1) Beech Mountain Art Guild Annual Show July 17-18
The Beech Mountain Art Guild will present its 12th annual Art Show on Friday and Saturday, July 17-18, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Beech Mountain Club’s Recreation Center on Lakeledge Drive on Beech Mountain. Roadside signs will point the way to the center.
Some 20 contributing artists will display their work in varied media, including oil, watercolor, pastel, acrylic, pencil, mixed-media and photography to view or buy in all price ranges. There will be voting for the People’s Choice Awards, both Best Picture and the Ron Skelton Award for Overall Best Artist. Purchases are by cash or check. There is no admission charge.
2) Appalachian Trail License Plates Reach $1 Million in Sales
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is delighted to announce that sales from the North Carolina Appalachian Trail specialty license plate program have exceeded more than $1 million. Since the program’s inception in 2005, it has funded dozens of trail-related projects in the state of North Carolina.
For each North Carolina specialty A.T. plate that is purchased or renewed, the ATC receives $20. The ATC then awards annual grants to organizations and individuals that help fulfill the ATC’s mission within the state of North Carolina and along its common border with Tennessee. In 2015 alone, the ATC awarded $30,000 for Trail and facilities maintenance, environmental monitoring, natural heritage projects and education and community outreach.
“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is very appreciative of the support received from North Carolina drivers,” said Morgan Sommerville, ATC regional director. “Support from the purchase of these plates funds projects that would not otherwise occur—both on-the-ground A.T. projects and essential administrative needs in our Asheville, NC office, which will increase our capacity to sustain the Trail into the future.”
The North Carolina specialty license plate was made possible after years of work by New Bern attorney and ATC board member Clark Wright. NC Sen. Joe Sam Queen of Waynesville then sponsored the legislation, which created the tag. Invaluable assistance was also provided by Kay Hatcher of the Department of Motor Vehicles Specialty Tag Office in Raleigh.
In addition to North Carolina, the ATC also offers specialty license plates in Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
For more information about the A.T. specialty license plate program, visit www.appalachiantrail.org/plates.
3) Lawnmower Race in North Wilkesboro on May 30
The Rotary Club of North Wilkesboro will host the second lawnmower race of the season on Saturday, May 30, at Worth Evan Tomlinson Rotary Park in North Wilkesboro.
The event is a fundraiser for the club.
The Rotary Fairgrounds is located beside West Park off D Street in North Wilkesboro. Gates open at 1 p.m. Inspection is from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Practice begins at 4:30 p.m. and racing starts 6 p.m.
Admission is $7, with children 5 and under admitted free.
This is a Carolina Mower Racing Association event.
Food vendors will be on site.
For more information, call Mike Staley at 336-902-7052.
4) ChickenFest Americana Music Festival May 22-24
Tyson Foods will present its 10th annual ChickenFest three-day music festival on Memorial Day weekend, May 22-24, at the corner of Fourth and E streets in North Wilkesboro.
More than 35 acts will perform at this festival, which celebrates Americana music and the area’s poultry industry. Bojangles of 2nd Street will sponsor the event, which is hosted byThe Record and Tyson Foods.
As always, a diverse line-up of musicians will perform on The Sammy Lankford Stage and the Tut Taylor Spotlight Stage inside the Tyson Pavilion, with genres ranging from old-time, folk, bluegrass, blues, acoustic rock and gospel.
Friday evening at ChickenFest, which begins at 6 p.m., will be hosted by WKBC Radio’s Steve Handy and Ed Racey, and will be held in tribute of Grammy winning musician Tut Taylor who died April 9, at the age of 91.
Performers for the evening include: Ward Eller and Friends; Madison McKinney; Mike Palmer, Cathy Palmer, Niki Hamby, Jeff Moore, Ben Holbook and Rick Gaughan; Larry Griffin; and R.G. Absher and the Backwater String Band..
Saturday, May 24’s music begins at 11 a.m. A flag raising ceremony will be conducted by members of VFW Post 1142’s Honor Guard. The National Anthem will be sang by Lauren Stutts and a welcome will be given by North Wilkesboro Mayor Robert Johnson and Record Publisher Ken Welborn.
A highlight of the evening will be a tribute to Charles Tesh. Having performed at most every ChickenFest, Tesh helped organize the lineup for the Tut Taylor Spotlight Stage and was an invaluable “go to guy,” said event organizer Record Editor Jerry Lankford. “It didn’t matter what we needed, Charles was there to help. ChickenFest will never be the same without him. He was a good and dear friend on many levels.”
Performers on Saturday at Chicken will include: Keith Watts and Linda Cabe, Devin Huie, The Dixie, Emma Averi, Copper Creek, Rocky Point, Lauren Stutts and Jerry Lankford, Misty River Band, Ralph Clanton, Sonny Remington, Chris Eller and Ruby Williams, Rude Mood, Ernest Johnson and Friends, Dvaughn Ladd, Crabgrass, Adam and Ray Winebarger, Herb Key and Trevor McKenzie with a discussion and performance of the song Otto Wood: The Bandit, a scene from the outdoor drama Otto Wood: The Bandit, Bobby Billings, Doreen Pinkerton, Hard Tymes, Uncle Joe and the Shady Rest, Heidi and Tatum Holloway, Rick Brockner and Autumn Hollars, Adam Younce, Jimmy Owen and Roger and Michelle Cranford with a Tribute to Charles Tesh.
Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame members David Johnson, Eric Ellis and Friends will close out the evening with “Looking Back on 10 Years of ChickenFest.”
Sunday at ChickenFest will begin at 11 a.m., with a church service conducted by Rev. Larry Thompson and Arbor Grove United Methodist Church. Music begins at noon and runs to mid-afternoon. Performers include: Padraic Wildermuth, Jimmy Owen, Doreen Pinkerton, Uncle Joe and the Shady Rest, and Doug Davis and Friends.
Chicken barbeque, chicken hotdogs and chicken sandwiches, baked goods, nachos and other snacks will be sold by Arbor Grove United Methodist Church. Master Griller Clarence Carty and Blake Sebastian of Woodhaven Catering will prepare barbeque chicken.
A play area will also be provided at The Record Park.
For more information about ChickenFest and other events at The Record Park, call The Record at 336-667-0134. ChickenFest is an Alcohol-free family event.