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Email Announcements Received Today:

1) Film Screening at Watauga Public Library Jan. 15

The Watauga County Public Library’s movie discussion group invites you to join them for a viewing of The House of Sprits on Jan. 15 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Based on the 1982 novel The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende, the film is about the life of a young lady named Clara during the military dictatorship in Chile, and her recollection of her family history, mainly the rise of her husband, Esteban Trueba. This film has an MPAA rating of R and an approximate run time of 140 minutes.

2) High Country Lifelong Learners Host Film Screening Jan. 12

High Country Lifelong Learners in association with the Watauga County Public Library invite you to join in for a movie screening of All is Lost on Jan. 12, from 2-4:30 p.m. Deep into a solo voyage in the Indian Ocean, an unnamed man (Robert Redford) wakes to find his 39-foot yacht taking on water after a collision with a shipping container left floating in the high seas. It takes Robert Redford to show us how to face isolation with dignity and silence. This film has an MPAA rating of PG-13 and an approximate run time of 106 minutes.

3) Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Announces Business After Hours Dates for 2015

The 2015 Business After Hours events will take place from 5-7 p.m. on the following dates. The events are typically held the third Thursday in each month from 5-7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

  • Jan. 15 – Boone Bike and Touring
  • Feb. 19 – Appalachian State University Athletics Center
  • March 19 – Turchin Center
  • April 16 – Boone Ford
  • May 21 – Wahoo’s
  • June 18 – Blue Ridge Mountain Club
  • July 21 – Horn in the West
  • Aug. 20 – Appalachian Theatre – F.A.R.M. Cafe
  • Sept. 17 – Inn at Crestwood
  • Oct. 15 – New River Light and Power
  • Nov. 19 – LaQuinta Inn and Suites
  • Dec. 17 – Boone Mall

4) Ann Rousseau Wins Watauga Leadership Challenge Raffle

The winner of the 50/50 raffle held by the Watauga Leadership Challenge Subcommittee has been announced. Ann Rousseau’s name was drawn at the Business After Hours on Dec. 18, geld at the Boone Mall. She splits the $2,500 proceeds of the raffle and has generously donated $250 back to the scholarship fund. The idea of the scholarship fund was developed by three recent graduates of the Watauga Leadership Challenge class of 2014. Dr. Lauren Fontaine Byrd of Appalachian Family Chiropractic, Sarah Tscherpel of Appalachian Regional Healthcare Systems and Barbara Armstrong with the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, answered their call to action by establishing this scholarship in order to allow independent business owners and nonprofit members an opportunity to receive funding help to participate in the Watauga Leadership Challenge. The Watauga Leadership Challenge is an eight-month program sponsored by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce to provide knowledge about the many aspects of doing business in and around the Watauga area and to promote community involvement and leadership participation. The 2015 Leadership Class begins Jan. 29 with a kickoff retreat at the Blowing Rock Conference Center. The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for the 2015 Watauga Leadership Challenge. This program provides a comprehensive overview of the community and introduces participants to leaders in the fields of government, education, healthcare, business and industry. Please contact the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce for more information. Limited scholarships are available.

5) In/Visible Theatre Holds New Play by Artistic Director Derek Davidson

Hit Send, a new play by Derek Davidson, will be read by Jack Lafferty, an Appalachian State University graduate now attending the MFA in acting program at University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Funny, sad, timely and ultimately shocking, Hit Send is about disaffection in the 21st century and our sense of alienation in the midst of the increasing ubiquity of technology. This new play is emblematic of our mission at In/Visible Theatre: to create high-quality art that explores unseen issues and populations. Join us on Monday, Jan. 5 at 5 p.m. at the Bald Guy Coffee House at 585 West King St. in Boone. Didn’t you make a new year’s resolution to engage in more high-quality artistic experiences with innovative groups that are all about community, challenging perceptions and developing new work? Yeah, we thought so.

6) Beech Mountain Sledding Hill Closed Today

Happy New Year! The Beech Mountain Sledding Hill will be closed Jan. 5 due to unusually warm weather and extreme use during the holiday. The team will be blowing snow as soon as possible. The Sledding Hill, located next to the visitor center on Beech Mountain, will be open as soon as weather permits. Regular hours, weather permitting, are Monday through Friday, 1-5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.