Capital at Play June 2014

Jonathon Flaum

Toni Carlton

Zen & the Art of Milk Delivery

Has Room for the Loom

Kevin & Karilea Rhea Olympia Motosports

The Free Spirit Of Enterprise Linville Caverns p.43

Million-Year-Old Secrets The Wilderness p.82

A Refuge for the Mind

Summer Camps INDUSTRY PROFILE

p. 24

in Western North Carolina

Volume IV - Edition VI complimentary edition

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June 2014

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The Free Spirit Of Enterprise

publisher & editor

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Jeffrey Green contributing editors

Dasha O. Morgan, Alexina O. Morgan, Brenda Murphy contributing writers

Elizabeth Colton, Paul Clark, William Haywood, Hunt Mallett, Jim Murphy, Anna Raddatz, Arthur Treff gr aphic designer

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Published by Universal Media Inc. PO Box 5615, Asheville, NC. 28813

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campfire on the mountain at Camp Rockmont.

Photo by J. Davis Photography and courtesy of Camp Rockmont.

F E AT U R E S vol. iv

12

ed. vi

52

68

JONATHON FLAUM

TONI CARLTON

THE RHEAS

ZEN & THE ART OF MILK DELIVERY

HAS ROOM FOR THE LOOM IN BANNER ELK, NC

OLYMPIA MOTOSPORTS IN HENDERSONVILLE, NC

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com

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Contents pa g e 6 : m a s t h e a d & i n f o r m at i o n

•

j u n e 2 014 s u b s c r i b e o n l i n e at c a p i ta l at p l ay . c o m

lo c a l i n d u s t ry

columns

24 Summer Camps

40 A Foreign Policy Memo for any U.S. President

in Western North Carolina

Elizabeth Colton

66 Wine for the Wedding Season Hunt Mallett

l e i s u r e & l i b at i o n 43 Linville Caverns Holds on to million-year-old secrets

c a p i ta l a d v e n t u r i s t 82 The Wilderness: A Refuge for the Mind

keepin’ it brief

A Story of One Carolina Boy and His Addiction to the Quiet (not Silence) of the Woods

36 Carolina in the West 62 The Old North State

events

78 National & World News

90 It’s summertime, do you know where your inner child is? utdoor activities and summer O festivals galore, feed your soul with a little fun.

above

Getting ready to go golfing at Camp Illahee in the ’40s. on the cover

A camper jumps off the high-dive into Lake Eden at Camp Rockmont.

Photo by J. Davis Photography and courtesy of Camp Rockmont.

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Zen

&

the art of

Milk

Delivery written by anna r addatz

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| June 2014

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photos by anthony harden

jonathon fl aum on

his delivery route.

jonathon fl aum on

his delivery route.

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com

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A 14

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A

t six o’clock on a Wednesday evening, Jonathon Flaum is standing on the porch next to his loading dock in Biltmore Village. Backed up to the dock are a van and a cargo truck, both proudly wearing the azure “Farm to Home Milk” logo.

Flaum himself, wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and a dark winter beard, is leaning against the porch railing, talking on his cell phone to a cafe owner in West Asheville who is considering using Farm to Home Milk in their coffee drinks. Flaum explains where his milk comes from and how delicious it is, then offers to bring by a free pint to experiment with.

His manner is calm, friendly, and in no rush at all. He has worked a full eight-hour day of considerable physical labor— driving, lifting, and carrying boxes and bottles all over town.

But his demeanor belies only contentment.

As a milkman, Flaum is reviving a livelihood that more or less skipped a generation. He’s connecting North Carolina dairies—and other food producers—to Asheville customers who are eager for local farm-fresh products and enjoy both the convenience and the nostalgia of having Flaum deliver them right to their front porches.

It would be easy to assume, watching Flaum do his work, that he was born into this, or at least into a farming family. But in truth, he’s a city boy with a business background who very deliberately chose this work as a meditation, as a lifestyle—as a way to practice, every day, the teachings of Zen. “This work fulfills basic needs for me,” he says. “Like how to make a living in a barebones way, how to do something that’s ethical, something with integrity. Something good happens without me even having to think about it.”

Education, Consultation, Meditation Prior to starting Farm to Home Milk, Flaum had a varied background. Originally from Pomona, New York, 40 minutes north of New York City, he earned two Masters degrees: one in religious studies from Florida State University and another in playwriting from the University of Southern California. In 1999 he moved to Asheville, and in 2001 he founded the WriteMind Institute for Corporate Contemplation, through which he

offered writing services and leadership development programs for corporate executives. He would go on to open a physical space for the Institute in 2009, and to offer speechwriting services for business and organizational leaders through another venture, JAF Speechwriting. He has also authored three books on leadership and creativity.

During that decade of work, Flaum began his Zen journey.

While he had become acquainted with Zen Buddhism previously during his graduate work, the thing that made him study it in a more serious way was finding out that he was going to become a father, prior to the birth of his son. “I had a sense of awe that I was going to have a child,” he says. “I needed to sit down and contemplate that and Zen was the best way for me to do that.”

He found local guidance with Reverend Teijo Munnich at the Zen Center of Asheville and the Great Tree Zen Temple in Alexander, North Carolina. After a decade of consistent practice, he felt it was time to make a true commitment, and he underwent the ceremony to become a Zen monk in April, 2011.

Around this time, Flaum became disillusioned with the work he had been doing. “It wasn’t simple or basic enough,” he says.

“There was too much talking, too much writing. I knew I wanted to do something different and simple, but I had no idea what.”

To get some perspective, Flaum, his wife Tami, and their children, Ren and Eve, took an extended trip out west in the summer of 2012. Over a couple months, they camped their way through numerous national parks—Yellowstone, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Teton—soaking up their natural surroundings, and reconnecting with simple activities like hiking, swimming, and cooking meals. At one point, during a stop in Denver, they June 2014 | capitalatplay.com

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learned about a home milk delivery service there, Royal Crest Dairy, which has been in business for over 85 years.

It was an idea that immediately resonated with Flaum. It reminded him of stories he had heard as a child from his grandfather, who grew up in the Bronx. “He would often talk about not having a phone, not having a TV, not having a car, and the whole world being within eight blocks, everybody knowing each other,” he says. As a boy, Flaum was especially fascinated by the fact that his grandfather had grown up without refrigeration or electricity, relying on regular deliveries of milk, ice, and vegetables. “I remember taking walks with him when I was eight and nine and really hanging on those stories,” he recalls. “I was drawn to the warmth of that time, how nice and simple that was.”

At the age of 45, those stories came flooding back to Flaum. Being a milkman seemed like a perfect way to connect through generations, from his grandfather to his own children.

He wanted to do work that his own son and daughter (now thirteen and eight years old) could easily understand. It also fit seamlessly with Flaum’s values. “For me the Zen journey is a lot about simplicity and doing one thing at a time and doing it well, about the value of being completely in the moment with what you’re doing. In a way, a lot of that training is perfect for a milkman. It’s one customer at a time, one bottle of milk at a time.”

So after that Denver trip, as simple as that, the decision was made. As Flaum puts it, “I decided, alright, I’ll do that.” A few short months later, he would launch his business.

Building from the Ground Up While his previous work and his Zen practice may have prepared him in some deep, internal ways for launching Farm to Home Milk, in most other respects he would be the first to tell you that he had no idea what he was doing. “I didn’t know anything about milk, trucks, cuts of meat, bakeries, how food is sourced, how cows are milked, how pasteurization works, or how a quality farm operates,” says Flaum. “I learned by jumping into it, which is the best way.”

He made his first deliveries on January 8th,

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com

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2013. His initial offerings included milk, eggs, bread, meat, trout, and salmon. For the full first year, he ran the business as a one man show, doing all of the sourcing, trucking, loading, and deliveries. He was working upwards of 60 hours a week, and describes the time as “incredibly challenging.” But through the start-up craziness, the thought of giving up never crossed his mind. “Part of learning how to work well is to embrace the challenges fully and not give up in the middle,” says Flaum. “It really comes from Zen practice, a simple phrase—‘just continue’—even when it feels the most difficult.”

As he got his operation going, he felt supported by the Asheville community and the farmers and vendors that he was working with. Mike Brown from Farside Farms— Flaum’s egg supplier—offered him refrigerated space to store the milk, free of charge.

Other suppliers, including Hickory Nut Gap Meats, Sunburst Trout Farms, and Dough, all took him under their wings as he was starting out.

“To do this job, everyone is interdependent with everyone else,” Flaum says. “I’m just delivering out their hard work.”

Of course, the most important aspect was finding the right milk suppliers. While there used to be dozens of dairy farms in Western North Carolina, today there are only a few. And there are fewer still that do their own bottling. The milk from most small dairies is trucked to large processors that combine it with milk from many other dairies, and then distribute the product across the region. For a small farmer to decide to bottle is a huge investment, so it took some time for Flaum to find the right dairy partners.

Now Farm to Home delivers milk from two dairies. Country Wholesome Creamery, run by an Amish family in Hamptonville, produces non-homogen ized creamline milk, which is bottled in biodegradable plastic bottles. Maple View Farm, a 5th-generation farm that produces pasteurized and homogenized milk, is the only dairy in the state that uses glass bottles. Every Monday, the Farm to Home truck makes the trek to both dairies, a full 12-hour day, arriving back in Asheville with 400 to 500 gallons of fresh milk.

While this trip used to be part of Flaum’s week, for his second year in business, he has hired two helpers. Daniel does the dairy route as well as the wholesale deliveries (to 20 local restaurants, cafes, and independent grocery stores), and Gendo loads the truck in the evenings for the next day’s deliveries. But the home deliveries? That’s all Flaum. “I still do all the home deliveries myself,” he says. “I like being part of people’s lives in that very simple way.”

“Since I see some of them every week, I see an evolution in their lives,” he says. “I can only imagine how that will continue as time goes by.”

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Flaum makes home deliveries on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On those mornings, his truck having been loaded with most of the items the night before, he stops by Dough on Merrimon Avenue to pick up fresh bread, bagels, and croissants.

Then he picks up ice for customers’ dairy boxes and starts his route, making his first delivery around nine in the morning and his last around five or six o’clock.

Flaum’s territory covers Asheville and a few surrounding zip codes—from Weaverville

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in the north to Hendersonville in the south, east to the border of Swannanoa and as far west as Candler. Even though he’s lived in the area for 15 years, his route constantly introduces him to new corners and neighborhoods because his 150 customers represent such a diverse cross-section of the local population.

“Everyone drinks milk so we deliver to a wide variety of people,” he says. “You realize that Asheville has an amazing diversity within a few minutes’ drive. It’s fascinating to know they’re all getting the same milk, the same quality product. That’s a good, democratic feeling for me. It’s indiscriminate. And it’s a privilege to be able to weave in and out of all of these places.”

The variety of customers is matched by the variety of reasons to buy from Farm to Home.

Busy people, especially families with young children, love the convenience of having grocery staples delivered right to their door.

Others value the health benefits of consuming fresh, local products. Finally, there are those who enjoy the nostalgia of having a milkman deliver bottles of cream-top milk to an old time dairy box. And, of course, Ashevillians love to support local businesses and farms.

As customers have asked for new products, Flaum has added them to his service. Today the business offers dozens of items, including honey, coffee, beef, seafood, and prepared dishes. Still, milk remains the most popular item, followed by eggs.

Many of Flaum’s customers have been receiving deliveries since the business’ launch, and over a year and a half he’s gotten to know some of them pretty well. Whether it’s chatting about the local news, or taking a tour of a newly purchased home, Flaum enjoys these personal interactions. “Since I see some of them every week, I see an evolution in their lives,” he says. “I can only imagine how that will continue as time goes by.”

The Good Old Days Farm to Home Milk is part of a revival of the home food delivery culture, which had its American heyday from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s—sandwiched between the rise of cities (where dairy cows tend not to thrive) and the rise of refrigeration and

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June 2014 | capitalatplay.com

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supermarkets.

Last summer, Flaum had the opportunity to meet several retired milkmen and see vintage milk trucks at the 2013 Midwest Milkman’s Reunion & Divco Club Convention in Hendersonville.

milkmen delivered every day and stopped at every house. “It was like being a mailman,” says Flaum. “Without refrigeration, it was a necessity.”

In another effort to educate himself about the heritage of milk delivery, Flaum actually reached out to George H.V. Cecil, George Vanderbilt’s grandson and owner and operator of Biltmore Farms—which, before it became a real estate development firm, was one of the largest independent dairies in the Southeast. Flaum recalls their conversation: “He said, ‘Jonathon, I’m concerned for whether you’re going to make it. We got out of the business in 1985 because we couldn’t compete with the grocery stores.’”

But luckily for Flaum, the pendulum is now swinging the other way. “In our time, we’ve realized what not having quality local food does to us on a spiritual and economic level, and we don’t want that for ourselves anymore. So whereas Biltmore Dairy struggled in the 1980s, Farm to Home can survive in 2014 because times have changed again.”

“It’s kind of miraculous to me,” Flaum says.

“When I wake up, I just want to do it again.

I want to feel the rhythm of what the day’s gonna bring. It’s nice to wake up without a goal anymore. I just enjoy the ride.”

The collector’s items that Flaum toured had sliding doors on either side but lacked seats because the milkmen stood as they drove. While Flaum delivers to his customers once a week (and some opt for once a month), in the early- to mid-20th century,

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Working in the Moment Something about the charming powder blue branding on the Farm to Home van makes it easy to envision a whole army of them, zipping along neighborhood streets from coast to coast— or at least across state lines. Flaum says people have encouraged him to expand or franchise his business. It’s tempting to think that this is an idea whose time has come (or returned), and that Flaum could grow his bustling business to his heart’s content.

But his heart is already content.

He says he’s not interested in making a bunch of money, he just wants to make enough to pay his employees well and grow the business organically, bit by bit, so it remains sustainable.

Now, many entrepreneurs take this stance (especially when they’re on the record) because they worry that to speak their ambitions aloud makes them sound greedy or cutthroat. But when Flaum says it, it’s coming from such a different place that it seems silly not to take him at his word.

For one thing, Flaum’s past business experience has made him very wary of growth just for growth’s sake. “Because I was a business consultant, I’ve seen so many of the pitfalls of everyone just focusing on growth, growth, growth, and not being able to

enjoy the day-to-day of what they have,” he says.

But more importantly, it’s clear that Flaum has finally found a living that aligns with his values and belief system—an alignment that would most likely become disjointed if the business were to scale up.

“In my past work, I’ve done so much rigamarole,” he says, “so many workshops, seminars, talking, written so many thousands of words. I thought that would bring me satisfaction, but this brings me more. It’s nice to do something where no commentary is needed. People just get the milk, and they drink it and enjoy it. It’s clean.”

Even so, Flaum expresses surprise and wonder at the fact that something so simple can truly bring him so much happiness. He says he doesn’t get bored; nor does he feel driven to do more, as he has with past work. And he’s not sure why. But that’s okay.

“It’s kind of miraculous to me,” he says. “When I wake up, I just want to do it again. I want to feel the rhythm of what the day’s gonna bring. It’s nice to wake up without a goal anymore.

I just enjoy the ride.”

Quality health care. Right in your own backyard.

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 23

local industry

Summer Camps in Western North Carolina

writ ten by dasha morgan

W

With the end of the school year in sight and warmer days finally arriving, parents are getting their summer calendars organized. Their summer plans must be soon crystallized for the whole family. The range of possibilities for summer activities can almost be overwhelming.

above : Archery in late ’50s at Camp Rockmont. right : Raising the flag at Keystone Camp.

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T

e c ono m ic i m pac t

of 2010. A total of 45 camps participated here are sports camps, art camps, religious camps, priwith a total of 40 usable surveys reprevate camps, and agency camps, senting 50 camps from Western North all varying in length, price, Carolina.

From staff data, approximately (of camps surveyed for NCYCA) and focus. Many parents who wanted 540 usable surveys were collected repretheir child to attend a traditional summer senting 5,477 total staff. Seasonal staff, camp needed to sign up by Christmas, who traveled specifically to Western Acres (avg) owned : or even earlier, to be sure to get a spot.

North Carolina because of the residential Some even registered the day after their camps, were shown to spend an average child got out of camp for the following of $2,402 during their stay (before, Acres (total) of all camps : during, and after camp) in Western year, as returning campers usually get North Carolina. (We encourage you to preference. With summer vacations visit this article at CapitalatPlay.com getting shorter every year, where would Acres (total) in conservation to view this complete survey.) According their child be happiest and for how long? of all camps : to the study, four counties: Buncombe Will their child be near home or perhaps County (13 camps represented with at an adventure camp some miles away? $103 million), Henderson County (17 Will it be a full session camp or a day Miles (avg) camp families camps represented with $126 million), camp? How much is this all going to cost? live from camp : Jackson County (2 camps represented Decisions need to be made. with $11.5 million), and Transylvania Few are really aware of the impact (max distance recorded was 8,500 miles) County (18 camps represented with that summer camps in Western North $120 million), made up this figure. The Carolina have on the economy of this Overnight lodging, study also estimated a direct economic area. Some fine and old camps are found number of nights (avg) in hotel/motel : impact of over $200 million, more than in New England, Texas, Maine, and 10,000 full-time equivalent jobs created Minnesota, but this area has at least fifty in addition to camp staff, $260 million of the finest camps in the country. The in increased resident income, and $33 beauty of the mountains combined with Camps using local food product : million in new tax revenues during the its refreshing summer climate has made summer of 2010. This astounding figure this area a haven for summer camps to has undoubtedly increased since 2011, thrive and flourish. Campers come from as the United States economy was only all over the United States and from many beginning to rebound then from the depth of the recession. foreign countries. The camps are often surrounded by large tracts of land with ponds, fields, riding facilities and tennis courts. An amazing array of activities are provided for the campers to enjoy. Lasting friendships are made at these camps, Keystone Camp is one of the oldest private summer camps still where someone has had their first place to learn and grow as in existence in the Southeast. It opened in the summer of 1916 an individual away from their parents. Lasting memories are when Miss Florence Ellis and Miss Fanny Holt brought a group made. There are many well recognized camps in the area, such of 11 girls from Jacksonville, Florida, to Brevard, North Carolina, as Camp Falling Creek, Highlander, Illahee, Kahdalea, Keystone, for the summer. Page Lemel is the fourth generation director, Merrie-Woode, Rockmont, and Timberlake to name only a few. after having spent many summers as a camper, counselor and As adults many of the campers return to attend a college nearby, head counselor before taking over the director’s position. This to work or live in the area they remember so fondly. The residual girls’ camp, which takes campers from kindergarten through economic influence on this area has been enormous.

9th grade, strives to develop the total girl on an individual basis, offering a wide variety of activities and programs. She said that 90% of the campers that come are from outside of North Carolina (California, Florida, Texas, and elsewhere) and An economic impact study was furnished to Capital at that many come from foreign countries, such as Haiti, Brazil, Play by the North Carolina Youth Camp Association (NCYCA).

Turkey, Egypt, Russia, Spain, and Costa Rica. These are often A team of researchers from North Carolina State University the children of executives of international companies who have in January 2011 quantified the impact to the region as repbeen sent to foreign countries and want their child to grow up resenting more than $360 million in total economic impact. knowing the American camping cultural experience. Keystone The study collected data from camp directors, camp staff, and Camp plans to celebrate their 100th anniversary in July of 2016 camp families based on camp information from the summer

399 acres

19,376 acres

3,000+ acres 500 miles

4.14 74%

Traditional American Camps in the Area

An Economic Impact Study

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 25

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1. Canoeing on Lake Eden at Camp Rockmont in the mid ’70s.

2 . Henry Taylor and a greeting committee in the mid ’50s at Camp Rockmont.

3 . The early days at Keystone Camp.

4 . Camp Rockmont’s waterfront director, Kevin McInnis, with some happy campers in mid ’70s.

5 . Illahee girls in Saturday camp uniforms, pictured in front of McLeod Lodge in wooden Old Town canoes. Circa 1950.

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with many returning alumnae.

In speaking with Page about camps, she said that the growth of camp life in the United States goes back to the Civil War era, as a reaction to urbanization. People wanted their children to have a greater contact and a better understanding of the outdoors, as farmers left for large cities and the cities grew larger. One of the oldest camps in the United States is Camp Keewaydin, a canoe camp in Vermont and Canada, which was established in 1894. The campers from the ages of ten through eighteen are assigned to wigwams and often cook over open fires. [Editor’s Note: I happen to remember my brother, David, returning from this camp in Canada, the summer he turned sixteen. He had to cook using a reflector oven, sometimes lighting the fire in the wilderness by striking flint stones. When he returned to North Carolina, his neck had enlarged to eighteen-and-a-half inches—due to the portaging of the canoe on his head from lake to lake or crossing to another river.]

Falling Creek Camp is a boys’ camp for ages six to sixteen on a 545-acre paradise in Tuxedo, North Carolina. Yates and Marisa Pharr closed on Falling Creek Camp in September 2005, to begin realizing their lifelong dream. Yates Pharr had been a successful commercial real estate professional in Charlotte. In 1999 he became an executive with the Biltmore Farms Company in Asheville, where he helped Jack Cecil develop the highly

ca mp e x pe nse s (of camps surveyed for NCYCA)

ANN UAL DIRECT S PEN DING OF ALL C AM P S : (combined)

$61 million

C APITAL E XPEN DITU RES: (as a percentage of total $7,659,272) 4

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successful Biltmore Park. When the opportunity arose to become a part of Falling Creek, he and his wife couldn’t resist. He had once been a camper there himself, where he developed a passion for the outdoors. Under enthusiastic leadership with carefully chosen counselors, boys spend a camping session, where they develop life long friendships.

Many years later, the details of their outlandish adventures will be retold!

However, the new campers must deal with a major reality as they arrive at the camp, which is the absence of any electronic equipment—no communication with others by electronics. Campers and parents understand the policy and recognize the benefit of children building face to face communications skills, as well as the importance of being in touch with nature.

The big attraction for sending children to camp is to allow them to grow and find their individuality in a safe, wholesome, and beautiful setting. The camper has the time to discover what he or she is good at and what they enjoy doing with no parental influence. Could it be fishing, sailing, mountain biking, hiking, lacrosse, or backpacking? Could it be something musical or artistic? There are an infinite number of activities from which to choose. As Pharr says, “The camp experience allows you to build the skills necessary for paddling and tennis, but you build life skills—how to get along with each other and how to be independent and make decisions for yourself.

You can’t do that in the classroom setting.”

As Pharr says, “The camp experience allows you to build life skills—how to get along with each other and how to be independent and make decisions for yourself. You can’t do that in the classroom setting.”

Equipment/Maintenance - 4% Program Equipment - 5% Vehicles - 6% Horses and other Livestock - 6% Ground Improvements - 6% New or Renovated Buildings - 57% Other Capital Expenditures - 16%

AVER AGE C AM P OPER ATING E XPEN DITU RES: (as a percentage of total $61,143,278) Staff Expenditures - 36% Insurance Benefits - 11% Taxes - 10% Food Service - 9% Other Operating - 10% Occupancy - 7% Transportation - 3% Administrative - 3% Program - 5% Health Service - 1% Staff (other) - 1% Marketing - 2% Contract Service - 2%

Read the complete survey for NCYCA here

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 27

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1. Day trips into Pisgah Forest were a part of the Illahee tradition as early as the 1920s.

2 . Perry Cate shares some fishing wisdom with a camper in late ’70s.

3 . Unidentified bugler in late ’50s.

4 . During the 1950s, the Illahee Glee Club drew many campers to the summer chorus.

5 . Blueprint Summer Programs Students and Staff at UCLA ’13.

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Frank Tindall is currently an associate director with Falling Creek. Frank now sees himself as a counselor to the counselors at a camp with 312 boys and 125 staff, mostly college students.

He had gained a lot of experience when thirty years ago he and his wife Elizabeth, just out of college, took a giant step by purchasing Camp Illahee, a girls’ camp in Brevard. Fortunately they were both passionate about the idea and willingly accepted all the challenges this decision encompassed. They needed to wear many hats. They had just taken on a 24-hour-a-day job, year round. Besides the weighty responsibility of caring for the lives of so many young eager campers, they needed to be good stewards of the property as well. In addition, although Illahee opened in 1921, he and Elizabeth wanted to promote Illahee in off-season months for it to grow and prosper. This meant traveling far and wide, making multiple presentations in many cities and homes. In addition, they needed to recruit capable counselors and staff with good leadership skills and positive role models. A camp is a growing, living entity that has a strong impact on many lives.

Another well known girls’ camp in Sapphire, North Carolina, is Camp Merrie-Woode. Founded in 1919, their mission is stated on their website as: “Merrie-Woode is a sanctuary of rarest beauty which inspires a long lasting awareness of God’s presence. The Mission of Camp Merrie-Woode is to use that setting to nurture the physical, intellectual, and spiritual growth of girls

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5 and young women through traditional camp activities and outdoor adventures. In this friendly, non-competitive community of simplified living, each individual is valued for who she is and who she will become.” There are 200 girls with approximately 100 in staff on this 390-acre property on Lake Fairfield, which is surrounded by striking granite-sided mountains and lush greenery that drops into the water. The alumnae have been actively buying property surrounding the camp in order to protect it from real estate development, which has been changing the Sapphire Valley resort area so noticeably in the last fifteen years. In fact, in 1978 the Merrie-Woode Foundation, a nonprofit corporation, purchased the camp, so in effect the camp is now owned by the former campers. They were determined to preserve the serene beauty of their beloved camp in the midst of North Carolina’s majestic mountains.

What about an Adventure Camp?

Besides a traditional camp experience, parents may choose to send their child on an adventure trip with Moondance Adventures, based in Asheville. In 1996, Hayes Hitchens started this extraordinary adventure travel camp for both boys and girls from the ages of twelve to eighteen. He arranges and provides youth of similar ages to travel together to some of the world’s most glorious places. It has been described as an “out of the box” life changing experience. Who wouldn’t want to earn SCUBA certification in Belize, then dive in Belize’s Barrier Reef to see the extraordinary living coral there, or improve their fly fishing techniques with professional guides on the Snake River in Wyoming, or climb the 19,340-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro before the glacier has completely melted? The teenagers get to experience this adventure with friends of the same age, taking on responsibilities and learning about teamwork with an

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June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 29

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1. Horseback riding at Keystone Camp.

2 . Rock climbing at Camps Kahdalea and Chosatonga.

3 . A performance at one of NC Stage’s Musical Theatre Summer Camps.

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4 . Paddlers at Camp Chosatonga are rewarded for their hard work and practice on the camp lake with a chance to tackle some of the more difficult rapids in the area.

5 . Blueprint Summer Programs Students at George Washington University ’13.

6 . Roller coaster at Falling Creek camp’s waterfront.

7. Hannah Wainwright at the summit of the Grand Teton mountain, Wyoming, at an elevation of 13,771 feet.

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7 enthusiastic guide. Some have described the trip “as the best three weeks of my life.”

There is much laughter, fun and excitement. This year new adventure trips have been added, such as a trip to South Africa (to the Indian Ocean, and the Kruger National Park), Vietnam and Cambodia (see Ho Chi Minh City and the Temples of Cambodia’s Ankor Wat), and to Maui (with sea kayaking on the majestic waters of Makena).

Hayes began working with teenagers nearly 40 years ago at his grandfather’s Camp Deerhorn in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. He knows and understands the needs of teenagers and arranges his trips accordingly. The group size is usually ten to twelve people; in most groups the age difference is no more than two years; the leaders are over 21 years of age, and are well educated. They connect and communicate well with teenagers, inspire them, and are knowledgeable. Moondance subcontracts guide service for technical activities, such as rock climbing, mountaineering, or sea kayaking. Safety is of utmost importance. It is first and foremost in everything they do. All necessary precautions are taken to ensure the safety of the travelers. The leaders will have had special training here in Asheville for two weeks prior to the departure. They have also had extensive training in wilderness programs. There are currently approximately 600 teenagers already signed up for this summer and very few open slots are available. To note, Hayes too requires the teenagers to “unplug” electronically, and no drugs or alcohol are ever tolerated; the child will be sent home.

As Genna Harris, admissions director, says, “Moondance offers four different types of adventures for teens: Discovery Adventures focus on introductory-level adventure travel; Classic Adventures with an emphasis on moderately challenging multisport adventure; Leadership Adventures which encourage student leadership in a variety of challenging and rewarding wilderness environments; and Community Service Adventures for middle and high school students designed to provide cultural awareness, global exploration, and goodwill.”

With colleges requiring more and more students to have been involved in community service, the Community Service trips have been popular. For instance, Moondance June 2014 | capitalatplay.com

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students might volunteer at an elephant foundation in Northern Thailand or work in agriculture in Ecuador by taking cattle, sheep, and donkeys to graze in the field and collect eggs from the chickens in the morning.

Shorter Sessions and Day Camps Summer day camps and programs are available throughout Western North Carolina. The sessions are usually short, maybe just for a week or two. Some are just mornings or just afternoons. For those interested in drama, the N.C. Stage Company in downtown Asheville is offering a two-week acting, dance, music, and stage craft camp in late July and early August. A student will learn, grow, and have fun learning to be on stage, learning to act, and how a play is put together. The camp runs Monday through Friday from nine to three.

The Hickory Nut Gap Farm Camp in Fairview offers art, riding, and drama for boys and girls from ages six to thirteen.

There are five camp sessions running from June 16th to July 18th. Annie Ager and her sister Susie Hamilton offer their students a relaxed day, filled with fun and learning. Horseback riding is taught on gentle horses. In addition, campers create their own individual piece of pottery, a colorful painting or a drawing—under Susie’s talented guidance. The Hickory Nut Gap Camp offers swimming as well as drama experience.

The Asheville Racquet Club has three sports camps for children. Their Adventure Camp has many fun activities, such 32

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Yates Pharr, owner & director of Falling Creek Camp, addresses the campers & counselors at the final campfire of the session. as tree climbing, wild water rafting, and soaring through the air on ziplines. This is for both boys and girls ages eight to fifteen. Boys and girls between the ages of four and seven can go to The Little Sneakers camp with tennis, arts and crafts, and other fun filled day activities. The All Sports Camp, is for ages seven to fourteen and offers a number of sports activities. These are one week camp sessions from June 16th until August 15th, 2014. Membership at Asheville Raquet Club is not required to participate in the summer camps.

In addition, UNC Asheville is offering several sport camps this summer, with baseball, basketball, volleyball, and soccer.

There are many such athletic camps all around the area, many held at high schools and colleges. In Greenville, South Carolina, Paul Scarpa, who has coached the men’s tennis team since 1966 at Furman University, holds a well attended co-ed tennis camp there for ages nine through seventeen during the summer, where tennis strokes are honed and improved.

As high school students begin to age out of traditional camps and life guarding jobs, their thoughts might begin to turn to the next step they are planning to take: college. A summer program has been put together to help with this next step. It is called Blueprint Signature Summer Programs. A fun, inspired customized curriculum for high school students is held on a June 2014 | capitalatplay.com

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number of college campuses nationwide. The students stay in the dormitories on campus, while taking a course for one or two weeks to help pave their way and make the transition easier. George Washington University in Washington D.C. and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, are the two campuses closest to this area, although the students can go to California, Massachusetts, or Pennsylvania.

There are four core courses: business, creative writing, forensics, and psychology, and while students must choose one of the former as their summer “major,” all students participate in daily college prep seminars. Guidance in the form of a course is given to students to help prepare them with the necessary tools to get into the college of their choice. At Blueprint they take steps to learn independence and take courses they are really excited about. On their website it says they “offer tangible takeaways that actually prepare you for college, like practice essays, a college-ready calendar, and your own top-ten college choices. You’ll also come home with the confidence to transition from where you are, to where you’re going.”

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A decision needs to be made on exactly what your son or daughter will be doing this summer. Will it be a traditional camp away from home, an adventure camp somewhere afar, a sports camp, or an introduction to a new skill? What is the best fit? Perhaps one needs to be reminded of Allan Sherman’s song from the ’60s about going off to camp.

“Hello Muddah, hello Fadduh. Here I am at Camp Grenada. Camp is very entertaining, and they say we’ll have some fun, if it stops raining. I went hiking with Joe Spivy. He developed poison ivy. You remember Leonard Skinner. He got ptomaine poisoning last night after dinner…” and so the song continues until the last verse: “Wait a minute, it stopped hailing. Guys are swimming; guys are sailing. Playing baseball, gee that’s better. Muddah, Fadduh, please disregard this letter.” Here’s hoping the summer will be filled with easy living and happy days for everyone.

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CAROLINA in the

WEST [

news briefs

WCU among top institutions for energy reduction in national competition cullowhee

Although Western Carolina University lost the head-to-head Battle of the Plug energy savings competition against rival Appalachian State University, it has surfaced as a winner in the associated Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN) competition. WCU and ASU both earned spots on the list of the top 10 schools for energy reduction during the three-week CCN competition that attracted participation from more than 100 colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. During CCN, WCU recorded a 13.7 percent reduction in energy usage, which equates to nearly $12,000 in energy cost savings.

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However, ASU recorded a 17.5 percent energy savings reduction, which was enough to beat WCU to win the third annual Battle of the Plug competition.

WCU’s Student Government Association, Eco CATS student group, the Office of Sustainability and Energy Management, and the Department of Residential Living cooperated to raise awareness and trigger discussion of energy conservation as part of the competition. Campus-wide events, including a dance party, were held, and door hangers and table tents with Battle of the Plug events and energy-saving tips were distributed. Students were urged to take actions such as unplugging unused electronics, taking shorter showers, and turning off lights. More than 400 WCU students completed energy commitments online in which they committed to taking certain actions to save energy.

In WCU’s internal competition, Reynolds 10:42 AM

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Residence Hall was the campus’ 2014 Battle of the Plug Energy Champion with a 35.2 percent reduction in energy usage.

Campus Conservation Nationals 2014 was organized by Lucid, the Center for Green Schools, the U.S. Green Building Council, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Alliance to Save Energy. Institutions participating in CCN jointly saved more than 2.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and $196,000 in energy costs.

Edneyville Fire & Rescue’s new life saving piece of equipment henderson county

The Edneyville Fire Department has adopted a new piece of life saving equipment called the “Auto Pulse.” This machine is a portable automatic heart compression pump, replacing manual CPR. According to deputy chief Robert Griffin, it is fairly new to the United States, but other countries have been using it for some time with great success. Edneyville Fire Department is the only department in Henderson County to have purchased one. The only other machine is owned by Henderson County EMS and is carried on the main truck. It is structured as

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half of a backboard with a large battery powered strap that goes over the victim’s chest. Two trained and certified techs are needed to get the Auto Pulse machine hooked up to the victim in approximately 30 seconds. Since time is of the essence when the heart has stopped, the goal is to never let compressions lapse more than 10 seconds. When installed on the pulseless victim, Auto Pulse continues the CPR, freeing up emergency personnel.

This allows the victim to be loaded into the ambulance in a timely manner. The Auto Pulse costs $16,000, all of which was raised in Edneyville Fire District through fundraising. Jaymar Travel Park hosted a large fundraiser, and the Edneyville residents donated the rest.

The entire kit, including a carrying case and four batteries that can each run for 45 minutes, weighs nearly 25 pounds.

WHS students win state auto skills competition boone

Watauga High School junior Nick Caudill and senior Ryan Austin won 1st place in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills state competition at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. In addition to

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accepting free tools from the Snap-on tool company, each student was offered $40,000 in scholarships from various colleges and technical schools. The two will now represent North Carolina in the national championship competition at the Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, in June. Their efforts were greatly supported by the president of Boone Ford/Lincoln, Alfred Glover, who loaned the team a 2014 Ford Fiesta for practice.

quality mountain biking the Tri-State area. Grant funding will be awarded to three projects receiving the most online votes from the general public during the specified voting period in May. “Funding is always an issue with a project of this magnitude,” Paul Stahlschmidt, Alliance president, said. “Winning this grant will make these trails happen a lot faster. The trails will be built regardless, but we have a major opportunity right in front of us with this competition.” Doe Mountain, located in Mountain City, Tennessee, is an 8,600-acre tract of land that is managed by the Doe Mountain Recreation Authority. The mountain is home to outdoor recreational opportunities that high country will soon include mountain biking. The The Doe Mountain Recreation Area, trails will offer opportunities for mounnearly half an hour away from Boone, tain biking, hiking, horseback riding, and has been chosen as a Top 12 finalist for all-terrain vehicles. Over the years, the a Bell Built Grant offered by Bell Helmets High Country has experienced continual and the International Mountain Bike growth of mountain biking opportunities.

Association (IMBA). Bell Helmets will Boone’s Rocky Knob Mountain Biking be giving away $100,000 for building Park opened in 2011 with five trails and three mountain bike facility projects eight miles of riding. Sugar Mountain across the country. The Northwest also offers an extensive mountain biking North Carolina Mountain Bike Alliance trail network from July through early has partnered with primary Bell Built Introducing The September. Additional mountain biking applicant and neighboring IMBA Chapter, experiences are offered along the shores Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) Tri-Cities, to bring destination of W. Kerr Scott Reservoir in Wilkesboro.

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Montford Park Players receives its largest gift ever asheville

The Montford Park Players, North Carolina’s longest running Shakespeare Festival, received of a gift of $175,000 from the Rakay Family Foundation Fund toward its capital campaign for the renovation of the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre. Mr. and Mrs. Rakay are summer residents of Asheville and have attended numerous productions at the Amphitheatre. Mr. Rakay remarked on the professional quality of MPP’s productions, and especially singled out Rhonda Parker’s production of Hamlet in 2013 as “one of the finest productions he had seen anywhere.” According to John Russell, managing director of the Montford Park Players, “Mr. and Mrs. Rakay’s generous gift will enable us to begin construction of new audience seating immediately, with the remaining work to resume at the conclusion of our 42nd summer season in September, with a completion date of April 1st, 2015. Our plans include better sight lines for our audiences, new and improved seating to handle the much larger audiences we’ve experienced in the last few years,

a wheelchair-accessible audience path, reconstruction of the stagehouse with a second story and Elizabethan-style roof, and a new welcome center where our guests can enjoy refreshments indoors and watch the show on a wide-screen monitor.” He also thanked the Buncombe Country Tourism Development Authority for its grant of $125,000, and the numerous donors who have contributed to this project, and who have made the reconstruction of the 30-year old Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre a reality. Russell added, “Fundraising will continue for this project in order to provide for the future needs of MPP and our 21st century audiences, and will include, among other events, our 2nd Annual Masquerade Ball, to be held November 6th at The Venue on North Market Street.”

Brett Pardue receives Robertson Award at Mars Hill University mars hill

Brett Pardue of Elkin, North Carolina, has been chosen as the 2014 recipient of the Joe Chris and Donna N. Robertson Award at Mars Hill University. The Joe Chris and Donna N. Robertson Award,

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a prestigious honor founded in 2003, distinguishes a graduating senior in the fine arts with a strong commitment to his or her chosen field, promise in the fine arts, and demonstrated service to the arts, Mars Hill University, and the community. A cash award is given to the recipient in order to enhance his or her development in the arts. The award is presented in memory of Joe Chris Robinson, former chairman of the Mars Hill College art department who taught there for four decades (1951-1991), and in honor of Donna N. Robertson, former college organist and retired associate professor of music. Pardue graduated with his Bachelor of music in voice performance and a minor in English in May. As a member of Alpha Chi National Honor Society, his musical achievements include being selected for the Bel Canto Institute of Music in Florence, Italy, in the summer of 2012 where he was the winner of their Performance Award. As a benefit of this award, he gave a recital in New York with Jane Klaviter, a coach at the Metropolitan Opera. He was also a semi-finalist at the National Orpheus Vocal Competition and has been a chorus member of the Asheville Lyric Opera and a Choral Scholar at the Biltmore United Methodist and Central United Methodist churches in Asheville. He has been a

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member of the Southern Appalachian Chamber Singers since 2012.

Falls Lake Dam in Raleigh to Sam’s Branch Greenway in Clayton.”

Mountains-to-Sea Trail guide in the works

Seed lending library

western north carolina

The Black Mountain Public Library now has a seed lending library. Library customers may visit the library and “borrow” vegetable seeds to use in their own gardens. When using the seed library, patrons agree to then harvest seeds from their garden and return them to the library at the end of the growing season.

The seed lending library is supposed to provide library patrons with seed stock that is well-suited to our climate and that has not been genetically altered. Due to limited quantities, seeds are available on a first come, first serve basis.

Not even three years old, the North Carolina’s completed Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) has already become a favorite of both advanced and casual hikers.

The Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail organization (FMST) is in the process of creating a comprehensive trail guide for the entire trail and expects to complete and publish the guide by the end of 2015. So far, three chapters of the guide have been finalized and can be found at the organization’s website at www.ncmst.org. Kate Dixon, executive director of the FMST, said, “Our goal is to complete 11 of the 16 planned chapters by next year’s annual meeting (February 7, 2015), and then finish the entire guide by the end of 2015.” The three chapters now completed are titled “The High Country: Beacon Heights near Grandfather Mountain to U.S. 421 near Deep Gap,” “Revolution and Textiles: Bryan Park in Greensboro to Eno River State Park at Pleasant Green Road near Hillsborough,” and “The Neuse River:

black mountain

Parkway Foundation targets projects western north carolina

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, a nonprofit entity dedicated to helping the National Park Service with maintenance and education projects on the scenic roadway, has revealed its list of

approved projects for 2014. Approved by the BRPF Board of Trustees, the list has a projected price tag of $700,000. The foundation funds these projects through income from the sale of North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway specialty license plates, individual gifts, and grants. The foundation’s 2014 funding priorities include: Restoration of the Waterwheel Site at Mabry Mill (Milepost 177); Repair and maintenance of the Price Park Loop Trail at Julian Price Memorial Park (Milepost 297); Expansion of Linville Falls Overlook for Interpretation of Significant Geologic Features (Milepost 316); Graveyard Fields Enhancement Project (Milepost 418); Stone Water Foundation Reconstruction (park-wide); Preventing the spread of white-nose syndrome threatening Parkway bat populations (park-wide); Emergency Medical Services/First Responder Continuing Education Classes for Parkway Personnel (park-wide); Ecological Restoration of High-Priority Wetlands (park-wide); Visitor Maps and Guides (park-wide). In 2013, the foundation provided funds to restore the Heart Pond at Bass Lake in Blowing Rock.

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A Mountaineer-Diplomat’s Independent Advice:

E

eliz abeth is currently CEO of the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations.

A Foreign Policy Memo for any U.S. President

by ELIZABETH COLTON

G

Global Foreign Policy Challenges: A Diplomat’s Memo to any President Foreign policy, international relations, and their links to our American way of life are topics of great interest to me. I spend a lot of time working throughout the United States to promote dialogue on foreign policy and its relationship to domestic concerns. But I realize that this is a subject often deemed to be of less importance than focusing exclusively on domestic issues.

Many assume that concern about foreign policy should be relegated to only a small, rarefied world of foreign policy wonks in Washington and New York. Most politicians on all sides of the political spectrum either share this view or at least follow that thinking of their constituents. Obviously, I disagree as evidenced through my organizational work and lectures.

Yet, our nation’s domestic policy, including the national economy and security, is intertwined completely with the country’s foreign policy, including its global strategy and relationship to the rest of the world. In American political discussions, there is a custom of seeking to separate United States domestic policy from the country’s foreign policy and global relations.

This rigid separation of the two—domestic and foreign policy—in the national consciousness often leads to confusion and political disarray throughout our history when debating the United States’ role in the world of nations. Certainly, we are now at such a point in the United States as many recognize a current state of global unrest and are raising questions about the American role. Threats in the world are rising to test American foreign policy now.

In the 2012 presidential election year, I gave a number of lectures around the country about United States foreign policy and the news media in American presidential elections both before the election that year and immediately afterwards, 40

| June 2014

including at a few events in Asheville and the region. Some of our readers heard me present my “Foreign Policy Memo to the Next President: Global Challenges for the Next Administration on Dealing with Foreign Policy and Setting Global Priorities.”

Some have recently asked that I publish my memo of suggestions. And I present my list below in no specific order as I believe that each is key and should be followed.

Memo to a U.S. President Now and in Future: Foreign Policy & Setting Priorities 1. Acknowledge that the United States is still the world leader.

Do not be afraid to acknowledge our American world leadership role. We live in a global world, but the United States can still be the major leader for the promotion of our democratic values in this world.

2. State publicly, repeat, and thus teach to the American public that domestic policy is linked completely with our foreign policy. They are not independent of each other. Our national economy and growth and stability are dependent on our relations globally. Domestic and foreign policy are united as they promote global stability for building our national/global economy and ensuring national/global security.

3. Use diplomacy in the world but make certain that full strength is behind our diplomacy. And let that be known at home and abroad. Diplomacy needs to be backed by strength and willingness to make hard choices and make difficult decisions.

4. Take charge of foreign policy. It is yours, the President’s.

The chain of command goes to the very top. None of your foreign policy chiefs (Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, National Security Adviser, National Intelligence Director, CIA Director,

Commerce Secretary, U.S. Trade Representative, et al) should be promoting their own political or person agendas for foreign policy that’s separate from yours. Each of your foreign policy secretaries and advisers should be working for you in promoting United States foreign policy. And you shouldn’t have to worry in any way that covering for them is necessary for you politically. Change the stovepipe systems of information and regional division in both the State and Defense Departments.

5. Cultivate and develop relations with other world leaders, including not only America’s chief allies but also other superpowers. It’s critical that you can pick up the phone and talk directly with your fellow world leaders to try to resolve problems.

6. Open lines of communication with enemies—nations and leaders. Throughout the Cold War, our presidents could talk directly with the leaders of the Soviet Union and later China. The President of the United States should have access, means to communicate with any other world leader.

7. Work with Congress. Regardless of your political party, cultivate members from all political leanings in order to build consensus especially for our critical global relations in which Congress plays a leading role. Foreign policy ultimately needs to be bipartisan. It’s the President who can create that atmosphere for a national foreign policy—linked to our national domestic policy.

8. Work with the news media to explain the importance of foreign policy with its combined strengths of both diplomacy and defense. Encourage your advisers and foreign policy chiefs to explain even nuances of our foreign policy to the media, so that the story of foreign policy, diplomacy, defense, and national security can be explained in clear language to the American public—not to be kept as if all secret.

9. Support our diplomats on the ground. Encourage vigilance and professionalism.

Retain your good diplomats. Don’t allow the elitist views of some political appointees and inertia in Congress to perpetuate discrimination that says only a few special diplomats are worthy of working beyond a certain age. In the field of diplomacy, experience matters and should not be enacted only by political appointees.

10. Be clear what your foreign policy is, what our American strategy is, and state clearly for all Americans and the rest of the world to know. Repeat your/our top foreign policy goals for the media to cover and publicize your/our top foreign policy goals.

let your love shine

In presenting this “memo-list of suggestions” immediately before and immediately after the 2012 November election, I emphasized that my memo was prepared as suggestions for either candidate, whichever was elected. As I stated at the time and repeat now, my recommendations were then, and still are, completely non-partisan because of my belief that foreign policy should ultimately be bipartisan to reflect the whole nation. Also, I pointed out that, as an American diplomat, I had worked as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer for several presidents, who are the nation’s commanders in chief for any officers serving in the military or diplomatic corps.

It’s my belief that my 2012 memo, about which I lectured but which I never published, still holds for any American President, whether now or in the upcoming administrations.

My suggestions outlined above as 10 points are the independent views of a mountain diplomat and political analyst raised in these independent Western North Carolina hills.

I offer them as critical planks for any President in executing United States foreign policy in its connection to our domestic policy and relations with the rest of the world.

FINE JEWELRY & DESIGN STUDIO

Elizabeth (Liz) Colton, a former American diplomat, foreign correspondent, and professor of politics and journalism. Currently, Liz is CEO of the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations and previously served as programdirector for other American Committees on Foreign Relations. She grew up in Asheville and the mountains of Western North Carolina.

www.jewelsthatdance.com

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L leisure & libation

several hundred feet in

written by paul cl ark

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Linville Caverns

photos by anthony harden

holds on to

million-year-old secrets

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 43

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leisure & libation

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S

everal million years ago, long before Asheville grew its reputation for good eats and mad beats, some of the coolest underground rooms in the area were steadily gaining ground.

Deep within Humpback Mountain’s porous limestone, trickles of water began carving out Linville Caverns. Eventually, the waters widened out a series of rooms large enough to house Indian explorers, Civil War deserters and, now, troops of tourists who make Linville Caverns one of the top tourist destinations in Western North Carolina.

Located at the northern end of McDowell County’s North Cove community, about an hour’s drive from Asheville, the caverns and their constant 52-degree temperature are a cooling respite from summer’s heat. Merely driving down the destination’s shady, forested entranceway from U.S. 221 brings relief, as do the free-flowing, cold waters of the Catawba River’s North Fork. Picnic tables beside the river by the caverns provide a pleasant perch for a pre-tour snack. And then begins the tours into some seriously cool caves.

Guides escort small groups along the lighted path, pointing out Frozen Niagara, The Volcano, and the Total Darkness Room; rooms and formations that sound like zombie drinks made by bartenders in suspenders. Twisting natural sculptures fill crevices and niches, created over millions of years by the steady drip, drip, drip of rainwater above, and by the swirl of the bracingly cold creek that runs through the caverns.

Linville Caverns, the only caverns open to tours in North Carolina, have fascinated June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 45

leisure & libation

Twisting natural sculptures fill crevices and niches, created over millions of years by the steady drip, drip, drip of rainwater above, and by the swirl of the bracingly cold creek that runs through the caverns.

people since the first Native American noticed an opening in the mountain that spilled forth a trout-filled creek.

The caverns have gone by several names through the years, including Humpback Cave, McGhee Cave, Gilkey Caverns, The Cave beneath Sunnalee, and Catawba Cave. One of its first known literary references was made in 1849. In his book “Letters from the Alleghany Mountains,” Charles Lanman wrote: “Catawba Cave, situated on the Catawba River, is entered by a fissure near the base of a mountain and is reported to be one mile in length. It has a great variety of chambers, which vary in height from six to twenty feet. Its walls are composed of a porous limestone, through which the water is continually dripping, and along this entire length flows a cold and clear stream, which varies from five to fifteen inches in depth. This cave is indeed a curious affair.”

Lanman noted that there was an arm of the caverns that had not been explored. “An admirable opportunity is therefore offered for the adventurous to make themselves famous by revealing some of the hidden wonders of nature,” he wrote. By then, the area around the caverns had been attracting daring 46

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souls for decades. Settlers moved into what is now McDowell County in the years leading up to the American Revolution, making Davidson’s Fort, for which Old Fort is named, the westernmost post in the colonies, author Cato Holler notes in his book “Hollow Hills of Sunnalee: The Linville Caverns Story.” Linville Caverns, whose name came from the early settler William Linville, may have housed some of the “Over The Mountain Men” on their way to the 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain. It likely provided shelter to Confederate and Union army deserters during the Civil War, Holler explains.

“What they were doing when they were hiding here was making shoes,” Kyle Dyson, assistant manager of the caverns, said on a recent tour. He was speaking deep inside the caves, in front of a slightly hollow bowl in the travertine limestone wall.

It’s here where the soldiers, sleeping on the sandbar above the flowing waters, made their fire. “We know that because in the late 1800s when they found the fireplace, they found a small cobbler’s bench and all the tools necessary to assemble shoes,” Dyson said. “They believe that the soldiers were trading shoes locally for supplies or possibly to support their families back

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local farms,

LOCAL FOOD New Arrivals Beans Tomatoes Cabbage Beets Squash Cucumbers Green Onions Early Peaches Lettuce Blueberries Herbs & Bedding Plants home.” Dyson doubts the Confederate and Union soldiers occupied the caverns at the same time. Local lore has it that the soldiers were captured inside, betrayed by the wood smoke that worked its way out of the ground.

The caverns were a mostly local phenomena for years, attracting brave boys in as far as their nerves allowed. In 1884, Thomas Edison sent a mineralogist to look for platinum. None was found, but the scientist and his guides scrawled their names on a rock in back of the cave. The so-called Signature Rock isn’t part of the tour, but photos of it exist in the gift shop. A group of businessmen bought the caverns in 1937 and opened them to tourists two years later.

Hundreds of stalactites were broken off in a massive flood in 1941 and prompted the building of the low retaining walls inside now. Sections of the walkway stay wet from the water that trickles upon visitors in places, an indication, Dyson said, that the caverns are still very much in their prime. He has seen the cave nearby bone dry (during the yearlong drought a few years ago) to halfway filled with water from hurricane-driven storms that flooded the mountains a decade ago. “They’ll eventually repair themselves,” he said of the broken stalactites, “but none of us will be around to see what that looks like.”

In 1988, the state registered the caverns as a Natural Heritage Area, which regulates what the caverns’ private owners can do with it. The protection means that visitors can’t pick the delicate, vibrant wildflowers on the rock face outside the entrance. In

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winter, the caverns are home to hibernating bats. Trout swim in the stream year-round, except for the times when otter come in and wipe them out, Dyson said.

The caverns stay a constant temperature year-round, making them pleasant during winter as well. Nearly all the tunnels that people walk through are natural, in that little rock was removed to create the walkway that runs through the attraction. The rooms and passageways were created by rainwater that picks up carbon dioxide as it seeps through the mountain. The carbon dioxide dissolves minerals in the ground, sending them into the caverns, said Dyson, who has picked up a good bit of geology in his many years on the job.

“By the time the rainwater gets to where we are—as it hangs from the ceiling, trickles down the walls, hits the floor—it’s packed full of minerals and it makes little deposits,” he said. It takes years to create cave formations. “The process is really slow,” he said.

“It’s estimated that it takes 125 years to build up a cubic inch. You could come here every day of your life and never really see a difference in the size of the formations.”

Walking behind a group of tourists, Dyson walked past cave coral, sponge rock, and ribbon formations with fluted edges called “cave bacon.” “It feels as if you’re on a different planet,” he said. In the John Quincy Gilkey Room, named for the man who opened the caverns to the public, Dyson pointed out a column made by a stalagmite and stalactite fused together after thousands upon thousands of years of accretion.

“The easiest way to remember the difference is that stalactites hold ‘tight’ to the ceiling,” he said. The caverns are full of color, from silverly white calcite crystals to bluish-purple smears of zinc cobalt, from the rust-like streaks of iron and to jet-black manganese fields. Pyrite (fool’s gold) and quartz deposits throw off bits of brightness.

There are far larger caverns in the United States, but one of the advantages of Linville Caverns is that they are small enough so that visitors can see the formations really

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Adventures that burn at

1800 degrees. d i g g i n g i n , s tay i n g o u t

On U.S. 221 north of Linville Caverns is Famous Louise’s Rock House Restaurant, in an old stone building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At the N.C. 183 junction, the restaurant offers diners a chance to sit in the county of their choice—Avery, Burke, or McDowell. The kitchen (located on the Avery County side) serves straight-up American food—burgers and biscuits, all generously proportioned.

In Spruce Pine there’s Knife & Fork, whose chef Nate Allen was one of 100 nominees for Food & Wine magazine’s “The People’s Best New Chef” competition. The recipient of national press, the restaurant sources nearly all of its ingredients locally and gives comfort food an adventurous spin. Scheduled to open before summer is the craft cocktail-themed Spoon Bar, located next to the restaurant.

If you’d like to make a night of it, The Parkview Lodge is about a mile from Famous Louise’s. Rooms are inexpensive and make an excellent base for exploring other nearby attractions that include Grandfather Mountain, Linville Falls, and the Pisgah National Forest.

The Tuscan-style tasting room of Linville Falls Winery is near the motel on U.S. 221. The winery makes a Syrah, a Chardonnay, and several other wines, as well as cherry bounce, a fortified wine that Martha Washington kept around for husband George.

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closely, often standing beside them while they snap away with their phones. In the hopes of minimizing the impact on the caverns, guides ask visitors not to touch the walls, except for in one area, where they’re invited to run their fingers over the wet, surprisingly smooth rock.

Dyson walked through a narrow passageway and stood on top of a grate affixed over a sliver of glowing water. That’s the Bottomless Pool, he said, many people’s most vivid memory if only because it’s so mysterious. It really is bottomless, or certainly seems that way. Cave divers have made it down about 40 feet before the crevice got too narrow. A weighted rope descended 250 feet before it hit something and stopped.

Nobody knows what’s down there, except for visitors’ keys, cameras, and cell phones, Dyson said.

“We had a lady one time, she had one of those thin wallets that fell out when she was squeezing through here,” he said. Somehow the wallet made it past the bars into the water. “It just kept slowly sinking, sinking, sinking. She had a couple thousand dollars of vacation money in there.” No telling where it is now, he said.

Dyson joined a tour group in the Total Darkness Room, 2,500 feet below the top of Humpback Mountain. “There are only two places in the entire world where you’ll get total darkness naturally,” tour guide Alana Waller told the group. “One place is underground, like we are right now, and the other is in the abyss of the ocean too far down that light cannot penetrate.

But I can guarantee you, you won’t get to the abyss for under $10 on a Saturday.” In 1915, two local kids lighting their way with a lantern made it deep into the caverns, she said. One of the boys slipped in the water, plunging them into darkness so complete that they were able to get out, two days later, only by following the frigid water exiting the cave.

Waller, illuminated by a few small floor lights, announced that she was about to demonstrate how dark total darkness could be. She told the group to grab on to someone if they need to and then disappeared around the corner and flipped off the lights.

You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. In this kind of darkness, you’d go blind in three months, she said. You’d go crazy in two weeks.

Despite the thousands of visitors the caverns attract every year, there’s still some mystery to them. No one is quite sure where the creek comes from that runs through the passageways. Dyson’s not sure that all the rooms have been discovered.

Explorers have been to the very back, far beyond the public tour, to where the stream rises from the ground. Behind that opening may be small cavities, big ballrooms, or huge domes of chilled, silent darkness.

That’s just speculation. But who knows, Dyson said. Many of Linville Caverns’ rooms were discovered by spelunkers squeezing past the impossible, into small crevices and water-filled openings. The caverns are alive, in the sense that water is still seeping through their porous walls. “Eventually, this cave will dry out completely,” Dyson said. That might not be for thousands of years. “But when you’re talking about caves, that’s no time at all,” he said.

Explorers have been to the very back, far beyond the public tour, to where the stream rises from the ground. Behind that opening may be small cavities, big ballrooms, or huge domes of chilled, silent darkness.

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51

Toni Carlton

has room for the loom IN BANNER ELK, NC written by jim murphy

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photos by ellen gwin

how one artist’s hands-on approach to her craft(s) led to owning her own business toni carlton

weaves on her loom.

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com

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I

n the ultra-competitive battle for tourist dollars, vacation regions try to brand themselves with enticing nicknames.

Sometimes the brand takes on a life of its own and becomes an identity in itself. Consider the Big Apple, Big Easy, Music City USA. The brands confer instant recognition as New York, New Orleans, and Nashville.

Among smaller destinations, the branding game is no less intense.

Jacksonville bills itself as the place “Where Florida Begins.” Charleston, South Carolina, is the “Low Country,” Greenville-Spartanburg is “Upstate South Carolina.” Asheville claims the lofty handle, “Land of the Sky,” and along the Virginia and Tennessee borders, a six-county Appalachian mountain region calls itself, “The High Country.”

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The mountains of the High Country provide a three-season tourist bonanza, beginning with the cool summer breezes that invite visitors to escape the lowland heat. The summer gives way to fall-color tourists—“leaf peepers”—snapping photos of the mountain wilderness. And Thanksgiving weekend marks the beginning of the snow season when enthusiasts crowd the slopes to slide down a mountain on everything from skis to inner tubes.

Then comes springtime,—what the tourism promoters call their “shoulder season”—when everyone can take a deep breath and begin getting ready for the upcoming summer rush.

Running concurrently to all those outdoor attractions is a vibrant arts scene. Anchored by energetic programs at Appalachian State University in the city of Boone, the High Country is home to dozens of artists, museums and galleries. “We have a pretty big artsy community up here,” says one knowledgeable resident. It gives the visitor still another activity to pursue. The pursuit will inevitably reach the Carlton Gallery in Banner Elk. Toni Carlton calls her space an art gallery. A more accurate description might be an arts—with an s—gallery. Because

a visitor would be hard pressed to find a medium that isn’t represented here.

To enter the front door is to walk into a wall-to-wall, floorto-ceiling montage of color, texture and form. Paintings—oils, pastels, acrylics—display bright splashes of color in abstract, impressionist and realist styles. Large sculptures, both abstract and representational, done in wood and steel, stand at apparently random places in the 10-room spread. Clay creations—the word “pottery” doesn’t quite measure up—sit on pedestals or shelves alongside display cases of jewelry or a rack of woven fabric. Glass figures reflect sprays of quiet lighting. The gallery exhibits whatever an artist’s hands and imagination can conjure.

And behind a small counter in a corner Toni wraps a purchase for a smiling patron. She calls the variety of arts on display “diversity,” a word that captures her own experience as an artist.

She was attracted to a career in the arts “as young as I can remember,” she says, pointing to a creative family heritage. “As a little girl I learned crocheting from my grandmother. Both my grandmothers did fiber arts, and my grandfather was a woodworker who built a loom for my grandmother and an aunt. So

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com

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toni carlton

paints in her studio.

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my feel for the arts goes back at least three generations.

“When I got to highschool, I took every art class they had.

I also took industrial arts—woodworking, leather, anything I could do with my hands.”

She continued her arts education at Appalachian State University, where “I wanted to learn everything I could.” That led to classes in woodworking, leather, clay, jewelry, architectural design, painting, and drawing. “Fibers were my main concentration. In fact, for a woodworking class I built a loom for my weaving. The teacher didn’t like it. He wanted a piece of furniture. I explained it was something I would use, but he gave me a C. So I took the course again and made a king-size

four-poster bed with ball-and-claw feet. I got an A.” That loom played a big—if accidental—role in her path to owning a gallery. “I had no idea I was going to have a business.

It wasn’t a plan; it just worked out.”

A full-size weaver’s loom is bigger than a king-size bed. It can fill a generous room, leaving little, if any, space for living.

The size of her loom presented the young weaver with a large problem.

“It was too big for my apartment. At the time I was waiting tables at Smoke Tree Lodge, and they rented a suite of offices where they were selling timeshares. I put some of my work on the walls of their office, and they let me use the back rooms for June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 57

my looms. That was working out quite well, but when Smoke Tree moved out of the building I panicked. I had to figure out how to pay the rent. So I asked two friends who were also fiber artists if they’d like to share the space and the expenses. I was just making it up as I went along. We kept that arrangement for a couple of years—until they decided to move out.”

Toni’s fiber creations were not the usual utilitarian pieces.

No hats, gloves or scarves. “I was into big pieces. They weren’t functional. They were art.” And her work was getting noticed.

“I did panels for P.B. Scott’s Music Hall in Blowing Rock. They

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were 12 feet across and we hung five, maybe seven, panels. I had pieces in Smoke Tree Lodge, Grandfather Country Club. Wayne Underwood from Mystery Hill asked me to demonstrate there maybe a day or two a week. I was weaving, making art. I was determined to prove that fiber arts and craft could also be art.”

She had begun to branch out into clay, drawing, tapestry, basketry. “I didn’t make baskets to use,” she says, and as she speaks, her hands are hard at work, drawing little circles in the air, waving abstract gestures to illustrate her thoughts.

She stands up and extends a hand at shoulder height to help

That loom played a big—if accidental—role in her path to owning a gallery. “I had no idea I was going to have a business. It wasn’t a plan; it just worked out.”

describe the size of her early baskets. “I only made them as an art form this big, this tall. It was sculpture. Sculptural basketry.”

She is giving new meaning to the term, “the art of conversation.”

As her creations were expanding, so was her marketing. She began going to art shows and festivals, which brought her to the next step on the road to her gallery.

“At the Virginia Beach art show I met so many other artists. I loved their work. I would add a few little things from my favorite artists to complement my vision. And then I started purchasing pieces. I’d buy a handful of these, a couple of those…”

Toni is clearly absorbed with her multiple artistic ventures, so it seems curious that she would devote so much of her time and energy to the challenges of running a business.

“That part I didn’t plan,” she says with an almost sheepish grin. “It began to evolve when those two partners moved out.

Even when I was with them I was paying the bills, doing the bookkeeping. I finally had to hire someone to take care of the paperwork. I’m more right-brained than left-brained, so to pull me in and keep me focused on that is not something I do easily.”

Beyond bookkeeping, the business demands a catalog of

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 59

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chores that Toni lists with a plodding cadence: “The marketing, the advertising, all the social media now, emails, mailing lists, planning shows and receptions, designing the ads, working with newspapers and magazines, writing press releases, designing cards that go out, putting stamps on the cards, printing address labels and putting them on the cards.

“Then in the gallery, there’s cleaning, hanging art, lighting the space, painting the walls, spackling, just keeping the place looking pretty. You have so many chores in here.”

Toni’s inner entrepreneur and artist compete for her energy, and she feels the conflict.

“The gallery takes so much of my life. There’s this push and pull of how much of my work do I display here. I would like to put my art in other galleries, but I don’t have the time to do all that and run this one and make my art…” Her voice trails off.

But for all her struggles, her art and her gallery keep growing. More than 30 years after that “room-for-the-loom” beginning, the Carlton gallery is in its third location with more than 200 artists. The gloss and quality of her gallery prompts the question: Why hasn’t she moved to a bigger city with a stronger art reputation?

“I know technique and I know quality because I’ve made them all. I want the quality and beauty so I keep expanding.”

(828) 773-7345 morehouseinteriors.com 60

| June 2014

above : Paintings by Sharon Rusch Shaver. below : Sculpture by John LIttleton & Kate Vogel. left: Paintings by Andy Braitman.

“I’ve thought about it,” she says. “But I was born here in the High Country, in Boone. This is my home. This is where I belong.”

Her gallery remains at home, but some of her artists have earned national recognition. (See the photos above.)

PAINTER ANDY BRAITMAN was named one of America’s leading artists by First Lady Nancy Reagan. Braitman contributed a decorated Easter egg to the White House.

The egg remains on display in the Smithsonian Institution.

JOHN LITTLETON AND KATE VOGEL create pieces in cast and blown glass at their studio in nearby Bakersville, North Carolina. They have taught at the prestigious Penland School, and their works are in museums from Asheville to the High Museum in Atlanta to museums in Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.

SHARON RUSCH SHAVER was commissioned to do a painting for the White House in 1999. It remains in their permanent collection. Her work is included in major corporate collections, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Carlton artists range from the thoroughly notable to the simply noticeable. And their prices range from less than $15 to more than $15,000. “The lower-priced items add to the diversity,” Toni says. But all the artists in the gallery have one thing in common: They have appealed to Toni’s selective eye.

“I go to shows to experience new artists. And I go through stacks of mail and email from artists who would like to be in the gallery. There are so many of them I get lost in that. I really appreciate what everybody does. I know what they go through to create. I know technique and I know quality because I’ve made them all. I want the quality and beauty, so I keep expanding, but I still don’t have space for all the artists I’d like to have in here. The hardest part for me is saying, ‘No.’” For all the time and energy Toni has devoted to the gallery, she still has managed to advance her own career as an artist, with exhibits in China, Korea, Europe and, of course, the United States. It is that creative element of her career that brings a satisfied smile. “My original dream wasn’t to be a gallery owner.

My dream was to be an artist.”

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 61

THE OLD

NORTH

company produces fabrics made out of natural and synthetic fibers, much of which is used for car interiors.

The city of Winston-Salem also previously approved $75,891 in incentives for the company.

STATE [

news briefs

Why Uber chose Raleigh raleigh

Uber, a California ride-share startup that made its Raleigh debut last month, is already seeing the benefits of a Triangle presence. Rachel Holt, regional general manager for Uber East Coast, brushes off the idea that the market is too saturated for companies such as Uber. After all, Uber has been in cities without taxi cabs before. “One of the great things about being a technology company is, we have all this data and information on cities and customer usage even before we actually enter a city,” she explained.

They significantly observe people who look at the app in a given region, even when there are no Uber vehicles in that area. Over the last few months, interest in Raleigh has continued to grow. It is not just about the riders, but also the drivers. “I think anyone who is on the UberX

]

Ralph Lauren to open large facility in new High Point corporate park

system first and foremost is making sure that customer safety is number one…Any driver that comes on the system with us passes a very, very rigorous background check at the county, state and federal levels,” she explained.

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Ralph Lauren Corporation will become the first tenant of the I-74 Corporate Park in High Point. Construction should start in June on a 843,000-square-foot office and distribution facility for the company. There is additional acreage available for Ralph Lauren to expand further, but the timeline and size of a potential second facility is currently undetermined. Landmark Builders of the Triad are constructing the Ralph Lauren building and should complete the project by late 2015. Ralph Lauren currently operates three facilities in High Point: a 1.2 million-square-foot facility at 4100 Beechwood Drive, a 800,000-squarefoot facility at 201 N. Pendleton Street, and a 343,000-square-foot facility at

Forsyth County approves incentives for German fabric maker forsyth county

The For sy t h C ou nt y B oa rd of Commissioners reportedly approved $102,639 in incentives for a German fabric maker to locate in the Union Cross Business Park.

Polyvlies Franz Beyer GmbH & Co., which is seeking to open its first location in the United States, would generate a total of 30 jobs. The family-owned

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4190 Eagle Hill Drive. The company is High Point’s largest employer, with 2,369 full-time-equivalent workers, and also has workers at Rock Creek Center in Whitsett.

Drink beer, get gear statewide

Perks for drinking craft beer are now offered to local beer enthusiasts. The North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild has executed a membership program that offers discounts and special deals to those who become “Pint Hounds.” The membership fee is $45, and it is good from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015. Special offers include 20 percent off merchandise at certain breweries, free gear with purchases and other giveaways and discounts.

Duke receives $7.5M to help out Ph.D students triad area

The Duke University Graduate School was given $7.5 million for fellowships for Ph.D. candidates from the Duke Endowment. The Duke Endowment is an endowment in Charlotte founded

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carolina in the west

national & world

by James B. Duke in 1924 and not affiliated with the university in Durham.

The endowment’s founder is the same Duke behind Duke University and Duke Energy, but they all remain separate organizations. The gift includes $5 million to fund The Duke Endowment Graduate Fellowship Endowment to support doctoral students, specifically those pursuing degrees in traditionally underfunded areas like the humanities and social sciences, as well as those working in interdisciplinary programs and initiatives. The remaining $2.5 million will support a challenge fund to encourage endowment contributions from other donors. Duke president Richard Brodhead has long supported arts education, even as areas in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields gain most of the attention. He co-chaired a commission on the humanities and social sciences, part of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which issued a report on the value of arts education. The Duke Endowment grant will help advance the comprehensive $3.25 billion Duke Forward fundraising campaign, which passed the $2 billion mark a few months ago. The Graduate School has approximately 2,500 Ph.D. students and 700

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research Master’s degree students enrolled across more than 70 departments and programs. In 2011, The Duke Endowment made an $80 million gift to Duke to fund renovations of the West Union building, as well as Page and Baldwin auditoriums. It is the largest single philanthropic gift in the university’s history.

Greensboro to host National Folk Festival greensboro

The city of Greensboro will host the National Folk Festival in the summer of 2015, the first time the festival has been hosted in North Carolina since its 1934 launch.

The Gate City was chosen out of 32 cities for the event, which will begin its three-year term in 2015. The festival will be co-produced by ArtsGreensboro and the National Council for the Traditional Arts in cooperation with the city of Greensboro, the Greensboro Convention & Visitors Bureau, Action Greensboro, and Downtown Greensboro Inc., among others. The National Folk Festival is the longest-running traditional arts event in the nation. The three-day festival attracts up to 150,000 total visitors and generates

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Historic Sutherland estate unveils new pavilion wake forest

The trio of owners at the Sutherland Estate & Gardens event facility in Wake Forest officially opened their new

permanent outdoor pavilion last month with a grand, wedding reception-style affair. Co-owner Gayle Adams says that the 9,000-square-foot, open-air building is much bigger than she was expecting. With its 34-foot ceilings, the pavilion stands behind the historic, early 1800s-era Sutherland home that she, her daughter, Ashlee Adams, and business partner, Jennifer Jones, transformed into a wedding and event facility in 2008.

Due to the natural trees and vegetation, the wood and stone pavilion fits with its surroundings, and the need to rent event tents on site will not be as necessary as in the past. The venue, located off U.S. 1 near the vacated Wake Forest Golf & Country Club, already has nearly 60 weddings booked for the 2014 wedding season. Although typically a ninemonth job, the pavilion’s completion was squeezed into two months and two weeks. It features a custom brick floor,

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Charlotte finished in second place for massive Toyota deal charlotte

Charlotte was close, but not close enough. The city finished in second place for a massive economic development deal: Toyota’s North American headquarters.

The auto company instead chose Plano, Texas, for a $300 million corporate campus that should exceed more than

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an economic impact of $15 million to $30 million per year. The festival will bring up to six stages to downtown Greensboro as well as a dance pavilion, featuring traditional crafts, regional food, storytelling, parades, and folk-life demonstrations. The dates of the festival have not yet been set, but Greensboro mayor Nancy Vaughan said the city is excited and honored to host the festival, which celebrates folk music, dance and traditional arts.

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Raleigh startup that NASA hopes will power spaceships raleigh

A Raleigh startup was chosen as one of 18 companies selected for a Barack Obama-announced energy consortium.

The 10-man startup GridBridge has

now signed a new deal with NASA. According to CEO Chad Eckhardt, the name of the contract is pretty technical, “Isolated Bidirectional DC Converters for Distributed Battery Energy Applications.”

But Eckhardt reassures that the idea is pretty simple. He says the core idea is distributed generation. Just as GridBridge’s technology ensures smartgrid backup, allowing power to be redirected during a power outage, it is being applied to do the same thing in the aerospace industry. Imagine a plane: you want more than one power generation source.

GridBridge technology provides a backup, redistributing the power in the same way as a smartgrid, but this would be in the air. That way, if one source of power is lost and power needs to be rerouted quickly, it can be done. There are various ways NASA could use the technology, whether in exploration probes, rovers

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or the International Space Station. The size of NASA’s contribution is still being negotiated, “typical grants of this size are more than $100,000,” Eckhardt says, and could increase as applications are proven. Eckhardt says that while the idea of his technology discovering life on Mars or the next habitable planet makes it all the more intriguing, that is not the only goal NASA has in mind. He explained: “Many people forget that NASA is working to improve earth conditions as well…They’ll send probes into the orbit to really dig into the ozone to explore different aspects…And that’s just one condition.” Eckhardt’s startup was the smallest company selected to be a part of that Department of Energy-funded consortium.

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one million square feet of space. Toyota is launching a new North American headquarters in Plano, and over the next three years, will transfer three separate North American headquarters for manufacturing, sales and marketing, and corporate operations to a single campus in Texas, bringing 4,000 jobs to the state from California, Kentucky, and New York.

Texas offered Toyota incentives totaling $40 million for the corporate campus.

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 65

Wine for the Wedding Season

H

hunt is the

owner & operator of Weinhaus, located on Patton Avenue in downtown Asheville.

by HUNT MALLETT

S

Spring has trickled by, and summer is wading in. Love is in the air, and we’re basking in the glow of the wedding season.

From April to October brides and grooms exchange their vows and celebrate with family and friends here in Western North Carolina.

Asheville and its surrounding mountains have become a popular destination for weddings, and June is the traditional peak of the season. So what can you expect when planning for the wine and beer at your reception?

At the Weinhaus in Asheville, we have been assisting in making these events go smoothly and on budget for over 35 years, so I’d like to share some points on how to make your wedding parties a hit with your family and guests.

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While it’s wise to book a number of elements far in advance, such as your favorite venue, caterer, band, or wedding coordinator, filling in the details of procuring wine and beer can be accomplished much closer to the wedding day. In fact, I recently had a customer come in from out of town to buy wine and beer for his wedding—the next day! I definitely don’t recommend cutting it that close, thankfully we carry enough stock to accommodate that situation. It’s better to plan once you know the menu, approximate number of guests, venue location, and, of course, the date when contacting the beverage purveyor. You can save money by contacting a wine and beer merchant directly, rather than assigning that task to a caterer or a wedding venue. A merchant that has a good reputation in event planning can talk you through a realistic number of what you will need considering the time of year, indoor versus outdoor, the menu, length of reception, number of guests, and other factors particular to your reception. It is also good to coordinate other parties and gatherings such as the rehearsal dinner, bride and groom parties, etc. Using the same selection of wine and beer at parties leading up to the wedding reception will assure that leftovers from the prior events won’t be wasted, and in most cases, easily transferred to the final event. This may take some collaboration between hosts of each event, but the wine and beer merchant can often facilitate these plans with separate ordering and invoicing.

The types of wine and beer are seemingly limitless, but most planners will suggest simplifying the wine choice to a couple of red and a couple of white varieties to pair with food choices, and perhaps some bubbly to enjoy for a toast to the bride and

groom. Popular red wines choices are Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, and Grenache blends.

For whites, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc, and Riesling are often used. For bubbles, nothing says p-a-r-t-a-y like Champagne, but true Champagne comes only from that region of France and is often an expensive option.

Less costly choices that don’t sacrifice taste come in the form of sparkling wines (also called Cava or Cremant) from Spain, France, Italy, the United States, and other wine growing regions.

Brut refers to a dry style of sparkling wine. Other sweeter choices are Moscato, Prosecco, Extra Dry, or Demi-Sec styles.

Asheville is “Beer City� and well known for quality local craft breweries, so having the right beer is as important as the wine choice. To please the beer drinkers, choose styles that vary from light styles (Lagers, Pilsners, Wheat Beer) to middle of the road (Scot Ales, Brown Ales, Pale Ales, IPAs) to darker, heavier beer (Porters, Stouts, Imperial Ales). Local and craft beers tend to be a bit pricier, while national domestic variety can be a good choice for the non-discriminating guest.

In planning on quantities, I like to start with the number of guests that will be drinking alcohol. Estimate the average age of guests and determine the split between wine and beer (and spirits if provided). Next, estimate the quantity of drinks per person. A rule of thumb is two drinks per person in the first hour, and one for each hour thereafter. Once you know the average number of drinks per person, multiply by the number of guests drinking wine, then divide by five (glasses per bottle) to arrive at the total number of bottles needed.

For beer, first determine if you will serve kegs or bottles and cans, then using the same method of figuring total drinks per person, divide by the servings per keg, or just the number of bottles or cans. There are 12 bottles of wine per case, 24 bottles or cans of beer per case, and 168 12-ounce servings per full keg. Smaller keg sizes are also available in most cases.

This primer gives you a good idea of what you need to consider for a wedding, or any party for that matter. There are always other details particular to your event that can be made part of the plan. The key is to develop a balance in the wine and beer desired with budget constraints. Working with a local, experienced vendor will help you make your wedding day one that all will remember.

The key is to develop a balance in the wine & beer desired with budget constraints.

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 67

kevin & k arile a rhe a

on the Linn Cove Viaduct.

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Changing

Gear written by arthur treff photos by anthony harden & courtesy of olympia motosports

Kevin & Karilea Rhea left the New York fashion world for something closer to the heart A single story brick building in Hendersonville is the home of Olympia Motosports. There are no signs, nor retail windows, and the door is propped open.

Modest dĂŠcor shows off framed vintage motorcycle poster art in the two-seat reception area. In the next room, a freestanding full-length mirror reflects a collection of technical outerwear hanging from industrial pipe. The large, central table looks multi-purpose, easily accommodating meetings, the layout of clothing patterns, or lunch duty.

An attractive small kitchen counter sits behind. Populated with a Keurig coffee maker, heated sandwich press and flanked by a full sized refrigerator, all signs indicate that this shop takes care of its employees. Autographed pictures of customers, thanking the Olympia Motosport team for superior service, are tastefully displayed, Noise and sunlight from the street abruptly flood the hallway. Amidst the swish of ballistic nylon and flashes of day-glow, the owners of Olympia emerge, clutching their June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 69

helmets. They fill coffee mugs from the machine and remark on what a lovely day it is for a ride.

Kevin Rhea attended the University of Cincinnati, attaining a Bachelors in fashion design. Student internship found him working a sewing machine on the assembly line at an apron factory.

The Gotham Grind After graduation, he moved to New York City, and like generations before him, paid his dues in the fashion garment industry, taking tedious jobs to climb the ladder of success. Years of work yielded a good posting at First Manufacturing, a Pakistan-based, contract clothing manufacturer specializing in leather goods. ‘First’ is the largest leather garment manufacturer in the world, producing goods for many well-known brands.

Wilson Leather became Kevin’s account. Responsible for sales as well as design, Kevin landed where every fashionista dreams of: designing a men’s leather clothing line for an internationally recognized brand, and getting paid to do so. Life was suddenly very good.

Kevin drew up a storm of garments, his employer cut and stitched them together, and Wilson Leathers sold millions out of their retail supply chain.

At the same time, First Manufacturing put Kevin in charge of their own motorcycle apparel line, which appealed to Kevin, an avid motorcyclist since age thirteen.

“I was working for First Manufacturing—Wilsons was my account—doing clothing design and sales,” says Kevin. As a fashion design student coming of age in the heyday of Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, all young designers dream of achieving that level of success.”

Sensing Change To stay informed about the moto-market for First Manufacturing, Kevin attended trade shows in Italy, Germany and the annual Motorcycle Retailers Show in Indianapolis, Indiana. Here, suppliers from all over the globe displayed their wares to buyers from the large dealers and distributors.

Motorcycle clothing has evolved from its humble beginnings,

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where jeans, work boots, and a t-shirt were all that stood between the pavement and a rider’s skin.

Today, protective clothing is made from leather or synthetics, and includes lightweight armor embedded in elbows, back, and shoulders. Sophisticated coatings and membranes keep the rain out, while engineered ventilation systems allow cooling air in.

Bright fluorescent colors and retro-reflective tape keep riders safely visible, day and night.

At the show, European manufacturers displayed stylish, protective garments, crammed with safety features that would make NASA smile, with high altitude price tags. Other manufacturers, playing to the low end of the market, copied the Europeans’ styling, using inferior materials and processes.

It was during his first Indy retail show that entrepreneurial enlightenment struck.

“When I saw a need in the market for high quality, safe, motorcycle apparel at reasonable price points, I had to do it,” says Kevin. “I decided to switch dreams. I’d leave the high-flying fashion industry, in exchange for helping to save lives…and being my own boss.”

Creating a line of safe, protective clothing that most riders could afford drove Kevin in a different direction, away from his successful fashion career. His clothing business would be more of a public service, Kevin felt. There was a lot of work ahead for the young man, but by then he was part of a team.

Flash from the Past Back in Ohio during his senior year, Kevin dated a woman named Karilea, which was bittersweet, because life sent them

in different directions, and they lost touch. Ten years later, while waiting for an elevator in New York City, he spotted a familiar face…lightening does strike twice. A year later, Karilea and Kevin Rhea were married and settled into a home in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

Since graduation, Karilea had also worked fashion jobs with high as well as low visibility, and found a niche for herself representing Italian knitwear manufacturers to American retail stores. The clothes were manufactured in Italy, labeled, and shipped in volume to high-end department stores, Saks Fifth Avenue being one of her largest customers.

With 38 years combined experience in the apparel industry, the Rheas were both skilled designers, and in addition, each had developed competencies that would serve them well in this new endeavor.

Kevin was very familiar with the all the steps required in taking a sketch to a mass produced garment, and he had worked with manufacturers in the United States, Pakistan, India, Korea, and China.

Karilea’s expertise with retail stores, offered her in-depth knowledge of product forecasting, production planning, importing, and inventory control.

These skills would come to be extremely complimentary to Kevin’s manufacturing experience.

Capitalizing on the need for high quality motorcycle garments at a more affordable price required controlling all aspects of design, marketing, sales and distribution. No middle men would be invited into the sales channel, the Rhea business would bypass distributors, passing the savings on to their customers, which meant the new business would have to wholesale directly to individual dealers.

Fabric of Trust European motorsport clothing manufacturers had been using leather as well as a heavyweight nylon or polyester fabric to protect the wearer’s skin against the heat and abrasion of a high-speed slide on pavement.

Cordura, a proprietary blend of nylon/polyester threads was developed by DuPont during WWII and found usage as aircraft

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com

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in marr akesh , morocco

tire reinforcement, parachute parts, and high wear areas of backpacks and combat clothing. Other nylon-based textiles are turned out by fiber manufacturers, but the highest quality, toughest fabric is still manufactured by DuPont and marketed under the name ‘Cordura.’

Abrasion testing data can be seen on DuPont’s website, and Cordura brand fabric performs between two and fourteen times better than generic nylon blends in controlled testing.

Less expensive — and therefore less trustworthy— clothing is composed of this generic nylon. Kevin and Karilea planned from the outset to use only materials of the highest pedigree, therefore, all the important pieces of their garments would be sewn from Cordura. All garment components would be from trusted brands, including YKK brand waterproof zippers, and armor approved by the European standards, CE (Conformité Européenne). It was a core value for their products to save lives if called upon to do so.

Being avid motorcyclists, they had spent cold rainy days in the saddle and ridden in searing heat.

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Safety was not the only concern. Being avid motorcyclists, they had spent cold rainy days in the saddle and ridden in searing heat— these two knew what features would best serve their customers. Plus, their fashion background enabled them to design gear that looked good too.

The young designers continued working at their fashion jobs but sketched motorcycle protective gear and business plans in their spare time. When the moment was right, they gave notice and launched into their new venture…just when Al Qaeda launched theirs.

The Shift Post 9/11 New York was no place to start a new enterprise.

Small business loans were anathema to banks, and there was a sudden shortage of industrial space. Undeterred, the pair financed their fledgling business with credit card debt—every piece of bank junk mail—promising initial zero percent credit and zero annual fee—was mailed back in.

Every new business we’ve spoken to puts a lot of brainpower into the name. How could the pair gain enough credibility to

kevin & k arile a travel the world testing their products.

This photo taken while in the mountains of Peru.

entice people into buying their garments?

The answer came from fashion industry experience: co-marketing. They researched and secured a license to use the name and logo from a well-established leather glove manufacturer named Olympia Sports. This company had been started in 1940, and by 2001 enjoyed a 70% market share of leather and textile motorcycle glove sales.

Karilea and Kevin would distinguish their clothing company from the glove establishment, by using the name, Olympia Motosports.

How on earth does a two-person company running on credit card debt launch a complete clothing line? Sure, it would require contract manufacturing, but how do you choose one?

Picking a Partner Kevin was acquainted with manufacturers of leather, and Karilea knew companies that could knit, but the cornerstone of Olympia’s line was to be DuPont’s very expensive Cordura fabric, which came with strict application instructions for

in al ask a

manufacturers.

They asked DuPont which garment factory had the most experience working with their product. It turns out that a facility in China is the largest handler of Cordura in the world.

Olympia got busy.

A quote package was sent, and the relationship was started.

Olympia’s clothing is so complex that it requires 20 pages of schematics to define one jacket to a clothing manufacturer, and Kevin used an industry standard four-step process to bring the garments to market, a process that he follows to this day.

The first prototype out of the factory is usually a quantity of one, handcrafted by pattern makers. During the build, quite a few explanatory emails are required, and when finished, the sample is shipped to Kevin for inspection. Once the factory has understood his feedback, a second prototype batch of a higher quantity is run on the production line.

Second-run prototypes are not shipped to Olympia. Instead, Kevin takes the time to inspect the second batch on the factory floor in China. Feedback sessions include adjustments to materials and processes, with Kevin giving suggestions as to the manufacturing flow. This process can take days.

The third prototype round, or ‘pre production’ run, is considered 99% correct, and in a larger quantity than the second.

Shipped directly to Olympia, these garments are used for product advertising photos, as well as sales samples for sales reps and trade shows. If corrections are required, they are usually June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 73

minor, and can be communicated via phone and email.

While the pre-production samples were being photographed for sales collateral, Karilea had to rub her crystal ball and forecast how many products Olympia would require for a half of a year. This was crucial, because the manufacturing lead time is between four and five months. She had to calculate quantities of what products, colors and sizes would be sold in the immediate future, and then (big gulp) write a sizeable check to the manufacturer…with no sales orders in hand.

When Karilea’s production batch was ready, Kevin flew to China to inspect everything before the lot was boxed for shipping to the Olympia warehouse stateside.

Crunch Time Now came the acid test: They had to sell all the garments in the warehouse to recoup their investment. Olympia’s public debut was at the retail show in Indianapolis. Their booth, bearing the same logo as the well-established Olympia glove line, was crowded.

A buzz had been created; everyone wanted to see the new, expanded Olympia line.

“Co-marketing is very common in the fashion industry. Unknown clothing lines will license a logo, say, from the NFL, or NASCAR, or an established designer, to gain a market foothold. It provides instant credibility,” says Kevin.

The Rheas were pleasantly surprised by the show response; they booked more orders than expected, which had gained them some breathing room. The preparation, planning, and financial risk were moving them in the right direction. Olympia’s market share grew, mostly by word of mouth, and they became very busy.

Tragic attacks on the World Trade Center created a large surge in the New York City suburb residential real estate market.

Manhattan dwellers, fearing another devastating event wanted out of the city. This was the Rheas’ chance to sell their home and erase the credit card debt that financed the startup.

“When we look through that door, we see our retirement draped on those hangers.

If we don’t empty the stock, we can tack another couple years on.”

Thinking in the Box Location is important, as it drives shipping costs, especially if you’re wholesaling directly to your dealers, so Olympia let motorcycle statistics guide them. Data shows that the highest concentration of motorcycle retail activity takes place east of the Mississippi.

Karilea had a brilliantly simple idea: She drew a box on a map, with corners anchored in New Orleans, Miami, Bangor, and Cincinnati. Next, two intersecting lines were drawn between the four corners. This intersection depicted the epicenter of the motorcycle world, and it happened to fall in the Asheville area, a region that is internationally known for superior motorcycling roads. Both of these facts swayed the Rhea’s decision.

They purchased a brick building in Hendersonville’s Terminal District, which has been Olympia’s home for the last 11 years.

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“Our first five to six years—80 to 100% annual growth—2008 being our best year,” says Kevin. “Then the recession hit. Sales dropped off a bit, and we've been working hard to get back to ’08 levels since.”

In a little over a decade, Olympia’s sales are in the multi million dollar range, and the company in Hendersonville, North Carolina, has become one of the most trusted manufacturers of motorcycle clothing, with a reputation for high quality, safety, and good value.

Every industry has been hit hard by the economy and sales of new motorcycles have been down since 2008. Moto clothing sales have been held down by two additional factors: 2013 has been the rainiest spring and summer in forty years, so people aren’t riding as often, and the second reason is the bank crisis.

Dealers used to be able to bundle protective clothing purchases into new bike sales, allowing the buyer to finance it all.

That retail courtesy has dried up, because a new vehicle can be repossessed, while helmets and armored garments cannot.

Throughout the company’s history, Kevin and Karilea have stuck to their original business plan: To produce the highest quality protective clothing possible at a modest price point, their strategy is simple:

SELLING factory direct to retailers.

SOURCING materials of only the highest quality.

M ANUFACTURING with a trusted, quality, factory at a competitive price point.

KEEPING their overhead costs under control.

R ELYING on customer word of mouth to grow the business.

BEING personally involved with Olympia dealers and customers.

Cost control by direct wholesaling may sound trivial, until you consider the day-to-day details involved. Bypassing the large distributors and selling directly to retailers is work.

In addition to the daily communication required with all their American outlets, the Rheas load a truck with two racks of clothing and for six weeks each year, visit most of the Olympia dealers. This annual roadshow is not only an opportunity to demonstrate changes to the product line, it’s also a crucial relationship building exercise.

The financial crisis has made most Olympia retailers cautious about the cost of stocking, especially since fewer people are buying new gear. Added to that challenge, distributors are now offering Olympia retailers consigned stock of competitors clothing line—meaning a dealer only pays for what he sells.

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Olympia, in adapting to this challenge, has brought on two of the larger web-based retailers, both known for their quality of service. This has boosted sales in the sagging market.

United States headquartered motorsports clothing manufacturers abound, but Olympia is the only one considered a ‘mom and pop’ enterprise. Evidence for the difference this makes is everywhere. For instance, Kevin personally answers 95% of all customer emails.

Emailing is time very well spent, as not only is he bonding with the individuals who wear his gear, but he also gains valuable feedback, can monitor trends in product popularity, and keep tabs on the competition.

Trusting the Gear “Eighty percent of the motorcycle protective gear on the market today is low cost, and low quality, driven solely by profit margin,” says Kevin. “We’re different. Safety is our primary concern, not the bottom line. We still use Cordura, even though the cost has doubled in the last ten years.”

A read through the customer feedback bin on their website www.olympiamotosports.com erases any doubt that Olympia’s safety and comfort mission is successful. It is filled with customer testimonials about how well the gear works. The stories range from driving rain, searing heat, collisions with vehicles, bears, and deer with the ensuing high-speed pavement slides.

‘Your gear saved my life’ is a statement repeated over and over.

“The best part of this job is being our own boss,” says Kevin.

“Olympia isn’t controlled within some huge corporate umbrella, so we can react quickly to challenges as well as customer feedback. That’s very gratifying.”

Every business has its challenges, and for a manufacturer of expensive apparel, the tough one is forecasting sales projections—get it right and you end the season with very little inventory and zero unhappy customers. Miscalculations, on the other hand, are costly.

“When a visitor looks at all the inventory out there,” says Karilea, nodding toward Olympia’s warehouse door, “they see a colorful display of new products. When we look through that door, we see our retirement draped on those hangers. If we don’t empty the stock, we can tack another couple years onto our working lives before we can retire.”

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Acting Locally Kevin and Karilea comprise two of the five employees (plus 16 independent sales reps) that Olympia employs. They firmly believe in hiring the right full-time person and paying them a good wage, rather than the popular trend of using only part time workers to reduce costs and avoid having to pay for their benefits. We were pleased to learn that in addition to good wages, the Rheas pay all of their employees’ health insurance

, LLC premiums.

Speaking of stewardship, Olympia made a concerted effort to spread some of the manufacturing to North Carolina clothing factories. Some of their garments have zip out insulating liners, not nearly as complex as the Cordura outer layers, which could be manufactured locally. They were shocked by the results.

Prototype packages were sent to four leading companies. One refused to private label anyone’s garments, declining to work with Olympia.

Another revealed itself to be a sweatshop every bit as bad as those Kevin had seen in Pakistan and India. They were removed from the running instantly. The remaining two factories never got around to delivering prototypes, in spite of a long lead time, Karilea’s coaxing, and extending Olympia’s production schedule to accommodate them.

This behavior was the polar opposite to their China based manufacturer, who has clean, state of the art facilities, and an educated staff who match Karilea and Kevin’s zeal for making quality garments. They have assigned pattern makers to the Olympia account, as well as English speaking liaisons to communicate critical data to the operators on the factory floor.

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Trusting Partnership For most of us, it seems scary to ship a package of drawings to an overseas manufacturer, but bear in mind, that for Kevin and Karilea, they’ve been doing this since college.

It helps that, in addition to designing the clothing line, they both have the experience to make patterns, cut, and then sew an entire Olympia garment themselves. Many times during a factory inspection tour, it’s not surprising that Kevin will show his manufacturer how to tweak the build process to achieve less waste, or save time.

We’ve heard the true horror stories of Chinese factories pirating a United States company’s intellectual property, thereby competing for the same customer base.

Olympia trusts their Chinese partner for a few reasons. The factory manufactures a large volume of Cordura based products, and news of any piracy would find its way back to DuPont, which could jeopardize the entire business. Secondly, there isn’t a market for protective gear in China, motorcycle protection isn’t a part of Chinese culture, most ride in sandals without helmets.

We’ve heard this many times, but never tire of hearing what advice successful entrepreneurs would give to someone wanting to follow in their footsteps.

“Whatever business you start,” says Kevin, “you’d better love it, because the ‘ups’ are lovely, but the ‘downs’ are pretty devastating. Be prepared to work hard, and in this economy, be well capitalized so that you can keep the doors open until you’re profitable. Finally, be smart. Pay attention to everything, because you never know what comes next…you must be willing to change direction if the need arises.”

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June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 77

UPDATES FOR

NATIONAL WORLD [

& news briefs

Google to stop mining student emails for ad ideas worldwide

Google will stop looking for advertising ideas in the emails of students using a suite of the Internet company’s free products customized for schools. The changes affect Google’s “Apps for Education” service that has been offered to schools for the past seven years. Google Inc. claims it will no longer pore through Gmails sent through Apps for Education for clues about students’ interests. The scanning helps the company figure out what types of ads might appeal to the students. Although Google did not show ads in Apps for Education unless school administrators choose to allow the commercial pitches, the company could

]

still use the personal data collected in Gmail scanning to push products when students might be using other online services. More than 30 million students, teachers, and administrators use the Apps for Education suite.

Austin’s Mueller neighborhood greenest in the country austin, tx

Mueller, the master-planned community that was redeveloped from the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport in Central Austin, has been dubbed the greenest neighborhood in the country, tied with the Valley View community in Chicago. The rankings were established by national residential brokerage Redfin,

NOW

which is based in Seattle. Nearly 39% of homes listed for sale in Mueller have green features, such as solar panels, lowflow faucets, dual pane windows, energy efficient appliances or are LEED and/or Energy Star certified. Two other cities in the country have two neighborhoods in the Top 10: Seattle, Washington, and Raleigh, North Carolina.

FedEx pricing change may cause new retail era worldwide

FedEx plans to change its pricing system to account for the size of packages in addition to weight, potentially shaking up the consumer shipping industry.

While FedEx already charges by size for some types of packages, beginning in January 2015, it will do so for all ground shipments. Some experts say UPS will inescapably follow suit. With those two major companies shifting their pricing, direct-order retailers, particularly ones that have leveraged cheap shipping as core elements of their business models, will have to adjust.

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Dunkin’ Donuts readies to do battle in Europe worldwide

The doughnut is preparing to battle European national treats in their homelands: the Belgian waffle, the Austrian strudel, and the Danish, which is self-explanatory. Since the 1990s, American restaurant chain Dunkin’ Donuts has been quietly building up its presence in Europe and now has 120 outlets, mostly in Germany but also in Russia, Spain, Bulgaria, and most recently, Britain.

According to Dunkin’ Donuts’ head of international development Jeremy Vitaro, the company is now seeking to open stores in Denmark, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Despite the weak European economy, it believes customers have money to spend. “They’re sophisticated, and they’re culturally very open (to trying new foods),” he added. Dunkin’ Donuts’ mainstays are doughnuts and coffee, along with muffins and more solid lunch foods, such as bagels. Then, the chain offers variations to please local tastes. In London, where the chain has recently opened three shops, it sells a savory snack called “Bacon Buttie,” as well as porridge. He said they make a Croistrami sandwich, which is a pastrami

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carolina in the west

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croissant. They also have a curry doughnut in India. Vitaro said Dunkin’ Donuts is already interviewing would-be franchise owners and plans to open several stores in each new market by the end of 2014, focusing on major cities first, with “many more” coming in early 2015.

Fiat and Chrysler to build three Jeep models in China china

Fiat and Chrysler plan to build three new Jeep models in China for that market, the biggest for the vehicles outside the United States, as they strive to boost sales in a country where they lag behind their competitors. The automakers said they will expand their joint venture with China’s Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd., and increase the portfolio of Jeeps, which are currently imported to China. Production is expected to start in late 2015 in Guangzhou, and a Jeep model “uniquely designed for China” is under consideration. The joint venture involving Chrysler, Fiat and Guangzhou Automotive makes the Fiat Viaggio in China, but no Jeeps are currently

national & world

produced there. China represents the largest Jeep market outside the U.S. with nearly 60,000 vehicles sold last year.

Ranieri said the Jeeps that will be made in China would be sold exclusively in that country.

NYC to reinvent the pay phone for the modern age new york city

New York City plans to build up to 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots by transforming outdated pay phone kiosks into modern communication hubs and has issued a request for proposals from the private sector for the contract. The city’s plan, which began with a public outreach period in 2012, envisions the repurposing of 7,300 pay phone stands and new installations of many more in all five boroughs. The new communications hubs would prioritize Internet connections but still have the capacity for voice 911 calls. The winner of the bid would be responsible for installation, maintenance, and operation of the hubs, and must be deployed within four years. Digital advertising in commercial corridors would

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national & world news

Green Power Partnership, Intel kept its first place ranking as the nation’s largest user of clean energy, and Apple leapt into the top 10. All of the 3.1 billion kilowatt hours of electricity used on an annual basis by Intel came from clean, renewable sources, some of it provided

by Sterling Planet and PNM, and the rest from on-site generation. Intel utilized a combination of biogas, biomass, small hydro, solar and wind to meet its power needs. The top 10 companies are Intel, Kohl’s, Microsoft, Whole Foods Market, Google, Wal-Mart, Staples, Apple, City of Houston, and U.S. Department of Energy.

The EPA also ranked universities for their green power use. The University of Pennsylvania is the Intel of this category, ranking first for the seventh year in a row. It purchases more than 200 million kilowatt hours of wind power a year.

fund the largest part of the work. City officials said the agreement would generate $17.5 million in revenue annually through a franchise agreement through 2026. While city officials claim to be open to a broad range of design options, they hope the winning bids will include cell phone charging stations, touch screens to display public information or facilitate business transactions, and use solar energy or other independent power sources. The city hopes to sign a contract

by December.

Intel remains No. 1 green power user worldwide

According to updated rankings of the top 100 green power users compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency’s

Bags created to lift people out of poverty pennsylvania

Innovation Works-funded startup Thread announced a partnership with Moop to launch the first products using Thread’s fabric. Customers can now purchase two products via Moop that are made with Thread fabric: a messenger bag, The Messenger No.1, and the “paperback,” a smaller bag a little bit larger than a Kindle. Thread’s fabric is made from trash collected on the streets of Haiti, and now Honduras, as the company recently expanded its operations. The partnership with Moop is the first time the company’s fabric will be used in a commercial product.

The company started after the Haitian earthquake in 2010, during a trip to Haiti.

Thread’s CEO, Ian Rosenberger, said he

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scribbled in his journal, “If Haiti could turn trash into money=good.” Over three years later, the company has 26 centers in Haiti, each of which employ three to five people. Employees, all Haitians or Hondurans, bring in trash they have kept from their homes or picked up and get cash on the spot for their waste. The company supports 2,700 jobs in Haiti and Honduras combined. To make their fabrics, the company starts with a bunch of plastic bottles. The bottles are washed and then “flaked,” or shredded into a fine, raw material and shipped to the United States. Rosenberger said the flake then goes through an extruder that turns the flake into what looks like thousands of strands of dental floss, stretched over big rollers. When the product is tufted, it begins to act like wool. From there, the company can create a variety of different fabrics. According to Rosenberger, this

process uses about 80 % less energy than making polyester from scratch, Rosenberg said. Thread spent two years perfecting this process. The company made its first bolt of fabric nine months ago, and now has five different types of fabric, such as a dress fabric, a knit, and a cotton/polyester blend.

Atlanta airport to offer incentives to carriers atlanta , georgia

Atlanta’s airport is launching a program of economic incentives meant to attract more international passenger and cargo traffic. Beginning this summer, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will waive landing fees for one year for airlines starting new international routes not currently served from

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Atlanta and give air cargo carriers an opportunity to qualify for a waiver of aircraft parking fees at the airport’s cargo areas.

“As the world’s busiest airport, we are continually looking at ways to grow new routes and expand our cargo capacity…

This will certainly boost our global competitiveness,” explained Miguel Southwell, the airport’s interim general manager.

The program will particularly focus on routes that link Atlanta to countries with the fastest-growing economies. Toward that end, Hartsfield will offer two-year waivers of landing fees to carriers launching service to Brazil, Russia, India, China, or South Africa. Total incentives will be capped at $2 million a year for the next five years.

And now celebrating 11 years in business together managing our investment company, White Oak Financial Management, Inc. We use supply-and-demand technical charting to help us manage risk and determine not only what to buy and sell but when. This is a sensible and disciplined approach to investing that allows us to react unemotionally to rising and falling markets and to the news or media noise of the day.

White Oak can design and manage your personal investment and income planning strategies. We work hard to be indispensable to our clients, and we offer a warm and welcoming environment.

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The Wilderness

A Refuge for the Mind a story of one carolina boy and his addiction to the quiet (not silence ) of the woods

by william hay wood

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Let no man be ashamed to kneel in the woods for they were God’s first temples.

- ernest

hemingway

T

here has always been a balance of conflict and adoration between humanity and wilderness. Originally out of necessity for survival and now out of need for perspective and, at least for me, spiritual renewal. Mosquitoes be damned, it feels good to escape from this thing we call civilization.

Sitting by the fire with Oby and my dog Eli, I am reminded of what quiet means. It isn’t silence; the river gargles by, tree frogs make whatever sound tree frogs make, and the fire crackles mirthfully, laughing at my attempts at whittling.

My friends and I consistently talk about trips and seldom make them happen. It is tough to get away. We all have obligations. Bills to pay.

Careers to pursue. But on those occasions when we do manage to break free, it is a grand time. It brings back a feeling of fun that escapes most of us as adults. Whether it is car camping or taking a crack at the Appalachian Trail, there is camaraderie that emerges among friends communing in the woods over food, fire, and if I have anything to say about it, whiskey. John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Brothers.

A southern boy’s first introduction to the outdoors is often with a fishing rod, a bobber, and June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 83

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a blood worm. Whether it is by reading books like Hatchet and Robinson Crusoe or fishing off of a dock with a cane pole, those lucky enough to be born and raised in this circumstance carry it with them for the rest of their lives. We hunt and fish, hike and swim, dig holes and build campfires. Our first pocket knife is shortly followed by our first stitches and the experience of watching our mothers flip out and our fathers shrug. We learn a lot during these formative years, first from our parents and later at summer camp while our parents recover from the harrowing experience of putting up with us day in and day out.

My fondest childhood memories centered around Lake James and the Pisgah Forest.

Camping on Minley’s Grave Island staring at Short Off Mountain while my dad told me stories about his first trips out of Morganton, North Carolina, into the very areas that we were exploring. The loons would pop their heads up and then dive deep whenever our old Boston Whaler neared, leaving me wondering what world lay beneath the water and whether I could hold my breath long enough to find out. It was there that I learned how to tie a proper fishermans knot, bait a hook, and build a campfire. I would put together my simple tent, crawl into my sleeping bag, and sleep like a stone. Later we sat on the same island eating dinner in a duck blind as a storm crashed around June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 85

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us, lightning flashing across the smoky ridges in the distance.

The summer camp I attended along the Green River focused on ecology and wilderness education. I came in a little ahead of the curve but nevertheless found it enthralling to learn fly-tying and improve my archery. This was the first time I had camped with more than one or two peers. A lot of what I first grasped there was appreciation. Not every kid was able to experience these wonders. My dad would send me postcards from what seemed like a different world. He was as excited as I was. I could see it in his handwriting and the prolific nature of his notes. He missed me, and it felt good to be missed.

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Big Green Egg The mountains of North Carolina were my playground, and the cool rivers, waterfalls, and lakes my swimming pool. The leg of Wilson’s Creek near Brown Mountain Beach is still very much my idea of paradise. It costs nothing but gas and time to visit there.

The frigid clear water is cradled in mercurial pools by massive granite worn smooth by time and warmed in daylight. The bonds I forged with my father and friends branded this world as my home and refuge as it remains to this day.

The nature of this upbringing inspired me so see other places and seek out environments that brought about the same joy. I sought solace in the woodlands of elsewhere.

Places with different smells, textures, and sounds. I spent much of my adolescence and early twenties searching for something that felt like home, yet at some point in every one of my adventures I would be reminded of an experience or a place in North Carolina and smile.

California was a place I had heard a lot about. Movies, hippies, and adventures. Giant trees saddled up to the Pacific Ocean, which I had yet to see, and I needed to see. It was a place to go to find yourself or lose yourself. As a nineteen year old I found a job working trail crews with the California Conservation Corps doing trail maintenance and construction. We cut trails and cleared rockslides. Hauling into remote areas and doing whatever labor needed to be done for the State Parks and National Forestry

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service. It was hard labor. At the end of the day, body beaten and battered, I would imagine those clear blue Carolina pools, and it would soothe me. We would work long hours for weeks on what they called “spike trips” and then have five days off to stir up whatever kind of trouble we could (spike trip refers to what’s known as a “spike camp”: a temporary or secondary campsite for a forestry crew accessible from the main camp).

I hopped around the northern part of the state, driving up the curves of Highway 1 through the redwoods and along the perilous cliffs of the California Coast. These excursions were even more perilous in the mechanically questionable 1972 VW squareback for which I had paid three hundred bucks.

My first interaction with the Pacific precipitated at Shell beach at the far North Coast of California. I saw it, stripped down naked, and ran towards the water. I did not realize that the water was quite as far as it was, and by the time I raced into it I was fairly winded. I hit the water running and came back out running. It was really damn cold and as it turned smelled different than the out, i was Atlantic. A group of campers smelling the previously well concealed by a dune laughed hysterhole i was ically as I happily shivered burning in my and limped by them to my clothes and friends. Had I bivy with the been in North Carolina they cigar i was would have laughed even attempting to harder but handed me a towel, a beer, and a seat by smoke , as well their fire. as possibly Like many young folks before, the West had called hallucinating me. It seemed like the right from hunger place to go, and it certainly was for a time. I left North Carolina unsure if I would ever return for more than a visit, but as the journey progressed I knew it was just that, a journey. I would return to the East in my own time, but I would definitely return. I felt a longing. I don’t think it was homesickness, just an awareness and understanding that there is a place where I belong. That and nothing makes you want to go to college like clearing rockslides.

I had been back in North Carolina for several years and making good progress in my undergrad degree. A yearning for escape found me once again. This was no surprise. It is a tendency that, for better or worse, never left me. A craving that would call me to step into the unknown. In passing, a friend (Brad) in one of my classes had expressed an interest in hiking the Appalachian Trail. It’s dangerous to make such a suggestion in my company, and my immediate response was “Sure, let’s do it.” He looked

.

startled and possibly a bit upset. That was his own damn fault.

With a little debate, we decided on starting at Mount Katahdin in Maine and southbounding our way back. It would eliminate any safety net and appealed to my romantic inclination for ill advised journeys. It would be a pilgrimage home.

As we sat trapped between a washed out river and a snow covered ridgeline in the midst of a Nor Eastern squall, it was apparent that our reach had exceeded our grasp. We had run out of food coming through the Hundred Mile Wilderness due to some ambitious (unreasonable) expectations of progress.

Having nearly been torn off the stony shoulder of the mountain while trying to reach a safer location in the midst of the storm, Brad and I descended to a rough outcropping that would block some of the wind shear. We pulled out our bivy sacks and hunkered down for what would be a very long and most likely unpleasant night. I passed him my flask and closed my eyes, listening to the howl of the wind as I harkened back to the thunder and tumult of the storms I had experienced with my father out on Lake James. I saw his face smiling and smelled the onion rings he had fried in the duck blind. I heard the thunder and lightening but saw the familiar ranges I grew up with in Western North Carolina.

As it turned out, I was smelling the hole I was burning in my bivy with the cigar I was attempting to smoke, as well as possibly hallucinating from hunger. But, in all sincerity, it was those early memories that soothed, warmed, and gave me the comfort I needed to weather one of the worst storms of my life.

I owe a great deal to the experiences that blessed my youth and the people who exposed me to them. My grandmother, who would take me for hikes and teach me to recognize flowers, had taught me to pay attention to the smaller things. The smells, textures, and sounds which will always transport you home.

Back by the fire Oby and I sip a little nightcap sitting in hammocks by the fire. My pup is snoring behind a tree, having managed to wear himself out for once. This trip will be a quick one, but we managed to pull away and get a little hiking and fishing in, and that I think, is something to be proud of.

William Haywood is a writer, photographer, and videographer, residing in Charlotte, North Carolina ‌until his need for adventure catches up with him.

June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 89

events

June may 29 -june 22 The Last Five Years

flat rock playhouse downtown , 125 s main st. hendersonville, nc This powerful and intimate musical by Jason Robert Brown follows the trajectory of a five-year relationship between Jamie and Cathy. We follow Jamie’s life from the past to the present and Cathy’s from the present to the past in this two-person musical about the complexities of love and marriage. Soon to be a major motion picture, The Last Five Years is an emotional journey perfect for our Downtown Playhouse.

admission: $40 show times at www. flatrockplayhouse.org june 1

NC Gold Festival

mountain gateway museum , 102 water st, old fort, nc This annual event features gold exhibits, gold mining techniques and demonstrations, treasure and scavenger hunts, geo-caching, gold panning, numerous vendors including arts and crafts, and raffles.

admission: free

june 1- october 24

Bearfootin Public Art Display main street, hendersonville, nc This public art display features fiberglass outdoor bear sculptures decorated in different themes along the sidewalks of Main Street.

admission: free | 828 -233 -3216 www. downtownhendersonville.org june 3

Could Your Genes Be Responsible?

1-3 :30 pm pardee signature care center , hendersonville, nc Alpha 1 is a genetic condition that may result in serious lung disease and/or liver disease. Testing is recommended for those who have a family history of lung/liver disease; have early onset emphysema; have decreased exercise tolerance; or have shortness of breath with daily or routine activity.

admission: free | must schedule appointment 828 - 692- 4600

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| June 2014

june 5 - 8

Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show: Saddlebred Division 8 am - 5pm daily mayview park , blowing rock , nc The Saddlebred classes are loaded with chrome and flash. The atmosphere at a Saddlebred show is electric, with spectators shouting encouragement and rooting for their favorites from the stands. The Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show is among the oldest continually operating horse shows in America. The 2014 event will mark the show’s 91st consecutive year. Considered the highlight of Blowing Rock’s summer season, the three weeks of horse shows will bring to the High Country 600 horses, 2,000 visitors, and an economic impact in excess of 7.7 million dollars.

The admission from spectators supports the charitable work of the Blowing Rock Rotary.

admission: $5 | children under 12 are free blowingrockhorses .com june 6

Livermush Festival 6:30 - 9pm downtown marion , nc Marion’s 8th annual Livermush Festival celebrates livermush and its heritage in Marion and Western North Carolina. Our favorite is the Best Dressed Pig! Bring your most beautiful or your ugliest pig in a spectacular costume. The Best Dressed Pig gets the $25 grand prize. Other highlights include a Corn Hole Tournament and Livermush Sandwich Eating Contest. Enjoy live music by RoadRunnerz Band. In case of rain, the concert will be at the Historic Marion Tailgate Market cover, 67 West Henderson Street.

admission: free | 828 - 652-2215 june 6

Export University 101 8 am - 4 pm a- b tech enka campus , candler , nc This one-day workshop will teach you how to compete globally.

Hear from experts from the US Dept of Commerce, US Small Business Administration, NC Dept of Commerce and SBTDC, on export sales, finance, and logistics solutions. Learn about government services and how to use them to increase sales.

This event, supported in part by AdvantageWest, will also provide the opportunity to network and learn from members

Free Sewing Classes with a new sewing machine purchase

of the NC District Export Council and business executives who have extensive export experience.

register online at www. advantagewest.com june 6 , 13 , 20 & 27

Music on the Lawn 5:30 pm

the inn at ragged gardens , 203 sunset drive, blowing rock , nc The Inn at Ragged Gardens hosts these outdoor music shows (weather permitting). At the height of the summer, they attract several hundred people to the front lawn of the historic inn for an afternoon of good music and socializing.

A cash bar and lawn menu are available, courtesy of the Best Cellar. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and arrive early to secure a spot on the lawn.

Dogs, coolers, and outside food are not permitted. Each week, a local nonprofit organization is featured to educate the public about good work being done in our community. Smokey Breeze will play June 6th, The King Bees on June 13th, The Harris Brothers on June 20th, and Soul Benefactor on June 27th.

admission: free | 828 -295 - 9703 june 6 -29

Spamalot

friday & saturday 7:30 pm sunday 2:30 pm asheville community theatre, 35 e walnut st, asheville, nc Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot retells the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and features a bevy of beautiful showgirls, not to mention cows, killer rabbits, and French people. This show is recommended for mature audiences.

admission: $15 - $25 www. ashevilletheatre.org

june 7

Brevard Blues Festival 3 pm brevard music center , 349 andante ln , brevard, nc

For The Love of Sewing:

The family-friendly event will include eight hours of blues, barbecue, and brews with on-site food from Rollin’ Smoke Barbecue. The 2014 Brevard Blues Festival lineup features bands from throughout the region, including Doug Deming, Dennis Gruenling and The Jewel Tones, Anson Funderburgh, the Shane Pruitt Band, Dangerous Gentlemen, The Dubber, Riyen Roots, and more.

admission: $20 june 7

Fiber Feel Day 9am -1pm

FABRIC • SEWING MACHINES

BERNINA • BABY LOCK • HORN 1378 Hendersonville Road, Asheville (next to Harris Teeter) 828-277-4100 • Mon-Sat, 10a-5:30p

www.ashevillecottonco.com

wnc farmers market This is an event for farmers who raise sheep, goats, alpaca, llama, and rabbits for their fiber, and those interested in starting their own flock. Farmers will sell fleeces, roving, yarns, and value added products directly to handspinners, knitters, felters, and weavers.

admission: free june 7

Clive Carroll: Virtuoso Solo Guitar 7pm st. matthias church , 1 dundee st. asheville, nc English guitar virtuoso, Clive Carroll, will present a solo concert. Through his distinct acoustic guitar playing, Clive mixes altered tunings, Renaissance and Classical harmony to Delta blues and jazz, making it all sound natural and effortless. Clive Carroll has toured the globe with the likes of Tommy Emmanuel and John Renbourn and has been hailed by notables such as musician John Williams. In 1998, he graduated

150 First Avenue East, Hendersonville, NC www.hendersonville.wbu.com 828.694.0081 June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 91

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with honors in composition and classical guitar performance from Trinity College in London. During his college years, he was awarded numerous prizes for composition, performance, and improvisation. He is the only guitarist to receive the Essex Young Musician of the Year Award.

admission: $10 june 7- 8

Western North Carolina Air Museum’s “Just Plane Fun” 25th Anniversary Air Fair & Fly In 10 am - 5pm hendersonville airport, 1232 shepherd st, hendersonville, nc The Air Museum will have a museum open house, and antique aircrafts, cars, memorabilia, and artifacts will be on display.

Biplane, airplane, and helicopter rides available.

admission: free | 828 - 698 -2482 www.wncairmuseum .com

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| June 2014

june 13

The Future of Additive Manufacturing in Western North Carolina 12:30 - 5:30 pm a- b tech base, 1459 sand hill road, candler This event, held at the Haynes Conference and Training Center, will inform local inventors, businesses, and students about the expanding technologies and manufacturing potential utilizing advanced/additive manufacturing and 3-D printing. Attendees will network, learn, and participate in this afternoon event.

Speakers and panelists will include Patrick Gardner of the WCU Rapid Prototyping Center, Steve Schain of Spectra3D Systemts, Craig McAnsh of Mojo Coworking, Kevin Kiser of A-B Tech’s Engineering & Applied Technology Department, and Dan St. Louis of Manufacturing Solutions Center. The event is hosted

by A-B Tech - Engineering & Applied Technology Department, Asheville Center for Professional Studies, Blue Ridge Tech Ventures, and WCU Rapid Prototype Center.

admission: $20 | $10 for students register online at www. ashevilleprofessionalstudies .com

june 12-july 13

june 13 -14

My Fair Lady the clyde & nina allen mainstage at flat rock playhouse, 2661 greenville hwy, flat rock , nc Lerner & Lowe’s classic musical, based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, follows the journey of Edwardian England’s Eliza Doolittle, from Covent Garden flower seller to aristocratic lady under the tutelage of the irascible Professor Henry Higgins.

This musical made a Broadway star out of Dame Julie Andrews and was a Hollywood smash starring Sir Rex Harrison (also from the Broadway and West End Company) and starred Audrey Hepburn in the film version. My Fair Lady is coming to the stage this summer in an elaborate new production bringing together a bevy of actors and singers from Flat Rock Playhouse’s own Golden Age and some extraordinary new young talent of today.

admission: $40 show times at www. flatrockplayhouse.org

Blue Ridge Barbecue & Music Festival, Tryon friday 3 -11pm saturday 10 am -11pm harmon field road, 301 n . trade st, tryon , nc The big Blue Ridge Barbecue & Music Festival is held each year at Harmon Field, nearly 45 minutes south of Asheville.

Entertainment is an eclectic showcase of everything from blues to bluegrass, folk to funk, Americana to zydeco, and lots of crowd-pleasing favorites whose style just can’t be labeled.

Dotted along the Pacolet River, many artisans demonstrate their skills and enjoy chatting with you about their craft. All food sold is located in the infield area in front of the main stage and all food is purchased with BBQ Bucks, so look for those booths first. The folks selling you your BBQ in the infield area are also competing for prizes and championship status in a contest.

You’ll find exotic beers in the Biergarten and wine by the glass in the Vineyard Tent. BBQ vendors have tea, and be sure to check out non-BBQ Food Vendors for other beverages such as fresh-squeezed lemonade. The festival also sells bottled water,

LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE GONNA MISS YOUR FLIGHT... wouldn’t you

RATHER BE YOUR OWN CAPTAIN? Learn to fly... right here at home.

Located at the Asheville Regional Airport 828.687.7540 - www.beyourowncaptain.com

WNC’s only FAA Certified Flight School June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 93

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sodas and beer throughout the infield area. Cash prizes and awards are offered in this North Carolina State Barbecue Championship. The top ranking team from North Carolina also wins the Governor’s Trophy. Teams must compete in all four sanctioned categories, Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork, and Beef Brisket to be considered for Grand Champion.

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admission: $8 | children 12 and under free june 14

Lure of the Dragons lake lure, nc Lake Lure’s “Lure of the Dragons” race and festival combines fun festivities with team building and exciting competition.

With drums pounding out stroke cadence, up to 34 corporate and community teams will paddle 250 meters down the Rocky Broad River in 30-foot long dragon boats dressed out in dragon heads, tails, and scales. Everyone will race to raise funds for the charitable partners, Camp Lurecrest and The Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach Center, and to promote the sport of Dragon Boat Racing in Western North Carolina. The team-registration deadline is June 7th.

spectators: free team registration: $650 - $850 www. lureofthedragons .org

Quality janitorial Group

We are the gold standard.

Bonded - Locally owned

828-277-3880

www.qualityjanitorial.net Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood Counties

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| June 2014

june 16 -19

Chautaugua History Alive 7pm - 8 :30 pm

warren wilson college, 701 warren wilson rd, asheville, nc 28805 Debate the Constitution with Patrick Henry (June 19th), escape from slavery with Robert Smalls (June 17th), join Clara Barton (June 16th) on the battlefield, and then save the South Carolina Sea Islands, and challenge Harry Truman (June 18th)

as he works to end World War II. During this non-stop live history that is fun for the whole family, the audience is always a part of the show.

admission: $4 june 17

Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs Conference 9am - 6:30 pm

handmade in america headquarters , 125 s . lexington avenue, suite 101, asheville, nc

HandMade in America (HIA) will be hosting their annual gathering to celebrate the members of their Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Program. This annual conference brings together these unique and dedicated entrepreneurs from across Western North Carolina for a full day of community, collaborative learning, networking, and celebration.

This year’s theme will be “With a Little Bit of Luck.” World-renowned studio potter, Ben Owen III of Seagrove, North Carolina, will be featured as the keynote speaker. The day will also include seven breakout consultants from a broad variety of backgrounds and expertise, including business entrepreneurship, professional arts, wholesale purchasing, legal expertise, and more. The following sponsors will generously provide breakfast, lunch, and refreshments throughout the day: Greenlife Grocery/Whole Foods Market Asheville, Dolce di Maria, The Herban Baker, and G.A.S. Distributers.

Registration to the conference is open to all women entrepreneurs. However, free priority seating is given to AWE members, HIA members, and finally to public registrants for a $10 fee.

for awe membership info or to register , contact lindsey mudge: 828 -252- 0121 x 303 or

lmudge @ handmadeinamerica.org

It’s easy to get fooled if you’re on your own.

We do Estate Planning. We do it Well.

We provide dedicated and informative representation in estate planning, transfer tax planning, probate administration, asset protection, elder law services, and related areas. Our estate planning attorneys only handle these matters.

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Estate Planning and Business Succession Planning Lawyers Serving all of Western North Carolina

77 Central Avenue, Suite F Asheville, NC 28801 828-258-0994

http://strausslaw.com

104 N. Washington Street Hendersonville, NC 28739 828-696-1811 June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 95

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING:

3D PRINTING & How Can I Use It

$20 / $10 Students

June 13

Haynes Center A-B Tech

1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler, NC, 28715

Contact: KatherineMorosani@abtech.edu

12:30 - 5:30 PM

828.398.7100

Bottle Shop • Tasting Bar • Cheese Store

june 28

Roger McGuire Green at Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville 7pm -10 pm pack square park , asheville, nc Bring your instruments, families, friends, lawn chairs, and blankets, and join the good times at the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Stage. The 2014 Shindig on the Green features a stage show and informal jam sessions around the park. Locals and visitors alike come together downtown. Concessions are available. By city ordinance, dogs, smoking, and alcohol are all prohibited in Pack Square.

admission: free june 28

BBQ & Brews 7pm - 9pm

bryson city depot, bryson city, nc

The BBQ & Brews Dinner Trains will roll out again this summer, featuring slow-cooked BBQ prepared fresh and beer tastings showcasing local breweries. These trains will travel to the Fontana Trestle and arrive just around sunset for a spectacular view. This adult (21+) only train ticket includes a souvenir tasting glass for three samples of the finely crafted beer selections that will be featured. Skilled and knowledgeable brewery employees will be on hand throughout the train ride to educate about the process required for crafting each brew. Dinner will include a pulled pork BBQ sandwich on a pretzel roll, a bag of original Kettle Chips, homemade coleslaw, fresh grapes, and key lime pie for dessert. Additional beer will be available for purchase.

admission: starts at $69 (not including a 7% historic preservation fee ) 1- 800 - 872- 4681

Not only for fine wine...

june 28

Stories on Asheville’s Front Porch Kaleidoscope: Celebrating Diversity 10 :30 -11:45am rhino courtyard at pack place, asheville, nc

We’ve got a great selection of local & craft beer

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| June 2014

Bobby Norfolk, three time Emmy Award winner, will throw out the first pitch as the lead storyteller of the fifth season of Stories on Asheville’s Front Porch Kaleidoscope: Celebrating Diversity.

Bobby’s innate ability to read and connect with audiences of all ages makes him one of America’s premier storytellers. Dynamic movement and vocal effects punctuate his style helping him introduce memorable characters. His stories promote respect

and responsibility, cultural diversity, and literacy. He inspires and motivates kids and adults telling stories that can be shared through the oral tradition.

admission: free

We’ve moved! Come visit us at 33 N. Lexington Avenue duncanandyork.com 828.575.2441

june 28

Horse Sense Open House 12pm -1pm 6919 meadows town rd, marshall , nc Horse Sense is a therapeutic riding and equine assisted psychotherapy facility.

April through October, during one Saturday of each month, Horse Sense is featuring a mini-experiential at the farm with horses. Spend time connecting with yourself and the natural world while seeing what the program is all about. You may bring lunch for after the tour and enjoy it in the Pavilion and walk around the Labyrinth.

for Birthdays

Our approach Our approach for Holidays

to to critical critical thinking

admission: free horsesenseotc .com

for Anytime

helps our students

see beyond the standard education. education.

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If your organization has any local press releases for our briefs section or events that you would like to see here feel free to email us at events@capitalatplay.com It’snot notalways alwaysplain plaintotosee seewhat whatmakes makesone oneeducational educationalexperience experience different different from from another. another. That’s It’s That’s why why we we encourage encourageall allprospective prospective familiestototour tourwith withusustotosee seeand andhear hearthe theCarolina CarolinaDay Daydifference. difference. Join Join us. us. We’re We’re not not just families just teaching. teaching. We’re We’re creating creatingcritical criticalthinkers. thinkers.

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June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 97

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| June 2014

A new day dawns for community banking.

Forest Commercial Bank has merged with Carolina Alliance Bank, creating one of our region's strongest community banks.

Though our name has changed, our dedication to our communities has not.

You’ll find the same banking professionals you’ve counted on for years, ready to assist you with your banking needs.

So call or visit any of our offices and let us show you what this new day has in store.

1127 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville, NC 28803 • 828-255-5711 218 North Main St., Hendersonville. NC 28792 • 828-233-0900 122 Cherokee Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207 • 980-321-5946 (Loan Production Office)

Also in Spartanburg, Anderson and Seneca

carolinaalliancebank.com June 2014 | capitalatplay.com 99

Bite into Summer!

ingles-markets.com 100

| June 2014