By Randy Arrington
STANLEY, Oct. 18 — The Town of Stanley is preparing to welcome more than 1,000 people to Main Street this Saturday, Oct. 28 for the annual Halloween Block Party. Main Street will be closed down from Honeyville Avenue to the railroad tracks from 6 to 8 p.m. The event includes a costume contest, barrel train rides and door prizes.
For those 12 and under, there will be more than two dozen vendors set up in the middle of Main Street to hand out candy to all the ghosts and goblins that haunt downtown this Saturday evening.
Town Manager Terry Pettit said that the annual event eventually grew to the point that the Town thought it would be safer and more efficient to close off Main Street, despite the hurdles of working out the details with VDOT and traffic control for detours off Route 340 Business. Pettit said several hundred trick-or-treaters showed up last year, with an overall crowd (counting the accompanying adults) of more than 1,000 people on Main for the 2022 Block Party.
“People really seem to like, it has really grown,” Pettit said.
A costume contest will be coordinated on Saturday by the Stanley Parks and Recreation Department.
In other business discussed at its Oct. 18 meeting, the Stanley Council took the following actions:
• Heard a report from Gina Hilliard, president of the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce, about the Chamber’s current and ongoing programs, as well as the “major transitions” the organization is going through with tourism promotion shifting to the county over the past two years. Hilliard said the Chamber was reviewing the programs they offer and will go through a “rebranding” and develop a new three-year strategic plan in 2024. Currently, the Chamber has 425 members and coordinates more than a dozen programs to assist and promote businesses in Page County.
• Stanley Homecoming Committee representative Mark Stroupe addressed the council about installing additional lighting along the walking trail in Ed Good Park. Stroupe committed $35,000 from the Homecoming Committee for the project and asked the council to try to have the new lighting in place before the next Homecoming in summer of 2024. Mayor Michael Knight said that some lighting quotes were given to the Town by vendors at the Virginia Municipal League conference he recently attended. The Town may need a dozen or more new lights to fully light the walking trail, which could run between $80,000 to $90,000, according to the council’s discussion. No decision was made at the Oct. 18 meeting.
• Heard a report that the Hawksbill Pool operated at a deficit of about $25,000 in 2023. While the pool served 8,824 swimmers during the 2023 season, revenue came in at $65,143.54 and expenses totaled $90,266.80 — including $17,053.35 to find and repair a leak. The pool was officially covered for the winter on Sept. 25, after hosting its last swim on Labor Day. A new liner for the pool, which may be needed in the next year or two, has been estimated to cost $140,000.
• Heard a report that a sun sail shade for the new Winum Playground at Hawksbill Park will be installed before the end of the month. Page Alliance for Community Action (PACA) will be reimbursing the Town for the cost.
• Heard a report that the Town has spent nearly $1.6 million in ARPA funds, with $150,524.68 remaining to allocate.
• Heard a report for September from the Stanley Police Department that included 392 calls for service, with 260 self-initiated and two citations written.
For additional information or questions, call the Stanley Town Office at (540) 778-3454 or visit https://www.townofstanley.com/
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