseeding with the “Memorial” Bentgrass will begin next week in all fairways. It is important during the germination process and grow-in that we reduce impacts to allow for growth. Carts will be restricted to cart path and roughs only through at least the end of October.

We are excited about this change and are confident that you will see the benefits as the Bentgrass takes over in our fairways. The transition to the Bentgrass will take several years to occur but will offer a playing surface second to none.

Thank you for your continued confidence and please bear with us during this transition.

Ronald L. Willard
President
Willard Construction of Roanoke Valley, Inc.

Centerfest in Bedford VA!

The kids are back to school and the lazy days of summer are past. That doesn’t mean you can’t make time for a little fun and a weekend getaway! It may just take a little more planning. If you are looking for something to shake off those work week blues, check out Bedford’s Centerfest September 25th and 26th!

Centerfest is one of the largest street festivals in region. Live Music will keep everyone moving to the beat! With four different music stages, there will be a little something for everyone to enjoy. Craftsmen and Artisans will have their wares on display! You can see some of the best works from the entire state right here at Centerfest! You won’t find any other place that will have as many exotic and wonderful foods to sample either! So grab the family, or just bring yourself, and head to Bedford for a quick weekend getaway on September 25th and 26th.

On Saturday, admission will be free during the day. There will be an Art Show, a Motorcycle Show, Safety Fair and a Car Show! Several children’s activities have been scheduled throughout the day, with local organizations on hand to share information on the different programs available in the area! If you can make it for Friday night, you can enjoy the Centerfest Kickoff Concert! For more information you can call 540-586-2148.

Fall is here and there is no better time to enjoy the Virginia countryside than now. So take a slow drive to the Smith Mountain Lake area and unwind from your work week! Come for a visit; if you like it, then move here! If you are looking for a weekend retreat, call Vicki Millehan! She is your local real estate expert for Franklin and Bedford County!!

Bedford County Treasure!!

Johnson’s Orchards is indeed a Bedford County treasure. Located right beside the Peaks of Otter Winery, you can pick your own apples, peaches, nectarines, and plums or buy fresh picked with the work all done! The Winery and the Orchard are owned by Danny and Nancy Johnson. The land has a long history with the Johnson Family. So it only seems fitting, that a mystery from long ago is often retold at the Orchard. The Mystery of Beale’s treasure!

Sometime around 1820, a man named Thomas Jefferson Beale is said to have buried a treasure worth over 30 million dollars (present day valu) in Bedford County, VA! The Beale Treasure has been legend for years! Johnson’s Orchard has been featured on Unsolved Mysteries, the BBC, Travel Channel and FOX for their ties to the treasure! Mr. Beale left ciphers to disclose the treasure and its location. Only the cipher for what was in the treasure has been broken! The key to that puzzle was the US Declaration of Independence!

If you can decode the remaining ciphers, you can find the location of the vault. The treasure vault supposedly holds gold, silver and jewels! Danny Johnson has people ask if they can dig for the treasure, as long as they fill out the paperwork and promise to fill the holes back in, he is usually pretty accommodating. The Winery has even created a wine in honor of the legend called “Golden Nugget Pear”. Now that treasure is a little bit easier to come by!

The treasures you find at Johnson’s Orchards and at the Peaks of Otter Winner are legendary! From award winning wines to the fruits of fall, there is something for everyone! So if you are in the mood for a mystery; grab a bottle of wine and the remaining Beale ciphers and see if you can break the code! While you are here, don’t forget to enjoy the Bedford Wine Trail! Come for a visit, if you like it, then move here! Vicki Millehan can help you find your treasure in Bedford County! From luxury homes to waterfront properties, she is your local real estate expert!

Attention First Time Home Buyers in Franklin and Bedford County,VA!

I think everyone knows what a great area Smith Mountain Lake and the surrounding areas of Virginia are! Personally I don’t think there is a better part of the country! If you have been dreaming of owning a home in Bedford or Franklin County, now may be the time. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s $8000 Tax credit for first time home buyers will soon be over. It is not too late to take advantage of the program!!

The program is open until December 1, 2009. If you want to qualify for the program, you need to get started as soon as possible. Closing should be started no later than October 15th. To be eligible for the credit; you need to complete the purchase of the home by November 30, 2009. For the purposes of the tax credit, the purchase date is the date when you close and the title transfers to the new home owner. Because of the newer lending guidelines closing can take a little longer. But that doesn’t mean it is too late, but time is running out!

First time home buyer can qualify for a tax credit of 10% of the purchase price of the home with a maximum credit of $8000. So the question is: who qualifies for the tax credit. Under the Act, a first time home buyer is someone who has not owned a principle residence in the last three years, whether under your name or your spouse’s. The home purchased can be a new home or a resale.

The income guidelines are pretty simple. To receive the full tax credit, a single taxpayer’s maximum income is $75,000. For married taxpayers who file jointly, $150,000 is the maximum. If you make more than those amounts, the tax credit is calculated by income, up to $20,000 above the maximum. Just as an example, if a single taxpayer has an income of $95,000 they will not qualify for any of the credit. If they have an income of $85,000, then the credit amount is calculated according to that income.

If you have any questions about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, call me - Vicki Millehan! I can help you find that dream waterfront property and help you find out if you qualify for the tax credit. There is so much to see and do here in Smith Mountain Lake, VA! Come for a visit, and if you like then move here!!

Dare to Get Wild on Smith Mountain Lake

You know every once in awhile you need to go a little wild! And there is probably no better place to get a little wild than at Smith Mountain Lake aboard the Virgina Dare! On the first Wednesday of the month, you can learn about the local wildlife while enjoying a beautiful cruise on the Lake! Owner Alice Swain loves that it gives passengers a chance to learn more about the Smith Mountain Lake State Park!

On the Wildlife Wednesdays, Lauri Schular, Smith Mountain Lake State Park nature interpreter, will be on board to help narrate the noon cruise! "Some folks don't even know the State Park is right around the corner from where the Virginia Dare docks," said Schular. On the August 5th cruise, she shared about the return of the Osprey to Smith Mountain Lake! Even the Osprey think this is a great place to live!

The Wildlife Wednesday Cruise leaves the dock at noon on the first Wednesday of the month. Boarding begins at 11:30am. From May through October, lunch and a cruise costs $42 a person. The group rate is $38. The off-season rate is $38 a person. Sightseers without a meal pay $20. The Virginia Dare also offers Hawaiian Cruises and Mystery cruises as well! If you want to know the times for the cruises, check out the Virginia Dare calendar!

If you like to embrace your wild side, don’t forget to check out the Portside Grill and Bar located at the Virginia Dare Marina! If you need warmed up as the weather turns cooler, just try their hot sauce!! If it is hot waterfront property you are looking for, call Vicki Millehan! She is your local real estate expert at Smith Mountain Lake. Come for a visit and if you like it, then move here!