1000 x 90

Today’s Email Announcements

Leadership Avery: Sign Up by Feb. 29

The Avery County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the inaugural class of Leadership Avery. The ten-month program has been developed by business leaders who are affiliated with the Avery County Chamber of Commerce.  Leadership Avery is intended to enlighten its participants about Avery County’s bountiful treasures and its myriad of human resource agencies.  Much of what is learned during the experience can be integrated into the daily lives of the participants.

The program provides team building experiences and leadership skill development.  County leaders will participate in situations that are only available to those who enroll in this program.   To learn more about our wonderful community, be one of the first to enroll in Leadership Avery.

The 2016-2017 inaugural class will be co-chaired by David Burleson, superintendent of Avery County Schools and Jeff Davis, principal of High Country Wealth Management. David and Jeff bring to the table extensive experience as both participants and leaders of similar programs in other counties. “It is my hope that this program will bring together the leaders in our community, increase their awareness of what goes on behind the scenes in Avery County and will motivate them to become advocates for progress,” said David. “This type of program positively impacts many counties across the state. I would encourage anyone that is serious about making a meaningful contribution as a community leader to get involved,” added Jeff.

Attached is the brochure highlighting the program and the application. Sessions are one full day per month. You may only miss one session to graduate. Applicants not selected for this year’s class will be given first priority for next year’s class due to class size limitation.

The deadline for the application is February 29, 2016.

Schedule highlights:

March- Introduction & Orientation

April-Education

May- Non-Profits

June- Resorts & Tourism

July-Healthcare

August- Law Enforcement, Courts & Government

September- Media, Wineries, Breweries

October-Tree Farms, Art & Crafts

November- Graduation

For more information please feel free to contact Melynda Pepple, Avery County Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director, 828-898-5605.

Walker Center to Host “Buddy Holly Story” March 3

The Walker Center, on the campus of Wilkes Community College, will present “Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story,” called the world’s most successful rock ‘n’ roll musical, on Thursday, March 3, at 8 p.m. This performance is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

The show opened in London’s West End in 1989 where it went on to play over 5,700 performances in 16 years. Since then it has been seen by over 22 million people in over 20,000 performances worldwide, picking up numerous awards along the way.

Forget feel good; “Buddy” is feel great! Experience the drama, passion and excitement as a cast of phenomenally-talented actors and musicians tell Buddy Holly’s story, from his meteoric rise to fame to his final legendary performance at The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. Buddy Holly was a rising star when a tragic plane crash struck him down in 1959 at age 22.

Holly produced some of the most distinctive and influential works in rock music history with some of the greatest songs ever written, including “Peggy Sue,” “That’ll Be The Day,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Not Fade Away,” “Oh Boy,” Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba,” “Chantilly Lace” and “Shout.” Hear them all at the Walker Center.

A limited number of tickets are available for this performance. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact the Walker Center Box Office at 336-838-6260 or walker.boxoffice@wilkescc.edu<mailto:walker.boxoffice@wilkescc.edu>. Visit the Walker Center online at www.walkercenteronline.org<http://www.walkercenteronline.org> or on Facebook.

The John A. Walker Community Center is dedicated to being this region’s primary venue for cultural experience and to serving as the preferred gathering place for meetings, receptions, conventions, banquets and parties for our community.

The Walker Center and Wilkes Community College are 100% Tobacco Free.

Wilkes Community College, a member of the North Carolina Community College System, is a public, two-year, open-door institution serving the people of Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany counties and beyond. Established in 1965, WCC continues to build on a strong history of meeting the educational needs and cultural interests of our students, community and workforce. WCC prepares learners for success in a dynamic world.

Guard Your Heart: Medicare Preventative Benefits

Hearts abound during February. We see heart-shaped candies, red foil heart boxes full of chocolates, heart-shaped balloons, and the list goes on. Did you know that February is also the American Heart Association’s American Heart Month?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, so there is no better time to remind ourselves to take care of our hearts. Every year, one in four deaths is caused by heart disease.

The good news? Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions. Communities, health professionals and families can work together to create opportunities for people to make healthier choices.

Medicare’s preventive benefits help you to be proactive with your health to avoid serious illnesses such as heart disease. Covered preventive services include Cardiovascular Screenings, Cardiovascular Disease Behavioral Therapy, Obesity Screening and Counseling, and other services. Preventive services can catch health problems early when treatment works best and can keep you from getting certain diseases or illnesses. Preventive services include exams, lab tests, screenings, vaccines, monitoring and information to help you take care of your health.

Medicare covers preventive care whether you’re in Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage Plan (also known as a private health plan). If you have Original Medicare, you pay no coinsurance or deductible for certain preventive services if you see a provider who participates in Medicare. Medicare Advantage Plans must cover the full cost for preventive services that are free under Original Medicare as long as you follow the plan’s rules. Call your plan for details.

If you have questions about Medicare’s preventive benefits, including heart-related screenings, contact SHIIP, the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, at 855-408-1212 to speak with a trained counselor or to request a free brochure. SHIIP is a division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance that assists people with Medicare, Medicare Part D, Medicare supplement, Medicare Advantage and long term care insurance questions. It also helps citizens recognize and prevent Medicare billing errors and possible fraud and abuse through the North Carolina Senior Medicare Patrol program.

See “Othello” at Barter Theatre Beginning March 1

The Barter Players ENCORE Company, will be performing William Shakespeare’s “Othello” thanks to a grant from Shakespeare in American Communities and the National Endowment for the Arts. “Othello” will appear at Barter’s Stage II beginning March 1.

The Barter Player’s ENCORE Company is Barter Theatre’s newest performance group, which is made up of Barter Players alumni. In the spring of 2015, the ENCORE Players performed “Hamlet” thanks to the same grant, which is allowing them to perform “Othello.” Katy Brown, artistic director of the ENCORE Players and director of “Othello,” said, “We had such an incredible response to ‘Hamlet’ last year and it’s made us doubly excited to share ‘Othello’ with everyone. We had more than one audience member tell us it was the most connected they had ever felt to Shakespeare— as though it were about them.”

Brown said, “Othello is such a surprising play- it’s never what you expect it to be. Just when you think you have it pinned down, it slips away again. It’s somehow as much about love as it is about betrayal or jealousy.” With this in mind, The Barter Player ENCORE Company has created an experience to make this play easier to understand and appreciate. This production brings the play from the page to the stage and offers workshops for student performances using role-playing activities. These workshops will be held before and after student performances. Evening performances will not feature workshops, and are not adapted specifically for students, allowing adults to enjoy this classic Shakespeare play as well.

“Othello” features Terrance Jackson as Othello. Other performers include: Kelly Strand, Natalie Riegel, Julie Schroll, Sean Michael Flattery and Sam McCalla. This production is directed by Katy Brown.

The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. Barter Theatre is one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to middle and high school students in communities across the United States. This is the 13th year of this national program, the largest tour of Shakespeare in American history.

Barter would like to issue a special thank you to Shakespeare in American Communities. Because of their generous support, the Barter will be able to offer assistance for schools/students that can demonstrate need. This includes bus and ticket subsidies.