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Today’s Email Announcements

Road Closure Update for Boone Cyclo.Via This Sunday

Parts of Rivers, Depot and Howard Street will be closed on Sunday, July 22 for the eighth annual Boone Cyclo.Via.

The streets will be closed from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. for the festival, which is free and open to the public. Streets will be closed for lots of entertainment and activities, including BMX shows at noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Ben Outen of Charlotte to Give Organ Recital This Sunday, July 22

Renowned Charlotte organist, Ben Outen, is the guest organist in this month’s recital and Solemn Evensong at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church in Blowing Rock. The recital begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 22 in the nave of the church and is followed immediately by Evensong at 3:30. 

Outen was named organist and choir director at Christ Church, Charlotte, last year after 25 years as Director of Music at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.  Outen was the Founder and Artistic Director of the Choir School at St. Peters, which is made up of five choirs with which he toured extensively in the United States and Britain, as well as provided child soloists for the Charlotte Symphony and children’s choruses for Opera Carolina. Outen has taught at the Royal School of Church Music in America, and is well-known in Anglican and early music circles in the Southeast.  He holds degrees in Organ Performance from Furman and in Music Theory from Yale and studied organ with W. Lindsay Smith, Charles Krigbaum, Gerre Hancock, and Robert Baker.

Outen will also accompany the choir of St. Mary’s at Evensong following his recital. The choir presents this contemplative service one Sunday each month through October, and everyone is welcome.  Service music for July 22 will feature music by Herbert Howells, including hisMagnificat and Nunc dimittis (written for St. Paul’s Cathedral) and his emotionally-charged Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks. The introit is the darkly mysterious Behold the tabernacle of God by Healey Willan.

For more information on this service, please contact St. Mary of the Hills at 828.295.7323, or follow us on Facebook @MusicfromStMaryoftheHills.

Watauga County Republican Women’s Club to Meet July 25

The Watauga County Republican Women’s Club (WCRWC) will have its next monthly meeting on Wednesday, July 25 at Sagebrush Steakhouse in Boone. The meeting will begin at noon.

Anyone interested in furthering the Republican cause in the High Country are welcome to attend and are invited to join. Call 828-295-9020 for more information. The WCRWC meets the last Wednesday of each month. Find them on Facebook and learn more.

Back 2 School Festival in Need of School Supplies and Sponsors

The sixth annual Back 2 School Festival kicked off its Pack-the-Bus initiative in style by participating in both the Boone and Blowing Rock Independence Day parades.

At the conclusion of the Blowing Rock parade, festival organizers parked big yellow school buses at both First National Bank (formerly Yadkin Bank) locations in Boone to collect school supplies for this years’ festival. The buses, located at the New Market Centre branch and the Blowing Rock Road branch, will be collecting supplies until July 27th. Individuals, families and groups wishing to donate school supplies can drop them off at the buses anytime during regular business hours.

“Pack-the-Bus offers an opportunity for everyone in Watauga County to help local school children and it also helps to offset the cost of our committee having to purchase school supplies,” states Sandra Ruppert, Green Valley School counselor and Back 2 School Festival Supplies Committee chairperson.

To date, this year’s Back 2 School Festival, presented by Mast General Store, ECRS Retail Automation, 4 Forty Four Builders, Watauga NC Community Foundation, County Commissioner Larry Turnbow and Snow Masonic Lodge #363, has raised just over $20,000 but still needs $15,000 to make the festival a success.

Watauga County Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott Elliott adds, “The Back 2 School Festival is a perfect opportunity for people to give back to their community. Whether you are interested in sponsoring the event, making a donation or volunteering your time, lending a hand at the Back 2 School Festival is a great way to directly support students and families in Watauga County.”

Sponsors and donors make it possible for the Back 2 School Festival to purchase high-quality backpacks, that last the entire school year, and name-brand shoes for every child in need. Last year that meant close to 1,100 of each.

Additional sponsors include Grand Sponsors Boone Service League, Lauren Jaquays LGBTQ Youth Alliance and Carolina West; General Sponsors Holy Cross Episcopal, Blue Ridge Energy, Meat Camp Baptist, OP Smiles, Boone Dermatology, and Boone United Methodist FUNN Sunday School Class; and Small Business Sponsors Holton Management, Ross Chrysler Jeep Dodge, OrthoCarolina, Brown Heights Apartments and Highlands Union Bank.

Sponsorships are available at multiple levels, ranging from $100 to $5000. Any business or person interested in sponsoring the festival can visit back2schoolfestival.org/sponsorship/ or contact sponsorship coordinator Maegan Furman at maegan1@aol.com.

The Back 2 School Festival, started in 2013 as a collaborative effort between local nonprofits The Children’s Council, Western Youth Network, Hospitality House, Quiet Givers and others seeks to streamline local school readiness efforts in order to have a greater impact on the community. It was designed to serve any family struggling to afford the high costs of back-to-school shopping in a fun, dignified and respectful environment. Their goal is for all kids to start school feeling confident and prepared for the year ahead.

This year’s festival, will take place Saturday, August 4th at Watauga County High School from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contributions may be made online at back2schoolfestival.org/donate/ or checks made payable to The Children’s Council, with “B2SF18” in the memo line, may be mailed to PO Box 102, Boone N.C. 28607.

The Jink and Diddle Scottish Fiddlers Concert Coming July 27

Enjoy a concert of Scottish traditional music played by the next generation of talented young musicians along with 10-time National Scottish Fiddling Champion John Turner on Friday, July 27 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

These young fiddle players have all studied with master fiddler John Turner at the Jink and Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling. The school has sessions every winter and summer at the Valle Crucis Conference Center in Valle Crucis, North Carolina.

John Turner and his students are great exponents of Scottish fiddle music. A number of the students have won top prizes in prestigious competitions. Everyone should come and hear Scotland’s lovely airs, military marches, bouncy jigs, snappy strathspeys, up-tempo reels and other styles. This is a musical event not to be missed!

Admission to the concert is free. Love offerings will be gratefully accepted to benefit the Jink and Diddle scholarship fund.

The church is located at 170 Councill Street behind Earthfare.

Jalin Moore Named to Doak Walker Award Watch List

The preseason watch list for the 2018 Doak Walker Award, which is given to the top running back in college football, includes Appalachian State senior Jalin Moore.
 
The recognition of Moore occurs two days after he was named to the preseason watch list for the 2018 Maxwell Award, which is given to the player of the year in college football.
 
Moore ranks second among active FBS players with 3,170 career rushing yards, but he’s the only active back with at least 235 rushing yards in four career games. He’s ranked No. 9 overall and No. 1 among running backs on NFL.com’s 18-player list of “college football’s most freakish athletes.”
 
Street and Smith labeled Moore as the Sun Belt Conference’s “Top NFL Prospect,” and he is one of two Sun Belt players on the Doak Walker Award watch list. The winner of the award, which is named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back, will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards show Dec. 6.

2018 Doak Walker Award Watch List
Cam Akers (So.), Florida State
Darius Anderson (Jr.), TCU
Rodney Anderson (Jr.), Oklahoma
Ryquell Armstead (Sr.), Temple
Alex Barnes (Jr.), Kansas State
LeVante Bellamy (Jr.), Western Michigan
Eno Benjamin (So.), Arizona State
KirVonte Benson (Jr.), Georgia Tech
Jamauri Bogan (Sr.), Western Michigan
Tony Brooks-James (Sr.), Oregon
Brittain Brown (So.), Duke
Spencer Brown (So.), UAB
Squally Canada (Sr.), BYU
Stephen Carr (So.), USC
Michael Carter (So.), North Carolina
Andrew Clair (So.), Bowling Green
Matt Colburn, II (Sr.), Wake Forest
Jeremy Cox (Sr.), Old Dominion
Damarea Crockett (Jr.), Missouri
AJ Dillon (So.), Boston College
J.K. Dobbins (So.), Ohio State
Rico Dowdle (Jr.), South Carolina
Ian Eriksen (Sr.), Eastern Michigan
Travis Etienne (So.), Clemson
Wesley Fields (Sr.), Georgia Southern
Myles Gaskin (Sr.), Washington
Darrin Hall (Sr.), Pittsburgh
Damien Harris (Sr.), Alabama
Chase Hayden (So.), Arkansas
Darrell Henderson (Jr.), Memphis
Karan Higdon (Sr.), Michigan
Justice Hill (Jr.), Oklahoma State
Travis Homer (Jr.), Miami
Xavier Jones (Jr.), SMU
Patrick Laird (Sr.), Cal
Jeremy Larkin (Jr.), Northwestern
Bryce Love (Sr.), Stanford
Izzy Matthews (Sr.), Colorado State
Alexander Mattison (Jr.), Boise State
David Montgomery (Jr.), Iowa State
Jalin Moore (Sr.), Appalachian State
Kelton Moore (Jr), Nevada
Zack Moss (Jr.), Utah
Jacques Patrick (Sr.), Florida State
Emmanuel Reed (Jr.), Buffalo
Miles Sanders (Jr.), Penn State
LJ Scott (Sr.), Michigan State
Devin Singletary (Jr.), Florida Atlantic
Rodney Smith (Sr.), Minnesota
Benny Snell (Jr.), Kentucky
D’Andre Swift (So.), Georgia
J.J. Taylor (So.), Arizona
Jonathan Taylor (So.), Wisconsin
Lexington Thomas (Sr.), UNLV
Tavares Thomas (Sr.), Mid Tennessee
Warren Wand (Sr.), Arkansas State
Da’Leon Ward (So.), Texas Tech
Devwah Whaley (Jr.), Arkansas
Aeris Williams (Sr.), Mississippi State
Trayveon Williams (Jr.), Texas A&M
Kenny Young (Sr.), Miami (Ohio)
Marquis Young (Sr.), Massachusetts

Tickets On Sale For Walker Center 2018-19 Season Shows

The Walker Center begins ticket sales on Monday, July 23, at noon for its individual season shows on the 2018-2019 lineup:

–           Dailey & Vincent – Thursday, September 20, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

This performance is sponsored by Carolina West Wireless.

           

–           Under the Streetlamp – Thursday, November 1, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

This performance is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

 

–           “Deep in the Heart of Christmas” with the Texas Tenors- Thursday, December 6, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

This performance is sponsored by Hampton Inn of Wilkesboro, Holiday Inn Express of Wilkesboro and VisitWilkesboroNC.com.

 

–           Mike Farris – Thursday, February 28, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

This performance is sponsored by Skyline National Bank and Great State Bank.

 

–           “Artrageous” – Thursday, March 28, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

This performance is sponsored by Piedmont Federal Savings Bank.

 

–           The Oak Ridge Boys – Friday, May 10, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

This performance is sponsored by Carolina West Wireless.

 

Previews of these shows can be viewed at http://www.walkercenteronline.org/season-shows

Season ticket sales are ongoing. Prices for adults are $235 for Section 1; $220 for Section 2; and $195 for Section 3. Prices for seniors are $220 for Section 1; $210 for Section 2; and $195 for Section 3. These prices do not include tax, service, and mail fees.

 

Aside from the usual performance season, the Walker Center will also host three additional shows as part of the first year of the new Next Generation Series. The shows in that series include:

 

–           Scythian – Thursday, August 16, 2018, 7:00 p.m.

–           The Long Run – A Tribute to the Eagles, Thursday, January 24, 2019, 7:00 p.m.

–           Wild World of Animals, Friday, March 15, 2019 7:00 p.m. – This performance is sponsored by McDonald’s.

Contact the Walker Center Box Office at 336-838-6260 or walker.boxoffice@wilkescc.edu to purchase tickets or for more details on performances, events and hospitality services. Visit the Walker Center online at www.wilkescc.edu/walkercenter/.

The John A. Walker Community Center is dedicated to being the primary venue for cultural experiences in Wilkes and surrounding areas and to serving as a primary gathering place for meetings, receptions, conventions, banquets and parties.

The Walker Center and Wilkes Community College are 100% Tobacco Free.

Latest Update on New River Water Intake Project

On Feb. 13, 2017 the Harper Corporation and Garney Construction Company, Inc. were provided with the Notice to Proceed on the Boone Water Line, Water Treatment Plant, Intake and Booster Pump Station Project. The following is a project update summarizing recent and future work. There are currently 111 days remaining in the project contract for the Harper Corporation and 29 days on the Garney Construction Company, Inc. contract.

The Harper Corporation continues to complete items at the water treatment plant, the water intake site and at the Brownwood Road booster pump station. The focus at the water treatment plant has been the completion of filter number 3 of 5. Work will now focus on replacement of the filter number 4 of 5. Demo work on the concrete surfaces on the back side of the plant has been completed. The concrete floor and walls for the chemical storage building will begin. Bulk chemical storage tanks will be installed. At the booster pump station, the block walls of the structure will be started.

The Garney Construction Company has completed all pipe installation along Brownwood Road, Highway 421 and New River Hills. The trenchless crossing number 5 has been completed and the pipeline has been connected on both sides of Highway 421– the entire 12-mile section of the pipeline is 100% installed. The next couple weeks will consist of final testing of the waterline and completing final items on the punch list.