Hendersonville News and Current Events

03.06.10
Page Recommends June 11 As Makeup Day

During a meeting Monday, Superintendent Stephen Page will recommend the Henderson County School Board extend the school year and use June 11 to make up the day of classes missed Wednesday. School districts that have missed several days of school this winter have few options for make-up days. State law mandates that children spend 180 days in school, but says classes can not start before Aug. 25 and must end by June 10.However, Page said a precedent has been set by other school districts that have gone beyond the last day of school, and some school systems that have missed a number of are considering going beyond that date this year.Students missed Tuesday and Wednesday this week after a heavy snowfall. Tuesday's snow day will be made up today, and school officials will decide Monday how to make up Wednesday.The School Board will hear from Page and consider its options during its monthly meeting Monday at 6 p.m. Graduation would also be held June 11 if the school year is extended. Page said Wednesday will not be made up next Saturday, March 13. The only way students will go to school March 13 is if the district misses a day next week. For the rest of the year, whenever the district misses one day during a week, students will go to school that Saturday, Page said. If more than one day is missed, the school district will have to look at its options. If the district does not miss any days next week, sending students to school on Saturday would be difficult because it would mean six straight days of class. While state law allows students and teachers to go to school six days in a row, "classified" personnel such as custodians and bus drivers would have to be paid overtime, which is not allowed.Because of this, March 13 will not be used to make up Wednesday's missed day, Page said.

03.06.10
March With The Leprechauns

Hendersonville will be painted green on Saturday, March 13, for the third March of the Leprechauns, a St. Patrick's Day celebration. This year focuses on the traditions of Ireland and St. Patrick's Day. There will be a lineup of musical entertainment and dance performers, local beer from Appalachian Craft Brewery, a pub crawl and a "Pot of Gold" scavenger hunt. "This year, we've moved the location," said Karen Shirlin, executive director for Downtown Hendersonville Inc. "We've condensed the physical space, though not the scope of the event." The festival will be on Fifth Avenue, between Main and Church streets. The change of space, Shirlin explained, was due to local merchants who raised concerns about the closing of Main Street. "Also, we added a beer tent," Shirlin said. The tent is on private property and contained to a parking lot. It will be a ticketed event and feature the local brewery Appalachian Craft Brewery, which recently relocated to Hendersonville from Fletcher. "We're supporting our local businesses," Shirlin added. Weather is a concern. The past two years, the leprechauns saw rain. Shirlin said the festival this year will be "tented and covered." Parade applications have been coming in a little slow, and Shirlin said she expects to extend the application deadline. "It's not been a huge parade, historically," she said. Shirlin is not sure of what size crowd to expect this year, but the festival has a big following on Facebook, including people interested in micro-breweries. A pub march will start at 11 a.m. Friday, and Shirlin said there are nine restaurants participating, and customers can purchase breakfast, lunch or dinner to count towards the crawl. A scavenger hunt will also start on Friday and continue on Saturday. Clues will be given for the hunt, with searchers finding the questions to complete the hunt. "The questions aren't simple," Shirlin added. The parade kicks off the events on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. and following the traditional parade route down Main Street. Everyone is invited, any age, to dress up like a leprechaun and step into the parade. There will be a costume contest afterward. Attendees are also encouraged to bring chairs or blankets for the parade and for inside of the performance tents.

03.06.10
United Way Names New Director

After a long process and a national search, the United Way of Henderson County has named a new executive director, and she was in Hendersonville all along. Ruth Birge, who served as the agency's interim director from June through December 2009, will take on the position starting March 22. "I'm excited about the possibilities," Birge said. "The United Way of Hendersonville is starting a new era. I'm looking forward to being an even more integral part of the process." Terry Foxworth, board chair for the United Way, said the search for a new director took "multiple, multiple months" and it was a thorough and in-depth process. A transition team comprised of UWHC Board members, nonprofit leaders and community members ran a comprehensive national search that produced a wealth of candidates. "(Birge) is such a great story," he said. "She's been a part of our program for so long. Ruth has worked as a volunteer in just about every position we've had. She knows United Way. She knows Henderson County." Birge has lived in the county since 2002, where she also began her tenure as the publisher of the Times-News and has developed many professional and personal relationships in the community. Most recently, she worked as a branch manager for Carolina First at the Four Seasons office. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Hendersonville, a trustee of the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, a board member of the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce and serves on the United Agenda for Children. Additionally, she has held leadership positions on many local boards. She is a past chair of the Board of United Way of Henderson County, a past United Way Campaign Chair, and has served as co-chair of the committee that developed the current strategic plan. Born and educated in Indiana, Birge lived in many areas of the country before settling in Hendersonville in 2002. She has a comprehensive background in marketing, sales, advertising and administration, and has held positions ranging from specialty automotive sales to the newspaper business. She has received numerous awards for her newspaper experience including the 1990 Annual Customer Service Award at a Florida New York Times paper, two New York Times Chairman Awards, and Imperial Polk Advertising Federation's AdWoman of the Year, among others. "We want to thank all of the community volunteers that assisted in our search process," Foxworth said. "It was months of very hard work. From the beginning we were looking for a servant leader, someone who can organize community resources and has a heart for Henderson County." Foxworth added the organization is going through an in-depth strategic planning process, which he expects to conclude around the end of the year. It's "studying where our focus needs to be," he said. "We're going to be a more influential partner in the positive things happening in Henderson County for Henderson County residents," Foxworth added. If you would like more information or have questions or comments, contact the United Way of Henderson County at P.O. Box 487, Hendersonville, NC 28793, call 692-1636 or visit liveunitedhc.org.

03.05.10
Knights Cruise Past HHS In The Cold

The North Henderson Knights couldn't be on their "swamp" of a home field Friday evening against Hendersonville, but playing on their adopted field at Blue Ridge Community College didn't faze them. The Bearcats got on the board first in the first inning, but it would be the Knights' show the rest of the evening, as they ended the game with a mercy rule victory, 14-3. "It's nice to be able to play on Blue Ridge's field, but at the same time, we want to be able to play on our own field," said North coach Bill Rice of the Knights' first "home" game. Neither team has had more than two practices on a baseball field since the season began and were glad to get the anticipation of the first game over with. "It's good to actually be out here playing instead of in a gym," Rice said. "There were some early-season mistakes, but that's to be expected right now. It's just good to start playing and see where we stand." In the bottom of the first, North wasted no time matching Hendersonville's one run as Patrick Miller's hit to right plated Seth Brown. Miller and Hunter Donaldson, on second and third, followed suit with Cody Baxter's line drive to center. Brown went 3-for-3 with a double, while Donaldson was 2-for-3 with a double and four RBIs. Miller struck again in the bottom of the third by drawing a walk, stealing second and ran home to put North up 4-1 after Chris Gordner's hit. Given that the Bearcats' defense was off, their bright spot of the night proved to be Connor Cope's 3 1/3 innings pitched that kept the Bearcats close early on. "Their pitcher did a good job of keeping us off balance early on," Rice said. "I give him a lot of credit because he did a heck of a job tonight." Still, winning pitcher Daniel Ballard was solid as well, going four innings and allowing one run off two hits with three strikeouts and a walk. But things shifted drastically in the Knights' favor in the bottom of the fourth. In a mixture of events for the Bearcats' poor defense and North's quick thinking, the Knights scored nine runs in the fourth. "The big thing tonight was that we weren't making plays on defense, and we weren't where we needed to be," said HHS coach Mark Cook of his team, which had its first game of the season after canceling games with Brevard and West Henderson earlier in the week. Each coach had a laundry list of improvements to be made throughout the season. Even Rice said there were some glaring things about his Knights that only practice time will help. "We've got a long way to go," Rice said. "These weather conditions are not ideal, but it is what it is right now." First on the list for both coaches? To get playing time on an actual baseball field. "It's been hard with the snow and rain, because we've just not had time on the field, which is the same for everyone. I think we'll be fine when we get going and get our time on the field," Cook said.

03.05.10
Symphony Orchestra To Open Season

The Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra will perform its first concert of 2010, "Music in Nature," on Saturday evening in the Blue Ridge Conference Hall at Blue Ridge Community College. Part of the 7:30 p.m. concert will be the annual presentation of the winners of the HSO Young Artist Competition, which took place at the Patton Auditorium at Blue Ridge Community College on Feb. 7. The contest, now in its 15th year, is open to area high school students. The top three winners earn scholarship awards, sponsored by Thos. Shepherd and Son, and the top winner earns the opportunity to perform with the symphony. This year's first-place winner is pianist Kyle Decker, a Hendersonville High School junior, who will perform Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" with the symphony. Decker began playing piano at age 6 under the instruction of Rae Cotner in Cape Coral, Fla. In 2006, when he moved with his family to Henderson County, Decker began studying with piano teacher and solo pianist Jesslynn Kitts of Flat Rock. Under her guidance, Decker has received superior ratings at the district and state levels of the North Carolina Music Teachers Association's Contest Festival for the past three years. Decker, who lives in Horse Shoe, is the son of John and Meg Decker. He plays percussion in the HHS Symphonic Band and keyboards in the HHS Jazz Band, was named second-chair mallet percussionist for the 2009 North Carolina All-State Honors Band and first-chair mallet percussionist for the 2009 and 2010 All-District Bands. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the HHS Student Council. Kay Nakazawa, a freshman at T.C. Roberson High School in Asheville, placed second in the competition with her performance of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. She has studied the violin for 12 years and has been a member of the Asheville-Buncombe Youth Orchestra since 2005. This is her third season as the concertmaster of the ABYO, and she studies with Mary Byrd Daniels. Vashti Baluch took third place playing a Mozart piano concerto. She was born in Kenya and grew up in Dubai. She began playing piano at age 5 and has played for 12 years. She added flute studies at age 6.Baluch studies piano with Frank Iogha and also studied with the late Peggy Hannan of Hendersonville.

03.05.10
Christian Musician Honeytree To Perform

Known as a pioneer in the field of contemporary Christian music, Honeytree will bring her laid-back style of music to the Feed & Seed for performances at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. The singer-songwriter has been recording and singing original works since 1973. Fans who were saved during the Jesus Movement of the 1970s share a special affection for Honeytree's music, because it was part of their first love experience with the Lord. For them, songs like "Clean Before My Lord" and "Searchlight" bring back memories of being a new Christian. Honeytree's folk-rock style is appropriate for the whole family. Her audiences laugh during her testimony song, "Rattle Me Shake Me." Children especially love "Humongo," her song about Jonah from the fish's point of view. And her poignant song about her sons, "Growing Up in Heaven" usually inspires tears. A concert with Honeytree is also an international experience. She sings in Spanish, Urdu (official language of Pakistan) and two other Asian languages. Her newest CD "Call of the Harvest" contains two songs with a dramatic Indian sound. One of the most frequently requested songs at a Honeytree concert is "Pioneer," which encourages those who are serving the Lord that "the Father goes before you, to your own frontier." The song was featured on her video documentary of Jesus music, called "First Love," in which Nancy sang to fellow music pioneers Annie Herring, Barry McGuire and Randy Stonehill. Born Nancy Henigbaum in 1952 (Henigbaum is German for Honeytree), Honeytree was raised with classical and folk music. Her mother Mary taught her how to play the guitar as a young child. Her guitar technique and songwriting models were not traditional Christian musicians but female folk-rock stars such as Carole King and Judy Collins. Honeytree was picked up and reissued by the nationally distributed Christian label Myrrh. Over the years, Honeytree has released 17 recordings, many on her own OakTable Publishing label, frequently in other languages. Honeytree met Mexican missionaries Ruth and Victor Martinez in Fort Wayne, Ind., in the late 1980s and learned to sing some songs in Spanish before she made a return visit to Monterey, Mexico. In 1994 she released an album in Spanish, "Dios Ha Abierto La Puerta" ("God Has Opened the Door") and was on the way to speaking the language fluently. By 2005 Honeytree had extended her ministry to the Eastern hemisphere. She performed her album, "Call of the Harvest," in predominantly Islamic Pakistan, under heavy security, and learned to sing some songs in the Urdu language. Today, Honeytree remains on the cutting edge of contemporary Christian music as she continues to carry her songs across the globe. Her mission: "Keep pioneering until everyone hears the songs of Jesus in his own language."

02.23.10
Morgan, Laughter win pageants Saturday

Kristen Morgan was crowned Miss Hendersonville 2010 Saturday at Blue Ridge Community College, and Courtney Laughter was crowned Hendersonville's Outstanding Teen 2010. First runner up for Miss Hendersonville was Kayla Yingst of Brevard College, and first runner up for Hendersonville's Outstanding Teen was Jessie Tucker of North Henderson High. Megan Rhodes, executive director of the Miss Hendersonville Pageant, said it must have been a tough decision for the judges. "All of the contestants this year were smart, talented and beautiful," she said. "It was a great event." The new Miss Hendersonville earns a $1,000 college scholarship and numerous prizes from local businesses. Miss Hendersonville and Hendersonville's Outstanding Teen will each represent the local community in the 2010 Miss North Carolina and Miss North Carolina's Outstanding Teen pageants held in Raleigh in June.

02.12.10
Business Owners, Residents Provide Input On Infrastructure Issues

Night construction, impact on revenue and the time frame were some of the concerns residents and business owners have about a proposed Main Street sidewalk renovation project. After completing the downtown street light project this past summer, city staff told City Council they wanted to complete patching work and upgrade crosswalks in the winter of 2010. Thursday night, about 30 people attended a meeting hosted by DHI to inform residents and business owners about the project, and to get input to take back to the council. Other projects being considered for Main Street also were discussed. "As staff prepared for that scope of work, we took note of several infrastructure issues that will need to be addressed in the near future," Public Works Director Tom Wooten said. "These include the failing storm drain system, problematic street lighting, and sidewalk aging and cracking caused by tree roots and age. "In conjunction with the sentiment that Main Street could use some rehabilitation, a detailed study of the Main Street infrastructure was launched, and work that might be necessary over the next 20 years was identified." After an analysis, city staff came up with an alternative to street lamps that are included in the city's capital improvement plan. Other possible repairs include replacing large portions of sidewalk, replacing old and failing lamps, removing remaining overhead wires, replacing diseased or damaged trees, replacing the substandard storm drainage system, abandoning a 75-year-old water line, repaving the street and parking bays, installing high-visibility brick pattern crosswalks and realigning sidewalk ramps with the crosswalks. "Six phases would be needed for each of the six blocks, and a final phase would repave the entire street and install the new crosswalks," Wooten said. City Manager Bo Ferguson said they hope to finish each phase within a three- or four-month window. Work has been proposed from January to April for each phase of construction. "That is weather permitting," he said of the January to April time frame. "If it rains or snows all through February, we can't guarantee the work could be done by April." Currently the city has $370,000 in its capital improvement plan set aside for street lamps. Having the streets resurfaced and placing the decorative street lamps and crosswalks would cost an estimated $938,000 for Main Street. Adding the sidewalk resurfacing and other improvements would add another $278,544, making the total cost of the project $1.2 million. "While none of the infrastructure problems are considered an imminent crisis, all of them collectively represent a slow but noticeable deterioration of the streetscape," Wooten said. "There is no timeline proposed for this alternative." In addition to the sidewalks, the final phase would be to remove all of the asphalt from Main Street and repave its entire length for six blocks.

02.12.10
Target Of Land Trust Coalition: Preserve 50,000 Acres

Ten land trusts in North Carolina want to preserve 50,000 acres in the western region of the state. Two years ago, they formed the Blue Ridge Forever Coalition and developed a plan to preserve land in 25 Western North Carolina counties. The group identified 28 areas that need preservation. They did not look at individual parcels but identified areas with valuable water resources, scenic views, farmland or biological diversity. "They had the foresight to realize that Western North Carolina's natural resources were getting developed faster than they can be protected," Coalition Campaign Director Phyllis Stiles said. Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy protected 2,686 acres in Henderson, Transylvania and parts of neighboring counties in 2009. The group purchased 1,527 acres at Weed Patch Mountain near Lake Lure. It also preserved 11.2 acres in Henderson County. CMLC also worked with the town of Fletcher and other partners to create and expand the Fletcher Greenway system, along with improving water quality along Cane and Hooper's creeks. CMLC helped preserve 1.65 acres near Brevard at Connestee Falls, the site of several waterfalls. The organization purchased a conservation easement on the tract. Blue Ridge Forever is pushing forward with an aggressive preservation plan in 2010. The lower real estate costs make land prices more attractive, but fundraising is difficult in the current economic climate. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund, a popular fund used by conservation groups to preserve land, has been decreased because of the state budget crisis. "The physical and economic landscapes have changed over the course of this campaign, but the generosity of individuals who have donated land or given financial support has been a constant in helping protect many of the places we all love," CMLC Executive Director Kieran Roe said. "The downturn in the economy has been a blessing and curse for the land trusts. There are important tracts that we could not have dreamed of being able to afford at the start of our campaign in 2006 that we now have protected forever." Blue Ridge Forever protected 10,257 acres (74 projects) in 18 mountain counties in 2009. The group has protected 45,046 acres (329 projects) in 23 mountain counties from 2006-2009. "The 50,000-acre goal was ambitious," Stiles said. "It was more than we had been doing historically."

02.12.10
Fire Crews Use Grants To Buy Hoses

Two more local fire departments have been awarded money from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, according to a news release issued by Sen. Kay Hagan's office Thursday. Valley Hill Fire and Rescue has been awarded $33,250 and Saluda Volunteer Fire and Rescue has been awarded $55,670. Both departments are using the money to purchase new hoses for their engines. "We are using the money to purchase 5-inch-diameter hoses that run from the hydrant to the truck," Valley Hill Battalion Chief Tim Garren said. The department is purchasing 1,000 feet of hose for five engines. "This is tremendously helpful," he said. Saluda Deputy Chief Zach Pace said the department is purchasing 4,000 feet of hose for four engines. "This money helps us a good bit," he said. "That's a lot of money we don't have to spend. It also helps us with our Insurance Service Organization rating." "Our North Carolina firefighters are some of the bravest and hardest working men and women I know," Hagan said. "They need the most up-to-date technology and equipment to effectively do their jobs. "Today's investment means 21 more fire departments in our state will get the resources they need to protect our North Carolina families. I look forward to continuing to work with our state's courageous first responders to ensure they remain prepared for the obstacles they face every day on the job," Hagan said. The AFG program is funded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Grants are awarded to fire departments and EMS organizations to boost their ability to respond to emergencies. Today's grants can be used for training, equipment, wellness and fitness, and health and safety modifications.