Cedarwood Cove Honors Family And Traditions

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By Judy Tacyn

Tucked behind Chesapeake High School off of Mountain Road, Cedarwood Cove boasts a beautiful pool, waterfront access to Bodkin Creek, a pavilion, a park and a neighborhood swim team. Best of all, the pool is open to the public. Members are not required to be Cedarwood Cove residents.

Just driving through the community, you feel the neighborhood’s charm and rich history. With no new construction, the houses are not on top of one another, the streets are wide, people are always walking and children play outside all year round.

Community events include an annual Easter egg hunt, pool opening party, mid-summer cookout, pool closing party, and a Halloween bonfire and cookout. A community favorite is the Christmas Luminary project where residents help to assemble 1,600 white luminaries, which are placed on all of the streets on Christmas Eve and lit at dusk. This Christmas Eve will be the 33rd year for the luminaries when weather permitted. This event also attracts many non-residents who enjoy riding through the community to witness this event.

But the most unique part about Cedarwood Cove is the people and traditions — so much that the area is seeing more and more second-generation families returning to the community they grew up in.

Stephen Abey and Stacy Meadows are two young homeowners who are raising their own families in the neighborhood they called home as children.

Stephen Abey
Lifelong Resident

When Stephen Abey was just a toddler, in 1985, his family moved to Cedarwood Cove after they built their two-story dream home. Abey, now with his own family, is a second-generation Cedarwood Cove resident.

“My wife and I built a new house outside of Pasadena. We loved the house but wanted more of a neighborhood,” said Abey. “We knew we wanted to be in the Chesapeake school district, so we started looking back in Pasadena in 2013. With my parents in the neighborhood, we started to put feelers out to any neighbors potentially looking to sell. I knew I wanted to be back down in Cedarwood. This community was so good to me growing up, I wanted my children to experience everything this neighborhood had to offer.”

Abey appreciates that the community traditions he grew up with are now becoming traditions for his own children.

“As a child, I remember getting so excited every year to help fill the bags of deer feed and candles, then walking with other neighborhood kids and passing out the Christmas luminaries,” he said. “All the community residents would then light the candles that evening! Coming home from church on Christmas Eve to see all the bags lit is such a magical moment and a tradition our community has upheld for 40-plus years. As a father, I get to experience that same joy with my children who also get excited every year for this tradition. It brings out my inner child.”

Abey’s children now attend Bodkin Elementary, the school he attended. He said he and his wife love the school for their children.

“Seeing my kids walk the halls where I went to elementary school is amazing,” he added. “They even point out some historical placards that have my brother’s name on the wall. It’s nostalgic.”

Abey said Pasadena feels like a small town but has so much to offer.

“The way of life is a little slower. When I turn off Route 100 and head down Mountain Road, I feel like I’m escaping the hustle and bustle and heading to our small piece of the world,” said Abey. “We have so much water surrounding us, our children have such a great opportunity to grow up living, playing and enjoying the amazing natural amenities Pasadena has to offer. Most residents spend their summer days filled with beaches, boats and barbecue.”

Stacy Meadows
Lifelong Resident

Stacy Meadows’ parents built a home in Cedarwood Cove when she was in fifth grade. In 2003, she and her husband were looking for a place in Pasadena to settle and begin their family. Luckily, they were able to find a home right across the street from her parents. Her children now play with other third-generation kids on the street.

“Our neighbors are awesome,” Meadows said. “Many years growing up, we vacationed together, including a cruise in 1990 with 80 Cedarwood Cove residents. I met my husband through one set of neighbors and another neighbor helped my son after he was chased by some geese and couldn’t get back home.”

Meadows also remembers a time when neighbors came together to help each other when someone was in need.

“We had a small tornado touch down on Sail Court in 1985 and the neighbors pitched in and helped the street rebuild quickly including repairing the roof of a neighbor away on vacation,” she added. “When [Hurricane] Isabel came through, my dad was able to secure a large wood chipper and all the neighbors brought their brush and downed trees to chip, and more neighbors helped haul the chips away. When it snows, everyone is out with plows and snow blowers making sure everyone is taken care of.”

Dan Ogle
Resident for 34 Years

“I moved to Pasadena from Baltimore when I was 3 years old and was raised in Lake Shore,” said Dan Ogle, who is the Cedarwood Cove Community Association president. “After I was married in 1972, I lived in another part of Pasadena for a while, and when we decided to build our second house, we happened to find a building lot in Cedarwood Cove. We had looked for a lot to build on in the Chesapeake school area. We wanted a community that had water access.”

Thirty-four years later, Ogle said Cedarwood Cove is still a safe, family orientated community where everyone looks out for their neighbors.

“There is a great recreation area with a community pool that offers memberships to both residents and non-residents,” said Ogle. “The Cedarwood Cove Community Association offers many activities for residents if they desire to participate.”

There is also plenty of open space.

“There are seven acres of community recreation property with water access. This access is oftentimes used for fishing and to launch kayaks for residents,” explained Ogle. “There is a picnic pavilion with a meeting room and a playground on this property. We have a community pool, which is available for residents and non-residents.”

He also takes pride in the traditions being continued by current homeowners.

“Many of the children who were raised in Cedarwood Cove return to purchase homes and raise families of the own,” said Ogle. “This speaks volumes for the quality of our community.”

Neighborhood of the Month, Cedarwood Cove

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