Christmas Father’s Stew is back
The Brunswick stew that won rave reviews,
from all tasters will be back at noon tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 28) at The Amelia
Bulletin Monitor office for $7 per quart.
All proceeds from this wood-fired treat, made by stewmaster
Jake Hammock, benefit The Christmas Father's Fund, which provides Christmas to
underprivileged Amelia children. Last year's sold out in a matter of hours -
don't be left with an empty spoon! Pre-order by calling The Monitor at
561-3655.
Amelia Thrift Store donates to the Christmas Father
Rev. Mike Davis (right) of the Amelia Thrift Store presents a $2,000 donation to 2011 Amelia County Christmas Father Mike Neller to help provide presents to underprivileged youth in Amelia County. The store is a community service project of Journey United Methodist Church, of which Rev. Davis is the minister. The store routinely makes contributions to community non-profit organizations from its sales.
Retired band director chosen as 2011 Christmas Father
Mike Neller,
2011 Amelia County Christmas Father
In 1972 Mike Neller started his
new job as the music teacher in Amelia County Public Schools, covering both the
elementary and high school. There was no middle school. The job had been the
only music teacher opening in the entire state that year, he said, and the
position was supposed to be temporary - just a year or two until he could find
another job closer to his hometown of Portsmouth or his wife's, Judy's, home in
Fauquier County. Amelia was about halfway between the two.
That "temporary" job lasted 39 years. He retired in June. "I
had not intended to stay but I got hooked on the kids," Mr. Neller explained.
Last week the Amelia County Christmas Mother's/Father's
organization took the unprecedented move of naming Mr. Neller as the 2011
Christmas Father because of his many years working with children and young
people not only in the school system but in scouting and other community
services. Usually, the organization alternates Christmas Mothers with Christmas
Fathers. Last year F.S. "Steve" Davis Jr. was the Christmas Father, but the
committee members believed this year Mr. Neller deserved recognition for his
longtime dedication to the children of Amelia County.
The elementary school building where Mr. Neller began
teaching had just recently been converted from the all-black Russell Grove
School, he recalled. The lower grades were in the building across the road that
forms the basis for the middle school today and the sixth and seventh grades
were housed in the old Russell Grove building, but Mr. Neller's classroom was in
an outbuilding. He also taught at the high school that is now the county
administration building.
A few years later Mr. Neller moved his classroom to the
present high school but still taught classes at the middle school as well. Soon
after making the move, then high school Principal Henry Featherston asked him to
write a school song. One of the students had written a poem about the school and
Mr. Neller put it to music. The song was originally sung at halftime at every
home football game and at commencement ceremonies.
In addition to his work with budding musicians, Mr. Neller
became involved with scouting. First he worked with Cub Scouts but then he moved
to the Boy Scouts where he was invoked from 1980 until 2000. He helped with the
annual Jamborees held at Fort Pickett until 1997, and was on the aquatic staff
from 1993 until 1997, first clearing a pond and then making other improvements
for the aquatic events.
Mr. Neller was a member of the Amelia Jaycees for many years
as well. During that time the organization instituted the first Christmas parade
and resurrected the long-dormant county fair as a non-segregated event.
Since his retirement Mr. Neller has been kept busy with a
"book" of to-do lists supplied by his wife. He hopes to enjoy his other
interests including canoeing and kayaking, fishing, gardening and a hunting
season without band activities. But so far, he has worked as either a substitute
teacher or substitute bus driver, sometimes both, almost every day of the new
school year.
Asked about Christmas memories, the retired music
instructor/band master immediately recalled tales of past Christmas - what else?
- parades.
"That second or third year," which would have been 1973 or
1974, "It was really cold," Mr. Neller said. It was one of the first Amelia
County Christmas Parades. "It was cloudy when we got off the bus at the old
highway shop, formed up and started marching," he said. The parade route ended
at the then school board office, in the building that now houses the Amelia
County Emergency Management Department offices on the corner of Dunn and
Virginia streets. "By the time we got to the end there was six inches of snow on
the road."
He remembers the schools were closed until the second or
third week in January that year. Teachers were called and told they could come
to the office and pick up their December paychecks, "whenever they felt the
roads were safe enough."
Another year - a different parade - the Crewe Christmas
parade. "It started raining so we marched in the soaking rain."
That was not the only rain-soaked parade. He recalled it once
rained so hard during the Farmville parade that the paper of the judges' score
sheets dissolved. There was no judging that year.
In another Amelia Christmas parade, it rained so hard the
band never left the bus. The band members stuck their instruments out the
windows to play.
It has snowed, less severely than that early parade, during
the Amelia parade in the past couple of years, Mr. Neller said. Once the band
again stayed on the bus until just before reaching the judges' stand, got off
and marched to the stand where they played.
And then there was the time one of the bandsmen ignored Mr.
Neller's admonishment to keep their instruments' mouthpieces in their hands
until they were ready to perform because of the bitter cold. Yep, his lips stuck
to the mouthpiece. Luckily, he listened to Mr. Neller and resisted the urge to
pull them away from the freezing metal (with the resulting skin that would have
taken off as well) and the mouthpiece eventually warmed up enough to loosen by
itself.
The Neller family has its own Christmas tradition, developed
from the time the first of five grandchildren was three or four years old -
about 10 years ago. Sometime about a week before Christmas, the family has
Cookie Day. Judy bakes sugar cookies and prepares different watered-down food
coloring. The grandchildren enjoy coloring - and eating -- their own cookies.
The family also gathers at some time during the Christmas
season, whenever all the Nellers, sons Mike Jr. and Ricky and daughter Debbie,
can bring their families, for a big holiday dinner. Of course there is always
music at these gatherings. Mr. Neller plays Christmas carols on the piano and
the grandchildren sing along.
There may be a new Christmas tradition soon. Judy is looking
forward to a first-ever family concert. Between the children, their spouses and
the grandchildren, there are a cello, a violin, two saxophones, a baritone, a
clarinet, and a flute. Mr. Neller will arrange the music. Judy has a great
voice, Mr. Neller said, although she is shy about singing in public. However,
the family concert will be for her - she plans to just listen, Mr. Neller said.
His memories of his own childhood Christmases are wondrous.
Mr. Neller's grandparents lived in New York City. One grandmother lived in the
Bronx; the other in Brooklyn. Mr. Neller, his brother, and his parents traveled
from Portsmouth to spend Christmas in the Big Apple.
Just traveling there at Christmas was an adventure. There was
no Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel or Interstate 95 back in the 1950s and early
1960s. The family took the ferry on old U.S. Rt. 13 across the bay and up the
Eastern Shore. He remembers his father having to stop in New Jersey to put snow
chains on the tires because of the deep snow. In good weather, it was a 10- to
12-hour drive.
Once they arrived in New York City, the family went to see
the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show, waiting in two block-long lines with
policemen there to deter line-breakers. They got to ice skate at Rockefeller
Center with its famous Christmas tree.
Mr. Neller also remembers when he became old enough to
realize the rivalry between residents of the Bronx and Brooklyn. He asked his
father how he met his mother, given the separation of the residents of those two
boroughs.
His father was in the Navy at the time, he was told, and met
his mother at a USO dance.
This year, Mr. Neller will be helping with the Christmas
Mother's/ Father's annual Toy Shop. The effort is, "a good thing for kids and
their families, " Mr. Neller said. "I really appreciate the fact that we have
people in the county that are supporting kids and their families." He said
because of being a teacher he knows that a child in a family with little money
is at a "big disadvantage."
And he will appear in the Amelia County Christmas Parade. "I
had looked forward to not having to be in the Christmas parade this year," Mr.
Neller said with a smile, "but at least I'll be riding in a car."
If history holds true, Mr. Neller will be riding in a
convertible - and it will snow.
2010- Community pulls together to help less fortunate
Most segments of the Amelia County community were represented Thursday and Friday (Dec. 9 and 10) as the Amelia County Christmas Father’s Program prepared and served about 435 children from families in need. Above volunteers sort toys and put them on display Thursday, so parents could select two toys for each child, along with other items, on Friday. The committee was also “surprised” with a total of 150 bicycles for the families. See Pages 11, 12 and 13 for details of the event, which is a community service project of The Monitor, governed by a committee of local volunteers.
AWAITING THE TRAIN -- Marc Chimento (left) talks with 2010 Christmas Father F.S. “Steve” Davis, Jr. and Ann Salster, chair of the Amelia County Christmas Mothers/Fathers Program as they await the Christmas Train bringing bikes.
Marc Chimento (kneeling right) brought a Christmas Train to town last Thursday bringing bicycles for the Amelia County Christmas Father’s Toy Shop. Helping unload the bikes was the Amelia County High School Football team and other representatives from the school and community. 2010 Christmas Father F.S. “Steve” Davis, Jr. accepts the bikes from Mr. Chimento who spearheaded a drive starting Thanksgiving to collect 130 bikes. Those who assisted him in this drive are listed on Page 11 of this week’s newspaper. Former Amelia County Christmas Mothers who were setting up all the toys and other items when the bikes arrived are (left to right third row) Helen Leneave, Ann Salster, Chair of the program, Mary Ellen Moyer, Helen Wright and Claire Whitaker.
COATS AND CLOTHING -- Each year in the shop members of Amelia Community Church provide gently used coats and clothing for the families.
KEEPING THEM WARM -- Former Christmas Mothers Helen Wright (left) and Claire Whitaker (center) are helped by a volunteer to set up the hats, scarves, gloves, mittens and socks for each shopping parent to select from for their child. Mrs. Whitaker heads up the year-around program which involves knitters and crocheters from throughout the county making the items throughout the year. Other hats and scarves were donated by area schools, churches, volunteer shoppers and the Red Cross. If anyone would like to knit or crochet, Mrs. Whitaker has lots of yarn available at The Monitor office. Just stop by and pick up rolls of yarn to start making hats for her portion of the program. The goal for 2011 is at least 500 matching sets for next year’s shop.
STUFFED ANIMALS -- One of the items each child receives at the Toy Shop is a stuffed animal. These are collected, purchased and donated throughout the year, by members of the Christmas Mothers/Fathers Committee and other volunteers, to have enough to make sure there is one for each child at Christmas time.
BREAK DOWN -- Members of the Amelia County High School Baseball Team helped with breaking down the shop on Friday.
Amelia County Christmas Mothers/Fathers Committee members Frances Wiatt (left), Cathy Banton and Helen Leneave add hundreds of batteries to the mounds of toys on Thursday - set up day at the Toy Shop in the War Memorial Building (Amelia County Parks and Recreation gym).
RIDING THE TRAIN -- Left, Board of Supervisors members Kay Fletcher (left) and Jim Bennett rode “The Christmas Train” with the bikes along with fellow board member Ralph Whitaker (pictured right). Also riding the vehicles were county Constitutional Officers and Melvin Rose of the School Board office.
AND THAT TOY GOES -- Julee McConnell (center), Monitor employee and Christmas Mothers/Fathers Committee member, assists volunteers in deciding where to place a toy on the bleachers. All toys are sorted by age and sex of the child and placed on the bleaches of the War Memorial Building gym. When parents come in on Friday, they pay $1 per child to shop and select the toys which they feel will make their child’s Christmas happier. Parents shopping are escorted by volunteer shoppers after registering in the “front office”. The shopper helps them carry the toys, make selections and take the toys to their car.
A STUFFED STOCKING -- 1996 Amelia County Christmas Mother Mary Ellen Moyer explains to two high school students about the distribution of stuffed stockings to shoppers. The stockings were stuffed earlier by the mission group and the youth at Trinity United Methodist Church, youth at Hope Chapel, dancers from Joy’s School of Dance, two Girl Scout troops and Teens-N-Action. Each child received an age-appropriate stocking filled with small toys, cosmetics, activity and coloring books, crayons or colored pencils, toothbrushes and other useful items.
TWO TRUCKLOADS -- Mike Edwards hands down toys from the second box-truckload of toys and items for the shop. Dick’s Place provided their large truck which was loaded by Monitor and Above All Remodeling employees. In addition there were several pick up loads and vans filled with toys, stockings, books, tables, wrapping paper and all the items that are used in the shop which are purchased and collected throughout the year.