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By Heather Canter
There are so many free and fun things in the area that I decided
to do another column about low cost things to do.
In my last column, I failed to mention many of our best treasures
here in the county, including Ashe County Parks and Recreation
in Jefferson, the Ashe County Library, Ashe County 4-H program
and Ashe Partnership for Children. We'll tell you just a few
of the things they offer, and then you can find out more by
visiting these places and organizations.
Ashe County Park has a great disc golf course, one of the best
in the nation, according to some area players. The High Country
Disc Golf Course, as it is called, is free and open to the public
from sunrise to sunset. Discs can be purchased at The Hobby
Barn in West Jefferson and from the High Country Disc Golf Club.
For more information, click to www.highcountrydiscgolf.com,
or visit the Ashe Mountain Times archives on-line, www.mountaintimes.com,
and view Joel Frady's series on the disc golf course. The series
begins with the Aug. 28, 2008 edition, under Sports and The
Great Outdoors.
Ashe County Park also features tennis courts, a basketball court,
baseball and softball fields, as well as picnic and cookout
areas and playground equipment. The park also has trails to
explore for those who're looking to hike or just visit with
nature. For more information about opportunities at Ashe County
Park, call (336) 982-6185.
Ashe County Library offers free summer programs for youth. They
also have young adult programs which are geared toward rising
sixth through twelfth graders. Examples of past summer reading
programs include murder mystery events, t-shirt recreations,
chocolate bingo, animal shows, geo caching, hardware jewelry,
makeovers and hair dos and don'ts.
As May arrives and summer gets closer, the library encourages
everyone to be on the lookout for the special young adult events
for this summer as well as more information on the summer reading
program. Library programs are free and open to the public. The
library is temporarily being housed at Jefferson Station as
renovations and building is taking place at their usual location.
For more information, click to www.arlibrary.org.
North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Ashe County Center, offers
an array of 4-H activities throughout the year. Two events that
are held all year long are the 4-H Barn Yard Buddies Club and
the 4-H Winchester Target Sports Club.
The 4-H Barn Yard Buddies Club's primary focus is on agriculture.
Participants do not have to own animals or even live on a farm
to be part of the club. Those who attend can learn more about
agriculture-related topics. Some past subjects have included
how to make soap, making tin punch ornaments and safety around
farm animals. 4-H presentations have also included guest speakers
on various topics. The group meets on the third Tuesday of each
month at 6:30 p.m. at the Agricultural Service Center Conference
Room. The group is open to those ages eight and up.
The 4-H Winchester Target Sports Club focuses on safety and
marksmanship. Members have the opportunity to learn how to properly
and safely shoot rifles, air pistols and black powder guns.
Older youth have the opportunity to shoot shotguns. Members
also get to try their hand at archery. The group meets on the
second Monday of the month at 6 p.m. at Family Central (or as
announced). The group is open to those ages eight and up.
For more information on 4-H programs, contact the North Carolina
Cooperative Extension, Ashe County Center at (336) 846-5850.
Watch for next week's column where I'll tell you about more
4-H opportunities and events and groups at Ashe Partnership
for Children.
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