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Roanoke Valley Chess Club's activities at the 2009 FESTIVAL IN THE PARK CELEBRATION were once again, a big success this year. This year, Festival was held over the Memorial Day weekend. As always, the Chess Club was featured at the top of the picturesque hill in historic Elmwood Park. Elmwood Park is at the corner of Jefferson Strreet and Elm Ave. in downtown Roanoke.
Attendees arrived to find a well-organized presentation with tables, chairs, chess equipment and information brochures all ready for action.
On Sunday, May 24th, the club held a Chess All Day exhibition, with veteran club members playing newcomers at the Park. Many tips on game improvement were passed out to several hundred Festival passers-by who saw the chess sets and boards. Many visitors stopped by for more information about the club, and local chess in the area. Lots of club cards with contact information were handed out.Thirteen new people were added to the club's e-mail contact list !
On Saturday May 23rd, three-time Virginia Champion NM Russell Potter held two simultaneous exhibitions to see if anyone out there would "Beat the Master. "Rusty" has been doing these at the Park for about 30 years ! Although he didn't lose any games, Rusty volunteered this opinion: "My play really STUNK in a BUNCH of my games. This year I was as lucky as I have ever been." ( Well, he SEEMS to be kind of modest... )
Medal Winners for our "Beat The Master" Competition:
| 2:00 PM | |
|---|---|
| Toughest to Beat | Chris Moore |
| 2ndToughest | Myron Cole |
| 3rdToughest | Rick Maciorowsky |
| 4:00 PM | |
|---|---|
| Toughest to Beat | Richard White |
| 2ndToughest | Mike Huff |
| 3rdToughest | Nazene Khan |
This event was part of the Roanoke Valley Chess Club's ongoing commitment to promote chess in the region, and was open to the public free of charge.
We want to thank all of the volunteers who made this possible: Board Member Richard White and Vice President Danny Doyle who LITERALLY did the heavy lifting by first picking up, then transporting, then setting up, then breaking down, then transporting, then storing, then returning, then setting up again, then breaking down again, then transporting, then unloading ALL OF THE TABLES AND CHAIRS ! Thanks a million, guys !!! Special thanks also go to the entire Doyle family for taking camera shots, setting up a HUGE banner for the Club, and cleaning up and arranging things in lots of useful ways. Also, thanks go to Club Officers Mike Huff and Chris Moore for helping to set up and break down the set. Special thanks to Myron Cole and to Richard White for recording the names of a number of the participants.
Lastly, thanks to NM Russell Potter for publicizing and playing in, the two Beat The Master contests. Also, Rusty set up easel displays with printed matter, and brought ribbons and medals for the prize winners.
As always, this event was 100% FREE to the general public .
Clearly, a jolly good time was had by one and all !
Printable flyer for the FREE CHESS FESTIVAL IN THE PARK.
Click Here For Photos of a Previous Festival