All News Archives
BRMC 2012 Cavalcade of Music Fund Raiser
Posted March 6, 2012 at 7:19 PMWe have a great show lined up for the Cavalcade of Music on Sunday, April 29. With the early notification that we sent out, some may be tempted to put it aside for later response, and then forget. Why not do it now, and assure your support for this, our only charity fund-raiser of each year. Better still -- sell some tickets to your friends and/or extended family. They will be glad you thought of them.
Valentine's Day event on Sunday, February 17, 2013
Posted February 1, 2013 at 12:28 AMJoin us for a Very Special Valentine's Day event on Sunday, February 17, 2013 !!
Enjoy a special evening of Fine Dining at the elegant Brandermill Woods Club House. The evening begins at 6:00 with a welcome Open Bar Cocktail Reception featuring a full selection of spirits and wine, with butler served Mini Quiche and bar snacks. Dinner begins at 7:00 p.m.
Please note that the cost per person listed following the choices of entree is all inclusive -- the reception, the dinner and unlimited beverages throughout the evening == including beer, wines and spirits (scotch, vodka, gin, rum, etc.) soft drinks, the entertainment, door prizes, taxes and the gratuity.
Dinner begins with: Baby Spinach Salad with glazed pecans & Manderins pre-set Raspberry Vinaigrette)
Your entree and dessert choices are:
- Surf & Turf Lobster Tail & 4oz. Filet Mignon -- $66 per person
- 6oz Petite Filet Mignon Bearnaise -- $56 per person
- Baked Salmon Filet & mustard/dill sauce -- $52 per person
- Chicken "Oscars" -- $50 per person
Each entree is served with rice pilaf and California blend vegetables.
For dessert: your choice of Carrot Cake or German Chocolate Cake.
Following dinner, we visualize being in a "supper club" and welcome popular & talented vocalist -- Joe LaLuna -- offering our favorite selections -- the soothing strains of some oldies -- and some not so old.
Note that tables will accommodate 6 or 8 persons. Therefore, we suggest that when making your reservations please indicate with whom you wish to be seated, otherwise we will randomly assign seating.
Reservations will be accepted on a first paid basis and must include each person's selection of entree and dessert. Reservations must be received before Monday February 11.
We also encourage you to invite relatives, friends and neighbors to join us. Simply add their names, entree & dessert selections to the reservation form.
Complete and mail the reservation form, with your check(s) payable to BRMC, to
Bill LaLonde 14207 Chimney House Road, Midlothian, VA 23112
------------- Print & cut -- or provide info on separate sheet ------------
Name ____________________ Entree _____________ Dessert ____________ $ _________
Check(s) Total: $ _________
May 3, 2012 Meeting
Posted March 16, 2012 at 10:29 AMMonica Hughes. the Executive Director of the Chesterfield Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), will be the speaker for the May meeting of BRMC.
LLI, is now in its ninth year of meeting that thirst for knowledge and the challenges of seniors through daytime college level courses, lectures, events and other activities. LLI is about intellectual curiosity and the joy of learning for learning’s sake: all goals of seniors not ready for an inactive and stoic retirement and who are looking forward to a future with challenges and opportunities for personal growth.
Guided tour of the National Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Posted January 14, 2013 at 10:13 AMThe BRMC has arranged a special guided tour of the National Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, adjacent to Washington Dulles International Airport.
The date is Wednesday, March 20, 2013.
This popular event will fill up quickly, so early reservations are encouraged.
Paid reservervations must be received by March 1, 2013.
Contact Bal Dighe for details: 804-639-6960.
National Monuments, April 18
Posted March 15, 2013 at 1:34 PMBRMC Social Committee Vice-chair Bal Dighe has done it again !!
He has arranged a wonderful day-tour of two National Monuments, with transportation by luxury motorcoach at just $35.00 per person, including taxes and gratuity,--- provided we have a minimum of 40 persons, and we can accommodate up to 56.
The monuments are....
Appomattox Courthouse National Park, which is comprised of many historical structures plus several reconstructed buildings. The village itself is the site of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant, thus ending the four year civil war. We will see documents and the many artifacts of that tragic event, including the pencil used by General Lee for additions and corrections to the treaty.
The D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia. That town suffered the highest per-capita casualties in the nation. The National D-Day memorial honors the allied forces that fought in the invasion of Normandy France on June 6, 1944. The English garden, a haunting tableau of the invasion, and the victory plaza pay homage to the brave forces and sacrifices of our fallen heroes.
Note that the entrance fee for Appomattox is just $3 or is free for those who hold Golden Passport (senior citizen) passes. Since many of our members are holders of this passport, they are entitled free entry with two more persons.
Similarly, the D-Day Memorial waives the small entry fee for Veterans. Thus, the prudent option is to have each person handle their own entry.
The details are:
- Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013
- Leave Market Square @ 9:30 a.m.
- Arrive Appomattox Courthouse @ 11:00 a.m.
- Leave Appomattox @1:00 p.m.
- Lunch stop @1:15 at The Porterhouse Restaurant in Lynchburg, were each person can order his/her own meal from the menu and pay accordingly.
- Depart Lynchburg @2:00 p.m.
- Arrive and tour the D-Day Memorial @ 2:30.
- Depart Bedford @ 4:30 p.m.
- Arrive Market Square @ 6:30 p.m.
- Paid reservations are required for this special offering, and must be received before Monday, April 1st. If we do not have the minimum 40 paid reservations BEFORE that date, the tour will need to be cancelled and your checks returned/cancelled.
Send your checks, payable to BRMC, at $35. per person, to:
6112 Duck Cove Road Midlothian, VA 23112
Questions? Please call Bal at 804.639.6960
May 7, 2026 Meeting
Posted April 11, 2026 at 10:46 PMThe May 7 scheduled speaker is Deputy County Administrator for Chesterfield County Matt Harris, and Budget Director Gerrard Durkin. The program is a presentation on the approved FY27 budget which takes effect on July 1, 2026.
Delegate Leslie Mehta positions are solidly aligned with the Democratic Party
Posted March 9, 2026 at 1:15 PMBy Greg Pearson
In the positions Delegate Leslie Mehta expressed to members and guests at the BRMC meeting on April 2, they placed her firmly within her Democratic peers. Mehta upset incumbent Republican Mark Early by 3.5% of the vote last November to represent Virginia’s 73rd District. In the Q&A portion of her presentation to 39 persons, the discussion was spirited, likely indicating she was more liberal than many of those in attendance.
Like most Democrats, she expressed a strong interest in affordability and put an emphasis on gun safety, reproductive freedom, marriage equality and voting rights. Mehta said “due process was not that important” in immigration matters by ICE and wanted enforcement to be determined locally and not according to federal standards. She pointed out that ICE doesn’t have warrants when detaining immigrants who might have entered the country illegally. Mehta said she supported the 2nd Amendment but believed that “didn’t give gun owners the right to do whatever with their guns.”
She supported the ballot issue that ends on April 21 that would allow the state legislature to redistrict the Congressional districts in Virginia, blaming President Trump for starting the redistricting movement in Texas and other states. “It is Virginia trying to level the playing field temporarily until 2030,” she explained. “Then we’ll go back to what we do now. It’s a political issue…which pains me because of our president.”
Mehta took issue with Republican claims that with a Democratic governor and both legislative bodies controlled by Democrats, taxes would have to be raised — on citizens and businesses — to pay for new programs supported by Democrats. “In my opinion we shouldn’t raise taxes on Virginians,” she said. The General Assembly meets again on April 23 to decide its new budget.
In her first legislative session earlier this year Mehta said she submitted HB1370, which was adopted by the House unanimously. It requires medical drills, like fire drills, to be mandated in institutions that serve intellectually or developmentally disabled patients. She also supported HB172, which allows a criminal defendant to withdraw from a jury-determined sentence before the trial begins. Mehta supported HB1207 that establishes a medical leave program statewide. She indicated her support was influenced by the experience of her daughter passing away from Rhett Syndrome at an early age.
At the May meeting of the BRMC Deputy County Administrator Matt Harris and Chesterfield Budget Director Gerard Durkin will discuss the FY27 county budget adopted this April. That budget goes into effect on July 1. The next meeting of the BRMC starts at 10 am on Thursday, May 7 at the Brandermill Church. Coffee, pastries and socialization there begins at 9:15 am.
More seniors experience dementia as they age
Posted March 8, 2026 at 3:24 PMBy Greg Pearson
Though family history and genetics are factors in dementia, the most likely determinant is age. After age 65, the risk of Alzheimer’s doubles every 5 years. For those age 85 and older, 34% of U.S. adults have Alzheimer’s, according to Jaime Smiley, a licensed occupational therapist and certified dementia practitioner with more than 24 years of experience. She was the speaker at the March 5 meeting of the Brandermill Region Men’s Club meeting.
Alzheimer’s is the best known of the 6 kinds of dementia followed by vascular dementia. Women and minorities are more likely have Alzheimer’s with two-thirds of those patients being female. Alzheimer’s leads to nerve cell death and tissue loss in the brain, which makes the brain shrink in size, causing almost all of its functions being affected.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 7 million U.S. citizens have Alzheimer’s. Many metropolitan areas, including Richmond, have local chapters of that organization for educational and fundraising purposes. Alzheimer’s now kills more Americans annually than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. From 2000 to 2022 the incidence of heart disease declined 2% while the prevalence of Alzheimer’s grew 142%.
In 2025, Alzheimer’s cost Americans (family members, neighbors and friends) an estimated value of $384 billion in unpaid provided care. By 2050, that same unpaid care will increase in value to almost $1 trillion. Much of that higher cost will occur as baby boomers grow older and become more numerous of those age 65+. According to Smiley, 24/7 at-home care by professional caregivers costs about $25,000 on a monthly basis.
As with most medical issues, early detection reduces the severity of dementia. Typically, after testing, a person’s primary care doctor likely will refer his/her patient to a geriatrician, neurologist, neuropsychologist, psychiatrist or psychologist. Over the years numerous therapies have been approved by the Federal Drug Agency for those with Alzheimer’s.
March 5, 2026 Meeting
Posted February 12, 2026 at 7:26 PMBrett Burkhart, developer of The Lake, is the scheduled speaker for the March 5 meeting of the club.
February 5 Meeting CANCELLED
Posted January 28, 2026 at 9:51 AMDue to issues with the Brandermill Church parking, we have cancelled this Thursday's breakfast meeting. The breakfast meeting will be held on March 5th