Summer is here! I am so thankful to live where we enjoy four seasons.
The wonders of spring have now changed to the glories of summer. Yes,
there are summertime blues like bee stings, sunburns, yard work, heat
and humidity, frizzy hair, and traffic if you are driving through
Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. But the scrumptiousness of a sandwich made
with a homegrown tomato makes those blues fly away. And on your plate
with that amazing tomato sandwich, pile on some lettuce, squash, beans,
okra, and cucumbers grown in your garden or bought at a farmer’s market.
How about an Asheville Tourist baseball game? Or a trip to the beach?
Or picking flowers from your garden? Have you had a summer picnic yet?
But the best summer gift of all is welcoming our friends and neighbors
back to their mountain homes!
During the summer months of 2020
and 2021, we were unable to meet and share the joys of the summer
season. At the time of this writing, Covid community transmission rates
are low. The UHNGCC Board of Directors has determined it is safe to plan
activities for summer and fall. The Board will, however, remain
diligent in monitoring Covid transmission rates and reserves the right
to cancel events if necessary to protect the health of our community.
What is coming up? Watch for details about these events:
· July 4th dinner
· Summer play by the Hickory Nut Players
With
all the problems our country is facing, I continue to believe that the
United States of America is the absolute best place to live. Holidays of
Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day give us pause to reflect on what
it means to live in a land where we are free.
A special thanks to
Stan Mobley and Mike Hamlin for installing American flags as a reminder
of the privilege it is to be American.
One does not have to
look far to be concerned by the economic challenges facing our country
and the world. Your generous support to Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach over
the past two years has fed many of our friends and neighbors. At the
May covered dish dinner, HNGO Office Manager Karen King presented an
excellent program. In addition to updating us on the work of the
Outreach, she expressed personal and HNGO Board appreciation for the
donations made by our community. The Outreach is now working to provide
backpacks and school supplies necessary to get our neighbors’ children
off to a great start for the new school year.
Consider supporting a local student by donation of the items listed below. Supplies are needed before July 26th.
· Backpacks (with computer sleeve)
· 1 inch, 1.5 inch and 2 inch three-ring binders
· Black sharpies (wide, fine, ultra-fine)
· Graphing paper
· #2 pencils and colored pencils
· Pens (black, red, blue)
· Glue sticks and glue bottles
· Pocket folders (cardboard and plastic)
· Wide-rules and college-ruled loose-leaf paper
· Scissors (safety and non-safety)
Congratulations
to Savannah Bellamy, winner of the UHNGCC college scholarship.
Savannah, who grew up in Gerton, will be starting college this fall at Blue Ridge Community College.
Our
Community Center is available to rent if you are planning a private
event. The dining room is available for a small fee and the Community
Room is available at no charge. For more information, send an email to
groundedingerton@gmail.com.
We know that fall will soon be here; until then, enjoy these “Joys of Summer” by Jennifer Gunner:
S – Sunny Days
U – Umbrellas drinks
M – Melon balls
M – Morning heat
E – Easy schedule
R – Restful nights
Karen Owensby
President, Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Club
Community Gathering on Monday, July 4
Make plans to join your neighbors on Monday, July 4, at 6 :30 p.m. at the Center for a cook out: hot dogs, burgers, and veggie burgers, condiments, and buns, iced tea, lemonade, and water provided. Please bring sides. After dinner, we will play BINGO with major BIG prizes awarded after each game. No cost for bingo. All kinds of configurations. Bring your families and friends.
Encore Production of "Cleaning Up" Returns to UHNGCC
We all look forward to the night that the UHNGCC turns itself into the Gerton Little Theatre. Helen Brown wrote the play some years ago, but the cast is a bit different this year. The cast will include Bonnie Moore, Gloria Anders, RuthAnn Nappi, Debby Hill, and Don Adoryan.
A long-running tradition at UHNGCC is the summer weekend where the Hickory Nut Players have performed for over 20 years. Because of our community shutdown for the coronavirus, we have missed this summer gathering, a time of laughter and fellowship.
So save the date: Friday, August 5 and Saturday, August 6. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for $15 each or $30 per family will be available at the door. Plus: Refreshments and entertainment will be provided at intermission.
May Dinner and Program
Neighbors visit before we enter the food line to eat at our May gathering. Always a good time to meet new people or catch up with old neighbors.
UHNGCC returned to its regular monthly covered dish dinners and programs on Tuesday, May 17. We had 20 in attendance. Though the crowd was small, the food was outstanding. We had plenty for all and look forward to our gatherings increasing in number as we move through the summer months.
Our program speaker was
Karen King, manager of the food pantry at Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach in Lake Lure. Neighbors brought their offerings with them to our dinner and Karen (and her husband, Don) went home with
305 pounds of supplies for Outreach
. Karen explained that inflation has helped the need at Outreach to grow. Some clients have trouble paying for gas to get to the outreach location, so food may be delivered to people's homes. Lake Lure Classical Academy has a need for lunch help with their student body. It is important to remember that one in five children in Western North Carolina go to bed hungry each night, but the food banks work to make sure that those who know about the food banks and can get there or call, will never be hungry. Food is available!
Before each of our monthly dinners, an email will be sent to all with suggested needs of Outreach. Bring what you can with you when you come to dinner. The board will make sure it is delivered in a timely fashion.
UHNGCC President Karen Owensby presents the 50/50 raffle win to
Chuck Mallory. The total pool was $64. Chuck could have taken home $32, but he chose to return his winnings back to the club. Thanks, Chuck, for your generous gesture.
USA Flags Go Up for Memorial Day to Labor Day
Stan Mobley places one of the flags in its mount to prepare for Memorial Day. Each year, Gerton honors our veterans with a display of at least a dozen flags along Gerton's straightaway on 74A. Each year, we replace worn flags with new ones. If you would like to make a donation to our flag fund, please mail your donation to UHNGCC to PO Box 222, Gerton, NC 28735. As we continue to recycle the flags, we are always in need of replacing the worn out ones with new ones. Thanks to Stan Mobley and Mike Hamlin who have taken on the responsibility of placing the flags along our route.
Litter Sweep - June 2022
Left to right:
Jim Earnhardt, Stan Mobley, Karen Gamble, Charles Gamble, Mike Hamlin (taking photo)
Friday, June 1st at 9:30 a.m. five fellow Gerton
residents arrived at the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Center and
proceeded to traverse both sides of 74-A that runs through Gerton.
In total, we collected nine full bags of trash--one bag of recyclables and eight bags of trash!
Thank
you so much Jim Earnhardt, Karen and Charles Gamble, and Stan Mobley
for the continued support you provide to keep Gerton clean!
Our next Highway Pickup is Friday, Sept. 2, at 9:30 a.m.
Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach Needs School Supplies
UHNGCC will be collecting school supplies in July to support the Outreach in Lake Lure. When you are shopping these next few weeks, you might think about picking up some items on this list and bringing them with you to our July covered dish dinner together:
* Backpacks with computer sleeve
* 1", 1 1/2", and 2" three-ring binders
* Graph paper
* #2 pencils and colored pencils
* pens (black, blue, red)
* glue sticks and glue bottles
* pocket folders (cardboard and plastic)
* wide ruled and college ruled loose leaf paper
* scissors (safety and non safety)
New Farmers Market in Lake Lure
From now until September 2, a weekly Farmers Market will be open on Fridays from 3 - 7 p.m. in Keeter Field, between Lake Lure Inn & Spa and the Arcade Building, across from the Lake Lure Beach. Each weekend, there will be live music and a food truck. Vendors will all be local and the variety of offerings will be worth your time. Come out and support your neighbors and meet some other neighbors.
June Dinner and Program
As in old times, we had 43 people gather for our June 21 covered dish dinner at the Center. Thanks to Don and Marianne Adoryan for hosting, and for Ellen Boyle for providing new green and yellow table coverings and fresh flowers for each table. We had plenty of food and folks remembered to bring breakfast items for Outreach. Jim Earnhardt delivered 241 pounds of supplies to Outreach on the following Thursday. Next time we are to bring school supplies. The list of supplies is elsewhere in this edition of the ECHO.
Below, neighbors enjoy time to speak with one another--before, during, and after we eat together. We will be supplying nametags going forward so that we might get to know each other. We have so many new folks that we are welcoming into greater Gerton!
Mike Hamlin wins the 50/50 Raffle. The total amount collected was $138, but Mike chose to return his share, $69, to the club. Thanks, Mike!
Stan Mobley presents the winning amount.
Said Abdallah, board member of Food Freedom Foundation presented the program at our June meeting. The organization has as its goal to promote a fair and independent farm-to-consumer ecosystem that preserves and enhances the environment and its natural resources. They have three main initiatives: financial support, educational resources, and legal assistance. They exist especially for the family farm, artisan food producers, and cottage food makers. Said first discovered the organization when he moved to Fairview and had trouble locating raw butter and raw milk! Further information can be found on their website: foodfreedomfoundation.org
The winner of this year's UHNGCC college scholarship is
Savannah Bellamy, daughter of
Tom and Barbara Bellamy of Gerton, and granddaughter of
Bobby Dees. Savannah is a graduate of North Henderson High School. She plans to start her education at Blue Ridge Community College and then transfer to a four-year school for her Bachelor's degree. While in high school, Savannah was a cheerleader, sang with the All-County Choir, and was a member of the Teen Ensemble at Flat Rock Playhouse. She graduated as a North Carolina Scholar with a GPA of 3.8 with a rigorous academic curriculum.
We look forward to following Savannah's progress as she makes her way in the next step of her academic journey. A check made out to Blue Ridge Community College for $500 will be applied to her tuition costs.
Mike Hamlin wins the 50/50 Raffle. The total amount collected was $138, but Mike chose to return his share, $69, to the club. Thanks, Mike! Stan Mobley presents the winning amount. 
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