VT vs. Miami Football Party

VT plays Miami this Thursday at 7:30pm in Miami, and given the schedules of the rest of the teams on VT's side of the ACC the rest of the season, this game will probably decide which of these two teams goes to the ACC Championship game Dec. 1 to represent the Coastal Division. It's encouraging VT still has a very good chance of playing in the ACC Championship game even after losing so many more games than we are used to, but this game against Miami is pretty much a "must win" in order to get there.

So this is a high stakes, big game for Tech fans, and big games call for big football parties, so that is what CCVT is going to have! We will have rowdy fans (in a good way) and plenty of delicious "football food" to share. So bring your friends and come on over to the campus house about 7:30pm. Feel free to arrive a few minutes early if you don't want to miss a single play.

Last I heard the prognosticators were predicting a VT win by 2 points. I think this is going to be a really close, exciting game, so I hope you can join us.

Steve

P.S. Face paint is optional.

A-maize-ing Corn Maze and More

You are invited to join us this Friday night for an a-maze-ing adventure through a huge maze of corn, after dark. (Please pardon my corn-y joke. Oh, wait, I did it again. I just can't stop myself.)

OK, enough with the bad puns. Here's the scoop:
The corn maze is about a 20 minute drive from campus and there is this really cool little family owned Italian pizzeria just down the road from it, so we are going to meet at CCVT's campus house at 5:30pm Friday and carpool to Aly's Family Italian Restaurant and enjoy some delicious Italian food -- your choice of anything from pizza and calzones to lasagna and chicken parmigiana, or if you actually aren't into Italian food, they also have good ol' hamburgers, Philly cheese steaks, subs, and all kinds of stuff. Also, the prices are very reasonable. You can get a nice hamburger, fries, and drink, including tax and tip, for under $5. It's a really quaint little place. You'll love it.

After that we'll mozy on over to the corn maze around the time it is getting dark. Tickets for the corn maze are only $5. The maze is different every year, so even if you've been there before, it should be a challenge to find your way around the maze in the dark. The corn is usually about 8 feet tall, so it's not like you are going to be able to see over the top of it. I would estimate the maze is approximately the size of two football fields, so it's not just some little thing you'll be done with in a few minutes.

Be sure to bring a flashlight, and please bring an extra, if you have one, to share with someone else who might need it.

And ladies, please leave the high heels at home. ;-) Remember, this is a corn field we will be walking in, so it's pretty bumpy from the furrows the plow has made, and the corn stalk stumps that are sticking up where the corn has been cut down, etc. So flip-flops and sandals are a bad idea, too. Let's say tennis shoes are a minimum, and boots would be even better.

So to recap:
5:30pm at the campus house
$5 for the maze, plus about $5 or more for food
flashlights
appropriate footwear
warm attire appropriate for cool October nights (forecast is for it to be about 60 degrees around the time we'll be in the maze)

Hope you can join us. And bring a friend!
Steve

VT vs. Clemson Football Party

As you probably already know, VT's football team plays at Clemson this Saturday. After VT's solid performance all the way around on offense, defense, and special teams the last three quarters of last game against Duke, it looks like VT might actually have some chance to beat Clemson this year after all. It would still be an upset, mind you, but bear in mind, Clemson's defense is not ranked much higher than Duke's, and VT's offense looked pretty good against them last week. Now if all three parts of VT's team step it up a notch again this week, Clemson might be beatable. Hey, NC State did it to Florida State a couple weeks ago.

At any rate, we are going to have a football party at the campus house this Saturday to support our Hokies, and hopefully witness a thrilling upset. Kickoff is at noon, but feel free to arrive a few minutes early if you don't want to miss a single play. You're welcome to bring some friends along, too. 

Besides the game, we are also going to have some delicious "football food" to share.

So bring your friends and come on over to the campus house for some good fun cheering our Hokies on to victory Saturday.

Let's recap:
12 noon this Saturday, Oct. 20, at CCVT's campus house

Hope you can join us.
Steve

P.S. Chest paint is optional.

A Beautiful Day for a Hike in the Mountains

With no classes this Friday due to Fall Break, a forecast in the 60's with 0% chance of rain, and the leaves changing color, it's a beautiful day for a hike to McAfee's Knob. If you aren't familiar with McAfee's Knob, it is a relatively easy trail, 3.5 miles to the top where there is an amazing view of the mountains from the top of a cliff that is often featured in photos of the Blue Ridge mountains and is even on some of VA's license plates. 

McAfee's Knob Trail is part of the Appalachian Trail, too, so if you go you can tell people you hiked the Appalachian Trail! But that would be kind of deceptive to make them think you hiked the whole thing when you really didn't, so never mind. Anyway...

After working up a big appetite hiking 7 miles, we are going to drive just down the road from the trail head parking lot to The Homeplace restaurant to enjoy all you can eat southern cooking, family style! It's a combination that can't be beat. You get country ham, fried chicken, and roast beef, with green beans, cole slaw, pinto beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and other fruits or vegetables of the day, and apple butter for your buttermilk biscuits, and really good sweet tea or lemonade, and fruit cobbler for dessert. All of this is served "family style" where you all sit around a huge table and pass the food around and put however much you want on your plate and pass it on to the next person. And the servers just keep bringing the food out until everybody has had as much as they want to eat.

All of this only costs about 14 dollars -- all you can eat, remember, and it even includes your drink, dessert, and tax. The only thing you need to add is the tip.

We will meet at the campus house at 12 noon to carpool to the trail parking lot. It's about a half hour drive. If you are not an avid hiker, don't be intimidated. This is not a difficult hike. It is appropriate for beginners -- not too steep, and no special equipment required. Just some good walking shoes. It will take us about 3.5 to 5 hours to hike up and back, depending on how long we take to enjoy the view at the top, etc.

Do be sure to eat well before you meet us at the campus house so you will be fueled up for the long walk. Don't worry, you will still work up plenty of appetite for The Homeplace. Also, be sure to bring a water bottle to keep yourself hydrated on the hike. And dress in layers so you can take some off if you start to work up a sweat hiking up the mountain, but you can still put some back on if you start to get cool in the breeze at the top, for example.

And feel free to bring some friends.

Let's recap:
Eat well Friday morning
Wear good walking shoes or hiking boots
Dress in layers
Bring a water bottle
Bring money for dinner
Meet at the campus house 12 noon, Friday, to carpool. 

Hope you can join us. 

Steve

Afternoon Hiking Trip next Friday!

Hey CCVTers,
Just wanted to give you some advance notice so you can save the date on your calendar and make plans to join us and invite your friends: CCVT's Core Group Team has planned a beautiful hike for next Friday, Oct. 12, which is the one day we get off for Fall Break.

Since most of you will not be going home for Fall Break since you'd rather go home on a weekend when there is no home football game, we are taking advantage of the full day off which Fall Break affords us, unhindered by football games or church.

We will meet at the campus house at 12 noon to carpool to the parking lot from which we will hike. We will be hiking to McAfee's Knob. It is a beautiful hike that is going to be even better since the leaves will be changing color, as they already are beginning to. There are beautiful views along the way, and a breathtaking view at the top.

If you are not an avid hiker, don't be intimidated. This is not a difficult hike. It is appropriate for beginners, not too steep, and no special equipment required. Just some good walking shoes. It will take us about 4 hours to hike up and back.

After we have worked up a big appetite hiking we will have a great opportunity to get our money's worth eating all you can eat at The Homeplace restaurant which is only about a 5 minute drive from the parking lot of the trail. If you've never heard about The Homeplace, ask an upperclassman. It is one of the most popular restaurants in this part of Virginia! It is even on VT's official bucket list.

I will send out another email next week with all the details, but for now, make plans to join us next Friday, Oct. 12, and start inviting your friends to come with you.

Since most of you have chosen this weekend (Oct. 6-7) to make your visit home, we have no official CCVT events planned for this weekend other than carpooling to church Sunday morning at 10:15am, and the Women of the Word Bible study at 7pm Sunday, as usual.

Thanks, and have a great weekend back home if you are going home for the weekend.

Steve