A Professional Photographer's Take on the Flora, Fauna, and Features of The Cove at Celo Mountain

Water Features on The Cove at Celo Mountain

BELOVED BEAUTY
Happy Holidays from The Cove at Celo Mountain

ON HUNTING AND FISHING: A CULTURAL VIGNETTE FROM OUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER

In case you can’t read the photo captions from the newspaper:
RAINBOW TROUT – Tim Peterson caught a 6 ¼ lb, 25-inch Rainbow Trout on South Toe (River) Wednesday evening, December 9. (Yancey Common Times Journal – December 16, 2009 – Page 16)
AVERY GETS FIRST DEER – Avery Black killed his first deer on Friday, November 27, 2009. He is 9 years old and shot a 9-point. Avery is the son of Mike and Mary Beth Black of Bakers Creek Road. (Yancey Common Times Journal – December 16, 2009 – Page 16)
JOHN’S FIRST MOUSE OF SEASON – John D. Richards of Burnsville kills his first mouse of the season, a one ounce no count rodent, using peanut butter and a Victor trap. Wife, Claudia, is most proud. Oscar, the cat, is embarrassed. Visitors to TRAC’s Studio Tour this weekend can talk to John about his trophy mouse at Yummy Mud Puddle studio in Burnsville. (Yancey Common Times Journal – December 2, 2009 – Page 5)

Fishing and Hunting are two of the favorite sports enjoyed by outdoor enthusiasts in our area – by all age groups. It is a rite of passage in this mountain heritage for young boys to kill their first deer. Driving along our back roads, it is not uncommon to see an ornamental deer sculpture in the yard made out of a resinous material with numerous gouges in the ornament. This is not yard decoration but bow and arrow target practice for the young boys of the family in preparation for this time of multi-generational male bonding – akin to that from Robert Bly's book, Iron John. There are seasons on deer for bow and arrow hunting as well as gun kills. Read our blog about Mountain Heritage High School, "A Brotherhood of Players", to understand more of our accomplished youth and their local culture.

Among our many acclaimed artists and craftsmen is local icon, John D. Richards. He is pictured with his first mouse of the season. This sort of thoughtful humor informs his art as well. This is from his website, “ You may have seen his work in Tiffany & Co., Bonwit Teller, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, The Museum of Contemporary Crafts NYC, The Museum of Modern Art, Jacksonville FL & various publications: House & Garden, American Home, Playboy, Asheville Citizen Times, Yancey Common Times Journal, Southern Living Magazine, The New York Times, The London Times, Folio & the prestigious Saint Augustine Record to name a few.He has also subjected the unsuspecting public to his art in his various gallery stores: Impressions in Long Branch NJ, The Temple of Great Art No Spitting in Saint Augustine FL, and Yummy Mud Puddle in Provincetown MA, Nyack NY & now Burnsville NC. Enjoy the madness!"

John and his wife, Claudia Dunaway – also an artist, are part of a local band, Hot Duck Soup. They also have a vacation rental with the same name as the studio, Yummy Mud Puddle,
http://www.yummymudpuddle.com/vacationhome.htm

For more about John:
http://www.hotducksoup.net/pages/john.html

http://www.yummymudpuddle.com/

http://www.yummymudpuddle.com/john/john.htm.

A Brotherhood of Players



Well, this is the stuff of which movies are made. Yancey County's only high school, Mountain Heritage High School, never ceases to amaze. Approached on a winding, wooded drive after passing the guard house, the beautiful campus looks more like a community college in one of our nation's larger cities than a public high school in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains. From an award-winning drama department, to a campus warehouse where students build a Habitat for Humanity house on-site with help from community volunteers, to crafting bowls for Empty Bowl Benefits for local/world hunger relief, to painting Quilt Trail blocks in art classes to support the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina non-profit, the students of this small Blue Ridge Mountain school excel in academics, the arts, service, and athletics.

This football story would seem typical of Texas or Oklahoma but not so much for this small enclave of mountain communities outside of Asheville more renowned for internationally and nationally acclaimed artists than athletic powerhouses. A similar underdog story happened not too far from here on one of our college campuses, but this is our high school. The local paper dubs it, "the brotherhood of players." This is from the Yancey Common Times Journal, "Only two years ago, the Cougars suffered through a 0-11 season, one of three winless seasons over the past 10 years. In a seven-year period before the 2008 season, Mountain Heritage had won 13 games, total." This weekend, on December 12, 2009, the Cougars lost in the State Championship game to a team with a 13-1 record. The real story, though, is in the heroic effort of the team that was equalled by the magnanimous support of their hometown citizens. Local law enforcement officials provided a "dignitary's" escort for the busloads of students and players who were followed by a caravan of supporters, parents and fans with MHHS banners flying from their car antennae. Schools, stores, and businesses closed down to follow the team to Chapel Hill for the game of the year. This football program turnaround was envisioned and planned by a coach who "changed the culture of Cougar football" and the players who claim a brotherhood from their days in little league. As one player said, "It's not just about football." This is small-town America at its best - a great heartland story reflective of the adaptive spirit of perseverance and hard work seen through the generations of men and women who have lived here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and a school most aptly named - Mountain Heritage.

For slideshow highlights of the championship game: http://www.highschoolot.com/content/image_gallery/6601368/

For award listings including Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and other standouts on this standout team:
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091211/SPORTS0203/91211040/1002/sports/LIVE-BLOG-at-7-Mtn.-Heritage-vs.-Tarboro-in-state-title-football-game

Charles Osgood on Asheville and Retirement
Anchor, CBS News Sunday Morning; "The Osgood File," CBS Radio

"Not Your Grandfather's Retirement:
Aging Baby Boomers Aren't Content Spending Their Post-Career Years Idle And Are Finding New Ways To Retire"

To watch this aired special with Charles Osgood and hear (and read) his interviews with area residents, please log on to http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/17/sunday/main5021054.shtml

GUIDED ART AND CRAFT TOURS
IN MITCHELL AND YANCEY COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA

If you missed the Toe River Arts Council Studio Tour this past weekend, not to worry!
Jane Willig and Robin Warden, owners of ARTISTREE, can do guided, personal Tours for you by reservation. These can be designed around specific art mediums or artists. Travel is available by van or in your own vehicle. Cost for full-day tours are $50 per person; half-day tours are $35 per person (for minimum of 4 and maximum of 12 persons.) For groups smaller than 4, the cost is $150 full-day and $105 half-day.

2010 Tour Schedule (in addition to personalized tours)

Painting and Photography - Apr 24
Garden and Folk Art - May 15
Toe River Arts Council Studio Tour - June 11, 12, 13
Glass Studios - July 17
Clay Studios - Aug 14
Clay and Glass Studios - Sept 25
Iron and Furniture - Oct 16
Wearable Art - Nov 6
Toe River Arts Council Studio Tour - Dec 3, 4, 5

Artistree Consultants Offer

• Private in-home consultations or small group demonstrations with a virtual gallery of art

• Tours to local artisans studios to choose artwork

• Collaboration to customize site-specific artwork

• Coordination of installation of art, in your home or business

Contact them at www.artistreenc.com or at 828-675-5868

Spruce Pine, North Carolina and Silicon Valley Secrets

Small-town America is still producing giants in all fields of industry. It just so happens this giant is found in a microchip. Spruce Pine quartz is the purest in the world and is used in every computer on earth. From the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to Al Jazerra, this news is now making its way around the world.

The photos are courtesy of: Alexander S. Glover, PG
Corporate Director of Mining and Environment Active Minerals International, LLC

These are the comments Alex sent along with the photos:

"Attached is one of the actual photos from the BBC story that I took. This photo is of the Spruce Pine Pegmatite including a large muscovite crystal being held by one of the BBC reporters.
This photo (of the pegmatite boulder)is one of the Spruce Pine Pegmatite. The quartz that is used as the feed for the high purity quartz does not occur as single quartz in the ore but as a matrix of the pegmatite which includes about 65% Feldspar,25% quartz, 8% Mica-mainly Muscovite, and a trace of other minerals. The pegmatite is crushed and chemically separated from the other minerals in a very specific process."

The BBC article August 2, 2009: “Silicon Valley’s Secret Recipe: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8178580.stm

Additonal Information:

An earlier technical article from Norway mentioning Spruce Pine’s contribution - February 12, 2008 Norway’s NGU: http://www.ngu.no/no/hm/Georessurser/industrimineraler/Kvarts-og-kvartsitt/Hoy-ren-kvarts/

August 7, 2009 http://throughthesandglass.typepad.com/through_the_sandglass/2009/08/sand-to-chips---whats-the-real-story.html

A Special Report on ABC News, Channel 13 in Asheville, NC - November 2, 2009 “Silicon Valley Secrets” : http://www.wlos.com/shared/newsroom/special_reports/wlos_vid_174.shtml

Book by local Celo author Lowell Presnell, who was highlighted in the ABC News, Channel 13 Special Report. His book, Mines, Miners and Minerals (published by Parkway Publishers in Boone, NC) may be ordered from: http://www.amazon.com/Mines-Miners-Minerals-Carolinas-Mountain/dp/1566641357

You will want to mark December 4th, 5th, and 6th on your calendars for one of the top events in Western North Carolina. We have more artists, per capita, than anywhere else in America. Many are nationally and internationally acclaimed, and many of those are right up on Celo near The Cove at Celo Mountain. Drive through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, meet the artists in their own studios, and purchase unique handmade gifts directly from the artists or in any of the wonderful galleries that showcase our local mountain crafts, http://www.toeriverarts.org/studiotour.shtml.

COMMUNITY

(Burnsville in Yancey County and Spruce Pine in Mitchell County)

The Cove at Celo Mountain is located 45 minutes outside of Asheville and just off the Blue Ridge Parkway on Celo Knob of the Black Mountain Range between two quintessential American small towns, Burnsville and Spruce Pine.
Burnsville, the county seat of Yancey County, has a charming townsquare, unique galleries and shops, an historic movie theater, locally-owned restaurants, and the oldest continuously running summer playhouse in North Carolina. The Mountain Heritage Center houses studios for the visual and performing arts, and the Toe River Arts Council gallery supports and showcases the works of our artists – many of whom are internationally and nationally acclaimed. Burnsville is the home base for the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina, which receives corporate underwriting funds from Mountain Lifestyle Communities (The Cove at Celo Mountain.) It is home to the Mountain Farm, a sustainable 24-acre blueberry, lavender, and goat farm, and organic farms such as Fire Fly Farm and Green Toe Farm that contribute to our popular Farmers’ Market on Saturdays mid-April through fall just off town square. Yancey County is also home to Mount Mitchell, the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in eastern North America.

Spruce Pine, the county seat of Mitchell County, has a unique downtown divided by an upper level and lower-level street with heritage trains running along the lower-level street and the ancient South Toe River flowing through the town. Hometown author, Gloria Houston, gifted the town with the rights to her award-winning children’s book, The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree. The resulting project, “The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree”, has created nearly 100 small businesses that supply excellent handmade gifts for the upper-level street store of the same name. Mitchell County hosts several gem and mineral festivals and shows, fishing and fly-fishing events and festivals, and is home to beautiful galleries and working studios of some of North Carolina’s most acclaimed crafters. Oak Moon Creamery in the picturesque small town of Bakersville is a favorite for goat cheese at farmers’ markets and The Book Exchange and the café in beautiful Little Switzerland are an experience you won’t want to miss. Mitchell County is home to the internationally renowned Penland School of Crafts.

The highways and byways – US 26, 19 E, 80 S and 221/226 Bypass and US 70- that pass through these counties (including the Blue Ridge Parkway) have been listed by Buncombe County Tourism (Asheville) as Top 3 most picturesque drives in the early fall. Hunting, Fishing, Fly-fishing, rock climbing, hiking, tubing, rafting, snow skiing, horseback riding, golfing, biking, motorcycling, canoeing, kayaking, are among the sports enjoyed by enthusiasts in this area.

Burnsville links
http://www.yanceychamber.com/
http://crc.yanceycountync.gov/HeritageCenter/heritageCenter.html
http://main.nc.us/yancey/Travel_Tourism/index.html
Mount Mitchell State Park http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/momi/main.php

Festivals and Events
Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair (attendance exceeded 40,000 this year),
Toe River Arts Council Studio Tours
Old Timey Fall Festival
Java Jam concerts held on Friday nights in our Burnsville Town Center,
Leslie Riddle Festival – celebrating the local musical genius behind the Carter family of country music fame,
Empty Bowl benefits - which were begun by a local artist and his wife and have raised millions of dollars worldwide for the relief of hunger
Carolina Mountain Literary Festival
The Quilt Trails Road Rally
The Farmer’s Market
Toe River Studio Tour and TRAC Gallery
Mountain Farm Lavender Festival
Firefly Farm Repasts by the River
Green Toe Farm Dinners

The Arts – Galleries, Gift Shops, Theaters for Local/Regional Arts and Crafts
Toe River Arts Council
The Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina
The Design Gallery (Yummi Yarns)
The Parkway Playhouse
The Yancey Theater

Unique Shops
ATOC – A Touch of Cass
Robert Allan Design Company (formerly Black Bear Trading Company)
DK Puttyroots
David’s Limited
Clodhoppers
The Grapevine
Hammond’s Antiques
In the Garden
Something Special Gift Shop and Monkey Business Toy Store
Prices Creek General Store Fox Country Store

Restaurants
The Garden Deli
Appalachian Java/WIFI
NuWray Inn
The Hilltop Café
The Orchid Tearoom
Mary Jane’s
Cricket’s
Anchor’s Away
Little Tokyo
Bantam Chef
El Ranchero Mexican Food

Spruce Pine links
http://www.mitchell-county.com/
http://www.sprucepine.com/joomla/index.php
Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree http://www.homeoftheperfectchristmastree.org/
Penland School of Crafts http://www.penland.org/

Festivals and Events
Fire on Black Mountain Festival (Blacksmithing Celebration)
Carolina Theater
Toe River Storytelling Festival
Toe River Studio Tour and TRAC Gallery
Rhododendron Festival
Mineral and Gem Shows
Mineral and Gem Festivals
Project Healing Waters Outing (Fly-fishing)
Paddlin the Nolichucky
Troutacular Festival Spruce Pine Potter Market
Live Music at Burleson Park
Bakersville Creek Walk Art Festival

The Arts – Galleries, Gift Shops, Theaters for Local/Regional Arts and Crafts
Crimson Laurel Gallery
Anita's Atelier
Penland Gallery
Dianne Borde-Sutherland-Cane Creek Pottery
Blue Otter Gallery
Twisted Laurel Gallery
Trillum Gallery
Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine
The Altapass Orchard (live music and clogging - Blue Ridge Parkway)
Little Switzerland Book Exchange
OakMoon Farm and Creamery

Restaurants
Knife and Fork Restaurant
Upper Street Cafe
Grassy Creek Golf & Country Club Restaurant
DT's Blue Ridge Java
Tokyo Restaurant
El Ranchero Restaurant
Toe River Lodge & Cafe
Little Switzerland Cafe

INSPIRATION

The love of place is often tied to the people, and this is especially true for the communities surrounding The Cove at Celo Mountain. It includes our family and friends but our heritage and community at-large as well. The artists of every medium imaginable – from the high arts to “trashformations” – from literature to glass-blowing, weaving, blacksmithing (www.toeriverarts.org/ and the oldest continually operating summer theater in North Carolina(http://www.parkwayplayhouse.com/) are part of our mountain lifestyle and family. The renowned Penland School of Crafts (http://www.penland.org/) brought most of the artists here. The mountains and beauty, the freedom of expression kept them here. From the giants of Protestant evangelism like Billy Graham to the introspective study fostered by Judaism at Wildacres Retreat (http://www.wildacres.org/), to famous personal spas and retreats at Grove Park Inn (http://www.groveparkinn.com/Leisure/) and the Inn at Biltmore Estates, we represent the quintessence of America. This is home of The Power of the Purse in Asheville, the non-profit bringing Anna Quindlen to inspire us as women, the organic self-sustaining farmers at Firefly Farm (http://www.asapconnections.org/fireflyfarmfeature.html) and Green Toe Mountain Farm here on Celo who bring us the freshest and best produce from farm to table and host savory, elegant 5-course dinners on their farms for the community and visitors. Here on Celo a local doctor and his wife, a registered nurse, run a 24-acre sustainable blackberry, lavender and dairy goat farm, http://www.mountainfarm.net/. It is home of the founder of the Empty Bowl Benefit (http://www.americanprofile.com/article/29435.html) that has raised millions of dollars worldwide for the relief of hunger and of The Appalachian Therapeutic Riding Center in the beautiful South Toe River Valley, http://www.atrcriding.com/, a premier accredited operating center by North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. Thomas Wolfe, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and literary giants and media moguls have sought refuge and inspiration in our mountains. The Carolina Mountain Literary Festival, http://www.cmlitfest.org/, had its genesis here with the "aspiration to create a little literary community which is in dialog with readers, aspiring writers, and established authors about craft and ideas of sustaining merit." We are the hometown of Leslie Riddle (Esley) – the African-American musical genius behind the Carter family of country-western music fame (http://www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/node/212. and http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090801/ENT05/908010315/1005/ENT.) Some of our native sons and daughters were and are recognized in life for their works; some are only now being remembered posthumously. These people have been our “grassroots upside down” – they are our connection to greater America and to our deeper selves.

CONNECTION

A Private Preview for the local communities of Spruce Pine and Burnsville was held at The Cove at Celo Mountain the evening of October 6th, 2009. Merchants, local officials, and friends of Mountain Lifestyle Communities gathered around the Greeter’s Park outdoor cooking area, fire pit, and tents for food, drinks, and live music – followed by tours of our new community. Barbara Webster, Executive Director of the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina, joined with local acclaimed artist, Rolf Holmquist, to present a gift of appreciation to the owners of Mountain Lifestyle Communities of Western North Carolina. Randy Frederick, Chief Operating Officer, accepted the original Holmquist birdhouse "trashformation" on behalf of the owners. Barbara expressed her deep gratitude to the company for their commitment and connection to the larger community as corporate underwriter of the emerging non-profit, the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina.

COMMITMENT

Mountain Lifestyle Communities of North Carolina Corporate Sponsorship/Underwriting of The Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina

Our WNC quilt block project is the brainchild of self-professed local quilt “piecer”, Barbara Webster, following the lead of Donna Sue Groves who began a similar work in Adams County, Ohio. The Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina was first launched with beginning funding of $5,000 and support from the Toe River Arts Council, Handmade in America, and the Blue Ridge Heritage Area. In April of 2009 Paul “Bubba” Crutchfield, the previous landowner of what is now known as The Cove at Celo Mountain, brought Barbara Webster together with Mountain Lifestyle Communities of Western North Carolina owners, Bill Ennen and Diane Liemandt-Reimann and her husband, Ron Reimann. The resulting $50,000 Corporate Sponsorship over a 2-year period by MLCNC of the Quilt Trails project has enabled Barbara to make this project a full-time commitment – with all of us and our visitors as lucky recipients. “Quilts have long been symbols of comfort, family, heritage, and community,” Webster says. One of the enduring artistic contributions of the Appalachian Mountain culture has been the beautiful handmade quilts. Now these patterns adorn our byways and highways in the High Country counties of Yancey and Mitchell with plans for expansion into other areas.

These quilt blocks hang on our barns, cabins, and workplaces and tell the story of both the people and their land (one is an extension of the other.) Each owner chooses a quilt pattern that has belonged in her family or that holds special symbolism for the family history. Colors are chosen for the quilt block, and a story is written about the background of the selection to be included in the trail guides. Webster and her husband draft the designs for the blocks, and a team of volunteers builds and paints the quilt squares. The hope is to transition this work from volunteers to a paid workforce to help alleviate the increasing number of unemployed/displaced workers in these Tier 1 and 2 counties of North Carolina. Volunteers and, occasionally, paid help in the area, hang the blocks with a truck and lift from an area business. As of this writing over 140 quilt squares adorn area buildings and they and their stories are entered into our maps and trail guides. Following the guides (available at our Visitor’s Centers and Chambers of Commerce)makes for a perfect day of picnicking as you drive through our beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains to find each quilt square and read its background story. Or you might prefer to join a road rally by horse, motorcycle, or car to “find” your designated quilt squares. It is a beautiful, fun way to celebrate our heritage, land, shared and personal history while enjoying the breathtaking views of these mountains.

Through research, art, and story we reconnect to what our ancestors valued and loved and pass on this mountain lifestyle to the next generations. Unique, beautiful gifts adorned with the various quilt squares, handcrafted by local artisans, can be purchased or special ordered at the Quilt Trails Gift Shop in Burnsville.

For more information on the Quilt Trails, visit http://www.quilttrailswnc.org/