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Today’s Email Announcements

1) Grandfather Mountain April Programs 

Spring Wildflower Walks: 2015

Wed, April 1 – 2:00 p.m. (Park office)

Fri, April 3 – 5:00 p.m. (Park office)

Sun, April 5 – 3:00 p.m. (Park office)

Sun, April 12 – 3:00 p.m. (Park office)

Fri, April 24 – 5:30 p.m. (Profile Trailhead)

Sat, April 25 – 1:30 p.m. (Boone Fork parking Lot)  Celebrate EARTH DAY!

Sun, April 26 – 3:00 p.m. (Boone Fork Parking Lot)

Sat, May 2 – 10:00 a.m. (Boone Fork Parking Lot)

Tue, May 5 – 5:00 p.m. (Profile Trailhead)

Sat, May 9 – 3:00 p.m. (Boone Fork Parking Lot)

Fri, May 15 – 6:30 p.m. (Profile Trailhead)

Sun, May 17 – 1:30 p.m. (Boone Fork Parking Lot)

The High Country produces spectacular spring wildflowers. Join a park ranger in weekly explorations to see what new spring flowers have emerged.  Hikes are conducted at a slow pace on moderately strenuous trails and last 2 ½ hours. Wear sturdy hiking boots. Bring a jacket, water and snacks. All ages welcome: participants under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. No pets, please. Call the park office if you have questions: 828.963.9522 or email grandfather.mountain@ncparks.gov.

The Profile Trail is located on Highway 105 South; ¼ mile north of the Highway 184 intersection.

Boone Fork Parking Lot is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway; just north of mile marker 300.

The Park Office is located at 9872 Highway 105 S, Banner Elk, NC 28604.

How Native Americans use White Tailed Deer

Sat, April 4, 2015

3:00 p.m.-4:00p.m.  |  Location:  Park Office – 9872 Hwy 105 S, Banner Elk, NC

* Appropriate for ages 12 and up; children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

When you think of Deer, you may picture them grazing in fields, being the star of a movie like “Bambi”, or you may think about a hunting trip. Join Ranger Sicard to learn about how Native Americans think of Deer, in particularly the ways they use Deer in their ritualistic lifestyle. For example Native Americans have used parts of the deer to make fishing hooks, anchor spear heads to cane, and make pouches for various things. During this program you will get to see a couple of authentic handmade pieces like the Native Americans would have done and view via PowerPoint the techniques and ways the processes are applied.  For more information please call Andy Sicard at the park office 828-963-9522 or email:andy.sicard@ncparks.gov.

Amphibians for Beginners

Sat, April 11, 2015

6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.  |  Location:  Park Office – 9872 Hwy 105 S, Banner Elk, NC

* Appropriate for ages 9 and up; children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Celebrate the Year of the Amphibian!   Do you know what it takes to be called an Amphibian, would you like to learn more? Join Ranger Sicard to cover the basics of what an Amphibian is and where you would find them located. During this PowerPoint we will cover the life cycle, habitats, and types of amphibians that can be found in the Grandfather Mountain State Park area and possibly in the areas you live too.  For more information please call Andy Sicard at the park office 828-963-9522 or email: andy.sicard@ncparks.gov.

To Build a Fire

Sun, April 19, 2015

2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.  |  Location:  Lowes Foods parking lot  (Highway 105 at intersection of Highway 184-Banner Elk)

* Appropriate for all ages – children under 16 must be accompanied by adult

Fire is one of the cornerstones of human civilization that many of us take for granted in today’s modern lifestyle. Could you build a fire if necessary? Join a Park Ranger at Grandfather Mountain State Park to learn techniques on fire building and emergency fire starting for camping, heating or survival. Participants will learn about fuel sources, alternative fire starters and some of the science behind fire. This program will last approximately one hour. Children must be accompanied by an adult and please leave pets at home.  Please dress appropriately for the weather conditions. For more information, contact Luke Appling at the park office 828-963-9522 or email: luke.appling@ncparks.gov.  We will meet at the left (north) side of the Lowes Foods parking lot.

2) Watauga County Arts Council now accepting applications for Gallery Exhibitions for 2016 and 2017

The Watauga County Arts Council is currently accepting applications from artists who would like to exhibit their work at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace during 2016 and 2017. The deadline for applying for an exhibit is Friday, May 1st .   The application form may be found on the Arts Council’s website at www.watauga-arts.org under the Gallery heading.   Application forms must be submitted in writing either in paper copy or via email to wcac@watauga-arts.org. Digital examples of the artists work may be submitted via CD or web links.

All visual art mediums will be considered. Exhibitions are one month in length and there is a “Meet the Artist” event on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 5:30 to 7:30 pm which is called the 2nd Saturday Celebration of the Arts.

There are also several “open exhibits” planned during each year as well. Artists do not have to apply prior to May 1st to be included in these exhibits. Each of the open exhibits will have a deadline published along with its prospectus a month or two prior to each exhibit. Upcoming open exhibits for 2015 include:

In May – “Udderly Wonderful” (a multimedia exhibition of all things bovine)

In June – “Petal Pushers” (a juried multimedia celebration of anything floral)

In September – 3rd Annual “Portraits of Our Community” (a multimedia salute to whatever “community” means to you!)

In November and December – “Holiday Originals” (a shopping bonanza of holiday themed décor, a variety of gifts, and other wonderful creations by our talented local artist community)

Information and prospectus for these exhibits may be found on the WCAC website at www.watauga-arts.org.

For all gallery exhibitions, the Arts Council has specific submission requirements:

  • All exhibiting artists must be current members of the Watauga County Arts Council (most recent membership contribution must have been made no more than one year prior to the date their work is hung). If the exhibiting artist is not a current WCAC member, he/she must join the WCAC at the time the work is installed in order to fulfill this requirement.
  • Artists must live in Watauga County or an adjoining county for at least some portion of the year. (Our adjoining counties are Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, and Wilkes in NC, and Johnson County, TN)
  • All two dimensional work must be ready to hang and assistance is available to assist the artist in installing the show.
  • Artists may sell their work during their exhibition. In support of individual artists and with the permission of the artist, the Watauga County Arts Council shall act as the agent for the artist and conduct transactions between buyer(s) and the artist. The WCAC retains a 25% commission on work sold from gallery exhibitions.

Artists are also encouraged to consider submitting their work to be juried into the Gift Shop of the Blue Ridge ArtSpace. Information about the Gift Shop is available at their website as well as at the gift shop itself. Applications for the Gift Shop are accepted quarterly on February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1.

Artists are also invited to become a demonstrating artist at one of the Arts Council’s 2nd Saturday Celebrations of the Arts. Demonstrating artists simply work on their art in one of the classrooms of the Blue Ridge ArtSpace during the event, which lasts from 5:30-7:30 pm, and answer questions from visiting patrons as needed. They may also sell their work at the event and the WCAC only requires a 10% commission on those sales. Interested artists should contact the WCAC.

To learn more about these and other opportunities for artists, check the WCAC website at www.watauga-arts.org, email them at wcac@watauga-arts.org, call them at 828-264-1789, or simply come by the Blue Ridge ArtSpace at 377 Shadowline Drive in Boone.

3) HandMade in America Announces Annual Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs Conference

On Wednesday, May 13 from 8:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m. HandMade in America (HIA) will be celebrating Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) with their annual conference. This year’s conference focuses on Micro-Business in the 21st Century, as HIA invites women from the AWE program and beyond to commune in collaborative learning, networking, and empowerment.  The conference will be located at the Morris Hellenic Cultural Center, 227 Cumberland Ave, Asheville, NC 28801, next to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.

HandMade in America is pleased to welcome Dorothy Clark as this year’s keynote speaker. Clark has over twenty-five years of experience in the field of finance and accounting; furthermore, she is also an accomplished performing artist. Her extensive background as a performer, plus fifteen years in business administration, makes her uniquely qualified to address the business needs of the creative entrepreneur.

Conference Consultants will cover an extensive array of important entrepreneurial topics including; basic legal aspects of small business formation, online marketing strategies, turning your passion into profit, business insurance basics, how to get noticed, the role of the buyer, and small business start-up information.

“This is a very exciting time for small businesses”, says Linda LaBelle, Entrepreneurship Program Manager for HIA, “as the nation continues to recover from a depressed economy, we have learned that we must conduct business in a new way. Flexibility and inventiveness are important keywords. Social Media is the new word-of-mouth, without an internet presence your business may become invisible. And you may be very surprised who your target market actually is. HandMade in America’s AWE program strives to provide its members with the tools they need for their business to succeed in the 21st Century. The AWE Conference is both a day of learning and celebration for these brave women.”

The AWE Conference on Wednesday, May 13 from 8:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m. will include a light breakfast, keynote talk, lunch, breakout sessions, networking, closing reception, and raffle. Registration for the conference is open to all women entrepreneurs.  However, free priority seating is given to AWE members, HIA members, and to public registrants for a $15 fee.  For AWE membership information or to register contact Linda LaBelle at llabelle@handmadeinamerica.org. For more information about the AWE Conference visit www.handmadeinamerica.org.

The Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs Program teaches women in rural WNC communities the important business, creative, industry, and access-to-market skills necessary to develop and manage small businesses in today’s difficult economic climate.

4) Books & More Sale

Celebrate Spring Books & More Sale, Friday, April 17th   9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Held Indoor & outdoors at the Branch Library in Sugar Grove

Featuring new and gently used items, books & periodicals on gardening, outdoor living, landscaping, arts & crafts. Also available: live ornamental plants & bulbs, pots and hand tools, birdhouses, framed artwork, yard & home décor & more. To donate items or for more information call: 828-297-5515 or297-5195

Sponsored by the Friends of the Branch Library – 100% Proceeds benefit the WW Branch Library programs

5) Watauga Humane Society partners with North Shore Animal League America for the world’s largest mobile pet adoption event

Life-Saving Tour Rolls Into Boone With Adoptable Shelter Pets

WHAT:          Watauga Humane Society joins North Shore Animal League America’s 2015 Tour For Life – the world’s largest national cooperative life-saving mobile pet adoption event. Highlighted by adoptable dogs, cats, puppies and kittens in partnership with Blue Ridge Animal Rescue of West Jefferson, Second Chance Dogs of Ashe, Merit Pit Bull Rescue, Avery County Humane Society, Happy Tails Rescue of West Jefferson, andAshe Humane Society. The event will also offer Purina giveaways, pet supply vendors, a low-cost rabies clinic, $25 micro-chipping, and information on the benefits of adopting shelter pets, behavioral education, and special services available to pet owners.

From the beginning of March to mid-May, Tour For Life will travel throughout the United States from North to South and East to West in four “shelters on wheels” Mobile Adoption Units helping shelter and rescue groups in 37 cities and 26 states bring awareness to their organizations and find homes for the adorable adoptable animals in their care.

WHEN:          Saturday, April 4th from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

WHO:             Adoptable dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens

WHERE:       Boone Mall

1180 Blowing Rock Road E6

Boone, NC 28607

Media RSVP to:

Laurie Vierheller

(O) 828-266-9843

director1.whs@gmail.com

About Watauga Humane Society

Watauga Humane Society was incorporated in December of 1969. We are a not-for-profit charitable organization and dedicated to all aspects of animal welfare. The Watauga Humane Society animal shelter is located at 312 Paws Way just off the intersection of Old 421 and Don Hayes Road in Boone, NC. If you have a GPS, you can enter 142 Don Hayes Road and it will bring you straight to us!

The shelter has facilities for the housing and care of homeless dogs, cats, and small animals. We provide food, shelter, medical care and lots of love to the homeless animals at our shelter and we work to find permanent, loving homes for them. In an effort to help control the pet population, we offer low-cost spay/neuter through our partnership with Humane Alliance in Asheville. Learn more at wataugahumanesociety.org.

About North Shore Animal League America

Animal League America has saved more than 1,000,000 lives.  As the world’s largest no-kill rescue and adoption organization, we understand that a rescue isn’t complete until each animal is placed into a loving home.  Our innovative programs provide education to reduce animal cruelty and advance standards in animal welfare.  We reach across the country to rescue animals from overcrowded shelters, unwanted litters, puppy mills, natural disasters and other emergencies and find them permanent, loving homes.

6) CCC&TI Announces Summer and Fall Semester Registration for New Students

Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute will begin registering new students for the Summer 2015 and Fall 2015 semesters on April 9 on both the Caldwell and Watauga Campuses. Summer classes begin on Monday, May 18.

Final Registration for Fall 2015 Semester will be held Wednesday, Aug. 12. Fall classes begin on Monday, Aug. 17.

A variety of financial aid options are available for students who qualify.

In addition to classes for adult students, CCC&TI also offers opportunities for Caldwell and Watauga county high school students to earn free college credit through the Career and College Promise program. CCC&TI offers pathways in business, engineering and math.

For more information on how to apply or register for classes at CCC&TI, contact Student Services at 828-726-2700 on the Caldwell Campus and 828-297-3811 on the Watauga Campus.

7) Beech to Beach kick off of 500 mile cycling fundraiser 

A fundraising 500-mile bike ride on April 4th at Noon from Beech to Beach- from the highest town east of the Mississippi, Beech Mountain, to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  It is to benefit KAMPN for Autism, a non-profit group operating a camp for children with autism near Deep Gap, NC.  The fundraising effort will support the organization’s newest initiative, a program called Living Innovations for Exceptional (LIFE). LIFE is a residential and community living village that gives adults with ASD a safe place to grow and learn throughout adulthood, and is expected to open within the next three to five years.

Please see attached flyer and share with your friend.  We hope you will join us in sending them off on their 500 mile journey from Beech to Beach!

DONATIONS:  http://www.gofundme.com/cycling4LIFE

ORGANIZATION’S WEBSITE: http://kampn4autism.appstate.edu/

8) Avery Humane Society Birthday Bash

Please join us for the Avery County Humane Society Birthday Bash, celebrating three years in the new shelter!

April 18, 2015

10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Come out and join the fun!

Border Collie and Sheep herding expedition, Silent Auction, Lemonade Stand, Food, Games, Wine Raffle, Pet Photo Contest, T-shirt Tie Dying, Entertainment, Low Cost Shot Clinic, sponsored by Linville Animal Hospital, Kaye’s Kitchen and much much more.

Find a furry friend to take home and love or volunteer some of your time to the shelter!

For more information:

Avery County Humane Society

279 New Vale Rd.

Newland, NC 28657

828-733-2333

www.averyhumane.org

9) New exhibition opens this weekend at BRAHM

The ducks have migrated west! Bringing treasures from the coast to the mountains of North Carolina, this prestigious collection of duck decoys explores the careful craftsmanship involved in creating these beautiful sculptures, allowing them to stand alone as highly appreciated works of art.

Bruce Barclay Cameron was a collector, sportsman, and philanthropist, and by the 1970s, Cameron was collecting duck decoys from all across the country He learned all about the careful craft involved in making one of these sculptures, from the nuances of the paint quality and form to the spirit of the bird itself. Within just a few decades, Cameron had amassed a grand collection of over three-hundred decoy sculptures, sixty-one of which are on display at BRAHM this summer.

Artisans included are A. Elmer Crowell from Cape Cod, MA; Joseph Lincoln from Accord, MA; Hucks Caines from Georgetown, SC; the Ward Brothers, Lemuel and Stephen, from Crisfield, MD; Mitchell Fulcher of Stacy, NC; and Ned Burgess of Duck, NC. Moonlight Film’s Spirit of the Bird, directed by James Spione, will be playing on loop in the gallery, and explores how this uniquely American folk tradition has evolved over the centuries.

The exhibition is organized by our friends at the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, NC.

A reception for these exhibitions, along with 1923: The Blowing Rock Fire, will be held on Saturday, May 9th from 5:30 – 7 p.m., and all members of the public are invited to attend.