July 2009 Archives

The 86th Annual Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show's American Saddlebred competitions continued on Wednesday and it was quite a foggy day. The horse show will continue into this weekend and conclude on August 2nd. Gates open at 8 a-m each day at the L.M. Tate Show Grounds in Blowing Rock.

You can stay for the entire day or just spend an afternoon watching the children and adults compete. Admission is $5 and the parking is free. Pack a picnic lunch or purchase meals, snacks and drinks from one of the vendors. You can also shop for gifts, accessories, and clothing.

For more information and details on the show go to blowingrockequestrian.com.

If you like to look out of your car while driving, you may soon notice billboards missing in Watauga County. At a recent meeting, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners and Planning Commission talked about making revisions to the sign ordinance to deal with the digital electronic billboards.

The commissioners declared a moratorium in 2008 on billboards and asked the Planning Commission to revise the ordinance. After deliberations the planning commission decided to ban all new billboards in the county and regulate the brightness and amount of white used in the new signs. As proposed, existing billboards can be replaced with electronic signs, as long as they are in line with the ordinance.

The commissioners made no decision on the issue but scheduled a public hearing on August 18th at 6 p.m.

If you are starting to see utility crews and orange signs along King Street, that's because the widening project has begun. Crews are already working on removing or replacing lines and demolishing buildings on the south side of US 421. This work will widen US 421 and King Street to a six-lane divided highway, and from US 221 to US 321 the road will be a four-lane divided highway.

This construction will also create lanes for bicycles and improvements to sidewalks. Right now there are no delays, and most of the work will be at night... but if there are delays contractors will notify the public.

The project is expected to cost $15 million and be completed by the end of 2011.

In the effort to make America greener, local communities need to come together to make that happen. So the state of North Carolina is banning more materials from landfills, encouraging you to recycle more. New items on this list are plastic bottles, oil filters and pallets, and those materials will be banned beginning on October 1st.

But those items are just additions to the list...did you know that aluminum cans have been banned for ten years? Well you may also be surprised that tires, a-b-c bottles and appliances are also on the list.

And for future reference, all electronics such as computers and TV's will be banned in landfills beginning on January 1st in 2011.

Several folks in the High Country learned at the Green Smart Festival last Saturday that livin' green can be easy. Hosted by Blue Ridge Electric, the festival held around 40 vendors at Durham Park on the ASU campus.

This free event applied to many in wanting to save energy, or make their life greener. There were vendors talking about energy solutions, organic food, recycling, green jobs and more.

But the festival was more than just an educational experience; it was also fun with entertainment provided by the solar powered band "Southern Exposure." Blue Ridge Electric members also had the opportunity to receive discounts on c-f-l's.

A girl from the Boone area is missing. The Watauga County Sheriff's Office are searching for 15 year old Sydney Elizabeth Combs. It is believed that she may be traveling to the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area to meet her father, Sidney Everett Combs Jr.

She was last seen wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, purple/green/black tie dye shirt, black shorts and pink and blue socks.

 If you may know her whereabouts or any other information, please contact the Sheriff's Office at 828-264-3761.

If you are a Town of Boone resident, then you can help reduce our landfills by recycling pasteboard... which can now be picked up by your curbside. The town is now accepting cereal, beverage, dry food, office supply and shoe boxes. They will not accept wax coated pasteboard such as pizza boxes.

Another good side note is that when you're about to recycle your pasteboard, know that it is not the same as cardboard. You will still have to bring your cardboard to the Public Works Department as well as your batteries and CFL's.

 If you still have any questions, contact Marsha Story at 828-268-6230.

Are you looking to shop for clothes, kitchen items or furniture but can't afford department store prices? Then the Watauga Humane Society's 27th Annual Rummage Sale may be for you. You may also find computers, shoes, antiques, books and records.

The sale will be held this Friday and Saturday at the National Guard Armory in Boone from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thinking about helping out? The Watauga Humane Society needs volunteers to help with bringing items out of vehicles, setting up the sale and cleanup. Contact Co-Chair Claudia Strickland at 828 963-4649, or Dee Dundon at 828-264-9116.

Lay under the beautiful stars and listen to wonderful music on Friday. The Charlotte Philharmonic is back for its annual symphony by Chetola Lake. Concert goers are welcome to bring a picnic basket or enjoy a dinner buffet prepared by the Manor House Restaurant at Chetola.

 A new addition to this year's symphony by the lake will be vocal performances by Norman Large and Christina Saffron Ashford, who are well known singers and actors. Following the music, a fireworks show will cap off the evening.

The performances will begin 7:30 p-m, and the event is sponsored by the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are $25 for adults and $8 for children under the age of twelve. For more information log onto the website, blowingrock.com, or call 828-295-7851.

The Annual High Country Crank-Up event is coming up and it will be fun for everyone. In its 30^th year, the event will be on July 23^rd through the 25^th. Spend the day or the whole weekend seeing antique engines in operation, tractors and model engines. There will also be food, home made ice cream and even a tractor parade. The weekend event will have a pedal tractor pull for the kids, and they can win great prizes.

Admission is $4 dollars and for those 12 and under are free.

For more information, email carolinaflywheelers@hotmail.com, or visit their website at oldengine.org.