Community Notebook: Set Clocks Back; Apply for Fuel Assistance

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Don’t forget to “fall back” and change your clocks back one hour this weekend; it’s also recommended to change the batteries in smoke alarms. Starting this Friday, the Kimball Theatre will kick off three weeks of late night comedies screening after 10 p.m. Find more details below.

Change Clock, Batteries on Saturday

Be sure to set your clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, as we fall back from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time.

Local departments of Fire and Life Safety also recommend residents use the time change as a reminder to also change the batteries in smoke alarms.

The York County Department of Fire and Life Safety also recommends purchasing a carbon monoxide detector if you use gas or a fireplace for cooking and/or heating; have your furnace professionally inspected every year and install a carbon monoxide alarm in the hallway near every separate sleeping area of the home.

This year, families can visit the Energizer Bunny Brigade’s Facebook to take a pledge to change batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when they change their clocks. By joining the Bunny Brigade, families will be entered to win smoke alarms or batteries, or the grand prize: a home fire safety makeover.

2011 Fuel Assistance Deadline is Nov. 14

Applications for Fuel Assistance from the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) are being accepted until Nov. 14.

Families and individuals must apply at their local department of social services. To qualify for Fuel Assistance, a one-person household’s maximum gross monthly income cannot exceed $1,180. For a household of four, the maximum gross monthly income level is $2,422.

The Fuel Assistance Program assists with various types of energy sources, including electricity, natural and liquid propane gas, oil, kerosene, coal and wood. VDSS’ Energy Assistance Program is funded by the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). For more information, including a pre-screening tool, click here.

Kimball Theatre to Screen Late Night Comedies

The Kimball Theatre is screening films after 10 p.m. on Friday nights this fall. The comedy line-up includes:

• “Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure” on Nov. 4. In 1987, two punks from the Midwest hung a microphone from their kitchen window to record the relationship of their middle-aged alcoholic neighbors. The recordings developed a cult following, spawning a “viral” pop culture sensation.

• “There’s Something About Mary” on Nov. 11. The Farrelly brothers’ classic stars Ben Stiller as Ted, a man who never got over the girl next door, Mary. He hires a private eye, played by Matt Dillon, to track her down in Miami. The screening will include 10 additional minutes not originally shown in theaters.

• “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” on Nov. 18. Visiting their dilapidated mountain cabin, best friends Tucker and Dale are mistaken for murderous backwoods hillbillies by a group of obnoxious, preppy college kids. When one of the students is separated from the group, the boys try to assist, only adding to the misunderstanding.

Movie admission is $7.50 for adults and $6.50 for seniors and students.

WM Hosts Korea, NE Asia Conference Friday

The Department of Government at the College of William and Mary and the Korean Economic Institute of America are hosting a conference on Korea and Northeast Asia on Friday.

The event, which is open to the public, will be from 1 to 5 p.m. in Chesapeake Room C of the Sadler Center.

Topics will include nuclear energy from 1 to 2:45 p.m. and Korea, the United States and the world, from 3 to 4:45 p.m. Following will be a 30-minute internship/career session, focusing on Washington, D.C. job opportunities. For more information, contact Tun-jen Cheng at 221-3032 or tjchen@wm.edu.

Estate Planning Program Slated for Nov. 15

Estate planning will be demystified at a two-hour seminar from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 15 in Lewis Hall at Bruton Parish House.

During the program, several estate planning attorneys will provide information about why an advance medical directive is needed; how to choose who to hold power of attorney; whether a trust or will is needed; and the effects of the 2010 Tax Act.

The event is free, but reservations are required. Call (757) 259-1660 or email office@williamsburgcommunityfoundation.org.

CW Offers ‘Bring a Friend’ Tickets

Starting this week, Colonial Williamsburg Good Neighbors and Annual Pass members can “bring a friend” for $15. The ticket offer is available until Dec. 23.

“Bring a Friend” single-day tickets can be purchased at the Colonial Williamsburg Regional Visitor Center and cost $15 for ages six and above. The offer is not available online, and pass members must present an active pass when making a purchase. There is a limit of 10 per household and tickets must be purchased before Dec. 23.

Special holiday programs include a tour of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum with the authors of “The Art-full Tree”; Grand Illumination on Dec. 4; Secrets of the Chocolate Maker on Dec. 6; and the community Christmas Tree Lighting on Dec. 24.

Residents of Williamsburg, James City County or the Bruton District of York County are eligible for a Good Neighbor Pass.

CW Announces Fall 2011 Gonzales Award Recipients

Colonial Williamsburg employees have received Fall 2011 awards from the Mary and Donald Gonzales Field Experience Fund. The fund provides individual grants of up to $5,000 for continuing education opportunities for non-management CW employees. Since the fund commenced awards in spring 2007, 32 employees have received grants.

The recipients are:

• Susan Dippre, supervisor in the landscape department and 19 colleagues – Preston Armstead, Michael Britt, Judy Carson, Maggie Chadwick, Hunter Curry, Rick Daggy, Dianne Duncan, Wardell Frazier, Scott Hemler, Renee Hypes, Cindy Horn, Peggy Lankford, John Meng, Dorean Neisner, Bruce Ollice, David Richards, Diane Scaffe, Charles Spruell and Rollin Woolley – will take the Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course in Newport News.

• Andrew DeLisle and Paul Zelesnikar, journeyman in the Wheelwright Shop, will visit a private collection of historic carriages in Mannheim, Germany in March 2012.