🌱 New Tavern Open On Bent Mountain + A Hangout 'Hideaway' Coming

In South Australia I was born, 🎵

Heave away, Haul away! 🎵

In South Australia, round Cape Horn, 🎵

Bound for South Australia 🎵

Good morning, everybody! I'm not sure if sea shanties work on Hump Day or not, but why not give it a try, huh? Here's the Hump Day edition of the Roanoke Daily with a quick review of things happening in town, including updates on...

• Water Authority field broken pipe calls
• The Lawn Ranger no longer alawn (yeah, I know, cheesy, right?)
• Rescued turkey vulture healing well

Haul away, you rollin' king! 🎵

Heave away, Haul away! 🎵

Haul away, Oh hear me sing! 🎵

We're bound for South Australia 🎵

But first, today's weather:

Considerable cloudiness. High: 46 Low: 37.

Are you tired of blending in with all the other real estate agents in Roanoke? Stand out with a premium sponsorship in our newsletter. Gain valuable exposure for yourself to our highly engaged local readership. Click here to learn more about this exclusive opportunity.

Here are the top stories in Roanoke today:

1. 445 customers called The Western Virginia Water Authority about busted pipes during the December cold snap and many of them are still dealing with the aftermath of the breakage. The Water Authority is not responsible for water pipes in homes, but gets the phone calls each year anyway. The authority did have to fix 18 outside water pipes, though, including one in the Raleigh Court area on Christmas Eve that kept crews out all night long. Roanoke resident E. Duane Howard had a busted pipe Christmas Day that caused his basement to flood and has been living in a hotel ever since. "It’s a horrific nightmare that I’m sure many people I would think in the area have dealt with. All of the companies that deal with water clean-up damage were just totally backlogged." Owners and workers at local plumbing companies confirm the backlog, saying many of them are just now catching up. (WDBJ)
2. Roanoke area landscaping company The Lawn Ranger has been acquired by a new owner known as Virginia Green, a landscaping company based in Richmond that has grown by leaps and bounds since its opening in 2004. The acquisition was completed in December and Virginia Green said they plan to continue serving The Lawn Ranger's 1,500 customers in addition to planning further expansions into the Roanoke and Southwest Virginia markets. "It is an exciting opportunity to introduce Virginia Green's service and expertise to a brand-new market and to be able to make a lasting impact. We anticipate huge growth in the market as we enter the 2023 service year," said Gil Grattan, president of Virginia Green. (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)
3. A turkey vulture brought to The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center by an area police officer was not expected to live based on an initial diagnosis but has rallied and is actually doing quite well. When the bird was admitted it could not move and was drooling green liquid. Tests by the SVWC staff revealed the bird had ingested rat poison. Several rounds of emergency fluids, vitamin injections, and medications have brought the vulture back from the brink. "This guy is definitely on the mend and acting more and more like a healthy vulture!" the wildlife center said in a Facebook post. (WSET)
4. Scott and Lee Markham, a husband-and-wife duo, have recently opened the Treehouse Tavern on Bent Mountain in the location of the old Bent Mountain Bistro. The couple said they have been looking for a place to open a family style restaurant for some time and jumped at the opportunity within the last year. "It seemed like a perfect fit for an outdoor bar and next to that, we’ll do an elevated dining area [deck if you will] but that will be used for future venues — for music!" Scott said. If you're planning a trip up the mountain you can learn more about The Treehouse Tavern here. (WSLS)
5. In February last year a new sports bar opened in the Hollins area called The Hangout and the parking lot has been full ever since. Now, as they prepare for its second anniversary, The Hangout is adding a "hideaway" as well as some other expansions. Owner and operator Lori Edwards said, "The plan last year was to get started on cutting out the woods, which we did starting around February of last year. We continued on throughout the summer until we got the stage, and everything finalized, where we could actually have this balance out here. Then we started in the fall time with the inside expansion." The inside additions include more open spaces and pool tables, and the "hideaway" is an outdoor live music venue located behind the facility. More about The Hangout including the menu and drink list can be found here. (WDBJ)

From our sponsor:

Today’s Roanoke Patch newsletter is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. T-Mobile has invested billions to light up their best network ever, covering 99 percent of people in America with LTE, which helps to keep communities like ours informed and connected. We thank T-Mobile for their support and for making today’s Roanoke Patch newsletter possible.

Today in Roanoke:

• Yoga at the Taubman Museum of Art (5:15 p.m.)
• Foundational Dinner at 5 Points Music Sanctuary (6:30 p.m.)
• Special showing: “Boomerang – 30th Anniversary” as part of Grandin Theatre’s Black History Month Celebration (7 p.m.)
• Soul Sessions Wednesday Night Poetry Show at Ursula’s Cafe (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke Outside: "The cat is finally out of the bag🥳! Our region will soon be home to the Craig Botetourt Scenic Trail! This new trail will parallel Craigs Creek and run 26 miles from New Castle in Craig County to Eagle Rock in Botetourt County." (Roanoke Outside via Facebook)
• Roanoke City Public Schools: "Join us as we celebrate Superintendent White for successfully defending her Ph.D. dissertation! We are so proud! Congratulations, Dr. White! #RCPSProud" (Roanoke City Public Schools via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Thank you to everyone who adopted pets this past week, Jan. 23-28. Happy Tails to Sloane, Mishka, Linus, Dorito, Cheeto, Frito, Tamera, Timmy, Tia, Princess, Sissy, Barley, Buckwheat, and Weller who all went home! " (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• Dr Pepper Park at the Bridges: "We are SO excited to announce that The Buffalo Hemp Company will be back for our 2023 season!! Can't wait until May to shop? Check out one of their two locations! 🍀" (Dr Pepper Park at the Bridges via Facebook)
• The Rescue Mission of Roanoke: "Thank you to donors like Susan who dropped off two boxes of diapers at the Mission today. Donations like these mean that we can keep serving all who come here with the critical items that make a big difference!" (The Rescue Mission of Roanoke via Facebook)

There we go — you're officially in the loop for today! I'll see you all on the other side of the mountain tomorrow morning for another update!

Oh! Before I go —here's a link to listen to the South Australia sea shanty above in case you've never heard it!

— 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. He doesn't bite. Except on full moons.

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