News Round-Up

Arbor Day activities at Green Mother Goods

Children are invited to join Elkland Art Center at Green Mother Goods in Boone starting at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24, to celebrate Arbor Day.

Elkland Art Center volunteers will assist children in making squirrel, bird and other tree-dweller puppets, and then kids will have an opportunity to make their puppet critter come alive in their natural habitat – a giant life-like puppet tree.

In addition, Green Mother Goods will donate 10 percent of sales during the event to Elkland Art Center for its development of a new puppet show focusing on clean water (for more information visit the Web at www.elklandartcenter.org/what_does_elkland_do.html). The group will also plant tree seeds and make pine-cone bird feeders to take home.

Following the children’s activities, all are invited to come watch the award-winning film “Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America,” which provides simple, practical, affordable solutions to America’s energy crisis.

According to the Department of Energy, the average American home consumes more than 900 kilowatt-hours of electricity each month. More than 50 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated in coal-fired power plants, amounting to nearly six tons of coal burned to generate electricity for the typical American home each year.

By using products marked with EPA’s Energy Star label, purchasing power generated from renewable resources, more effectively insulating homes, and utilizing natural energy sources like sunlight, wind and geothermal power, consumers can reduce the impact of their energy usage, while saving money.

This acclaimed film advocates energy conservation and renewable power sources as alternatives to the high costs of energy. “Kilowatt Ours” is sponsored by: Johnson Controls, The Sierra Club Foundation, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Stonyfield Farm, Mother Earth News, Utne Reader, and Renewable Choice Energy. For more information visit www.KilowattOurs.org.

Interested persons have two chances to attend a screening at 5:30 and 7 p.m, with a chance to win eco-friendly door prizes at each screening.

For more information, call Green Mother Goods at 828-262-3525

Beech to host cycling time trial weekend May 23-24

In the spring of 1998, Lance Armstrong came to Beech Mountain to train for the first of his seven-straight Tour de France victories.

This spring, cycling aficionados can put themselves to the test on the same curvy mountain ascent that inspired Armstrong.

The first Beech Mountain “Beest” Cycling Time Trial Weekend is May 23-24. The event includes a host of activities for participants and their families, highlighted by Saturday’s time trial from Banner Elk up highway N.C. 184 to the top of Beech Mountain.

The Beech Mountain Beest was created by David Klein of Charlotte, a 42-year-old cyclist who also owns Charlotte Health & Fitness Magazine.

“It is geared toward all avid cyclists,” Klein said. “We welcome racers, but it is not necessarily for racers. It’s for working guys like me who like to get out and stay athletic. We might not fly up the mountain, but we’ll get up there.”

Klein has put together a weekend agenda that includes a post-ride dinner and awards ceremony on Saturday evening at the new Beech Mountain Recreation Center, followed by several road rides and a variety of family activities on Sunday. Discount lodging is available for the weekend at several places on Beech Mountain.

“Endurance athletic events don’t always have a family component. We specifically designed this for families – spouses and children,” said Klein. “There are so many amenities on Beech Mountain for family members to enjoy. And for the cyclists, it’s pretty cool to be able to ride the same road that motivated Lance’s comeback.”

Registration fee is $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event. The entry fee includes a goody bag, T-shirt and dinner. Awards will be presented to the top three finishers in each age group, male and female. All participants are entered into a drawing for door prizes.

For information on the time trial weekend, call (704) 333-5697 or visit www.CHFMag.com.

LMC to offer Creative and Performing Arts Camp for youth this summer

Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk will present Creative and Performing Arts Camp 2009 (CAPA) in June and July.

The theme of this year’s camp is “Disney and the Arts.”

“Come join us as we explore the world of Disney through drama, dance, music, film, costuming, creative writing, design, and visual arts,” a spokesperson for the camp said.

The dates for CAPA 2009 are June 29-July 3 and/or July 27-31. Each day begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m., and is filled with exciting, entertaining, and educational activities for all ages, the spokesperson said.

There will be a performance showcase at the end of the week so family and friends can experience “Disney and the Arts,” too.

There will be classes for children and students who have completed kindergarten through 12th-grade.

Four separate classes are created to accommodate age groups and different curriculums.

The cost per camper is $220 per week, which includes lunch each day, a camp T-shirt, field trips and instruction.

A discount is available for multiple-child families.

For additional information, contact Stacey Trivett, camp director, at TrivettS@lmc.edu<mailto:TrivettS@lmc.edu>, or Mindi Bishop, camp assistant director, at BishopMA@lmc.edu<mailto:BishopMA@lmc.edu> or phone 828-898-3372

‘Hard Knock the Baseball Bat’

Local author Jimmy Jordan, a former football coach and athletic director, recently donated his children’s book, “Hard Knock the Baseball Bat,” to the Watauga County Library. The picture book is a story about a broken bat and is available at the Watauga County Library, Appalachian State University book store and at the Blowing Rock bookstore.