Real Estate-Related News & Events VHDA Recognizes SunTrust's Potter (Charlottesville, VA)-The Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) has recently recognized Catherine Potter of SunTrust Mortgage in Charlottesville as a Platinum Circle loan officer, meaning that she is among the mortgage loan officers who originated the most VHDA loans during the past year. Potter is the top-producing VHDA loan officer in the Charlottesville area. The VHDA is the state's mortgage finance agency. Created in 1972 by the Virginia General Assembly, their mission is to help low- and moderate-income Virginians attain quality, affordable housing. Their vision is to be the Leading Mobilizing Force for Affordable Housing in Virginia®. Akarion Realty Holds Angel Tree Celebration (Palmyra, VA)--Akarion Realty is conducting their Annual Angel Tree. This year they have received the names of 41 angels and their families from the Fluvanna County Health Department. They hope to provide these angels with gifts and a Christmas meal for the family. Individuals interested in participating can stop by Akarion's Lake Monticello office to pick an angel from the tree, to drop off a toy, or make a donation for the meals. The gifts and food will be distributed at Akarion's Annual Angel Tree Celebration on December 15 at their Fork Union office. Community Events of Note Christmas Music and Films at The Paramount Theater (Charlottesville, VA)--Returning to The Paramount, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Bill Tole and The Pied Pipers featuring Nancy Knorr will present "A Christmas Gift" just in time for the holidays! The concert, which coincides with Pearl Harbor Day, will feature favorite holiday songs–"I'll Be Home for Christmas," "Sleigh Ride," "Jingle Bells," "The Christmas Song," and many more--all performed in the big band tradition. The sound recalls that heard at dances or on the radio--bringing back memories of special times, holidays spent with family and friends, and an era of great music. "A Christmas Gift" will be presented at The Paramount on Friday, December 7 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert are $35.50, $39.50, $42.50, and $47.50. Half-price student rush tickets and group discounts are available. Further details may be found online at www.theparamount.net, or through The Paramount's Box Office at (434) 979-1333. Also, just in time for the holidays, Charlottesville's Paramount Theater will present a movie weekend on December 8 and 9 featuring two seasonally themed classics – "A Christmas Story" and "White Christmas." Both films will be shown in grand style on The Paramount's movie screen, the largest in Central Virginia. "A Christmas Story" will show on Saturday, December 8 and "White Christmas" can be seen on Sunday, December 9. Both films will be screened at 4 and 7 p.m. on their respective dates. Admission for all movies is $6, with a youth/child price of $4 applying to those 12 and younger. Tickets are available in advance for most showings. Titles and dates are subject to change. The complete Fall/Winter 2007-08 Season of Paramount Theater performances and events is available at www.theparamount.net. New events in The Paramount's spring 2008 series will be announced in early December. Zephyrus Holiday Concert Recreates a Renaissance Christmas (Charlottesville, VA)-"A Renaissance Christmas" is the theme of this year's holiday concert by Zephyrus, a nonprofit vocal ensemble based in Charlottesville that is dedicated to the performance of music from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras. The holiday concert will be presented in three locations on the following dates: • Saturday, December 8 at 8 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park Street, Charlottesville • Sunday, December 9 at 3:30 p.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 7599 Rockfish Gap Turnpike, Greenwood • Saturday, December 15 at 8 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 118 N. New Street, Staunton The program will feature Zephyrus's trademark performances of Renaissance Christmas motets, both old favorites and new offerings, a set of small-scale intimate Renaissance pieces that would have been sung in private homes, as well as a set of Christmas pieces from the late Middle Ages. The group will be led by Paul Walker, Associate Professor of Music and director of Early Music Performance at the University of Virginia, who founded Zephyrus in 1991. Tickets are $15 per person; $10 for seniors and students. Advance tickets can be purchased in Charlottesville at the New Dominion Bookstore on the Downtown Mall, at Greenberry's Barracks Road, at Mincer's at the Corner, or at the door. For additional information, call (434) 293-5339 or e-mail pmw6q@virginia.edu. Old-Fashioned Christmas in Palmyra (Palmyra, VA)--Does Christmas conjure up memories of bygone days? Memories of relatives gathering around the tree, of smoke curling from chimneys, of carolers outside windows, of eyes shining in anticipation of childhood's finest dream? If it conjures up these memories, then come to Palmyra on December 8 when the Fluvanna Historical Society teams up with the Fluvanna Garden Club and the County of Fluvanna for an old-fashioned Christmas. The celebration begins at 3 p.m. on December 8. The following historic buildings will be open to the public from 3 to 5 p.m. • The Old Stone Jail • The Old Courthouse • Maggie's House • Palmyra United Methodist Church Mulled cider and holiday treats will be available at Maggie's House and there will be live musical performances by the Thessalonia Baptist Church Choir, "Just Us" Fluvanna singing group, and the J.A.B.A. Fluvanna Senior Center Singers. In addition there will be walking tours of the village led by Overton McGehee and family and there will be ladies and gentlemen in period costume. There will be Clydesdale horses pulling a carriage from 3 to 4 and Virginia author Frances Eugene Wood will be available for storytelling and book signing at Maggie's House at 4:15. At 5:30 p.m., there will be caroling around the Court Square led by Leslie Jane Geer. At 5:45 there will be a holiday lights program in front of the Old Stone Jail. Parking will be prohibited around the Confederate Park; however, there will be ample parking available behind the new courthouse, the Heritage Trail parking area, the post office, and the Village Park as well as the side streets around the old courthouse. For more information, call (434) 589-7910 or go to www.fluvannahistory.org. Don't forget to bring a flashlight and dress warmly. Chamber Presents 2007 McIntire Citizenship Award to Harold B. Wright, Jr. (Charlottesville, VA)--The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce has presented the Chamber's prestigious Paul Goodloe McIntire Citizenship Award to Harold B. Wright, Jr. at the 94th Annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner held at the DoubleTree Hotel Charlottesville. The dinner was co-sponsored by State Farm Insurance Companies, Hantzmon Wiebel & Company, and EMBARQ. Prior to the award presentation, Paul S. Speranza, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United States Chamber of Commerce, delivered the dinner's keynote address. Wright came to the Charlottesville area as a young man and has spent his entire adult life as a citizen of the area. In 1973 he successfully founded and launched Virginia Broadcasting Company, WVIR/NBC- 29, greater Charlottesville's first local television station. At the same time, Wright launched the station's extensive involvement in greater Charlottesville's community service. Wright is a founding member of the Blue Ridge Rotary Club and is active in its many charitable community projects. While he has been active in numerous community philanthropic and civic initiatives, he eschews most committees and boards. In a letter of support, one nominator said, "Harold is impatient with non-productive processes, preferring to work to get jobs done." Still, Wright has served on the University of Virginia Children's Hospital Committee and the U.Va. Health System Community Relations Committee. He was an active member of the Jaycees and he and his business are active in many aspects of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce. Wright has been particularly focused on the continued success of NBC-29's "Children's Miracle Network Telethon" to benefit the U.Va. Children's Hospital and pediatric patients throughout Central Virginia. In 1983, the first telethon raised $23,000; this past year's telethon total topped $2 million. Over the 24-year run the NBC-29's Children's Miracle Network Telethon has raised more than $20 million. The Chamber of Commerce established its prestigious Paul Goodloe McIntire Citizenship Award in 1975 to recognize outstanding citizen contributions to the greater Charlottesville area. The Chamber award is named in honor of Paul Goodloe McIntire, whose goodwill set a standard of service that others through the years have reached for while helping to weave a fabric of selflessness that continues to provide for our community and its citizens.