The Agape Center is on the move. The nonprofit’s board of directors has placed a contract on a historic lake-area property, Moneta Dress Corp., aka “the old Moneta dress factory,” that will almost double the nonprofit’s space:

The Franklin County Humane Society is offering free parvo/distemper vaccinations for dogs and puppies owned by Franklin County residents who can provide proof that they receive social services. Dogs and puppies must be sterilized to receive the vaccinations, and assistance will be provided if they need spay/neuter.

A bill that would boost
private property owners’ rights at Smith Mountain Lake passed a Congressional
committee last week.

The Supporting Homeowner Rights
Enforcement, or SHORE Act, would amend the Federal Power Act to require the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider landowners’ rights when
issuing licenses for hydroelectric power projects like SML.

For those who missed “Lake Effects” on television the first time, don’t worry. The Hallmark Movie Channel will air the movie shot at Smith Mountain Lake several more times.

It will be shown tonight at 8 and 10 p.m.; Monday, May 14 at 4p.m.; Tuesday, May 15 at 2 a.m.; and Thursday, May 17 at 10a.m. and 8 p.m.

The Tri-County Lake Administrative Commission at its May 1 meeting renewed its contract with a North Carolina-based company for aquatic vegetation treatment.

Skip’s Aquatic Solution, which has handled the treatment for several years, will again target hydrilla and curlyleaf pondweed, according to Pam Dinkle, TLAC’s lake management and project coordinator.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 6-1 to open the SML Community Park beach this summer without charging user fees. Ronnie Thompson, Boone District supervisor, was the one dissenting vote.

Volunteers from the SML Marine Volunteer Fire/Rescue Co. took to their
boats while members of the Scruggs Dive Team took the to the water to
search for a missing man on March 16 near Hales Ford Bridge. Members of
the dive team recovered the body of Calvin Ray Holdren, 57, of Ridgeway
shortly after 8 a.m., according to a news release from the Bedford
County Sheriff’s Office.

It’s a question that’s been asked for years: How many people live around Smith Mountain Lake? On the high end, sources such as area chambers of commerce and businesses often cite 22,000. But ask ChaCha, a text-based answer service, and the number you get is 7,790.

A movie filmed and set at Smith Mountain Lake will be televised two weeks earlier than first announced. “Lake Effects” will premiere on the Hallmark Movie Channel on Sunday, May 6 at 8 p.m.

The movie follows a big-city attorney who reunites with her mother and sister after traveling home to SML for her estranged father’s funeral. During her stay, she reconnects with the community and the lake.