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Today’s Email Announcements

TODAY: High Country Audubon Society Monthly Meeting

High Country Audubon Society invites you to hear a presentation by Bill Dunson, “A Naturalist Buys an Old Farm” on Tuesday, May 15 at 6:30 PM at the Holiday Inn Express in Boone. Come hear the story of Bill and Margaret Dunson’s 14-year “romance” with their 107-acre farm and its 120-year-old farmhouse near Galax, VA. Margaret and Bill are both biologists who taught at Pennsylvania State University before retirement.

Bill and Margaret renovated their antique farmhouse and outbuildings in Galax and extensively managed the fields, wetlands and woods to benefit wildlife, primarily birds, butterflies, dragonflies/damselflies, and reptiles and amphibians. They partnered with the National Resources Conservation Service of the USDA under the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) to plant shrubs, trees, and three wildflower-grass/pollination meadows. They also restored a wet meadow by diverting a channelized stream and built eight small ponds of different types, some with and others without fish.

The greatest threat to many of their plants was herbivory and horning by deer which was countered by use of 4-5-foot-tall cages and hunting. They maintained some forest gaps created by logging and found these definitely attracted certain birds such as chats and Kentucky warblers. They also conducted surveys of birds and insects and discovered a migratory pathway for nighthawks over the farm.      

After selling their Galax farm, Bill and Margaret recently purchased a house and two acres just east of Boone where they will spend six months during the summer. In the winter they live in Englewood, Florida, where they have a wildlife-friendly yard with about 160 species of plants selected to benefit birds and butterflies.

Bill leads nature walks and presents programs on various ecological topics. He will lead his first Birds, Bugs & Blooms walk at the Boone Greenway on May 19 from 9–11 a.m.  He also writes a nature blog Nature Notes by Bill Dunson, illustrated with his own photos. Visit www.highcountryaudubon.org for additional information.

What’s Happening this week at Lost Province Brewing

Tuesday May 15

5pm-9pm Cheap Date Night. No Reservations Needed. Cheap Date Night includes two side salads, a pizza and a pint for $25!

Wednesday May 16

7pm-9pm Trivia Night: Beginning at 7pm, Lost Province will be hosting Trivia Night. Compete on your own or on a team! The competition gets started at 7pm so come a little early for a pizza and a pint and get your seat!

Thursday May 17

$3.00 Thursday and College Night-$3.00 pints on all Lost Province brewed beers (except high gravity).

5:00-8:00pm-Habitat for Humanity Don Ho Down. Since March 1st, eleven community leaders have been fundraising on behalf of Watauga Habitat for Humanity in our 4th annual Big Kahuna Campaign. Join us May 17th to see who will raise the most money and be crowned the Big Kahuna. Live Music with will be provided by The Dashboard Hula Boys. The Dashboard Hula Boys, a Boone, North Carolina based acoustic trio, are Ed Midgett (guitar), Bob White (upright bass), and Tom Whyte (harmonica, uke, tenor banjo). They play favorites from old-time blues, and tin pan alley, to classic rock along with a few originals. Always entertaining and fun, the band has been playing their form of high energy Americana for over 25 years.

Friday May 18

7:30pm-Closing Live Music: Woodie and the String Pullers. Woodie & The String Pullers are 3 witty gents from Charlotte, NC who play authentic acoustic instruments. Their repertoire covers the map…. including Pop, Rock, Country, Indie and Reggae. They may look like a bluegrass band…but don’t be fooled; they are everything but a bluegrass band =) This band is completely different. They are a breath of fresh air; but most of all… THEY ARE ENTERTAINING! Each member sings and plays multiple instruments. They play covers in their own unique style. Jerry “The Jacket” Dowd: Bass, Vocals, Guitar, Manual Juicer & Professional Grade Weed Eater. Kevin “The String Breaker” Russell: Guitar, Vocals, Percussion, Bass, Eggbeater & Garlic Press. Mark “Syko” Sykes: Mandolin, Vocals, Dobro, Spatula & Measuring Cup, Chief Commodian…err rather… Comedian.

Saturday May 19

7:30-Closing Live Music: Folk and Dagger. Folk and Dagger are a folk rock group from Boone, NC, whose original trio formed in 2007. The band includes singer-songwriter Doris Bazzini Crothers on rhythm guitar and vocals, Colin Crothers on lead guitar, and Colleen Tarantino Utter on vocals. Originally singing as a church choir group, the band was joined by Charlie Ochoa and then Jimmy Puchalski on percussion. More recently, the foursome includes Boone native, John Fulkerson on djembe, shaker, and tambourine. The band’s soulful harmonies and Crothers’ acoustic lead guitar style have been likened to “Indigo Girls meet the Beatles.” Bazzini Crothers’ songs focus on love and life’s dramas including annoying co-workers, juggling marriage and children, and the occasional need to carry whiskey in one’s purse.

Appalachian Regional Library Wins ‘The Great American Read’ Programming Grant from PBS and ALA

Appalachian Regional Library will receive a grant from the American Library Association (ALA) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to host programs in conjunction with “The Great American Read,” an eight-part television series and multi-platform initiative that celebrates the joy of reading and the books we love.
 
“The Great American Read programming grant gives our communities an opportunity to be part of a national conversation about the power of literature to inform and shape the lives of all Americans, and also, we expect it will be a bunch of fun,” says Laura McPherson, Adult Services Librarian at Ashe County Public Library.
 
More than 220 public libraries applied for the $2,000 grants, which will support public programs around the series. Appalachian Regional Library – which includes the public libraries in Ashe, Watauga and Wilkes counties – was one of just 50 libraries nationwide to be selected.
 
The library’s programming for “The Great American Read” will kick off at 1 p.m. on May 19with events at each of the main libraries in Boone, North Wilkesboro, and West Jefferson, where the names of the top 100 books will be announced, voting will begin, and attendees will get a sneak peek of the two-hour PBS premiere. Refreshments will be served. For more information about this and other events, visit www.arlibrary.org.
 
In addition to the grant money, Appalachian Regional Library will receive a DVD collection of the series with public performance rights; a hardcover copy of the companion book, “The Great American Read: The Book of Books” by PBS (Black Dog & Leventhal, August 21, 2018); and other resources.
 
The libraries will also have the opportunity to host “sneak peek” screenings of the series premiere and five theme episodes before they broadcast to the public.
Premiering May 22, “The Great American Read” will engage audiences with a list of 100 diverse books, encouraging audiences to read the books, vote from the list of 100, and share their personal connections to the titles.
 
The two-hour launch episode will kick off a summer of reading and voting. In fall 2018, seven new episodes will air, featuring appearances by celebrities, athletes, experts, authors and everyday Americans advocating for their favorite book, culminating with a finale that reveals America’s best-loved novel as chosen by the American public.
 
Boone Town Council Announcement

The agendas and packets for the May 15 & 17 regular Town Council meetings have been published and are available to view online at http://boonenc.iqm2.com/Citizens/Default.aspx 

Caldwell Arts Council Announces Fourth Semi-Annual Hues & Brews Artists and Craft Brewers Celebration

Granite Falls Brewing will host the 4th Semi-Annual HUES & BREWS fundraising event for the Caldwell Arts Council on Saturday, May 19, 2018 from 12:00 Noon to 5:00 p.m.  Granite Falls Brewing is located at 47 Duke Street in Granite Falls.

Check out the latest from regional breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries, handcrafted art by local artisans, and with live music by Andrew Massey and the Midnight Americans, and the Shelby Rae Moore band. 

The festival is FREE, family friendly, and dog friendly!.  Pint pours are $5 each. Proceeds benefit the Caldwell Arts Council.

About the Caldwell Arts Council

The Caldwell Arts Council presents art exhibits, education and collection programs that foster cultural arts in Caldwell County.

For more information please call 828-754-2486 or visit www.caldwellarts.com.  The Caldwell Arts Council’s programs are supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources and by individual and corporate donors.

Lees-McRae College Becomes Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine’s Top Adventure College

On Friday, May 4, Lees-McRae took historic gold in Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine’s Top Adventure College competition becoming the first “small school” to win the overall title.

Week by week, Lees-McRae beat out school after school ultimately proving the College, and its surroundings, are some of the best in the region.

The annual contest, presented by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine, posed colleges across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions in a weekly bracket head-to-head competition. One-half of the bracket featured “large schools” or schools with more than 5,000 enrolled students with the other half including “small schools” or schools with less than 5,000 enrolled students.

Before taking the ultimate title of Top Adventure College, Lees-McRae took the title of best “small school.”

Boasting miles of trails, campgrounds and picturesque locations to set up a hammock, Lees-McRae offers endless ways to explore and enjoy the outdoors. Many of the academic offerings at Lees-McRae center around the outdoors and the lessons it can teach. Some of those programs include Outdoor Recreation Management, Cycling Studies and Wildife Biology. 

Outdoor Recreation Management professor Katie Wall said that the competition, though fierce, brought the Lees-McRae and High Country communities together in a way she did not expect.

“Students, faculty, staff, alumni, families, friends from other colleges and more came together to support Lees-McRae. This was truly a group effort and we owe a huge thanks to everyone that supported us through this competition,” Wall said. “Though Lees-McRae may be small, we are mighty, and we have shown that today.”

‘Compassionate Non-Violent Communication’ Two-Part Event at Watauga County Public Library May 22, 24

This presentation by Ed Rothstein of Daymark Recovery will provide information on effective ways to communicate with family members, co-workers, and people in general.
Includes the showing of a video by Marshall Rosenberg, PhD., author of “Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life”. 

Ed is a peer specialist on the Assertive Communication Treatment Team and is also on the National Alliance on Mental Illness board. He is a former president of the Tennessee Mental Health Consumers Association and former manager of a Peer Support Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The sessions will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 24.

Carolina Panthers to hold Heads Up Football Clinic for football moms on June 21

The Carolina Panthers will host area football moms for a series of free Heads Up Football Clinics at four different locations across the Carolinas in May and June. Clinics will be held at Bank of America Stadium, Greer (SC) High School, Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Each clinic will be held in conjunction with USA Football, the national governing body of the sport and the Panthers’ youth football development partner.

The date for the clinic at App State is June 21. 

Each clinic will help provide mothers whose children are interested in playing tackle football with the latest information about player safety and other important information. Each event will include a $250 donation to the school or organization with the highest number of participating moms.

Carolina Panthers athletic training staff will discuss concussion recognition and a parent’s role, while also covering hydration and prevention of heat-related illness. USA Football master trainers will educate moms on proper helmet and shoulder pad fitting while a Panthers alumni player will discuss football basics including rules and player positions.

Following classroom instruction, the clinic will move out to the field for hands-on instruction from the USA Football master trainers regarding the latest tackling.

Participants will receive an official Carolina Panthers Moms’ Clinic event t-shirt. Snacks and water will be provided.

Registration space is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested participants are encouraged to register HERE at a Moms’ Clinic site convenient to them.