A New Year's Celebration 2010

THE EVE

Go formal with the Black Tie Gala at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, or ring in the New Year in the famous Grove Park Style - dinner and gala, with Big Swing & The Ballroom Blasters to serve as entertainment.


Or, come say goodbye to 2010 and welcome 2011 with a delicious, four-course dinner and four-piece band at Knife & Fork in the historic small town of Spruce Pine. Early seating at 6:00, late seating at 9:00. Music provided by "He Said, She Said." Please call 765-1511 for menu and details.

Next door at Tin Lizard there will be dancing, drink specials, fabulous food, and a live DJ. And we'll have our own Tin Lizard ball drop at midnight - don't miss it!

Ring in the New Year at Foxfire Downtown! Special New Year's Eve dinner starting at 5:00 until 9:00 PM. Live music from Celo Conley, hors d'oeuvres and champagne toast from 9:00 PM until 2011! $15.00 Please call 765-2007 for reservations.

At Sugar Mountain ski resort, enjoy the romantic and beautiful torch light parade at 11:45pm, an extravagant fireworks display (both free and open to the public)at 11:55pm, and live entertainment (there is a cost for this) provided by: "The Johnson Brothers" from 9pm - 1am.

In room where band is: All ages welcome: $80 per couple, $45 per single
Includes:
1 Basket of Hors D'oeuvres when you arrive
a champagne toast at midnight
Party favors

Lounge Area: MUST BE 21 OR OLDER:
$45 per couple, $25 per single
Includes:
a champagne toast at midnight

THE DAY

*Take in a current top movie at the historic Yancey Theater for $5
*Indulge in what may be the world's best hot chocolate at Knife and Fork.
*Get your exercise with Skiing, snow boarding, tubing, ice skating at any of our several ski resorts;
*Increase your workout with cross country skiing or snowshoeing on the Appalachian Trail near Roan Mountain.
*See the Blue Ridge Mountains the old-fashioned way - Horseback riding.
*Try your hand at gem mining. Learn about the purest quartz in the world - right here in Spruce Pine, NC, and found in every computer in the world.

Then come home to your own beautifully-appointed Cabin at Celo or Estate home within the sanctuary setting of The Cove at Celo Mountain.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN!

Christmas, 2010 - the Blue Ridge Mountains

The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC

Whether you are wishing for a castle in the mountains

The Cabins at Celo / The Cove at Celo Mountain

or longing for a Cabin in the Woods

We wish you a very merry Christmas from The Cove at Celo Mountain

For your reading pleasure in your cozy cabin in front of the roaring fire:

Jim Hume's column of Dec. 19th, 2010 "The Real Lessons of Christmas Found in the Woods"

Local author Gloria Houston's children classic: The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree

Jan Karon's Mitford Series, Father Tim Series, etc - all about our mountains, our people

For a list of other North Carolina authors and their works with synopses

Columnist Paul Crume's Christmas classic, "Angels Among Us"

And, of course, THE Christmas Story from the Gospel of Luke

Christmas Trees from the White House to Your House - North Carolina High Country Style

The White House has chosen our Western North Carolina Fraser Fir 11 times to be the nation's official Christmas tree. This year Vice-President Joe Biden and billionaire Donald Trump are two high-profile Americans who will celebrate Christmas morning with one of our trees.

Enjoy this annual tradition in an even deeper historical way in 2010. The NuWray Inn, our legendary and historic inn on town square in Burnsville (where F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed while on trial - but that's another story) is teaming up with Sugar Plum Farms for a Choose and Snooze Christmas Tree Package. Visit with Santa in the North Pole, go on a hayride, choose and cut your very own Christmas tree, roast marshmallows, sip hot chocolate or cider made from locally grown apples, enjoy North Carolina barbecue, do some Christmas shopping (don't forget the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Store)and then enjoy the Southern hospitality and comfort of our beautifully refurbished NuWray Inn. Marvel at the history and acclaim that your new Christmas tree and its progenitors have garnered over the decades.

North Carolina Christmas Tree Facts

North Carolina has an estimated 50 million Fraser fir Christmas trees growing on over 25,000acres.

Fraser fir represents over 96% of all species grown in North Carolina.

Fraser fir is grown in the far Western North Carolina counties which include Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey.

There are over 1,600 North Carolina growers.

The North Carolina Christmas Tree Industry is ranked second in the nation in number of trees harvested.

North Carolina produces over 19% of the Real Christmas Trees in the U.S.

The North Carolina Fraser fir has been judged the Nation's best through a contest sponsored by the National Christmas Tree Association and chosen for the official White House Christmas tree 11 times (more than any other species)....1971, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2007 and 2008.

The North Carolina Fraser fir Christmas tree is the most popular Christmas tree in North America and is shipped into every state in the U.S. as well as the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Japan and other points all over the world.

The North Carolina Fraser fir has soft, pleasant-to-touch needles, incomparable needle retention, long lasting aroma, and more pliable yet stronger branches for even the heaviest ornaments.

There are approximately 400 Choose and Cut Christmas tree farms in North Carolina.
Individual Christmas tree growers may sell anywhere from a few dozen trees per year to hundreds of thousands of trees per year. The Cove at Celo Mountain is located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Asheville - just minutes from these beautiful tree farms. Make this a part of your family's Christmas tradition for the generations as you gather from across the country to celebrate this special time together. Estate lots, mountain homes, beautifully appointed Cabins at Celo.

For more information on North Carolina Christmas tree farms

Stargazing with Amateur Astronomers on our Historic Town Square

Man has always turned his eyes and thoughts to the stars for guidance, inspiration, wisdom and hope.

On January 6th, Christianity celebrates Epiphany or Holy Lights - a night when stargazing led to a miraculous discovery by 3 Wise Men as they followed the Star of Bethlehem .

On January 8th we will gather as a community on our historic town square of Burnsville,turn off all the lights, and once again marvel at the stars over these ancient mountains. Amateur astronomers will be there with their big telescopes, hot chocolate and cookies will be served, and we can all begin the new year with "a window to the infinite and beyond." Please join us for this special event presented by our Small Town Main Street committee.

"I have long thought that anyone who does not regularly--or ever--gaze up and see the wonder and glory of a dark night sky filled with countless stars loses a sense of their fundamental connectedness to the universe. And as the astounding vastness of the universe becomes obscured, there is a throwback to a vision of a universe that essentially amounts to earth, or one's country, or state or city. Perspective becomes myopic. But a clear night sky and a little instruction allows anyone to soar in mind and imagination to the farthest reaches of an enormous universe in which we are but a speck. And there is nothing more exhilarating and humbling than that."-Dr. Brian Greene, Columbia University Physicist.

Make home a place where star gazing can be a nightly ritual - the beautiful, pristine Cove at Celo Mountain. Far enough away in the mountains to feel the touch of the infinite; close enough to a top destination city to maintain connectedness.

For videos and stargazing preparedness

Unique Gifts from the Ancient Arts and Crafts of the Appalachian Mountains

When you seem to be getting overdosed on Smart Phones, Xboxes, Wide-Screen TV's, and Wii's, consider something unique, original, handcrafted from the ancient arts and crafts of the Appalachian Mountains. Here are some of my favorites from various categories.

Trashformations - Rolf Holmquist takes the "throw-aways", the discarded of our society and transforms them into something beautiful and useful. Here are birdhouse Christmas tree ornaments and large garden birdhouses made from the recycled wood from old NC tobacco barns and found objects. This acclaimed artist has works in the top galleries in WNC.


Handmade Lapidary - there is beautiful jewelry, and there is jewelry that tugs at your heart for its symbolism. Matt Willig's designs are both.

Hand-thrown Pottery - loving and using the beauty of the handcrafted everyday - Sarah House is one of the best of the best.


Hand-blown Glass Ornaments or Objects - I don't even know how to begin here to pick out the artisans - some of the best in the nation are within a few miles of The Cove at Celo Mountain: Rob Levin, William and Katherine Bernstein, Kenny Pieper and others.


There is Billie Ruth Sudduth, a NC Living Treasure, whose Basket Weaving incorporated the Fibonacci numbers and Nature Sequence long before Dan Brown made it famous in his books.

There are Iron Forgers so gifted we have festivals where they have hands-on demonstrations to teach people from around the country. Zack Noble is one of the those gifted artisans.



Quilting is one of our heritage crafts. Contact our Mountain Piecemakers Quilt Quild to put you in touch with quilters or sellers of heirloom quilts.
While I have only touched the tip of the iceberg with this local genius, I will leave you with the best stocking stuffer of all, our beautiful 2011 Calendar of the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina. These are in very limited supply, so order now.
Begin your own mountain memories, learn a heritage craft, reconnect with what is important in life - The Cabins at Celo, the land in The Cove at Celo Mountain - streams, creeks, trout ponds, waterfalls, long-range and short-range mountain views. Rivers and mountains and all that implies The mountains are beckoning.

Wild Turkey Facts - Happy Thanksgiving from The Cove at Celo Mountain

Observing wildlife is one of the highlights of this beautiful, pristine property. A nationally-recognized design team kept this special place as pure and natural as possible - only enhancing what nature so perfectly provides us. National Geographic and other sources listed below provide the following facts on this amazing bird that looks prehistoric when nesting in trees and then incredibly regal in the mating season. These are wildlife observations you can experience when lying on your porch hammock in your Cabin at Celo, walking the 3 miles of manicured hiking trails along our streams, creeks, trout ponds and waterfalls, or while photographing from one of our lean-to's.

• "Wild turkeys sleep in trees at night.
• When a turkey gets mad, excited, or defensive its head and neck change color. The more excited a turkey becomes, the whiter the head and neck will also become.
• They do fly. In fact a wild turkey can glide without flapping his wings for almost a mile (Gianetta, 2003).
• Turkeys can run over 20 miles per hour and fly up to speeds of 40 miles per hour.
• Although turkeys have no external ears they can hear very well (Pearson, 2007).
• Domesticated turkeys cannot fly.
• Turkeys can have heart attacks just like humans. This was proven when turkeys died from the shock of jet planes flying overhead. (A., 2009).
• If a turkey looks up when it is raining it can drown. (A., 2009)
• The turkey was Benjamin Franklin's choice for the United States' national bird.
• The noble fowl was a favored food of Native Americans. When Europeans arrived, they made it one of only two domestic birds native to the Americas—the Muscovy duck shares the distinction.
• Only male turkeys display the ruffled feathers, fanlike tail, bare head, and bright beard commonly associated with these birds.
• Females lay 4 to 17 eggs, and feed their chicks after they hatch—but only for a few days. Young turkeys quickly learn to fend for themselves as part of mother/child flocks that can include dozens of animals. Males take no role in the care of young turkeys.
• Wild turkeys eat mostly plant material, including fruits, acorns and other nuts, small grains, and the seeds, shoots and roots of grasses and various other plants. They also eat many types of insects, small amphibians and even lizards. Turkeys generally fly down from roosting trees to feed in early morning, and return to the trees in the evening."

Come back to the simple pleasures of life lived close to the land - The Cove at Celo Mountain - outside of Asheville, NC - just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The mountains are calling.

Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/192187_16-fun-and-interesting-facts-about-the-turkey#ixzz15y9jm2A2
http://www.traderscreek.com/wild_turkey.asp
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/wild-turkey.html

THANKSGIVING, 2010 - IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS NEAR ASHEVILLE, NC

An Upscale Thanksgiving
Both upscale and down-home adventures await you in these magical mountains - especially at these special times of the year. Enjoy classic Southern cuisine at the Grovewood Café, the Horizons and Sunset Terrace at The Grove Park Inn, the Red Stag Grill at the Grand Bohemian Hotel, or the various dining options at the Biltmore Estate and Inn at Biltmore. These are pricey but wonderful, with activities near and around each to keep you dazzled. Reservations are highly recommended.

A Down-Home Thanksgiving
• It is tradition in many of our small-town America mountain settings for local churches to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the community and out-of-town visitors – large or small groups of family or friends, singles, senior citizens, college age, any age, well-heeled or those down-on their-luck are all welcomed with open arms. ALL join together to share this traditional meal – reminiscent of that first Thanksgiving. These luscious home-cooked meals are most often free-of-charge or at a very nominal cost. Higgins Memorial United Methodist in our hometown of Burnsville is one of the churches providing this gift to our community. It is a great way to meet the servant-heart, salt-of-the-earth people in these mountains.
• Follow the afternoon of warm fellowship and fabulous food with a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

• Take in a movie at our historic Yancey Movie Theater offering the latest and top movies for only $5.
• Stay in our historic and beautiful bed-and-breakfasts that are loved by guests.
• The days before or after enjoy antique shopping, gallery hopping, local coffee houses (try the locally-made, delicious Arbuckles coffee ), organic and local eateries,
• stop in Yummy Yarns to knit with a local group or
• visit a Better Homes & Garden featured quilt shop, Needle Me This, and let them get you started on your first or fiftieth quilt.
• Stop by the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina gift shop in the Visitors Center. We are the Corporate Underwriters for this award-winning non-profit. Buy a guide with stories and descriptions of the quilt blocks and drive through these beautiful mountains to find each one.
• Take a day for snow skiing, tubing and snowboarding at Wolf Laurel, Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, or Appalachian Mountain.
• Enjoy fly fishing and other outdoor activities with Rivers Edge Outfitters
• Tour The Cove at Celo Mountain and choose your own Cabin at Celo or mountain getaway home or property in a sanctuary setting within the Pisgah National Forest, surrounded on all 4 sides by national and state-designated scenic highways. Spend the day hiking our 3 miles of manicured trails along Ayles Creek, streams, waterfalls and trout ponds. You will likely see flocks of wild turkey foraging in this park-like setting. You may even get to see one in flight. Turn this vacation of a lifetime into a home for a lifetime.
For more information: Thanksgiving in Asheville and area

Veterans Day, 2010 - PROJECT HEALING WATERS - Western North Carolina

The Cove at Celo Mountain is deeply grateful to our military men and women for their service to our country. "Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings."



For more information locally: Rivers Edge Outfitters - Spruce Pine, NC

Regional Veterans Hospital: Charles George VA Medical Center - Asheville, NC

The healing power of life lived close to the land and its rivers: The Cove at Celo Mountain in the ancient Appalachians of North Carolina - just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

New York Times - 36 Hours in Asheville and/or Contemplative Serenity

It's common knowledge that Asheville is one of America's favorite destination cities, retirement communities, cutting-edge arts and crafts meccas, top college towns, Presidential-and-media mogul, high-profile getaway vacation spot, and a host of other Top, Best of, etc. But now the New York Times has highlighted how to spend 36 hours in Asheville. These are great ideas. The Presidential entourage always hits some of the highlights of the area.

But, quite honestly, we all want to know what the locals prefer, the better ways to enjoy this breathtaking natural beauty. It is also not so secret that we don't want everybody knowing our very special places. Mention to a local how beautiful this area is, and you will likely get, "Don't broadcast it." Of course, this comes from the new "transplants"as well. Asheville is wonderful for a visit, for hyper weekend entertainment. But to really experience what is so wonderful about these mountains and these people, you have to get out from the rush and crush of the world and the "entertain me" modal of living.

By all means, come enjoy the nightlife and fast-paced activity offered in Asheville, and then come home - to small-town America, to life lived close to the land, to a more relaxed, contemplative, thoughtful approach to interacting with the world. This begins at home - in a Cabin at Celo or a mountain getaway here at The Cove at Celo Mountain - simple elegance we call it. There are all the accoutrements of high-country living, near one of America's favorite destination cities, but far enough away to relax, to rejuvenate, and to re-energize.


There are places here for even deeper meditation and spiritual reawakening. Here in our hometown of Burnsville is a place set aside for future generations, for those in ministry or in need of quiet solitude. It was bequeathed by a benefactress (an aviatrix, a shepherdess, a world-traveler) of the past generation for those wishing a closer walk with God. "HIGH PASTURES is an interdenominational Christian retreat center, available to any group or individual who wishes to take the time from the hectic pace of everyday life to grow closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Uncluttered by hurried schedules and electronic influences, High Pastures is truly a place of sanctuary for the soul."


There is also QUIET REFLECTIONS Retreat - just a few miles from The Cove at Celo Mountain. "Quiet Reflections exists to provide a place—beautiful, serene, and uncluttered—where individuals may come to retreat from the world in order to spend time alone with God. We labor to create an atmosphere free from distraction, so that when God speaks, you are able to listen. We welcome all who would come genuinely seeking to be refreshed, spend quiet time, fast, seek God’s direction, and abide in Him (John 15:1-4)."


Another special place just off the Blue Ridge Parkway and near The Cove at Celo Mountain is Wildacres. "Wildacres Retreat is a conference center offering its facilities to non-profit groups conducting educational or cultural programs on topics such as music, art, science, religion, lapidary, craft and writing. It is also available for staff and board retreats for non-profit organizations." Originally the home of a supporter of the Ku Klux Klan and the producer of a movie that fomented that kind of mentality, this place of beauty and retreat now fosters the brotherhood of mankind through the connective force of art.

Come enjoy the experiences in nature and culture here that will both stimulate your imagination and calm and re-energize your soul and spirit.

The mountains are beckoning.

Holiday Happenings - HandMade in America - near The Cove at Celo Mountain

The holiday season is almost upon us. What better way to spend time with family, friends, or quiet time alone with a favorite pet or book than snuggled up by a cozy fire in the great room or the outdoor living area in your own Cabin at Celo or mountain hideaway. Then get out and about in one of America's top destinations - the Asheville, North Carolina area - right off of America's Favorite Drive - the Blue Ridge Parkway. Enjoy hiking, fly-fishing, kayaking, skiing, horseback riding, scenic driving along the Parkway, gallery and studio shopping among some of America’s most acclaimed artisans, and a host of other activities within 5-30 minutes of your cabin front door.

Remember receiving something handcarved or made just for you by your father or grandfather - or some treasured time together fishing, hunting, hiking or skiing? Do you still have that keepsake quilt lovingly made by your grandmother, or the painstakingly handcrafted doll clothes? HandMade in America still supports this art of connection and undergirds the continuing legacy of our heritage crafts and traditions. Come enjoy this with us - the old-fashioned, endearing, and enduring way of celebrating holidays.

• Celebrate Halloween with the 2010 Season Closing Show at Altapass Orchard with fabulous live music and clogging - Oct 31
• Join the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina Road Rally - November 6,
• Participate in the National Gingerbread House Competition and Exhibition at the historic, world-ranked Grove Park Inn and Spa - Nov 15 - Jan 2
• Take the self-guided Toe River Arts Council Open Studio Tour - December 3-5, 2010 - “The Premier Open Studio Tour in the Country”- free
• Choose and cut your own Christmas Tree, buy fresh wreaths and mistletoe from several of our local farms.
• Select handmade gifts and signed copies of the book behind The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree store.

There is another place here that returns you to more treasured memories of childhood and camp in a pristine sanctuary in the middle of Pisgah National Forest right off the Blue Ridge Parkway - complete with outdoor fireplaces and cook areas for roasting marshmallows and grilling hot dogs, firepits surrounded with handcrafted outdoor furniture where you can spend hours relishing the company of family and friends, miles of hiking trails , trout ponds where you can teach your own children or grandchildren to fly-fish before taking them out on our ancient rivers, a custom-designed tree house for hours of stimulating make-believe adventures, lean-to's along the creeks for reading, meditating, or enjoying a glass of wine or a thermos of hot tea. This is The Cove at Celo Mountain. The acclaimed art and craft of Western North Carolina surround us here too - from the art-commissioned, hand-forged entrance gate to our own unique quilt block. Our owners are the Corporate Underwriters of The Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina that adorn not only our own properties but the houses, barns, and businesses of the communities that surround us. It is this co-mingled beauty of art and nature that makes Celo living such a transforming experience. Seneca said it best centuries ago, "All art is but an imitation of nature."



Come back to this simple, powerful way of living in the beauty of nature and the comfort of handmade craft.

Asheville Ranked a Top 10 Place to Retire in America

Our Asheville, NC area has consistently ranked among the top places to retire in America. The latest ranking comes from Bankrate, Inc, listing Asheville in the Top 10 Greatest Places to Retire in America. How could it not be? Can you imagine anything more beautiful than biking, hiking, walking or driving along America's Favorite Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway? There are the endless summer, spring and fall sports of canoeing, kayaking, tubing, fly fishing, horseback riding, hunting, and mountain climbing -to name a few. Winter, of course, has its own favored sports. Our celebrated arts and crafts movement boasts many nationally acclaimed artists (many within a few miles of The Cove at Celo Mountain.) We are also home to the world-renowned Penland School of Crafts. Our cutting-edge music scene will host the Moogfest October 29-31. Our wonderful organic farms that surround us provide us with incredible farm-to-table gourmet cuisine in award-winning restaurants to equal or best those of larger cities. Bankrate Inc. ranks Asheville a "budget-friendly locale with affordable homes - median price is $192,500." And the schools? Princeton Review and the New York Times have recognized local UNC-Asheville and Warren Wilson College as superior schools. One of the estate owners at The Cove at Celo Mountain has served as Chairman of the Board of Visitors for Warren Wilson College. Another has served as Chairman of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (headquartered in Asheville) for 3 years and on the board for 9 years - distributing over $1 Million through their Recession Relief Fund to local charities in 2009. Mission Hospital and its affiliates such as Blue Ridge Regional are award-winning hospitals.

Come back to the simple way of living - life lived close to the land - and still enjoy the"high quality of life to cost-of-living ratio" that our Asheville area has. We are doing our part at THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN to make this new lifestyle more affordable to you. Visit with us from November 1- December 12 on our special promotion, and make this beautiful place your new mountain home.

The Cove at Celo Mountain is a private gated community near Asheville, N.C with mountain properties and mountain homes for sale with dramatic mountain views. Browse our selection of Black Mountain Homes, Cabins and Mountain Properties at http://www.thecoveatcelomountain.com/.

For more on Asheville's top ranking

#1 Fall Foliage in the Nation, #4 Community College in America - MORE NATIONAL TOP RANKINGS FOR THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN AREA

Asheville Selected as the #1 Fall Foliage Destination by TripAdvisor®
"TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, recently announced the top ten fall foliage destinations in the U.S., according to a TripAdvisor survey of more than 2,300 travelers.Asheville, North Carolina claimed the top spot in the list of fall color spots." See it by hot air balloon this year.
AND "Experts Say This Fall Could Be Western North Carolina’s Best for Years"


MAYLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE RANKED #4 AMONG AMERICA'S COMMUNITY COLLEGESThe September/October issue of Washington Monthly ranks our Mitchell, Avery, Yancey County Community College # 4 in the nation. (The name is derived from the first letter of each county before "land".)

Our community colleges across America are loved as centers for life-long learning - from special programs for pre-school children, honors programs for high school students, affordable pre-university programs for collegiate students, and emeritus programs in continuing education for the post-school sector wanting to study or experience crafts, computers, languages, group travel, and more. Come support our award-winning Mayland Community College as its Foundation hosts the Yancey Dream Home Tour October 15-16. Tickets are $18 until October 11th, and then they are $25 at local venues.

This is the perfect time to visit THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN, which has an estate home featured in the Dream Home Tour. See our celebrated fall foliage along the Blue Ridge Parkway, then come and tour our gorgeous community and the exquisite estate home - as you support a very deserving college.

The Cove at Celo Mountain is a private gated community near Asheville, N.C. offering mountain properties and mountain homes for sale with dramatic mountain views. Browse our selection of Black Mountain Homes, Cabins and Mountain Properties at www.thecoveatcelomountain.com

Yancey County Dream Home Tour information

BURNSVILLE, NC ARTISTS IMPACT WORLD HUNGER RELIEF THROUGH EMPTY BOWLS PROJECT

Small-town America still produces innovative giants that have an impact globally. Local artists, Bob and Lisa Hartom, began the Empty Bowl project as public school art teachers in Michigan. The concept began as a way of awakening their students and fellow teachers to the power of one person to help relieve hunger – locally and world-wide. The idea was to craft handmade bowls, fill them with homemade soups, have a supper to raise funds, and then have the participants take home the hand-crafted bowl as a subtle reminder of those who go without food and that for one day they did something decisively to alleviate hunger.

Now relocated to Burnsville, NC, these two artists have taken this non-profit project to international venues to raise millions of dollars at grassroot levels to combat world hunger. Few people have heard the names of these All-American heroes; they don’t want their names to detract from the goal of the project. So the concept of the Empty Bowl becomes both a metaphor for and a visual reminder of individual responsibility for action on behalf of others.

It is this same philosophy of getting back to simple but powerful concepts of living that makes The Cove at Celo Mountain unique from other gated communities. The pristine beauty of these ancient mountains – the creeks, streams, trout ponds, waterfalls, breathtaking mountain views - has been preserved and enhanced for this and future generations. Instead of acres of golf courses, there are miles of manicured hiking trails. Instead of landing strips, there are 5 outdoor parks with cooking areas, fire pits, and locally handcrafted furniture in the seating areas. Instead of barns and stables or ski slopes out your back door, there are areas to camp out with children or grandchildren and trout ponds where you can teach them to fly fish. The 4 ½-star “must play” public golf course (Golf Digest) is just 10 minutes up the road. The ski slopes are 15 minutes away. The rivers for fly-fishing, kayaking, tubing, and rafting are within 5-15 minutes. Horse stables are within 10 minutes. This is home – a sanctuary to escape to and from the busyness of life, and a time to reconnect to nature and to the creative spirit within each of us. The mountains are beckoning.

The Cove at Celo Mountain is a private gated community near Asheville, N.C. offering mountain properties and mountain homes for sale with dramatic mountain views. Browse our selection of Black Mountain Homes, Cabins and Mountain Properties at www.thecoveatcelomountain.com.

For more on Lisa and John Hartom of Burnsville, NC and the Empty Bowl Project: American Profile.com

SCHOOLS NEAR THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN

We are often asked about the schools in our area. Without question, North Carolina has some of the nation’s top-ranked colleges and universities such as The University of North Carolina, Duke University, Wake Forest University, Davidson College, and others.

THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN is surrounded by award-winning public schools as well and an exceptional, unique private school located in the Celo community near the property. Our children can begin with a great pre-school experience such as the one offered by the Church Street Preschool. Micaville Elementary has received the honor of “School of Distinction”, East Yancey Middle School is an “Honor School of Excellence” – ranking Seventh in state testing with 93.7 % passing the tests and an unprecedented 99% making passing scores on the math tests. East Yancey has also been named a “”School to Watch” since 2005 for innovative, successful instructional programs when compared to other schools in the nation. Mountain Heritage High School has garnered many awards and recognitions ranging from a top state drama department to on-site campus programs where students and community volunteers come together to build a Habitat for Humanity house and paint Quilt Blocks in art classes for the award-winning non-profit, the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina (which The Cove at Celo Mountain underwrites). The Yancey County students recently aced the Annual Yearly Progress testing with a perfect score of 100%. (As a comparison, Avery County was the only other system in the region to have all of its schools meet AYP requirements. Mitchell got 50%, Madison 71.1%, Asheville 33.3% and McDowell 83.3%. Only 4 school systems in the entire western part of the state scored 100%, and Yancey was one of those.)

Just up the road from THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN is the Arthur Morgan School, “an experiential boarding and day middle school (grades 7-9) based on Quaker values.” It is a cutting edge school experience that is an extension of the Montessori method – a farm school with meaningful work and academics. For more information watch the AMS documentaries at the link listed below.

The Cove at Celo Mountain is a half-day trip or less from the state’s (and nation’s) top-ranked universities and colleges – making this private gated community near Asheville, N.C. a perfect getaway for parents, collegians, professors, coaches, and academic researchers – a respite from the rigors of academia and some of the most competitive sports conferences in America. Our
mountain properties and mountain homes Cabins and Mountain Properties for sale with dramatic mountain views are perfect for relaxing, re-energizing, and re-invigorating. The long-range and short-range mountain views, 3 miles of manicured hiking trails, numerous streams, creeks, trout ponds, and waterfalls are ideal for stimulating creative thinking and writing. After all, our many nationally and internationally renowned artists (more, per capita, than anywhere else in America) must be on to something that inspires them in these ancient mountains.

All ages, from youth to the emeritus population, will find the lifestyle in and around The Cove at Celo Mountain a transforming experience. Visit us at http://www.celoliving.com/, and then experience this beautiful sanctuary setting on one of our Special Discovery Packages.


For more information on the Arthur Morgan School: AMS