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

1) Bird Walk at Daniel Boone Native Gardens

Join local High Country Audubon expert Doris Ratchford at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 13 for a free bird walk at the Daniel Boone Native Gardens. Beginning birders welcomed. Meet at the gatehouse. Gardens are located next to Horn in the West in Boone. 

2) Voices for Justice Concert at St. Mary’s

The choir of St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church will present “Voices for Justice: Life in the Big Boat” on Saturday, Aug. 10, at 5:30 p.m. in the nave of the church. Patterned on the familiar Lessons and Carols of the Advent season, this concert will feature readings from both scripture and secular literature that focuses on issues of justice and relationship; the concert title refers to the broadness of Mahayana (Big Boat) Buddhism. It is presented in memory of Dr. Ken McKinney, an international known professor of Geology at ASU who was a founder and long-time member of the choir at St. Mary’s and who was instrumental in the choir’s development at one of the premier choral ensembles of the region. The concert is part of a weekend of music in honor of Dr. McKinney (informally called KenFest by the choir) including Sung Compline on Friday evening, Aug. 9 at 8 p.m. Compline is a very beautiful and brief (15-minute) way to put the day to bed. The weekend ends with a sung Mass on Sunday morning, Aug. 11, at 10:10 a.m. Music will include a short setting of the mass by 20th century British/Canadian composer Healey Willan, along with Anton Bruckner’s glorious Os Justi and the spiritual “I want to be Ready.”

3) Contra Dance at the Apple Barn

The Boone Country Dancers are hosting a Contra Dance at the Apple Barn on Saturday, Aug. 10. Dean Snipes is the caller for this dance and contra-cowboys is the band. All dances are taught, no partner is required and everyone is welcome. Beginners Lesson at 7:30, dance at 8:00 p.m. The Apple Barn is in Valle Crucis just off N.C. 194, 1 mile from Valle Crucis School. Admission is $7. If you have questions or need directions call 828-406-0580. 

4) BRAHM Gentle Yoga

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum is pleased to be offering a second session follow-up to its well-received first session of Gentle Yoga. Located in the museum’s beautiful and peaceful Community Meeting Room, the classes are welcoming and gentle and are tailored to the needs of mature participants. After the classes, students will have the option to gather for fellowship and complementary wine. Instructor Amy Daughtridge, who is an associate professor of dance studies at Appalachian State University, is a seasoned teacher and yoga practitioner whose yoga studies have taken her all over the United States and across the world. While some may have the impression that yoga is the rigorous mastering of difficult poses, it can actually be quite gentle and, Daughtridge believes, is beneficial for the mind as well as the body, allowing us to live more fully and compassionately. Join the BRAHM for yoga Tuesday afternoons from 4:30-5:45. Classes begin on Aug. 6 and run for 8 sessions. For more information, call 828-295-9099. 

5) Farmland Preservation Program Meeting

The Farmland Preservation Program Advisory Board will hold a meeting on Monday, Aug. 12 at 8:00 a.m. in the Soil and Water District Office. 

6) Watauga County Public Library

For many people, poetry is abstract, confusing and not well connected to everyday experience. Music, on the other hand, bathes our human existence in a variety of sounds. Through this workshop/concert, Bob and Patty Tatum will demonstrate the fundamental relationship between poetry and music. Bob and Patty will present live poetry and music and provide a visual display to enhance their presentation. Bob and Patty form the musical duo Sound Traveler. Both of them are musicians, writers and educators (National Board Certified Teachers) with fifty years combined experience in education and an even longer connection with music. Patty has played trumpet professionally all over the world while Bob has performed regionally for many years. He has also written, directed and performed in an original musical called Breath Like a Wind. They released a CD of original music in 2011, which will be available for purchase at the workshop.