Life can be rather uncanny in the way that at times, some things seem to come “full circle.” For about 40 years, our family (James and Cheryl, and then later to include our sons Jimmy and Jason) attended our favorite mountain crafts festival in Valle Crucis, NC. We all very much loved the crafts, the food, and the people, and looked forward to this special Fall event every year. This annual event is sponsored as a fundraiser by the Church Of the Holy Cross, an historic Episcopal Church in the center of Valle Crucis. Each year, we would see which local non-profit organizations were recognized and supported by these activities. Banners or logos of supported organizations are placed on the side of an old barn in the grazing field where the festival takes place in across the road and just below the Church.
We lost our son Jason in 2014, and shortly thereafter we formed a non-profit entity called The Jason Project, Inc., and launched “The Grandfather Challenge” program in honor of our beloved son Jason. This program consists of a series of hikes along the trails at Grandfather Mountain in Linville, NC during which our hike leaders teach lessons of leadership, courage, and meeting their unique “Challenges” in life. We believe that this is a perfect way to fulfill Jason’s desire to help others and to create a legacy for our son and provide meaning to his life. Although The Jason Project program serves at-risk kids suffering from mental problems and/or drug addictions, it also assists any middle and high school youth who are struggling with personal adversities, including family, school, or other personal problems or challenges beyond their control.
This year, The Jason Project received a grant from the Church Of the Holy Cross, and we were very proud and appreciative to see our Jason Project banner displayed on the old red barn which has served as the centerpiece for the fair for so many years. Yes, it was somewhat bitter-sweet, yet we knew that Jason would look upon this with favor.
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It was 39 degrees when we arrived in Valle Crucis just after 8 am, but it got up to around 56 degrees by noon !! It was a beautiful, cool morning with abundant sun and Fall color, and we enjoyed it very much, just as we have for so many years. As you will see from these pictures, this fall festival reflects our true mountain community: apple grinding; Alpaca animals (their wool is used to make clothing items); colorful Fall crafts; “mountain men” characters; bagpipe music; quality pottery; making apple cider; live mountain music; and many artisan crafts.
(Please insert and indent Second Insert / Grinding For Apple Cider here)For 45 years, The Church Of The Holy Cross and the Valle Crucis community have worked together to host such a wonderful annual event that supports non-profits and those in need in the High Country area. They can be proud of their success, and we salute and thank them for their support. Seeing our banner displayed at the Fair this year makes us very proud, and gives us a positive feeling that our family and our memories and honoring of our son Jason have now come full circle.
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