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A new organization has been formed in Chesapeake to offer its residents various points of view, awareness, learned discourse, diversity and even entertainment.
The nonprofit Chesapeake Forum is now up and running and will present three nationally and internationally known speakers for its inaugural series.
On Jan. 29, the series kicks off with Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist Jane Pauley, host of “CBS Sunday Morning.”
Subsequent dates will present entrepreneur and astronaut Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, on March 3, followed by Irish tenor, recording artist, and inspirational speaker Ronan Tynan, also a record holding Paralympic athlete, on May 14.
All three programs will be held at the Chesapeake Conference Center, 700 Conference Center Drive in the city’s Greenbrier section.
Forum took a year to create, board of directors President Rebecca Adams said in an email.
“A group of citizens has spent the last year putting together an outstanding group of speakers that will entertain and challenge our citizens,” she wrote. “Our goal is to bring together the broad interests of our community.”
A former principal at Great Bridge Intermediate School, Adams also headed the Chesapeake Public Schools Educational Foundation.
Her comments echo the Chesapeake Forum’s mission statement: “to bring dynamic and diverse high-profile speakers to the Chesapeake community, thereby promoting education and learning among the general public,” according to the nonprofit’s website.
The series can be attended through its subscription program at $125 per person. Individual tickets to the Pauley program are $50.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available ranging from the charter member fee of $1,000 all the way to the top corporate level of $50,000.
For more information, to purchase a series subscription or for sponsorships, call 757-346-9163, email info@thechesapeakeforum.org or visit thechesapeakeforum.org and bring some enlightenment into your life.
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Real fly … for a fisherman
Kick off the new year by learning, or honing, an outdoor enterprise: fly-fishing.
No, it’s not a way to snag pesky flying insects. It’s “a method of fishing in which an artificial fly is cast by use of a fly rod, a reel, and a relatively heavy oiled or treated line,” according to Merriam-Webster.com.
Iconic outdoors guru Sir Izaac Walton (1593-1683) wrote the fisherman’s bible, “The Compleat Angler,” also referred to as “the Contemplative Man’s Recreation.”
And Hampton Roads has plenty of areas and opportunities to engage in saltwater fly-fishing.
So learn how or perfect your technique, with the help of the Chesapeake Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and the Virginia Coastal Fly Anglers’ Fly Fishing Basics 101 program from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday.
This free class will begin at the Northwest River Park’s Activity Building at 1733 Indian Creek Road. It will then move outdoors into the water where nascent and experienced anglers alike can practice what they learned.
The class is open to all, no experience is necessary. Bring your own equipment if so desired.
Students will learn about basics, knot tying, casting techniques, rigging, fly tying and equipment from experts and enthusiasts with the Virginia Coastal Fly Anglers, a Virginia Beach-based organization begun in 1997 by founder and first President Tom Wessells.
The group was born at the Hampton Public Library with around 40 fly enthusiasts in attendance. Its mission is “to encourage the development of saltwater fly fishing in the lower Chesapeake Bay and adjacent waters,” according to its website.
It generally meets on the third Thursday of each month from 6:30 until 9 p.m. at Bayside Presbyterian Church, 1400 Ewell Road in Virginia Beach.
So, all you outdoors men and women, get ready to fish; it’s the only way to fly. And “fly fishing is becoming increasingly popular throughout the country and Virginia is home to some of the best fly fishing waters,” according to Virginia.org/flyfishing/. The Old Dominion even boasts of the “largest event of its kind in the country,” the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, scheduled for Jan. 11-12 at Meadow Event Park in Doswell, according to VaFlyFishingFestival.com.
Weekend Scoop
For more information about Saturday’s class, call 757-382-1359. Registration is not necessary, just show up ready to learn and fly.
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A bridge to good health
During the Christmas season everybody gains: good cheer, gifts, conviviality, inspiration and ... extra pounds. We all indulge with extra helpings of fruitcake, Christmas cookies and pastries, treats, and bountiful dinners and libations.
Start shedding those yuletide pounds Jan. 5 and each Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. by participating in the Jordan Bridge Rundays, presented by Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant.
Runners of all ages, abilities and physical levels will gather at the South Norfolk Jordan Bridge for a spirited run, jog or stroll up and back the Jordan Bridge, considered the area’s tallest bridge. Runners will stretch their muscles and shed pounds on the span’s 5% grade. Strollers and even pets on leashes are welcome.
There’s no fee or registration. For more details, call 757-560-4513 or visit facebook.com/pg/jordanbridgerundays/.
Eric W. Feber, ewjfeber@gmail.com