Keep your market basket ready all summer! The South of the James Market is now open every Saturday this season from 8 a.m. to noon in Forest Hill Park. Check out what’s fresh at the market each week on the market’s website.

You’re invited to join WHNA’s Social Club at the ballpark on Wednesday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m. to cheer on our own Richmond Squirrels! The gates will open at 5:30 p.m.

June 5 is community association night at the Diamond, with live music and entertainment on the concourse between 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday night drink specials. Children 3 and under are free! We will be sitting in the diamond section and tickets are $10 each.

WHNA would love to have a large contingent of Westover Hills neighbors to join us at the game, and the WHNA has generously offered to purchase 20 tickets for this event. The free tickets will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis (limit 4 per family). Please email Andrea: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 804-306-7319 to let us know you are attending and to reserve your spot!

Come on out to the ballfield! Let’s show our Westover Hills spirit.

WHNA is pleased to welcome several new members of the Board of Directors:

• Debbie & Doug Belt, residents of the 5300 block of Caledonia, as District 2 Reps
• Sarah Mansell, a resident of the 5200 block of Devonshire, as District 3 Rep
• Linda Armstrong, formerly a co-president of the association, as District 4 Rep
• John Coski, who lives in the 5000 block of King William, as District 5 Rep

WHNA had a great team of officers, district representatives, and committee chairs this past year, many of whom are continuing to serve. We’d like to express special gratitude to two retiring members of the WHNA board:

• Dennis Donahue. Dennis is stepping down as District 3 rep. He was District 3 Rep on and off since at least 1998, served as WHNA president in 2001 and 2002, and chaired the annual picnic twice.
• Rick Pearman. Rick is stepping down as WHNA vice president after a year. He has also served as a District 3 Rep since 2006.

Volunteers like Dennis and Rick–and all the rest of the board members and committee chairs–help make Westover Hills a great place to live. Hats off to them for their service!

Reading is so delicious and it’s tasty fun for the whole family this summer! Sign up at the Westover Hills Branch Library. The program kicks off with an event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 15. “Dig into Reading” is the theme for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. “Groundbreaking Reads” will be the theme for young people in junior high and high school. Participants who complete the program will get a cinch bag plus a chance to win a Kindle Fire®! The program ends August 4.

Monday Movies. During the summer reading program from June 15 through August 4, Westover Hills Library will have Monday Movies at 10:30 a.m.

Spring is finally here and WHNA is starting up its annual "Yards of the Month" awards. The committee attempts to select one yard from each of the three geographical areas of Westover Hills (east of the Boulevard, west of the Boulevard, and Westover Hills West). Judges try not to give the award to the same yards time after time, and they like to recognize major improvements. In the coming months, the project will recognize lots of hard work in the many beautiful yards of our neighborhood.

5632 St. James Court

5632 St. James Court. In April, a magnolia hybrid tree and a dogwood tree were starting to unfold their blooms as a variety of jonquils welcomed them to spring. Tulips and grape hyacinth dotted the well-manicured beds. This yard was a welcome sign that spring had arrived!!

4911 New Kent Road. This yard just underwent an amazing transformation, and is clearly the "most improved" property east of the Boulevard. The owners did a great job at "keeping it simple,” and using their limited space wisely. Congratulations on a well-landscaped space!

Every area of the neighborhood is canvassed monthly by the Yards of the Month judges, but we’d like to know if there’s a particular home we should consider! It’s even okay to nominate yourself! Please contact one of the judges with your suggestions:

East of the Boulevard: Dick Bragg at 231-3252 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
West of the Boulevard: Ned & Carolyn Wheeler at 919-619-4039 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Westover Hills West: Donna Poland at 757- 846-0981 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Come to Westover Hills Elementary School (WHES) on Saturday, June 1, for the 2nd annual Westover Hills Carnival on the front lawn of Westover Hills Elementary School. The carnival is fun for the whole family and will feature food, music, games, face painting, cake walks, and lots of blow up things that every carnival should have. The event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and all are welcome, whether you have kids at WHES or not.

WHES recently received a brand new set of drums through the generosity of community members through DonorsChoose.org. To celebrate the gift of her new drums, school music teacher Lindsay Prather is inviting the whole community to participate in a drum circle! At the same time, there will be an open house at the school for neighbors to come inside and meet the teachers, tour the classrooms, and see for ourselves what is great about WHES! The event is scheduled for Thursday, April 18, at 6 p.m. For more info, check out the Facebook invitation.

Richmond is scheduled to begin enforcing its five-year old ordinance regarding supercans and recycle bins that obstruct the right of way on sidewalks, alleys, and roadways on March 11. Rules state that you can’t put your supercan/recycle bin out before 4 p.m. on the day before your service and that you should remove the can by 7 a.m. the day after your services. The fine is $50 a day for every day you violate the rule. The fines for supercans will be based on the can’s serial number so you might want to check and make sure you have the correct can since you wouldn’t want to get fined for another’s laziness/forgetfulness. If you need to identify the serial number assigned to your property and supercan, call 804-646-1798.

Looking for to get involved in your neighborhood? Become a District Representative for WHNA! The association divides Westover Hills into eight districts, and we ask one or two residents to be a main contact person within each district. The only duties are to let your name and contact info be listed on the back of the Rag, field questions from your district residents, and attend monthly meetings of the WHNA Board when possible. If you are interested, please contact WHNA Co-Presidents This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Thanks to Kathy Graziano for her service as president of City Council. She has stepped down from that post, but she’s still there on council ably representing Westover Hills and the Fourth District. She also has a new council liaison working in her office, Westover Hills resident Tim Grimes. You can reach Kathy or Tim at 320-2454. Kathy’s email is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and Tim’s is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The city does its best when it snows to get plows out to clear the streets, but sometimes we’re left wondering when they’ll get to Westover Hills. Next time it snows, you can check out where the plows are with the city’s new snow plow tracker application at https://richssl.ci.richmond.va.us/applications/GIS/snowmap/. The tracker is maintained by the Department of Public Works and is updated through radio reports from the plow drivers and supervisors.

And here’s something about snow you may not know: it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to clear snow from the city sidewalks. According to Richmond Code §90-42, §38-152, entitled “Removal of Rubbish, Debris and Snow from Sidewalks,” property owners must clear snow from the sidewalk within six hours after the snow stops or by 11 a.m. if the snow stops during the night! Violation of the snow removal ordinance is a Class 4 misdemeanor.

We’ve never known this ordinance to be enforced. We just ask that neighbors be courteous during and after snowfalls—and stay safe!

See a pothole that needs fixing, know of a street or traffic light not working, or have a problem with trash collection, barking dogs, noisy neighbors, overgrown lots, whatever? You can report the issue to the city two ways: through the city’s 3-1-1 Customer Care Center or through SeeClickFix.

• Just dial 3-1-1 to call the city’s Customer Care Center to leave a message.
• Or try See Click Fix. You can log into www.SeeClickFix.com, put in the city name, then click the “Report a Problem.” Even better, you can download the SeeClickFix app and report problems right from your phone. You can even send a picture of the problem. The app is available for iPhones, Android phones, and Blackberrys.