38210 In Word

[Giraldo Allain]

Surroundedby a lush forest of hardwood and evergreen stands and nestled on a bluff overlooking its private beach and waterline below, Beaver Island Lodge is the ideal getaway for the water and nature enthusiast. Also, the unique location of the lodge provides an excellent venue for weddings, retreats and small business conferences. At The Lodge we have hosted many spectacular weddings, featuring our private sandy shoreline and bluff vistas overlooking Lake Michigan and the outer islands of our little archipelago.

The Sunset Restaurant at the Beaver Island Lodge offers an unparalleled, innovative menu and flavor profiles. The view from the dining room and patio is undisputedly world class.

The Sunset Restaurant and Lounge are a popular destination for spectacular Northern Michigan sunsets during equally delectable dinners. At the last flicker of sunlight it is not unusual for the entire restaurant and lounge to erupt in an ovational applause!

A serene and relaxing atmosphere awaits our guests. Hurry is a word we leave behind at the Ferry Dock or the Airport. At a 6 minutes walk into town, the Lodge is surrounded by pure nature with soft sounds of the lake meeting our beach and a light breeze through the leaves.

Besides Concierge Services such as assistance in arranging ferry and airplane reservations, local car rentals, bicycles, restaurant reservations and connecting with local services, we now also offer Online Gift Cards.

WRVA was officially dedicated on 2 November 1925. Owned and operated by Larus & Brother Company, manufacturers of Edgeworth Smoking Tobacco and other tobacco products, the station initially operated as a community station without commercial revenue and broadcast only two evenings a week. The Corn Cob Pipe Club was one of the many regular programs begun in 1925. It proved so popular with listeners throughout the United States and Canada that by July 1935, almost nine hundred clubs were established in the United States and foreign countries. By January 1926, the station increased its schedule to three nights a week, and by 1929, WRVA was broadcasting day and night seven days a week. Also in 1929, the station increased its power from 1,000 watts to 5,000 watts and became affiliated with the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). In May 1933, WRVA opened new broadcasting studios in the Hotel Richmond, on 9th and Grace Streets. In April 1935, the station built and began using the first all-wood self-supporting radio tower in America. On 27 June 1937, WRVA joined Columbia Broadcasting Systems (CBS) as a full time affiliate. On 17 March 1939, the 50,000 watt transmitter, located in eastern Henrico County was officially dedicated. In March 1940, Sunshine Sue and Her Rangers first broadcast on WRVA. In September 1946, WRVA leased the old Lyric Theater on 9th and Broad Street and the Old Dominion Barn Dance began airing on WRVA. On 28 January 1959, WRVA rejoined NBC. On 29 May 1968, the new WRVA studio, located in historic Church Hill and overlooking Richmond, was dedicated.

In 1968, Larus & Brother Company reorganized and became the Larus Investing Company. In July 1968, WRVA AM and FM became WRVA Radio, Inc. and WRVA-FM Radio, Inc., respectively, subsidiary corporations of the Larus Investing Company. Larus Investing Company sold its entire WRVA stock to Southern Broadcasting Company of Winston, Salem, North Carolina in November 1969. In August 1977, Harte-Hanks Newspapers, Inc., purchased Southern Broadcasting Company, including WRVA-AM and WRVQ-FM. Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc., sold the radio stations to Edens Broadcasting Company, a company formed by the senior managers of Harte- Hanks Radio, Inc., a subsidiary of Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc., in December 1984. In September 1991, WRVA was sold to Force II Communication, L. P., of San Diego. In the Spring 1992, Clear Channel Communications bought WRVA and is the current owner.

The WRVA Radio Collection spans seventy-five years and contains applause letters, minutes, anniversary booklets, program scripts, program guides, newsletters, histories, interviews, employee questionnaires, sales manuals, audience and sales promotions, rate cards, listener surveys, posters, newspaper clippings, FCC applications and reports, drawings, photographs, and sound recordings. This material documents the history of WRVA, the role the station played in Virginia and Richmond for over half-a-century, and the development of radio in Virginia and the United States. The collection is also rich in material on the Larus & Brother Company, including histories, anniversary booklets, photographs of officials, employees, and factories, and promotions.

The sound recordings date from the 1930's to the 1990's and contain news broadcasts of significant local, state, national, and world events and personalities, programs of a local and regional interest, including the Capitol Squirrel, Calling All Cooks, the Radio Scholarship Quiz, and the Quiz of Two Cities, and musical programs, such as the Corn Cob Pipe Club, the Old Dominion Barn Dance, the Sunshine Hour, and the Silver Star Quartet. Selected sound recordings are now available for use on CD. Each CD has been cataloged individually. Search The Library of Virginia Archives and Manuscripts Catalog to find WRVA sound recordings of interest.

The applause memos contain comments from listeners on the station's programming and document the strength of WRVA's signal. The geographical distribution of applause letters received reveals that WRVA had listeners from the Atlantic Provinces of Canada to California. The correspondence file includes letters, memos, and telegrams regarding matters relating to the running of the station, station policy, the hiring and promotion of employees, and listener responses to programming. Correspondence also documents the transfer of part of WRVA's archives to the University of Virginia. The public service correspondence includes letters from listeners commenting and/or expressing thanks for WRVA programming. In many cases, a response from WRVA is included.

Includes minute books from WRVA Radio, Inc. and WRVA-FM, Inc., the subsidiary companies of the Larus Investing Company, the company formed when Larus and Brother Company reorganized in 1968. Also includes miscellaneous minutes and reports of staff, managers, and stockholders from 1956-1968

Includes files relating to incorporation of WRVA after the creation of the Larus Investing Company, by-laws of WRVA Radio, Inc., the sale of WRVA to the Southern Broadcasting Company, and land deed titles to the transmitter and studio properties.

Includes agreements, affidavits, and statements of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Station Representative hearings from 1947-1949 regarding national spot sales, and FCC license renewal applications and ownerships reports from 1963-1969. These license renewal applications and ownership reports contain stockholder information, the percentage of air time devoted to entertainment, religious, news, agricultural, and educational programs, brief summaries of programs broadcasted, copies of unsolicited commendation and response letters to public service programming, and program and transmitter logs.

Contains material used and created by the WRVA Sales Department to attract advertisers, including manuals, advertisements, advertising booklets and displays, client presentations, newsletters, rate cards, and surveys. The advertisements, booklets, and displays were created to convey the listening power of WRVA and the benefits advertisers would received from advertising on the radio. The surveys contain information on the habits and preferences of WRVA's listening audience. The rate cards span from the 1930's to the 1960's and illustrate the costs of advertising on the radio. Also includes copies of WRVAds from 1950 to 1953, the sales department newsletter, which contained information on programming.

WRVA Dialog was the program guide for national and local programs airing on WRVA Radio. The guides included highlights of programs, time listings, and numerous photographs. Unfortunately, several significant gaps exist.

Includes files relating to the planning, construction, and dedication of WRVA's new building on Church Hill, such architectural plans and surveys, construction specifications, invitations and RSVP's for the dedication, and the dedicatory remarks of then Governor Mills E. Godwin, Jr. Philip Johnson, a renowned architect, designed the building, which was dedicated in 1968.

Includes books, newspapers, and magazines. The books and magazine primarily relate to broadcasting and the history of radio, including WRVA. Of note is a copy of the Virginia Cavalcade, Autumn 1955, containing the article, "Catwhiskers and Kilocycles: Tuning Virginia Radio Stations During the Twenties." The newspapers have been transferred to the Virginia Newspaper Project, but a list of the newspapers and their dates is included in the folder.

This series contains photographs that document the visual history of WRVA from its opening program on November 2, 1925 to 2000. Includes photographs of WRVA's studios and transmitters; staff, announcers, and performers; staff parties; broadcasts; special events; public service and community activities; anniversaries; programs; local, state and national politicians; and Larus & Brother Company. Some of the folders for WRVA staff contain biographical and program information.

Individual folders exist for some staff, performers, and events. However, there are several broad categories the researcher should consult for photographs of staff, performers, and events. Many of the photographs of performers are grouped into Performers or Performers, Early. Staff photographs are grouped together in Staff, Individual or Staff, Group. Events are generally located under Special Events. Photographs of broadcasts can found under Broadcasts or Broadcasts, Remote.

This subseries includes negatives from WRVA, WRNL, and Sports Radio 910 of primarily promotions and events from October 1985-January 2000. The events include sales meetings, staff meetings and parties, client parties, Christmas parties, birthday parties, staff anniversaries, station anniversaries, sports promotions, sporting events, sales promotions, charity promotions, parades (Azalea, Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's Day), concerts, awards presentations, festivals, remote broadvasts, dedication ceremonies, luncheons, fairs, and garden shows Also includes negatives of staff, studio shots, and facilities.

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