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

1) Kid’s Triathlon Held May 24

On May 24, at 10 a.m., the High Country Kids Triathlon will be held by Watauga Parks and Recreation. The swimming portion will be held in the pool, the bike and run will be held on the Greenway Trail. There will be three age groups: 8 and under (swim 50 meters, bike 1 mile and run .5 mile), ages 9-12 (swim 100 meters, bike 3 miles, run 1 mile) and 13 to 18 age group (swim 200 meters, bike 4 miles, run 1.5 miles). Prizes and refreshments will follow the race. Proceeds will benefit Watauga Swim Team. Entry forms are available at Parks and Recreation or online at www.Active.com.

2) Birth and Beyond Fair Held May 3

On May 3 at 10 a.m., the annual Birth & Beyond Fair will be held with Mommy Makeover Giveaway, Daddy Swaddling Contest, child safety seat checks, child ID kits, K9 Kids, getting your family outdoors and Family Game Night. For more details, visit www.HighCountryMom.com or email 4teamboyce@gmail.com. 

3) Appalachian Repertory Orchestra to Perform April 27

The Appalachian Repertory Orchestra and the Appalachian Concert Band will perform April 27 in Broyhill Music Center’s Rosen Concert Hall at Appalachian State University. Admission is free. 

4) Lee Smith Joins Fans for Literary Luncheon April 30

The New York Times bestselling author Lee Smith, whose current novel “Guests on Earth” is set in the Western Carolina Mountains, will join fans in the High Country for a literary luncheon on April 30 at 11:30 a.m. at the Meadowbrook Inn and Conference Center. The luncheon is sponsored by Belk Library and Information Commons’ University Library Advisory Board and the Richard T. Barker Friends of the Library Board at Appalachian State University. Tickets are $35, a portion of which is tax deductible. Proceeds will support library activities. The deadline to purchase tickets is April 25. For more information, call Lynn Patterson at 828-262-2087.

5) Singalong Master Class Held May 10

Join Will & Ann Schmid for a Singalong Master Class on Saturday, May 10th, and rediscover the importance of singing in our lives, communities, schools and churches. As president of NAfME (MENC, ’94-96), Will created the original “Get America Singing . . . Again!” campaign which involved Pete Seeger as national honorary chair. Author of numerous publications for guitar, choir, general music and world drumming, Will has championed active music making throughout his life. His wife, Ann, was founder/director of the nationally known Stringalong Weekends (amateur folk music retreats) for 30 years. Will & Ann have given workshops and performed widely in the U.S. and beyond.

6) Quilt Meeting Held May 1

The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, May 1 at 1:30 p.m. They will meet in the conference room on the second floor of the senior center on Poplar Grove connector in Boone. Joyce Cantrell will be presenting the program. The guild will be making donation quilts to be given to various local community organizations.  Joyce has several wonderful patters which will be fun an interesting. The fabric will be provided. Bring sewing machines and thread if you wish to sew. The guild will also need help cutting, ironing and assembling fabric. Join the fun and help local organizations. For more information, call Gail at 828-264-1947. 

7) Avery County Family Goes to Market with a Monster of a Product

An Avery county family is going to the market with a new invention – a real monster.  The DeWitt family had used Nanna Maggie’s Under the Bed Monster with the youngest son, Rowan DeWitt 15 years ago when he was just 3 years old. Jason DeWitt says, “Rowan was unable to sleep at night due to night terrors where he woke up screaming in fear.  His nanna Maggie hand-made a stuffed animal and told all of us the story of the monsters.” The story goes, “This is a very powerful monster that scares away all other monsters.  It scares them out of the closets, out from under your bed, and when you close your eyes, it scares them out of your head.  It will watch over you forever and it really likes you.  It has eyes on its rear end and in strange places like its ears so it can watch over you even when you are hugging it.  You know it’s alive and well because it eats socks and it process them and leaves behind dust bunnies.” Rowan slept very well since that night. Jason says, “I was inspecting his room last January when I saw the monster under his bed – this many years later.  We had to go to market with such a great idea.”Nanna Maggie’s Original Under the Bed Monsters is going for start-up money through a web site called Kickstarter, which is an online version of the TV show, Shark Tank.  “We will be asking for contributions through May 11th  in exchange for prizes and lifelong credits when the monsters are manufactured and hit the public”, says Jason.  “We plan on using Avery County citizens in our production, including Yellow Mountain Enterprises for the medallions that come in the kit. Our target market is all the grandparents of the world.  They are very involved in their grandchildren from traumas that affect us all.  They will be retailing for $79.00 for a kit that includes a monster, a medallion that declared the owner is a member of the Sleepeasy Club, a certificate of authenticity, and a children’s storybook that tells the magical story in full detail.  You can go to either www.kickstarter.com or to www.underthebedmonsters.org for further details.”