🌱 Small Earthquake Near Blacksburg + Former Hokies Attend NFL Camps

Good morning, hello! It's me, Michelle Paul, your host of the Blacksburg Patch newsletter. Let's get this Monday started off right with a quick review of everything you need to know about what's going on around town.

But first, your local weather:

• Monday: Cloudy with a thunderstorm. High: 80 Low: 61.
• Tuesday: Sun and areas of high clouds. High: 70 Low: 62.

Here are the top three stories today in Blacksburg:

1. This past Friday night, residents in Giles County and across New River Valley were a bit shaken up as a small earthquake was registered. Around 9:30 p.m., the WDBJ7 newsroom received several calls about a potential earthquake that shook homes up; it was reported that about four miles outsides Pearisburg, as well as near Blacksburg, a 2.5 magnitude earthquake was recorded. These small earthquakes are very common and generally undetected unless there is a seismograph nearby; thankfully, this low-level earthquake did not cause any real damage across the county. (WDBJ)
2. Nearby in Radford City, there was a celebration held earlier last week for the revamping of a neighborhood park. The John Dobbins Recreation Park and James Oakley Playground got a makeover adding in new equipment and also had its courts, field, and playgrounds redone with the help of the Virginia Outdoor Foundation. This was just the start of the process, as more improvements are expected to come to the park in the near future. (WDBJ)
3. With the 2023-2024 NFL season coming up, more than 20 former Hokies attended various required "mini camps" across the league. Two recent alum from Virginia Tech just completed their first NFL camp, as Chamarri Connor completed camp with the Kansas City Chiefs and Silas Dzansi with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Several other Hokies returned to their team this spring, while a few faces found new homes. The ACC and Big Ten have released the game times and TV designations for a few Hokie matchups this season; you can look into the three-game mini-plan for the home games or connect with the Virtual Assistant for any ticketing needs ahead of the season. (Hokie Sports)

Today and tomorrow in and around Blacksburg:

Monday, June 19

• Deep Blue Sea Camp At Paint 'N Fun Ceramics, Christiansburg (9:00 AM)

Tuesday, June 20

• Town Council Work Session At Blacksburg Motor Company Building (11:00 AM)
• Planning Commission Work Session At Blacksburg Motor Company Building (5:00 PM)
• Tuesday Night Book Club At Radford Public Library, Radford (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Great Road Coffee will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week. This Tuesday at 12:00 p.m., come by and be one of the first customers at Great Road Coffee in Christiansburg right down on Main Street. (Montgomery County VA Chamber of Commerce via Facebook)
• This past weekend, Blacksburg Fire held its 77th Annual Southwest Virginia Firefighters Association Convention Banquet. At the link is a photo of the winner of "The Above & Beyond Award" and his crew. Congratulations to all this year's awardees! (Blacksburg Fire via Facebook)
• Over the weekend in downtown Blacksburg, the 15th Annual Summer Solstice Fest took place and the event took off as usual. A lot of great fun and food was available to all those who attended. (Downtown Blacksburg, Inc. via Facebook)

Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll see you soon!

— Michelle Paul

About me: Michelle Paul is a Utah-based writer and photographer with a professional background in content management and registered nursing. When not working on projects ranging from photo editing to copywriting, they enjoy traveling, video games, and expanding their skills.