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Today’s Email Announcements

1) Extension Agents to Offer Organic Gardening 101 in May, June

Extension agents and local experts will host Organic Gardening 101 classes on Thursdays between May 28 and June 25 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Agricultural Conference Center in Boone. This series of classes is designed for those who would like to learn how to garden, or switch to organic methods. The class will consist of lecture/discussion time and visits to local gardens on some weeks. Topics include tips on seed starting, soils tests and facts, container gardening, composting, organic vegetable pest and disease management, weed control and more. Cost is $20 for all five classes, which includes a reference notebook and pre-dinner snack. Reserve your spot in advance by paying the $20 to North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service at 971 West King St. in Boone or by calling 828-264-3061.

2) Prescription and OTC Drug Take-Back Day on May 16 at Foscoe FD, Food Lion Stores

High Country Operation Medicine Cabinet will host a drug take-back day on Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Foscoe Fire Department and at Food Lion locations in Boone, Blowing Rock and Deep Gap. Volunteers from the Seven Devils Public Safety Committee will collect all prescription and over-the-counter medications returned with no questions asked. Call 828-264-5305 for more information.

3) ARHS to Host Cubby Bear 5K on May 16 for Runners and Walkers of All Ages

Appalachian Regional Healthcare System will host the Cubby Bear 5K on Saturday, May 16 at Camp Yonahnoka on the property of Linville Resorts for runners and walkers of all ages. Proceeds will benefit the Habitat House Fund at Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital. Registration will be held from 7-7:45 a.m. and the race begins at 8 a.m. $20 to register in advance online (by May 8) and $25 to register the day of the race. Registration includes a T-Shirt and great door prizes will be offered. A water station will be available midway through the course and refreshments will be provided at the end of the race. Prizes will be awarded for winners of adult and children’s divisions. Call 828-737-7538.

4) ARHS to Host Free Three-Part Health Talk at Broyhill Wellness Center

Appalachian Regional Healthcare System will host a three-part community health talk series at the Paul H. Broyhill Wellness Center. The series is free and open to the public. Space is limited, so call 828-268-8969 or email jjarman@apprhs.org to R.S.V.P. Visit ARHS online for more information.

THURS. MAY 14: Free health talk on peripheral artery disease with Dr. Peter Purcell, 6:30 p.m.

THURS. JUNE 11: Free health talk on neck and back pain, treatment options at Watauga Medical Center with Dr. James Califf, 6:30 p.m.

THURS. JULY 9: Free health talk on state-of-the-art techniques to prevent and manage knee and shoulder pain with Dr. Evan Ekman, 6:30 p.m.

5) Library to Host Local Author Birgitta McGalliard on May 23

The Watauga County Public Library would like to invite you to join local author Birgitta McGalliard for a presentation about her book Lives Divided: My Family Torn Apart by WWII and the Russian Gulag on Saturday, May 23 from 10 a.m. to noon. Captured by the soviets in 1944 as he tries to flee across the Turkish border with his fellow German diplomats, Roland Gottlieb leaves behind his wife, two young daughters and his newborn baby girl. Lives Divided is Birgitta’s story of what life was like growing up in Sweden without her father and seeing her mother’s despair. Finally, after resigning herself to the idea that her husband will never come back, Birgitta’s mother is about to remarry when a post card changes everything. Call 828-264-8784 for more information.