🌱 Fire At Cedar's Lebanese Restaurant + 2nd Annual Star City Classic

Good morning, friends! I was talking with my wife yesterday about how strange it is to realize there are close to 2,000 other Roanokers reading my words in this newsletter and for the most part I have no idea who they are even though I could be standing right next to them in the checkout line or the gas pumps. Anyways, all that top sayt this newsletter has turned into a pretty cool experience. Okay, on with some news!

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny.

High: 86 Low: 65.

📢 I’m looking for business owners and marketers in Roanoke who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our Roanoke Daily readers to local businesses they need to know about. If that’s you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top five stories in Roanoke today:

1. The Roanoke City Fire Department was on the scene of a fire at Cedar's Lebanese Restaurant on Saturday morning. Firefighters were called to the scene around 10 a.m. and investigators later said the restaurant's sprinkler system put most of the fire out and that crews contained a smaller fire near the front window and cleared smoke from the building. As a precaution the block surrounding Cedar's was evacuated while the fire marshal tried to determine exactly what had happened and where. Cedar's is located on the 100 block of Campbell Avenue in downtown in a line of local eateries that includes Shiska, Nawab Indian Cuisine and Awful Arthur's among many others. (WSLS, WDBJ)
2. Botetourt County public school students scored fourth in Virginia in their Standards of Learning pass rates in math and seventh in reading, nothing to be ashamed of for sure, though BCPS Superintendent Jonathan Russ did offer a disclaimer while talking about the scores at a recent school board meeting. "I’m not going to judge or determine how well our school division is doing just based on SOL scores. There’s a lot about state standardized testing I won’t say publicly, but I am adamant that a school division should not be based solely on student achievement," he said. "Those of you who know me know I can talk as much trash as anybody. As long as our department of education and as long as our media wants to advertise SOL scores and wants to judge a school division based on SOL scores, we’re going to celebrate."(Roanoke Times)
3. The Roanoke community gathered Saturday for the return of the Henry Street Heritage Festival in Elmwood Park, the 32nd annual celebration of African-American heritage in Roanoke. Black-owned businesses and restaurants were highlighted and the proceeds from the event went to support the Harrison Museum of African-American Culture on the second floor of Center in the Square. "It’s all about celebrating Black excellence. We are ecstatic that our food vendors and our merchant vendors are all Black-owned businesses, it’s a wonderful way to support them," said one of the organizers, Kianna Price Marshall. SWV and Robin Thicke performed Saturday night at Elmwood Park amphitheater and the festival pre-sold more than 2,000 tickets for this year’s event. (WDBJ, Harrison Museum)
4. The Montvale School Preservation Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to save the 90 year old Montvale School located on the westbound side of Route 460, recently presented an update to the Bedford County Board of Supervisors saying the biggest thing it needed at the moment was time. "Our plan is not to get this done in six months. For us, the important thing is to give us the time to put a plan together," said Roni Sutton, president of the foundation. "The most important thing that we need is time. There’s passion in Montvale about saving this facility." The foundation was formed earlier this year after the county announced its plans to tear down the building, which is in bad need of costly repairs. "If it’s done in a certain way and not going to cost the county millions of dollars, then okay," said board chairman John Sharp, though the board declined to make any decisions at the meeting and said it preferred to do the due diligence instead. "I need to know where this path leads before I start going down the path," added Sharp. (Lynchburg News and Advance, Montvale School Preservation Foundation website)
5. Nine different marching bands competed over the weekend at the Star City Classic, hosted by Patrick Henry and William Fleming high schools, for the second year in a row. The bands came from across the Roanoke area and gathered in the William Fleming football field for exhibitions and competition. “...This brings an opportunity to bring the bands together and let them build a bond with other band members,” said William Fleming Band Director Michael Sanchez. "The goal for every group should be that they leave here with a positive experience and they get better. So, that’s kind [why] we hope that the kids have fun while they’re here. They get a good run out of it and they get some good feedback to take for the rest of the season." Six judges were in charge of rating each band and at the time reporting a winner had not yet been named. (WDBJ)

Today in Roanoke:

• Mindful Mondays at Town Center Tap House (11 a.m.)
• Purposeful Plate by Restore Family Counseling (6 p.m.)
• Free Yoga for the People at the main Roanoke Public Library (5:30 p.m.)
• Roanoke County Public Schools Teen Mental Health Parent Presentation (6 p.m.)
• “Wine” Down and Watercolor at Olde Salem Brewing Company (6:30 p.m.)
• Star City Comics and Games Live Auction (7 p.m.)
• Roanoke Valley Sports Club Meeting with Bud Foster at the Salem Civic Center (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "This tiny bird species has declined by almost 70% in only 50 years. A wildlife rescuer found this tiny bird near her doorstep on her farm in Giles County and noticed it couldn’t fly." (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "We're so lucky to have a group of amazing board members who love animals and support our mission to help the pets and people in our community!" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• Roanoke City Public Schools: "At Fishburn Park Elementary, every Tuesday is "Tailor-Made Tuesday!" This new initiative encourages students to "dress to impress" each week. We think the Steambots look wonderful!" (Roanoke City Public Schools via Facebook)
• Roanoke Diversity Center: "Great time being had by all. Thanks Southwest Virginia Pride for putting this pride fest on ❤️ #pride #pridefest #southwestvirginiapride #vinton #vintonva #roanoke #roanokeva" (Roanoke Diversity Center via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Kodos and Arnie are literally having a ball this #caturdaysaturday! 😸🧶 #caturday #asafeshelter #rvspca #roanokevalleyspca #roanokeva #roanokevalley #animalshelter #animals #animalrescue #shelter #rescue #adopt #adoption #pets #animall..." (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Instagram)
• Virginia Children's Theatre: "✨ 🎶 Our first sing-through/ read-through of THE SECRET GARDEN was pure magic! What a fabulous cast and creative team we have!! Stay tuned for more updates soon! 🎟 Get your tickets today at virginiachildrenstheatre.org! 🎟" (Virginia Children's Theatre via Facebook)

Alrighty, now you're back in the loop! I'll see you tomorrow!

— Ian

About me: Ian Graham is a novelist, screenwriter, and freelance contributing writer. He is a firm believer in being yourself… unless you can be Batman. Always be Batman. To connect with Ian you can visit him on Facebook and Instagram.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Roanoke Daily? Contact me at roanoke@patch.com