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Today’s Email Announcements

1) Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild Meets March 5

The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, March 5, at 1:30 p.m. We meet in the conference room on the second floor of the senior center on Poplar Grove Connector in Boone. Our program, “English Paper Piecing” will be presented by Patty Blanton. Patty is a local quilter who will be demonstrating this technique. Come and meet this interesting and talented quilter. Contact Dolores at 295-6148 if you have any questions. Please note, if Watauga County Schools are closed due to inclement weather, our meeting is automaticlly canceled.

2) Benefit and Masquerade Party Held Saturday, Feb. 21

The new Trout & Barrel Restaurant at 2968 Highway 105, Boone will host a Benefit Masquerade Party to help AJ Best raise funds to purchase, transport and distribute medical and school supplies to HIV/AIDS ravished Tanzania. All supplies will be personally distributed by Best and other Friends-Together volunteers in the Moshi region of Tanzania during July 2015. The benefit event, open to the public, at Trout & Barrel Restaurant will be a Masquerade Party from 7-11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. Ticket prices will include live music from Bandam, Cajun inspired food and drink, a costume contest and a silent auction. Tickets in advance $30/person or $50/couple or $35/person at the door.  Contact AJ Best at skajbest@gmail.com or 828.508.7910 for ticket information. Friends-Together is a nonprofit organization dedicated to HIV/AIDS advocacy, education and awareness nationally and internationally. The July trip will be the third medical and school supply relief trip to Tanzania. Unlike other nonprofit organizations, this one takes no money off the top. Volunteers are responsible for raising funds/supplies and transporting them to Moshi, Tanzania where the group will meet.  Best and others will spend the first week climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to increase awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Tanzania. The next 3 weeks they will be delivering medical and school supplies and working at rural schools, orphanages and medical clinics.  More information can be found at friendstogether.org. Best, a former Peace Corps volunteer, has done several fundraising and awareness events, including a bike ride from CA to FL for the Susan G Komen Foundation and multiple walking marathons for the Arthritis Foundation as a team coach.  The hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro adds the challenge of exercising at over 19,000 feet. For more about Best, visit her online fundraising site at www.crowdrise.com/ajbest. For more information regarding the Masquerade Party or other ways to donate medical or school supplies please contact AJ Best at skajbest@gmail.com.

3) Soups, Stocks and Roux with John Dean Workshop Offered Feb. 28

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) announces their first HomeGrown Workshop of 2015, featuring John Dean, Head Chef at New Public House Hotel and Restaurant. Chef Dean will teach a Soups, Stocks, and Roux Workshop at the Agricultural Conference Center in Boone, Saturday, Feb. 28, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The HomeGrown Workshop Series consists of seasonal workshops that promote sustainable living & self-sufficiency in our High Country Region. Each workshop features a local expert in our area. All proceeds benefit Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA). Join Head Chef John Dean of The New Public House and Hotel in Blowing Rock, for this hands-on workshop teaching techniques for making a variety of soups and stocks, as well as the basics of a roux. Utilizing local produce and chicken, participants will learn how to make a vegetable broth, chicken broth (for use in a chicken noodle soup), cream based soup, and a roux (the basis of three mother sauces in classic French cooking). Vegetables used in the class will be a part of a Stick Boy bread and soup lunch following the workshop. “Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture is excited about adding another cooking demonstration to our series” says BRWIA Program Coordinator Suzanne Fleishman, adding “Chef John Dean is the perfect instructor to show how to take local, whole ingredients and create delicious, one-of-a-kind meals everyone can enjoy!” The class is $25 per person, $40 for two, and includes lunch following the demonstration. Act now to reserve a spot, prices increase February 26! The workshop will take place from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Agricultural Conference Center, 252 Poplar Grove Rd, Boone. All proceeds from the workshop benefit Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture. To register, visit http://www.brwia.org/homegrown-workshops.html or contact Suzanne Fleishman at Suzanne@brwia.org or 828- 386-1537.

4) National Chili Day at Appalachian Brian Estates Feb. 27

Celebrate National Chili Day with a benefit chili dinner, where 100 percent of all proceeds go to Kids of Watauga County. This event will be held on Friday, Feb. 27, from 5-7 p.m. at Appalachian Brian Estates located at 163 Shadowline Dr. in Boone. Cost is $6 for adults and $4 for children under age 12. Jointly sponsored by the residents of Appalachian Brian Estates and Kiwanis Club of Boone. Tickets available in advance or at the door by members of the Kiwanis Club of Boone and Appalachian Brian Estates. For more information, please call 828-264-1006.

5) HCCF Presents First Program in Caregiver Education Series March 5

The High Country Caregiver Foundation will hold the first program in its new Caregiver Education Series on March 5 at Ashe Services for Aging. The event will focus on educating the public on some of the legal issues involved with preparing a formal family caregiver agreement. Local attorney, Tate Davis of Payne Law firm will speak about the importance of caregiver contracts and how to comply with Medicaid rules as well as employment and tax regulations. Caregiver contracts are becoming an important way for families to ensure that seniors receive the care they need without incurring penalties under North Carolina Medicaid law. “Properly drafted contracts allow seniors to remain in the comforts of their own home while fairly compensating family members for their hard work.” The High Country Caregiver Foundation plans to hold several more events in the area, each presenting new topics to educate families on how to help seniors stay safely in their homes as long as possible. The public is invited to attend and participate in the Caregiver Education Series. For information about the program, please contact Brenda Rece at breece@regiond.org or 828-265-5434 x128.