Pass Through Our Beautiful Gate

Recently we were asked about our beautiful entrance gate to the Cove at Celo Mountain.  We offer a reprint of the post from January 16, 2010 which describes the artists and origin of the spectacular design.

ART IMITATING NATURE

THE COMMISSIONED ARTWORK ON THE ENTRANCE GATE FOR THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN

Lucius Annaeus Seneca said that all art is an imitation of nature. That is literally the case with the commissioned artwork on the entrance gate to The Cove at Celo Mountain. The owners of Mountain Lifestyle Communities utilized one of the greatest resources we have in Western North Carolina - the talent of our acclaimed artists - to welcome owners to their premier development. This property is situated between Yancey and Mitchell Counties which boast more artists, per capita, than anywhere else in America. The conceptual artist, Jerry Newton, lives at the entrance to Celo Lands and was asked for a rendering of an entrance gate that would reflect the profile of the mountains as viewed from The Cove at Celo Mountain. The opening of the gate was to simulate the flow of Ayles Creek through the property. The blacksmiths chosen for the project kept shop just a few miles away on Mountain Music Road in Spruce Pine. Metals used in the construction of the gate were stainless steel, aged black iron, aged and burnished copper with green patina, and rusted black iron for accents. Following are the various stages of the project from conception to completion, from original photos used for the project, to the rendering by Jerry Newton, to the forging by Black Mountain Metal Works, Inc. Co-Owners, David Seltzer & John Rolleri. Back lights illuminate the mountain profile and gate beginning at dusk.








To view more of the works of the artists on this project and in our area: http://www.ilaseltzer.com/links/links.html

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THE IRISH GOT IT RIGHT...

Over 200 years ago, this beautiful region in the mountains of western North Carolina was settled almost exclusively by Scotch-Irish immigrants as they arrived from northern Europe.  Most of them found themselves traveling into the backwoods of colonial America and the Appalachian region, extending from western Pennsylvania to Georgia. They came by foot, wagon, or horseback, entering the area through gaps such as Swannanoa, Hickory Nut, Gillespie, and Deep Gaps. 

Scotch-Irish settlers brought with them the agricultural, music, craft, and storytelling traditions of their homeland. Living in small, relatively isolated communities, Scotch-Irish settlers sustained their cultural ties through the preservation of these traditions and had a profound influence on shaping the distinctive agricultural, music, storytelling, and crafts of the Southern Appalachians.

Today we strive to preserve those cultural traditions as well as the beauty of the area; much of what they contributed remains deeply rooted in our surroundings.  We boast of having one of the highest concentrations of craftsman and artists per capita then anywhere in the county.   Here at the Cove at Celo Mountain the beauty of the land remains much the same, our mountain views are what those early settlers experienced as they arrived here.                                     

 

We invite you to visit our pristine community – once home to the Scotch-Irish immigrants, home to us, and perhaps home to you.  Call our sales office to arrange your visit, we can’t wait to show you those views and maybe we’ll see a shamrock! 

               

 866-378-4769

 

 

The following events are planned to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this week:

Friday March 15^th    -     Yancey County Humane Society 

        St. Patrick’sBenefit Dinner    

Burnsville Town Center

Saturday March 16^th  -     Irish Beer Tasting at Burnsville Wine and ...

                                                    O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale and Irish Stout.

                                                      Tasting is from 4-6.

                                             

                                             

  For Event Details:   YANCEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

 

For each petal on the shamrock.
This brings a wish your way
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.

Bragging Rights

By Amber Deen

Yancey and Mitchell counties have a number of things distinctive to this area alone: the best overall weather in the country, the most artists per capita than any other area in the country, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi (Mount Mitchell), the legendary Penland School of Craft, and the premier art studio tour in the country.

We also have a global “first” - first in the world to recover and utilize methane gas from an old landfill to power artists’ glass furnaces and pottery kilns, and to heat an art gallery, greenhouses, education center, and offices in a facility known as EnergyXchange.        

Its mission is to apply the use of renewable resources and practices for educational opportunities and economic development in the fields of art and horticulture.

Because methane is a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more effective at holding heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s feasibility study, the environmental impact of the Yancey-Mitchell Reuse Project is equivalent to planting 14,000 acres of trees or taking 21,000 cars off the road in North Carolina each year.

It’s no wonder, then, that people come from all over the world to study the landfill gas recovery system at EnergyXchange and gain insights into developing similar projects. In the past half dozen years, two other such projects have been developed in Western North Carolina, one near Bryson City, and a more recent one in Asheville. Tours also provide information on wind energy, solar energy, horticulture and aquaculture. A visit to the EnergyXchange is quite an education.

The Craft Incubator
The Craft Incubator Program was established to support six talented artists – 4 potters and 2 glass blowers – at the beginning of their careers to further develop their skills in managing, and operating their own small businesses so that, when they leave EnergyXchange, they’ll have the “know how” and experience to succeed on their own.

There is an art gallery to showcase the resident artists’ work, and visitors are welcomed to watch the artists at work, and may even be invited to participate.

Project Branch Out

Project Branch Out was started with the goal of nurturing small agricultural activities in rural western North Carolina. The area boasts an unequaled array of native ornamental plants such as rhododendron and native azaleas – cash crops for local nurseries. But because many of our indigenous plants have experienced declining availability, Project Branch Out propagates endangered species and helps diversify local crops that once were predominantly tobacco. Several varieties of evergreen rhododendrons and deciduous azaleas are grown from seeds that have been collected locally, and sold in containers to local growers. The best-selling and best known native plant grown there is the Flame Azalea. The quilt block there is titled “Flower of the Woods” and depicts the range of colors possible in the flower of the Flame.

Public Observatory and Star Park
The icing on the cake of this fascinating facility is the new Blue Ridge Public Observatory and Star Park, a world class public astronomical observatory and astronomy park being built on the EnergyXchange mountain top.

The telescope will be a one-of-a-kind custom made 34” Dobsonian type computer controlled observatory telescope. It will be the largest observatory telescope in North Carolina, and the largest dark sky public telescope in the southeastern US. In addition to direct viewing at the eyepiece, live video can be shown from an ultra-sensitive camera system attached to the telescope. The telescope is nearly finished.


Adjacent to the main observatory is a star park area for hosting star parties – a place where visiting astronomers can set up their telescopes and share the skies with the public.

Until the telescope and observatory are completed, the Blue Ridge Astronomy Group is hosting another stargazing on the Town Square in Burnsville November 17th from 7pm to midnight. As always, there’ll be a variety of excellent, powerful telescopes set up, the lights on the square will be turned off, and the traffic will be detoured. Everyone is welcome to come and join in the free, fun, safe evening of stargazing in downtown Burnsville.

Stargazing from The Cove

You could have your own stargazing party on the deck of a similar custom home in The Cove at Celo Mountain. There are so many ways residents of The Cove entertain family and friends including strolls on the beautifully maintained woodsy trails, having cookouts and picnics in the little mini parks throughout the grounds or on their own deck, and playing with the grandkids in the creek, the treehouse, and the rope “bridge.”

So many possibilities exist for our residents. Come explore them. Call 866 378-4769 to set up your own personal tour of the property. You’ll be impressed!

                     

                     Coming Soon, A Holiday Treat!

For the 3rd year, The Read it and Weep Players, a collection of artists and other well known Burnsville characters, will ham it up reading the oldy but goody story, “The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t” by Ogdon Nash. It’s a hoot, and always for a different charity. So plan to attend Friday, November 23rd at 10:30am, at the Burnsville Town Center. You’ll enjoy it.



Oh, By The Way..........Winter brings many new and exciting things to our mountain home - skiing, winter sports and a magnificent opportunity to experience clear views of our homesites with 3200 feet plus elevations at the Cove.  The town of Burnsville sits at 2600 feet, only 35 minutes to Asheville.  On Friday, Nov 2nd, Governor Beverly Perdue dedicated the first section of our four-lane highway.  Burnsville's promising future is opening up with this new, improved accessibility.

Please contact us soon to visit Western North Carolina and "Discover The Cove at Celo Mountain".