We’re having a brisk, 17-degree start this morning here in SW Virginia so I’m finding myself hanging around the warmer folders in the library more than usual today.
Many residents of Pittsylvania, Roanoke and Franklin counties remember when these views were framed with neatly rowed fields of tobacco and corn. After an AEP project to dam the Roanoke River in 1963, Smith Mountain Lake has become a bustling town of it’s own.
In high school back in the late eighties, this area was yet undeveloped and had the feel of a secret spot for weekend boaters, skiers and fishermen. There were only a few options for gas and supplies and they generally closed the doors around 6pm. Now there are seemingly endless options for anything one could need.
While in the area for a real estate project earlier this summer, I promised to take the kids for a swim at Community Park beach. As we made our way, a welcome mid-day storm rolled in to cool us all off. So we ducked-in to Bridgewater Plaza to grab a little lunch and possibly a shot or two.
The area located just across the cove holds many excellent memories of skiing and knee-boarding the glassy coves with some of my best friends. None can believe or could have ever imagined this place would explode as it has in the last decade. And certainly no one can blame folks for coming.
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