The Watauga Humane Society is holding their 12th annual Dog Jog on Saturday, September 25th along the Greenway Trail in Boone. The Dog Jog is a fund-raising event for the benefit of the humane society shelter animals, and consists of a one mile jog or walk along the Greenway Trail. Registration and pledge forms are now available at a myriad of places including: the shelter at 200 Casey Lane, Bare Bones Boutique Thrift Store on old US Hwy 421, Bare Essentials Natural Market, The Pet Place, Sage Sports at Boone Mall, Joe's Italian Kitchen, and local veterinarian offices. Prizes will be awarded for the most pledges, as well as for Pet-Owner Look-Alike, Best Trick, Best Costume, and more contests. The Dog Jog will also feature plenty of other activities including: paw painting, face painting, and chair massages and dog massages by The Sanctuary Day Spa. Registration begins at 10:00 am at the Watauga County Parks & Recreation Complex, and the Dog Jog begins at 11:00 am. Early registration will be held in front of Sage Sports at the Boone Mall on Friday, September 24th from 5:00 until 8:00 pm. Registration costs $20, or $15 for students, and includes a Dog Jog 2010 long-sleeved tee shirt. Your dog must wear current ID and rabies vaccination tags, and be kept on a 6 ft. or shorter leash at all times. Water will be provided for you and your dog, and you are expected to clean up after your dog. If you would like more information, please contact the Watauga Humane Society Shelter at 828-264-7865 or Rachel at 828-264-1053.
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The Watauga Humane Society is holding their 12th annual Dog Jog on Saturday, September 25th along the Greenway Trail in Boone. The Dog Jog is a fund-raising event for the benefit of the humane society shelter animals, and consists of a one mile jog or walk along the Greenway Trail. Registration and pledge forms are now available at a myriad of places including: the shelter at 200 Casey Lane, Bare Bones Boutique Thrift Store on old US Hwy 421, Bare Essentials Natural Market, The Pet Place, Sage Sports at Boone Mall, Joe's Italian Kitchen, and local veterinarian offices. Prizes will be awarded for the most pledges, as well as for Pet-Owner Look-Alike, Best Trick, Best Costume, and more contests. The Dog Jog will also feature plenty of other activities including: paw painting, face painting, and chair massages and dog massages by The Sanctuary Day Spa. Registration begins at 10:00 am at the Watauga County Parks & Recreation Complex, and the Dog Jog begins at 11:00 am. Early registration will be held in front of Sage Sports at the Boone Mall on Friday, September 24th from 5:00 until 8:00 pm. Registration costs $20, or $15 for students, and includes a Dog Jog 2010 long-sleeved tee shirt. Your dog must wear current ID and rabies vaccination tags, and be kept on a 6 ft. or shorter leash at all times. Water will be provided for you and your dog, and you are expected to clean up after your dog. If you would like more information, please contact the Watauga Humane Society Shelter at 828-264-7865 or Rachel at 828-264-1053.
Winston-Salem native and Grand Ole Opry performer George Hamilton IV is coming to Valle Crucis this month. Hamilton will be presenting "An Evening of Friendship and Song" at Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Valle Crucis on Sunday, September 26th at 7pm. Hamilton just celebrated 50 years on the Grand Ole Opry this past February and his family has deep roots in Ashe County. A life-long friend of Holy Cross Interim Priest John Shields and several other parishioners at Holy Cross, Hamilton travels to Valle Crucis to make a joyful noise in celebration of his friendships. Hamilton earned teen-idol status back in 1956 when he recorded "A Rose and a Baby Ruth." His country hits include "Abilene" in 1963, "Truck Drivin' Man" in 1964, "Break My Mind" in 1967 and "She's A Little Bit Country" in 1970. Known as the International Ambassador of Country Music, Hamilton will share stories of the people he has met and songs he has sung while traveling the globe for the past half century. He was a frequent performer on Billy Graham's crusades and in 1974 he became the first American artist to play behind the Iron Curtain. The concert is free to the community, although donations would be appreciated, and it will be held at 7 pm on Sunday, September 26th in the sanctuary of the stone church with the red door on NC 194 in Valle Crucis. Coffee and desert will be served in the parish hall next to the church following the concert. For more information, please call the church office at 828-963-4609.
The Watauga Humane Society is putting on a show later this month. The shelter be hosting their annual end-of-summer Watauga Humane Society Pet Show on Sunday, September 12th at the Boone Mall. The event is free to the public, and everyone is encouraged to bring their own pet to the show whether its a dog, cat, gerbil, rabbit, hamster, etc. All dogs must be on a leash and each pet to needs to be appropriately controlled and contained during the show. Speaking of the show, it will feature a myriad of awards including Waggiest Tail, Floppiest Ears, Fluffiest Fur, Most Winning Smile, and Pet/Owner Look-Alike. If you are interested in the pet show, registration begins at 2:30pm in the center court of the Boone Mall. This year's show will also feature a Pet Memorial Poster, on which to write in the name of a beloved pet which has passed away. There will also be a raffle, with a variety of pet-themed prizes, and Watauga Humane Society tee shirts, magnets and decals will be available for sale. In addition to all of those festivities, the event also coincides with the humane society's Sunday Adoption Fair, which means a selection of adoptable shelter animals will be on hand at the front of the mall for your consideration. If you would like more information you can visit their website at wataugahumanesociety.org or call the shelter at 828-264-7865
ASU is feeling good after their annual Big Sale raised more than $15,000 to benefit four area charities and the ACT Leigh Lane Edwards Scholarship Fund that supports ACT study abroad service-learning trips. The sale, which is organized by Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT), is the university's volunteer indoor yard sale of items donated by students or salvaged at the end of spring semester as part of the Don't Throw it Away campaign. The clearinghouse features everything from lamps, fans, and electronics to kitchenware, furniture, and clothes. According to Kate Johnson, the assistant director for Community Service with ACT, 65 tons of material were collected during the Don't Throw it Away campaign from residence halls in the spring and sold at this year's BIG Sale. She also added that, "This year's energy efficient mini-grants recipients are Western Youth Network, Mountain Alliance, Holston Presbytery Camp and Retreat Center and Appalachian Child Development Center." "The Don't Throw it Away program began 10 years ago when former student Natalie Knight realized the value of items being tossed as students left campus at the end of the school year. She first began collecting items by herself, but as the number of items grew, she collaborated with the national organization called Dump and Run, which helps set up programs to recycle items from students' residence hall rooms. Two years later, the BIG Sale began. Its first beneficiary was the Watauga County Department of Social Services Foster Care Program. Since then recipients have included Watauga 4-H, Legal Aid of North Carolina, High Country Amigos, and Hospice. The program has raised over $82,000 for charities since its inception.
Artists in the area may want to listen up. The deadline for this year's Regional Artist Project Grants is on September 10th, and all artists living in Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, and Wilkes Counties are encouraged to submit their grants applications. The Regional Artist Project of Northwest North Carolina Grants Program is a partnership between the arts councils of Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, and Wilkes Counties and the North Carolina Arts Council. It is intended to provide project support to a broad range of visual, performing, literary, and inter-disciplinary artists that will have a significant impact on the advancement of their career. Regional artist applicants are exceptionally talented individuals pursuing their career in the arts and have completed the basic education in their respective art form. The grants provide financial support to developing professionals by funding a project pivotal to the advancement of their careers as artists. Grant awards usually range from $200 to $1,000. For those interested, an informational workshop has been scheduled to help artists better understand the application process on Thursday, September 2nd at 5:30 pm at the Jones House Community Center in Boone. It will be conducted by the Watauga County Arts Council's Executive Director, Cherry Johnson, and the workshop is free. Applications and appropriate documentation material must be mailed or hand delivered to the Ashe County Arts Council in West Jefferson by Friday, September 10th. However, grant applications will also be accepted in the Watauga County Arts Council offices at the Jones House Community Center in downtown Boone through Thursday, September 9th. you can find applications on www.watauga-arts.org, as well as on the websites of the partnering arts councils. For more information, you can also contact the Watauga County Arts Council at 828-264-1789.
The Hospitality House held their annual free luncheon today to celebrate 25 years of service to the homeless in the High Country. The community luncheon was held at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center from about 11:30am to 1pm. The festivities included representatives from the Hospitality House informing guests about the Hospitality House's history, current programs, services, and future goals. The luncheon also featured the latest news on the progress of the new facility that is being built, and had featured guest Lynn Donahue. The celebration also featured a testimonial from a resident of Hospitality House's transitional housing program who came to the shelter at the lowest point in his life. With determination, he has worked diligently with staff who are helping him become a successful member of the community again. And of course, the luncheon featured some great, and free, food that included bread, chicken salad, fruit, sweet tea, and chocolate chip cookies. The 5th Annual Food and Shelter for Hope Luncheon was made possible by support from various community sponsors and helped get the word out about what the non-profit crisis intervention agency does, and how to get involved. If you would like more information about the luncheon or the Hospitality House, please call 828-262-3461. 
The Watauga County Chapter of the American Red Cross is preparing for a series of blood drives in the county next month. The first bloodrive is on Friday, September 3rd from 1:30 to 6pm at the Boone Mall. For an appointment please call Meredith at 828-264-7286. The next blood drive is on Tuesday, September 7th from 1:30 to 6pm at the Holiday Inn Express. The blood drive is sponsored by the Optimist Club, and to make an appointment or more information, please contact the Chapter at 828-264-8226 or visit online at www.membersforlife.org/cbsr/schedule, and click on enter sponsor code "5740". Then on the following day, on Wednesday, September 8th from 11:30am to 3:30pm Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living will host a blood drive. Please contact Elizabeth Young at 828-264-0336 for an appointment. The next blood drive will be on Friday, September 24th from 3 to 7:30pm at Cove Creek School. For an appointment please call the school at 828-297-2781. Finally, on Friday, September 24th from 12 to 4:30pm, a blood drive will be conducted at Earth Fare. For an appointment or more information, please contact John Carmichael at the store at 828-263-8138. And, if you are interested in becoming a sponsor or volunteer, please contact Revonda Wood, the Donor Recruitment Representative, at 336-413-3286.
Well, the Avery Humane Society is getting excited about their newest arrival, and it's not an animal. No, it's the start of a new shelter for the humane society. On Friday, the shelter announced the schedule for the Ground Breaking Ceremonies for the new Avery County Adoption and Humane Education Center. The festivities will be held on Thursday, August 26th at 11 a.m. on 279 New Vale Road behind the Ingles grocery store in Newland. The public is invited to join the ceremonies and join the Avery Friends of the Shelter for this new beginning. As you have heard hear before on MTN, the shelter has announced that a $1 million Matching Gift has been made toward the construction of the new shelter by a local benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous, meaning anything that is raised by the humane society will be matched by the donor, up to $1 million. The Avery Friends of the Shelter was organized 3 years ago to raise funds and awareness for the need of a new county animal shelter. The organization consists of over 200 local and seasonal residents that have held activities in all four corners of the county. These included a Hoe Down at Tynecastle, an Equestrian Event at Diamond Creek, a fun-filled stroll down the Yellow Brick Road at Beech Mountain, a golf tournament hosted by Linville Ridge, many "Furry Feast" dinners at Linville Ridge, a car rally through Avery County, the Bear Ball at Grandfather Mountain Country Club, and an intimate concert graciously given by Vince Gill and Amy Grant at Diamond Creek. This year, the major fund raising event is a 3-day golf tournament on September 11th, 12th, and 13th sponsored by the Elk River Country Club. In addition to that, the "Paws & Claws" resale shop was opened June 2009 adjacent to the site of the new shelter to help bring in a steady revenue stream. For more information, please email averyhumaneoffice@att.net or call the Humane Society at 828-733-9265.
The Boone Police Department and Watauga County Crime Stoppers are looking for help from the public to identify the person or persons responsible for a hitting a vehicle and then fleeing the scene. According to police, on Wednesday, August 4th between 9am and 10:40am, an unknown vehicle hit a Maroon 2000 Buick LeSabre that was parked at Watauga Medical Center causing significant damage. The suspect vehicle left the area without leaving contact information or reporting the incident. If you have any information regarding this hit-and-run crash, please contact either Appalachian Regional Healthcare System Police Department Officer Mark Hassell at 828-268-4168, or Crimestoppers at 828-268-6959, or the Boone Police Department at 828-268-6900.
Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation (BREMCO) and the Watauga Education Foundation were honored on Monday evening when the Watauga County Board of Education presented both organizations with Global Learning Leadership awards. The awards recognize the generous financial support of the two groups towards the Global Learning Community, which is the school system's design for integrating enriched curriculum resources, ongoing professional development for teachers, and advanced instructional technology to provide engaging and effective instruction for all students. The Global Learning Leadership Award is given to a person or organization who contribute between $10,000 and $99,999 to the Global Learning Community. The money helps go to pay for the installation of the equipment needed to support wireless connections in all classrooms and placing interactive whiteboards and projectors in classrooms. It also includes laptop computers for all students and teachers at Watauga High School. More information about the WCS Global Learning Community is available on the news and data page of the WCS website at www.watauga.k12.nc.us.
