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 send to editor Margaret Whitt at mwhitt@du.edu. Photographers this issue: Margaret Whitt, Sylvia Sane, Shirley Boone, Lana Roberts.
Officers for 2015-1016: President Margaret Whitt; Vice President Lynn Morehead; Summer Secretary Lana Roberts; Winter Secretary Sarah Gayle; Treasurer Sylvia Sane. Board members: Jean Bradley, Patty Tanner, Mac McAdams, Jim Earnhardt. Immediate Past President Jim Sane.
Calendar of Events
July 3, FIREWORKS at Lake Lure
July 4, Monday, 6:30 p.m. Bring sides. Community cook out, Bingo, and FIREWORKS here in Gerton.
July 5, Tuesday, Community Litter Sweep. Meet at UHNGCC at 10 a.m. to help pick up the trash along 74A.
July 19, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. - Community Covered Dish Dinner. Program: TBA
July 29 and 30 - Summer Play CANCELLED.
August 16, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Community Covered Dish Dinner. Program: Peter Barr of Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy on Upper Hickory Nut Trail System.
August 20, Saturday, 7 p.m. - An Evening of Southern Tales and Tunes presented by Becky and Pat Stone.Tickets $5 at the door or $10 per family; tickets may be purchased at July or August dinners. Suitable for the whole family.
August 16, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Community Covered Dish Dinner. Program: Peter Barr of Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy on Upper Hickory Nut Trail System.
August 20, Saturday, 7 p.m. - An Evening of Southern Tales and Tunes presented by Becky and Pat Stone.Tickets $5 at the door or $10 per family; tickets may be purchased at July or August dinners. Suitable for the whole family.
September 3, Saturday - GERTONFEST VIII - Events all day long. Beginning with Community breakfast, silent auction, team spelling bee, trivia bowl, and bar-b-cue and music in the evening.
Community Events: Not to be Missed!
July 4 - 6:30 p.m. We will begin the community event with a cook out of hot dogs and burgers, which will be followed by BINGO until dark. Close to 9 p.m., we will go outside for our annual GERTON FIREWORKS DISPLAY. Come for all or part of the evening! Bring your out-of-town guests, your kids, and grandkids. Entertainment and food suitable for all. Bring a side to go with the dogs and burgers, which will be provided. Bring a camp chair to sit outside to watch the fireworks.
July 29 and 30 - 8 p.m. The annual summer play this year has been CANCELLED, but we will still have a special event. (see below)
August 20, Saturday - 7-8:30 p.m. The Stones are well-known storytellers. Becky has provided programs all over western North Carolina. She has frequently appeared at the Fairview Public Library and at many local camps as a storyteller. Pat, who edits the award-winning Green Prints magazine, plays a number of instruments and sings. Both have appeared in years past for programs at the UHNGCC. This promises to be a fun evening--suitable for the very young to the very old--and all in between. Purchase your tickets at the July or August dinner or contact someone on the board. Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the night of the event---Saturday, August 20. $5 per individual or $10 per family.
July 29 and 30 - 8 p.m. The annual summer play this year has been CANCELLED, but we will still have a special event. (see below)
August 20, Saturday - 7-8:30 p.m. The Stones are well-known storytellers. Becky has provided programs all over western North Carolina. She has frequently appeared at the Fairview Public Library and at many local camps as a storyteller. Pat, who edits the award-winning Green Prints magazine, plays a number of instruments and sings. Both have appeared in years past for programs at the UHNGCC. This promises to be a fun evening--suitable for the very young to the very old--and all in between. Purchase your tickets at the July or August dinner or contact someone on the board. Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the night of the event---Saturday, August 20. $5 per individual or $10 per family.
President's Note
Ah----summer in the gorge. Just as when we were all young, summer seems to sneak up on us and then be gone just as we are getting ready to relax. The nights have been cool, even though some of our recent days have been hot and dry. Then we have a break, even if just for a short while, when the sky promises more rain than it plans to deliver. But we love to have our company come and visit and then we love to enjoy the peace after they leave. We need both--the crowds/noise/fellowship and the calm/quiet. Welcome to summer.
We had an extremely fruitful work/clean up time in late May, and for the first time we have a completely new facelift on our sign--last refurbished in the fall of 1988. Thanks to Jim Sane for all the time he invested in the sign. Thanks to Jim, too, for making sure our flags were up before Memorial Day. They will stay in place through Labor Day.
Please make plans to join neighbors for our annual July 4 celebration, beginning at 6:30 on Monday, July 4. AND then plan to return for our special evening with the Stones on August 20 (see above). The play had to be cancelled this year, but we look forward to what may be in store for us in the summer of 2017.
We have some issues of concern under our clubhouse, but we are in the process of getting bids to repair what needs to be done. A full accounting will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, enjoy these days of family visits, hikes, swims, and leisure time. I will look forward to our time together in the community.
Margaret Whitt
May Program
Thirty-six neighbors came together on May 17 for good talk...
good food (and plenty of homemade desserts), before listening to a program from Ken Abbott,
Spring Work Days
The tasks were three: 1) give the serving area a thorough cleaning; 2) re-paint the sign outside the clubhouse; 3) get started sorting out the information/pictures/documents for our history wall. But here is what really happened:
On the first day, May 18, Jim Sane and Mac McAdams got started scraping the sign and removing the white paint from the words "Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Center." Later Jerry Boone came down and helped, while Mac moved inside to clean up the rear closet in the back of the dining area. Sylvia Sane, Syble Freeman, Margaret Whitt, Sarah Gayle, and Shirley Boone started on sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping of the service area. But where to put all the stuff that was lingering in the service area? Mac finished the front closet and came back to tackle the storage closet. Sarah and Sylvia moved into the library and gave that floor a much needed cleaning. We took out the old lumber and lumber scraps; we removed the old unused computer and computer table. We made a pile of old broken tables and old way-too heavy tables (that have now been replaced by our new white lighter tables) and about a dozen old metal folding chairs. We called Habitat for Humanity to come take away our useful items, but they declined---saying Gerton too far away and our stuff not worth their time. Neither Hendersonville nor Asheville wanted our things. We will load them up and take them to Goodwill. In sum, a plan to clean ONLY the service area, turned into a thorough cleaning and re-organizing of two storage closets, one library, one dining area, and two bathrooms.
On the second day of spring cleaning, May 19, Sylvia Sane, Jean Bradley, and Susie Bancer showed up to work in the library and also to re-organize and attractively label all the drawers in the kitchen. Now, finally, it will be easier to find something without opening every drawer! These labels will also be a help to those who rent from us.
Finally, on the third day, May 20, Shirley Boone returned to finish the mopping and the cleaning of the bathrooms. Mac McAdams came back to finish the storage closet--making sure we could easily access what we need for the play and to make sure that nothing fell on top of anybody. More old lumber pieces were removed, so that they may have a second life in the dump! Margaret Whitt returned to continue going through several plastic bags of old papers -- tossing duplicate old ECHOES. Thanks to the good work of Jean Bradley and Virginia McGuffey a few years back, we have every ECHO organized and placed in a folder from 1967 through 1994. We know the whereabouts of the Echoes of the next decade, and will complete our file with current Echoes of the last several years. There is more work to do as we go through old newspapers and pictures--to figure out how to tell our story in an interesting manner and display.
In all, ten people showed up to help over the three days. What a great community effort!
Saturday Early Evening Motorcycle "Incident"
Sometime in the late afternoon/early evening of Saturday, May 21, a person on a motorcycle spun out of control just across the street from the UHNGCC. The circular marks in the grass and the shattered pieces left for somebody else to clean up remained in the grass through the following week. An eye witness to the event reported that the person driving the cycle was able to get up and limp off from the site. In all likelihood, the incident was not done purposely; a higher speed than the posted 40 MPH was likely the reason that the incident occurred. As summer is upon us, if you see someone driving irresponsibly, please report to the Henderson County Sheriff Department.
June Program
Henderson County Sheriff Charles McDonald and Allison Nock, Community Relations Media Specialist, presented the program on June 21. Initially, Sheriff McDonald addressed the Strategic Plan of the Sheriff's Department (i.e., use of financial resources, reduction of crime in Henderson County, Mission to provide high quality service to citizens of Henderson County). Then, with the aid of handouts, he discussed crime statistics in Henderson County. The focus of this discussion was highlighting the reduction of breaking and entering, number of extra security checks in Bat Cave and Gerton (these are responses to citizens calls).
The Q & A consisted of a wide range of topics. Speeding/motorcycles in Gerton, leash law, speed limit in Gerton. Within a few days after the meeting, Allison Nock sent a letter to the club answering questions that had come up. Here is what she had to say:
Henderson County Communications Director had the following answers regarding Text to 911:
“It is possible that when the folks in Bat Cave and Gerton attempt to text to 911 it will go to Buncombe County. It just depends on which cell tower the text is routed through. If they try to text and it goes to Buncombe they will get a bounce back message that says text to 911 is not available-please call 911. When Buncombe starts utilizing text to 911, they may be able to transfer the text to us--it just depends on their set-up. At the very least, Buncombe would just relay the information to us.”
So – if residents’ texts are sent to Buncombe they will get a bounce back message until they are able to accept texts. If any of your residents are concerned about this and would like to set up a test text message to find out where their text would go, they can email me at anock@hendersoncountync.org or call me at 694-3137 and I can put them in contact with our Communications Director to set up the test.
A lady asked me about leash laws following the meeting. The leash law in Henderson County says that if a dog leaves their owner’s property they must be on a physical leash. Owners in Henderson County can employ a variety of techniques (tether, run, fence, etc.) to ensure their animals stay on their property. Our AE deputies recommend that if a resident consistently sees a dog running freely (not on a leash) onto their property, they should take photos so that there is a date and time associated with the issue. Typically, the first time a deputy comes out, owners are issued a warning, but eventually citations can be issued. The photos provide evidence that can assist the deputies in building a case and issuing citations.
“It is possible that when the folks in Bat Cave and Gerton attempt to text to 911 it will go to Buncombe County. It just depends on which cell tower the text is routed through. If they try to text and it goes to Buncombe they will get a bounce back message that says text to 911 is not available-please call 911. When Buncombe starts utilizing text to 911, they may be able to transfer the text to us--it just depends on their set-up. At the very least, Buncombe would just relay the information to us.”
So – if residents’ texts are sent to Buncombe they will get a bounce back message until they are able to accept texts. If any of your residents are concerned about this and would like to set up a test text message to find out where their text would go, they can email me at anock@hendersoncountync.org or call me at 694-3137 and I can put them in contact with our Communications Director to set up the test.
A lady asked me about leash laws following the meeting. The leash law in Henderson County says that if a dog leaves their owner’s property they must be on a physical leash. Owners in Henderson County can employ a variety of techniques (tether, run, fence, etc.) to ensure their animals stay on their property. Our AE deputies recommend that if a resident consistently sees a dog running freely (not on a leash) onto their property, they should take photos so that there is a date and time associated with the issue. Typically, the first time a deputy comes out, owners are issued a warning, but eventually citations can be issued. The photos provide evidence that can assist the deputies in building a case and issuing citations.
About 50 people enjoyed dinner together before the program, making June our largest turnout of the year. Eva and Diego played two songs on their violins to begin the evening.
Neighborhood News
Adelaide Grindle, graduates from North Henderson High School this June. On May 17, at an all-county awards ceremony and reception for Career and Technical Education Scholars, held at the Technology Education and Development Center at Blue Ridge Community College, Addie was one of 23 seniors from North Henderson awarded a certificate and honor cord, which she will wear at the graduation ceremony. Well done, Addie! Addie is the daughter of Lissa Grindle and the granddaughter of Jim and Sylvia Sane. Addie is the winner of this year's UHNGCC Scholarship Award.
FreddieAnn Nappi, Kyle Stone, Addie Grindle, and Jacob Lyda.
In the fall, FreddieAnn will be taking a semester off school and has accepted a temporary leadership position with her church's youth group. She will then be applying to University of the Nations, which is a Christian college that focuses on training people to go into the mission field in whatever degree they have chosen. It is located in Kona, Hawaii. By next spring, she will be beginning Discipleship training school and then continuing with a major in Communications with a focus in Photo Journalism. Kyle has plans to pursue the world of work. Addie will begin classes at Isothermal Community College to pursue a career as a big animal vet tech. Jacob will begin classes at Blue Ridge Community College to study auto mechanics. Congratulations to all four of our high school 2016 graduates.
Syble and Don Freeman are in Grand Junction, Colorado, with a mission team working on a project at Emmanuel Baptist Church, pictured below.
From Left: Porter Freeman, Faith Roberts, Eric Freeman and Bryson Freeman spend time with grandparents, Claudia Freeman and Ted and Lana Roberts. Running water in a beautiful setting is timeless and fun, too!
Gene Kelsey, 91, passed away May 6, 2016
For around 25 years Barbara and Gene spent spring, summer, and fall in Gerton on Little Bearwallow Road. Many of these years they taught Sunday School at Bearwallow Baptist Church and Bible studies to the youth. They were also active in serving this community club, participating in fund raisers, helped start the beautification along the highway, road signs in the area, and built the Welcome to Gerton signs.
Gene was in the first play, Harvey. Submitted by Virginia McGuffey
Jean Bradley Carson, 83, of Vero Beach, went home to be with Jesus on Memorial Day, May 30, 2016, following a 60-year adventure with her husband Ed. They traveled much of the world together enjoying God's creation. Though her roots were deep in the soil of North Carolina, having been born in Charlotte, her feet were covered with the sand of South Florida, especially Miami, where she lived most of her life. She raised three boys into fine men. God graced her with deep compassion for others and an extraordinary love of life. She never tired of learning. She could dive on a reef or paint a sunset. She cooked southern but had a palate that enjoyed food from the world over. She was devoted to her family and was fast at making friends. She revealed to us the glory and love of God. She leaves behind her husband and co-adventurer Ed Carson; her three sons and their spouses, Ed and Kelly, Worth and Sandy, and Brad and Melissa; eight grandchildren, Jed, Zach, Shelby, Rachel (Joseph) McDaniels, Andrew, Nathan, Ben and Jack; and one great grandchild, Benjamin McDaniels. She is already missed, but we rest in the grace of our loving Lord Jesus knowing that she will "dwell in the house of the Lord forever." A service was held at Fairview Christian Fellowship, Fairview at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, with the Rev. Russell Harper officiating. Burial followed in Gerton at Bearwallow Cemetery.
--as offered by the family in the Asheville Citizen Times
Jean Bradley Carson
Jean Bradley Carson, 83, of Vero Beach, went home to be with Jesus on Memorial Day, May 30, 2016, following a 60-year adventure with her husband Ed. They traveled much of the world together enjoying God's creation. Though her roots were deep in the soil of North Carolina, having been born in Charlotte, her feet were covered with the sand of South Florida, especially Miami, where she lived most of her life. She raised three boys into fine men. God graced her with deep compassion for others and an extraordinary love of life. She never tired of learning. She could dive on a reef or paint a sunset. She cooked southern but had a palate that enjoyed food from the world over. She was devoted to her family and was fast at making friends. She revealed to us the glory and love of God. She leaves behind her husband and co-adventurer Ed Carson; her three sons and their spouses, Ed and Kelly, Worth and Sandy, and Brad and Melissa; eight grandchildren, Jed, Zach, Shelby, Rachel (Joseph) McDaniels, Andrew, Nathan, Ben and Jack; and one great grandchild, Benjamin McDaniels. She is already missed, but we rest in the grace of our loving Lord Jesus knowing that she will "dwell in the house of the Lord forever." A service was held at Fairview Christian Fellowship, Fairview at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, with the Rev. Russell Harper officiating. Burial followed in Gerton at Bearwallow Cemetery.
--as offered by the family in the Asheville Citizen Times
