Pam Dent - REALTOR Charlottesville Virginia Homes and Horse Farms

The 104th annual Keswick Hunt Club Horse Show will take place May 14-18. This year's benneficiary is Habitat for Humanity and the show's tagline is "Horses Building Houses for the Community". The show takes place at the grounds of the Keswick Hunt Club just ouside of Charlottesville, Virginia. The AA rated show features some of the top show hunters and jumpers in the country. It is held in a beautiful setting with a shaded ring and an old oak grandstand.

Come out and see what it is all about. Competitors range from children on ponies to top nationally ranked professionals. Enjoy the home cooked food at the food stand and don't miss Saturday evening at ringside. Starting at 6:30 the leadline class will enter the ring with darling children 6 years old and under perched on their precious ponies and basking in their moment of glory. This is followed by the $10,000.00 Suntrust Jumper Classic; the area around the ring will be packed with spectators for this exciting event. While there don't miss browsing the specialty shops at the end of the ring.

The Keswick Horse Show is one of the highlights of the central Virginia equestrian season and is truly a community event for Keswick and Albemarle horseowners.

The picture is of my daughter, Baily, a professional rider, showing her horse Just Jack at the Keswick Horse Show.

Pam Dent, e-PRO, SRES
Real Estate III
Charlottesville, VA
434 960-0161
www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.com
www.Charlottesville.virginiablogpage.com

Tomorrow is Teacher Appreciation Day. What individual has a greater opportunity to impact your chlid's life than their teacher? It is important that the school systems in our area attract the best teachers. There are two factors that directly affect a teacher's job search: one being salary and the other is the ablitiy to afford a home.

In the Charlottesville, Virginia area we saw home prices rise rapidly several years ago. Altough home owners were thrilled with the huge increase in value of their homes, there is also a downside. It has become increasingly difficult for the workforce, such as teachers, nurses, policemen and firemen to buy in the area where they work. The Charlottesville Albemarle Association of Realtors has been working in conjunction with the Piedmont Housing Alliance to bring more affordable workforce housing to the area. There are several programs in place that offer downpayment assistance to qualified applicants.

Don't forget to tell your child's teacher how much you appreciate him tomorrow. Just as importantly work for affordable workforce housing everyday!

Pam Dent, e-PRO, SRES
Real Estate III
Charlottesville, Virginia
http://www.jumpintogreenerpastures.com/
http://www.charlottesville.virginiablogpage.com/

Have you had a bear sighting at your house? This is the time of year that bears are waking up from hibernation. As one would expect after a whole winter with nothing to eat, they are ravenous. Many bears have figured out that human neighborhoods are a good source of easy food. Some of their favorite snacking grounds are garbage cans, bird feeders (especially suet feeders) and dog and cat food bowls. Also fruit, nuts and berries are liked by bears. I had a sweet cherry tree that particularly attracted the bears in early June.

In the Charlottesville, Albemarle County area of Virginia where I live, bear sightings are frequent in Free Union and Crozet. But just because you don't live in one of the sections close to the mountains don't think that you can't have an occasional visit by a hungry bear. They have been spied in closein neighborhoods such as Carrsbrook as well.

If you have been visited by a bear, just remove the food source, such as keeping your garbage inside, and they will move on to easier pickings. Also don't forget if you see a cub, mom won't be far behind. You never want to get between a mama bear and her cub!

I love living in the Albemarle County area where we can still experience nature and a bear sighting is a cause for wonder.

Pam Dent, e-PRO, SRES
Real Estate III
Charlottesville, Virginia
www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.com
www.Charlottesville.virginiablogpage.com

Perhaps you are considering a move to Charlottesville, Virginia or the surrounding Albemarle County. You have discovered that it is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia, but how far is that really from other areas of the United States where you might have family or travel to often. The following is a sampling of distances to Charlottesville from various cities around the United State.

Atlanta, GA. - 500miles
Baltimore, MD. - 153 miles
Birmingham, AL. - 614 miles
Boston, MA. - 556 miles
Charleston, S.C. - 430 miles
Charleston, W.VA. - 247 miles
Chicago, IL. - 683 miles
Columbus, OH. - 409 miles
Dallas, TX. - 1209 miles
Denver, CO. - 1603 miles
Detroit, MI. - 534 miles
Indianapolis, IN. - 542 miles
Louisville, KY. - 480 miles
Miami, FL. - 1023 miles
New Orleans, LA. - 960 miles
New York, N.Y. - 350 miles
Pittsburg, PA. 257 miles
Raleigh, N.C. - 243 miles
Richmond, VA. - 70 miles
San Francisco, CA. - 2812.43 miles
St. Louis, MO. - 753 miles
Tuscon, AZ. - 2159 miles
Washington, D.C. - 125 miles

for additional information on the Charlottesville area go to the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce website or the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau website. Check with mapquest.com for more distances.

Pam Dent
Jump into Greener Pastures
Charlottesville Blog

If you like to watch the magnificent horses doing what they were bred to do, enjoy tailgating with friends, and like spending a spring day in the Virginia countryside, then attending the Foxfield races just might be the perfect activity for you.

The Foxfield race course located 5 miles outside of Charlottesville, Virginia is hosting its spring race meeting this Saturday, April 26. There is a full card of racing including timber, hurdle and flat races. The course which was designed by Raymond Woolfe Jr. was laid out in such a way as to not favor the horse that is the spectacular jumper or the horse that excells at running, but rather to put them on the same footing. This results in some exciting racing.

Foxfield has grown since its first race meet in 1979 to yearly spring and fall races. If you have never had the pleasure of attending a steeplechase I recommend that you come out to Foxfield and see what all the excitement is about. You may just find that the Foxfield races will become your favorite spring event.

For a more on the Foxfield Races visit my blog at City Blog.

For ticket information go to the Foxfield Racing Association website.

For additional information on steeplechasing in Virginia go to the Virginia Steeplechasing Association website.

Pam Dent
www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.com