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

1) September is “Watauga Reads” Month

The “Watauga Reads” book selection this year is American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar; the novel tells the story of a young Pakistani-American boy growing up in the American Midwest and his struggle with identity and religion. The book is a 2012 Best Book of the Year at Kirkus Reviews, Tononto’s Globe and Mail, Shelf-Awareness and Oprah Magazine. The author is also a playwright and screenwriter and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his stage play “Disgraced.” Thanks to the Friends, the library has extra copies of the book. “We are very excited to be hosting the author here and thank Appalachian State University for their Partnership,” said Monica Caruso. The library will host three programs highlighting the book, all open to the public. On Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 5 p.m. there will be a panel with Appalachian State University professors and students representing the Muslim Students Association. On Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 10:30 a.m. there will be an author visit, book talk and signing and books will be available for purchase. On Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 1:30 p.m. there will be a Book Brunch Club discussion. The library is located at 140 Queen Street in Downtown Boone. 

2) Homecoming Run for Hunger

Save the date, Oct. 12, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. Join us for the first annual Homecoming Run for Hunger, a 5K run/walk to benefit the Hunger and Health Coalition. Start homecoming weekend by working up a sweat and have plenty of time to get to the 3:30 football game. There will be door prizes and awards for all age categories. Teams of three to five will get a discount. Come join us for the fun and help provide food and pharmacy assistance to those in our community who cannot afford it. Register online at www.hungerandhealthcoalition.com.

3) Watauga Humane Society’s 16th Annual Fur Ball

The Watauga Humane Society cordially invites you to attend the 16th Annual Fur Ball Saturday Evening, Sept. 14, at the Blowing Rock Country Club. Reception and Cash Bar at 5:30-6:45. Silent auction and wine raffle from 5:30-9:00 p.m. Dinner and live auction with after dinner show featuring The Harris Brothers and Kay and Patrick Crouch. Tickets are $100 each. Call or email Jan Watson at janwatson@charter.net or 828-264-1743. All proceeds go directly to caring for the homeless animals at our adoption center. 

4) BJ’s Annual Dog Show

On Saturday, Aug. 31, Beech Mountain Bark Park will hold BJ’s Annual Dog Show beginning at 10 a.m. with registration from 8-9:30 a.m. Bring your furry friends to the Beech Mountain Bark Park to celebrate man’s best friend! Come strut your mutt for some great prizes and awards. This is a great cause and everybody goes away with a special ribbon. All proceeds go to the Beech Mountain Bark Park. Registration fee is $20 for one dog and $30 for two dogs. Visit www.beechrecreation.org for an entry form or call 828-387-3003 for more information. 

5) Elkland Art Center Film Screening

Elkland Art Center will screen it’s documentary film, “The Land Sustains Us, A Todd Story,” at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 27, at the Todd Mercantile. The film is intended to serve as an exploration and community conversation about how the changing landscape (development, infrastructure improvements, loss of environment, etc.) affects the sense of community in the Village of Todd. The three-year-long filmmaking process has involved interviewing a cross-section of people from the community including long-term and short-term residents, developers, government officials and scholars, to obtain their insight into how land use has affected or changed their attitudes in the community. A discussion with the documentary team (Martha Enzmann, direcor; Jim Lewis, narrator/historian; and Suzanne Clouzeau, videographer) will follow the screening. Funding and guidance for the film has been provided in part by the North Carolina Humanities Council, a subsidiary of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Resourceful Communities Program of the Conservation Fund. Elkland Art Center is a 501 c3 organization focused on community building through the making of art. Historically, the most prominent of our activities have been our parades, workshops and educational puppet shows for an intergenerational audience. Our recent expansion into documentary filmmaking has been important to building understanding of the complex issues of sustainability. Our program areas include community parades either delivered by Elkland or we’ll mentor a community to develop their own; puppet shows for schools, festivals and libraries; workshops focused on building community while making art; and producing documentary videos on matters of importance to the community. We serve communities in the High Country of Western North Carolina, throughout the state of North Carolina and the Southeastern United States. 

6) The Children’s Playhouse After Hours

Nestled in the heart of Boone is the High Country’s No. 1 children’s museum. Ever wonder what that means? Come explore the Children’s Playhouse After Hours on Monday, Aug. 26 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. Come learn more while mingling with other High Country leaders. Light refreshments and mocktails will be served…it is a Children’s Museum after all! The Children’s Playhouse is located at 400 Tracy Circle in Boone. For more information, call 828-263-0011.