Category — lakefront property

Smith Mountain Lake covers parts of 3 counties—Bedford, Franklin and Pittsylvania. Though great for vacationing, this creates a unique opportunity for those who may be contemplating making SML their primary residence. There are so many things to consider when trying relocate to a different city or even state. Of course, at the top of the list is typically the economic development in the given area. Are there jobs available, and if so, is it a growing or stagnant area?

Luckily for those looking to relocate to the SML area, Bedford, VA—according to the Virginia Department of Economic Development—has actually been designated a Certified Business Location. Some sources go even further and claim that due to the agriculture, industry and commerce, Bedford nurtures an atmosphere for a solid and diverse economy making it a progressive business environment.

According to the Bedford County, Virginia website, policies put forth by city and county governments—which are independent of each other—encourage social and economic growth. It is impressive for independent governmental bodies to be in such accord in working toward a common goal—the benefit of the people they are governing. It seems like this should be assumed, but unfortunately in many areas, it’s hardly a consideration, let alone a given. This website even goes so far as to state that “Government attitude toward business and industry is one of cooperation and support.”

Perhaps SML current and potential residents in and around Bedford realize the gem in their midst, and that’s why this area has been recognized as one of the fastest growing in the Commonwealth. With a stable civil situation, which assists in keeping the taxes under control, added to an excellent school system, it has quite an allurement. It is an incentive for potential residents to come and current residents to stay.

The types of industries in Bedford are plentiful and include as many as 29% in manufacturing alone. Retail, service, construction and even local government are others in ample amounts for the growing region. Transportation is easily accessible. The three inter-regional highways that cross through the area make it convenient for people and easy for deliveries.

Smith Mountain Lake, in all its natural magnificence and wonder, really is not just for vacations. Parts of the expanse should be recognized as a desirable residence where social and economic development is a priority. If you are looking to relocate, don’t let the opportunity to get the best of both worlds by purchasing in the SML area slip through your fingers. For assistance in buying lakefront property, call me, Vicki Millehan. I will be more than happy to give you some housing suggestions. I have over 19 years of experience in selling waterfront homes, and am a long-time resident of Smith Mountain Lake. My web page always has a current list of events that are taking place in Smith Mountain Lake

Wrap up the summer at Chateau Morrisette with their Friday Night Live, Cinema on the Lawn and Labor Day Monday events coming up on September 2, 3rd and 5th, respectively. Chateau Morisette is located in nearby Floyd and is convenient to all Smith Mountain Lake Residents, offering spectacular mountain views and regular fun-filled events for all tastes.

If you’re in the mood for a more rambunctious good time, live entertainment and fun, upbeat music, Friday Night Live features Southern Remedy from 6-9 p.m. Southern Remedy is a returning band that performs classic rock music, and while you listen you can dine from the outdoor grill, drink wine and dance with friends. Tickets cost only $8 apiece and you must bring your own seating. This event will continue rain or shine.

Next on the agenda for the weekend is the Cinema on the Lawn event. This is a more relaxing event for those who would like to curl up in a lawn chair and watch the sun set and have some delightful cinematic entertainment to round out their weekend. The Hitchcock classic “Dial M for Murder” will be shown and wine and food will be sold separately at the event. You must bring your own seating and blankets and picnics, coolers or outside food and drinks are not permitted. Tickets are $5, much less expensive than your average movie and with scenic sights surrounding you as the movie lights up the silver screen.

Finally, come celebrate your Labor Day Monday at the winery and join them for lunch followed by a tasting and tour. The restaurant will be open on Monday from 11 am to 2 pm and the winery hours are from 10 am to 5 pm. Take this opportunity to relax and enjoy some delicious beverages and food and pamper yourself a bit on your day off!

Chateau Morrisette would like to offer you a wonderfully relaxing weekend with their 3-day lineup of exciting events so close by to Smith Mountain Lake. If you haven’t visited the winery before, take your chance now in the midst of so many wonderful activities!

While many believe we are in a recovering stage of a suffering economy, there are still quite a few among us who are struggling for any number of reasons. It could be due to unemployment as numerous companies are being forced to downsize. Perhaps the head of household became ill with a long-term ailment and is prevented from continuing to work through the recuperation time. Or maybe an unexpected major financial burden has made it difficult to make ends meet for a period. Whatever the reason, it is a true comfort to encounter treasures like Lake Christian Ministries, Inc. (LCM) who reach out to their surrounding community with a helping hand. 

According to their website, “Lake Christian Ministries provides food, clothing, household items and emergency financial aid to individuals and families living in the Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, area of Bedford, Franklin and Pittsylvania counties. Our mission includes providing these essentials in a loving and Christian atmosphere.” Just being in a position of needing to rely on others for help can be a very humbling experience in and of itself; the attitude of those providing the aid makes a big difference. As indicated by their mission statement, LCM has professed a commitment to not only provide the help, but also show compassion in doing so.

One of the services LCM provides is through mobile food pantries that make deliveries to three different locations on a monthly basis. They deliver these groceries to Three Oaks United Methodist Church in Hardy, Penhook United Methodist Church and also the Moneta Nutrition/Senior Center. The qualifying individuals and families meet them at these locations. Some of these churches provide volunteers who participate in the collaborative effort to support their community by assisting. They help to qualify and register families, and disburse the bagged groceries – one full bag and sometimes two depending on family size. They even serve the families breakfast at some locations.

LCM offers so many services. The assistance they provide would not be even possible without the donations and volunteerism of the people of the community. For further information on LCM , see their website at http://lakechristianministries.wordpress.com/.

Smith Mountain Lake is not only a geographical amazement providing an array of beauty that is absolutely breath-taking, but it is also part of a caring community that pulls together to assist each other in times of need.

Call me, Vicki Millehan. I will be more than happy to give you some housing suggestions. I have over 19 years of experience in selling waterfront homes, and am a long-time resident of Smith Mountain Lake. My web page always has a current list of events that are taking place in Smith Mountain Lake.

Family is important to Smith Mountain Lake Residents, and what better way to bring the family together than to attend the Bedford Genealogical Society’s Bedford Genealogy Fair on September 10, 2011. If you’ve ever been curious about your ancestors and would like to know more about genealogy and its study and uses, the genealogy fair is a perfect opportunity to come enjoy the company of expert genealogists, scholars and family historians.

Each day of the fair boasts lectures every hour from 9 am until 1 pm covering various topics of interest to genealogists and family historians, and other day events include 40 tables covering surnames, libraries, organizations, vendors selling books and wares (many of the books will be related to Bedford County), free census and internet genealogy look-ups, and breakfast and lunch items will be catered and available for purchase during the day. In addition to all this, each guest may bring one old photo to have scanned and have minor digital corrections made. All events associated with the fair are open and free to the public!

During the lectures, participants will have the opportunity to hear author Connie Lapallo tell the story of one of the few survivors of Jamestown, VA. Ginny Guedes will be offering a lecture on photography and digitizing old photos. Retired Historian Dr. John Kern, PhD will lecture on how to use land records and deeds as an aid to conducting your genealogical research. These lectures and others are listed on the Bedford Genealogical Society’s lecture schedule, which you may access here.

The informative genealogy fair takes place on the Bedford Campus of Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) at 1633 Venture Blvd in Bedford, VA (24523).

Come out for an educational and enlightening experience amongst other Bedford, Franklin County and Smith Mountain Lake area residents and learn about your own ancestors or hear more about the history of others!

The Smith Mountain Striper Club brought smiles to the faces of children who are patients at the Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospital. What put a smile on the faces of these children? Fishing!

Volunteers from the Smith Mountain Striper Club taught the children the joy of fishing. For many of the children, it was the first time they had ever fished. They had so much fun experiencing the joy of catching that first fish.

By sharing a sport that they love, the Smith Mountain Striper Club provided these children with an experience that let them forget about their illness, for a brief period, and enjoy the pleasures of the great outdoors.

Fishing was a big part of the three-day event, organized by Carilion that was held at the Smith Mountain Lake 4-H Center, but the children and their parents participated in many fun activities.

The staff of 4-H and Carilion nurses supervised the children as they canoed, swam, built campfires and practiced archery.

A wonderful thing about this event is that Carilion also provided the parents with fun and relaxing activities. So, for a brief period, they could focus on something other than their child’s illness. The parents were treated to long, relaxing massages. They also attended cooking, exercise and team-building classes.

The Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospital is fortunate to be a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. As a Miracle Network Hospital, no child is turned away regardless of their parents’ ability to pay. In order to continue to provide excellent medical service and run events for children, fund raising is a big part of the hospital’s success. All funds raised locally, remain local.

A fund raiser scheduled for August 15-17 is the Anthem Lemon Aid Stand. Your children can set up a lemon aid stand, or they can sell via the Internet. This will not only be fun for your children, but will provide a valuable lesson in the sense of accomplishment that is achieved by helping others. Children helping children!

One of the easiest ways to support our local Roanoke Children’s Miracle Network Hospital is to purchase their Miracle Balloons. The Carilion Event webpage has a list of stores where the balloons may be purchased as well as many exciting upcoming fund raiser events.

I love helping out my community and keeping them informed on local events. I am also passionate about assisting those who want to buy lakefront property, so call me, Vicki Millehan. I have over 19 years of experience in selling waterfront homes, and am a long-time resident of Smith Mountain Lake.

 Life is good in Smith Mountain Lake! Summer brings out the best of living at the lake, but even if you don’t own lakefront property, you can enjoy a day at the beach in Franklin County, VA. Both the Smith Mountain Lake Community Park and the Smith Mountain Lake State Park have beaches open to the public, and this year the best part is, both parks are free!

There are only a few weeks left to enjoy the beach at Smith Mountain Lake Community Park. The swimming area closes on August 16 for the season. Open from 10am – 6pm throughout the week, the beach has seen many swimmers beating the heat at the lake!

Smith Mountain Lake State Park has a beach that is bigger than its counterpart at the Community Park. While the State Park normally has swimming fees, right now you can enjoy swimming for free. That makes this an even better time to check out the 500-foot beachfront on the lake.

No matter which park you choose to visit, both parks have lifeguards on duty when the beaches are open. Take some time to get out and enjoy the sun, the sand and the lake before the summer season ends! It just goes to show, you can have some of the best stay-cations, right here in Franklin and Bedford County, VA.

What is even better than a day at the free community beach? Owning your own private beach on Smith Mountain Lake of course! If you are ready to find the perfect luxury waterfront home, call Vicki Millehan today! She is your local real estate resource for Smith Mountain Lake.

Smith Mountain Lake and the surrounding area were in the mood to break records this last weekend. Record breaking snow fall blanketed the area leaving some places with over 2 feet of snow! Lake dwellers saw more snow in this one monster storm than what they normally see for the year! Just as an example, in January of 2008, Franklin County saw a total of 4 inches of snow for the whole month! As residents dig out and road crews work to clear secondary roads, here are a few tips to remember for this wintry weather.

If you are going to be driving, take along a small winter weather driving kit. Make sure to include extra blankets, this really can be a life saver if you end up getting stuck in the snow. Keeping extra snack bars in your vehicle can be a good idea too. Of course you will want the basics of a small shovel, ice scraper, and booster cables. Candles and matches are always good to have on hand, but remember to crack the window open to avoid carbon monoxide build up. A bag of kitty litter or sand will come in handy if you run off the road. By spreading some in front of your tires, it will help you get the traction you need to get back on the road.

Smith Mountain Lake doesn’t normally get a lot of snow or ice. More wintry mix is being called for over the holidays, so make sure and plan ahead if you need to travel. Always let someone know where you are going and how you are getting there. Keep your cell phone charged in case you need to call for help.

While all this may seem like simple things, it is easy to forget when you don’t normally have to deal with this much snow. If you want to live somewhere that doesn’t normally get 18 inches of snow, come for a visit, if you like it then move here!

If you want more information on living in Franklin County and Bedford County Virginia, call Vicki Millehan! She is a long time resident of Smith Mountain Lake and a local real estate expert!