Community & Local Business News
Children’s Council Celebrates 45 Years This year, the Children’s Council of Watauga County is celebrating 45 years of serving children and families. The most recent annual report shows that the agency served over 2,700 individuals last year through their programs and services. The mission of the organization is to build a strong foundation for children’s learning and development by strengthening families, the early childhood system, and the community. “We are proud of our history of serving Watauga County children and we are celebrating all year,” says Tara Stollenmaier, Fundraising and Outreach Director. The agency has rolled out a number of events and opportunities for community members to enjoy and support including: A series of Supper Club events hosted by donors, board and staff members, and friends to share information about the organization. The 45th Anniversary Celebration Event on Saturday, August 27, at Appalachian Ski Mountain. Guests will enjoy complimentary beer and wine, delicious food, fun and games for adults, including chair lift rides to the top, and opportunities to hear from families served by the agency. For information about reservations, visit www. thechildrenscouncil.org, or social media (Facebook and Instagram) sites. A Celebration Raffle sponsored by Magic Bound Travel, and Brad and Maggie Farrington, which will offer a limited number of raffle tickets for exciting trips and cash prizes. Tickets go on sale at the Anniversary Celebration event in August and a live drawing will be held on November 2, 2022 to announce the winners. The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce After Hours on September 8 at The Cardinal. The Children’s Council provides programs and services that benefit children, and their families, during their first years of life, through age twelve, with particular focus in early childhood. “These events will provide important unrestricted support for the organization,” says Elisha Childers, Executive Director of the Children’s Council. “This type of support is critical for the health of any nonprofit organization allowing us to use funds where they are most needed to support the services we offer and to support the families we serve.” To learn more about these summer events, or about the Children’s Council, please visit www.thechildrenscouncil.org or contact Tara Stollenmaier by email at: tara@thechildrenscouncil.org. You can also visit their facility at 225 Birch Street, Suite 3, Boone NC, 28607 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
110 — Summer 2022 CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LIFE
“Best Musical” Raises Funds for the Banner Elk Firehouse The first annual Banner Elk Firehouse Fundraiser will feature a very entertaining musical, Always Nina: A Tennessee Story and Songbook. The show will be performed in the sanctuary of the historic Banner Elk Presbyterian Church on Thursday, August 25 at 7 p.m., August 26 at 2 p.m. and August 27 at 2 p.m. While this one-woman show has been performed in several states, this will be the North Carolina premiere. In 2018, the Connecticut Critic’s Circle named it “Best Musical of 2018” for the state. Always Nina features Nina Allbert telling and singing stories from her childhood through adulthood in middle Tennessee. Hear tales about bikers, beauty queens, teenage moms, evangelists, country people and millionaires, as well as her own family. Nina is an authentic Southern storyteller, acclaimed actress and powerhouse singer. Her band joins in for nine original songs with a mix of pop, country, blues and jazz. Music and lyrics are by Joan Burr. Joan will travel from Connecticut to Banner Elk to serve as pianist and music director. Admission to the shows is free. Members of the church are underwriting all costs of the show, so 100% of donations collected will go directly to the Banner Elk Volunteer Fire Department. Volunteer firefighters will pass the boot during intermission at each performance. The goal is to raise $5,000 for new rescue equipment and supplies used to save injured people and animals. According to Banner Elk Fire Chief Tyler Burr, “We will be upgrading our mountain search and rescue equipment due to the significant increase in outdoor activity in our area. We will also be upgrading our patient management equipment, such as carriers to move large or disabled patients out of their home. This equipment will also drastically improve patient extraction time for the technical car accidents involving vehicles off the mountain side.” “Our volunteer firemen are an indispensable part of our community,” says Nina. “We wanted to thank these heroes for their dedication, time and service to our community. What would we do without them? We feel it is important to give them the tools they need to do their job and do it well. What could be more important than saving lives in our beautiful town!” Banner Elk Presbyterian Church is located at 420 College Drive SW, Banner Elk. For more info, go to http://www.bannerelkpresbyterian. org/firehouse. Photo: Fire Chief Tyler Burr (left) and Firefighter Tony Terenzio with Nina Allbert.
