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Today’s Email Announcements

Grandfather Mountain State Park May Programs

Stream Ecology

Appropriate for all ages. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. No pets please.  Join a Park Ranger to learn about how the living and non-living things interact in mountain streams. What are all of those bugs and other critters swimming and crawling through the creek? We will catch and identify what type of creature they are and what these species could tell us about water quality. Nets will be provided. Any participants wanting to get into the stream should bring waders or clothes that can get wet and a towel to dry off.  Boone Fork Parking Lot is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway; just north of mile marker 300.  For more information, please contact us at 828-963-9522 or grandfather.mountain@ncparks.gov

Date:  Sat, 05/06/2017 – 11:00am to 1:00pm

Location:  Boone Fork Parking Area (Just north of the 300 Milepost on Blue Ridge Parkway) (GPS: 36.120076,-81.781358) http://goo.gl/dEizYH

 

Spruce Fir Moss Spider

Appropriate for ages 10 and older; children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Please leave pets at home.  Celebrate State Parks “Year of The Spider” by Joining Ranger Sicard for a PowerPoint presentation focused on the Spruce Fir Moss Spider, A globally endangered species that can be found in less than 5 places in the World. One of those places is Grandfather Mountain State Park.   For more information please call Andy Sicard at the park office 828-963-9522 or email: grandfather.mountain@ncparks.gov

Date:  Sun, 05/07/2017 – 10:00am to 12:00pm

Location:  Park Office – 9872 Hwy 105 S, Suite 6, Banner Elk (Google Map: https://goo.gl/Uq0vrX)

 

2017 Annual Wildflower Walks

Free and Open to the Public – Join a park ranger for a guided wildflower walk in Grandfather Mountain State Park.  There is a walk for everyone – some are more challenging but some do not venture far from the parking lot.  Grandfather Mountain produces an amazing variety of wildflowers, which change from week to week, so join us throughout the season to experience the changes!  This hike is Moderate – Two miles, round-trip.  The trail is easy but rocky and can be muddy.  Dress for the weather, wear appropriate footwear, bring water and be prepared to be outside.  Participants under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. No pets, please.

Date:  Sun, 05/07/2017 – 4:00pm to 6:00pm

Location:  Boone Fork Parking Area (Just north of the 300 Milepost on Blue Ridge Parkway) (GPS: 36.120076,-81.781358) http://goo.gl/dEizYH

 

Gems of the Forest Birding Hike

Appropriate for ages 10 and up; children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Please no dogs.  Join a Park Ranger for a woodland walk among Southern Appalachia’s forest gems: song birds. Field guides and binoculars are encouraged and will enhance the experience. Participants should be prepared to hike a two-mile round-trip along a moderately strenuous trail. Trail conditions will vary depending on weather but all participants should wear hiking boots and bring a light jacket. Please contact the park office if you have further questions. 828-963-9522or grandfather.mountain@ncparks.gov

Date:  Fri, 05/12/2017 – 8:00am to 10:00am

Location:  Profile Parking Area, Hwy 105 S, Banner Elk (GPS: 36.121990, -81.829993) https://goo.gl/dBX99s

 

Summer Tree ID Hike

Appropriate for ages 10 and up; children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.  Please, no pets.  Participants will learn how to identify local trees by learning differences in bark, limb, bud and branching patterns. Participants are encouraged to bring field guides to local trees. Program will last approximately two hours and hike 1 mile (2 miles round-trip).  Hiking boots are recommended. This is an outdoor event and those in attendance should come dressed for the current weather conditions. Please contact the park office with any questions at 828.963.9522 or email grandfather.mountain@ncparks.gov

Date:  Sat, 05/13/2017 – 10:00am to 12:00pm

Location:  Boone Fork Parking Area (Just north of the 300 Milepost on Blue Ridge Parkway) (GPS: 36.120076,-81.781358) http://goo.gl/dEizYH

 

Grandfather Mountain as a Biosphere Reserve

Appropriate for ages 10 and up (Children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult). Please leave pets at home.  What makes Grandfather Mountain State Park so special, it is a Biosphere Reserve.  Join Ranger Sicard for a PowerPoint presentation explaining what a Biosphere Reserve is and why Grandfather Mountain State Park is so fortunate to be a Biosphere Reserve.  Please contact the park office with any questions:  828-963-9522 or grandfather.mountain@ncparks.gov.

Date:  Fri, 05/19/2017 – 4:30pm to 6:00pm

Location:  Park Office – 9872 Hwy 105 S, Suite 6, Banner Elk (Google Map: https://goo.gl/Uq0vrX)

 

Senior Softball Starts on June 1 in Watauga County

Senior Softball is only one month away ! The Slopes are green ,not white . We have planted our gardens and grass . The Mtn. Wildlife have shown us there new offspring . All sure signs Spring is here and Softball can t be far away ! So , get out your bats , balls and glove and start warming up .

Senior Softball starts June 1 at Wat. Co. Rec. 10 am .  Thereafter  that all games are Tues 10 am at Lees McRae College Softball complex and Thurs. 10 am at the  Watauga Co Rec. off St.Farm Rd.   Please contact Holly Gates at Wat.Rec 828 264 9511 or myself , Bert Valery 727 215 5560 , for more details .

 

Biltmore’s 21 Annual Concert Series, Tickets on Sale May 17

Asheville, N.C. – Celebrate summer at Biltmore when the estate’s 21st annual Concert Series begins Thursday, July 27. Ticket sales begin on May 17, 2017.  

 

Kool & The Gang kicks off the series on July 27 on the South Terrace of Biltmore House. The South Terrace venue features expansive sunset views of the 250-room Biltmore House in one direction, and Mount Pisgah and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the other.

 

All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.

 

The 2017 Biltmore Concert Series line-up:

 

July 27        Kool & The Gang and The Commodores

 

July 30       The Beach Boys

 

Aug. 18       Newsboys with Special Guest Mandisa

 

Aug. 19        Tony Bennett

 

Aug. 24       REO Speedwagon

 

Aug. 26       Goo Goo Dolls: Long Way Home Summer Tour 2017with Special Guest Phillip Phillips

 

All tickets may be purchased at www.biltmore.com/concerts, or by calling 866-336-1255; or in person at Biltmore’s Reservation and Ticketing Sales Center, 1 Lodge St., Asheville, NC 28803.

 

A variety of ticket, dining and lodging packages will be available for the concerts. Tickets do not include or require estate admission. Performers and dates are subject to change.

 

About the artists

Kool & The Gang and The Commodores

7:30 p.m., July 27

Classic R&B hits such as “Celebration,” “Cherish,” and “Ladies Night” have earned the Grammy-winning group Kool & The Gang global fame and recognition and a following that spans generations. The Commodores are Grammy-winning Motown legends with seven number one hits and more than 70 million albums sold. Songs include “Brick House,” “Easy,” and “Three Times A Lady.”

 

The Beach Boys

7:30 p.m., July 30

With decades of hit singles including “Surfin’,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “California Girls,” and the Grammy-nominated “Good Vibrations,” The Beach Boys are an iconic American band that influenced countless performing artists to follow.

                                                                                                                                                                           

Newsboys with Special Guest Mandisa

7:30 p.m., Aug. 18

The Newsboys have defined contemporary Christian music for more than two decades, earning 33 No. 1 hits, four Grammy nominations, multiple Dove Awards, and selling more than 8 million albums. Mandisa is a contemporary Christian artist who has sold more than 1 million records, including her best-selling and critically acclaimed 2013 project “Overcomer” that won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.

                                                                                                                                                                                          

Tony Bennett

7:30 p.m., Aug. 19

Legendary Tony Bennett is one of only a handful of artists to have new albums charting in each of the last seven decades. He has introduced a multitude of songs into the Great American Songbook that have since become standards, and has received 19 Grammy Awards, including one for his signature song, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.”

 

REO Speedwagon

7:30 p.m., Aug. 24

REO Speedwagon, fronted by vocalist Kevin Cronin since 1972, along with bandmates Bruce Hall (bass), Neal Doughty (keyboards), Dave Amato (guitar) and Bryan Hitt (drums), is still rocking audiences worldwide  with concerts featuring their two timeless No. 1 singles, “Keep on Loving You,” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” along with fan favorites including “Take It on the Run,” “Time for Me to Fly,” “Roll With the Changes,” “Ridin’ The Storm Out,” and more.

 

Goo Goo Dolls: Long Way Home Summer Tour 2017 with Special Guest Phillip Phillips

7:30 p.m., Aug. 26

The Goo Goo Dolls have become an influential force in popular music history, selling more than 10 million albums featuring a string of No. 1 and Top 10 singles including “Name,” “Slide,” and “Let Love In.” Their hit “Iris,” from the City Of Angels soundtrack, was No. 1 on the Billboard charts for 17 consecutive weeks. Phillip Phillips has put out two chart-topping albums since releasing his five-time-platinum debut single “Home” in 2012.

 

Local Author, Birgitta McGalliard, Presenting at Watauga Co. Public Library, May 6

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 World War II and the Russian Gulag.

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.

In the Evelyn Johnson Memorial Meeting Room, this Saturday, May 6, at 2:00 pm.

 

Weekly Events at Lost Province, May 2-7

Tuesday, 5/02/17- Oyster Roast. Steamed, Fried or Raw with all the fixin’s.

Wednesday, 5/03/17- Trivia at 7pm.

Thursday, 5/04/17-$3 Thirsty Thursday and College Night featuring Live Music with Leonardo Faillace.

Friday, 5/05/17-Live Music: Drayton and the Dreamboats Trio at 7:30pm.

Saturday, 5/06/17-Live Music: Swing Guitars at 7:30pm.

Sunday, 5/07/17- Flat Fives Jazz Band at 12pm.

Tuesday, 5/09/17-Oyster Roast. Steamed, Fried or Raw with all the fixin’s.

Wednesday, 5/10/17-Trivia at 7pm.

Thursday, 5/11/17-$3 Thirsty Thursday and College Night featuring Live Music.

Friday, 5/12/17-Live Music: Maureen Renihan and Troy Conn Jazz Duo at 7:30pm.

Saturday, 5/13/17-Live Music: Circus Mutt at 7:30pm.