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Email Announcements We Are Receiving Today: See What’s Going On Around The Community

1) Season Kickoff Video Premier

Recess Ride Shop is hosting the 5th annual Season Kickoff Video Premier. On Satuday, Nov. 9, head over to Boone Saloon at 7:30 p.m. for food, drinks and raffle drawings. This will be an all-ages event until 10 p.m. Come for your chance to win a season pass from Beech Mountain Resort. 

2) Lees-McRae Appoints Dr. Laura Fero as Director of Nursing 

On Monday, Nov. 4, Lees-McRae College appointed Dr. Laura Fero as Director of Nursing. Fero, who most recently was the national curriculum and instruction specialist for Chamberlain College of Nursing, will begin full-time duties on Nov. 14. “I’m very excited to be part of the Lees-McRae community,” said Fero. “The opportunity to establish and grow a competitive, high-quality school of nursing in the High Country is an honor. I believe our students will experience a holistic, technology-driven evidence-based curriculum that will facilitate their successful transition into the nursing profession. I am looking forward to our future.” Dr. Fero comes to Lees-McRae with an extensive background in healthcare. She has worked at Chamberlain College of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, as well as several healthcare systems including Banner Health System in Colorado and UniHealth in California. She holds a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Pittsburg School of Nursing, an M.S. in Nursing from University of Phoenix, and a B.S.N. from University of Wisconsin – Madison. “We are honored and we are blessed to welcome Dr. Fero to the Lees-McRae family,” said President Barry Buxton. “Living in nearby Boone with her family, she is already very familiar with the High Country and how many opportunities there are for healthcare education. We are excited about the experience and energy she will bring to this position and to the future of nursing at Lees-McRae!” As the Director of Nursing, Dr. Fero will be responsible for the daily operation, organization, administration, general effectiveness, and supervision of the Nursing Program at Lees-McRae College as well as the RN-BSN degree completion program delivered through Lees-McRae’s Extended Campus and Online Learning.

3) High Country Recreation to Screen Film “Pedal Driven”

High Country Recreation, a local non-profit that promotes recreational activities and advocates for improved recreation infrastructure, will host a screening of the film “Pedal Driven” on Thursday, November 21 at 7pm.  The event will be held at the Harvest House located at 247 Boone Heights Drive.  The focus of the evening will be supporting local trail development in the High Country.  In addition to showing the film, High Country Recreation hopes to connect community members with local groups (including Boone Area Cyclists, Blue Ridge Conservancy, High Country Pathways) who are already working on numerous trail projects in the High Country.  Stick Boy Kitchen will stay open to provide food and drink and a place to continue conversations around local trail initiatives.  Admission is free and open to the public. “Pedal Driven” is a “non-profit documentary made in association with International Mountain Biking Association and in partnership with the United States Forest service that examines the shared philosophies of stewardship and sustainability from both sides and, ultimately, offers examples of the ways in which opposing factions can find common ground in defense of the lands that belong to us all.”  The film will explore how private, non-profit and government groups can function together to help build stronger local communities. Earlier this year, High Country Recreation organized local groups that included the medical, non-profit, private and faith communities to sign a letter to local elected officials encouraging them to work with community, state and federal partners in order to expand and improve local trail systems.  Specifically, this letter emphasized that trails help build a stronger local economy by attracting and retaining small businesses, increasing tourism dollars and improving health outcomes.

4) High Country AdvantageWest Economic Update Event

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 4-7 p.m. at the Hampton Inn at 1300 Collegiate Drive in Wilkesboro, there will be an Economic Update Event hosted by AdvantageWest. AdvantageWest Economic Update Event for the High Country region, with presentations from AdvantageWest staff around the Certified Entrepreneurial Communities® Program, WNC AgriVentures, clean energy, WNC Film Commission, advanced manufacturing and more. There will be a networking reception with refreshments provided after the presentation and discussion. AdvantageWest is the nonprofit regional economic development organization covering the 23 counties of Western North Carolina. Job creation initiatives focus on advanced manufacturing, to include data centers, distribution centers, and bottling facilities; entrepreneurial development, including the Certified Entrepreneurial Communities® Program and the Advantage Opportunity Loan Fund for start-ups; agribusiness, including the 11,000 sq-ft shared-use commercial kitchen and food and natural products incubator, Blue Ridge Food Ventures, and the program WNC AgriVentures; the film industry through Western North Carolina Film Commission; and the green and clean energy economy. AdvantageWest is governed by a board of directors from around the region appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and the NC General Assembly. Our headquarters are adjacent to the Asheville Regional Airport, at the center of the 10,000-square-mile region we cover.

5) Daniel Boone Scout Trail Re-Route is Now open

The new re-route on the Daniel Boone Scout Trail is now open.The re-route affects the trail section from Flat Rock (at intersection of Daniel Boone Scout & Cragway trails) to just below the Daniel Boone Campsite. This re-route has made little to no change to the length and distance of the Daniel Boone Scout Trail.