Last days of summer--it was GertonFest XI but neighbors take time to cool off!
(The above picture was entered into the Fairview Town Crier end-of summer photo contest and was cited among the honorable mentions in the October 2019 Town Crier.)
President's Note
We asked? And you answered. Again! Thanks to your overwhelming
generosity we are able to provide Thanksgiving meals to 15 families who
otherwise would not be able to enjoy a Holiday feast. The Oktoberfast
pancake buffet generated $350. That's 10 complete
meals. Additional cash donations from 3 of our Community Club Members
totaled $175. Another 5 meals. Thank you to all who participated in
this humanitarian endeavor.
But that's just the beginning. The Outreach H.O.P.E. Project is
filling grocery sacks with ingredients that make up a complete
Thanksgiving meal. The bag contains corn, peas, cranberries, stuffing
mix, potatoes, cake mix, frosting and a turkey. We asked?
And you answered. Again! We delivered 183 pounds of these items to the
Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach Office last week Another 10 families will
enjoy a Thanksgiving meal.
Over the past two years as your Club President being thankful
seemed to resonate with greater frequency. It's all because of you.
Your never ending generosity, compassion, and participation in our
programs is a meaningful take-away for me. Thank
you all for your support during my term. I'm certain you'll offer more
of the same to our new Officers and Board of Directors in 2020.
Jack
As October winds its way to an end, IT comes---FINALLY, FALL!
Calendar of Events
Tuesday, November 19, 6:30 p.m. - COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER. Club provides turkey and dressing. Please bring sides.
Thursday, November 28 - THANKSGIVING
Monday, December 2, 10 a..m. - Holiday Workshop and Decoration of the Center for Christmas
Tuesday, December 17, 6:30 p.m. - Holiday Party and Gift Exchange. Finger Food Meal.
Wednesday, December 25 - CHRISTMAS
Tuesday, December 31 - New Year's Eve
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, Mike Hamlin.
Officers of the 2019 UHNGCC: President - Jack Bancer;
Vice-President - Jim Earnhardt; Secretary - Susie Bancer; Treasurer - Sylvia Sane;
Board - Stan Mobley Jean Bradley, Margaret Whitt, Karen Owensby
GertonFestXI
On perfect weather morning of Saturday, August 31, neighbors gathered for our now-traditional breakfast buffet -- pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, fruit, coffee, and orange juice. All you can eat! Thanks to Gloria Anders and Russ Anders for setting up the room, and to Gloria, Mac McAdams, Steve Jones, and Don Ferrell for doing the cooking. Jack Bancer was there to take the donations, which came to a total of $500, our most ever for a breakfast tally.
Kids slipped away from breakfast to spend some quality time in the library. Good habits start early!
Jean Bradley and Mary Kay McAdams sought homebaked goods for our bake sale--we had cakes, pies, breads, cookies, candy, and hot quiche thanks to the following: Jean Bradley, Mary Kay McAdams, Sylvia Sane, Lynn Morehead, Eva Infanzon, Toni Eastman, Susan Evans, Anne Bourne, Sarah Gayle, Mike Hamlin, Margaret Whitt, Joan Erskine, Annie McNair, Sheila Padgett, Margaret Colwell, Helen Brown, Roberta Pope, Lisa Grindle, Eileen Farrell, Jane Lawson, Dawn Loftus, Bonnie Moore, Becca Hathaway, Marlana Cooley, Joann D'Ambra, Syble Freeman, Frances Scoggins, and Maryanne Adoryan. Our total for the bake sale came to $449.
During afternoon games, we had our third corn hole tournament, our second Bocce tournament and Ethan and Noah were once again the champions. Inside--team trivia and later Bingo, while we waited for the BBQ dinner of pork and chicken.
McGuffey Ridge--Susan and David Evans and Don Adoryan--took honors for the third year. They are shown above in their sapphire blue GertonFest XI t-shirts, thanks to the work of Susan Evans. She ordered 36 and every one went out the door! (Also notice how the shirts match our tablecloths perfectly!) After Trivia, we played a half dozen games of Bingo -- just to keep our Bingo skills sharp!
The Silent Auction--always the biggest money maker of GertonFest--offered over 75 items, most of them gift cards from local merchants and restaurants in Fairview, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, and Hendersonville. For a grand total of $1,195, we have the following places to thank:
Our thanks to Angelo's, Local Joint, Appalachian Tropicals, Food Lion, Nachos and Beer, Swannanoa Cleaners, Daymoon Coffeebar, Smokey and the Pig, Whistle Hop, Fairview Fresh Produce, Sonic, Hot Dog King, Garden Spot, Rise Above Bakery in Fairview. AND
Ace Hardware and J&S Cafeteria in River Ridge. AND
Hot Dixie Dogs and Manual Woodworkers in Gerton. AND
Medina's Bistro, Village Scoop, River Watch, Nachito's, The Hickory Nut, Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock Gemstone, Bubba O'Leary's, Esmeralda Inn in Chimney Rock. AND
Lake Lure Inn and Spa, Lake Lure Golf, Lake Lure Boat Tour, Esmeralda Inn, Larkin's on the Lake, La Strada, El Lago in Lake Lure.
Mast General, Mountain Fresh Apples, Lyda Farms, A Day in the Country, Village Green Antiques, Fireside Restaurant, Fresh Market, Flatrock Playhouse in Hendersonville and Flat Rock.
Billy Gaines headed up kitchen duties for the pork and chicken BBQ. We made a total of $550. Billy had help from Sylvia Sane, Stan Mobley, Jean Bradley, Linda Gaines. And once again, Jack Bancer was there to receive the donations for the dinner.
GERTONFEST XI this year made a total of $2,734, our largest grossing fundraiser ever! Thanks to those who supported this event in whatever way--by coming, by contributing, by spending time with neighbors and friends.
The Silent Auction--always the biggest money maker of GertonFest--offered over 75 items, most of them gift cards from local merchants and restaurants in Fairview, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, and Hendersonville. For a grand total of $1,195, we have the following places to thank:
Our thanks to Angelo's, Local Joint, Appalachian Tropicals, Food Lion, Nachos and Beer, Swannanoa Cleaners, Daymoon Coffeebar, Smokey and the Pig, Whistle Hop, Fairview Fresh Produce, Sonic, Hot Dog King, Garden Spot, Rise Above Bakery in Fairview. AND
Ace Hardware and J&S Cafeteria in River Ridge. AND
Hot Dixie Dogs and Manual Woodworkers in Gerton. AND
Medina's Bistro, Village Scoop, River Watch, Nachito's, The Hickory Nut, Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock Gemstone, Bubba O'Leary's, Esmeralda Inn in Chimney Rock. AND
Lake Lure Inn and Spa, Lake Lure Golf, Lake Lure Boat Tour, Esmeralda Inn, Larkin's on the Lake, La Strada, El Lago in Lake Lure.
Mast General, Mountain Fresh Apples, Lyda Farms, A Day in the Country, Village Green Antiques, Fireside Restaurant, Fresh Market, Flatrock Playhouse in Hendersonville and Flat Rock.
GERTONFEST XI this year made a total of $2,734, our largest grossing fundraiser ever! Thanks to those who supported this event in whatever way--by coming, by contributing, by spending time with neighbors and friends.
September Program
We had 37 neighbors gather for dinner and talk on the night of September 17. Here people go through the always-good food line and make their smart and healthy choices from the bounty of the table.
Jami Linn won the largest raffle ever--taking home $80. But she used some of her winnings to bid on our last available gift card from GertonFest XI, a $25 Sonic gift card, for which she paid full value.
The Sanes, hosts for the evening, placed a basket of apples on each table. Folks were encouraged to take 4 or 5 apples home with them. Apples on the table every September has become one of our new traditions, thanks to Sylvia and Jim.
Our program speakers were Linda Ratschan and Hope Wittmer of Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach. They told a bit of the history of the Outreach, beginning back in 2007 when their space was called Shepherd's Care and they were housed in the rectory of Church of the Transfiguration in Bat Cave. That first Christmas they gave away 25 Christmas Angels and this past Christmas they gave away 224.
Today they have 50 volunteers, serving a greater number of clients in the area. Forty kids are enrolled in the back pack for kids week-end food program. They gave away 114 backpacks with school supplies this fall. One volunteer delivers 40 loaves of bread each week so that the kids can make their sandwiches for school. Because of the growth of the program, Outreach is now able to offer 5-7 days of food every month. November through April are the busiest months of the year, with tourism down and service jobs being reduced in hours. A new program: FINS (families in need of support) now serves those who are challenged by food insecurities.
Linda and Hope stressed the generosity of the people who volunteer and how it is always possible to call on someone who will step up at the last minute.
UHNGCC has stepped up its giving to the food bank, committing 500 pounds this year, but managing to break that goal. We are now about to double our goal!
Final Litter Sweep of 2019
From left: Michael Hamlin, Margaret Whitt, Jack Bancer, Sylvia Sane, Karen Gamble, Charles Gamble, Jean Bradley, and Jim Earnhardt. Gloria Anders, taking picture. (We also found yet another event in which to wear our GertonFest XI t-shirts!)
On Saturday, September 28, nine neighbors showed up to pick up trash between the two Gerton signs. In our last collection for 2019, we scored six bags of trash and six bags of recycled waste. We always take the recycled blue bags home to throw out with our own trash, while the state picks up the orange trash. The whole endeavor takes between an hour and an hour and a half.
After five years of coordinating our litter sweeps, Gloria Anders will step aside and Michael Hamlin will coordinate for the new year ahead. Many thanks to Gloria for organizing us and making the necessary calls. And thanks to Michael for saying YES when called upon!
Town Hall on Climate Change
Stephanie Rausch of Citizens' Climate Lobby was present to lead a discussion after the movie. If you are interested in further talk of sustainable energy options for those of us who live in Henderson County, a non-partisan public forum took place on October 27, from 2-4 p.m. at Stull Hall of Grace Lutheran in Hendersonville. Forums that present an arena for climate talk that will lead to citizen action will be ongoing. You can learn more at facebook.com/ClimateCrisisActionHendersonCoNC
October Program
Our Florida dwellers, who all planned to leave the day after our meal together include: Becky Shutrump, Ted and Lana Roberts, Toni and Marc Eastman. We will miss them and see them again come spring time.
Karen Owensby gave a too-brief slide show of her recent trip to Prague in the Czech Republic. She had traveled there in July with millions of other tourists and stayed in Old Town. Highlights from her overview included: Jewish cemeteries that were 12 layers deep, an old church made of 70,000 human skeletal bones, many beautiful churches that today are used mostly for visiting tourists and music programs, and the oldest still-working clock in the world. Prague was spared for the most part during WWII bombing. Thanks to Karen for bringing sights from her trip home to us.
OctoberFast
Neighborhood News
Mike Hamlin recently offered his beautiful pottery at the Southern Highlands Craft Show at the civic center in downtown Asheville on the weekend of October 17-20. Mike always makes Gerton look good!
