Wednesday, June 29, 2022

July - August 2022

 

New spring flowers have been added to our garden in front of the UHNGCCenter. Also, check out the fresh flowers at the Welcome to Gerton signs. Thanks to Mike Hamlin and Stan Mobley for paying attention to what our community needs to look colorful and welcoming!




President's Note

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. 


Yoga Classes Continue on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. at UHNGCC

Yoga classes are open to all (experienced, beginners; men and women). Bring your mat or choose to participate from a chair. Yoga gives you an opportunity to take an hour for yourself -- a time out of the time of your busy day. Cost: $12 per session. 

Neighborhood Activities

When Jim and Sylvia Sane attended granddaughter Addie Grindle's college graduation, they took the opportunity to also visit the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky, and its companion, the Creation Museum. 
In the distance, you can see the length of the ark as it sits in Williamstown, Kentucky, less than seven hours from Gerton! The ark is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high. For the rest of the summer, the ark will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and from 1-7 p.m. on Sundays.  For further information, including nearby accommodations, check the website: www.arkencounter.com

Jim Sane stands in front of the ark. A human encounter calls new attention to the size of the ark.
Inside of the ark, you may walk or rent a scooter. It is possible to walk over ten miles in a visit to the ark. The displays inside the ark fill at least three separate floors at this time.
Addie Grindle, daughter of Melissa Grindle, and granddaughter of Jim and Sylvia Sane, graduated from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, on May 14. She earned her B.S. degree in veterinary technology. At present she is living in Lexington, Kentucky, where she works in the University of Kentucky Necropsy Lab. Addie was the recipient two times for the UHNGCC college scholarship. We join with Addie's family in being proud of her academic achievements. Congratulations to Addie! 

Chestnut Hills Neighborhood Celebrates 100 Years

On Sunday, July 3, at 1 p.m., the annual meeting of the CHHA will be held at the Pavilion. We will hear an update of our water system, along with a progress report on the pond and commons area, community garden and fire pit. Then at 5 p.m. we will return to the pavilion for a pot luck dinner together. 

Fireworks at Lake Lure - July 3, 9:30 p.m. at Morse Park


ECHO of the Gorge is published bi-monthly by the UHNGCC. News and photos may be sent to Margaret Whitt at margaret.whitt@du.edu. Photos for this issue provided by Margaret Whitt, Stan Mobley, Mike Hamlin, Sylvia Sane. 

Officers of UHNGCC for 2021: President - Karen Owensby; Vice-President - Jim Earnhardt; Secretary - Ellen Boyle; Treasurer - Sylvia Sane; Board Members - Jean Bradley, Chuck Mallory, Margaret Whitt, Sarah Gayle; Immediate Past President - Stan Mobley







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