The public is invited to attend a special program on how Hanover has changed in recent decades to be held in the theater of the Hanover Tavern on Thursday night, September 23, at 7 p.m.
County Administrator John A. Budesky and retired Deputy County Administrator John H. Hodges will speak in a conversation moderated by former Hanover County Public Schools superintendent Dr. Jamelle Wilson. The program will be held in the theater of Hanover Tavern. It's free but seating is limited. To make a reservation, email the Ashland Museum at [email protected].
According to the 1970 census, Hanover had a population of less than 35,000 people. The most recent census shows Hanover with a population of about slightly less than 110,000. So there have been many changes in Hanover as well as in the rest of central Virginia over the last 50 years.
John H. Hodges was hired in Nov. 1980 as Hanover’s first Project Manager for Growth Management. Hodges was one of the architects of the growth management policies that were put into place in the early years of that decade. He went on to become Deputy County Administrator for Community Development before retiring in 2010. He is now Vice Mayor on Ashland’s Town Council.
John A. Budesky has been Hanover’s County Administrator since July 2020 after serving in that same role for Goochland County. He was Deputy County Administrator in Hanover from 2013-16.
Budesky and Hodges will share their insights and stories about Hanover County’s changing landscape.
This special program is an event in Hanover’s 300th birthday celebration as well as an outgrowth of the Crossroads: Change in Rural America exhibit at the Hanover Museum of History & Culture. This Smithsonian Museum on Main Street traveling exhibition was secured by a partnership between the Ashland Museum and the Hanover Museum of History & Culture and will be at the Hanover Museum of History & Culture through October 3.
Hanover Tavern is located at 13181 Hanover Courthouse Road, Hanover VA 23069.
For more information about this special program, contact the Ashland Museum at [email protected] or call 804-368-7413.
The Hanover Museum of History & Culture is located at 7496 County Complex Road, Hanover VA 23069, on the lawn of the historic Hanover Courthouse. Exhibition hours are 12-4 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10-2 Saturday; and 1-4 on Sunday, as well as by appointment.