From Suffolk to Smithfield: Mr. Peanut, Beach Wheelchairs, and the Golf Course Vote

This week on Tidewater Talk, we caught up on a mix of local news, community updates, and one of our favorite oddball Tidewater stories. We talked about Virginia Beach’s free ADA beach wheelchairs available at the Oceanfront and Sandbridge, Norfolk Fire-Rescue becoming the first in the region to move to a fourth shift, and a fun Keep Norfolk Beautiful cleanup event at Lafayette Park. We also touched on the Virginia Beach golf course vote and why it has stirred so much public reaction. On the Strange and Odd of Tidewater side, we shared the Suffolk roots of Mr. Peanut, whose iconic mascot started as a sketch by a 13-year-old local kid who won just $5 for the drawing.We also ran through the local forecast, with heat building into the low 90s before storms cool things off into the weekend and sunshine returns by Monday. To close things out, we revealed last week’s mystery: the world’s oldest edible ham at the Isle of Wight County Museum in Smithfield, then dropped new clues for next week’s local history challenge. We also shared a few Tidewater tips for the weekend, including Virginia Stage Company’s Curtain Up Community Day at the Wells Theatre, Atlantic Comic Con in Norfolk, the Farmers Market Hoedown in Virginia Beach, and the Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival.