A rafter of turkeys show up for breakfast in the driveway of Jim and Keith Earnhardt
The Echo of the Gorge is the bi-monthly newsletter of the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Club. Paper copies are available in the Gerton Post Office. The ECHO may be read online at www.gertonecho.blogspot.com
The Editor welcomes news items: E-mail Margaret Whitt at mwhitt@du.edu or phone 625-0264 or ace reporter Barbara Earnhardt at lualice@bellsouth.net or 625-9255. Pictures of local Gerton activities, people, or places are always welcome.
UNGCC officers: President, Margaret Whitt; Vice-President, Jim Earnhardt; Secretaries, Jean Bradley and Lana Roberts; Treasurer, Sylvia Sane; Immediate Past President, Mel Freeman. Board members: Gene Earnhardt, Syble Freeman, Claudia Freeman, Jim Sane, Jean Bradley. Programs, Barbara Earnhardt. Board meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month. Community Dinner and Program are on the third Tuesday of each month.
Barbara Earnhardt, Keith Earnhardt, and Shirley Boone prepared the centerpieces for the Ministry of Hope spring luncheon at the Lake Lure Inn on April 4. All flowers came from local yards, with special thanks to Jean Bradley for the daffodils. The luncheon this year cleared $3,400 to support the chaplains at the local Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women.
(Courtesy: Barbara Earnhardt)
Calendar of Events
Every Monday - Friday - Exercise by walking with your neighbors to a tape at the center. Daily at 9 a.m.
May 11—Chimney Rock Music on the Mountain Concert. live music 12-3 p.m. and spring wildflower walk 11-noon. www.chimneyrockpark.com for details.
.
May 21— 6:30 p.m. UHNGCC potluck dinner; speakers Art and Sharon
Rhodes on 7,207 mile-cross-country road trip. (See article.)
May 26—MEMORIAL DAY
June l Bullington Gardens’ Spring Gala—10 a.m.-2 p.m., celebrates with
unveiling of new garden
tours, music, brunch fare, and auctions.(www.bullingtongardens.org)
Black Mountain 16th annual Black Mountain Arts and Crafts Show. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
June 2 - 5 - 10 p.m. annual Lord's Acre square dance family fundraiser at Sherrill's Inn on Hickory Nut Gap Farm. 231-0265 for details.
June 18—6:30 p.m. UHNGCC covered dish dinner. Speaker Roni Peterson will describe her recent mission
trip to Turkey and Iraq Christian churches
June 29 (Shhhh: Jim and Keith Earnhardt’s 50th wedding
anniversary!)
President's Note
Our first fund raiser of the year was held on Saturday, April 20. This was our third participation in the 19-mile yard sale that begins in Gerton and ends in Lake Lure, with stops in Bat Cave and Chimney Rock. For the third time, we had a Pancake Breakfast, a multi-varied bake sale, and a community yard sale. We hoped for a tally of $1,000 at the end of the day. AND... we exceeded our goal, bringing in $1,406.90.
While the preparation for the event took some days of calling and asking and buying supplies, the real work started on Wednesday and took up most of Thursday and all day Friday. What has become no surprise to me was the willingness of our neighbors to pitch in and volunteer their time, their talents, their efforts, their amazing skills and their patience to do the job. I want to thank especially Syble Freeman, Donnie Freeman, Sylvia Sane, Jim Sane, Roberta Pope, David Pope, Virginia McGuffey, Lynn Morehead, Patty Tanner, Joan Erskine, Barbara Earnhardt, and David Scoggins. On the day of the event, these people cooked the food, took up the money, managed the goods of the yard sale--setting up before and breaking down afterwards. Everybody was in good spirits and manifested nothing but good attitudes throughout the event. What a genuine pleasure it is to live and work among you all.
Thank all of you who came and supported the event by eating breakfast with us, buying baked goods, and picking up a few items from the sale. And, of course, we are genuinely grateful to all of you who brought us your items so that the whole of the community could profit. Thanks and thanks.
Margaret Whitt
Shoppers browse at 3rd annual Sale on the Trail, April 20. (Courtesy: Jim Earnhardt)
Bearwallow Beast
The Finish Line at the 2012 Bearwallow Beast 5K
Sponsored by the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, this year's Bearwallow Beast will take place on Sunday, May 5. Parking will be available at the UHNGCC and also at Grand Highlands, where school bus shuttles will take you to the top of the mountain. You do not have to register for the race to participate in the festival. The race begins at 2 p.m., but parking activity and registration will begin at 11 a.m. at the community center. Last year, several hundred people participated in the race. Full details are available at www.bearwallowbeast.com.
UNGCC officers: President, Margaret Whitt; Vice-President, Jim Earnhardt; Secretaries, Jean Bradley and Lana Roberts; Treasurer, Sylvia Sane; Immediate Past President, Mel Freeman. Board members: Gene Earnhardt, Syble Freeman, Claudia Freeman, Jim Sane, Jean Bradley. Programs, Barbara Earnhardt. Board meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month. Community Dinner and Program are on the third Tuesday of each month.
Barbara Earnhardt, Keith Earnhardt, and Shirley Boone prepared the centerpieces for the Ministry of Hope spring luncheon at the Lake Lure Inn on April 4. All flowers came from local yards, with special thanks to Jean Bradley for the daffodils. The luncheon this year cleared $3,400 to support the chaplains at the local Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women.
(Courtesy: Barbara Earnhardt)
Calendar of Events
Every Monday - Friday - Exercise by walking with your neighbors to a tape at the center. Daily at 9 a.m.
May 11—Chimney Rock Music on the Mountain Concert. live music 12-3 p.m. and spring wildflower walk 11-noon. www.chimneyrockpark.com for details.
.
May 21— 6:30 p.m. UHNGCC potluck dinner; speakers Art and Sharon
Rhodes on 7,207 mile-cross-country road trip. (See article.)
May 26—MEMORIAL DAY
June l Bullington Gardens’ Spring Gala—10 a.m.-2 p.m., celebrates with
unveiling of new garden
tours, music, brunch fare, and auctions.(www.bullingtongardens.org)
Black Mountain 16th annual Black Mountain Arts and Crafts Show. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
June 18—6:30 p.m. UHNGCC covered dish dinner. Speaker Roni Peterson will describe her recent mission
trip to Turkey and Iraq Christian churches
June 29 (Shhhh: Jim and Keith Earnhardt’s 50th wedding
anniversary!)
President's Note
Shoppers browse at 3rd annual Sale on the Trail, April 20. (Courtesy: Jim Earnhardt)
Bearwallow Beast
The Finish Line at the 2012 Bearwallow Beast 5K
Sponsored by the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, this year's Bearwallow Beast will take place on Sunday, May 5. Parking will be available at the UHNGCC and also at Grand Highlands, where school bus shuttles will take you to the top of the mountain. You do not have to register for the race to participate in the festival. The race begins at 2 p.m., but parking activity and registration will begin at 11 a.m. at the community center. Last year, several hundred people participated in the race. Full details are available at www.bearwallowbeast.com.
Neighborhood News
Robert
English Field, 73, known as Bob to all of us here in Gerton,
died at home early Wednesday morning, April 10.
His three sons and their families and his sister Toni Barkett had gathered to be with him the previous weekend.
Bob and his wife Diane retired to their Chestnut Hill home after living in
Palm
Springs,
Florida, where Bob worked as a building inspector. At age 8,
Bob first came to Gerton with his parents, Shirley
and Bob Field, brother Jim, and baby sister Toni. In
retirement, Bob volunteered at the Aeronautical Museum in Hendersonville and at Brother Wolf in Asheville. He strongly advocated for pet adoption,
and approached many of us with either a puppy or a picture of one who needed a
home. He served as treasurer for UHNGCC and for Chestnut Hills
Homeowners’ Association. A private ceremony will take place
sometime in early summer, Bob’s ashes to be interred at the Field Cabin at
Chestnut Hills. Cards to Diane and the family can be sent to P.O. Box 43, Gerton.
Memorial contributions can be made to Care Partners Health Services at 95
Francis Road, Hendersonville 28792; or Brother Wolf,
31 Glendale Avenue,
Asheville 28001.
Clara
Webb Brekhus, 88, beloved by many Gerton friends, past and present, died at Care Partners
in
Asheville, March l0. Her son Ed, grandson Ben, and
nephew Doug were with her. Visitors with Clara (at her home on Noble Road in Fairview, or Flesher’s Health Care,
or finally at Care Partners) always left with a big smile and feeling lighter
because of her jolly humor and stories. A native of Buncombe County, a graduate
of Lee Edwards High School, it’s difficult to find anyone who didn’t know Clara
either as a young woman or an active member of various civic
organizations—National Association of Retired Federal Employees, United
Daughters of the Confederacy, Reynolds Fire Auxiliary, First Baptist Church of
Asheville, and Buncombe County Republicans, for whom she served as
treasurer. She served as secretary-treasurer for Chestnut Hills
Homeowner’s Association for many years, as well as on the board of
Cane Creek Cemetery where she is buried, where a long, long parade of
friends followed her hearse from Groce Funeral Home on Tunnel Road. The Rev. Enoch Ball, Jr., her close
friend, officiated. Clara is survived by Edward Webb Brekhus and wife Virginia, of Valrico, Florida; daughter Martha Ruth Brekhus
Shams of Tehran, Iran; grandsons Jason Shams, David, Ben and Luke Brekhus; granddaughter Sophia Shams, and many loving nieces,
nephews and friends. Memorials may be made to Cane Creek Cemetery, PO Box l62, Fairview 28730.
Bobby
Dees’ oldest brother Carl died recently in Pickens, South Carolina, as a result of a car collision over a year ago.
Carl leaves behind his wife Libby. Memorials can be sent to
Hendersonville Rescue Mission, 639 Maple Street, Hendersonville 28792.
Bonnie
Moore retired from 21 years’ work at the V.A. Hospital,
and 25 years before that working for a corporation.
We’ll see her in Helen Brown’s new summer play—“Gloria’s House”--and
tooling around on her sapphire-blue Yamaha to pick up her mail—if she’s not
arrested first, she says, on Highway 74-A. Other than that, she plans to ‘clean
up the house’ and plant flowers, flowers, flowers!
LIBRARY
HOURS, remember, take place every morning at the Community Center when the
building is open for exercise class, 9 until l0. It’s a self-sign out and
sign-in honor system—remember?
NEIGHBOR
SARAH LAWTER has
run for many years the fruit stand at Bat Cave Apple House. She lost her home of 51
years to a dryer vent fire; only two blackened brick
chimneys are left standing as mute reminder across from the fruit
and vegetable stand. Donations to replace household items for her
mobile home (near the Apple Stand) can be sent to Bat Cave Baptist Church (P.O. Box 247, Bat Cave 287l0) in her honor. “The Sarah Lawter Fund” is the designation for your monetary donations
on a check.
NEW
MAHEC OFFICES WILL BE BUILT SOON at Lake Lure near the big new Ingles on Hwy 9. The Mountain Area Health Education Center will provide primary health care services on a
non-profit basis to the region. A dentist’s office will also be included.
Director of Development Tina Owen and
Dr. Grey Tilden will talk to us briefly at the July Community Center
dinner, and describe what MAHEC provides that is different from the
usual kind of physician service. They want to take suggestions as to hours and
services which will give the most help to those requiring a doctor’s visit. Owen also reminded that on Cane Creek Road in Buncombe County, another MAHEC office is up and running,
with pre-natal help available as well. During the summer, a woman
physician is added.
AND NOW,
SOME REALLY BIG NEWS—and long awaited announcement: Helen Brown has written
another play for us—“Gloria’s House”-- to be performed the last Friday and
Saturday of July (26-27) at 8 p.m. “Gloria’s House” is actually a boarding
home for eight characters, including Bonnie Moore’s. There’ll be
desserts and refreshments for sale between acts. Mark your
calendar and invite out-of-town family and friends to be SURE they and you don’t
miss more laughs Helen’s plays always bring us mid-summer.
We’re delighted to know
Helen is back on track, or almost, with her health. THANK her when
you see her for keeping her creative wheels oiled and turning!
Four Generations! Recently Chelsea (left) and her daughter AnnaSophia West (right) were in town visiting family--sister Cassidy, great-grandmother Joan, and grandmother Lorri Erskine.
(Courtesy: Barbara Earnhardt)
Jonathan and Meris Jenkins welcomed to their family circle, Kaleb Thomas, March 13, weighing in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces and 20.75 inches long. Kaleb and John Solomon Hathaway were dedicated at Bearwallow Baptist Church on April 21.
Kaleb Thomas Jenkins (courtesy: Jonathan Jenkins)
One Hour from Gerton...
ed. note: This new column invites readers to share their stories. Each issue, we will focus on a place to go that is no more than one hour from Gerton.
Chesnee, South Carolina, can be reached by taking the Gerton Highway (74A) to Lake Lure, turning right on 9 south and then left on 74 towards Shelby. At Exit 178, take 221 south towards Chesnee, just over the South Carolina border. Here you can have a moderately average lunch at Bantam Chef Restaurant, serving "good fast food" for over 40 years. They advertise themselves as "lost in the '50s," but what really captured my attention was their sign: "OMG! 8 oz. hand-patted burger." I was tempted to try one to get the full thrill of the "OMG," but decided instead to have the BLT, which was slightly less than an OMG culinary experience. Next I was off to check out Wood'n Things, unfinished furniture from Amish country--lots of choices, reasonable prices. Then, the Carolina Foothills Artisan Center to see the latest pottery from Winton and Rosa Eugene. For the last quarter century, the two have been working together to turn out remarkable pieces. Rosa decides the color palette, mixes and applies the glazes, while Winton adds decorative elements--either painting or etching on the surfaces. The Eugenes have become nationally and internationally known, and the pottery is highly sought for museum exhibitions and gallery shows. Only in May and December can you visit their home studio in Cowpens: Monday - Saturday, 10-5 and Sunday 2-5. You can GPS your way to them on 176 Wilkins Road, Cowpens, SC.
Easter Egg Hunt
Our annual Easter egg hunt was held on Saturday at 2 p.m., March 30. Because of rainy weather, the 406 eggs were hidden on the greens of Chestnut Hills. We had 16 egg seekers and a total of 36 people who participated in the event. After the successful egg hunt--394 were found-- prizes were given to Jimmy and Logan for finding the most, 55 and 54, respectively, and others also got prizes for finding the special "prize" eggs. Refreshments were provided by Jean Bradley, Syble Freeman, Sylvia Sane, Joan Erskine, Roberta Pope, and Betty Cameron. Syble Freeman told the story of the resurrection egg and gave each child an egg with various symbols to help them remember the story. Egg hunters and their families came from Edneyville and Bat Cave to participate. For some of the participants, our egg hunt has become a regular on their event calendar.
A big thank you to Ann Weiss and Susan Murray for purchasing the candy and stuffing each of the 400 + eggs.
On an almost-spring day, hunters spread out to find the hidden eggs.
Syble Freeman tells the egg hunters the story of the Resurrection egg in the clubhouse after the eggs had all been found. (courtesy: Jean Bradley)
March and April Programs
The
March covered-dish dinner speaker featured KEN ABBOTT, PROFESSIONAL LOCAL
PHOTOGRAPHER whose five-year study of the almost 180 year-old Sherrill’s
Inn are to be published in
a special collection in 2014. Many Gertonites know the Inn as the Clarke Farm,
home of the late Jamie and Elspeth Clarke, where presently Clarke daughter Annie
and husband John Ager now live. Many of
us recognized the scenes in Abbott’s stunning photographs we were able to sift through and
hold. Abbott plans to have a fund-raiser at the Inn soon, in
hopes of helping raise publication costs. The published collection
will cost around $40, he speculated, when
the book is published. So—stay tuned, all admirers of this
national treasure in our just-over-the-Continental-Divide backyard!
Neighbors catch up with each other at dinner in March before Ken Abbott's talk.
FOOD
FOR FAIRVIEW was the featured program at the
April Community Center covered-dish dinner. Long-time program
director Mary Ann Wansong, described the nature and
breadth of the feeding program following the national theme of “Stamp Out Hunger.” The brand new Executive Director, volunteer
Cassia Imholtz, attended while Wansong outlined the free food program for qualifying
citizens in the Gerton/Fairview/Reynolds area.
Families or individuals choose food items Fridays
8:30 a.m. to 12
noon, with lively
volunteer help needed Thursday mornings for shopping at the Manna Food Bank, and
then stocking the shelves housed at the old gym building at Fairview Elementary School. In addition, volunteers assist the
qualifying families to shop from the shelves, banana-box them up to cart to the
exit doors to deliver to a family’s waiting car.
“Men especially are needed to help with those heavy food
boxes from Thursday’s delivery, and again to the cars on Fridays.
We can use all the help we can get,” she smiled, saying that even two
hours a week, regular or not, is a huge help. “We always need
helping hands—and we have a lot of fun bantering with each other, as
well. We want everybody to feel respected and welcomed.” Wansong urged anybody interested in
volunteering to call (628-4322) —or just show up on the appointed days.
Helping hands are also needed to bag up food for children
who over the weekend may find slim pickins’at home.
Fairview’s Food Lion, Bi-Lo, and Aldi’s she singled out for being particularly generous with
donations and lower prices. And the Lord’s Acre gardens have given boxes brimming with beautifully
fresh and washed seasonal produce. Any garden produce is always
welcome.
Wansong hopes the Gerton community
will be not only aware of this source of free food for anybody we know needing
it, but will consider donating money, food, or time from resources we can
share. 628-4322 is the number
to call for more information.
THANK YOU NOTE FROM Mary Ann Wansong: “Dear
Friends, Thank you for inviting me to come to tell your group the story of Food
for Fairview. Cassia
and I enjoyed your hospitality and warm welcome….Your food donations are already
on our shelves for families to choose. Your support and generosity
is greatly appreciated. You are welcome to come visit the pantry
and see us ‘in action.' Best regards, Mary Ann W.”
Before hearing an informative program about Food for Fairview, we had a splendid meal. Perhaps at each of our community dinners, we should begin bringing canned or boxed food for our neighborhood food banks.
MAY and JUNE Programs
MAY CC
PROGRAM features a Gerton couple, Art and Sharon
Rhodes, who
celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary by flying out to L.A.,
finding a used car Art liked the looks of—and driving cross-country from San Diego
to Manteo, a 7,207 one-way trip of a lifetime. “We’ve never done
anything like this before,” Art said. “The day before we were supposed to leave,
I was ready to pull out.” Their adventure was so pleasurable,
they’re ready to ‘fly’ other places now—driving to
Key
West in mid-April.
They’ll describe the cross-country highlights of seeing 18 states, and answer
questions. They’ll bring their new best friend—the ’99 Toyota
Camry they found in California. Their travel blog is: sharon.rhodes@bcs.email.org
June program speaker will be Roni Peterson, who will bring pictures from her recent March mission trip to Turkey and Iraq, where, with a group, she visited various churches.
June program speaker will be Roni Peterson, who will bring pictures from her recent March mission trip to Turkey and Iraq, where, with a group, she visited various churches.
NEW NEIGHBOR OPENS STUDIO 74 FOR
LOCAL ARTISTS
Sheila Franklin announces Studio 74, a business for
handmade items—pottery, glass, jewelry, fiber arts, "anything unusual." Located at the former Susan and Nita’s Hickory Creek Market, Sheila rents from UHNGCC.
During May, Sheila’s business will also feature yard-sale items
Fridays and Saturdays. Artists may rent based on square footage needed, and wall
space available.
Interested artists may call 828-974-6200; e-mail fallsbranch@gmail.com. Send pictures of art work
and artist’s contact information.
Sale on the Trail: Big Success
Thanks, sweet thanks to the local
bakers who helped raise $265 from the sale of
their homemade cakes and cookies and breads at Sale on the Trail April 20. If you bought one
of cakes or a bag of cookies, or wish you had, please thank any or all of the
following: Patty Tanner, Lynn Morehead, Mary
Kay McAdams, Syble Freeman, Evelyn Silwedel, Barbara Earnhardt, Shirley Boone, Margaret Whitt,
Joan Erskine, Virginia McGuffey, Sarah Gayle, Susan Murray, Ann Weiss, Helen Brown and Ruth Hudson, Margaret
Caldwell, Sylvia Sane, Becca Hathaway, Meg Mumpower, Tara Normington, and
Roberta Pope—who evidently couldn’t stop herself once she got
started, and baked four separate goodies! Nothin’ says lovin’, goes the
saying, like something from an oven!
A New Store in Gerton?
Nita Owenby is looking into the possibility of
re-opening a store in Gerton. For it to be successful, there would need to be
community support. This notice is going out to the Gerton/Bat Cave community to
see if they would like to have a local store again, and if so, what kinds of
products they would be willing to purchase there.
If you are interested in seeing a new store in Gerton,
please take a few moments to send back your thoughts and comments. Below are
some questions that would help decide if a store can be
viable.
Do you want a local store in Gerton or do you feel you
would not use it?
What kind of products would you shop for
there?
Snacks?
Sandwiches?
Coffee?
Sodas?
Staples - what kinds?
Fresh produce?
Beer and wine?
Other? – please
list
How often might you shop
there?
Would you have any time or interest in helping out in
the store?
Would you like to be involved in helping to plan it so
it can be a place that really serves the needs of the community?
Please send this email with your comments back to Nita
at
mntbear001@aol.com
Spring-Go Festival at Chimney Rock Village
mntbear001@aol.com
Spring-Go Festival at Chimney Rock Village
SATURDAY, MAY 18—7:30 am to 4 p.m.—No admission charg e
Pancake Breakfast at the Fire
House
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.—$7.50
Menu includes pancakes with a selection of tasty
toppings, sausage, scrambled eggs, coffee and juice.
Get your ticket in advance at Medina
Olde Timey Mountain PARADE
10-10:30
Come and enjoy this fun family parade make its way down the village’s Main Street Megan
Medina at Medina
Arts & Crafts Booths at the Gathering Place Gathering Place Chimney Rock Mountain Aileen Kelly at the
Esmeralda: 625-2888.
Pie Bingo Raffle...Where will
that darn cow Go? A $25 Raffle ticket gets you a chance to win $1250 if our cow
drops the larg est amount of “pie” on
your square. Raffle tickets on sale at Medina
Delicious Food Available at The Gathering Place
11-4
Grilled marinated pork loin
sandwiches, bratwurst, hot dogs, chips, potato salad, baked goods, and drinks
will be sold, including a vegetarian wrap.
For Sale
Green doors from the former Hickory Creek Market. $200. Call Margaret Whitt, 625-0264
