Chesapeake: Birthplace of Dreams
- Angela Umphers Rueger
- Feb 6, 2017
- 4 min read
As a navy brat, I did my share of packing up and moving, although we did not move around nearly as extensively as some do. Dad traveled the world on aircraft carriers, but a few southern states are all I knew as a child: Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia. I was born in Florida, and Florida is my home now, but it will be a long time before I can say I’ve lived most of my life in the Sunshine State.
We moved to Virginia when I was 13 years old, and we rooted there. Dad retired in Virginia when I was in college, and I made it my home after graduation. There I met my husband, and there our three children were born. There for 27 years I served the Lord at the church where my husband and I met, and there I began to paint and turn old pianos into artwork. All of my 35 years in the Old Dominion were spent in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, and the beautiful city of Chesapeake remains in my heart as the birthplace of my family and my dreams.
If you haven’t heard of Chesapeake, Virginia, don’t feel bad. It’s only a little older than I am, gaining its place on the map in 1963, when South Norfolk, the former Norfolk County, and other parcels of land were consolidated into one independent city. It is overshadowed by the tourist destination of Virginia Beach and the huge military post in Norfolk, but it does have its own claim to fame. Chesapeake is Virginia’s second largest city in land area, and the Commonwealth’s third largest city in population.
The city of Chesapeake is a watery place, with the Intracoastal Waterway, the Elisabeth River and her tributaries, snaking through, as well as a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp (a part of which was in my back yard). And where there is water, there will also be bridges. Chesapeake boasts over 90 such structures, including 6 drawbridges and the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge-Tunnel, which connects Chesapeake and Suffolk to Newport News and Hampton. The High Rise Bridge was the tallest bridge in the city when it was built, but the new Jordan Bridge, formerly a drawbridge, now surpasses the High Rise Bridge in elevation. I have driven across the new bridge a few times. It’s beautiful, and the height does not scare me—but the toll does. When my husband and I were first married, we lived in South Norfolk, and I would pay 25 cents to cross the Jordan Bridge to get to the Scott Center Annex commissary. After the bridge’s remake, the toll jumped to about $4! Of course, an EZPass makes it a little softer on the wallet.
The seasons in Chesapeake, Virginia are amazing! Winter gets just the right amount of snow, spring brings many beautiful colors in both the flowers and the trees, summer is hot but not unbearably so, and autumn is crisp and colorful and cool. Many of my outdoor photos were shot in my own back yard, but I also carried my camera to the city parks such as the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail, the Chesapeake Arboretum, and the Northwest River Park. But hands down, my favorite park was the Oak Grove Lake Park. I discovered this park one day after dropping my son off with his tutor, and I made many a trip back to this thoughtful spot over the years. Sometimes I went there to train for a 5K on the path around the lake, sometimes to enjoy a picnic lunch with my children, sometimes just to sit and think or write, or take pictures, or paint. In fact, my art teacher brought the entire class out to this park to give us our first experience at plein air painting. To see more photos, follow this link to my Virginia album.
Whether you visit Chesapeake or decide to make it your home, you will find plenty to see and do. Besides the 70+ public parks and the 22+ miles of waterways, there are also special events scheduled throughout the year. Do you enjoy family time, history and music? Then you’ll want to check out the Princess Ball at the Chesapeake Conference Center, the Candlelight Concert Series at Great Bridge Presbyterian Church, the annual South Norfolk Parade and Picnic in the Park, the Celebrate Freedom concert with the US Army TRADOC Band, Symphony Under the Stars on the Bagley Stage, the Ghost Train at Northwest River Park, or the re-enactment of the Battle of Great Bridge. Each of the 7 locations of the Chesapeake Public Library system also hosts a plethora of family-friendly activities, concerts, and clubs. And be sure to check out the planetarium at Chesapeake City Hall. Best of all, some of these events are free! Are you into arts & crafts? Churches, schools, and other organizations all over the city host craft fairs throughout the year. Perhaps outdoor sports is more your speed. Then sign up for the Dismal Swamp Stomp Running Festival, or the Kayaxpedition, or Paddle for the Border. Private groups hold races in Chesapeake too, as does the military. If shopping is more your speed, then you’ll want to visit the Greenbrier Mall or the Chesapeake Square Mall. This article just scratches the surface of all there is to see and do in Chesapeake, Virginia. I want to whet your appetite for the city I came to know and love, and which was my home for most of my life thus far. To find out more, visit the city’s website or request a printed visitor guide. If you already live there, or are interested in relocating there, then this link will be more helpful to you.
I love those things and more about the city of Chesapeake: the parks and rivers, the family-friendly events, the races, the history, the craft fairs, the churches, the music, the food, and the culture. But the one thing that will keep drawing me back to this beautiful city are the life-long friends I left behind. What good is activity if you have no one to spend it with? What good is beauty if you cannot share it with someone else? Yes, I love all there is to see and do in Chesapeake, but I love the people more. They are what makes this city great. If you don’t believe me, go find out for yourself!
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