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Today’s Email Announcements

1) Southern Folk Art Show to be Held in West Jefferson May 2

Join the Florence Thomas Art School, 10 S. Jefferson Ave. in West Jefferson, from 2-5 p.m. on May 2 for an opening reception of the second annual Southern Folk Art Show. Featured will be folk artists Charlie Frye, Eric Cunningham, Chris Troxell, Deborah Tallarico and the Folk Art Instruments of Isaac Hall. For more information call 336-846-3827 or visit FTAS on Facebook.

2) High Country Audubon Society to Meet Tuesday, Discuss Parkway Wildlife

The High Country Audubon Society will have its next meeting on Tuesday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express in Boone. HCAS President Bob Cherry, wildlife biologist for the Blue Ridge Parkway, will present “Let’s Get Wild on the Blue Ridge Parkway.” He will  share the latest information on the Parkway’s increasing list of wildlife and talk about the natural systems they depend on to survive. Join him to learn why the Blue Ridge Parkway is more than just a road. HCAS invites the public to attend the monthly meetings and field trips. Announcements about meeting and field trips can be found online at www.highcountryaudubon.org.

3) Appalachian Concert Band to Perform Contemporary Compositions Wednesday

Works from the 20th and 21st centuries will be performed Wednesday, April 22 by the Appalachian Concert Band during the 2015 Contemporary Music Festival sponsored by the Rho Tau Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia at Appalachian State University. The concert begins at 8 p.m. in Broyhill Music Center’s Rosen Concert Hall. Admission is free.

 The concert begins with “Fanfare of the Bells” by William Gordon conducted by John Stanley Ross. Graduate student Onsby Rose will conduct Frank Ticheli’s “Shenandoah” inspired by the popular folk melody. Graduate student Matthew Brusseau will conduct Tucheli’s “Cajun Folk Songs II,” also inspired by folk melodies and “Loch Lomond,” another folk song-inspired composition by Ticheli.  Brusseau also will conduct Jan Van der Roost’s “Puszta: Four Gypsy Dances.”

Rose returns to the podium to conduct John Zdechlik’s “Chorale and Shaker Dance” based on the Shaker hymn “Tis The Gift to be Simple” and John Barnes Chance’s “Variations on a Korean Folk Song.” 

The program concludes with John Philip Sousa’s “The Washington Post March” conducted by Kevin Gray Richardson.

4) Sustainability Task Force to Meet in Boone on Thursday

The Town of Boone Sustainability Task Force Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 23 at 1 p.m. in the upstairs conference room of the Planning and Inspections Department at 680 W. King St. in Boone. The following discussion items will be addressed: farmers market update, composting update, solar panels update, educational outreach, bike proposal, voluntary programs update, Sustainability Charrette discussion.

5) Kiwanis to Host Hmong Culture Presentation Tuesday

Know much about the Hmong people? Want to be educated about their importance to American forces during the Vietnam War? Do you understand why the Hmong people were resettled in the U.S.? Interested in seeing Hmong traditional attire? Come to Kiwanis on Tuesday, April 21 and get answers to all of these questions.  Pangshua Khang Riley will present Hmong information from a personal perspective. If you were waiting for a perfect Kiwanis program to attend, April 21 is the day.  Guest lunches are $9.  RSVP to jimswinkola@icloud.com.

Pangshua Riley was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. There, her parents Sintong and Xia Khang, continue to live and serve the Hmong as active community leaders.

Having been born into a family of prominent Hmong leaders, she has led various roles and programs serving Hmong youth and families. She has led several youth development programs for hundreds of high school and college students in Rhode Island, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Minnesota, Wisconsin and California. She has spent several years as an active youth director for the Southeastern Hmong Baptist National Association and as an active volunteer of the United Hmong Associations of North Carolina and Rhode Island.

During her undergraduate years at Appalachian State University, she co-authored a bill for the Asian Student Association of Appalachian to establish nationwide recognition and financial support among North Carolina sister organizations for Hmong veterans who served during the Vietnam War.

Pangshua Riley is the Development Officer for the Grandfather Home Children’s Hope Alliance campus. She is an Appalachian State alumna and loves serving as a member of the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge and Avery County Rotary Club.

6) Linville Falls Winery to Host the Johnson Brothers Saturday

Looking for Music this weekend? Check Out the Johnson Brothers at the Linville Falls Winery, 9557 Linville Falls Highway in Newland, from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday. Enjoy great music and great wine … it just doesn’t get any better than that! For more information, call 828-765-1400 or visit www.linvillefallswinery.com.