“What an absolutely wonderful day!” enthused Mrs. Pauline “Pete” Sharpley, of Dahlgren, her bright eyes shining blue as the perfect, cloudless sky on Saturday morning. “It feels just like an old time country fair here today!” Her sentiments were echoed to vendors and presenters by hundreds of visitors to the King George Farmers Market Community Appreciation Day. It was a party hosted by the farmers for the whole county and, it seemed, pretty much everybody in town turned out to celebrate!
We kicked off our festivities at 10 a.m. by singing “Happy Birthday” to the Market, which is two months old now! The beautiful sheet cake baked by Carol Wheeler of Wheeler’s Fresh Goods boasted the “Virginia Grown” cornucopia logo and the words “King George Farmers Market 2009.” (By the way, 20 beautiful “Virginia Grown” reusable shopping bags were given away in our Grand Prize Drawing.) Half yellow cake, half chocolate, the cake was big enough to feed 100 people and it did just that. Many thanks to Carol for such a lovely and delicious piece of art!

Open House on May 11th 6-8 pm 

   The temperature is rising, the flowers have bloomed and summer is right around the corner.  No matter what the age or interests of your child - the YMCA offers something for everyone! Try amazing new things from youth basketball, swim lessons, KinderKamp for preschoolers to our great Day Camp; great programs at a great price.
   The King George Family YMCA offers a variety of programs that will inspire your child in a safe and supportive environment that is convenient and close to home!  Whether your child enjoys swimming at the water park, art, science or cooking, the YMCA Summer Day Camp is for your child. You can count on our skilled, well-trained staff to provide fun, safe and exciting activities for your child.  All of our summer programs are geared to encourage participation and teach the values of respect, responsibility, honesty, caring, faith and fun. Financial assistance is available for families to apply.  
   Come out to the Open House on May 11th from 6 pm – 8 pm to meet the summer camp staff and find out what all the fun is about at Summer Day Camp.  There will be door prizes and a $20 discount on summer camp registration.  Everyone who registers at the Open House will be entered to win a free summer camp session!

Balloons Everywhere opened this week in King George.  Located on Rt. 301 next to  Kimbell's Auto Sales.  Owners Rebecca and Edwin Alvarado recognized the need for a party store, and have balloons, cards & gift baskets for every occasion.  Stop by this week and welcome them to our community.

   Bank of Lancaster would like to thank everyone that shared in our Grand Opening on April 11th to welcome our newest office in Colonial Beach.  Our celebration was enjoyed throughout the Northern Neck at all of our 9 offices with a drawing for a pair of Adirondack chairs. To further celebrate at Colonial Beach, which is our second location in Westmoreland County, there was a special drawing in Colonial Beach only for a Club Car Golf Cart. Our Grand Opening also included an open house with refreshments and in staying “green” with the environment; we gave away recycled grocery bags. Little buckets were also given out to collect coins as a fun way to teach young clients the concept of savings or for our customers that are interested in turning coins into cash for deposit. Bank of Lancaster’s Colonial Beach office offers its customers a state-of–the art self-service coin counting machine which is quick and easy to use.     
   The Grand Opening was a wonderful opportunity for us to enhance existing friendships with our friends and neighbors and create new friendships.
   The winner of the Club Car Golf Cart was Nettie Deel from Colonial Beach and the winner of the pair of Adirondack Chairs Joseph Russell from Lancaster.
   Bank of Lancaster strives to help you fulfill your dreams by being your complete financial services provider with offices strategically located for your added convenience.  

Many were appalled, but gentility prevailed

King George, Va.  --  A crowd that gathered to watch a screening of ABC’s Wife Swap at the Community Recreation Center Apr. 17 was appalled.
   Local residents DeLaura Padovan and Steve Hickman, along with their daughters Tara and Maren Padovan-Hickman, 11 and 8 respectively, were featured on the reality TV show.
   While sitting in lawn chairs with their children lounging on the floor on carpet swatches, mats, and even a large stuffed dog, the crowd settled in for the evening entertainment.
   For the most part they cheered on the King George residents, but there was also some minor disdain. There were a few negative ughs at the discussion of shared bath water. But there were loud cheers and applause from a large portion of the female guests when DeLaura discussed not shaving her armpits.
   Most arrived with no predetermined opinion. However as the show progressed it was quite evident where the crowd’s loyalty lay. Shannon Nicole Burroughs’ initial reaction to the family’s home was probably the most positive attitude she displayed throughout the whole show.
   The displeasure of the residents was palpable, as the hour long show progressed and Shannon Nicole progressed from disrespecting the family to making derogatory comments about the whole community.
   Her tirades in the store at the Spotsylvania Towne Center shopping mall had most people aghast, but her denigrating comments while in the Opp Shop Thrift Store had jaws visibly dropping. However, it was her treatment of Steve in front of his children that the guests found most deplorable.
   An audible sigh of distaste could be heard form the crowd when she physically pushed Steve as she degraded him personally. And any chance that guests would walk away with even a neutral opinion of Shannon Nicole was completely lost.
   You could hear a pin drop during the show, but there was some discussion among the guests during the commercial breaks. And almost all expressed disbelief at what they were witnessing. Several men mused about Steve’s remarkable self-control during the ordeal they witnessed on screen.
   In sharp contrast, DeLaura seemed to maintain a positive mild mannered approach to her new family throughout the show.
   However, when the couples met at the end to discuss their experiences, she seemed to go on the attack for a brief moment. But it seemed to be more out of frustration at not being able to communicate with Shannon Nicole, although Steve had warned her, “Don’t even go there.”
   When Tara and Maren staged a theatrical production of their Wife Swap experience for Steve and DeLaura in their front yard that was shown at the finale of the program, it brought the house down.
   Despite it all, when the screening party was over there was not a harsh word uttered from DeLaura or Steve. She thanked every one for sharing the evening with them and came to the defense of New Jersey residents by making a point of telling the guests, “I have friends in New Jersey and they are just wonderful people.”
   During an interview several days later, Steve said the producers actually toned down Shannon Nicole’s behavior.
He said, “They cut most of the worst parts out of the final show.” He indicated that during the course of the taping he had been verbally berated in front of his children with language that is not fit to be repeated in a newspaper.
   When he saw her son head butt her in one scene that resulted in Shannon Nicole immediately taking his toy from his hands, breaking it and throwing it on the floor, Steve found the incident to be very revealing of many issues that perhaps impact her behavior and personality.
   And just as his wife reacted, he made no harsh criticism of Shannon Nicole or her family. Both exhibited true sophistication by not judging, but empathizing with the other family.
   Like all participants in reality TV shows, the family was paid an honorarium for their participation. Steve said, “A large portion of the money will be deposited in each of our daughter’s college savings accounts.” They intend to invest the rest of the money.
   The Wife Swap screening party was scheduled for 7:30 but the guests began to stream into the Community Center at 7 p.m. And by time the show began a standing room only crowd filled the hall to near capacity.
   The family rented a large screen TV that was sitting on a table at the front of the room. Before the show began, DeLaura thanked Roderick Boyd of the Fredericksburg Rent-A-Center 513 A Jefferson Davis Hwy. for allowing them to rent the TV for just one night, since their normal rental period is one month.
   Friends, neighbors, and residents paid their admission to the event with a donation of a non-perishable item being collected for the King George food bank. By time the show began there was a stack of groceries in the lobby.
   And popcorn and lemonade were sold to the guests to benefit the county Parks and Recreation programs.
   For information about Wife Swap visit www.abc.go.com/primetime/wifeswap/. To comment on the TV show or the Journal stories about the family and the screening, visit www.journalpress.com and click on the “Email us” link under “Wife Swap Program.”

Prove themselves to be the true sophisticates on Wife Swap

   The Padovan and Hickman family’s saga began last August when DeLaura answered an ad for a family folk dancing troupe from a friend’s laptop computer. After submitting audition tapes, written applications, and personal interviews, the family was accepted to participate in the Wife Swap program that was taped in February.
   Although they live off the land, the family is professional musicians with Steve playing violin and harmonica and DeLaura playing guitar and ukulele, Steve also teaches at Pickers Supply in Fredericksburg and DeLaura conducts a Music Together program for young children to help develop rhythm and tonal competency.
   Their children are home schooled with Tara in 5th grade and Maren in 2nd, but both are at more advanced grade levels in some subjects such as reading. Like other home schooled children they also participate in community based educational programs. DeLaura said the girls enjoy the Reading With Rover program at Smoot Library that allows them the opportunity to read to local Therapy Dogs.
   Steve was raised in a military family and moved extensively as a child. “As an adult,” he said, “I was interested in staying in one place.” Although he is college educated, Steve did not complete his degree.
   He saved for 10 years to be able to pay cash for the 57 acres his family calls home. He purchased the land in 1977 and in 1986 built a log cabin with help mostly from his friends. He decided to leave the corporate world behind and live off the land.
DeLaura earned her Bachelor Degree in French and Psychology from George Washington University.  She had taken music lessons from Steve in northern Virginia in 1985 and reconnected with him on a personal basis in 1992. Prior to settling in at the mini farm in 1995, she ensured that the cabin was upgraded to include running water.
   The TV show said the whole family shared bath water and Steve allowed that they are frugal with their water usage. Although they use grey water to flush the toilet, according to Steve they do not always share the same tub water for bathing.
   The King George family proved to be the true sophisticates on the show by behaving in a civilized manner despite the verbal denigration inflicted by the substitute wife Shannon Nicole Burroughs.
   To find out more about DeLaura’s Music Together program or to contact the family via e-mail visit her at www.singdanceandplay.com.