🌱 Small Business Saturday In Downtown Roanoke + Abandoned Home Fire

Good morning and happy Small Business Saturday, friends! As someone who has spent most of his life working in small businesses this is always an important day for me. Get out there and buy something from someone local. Here's a fresh copy of the Roanoke Daily, including updates on...

• Vinton area Thanksgiving service
• City of Roanoke 2023 Legislative Program
• ‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ program

Let's motor!

But first, today's weather:

Times of sun and clouds.

High: 61 Low: 44.

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Here are the top stories in Roanoke today:

1. An abandoned house in Southwest Roanoke caught fire early Thursday morning. According to Roanoke Fire EMS, crews were called to Bullitt Avenue SE near the intersection with 5th Avenue SE and when they arrived, they found a residence in flames. The blaze took firefighters more than hour to get contained because it had spread throughout the multistory house. The home was determined to have been abandoned, no injuries were reported, and fire marshals are investigating the cause. (WDBJ)
2. The Vinton Community Thanksgiving Service was held at Vinton Wesleyan Church this year and was reportedly filled with songs, prayers, scriptures, laughter, and Thanksgiving messages. The service was a combined effort of several Vinton area churches and featured many soloists including Olivia Foster, a student at Read Mountain Middle School, who sang "In Jesus Name." The service is held each year to raise money for the Vinton Breakfast Lions Club Christmas Shopping Project in which they provide children in need from two area elementary schools with $125 each in clothing and toys. (Vinton Messenger)
3. Downtown Roanoke is open for business today and small business operators such as Chris Lugar of Unleashed Dog Bakery & Boutique and Dev Oli of Serenity Treasures are hoping you'll come down and spend your hard-earned dollars on gifts from their stores. Jaime Clark with Downtown Roanoke Inc. said, "Some of the effects [of the pandemic] are still being felt by the local businesses. So, yes. One more reason to shop local. The people that are in the community owning these businesses, they employ people locally, the money stays here locally. It’s just really impactful all around." A Downtown Roanoke shopping guide is available here. (WSLS)
4. Roanoke City Council has released its 2023 Legislative Program in the form of a 26-page PDF and it includes as a priority adopting an amendment to raise the registration fees and civil penalties for buildings that have been continuously vacant for periods of more than 12 months in order to combat the citywide epidemic of derelict buildings and to incentivize the owners to bring them into an inhabitable condition. The proposal would raise the registration fees from $100 to $1,000 and the civil penalties from $200 to $2,000 or from $400 to $4,000 if the building sits in a conservation and rehabilitation district. (City of Roanoke Press Release)
5. The ‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ program has rolled out across the Roanoke region and is asking area citizens to sponsor a senior citizen in need during the holiday season. A dozen trees have been placed around the area featuring the name of a senior and a wish list of items. Locations of the trees include Olive Garden at Valley View Mall, Twin Creeks Brewing Company in Vinton, and Elderberry’s Electric Road and Salem locations. Program director Betsy Head said, "For some of our seniors, these gifts can really bring comfort to their lives. It gives them warmth when they maybe can’t afford to have the thermostat turned up as high as they want to." Gifts will be accepted through Dec. 9 and a full list on locations and instructions is available at the link. (WDBJ)

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Today in Roanoke:

• Small Business Saturday at Downtown Roanoke, Inc. (9 a.m.)
• 6th Annual Mistletoe Market at Holiday Inn Tanglewood (9 a.m.)
• Olde Salem Brewing Bash Vol. 5 at Olde Salem Brewing (Noon)
• Saturday Signings with local authors at Book No Further (2 p.m.)
• Whiskey Dinner at Crescent City Bourbon & BBQ (6 p.m.)

From my notebook (Small Business Saturday Edition!)

Check out some of these local businesses for unique gifts ideas!

• Jump Into Mystery, Inc.: Join Jump Into Mystery on Dec. 18 for a Tacky Sweater Murder Mystery Dinner! Play a character, collect clues, and interrogate suspects as you put your detective skills to work to solve a murder! (Jump Into Mystery via Facebook)
• Book No Further: Join us this Saturday for an author signing event! Come see authors Dan Smith and Debbie Seagle from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and authors Samantha Rosenthal and Marilyn Moriarty from 2-4 p.m.! (Book No Further via Facebook)
• HartLight Photography: We have new print arrivals looking for walls and late November sessions in the mountains always make for a great time! (HartLight Photography via Facebook)
• The Whimsical Spider: It’s time to start Christmas shopping! Come join us today for some #blackfriday shopping and we hope to see you all tomorrow for #smallbusinesssaturday at our Christmas Shopping Market (The Whimsical Spider via Facebook)
• All Good Things Christmas Market: A Christmas Market where all things are made and sold by kids! Come see us on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.! (All Good Things Christmas Market via Facebook)

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Events:

• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Get Delighted Every Week (November 29)
• Add your event

There you have it! You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— 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