'March for Jesus' planned for all three towns May 18

By Randy Arrington

STANLEY, Jan. 10 — Although just now in the planning stages, Patricia Long hopes that May 18, 2024 will be a special day in the Page Valley. On that day, she wants believers in all three towns to join her and others, walking and singing along each community’s Main Street as part of the global “March for Jesus.”

“It’s just for Jesus,” Long told the Stanley Council on Wednesday night. The organizer emphasized that the event was not political, non-denominational and not a fundraiser. “It’s just for Jesus,” Long repeated.

The event began in England in 1980 and was first done across the U.S. in 1992. After losing steam at the turn of the millennium for several years, small groups have begun to revive the event. Similar events are held all over the world on May 18 each year.

Jodie Hendricks, pastor at Rocky Branch Regular Baptist Church, attended a “March for Jesus” in Rocky Ford, Colorado and wanted to bring the event to the Page Valley. Long has taken the reigns as the overall countywide coordinator for the event, while Hendricks is the Luray coordinator. Dwayne Painter, also a pastor and District 4 school board member, is the Shenandoah coordinator, while Lisa Meadows is the Stanley coordinator.

Stanley’s portion of the walk would start and end at Meadow’s coffee shop on Main Street. Each “walk” is structured to begin and end at the same location, while traveling along Main Street in song. The march will remain on sidewalks, and therefore will not need any traffic control.

Long requested that the Stanley Council provide a letter of support for the event, which the group agreed to do within a few days. A presentation will be made to each Town, seeking the same support. Long plans to “collaborate with churches and businesses,” according to her presentation.

The tentative schedule planned for Saturday, May 18, 2024 is as follows:

9-11 a.m. — Stanley
Noon-2 p.m. — Luray
3-5 p.m. — Shenandoah

For more information on the Page Valley’s March for Jesus, send questions to Pagecountyvachristians@gmail.com

In other business at its Jan. 10 meeting, the Stanley Council took the following actions:

• Heard a presentation about a new service being considered for Town residents in the FY’24-’25 budget cycle that will provide text message alerts for anything from water main breaks to events at Town parks. TextMyGov would cost the Town $4,800 the first year, to cover the annual fee of $3,200 and the set-up cost of $1,600. The text message alert program would then cost $3,200 annually with unlimited support for the life of the account from the web-based business. The system would be similar to the one utilized by Page County Public Schools for parents and staff.

• Received a report from Town Manager Terry Pettit breaking down the last ARPA allotment of $1.73 million and how it was spent — $145,317 for sewer repairs and upgrades; $260,981 for police department vehicles, equipment and building; $57,677 on sidewalk repair; $97,000 for employee bonuses; $739,324 for water system repairs and upgrades (including $557,940 to complete construction of Well No. 7); $349,936 for recreation projects; and $80,000 to non-profits (split between fire and rescue).

• Received a monthly police report from Chief Ryan Dean stating that December saw 493 calls for service, with 290 of those calls being self-initiated and three citations were written. Chief Dean noted that a memorial created for Officer “Nick” Winum at Ed Good Memorial Park has been completed, and a donor has stepped forward to help provide lights at Nick’s Playground at Hawksbill Park.

• Received a monthly recreation report from Director Terri Beers stating that the Christmas parade featured 65 entries and was well attended; Movie Night drew 25 attendees; new changing stalls have been built for the locker rooms at Hawksbill Park; and the department saw a total of 26 rentals for the upstairs hall at Hawksbill Park in 2023. In addition, the Stanley Recreation Department will receive a $5,000 grant from Page Coalition for Community Action (PACA) to create a walking trail around the new dog park at Hawksbill Park.

• Discussed a request from County Administrator Amity Moler to consider recommending a name for an advisory member appointment to the Page County Planning Commission. Members of the planning commission have asked the board of supervisors for additional members to help with the workload, after the roll was cut from 10 down to five. One recommendation being explored is to offer three advisory slots, one for each town. Stanley Council members stated it may be difficult to find a candidate when two current slots on Stanley committees remain unfilled.

• Unanimously agreed to accept the winning bid of $565 submitted by Louis Bosley (BDA) for a Colorado pickup the Town put out for bids.

• Unanimously agreed to set a special planning meeting for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24 upstairs in the hall at the pool building in Hawksbill Park. The Council also approved the Town’s Holiday Schedule for 2024, with no changes to paid days off for employees or office closures. The Mayor also delegated committee assignments among council members.

For more information about the Town of Stanley,

visit https://www.townofstanley.com/

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