January - February 2014

Now in winter most trees have shed their leaves giving a clear wooded view from most hiking trails.  If you are looking for some great short hikes with a combination of mostly easy to moderate trails, The Donald Ross Nature Park has what you want.

Near the town of Lake Lure, the Donald Ross Nature Park has a system of 10 natural-surface trails that total some three miles through wooded, rolling terrain near Lake Lure Golf Course.   Trails range from .15 to .60 mile in distance.   Benches and picnic areas are sprinkled among the trails.  You will find the park entrance and trail heads just off Highway 9 across from the Ingle's Store.  Happy Hiking!  --Shirley Boone

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. Please submit to Editor Margaret Whitt at mwhitt@du.edu or 625-0264. Photographers: Jean Bradley, Shirley Boone, Jane Lawson, Debbie Posturino.

Officers for 2014: Margaret Whitt, President; Lynn Morehead, Vice President; Becca Hathaway, winter secretary; Lana Roberts, summer secretary; Sylvia Sane, treasurer. Board members include Jim Earnhardt, Claudia Freeman, Jean Bradley, and Jim Sane. Immediate past president, Mel Freeman.

      

President's Note

We have had an unusually busy fall this year, with varied events, new purchases, and plans for the spring already in progress. First of all, thanks for the fine response we have received from our annual report and dues-request letter. Our checking account is in good shape and our savings account--even with some big expenditures--remains healthy. (A full accounting will appear in our March-April Echo.) Thanks to Sylvia and Jim Sane for all the due diligence on the purchase of our brand new Whirlpool refrigerator, a gift we were able to procure because of the wonderful contributions of Helen Brown and the Hickory Creek Players. Next time you are in the clubhouse, take a look at our new refrigerator. 

The board is moving ahead with a plan to open our own branch of a "little library" to be placed in the azalea garden next to the clubhouse. In something that Jim Earnhardt and Jim Sane will build that will look a bit like an over-sized mailbox with one shelf, which will be placed on a post above the ground, we will fill with books--both for adults and children--and people may drive by, pick up a book or two, leave a book or two, and go on their way. Little libraries exist all over the country, and we will be the first in the gorge to have our own. We hope to have this in place by spring.  Stay tuned. 

Thanks to all those who helped decorate our gorge for the holiday season, thanks to the repair crew of the Gerton Welcome signs, thanks to all those who have hosted our dinners this year, and thanks to all of you who keep saying "Yes" when we ask for help. What a great place to live and what a great community we continue to be!

And thanks to Jim Sane for once again repairing our flag pole at the clubhouse, and to all of you who contributed to our new flag fund.

Work has begun on a new community roster that will be available at our January dinner, or you may request one be sent to you by email: mwhitt@du.edu

All the best for a good new year in 2014. I look forward to seeing you at dinner.

Margaret Whitt

Calendar of Events

January 21, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. - Community Covered Dish Supper. Program: Tom Earnhardt, of Discovering North Carolina will appear on a DVD of his popular PBS television show. Brother of Gene and Jim Earnhardt, Tom spent his boyhood summer days in Gerton. The show will be on invasive plants.

January 29, Wednesday, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Chamber of Hickory Nut Gorge and Rutherford County Tourism Development Authority will present a program about customer service at the Old Rock Cafe in Chimney Rock. Cost is $10 for Chamber members. For more information: www.hickorynutchamber.org

February 18, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. - Community Covered Dish Supper. Program: Ruth Ann Nappi will tell some stories from her tour guide experiences at Biltmore.

A Letter from the Gerton P.O's Roni Peterson...

To my Gerton Friends,

If you have not already heard, I will be leaving the post office for a better opportunity of employment. The company is Stone Connections in Zirconia, which is closer to home, better hours, pay, and improved benefits. I'm looking forward to a new beginning with this company.

I have enjoyed my 8 years here at the post office, but most of all I have enjoyed servicing you as your postmistress! You will never know how much you all  mean to me and how much Gerton will always be a part of my life! Please drop me a note sometime at our new address:

Roni Peterson

1323 Locust Grove Street

Hendersonville, NC  28792

828-685-1537

Have a blessed New Year and remember to keep business coming to the Gerton P.O.!

With all the love,

Roni Peterson

Fall Clean-Up Day

Goals: Clean the Serving Room. Bring Order to the Storage Room

Result: Goals accomplished.

Thanks to Margaret and Doug Colwell, Jim and Sylvia Sane, Margaret Whitt, and Barbara Earnhardt on the morning of Wednesday, November 6, everything movable was taken from the storage room, reorganized and returned as appropriate. Leftover items from the Silent Auction of GertonFest V were repackaged and stored in the hanging cabinet of the storage room to await our spring community yard sale. Signs for GertonFest were wrapped and stored. Crates that contain our decorations for holidays throughout the year were sifted through and re-packed as needed. Dust from the carpentry work on the new ramp was swept, tables were cleaned, and garbage was re-distributed so as not to break the bags. Seven bags of trash were hauled away. 

We will host a spring clean-up day to bring order to the back room off the kitchen and the kitchen itself. This will occur before our annual Sale on the Trail event in April.

Henderson County Communities

 Recognized for Exceptional Programs

 Upper Hickory Nut Gorge receives Community of Promise Designation

(ed. note: 62 clubs competed this year for the annual regional awards. 44 received $300 each for the designation of Participating Community; 16 received $1,000 each for selection as Community of Promise; 2 received $2,000 each for Community of Distinction. For the past two years, UHNGCC has been one of the top two clubs in the region. Following is the press release sent from the office of WNCCommunities.)

            WNC Communities is proud to announce the winners of the 64th Annual Honors Awards Program. Saturday, November 9, over 260 community leaders from 14 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee were recognized and rewarded for their exceptional community development programs at a luncheon at The Omni Grove Park Inn.

Generous sponsorships from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel, Duke Energy, Mission Health, Buncombe County Farm Bureau, Carolina Farm Credit, First Citizens Bank, HomeTrust Bank, Telco Community Credit Union and Wells Fargo made it possible to award over $33,000 to 62 communities throughout Western North Carolina for their innovative approaches to addressing community needs.

“We are proud of the energy our rural communities put into making Western North Carolina such a great place to call home,” shares Linda Lamp, Executive Director of WNC Communities. “This annual awards program is an opportunity to recognize them for their invaluable contributions to the mountain region.”

Crab Creek Community received the President’s Award for submitting an application for an impressive 50 years to this annual recognition program.

Participating Communities receive a cash award of $300 and Crab Creek, Edneyville and Upward from Henderson County were each recognized for their successful projects implemented during the past year.

Community of Promise is the second highest honor with a cash award of $1,000.  Upper Hickory Nut Gorge was one of the 16 rural community associations from Western North Carolina to receive this honor.  They were chosen because of the initiatives implemented by the community that show promise and can be replicated around the region.

             Upper Hickory Nut Gorge was recognized for the following initiatives: working with local conservancy groups to protect land and water resources; continuing success with older traditions like their monthly community dinners, hosting popular summer productions like “Gloria’s House” put on by the Hickory Creek Players; managing the Labor Day GertonFest; and holding a Pancake Breakfast for the Annual Sale on the Trail, which is a 19-mile yard sale that runs the length of the gorge from Gerton to Lake Lure. 

WNC Communities is dedicated to providing a unique forum for leaders in the mountain region to convene, collaborate and carry out innovative programs to improve the quality of life for rural communities and the agriculture sector.  This year marked the 64th WNC Honors Awards, a program built on the tradition of recognizing achievements in communities for their work on behalf of their residents.  The awards are designed to serve as an inspiration for replicating community success. 

Communities voluntarily participate in the WNC Honors Awards Program by submitting an application to WNC Communities in September.  Communities are judged on projects, fund raising efforts, collaboration with local organizations or businesses, economic development and sustainability, as well as their community future and vision.

Sylvia Sane, Jim Sane, Jim Earnhardt, Margaret Whitt, Lynn Morehead, and Evelyn Silwedel receive the award, Community of Promise and a check for $1,000 from Jason Walls, district manager with Duke Energy at the Grove Park Inn annual luncheon.

One Hour from Gerton

(ed. note: fifth in a series. This column invites readers to share their stories. Each place should be no more than one hour from Gerton.)

FOREST CITY, N.C. may be reached by heading to Lake Lure, turning left around the lake at Larkin's on 74-A and motoring on to Rutherfordton. Just before you get to downtown Rutherfordton, you can turn on 221 toward Forest City, passing through the little known spot called Ruth, N.C. For visitors and grandchildren, a pleasant stop is the Bennett Classics Antique Car Museum on Vance Street (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday - 10 a.m.-3 p.m.). Bennett's sits down in a hollow in the midst of Truck Services physical plant, but signs will direct you. The cars have a high shine and are in immaculate condition. When you leave here, head to Davis Donut House--since 1972, "We Put Our Hearts In It." They are located in the same pre-fabricated building as the Sherwin-Williams Paint store, but don't let the look fool you. The donuts are fresh and filling. The orange twist is the most popular. 

A few years ago, Our State magazine picked 100 top restaurants, one for each county in the state. Forest City's downtown institution, Smith's Drugs (Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday - 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.) represents Rutherford County. Right on Main Street, you can not only fill your prescriptions, but shop for unique gifts and have a delicious breakfast, sandwich (award-winning), or light early weekday dinner in their 50+ seat in-house cafe. 

As you leave town, and you have children in the car, you might want to pull off the road at Bubba's Fun Park and KidsZoo. The fun park has a pitching machine for batting practice. The KidsZoo (no animals) has a great climbing apparatus, hosts children's birthday parties, and offers video games and skee ball as well. Heading towards home on 74 - A west and 64, you will pass the attractive campus of Isothermal Community College nestled around an attractive pond. 

If there is time and the kids are still raring to go, don't forget about the children's on-hands museum in downtown Rutherfordton. The drive is delightful -- in any season. 

                       

The only time you will witness this phenomenon in your life.     

                                                       

August 2014 

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

This year, the month of August will count 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This phenomenon occurs only once every 823 years. Chinese people call it: ‘Pocketful of money!’  

Thanks for the American Flags

In response to our request in the November-December ECHO, we have been able to place our order for brand new American flags that the Gerton Volunteer Fire Department will mount around Memorial Day weekend. The flags will remain in place through the summer months and be taken down on Labor Day weekend. Thanks to the following for answering the call for new flags:

Jean Bradley, Doug and Margaret Colwell, Susan Murray and Ann Weiss, Jim and Sylvia Sane, Dave MacDonald and Stan Mobley, Gene and Barbara Earnhardt, Virginia McGuffey, and Margaret Whitt. 

November Program

An induction of the new officers for UHNGCC was held before our speaker, Christine Martin, of Humana Insurance, gave a brief overview of insurance issues around Medicare. She also answered a few questions about the new Affordable Care Act. While many people may qualify for financial assistance, they can only receive this aid if they go through the www.healthcare.gov web site. Shopping directly with a particular insurance company does not provide a possible discount. Also, we were encouraged to be our own advocate, asking for preventative screenings (no charge), not diagnostic screenings (a charge). It is important to know how your doctor codes whatever tests he or she requests.

 

Gene Earnhardt leads the officer induction ceremony. From left: Lynn Morehead, vice-president; Margaret Whitt, president; Becca Hathaway, secretary; Sylvia Sane, treasurer; Jean Bradley, Jim Sane, and Jim Earnhardt, board members. 

December Program

After a wonderful dinner of "finger foods," we sang some Christmas carols--led by Barbara Earnhardt with Mary Robinson on the piano and Debbie Jennings on the harp. Afterwards the Hathaway family played Santa and distributed the presents. As is our custom, after opening the gift, we took turns "stealing" from another something that somehow seemed more desirable!

Tour Stop at UHNGCC 

Gerton and the UHNGCC was a stop on the tour of a class from Blue Ridge Community College, The History and Heritage of Henderson County, taught by Jenny Jones Giles, on Saturday, November 23. About 30 people made a lunch stop at the clubhouse mid-day. They were joined by Gene and Barbara Earnhardt, Jim Sane, and Jean Bradley, who all shared parts of the history of this upper part of the gorge. Jean showed pictures and told a brief history of the Bearwallow Baptist Church; Gene and Barbara brought pictures of the old swimming pool of Chestnut Hills and told stories of long ago days in the neighborhood; Jim told how his great great aunt gave her name to Gerton. After an hour stop, the class members were on their way to Sherrill's Inn. As they left, with our cookbooks in hand, several paused to say that it was their favorite part of the day!

Welcome Signs Get Facelift

The Final Product! (courtesy: Debbie Posturino)

Many thanks go out to Jane Lawson, John Myers, Gloria Anders, Wendy Nethersole, and Debbie Posturino for scraping, sanding, and re-painting the Welcome Signs that greet visitors coming from both the north and the south on scenic byway 74-A. The work took place on the afternoon of Saturday, November 23. 

 Wendy Nethersole climbs aboard the sign for necessary preparation, while Jane Lawson scraps from below.

John Myers, Debbie Pustorino, Gloria Anders, and Wendy Nethersole, with tools in hand, get ready to clean up our welcome signs. (courtesy: Jane Lawson)

Work Day for Christmas Decorating

Sarah Gayle and Sylvia Sane arrange the Christmas tree at the window.

Once again Christmas greens with bright red bows were prepared and then hung on every street sign in Gerton that exits off scenic byway 74-A, at the UHNGCC sign, at the Welcome signs, at the Gerton Post Office, and on the Chestnut Hill neighborhood sign. On Monday, December 2, workers gathered to arrange, tie, and adorn the donated greens. A Christmas tree was decorated and placed in the clubhouse, and garlands of green with red bows were placed on the poles in front. For all this work in preparation and hanging we have the following to thank: Lorri Erskine, Gloria Anders, Sarah Gayle, Becca Hathaway and son John Solomon, Jean Bradley, Jane Lawson, Sylvia Sane, Jim Sane, Travis Waldron, and Margaret Whitt. 

Lorri Erskine, Gloria Anders, Jean Bradley, and Becca Hathaway sort the collected greens and prepare them for red bows.

Jim Sane and Jane Lawson prepare to deliver the greens to the street signs for hanging.

Neighborhood News

Christmas came early for Evelyn Silwedel: she spent two weeks with her son Darryl on a Royal Carribean Cruise.  Leaving Asheville December l, and then from Atlanta, they flew to Rome to join the tour with around 3,000 other tourists, not counting the crew.  “The ship had 15 different levels,” Evelyn reported, “and our 6^th level room balcony allowed us to sit and pass by gorgeous coastal scenery, watch the ocean sunsets, without a care in the world.”  The food was "phenomenal," the best she’d ever eaten on any of her other four cruises.  The international crew couldn’t have been more congenial.  She judged there were more Canadians on board than Americans, and more seniors than the younger crowd.  Among other places, the ship docked at Toulon, France, and Barcelona, Spain, and left from the Canary Islands for Ft. Lauderdale, 7 days away.  Evelyn would love to revisit Barcelona, especially—because of its parks with its famous Gaudi sculpture, its cathedral, and the many friendly, helpful people who speak English fairly well.

Virginia "Ginger" Williams, 72, of Gerton, died on Thursday, November 28, at the Elizabeth House. Thos. Shepherd and Son Funeral Home handled arrangements. A celebration of her life was held at her home on Sunday, December 1, with the memorial service at Bearwallow Baptist Church on Monday, December 2, at 2 p.m.

Ginger is survived by two daughters, Carolyn Williams Alley and her husband Jay, and Cindy Williams Wilson and her fiance Shannon Frye; one granddaughter, Brittany Elizabeth Rae Wilson, and one grandson, Robbie Alley and his wife, Stephanie; two  great-grandchildren; one brother, Donald Freeman and his wife Syble. Ginger was preceded in death by her beloved husband Melvin, her brother Raleigh, her father Ray and mother Rita, all of them well known to Gerton neighbors over many years.

Ginger had a special gift for crocheting, knitting, tatting, sewing, and baking. She was active in her community as a member of the Gerton Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary in the 1970s. She was a member of Bearwallow Baptist Church and attended Arden Missionary Baptist Church.

Memorial contributions may be made to Four Seasons Hospice, 571 South Allen Road, Flat Rock, NC 28731.

Former Chestnut Hills resident and Echo editor, Katie DuMont, reports the passing of her mother, Doris DuMont, two days before Thanksgiving, November 26. Doris was a friend to many in Gerton and lived here briefly while recuperating from a fall. She fell in love with Gerton, as most visitors do, but spent the last four years with Katie just up the road in Fairview.

Word has come to us that George Holden, Jr., 88, of Atlanta, died November 21. He was born in St. Augustine, Fla., raised in Jacksonville, served in the Navy and received a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Florida. He married his childhood sweetheart, Wilburta "Billie" Trout. He and Billie had and are survived by one son Richard George and two daughters Sheron Angell and Deborah Payne. George spent time in Gerton and enjoyed the fellowship of the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Club as his parents, George and Anne Holden, did. George owned "Willowbrook" in Gerton.