By this time next year, the walk from Oakland to Chuckatuck should be a much safer journey. Next fall is the deadline for the installation of a sidewalk along Godwin Boulevard from Oakland Elementary School to the Kings Highway intersection.
From the start of his career in Chuckatuck, Dr. Philip Thomas has a lasting impression on resident Aleck Winslow. Winslow was a young man when he had one of his first encounters with Thomas after the doctor was called to help an injured teenage boy who was trapped in the water in a nearby lake.
Some communities that participated in National Night Out this year received awards, but everybody was a winner. Best combined community first place: Chuckatuck.
The annual Nansemond Indian powwow is a spectacle of colors, textures, drumbeats, tastes and smells, presented by tribal leaders as homage to generations past and a gift to generations to come.
In Chuckatuck, residents don’t have to switch on their TVs to find a place where everybody knows their names.
The Nansemond Indian powwow event will be held next weekend, beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. each day Saturday and Sunday. There is no admission charge, but donations are accepted to help cover the cost of the powwow.
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs approved a bill that would grant federal recognition to six Indian tribes in Virginia, including the Nansemond. The measure now moves to the full U.S. Senate for approval.
“I’m very thankful,” Chief Barry Bass said on Thursday evening. “It’s something that’s long overdue. We kind of thought we were just hung up.”
Godwin Boulevard travelers have run into increased traffic driving through Chuckatuck for about two weeks, and the traffic will not be letting up just yet, a city official said.
After spending a month paddling down the James River in canoes, one group of high school students will have one heck of a “what I did on my summer vacation” story to share with classmates. Twelve students and four teachers took part in the James River Expedition, which was sponsored by the James River Association. On Thursday, the group landed on the shores of Chuckatuck Creek to spend the night in Suffolk.
When Dr. Philip Thomas asked a friend if opening a practice in Chuckatuck was a good idea, the friend replied, “Only if you want to kill yourself.” “But here I am, 90 years old, and I haven’t killed myself yet,” Thomas said last week. Now, after 60 years of practicing medicine, Thomas has decided to retire.