1000 x 90

Email Announcements Received Today:

1) Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild Does Not Hold Monthly Meeting in January

Because of the holidays, the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild will not hold a monthly meeting in January. Instead, the guild will hold a workshop on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 10 a.m. in the second floor conference room of the Senior Center on Poplar Grove Connector in Boone. The club will be making rag dolls for the Hospitality House. Susan Sweet will lead the workshop and the guild will supply the materials. Bring needles and thread and join in the fun to help people in the community. For more information, call Dolores at 828-295-6148.

2) Sanitation Department Closings

The Watauga County Sanitation Department (transfer station and all convenience centers) will be closed on Thursday, Jan. 1, for New Year’s Day. Transfer stations and all sites will be open on Friday, Jan. 2.

3) Grants Up to $5,000 Available to Farmers in a Five County Region

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture is releasing a request for proposals for farmers focusing on increasing production through innovation and sustainable methods. Letters of intent are mandatory and will be due by Jan. 6, 2014. Applications will be due by Feb. 6, 2014. Farmers are required to work with their local extension agent on the application and throughout the grant cycle. Please contact the County Extension Agents in your county listed below. Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) is dedicated to strengthening the High Country’s local food system by supporting women and their families with resources, education, and skills related to sustainable food and agriculture. With funding from Heifer International, a global non-profit organization dedicated to working with community to end hunger and poverty while learning to care for the earth, roughly $30,000 will be distributed to local farmers in Alleghany, Ashe, Wilkes, and Watauga counties in North Carolina and Johnson County, Tennessee. Applicants are able to apply for funds up to $5,000. Those who are interested in grants of $3,001 to $5,000 are required to develop a business plan during the grant cycle. Resources on business plan development are available through BRWIA and local extension agents. This grant program is modeled after WNC AgOptions, exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. Applicants should be farmers who demonstrate the economic viability of farms in  the five-county region. Support is provided to farmers who are diversifying or expanding their operations to increase farm income and encourage the sustainability of the farm businesses. Funding requests should be for items directly related to the growing and harvesting of crops for sale, including livestock. Please contact Carol Coulter by email (Carol@brwia.org) or phone (828-386-1537) with any questions. Applications for the grant are available on BRWIA’s website (www.brwia.org/direct-to-farmer-grants) or through your local extension agent.

4) Watauga Library Hosts Valentine’s Day Festival

Save the date now for Valentine’s Day and support the Youth-themed High Country Festival of the Book to come in September. Join us for dinner and a love poems presentation with Karen Sabo and Derek Savidson of the Invisible Theater on Saturday, Feb. 14, at ASU’s Belk Library room 421. The university will cater. Tickets will go on sale in January at the library.

5) January Community Events at The Local

Local social network and non-profit Boone Community Network and The Local will host two community events to keep community spirit alive in the winter. On Jan. 16, 6-8 p.m., BCN will be the beneficiary of the inaugural event for the Local’s PASS series of non-profit fundraisers.The Local PASS events will take place every month in 2015 featuring a new non-profit each month.  Tickets for each event are sold at The Local.  Every event includes an informational presentation from the non-profit, free appetizers and one local beer/non-alcoholic beverage for each guest. More details can be found at http://www.thelocalboone.com/#!the-local-pass/cw2b. On the night of the 24, BCN will MC a talent showcase for performers from all corners of the community. At the Local from 9-12 p.m., Fiteen performers will take the stage competing for the $200 cash prize, and audience members get to vote for their choice for the winner. Afterwards, a dance party featuring electronic and west coast swing music from Craven Sound Solutions will finish out the night. Anyone interested in performing should contact hannahshelby00@gmail.com and visit www.boonecommunitynetwork.com/pages/splashevents for more details and our performer registration form. These events are also sponsored by Appalachian Cookie Company, who will be in attendance selling treats at both events. Inquiries about the Local PASS contact Michael Diettrich-Chastain at thelocalpass@gmail.com. Inquries about BCN or the talent show contact Ben Loomis at loomisben@gmail.com.

6) Beginner Shag Dance Lessons Held at the Moose Lodge

Beginner Shag Dance lessons just in time for Valentine’s Day! Lessons will be on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. at the Moose Lodge in Boone. The price is $30 for six weeks, starting Jan. 6. For more information, contact Boone Shag Club President Chip Nowood at 828-963-2665.