Wawa Champions Ashland's First Responders

Wawa champions our community's first responders. As sponsors of the Ashland Train Day Headquarters for 150+ volunteers and first responders, Wawa is showing its commitment to the men and women who keep us safe.

Even the store's Grand Opening celebration brought out the Ashland, Virginia Police Department and Hanover County Fire-EMS Department to serve up hoagies and raise funds for charity (pictured below)!

2019 Grand Opening celebration for Wawa’s Ashland location.

We recently spoke with Wawa’s Mark Soroka to learn more about the company’s commitment to the community.

Tell us a little about our local store. What are the unique features and offerings it provides?

The Ashland store employs roughly 30-40 associates/managers and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We offer custom made salads, full service beverages (milkshakes, cold brew, smoothies, etc.), hot and cold hoagies, as well as a variety of other breakfast, lunch and dinner options.

How is Wawa involved in the local community? 

We are involved in many local partnerships: sponsorship with JDRF & LLS walks and events, Roc Solid builds in the RVA area, the local chapter of American Red Cross, the Chesterfield Education Foundation (free cup of coffee to every teacher, faculty member and administrator to welcome back to school), YMCA after school reading programs, CHOR phone-athon two years in a row, coupons to 5th graders in Life/Fire/Safety Program in Chesterfield County, local Torch Run for Special Olympics and local National Night Out events.

Why is Wawa supporting Ashland Train Day?

Wawa is proud to host the Volunteer & First Responders Headquarters for all police, fire, paramedic, and community leaders by providing pretzels, Wawa swag and prize wheels, coupons and a special visit from its mascot Wally Goose, as the retailer’s way of thanking every day heroes for serving their communities.

Downtown Ashland Association is proud to partner with our local Wawa store at 100 N. Washington Highway. We are grateful for the company's support of our local volunteers and first responders.

Community Spotlight: Berkleytown Heritage Park

By Michael McIntosh and Maggie Longest

The Town of Ashland recently announced plans to develop a heritage park in the Berkleytown neighborhood, an area of Ashland that is home to many generations of African American families. The park will provide a public and easily accessible green space for residents and visitors, while also celebrating the neighborhood’s history as an important and influential center of the Black community in Ashland.

“We are so grateful to the Hanover and King William Habitat for Humanity for their generous donation of the property to the Town for use as a public park, and to the Hanover County Black Heritage Society for suggesting the idea,” explained Martha J. Miller, Community Engagement Manager for the Town of Ashland. “As a next step, the Town will hold a series of public input meetings in February and March with neighborhood residents and community stakeholders to inform and guide our decision-making around the park’s design.”

During segregation, Berkleytown became one of few areas in Hanover County where African American residents could own property and build a community. Lifelong Berkleytown resident NaChay Grimes sees the advent of the Heritage Park as a positive opportunity for the community. “I want the park to emphasize the impact Berkleytown had on the Black community of Ashland. And I think it will be good for more people to be aware of Berkleytown and our community’s history.”

This sentiment is echoed by Carolyn Hemphill of the Hanover County Black Heritage Society. “We are also working to have Berkleytown approved as a Historic District on the Virginia Landmarks Register. So, there are many opportunities to use this Heritage Park to educate the broader Ashland community.” While the neighborhood is diversifying in modern times, Hemphill believes that a heritage park will allow the Black heritage of Berkleytown to live on.

To learn more about the Berkleytown Heritage Park development process or to share your comments, attend the upcoming Public Input Meeting on February 28th from 6-7pm at the Pride of Hanover Lodge (311 Berkley St); a virtual participation option will also be made available via ashlandva.gov.

7 Tips for Railfans

Railfans of all ages flock to Downtown Ashland to watch the passage of nearly 50 freight and passenger trains each day. The quaint setting of Ashland’s historic district with the East Coast freight line running through the center is a unique attraction.

Photo captured during Ashland Train Day 2018.

Downtown Ashland Association offers railfans near and far these tips to get the most out of your visit:

1.      VISIT THE STATION

Ashland-Hanover Visitor Center is located inside the historic Ashland Train Station. The friendly staff are available 9am-5pm daily.

2.       LISTEN TO ENGINEERS

CSX live radio stream is available to the public anytime of the day or night. You can hear the drivers riding the rails as they radio between Richmond and Fredericksburg. Click here listen live on your web-enabled device.

3.      ASK THE EXPERTS

Tiny Tim’s Trains & Toys at 104 S. Railroad Avenue is staffed by railfans extraordinaire! Ask Suzanne, Russell, or Sonja about the passing trains and get a full explanation, plus see the model trains on display in all shapes and gauges!

4.       CHECK THE MAP

Amtrak tracks its trains nationwide in real-time on this map. Check when the next train is coming to Ashland Train Station and wave hello to the conductors!

5. SEE THE MURAL

Downtown Ashland hosts the longest railroad mural in the country! See local artist Ed Trask’s masterpiece at 108 S. Railroad Avenue.

6.       WATCH ONLINE

Three Virtual Railfan cameras in Downtown Ashland broadcast live on YouTube. The town’s railfan following extends all around the globe. See for yourself at youtu.be/VIwzSSGbxZw.

7. BOARD THE CABOOSE

Ashland Museum offers free tours of a fully restored 1926 C&O Caboose each weekend at 105 Hanover Avenue.

Ashland Halloween 2021

A weekend of special events and spooky fun for all ages!

Ashland, VA (October 18, 2021) – Building on the success of a festive and safe event in 2020, Downtown Ashland Association is excited to host Ashland Halloween again this year with an entire weekend of festivities organized by local businesses, community organizations, and residents.

“From October 29th to 31st, we invite you to join us as the mysteries of Ashland's historic district come alive,” said Maggie Longest, Executive Director of Downtown Ashland Association. “It is sure to be a spooktastic Halloween weekend in the Center of the Universe!”

There are bewitching events for children and adults alike, including:

•  Kids trick-or-treat in all Ashland neighborhoods with the candy stop map. Families pack the streets to take in elaborate decorations such as flaming pumpkin torches, candy catapults, and skateboarding vampires.

• Adults celebrate with a Trick-or-Treat Bar Crawl. Origin Beer Lab and surrounding businesses host this scavenger hunt. Each establishment along the route features ghostly food and drink specials for participants’ enjoyment.

• Lantern-Lit Haunted Walking Tours hosted nightly by professional storytellers. Let the ghost stories of our historic town’s most mysterious events, buildings, and personalities entertain you!

• Ashland Theatre hosts classic spooky movies all weekend. Plus, signature cocktails, popcorn, and snacks.

Visit AshlandHalloween.com for more information and a full calendar of events.

$50,000 Grant to the MidAtlantic Railroad Park

Doswell Limited Partnership, an LS Power affiliate, awards $50,000 Grant to the MidAtlantic Railroad Park

Artist rendering of a planned MidAtlantic Railroad Park exhibit at Ashland Town Center on England Street in Ashland, Virginia.

ASHLAND, VA – Downtown Ashland Association is proud to announce that it has received a $50,000 grant from the Doswell Limited Partnership (DLP) to help fund the development of Ashland’s MidAtlantic Railroad Park.  The grant makes DLP the Park’s largest sponsor to date.

The proposed walking-tour park will feature numerous exhibits that highlight Ashland’s rich railroad history.  Exhibits will include kiosk signage for existing assets like the train station, the train mural, and the Red Caboose, as well as new exhibits featuring railroad innovations like the Janney coupler.  The park is a placemaking initiative to drive tourism and economic activity in downtown Ashland.

“This grant brings our organization significantly closer to reaching our goal of raising $180,000 for the park,” said Executive Director Maggie Longest.  “We very much appreciate the generosity of Doswell Limited Partnership for investing in the economic potential the Park can bring to Ashland and Hanover County.” 

“DLP Grant funding is awarded to non-profit organizations for projects that benefit the greater Hanover community” said Noreen Hill, DLP Business Manager.  “With the installation of the VDOT-approved brown signs at Exit 92, we expect the park to draw many visitors off the interstate and have a positive economic impact on the entire region.”

The MidAtlantic Railroad Park is a joint project of Downtown Ashland Association, Ashland Museum, Hanover County Black Heritage Society, and the Town of Ashland.  A Railroad Park Community Committee has been established to oversee development of the park. The committee includes members of all the supporting organizations as well as interested stakeholders.  

To date, more than one hundred individuals and businesses have donated $60,000 for the Park. The DLP grant, along with a similar-sized grant from the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation, brings the total amount raised to $160,000.

“We’ve had extraordinary public support for this project,” remarked Tom Wulf, who heads up the Community Committee.  “We’ve had a significant number of park development ideas submitted through public input sessions and online surveys.  The concept of the railroad park originated with local artist Dan Bartges, and it is being strengthened by the public input process.”

Exhibit site selection and kiosk design have been approved by the Community Committee and the Town of Ashland.  Kiosk construction and site preparation is due to begin within the next few months.

For more information about the MidAtlantic Railroad Park, visit AshlandVirginia.com/railroad.

BACKGROUND

Doswell Limited Partnership is an affiliate of LS Power and owns the Doswell natural gas power generation facility located in Ashland, Virginia. Built in 1992 and expanded in 2018 to 1,292 MW by LS Power, the Doswell plant employs 29 individuals and is capable of providing energy to meet the needs of more than 1.2 million area homes in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

 Downtown Ashland Association is a community non-profit organization that works toward a strong and vibrant future for Ashland, Virginia.  Through marketing initiatives, special events, business engagement, historic preservation and more, the Association contributes to Ashland’s vitality by deploying our time, funding, and voice on behalf of the community. For more information, visit ashlandvirginia.com.