The grants from the Virginia Tourism Corporation are designed to assist local and regional tourism entities to attract more visitors by leveraging local marketing dollars.  The successful grant application was a partnership between the Wayne Theatre Alliance, the Waynesboro Office of Tourism and Stone Soup Books and Café to promote tourism in Waynesboro and WTA’s Gateway Theatre.  The local partners provided a $5000 match for the grant, making a total of $10,000 available for the project.

VTC’s Marketing Leverage Program stimulates new tourism marketing through partnerships and extends the Virginia is for Lovers brand.  The program’s objective is to increase visitor spending by leveraging limited marketing dollars.  A minimum of three entities must partner financially to apply for a grant.  Partners may consist of Virginia towns, cities, counties, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, other local or regional destination marketing organizations, private businesses, museums, attractions, cultural events, and other not-for-profit entities.  In total, VTC awards approximately $1 million annually – matched and leveraged on average three to one by partner dollars – to more than 80 communities across the Commonwealth.

“We know that love is at the heart of every Virginia vacation and this Marketing Leverage Program is one of the most effective ways of spreading that message,” said Alisa Bailey, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. “VTC truly appreciates the support of Governor McDonnell and the General Assembly in providing funds that can be applied creatively and effectively with motivated partners throughout Virginia all working together for a common cause.”

Tourism is an instant revenue generator for Virginia. In 2010, tourism in Virginia generated $18.9 billion in revenue, provided $1.3 billion in state and local taxes and supported more than 200,000 jobs. Dollars invested in tourism are proven to provide a 5:1 return in tax revenue in Virginia, and the grant awards and matching funds provide a stimulus to localities seeking to increase tourism visitation and revenue.

“I am thrilled and honored to contribute back to the Virginia baseball program,” Hultzen said. “Virginia has done so much for me. My experiences at UVa have been critical in helping me grow into the player and the man that I am today, and I would not be where I am without my time there. I had an amazing experience at Virginia, and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to give back to UVa and help the program and its players remain among the best in college baseball.”

Hultzen was 32-5 with a 2.08 ERA (74 ER, 320.0 IP) in 51 games (50 starts) in his college career. He holds the Virginia career wins record with 32 victories and also owns the Cavaliers’ career strikeout record with 395. He ranks in the top 10 in UVa history in ERA (2.08), innings pitched (320.0), win percentage (.865) and games started (50).

Hultzen won the 2011 John Olerud Two-Way Player Award, presented to the top two-way player in college baseball. He was a three-time first-team All-ACC selection and twice was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year. He succeeded in the classroom as well and was a Capital One First-Team Academic All-American in 2011.

Hultzen went 12-3 with a 1.37 ERA in 18 starts during his junior season for Virginia in 2011. He limited opponents to a .184 batting average, while striking out 165 batters and walking only 23 in 118.0 innings. His 1.37 ERA was the fifth-lowest in Division I, while his 165 strikeouts ranked second and were the most in a single season in Cavaliers history. He also hit .309 with 18 runs scored, 14 extra-base hits and 35 RBI in 43 games.

“During Danny Hultzen’s three years at UVa, he was 100 percent committed to help make our baseball program the best it can be,” UVa head coach Brian O’Connor said. “Now to see Danny’s continued commitment to Virginia baseball shows his respect for his career in a Cavalier uniform.”

After signing with the Mariners in mid-August, Hultzen made his professional debut in the Arizona Fall League in October and was a standout there, posting a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings of work. He was one of the starting pitchers in the AFL’s Rising Stars Game and earned the win in that contest. He recently was ranked by MLB.com as the 16th-best prospect in professional baseball.

The 16 seasons since the arrival of Ralph Simpson had been pretty good for the school – a pair of NIT titles, two visits to the Final Four and shares of four ACC regular season championships.

The 16 years since haven’t been much to talk about.

The 2011-2012 Cavaliers started strong, pushing their way toward the top. They get a chance to impress Saturday when they visit North Carolina at 1 p.m. on the ACC Network.

At the halfway point of the conference season, the Tar Heels and Duke share the lead with Florida State, with Virginia close behind. After a blowout win over Wake Forest Wednesday, the Cavaliers get North Carolina and Florida State at home before the season ends.

Other parts of the ACC area will see Miami vs. Florida State.

CBS shows Syracuse against Connecticut Saturday at 1 p.m., then goes to the Big Ten Sunday at 1 p.m. for Illinois’ game with Michigan.

ESPN starts Thursday in the Big Ten as Wisconsin plays Minnesota. Colorado travels to Arizona at 9 p.m.

The Gameday crew closes Saturday at Kentucky’s game on Vanderbilt at 9 p.m. on ESPN. The day starts at noon with West Virginia-Louisville, followed by Kansas State at Texas. Maryland battles Duke at 4 p.m. before Michigan State goes against Ohio State.

Sunday, St. John’s takes on Georgetown at 1 p.m.

ESPN2′s Thursday begins in the SEC with Mississippi-Mississippi State, then Virginia Tech plays Miami at 9 p.m. Out west at 11 p.m., Gonzaga tackles St. Mary’s.

Six games fill the ESPN2 schedule on Saturday. Butler meets Cleveland State at 11 a.m., followed by Arkansas-Little Rock vs. Middle Tennessee and New Mexico State-Utah State. At 5 p.m., Wichita State goes against Creighton before Alabama-LSU. The day closes in the Atlantic 10 with Temple against Xavier at 9 p.m.

Comcast heads west Thursday, with Washington facing Oregon at 11 p.m. The CAA starts the day Saturday on Comcast, with Towson meeting James Madison before VCU takes on Old Dominion. Clemson plays Wake Forest at 4 p.m., then in primetime it’s off to Conference USA for UAB-Memphis.

MASN goes to the WAC Thursday at 9 p.m., with Louisiana Tech at Utah State. Saturday starts in the Big East as Notre Dame plays DePaul at noon. It’s CAA action at 7 p.m., with George Mason visiting UNC-Wilmington. Pittsburgh faces Seton Hall Sunday at noon.

San Diego State battles UNLV Saturday at 4 p.m. on NBC Sports network.

It’s off to Peeble Beach for the PGA tour, with CBS having coverage Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.

ABC’s Sunday NBA game brings together the Bulls and Celtics at 3:30 p.m.

TNT’s Thursday doubleheader features the Lakers in Boston at 8 p.m., followed by the Thunder facing the Kings. The Lakers visit New York Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN, then the Thunder play the Jazz. There’s another ESPN doubleheader Sunday, with the Hawks and Heat at 7 p.m. before the Jazz play the Grizzlies.

The Wizards take on Miami Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast before heading to Detroit Sunday at 6 p.m. to play the Pistons.

The Capitals face division rival Winnipeg Thursday at 7 p.m. on Comcast before playing the Rangers Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on NBC. The Flyers take on Detroit Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network.

NBC Sports network has a college ice hockey twinbill Friday. Boston College travels to Vermont at 7:30 p.m., followed by Minnesota-Denver.

MASN has Big East women’s basketball between Connecticut and Georgetown Saturday at 4 p.m. Comcast shows USC vs. California Saturday at 11 p.m. Sunday at 1 p.m., Duke takes on Florida State before the PAC-12 matchup between UCLA and Stanford.

High school basketball takes the stage Friday on ESPN2, with DeMatha facing Gonzaga of D.C. at 7:30 p.m.

NBC offers the Dew Winter Tour from Utah Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

The USA Track and Field Classic goes on ESPN2 Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

More at http://WeekendWatchdog.wordpress.com.

“This year marks 20 years for Cookie Lee Jewelry in the jewelry business which is just astonishing,” said Graham, who celebrates her third anniversary as a consultant with Cookie Lee on Feb. 9. “I still feel like I’m introducing Cookie Lee to the region, but it’s catching on fast.”

Cookie Lee Jewelry will be one of more than 20 vendors participating in the Feb. 11 Love is in the Air: Spring Fashion Debut in downtown Waynesboro from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Gateway.

Graham will make sure that the Cookie Lee anniversary celebration extends to the Feb. 11 event with a free gift to everyone who stops by her booth. “Why not give everyone a little bling to mark the occasion?”

“There’s so much to celebrate beyond just my anniversary with Cookie Lee,” Graham said. “The company itself is offering 20 items on sale for only $20 each in the new Spring/Summer catalog.”

And price point is important in the jewelry industry. With dozens of direct-sale companies specializing in all styles of jewelry, the competition is fierce.

“The thing you won’t get from Cookie Lee Jewelry is sticker shock,” said Graham. “Before I started in direct sales, I attended other jewelry parties and was overwhelmed with some of the prices. I remember paying $100 for a necklace once, and I couldn’t really afford that.”

With Cookie Lee, you can get necklaces, earrings, toe rings and so much more at affordable prices, Graham said. “Nothing in our catalog is more than $50.”

“I plan to have new jewelry from the Spring/Summer 2012 catalog plus a large selection of items hand-picked for Valentine’s Day,” she said. “From hearts to keys, Cookie Lee has something for the sweetheart on your list.”

For more information on the Spring Fashion Debut, visit www.waynesborofashion.com.

More Information:
Cookie Lee Jewelry
Crystal Abbe Graham
Waynesboro, Va.
http://www.cookielee.biz/crystalgraham
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cookiewithcrystal

Eastern Mennonite led by as many as seven points in the first half, but BC regrouped and took a 41-39 edge into halftime.

The Royals came out of the locker room strong with Owen Longacre (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) and R.J. Sims (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) combining to score the first seven points, pushing the men in front 46-41.  Bridgewater got back to within one point, but then Adam Burroughs (Roanoke, VA/Northside) nailed back-to-back threes to trigger a 10-0 run, giving EMU the biggest lead for either team at 65-54 with 7:53 to go.

With five minutes remaining, the Runnin Royals still led 70-60.  Then play got sloppy.  Both teams were committing unnecessary fouls.  Bridgewater made the most of the opportunity, making free throws and three pointers to slice into the lead.

After an EMU turnover, the Eagles missed a three pointer but earned another possession with an offensive rebound.  Tavis Stapleton (Carthage, TX/Carthage) buried a jumper with 1:09 to go, knotting the score at 76-76.

The Royals went inside to Andrew Thorne (Front Royal, VA/Skyline), but the junior had his shot blocked by Ed Reddick (Virginia Beach, VA/Kellam).  Sophomore Ronnie Thomas (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) then nailed a triple from the right wing, putting the Eagles up 79-76 with 21 seconds to go play.  It was the visitors’ first lead since the start of the second half.

Eastern Mennonite decided to attack the hoop with a little time on the clock, but Dajon Daniel (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) came up short on his layup with 12 seconds left.  The drama was not over, however.

Matthew Hunter (Newport News, VA/Woodside) was fouled, but the BC freshman left the outcome in doubt as he missed both free throws with 8.7 to play.

Burroughs then missed a potentially game-tying three pointer from a couple of feet back, but Randell Smith (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) was fouled getting the rebound with 0.6 seconds left.  Needing a make and a miss for the best chance at a tie, Smith missed the first attempt.  He tried to bank the second attempt out for a long rebound, but the toss actually caught too much of the rim and went in, providing the final 79-77 tally.

Bridgewater erased a 10-point deficit as the Eagles closed the game on a 19-7 run.

EMU Coach Kirby Dean was stung by the loss.

“That was a tough one,” he said.  “Every loss is tough, but that one hurt.  Give Bridgewater credit, they hit some shots down the stretch.”

The Royals had a 40-31 edge in rebounding, including 16-6 on the offensive glass.  The men gave away the edge, however, by shooting just 38% from the floor and going 26-for-41 from the free throw line for 63%.  The Eagles put in 47% of their shots, including a sizzling 22-for-27 from the charity stripe for 82%.

The starting five played much of the second half, as free throws and timeouts slowed the game down.  Burroughs and Longacre each scored 15.  Burroughs nailed a season best five triples.  Longacre went 7-12 from the free throw line and pulled down eight boards, including five offensive.

Thorne finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.  Daniels went 8-for-10 from the stripe and charted 10 points.  Sims added a game high five steals.

Kenneth Waugh (Wytheville, VA/George Wythe) hit a trio of three pointers and led BC with 15 points.  Thomas finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Eastern Mennonite slips to 9-13 overall and 4-9 in the ODAC.  The Eagles improve to 6-16 and 3-10.  With three games to go, EMU is tied with Emory & Henry for the crucial eighth seed in the ODAC Tournament.  The men play the Wasps in Emory this Saturday at 2:00pm.  The winner of that game will have the inside track at the final spot to host an ODAC Tournament First Round game.

It was Brady’s second 20-plus-win season, sure, but neither of those teams qualified for NCAA or NIT postseason play. And at James Madison, where the Lou Campanelli/Lefty Driesell years are maybe a fading memory, but a memory nontheless, being in position to play into March is still something that the alums want to think that they can expect.

Six losses in seven games have turned what had been a decent 7-4 start to the 2011-2012 campaign into a 10-16 nightmare. And it’s soon going to be decision time for Madison athletics director Jeff Bourne, who four years ago faced a similar decision with Dean Keener.

Keener’s fourth team also started with promise – and a 7-1 record at the outset seemed to foretell a signature season for the Dukes in the increasingly rugged CAA. Injuries doomed Keener as JMU stumbled to a 13-17 finish that finished the coach and ushered in the Brady era.

The stakes are much, much higher for Brady than they were four years ago for Keener, or were even for Driesell or Campanelli. George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011) have made Final Four runs from the CAA, and the conference is stacked with programs top almost to bottom that have taken the challenge of trying to compete and made themselves appreciably better in the process.

JMU under Brady, meanwhile, seems to be regressing – and that’s significant with Brady because as a fourth-year coach, he really has no one else to blame for his troubles at this point. Brady as chef has been to the grocery store three times now; the meal that he’s serving is his and his alone.

Bourne as AD runs the restaurant, so it’s now up to him to make the next call. If he keeps Brady on for a fifth year, he runs the risk of conceding JMU basketball to irrelevance, and I don’t read Bourne as being willing to concede anything with his otherwise immensely successful sports program. This is a school, you have to remember, with a football team that has won a national championship and kicks off every September thinking it will add to the trophy case, a women’s basketball team that is a consistent NCAA contender and a baseball team that also goes out every spring assuming that it will be in the mix for NCAA consideration in June.

That all in mind, I think we’re witnessing the final flickers of the Brady era at JMU, and soon to be gearing up for the arrival of the next guy whose task will be to return Dukes basketball to a prominence that an entire generation of JMU fans can’t even say that they remember.

Mason (20-6) notched its 20th win of the year, marking its 11th 20-win season in program history, staying atop the conference standings at 12-2. Hofstra dropped to 2-12 in conference and 8-18 overall in the loss.

Senior Ryan Pearson led a trio of double-digit scorers with 16 points, while sophomore Sherrod Wright added 12 points along with a career-high tying seven rebounds. Senior Mike Morrison chipped in 10 points, while Mike Moore led the Pride with a game-high 18 points.

Mason out-shot the Pride by a 52.9-to-36.5 percent margin from the field, while also winning the battle of the boards by a 32-to-29 margin.

The Patriots led for much of the first 10 minutes, up by as many as five in the period at 28-23 before, following a Jonathan Arledge jumper at the 5:51 mark, Mason was held without a field goal for the remainder of the first half. In that span, the Pride mounted a 6-1 run, eventually taking a 32-31 lead with 42 seconds left after a Stephen Nwaukoni free throw.

It would stand as the halftime margin, with senior Andre Cornelius leading the Mason effort with eight first-half points. Moore had 10 points in the first 20 minutes to pace the Pride.

In a game with 12 tie scores and 11 lead changes, the final one came at the 5:17 mark on a 3-pointer by Wright, making the score 57-56 in favor of the Patriots. Mason led by as many as six earlier on, but the Pride took their final lead at 56-54 on a Nathaniel Lester 3-point play.

Hofstra got it back to two points at 60-58 with 3:43 left with two Nwaukoni free throws, but the Patriots closed out the game with a 12-4 run to register their first double-digit victory since the 89-79 win over James Madison on January 28.

The Patriots return to the road next, traveling to UNCW for a 7 p.m. tilt with the Seahawks on Saturday night on MASN.

Drexel improved to 20-5 overall for its second straight 20-win season and remained in a three-way tie for first place in the CAA at 12-2.  The Dragons won their 12th game in a row after entering the night with the nation’s fifth-longest winning streak and also won for the 18th time in 19 games.  JMU fell to 10-16 with its fifth straight loss and dropped to 3-12 in the conference.

The Dragons were methodical and efficient in the second half and used a 13-2 run over a five-minute stretch of the half to take control and go up by as many as 16 at 53-37 with just under nine minutes remaining.  Drexel shot 50 percent from the floor for the half after a 32 percent mark in the opening half.  The Dragons were 3-for-5 from the arc in the half and 12-for-14 at the foul line.

One of the two missed free throws in the second half came from Massenat, which snapped his streak of 34 consecutive made free throws, a school record he tied in the first half.  He finished with 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting with three steals while playing all 40 minutes.

Givens collected his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 boards.  Freshman guard Damion Lee contributed 12 points for the Dragons, who finished shooting 40 percent for the game.

Junior guard A.J. Davis (Columbus, Ohio/Harmony Community) eclipsed the 10-point mark for the 14th straight game and led the Dukes with 13 points and five rebounds.  Senior guard Humpty Hitchens (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe) added 11 points.  Freshman forward Enoch Hood (Norfolk, Va./Booker T. Washington) chipped in nine points and six rebounds while junior guard Devon Moore (Columbus, Ohio/Northland) added nine points and three assists.

Drexel entered the night leading the nation in three-point percentage defense and allowed opponents just 3.7 made three-pointers per game.  However, the Dukes proceeded to hit 9-of-22 (41 percent) while connecting on their fourth shot from the arc within the first 14 minutes of the game.

The Dukes actually held a slight lead in overall field goal percentage for the game but were outrebounded 35-28, were outscored in the paint 28-14 and committed 15 turnovers.

It was a one-possession game at the half with Drexel ahead 26-24.  The Dukes briefly tied the score at 28-28 before the Dragons began to slowly pull away.  The lead stood at five at 40-35 with 13:46 to go when Drexel embarked on its 13-3 game-clinching run, ending with a 53-37 lead with 8:47 on the clock.

JMU tried to fight back as a three by Hitchens and dunk by Hood made it 57-47 with six minutes to go.  Altogether, the Dukes held Drexel off the board for over three and a half minutes as a Moore three made it 57-50, but JMU had three empty possessions of its own during that stretch.  The seven-point margin proved to be as close as the Dukes could get as Drexel won 63-56.

The game started with a pair of swings as the Dukes scored the first eight points of the game only to see Drexel respond with the next 11 while holding JMU scoreless for over five minutes.  The teams exchanged leads until the Dragons pulled up by as many as six at 26-20 late in the half.

Hitchens connected on the Dukes’ fifth three of the half to cut the margin in half and Hood hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it a 26-24 score at the break.  Davis led all players with nine points in the half.  Massenat had eight for Drexel.

JMU travels to Towson on Saturday for a noon CAA game to be televised on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic.

NOTES: Drexel snapped a three-game losing skid against JMU and improved to 15-4 all-time against the Dukes… JMU is averaging 9.8 made three-point field goals over its last five games… nine made threes by the Dukes matched the most allowed by Drexel this season.

Mike Scott was a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor to pace UVa. (19-4, 6-3 ACC) with 19 points. Joe Harris scored 11 points, and Brogdon, Jontel Evans and Akil Mitchell had 10 each for the Cavaliers, who led by as many as 33 points in the second half.

The outcome was never really in doubt. UVa. jumped out to an early 10-2 lead four minutes in. The margin stayed in that range until the final minutes of the first half, when, after a Travis McKie layup brought the Demon Deacons to within 28-19, Brogdon connected from long range to make it 31-19 UVa. with 2:59 to go in the half.

Virginia closed the first half on a 12-0 run to go into the locker room up 40-19, and the Cavs came out on fire, scorching the Deacs with a 14-2 burst that pushed the lead to 54-21 with 15:33 to go.

McKie scored 16 points to lead Wake Forest (11-13, 2-8 ACC).

Augusta Free Press LLC is a major sponsor of the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce 2012 Business Showcase.

The Showcase will be held at the Best Western Inn & Suites Conference Center in Waynesboro on Thursday.

The event is free and open to the public from 1-5 p.m.

More than 50 local companies are taking part in the Showcase, which will highlight what the Greater Augusta region has to offer across the business spectrum.

Stop by the Augusta Free Press LLC table to register for a chance to win a new Kindle Fire, which AFP is giving away in honor of its 10th anniversary year.

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