The Echo is published bi-monthly throughout the year by the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Club. You can access the online BLOG at www.gertonecho.blogspot.com or pick up a paper copy at the Gerton Post Office. News is always welcome; pictures, too. Pease submit to Editor Margaret Whitt at mwhitt@du.edu or 625-0264. Roving ace reporter: Barbara Earnhardt. Photographers: Jay Alley, Sylvia Sane, Shirley Boone, Chelsea Rath.
Officers for 2015: Jim Sane, President; Lynn Morehead, Vice President; Sarah Gayle, Winter Secretary; Lana Roberts, Summer Secretary; Sylvia Sane, Treasurer; Board members: Jim Earnhardt, Jean Bradley, Patty Tanner, Claudia Freeman. Immediate Past President, Margaret Whitt.
Calendar of Events
March 7, Park in the Moonlight and hike to the top of the Rock. Chimney Rock State Park fundraiser. See Facebook page for more information.
March 17, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Community Covered Dish Dinner. Program:
"Forging from the Soul" - Award-winning Artist Blacksmith and
psychotherapist, Dave MacDonald will discuss how he intertwines his passion for
the healing arts with his love of forging metal.
March 20, 11 a.m. New Moon Meditation, 311 Buffalo Creek Road, Lake Lure, more information, call Rev. Heidi Peck - 216-6438
March 21, Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. - Mind Body Spirit Day at the Black Mountain Light Center
April 4, Saturday, 1-2 p.m. Easter Egg Hunt. Kids 12 and younger
April 5, Sunday - Easter
April 17, Friday- 11 a.m. New Moon Meditation, 311 Buffalo Creek Road, Lake Lure. more information, call Rev. Heidi Peck. 216-6438
April 18, Saturday - SALE ON THE TRAIL. Breakfast - 8 a.m. Community Yard Sale - 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
April 17, Friday- 11 a.m. New Moon Meditation, 311 Buffalo Creek Road, Lake Lure. more information, call Rev. Heidi Peck. 216-6438
April 18, Saturday - SALE ON THE TRAIL. Breakfast - 8 a.m. Community Yard Sale - 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
April 18, Saturday - 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Mind Body Spirit Day at the Black Mountain Light Center
April 21, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Community Covered Dish Dinner. Program: Jane Lawson on Laughing Water Retreat Center
April 23, Thursday, NOON - Ministry of Hope 4th annual South of Asheville Luncheon at Lake Lure Inn. Tickets - $35. See Margaret Whitt for tickets--625-0264
SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, May 28, 3 p.m. Gerton High Tea
SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, May 28, 3 p.m. Gerton High Tea
President’s Note
We survived the ice. There were no serious injuries. Gerton Fire and Rescue had one ice-related
call. A U-Haul truck was stuck on Bearwallow Mountain Road. I sent an e-mail
to all on the UHNG E-MAIL list the
second day of the ice to check if anyone needed assistance. I called people on the UHNG Member Roster
that didn’t have an e-mail address listed.
Regretfully, one of the numbers I
called was incorrect by one digit. I
received a call on Friday that they were still digging out. I called them back when I checked my
messages. They had gotten their car down
to 74 by then. I will bring the rosters
to the monthly meeting. Please check the
rosters and update your info.
Kitchen Project Update: The demo phase is complete. As soon as the weather permits, Jim Earnhardt
and I are going to pick up the building materials. We have to do some framing work for the
sheetrock on the walls and ceiling.
Thanks to all that helped on the demo ( Stan Mobley, Jack Mumpower,
Richard Campbell, and Mark Skipper). A special
thanks to Bobby Dees. Bobby came by to advise on structural issues. It’s extremely helpful to have access to his
knowledge and experience.
We still need volunteers for
club committees and dinner hosts for
2015. The sign up rosters will be available
at the monthly meeting. The success of
the UHNGCC depends on the volunteer spirit of the members.
Walking Group Tallies Miles for 2014: 2,587 of them!
In 2014, 15 walkers and random guests logged a total of 2,587 miles stepping, kicking, jogging, back kicking, stretching with bands and lifting weights over the course of the year. Sometimes the group is as small as two and has been as large as a dozen in the summer months. Here are the totals (in alphabetical order) for the year. Once again, Sylvia Sane, outpaced the group, with 509 miles posted. The group is open to all. Time: Monday - Friday 9-10 a.m.
- Jean Bradley - 138
- Jean Carson - 47
- Margaret Colwell - 151
- Barbara Earnhardt - 42
- Toni Eastman - 63
- Joan Erskine - 82
- Becca Hathaway - 52
- Karen Hudson-Brown - 229
- Meg Mumpower - 422
- Joan Pool - 7
- Lana Roberts - 171
- Sylvia Sane - 509
- Lois Simpson - 162
- Carla Van Dale - 9
- Margaret Whitt - 396
- Guests - 19
Journey Scholarship Information from the Regional Office
(the following is a letter we received about scholarship help for high school seniors; further information can be obtained from Linda Lamp)
It is an honor for WNC Communities to manage the Journey
Scholarship for youth preparing to enter college. Last year, 11 deserving high
school seniors received scholarship funds totaling $12,500 to continue their
education.
Because your community participated in the 2014 WNC Honors
Awards Program, high school seniors in your community are eligible to apply for
a 2015 scholarship. The Journey Scholarship Application has been emailed to
high school guidance counselors of the school that is closest to your
community. However, this is no guarantee the application will get into the
hands of the eligible students. You can help by sharing this application with
high school seniors in your community.
Criteria for the application are listed on page two and the
deadline to get completed applications postmarked or hand-delivered to WNC
Communities is Wednesday, March 25, 2015. Please familiarize yourself with the
application particularly noting the “Community Confirmation” section on the
final page. This is where a community officer can assist by reviewing the
application and signing the application which confirms the high school senior
applying actually lives in, participates in or their application will be
supported by your community.
If you have any questions, need a hard copy to be mailed, or
receive the attached in another format just email or call me:
Linda L. Lamp (lindalamp@wnccommunities.org)
WNC Communities
594 Brevard Road
Asheville, NC 28806
828-252-4783
January Program
On a beautiful January 20, with mild seasonal weather 23 of us gathered for good food (as always) and a housekeeping program. Jim Sane used the program time to make corrections on our community roster, procure commitments for dinner hosting duties and committee assignments. During the business meeting, we passed the annual 2015 budget (see below) and had an update on the new kitchen. The new flooring should arrive by the end of January; the cabinets have been ordered and a vote has been taken on the necessary 50 knobs and/or pulls. A new microwave and hot water heater will also be installed. Details and pictures of work in progress will be posted as available.
2015 Budget
2015 Operating Budget
Expenses
Maintenance of Club
and Property 2014 actual 2014 2015
Lawn Care $1800 $1870 $1920
Utilities 900 749 780
Heating
oil 300 0 0
Propane
Tank Rental and Propane 79 79 79
Sub-Total $3715 3337 $3418
Insurance $2100 1960 1960
Taxes on rental
space
140 135 135
Supplies
Paper plates, napkins, utensils, dining cloths, decorations,
Calendar, etc. $250
321 350
Printing of Echo, Postage,
Sub-Total $550
468 700
Building Projects $2200 3150 2200
Programs
GertonFest food/expenses 800 581 800
Easter egg hunt 30 0 30
July 4 Cookout (and fireworks) 100 89 100
Play
200 49 200
Thanksgiving turkey 100 0 100
High Tea
__ 0 327
Others
200 47
200
Sub-Total $1530 812 1807
Outreach
$200 71 200
Rental Space 100 0 100
Repairs/Maintenance 505 0 500
TOTAL
$11,040 $9,933 $11,020
REVENUE
2015
anticipated
2014 actual 2014 anticipated 2015
Dues $740 570 570
Donations
Exercise $400 367 350
Meetings $400 521 500
unrestricted $800 609 600
Fundraisers
GertonFest $2500 1821 1800
Summer Play $1500 1700 1500
July 4 $100 137 100
Cookbooks $200 690 400
High Tea $1040 1000
Rent
Building $200 175 200
Store $3,000 3,000 3,000
TOTAL
$11,040 $11,682 $11,020
Not accounted for in the budget:
Income - Prize money from county and region
Expenses - New Kitchen will come from Savings Account
January 1, 2015 - $19,779.42 - Savings Amount
(includes CD of $5,725.03, tallies from fundraisers,
awards, cookbooks, named donations, green doors--over the last four years)
Day One, February 10 -- everything inside the kitchen becomes....
a pile of debris outside the kitchen....
Day Two, February 11. Everything in kitchen returns to primitive state, including ceiling...
and the old hot water heater heads out the door to the dump.
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We moved to 870 Homewood Avenue in Salem, Ohio, in January of 1938. I know
that because my new baby sister came to live with my parents and me that same
month. I had ordered her, so I was pleased—why else would my mother have asked
me whether I wanted a sister or a brother? We lived in this house for six
years, adding a mess of a baby brother to the mix. We outgrew the house, and
the day we moved away, I remember looking out the car’s rear window and
promising I would come and buy it back someday.
A few years ago, my sister and I returned to look at 870 Homewood—we were standing out on the front sidewalk. Out came a pleasant woman who asked who we were. We told her, and she replied, “Oh—you’re the Ross girls! I bought this house from your dad!” She had been my dad’s secretary, and as little girls, we thought her name “Zora Trotter” was one of the funniest names in the world. She lived in the house with her mother, and invited us in—but our husbands were waiting in the car, and so we declined. I wanted to know if up in the attic there was a plaster wall with our names scribbled on it. “There is!” she told us. They probably still are.... Barbara Earnhardt
Kitchen
(A Story in pictures)
How it used to look -- before February 10
16 Over 80 -
UHNGCC hosts Carolina Mountain Club's
Special Birthday
Party
On January 16, the Community Center was host to the
Carolina Mountain Club for a special birthday party for a few of their 16 trail
builders age 80 and older. It was also a retirement party for a special
volunteer, Howard McDonald, 89, who had volunteered over 9,000 hours.
His responsibility was engineering bridges, outhouses, and shelters along the
trails maintained by the Carolina Mountain Club.
This club is almost 90 years old and maintains trails in
Western North Carolina, including the Appalachian Trail and Mountains-to-Sea
Trail. CMC has built the trails in the Florence Preserve and the Bearwallow
Trail in Gerton. This winter, they're building a trail on Little Bearwallow
Mountain which will connect with the meadow on the back side of Bearwallow. We
are fortunate that this crew finds time to build trails here during the winter,
when places in the higher mountains are not accessible.
Skip Sheldon, coordinator of the trail crew working in
Gerton, will speak at the Community Club monthly meeting on May 19, about the
Carolina Mountain Club and their trailbuilding.
Notes from the Fire Chief, Jay Alley
2014 was a very good year for Gerton Fire and Rescue. We
were awarded a grant to replace all of our radios in the trucks and made a
start in replacing the hand held radios. We had to get this grant because the
county radio system is changing over to a digital format and the old radios we
had would not work with that system. The grant was a matching grant for $8000
and we are well on our way to replacing all of our radio equipment. We have
added several new members since our last post. We welcome Rod and Josh
Kuykendall as our newest volunteers. We also have hired as one of our paid
staff, Robert White.
We are working to increase our trained members by holding
certification training at the station on Monday nights. We also have added
several new medications and procedures to our EMS protocols. We now carry
Narcan for narcotic overdoses. We are in the process of putting Aspirin,
Nitroglycerin and Albuterol on our units for those cardiac and respiratory
issues. Changes are coming quickly and we are striving to provide you with the
best care possible by keeping up with these standards.
We also now have a Facebook account. Please like us. I keep
it up to date with interesting articles and information as it relates to our
community. Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact our
chief at chief@gertonfire.org. Our web page is www.gertonfire.org. It is under
construction so please be patient as we update it. If you have anything that
you feel is important that is safety related, please share it with us.
Just to give you an update of what we need in the future, we
will have to replace most of our gear in the next year or so because it is 10
years old and NFPA requires it to be replaced. We have applied for a grant this
year to replace all of our self-contained breathing apparatus on our trucks.
They are 10 years old and required to be replaced by the NFPA standards. We
have two trucks that are past their prime and require a great deal of
maintenance to keep them operational. We hope in the next few years to replace
them with newer trucks. This is not to say that trucks and equipment do not
work or are broken, but these are the needs of the department over the next few
years.
I hope you will take the time to come by sometime and visit.
Our paid staff is typically at the station Monday through Friday 8-5. We also
are there for training on Monday nights around 7 pm. We train every Monday
night and always welcome you to come by and visit. Last year we had over 2200
hours in training for our members in 2014. Much of this training was on
firefighting, but there was a great deal on medical and dealing with
emergencies that we may encounter. I am proud of our members and the effort
they put in for our community.
Below are our call statistics for 2014:
Building fire 1
Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue 1
Brush or brush-and-grass mixture fire 2
Medical assist, assist EMS crew 5
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury 26
Motor vehicle accident with injuries 4
Motor vehicle accident with no injuries 5
Power line down 3
Public service assistance, other 3
Assist police or other governmental agency 3
Assist invalid 2
Unauthorized burning 1
Cover assignment, standby, move up 1
Good intent call, other 2
Dispatched & cancelled enroute 8
Authorized controlled burning 3
Smoke scare, odor of smoke 1
Steam, vapor, fog or dust thought to be smoke 2
Alarm system activation, no fire - unintentional 2
Severe weather or natural disaster, other 1
Wind storm, tornado/hurricane assessment 2
Total number of Incidents for 2014 for Station 22 = 80
As always, we ask for your continued support. If we can ever
be of any help, please let us know. We install smoke detectors at no cost to
our homeowners. We will change out the batteries if needed. We are here to keep
you safe and we love to help. Thanks for your support and BE SAFE!
Goats in the Gorge
By Chelsea Rath, The Weed Action Coalition of Hickory Nut Gorge
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Slipper, the Goat -- Hard at Work on Invasives
If you drove between Lake Lure
These goats are a part of an initiative of the
Weed Action Coalition of Hickory Nut Gorge (WAC-HNG) to use herbivory as a
method to control non-native invasive plants. WAC-HNG (pronounced “whacking”)
was created in 2012 by the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and area partners
to combat these invasives. WAC-HNG has the objective to preserve the scenic
beauty, biodiversity, and natural resources of a place that is so important.
The Hickory Nut Gorge houses over 50 rare species of plants and animals. And,
in an ever-changing landscape, invasive plants threaten it all.
Herbivory is becoming a widely popular form of
vegetation control. For residents of the gorge, non-native invasive plants are
visible almost everywhere. Kudzu takes over the roadsides, Oriental Bittersweet
strangles our trees, and Multifora Rose snags your skin and clothes as you
hike. Luckily, goats love to eat away at Kudzu and other invasives. In an
effort to grab the attention of the community, while working on the invasive
problem, WAC-HNG had the idea to use goats in an easily visible area, so that
people who drove by would see the impact that was being made.
Working with a local landowner and goat
contractor, WAC-HNG was able to put the goats along HWY 74-A to drum up
attention while they ate away at the Kudzu. It was a very successful project.
Although Kudzu dominated this area, it was not the only invasive present on the
property. Japanese Honeysuckle, Japanese Stiltgrass, and Tree-of-Heaven also
had their place. The goats reduced all 10 invasive species to 2% cover or less.
Kudzu itself dominated at over 95% cover and was reduced to less than 1%.
Multiple treatments are necessary for effective
control of these invasive plants, so the goats will be back out this year
repeating treatments and beginning at new locations in the gorge as well. Keep
an eye out for these hard-working animals! In an effort to increase the acreage
the goats can work on, WAC-HNG is developing an Adopt-A-Goat campaign, to
further increase awareness and raise funds. To stay updated
about WAC-HNG, the goats, and how you can help, visit www.wachng.org.
By Chelsea Rath, The Weed Action Coalition of
Goats, such as Slipper above, take the land from this (above)...
to this (on right)
Childhood Homes
870 Homewood Avenue, Salem, Ohio
The early days of Barbara Ross Earnhardt and her siblings were spent here
A few years ago, my sister and I returned to look at 870 Homewood—we were standing out on the front sidewalk. Out came a pleasant woman who asked who we were. We told her, and she replied, “Oh—you’re the Ross girls! I bought this house from your dad!” She had been my dad’s secretary, and as little girls, we thought her name “Zora Trotter” was one of the funniest names in the world. She lived in the house with her mother, and invited us in—but our husbands were waiting in the car, and so we declined. I wanted to know if up in the attic there was a plaster wall with our names scribbled on it. “There is!” she told us. They probably still are.... Barbara Earnhardt
Neighborhood News
Received at the CHURCH
Delivered to the OUTREACH in Lake Lure
Donnie Freeman, interim pastor at Bearwallow, and Jean Bradley make the delivery.
Gerton Mourns Passing of Two WWII Vets
Two lovely gentlemen who graced our lives in
Gerton have left us behind--David Douglas on January 4, and Griff Campbell on
January 12. Both contributed in so many
ways to our community. They were both in their 90s, both served in the Armed
Forces, and both led outstanding
professional lives that influenced thousands of others for good.
DAVID DOUGLAS came as a teenager to Gerton in
1939 when his parents--William and Bertha--drove him from New York to North
Carolina to enroll him in Belmont Abbey College. After his B.A. degree, he earned two more degrees--a
Bachelor of Philosophy from Loyola University and a Bachelor of Science from
the Merchant Marine Academy. He served
as a Merchant Marine during WWII, and also in the Coast Guard. He continued his loyalty to servicemen by
volunteering at the V.A. Hospital in Asheville after he retired from Kaiser
Aluminum. David represented that company
in Africa as an engineer in Ghana, and with his wife Marjorie and their three
sons--Michael, David, Jerry--lived abroad for some years before returning to
Louisiana. He lived in both Henderson and Buncombe County.
He brought his second wife Rose Ann to Gerton. Here he pursued many hobbies--carpentry, inlaid wood furniture, stained glass, jewelry making, stamp collecting, watercolor. He was a ham radio operator, and worked with Boy Scouts of America for many years. He was quite a gourmet chef, specializing in French food. He was active in the Men's Prayer Breakfast Saturday morning gatherings at the Community Center, and joined the Gerton Fire Department volunteer team. He served for several years as Program Chair for the UHNG Community Center, and was an active participant at Bearwallow Baptist Church and Church of the Transfiguration in Bat Cave.
He brought his second wife Rose Ann to Gerton. Here he pursued many hobbies--carpentry, inlaid wood furniture, stained glass, jewelry making, stamp collecting, watercolor. He was a ham radio operator, and worked with Boy Scouts of America for many years. He was quite a gourmet chef, specializing in French food. He was active in the Men's Prayer Breakfast Saturday morning gatherings at the Community Center, and joined the Gerton Fire Department volunteer team. He served for several years as Program Chair for the UHNG Community Center, and was an active participant at Bearwallow Baptist Church and Church of the Transfiguration in Bat Cave.
Bobby Dees and Donnie Freeman conducted his
memorial service at Bearwallow January 9.
He leaves behind his beloved Rose Ann, his three sons, and
step-daughters Jan Peleaz, Amy Goss, Sue Coons, and step-son Mark Powell. Several grandchildren and great grandchildren
added to the family circle. His beloved
brother Bill predeceased him.
Sister-in-law Bettye lives in Los Angeles.
The family expressed gratitude to the Bearwallow Baptist
members and the Community Club for the lunch served after the memorial service
January 9. The family also noted the
excellent care David received for his year's residence at Universal Health Care
in Fletcher, as well as the kindness of the continuous concern of Gerton
friends during David's years of declining health.
There's a heartening tribute to David from a
Universal Health Care employee in the Guest Book section of the Asheville
Citizen Times obituary: for a class-assigned paper, her young son interviewed
David as a WWII veteran. Always taking
an interest in young people, including many Gerton youngsters we could name,
David detailed his war experiences for the youngster. According to the mother,
her son earned a 99 on his paper.
GRIFF CAMPBELL
(by Barbara Earnhardt)
Writing an obituary is hard. Obituary writing for a close friend of over 40 years is especially hard. So we've decided for notice of Griff Campbell's death January 12 at Twin Lakes Retirement Community inBurlington ,
to write instead some things Echo
readers might not know about their friend and summer neighbor of 25 years.
GRIFF CAMPBELL
(by Barbara Earnhardt)
Writing an obituary is hard. Obituary writing for a close friend of over 40 years is especially hard. So we've decided for notice of Griff Campbell's death January 12 at Twin Lakes Retirement Community in
Son of a Methodist minister, Griff and his siblings grew up
in a number of South Carolina
parsonages. In WWII, he served in the US Army in Africa and Italy , loved
reminiscing about how he and his team could calculate the precise angle from
which to launch mortarfire bound for enemy lines. After attending Brevard
College and the University of South
Carolina earning his Ph.D. in literature, he brought his wife Betty Fellers Campbell
and two young sons to Pfeiffer College in Misenheimer, N.C. For the remainder
of his professional life there, he taught more than a thousand students,
exulting his subjects as diverse as sentence diagramming to explicating John
Milton. His reading poems aloud in class persuaded many students to change
their majors to English.
He also served as town commissioner, church lay reader,
teacher and choir member of the Mt. Zion Lutheran
Church in nearby Richfield . He was regular pronouncer of words
for the county-wide spelling bees. He was poll watcher for countless elections,
led book discussions, and served Meals on Wheels.
In his 50s, he had a massive heart attack, swore off
caffeine and cigarettes and lived another 40-plus years.
In Gerton, some readers may recall his acting in two Hickory
Creek Players' productions: "In Arsenic and old Lace" as the crazed
Henry Einstein; in "Southern Fried Murder," as both a dotty rich old
lady (murdered, of course) and her foppish son. He relished a good game of
Scrabble, Boggle, and Bridge. Way into his late 80s, he beat many younger
players in golf. Hearing from former students by phone, letter, or visits
pleased him mightily.
He secured the first set of park benches down at the center,
he shared with various groups poems he had memorized from Robert Burns, Robert
Frost, TS Eliot, and Walt Whitman. He loved reading contemporary novels and
listening to J.S. Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze." Griff leaves
behind Betty, his wife of 61 years, two musician sons, Griffin and Bob, and their wives, five
grandchildren, and multitudes of friends. Condolences can be sent to 2745 Wade Coble Drive, Apt. 107 , Burlington , NC 27215
J. Griffin Campbell, 1919-2015
Ed Hunting is relocating out of
Greentree Rehab and joining his brother in Texas.Mary and Ed's Gerton house will be sold with the money going to the Kalamazoo Educational Fund.
