1) St. Mary of the Hills Hosts Evensong on Sunday, Oct. 12
The choir of St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church will present choral evensong this Sunday afternoon, Oct. 12, at 3:30 p.m. in the nave of the church. Service music will include the Walmsley setting of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis and the Clucas Preces and Responses. The Introit will be O sing joyfully by Batten, and the anthem will be the celebratory I was glad by Parry. This month’s evensong, the last of the season, highlights the new Lively-Fulcher organ in the recently-renovated nave of St. Mary’s. The choir of St. Mary’s sings Evensong one Sunday each month through October, and everyone is welcome. Donations support the Choral Scholarship program at St. Mary of the Hills which provides financial support to students and budding young singers. The service of Evensong or Evening Prayer combines elements of two services, Vespers and Compline, which were part of the seven-service daily cycle of prayer in monasteries. It is said or sung every day in the cathedrals and collegiate churches of England, as well as in this country since 1785. The service is a fragment of the worship offered to God by christian people at every hour, in every part of the world. The form of the service has changed little since the 16th Century, but the content dates back much earlier – to the Psalms, the hymnbook of the Jewish temple, and the Canticles (Magnificat and Nunc dimittis), which are taken from the New Testament. The service is a lovely, quiet way to end your weekend. For more information on this service, please contact St. Mary of the Hills at 828-295-7323.
2) Ranger Programs at the Blue Ridge Parkway
Beavers – Nature’s Sacred Center: This program will take place on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Julian Price Picnic Ground at 3:30 p.m. Beavers are such industrious and amazing animals! Come join a ranger to learn about the Parkway engineers and their adaptations.
Upstairs Tours at Cone Manor
This event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 19 at Cone Manor at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Ranger led tours of the second floor of the former home of Moses and Bertha Cone. Tour is approximately 45 minutes long and reservations are required. To reserve a tour: call 828-295-3782 or sign up at the NPS information desk at the Manor House.
Mountain Murder Mysteries – Death on the Long Hunt: This program will take place on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. at Linville Falls Campground Amphitheater. Pushing deep into the wilderness, William Linville and his son would give their lives near the river and the spectacular waterfall that still bears their names today. Join the ranger to learn how they met their tragic end.
3) Permaculture Workshop Held Oct. 12
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 says, “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 PM 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.
4) 59th Annual Farm City Banquet Held Nov. 6
The 59th Annual Farm City Banquet will be held on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m. at the Boone United Methodist Church located on New Market Boulevard in Boone. The theme for this years banquet is “Barns: Out Standing in their Field” as we celebrate these stoic symbols of our agricultural heritage. Following dinner, sourced from 5 local farms, we will recognize individuals for their contributions and support of our local agricultural economy. Junior Appalachian musicians will provide bluegrass entertainment before and during the meal. We will also have door prizes that will be given out at the end of the celebration. Acclaimed local artist Richard Tumbleston will be on site finishing an original painting highlighting this years banquet theme, which will be given away as the final door prize of the evening. This year’s Farm City Banquet also marks the 100th year of Cooperative Extension, which has served the agricultural economy of our county and our state since its inception. Awards will be given out to individuals and/or businesses that have made significant contributions to agriculture; organizations, service or civic, that have benefited the community and agricultural economy, groups that have made significant contributions to volunteerism, local agri-tourism, and socially-sustainable agricultural practices. Commodity groups also will award their respective producers of the year, and Watauga Soil and Water will present the Farm Family of the Year award. Organizations as well as the general public are invited to nominate candidates for these awards. Nominations forms can be picked up at the Extension office or found online. Door prizes will include baskets filled with locally produced foods and other items. Watauga County Farm Bureau, our Platinum Sponsor, encourages guests to please bring canned food items to be given to area food banks. Tickets are $10 per person (children 5 and under eat for free; children 6-12, $5) and can be purchased at the NC Cooperative Extension Office, 971 W King St., Boone. No tickets will be sold at the door and ticket sales are limited to 250. For more info, please call 828-264-3061.
5) Hillbilly Horror Trail Opens Oct. 10
Get ready to experience the scariest attraction Boone has to offer during October at Honey Bear Campground. Hillbilly Horror is a one-of-a-kind experience that allows you to choose to be a participant or become a zombie hell-bent on scaring anyone in sight. Activities range from Hay Rides, Zombie Paintball, and even Outdoor Movies so people of all ages can have a blast. If you think you can handle the fright of Hillbilly Horror, make your way down every weekend this month for more blood and guts than you ever thought possible! This horror event stands out among the rest for anyone looking to make the most out of Halloween this year. The crowd favorite already seems to be Zombie Paintball, where you are given a specialized zombie gun that allows you to fend off any undead attackers you may come across. Be sure to make it back to the campground or else you could become the next zombies dinner! If being more involved sounds like fun to you, then apply to become a Volunscarer! This great opportunity allows anyone over the age of 16 to be apart of the action by dressing up as a member of the demented Hillbilly Horde and attacking any living humans you may come across. Not only do you get to be behind the scenes, but you will also take part in activities both on the Haunted Trail and, for a select few, the Zombie Defender Course! This is a must do for any zombie enthusiast looking to frighten some event goers. For those brave enough to even think to enter the Haunted Trail or Zombie Paintball need not worry about transportation. A FREE shuttle service will be provided so that the fright starts and ends at the campgrounds. Buses will run from 7:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. every weekend during October, leaving from convenient locations around Boone. Tickets ranges from $20 to $25 depending on what experience you are most interested in. All ticket information can be easily found on our website at www.hillbillyhorrorboone.com, so don’t wait too long, as popularity for the event grows every day!