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

1) Evening Program at Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway will offer an evening program on Saturday, June 14 at Linville Falls Campground Ampitheater at Milepost 316. At 7 p.m., the Overmountain Men and Battle of Kings Mountain program will be presented for free and the event is open to the public. In the fall of 1780, the prospects for victory in the Revolutionary War looked pretty bleak for the Patriots. Hope for independence was fading fast until the citizens of the Overmountain country banded together and marched over the mountains to face the threat posed by the British. Join the Ranger and a special guest speaker from the Overmountain Victory Trail Ronald Lail to learn more about these true American heroes. This program will be approximately 45 minutes in length.

2) Boone Worthwhile Women’s Club Meeting Held June 24

The Boone Worthwhile Women’s Club will meet on Tuesday, June 24 at 11:30 a.m. at The Sagebrush Steakhouse. Our scholarship recipients, Ryan McGuire and Dolly Weikert, will be our special guests. Chris Grasinger, Membership Director for High Country Local First, will present the program. For more information, contact Frances at 828-262-0155 or Baben 828-264-2539.

3) Volunteer with the High Country Farm Tour

Are you interested in helping local farmers and witnessing all the hard work involved in growing your fresh, local food? Sign up today to volunteer for the 2014 High Country Farm Tour. For the past seven years, the Farm Tour has strengthened our local food system by connecting producers and consumers and educating the public about sustainable food and agriculture. Volunteers will spend the day on a beautiful farm while keeping track of everyone that visits, guiding visitors and keeping the tour running smoothly. The commitment is a four hour shift from 2-6 p.m. on June 28 or 29. Volunteers are also asked to attend a brief training session during the week prior to the tour. You will receive a free t-shirt and a Farm Tour pass for a non-volunteer day. Sign up at www.FarmTour.brwia.org/volunteer.

4) Solicitation for Licensed Contractors

WAMY Community Action’s Weatherization Assistance Program is soliciting Licensed Contractors to apply for sub-contracting work within the Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC and Home Performance Contractor fields. A Bidders conference will be held June 24 at 9 a.m. at 225 Birch St. Suite 2 in Boone to give more information about the program and how it works. If you are interested in working but unable to attend the meeting please contact us for more information at 828-264-3998. WAMY Community Action is an equal opportunity employer program. Auxiliary aids an services available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

5) Bob Inman to Speak at ASU June 19

Robert “Bob” Inman, a favorite Southern author, will read from his fifth and latest novel, “The Governor’s Lady,” Thursday, June 19, at 3:30 p.m. at Appalachian State University.   The event will be held in Belk Library and information Commons Room 421 as part of the Summer Author Series sponsored by Appalachian State University Libraries and the Richard T. Barker Friends of the Library Board. The presentation is free and open to the public. Refreshments and a book signing will follow Inman’s presentation. Free parking will be available in the College Street Parking Deck adjacent to the library. For more information, contact Lynn Patterson at 828-262-2087.“The Governor’s Lady” is receiving high praise from fellow writers of Southern literature, including Lee Smith who notes, “Robert Inman hits the ground running and keeps up the pace in this suspenseful page-turner, which takes us behind the headlines as a Southern governor’s wife assumes the office herself so he can run for president. The real question is how does Robert Inman know so much about state politics, public marriages, and human nature?” The answer to that lies in Inman’s background.  He has been writing since he was a teen and has been involved in politics or reporting about government for nearly his entire adult life.  Many know Inman as a television news anchor, who took Charlotte viewers into the world of local, state and national political affairs for more than 20 years, at the helm of WBTV news.  Many may not know he also served as press secretary for a governor of Alabama.  He says his wife jokes that they “fled to North Carolina as political refugees.”  “The Governor’s Lady” is loosely based upon former Alabama Gov. Lurleen Wallace, who succeeded her husband, George, in office.  But Inman says that is where the similarities end.  “It is a modern day political tale that could be set in any Southern state. This has been percolating in me for a long time,” he said. “It was a natural progression to tell this story.” Storytelling is what Inman is all about – whether writing as a journalist, playwright, blogger or novelist. “The language of the way you present it is different,” he said, “but I am still trying to get into the head, heart and soul of the characters I’ve created.  It comes naturally to me. I grew up in a large, rowdy, storytelling family in Alabama.” Inman credits his mother with instilling in him a love of books, by reading to him from an early age.  He also is the author of the novels “Dairy Queen Days,” “Captain Saturday,” “Home Fires Burning” and “Old Dogs and Children.” He has written screenplays for CBS, Hallmark Hall of Fame and ABC, and stage plays for the Blowing Rock Stage Company and the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. Inman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from The University of Alabama.

6) ASU Included in Princeton Review’s 2014 Guide to 332 Green Colleges

Appalachian State University is among the most environmentally responsible colleges listed in “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 332 Green Colleges: 2014 Edition.” The guide was created in collaboration with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) (http://www.usgbc.org). The 216-page guide profiles 330 schools in the U.S. and two in Canada that demonstrate exemplary commitments to sustainability in their academics, campus infrastructure, activities, and career preparation. This is the fifth year the guidebook has been released and Appalachian has been included each time. “Appalachian has a decades-long commitment to sustainability. We have faculty, staff and students who, for years, have come here to work or for an education and have, by default, brought these sustainability values with them,” said Ged Moody, Appalachian’s director of sustainability. According to Rob Franek, senior vice president and publisher of The Princeton Review, 61 percent of college applicants who participated in The Princeton Review’s 2014 “College Hopes & Worries Survey” indicated that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school.

7) Summer Interns Selected at Blue Ridge Electric

Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation has selected three interns to work in the corporate office departments of information technology; finance and accounting; and public relations. The interns are all students at Appalachian State University.

Adam Wike works with the information technology department. Adam is a rising senior at ASU majoring in computer information systems. He is working with the help desk, computer installation and troubleshooting. He is also a member of the Association of Information Technology Professionals.

Rebecca Overcash was selected as the finance and accounting intern. Rebecca will graduate from ASU in December with a degree in actuarial science with minors in mathematics and statistics. Her prior work experience includes being an administrative assistant, substitute teacher and mathematics tutor for middle and high school students. She is a member of the University Honors College and Gamma Beta Phi Honors Society. Rebecca is working with consumer, financial and cost accounting departments.

Kaitlin Cwikla was selected as intern for the department of public relations. Kaitlin, a rising senior at ASU, is majoring in electronic media and broadcasting with a minor in non-profit management.Kaitlin will be assisting with a variety of duties including the Co-op Connections member savings program, writing, social media, video and photography.

8) Watauga Humane Society Hosts 4 Paws Country Fair and Music Jamboree July 12

The second annual 4 Paws Country Fair & Music Jamboree will be held on Saturday, July 12 on the grounds of the Watauga Humane Society to benefit the animals at the Adoption Center. Gates open at 11 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Admission and parking are free but donations are gladly accepted. The 4 Paws Country Fair & Music Jamboree event has fun for the entire family and features artists and crafters; Ye Olde Bake Shoppe with home baked and canned items; children’s games, a food tent, musical entertainment throughout the day and cake walks. No pets please, the stars of the day are the animals at the adoption center. For more information call 828-264-7865.

9) Community Grief Support Group

A monthly adult grief support group is being offered in Boone for people who have experienced the death of a loved one. The group will meet the first Thursday of each month at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church on 170 Councill St. from 6-7:30 p.m. This is a supportive group exploring many grief related issues like typical reactions to loss, the grieving process and strategies for coping with grief and loss in your own life. The group is offered for free, but pre-registration is required. Please call Carolyn Holder at 828-268-1247 to register.