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Today’s Email Announcements

Inaugural Wine to Water Gala Slated for April 30

Happy April to all! We are so excited to announce an amazing event coming up at the end of this month. On April 30, 2016, the Wine To Water High Country Professional Chapter will host their inaugural “Wine To Water Gala: A Clean Water Benefit” at the Blowing Rock Country Club, sponsored by The Daley Foundation and VPC Builders.

It is our hope that you will join in on this wonderfully fun-filled evening of food, wine, music (courtesy of Asheville-based Lyric), and a silent auction! Not only is this a great way to celebrate and raise awareness of Wine To Water, but it is also a way for you to personally help end the Global Water Crisis. To reserve your spot, tickets are on sale now until April 18, 2016 for $45. They will also be sold at the door for $50 each. Visit here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Besides air, water is the most basic need each and every one of us has to survive. Unfortunately, more than 663 million people lack access to clean water today and 2.4 billion lack access to improved sanitation. Often these problems go hand-in-hand. Since its inception, Wine To Water (WTW) has been dedicated to providing clean water in sustainable and repeatable ways to as many people as possible. And, although we are realistic that we, by ourselves, cannot resolve the water crisis quickly, we know we can serve a person, a family, or a community every day.

In fact, through the generosity of WTW supporters, their dedication to serve has resulted in over 400,000 people in 24 countries receiving clean water. To us, this is the overlapping and compounding ripple effect from drop in the bucket efforts that happen every day all over the world by those who care enough to take a step for the sake of others. Help us reach even more and buy your ticket now. It will be a night you will not forget!

If you have any questions, or would like additional details, please reach out to Courtney Mattar at highcountry@winetowater.org.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Register Now for Wayne Henderson Guitar Contest

Registration is open in April for guitarists who wish to compete at the 22nd annual Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival and Guitar Competition at Grayson Highlands State Park. The winner will walk away with a handmade Henderson guitar.

Applications must be received between April 1 and May 1. To register, send a completed application form and a $20 application fee by personal check or money order payable to the Wayne C. Henderson Guitar Competition. The form can be obtained from www.waynehenderson.org and mailed to: Wayne Henderson Guitar Competition, c/o Herb Key, 1423 Dragway Road, Wilkesboro, NC 28697.

A maximum of 20 contestant applications and 10 alternate contestant applications will be selected. The first 20 applications will be drawn at random and approved as contestants by the contestant selection committee. The next 10 applications will be drawn at random and approved as alternates. Other prizes are second place, $250; third, $150, fourth, $100; and fifth, $75. (These winners also will be eligible for the 2017 contest by simply sending in an application and fee.) All guitarists receive free passes to the festival.

The family-friendly festival will be Saturday, June 18, rain or shine, at Grayson Highlands State Park in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. Performing will be the Lonesome River Band, Michael and David Doucet – the BeauSoleil duo, Terry Baucom and the Dukes of Drive, the Yates Family Band/Acoustic Heritage, Dori Freeman and Jane Kramer in a special singer-songwriter session, and Wayne Henderson and Friends. Free children’s events and music are on the schedule, too. Admission is $20, and children 12 and younger get in free. There is a state park parking fee.

Since the festival began in 1995, more than $137,000 has been awarded to aid young, local, traditional musicians in continuing their music exploration and education. Find event details at www.waynehenderson.org.

Time Change for Monday NASW-NC Meeting at the Library 

Please note a time change for the meeting on Monday.  We will meet at the Watauga County Public Library at 12:00 for networking and refreshments and the talk will be from 12:30-1:30not 1:00-2:00.
We will meet in May for the rescheduled Ethics hours.  We will meet that day from 11-1:30.  11:30-1:30 for the 2 hours of CE presentation.  Hope to see you all at both meetings.

Storytelling Center in Jonesborough Launches Live Performance Series

On May 3, the International Storytelling Center (ISC) will launch the 2016 season of its popular Storytelling Live! series, a six-month showcase of the country’s top storytellers.

Now in its 15th year, Storytelling Live! brings a new “teller in residence” to the town of Jonesborough each week to host a week’s worth of performances. The program runs through the end of October, and includes special guests in November and December.

Sprinkled throughout the season is a variety of workshops, evening shows, children’s programming, and other special shows sponsored by ISC in downtown Jonesborough.

“We started the Teller-in-Residence program as a way to introduce some of our most talented entertainers from the National Storytelling Festival to a broader audience,” says Susan O’Connor, ISC’s director of programs. “Having a full week with each of our 26 tellers creates a balance of breadth and depth that gives more people the opportunity to come join us for an afternoon of first-rate storytelling.”

The full lineup of master storytellers will pull from a wide array of oral traditions, including traditional tales, personal stories, mountain music, folk songs, and the blues. Fan favorite Bil Lepp, a West Virginia teller known for his tall tales, will open the season with a weeklong run from May 3-7, including a special evening concert on Thursday night.

Other returning favorites include Tim Lowry, Andy Offutt Irwin, Sheila Kay Adams, Donald Davis, and Minton Sparks. Irish teller Clare Muireann Murphy and musical talent Don White are among this season’s new voices.

Special features have been scheduled throughout the season and extend into November and December, including Dolores Hydock’s piece on the USO Entertainers of World War II, Debra Ehrhardt’s autobiographical show, “Jamaica Farewell,” and a series of holiday shows with featured performers Kim Weitkamp, Bil Lepp, Andy Offutt Irwin, and Tim Lowry.

All Storytelling Live! performances are in ISC’s intimate theater in Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall.Tickets for all matinee performances are just $12 for adults and $11 for seniors, students, and children under 18, and ticket holders will receive discounts at many downtown establishments on the day of the performance.

Season passes that offer nearly half off the price of regular admission are still available (only as supplies last).

Information about all TIR performers, as well as a detailed schedule for 2016, is available atwww.storytellingcenter.net. The premier sponsor of Storytelling Live! is the Heart & Soul program of Mountain States. Media sponsors include News 5-WCYB, FOX Tri-Cities, Tri-Cities CW, Johnson City Press, Kingsport Times-News, Herald & Tribune, Cumulus Media, The Laurel of Asheville, Plough to Pantry and Foster Signs. Additional funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the East Tennessee Foundation, Eastman Credit Union, the Mooneyhan Family Foundation and the Niswonger Foundation.

The International Storytelling Center is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information about Storytelling Live! or to make a group reservation, call (800) 952-8392 ext. 222 or (423) 913-1276.