September - October 2024

Late summer flowers in the bed below the sign to our community center.

...and bears still roam around our yards--even when it isn't trash pick-up day! Always smart to be mindful. 

GertonFest XIII

Our annual celebration of small town life will be held on Saturday, August 31 at 5 p.m. at UHNGCC. 

We will have BBQ--both chicken and pork. $10 donation. Eat in or take home. 

Music will be ongoing while shopping at our traditional excellent home baked goods sale of cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, breads, candy. Prepared by Gerton's finest cooks and bakers. 

We will have a plant sale. Opportunity to inquire about some surprise bargains.  A flower bar will be available for just what you need to bring a bright spot to your kitchen table. 

Drop by and visit with neighbors--stay a while or head on home with your dinner in tow.

Doors open at 5 p.m.

President's Note

The weather sort of threw us for a loop this year, with a very dry month and then a couple of weeks of daily downpours. It seems to have settled down now, and we are expecting—nay, demanding—ideal weather for the late summer and fall.

Of course, nothing stops the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Center from having fun activities. We’ve heard from speakers about the restorative powers of walking in nature, our local weather station and how it works, a Civil Rights tour, the work of the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach, how and what to plant in our area, and much more.

We’ve had our July Fourth BBQ, with smashing attendance, great food, fun bingo, and more. In the spring we had a breakfast, plant sale, bake sale, and flea market. We’ve given two scholarships to deserving students and gotten loads of much-needed food for the Outreach. We’re still collecting Gerton stories from the folks who live here. The weekly yoga group is going strong, as is the short story group.

Are we tired? No! We’re putting together plans for future events, our bocce ball court, the memory garden, and more. GertonFest XIII is coming up Aug. 31 and we’ll have more food and fun that day.

If you’re interested in helping the community center and haven’t yet, it’s not as exhausting as I’ve made it sound. Many hands make the work easy, and it’s always enjoyable. You can serve on the board, on a committee, or just give us ideas. This community center is for all of us, and we want to continue to make it welcoming for you. 

Chuck Mallory

President UHNGCC

Calendar of Events

Saturday, August 31 - GERTONFEST XIII - Doors open at 5 p.m.

Monday, September 2 - LABOR DAY

Tuesday, September 17 - Community Picnic at the Bocce Court by the Pavilion - 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 15 - Community Covered Dish - 6:30 p.m. Program: TBA

Thursday, October 31 - HALLOWEEN

Reserving the Earnhardt Room

If you would like to reserve the Earnhardt Room, suitable for a dozen people, please send an e-mail to groundedingerton@gmail.com requesting the date and time you would like to use the room. A board member will get back to you confirming your use and telling you how to access the room. The room is available to all members of the club for no fee. 

UHNGCC Celebrates Annual July 4 Community Cook-out

This year on July 4 brought 105 people to the center for burgers, dogs, and veggie burgers. The people kept coming and we kept setting up more tables and filled our picnic benches outside as well.

A full house for the celebration of our country's birthday.

Dan Clancy was the chief grill man, but he had help here from Kelly McDonald and his dad.

After dinner, we played a dozen games of BINGO. Winners got to pick a large candy bar or box with money duct taped to the back. Low prize was 50 cents and top prize was $10. 

About 60-70 participated in playing the games. 

Chris Barkett was one of the $10 winners on Bingo night at our annual July 4 community cook-out.

July Dinner and Program

On our first rainy night in a number of weeks, we had 25 neighbors gather for dinner and the awarding of our scholarships for two deserving young community members. Thanks to hosts Jim Earnhardt, Tom Buffkin, Karen Owensby, Anastasia Walsh, Jose Infanzon.

 

Neighbors, always glad to see one another, visit and go through the food line. 

Steve Jones, a second-time winner of the 50/50 Raffle, took home $40, leaving $40 for the club. 

This year, we presented two college scholarships for $500 each. The money is sent directly to the school. This year Diego Infanzon was one of our winners. He will apply his scholarship to North Carolina School of the Arts, where he will continue his studies in violin. Diego is recently back from a trip to Vienna, Salzberg, and Prague with the Asheville Youth Symphony Orchestra.

A recipient may receive the award twice, but not in consecutive years. Savannah Bellamy wins the award for the second time. The first was to help with her studies at Blue Ridge Tech and in the fall she will begin her studies at Western Carolina University. Savannah plans to major in English Education. Chuck Mallory, Club President, presents certificates to both Savannah and Diego.

Margaret Whitt gave the program on three moments from the Modern Civil Rights Movement: 1955- the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Above is the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King served in 1955 and from which he launched his start as the chief spokesman of the movement. We then traveled to 1963 Birmingham for a look at the 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of the September 15, 1963 bombing where four young girls were killed. We ended in 1965 Selma at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, with the walk to Montgomery, that spurred a voting rights law through Congress. 

Margaret's most recent tour through these cities was in April with 37 people from Givens Estates retirement village in Asheville. Over the years, she has led about a dozen tours. 

Mid-Summer Litter Sweep

From left: Sarah Fletcher, Pete Reese, Ellen Boyle, Jim Earnhardt, Stan Mobley, Tommy Garrick, Charles Gamble, Mike Reandeau, Jim Odom, Jeanie Odom, Steve Jones, Karen Gamble, Tom Milroy, Julie Wander, Teresa Garrick. 

On Friday, July 19, 15 neighbors showed up to pick up trash on the day that the Department of Transportation sent a small crew to film the event. UHNGCC is the very FIRST group to have signed up for the Adopt-a-Highway Program that started in the late 1980s. When the film is available, we will send out a link so that you might see how a litter sweep is performed by our neighbors. 

UHNGG Sends School Supplies to Hickory Nut Outreach

Backpacks full of supplies for Outreach, given in memory of Jean Bradley

Every year the UHNG Community Center donates school supplies to the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach in Lake Lure. In mid-July, volunteers from the Community Center took 100 pounds of donated backpacks, pencil boxes, markers, erasers, notebooks, highlighters, and other essentials to help kids get ready for a new school year. In addition to collecting generous donations from current Community Center members and other good neighbors, $100 worth of back-to-school supplies were given in the name of Jean Bradley, who passed away in 2023. Many Gerton neighbors will remember Jean Bradley who dedicated hours of time and spirit to the Center. Jean was a tireless advocate on behalf of the work of the center. She reminded us, and by example taught us, how to be hospitable towards all.

At the Outreach center in Lake Lure, each back pack is filled with items appropriate to certain age groups: K-5, middle school, high school. Though every school has slightly different requirements, the Outreach has learned that certain basic items fill the needs of all kids at each level.

Karen King, Director of the HNG Outreach, said, “With (the Community Center’s) generous donation, we will be able to give away over 100 backpacks full of supplies this year. Gerton’s amazing donation is essential to allowing all the kids whose families rely on the food pantry to have what they need." 

Thanks to generosity of community, over 100 pounds of school supplies for Outreach.

Mindfulness Class Held at UHNGCC

Lee Strickland, Stan Mobley, Sarah Gayle, Mattie Decker (teacher/leader) Tom Buffkin, Linda Reandeau, Ellen Boyle, and Jim Piene (Margaret Whitt and Anastasia Walsh, not pictured) gathered on the morning of Saturday, July 27, for an introductory session led by Mattie Decker on mindfulness. The 90-minute session flew by as Mattie led the group in exercises that called attention to how we might pay more attention to the moment in which we exist. 

UHNGCC Plants New Weeping Cherry Tree to Honor Bancers

Chuck Mallory and Ellen Boyle admire Steve's good planting work and add the finishing touches with the rocks around the base. A plaque will be placed  at the base to honor the Bancers. 

Along the roadside, across the creek, behind the picnic pavilion, Steve Jones did the honor of planting a new weeping cherry tree on the afternoon of August 4 to honor the service that Jack and Susie Bancer and Jami Linn and Steve Ringenberg have given our community over the past ten years. They have sold their home here and by the middle of August will move to a new home in Durham. The tree is a gift from Jason Rogala to the UHNGCC. 

Jack served as our club president in 2018-2019. Susie was board secretary. Under Jack's leadership, we added the flower boxes in front of the clubhouse. Jack painted the trim around the windows and then added the code-approved railings on the back patio. The plants and flowers planted six years ago have grown and flourished--thanks to good care offered by the Bancers.

This tree to honor the Bancers' service is the first of what we hope will be other trees that will be planted to honor and remember other neighbors in our community. We wish the Bancer crew all the best in their new home; they will be missed here.

One of the original signs for the old swimming pool that lies under the ground on Chestnut Hills green area. A quarter for kids and a half dollar for adults---and you could spend the day. The pool graced the common area from the 1940s to the 1980s, when it became too expensive to maintain. Many an Asheville resident remembers this mountain swimming pool. 

August Dinner and Program

At our August gathering, 33 neighbors came out on a pleasant evening to visit with each other and share in the usual outpouring of good food!

Local potter  Mike Hamlin's pottery with flowers from his yard graced the tables. Thanks to our hosts: Stan Mobley, Mike Hamlin, and Sarah Gayle. 

Mike Hamlin is the winner of the 50/50 Raffle and takes home $50. Another $50 went to the club. Thanks to all the neighbors who participate eagerly in our monthly raffle.

Long-time Gerton resident Dr. Jim Earnhardt gave the program on a bit of the history of Gerton. The Earnhardt family first came to Gerton from Thomasville back in 1945, when Jim was 7. He spoke of the 9-hole golf course, the large swimming pool, the two gas stations, and a place to buy a burger that once occupied territory here in Gerton. Many of the homes back then were summer-only residences. The cold water in the swimming pool attracted about 50 people during the week, but on week-ends, maybe 200 would fill the pool. Noise could be heard echoing throughout the hamlet. Jim's poster board of pictures of times back then was interesting for all of us to see and imagine what once was! 

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, Chuck Mallory, Lee Strickland, Ellen Boyle, and Jim Earnhardt.

Officers of UHNGCC for 2024: President - Chuck Mallory; Vice-President - Ellen Boyle; Secretary - Karen Owensby; Treasurer - Sylvia Sane; Board Members - Sarah Gayle; Stan Mobley, Lee Strickland, Tom Buffkin. Immediate past president - Margaret Whitt. 

July - August 2024

 SEE YOU ON JULY 4TH AT 6:30

AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER FOR COOK-OUT

Flowers are the best colors of summer.

President's Note

One of my favorite family stories when I was a kid in small-town Missouri was that Jesse James once came through town and buried gold at the foot of a tree in town. I have since discovered that so many towns have this same legend that the U.S. would have more gold buried under trees than exists at Fort Knox. Even Jesse didn’t get around that much!

There is a gold legend in these parts, too. In the 1700s, the story goes, six Englishmen found lots of gold at Round Top Mountain (near Chimney Rock) and decided to sell their riches in Charlotte. When they saw Cherokees nearby, they hid the gold in a cave, building a rock wall to conceal it. A fight ensued with the Cherokees; five of the Englishmen were killed. The sixth escaped without the gold, planning to go back later and get it. But he lost his sight from his injuries and went back to England. His associates in N.C. were given extensive directions to the gold--but could not find it.

Word got around, and various parties searched for it, with no luck. Civil War General Leventhorpe and his men tried for two months to no avail. In 1938, a skilled treasure hunter with a detailed map was expected to find it. Nope.

Word of warning: don’t go looking where hundreds of fools have tread. But if that’s not enough to steer you away, consider these reasons for not going into a cave to find the gold:

1.      Bears! They don’t like surprises.

2.      Snakes! Didn’t you watch “Scooby Doo” and other scientifically-accurate cartoons during your childhood and see those huge cave snakes that had green glow-in-the-dark eyes?

3.      Bats! They prefer a diet of mosquitoes, but what if one bit you? How would you know if it’s a regular bat--or Dracula!?

Besides, here’s the real deal: you’ve already found gold. If you live in Gerton, you have what’s golden—beautiful surroundings, protected nature, quiet, and wonderful neighbors.

Chuck Mallory, President, UHNGCC

Calendar of Events

Thursday, July 4, 6:30 p.m. - Community Cook-Out. Burgers, dogs, and veggie burgers provided. Bring sides and desserts. Bingo to follow dinner. Free and winners take home prizes! come and join the fun.

Sunday, July 14, 3 p.m. - First meeting of Short Story Book Club. (see below)

Tuesday, July 16, 6:30 p.m. - Covered Dish Dinner. Program: Margaret Whitt will give an overview of her recent Civil Rights tour to Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, Alabama. 2024 College Scholarship winners will talk about their plans for the future.

Tuesday, August 20, 6:30 p.m. - Covered Dish Dinner. Program TBA

Saturday, August 31, GertonFest XIII.  Hold the date!

Gerton Spring Fair

Gerton held its Spring Fair on Saturday, May 11, on a beautiful clear and cool day with a breakfast for the community. A plant sale was held on the back patio, while a four-table flea market was on display inside, along with home-baked goods for sale by Gerton's finest bakers. Also Mike Hamlin was present with two tables of his award-winning pottery. The event was the first fundraiser of the new year, earning a total of $924 for the club. 

The serving room awaits the neighbors who will come to eat the morning meal together. Cooks in the kitchen included Steve Jones, Chuck Mallory, Jim Earnhardt, Dan Lancy. We served about 30 people and the breakfast earned $255.

Ellen Boyle presided over the indigenous plants that were on sale on the back patio. We are using the plants to fund the professional bocce court that has been started on the area near the pavilion. We earned $120 on the plant sale.

Mike Hamlin was the only person who accepted the offer to craftspeople to show their wares. His display was busy all morning, as people stopped to browse and buy from Mike. We hope the craft part of our event will grow in numbers.

Over at the home-baked goods sale, 18 folks brought in cakes or quiches or various breads or cookies or brownies or candy or tarts. Thanks to these people for providing the delicacies that went out the door with happy customers: Roberta Pope, Joan Erskine, Syble Freeman, Margaret Whitt, Betty Cameron, Kim Jones, Sarah Gayle, Karen Owensby, Mary Kay McAdams, Lee Strickland, Jim Pienne, Anastasia Walsh, Maria Belluccio, Teresa Garrick, Clayton Donaldson, Susan Cave, Tom Buffkin, and Jim Earnhardt. The bake sale brought in $328. We couldn't do this without the wonderful contributions of our neighbors.

Finally, the flea market, a new idea this year, comprised four tables. People were invited to bring small items to the center for sale. They were asked to bring them the day before or on the day of the sale. Lee Strickland headed up this part of our fair. We offered excellent bargains and we netted $221. The remaindered items were cleared away and delivered to Goodwill by Lee Strickland and Dan Clancy. Above, Lee, Sylvia, and Maria take a look at what is available. 

Artificial Intelligence Creates Gerton Poem

By Chat GBT

Jim Earnhardt (son of Jim Earnhardt) just downloaded the ChatGPT (Version 3.5) app onto his phone.  The first question he asked was, "Write a short poem about Gerton, NC."  Nothing else.  It instantly spit out this poem:

In Gerton's hills, where whispers dwell,

Nature's symphony casts its spell.

Mountain air, crisp and clear, Murmurs

secrets for the ear.

Trails wind through the silent trees,

Where time moves slow, at ease. In

Gerton's embrace, find peace

profound, A haven where tranquility's

found.

Each sunset paints the sky with grace,

In Gerton's beauty, find your place. So

let your spirit roam and soar, in Gerton

forevermore.

New Short Story Book Club Launches

All are invited to join our new community center Short Story Book Club. The first meeting will be held on Sunday, July 14, at 3 p.m. in the Earnhardt Room at the UHNGCC. Reading for the meeting will be Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro's first three stories of her final book Dear Life. 

What to expect:

• friendly and open discussions
• a chance to explore new authors
• refreshments and good company

For further information contact Ellen Boyle at purplepearluma@gmail.com

USA Flags Once Again Line the Gerton Highway

Thanks again this year to Stan Mobley and Mike Hamlin for hanging the American flags for Memorial Day. Because of generous donations from neighbors for the purchase of new flags, our display of over a dozen flags welcome us home again and the many passersby who drive through Gerton each day. We will do our best to keep new flags flying during these summer months. The flags will be taken down after Labor Day. 

May Dinner and Program

Warm, sunny weather and a fascinating speaker brought out a crowd for the May Potluck dinner at the Community Center on Tuesday, May 21. Over 35 neighbors gathered for delicious food and high spirited conversation. Thanks to Susan Bost, Aimlee Braddy for hosting the event. Teresa Garrick won the 50/50 raffle. The club and Teresa each took home $45. 

Baking items was the request from Outreach. Neighbors made a generous offering that were delivered the following week.

Neighbors visit while eating the generous food offerings. Always a good feeling of joy in being together. 

Dr. Mattie Decker, who lives in Bat Cave on conservation property established by the Sisters of the Transfiguration, spoke about her own long history as a teacher, Zen practitioner, and certified Nature and Forest Therapy guide. Dr. Decker is well-versed in the history of the Gorge. A wonderful storyteller, she recounted how the Sisters arrived in Asheville from Cincinnati at the turn of the 20th century and traveled by horse and buggy out to Bat Cave to establish what would become their fifth “ministry.” Today, due to their efforts, the land includes a Conservation Easement, preserving forever its pristine mountain and river landscape and allowing a space for humans to explore spiritual and creative practices. Forest Bathing, shinrin-yoku, is an important one of these practices, developed in the 1980s when the Japanese sought to improve physical health in a society that had become industrialized, overworked, and sedentary. Spending time in forest areas was found to improve physical and spiritual health. Dr. Decker, always curious and eager to learn, studied and became certified as a Forest Therapy guide and expert in Forest Bathing. She described some of the benefits of Forest Bathing, particularly the transformational experience of being one with Nature and recognizing connections among all things. She agreed to lead a class in mindfulness at the Community Center in the near future. People are already signed up, and more details will be announced soon. 

Switchbacks Paving Project

We all have been waiting sometime for the switchbacks to be paved. So we have this update:

Representative Ager's office has been informed that the project will begin this summer. The contract was awarded to a private company, and there is no firm start date at this time.

The paving will include 74A at least from Sherrill's Inn up to the county line, where Henderson County takes over the maintenance of the road. 

June Dinner and Program 

Before dinner, neighbors visit and we listen to announcements of upcoming activities. 

Mac and Mary Kay McAdams, Helen Brown, and Ruth Hudson join others for a night out!

We had our best turnout in many a month -- 42 people -- on June 18 at the clubhouse on a pleasant summer evening. Thanks to our hosts: Ellen Boyle, Karen Owensby, Tom Buffkin, Sarah Gayle, Stan Mobley, and Chuck Mallory. After the usual good choices by those who brought a dish to share, we watched Clayton, the youngest person in the building, win the 50/50 Raffle and take home $68. The club gained another $68 for our coffers.

Clayton is the youngest neighbor to win the raffle!

Mac McAdams gave an entertaining program on Gerton weather. He has been 18 years in the weather station business. (His site can be found by googling Gerton, NC, weather, underground) Mac spoke of how things have changed. His stations are often the source of information for the larger television stations in Asheville. Mac also contributes his information each day to Boulder, Colorado, with thousands of other small town stations across the country.

He gave us three dates to hold in mind:

March 12-15, 1993 - the storm of the century. A blizzard that saw 48 inches of snow on Little Pisgah.

December 25, 2010 - after a few weeks of relatively warm weather, it snowed 16 inches of snow on Christmas day. 

December 30, 2017- January 8, 2018 - eight days of below frigid temperature. The average temperature was 16.8 degrees. 

For specific information about our weather, give Mac a call and he will find the answer!

Mac McAdams talks local weather.

UHNGCC Continues to Help Outreach

By Lee Strickland

The Gerton community continues to serve the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach, affectionately known as “the food pantry,” as it has for years. The Outreach extends into four counties with a mission to help eliminate hunger and provide emergency services with love and compassion to those in need living in our community. It operates solely on donations without government funds, and for years the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Center has generously supported them. We continue to do so and are among their largest donors. To date in 2024, the Community Center has donated over 600 pounds of food, household and personal care items to the food pantry.

Lee Strickland makes delivery to volunteer at the Outreach. 

Annually, Gerton has helped with back to school supplies, which can be stressful and expensive for many families. Through July 28, donations may be brought to the monthly dinner on July 16 or dropped off at the post office.

Time for School Supplies to Assist Outreach

Each year Outreach provides clients' children with a backpack filled with needed school supplies. Distribution for the 2024-2025 school year will begin on June 29. Please bring the following supplies to the clubhouse on July 4 or to our dinner on July 16 or to the Post Office in Gerton:

• backpacks
• clorox wipes
• composition books - college and wide ruled
• black expo/dry erase fine tip
• colored markers and highlighters
• glue sticks
• erasers - block type
• hand held pencil sharpeners with top
• crayons - 24 pack
• pencil boxes or pouches
• scissors (safety and non-safety)
• ear buds or headphones

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, Chuck Mallory, Lee Strickland.

Officers of UHNGCC for 2024: President - Chuck Mallory; Vice-President - Ellen Boyle; Secretary - Karen Owensby; Treasurer - Sylvia Sane; Board Members - Sarah Gayle; Stan Mobley, Lee Strickland, Tom Buffkin. Immediate past president - Margaret Whitt. 

May - June

Our beloved dogwood trees are often considered the very symbol of spring. 

Calendar of Events

May 10, Friday, 9 a.m. - Litter Sweep. Meet at the center to help clean the highway!

May 11, Saturday - 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Gerton Spring Fair: Breakfast, crafts, plants, flea market table.

May 15, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. - Community Dinner and Program: Dr. Mattie Decker/Forest Bathing & Sacred Walks
June 18, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. - Community Dinner and Program: Mac McAdams and the weather station

July 4, Thursday, 6:30 p.m. - Community cook-out and Family Bingo with Prizes

President's Note

Spring is here! The flash of color from blooms and bright green on hillsides, coupled with warm days, brings us to a new season. We learned a lot about what can be planted, pruned, and fertilized at our most recent community center potluck dinner on April 16. Our speaker was asked so many questions after the talk that he was one of the last to leave!

Gentle Yoga is back on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at a bargain price of $15 a session, plus the savings you get from not having to drive to Asheville for class! We have our Gerton Spring Fair on Saturday, May 11, 9 am- 1 pm, with a full breakfast, craft sale, plant sale, bake sale, and flea market. That’s the day before Mother’s Day, so plan to get gifts right there.

If you came to our community center about 60-70 years ago, you would have seen a much different place. It was “ladies only,” with sewing, quilting, teas, and luncheons. Of course, this was true of almost all rural community centers at that time. One long-term resident said that men were finally allowed to attend events when repairs were needed on the building! Such were the old days. History like this will be captured with our oral history project. Details are in this issue.

Nowadays we welcome all neighbors and visitors to our community center. We also look more outward, helping the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach keep its pantry stocked for those experiencing food insecurity.

Keep the third Tuesday evening of the month open, every month, for the community potluck dinner. There is always good food, an interesting speaker, and welcoming neighbors—all at your doorstep.

Chuck Mallory

President, UHNGCC

Azaleas: another sign of spring in the most popular colors

March Dinner and Program

A celebration of St. Patrick's Day was held on Tuesday, March 19. Neighbors were asked to bring potato toppings or desserts, while Steve Jones and Ellen Boyle provided the traditional corned beef and cabbage and potatoes for all. (In keeping with their usual high quality marks, this meal was exceptional). Thanks to Maria, Chris, Marcia, Jane, and others from Hickory Nut Gorge who hosted the meal. We had about 26 in attendance.

Neighbors enjoy the special St. Patrick's Day meal.

Karen King from Hickory Nut Gorge provided the program on the work of the Outreach. In the past three months, they have added about 20 new clients, serving about 100 families a month or 300 to 400 individuals. They continue to work closely with Lake Lure Classical Academy, providing them protein bars and healthy snacks at the school. The school bus will swing by the Outreach on Fridays before heading to the school and pick up a number of week-end boxes for kids to take with them when they exit the bus at their stop. The Outreach works with Manna, and while the fresh produce has been consistent, at times the meat availability dwindles. Karen thanked the Community Club for always providing what they ask from us.

Karen and Don King join us for dinner before Karen speaks on the activities of Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach. 

 Tonight, instead of our 50/50 raffle, we gave away a beautiful gardening gift basket. Everyone who brought a can of soup received a free raffle ticket and Karen drew the winning number. The basket went to Michael Alburl, who, fortunately, happens to be a gardener and looks forward to putting the basket's contents to good use. Congratulations, Michael.

Lee Strickland presents our first gift basket to Michael Alburl

Diego Infanzon Wins Scholarship

Our own Diego Infanzon is one of the winners of the George Cecil Journey Scholarship. The award was announced on April 29. In part the information read: 

On behalf of the Scholarship Committee, I would like to congratulate you on being selected to receive a $1,250 George H.V. Cecil Journey Scholarship from WNC Communities. Congratulations!  

The Scholarship Committee was impressed by your dedication to community service and academic achievement. We are so proud to have you representing Western North Carolina!

Diego's scholarship will be renewed up to four years or $5,000 if he maintains a 3.0 GPA. Congratulations to Diego -- our whole community salutes your good work and wishes you the best as you begin the next leg of your journey. 

UHNGCC Scholarship Information

Each year, UHNGCC awards a scholarship to anyone in the community who has been accepted to an accredited not-for-profit college or university. The following is the application process:

Rules for the College Scholarship from UHNGCC:

 1.  Any person living in the community, who is seeking a degree or certificate from a non-profit, accredited post-secondary institution may apply.

 2.  A person may apply and receive the scholarship a maximum of TWO TIMES. But they may not be in consecutive years.

 3.  Along with the scholarship application, the applicant must supply the name and address of the school. The winner's check for $500 will be made out to the school and mailed directly to that school with the check noted: to be applied to (the winning applicant's) tuition cost.

 4. Depending on the number of applicants in any year, no more than TWO awards to two people will be given. The maximum amount of money awarded in one year will be $1,000.

 5.  At the end of the academic year, the winner will report to the UHNGCC the progress towards their academic end goal.

College SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION: Due Date this year will be June 15, 2024

 

 (Return to PO BOX 222 or to one of the officers or board members of UHNGCC)

 

                                                        Today’s Date:_________  

                       Name, Address, Phone Number, e-mail:

 

                    High School (or last school attended):

 

                    Graduation Date:

 

                    Family members we might know:

 

(Using a separate sheet of paper, number your answers for the following  questions. Write in complete sentences, please.)

                  1--School, Church, community activities I have participated in

 

2--Jobs I have held (babysitting counts, as does yard work, helping parents in their work—home or other places.) 

 

3--How would any of the above employers describe your work habits?

 

4--What are your strengths as a student?   What are your weaknesses?

 

5--In three or four sentences tell us your educational goals, and why you are applying for this scholarship.

 

6--The reason I chose (name of educational institution) is that.....

 

Bloodroot…a native to eastern North America grows prolifically in our area. It was used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes.

Save the Date: Saturday, June 15, Gerton Story Day

By Lee Strickland

Do you have a story to tell about Gerton? Are you curious about those who moved here before you?

These and other topics will be talked about in interview pairs – one interviewer and one Gerton storyteller. Sign up to interview someone or to be interviewed – or both. We will schedule time for folks to sit privately in the Community Center meeting room and tape record an in-depth conversation about life in Gerton.

Here are some of the suggested topics – but you may have others --

· How and when did you and your family move here?

· What drew you?

· What have you seen change in the time you’ve been here?

· What is most unique about our land and our community?

· What do you do here? What do you enjoy most?

· What’s something you want people to know about your life in Gerton

Contact Julia Pierce (828 582 3404) or Lee Strickland (773 251 0347) if you would like to participate. They can match you with a person to interview, or you can suggest someone yourself.

These recorded interviews are being archived in order to collect a deep and personal record of the history and present in Gerton. Julia Pierce began recording Gerton stories about a year ago. She is an enthusiastic and astute listener.

“Between the general store, the hamburger stand, and Nita’s store, we had everything here in Gerton. Nita had keys to about everyone’s summer home so if you got up here and forgot your keys, Nita would have a copy.”

“The community center had bingo every Saturday night for 25 cents a game. The pool seemed always to have thirty or so people swimming and hanging out.”

-                                                                                -Julia Pierce’s interview with Teresa Garrick

“We kids had total freedom during summers in Gerton. My brother and I built a treehouse and slept in it before our parents even checked it.”

                            -Lee Strickland’s interview with Jim Earnhardt, whose family began coming to Gerton when he was seven.

Sunday Movie Afternoon: A Journey on the Blue Ridge Parkway

From left: Lee Strickland, Bonnie Moore, Jim Earhardt, Teresa Garrick,  Margaret Whitt, Chuck Malory, and Dan Clancy. Karen Owensby took the picture. We had plenty of popcorn, banana bread, cookies, and soda pop to share. 

A crowd of eight neighbors gathered on Sunday, March 24, to watch a short movie about the Blue Ridge Parkway. The film followed a father-daughter duo on motorcycles along part of the 400+ mile parkway, which runs from North Carolina into Virginia. The building of the scenic road began in the mid-1930s and was completed in the 1980s. The film spotlighted those who live along the Parkway and those who visit for storytelling, music, and crafts, such as potters and glass blowers. 

The Club will be showing other films at random times during the year--highlighting those films that have local relevance to those of us who live in this part of the state! They are always free and we will always provide refreshments.  Thanks to those who came out on a beautiful Palm Sunday, basketball-madness afternoon to spend time with neighbors and to be reminded of where we live! 

Early trillium...or early sweet Betsy...or purple trillium --  the first spring flower to pop up

and later trillium

YOGA Classes Begin Again...

Gentle YOGA returns to UHNGCC on April 10 at 11 a.m.
Classes will be held each Wednesday at 11 a.m.
Beginning in May, classes will be $60/month  or $15 per session. 
We have extra mats.  You can pay by cash or Venmo.  Contact Stephanie for any questions at 912-764-9322.

Gerton Spring Fair

Saturday, May 11
9 am - 1 pm
Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Center

Eat, shop and mingle at the Gerton Spring Fair.  The Spring Fair includes:

• Full Breakfast - starting at 9 am
• Bake Sale - Call Sylvia Sane (828-625-1356) or Lee Strickland (773-251-0347) if you are willing to bake something
• Plant Sale
• Crafts - Tables are free; sellers keep proceeds or make a donation
• Flea Market Table - Time for spring cleaning!  Donate small items (jewelry, books, kitchen utensils, scarves, small tools, etc.)  Bring the day of the event or contact Lee Strickland to drop off earlier.  Nothing will be returned to you and all proceeds will go to the Community Center.  Anything not sold will be donated to Goodwill.

See you at the Fair!

Food and Flora at April 16 Community Dinner

It was a beautiful spring evening on April 16, when our community potluck was held with good food and good advice on “Spring Planting.” Isaac Wyatt, Agricultural Program Assistant with the Henderson County Center, NC Cooperative Extension, spoke to the group of about two dozen people with all kinds of ideas on what and where to plant.

 

A table in front was laden with canned-food donations for the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach food bank, donated by community members. Lee Strickland greeted the group and made quick announcements of upcoming events, such as our Gerton Spring Fair on May 11 and trash pick-up day on May 10.

Isaac’s talk included slides of which plants should go in the ground now, including a variety of shrubs, flowers, and trees. He also advised on fertilizing local soil, which leans to the acidic side, and proper ways to prune bushes and trees. Though many attendees knew of local beneficial fauna, such as butterflies and bees, Isaac told of a number of other garden insects that help. He explained the list of the many types of pests that are a hindrance to good gardening and how to get rid of them.

One interesting fact he shared was this: though Henderson County is a leader in providing apples throughout the U.S., it’s much harder work here. Trees must be constantly monitored for pests and treated with pest preventive solutions. In Washington state, they get a free ride, as it is one of the most pest-free spots in the U.S. for fruit trees and bushes.

Isaac grew up in Haywood County, gardening even as a youngster. He recently graduated from Western Carolina University. He was gracious enough to stay after the presentation as a line of guests asked him their individual gardening questions.

The icing on the cake was that an attendee donated some raffle tickets to Isaac, and as it turned out, Isaac won the raffle!

Neighborhood News

Russell Barkett, February 1, 1940 - March 28, 2024

Russell Barkett died on Thursday, March 28 at his home in Maitland, Florida. He was 84 years old. 

Russell was born in 1940 in Miami, Florida, where his parents, both immigrants from northern Syria, owned a small, neighborhood grocery store. Though he graduated from the University of West Florida in 1971 with a degree in accounting, he was an avid, lifelong Florida Gators fan. Go Gators! He received his CPA certification in 1976.

He started his accounting career with Howard Johnson’s in Miami, and in 1976 joined DavGar Restaurants, Inc.. which owns and runs numerous restaurants in Central Florida. He worked there until his retirement in 2019. He also served on the Board of Directors for Commerce Bank and Trust for more than 30 years. 

An enthusiastic runner, Russell ran 20 marathons both nationally and internationally,  including the January, 2000 New Zealand Marathon, which saw the first light of the new millennium. He loved to read, especially thrillers and westerns, and to relax, refresh, and renew his spirit at his family’s home in Gerton, in the mountains of western North Carolina. His family and friends will miss his booming laugh, his kindness, his devotion to his family, and his great generosity and decency. As Russell liked to say to his grandchildren: we love him to the moon and back, and more than all the grains of sands on the beach and stars in the sky. 

He is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Toni Field Barkett, whom he met on a blind date in 1966 and married in 1967; by his son Brent Barkett and wife Hannah Nordhaus of Boulder, Colo.; by his son Christopher Barkett and wife Laura of St. Augustine; by his two beloved grandchildren, Delia and Milo Barkett; and by his four surviving brothers, Skip, Larry, Ted, and Bruce Barkett, and their families. He was preceded in death by his father, Abraham Barkett; his mother, Della Barkett; and his eldest brother, George Barkett.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Track Shack Youth Foundation (1104 North Mills Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803) or the Gerton Volunteer Fire Department (4975 Gerton Highway, Gerton, NC 28735).

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, Tom Buffkin, Chuck Mallory, Lee Strickland, Linda Reandeau.

Officers of UHNGCC for 2024: President - Chuck Mallory; Vice-President - Ellen Boyle; Secretary - Karen Owensby; Treasurer - Sylvia Sane; Board Members - Sarah Gayle; Stan Mobley, Lee Strickland, Tom Buffkin. Immediate past president - Margaret Whitt.