GertonFest XI: Saturday, August 31
8 a.m. Breakfast Buffet - All you can eat
Bidding on Silent Auction Opens
Home-baked Cakes, Pies, Candy, Cookies, Breads. Take home several and give to a friend or family member. Excellent gifts for others!
3 p.m. Games Begin
Bocce Tournament *****Corn Hole Tournament
Team Trivia
4 p.m.
BINGO
5 p.m.
BBQ Chicken and Pork - Eat in or Take out
Silent Auction winners announced
President's Note
With two-thirds of the calendar year behind us, I felt it prudent to update you on our fiscal status. Thus far it has been a record-setting year. Revenue is up. Expenses on budget. Member Participation at an all-time high. Philanthropy passes goal. Thank you to all for making this happen.
We continue to set new records for fundraising. Dues and donations, the Sale on the Trail, and our annual Play combined generated a 15 percent increase in revenue over projected budget. Budgeted expenses to date are $5900. Actual expenses to date are $5880. The only major expense remaining this year is our annual Insurance Premium - $2400. Projected revenue from GertonFest XI should cover this expense.
Participation at our monthly Covered Dish meetings is up slightly verses year-to-date 2018. The July 4th Cookout set a new attendance record; 120 neighbors and friends joined us for the festivities. Great food and fabulous fireworks; can hardly wait for next year.
Your contributions to the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach Program have surpassed our annual goal. To date you have donated over 600 pounds of food and supplies. Our goal was 500 pounds. Fantastic! Plans are underway for the Outreach Thanksgiving and Christmas Toy drive. We'll delve into those programs at our next meeting. Don't know if this is a record-- you donated 324 reams of paper, packs of pencils, pens, markers, glue sticks and note pads to the Outreach School Supplies Program. I do know these items were distributed to 108 children. Again, thank you.
Hard to believe Fall is just around the corner, and with it comes our annual nominations/election of Officers and Board Members. If you can give us about two hours a month to help generate new ideas to make Gerton a better Community to work and live, we'd love to hear from you. Contact any Board Member and we will pass your name on to the nominating committee. At the risk of being totally redundant, again, thank you.
Jack Bancer
Calendar of Events
September 2, Monday - LABOR DAY
September 17, Tuesday - 6:30 p.m. - Community Covered Dish. Program: Linda Ratschan, board member, Hickory Nut Outreach
September 28, Saturday, 10 a.n. - Last Litter Sweep of the Year
September 28, Saturday, 10 a.n. - Last Litter Sweep of the Year
October 15, Tuesday - 6:30 p.m. - Community Covered Dish. Program: Karen Owensby, scenic trip to Prague
The ECHO OF THE GORGE is published bi-monthly, a newsletter of the UHNGCC.
Copies are available in the Gerton Post Office or the issue may be found online: www.gertonecho.blogspot.com
News and pictures may be sent to Margaret Whitt at margaret.whitt@du.edu
Photographers for this issue: Margaret Whitt, Gloria Anders, Karl Bradley, Jami Linn, Dave MacDonald, Lana Roberts, and Sylvia Sane.
Officers of the 2019 UHNGCC: President - Jack Bancer;
Vice-President - Jim Earnhardt; Secretary - Susie Bancer; Treasurer - Sylvia Sane;
Board - Stan Mobley, Syble Freeman, Jean Bradley, Margaret Whitt, Karen Owensby
Fourth of July in Smalltown America: Nothing Like It!
Diego wins burlap sack race. Here he demonstrates his skill against Eva and Sam. About 14 people of all ages participated in our morning games organized by Susie Bancer, with help from Jami Linn.
Several teams vie for the wheelbarrow race.
Kids and adults pair up for the always-tricky three-legged race. This year, Susie Bancer found a great spot in the shade to run the games.
Our July 4 cookout -- burgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs with folks' bringing sides--began at 6:30. The grill men, Jack Bancer and Jim Earnhardt, began preparation and grilling earlier, so that all could begin eating right on time! For the third year in a row, we had over 100 people from near and far. We used all our tables, the picnic tables outside, and the Sanes went home to bring down yet more tables. We began Bingo around 7:30 and played various incarnations of the game until dark! Only one prize wasn't claimed, but we had a first-time attender, Buddy from Fairview, take three games; and the $10 top prize was claimed. We managed to consume lots of hot dogs, burgers, and veggie burgers; and we had a whole table of watermelon! Sides were plentiful and varied. No one went away hungry.
UHNGCC 2019 Scholarship Winner
Myles Cooley, who will attend Liberty University in the fall with plans to major in Worship Studies with a focus in Worship Technology (recording studio work, live sound, sound engineering), is the recipient of our $500 scholarship award. The check has been sent to Liberty University for a credit on Myles's tuition.
Myles graduated from Hearthstone Christian Academy (homeschool) in 2016. He has held jobs at Chick-Fil-A, Akiva Critical, Eaton Corporation, and the Guitar Center of Asheville. He has also been a resident intern at Biltmore Church.
Our congratulations to Myles. We wish him the best as he enters a new world of study.
Fresh flowers and mowed area around the Welcome signs--thanks to Nita Owenby for the mowing and Shannon Frye for the seasonal flowering plants.
Lana Roberts, host for the evening with husband Ted, and Jim and Kyanne Miller, was the winner of the raffle and its largest pot to date: $70.
Jason Hernandez, playwright of "Cupcakes and Crazies" spoke briefly about his play that would happen in another ten days! Below, about 51 neighbors came to enjoy good food and talk with one another.
Lana and Ted Roberts' granddaughter and her friend took their golf cart for a ride. Along the way, a tree branch removed the top. Now Ted and Lana drive a snazzy convertible!
Morning has broken -- July 16, but every Gerton morning, we have a wonderful sunrise!
July Program
"Cupcakes and Crazies"
The 21st annual summer play took place July 26 and 27 in the UNHGCC. We had full houses both nights, and Jason Hernandez's inaugural world premier of "Cupcakes and Crazies" had us all laughing at the antics of multiple-personality Johnny Blank, who wanted nothing more than to launch his own cupcake dynasty. J.D. Nappi, playing four different personalities, never missed a line in what has to be his most demanding role for the Hickory Creek Players. Jason Hernandez was the corrupt therapist, who overcharged his rich clients and was later arrested by police officer, played by Jim Sane, for Dr. B.S. Shiester had escaped from a mental institution. Sadie Moore, as Sadie Monroe, played the office secretary--the only sane one in the office, while Gloria Anders, as Goode Listener appeared to be a well-heeled woman who ended up paying the therapist to have him tell her his problems. Helen Brown, as John's mother, made a special appearance to let Johnny know that of course he was welcome to launch his cupcake dream and his parents would support him fully! All ended well--and a budding romance seemed on the near horizon for Johnny and Sadie.
At intermission we sold delicious cupcakes (of course) made by Karen Owensby and Susie Bancer. Sylvia Sane ran the dessert table with help from Gayle Morris and Lisa Grindle. Jack Bancer and Lana Roberts took money at the door. Our record-breaking total was $1930 for both nights. Thanks to all who worked and all who came...and especially our wonderful and talented cast.
At the second intermission, needed for costume change time, Eva and Diego Infanzon offered us a wonderful rendition of the Beatles' "Hey Jude" on their violins, while Diego played a solo of Mark O'Connor's "Appalachia Waltz."
Thanks, too, to Zane Moore, prop manager, and Bonnie Moore, who prepared the programs. And thanks to a very talented cast.
The cast (left to rights) J.D. Nappi (John Blank with three different personalities inside him), Jason Hernandez (Dr. B.S. Shiester), Sadie Moore (Sadie Monroe), Gloria Anders (Goode Listener), Eva Infanzon, RuthAnn Nappi (woman with clipboard), Jim Sane (arresting officer), Diego Infanzon, and Helen Brown ( Philanda Blank).
Diego and Eva play "Hey Jude" (you could hear attempts at a sing-a-long in the background!)
Johnny Blank and Dr. Shiester dress as women to attend the Biltmore Ladies' Club in Dr. Shiester's efforts to help Johnny break the rules--dress as he should not and go where he should not.
Philanda Blank assures her son John that he may realize his cupcake dream as Sadie stands by to see how she might fit into the future picture.
GERTON , N.C. (WLOS) — Buncombe County
Litter Sweep - Summer 2019
From left: Pete Reese, Jean Bradley Mike Hamlin, Jim Sane, Jack Bancer, Susie Bancer, Karen Owensby, Jim Earnhardt.
On the morning of Saturday, August 3, we completed the third of four litter sweeps. It took a total of 1 and a half hours. Among the special finds this time was a dead Diamondback Rattler at the top of the mountain by the Continental Divide. The most interesting find, however, was a neighbor's driver's license and credit cards. Russ Anders will return to the rightful owner, who will, do doubt, be very surprised!
The final litter sweep of 2019 will be Saturday, September 28 at 10 a.m.
John Ager Town Hall
L
(Ed. note: to hear/see the media coverage of our August 4 Town Hall with neighbor and state representative John Ager go to: https://wlos.com/news/local/buncombes-rep-ager-holds-town-meeting-addresses-coal-ash-nc-budget-assault-weapons)
by Kimberly King of WLOS
The fight over coal ash cleanup drags on in North Carolina Rutherford County
Ager also addressed what he calls another big issue: the
standoff over the state budget. He and fellow Democrats aren't compromising, saying they won't
vote for the budget until Republicans bend to expand Medicaid, which Ager says
would expand insurance coverage to half a million additional NC residents.
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Representative of State House District 115 John Ager accepted an invitation to appear at a Town Hall meeting in Gerton on Sunday, August 4, at 6 p.m. John began by saying that the #1 priority of the government is SAFETY (This was the weekend of mass killings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas), which involves banning assault guns and calling for universal background checks. He also said, when questions were called for, that in Raleigh because of House leadership nothing would happen at this time. Right now, the biggest issues in Raleigh are the following:
Jack Bancer presents Claudia Freeman with the raffle pot of $55. Says Claudia; "I've never won anything before!" Always a first time. Our 50/50 raffle takes place at each monthly dinner.
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Representative of State House District 115 John Ager accepted an invitation to appear at a Town Hall meeting in Gerton on Sunday, August 4, at 6 p.m. John began by saying that the #1 priority of the government is SAFETY (This was the weekend of mass killings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas), which involves banning assault guns and calling for universal background checks. He also said, when questions were called for, that in Raleigh because of House leadership nothing would happen at this time. Right now, the biggest issues in Raleigh are the following:
- issues about the budget,
- medicaid expansion, which would provide 40,000 new jobs and insure another half million people.
- the most gerrymandered state in the country, and districting needs to be decided by neutral parties removed from partisan interests.
- need to bring vitality back to the rural areas of North Carolina.
- offshore Eastern coast has the the greatest possibility for wind power -- Ager believes we could power the state with wind energy
- smokeable hemp and legalizing marijuana
- water, air, and land have only the government to protect them
- climate change - suggestion from the floor that maybe children might be able to come up with ideas --as government officials do listen to their grandchildren!
- growing income inequality.
August Program
Ali Stone, program manager of Root Cause (formerly Lord's Acre), talked to 42 neighbors gathered for good food on August 20 at our community meal. This garden project began 11 years ago, an initiative led by Pat Stone. About one acre is in production during the growing season from April to October. They distribute the produce to five partners, which includes Food for Fairview, Welcome Table, a pop up market, and Green Opportunities in Asheville. All is given away--about 8-12 tons in a growing season, which provides over 330,000 meals.Wednesday nights are for volunteers. If you have interest in Root Cause, go to their website: www.rootcausefarm.org
Neighborhood News
