Monday, August 18, 2008
It's time again for Ask the Readers
Tom Angleberger
The New River Valley-based reporter answers your questions Mondays in his column, What's on Your Mind?
Recent columns
I'm not answering any questions this week. It's your turn.
I've got a big list of questions here that would be mighty hard to answer the normal way. But, if the success of past Ask The Readers columns is any measure, I think you'll come through for me. If you have an answer to any of these questions, please follow the instructions at the end of this column to enlighten all of us.
We'll start with a love story ... maybe.
Q: The railroad bridge on Virginia 603 between Interstate 81 and Ironto has several messages of love for Donna Fay. We have driven by the bridge many times and have always wondered if Donna Fay ever found true love and if it was with "MR" who spray-painted the messages. Could you help us?
-- Jim and Cindy Shockley, Blacksburg
Q: Does anyone have videos of the dance shows that aired on Channels 4 and 10 during the late 1950s? All the teenagers from local schools came every week and did we have great music and dancing.
-- Helen Ramsey Hendryx, Roanoke and Cincinnati
(Note: I'd like to learn the names of the shows and hear from some folks who danced on them.)
Q: There was a carryout-only restaurant located on 24th Street in Northwest Roanoke called Chick-A-Sea. I think it was located where the Family Dollar store is now located on that corner. They sold the best chicken and seafood. Is any current restaurant using their recipes? Or can anyone share any of their recipes, such as the batter for the fried foods?
-- Gloria Evans-Williams, Roanoke
Q: There was an old arcade at Lake Drive Plaza where my friends and I spent many a day and dollars there. Now thinking about that, can anyone name the arcade?
-- Todd Nicely, Goodview
Q: What is the name of the small stream that flows under the bridge on the greenway at Green Hill Park. It feeds into the Roanoke River.
-- Jim Slater, Salem
Q: What were the three Archie's businesses at Dixie Caverns?
-- Bruce Briggs, Salem
Q: I have a very old clear glass gallon jug that has "T. F. Bailey Distiller, Ferrum, VA, Distillery No. 311, 6th District, Direct From the Distiller to the Consumer" on it. It is not a label, it is actually embossed in the glass. Part of the glass jug has air bubbles in it as though it may have been hand blown although it is quite heavy. Does anyone have any information about this distillery, where it was located in Ferrum, and how long it operated?
-- Cindy Webb, Bedford
Q: How do you get metal shavings off a magnet?
-- Ken Brown, Roanoke County
Q: There is a request going around in our area asking for plastic bottle caps of any kind -- water bottles, soda, laundry detergent, etc. ... Supposedly, if you save 1,500 of these caps, someone is entitled to a free chemo treatment. But I cannot find the source of this request nor the validity of it. Is it just another rumor/scam type thing that goes around every so often?
-- Linda Hanshew, Radford
-- Mike Hamlin, Ironto
(Note: Probably, but before we dismiss it, let's see if any organization steps forward and says it really does want the caps.)
Q: Please ask your readers if anyone knows any grocery store that sells the "Mary B. Open Kettle Chicken and Dumpling Dinner Kit." I've never seen it in any store around here. Mary B. biscuits are great and I would love to try this chicken and dumpling kit. I know there are others out there, but I really want to try this one.
-- Daryl Robinson, Blacksburg
And here are two eternal questions we're still hoping to get answered: What was the secret ingredient in Davis Pizza's pizza, and what happened to the neon candle from the old Candlelite Club?
If you have an answer for any of the questions, I'd love to hear it. E-mail replies are best by a country mile. Send your answer, name and location to woym@roanoke.com.
If you'd rather call, please leave a message on my voice mail at 777-6476. Please be sure to speak clearly and tell me your answer first, then give your name, the spelling of your name and your phone number. You don't need to read me the original question, I'll figure it out. And, please, don't tease me by not leaving your answer.
Look for Tom Angleberger's column on Mondays.
