Verona's Ciro's awarded, Slyde at 23 closes, Cook Out signage in place: THE DIGEST

Ciro's Pizza receives award

VERONA — Ciro's received an award recently, but it wasn't for its pizza or calzones. The longtime Verona restaurant was awarded a beautification award by the Augusta Garden Club.

Ciro's co-owner Tony Dimeo said he's been planting flowers outside his restaurant for 30 years but this is the first time he's received any official recognition for his labor of love.

"The food is delicious, but most importantly the space at the front of the building has been used to create a lush garden of seasonal flowers and shrubs," the proclamation from the club read. "Customers can enjoy great food and relax together while enjoying the beautiful plants and flowers at this location."

Dimeo said he just loves working with the flowers and he know his customers enjoy them.

"People make me feel good when they come in Ciro's and they say, 'Your flowers are beautiful,'" Dimeo said. "Sometimes people stop by only to say the flowers are beautiful. It makes me feel very, very good."

He said he probably spends at least an hour a day on tending to the flowers in season. During the heat of the summer he might water the flowers twice a day.

Dimeo said people start asking about the flowers around March. It's usually May before he plants them.

"Ciro's investment in beautiful landscaping along a very busy and noisy thoroughfare creates a restful oasis in the midst of cement and concrete," the proclamation continued. "Their garden is a wonderful example of the use of a garden to buffer a busy and exposed area."

One reviewer on TripAdvisor who was traveling from Texas to Massachusetts wrote about Ciro's, "Delicious and such a treat being on the road. The flowers in the outdoor garden area were gorgeous too!"

Ciro's, located at 52 Laurel Hill Road, opened in 1985. It's open Wednesdays through Saturdays.

Six African-American trailblazers honored in 2023 Strong Men and Women in Virginia History

WAYNESBORO — Waynesboro Public Library is hosting the 2023 Strong Men and Women in Virginia History display through November 4.

The 2023 Strong Men and Women in Virginia History is a six-panel display in which Dominion Energy and the Library of Virginia honor the contributions of African Americans on the history and culture of Virginia.

The honorees display determination and perseverance during challenging times. The six honorees for 2023 are Wendell Oliver Scott, Reverend Raymond Rogers “R.R.” Wilkinson, Ora Scruggs McCoy, Colonel Quentin Joseph Smith Jr., USAF, Retired, Shelia Bowen Taylor, and Kendall Holbrook.

For more information or to nominate someone for 2024 go to: https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/strong-men-women-in-virginiahistory/

Slyde at 23

STAUNTON — Nicole Bowman confirmed last week what most in Staunton had already figured out. Slyde at 23, the restaurant at 23 E. Beverley Street, is permanently closed, at least at its current location. Bowman hinted that it may not be the end for her in the restaurant business though.

"New businesses are really hard," Bowman said. "Restaurants, in general, are one of the hardest businesses."

Slyde at 23 opened in January in the location that formerly housed Emilo's, an Italian restaurant that closed in November 2021 after 27 years in business. Slyde at 23, which specialized in sliders, closed its doors at the beginning of September, but Bowman said she really wasn't ready to talk about it until now.

Bowman said she thought they had one of the best staffs and she was disappointed for them. As for the customers, Bowman said she's heard from a lot of them who miss the restaurant.

"It's tough," Bowman said. "It wasn't an easy decision."

She said there were a lot of circumstances that led to the decision and it all just began to be too much to reasonably keep the business going.

"We had to make the decision," she said. "It was my dream, but sometimes reality hits."

She's not sure what is next for her, but said there's a chance she'll search for another space and try opening a restaurant again.

"It was just the wrong place, wrong time perhaps," Bowman said. "It was so great while it lasted."

Signage up for Cook Out, but still no opening date

STAUNTON — Signage is now up at the new Cook Out coming to Staunton at Frontier Center.

According to the restaurant's corporate headquarters in Thomasville, North Carolina, an opening date has not been announced yet. Work continued Friday around the building, which will be a double drive-thru and a diner. A spokesperson for the restaurant said with signage now up it shouldn't be much longer, but she didn't want to speculate on a date.

The fast food restaurant is located on George Cochran Parkway just off of Richmond Avenue. Cook Out is located between Aldi and Bojangles.

The restaurant was first announced in 2021. There is also a Cook Out in Waynesboro, with another location in Harrisonburg.

The restaurant features char-grilled hamburgers with choice of toppings, including chili. According to the menu online, Cook Out also serves grilled chicken breast sandwiches, chicken strips, chicken wraps, barbeque, hot dogs, quesadilla, BLT sandwiches and more. Cook Out offers fries, onion rings and cheese bites as sides.

It also specializes in milk shakes with 37 flavors listed on the website plus two more seasonal flavors — watermelon and eggnog.

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This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Verona's Ciro's awarded, Slyde at 23 closes, Cook Out signage in place: The Digest