Highlands NC Playhouse 2012 Season

Posted on May 5, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Highlands Playhouse’s 2012 season explores the power of friendships in unlikely places, celebrates the brash anything-for-the-show spirit of 1930s musicals, and spotlights the remarkable gifts of two richly talented women.

Highlands Playhouse celebrates its 2012 season with a drama that embraces the bittersweet truths and heartwarming verities at the core of smalltown life, a classic spoof that could have unspooled from a 1930s MGM musical, and a bracing comedy that examines the lives of two middle-aged women stranded at Reagan National Airport, sandwiched between a pair of flat-out electrifying performers.

Singer and force of nature Libby Whittemore launches the season in her inimitable way May 24th-27th. Libby’s performed at the Playhouse before and her style – a beguiling blend of Rosemary Clooney and Ethel Merman, leavened with a healthy dose of Southern Sass and hints of Patsy Cline – proved as irresistible as catnip to Highlands audiences. This return to the mountains promises to deliver the same dynamic style and wit that’s become her hallmark.

“The Spitfire Grill” follows on June 14th-July 8th. It’s a powerful, uplifting story about second chances, laced with folk and bluegrass songs that are by turns exhilarating and heartbreaking. After being released from prison, Percy finds strength in the women of The Spitfire Grill. Together, they serve more than pie and coffee—they feed the spirit of the townsfolk. It’s a tender exploration of the magic of redemption and forgiveness in small town America.

“Walter Cronkite is Dead” will be staged July 12th-22nd. The play takes that staple of American Improv – getting trapped next to a motormouth who lacks any sort of filter for their wildly divergent worldview – and transforms it into something that’s at once funny yet ultimately profound. Whether you’re from a Blue State or a Red State, “Walter Cronkite is Dead” holds a funhouse mirror to your beliefs and challenges you to laugh at your neighbor and yourself.

Those splashy Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930s are given their due when the playhouse opens “Dames at Sea,” July 26th-August 19th. It’s probably not coincidental that the plot could have been lifted from a half-dozen Dick Powell-Ruby Keeler extravaganzas: Ruby, a tap dancer from Utah, and Dick, a songwriting sailor(!), somehow end up working on a Broadway musical together. When the theater is shuttered, the plucky duo manage to get the show staged on a destroyer. “Dames at Sea” is a loving Valentine to those musicals from long ago – stuffed with rat-a-tat-tat snappy dialogue, knowing asides, and small-scale versions of those cast-of-hundreds dance numbers.

The Playhouse closes out its season with the arrival of Lindsey Alley, August 31st-September 3rd. Arising from her own experiences in the Entertainment Industry (including a childhood stint as a Mousketeer in the 1990s revival of “The Mickey Mouse Club”) and working with some of its most famous players, her one-woman show “Lindsey Who?” is what happens when show tunes and stand-up collide. Lindsey is single-handedly reinventing the great American club act. As a vocalist, she knows her way around a song – be it pop, original, or that standard you’re dying to hear one more time. And if that isn’t enough, she holds it all together with personal stories that most people would be too embarrassed to tell. In a memorable evening of belting and belly laughs, Lindsey lets it all hang out, which prompts her mother’s unsolicited stock apology, “I tried. I tried and I failed.”

For information, tickets or to reserve the Playhouse, stop by the Box Office at 326 Oak Street or call (828) 526-2695.

by Luke Osteen

Highlands-Cashiers NC Players

Posted on May 5, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The women of “The Dixie Swim Club” offer a lifetime of lessons. The Highlands-Cashiers Players’ production of “The Dixie Swim Club” will be performed at the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center, May 10th-13th, and May 17th-20th.

“It’s the story of five women who met and competed on The Pemberton College Women’s Swim team,” explains director Rick Siegel. “After graduation, each year they all gathered in the same beach cottage on the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a weekend of ‘no men, no work, no kids.’ The play captures four of those weekends.”

The Highlands-Cashiers Players first staged “Dixie Swim Club” for its winter production in 2010. It was an instant success, but because it was done in the winter, audiences were limited to those who spent their winter here.

But it turns out that “The Dixie Swim Club” was that rare play that those who saw it wanted their friends to see it. So the Players have reassembled the original cast save one, Betsy Miller, whose prior commitment to a wedding does not allow her to participate. But Jenny King, Carla Gates, Lee Lyons, and Mary Adair Leslie will be joined by Bonnie Earman, and “The Dixie Swim Club” will be back by popular demand at The Performing Arts Center.

Performances will be on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. For ticket information, call (828) 526-8084.

Highlands NC: Relay for Life

Posted on May 5, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Highland’s Relay For Life co chairs Mike Murphy and Debbie Grossman and the Planning Committee are hard at work on plans for the 2012 Relay, slated for August 17th at the Highlands Recreation Park.

“We’re taking Relay For Life to the next degree. Our goal is for each participant to raise at least $212.

“At 212 degrees, water boils. But what happens when we turn up the heat on cancer? More research, more cures, more education, more early detection, more lives saved.

Last year, Highlands Relay raised $81,792.00. The American Cancer Society has challenged Highlands to raise $105,000.00 this year.

“With your help, we’re aiming to have one of the most successful Relay For Life events in the country, attracting more survivors than ever before, “says Murphy.

Highlands Relay Teams are busy making their plans for the summer, but they are ever mindful of the event’s powerful heritage.

The American Relay for Life began is Tacoma Washington, in the mid-1980s, when Dr. Grody Klatt resolved to enhance the income of his local American Cancer Society office and show support for all of his patients who had battled cancer. He decided to personally raise money for the fight by doing something he enjoyed-running marathons.

In May 1985, Dr. Klatt spent a grueling 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. He ran for more than 83 miles. He raised $27,000 to fight cancer.

In 1986, with the help of Pat Flynn- known as the “Mother of Relay”- 19 teams took part in the first Team Relay Event and raised $33,000. An indescribable spirit prevailed at the track and in the tents that dotted the infield.

Twelve years ago, many Highlands cancer survivors walked the first local Relay. They are still walking today, raising awareness about cancer and its prevention, and raising funds to fight against this disease.

“Please make an effort to support Highlands Relay 2012,” says Murphy. Join the biggest fight against cancer and help us make the world’s biggest difference!

Please visit www.relayforlife.org/highlands for more information about this year’s event.

Highlands NC: Warrior Foundation Adventure Race

Posted on May 5, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

All of us are indebted to the many military personnel who are serving throughout the world so that we may live in peace and safety.

A group of individuals who risk their lives daily are the members of America’s Special Operations forces. The Special Operations Forces are all special operations personnel from the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force.

Although our forces voluntarily place themselves in harm’s way, it isn’t without personal sacrifices.

Which brings us to the most personal sacrifice anyone can ever give – their life for the cause and leaving behind their beloved families. For 32 years, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation has strived to have a positive impact on the children of the fallen heroes of the Special
Operations Forces.

The foundation gives all children of these young men who lost their life a college education (grant, not a loan). The total children are now over 900, from newborn to college age. They will receive a college education, family counseling and financial assistance to the families of our wounded troops.

This is the 10th year a local group of dedicated volunteers is staging events to support the Special Operations
Warrior Foundation.

What can each one of us do to help in this worthwhile endeavor? It’s easy to participate and to make a difference.

Over the last nine years the people of the Highlands, Cashiers, and Sapphire communities have helped us raise $450,000 and we hope to reach $500,000 this year.

You can help by donating, and attending the events
this year.

There’ll be a fundraising Golf Tournament slated for June 4th at Cullasaja Country Club. Cost is $140 per person and includes lunch, golf on a spectacular course and door prizes. To sign up or for more information, call Nancy Horwitz at (828) 526-0224.

Everyone is invited to a Spaghetti Dinner at Highlands Recreation Center On June 8th. Cost is $7 per person.

On June 9th, athletes from across the Southeast will be participating in the Special Operations Adventure Race. You can learn more about this challenging event by visiting
www.soarhighlands.org.

Finally, there’ll be a Silent/Live Auction at the Highlands Community Building (next to the Town Ballfield) on June 15th.

Highlands NC: Wonderful Workshops Highlight May at The Bascom

Posted on May 5, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Barry Gregg, whose work is pictured, will teach Aviary Adobe Architecture on May 29th through June 1st from 10 am to 4 pm at The Bascom. For more information or to register for Bascom workshop offerings, visit www.TheBascom.org or call 828.526.4949.

On Saturday, March 12^th, join Rosemary Stiefel for Stylistic Analysis from 10 am – 4:00 pm.

Gain a fresh way of seeing whether you are an art appreciator or hands-on artist. Learn how to look at and examine works of art by well known artists from various time periods and movements. Students will gain a better understanding of art, for intellectual enjoyment and/or the making of art, by creating simple diagrams showing how the paintings were created stylistically. Take a closer look at the art you love!

Want a great class to learn how to construct sculptures in clay? Join Colette Clark on Mondays and Wednesdays, May 14^th, 16^th, 21^st and 23^rd for Ceramic Sculpture. Colette’s approach will include hands-on demonstrations in hand building, coil, slab and extrusion construction, as well as lessons in firing processes, and glazing techniques. A focus on themes in ceramics such as human forms, objects from nature and imaginary works support student exploration into sculptural space.

On Friday and Saturday, May 25^th and 26^th, Greg Newington will teach Photoshop®. Would you like to enhance or correct your photos? It’s easy. Take this workshop to learn how to use Adobe Photoshop’s® tools to retouch, color correct and be introduced to professional imaging workflows.

Barry Gregg returns to The Bascom on May 29^th through June 1^st from 10 am to 4 pm for Aviary Adobe Architecture. This intermediate level hand building clay workshop will expand on previously taught workshops (bird, birdhouse, shrine, and totem construction). Participants will learn the expressive potential of pinch, coil, slab construction, principles and elements, surface design and techniques for increasing work in size and scale and adding expression. Also, the use of found objects and objects found in nature will add a mixed media component.

Visit The Bascom’s website at TheBascom.org and discover you inner artist.

The Bascom is open year-round – Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday, 12 noon to 5 pm. Enjoy workshops, exhibitions, special events and quality programs throughout the year at The Bascom. For more information, to register for Bascom workshop offerings or for more details on all Bascom activities, visit www.TheBascom.org or call 828.526.4949.

Highlands NC: Mountain Garden Club Annual Plant Sale

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Mountain Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale, slated for 9:00 a.m. Saturday, May 26th, is a dazzling showcase of little green jewels that you can take home.

The green plant life that lines the roads and carpets the mountains is a central part of Highlands’ natural

heritage. In fact, that’s what drew naturalist William Bartram here in the 18th Century. Our flora has been attracting people ever since.

That’s why a good portion of the town turns out every year for the Mountain Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale. This year’s incarnation, the 30th, is set for 9:00 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 26th, at the Town Ballfield.

The women of the Mountain Garden Club have been nurturing their crops with patience and care. What browsers will find at the sale are strong, healthy plants that are ideally suited for life in a Southern Appalachian Rain Forest. Look for plenty of leafy hostas, frondy ferns, sun-loving flowers, and shy shade dwellers.

And the Plant Sale offers something of equal value – the cheerfully shared wisdom of the Garden Club women. They’ve accumulated an almost encyclopedic knowledge of local plants and the challenges of growing in this little mountain town.

Plus, they’re a bunch of irrepressibly charming women. (Don’t believe me? Check out the Highlands Olde Mountain Christmas Parade this year.)

As you’d expect, with this many remarkable plants people tend to arrive beforehand. Sales won’t start until 9:00, but it’s a good idea to get there as early as possible. If it’s raining pretty hard, the sale will be postponed until Sunday, May 27th, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

by Luke Osteen

Highlands NC: Three River Fly Fishing Tourney

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The rewards are as big as the challenges at the Three River Tournament.

Just as you’d guess, the bold streams that have shaped Highlands and drawn generations of visitors are home to wily schools of rainbow and brown trout.

The trout, as ubiquitous as the rhododendron thickets that line those streams, seduce, challenge and occasionally reward their most ardent suitors – fly fishermen and women of extraordinary skill and infinite patience

That’s what makes Highlands’ Annual Three River Fly Fishing Tournament, set for May 17th through the 19th, such a natural fit on the town’s Event Calendar

The tourney is open to all anglers of all skill levels. Funds raised benefit the Town of Highlands Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships for Highlands High School graduates.

A tax-deductible $500 entry fee secures a spot for a two-person team in the tournament. Teams that wish to compete for top prizes will fish three different streams—one native, one hatchery supported and one delayed-harvest stream.

The entry fee includes various clinics, an invitation to the opening night reception, lunch for days, a fishing goody bag and a closing night winners’ dinner with food and prizes at Old Edwards Inn and Spa. Space is limited. Only the first 50 teams to register will be able to participate.

The fun kicks off Thursday, May 17th, with a pair of Casting Clinics at Harris Lake, one block from Main Street. Women may join the clinic, led by Joan Cabe, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. All participants can join in one-on-one coaching with the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team from noon to 4:00 p.m.

The Highland Hiker will host an equipment tune-up from noon to 4:00 p.m. It’s a marvelous way to ensure you’re prepared for all the tourney’s challenges and to soak up the Hiker’s staff’s accumulated wisdom, culled from years of prowling the local waterways.

As a quick test of your skills, you can join in the Casting Competition from noon to 4:00 p.m. at Pine Street Park (one block from Main Street, the other direction). It’ll be judged by the members of the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team.

The Old Edwards Inn’s Lobby will serve as the site of a Fly Tying Clinic from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Bill Clary will show how to tie the Jack Cabe Hopper, a jewel of a fly created by Highlands’ legendary fisherman/guide Jack Cabe.

All of that practice will be put to the test when participants take to the streams over the next two days. From Highlands, the fishing boundary will have a northern boundary of US Hwy. 74, a western boundary of the rafting and delayed harvest sections of the Nantahala River, a southern boundary of the Hwy. 28 bridge on the Chattooga River and an eastern boundary of the Davidson River and the East Fork of the French Broad River. A map designating all streams within this boundary will be provided to each applicant.

To register or receive more information, visit www.highlandsthreeriver.com or call the Highlands Visitor Center at (866) 526-5841. The tournament is sponsored in part by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, the Highland Hiker, Old Edwards Inn and Spa, The Highlander, Benjamin F. Edwards & Co.and Mountain Fresh Grocery.

Highlands NC: Annual Rotary Golf Tournament

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

A swing and a miss? Nope – everyone’s a winner thanks to the Highlands Rotary Club’s Annual Golf Tournament, May 7th, at Highlands Country Club.

If the tree-lined fairways and luxurious greens of Highlands Country Club’s nationally recognized golf course whisper to you throughout the day, throughout the year, you’ll need to clear your calendar for Monday, May 7th.

That’s the date for the Highlands Rotary Club’s 23rd Annual Golf Tournament, unfolding over that storied course. It’s a tournament that challenges even the most seasoned players, yet amply rewards anyone who signs up. Play is divided into four-person teams, a configuration that allows new friendships to be forged and, on occasion, strains existing ones.

Players may gather at the practice green or driving range at 10:00 a.m. to work out the kinks and hone all the skills that’ll come into play when the tournament kicks off at 11:00 a.m.

You’ll be treated to snacks and beverages along the course and there’ll be a delicious lunch prepared by the staff of Highlands Country Club when you reach the 10th Hole. Prizes will be awarded for Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive.

And through it all, regardless of how you and your teammates are faring, you’ll be able to revel in the sure knowledge that your participation is helping to enrich the Highlands community. Fully 100 percent of the funds raised by Highlands Rotary go to support projects like the Student Foreign Exchange Program, the Literacy Council of Highlands, the local Boy Scout Troop, the Peggy Crosby Center and Hudson Library. In fact, over the course of its 23 years, the tournament has raised over $100,000 for local causes.

Registration is $150 per player. To register or for more information, contact tournament chairman Brian Stiehler at (828) 787-2778.

by Luke Osteen

Highlands, NC: Win Your Own “Dixie Swim Club” Get-Away

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

In conjunction with the ever-popular production of “The Dixie Swim Club,” The Highlands-Cashiers Players are holding a raffle for a chance to win a fabulous 4-night/5-day stay at a low-country cottage in beautiful Palmetto Bluff Resort.

Located in Bluffton, South Carolina, and home to the famed Inn at Palmetto Bluff, the resort sits on 20,000 acres along the May River. This award-winning property boasts a wide-range of neighborhoods, mossy oak-shaded streets and gas-lit walkways. The Village is home to the Inn, a chapel and quaint restaurants.

The winner of the raffle will enjoy a newly-built, 2-bedroom, 2 and one-half bath Allison-Ramsey designed cottage in the River Road district. The cottage is close to the Village and the Preserve Trail. While there, you can enjoy all the amenities of the Inn including the pool, spa and fitness center. There are also a multitude of recreational opportunities on the property including miles of hiking trails, an inland waterway for kayaking, bocce ball, croquet, tennis and horseback riding. There is a shuttle to Harbor Town on Hilton Head Island, a treehouse on Moreland Landing and bicycles and golf carts to rent.

Palmetto Bluff is located between the beaches of Hilton Head Island and Savannah, 40 minutes in either direction. The funky little town of Bluffton sits across the river. Visit Bluffton’s historical district with fun shops, galleries, wonderful restaurants and the oldest working oyster factory in South Carolina where you can try May River oysters!

Raffle tickets are being sold by HCP Board members and can be purchased during the performances of “The Dixie Swim Club”, May 10th-14th and May 17th-20th.

Raffle tickets are $5 each or 6 tickets for $20. For more information, call the HCP box office at (828) 526-8084.

Contributed by Betsy Miller

Cashiers NC Arts & Crafts Show

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Cashiers Arts and Crafts Show, set for June 9th and 10th, brings together the finest artisans from the Valley and beyond.

The Cashiers Valley Rotary Club will stage the 2012 Cashiers Arts and Crafts Show with more than 60 artists and artisans coming to the Cashiers Village Green on Saturday and Sunday, June 9th and 10th.

The show will run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days, rain or shine.

It’ll showcase some of the finest local artisans and craftspeople and from across the Southeast.

There will be pottery, glassware, artworks, furniture, quilts, clothing, jewelry, and much more. You can expect to see mountain themes in many of the items, from handcrafted wooden bowls and ceramics to landscape paintings.

What sets this show apart is the fact that all of the items for sale must be handmade by the artists and artisans and must be of a high standard of craftsmanship.

The Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley will run a concessions stand, with its special hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, and drinks on sale. That means that browsers can spend the morning or afternoon and have lunch at the show. Families can also take advantage of the massive playground and picnic areas on the edge of the Village Green.

All proceeds from admission and food sales will benefit local Rotary programs and community service efforts, including the local Fire and Rescue departments, the Blue Ridge and Summit Schools, local college scholarships, Fishes and Loaves, food pantry, the Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic, Honor Air Flights, local school fluoridation programs and others.

A raffle drawing will be held at the fair on Sunday afternoon. Tickets are $10 each and will be sold prior to the drawing. The lucky winner will choose between $1000 cash and an ipad, ipod, itv package.

The Cashiers Arts and Crafts Show will be held at the Village Green, located at the intersection of Highways 64 and 107 at the Cashiers Crossroads. Admission is $3 per adult.

Cashiers NC Music Festival

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The fourth annual Cashiers Mountain Music Festival will be held on Saturday, June 30th and Sunday, July 1st at the Village Green and Commons in Cashiers, N.C.

In just three years, the Cashiers Mountain Music Festival has become one of the most respected events in the Southeast. The festival has welcomed such world class performing artists as the Steep Canyon Rangers, bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs, and last year’s headliners, David Holt and Doc Watson.

This year, the fourth annual event will be held on Saturday, June 30th and Sunday, July 1st at the Village Green and Commons in Cashiers.

The event continues the tradition of bringing top-notch regional and national mountain music to the plateau by featuring a special two-night appearance by Grammy award-winning bluegrass superstar Tony Rice. Rice will headline the event on Saturday, June 30th with his phenomenal band The Tony Rice Unit, and return to headline on Sunday, July 1st with nationally-known and regionally loved Balsam Range and legendary fiddler Bobby Hicks.

Hicks is a 10-time Grammy award winner with over 50 years of bluegrass experience, including playing alongside the father of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe. Balsam Range has produced multiple number one songs in bluegrass and earned the 2011 IBMA award for Song of the Year.

Other performers scheduled to appear are bluegrass supergroup Blue Highway, which has earned two Grammy nominations and multiple IBMA awards; Acoustic Syndicate; Larry Keel and Natural Bridge; Songs of Jackson County Band; Darren Nicholson Band; Whitewater Bluegrass Company; Wild Hog Band; the Him’s; Glenville Train; Jacob Jones, Will Howell and the Smoky Mountain Highlanders; Rafe Hollister; and the Boys of Tuckasegee.

There will be food, beverages, a children’s zone, arts and crafts, ice cream fundraisers, the Dixie Darlin’ Cloggers, and fireworks on Sunday, July 1st.

This is a family- and community-oriented event sponsored by the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce for the benefit of the Cashiers Preservation Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to providing assistance to a variety of local needs.

The festival is a proud member of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

Tickets are $25 per day or $40 for a two-day pass. Children 12 and under are admitted for free.

Highlands NC: Tooth Fairy Bingo

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Rotary Club of Highlands, with assistance from the Rotary Club of Cashiers, will partner with the Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic for Tooth Fairy Bingo, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 10th, at the Highlands Community Building.

The Tooth Fairies are the official promoters of the Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic. Currently there are eight fairies with names like “Big Wing,” “Lavender,” and “Chopper,” who volunteer their time to raise awareness in the community of the work of the dental clinic, and support the work of the Cashiers Valley Rotary and their Children’s Dental Health Project in the schools.

The Tooth Fairies have their own Facebook page, and have appeared in YouTube videos wearing tights and tutus. They encourage the community to floss, brush, and consider helping those in need.

Since the Free Clinic began its work in 2005, it has worked with over 2,000 patients and performed over 21,000 procedures. Money from the Bingo Games is split between winners and the Free Clinic. Ads, sponsorships and donations will all go to the Clinic (there is no split or sharing).

by Luke Osteen

Tour de Cashiers North Carolina

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Tour de Cashiers bicycle trek, and a new venue is under way for May 5th. Last fall, two long-term organizers of the Tour, William McKee and Bill Jacobs asked Highlands-Cashiers Hospital officials if they would be interested in leading the coordination of the event. The hospital wholeheartedly responded. “With the Hospital’s commitment to the area’s communities, as well as our mission to promote healthy lifestyles, we are excited to announce that plans are underway to continue this great community tradition,” said Hospital President and CEO, Craig James. “We are delighted to be a part of this wonderful event to foster health and wellness through vigorous physical activity like bicycling.”

The Tour de Cashiers 2012 theme is Ride for Health and will be held on Saturday, May 5th. Staged among the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, the tour consists of three exciting routes, 25 miles, 62 miles and 100 miles. All routes take in spectacular vistas of springtime in the mountains along quiet mountain back roads. Riders from the Tour range from the occasional cyclist to some of the region’s toughest riders. The event for some is a lifetime challenge and for the hardcore, a great training ride, such as the Assault on Mount Mitchell.

Food and beverage chair Walker Taylor has lined up local restaurants such as The Orchard, GameKeeper’s Tavern, Fatigati’s, Tommy’s Coffee Shop, and Buck’s to donate delicious cuisine for the event.

More than 250 participants are expected. The surrounding communities benefit through increased tourism, image enhancement and retail patronage as bicyclers bring their families and friends to the Cashiers and Highlands area.

“We are thrilled to have the help of the team at the hospital,” said faithful volunteer William McKee. “The Tour de Cashiers is a favorable tradition in our community and with their direction, the event will continue to thrive. The Tour will be a great boost for the Hospital as well as our area.”

As in previous years, the Tour will be partnering with a similar ride in Walhalla, South Carolina, “Issaqueena’s Last Ride.” The combination of these two rides called the Blue Ridge Double has become popular. The events will be on consecutive weekends.

All rides for the Tour de Cashiers start at the Village Green on Saturday, May 5th, at 9:00 a.m. The early-registration cost is $40 or $35 for riders who sign up for the Double. The entry fee includes a t-shirt, light breakfast and a hearty post-ride lunch donated by local restaurants, as well as on-road support and well-stocked rest stops. All rider registration is through our website, http://www.TourdeCashiers.com. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Callie Calloway at (828) 526-1313.

Contributed by Callie Calloway

Buc Outdoor Center Hosts Birthday Party

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

There’s a party at Buc Outdoor Center set for June 2nd, but really, every visit is a celebration.

The place to be on Saturday, June 2nd from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; is Buc Outdoor Center, 4730 Upper Whitewater Road in Sapphire, North Carolina. Come join the fun as we celebrate the 100th birthday of Rev. Ralph L. Buchanan who was the primary force in acquiring the property which was named in his honor and became known as Camp Buc.

While the all-day event is planned to celebrate Rev. Buchanan’s 100th Birthday, it is also being held as a fundraising event for a pavilion with a fireplace, barbecue facility and gathering area at Buc Outdoor Center. Activities of the day include barbecue plates for sale, craft vendors, bands, high ropes, low ropes, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, clown, balloons and more. The camp store will be open and there will also be a raffle with the grand prize being a week’s vacation in one of the log cabins at Buc Outdoor Center.

This is a great event for the entire family!

For more information on the Buc Outdoor Center call (828) 966-4715.

Contributed by Barbara Huitt

Highlands NC: Farmers Market

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

In today’s technology-driven world, we’ve traded webcams for face-to-face conversations, email signatures for handshakes and online ordering for home-cooked meals. So it should be no surprise that the demand for tangible, nourishing goods is experiencing quite the revival. This is exactly what Andrea Gabbard had in mind when she organized the Highlands Farmers Market last summer. The Market is a showcase of a wide variety of organic and just-picked-from-the-garden fruits and vegetables, fresh-baked breads and treats, and other homemade, homegrown and handmade items. Highlands Farmers Market has one goal in mind – bringing fresh, local produce and goods from around the area to the people of Highlands. Last year, the market offered all kinds of produce, breads, cakes, jams and jellies, flowers, soaps, candles and more, making it a huge success.

The success of the Highlands Farmers Market has opened up a new avenue for continued success for the 2012 season. With the demand that quickly grew last season, Andrea realized that the Market could become a seasonal staple for the people in and around Highlands. So for the 2012 season, the Highlands Farmers Market will now be held every Saturday 8:00 a.m. – noon, June through October rain or shine in a new location – The Highlands School. Come out and visit with old friends and make new friends while finding fresh foods for your table or other goods for your body, soul and home. In addition, if you grow or create something you want to share with others, the Highlands Farmers Market is looking for you – come be a part of this local showcase of both individual and generations of talent.

Directions: From the intersection of Fourth and Main, turn onto Main Street, drive past The Old Edwards Inn toward the Presbyterian church. Turn right at the light at the Presbyterian Church (5th Street). Follow 5th street over the hill to The Highlands School on your right (545 Pierson Drive). For more information on the Highlands Farmers Market, or if you would like to become a vendor, please contact Andrea Gabbard (828) 526-4858.

Contributed by Krysti Rogers

Cashiers NC: Make-A-Wish Fundraising

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Above is a scene from last year’s Cashiers Make-A-Wish Festival. This year’s event is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, June 8th - 9th at the Fairfield Inn site in Sapphire Valley.

This year’s Make-A-Wish fundraiser has a new name and a new location. The Wishmaker’s Rally benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western North Carolina, is Friday, June 8th and Saturday, June 9th, at the scenic Fairfield Inn site in Sapphire Valley.

All money raised from the weekend long event will go towards granting the wishes of children ages 2 1/2 – 18 in our area who have a life threatening
medical condition.

On Friday evening June 8th, the event will kickoff at 6:00 p.m., at the Fairfield Inn site near Camp Merrie-Woode in Sapphire Valley. The evening will include live musical entertainment by Maggie and the Romantics, heavy hors d’ouvres, and drinks as well as a silent and live auction.

Tickets for Friday’s event are $35 per person.

On Saturday, June 9th, the day will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a “Poker Run” motorcycle/car ride. This fun event will take riders on a three to four-hour scenic loop along our spectacular mountain roads passing through local communities where the riders will stop and collect their cards. The entry fee is $35 for the ride which includes a breakfast biscuit. A cash prize will be given to the best
poker hand.

Also on Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the Fairfield Inn site near Camp Merrie-Woode, there will be great live musical entertainment, a silent auction, car show, NASCAR simulator, games for the whole family, food, drinks and much more.

The day will end with the return of the Poker Run riders and a live auction from 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. at the Fairfield Inn site.

For more information, call (828) 506-7705 or (704) 458-7686.

Contributed by Kelly Donaldson

REACH of Macon County

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Swiftwater Farm will be the location of the second annual Farms and Flowers for Families Garden Tour benefitting REACH of Macon County on Friday, June 8th, and Saturday, June 9th. Sweetwater Farms in south Franklin is a 150-acre estate with something for everyone. The farm is home to meandering paths through woodland trails passing a stocked trout pond, fabulous outdoor pool and ancient rock formations. White Rock Branch meanders through the property providing lovely waterfalls and tranquil ponds. Enjoy colorful chickens and peacocks, an outdoor miniature train, and beautiful wildflower, blueberry and vegetable gardens. Visit the conservatory for some music entertainment, watch artists in action and browse our garden shop. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, $10 for children.

REACH of Macon County provides resources, support, counseling and shelter for the victims of domestic and sexual abuse. REACH also provides training in the community and schools. A woman is physically abused every nine seconds in this country. In Macon County, over 300 women a year seek our assistance. Two-thirds of attacks on women are committed by someone she knows. REACH of Macon County offers the following services to help break the cycle of domestic violence.
• 24 Hour Crisis Line

• Rape Crisis Companion– REACH provides a crisis companion for victims of sexual assault. A crisis companion stays with the victim throughout the entire process of going to the hospital, filing criminal charges, accompanying the victim to court, assisting with crisis counseling, and providing emotional support.

• Emergency Shelter– For women and children who find they need a safe haven in order to get a new start after an
abusive situation.

• Individual and Group Counseling– REACH offers free and confidential counseling services for all ages.

• Court Advocate– REACH provides a court advocate to help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through every step of the legal process.

• Legal Aid Referral– REACH will also make referrals to legal aid in cases where an attorney is needed to assist in an emergency situation.

Cashiers NC Kicks Off Season

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Greater Cashiers Merchants Association, also known as Gee Comma or G, is launching another busy annual program for the 2012 season.

The group, whose members are owners and proprietors of Cashiers Valley shops and businesses, celebrates its fourth year as a significant influence in the Valley.

The 2012 season will bring the community repeats of successful events, some tweaked, and others that are completely new.

With a goal of shaping the Cashiers Valley into “a welcoming, charming destination where the community and visitors experience shopping, culture, dining, lodging and entertainment via the unique venues located throughout Cashiers, Glenville and Sapphire,” G, is credited with bringing numerous enhancements to the experience of shoppers, visitors and tourists in the area.

“We have designed our programs to make shopping, visiting and living in the Cashiers area a pleasant and enjoyable experience for all,” explained President Robin Ashmore, owner of Bear Paw Designs in Cashiers.

Groovin’ on the Green: This free concert series tops the list of popular GCAMA organized events. Kick-off for the 2012 outdoor concerts is Friday, June 1st, welcoming back Hurricane Creek, everyone’s favorite local band. Musicians and bands for the season-long concerts traditionally cover all music genres from folk to rock. Performances continue on most Friday evenings through the season right up to the October wrap-up at the 2012 Leaf Festival.

Although the show begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Village Commons on Frank Allen Road, many concert-goers enjoy picnics or food purchased from on-site GCAMA member restaurants or food services. Some local organizations, such as Friends of Lake Glenville, are Groovin’ sponsors whose members will be the featured attendees at their selected concert date.

Cashiers Valley Event Guide and Shoppers Map and Guide: The Event Guide booklet lists all of the Groovin’ dates and bands as well as other local events for 2012. The booklet will be available at Groovin’ concerts and from GCAMA merchants. The booklet publication is in addition to the GCAMA Shoppers Map and Guide which will also be available at member merchant locations. The map locates all GCAMA members and lists them by category on the guide-key.

Mountain Welcome Baskets: New home and property owners are the lucky recipients of a welcome prepared monthly throughout the season by GCAMA members Cherie Tibbetts, Vivianne Metzger Antiques and Robin Ashmore and their committee. The baskets contain gifts from merchants, local products, coupons and of course important information about services and needs customary for new home and property owners. The identified recipients are notified by mail that their welcome basket awaits them for pick-up.

Merchants Showhouse Shop: GCAMA merchants will participate once again at the Cashiers Decorator Showhouse in August. The Merchants Shop, located on the Showhouse grounds, offers a wide selection of merchandise, goods and products from many GCAMA merchants. The items for sale include antiques, books, fashion apparel and jewelry, floral arrangements, decorative accessories and gifts.

Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival: This festival of many attractions is scheduled, as usual, on Columbus Day weekend, October 5th-7th. Artisans, bands and musicians, street entertainers and food purveyors are already lining up to participate in what is no doubt the foremost Festival event in the Cashiers Valley. The festival takes place throughout the Valley with entertainment and events in Glenville and Sapphire as well as the main event center at the Cashiers Village Green.

GCAMA ‘s membership drive is under way as are solicitations for Leaf Festival sponsors. For details and more information about GCAMA their projects, programs and events contact the Association at (828) 743-1630, email greatercashiersmerchantsassoc@yahoo.com or log on to www.cashersvalleyncmerchants.com.

Contributed by Carol Adams

Big Ol’ Mountain Country Breakfast

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry is saving a generous plate for you at the Annual Big ‘Ol Mountain Country Breakfast, 7:00-11:00 a.m. Saturday, June 30th.

The Cashiers community invites you to enjoy their Annual Big ‘Ol Mountain Country Breakfast to benefit the Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry. Come join them from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. Saturday, June 30th, at the Cashiers Community Center on US 64 (the Highlands Road). Proceeds from the popular event will support efforts to feed needy neighbors throughout the year.

“Annually, we average over 2,000 family visits, distributing roughly two and a half tons of food per month,” says Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry spokeswoman, Carole Stork.

“The people we serve are a mixture of local residents and Latino immigrants who are out of work primarily in the winter months, and a small number of senior citizens.

“Over six years ago, the churches in the Cashiers community decided it would be a better idea to combine their efforts to provide this service for our neighbors in need. The organization is totally run by volunteers and made possible by the generous donations of individuals, churches and community service organizations.”

Breakfast organizers are looking for another big event, buoyed by a reputation for generous portions of food prepared with care and time-tested recipes. “It’s the biggest and best country breakfast you’ve ever eaten. Really! Ask anyone who’s ever come!” promises Carole.

Donations are accepted. If you’d can’t attend the breakfast but would like to help support Fishes & Loaves, send contributions to Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry, P.O. Box 865, Cashiers, NC 28717.

Wildflower Whimsy at Biological Station

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Highlands Biological Foundation is hosting Wildflower Whimsy on Friday, May 11th, and Saturday, May 12th. Held in honor of the Highlands Botanical Garden’s 50th anniversary, the two-day event is a celebration of spring ephemerals, featuring wildflower walks, a silent auction showcasing all things garden-related, and special guest lecturer Patrick McMillan, host of Expeditions with Patrick McMillan.

Wildflower Whimsy is your chance to catch a sneak peak of A Botanical Exploration, the first-ever guide to the Highlands Botanical Garden with maps, historical overview, and profiles of a generous selection of its hundreds of native plants. The volume features the photographs of Ralph M. Sargent, a founder and ardent champion of the Highlands Botanical Garden.

The twelve-acre Highlands Botanical Garden was established in 1962 as a refuge for the diverse flora of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Not your typical Botanical Garden, nearly 500 species of mosses, ferns, wildflowers, shrubs, and trees flourish in unique natural communities including natural forest, wetlands and old-growth plant communities. Several demonstration gardens display collections of Native Azaleas, Plants of the Cherokee, Mosses and Liverworts, Wildflowers, Butterfly-pollinated and Rock Outcrop Species.
The Garden is free and open to the public year-round.
Friday’s activities during Wildflower Whimsy will be free to the public and will be dedicated to celebrating the Highlands Botanical Garden. You will see the Garden as you have never seen it before, and hear from Dr. James T. Costa, Executive Director of the Highlands Biological Station, and Clay Bolt, co-founder of Meet Your Neighbours.

The registration fee for Saturday is $50 for members of the Highlands Biological Foundation and $60 for non-members. For more information, call (828) 526-2221 or visit highlandsbiological.org/wildflower-whimsy. The Highlands Biological Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Contributed by Michelle Ruigrok

BEAR Talk

Posted on May 2, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

A young black bear sitting on the ground seeming to just be passing time by playing with some nearby vegetation

B.E.A.R Talks aim to make sure Human-Bruin relations remain bearable.

Part of the joy of living in the mountains is seeing wildlife such as black bears. We love our bears, but they can be problematic. We need to face the fact that bears are here, and learning to live with them is our responsibility. Bears can’t pack up their belongings and move someplace humans don’t live, so it’s up to us to learn how to coexist with these magnificent creatures.

The mission of B.E.A.R. (Bear Education And Resources) is to promote the safe, harmonious coexistence of humans and bears. As a task force of the Western North Carolina Alliance, B.E.A.R. is able to coordinate with the extensive resources of this well-established grassroots environmental organization which serves all of western North Carolina.

Building on the popularity of last year’s programs, the 2012 B.E.A.R. Talk series will kick off with programs featuring wildlife educators Anne Allison and Kathy Sherrard. Mark your calendar for:

May15th, 6:30 p.m. – Macon County Community Center, Franklin

June 1st, 7:00 p.m. – Hudson Library, Highlands

June programs are also scheduled for the residents at Cullasaja Club and Country Club of Sapphire Valley.

BEAR Talk Programs are free. The formats allow for discussion on ways to live responsibly in bear country to decrease the growing number of so-called “nuisance bears.”

If you would like a program, e-mail BEARWNC@gmail.com or call (828) 526-9227.

Contributed by Cynthia Strain

Cover Artist Robert Tino

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Robert Tino has had an affair with the Great Smokies for over three decades and his wife, Mary John, doesn’t mind a bit. His passionate paintings of Appalachian beauty have sustained him and his family since his college days at the University of Tennessee. Doing what you love and loving what you do are at the heart of Tino’s artistic philosophy.

And there’s plenty to love right outside his back door. Black bear roam his property. Mountain vistas teeming with wildlife and colorful landscapes bathed in forest light are his constant inspiration. He says, “My creative well never runs dry.” Then he laughs and quips, “Sometimes it has too much water. I can’t seem to get everything done that my
Muse demands.”

That prolificacy keeps his collectors very happy. Happiness works both ways. In these challenging economic times, his collectors have kept him in good spirits, snapping up canvases as soon as they slide off his easel.

Tino often works from his own photos, but he also enjoys painting at location. Sometimes a composition evolves from a combination of location sketching and photography. He takes these raw materials back to the studio and refines them, matching the medium to the subject. He is partial to watercolor, acrylic and oil. His bear paintings, particularly popular on the Highlands Plateau, are done in oils. Oil lends itself to broad blocks of color straight off the palette knife, edges lost in each other in a profusion of texture and brilliance…impressionism stretched into
spontaneous abstraction.

But abstraction isn’t always his style du jour. Tino paints whatever each day’s inspiration brings. Sometimes it is realism. But after a while, if he starts to feel too tight, he puts precision on pause and leaps into abstraction. That frees him, loosening his creative muscle. Then he might circle back into tighter work. He executes realism and abstraction well and uses each to provide the variety of brushwork he needs to keep his work fresh.

He has a gallery in Tennessee and once owned a gallery in Highlands. But he decided to focus on one location rather than spread himself too thin. So he closed his Highlands shop and turned his local sales over to his friends, Carroll and Rose Greenleaf at Greenleaf Gallery who represent him in the Cashiers and Highlands area.

To see more of Tino’s paintings and prints, visit Greenleaf Gallery, 211 South Fourth Street, Highlands. (828) 526-9333.

by Donna Rhodes

Airing of the Quilts

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Franklin’s Airing of the Quilts, set for May 12th, is irrevocably bound to the eternal love and comfort of mothers.

On Mother’s Day, my mom and I always wore a white gardenia in honor of her mom. It was and is a dear, sweet remembrance. Recently I happened upon another and equally loving way of honoring the mothers and grandmothers of our families. It is a Mother’s Day Airing of the Quilts event. While coverlets and pieced spreads have been aired for decades at quilting shows across the nation, the quilt airing in Franklin on May 12th is a very special event.

2012 marks the second annual showcasing of a townful of quilts to honor Mothers living and Mothers in memory. Last year in the downtown area alone, over 100 quilts ruffled in the breeze on draped porch swings, backyard clotheslines, sides of buildings, or anywhere a string could be strung and a lovely quilt hung.

This celebration was conceived in 2011 when Linda Schlott, Executive Director of the Franklin Mainstreet Program, was approached by Deb Heatherly, owner of Deb’s Cats N Quilts, 106 West Palmer in Franklin. Heatherly brought Schlott a quilt airing flyer she had received from a customer. Heatherly said, “We have to do this!”

Schlott took one look and replied, “Yes, we do!”

And the quilt airing was begun to shine a light on quilting in general and the Macon County Quilt Trail specifically. The trail is marked on barns and other buildings by painted wooden quilt blocks, which reflect local history. Visit www.maconcountyquilttrail.org/ to learn more.

Several quilt-related activities will be hosted at Franklin Town Hall on May 12th. Noted author, lecturer, and appraiser Jane Hall will tell you about and appraise (for a nominal fee) your families’ treasured quilt(s). On Friday the 11th, Ms. Hall will host a special quilting workshop. Call (828) 524-2516 for more details about the airing itself. For info about the workshop, the quilt challenge, the appraisal and other events including an antique quilt show call Deb Heatherly at (828) 349-8912 or visit the website.

Anyone in the area is encouraged to air a quilt or two on the 12th. It can be antique, brand new or anything in-between. It doesn’t even have to be made by a mom, though the mom-connection is truly what makes this showing exceptional.

Accept the invitation to air your quilt in downtown Franklin, up the Highlands Road, out Highway 28, in the Cowee area, or on any main thoroughfare in this vicinity. It’s a beautiful way to celebrate the hands and hearts of the incredible women who gave us life and so much beauty by which to remember them.

by Donna Rhodes

Highlands NC: The Bascom News

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

And The Bascom is dressed in all kinds of glad this Spring, as it kicks off a star-studded season of art, fine craft, events, exhibitions, workshops, and competitions. Two exceptional openings, Alex Matisse’s Ometto and Green Art – glass, produced in Jackson County’s Green Energy (Methane) Park in Dillsboro will open May 12th and May 17th respectively. Ometto, Italian translation, “little man,” aptly describes the form of Matisse’s salt-glazed, wheel-turned sculptures. They are inspired by grave markers, which once dotted burial sites all over the Piedmont.

The happy methaniacs of the Green Energy Park have harnessed dumpyard gases to fire up glass blowing furnaces, blacksmith forges, and more. See the results of their environmentally conscious recycling and repurposing project to create exquisite hand-blown glass sculptures. All this under the direction of students of Harvey Littleton, the founder of America’s studio glass movement, now celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Some of the recycled glass in the Green Art Exhibition was derived from wine bottles, a perfect segue into the annual Collective Spirits event, May 17th through 19th. On Friday, May 18th, there will be a Wine Tasting and Market as well as the Collective Spirits and Soul Dance Party and Buffet Dinner featuring the “Sensational Sounds of Motown.” The Wine Tasting is from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The Dance Party is from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Cost is $100 per person for the whole evening.

And don’t miss the Gala Benefit Dinner and Auction on Saturday, May 19th at 6:30 p.m. Fill your wine rack as well as a week or two of your summer with great wine lots and wonderful wine-themed trips, up for bid at the auction. Tickets are $250 per person. Proceeds keep the artistic wheels turning at The Bascom, so have a fabulous week-end while making sure your favorite art events keep rolling on.

It’s not too early to start thinking about the annual Mountains in Bloom event. The Bascom invites contestants to participate in the juried plant and flower shows. In May, the flower show committee will be accepting applications for Flower Arranging, Horticulture and Photography divisions. The Balentine Award will be presented for the most outstanding display of a native plant, single or collection, that is indigenous to the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau in the horticulture divisijon.

For information about these activities and more, visit The Bascom online at www.thebascom.org or call (828) 526-4949.

The Art of Daryl B. Shankland

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Betsy Paul art raffle for the Cashiers Glenville Volunteer Fire Department, will be held on May 31st. For more information, call (828) 743-0880.

Daryl B. Shankland is the contributing artist for the May art raffle benefitting the Cashiers-Glenville Fire Department. The winner of May’s raffle wins the opportunity to have their pet’s photo painted by Daryl (similar to the one shown). If the winner does not own a pet, then Daryl will paint a favorite wildlife photo. It will be a 9” x 12” pastel in 12” x 16” matting.

Daryl divides her time between Sapphire and Quincy, Illinois. After spending 26 years as an investment advisor with Smith Barney, she started her own independent advisory firm several years ago and finally freed up enough time to paint. She is now very happy to be using the other side of her brain to create paintings that are fast and loose. “Painting for me is like being let out of a cage… It is pure joy. I find that making time for art gives me a greater degree of balance and helps me do better at all that I tackle.”

She paints landscapes in both oil and pastel, and is becoming known by many area art and pet lovers for her unique and whimsical animal portraits. “It is a great thrill to capture the personality of the beloved animal and know that the owner will be emotionally connected to the work that I do.” Daryl works from photographs provided by the pet owner, and her portraits are in homes across the country. For her landscape work, you will frequently see her around the area painting scenes on location. “The plein aire work sometimes stands on its own and is also used as reference material for my studio work. I find that the colors of nature can most be felt in person and are hard to duplicate with photos. There is no substitution for just being there.”

Daryl exhibits in shows in the North Carolina mountains, Illinois and in Missouri where she has won numerous awards. Her work is on display at the Blue Valley Gallery in Cashiers on Slabtown Road. Daryl is married to Richard Shankland and together they have six grown children, including one son who is a professional artist in LA, and seven grandchildren. “I am starting my art career late, but I am very happy painting, so it is better late than never.” She accepts commission work for pet portraits, landscapes, and home portraits. You can contact her directly at (217) 494-0439 or through the Blue Valley Gallery.

“Artists receive promotion, winners receive a piece of art for a minimal investment, and the fire department gets crucial funding. And don’t forget, tickets can be purchased in blocks of 12 for $60. They make a great gift,” says Paul. All of the proceeds from the art raffle go exclusively to the Cashiers-Glenville Fire Department.

Please stop by Betsy Paul Properties, located at 870 Highway 64 West in Cashiers to purchase raffle tickets. Checks can also be mailed directly to the Cashiers-Glenville Fire Department, P.O. Box 713, Cashiers, North Carolina, 28717. For more information contact Betsy Paul at (828)743-0880.

Robert Sweeny

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Art League member Robert “Bo” Sweeny has been a resident of Highlands for the past three years. He came here to take care of his aging parents who honeymooned here in a Joe Webb cabin and later retired here. Robert states that Highlands has been a part of his life since his college days. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Photography, Robert traveled the picturesque east coast and finally settled in Charleston. He maintained a studio in the Confederate Home on Broad Street and was represented by the Waterfront Gallery.

Upon returning to Highlands, he was delighted with the new Bascom Art Center and participated in classes, volunteered for events and was generally supportive. When the Exhibitions Coordinator at the Bascom left, Artistic Director, our beloved Kaye Gorecki-McHan, who was very aware of Robert’s capabilities and his industrious artistic spirit, offered him the position. It has been a win-win for The Bascom as well as Robert. Robert states that being in the Art League and being involved at The Basom has been an inspiration to him. Robert’s art explores the architectural elements of places, shapes and shadows that the untrained eye might not ever notice. His work is sensitive and subtle. To see his work check out his web site robertmerrillsweeny.com.

The Art League of Highlands is a friendly, outgoing group of artists, collectors and supporter of the arts. Their next meeting will be May 21st at The Bascom. A very brief meeting will be followed by refreshments and a visiting artist will give a program/demonstration. Meeting starts at 4:30 p.m., guests and interested parties are invited. There is no charge. Come join us!

Contributed by Mary Lou Carpenter

Highlands NC: Chamber Music Festival’s 31st Year

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival is setting out an ambitious calendar for its 31st year.

The Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival’s 31st Anniversary Season bears all the qualities that have won it a worldwide reputation – a reverence for classical programming leavened with surprises, dazzling internationally-recognized artists, Feasts of the Festival, and fresh new talents showcasing their extraordinary gifts.

It’s a breathtaking mix that consistently electrifies the twin communities’ summers.

Over the course of its 31 years, the festival has on occasion explored the surprising links between the disparate realms of classical chamber music and freeform jazz.

The 2012 season begins with an open embrace of the dazzling possibilities of jazz – a benefit concert by The Gary Motley Trio featuring Veronica Tate on Wednesday, June 13th, at the Farm at Old Edwards Inn. This exciting evening is complemented by a heavy hors d’oeuvres and wine reception, all in one of the most beautiful settings on the Highlands Plateau. Cost is $150 and all proceeds go directly to the festival. For reservations, call (828) 526-9060.

You’re invited to a picnic concert by The Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet at 5:00 p.m. on June 27th on the grounds of the historic Zachary-Talbot House in Cashiers. Be sure to bring a picnic and a blanket and prepare to luxuriate under late afternoon skies with al fresco dining and a healthy dose of irresistible music. The concert is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.

Concerts will be held at 6:00 p.m. Fridays at the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center in Highlands and repeated at 5:00 p.m. Saturdays at the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library in Cashiers. Sunday concerts will be staged at 5:00 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center in Highlands and repeated at 5:00 p.m. Mondays at the Cashiers Community Library.

The 2012 Performance Schedule stretches from Friday, July 6th, to Sunday, August 12th, culminating with a final gala concert at the Performing Arts Center in Highlands and a Dinner Party at Wildcat Cliffs Country Club. The season will feature festival favorites like The Attacca String Quartet and The Eroica Trio, plus a sprinkling of new talent.

With all that talent, the Festival can’t help but spill out into its host communities. Everyone is invited to attend the free “Beer & G Strings Concert,” featuring The Vega String Quartet and Charae Krueger from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 11th, at The Ugly Dog Pub in Highlands.

The Vega Quartet will offer another free show at Buck’s Coffee Shop on Main Street in Highlands from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 25th.

The Linden String Quartet will stage a free concert at Buck’s Café in Cashiers (at the Crossroads) at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 1st. Bach at Buck’s is as natural a combination as, well, rich coffee and warm, mellow notes.

The Festival is offering a pair of classes in conjunction with the Center for Life Enrichment. “Jazz as Chamber Music” will be led by Emory University Music Professor Dr. Dwight Andrews from 10:00 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 9th. It’s a natural complement to the Gary Motley Trio concert slated for June 13th. Dr. Benjamin Arnold will offer “Powerful Intimacy – the Chamber Music of Ludwig van Beethoven” on Saturday, July 7th. Both classes will be held at the Performing Arts Center in Highlands. For registration or more information, call CLE
at (828) 526-8811.

In addition to its nationally-recognized program of concerts, the Festival is laced with a series of Feasts of the Festival. They’re a chance to meet fascinating people and enjoy marvelous food and drink in some of the most breathtaking homes in Western North Carolina. Feasts continue through September and will feature an irresistible series of locations and menus.

For more information about the festival and its full lineup of performances and events, visit www.h-cmusicfestival.org or call (828) 526-9060.

by Luke Osteen

Village Square Arts and Crafts in Highlands NC

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Village Square Art and Craft Show, slated for Memorial Day Weekend, is packed with promise and possibilities.

With so many shopping and dining experiences available in Highlands, it is the perfect destination for the Memorial Day holiday. While you are in town, be sure to visit the Village Square Art and Craft Show downtown. Since 2006, thousands of people have flocked to the shows to find some of the best regional art and crafts around.

Mountain artisans are gearing up for the fair by creating amazing and wonderful work. The show features fine art and whimsical folk art, plus high-quality crafts such as fine wood work, metal work, quilts, birdhouses, and twig furniture. As usual, you will find one-of-a-kind baskets, pottery, and jewelry. The show has over 70 vendors, and always some new faces, many from right here in Highlands.

Bring the kids, because Patti Cakes the clown will be painting faces. There will also be live music both days. On Saturday, singer-songwriter Sylvia Sammons will be in the park gazebo. Sylvia has performed her folk music in Highlands for 30e years and enjoys a loyal following. On Sunday the Ross Brothers, who have wowed crowds for the past two years, return to play toe-tapping, old-time Appalachian music. Their new CD has just been released: “Appalachian Mountain Memories.”

Bring your appetite and enjoy breakfast or lunch at Fressers Eatery in the square. There are public bathrooms and parking. The show is from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday in the Village Square and neighboring Kelsey-Hutchinson Park on Pine St., only one block from Main Street.

For more information contact Cynthia Strain at Mill Creek Gallery and Framing at (828) 787-2021 or www.cystrainphotos.com.

Highlands NC: Jazz Benefit Concert

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival will spice up its 2012 season with an unforgettable classical jazz benefit concert by The Gary Motley Trio featuring Veronica Tate, Wednesday, June 13th, at the Farm at Old Edwards Inn.

Gary Motley won an international following with his piano compositions and impeccable performances. In 2006, his “Highland Summit: A Suite for String Quartet and Jazz Quartet” was premiered at the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival with the Vega String Quartet. Motley can also be heard on the Debbie Allen-Phylicia Rashad production of “The Old Settler” on PBS. He also collaborated with director Kenny Leon, providing music for the 2004 Broadway Production of “A Raisin in the Sun.”

Veronica Tate’s deeply evocative vocal talent serves as the perfect complement and counterpoint to the Gary Motley Trio’s piano, bass and drums. Her performances recall the bravado and passion of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.

This breathtaking concert will unfold upon the verdant grounds of the Farm at Old Edwards Inn and patrons will be treated to a heavy hors d’oeuvres and wine reception following the performance.

Cost is $150 and, thanks to generous benefactors all proceeds will benefit the Chamber Music Festival. For reservations or more information, call (828) 526-9060.

Highlands Cashiers Chamber Music Festival Concert Picnic

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival will stage a free picnic concert at the Zachary-Tolbert House in Cashiers, at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 27th.

Festival favorites The Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet will perform in an outdoor event that’s as irresistible as, well, a languid Cashiers afternoon. The quintet has performed throughout the US in venues like Carnegie Hall, and across the globe in Great Britain, Russia and China, yet its roots remain just down the road at Western Carolina University. That makes for a performance that can run the gamut from Early Renaissance to Pop, leavened with gentle good humor and an infectious enthusiasm. It’s the recipe for an unforgettable evening.

Festival Artistic Director Will Ransom, whose erudite commentaries have become one of the hallmarks of the festival, will introduce the quintet.

Everyone’s invited to bring a picnic and blanket. Cost is free, but donations are cheerfully accepted. For information about the concert or the Festival’s exciting 31st Season, call (828) 526-9060.

by Luke Osteen

Highlands NC Performing Arts Center

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

If you haven’t gotten your tickets to your favorite performances this year a PAC, you’d better hurry. Tickets started selling as soon as the 2012 Season/Membership brochures were mailed out. If you purchase a Membership you get a 15% discount on all tickets purchased. Memberships and tickets can be purchased online at www.highlandspac.org

June performances include a Small Stage production of “Vincent” by Leonard Nimoy. Directed by Bart Patton and starring Ralph Stevens. “Vincent” opens on Thursday, June 7th, and continues through the 10th and again the following weekend, June 14th through the 17th. Tickets are $20 and the show begins at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 23rd, brings “Broadway & More” with Glory Crampton. Glory is a Broadway leading lady, musical theatre veteran who is best known for her critically acclaimed roles in productions of “Phantom,” “The Fantasticks,” “Camelot,” “My Fair Lady,” “Carousel,” “Jane Eyre,” and “Nine.” She is also an accomplished soprano solo artist who has sung with acclaimed tenor Jose Carreras. Following her studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and the Lee Strasberg Institute Crampton was cast as Louisa in the off-Broadway production of “The Fantasticks,” and later reprised the role of Louisa in the 30th anniversary national tour, starring Robert Goulet. She later toured in the first Japanese production of “The Fantasticks” with creators Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. Tickets are $25 and the show begins at 8:00 p.m. Presented by Nancy and Lyle Nichols

Saturday, June 30th, features notable speaker and humorist, Jeanne Robertson who specializes in humor based on her life experiences. Nowhere will you find a speaker so adept at turning personal experiences into funny material that does more than elicit laughter. This Miss Congeniality winner in the Miss America Pageant, (“Yearrrrrrrrrrrs ago,” quoting Jeanne), uses her down-home Southern drawl to leave her audiences laughing.

You may have seen this Hall of Fame speaker being interviewed by CBS correspondent Morley Safer on “60 Minutes” or watched one of the six humor DVDs or heard her daily on Sirius/XM Radio’s Family Comedy Channels, or seen her YouTube clips that have had more than 13.5 million hits. Tickets are $50 and the show begins at 8:00 p.m. Presented by Mark and Marianne Mahaffey

Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org or by calling (828) 526-9047.

Contributed by Mary Adair Leslie

Folk Art Exhibit at Piedmont College in Highlands NC

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

In the United States, folk art dates back to the beginning of our country as the pioneers handmade their pottery crockery and wove their baskets. As with any art form, it takes many years before evaluation and subsequent appreciation, occurs.

The same has happened with folk art. Although it has been around for many years, it has only been in the last 25 years that Southern folk art has started to gain a reputation.

Along with this popularity come many viewpoints of what folk art really is. As there are now many folk art scholars, there are just as many definitions and descriptions of this art genre. What is now called “folk art” by some was once deemed “outsider art,” meaning art that is outside the mainstream in the art world.

The focus of this presentation for Piedmont College is on folk art pieces from the Southern regions of our country.

The exhibit follows an area that is very important in the lives of many Southerners…their religion, be it fire and brimstone, or conservative and straight-laced. Southern culture, regional heritage, and religion go hand-in-hand in forming the South’s families and communities; why should her art be in any different? Exhibited here are pieces depicting biblical scenes, scripture, churches, worship services, all created from the heart and soul, in rich, vibrant, bold hues of color.

Religion continues to play a great role in Southern visionary art. The best example is that of Howard Finster and his Folk Art Church and Paradise Gardens. He sought to bring the word of God to the world, much in the same way as R.A. Miller, W.C. Rice, Eric Pace, Robert Roberg, and B.F. Perkins, all called preachers.

Face jugs, especially the devil faces, serve two different purposes; one being a deterrent for children partaking in its “spirits,” a.k.a. moonshine; the other was placing the ugly jug on the graves of the recently deceased in hopes of warding off the evil spirits, allowing the soul a clear and speedy path to heaven.

The dates for the Piedmont College show are May 3rd through July 20th, with the opening reception on Thursday, June 7th, at 6:00 p.m. The exhibit is at the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art. The hours are Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed on Sunday.

Atlanta Boy Choir in Highlands NC

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The world-acclaimed Atlanta Boy Choir under the direction of Maestro Fletcher Wolfe will present their annual concert in Highlands on Sunday afternoon May 20th.

This very special occasion marks the choir’s 54th season and Maestro Wolfe’s 80th birthday.

On this year’s program the choir will present Charles Davidson’s “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.” This piece is set to poems written by young Jewish children who were on their way to the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. Of the 15,000 children who were interned on their way to the camp in Theresienstadt, Czechoslovakia , only 150 survived.

Amazingly, their poems written while they were imprisoned display an honesty and insight that’s often hopeful and sometimes humorous.

Actress Mira Hirsch will recite a narration by Fletcher Wolfe and the late renowned cantor Issac Goodfriend. The choir has performed this work in the U.S Capitol Rotunda for the president of the United States and both houses of Congress.

Other well-known narrators for the choir’s presentation of this work have been the Prime Minister of Italy’s wife, Maria Pia` Fanfani; Metropolitan Opera Soprano Regina Resnik; and composer and Spoleto Festival founder Gian Carlo Menotti.

Also featured at this concert will be the outstanding Alumni Men’s Choir of 40 voices. They will sing well-known spirituals as well as some famous Broadway melodies.

Although the concert is free and open to the public, a section of the church will have reserved seating for contributors to the choir’s scholarship program for needy young boys.

Recently in Atlanta at a celebration honoring Maestro Wolfe’s 80th anniversary, Highlander, Nancy Eckerd Nichols, the daughter of Eckerd Drug Store founder Jack Eckerd and granddaughter of Fidelia Eckerd, announced a scholarship from their family foundation to the choir in the amount of $25,000.

Maestro Wolfe, a longtime Highlands resident of Highlands and former music director of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, will be joined by Robert Henry, prize-winning pianist and organist as well as members of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra – Candace Keach, flute; Tom Underwood, oboe; Barbara Careaga–Mitchell, violin; and Guang Wang, cello.

Everyone is invited, and seating is limited. For reserved seating please call (404) 378-0064 or email info@atlantaboychoir.org.

Contributed by Neil Cardwell

John Collette Fine Art in Cashiers NC

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

John Collette Fine Art’s new Cashiers gallery is a celebration of light and art.

If John Collette Fine Art in Highlands were a big Like on your art gallery radar, wait until you see his new digs at 104 Highway 107 South, just across the street from Cashiers Exxon.

Art is all about light, and Collette’s new space is crafted to showcase each hand-selected piece in the glorious illumination the artist intended. Two large rooms with cathedral ceilings give the new area a spacious, mountain-air feel. There is an extended porch out back for parties and workshops, informally dubbed the Diva Deck (for Collette’s delightful canine mascot, Diva). Up front there is a covered porch dedicated to weekend painters looking for an inspirational retreat.

Of course, favorite regional, as well as nationally known artists fill the gallery with their celebrated color, texture, form, line and masterful composition. New this year, Scott Upton, whose atmospheric abstractions play with multi-layered textural exploration, is a staple at Collette’s Gallery. His innovative studies in depth and reflective surfaces are an exquisite complement to any decor.

Jane Smithers’ work, another new addition, continues to soar. Intertwined in a painterly Tapestry of Life are her art, her teaching, and her travel. Each of these is in inseparable partnership with the others. Life experiences build layer upon layer on her canvases: the rich burnt sienna of African soil, the azure skies over France, the creamy white sands of Maine’s coast, the love she has for all. It’s no wonder people follow her worldwide to catch her magical light.

Karen Weihs, another popular artist and regular to the Collette collection, says of her work, “As an oil painter and colorist, I love to create images that depict endless visual space. Forsaking all details, I conjure patterns of light, air and reflection that feel ethereal and diffused. Layered pigments, contrasting colors and geometric shapes breathe life into my images, and while my landscapes are minimal in representational content, I find viewers often see the
familiar in the abstract.”

And if you are intrigued by the Diva connection, you will love Mary Engle’s work. In describing her dog sculptures she says, “For me, the animal image symbolizes a bridge between the rational world of humans and the instinctual world of nature. My sculptural goal is to capture an animal’s gesture or movement. The surfaces of the sculptures are rich in texture and refer to human creations, memory, and patterns. Through my work, I aspire to create whimsical animated creatures that reveal a spiritual presence I feel animals possess.”

And these are but a few of the exceptional artists whose work fills Collette’s magnificent new gallery space. Stop by for a visit, dance with Diva, bring your paints and easel for a week-end workshop or get-away, or simply stroll the rooms and feast your eyes on word-class Art.

Visit www.johncollettefineart.com or stop by his new gallery space in Cashiers. Call (828 526-0339 for more information.

Cashiers NC: The Orchard Restaurant

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

The Orchard, Cashiers’ sumptuous dining destination, is housed in a marvelously rustic cabin sheltered at the edge of, naturally, an apple orchard.

This rambling 100-year-old farmhouse is jammed with antiques, road signs, vintage newspaper clippings and an attic’s worth of ephemera that give the place a cheerful, homespun feel. You can tell that this is the kind of restaurant that attracts both boisterous conversations between friends and families and whispered intimacies between couples.

In fact, with just a little imagination, you get a sense of Cashiers’ early days when the Valley attracted guests from across the Southeast looking for a getaway from the stresses of life. The Orchard is the kind of place that invites you to unlace your shoes and sip a cool drink.

“We wanted a restaurant that would give our clientele a chance to relax while at the same time, enjoy some really fine dining,” explains Chad Boswell, who with his brother Travis owns The Orchard and keeps it rolling along. “We wanted to give people an experience that they wouldn’t forget for a while.”

That’s a pretty tall order and like mostly lofty goals, the proof is in the pudding – or in the case of The Orchard, the Panthertown Pork Tenderloin. This herb-rubbed cut is pan-roasted and enrobed in a black cherry demi-glace. It’s then plated with sweet fried onion rings and topped with garlic-chive goat cheese crumbles.

It’s the equivalent of a barn dance in your mouth – irresistible and endlessly surprising.

“We’re proud of our Orchard Chicken, too,” explains Chad. “It’s a fresh, all-natural chicken breast that’s stuffed with an apple, walnut, sage and provolone cheese stuffing. We bread it and lightly fry it and drizzle it with an apricot glaze. It’s probably our signature dish.”

Travis and Chad’s menu boasts meat and poultry raised locally and produce grown by local farms. This commitment ensures rich, flavorful dishes.

And somehow, despite the distance from the shore, The Orchard has incredibly fresh seafood, spotlighted in a nightly fish special.

My sweetie fell in love with one of those specials – a butterflied Rainbow Trout topped by Seasoned Scallops that played a subtle seduction of her taste buds.

In fact, The Orchard has a tradition of combining the best of seafood with the finest home cooking. A perennial menu favorite is the unforgettable Shelley’s Shrimp and Grits –large shrimp, andouille sausage, applewood smoked bacon, Vidalia onions, red peppers, squash and wild mushrooms all seasoned, stir-fried and served on a bed of locally ground “Anson Mill” cheese grits.

There are desserts freshly made every day and this is definitely not the place to demonstrate restraint. I ended up with a slice of Key Lime Pie that was light and tart and redolent of the Tropics. My sweetie wisely refrained from finishing her platter-sized trout and was able to find room for a sinfully-rich Crème Brulee.

Just as essential to The Orchard’s down-home ambience as that farm-fresh menu is the warm attention lavished by the staff. Our server, Deanna, was vivacious and attentive and readily shared her opinions of the menu choices.

Brown-bagging is permitted at The Orchard and dinner reservations are highly recommended.

There’s a full lunch menu and you don’t need reservations.

The Orchard is located just one mile south of the Crossroads on Highway 107 (across from Cashiers United Methodist Church). For more information and reservations, call (828) 743-7614.

Scaly Mountain NC Pancake Breakfast

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Nell Oliver (left) and Barbara Thomas, President of the Scaly Mountain Women’s Club (right) serve up a hearty breakfast for charity.

Plan to bring your family and friends to Scaly Mountain for a scrumptious breakfast in the mountains at the historic old Scaly School House. The building is located on the corner of N Highway 106 and Buck Knob Road in “downtown Scaly.” These breakfasts are held on the fourth Saturday - May through October from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.

This is the eighth year that the women in Scaly Mountain Women’s Club have sponsored these breakfasts. The first breakfast of 2012 is planned for May 26th. It will feature a full meal of piping hot homemade pancakes (with or without blueberries), patty sausage, coffee and juice.

Guests will be treated to a seated meal either in the old school house or on the deck overlooking the mountains when the weather is nice. Cost is $5.50 for adults and $3.50 for children. The breakfast will be cooked by members’ husbands and served by club members – or you may order takeout, if you choose.

Proceeds from the event provide scholarships for local students of all ages who wish to continue their post-secondary education. They also benefit area non-profit human service agencies that serve the Scaly Mountain community. Come to all six of the breakfasts and join the best cooks in Western North Carolina for a morning of fun–enjoying the friendly folks in Scaly Mountain and an unforgettable breakfast. For additional information, contact Susan Bankston, (828) 526-9952. www.scalymountainwomensclub.org.
Come between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. on the fourth Saturday of each month May – October to the Scaly Mountain Women’s Club Breakfasts during the 2012 season. The dates of the breakfasts are May 26th, June 23rd, July 28th, August 25th, September 22nd and October 27th. Mark your calendar and don’t miss coming with your family and friends.

Highlands NC: Bella’s Junction Cafe

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

At Bella’s Junction Cafe, the emphasis is on the food, lovingly prepared and served with panache.

When you visit Bella’s Junction Cafe in Scaly, you’d better restrain your inner foodie, ‘cause, Diner, you’re about to have an all-out affair with fine cuisine. The aroma, the taste, the crunchy, creamy, juicy textures, and the whole lip-smacking experience are reason enough to thank God for the invention of elastic.

Bella’s is a small family-owned business co-owned by Gloria Carapazza and Billy Ezechel. Chef, cooks, waiters, and kitchen crew are all family members. They make everything they serve including salad dressings, marinades, breads, pastas, desserts, and much more.

Breakfast is served 8:00 until 11:00 a.m. when the menu switches to lunch, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Dine inside or out. Bring along your favorite four-legger, who can nibble and snooze on the pet-friendly patio. Dinner on Friday and Saturday is 4:30 p.m. until…

On Saturdays, breakfast is served 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch starts at 11:00 a.m. Sunday Brunch, with its mouthwatering waffles and scrumptious eggs Benedict, is also served 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

But wait until you taste Bella’s pizza baked in a real old-fashioned pizza oven to render the perfect crust every time. Here’s the best part. They will design a pizza to order. For a small pan deposit, you can take the uncooked pizza home, then bake your pie at your leisure and serve it piping hot to your hungry crew.

If you are really hungry, take the Bella’s Beast Challenge, six cheeseburgers topped with a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich squeezed in with a pound of fries, lettuce, tomato, sautéed onions, and all the obligatory toppings. Ezechel says, “If you can eat it all in 45 minutes it’s free with a Bella’s tee shirt… plus you get your name on the wall of fame.”

So visit Bella’s Junction Cafe at 20 Old Mud Creek Road off the Dillard Road, near the old Sinclair sign in Scaly Mountain (828) 526-0803. And take your main squeeze so you can fall in love all over again, this time with food… and each other, of course! The best of both worlds!

Highlands NC History: All Hype and No Snipe

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Miss McConnell’s elusive snipe headed for the tropics. Photo courtesy of the Highlands Historical Society.

The snipe, an elusive, nocturnal, forest-dwelling beast, is an integral part of Highlands’ botany and lore. Sometimes confused with a long-beaked bird, the snipe is more aptly described as a four-legged toupee.

The deliberate false press about the true appearance of the Snipeodon Obscurus has caused many a dejected snipe hunter to straggle home in the wee hours, dragging his empty sack behind him, his so-called friends laughing long and hard at his snipe-
nabbing ineptitude.

In spite of the snipe’s elusiveness, they are an important link in the Appalachian food chain, though they are more diner than dinner. The average life expectancy of a snipe is well over a century. Is that why the fossil record is so scanty? These clever little beasties are extremely good at surviving… and hiding?

Perhaps, but researchers are practically giddy over a recent discovery. It seems the region is home to one of the few remaining snipe burial grounds. Like elephants, snipes have built-in magnetic radar, which directs them to their final group resting places. Also, like their distant pachyderm cousins, snipes have tusks, clearly miniscule compared to elephant ivory, but prized every bit as much for the carving of very small piano keys and teeny weenie tchotchkes .

Quoting Bella Ruse, Russian researcher (yes, sniping is international), “Ve discovered a wast snipe bone yard in a remote cave north of Vhiteside.” To keep poachers from raiding these burial grounds, Ruse adds, “The exact location remains wery closely guarded.”

Over the decades, several Highlanders have made waliant–I mean, valiant–attempts to capture the elusive snipe, among them, Miss Ruth Oliver. As the new principal of The Highlands School in the 1920’s, she set out to impress colleagues and students one starless night by holding open a bag on a remote roadside gully, yelling, “Here, snipe! Here’ snipe!” Alas, the hunt turned out to be all hype and no snipe.

Miss Margaret McConnell, another new teacher, was sent on her first hunting mission to the foot of Satulah where snipes were said to herd.

Herd, maybe. But that night, they were unheard, unseen and uncaptured. When a wild cat yowled, however, so did Miss McConnell, so loudly, in fact, local historian, Randolph Shaffner commented, “The… yell from Miss McConnell caused all snipes to migrate to the tropics.” Thus explaining a rash of sightings near Lake Okeechobee, formerly attributed to the influence of moonshine.

Local authorities and the forestry service are bound by oath to keep the snipe cave secret, but the Historical Society will provide you with a burlap bag, flashlight and a copy of the Ruse map, which they dutifully keep on file. Look under “S” for “snipe,” somewhere between “scam”
and “subterfuge.”

And don’t let anyone deny the snipe’s existence. I’ve seen them… a herd of toupees foraging on the forest floor when the moon is a sliver and the wild cats howl. They’re out there, Mulder.

To learn more about Highlands folklore and history, read “Heart of the Blue Ridge” by Randolph Shaffner or visit www.highlandshistory.com.

by Donna Rhodes

Cashiers NC: Charles Franklin Zachary

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

CharlesZacharyandIsadora(Rogers)Zachary(c1903)

Charles Franklin Zachary and his wife, Isadora Rogers, circa 1903.

Charles Franklin Zachary was born April 13th, 1869 in Cashiers Valley, the 10th child of Mordecai and Elvira (Keener) Zachary. In April 1870, little Charlie took his first steps, recorded on the wall like height measurements (still readable to this day at the Zachary-Tolbert House). When Mordecai Zachary sold his Cashiers’ Greek Revival house in 1873, four-year-old Charlie moved with his family to what is now the Whittier area.

The United States declared war on Spain in April 1898 and on May 11th, Charles, now age 29, enlisted in the 2nd Regiment of North Carolina Volunteers. He was promoted to Corporal on June 27th and completed his enlistment on Novemher 7th, 1898 – a six month tour
of duty.

Sometime before March 1901, family story has Charles traveling by train to California with his sisters, Rose and Hattie. He settled in Kennett, California, a mining town at the base of the Cascade Mountain Range. [now under Shasta Lake] Charles worked as a house carpenter, not a surprising occupation for the son of a master carpenter and furniture maker. He married Isadora Rogers on November 19th, 1902, and they had only one child, John Lyman Zachary, born December 4th, 1905. Due to complications of childbirth, Isadora died shortly after the birth. Charles never remarried and his older sister, Amelia Josephine Zachary Wallace would help raise his boy.

Between 1914 and 1916, Charles moved from Kennett to Harrison Gulch, possibly to start a new venture or pastime.In 1918 he had 20 separate mining claims, either Quartz or Chrome, with fanciful names such as “King Solomon Chrome Mine” and “Queen Ester Quartz Mine” and one named after his son, “Lyman Zachary Chrome Mine”. In the mid 1920s, Charles changed professions and becomes a Rancher.

When Charles was 58, his son married Pansie Morris on November 8th, 1927. Charles saw two grandchildren born (Wanda, 1928 and John, 1929) before being diagnosed with cancer in 1932. After three weeks at a nursing home for disabled volunteers in Los Angles, he decided to live out the rest of his days near family and familiar surroundings. He saw his last grandchildren (twins Mervin and Marion born September 1933) before passing away on May 11th, 1934, at St. Caroline Hospital, Redding, Shasta County, California at age 65. Charles is buried next to his wife Isadora in Redding Memorial Cemetery. Although Charles never returned East, many of his descendants have visited Cashiers and Matthew Zachary donated five granite benches which are scattered around the Zachary-Tolbert House
Museum grounds.

Contributed by Jane Gibson Nardy, Historian, Cashiers Historical Society

Cashiers NC Historical Society

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Contributed by Lydia Doyle, Executive Director Cashiers Historical Society

Eight years ago Jan Wyatt, then president of the Cashiers Historical Society, created an annual symposium. This year, in honor of the sesquicentennial, the Symposium will be about the Civil War in the Carolinas and is co-chaired by Bob Lathan and Joe Doyle.

The event, which is a partnership between the Cashiers Historical Society and High Hampton Inn, features renowned speakers from across the region and draws sell-out crowds. This year will feature a performance by the 8th Regiment Band from Rome, Georgia and talks by Todd Groce, Richard Starnes, Gordon McKinney, Jane Nardy, John Cay, Charlie Coker, Eric Emerson, Philip Gerard, Marty Daniels, and Bob Lathan.

Talks will be about a range of topics including Zeb Vance, Reconstruction, Divided Loyalties in Appalachia, the Shelton Laurel Massacre, Mary Chesnut, Cashiers in the Civil War, Sherman’s March in the Carolinas, Hannah Lide Coker, General Edward Porter Alexander and Cashiers in the Civil War.

On June 1st, renowned local historian, Jane Nardy, will lead a ramble to Civil War sites around Cashiers. Jane will take the group to significant historic sites around Cashiers and talk about what life was like in the Valley during the Civil War. Ramblers will be treated to stories of bushwackers and life on the home front. Even though no major battles were fought here, the War had a significant impact on the valley and its residents.

The Symposium will be 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on May 31st at the High Hampton Inn Pavilion and costs $50 per person. The ramble costs $5 for members of the Cashiers Historical Society and $30 for non-members. Both events include lunch.

For more information please call (828) 743-7710 or email info@cashiershistoricalsociety.org.

White Lightning Strikes Again in Highlands NC

Posted on May 1, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

As I continued to work on the mural that would become the back drop for the still at the Historical Society, my thoughts were drawn to a second adventure on our beautiful mountain trails. I worked with complete concentration, finalizing an overall design of dense vegetation with water dripping from moss-covered rocks; I even included a salamander to prove the water source was pure. When I began adding endless coats of pigment to the forms to create the proper mood, my thoughts strayed to a faraway time back in 1985 when White Lightning struck once again.

I remembered the satisfying sensation of crusty frost-covered grass crunching under my boots as I walked to the Cold Springs Stable that cool fall morning. Once there, I was greeted by soft neighing sounds from the resident horses and the sweet smell of fresh hay, mixed with the aroma of leather tack and coffee brewing in the stable lounge. Raucous crow calls mingled with the noise of equine teeth grinding the morning portion of grain. I continued my routine tasks of mucking stalls, lugging heavy water buckets, and grooming, before I hoisted a weighty Western saddle onto the back of my Buckskin mare. Finally, filled with excitement, I set off with my favorite riding buddy, Jack Brockway, in quest of a loop trail that crossed Shortoff Mountain and would bring us home to the Cold Spring Stables. Dust filled our nostrils as we galloped down unpaved Buck Creek Road to the Yellow Mountain trailhead. We slowed to a walk as we ascended to the first of nine switchbacks. All went well until my friend’s horse slipped at the seventh and sharpest of all the turns. Rocks scattered and rolled down the steep trailside. Thank goodness the expert composure of the rider and the strength of his agile animal allowed them to retain their footing so that we could continue upward and onward. With that scare behind us, we moseyed along drinking in the beauty of the mountain flora and fauna until miles later as we entered an open valley where we discovered a well-traveled path leading in the direction of Cashiers Road.

We hadn’t gone far until we realized that this path disappeared into a dense rhododendron ticket. Was this another one of those areas that the mountain people refer to as “Rhododendron Hell?” Were there hidden treasures here like we encountered on our last adventure? Remembering our earlier adventure we proceeded cautiously but we knew that we did not want to backtrack and risk the loose rocks that we had encountered earlier. We had no choice but to go forward since we were determined not to return home over those nasty switchbacks on Shortoff Mountain. Moving slowly with my friend leading the way we cleared branches too low to duck beneath, and soon emerged into a clearing.

Our celebration was short lived when we realized that a barbed wire fence blocked the way to what appeared to be a good graveled road. Dismounting, we began a diligent effort to unwind the tight wires wrapped in two places around each fence post. Teamwork plus patient horses paid off as we soon had an opening wide enough to lead the horses through. Our dialog sounded like something from a Dick and Jane primer. “Look Jack,” I said, pointing to the copper tubing in the spring spilling over moss-covered rocks to our right. “See, J. Jay, it goes up the hill.” Then in unison we said, “Whoa” and we weren’t speaking to our horses. We soon realized that we had stumbled upon a still, but before we could say anything to one another the bushes parted and there before our eyes was a giant of a man with a rifle with a telescopic scope cleverly positioned with us clearly in his sights.

I was speechless, yet Jack retained his composure and introduced himself in a confident manner.

At this show of bravado the moonshiner said, “Jack, you ought to know better than to take a man’s fence down. I been following y’all through this scope since ya rode over the pass and into that rhododendron hell, Now git back on them horses and head back the way ya come,” He hesitated then added, “And wire up my fence tighter than y’all found it.”

Obeying the gun-toting mountain man was our only recourse. We led our horses through the opening we’d used to trespass. Remembering Jack’s horse Jubilee had the bad habit of biting, I offered to mend the fence if he’d hold the horses. It wasn’t the easiest work I’d ever done, but somehow I succeeded in twisting the barbed wire tight enough despite being held at gunpoint by the black bearded man. Shaking as I swung into the saddle, I followed Jack’s swift retreat along the trail through Rhododendron Hell to the shadow of Shortoff Mountain. Sometime after we reached Buck Creek Road, the sun gently set behind the mountaintops leaving us to ride home in the silhouette of the new moon.

Almost 30 years have passed since this experience, however all the sights, sounds, scents and feelings seem as fresh today as they did that afternoon. I have rendered to the best of my ability, a setting for a still based on these two sightings. Won’t you stop on by the Historical Society’s Museum and check out the mural? Won’t be quite like being there on that hill, but you won’t have a rifle pointed at you either.

The Second of a Two-Part Short Story by J. J. Joannides

Bear Shadow Ridge Gem in Highlands NC

Posted on April 30, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

This month’s Home of Distinction is testament to gracious living and a clear appreciation of Highlands’ natural heritage.

First of all, it’s perched atop Bear Shadow Ridge. That means its lucky residents are afforded a spectacular view of the Bear Shadow of Whiteside Mountain as it emerges from mid-October to mid-November and pops up out of hibernation in February. And there is always languid Whiteside Cove spread out like one of those Harold Davis landscapes.

But those breathtaking views are only a fraction of the charms of this très-luxurious home. Designed by Cashiers architect C. Allen Brown, it’s the residential equivalent of an over-stuffed divan – infinitely comfortable and deliciously sumptuous. Cashiers Builder Ray Ward oversaw the construction, ensuring that it’s built to his exacting and occasionally exasperating standards. (As testament to Ray’s devotion to this exquisite home, somehow he managed to acquire and install 100-year-old oak flooring for the entire household.)

That heritage means that everywhere you look in this five-bedroom getaway, the emphasis is on not-quite understated opulence and snug sufficiency.

Consider the Master Bedroom. It’s roomy and appointed with all the luxuries that make the prospect of staying in bed all day something to consider. And adjoining it is the biggest dressing room/walk-in closet this side of the Mississippi – it’s as though it was condensed out of a Texas millionaire’s wife’s fancy. Madame‘s housekeeper needn’t even lug clothes downstairs to the Laundry Room. There’s a washer-drier set built into the dressing room. (The Gentleman’s Dressing Room, while smaller, is still large enough to house his wardrobe and her spillover fashions and shoes).

Spend some time in the Kitchen – with its rich coffee brown granite countertops somehow even that most mundane of tasks, cooking a meal, becomes imbued with a specific creative energy. There’s the 72-inch wide custom-cabinetry refrigerator and freezer ensconced in the wall. But the centerpiece of the kitchen is the magnificent oven with its six burners and grill. It’s a restaurant-grade piece, but it’s a showstopper thanks to its magnificent stone-enclosed hood. That singular piece is a throwback to a degree of workmanship that vanished from the American Landscape sometime around the middle of the 20th Century.

In fact, that level of attention to detail is evident throughout this home. The custom window treatments that Cashiers’ Into the Woods Designer’s Studio created for each room are a reflection of the natural beauty just outside.

Even the architecture is predicated on the breathtaking beauty afforded by Bear Shadow Ridge. A magnificent panoramic view of Whiteside frames the Living Room. That same view is duplicated in the Morning Room just off the Kitchen.

There’s even a Gazebo that overlooks Whiteside Cove, perfect for intimate entertaining.

At the other end of the spectrum, there’s a carefully landscaped pocket garden that’s perfectly suited for contemplative moments.

And if your houseguests require a little privacy, there’s a richly appointed Guest Suite over the three-car garage, complete with private bathroom and kitchenette.

If the photos of this mountain hideaway are whispering to you, contact Pat Allen Realty Group at (828) 526-8784 or (828) 200-9179; or visit patallenrealtygroup.com.

by Luke Osteen

The Misery of Allergies – The Past!

Posted on April 30, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Contributed by Jim Johnson, DC, DACBN & Resa Johnson, DC, DACBN, Mountain Air Wellness (828) 743-9070

For many returning and year round residents, spring begins seasonal allergy suffering. “How can I get rid of my allergy symptoms?” dominates their thoughts. Some people have spent years taking prescription medications and experiencing side effects. Do not think about having allergy symptoms as an annoyance that you have to put up with; think about resolving the reasons for your allergy symptoms and achieving much improved and even total relief and comfort!

The first step to relieve and eradicate allergies is to determine the reasons for your symptoms.Your healthcare practitioner should be able to offer you alternatives to medications and help create a plan of action designed for your personal needs. Schedule an annual nutritional and wellness exam. In addition, there are simple blood tests that can help isolate what triggers your allergies, nutritionally and environmentally. We truly are what we eat and often suffer the consequences of poor choices, which increase our allergies. A complete dietary analysis, with a wellness detoxification program customized for your individual needs, will most definitely provide some relief from those bothersome allergy symptoms. A multi-faceted approach with various analyses and treatments that meet your body’s individual needs for relief of allergies
is mandatory.

Many supplements, homeopathic remedies and herbs have been used for years to help with seasonal allergies. For additional comfort, consider a few acupuncture sessions. As always, a gentle spinal manipulation will get you feeling in alignment and well on your way to getting rid of your
allergy symptoms!

Relieving the itchy eyes, runny noses, aching heads, and misery of allergies is possible! A medicine practitioner or Health Coach can work with you to feel better, take charge of your health, and avoid the toxic side effects of many prescription medicines. You have choices when it comes to your health; spend some time and do some research and maybe a new approach is just what you need. Education, implementation, and guidance give us the tools to work in partnership on the road to optimal health. Seasonal allergies can definitely be an annoyance of the past!

Highlands NC: It Takes Guts to be Healthy

Posted on April 30, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

It takes guts to be healthy!

Yes, it does, in many ways.

Good health is no longer a given, but a task that takes daily diligence and understanding of our societal challenges and dietary concerns. The changes in our “natural foods and environmental benefits” are immense and so impacting on our health. We still take so much for granted when it comes to eating well. At the same time, we indulge in many foods that “taste good”, are pleasing to our palates, and, at the same time, so damaging to our health. We soon find out through testing and health problems, that what we eat can cause major health issues over time.

This brings us to the real challenge: eating to be healthy, not just sustain life!

Eating “comfort foods” daily can be a problem, especially if they are not freshly-prepared. For instance, frozen lunches are an easy way to bring your own, prepare it quickly and feel satisfied.

The problem is too many chemicals, preservatives and empty calories, usually in the form of sugar in some way. How about this for lunch — freshly prepared salad with some type of protein; beans, meat made at home, fish prepared at home, or just a salad prepared with lots of colorful and fresh vegetables. Add some oil and vinegar and favorite herbs and you have a wonderfully healthy meal.

Breakfast is another problem for most because of timing issues. Eat a hard-boiled egg that you have prepared at home, maybe a carton of yogurt with nuts added to it.

A tip for dining out: Ask how the food is prepared and stick with broiled, baked or sautéed; stay away from fried and breaded foods. Ask for oil and vinegar on your salad instead of creamy dressings.

Now add some exercise to the mix and you are well on your way to being and feeling healthy. Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise daily will add an amazing amount of energy to your body, increase your metabolism, change your fat mass into lean mass and keep your heart and organs functioning well.

Immune function begins in your gut!

Highlands NC: The Fat of the Land

Posted on April 30, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Ashby Underwood-Garner is a Rolf Practitioner and Director of Yoga Highlands. For Individual Coaching on healing with a Real Foods diet, contact her at mtnyogins@gmail.com.

What can you find at your local farmer’s market? Farm fresh lettuces, kale, swiss chard, beets, asparagus, strawberries, honey, fresh bread, trout, cheese and eggs. The items you find are homemade, grown organically (free from toxic pesticides) and nutrient-dense. When an organic fruit or vegetable is allowed to ripen on the vine, the quality is superior in both taste and nutrition.

Conventional farming practices soared after World War II as the government began to look for ways to repurpose unused substances, primarily nitrogen (a primary ingredient in fertilizer). Mass produced vegetables usually travel long distances with the pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers used to grow them. Mono-cropping, repeated growing of one crop on the same land, weakens the plant and its natural resistance to pests. Conventional farming has drastically changed the health of the soil. The depletion of vital minerals in the soil makes a less mineral-rich vegetable on your plate. In essence, post WWII broccoli looks the same as before, but has far less of the nutritional value than
its ancestor.

So how can we enjoy the fat of the land and eat what nourishes us: body, mind, and soul? The food grown locally and sustainably is often grown with biodiversity on the farm. Growers of good vegetables and meats are also growing good soil. Holistic management of a farm is an art, and the practice of re-building the mineral balances of life-giving soil takes years of work and attention. Any amount of money spent with your local growers for the finest products is an investment in the health of your body and the health of your community. Fortunately our local grocers have access to many fresh, in-season foods. Unfortunately, some state laws prohibit open sales of unpasteurized milk and butter. These super foods are excellent sources of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, and K which work with the minerals for optimum nourishment. Together the fats and minerals are the mortar and bricks for a strong body and clear thinking.

My Favorite Indulgence in Highlands NC

Posted on April 30, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Cashiers and Atlanta resident Elizabeth Fletcher makes event planning and public relations seem as effortless and anxiety-free as a day at the spa. Part of that is predicated on her years of experience as the publisher of four regional bridal magazines, bridal events spokesperson for Federated and Belk department stores, and guiding force behind media campaigns for exclusive inns. Equally important are her boundless energy, effortless imagination and fanatical attention to detail. elizabeth@idoeventsatlanta.com

Spas are my favorite indulgence, but I seldom take the time to have a spa day unless I am on vacation.

Recently I was given a gift certificate to Old Edwards Inn & Spa and I was thrilled.

The tough part was trying to decide what service I would partake. Massages are my favorite and I finally decided to try a massage that I would never purchase, Thai Massage.

In booking the appointment, I was told to wear comfortable clothes that allow for movement as I would not be getting undressed but would be on a floor mat with a therapist. The therapist uses his or her hands, knees, legs, and feet to move you into a series of yoga-like stretches.

My mind was second-guessing my decision, and right up to the day of my appointment I thought that I should change to my regular deep tissue massage.

Was I ever surprised!

The Spa Director, Kyra Russell, was my therapist and the service began with Russell washing my feet.

When I inquired about this, she said, “For centuries people around the world have received guests into their home with an open heart and a ritual of cleansing the feet. This time-honored ritual relieves the weary travelers’ feet, refreshes them and shows respect to the recipient. In our spa we are bathing our guests in hospitality as we wash away the stress of their travels and invite them to relax fully and enjoy their treatment.”

Thai Massage is believed to have been developed by Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha, physician to the Buddha, more than 2,500 years ago in India.

According to Russell, “Families in Thailand have trusted that Thai Massage was an efficient and respectable way of curing disease. Thai Massage was passed down from generation to generation. Husbands give massage to wives, wives massage children; children give massage to parents and grandparents. The families trusted that Thai massage was a valuable body of wisdom and knowledge from their Thai ancestors.”

Several times during our session I found myself almost falling asleep and thoroughly relaxed. The session ended way too soon and though it was my first Thai Massage it won’t be my last!

Let There be Wine

Posted on April 30, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Contributed by Bryan & Tricia Cox - CruiseOne Independent Vacation Specialists (828) 356-7920 TheCruiseFinders.com

Good food, good wine, good friends…they all go together so well. Let’s face it, it is tough to beat an evening sharing a good meal and a good bottle (or two!) of wine with close friends. Now, what if we take that and expand it to a week or two? How would that be for a fabulous vacation?

Did you know that there are any number of cruises you can take that specialize in European wine regions? From wonderful river cruises that take you into the heart of France, Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic to more traditional cruises that allow you to explore Italy, Greece, the Baltic region and more, there is something for every wine enthusiast.

And your wine adventure doesn’t end when you leave port and get back onboard your ship! Many of these cruises offer special wine pairings with gourmet meals and the ability to work with a master sommelier to become more educated about your wine choices. Many have wine tastings throughout your trip as well as wine seminars to teach you about the regions you are visiting. The options can be endless and the memories you make will last a lifetime.

Some of the best vacations Bryan and I have taken are those where we have traveled through the wine regions of Germany, Italy and Greece. From touring wineries in Germany to taking cooking classes in Italy to sharing Greek wines on the beaches of Santorini, those vacations have been educational, adventurous and simply stunning!

And let’s not forget that there is much more to Europe than wine. We have seen ancient ruins and historical sites in every country we have visited, but we always try to immerse ourselves in local cultures through food and wine. These are common threads that break through language barriers and allow you to make new friends along the way. In the words of John Gay, “From wine what sudden friendship springs!”

Cheers and Happy Travels!

Forever Farms in Cashiers NC: Jackson and George

Posted on April 30, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Sweet, neglected Jackson has found a lifesaving friend in George Sutherland.

A lot of the stories behind the animals that come to the Forever Farm are very sad. Fortunately, most of them end “happily ever after.” Jackson really hit the jackpot. This wonderful Collie came to us through the City of Brevard Animal Control. Folks in the neighborhood watched as Jackson showed severe signs of neglect, until they could stand it no longer. One day when he got out of his yard and was laying in the street, one neighbor called the police department and asked for help. Upon seeing Jackson’s deplorable condition the officer on duty called me to ask if we could help. I recommended that he first take the Collie directly to the vet to diagnose and document his issues. In addition to being malnourished, and having multiple internal parasites, Jackson had a very severe case of Sarcoptic Mange. The hair was literally peeling off his terribly inflamed skin. It would be a very costly, time-consuming recovery. When the officer found Jackson’s owners, they had no interest in providing the necessary care and signed the dog over to the city. The city, in turn, signed Jackson over to Friends for Life when we agreed to provide the needed medical care. In less than an hour we set up an isolation area for him, as he could not have contact with any of our other animals. A month in isolation with proper medication, and the dedication of the Forever Farm staff, resulted in Jackson’s recovery. We are pleased to say that this month the City of Brevard will be taking Jackson’s original owner’s to court for animal neglect.

With only a makeshift isolation area in a carport, one of our dedicated volunteers, George Sutherland, and one of our staff, Deb Worthen, donated funds to bring in an insulated building for Jackson, and future cases requiring quarantine. Having had Collies in the past, George quickly fell in love with this gentle dog. Upon being cured of the Sarcoptic Mange, Jackson went home with George and his wife Kathy, to live a healthy, happy life with his new family.

Friends for Life is a nonprofit charitable organization that operates a sanctuary called the Forever Farm in Lake Toxaway caring for senior and special needs companion animals. Our entire budget is supported by tax deductible donations from caring folks like yourselves. Visit our website at www.friendsforlifeforeverfarm.org. Donations can be made online or mailed to P.O. Box 340, Sapphire, NC 28774.

Contributed by Kathy Bub, Executive Director Forever Farms

The Magic Continues at Carpe Diem in Highlands NC

Posted on April 30, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Country Western Superstar, John Michael Montgomery will perform at Carpe Diem Farms on October 6th.

On Saturday, October 6th, beyond our wildest dreams, we have the honor of hosting award winning Country Western Superstar, John Michael Montgomery! He will perform a concert on the lawn at CDF and that evening will sing for the audience attending The Tux, Tails and Blue Jeans Ball in the magnificently transformed arena. The evening will also include a spell- binding equine demonstration. Highlands’ own international event creator, chef and author Tim Lundy, together with his Distinctive Design Events and Rosewood Market staffs have selected a palate-pleasing menu to enhance the magnificent surroundings.

“We have reached for the stars in order to celebrate our 20th anniversary of the foundation and the 15th anniversary of Carpe Diem Farms, the place,” commented Sue Blair, founder and executive director. Kentucky born artist John Michael Montgomery captured our “star” spot with his rich baritone, big heart, his collection of love songs and number one hits.

Contributed by Sue Blair, Carpe Diem Farms Executive Director

A limited amount of tickets are now on sale for the concert on the lawn as well as The Tux, Tails and Blue Jeans Ball. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see John Michael in an intimate setting right here in Highlands! Concert tickets are $50 per person and The Tux, Tails and Blue Jeans Ball tickets are $200 per person. There will be a price increase on July 1st for any remaining tickets. Don’t miss your opportunity to be a part of the magic.

From blue jeans to ball gowns, with cowboy boots of course, the attire for The Tux, Tails (that’s horse’s tails) and Blue Jeans Ball will be an eclectic blend. Wear what makes you comfortable in the sand floor arena.

Call Peter Raoul at (828) 526-5700 to purchase your tickets. More information is available on our website carpediemfarms.org. We’ll see you there!

Protecting Heritage for Generations in Highlands and Cashiers

Posted on April 30, 2012 by thelaurelmagazine

Strategic gift planning can help you protect our natural heritage for generations to come.

What if you could protect your family’s financial security at the same time you’re helping to protect our natural heritage for generations to come?

You can! You can balance your personal financial goals and charitable giving goals while achieving significant tax benefits. By contributing to Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust through strategic gift planning, you can receive immediate benefits for gifts that last a lifetime, many cost nothing today and some even give you money back in the form of tax benefits and life income. All this while shaping the future of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau to ensure that the streams, woodlands, and vistas that you enjoy with your children and grandchildren today remain for them to pass on to their own children and grandchildren tomorrow.

Besides the many private lands HCLT conserves, we preserve many of the parks, trails and scenic vistas you enjoy on a daily basis including: Ravenel Park at Sunset Rock, Rhodes Big View at the county line between Highlands and Cashiers and portions of the historic Kelsey Trail. Once we preserve a property, it is our responsibility to be stewards of that land- forever. There is a cost for this stewardship and we depend on the support of our community for these resources. It’s easy to be a part of this great legacy and we invite you to join us.

You have several giving options, all offering various benefits to you. Besides traditional cash gifts, gifts of stock, life insurance, real estate, or retirement plans can offer significant tax savings. Consider naming HCLT in your will – it’s a simple process and leaves a lasting legacy. Or convert your assets into income through a charitable gift annuity or charitable trust. Talk with your financial advisor or tax attorney today about making a gift that gives you the greatest return on your investment and best suites your family’s unique needs. To learn more call (828) 526-1111 or visit www.hicashlt.org. Together we are saving mountains!

Contributed by Julie Schott, Director of Development Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust