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Today’s Email Announcements

1) Public Invited to Join Amateur Radio Club Field Day Events on June 27-28

The Watauga Amateur Radio Club, an affiliate with the American Amateur Radio Relay League, will join hundreds of other stations during Field Day 2015 on June 27-28.

Field Day is a practice exercise that involves trained radio operators setting up temporary communications sites with antennas, emergency power and operating around the clock, as would happen during a local or national emergency, such as an earthquake, hurricane or tornado that disrupts normal communications. Field Day stations will be communicating with other stations around the USA, as well as other countries, over shortwave and VHF radios.

We will be operating from Howards Knob, one of the High Country’s beautiful parks, and would like to invite the public to stop by to visit. Field Day communications will start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 27 until the park closes at 7:30 p.m. The Field Day period ends at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 28.

New Radio Amateurs or others interested in Amateur Radio will have the opportunity to operate a Get On The Air Station (GOTA) with the help of a licensed station control operator.

If you would like to see the excitement of ham radio or if you have been thinking of getting a ham radio license, this is an opportunity to see how ham radio operators work together and how exciting a hobby ham radio is.  The Watauga Amateur Radio Club will start holding a Technician License Class in the month of July. The tentative exam will be the end of August.

For further information about enrolling in the course, check out the Watauga Amateur Radio Club online and the National Association for Amateur Radio.

2) Vintage Valle Music Returns to Baird’s Creek Presbyterian on June 21

Enjoy the first performance of this year’s Vintage Valle Music season indoors at Baird’s Creek Presbyterian Church, 2147 N.C. Highway 194 S. in Vilas, from 4-6 p.m.on June 21. Musicians scheduled to entertain this month include Amantha Mill, Maura Shawn Scanlin, Highway 194, Damascus and Sarah and Mark McGuire. Admission is free. However, if you’d like to help your neighbors with a tangible donation, this month we’re collecting nonperishable food items to be contributed to the new Western Watauga Food Outreach coordinated by Quiet Givers. Vintage Valle Music performances are hosted at the church every third Sunday of each month, featuring an eclectic mix of local musical groups and there’s never a charge. No passin’ the hat, no preachin’, no prayin’, no dinner — just pickin’ and singin’ and lots of grinnin’!

3) NASCAR Sports Writer Tom Higgins to Speak at ASU on June 12

Tom Higgins, who has been called NASCAR’s storyteller, will talk about his sports writing career June 12 at Appalachian State University. Higgins wrote about motorsports for the Charlotte Observer for more than three decades.

Higgins’ talk is sponsored by Belk Library and Information Commons. The free event will begin at 4 p.m. in room 321. A reception will follow.

The fourth recipient of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence, Higgins was honored during NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony in January and featured in an exhibit at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.

The Burnsville native began his career as a sports writer in the late 1950s, covering sports for the Canton Enterprise after graduating from Brevard College, where he played baseball and basketball.

He later joined the Asheville Citizen-Times, and said in an interview with the paper that, “Once I got to Asheville and heard the clacking of those teletype machines and was part of the excitement of putting out a daily newspaper, I was hooked.”

His first auto race was at the Asheville Weaverville Speedway.

Higgins is the author of “Racing into the Past,” which covers the early years of NASCAR, “NASCAR Greatest Races: The 25 Most Thrilling Races in NASCAR History” and coauthor of “Junior Johnson: Brave in Life.”

4) “A Cool 5” Race Weekend at Beech Mountain, June 19-20

Eastern America’s highest town announces five options for runners during this year’s “A Cool 5″ race weekend. This year the event will consist of five different races held over a two-day period emphasizing outdoor activity and showcasing the beauty of Beech Mountain.

Families are encouraged to participate in the two running events Friday afternoon, June 19. The first is the Kids’ Cool Popsicle Relay, which takes place at 4 p.m. on the athletic fields at the Buckeye Recreation Center. The free popsicle relay offers competition in different age groups. Friday afternoon is the “Buck-A-Thon” fundraiser in which participants pledge a dollar for each lap they complete on the Buckeye Rec Center walking track. On Friday night, 5 -7 p.m. is the “Taste of Beech,” where local restaurants provide samples and coupons for runners, residents, and guests. If you register to run, the Taste of Beech is FREE! For non-runners, it’s only a “cool” $5.

The bulk of racing takes place Saturday morning, June 20, with a 5-mile run; 1.5-mile fun run/walk; and a pet-friendly 1.5-mile walk & wag. All three begin at Town Hall at 8:30 a.m.

Adult registration for the 5-mile run is $25; and $30 race day. Entry fees for the Fun Run/Walk and the Walk & Wag are $20 before day of race and $25 day of race.

Youth registration (12 and under) is $10 for all races. Kids are FREE for Friday events.

“The fun run/walk has moderate elevation changes with many locations for spectators to cheer and encourage all racers. Meanwhile, the walk & wag features runners of the four-legged variety on a route that circles the town’s Bark Park and includes stations with doggy water and treats followed by a canine cool down at the Bark Park.”

Thank you to our sponsors, volunteers, and community members!

Complete details and online registration is now open at www.acool5race.com.

Call the Buckeye Rec Center for more information at 828-387-3003.