1) Watauga High School Graduate Selected for White House Workshop
Jordan Stokes, a 2013 graduate of Watauga High School and current student at North Carolina State University, has been invited to attend a Fashion Workshop, hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama. Industry leaders such as Anna Wintour (Vogue’s Editor in Chief), Dian Von Furstenburg, Zac Posen, among others in the fashion business, will be presenting and conducting sessions to collegiate and high school students. In an email written by White House social secretary Jeremy Bernard, the purpose of the first-ever event “is to bring members of the fashion industry to the White House and enlighten, educate and mentor the next generation of fashion leaders. As a prominent member of the fashion industry, we would love to have you participate on October 8th and share your talent, expertise and advice with students who have demonstrated a strong interest in a fashion career,” the email said. Only a handful of design and textile programs nationwide were invited to send selected students. Jordan, a sophomore fashion product and development major at NCSU’s College of Textiles, was surprised and honored to be invited to this stellar gathering of fashion leaders. She hopes to be inspired by hearing their experiences and upon receiving her degree, pursue a fashion career in New York City or abroad.
2) Annual Halloween Monster Concert Held Oct. 31
What better way to celebrate Halloween than with the annual Halloween Monster Concert presented by the Hayes School of Music organ studio? The fun begins on Friday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m. in Broyhill Music Center’s Rosen Concert Hall. Admission is free and all are welcome and costumes are encouraged. Featured with be Bach’s famous toccata in D minor with special audience participation, the singing of pumpkin carols, a silent movie with organ accompaniment, free candy costume contests and more. The concert will feature organ professor Joby Bell and organ students Zach Bowyer, Jamie Bryson, Andrew Byrd, Jake Hill, Caroline Kimrey, Rodney Ward, Shane Watson and Brandon Winbush. For more information call 828-262-3020 or email belljr@appstate.edu.
3) Appalachian Youth Chorale Performs Oct. 14
The inaugural concert of the Appalachian Youth Chorale will be Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. in Broyhill Music Center’s Rosen Concert Hall at Appalachian State University. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. AYC is the newest program of the Hayes School of Music’s Community Music School and is open to third through eighth grade students. The chorale is directed by Lisa Combs, director of chorale activities at Watauga High School. Assistants are Sidney Ginn and Zac Jones, Lauri Nicholson is the accompanist. The program is comprised of folk songs from around the globe. The 30-voice chorale will sing the Israeli folk song “Zum Gali Gali,” the Finnish folk song “Who Can Sail?” and the African American spiritual “This Train.” The chorale’s winter concert will be presented Dec. 16.
4) Movie Screening at Watauga County Public Library Oct. 16
Third Thursday, the Watauga County Public Library’s movie discussion group, invites you to join in for a viewing of Psycho on Oct. 16, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 adaptation of Robert Bloch’s novel Psycho tells the story of Marian Crane, a Phoenix secretary who steals $40,000 from her employer. While on the run, Marian checks into a remote hotel run by a quiet man who appears to be dominated by his mother. This film has am MPAA rating of R and an approximate run time of 109 minutes. For more information please call 828-264-8784.
5) Learn Permaculture Practices Oct. 12 at Elise McLaughlin’s Orchard
Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) announces an Educational Farm Tour and Potluck Gathering on Sunday, Oct. 12 from 2 – 4:30 p.m. Join Elise McLaughlin at her family’s farm in Blowing Rock where Elise will teach participants about low-effort gardening methods, including important species and techniques to utilize, in order to sustainably maximize crop productivity on less than one acre of land. Acquiring large areas of arable land in the High Country can be difficult and expensive, but employing permaculture practices can help farmers make small plots of land more productive. During this Educational Farm Workday, Elise McLaughlin will explain how she created and continues to care for and tend to her orchard, which was funded by a BRWIA grant. Elise McLaughlin began the construction of her orchard in order to put into practice a productive and sustainable permaculture system and better understand the interactions of her crops with the land. Elise and her family have been living on their farm since 2011, and have since planted trees, expanded the garden, built a pond and greenhouses, raised honey bees and heritage breed chickens, and conducted stream bank stabilization projects. Elise said, “Each year we produce more of our own food, medicine, and useful materials. We hope that the orchard will continue to flourish, and that the community members who have helped us on the farm can come away with useful knowledge of permaculture systems.” During the farm tour and potluck, there will be plenty of opportunities for volunteers to ask questions about Elise’s permaculture operations. The Educational BRWIA potluck gathering is free, but participants are encouraged to bring a potluck item to share. The event will take place from 2-4:30 p.m. at the McLaughlin home in Blowing Rock. For more information or to RSVP for the event visit www.brwia.org. For questions, email programs@brwia.org or call 828-386-1537.