04 may2013

LAUREL THELAURELMAGAZINE.COM

YOUR GUIDE TO HIGHLANDS AND CASHIERS | MAY 2013

FREE

events • arts dining • maps

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Publisher’s Note

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an you hear it - the excitement of a new season here in the mountains? The days are a bit longer, the colors a bit brighter and Main Street is a bit busier.

There are so many new and exciting things going on in Highlands and Cashiers this season, we’re so glad you’ve chosen the Laurel to be your guide to them. From new shopping experiences to a calendar full of events, we can’t wait to share them all with you!

Marjorie and Janet

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What’s Inside The Laurel Events

14 • Scholarship Golf Classic 15 • Humane Society Bingo 16 • Three Rivers Fly Fishing 17 • Audubon Society 19 • Cashiers Arts and Crafts Fair 20 • Cinco de Mayo Fundraiser 21 • Annual Plant Sale 22 • Laurel Garden Club Kitchen Tour 23 • SOAR 25 • Mountain Tennis Challenge 24 • Highlands Arts and Crafts Show 26 • Tour de Cashiers 28 • Blues, Brew and BBQ 29 • Fishes and Loaves Fundraiser 30 • Center for Life Enrichment 31 • Passion Inspires Art 32 • Beeing a Bee 33 • Area Calendar

The Arts

36 • Gene Towery 38 • The Art of William Rogers 39 • Collective Spirits 40 • The Last Romance 42 • The Betsy Paul Art Raffle 44 • Art League of Highlands 45 • Highlands Playhouse 46 • Spickles

The Arts con’t

47 • Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music 48 • Love, Loss and What I Wore 49 • Atlanta Boy Choir

Dining

52 • SweeTreats 54 • All About Wine 56 • Dairy Free Creamy Frosting 58 • Scaly Mountain Pancake Breakfast 59 • A New Chef in Town 60 • Dining Guide

History

62 • Highlands History 63 • Cashiers History

Giving Back

82 • Highlands Rotary 84 • Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust 86 • Highlands Literacy Council 87 • Highlands Biological Station 88 • 2013 Annual Faux Fur Ball 89 • Carpe Diem Farms 90 • The Benefits of Service 91 • A Pawsitvely Purrfect Evening 92 • Relay Around the World 94 • Mountaintop Rotary 95 • Highlands Playhouse Lockup 96 • Community Computers Program 97 • Catman Shelters 98 • Highlands Outdoor Program 99 • Big Brothers and Big Sisters

Guides

Homes & Lifestyles 66 • Highlands Springs and Falls 68 • Andrew Who? 69 • Golfing Ireland and Scotland 70 • Vitamin Myths 72 • Social Security Survivor Benefits 74 • Family Travel 75 • The Music Within 76 • Storming the Castle

18 • Highlands Map 34 • Cashiers Map 33 • Area Calendar 60 • Dining Guide 77 • Where’s the Water?

78 • Service Directory 106 • Advertisers Index

Commerce

Who Makes it Happen

Janet Cummings, Managing Partner

janet@ themountainlaurel.com

(828) 371-2689

Marjorie Fielding, Managing Partner

marjorie@ themountainlaurel.com

Michelle Munger, Art Director

mungerclan5@aol.com

(828) 342-3551

Luke Osteen, Writer dumbdogs@ earthlink.net

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Wiley Sloan, Writer

wileyandsarah@ nctv.com

Donna Rhodes, Writer donna847@ frontier.com

(828) 371-2764

Contributing Writers: Jane Gibson Nardy, Gary Wein, Kathy Bub, Mary Adair Leslie, Elizabeth Fletcher, Sue Blair, Michael Rich, Sue Aery, Jim Johnson and Resa Johnson, and Michelle Price Copyright © 2013 by The Mountain Laurel, LLC. All rights reserved. Laurel Magazine is published eleven times per year. Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publishers and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Laurel Magazine’s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs and drawings. Every effort has been made to assure that all information presented in this issue is accurate, and neither Laurel Magazine nor any of its staff is responsible for advertising errors, omissions, or information that has been misrepresented in or to the magazine. Any substantial errors that are the fault of the magazine will be subject to a reduction or reimbursement of the amounts paid by the advertiser, but in no case will any claim arising from such error exceed the amount paid for the advertisement by the advertiser.

Volume Twelve • Issue Four • www.thelaurelmagazine.com • 828-526-0173 • email editorial@themountainlaurel.com • P.O. Box 565 • Highlands, NC 28741

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Scholarship Golf EVENTS

Classic

Highlands Annual Scholarship Golf Classic is set for Thursday, June 13 at Wildcat Cliffs Country Club.

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hursday, June 13 marks a special date in Highlands.

Wildcat Cliffs Country Club will host the annual Scholarship Golf Classic.

The Town of Highlands Scholarship fund began in 1975 through the generosity of a local businessman named Jack Taylor. His gift of $5,000 was the initial funding for this scholarship program enabled by special legislation in the NC General Assembly making Highlands unique in the state with the ability to administer such a fund for the benefit of Highlands School graduates who are committed to higher education through college, university or vocational training. In succeeding years Jack Brockway, along with other prominent concerned citizens, became increasingly involved in the development and promotion of the Town of Highlands Scholarship Endowment Fund, which at this time exceeds $780,000. Through the ensuing years, various clubs, including Highlands Falls, Cullasaja Club, and now Wildcat Cliffs, have graciously provided each of their

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unique golf course and clubhouse facilities for the purpose of creating an annual one-day “fund drive golf tournament.” The historical generosity has been essential in building and sustaining the endowment fund with the ultimate goal of providing financial and moral support to our young highland school graduates.

Town Commissioner and Event Co-Chair Brian Stiehler said, “We are excited to continue this important tradition.

Wildcat Cliffs management and staff have gone above and beyond to make this a successful event on all levels. We are grateful for the membership and staff of WCCC.” The event kicks off at 7:30 A.M. with breakfast and use of the driving range and practice green. A 9:00 A.M. shotgun start is followed by cocktails, lunch and awards ceremony. The cost for the event is $150 per player. For sponsorship information or to sign up, please contact event co-chairs Brian Stiehler (787-2778) or Rebecca Shuler (526-2118).

Humane Society Bingo EVENTS

By Wiley Sloan

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May 2 is the date for the next Rotary Bingo Night for charity.

our favorite four-legged friends urge you to come out for a fun night of Bingo on May 2nd. You will enjoy an evening with your friends and raise money to support the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society. Since 1987 the Humane Society has been providing temporary refuge and compassionate care for dogs and cats while they are waiting to be adopted by loving families.

The game of Bingo began in Italy in the 1500s and then progressed to France and Great Britain in the 1700s. Here in America, Bingo is a favorite pastime of many retirees. It offers a fun way to share time with friends and gives you the ability to earn a little “pin money.” Here in Highlands Rotary Bingo provides our numerous non-profit agencies a way to raise funds to support their operations.

For those of you who are Bingo regulars you know what a fun evening it is. Players gather at the Community Building next to the ballpark on Highway 64 just four blocks from Main Street at 6:30 P.M. Caller Tay Bronaugh sets the balls to spinning and the games begin. Before you know it, you’ll hear a resounding “bingo” from someone in the crowd, signaling that they have filled the re-

quired spaces. Play one card per game or as many as you can handle. Each card is $1. A night of Bingo includes 15 games.

There are a variety of different games: Regular Bingo, four corners, The Biggest Loser and more. The final game of the night is a “cover all” where you have to cover every number on your card. The winner of that game gets the big jackpot prize. Winners can keep their pocket money or they can return it to the Humane Society to help them underwrite their many programs. Win or not, you still have tons of fun.

Bring your friends and support the work of the CashiersHighlands Humane Society. You can show additional support for the Society by buying an ad that will be placed on the tables. This opportunity is open to business owners and individuals. Buy a table advertisement to promote your business or just say “John and Jane Doe support the Humane Society.” A table ad is only $50 or a half page ad is $25. Make your checks payable to Highlands Rotary Club. Call David Stroud, Executive Director, at (828) 7435752 to purchase your advertisement.

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Three Rivers Fly Fishing EVENTS

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ust as you’d guess, the bold streams that have shaped Highlands and drawn generations of visitors are home to wily schools of rainbow and brown trout.

That’s what makes Highlands’ Annual Three River Fly Fishing Tournament, set for May 16 through the 17, such a natural fit on the town’s Event Calendar.

The tourney is open to all anglers of all skill levels, and there are guided and non-guided competitions.

Funds raised benefit the Town of Highlands Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships for Highlands High School graduates.

The entry fee includes various clinics, an invitation to the opening night reception, lunch for days, a fishing goody bag and a closing night winners’ dinner with food and prizes at Old Edwards Inn and Spa. Space is limited. Only the first 50 teams to register will be able to participate.

The fun kicks off Thursday, May 16, with a pair of Casting Clinics at Harris Lake. All participants can join in one-on-one coaching with the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team from noon to 4:00 P.M. The Highland Hiker will host an equipment tune-up from noon to 4:00 P.M. As a quick test of your skills, you can join in the Casting Competition from noon to

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4:00 at Pine Street Park (one block from Main Street, the other direction). It’ll be judged by the members of the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team.

The Old Edwards Inn will serve as the site of a Fly Tying Clinic from 5:00 to 6:30 P.M. You will learn how to tie the Jack Cabe Hopper, a jewel of a fly created by Highlands’ legendary fisherman/guide Jack Cabe.

All of that practice will be put to the test when participants take to the streams over the next three days. From Highlands, the fishing boundary will have a northern boundary of US Hwy. 74, a western boundary of the rafting and delayed harvest sections of the Nantahala River, a southern boundary of the Hwy. 28 bridge on the Chattooga River and an eastern boundary of the Davidson River and the East Fork of the French Broad River. A map designating all streams within this boundary will be provided to each applicant.

To register or receive more information, visit www.highlandsthreeriver.com or call the Highlands Visitor Center at (866) 5265841. The tournament is sponsored in part by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, the Highland Hiker, Old Edwards Inn and Spa, The Highlander, Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. and Mountain Fresh Grocery.

Audubon Society EVENTS

Contributed by Michelle Styring

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nce again, the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society will offer regular Saturday field trips to the Highlands-Cashiers-Sapphire communities throughout the summer season.

This year’s schedule includes several new, exciting locations as well as repeat visits to favorite birding spots in our area. This year the group will also coordinate some trips with the Franklin Bird Club, as well as enjoying the excitement of bird banding and up-close, in-hand interactions with some of our special migrants. In addition, guest leaders will share their unique knowledge, and special Beginners’ sessions will be offered once per month. Those sessions are aimed at assisting feeder watchers, new and would-be birders with binoculars and field guides, though birders of all levels are welcome and encouraged to participate.

As of now, the first two months are set and those wishing to join these free walks should consult the HPAS website, www. highlandsaudubonsociety.org. Most field trips will meet at 7:30 A.M. either in the Highlands Town Hall Parking lot and/or in Cashiers at the new Cashiers Community Center parking lot.

Car-pooling is encouraged. Participants should bring binoculars, water, and stout walking shoes, cameras and sunscreen.

Visored hats are often useful. HPAS has a supply of loaner binoculars which they are happy to lend to those without.

May 4: Beginners’ Walk with guest leader Jack Johnston, to Gibson Bottoms in Franklin. In order to take advantage of the best time of day, this trip will meet at Highlands Town Hall at 7:00 A.M. to carpool down the hill. Gibson Bottoms is a 65acre conservation easement just north of Franklin.

May 11: A special joint walk with the Franklin Bird Club will visit Walnut Gap. Highlands participants should carpool from the Highlands Town Hall Parking lot, meeting at 7:30 A.M., while Cashiers residents will meet at the Community Center parking lot at 7:45 A.M. Call (828) 743-9670 if you plan to join the walk.

May 18: Lonesome Valley will once again welcome birders to their beautiful 800-acre canyon in Sapphire. Please carpool as on May 11, since parking is limited. The walk will begin at 8:00 A.M. at Lonesome Valley.

May 21: A special Tuesday outing to the beautiful Southern Highlands Reserve atop Mt. Toxaway. This outing is limited to 20, so reservations are a must: Call Romney Bathurst at (828) 526-1939, to sign up. The Reserve requests a $20 donation from each participant. Bring a bag lunch to enjoy in the gardens, and don’t forget cameras.

May 25: This week’s walk in Highlands will visit one or more of the best birding sites in Highlands. All participants should meet at 7:30 in the parking lot behind Highlands Town Hall.

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ACCOMMODATIONS

Meadows Mtn. Realty............

Hen House..............................

4-1/2 Street Inn .....................

White Oak Realty Group.......

High Cotton............................

Martha Anne’s........................

Colonial Pines Inn..................

Inn at Half Mile Farm............

RESTAURANT

Peak Experience....................

Whiteside Cove Cottages......

Lakeside Restaurant..............

Scudders.................................

Mountain Brook Suites.........

Paolettis...................................

The Summer House...............

Mountain Laurel Rest............

Pescados.................................

Whole Life Market.................

Rosewood Market..................

Highlands Fine Art ...............

Wild Thyme Gourmet...........

Highland Hiker.......................

Laurel Magazine.....................

Wolfgang’s Restaurant &

Mirror Lake Antiques............

Mill Creek Gallery & Framing ..

Wine Bistro.............................

ARTS

SERVICES

Museum of American Cut Glass.......................................

RETAIL

Creative Concepts Salon.......

The Bascom ...........................

Alyxandra’s ............................

Highlands Visitors Center.....

Bear Mountain Outfitters......

Warth Construction...............

REAL ESTATE

Cabin Casuals.........................

Aery Chiropractic &

Country Club Properties.......

Drake’s Diamond Gallery ....

Acupuncture..........................

John Cleaveland Realty..........

Dry Sink..................................

High Country Photo.............

Sundrops on Caney Fork.......

Dutchman’s Designs..............

To promote your business in on the Highlands map for only $20 per month, email marjorie@themountainlaurel.com.

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Cashiers Arts EVENTS

and Crafts Fair

The Cashiers Arts and Crafts Fair, set for May 25 and 26, brings together the finest artisans from the Valley and beyond.

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he Cashiers Valley Rotary Club will stage the 2013 Cashiers Arts and Crafts Fair with more than 60 artists and artisans coming to the Cashiers Village Green on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26.

The fair will run from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. both days, rain or shine. It’ll showcase some of the finest local artisans and craftspeople and from across the Southeast.

There will be pottery, glassware, artworks, furniture, quilts, clothing, jewelry, and much more. You can expect to see mountain themes in many of the items, from handcrafted wooden bowls and ceramics to landscape paintings.

What sets this show apart is the fact that all of the items for sale must be handmade by the artists and artisans and must be of a high standard of craftsmanship.

The Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley will run a concessions stand, with its special hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, and drinks on sale. That means that browsers can spend the morning or afternoon and have lunch at the show. Families can also take advantage of the massive playground and picnic areas on the edge of the Village Green.

All proceeds from admission and food sales will benefit local Rotary programs and community service efforts, including the local Fire and Rescue departments, the Blue Ridge and Summit Schools, local college scholarships, Fishes and Loaves food pantry, the Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic, Honor Air Flights, local school fluoridation programs and others.

A raffle drawing will be held at the fair on Sunday afternoon. Tickets are $10 each and will be sold prior to the drawing. The lucky winner will choose between $1000 cash and an iPad, iPod, iTV package. The Cashiers Arts and Crafts Fair will be held at the Village Green, located at the intersection of Highways 64 and 107 at the Cashiers Crossroads. Admission is $3 per adult. www.thelaurelmagazine.com | May 2013 | 19

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The Highlands Map 18A | May 2013 | www.thelaurelmagazine.com 22 | May 2013 | www.thelaurelmagazine.com

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Cashiers Valley Preschool EVENTS

Contributed by Debbie Kenter

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Cashiers Valley Preschool’s Seventh Annual Cinco De Mayo Fundraiser will be moving to Old Edwards Club at Highlands Cove.

ashiers Valley Preschool will host its Cinco De Mayo Party from 6:30 to 11:00 P.M., Saturday, May 4, at the Old Edwards Club at Highlands Cove.

The evening will benefit the five-star rated preschool, which serves children throughout the area. Complimentary Coronas, margaritas and house wine will be served from 6:30 to 8:00 P.M. There will be live music by the Jackson Taylor Band and an amazing silent auction featuring goods and services donated by local businesses as well as some incredible travel packages and sports memorabilia.

Cashiers Valley Preschool is currently located behind Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library on Frank Allen Road. In the coming months the school will be moving into a new location at 180 Cashiers School Road, the former Ark Church site. This location will provide an enhanced learning environment and more space once renovations to the site have been completed. Funds raised from the

event will go directly to the projects needed to get the new location ready for the fall semester.

The school’s motto is “Where each parent matters and every child is special.” The efforts of the friendly, caring, and experienced staff at Cashiers Valley Preschool have resulted in the school garnering a strong reputation for preparing children to excel in a classroom setting. Frank and Candice Ralston, Beth Talmadge, and Susan Renfro make learning fun and interesting by using interactive and creative teaching tools and techniques. Subsidy tuition assistance is available for eligible applicants.

Tickets are $60 per person and $100 per couple and can be purchased prior to the event or at the door. For more information, call (828) 743-4320 or visit www.cashiersvalleypreschool.com for more information. The school is still accepting donations for the auction and sponsorships are welcomed.

For a comprehensive list of area events and happenings visit www.highlands-cashierscalendar.com

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Annual EVENTS

Plant Sale The Town Ballfield at the corner of Cashiers Highway (Hwy. 64) and Hickory will be brimming with beautiful, healthy plants on Saturday, May 25, for the annual Mountain Garden Club Plant Sale. Gates open at 9:00 A.M. and close at noon. Be there early for best selection. If rained out on Saturday, the sale will be Sunday, May 26, 1:00 to 4:00 P.M.

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he annual Mountain Garden Club Plant Sale provides a huge variety of sun and shade plants just waiting for you. You can rest assured that all of these plants are well acclimated to our area’s climate since they have been recently harvested from area gardens. Garden Club members and their trusty helpers choose only the very best hardy, healthy plants from throughout the area.

Many of you have come to the sale for years, but if you are new to our area, come out the Cashiers Highway to the Town Ballfield. There you will find rows and rows of beautiful plants.

Bring your own cart, wagon or sled for maximum ease in gathering all of your plants. Club members will be there to help you select and carry your plants. Shade plants or sun lovers, the Club’s extensive inventory provides great choices. Each year’s inventory varies depending on the plants that are available from area gardens, and there are always new additions. In years past the inventory has featured many varieties of perennials such as cinnamon ferns and other native plants, daisies, Lenten roses, lupines, ground covers, and much, much more, including an impressive selection of dahlia tubers.

If you have an abundance of plants in your garden and would like to donate to the sale please call Caroline Cook at (828) 526-2742. The diggers will leave your garden in great shape and get you started on that much needed thinning!

Proceeds from the sale provide funds to underwrite the Club’s many community projects including the Highlands School butterfly garden, the gardens at the Fidelia Eckerd Living Center, classes for youngsters at Highlands School on plants and butterflies, and college scholarships.

Since 1996, area students pursuing degrees in the fields of horticulture, environmental science, landscape design, forestry management or golf course management have been awarded scholarships funded through the plant sale.

To everyone, these students say “Thank You” for supporting this endeavor.

Handy helpers at the Plant Sale will load your car and make it easy for you. See you there. Cash or check only; no credit cards. www.thelaurelmagazine.com | May 2013 | 25

Laurel Garden Kitchen Tour EVENTS

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cooking demonstrations and dining experiaurel Garden Club is planning the secences. ond tour of kitchens September 21 from Monday, September 16 – Watch Wolf9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Guests from the gang Green work his magic in an outdoor 2011 Kitchen Tour are still raving about how venue as he prepares a grilled feast in a much they enjoyed this tour. One guest state-of-the-art Viking outdoor kitchen as commented this was by far the best planned you drink locally brewed beer and listen to and implemented tour she had ever taken. local blue grass music. ($130 per person) Shuttles will transport guests from the PerTuesday, September 17 – Enjoy Asian forming Arts Center, downtown Highlands, fusion small plates coupled with specially every thirty minutes from 9:00 A.M. until prepared cocktails in a fabulous home the last departure time of 2:00 P.M. Online overlooking Whiteside Mountain. ($120 ticket purchases provide a choice of 11 deper person) parture times. Guests will experience magChef Wolfgang will grill a feast Tuesday, September 17 – Learn and ennificent variety as they visit six of Highlands’ for LGC Culinary Highlands Cooks!

Photo courtesy of Doc Wilson. joy as Mountain Top chefs educate and finest kitchens, beautifully designed and aptransform the fruits and vegetables of lopointed. Surprising delights, such as a cooking demonstration in one of the tour kitchens, will keep the cal gardens into a gastronomical feast in a stunning Mounpulse lively and interesting, with sneak looks into the homes tain Top setting. ($125 per person) Friday, September 20 – Groove to your favorite tunes and gardens.

Leading up to the Kitchen Tours, the club is planning a of the sixties while enjoying updated appetizers and cockweek of unforgettable culinary events entitled “Highlands tails from that period in the comfort of a spectacular, conCooks!” Four Highlands chefs will entertain and educate temporary Cold Springs home. ($60 perperson).

For additional information and reservations visit www.lauin small, intimate settings at spectacular private homes on the Highlands plateau. The evenings include fabulous relgardenclubhighlands.com.

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SOAR EVENTS

Adventure Race

By Luke Osteen The 11th Annual Special Operations Adventure Race will be staged in Highlands on Saturday, June 15.

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ll of us are indebted to the many military personnel who are serving throughout the world so that we may live in peace and safety.

A group of individuals who risk their lives daily are the members of America’s Special Operations forces.

The Special Operations Forces are all special operations personnel from the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force.

Although our forces voluntarily place themselves in harm’s way, it isn’t without personal sacrifices.

Which brings us to the most personal sacrifice anyone can ever give – their life for the cause and leaving behind their beloved families. For 33 years, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation has strived to have a positive impact of the children of the fallen heroes of the Special Operations Forces.

The foundation gives all children of these young men who lost their life a college education (grant, not a loan). The total children are now over 900, from newborn to college age. They will receive a college education, family counseling and financial assistance to the families of our wounded troops.

This is the 11th year a local group of dedicated volunteers is staging events to support the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Over the last 10 years the people of the Highlands, Cashiers, and Sapphire communities have helped raise $550,000.

This year the Adventure Race is on Saturday, June 15. Solo racers and teams of two will run, cycle, rappel, paddle and navigate throughout the day for approximately 50 miles.

The adventure begins Friday, June 14, at the Highlands Rec Park with registration and check-in from noon to 6:00 p.m.

There’ll be a spaghetti dinner at the Highlands Community Center (at the corner of US 64 and Poplar Street) from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Everyone, runners and non-runners alike, is invited. Cost is $7 for adults.

To register or for more information, visit soarhighlands.org.

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Mountain Tennis Challenge EVENTS

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Contributed by Krysti Rogers

he Highlands-Cashiers area is popular for beautiful landscapes, world-class dining and a host of attributes that make it a highly sought-after locale.

But to whom much is given… In that spirit, the area is also known for its philanthropy. The Mountain Challenge will offer an opportunity for all of us to be a part of that movement.

Former world-ranked number-one tennis professional Andy Roddick is passionate about helping brighten the futures of our country’s youth. It’s no wonder that when he chose to become a seasonal resident of the Cashiers community he offered to do something for the children.

That initiative resulted in the development of the nonprofit Mountain Youth Charities which will host The Mountain Challenge in July featuring Roddick and Jim Courier, who was also ranked number one in the world and is a regular participant on the Powershares Senior Tour.

“The goal is to establish a long-term program for all kids in this area,” said Event Chairman William McKee. “Mountain Youth Charities is researching many ways this can happen, a series of round table discussions are ongoing to make thoughtful decisions as to exactly what is the best

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course of action for these programs. This will be a great event for the Highlands-Cashiers Community.”

As part of The Mountain Challenge, a Gala Mountain Dinner will be held at Canyon Kitchen at Lonesome Valley on Friday, July 26. The dinner will feature the two players and their families along with several items for auction, with all proceeds going to the charity.

Exhibition Saturday will be held the following day at Cedar Creek Racquet Club and will offer a day’s worth of activities including a preliminary match between Brevard’s Korey Lovett, a nationally-ranked junior tennis player, and Charlotte’s Thai Kwiatkowski, ranked top 10 in the international junior rankings and whose former coach is Cedar Creek GM Scott Handback.

After the preliminary match, the winners of the Pro-Am Competition the previous week will square off against Roddick and Courier in doubles before the feature match.

There will also be a chance for spectators to try and return Roddick’s Serve delivered by an automated ball machine and a fast serve contest.

To purchase tickets or for more information, go to www.cashiers.com or call (828) 743-3411.

Arts and EVENTS

Crafts Show Contributed by Cynthia Strain

The art of Vicky Ferguson will be showcased at the Village Square Art & Craft Show happening Saturday and Sunday, June 1 and June 2.

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f you are looking for some fun family entertainment, mark your calendar for the Village Square Art & Craft Shows in downtown Highlands. An abundance of local talent will be on display, with art and crafts, demonstrations, mountain music, face painting, and food. The shows go from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. both days in the Kelsey-Hutchinson Park and neighboring Highlands Village Square at Fifth and Pine Streets, one block from Main Street.

The show has developed a reputation for high quality work. It features fine art, turned wood, metal work, fabric work, birdhouses, and jewelry. Also many traditional crafts like folk art, baskets, quilts, twig furniture, and face jugs.

Many of the artisans live in Highlands, including painter Zach Claxton, potter Pat Taylor, ceramicist Jan Smith, jeweler Lee Byers, and baker/cook Maxine Davidoff.

This show also features many of your favorite artisans from past shows. Of note is Marcus Thomas, the remarkable quadriplegic painter who has just published a book on his life and work.

As always, Patti Cakes will be painting faces. Enjoy live music both days 11:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. in the park gazebo. On Saturday folk singer Sylvia Sammons will perform, and on Sunday the Ross Brothers return by popular demand. Be sure to plan lunch at Fressers in the square.

Please note that these shows are no longer on the holiday weekends (due to changes in the town’s policies on park usage). The next show is August 24 and 25.

The shows are sponsored by the Macon County Art Association, a non-profit group dedicated to promoting and teaching fine arts. Check out their wonderful Uptown Gallery in downtown Franklin. For more information contact Cynthia Strain at Mill Creek Gallery & Framing (828) 787-2021. www.thelaurelmagazine.com | May 2013 | 29

Annual Tour de Cashiers EVENTS

Cyclists will challenge each other and themselves as they explore the ups and downs of Blue Ridge Mountain Biking at the Tour de Cashiers, Saturday, May 4.

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ore than 20 years ago, organizer Clark Moore gathered a group of cycling enthusiasts in front of the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce and set off on an 11-mile trip across the area’s scenic mountain byways.

This annual ride has grown through the years to include multiple routes up to 100 miles long and more than 300 riders from across the southeastern United States.

This year’s Tour will be held on Saturday, May 4, starting on and returning to Frank Allen Road near the Cashiers Crossroads at US Highways 64 and 107. More than 300 riders and 200 community volunteers are expected, including support from regional emergency fire departments, rescue squads and other law enforcement agencies.

“We celebrate this exciting sporting event as a tradition to showcase the local landscape and communities,” said event chairman Tim O’Brien. “It’s an outdoor adventure for riders as we welcome spring to the mountains.”

Online registration is now open at www.TourdeCa-

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shiers.com. Individual and corporate sponsors are also needed. Fees and funds raised cover event expenses and proceeds will support Cashiers Area community development. Volunteers for registration, SAG wagons, rest stations, course preparation, entertainment and other support activities are invited to call (828) 743-5191 or email info@CashiersAreaChamber.com.

The Tour de Cashiers mountainous circuit features stunning spring scenery and challenging ascents with total elevation gains of up to 10,500 feet. The Century 100-mile and the Metric 50-mile rides include long climbs and fast descents. The Quarter Century 25-mile route is a great introduction to cycling along the Blue Ridge. All three provide challenge and inspiration for those wanting to test their conditioning on an all-day supported ride.

In addition to the exhilarating experience of this mountain adventure, participants receive a commemorative tee shirt and a post-ride meal. Massage services and shower facilities also will be available. For the latest Tour-related news, visit Facebook and www.TourdeCashiers.com.

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Memorial Day Weekend Events EVENTS

Contributed by Jodi Moore

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The Cashiers Village Commons serves as the centerpiece for a pair of exciting events Saturday, May 25 – The Motorcycle Poker Run and the First Annual Blues, Brew and BBQ.

his Memorial Day weekend mark your calendar for Saturday, May 25, to come to Cashiers and enjoy two wonderful events brought to you by the Greater Cashiers Area Merchants Association.

For motorcycle enthusiasts, the day will begin with our first and annual Poker Run. Registration will start at 9:00 A.M. and last bike out will be 10:30 A.M. Riders will begin and end the 130-mile loop at the Village Commons (the first and last pit stop). Breakfast will be available from Wendy’s during registration. The scenic route will take riders along our spectacular mountain roads making three other pit stops in Maggie Valley, Cherokee and Highlands before returning to the Village Commons. Riders will pick up their playing cards at each of the five stops. Lunch will be served at Subway in Maggie Valley.

Upon arriving back in Cashiers, participants will turn in their cards. There will be an awards ceremony to reward the winners for best hand ($500), second-best hand ($200), and worst hand ($50). A portion of the Poker Run will benefit The Wounded Warriors Project. For registra-

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tion information, please visit www.visitcashiersvalley. com, email Nancy Albers at bbbpokerrun@aol.com, or register for the poker run at www.bbbpokerrun.eventbrite.com For those of you that do not want to participate in the Poker Run but want to come out and have a good time, please join us for our First Annual Blues, Brew and BBQ which will begin at 5:00 P.M. at the Village Commons. The Awards Ceremony will be held here.

This exciting event will feature live entertainment opening with the amazing Lauren Mitchell Band from Sarasota followed by our headliner, Mac Arnold and Plate Full O’ Blues. Come hungry; great food from On The Side BBQ will be served and there will be plenty of beverages being brought to you by the Ugly Dog Pub as well as a Moonshine Margarita Bar brought to you by Troy and Sons Distillery. Admission to this event is free.

This will be a wonderful way to kick off the 2013 Summer Season. Please join us and help support a special cause.

No coolers permitted. This event will occur rain or shine. Bring chairs or a blanket.

Fishes and Loaves Fundraiser EVENTS

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By Wiley Sloan

he Cashiers community better idea to combine their invites you to enjoy their efforts to provide this service Annual Big ‘Ol Mountain for our neighbors in need.

Country Breakfast to benefit The organization is solely run the Fishes and Loaves Food by volunteers.

Funds genPantry. Come join them from erously donated by individu7:00 to 11:00 A.M., Saturday, als, churches and community service organizations underJuly 6, at the Cashiers Comwrite our expenses. munity Center on U.S. 64 (the Breakfast organizers are Highlands Road). Proceeds looking forward to a large from this popular event will crowd. This breakfast has a support the efforts to feed The Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry is saving a generous plate reputation for generous porneedy neighbors throughout for you at the Annual Big ‘Ol Mountain Country Breakfast, tions of food prepared with the year.

7:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M., Saturday, July 6. care using time-tested recipes.

“Annually, we average “It is the biggest and best country breakfast you have over 2,000 family visits, distributing roughly two and half tons of food per month,” says Fishes & Loaves Food Pan- ever eaten. Really! Ask anyone who has ever come,” try spokeswoman Carole Stork. “The people we serve are promises Carole.

Donations are accepted. If you cannot attend the a mixture of local residents and Latino immigrants who are out of work primarily in the winter months, and a small breakfast but would like to support the Fishes & Loaves, number of senior citizens.” Over seven years ago, the send your contributions to Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry, churches in the Cashiers community decided it would be a P.O. Box 865, Cashiers, NC 28717.

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Center for Life Enrichment EVENTS

Contributed by Nancy Plate An expansive new lecture hall enhances the Center for Life Enrichment’s 2013 slate of courses. For more information, call (828) 526-8811.

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he Center for Life Enrichment opened its doors April 4 to the new CLE Lecture Hall in the lower level of the Peggy Crosby Center on South Fourth Street in Highlands.

The 75-seat classroom/lecture hall, complete with the state of the art Smartboard, is ready for participants to work on computer skills, listen to lectures, produce art, and enjoy all the offerings that have made CLE a primary continuing education institution in the Highlands-Cashiers area for over 20 years.

The month of April was dedicated to Apple Computer lovers. Nigel Sixsmith, the popular instructor on all things Apple, featured four evening classes at the new center.

The very popular iPad courses will be continued throughout the season covering all of the amazing possibilities of this device.

May courses will continue Apple technology with

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classes for the iCloud as well as the iPad. May will also offer a Botanical Nature Trail Tour, May 4; a current affairs lecture, “Sustaining Growth in China,” Saturday, May 18; and a five class course in “Beginning Drawing” beginning May 21.

Sunday, May 26, a cooperative lecture with The Bascom will be offered. The lecture, “Redressing Fashion and Sustainability,” will begin at 4:00 P.M. Saturday, May 27, CLE will sponsor tickets and transportation to the opera “Dead Man Walking” at Western Carolina University at a cost of $55.

To explore CLE’s upcoming lectures and hobby classes, visit at www.clehighlands.com and check out the 2013 catalogue. A brochure listing the classes is available online and registration can be accomplished either online, by email at clehighlands@yahoo.com or by phone at (828) 526-8811.

Passion Inspires Action EVENTS

By Wiley Sloan REACH of Macon County’s American Girl Tea Party, set for Saturday, May 11, at Holly Springs Baptist Church in Franklin, offers a celebration for all ages while supporting local victims of domestic violence.

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EACH of Macon County invites you to join them for their fifth annual American Girl Tea Party, entitled “Passion Inspires Action.”

The party will be held on Saturday, May 11, from 2:00 to 4:00 P.M. at Holly Springs Baptist Church, 366 Holly Springs Church Road in Franklin.

Tickets are $10 for children and $25 for adults, or $150 to sponsor a table of eight.

This annual event provides a special opportunity for all REACH supporters to celebrate women of all ages. Partygoers will enjoy good food while participating in a number of exciting events including a special presentation from Arrowmont Stables, an activity from the Arts Council, a silent auction, and a drawing

for the American Girl Doll of the Year.

Participants will also have the opportunity to win special door prizes, and a stay at the American Girl Doll Suite in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Volunteers are needed. Will you donate items for the silent auction or donate food? Would you assist us in decorating the tables? To volunteer or to buy tickets contact REACH at (828) 369-5544 (Macon County) or (828) 586-8969 (Jackson County). Monies raised support direct client services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. For more information, please contact REACH at the numbers listed above. If you are not able to attend, contributions may be mailed to REACH of Macon County at PO Box 228, Franklin, NC 28744.

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Mtn. LaureL ShoppeS Dining • Shopping • Accommodations Slabtown Road off Hwy. 107 N., Cashiers, NC

Discover these and other wonderful places and things in the Cashiers Valley.

Map of Cashiers

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EVENTS

Beeing a Bee Contributed by Ann Self

The Village Nature Center Series begins with a presentation by Austin Curto, a local beekeeper.

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growing trend in America is taking the country by swarm – swarms of bees that is.

Beekeeping has become a popular backyard hobby. Why all the buzz about honeybees? The very first Village Nature Series presentation hopes to answer that question! Area residents and visitors are invited to come and learn about apiculture, or the raising and care of bees, at 7:00 P.M. Tuesday, May 28, at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers.

Austin Curto, a local beekeeper, will share interesting facts about bees.

“A bee colony is a culture all itself,” Curto says, “for example younger bees must be taught how to make honey by the more experienced bees in the hive.”

Curto was also trained by more experienced apiarists as knowledge about bees and cultivating their honey has been passed through his family for generations. Curto will unlock some of the misconceptions about honeybees as well as explain why various jars of honey can taste so differently.

This is the first of an exciting program for the 2013 season of Village Nature Series.

Other presentations this year will explore such topics as hiking to North Carolina forest fire lookout towers, Cherokee ethnobotany and area birds of prey. The Village Nature Series is a free community event highlighting distinctive natural elements of this area.

The Village Nature Series is sponsored by the HighlandsCashiers Land Trust. The presentations are at 7:00 P.M. the last Tuesday of each month from May through October at The Village Green Commons near the Cashiers post office on Frank Allen Road.

For more information on The Village Nature Series you can visit The Village Green website at www.villagegreencashiersnc.com and click on the “Events” tab.

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Mark Your Calendar

• Rotary Bingo Night to support the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society, 6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 2. Highlands Community Building.

• Center for Life Enrichment, Botanical Nature Trail Tour, Saturday, May 4, (828) 526-8811.

• Tour de Cashiers, Saturday, May 4, Frank Allen Road near Cashiers Crossroads at Highways 64 and 107.

• Monthly Jam, Saturday, May 4, Blue Ridge Music, Clayton, GA, (706) 782-9852.

• Live Music, 8:30 P.M., Saturdays, May 4: Carey Murdock; May 11: John Stickley Trio; May 18: Ben Sutton; Friday, May 24: Laurel Mitchell Band, May 25: Porch 40, The Ugly Dog Pub, (828) 526-8364.

• Cashiers Valley Preschool Cinco De Mayo Party, 6:30-11:00 P.M., Saturday, May 4, Old Edwards Club at Highlands Cove, (828) 743-4320.

• Rotary Club’s Annual Golf Tournament, 11:00 A.M., Monday, May 6, Highlands Country Club, (828) 5260501.

• Center for Life Enrichment - IPad 102, 6:00-7:00 P.M., Monday, May 6, CLE Lecture Hall Peggy Crosby Center, (828) 526-8811.

• Highlands Biological Station workshop, “Journaling Nature a Day at a Time”, May 6-10, (828) 526-2602 .

• Classics with Steve Johannessen, 7:00 P.M., Friday, May 10, Cork and Barrel Restaurant and Lounge, (828) 743-9997.

• REACH of Macon County’s American Girl Tea Party, 2:00-4:00 P.M, Saturday, May 11, Holly Springs Baptist Church in Franklin.

• Highlands High School Ceramics, May 11-July 14, Landing Gallery, Opening Reception 4:00-6:00 P.M. Saturday, May 11, The Bascom, (828) 526-4949.

• Story Swap, 7:30 P.M., Tuesday, May 14, Highlands Writers Group, Ugly Dog Pub, (828) 369-1927. Preregistration is required.

• Recently Released Movies, 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, May 15, Hudson Library, (828) 526-3031.

• Center for Life Enrichment - IPad 101, 6:00 P.M., Thursday, May 16, CLE Lecture Hall Peggy Crosby Center, (828) 526-8811.

• Highlands’ Annual Three River Fly Fishing Tournament, May 16-17. Thursday, May 16, Casting Clinics with North Carolina Fly Fishing Team, Noon-4:00 P.M., Harris Lake; Equipment tune-up, Noon-4:00 P.M., Highland Hiker; Casting Competition, Noon-4:00 P.M. Pine Street Park.

Fly Tying Clinic. 5:00-6:30 P.M.,Old Edwards Inn, Call Highlands Visitor Center at (866) 526- 5841.

• The Bascom’s annual Collective Spirits fundraiser, May 16-18. Friday, May 17, Educational Tasting Seminars, 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M.; Friday, May 17, Stock Your Cellar Wine Market and Tasting, 6:00 P.M.; Saturday, May 18, Gala Dinner and Auction, 6:00 P.M.; (828) 787-2896.

• The Center for Life Enrichment, lecture, “Sustaining Growth in China,” Noon, Saturday, May 18, CLE Lecture Hall, Peggy Crosby Center, (828) 526-8811.

• Highlands Playhouse Lock-Up community event, Saturday, May 18, at Town Square. To nominate a community leader that you would like to see “do time,” call (828) 526-2695.

• Atlanta Boy Choir annual Highlands concert,

5:00 P.M., Sunday, May 19, Episcopal Church of the Incarnation. Admission is free and open to the public.

(404) 378-0064.

• Martinis and Mozart, 5:00-7:00 P.M. Sunday, May 19, Wolfgang’s Wine Bistro. Reservations: HighlandsCashiers Chamber Music Festival, (828) 526-9060.

• The Art League of Highlands meeting, “Abstracts on Mylar” will feature nationally known Asheville artist, Kenn Kotara, social time 4:30-5:00 P.M., meeting 5:006:00 P.M., Monday, May 20, The Bascom.

• Center for Life Enrichment - Beginning Drawing, noon, May 21, 22, 24 and May 29, 31, The Bascom, (828) 5268811.

• Center for Life Enrichment - IPad 101, 6:00 P.M., Thursday, May 23, CLE Lecture Hall Peggy Crosby Center, (828) 526-8811.

• Love, Loss, and What I Wore, Highlands Cashiers Players, 7:30 P.M., May 23-25, 2:30 P.M. May 26. 7:30 P.M., May 30-June 1, 2:30 P.M., June 2, Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center in Highlands, (828) 526-8084.

• Highlands Playhouse, daMon On The Keys, featuring pianist daMon Goff and jazz artist Marsha DuPree, May 24-26. Showtimes: 8:00 P.M. Friday and Saturday, 2:00 P.M. Sunday matinee. Tickets (828) 526-2695.

• Women of Scaly Mountain Pancake Breakfasts, 7:3010:30 A.M.. Saturday, May 25 at the Old School House, just off Dillard Road.

• First Annual Poker Run, Saturday, May 25, Registration 9:00 A.M., Greater Cashiers Area Merchants Association.

Registration informatio: www.visitcashiersvalley.com.

• First Annual Blues, Brew and BBQ, 5:00 P.M., Saturday, May 25, Village Commons, Greater Cashiers Area Merchants Association.

• Annual Mountain Garden Club Plant Sale, 9:00 A.M., Saturday, May 25, Town ball field at the corner of Cashiers Highway (Hwy. 64) and Hickory. If rained out on Saturday, the sale will be Sunday, May 26, 1:00-4:00 P.M., (828) 526-2742.

• 2013 Cashiers Arts and Crafts Show, 10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M., Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26, Cashiers Village Green, Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley.

• ReDress: Upcycled Style by Nancy Judd, May 25-August 18, Loft Gallery, Opening Reception 5:00-7:00 P.,M., Saturday, May 25, The Bascom, (828) 526-4949.

• Center for Life Enrichment, cooperative lecture “Redressing Fashion and Sustainability,” with The Bascom, 4:00 P.M., Sunday, May 26, The Bascom, (828) 526-8811.

• The Center for Life Enrichment, opera “Dead Man Walking” at Western Carolina University, Monday, May 27, (828) 526-8811.

• Highlands Botanical Garden Tour, 10:30 am, Monday, May 27, Highlands Biological Station, (828) 526-2221.

• Village Nature Series presentation, “The Raising and Care of Bees, 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 28, The Village Green Commons, Cashiers.

• Family Nature Activity, 3:30 P.M., Tuesday, May 28, Highlands Biological Center, (828) 526-2221.

• Storybook Science Program, 2:30 P.M., Wednesday, May 29, Highlands Biological Center, (828) 526-2221.

• Buechner Fest 2013, May 30-June 2, Montreat Conference Center, : buechnerinstitute.org • Center for Life Enrichment - iPad 102, Noon, Thursday, May 30, CLE Lecture Hall Peggy Crosby Center, (828) 526-8811.

• Acorns Trunk Shows: Planet Clothing May 31-June 2, Elizabeth Locke June 6-8, Lorain Croft June 6-8, Stephen Vaubel Jewelry June 21 - 22 Cathy Sherman Jewelry June 28 - 29, (828) 787-1877.

• The Betsy Paul Art Raffle for the Cashiers Glenville Volunteer Fire Department, will be held on May 31, in the afternoon, 828) 743-0880.

Weekly Events

EVERY MONDAY • Dulcimer Lessons - Intermediate Class 10 A.M., Beginners Noon, Highlands United Methodist church, (828) 787-1586.

EVERY TUESDAY • Dulcimer Acoustic Jam, 10:00 A.M., Bird Barn and Gift Emporium, Cashiers, (828) 743-3797.

• Senior Fitness, 10:30-11:30 A.M., Cashiers Community Center, (828) 743-1947.

• Highlands Rotary Club, Noon, Highlands Community Center.

• Duplicate Bridge, 1:45 P.M., Albert CarltonCashiers Community Library. (828) 743-0215.

EVERY WEDNESDAY • Highlands Mountaintop Rotary, 7:30 A.M., dining room at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital.

• Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley, 8:00 A.M., Cashiers United Methodist Church, (828) 743-2243.

• Preschool Story Time, 11:00 A.M.-Noon, Albert Carlton Library (828) 743-0215.

• Cashiers Quilters Guild, 12:30 P.M., Cashiers Methodist Church.

• Duplicate Bridge Games, 12:45 P.M., Highlands Civic Center.

• Mah Jong games open to the public, 1:00 P.M., Albert Carlton Cashiers-Community Library, (828) 743-0215.

• Bluegrass, 8:30 P.M., Ugly Dog Pub, (828) 5268364.

EVERY THURSDAY • Art Class Offered, 10:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M., Sapphire Valley Community Center. (828) 743-7663.

• Senior Fitness, 10:30-11:30 A.M., Cashiers Community Center, (828) 743-1947.

EVERY FRIDAY • The Zachary-Tolbert House Tours, 11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M., (828) 743-7710.

• Duplicate Bridge Games, 12:45 P.M., Highlands Civic Center.

• Live Music, 6:00 P.M.-close, Hummingbird Lounge, Old Edwards Inn, (828) 787-2625.

EVERY SATURDAY • Birding Field Trips, 7:30 A.M., Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, meet at Highlands Town Hall, (828) 743-9670.

• The Zachary-Tolbert House Tours, 11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M., (828) 743-7710.

• Live Music, 6:00 P.M.-close, Hummingbird Lounge, Old Edwards Inn, (828) 787-2625.

For a comprehensive list of events, join www.highlands-cashierscalendar.com www.thelaurelmagazine.com | May 2013 | 41

CASHIERS MAP KEY

AccommodAtions

Fiddlehead designs

High Hampton inn & country club

GG’s consignments *etc

the mountain Laurel inn

Highland Hiker Highlands emporium

Arts

interior enhancements

Blue Valley Gallery

into the Woods Home interiors

cashiers Hillside Artists

Lenz Gifts & Linens

chivaree southern Art and design

Lotsa consignment shop

mountain mist Gallery

mantiques midnight Farms

reAL estAte

nature’s Vitamins

Betsy Paul Properties

nearly new/ellen’s

Landmark realty Group

nora & co

silver creek real estate Group

rusticks ryan & company

restAurAnts

s’more Kids Klothes

Boar’s Head deli

summer Place Antiques

cafe 107

the Look Jewelry and Gifts

crossroads Grill/Village scoop

tom sawyer tree Farm

Hunts Brothers Pizza

Victoria's closet

sapphire Brewery & Pub

Vc for men

the Bodacious Bear Pub

Vivianne metzger Antiques

the Zookeeper Bistro

Woof Gang Bakery Zoller Hardware retAiL

the designer’s market

Bear’s den Bird Barn and Gift emporium Blue ridge Bedding/ carolina rustic Furniture

serVices cashiers chamber cashiers BP

Bounds cave

cashiers exxon

Brooking’s cashiers Village Anglers

cashiers Printing

Bumpkins

cashiers Valley Preschool

cashiers customs

Fancy Paws dog Grooming

catbird seat

Jennifer Haynes massage therapy

cJ Brownhouse

Keystone Kitchen & Bath

consignment market

Peter J Pioli interiors

corner store

signal ridge marina

dovetail Antiques

To promote your business on the Cashiers Map for only $20 a month, email janet@themountainlaurel.com.

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Cover Artist Gene Towery THE ARTS

by Donna Rhodes

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o Gene Towery everything is a potential painting. Her eyes are windows on the world, sizing up a landscape, a view from a flatbed, a bouquet of flowers, or a nose-to-nose encounter with a bovine.

Her internal color wheel is constantly spinning, matching shades and tints, pastels and saturations, calibrating darks and lights.

She says, “I have a weird compulsion. As I look out the window I see a lovely snowy day, purple mountains in the distance framed by a churning white sky. In my head I am putting it all together on a mental canvas, swaths of purple and blue with dollops of light on bare trees and branches. It is hard for me to look at any scene no matter what the season without puzzling over the perfect palette for each panorama.”

Towery winters in St Petersburg and summers in Sapphire. When in Florida, she dons her tropical beret, splashing bright colors across her surfaces. In North Carolina she zooms in on lush landscapes and Mother Nature’s flora and fauna. She enjoys plein air painting, planting herself in a field or on a hillside to paint in the fresh air. But one of her signature subjects is cows and try as she will, she hasn’t managed to train them to stand still. She photographs them so she can take them back to her studio to study and paint. She loves their big brown 36 | May 2013 | www.thelaurelmagazine.com

velvety eyes, full of personality and joy.

But if you ask her, “What is your favorite thing to paint?” She will tell you that it is whatever crosses her path on any particular day. It could be a cow, a mountain scape, a glorious tree, a pasture, a cluster of rhodo blossoms, or a patron’s schnauzer.

Because of the lovely mountain views, most Highlands homes have an abundance of windows. Light bounces off the glass of framed watercolors. So she prefers to work in oils in the mountains. No glass, no glare. Her favored mediums are oils, acrylics and watercolor of which she does a lot in Florida.

She teaches at the Sapphire Community Center on Thursday mornings 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. She is represented by ARTicles Gallery in St. Pete.

See more of her work featured on their website www.articlesstpete.com.

A member of the Highlands Art League she participates in the League’s summer and fall color shows as well as the Sapphire Community Center show in August.

You can reach her by e-mail at: gtowery9@gmail.com.

She welcomes inquiries and custom orders and would delight in seeing you with paints and brushes in hand some Thursday morning. She’d love to help you discover and release your own inner artist.

THE ARTS

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William Rogers THE ARTS

by Donna Rhodes

William Rogers shares his gift for metal arts with North Carolina’s young artists.

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s a master craftsman in the metal arts, William Rogers has forged his own fortune and helped forge that of many of his students in artist residencies throughout the southeast. And no wonder. Rogers has been recognized repeatedly for his excellence in creativity and craftsmanship. He was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship by the Tennessee Arts Commission in his home state of Tennessee. In 2002 he was designated a master craftsman in Virginia where he operated William S. Rogers Metals, a design and fabrication forge. He was one of eight master teachers selected from throughout the Commonwealth by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to participate in a statewide apprenticeship program.

Since relocating his studio to Cullowhee, North Carolina, in 2005, he has planned and developed a highly successful blacksmithing studio for the Jackson County Green Energy Park, adapting a natural gas forge to burn methane recovered from a former landfill site. That’s what blacksmiths do. They take raw materials, grind in their own special magic, and create beauty where there was none. Rogers facilitated turning useless waste into concentrated energy to power the production of fine art and craft. Now that’s alchemy. Talk about forging your own fortune . . .

It is clear Rogers is a man with many irons in the fire, literally and figuratively. Inside his chiseled frame beats the heart of an artist and an educator. In March of this year he conducted a two-week residency sponsored by a North Carolina Arts Council Artist-in-Residence grant at Tuscola High School in Waynesville. Advanced art students 38 | May 2013 | www.thelaurelmagazine.com

learned the venerable art of copper repoussé, which literally means to re-push. Each student designed a heritage square using symbols and icons to tell their family story, everything from Scottish clan to Cherokee tribe. Once transferred to the copper plate each image was hammered, pushed out from the back and refined/defined on the front with ballpeen hammer and hand forged iron tools, made by Rogers himself. Students tapped and pounded front and back for over 14 days. Once complete, Rogers assembled the thirty plates into an arched sculpture now permanently installed in the Tuscola Art Garden to be unveiled May 10. Copper repoussé, by the way, is how the Statue of Liberty was created, one hammered plate at a time.

Rogers also worked with intermediate art students to teach kinetic sculpture construction (think Calder’s mobiles) using heavy aluminum wire and sheet metal repoussé. In addition he served as consultant and demonstrator to initiate a blacksmith forge in Tuscola’s welding department.

Dale McDonald, principal of Tuscola High School says, “William Rogers’ impact on our students and our school will be felt for years to come. His quality presentation is right in step with 21st century education. We were delighted the North Carolina and Haywood County Arts Councils made his residency possible.”

To learn more about William Rogers, his studio, how to book him for a workshop or purchase his hand-crafted fire tools and more, visit www.rogersmetals.com.

Collective Spirits THE ARTS

Contributed by Bonnie Potts

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ore than 500 lucky oenophiles will be wined and dined on May 16–18 at The Bascom’s annual Collective Spirits fundraiser. The festivities kick off on Thursday evening with exclusive benefactor-only dinners featuring renowned chefs and notable wines.

Friday begins with two educational tasting seminars in the classrooms at The Bascom. Friday evening will include a VIP Wine Tasting of rare and collectible restaurant-only wine-list wines, followed by the Stock Your Cellar Wine Market and Tasting on the Terrace at The Bascom. The Market will spotlight dozens of award-winning vintners, who will offer tastings and hard-to-find wines for sale by the discounted case. A seated dinner on Saturday at Highlands Country Club will culminate in a live auction conducted by wine specialist Greg Quiroga of Reynolds-Buckley in California.

Saturday’s live auction items are a fabulous mix of glamorous trips to luxury destinations, exclusive gourmet dinners, private wine tastings hosted by the vintners themselves and carefully curated wine collections. The Bascom announces its Collective Spirits 2013 vintners, with special Guest of Honor winemaker Rick Sayre of the Rodney Strong Winery. Additional notables include Axel Schug, owner of Schug Carneros Estate; winemaker Robbie Meyer of L’Angevin and Pierson-Meyer; Sales Director Kathy Berez of Failla Wines; Robin Lail, owner of Lail Vineyards; National Sales Manager Doug Cohen of Solena Estate; John Anthony Truchard of John Anthony Vineyards; East Coast Sales Sarah Noble of Loosen Brothers Wines; Gabrielle Leonhard, The Gabrielle Collection; Natali Meetze of Falcor Wines; Steve Pignatello, importer of French wines; Bob Singer of Caymus Vineyards; winemaker Joe Davis of Arcadian Winery; Tuck Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Wines and Chris Bratcher of Bratcher Wines.

Please mark your calendar for the Collective Spirits events: Thursday, May 16 – Private Wine Dinners (Benefactors only*) – 6:00 P.M. Friday, May 17 – Educational Tasting Seminars – 1:00 and 3:00 P.M. Friday, May 17 – Stock Your Cellar Wine Market and Tasting ($100 per person) – 6:00 P.M. Saturday, May 18 – Gala Dinner and Auction ($275 per person) – 6:00 P.M. *Benefactor packages start at $2,500 For ticketing information, call the ticket office at (828) 787-2896.

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The Last Romance THE ARTS

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By Wiley Sloan

n June, the HighlandsDirected by Ralph Cashiers Players will Stevens and David bring “The Last RoMilford, this romanmance” by Joe DiPietro tic comedy for ages 12 to Highlands PAC. Show to a 102 also features dates will be June 6-9 and Bellini’s cranky sis13-16. This heartwarming ter, Rose (Shirley Wilstory explores how a small liams), and the Young change in a daily routine Man (Robert Helma, can bring a big, unexa tenor from Western pected benefit. Using his Carolina University). reclaimed boyish charm, As Shakespeare once widower Ralph Bellini (Dawrote, “If music be the vid Milford) steps out of food of love, play on.” his comfort zone to woo Mr. Milford will appear a lady whom he meets at through courtesy of the the dog park. Bellini overActors Equity AssociaCarol Reynolds (Becky Schilling) can’t believe widower Ralph Bellini tion. When the Florida comes the cool persona of (David Milford), a stranger she meets at the dog park.

Studio Theatre did this Carol Reynolds (Rebecca Schilling) as he sets out to win her favor. Share in the laugh- play last year in Sarasota, the show was so popular it was ter, tenderness and the surprises that make up this celebra- held over for an extended run. Mark your calendars now tion of love and romance. and get your tickets early.

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Betsy Paul Art Raffle THE ARTS

The Betsy Paul art raffles for the Cashiers Glenville Volunteer Fire Department, will be held on May 31, in the afternoon.

For more information, call (828) 743-0880.

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his is the fourth time that Ken Bowser has graciously provided one of his paintings to the art raffle benefitting the Cashiers-Glenville Fire Department. For the May 2013 raffle Ken has donated a lovely watercolor painting aptly named “Spring Beauty” as the raffle prize.

Ken has drawn and painted most of his life. He works in watercolors, oils and pastels in a representational style that highlights the play of light and shadow. His subject matter usually includes landscapes, still life, or buildings. Ken prefers “plein air” painting, painting outdoors on site. He feels it is always exciting to work among the sights, sounds and smells of the scene one is painting. His art is featured in several galleries in North Carolina.

Viewers are invited to see each month’s raffle item on display from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday through Saturday at Betsy Paul Properties, 870 Highway 64 West, Cashiers. Checks can also be mailed directly to the Cashiers-Glenville Fire Department, P.O. Box 713, Cashiers, North Carolina, 28717. For more information contact Betsy Paul Properties, (828)743-0880.

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Art League of Highlands THE ARTS

Contributed by Zach Claxton

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and communicate through the abstrache Art League of Highlands May tion in a language unique to each view20 meeting at the Bascom will feaer of his work. His work may be found ture nationally known Asheville in diverse venues, in numerous exhibiartist, Kenn Kotara. His current work intions, corporate, private and public colcludes works on canvas, paper and Mylections throughout the world. lar, Braille, screens, Poloroid, sculpture He has shown in many solo exhibiand site specific installations that are tions and countless group exhibitions contemporary, abstract and grid based. since 1995, and has appeared in numerMuch of the artist’s work is rooted in ous publications. His resume also inthe fertile Southern environment of his cludes many lectures, and Mr. Kotara native Louisiana. His early education has taught at The University of North in architecture also influences the geoCarolina-Asheville, A-B Tech Community metrical landscapes the artist is known College, Asheville and Mars Hill College, for today. Mr. Kotara earned a BFA in Mars Hill, NC. His web site is www.kographic design and later an MFA in stutarastudio.com. dio art from Louisiana Tech.

At the May meeting, Mr. Kotara’s His work continues to evolve, in both theme will be “Abstracts on Mylar.” two- and three-dimensional space, inKenn Kotara The meeting is open to the public, and cluding pieces on shaped canvasses and is an excellent opportunity to hear and works created in various media, including paper, wood, steel and other materials. The shapes, meet this exceptionally talented artist. Social time is 4:30patterns and colors in his works offer a universal appeal 5:00 P.M., and the meeting at 5:00-6:00 P.M.

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Highlands Playhouse Season Begins THE ARTS

Contributed by Chesley Owens

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A musical celebration by daMon and Marsha DuPree, May 24-26, sets the pace for a rousing 2013 Highlands Playhouse season.

ighlands Playhouse launches its 75th Anniversary Season with daMon on the keys playing and singing the night away with Marsha DuPree, May 24 - 26.

The show features some of America’s favorite songs written by George and Ira Gershwin and sung by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Then daMon and Marsha jump 50 years forward to bring pop songs of the 60s and 70s by Burt Bacharach for Dion Warwick, Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones. daMon Goff is back for the ninth season at the Highlands Playhouse as musical director, conductor and pianist. For the past 30 years, he has taught piano and entertained Atlanta audiences in a variety of settings from the upscale Ritz-Carlton Hotel to music at Theater of the Stars. He has also participated in Libby’s: A Cabaret to the Spoleto Festival in Charleston.

Over the years, he has performed many diverse musical styles including classical, gospel, rock ‘n’ roll, Broadway and jazz.

“I hope you have loved the musicals we have brought to Highlands as much as I have enjoyed putting life in the music on stage,” said daMon. Marsha DuPree is one of Atlanta’s premier jazz artists, headlining many venues in the city. She began performing in

local and regional pageants to showcase her talent. Eventually, she would join Atlanta’s premier girl-group Eclipse. After enjoying several years on the cabaret stages across the country, she was introduced to musical theater.

She has performed at the Highlands Playhouse, appeared in two Piccolo Spoleto Festivals and performed in the Atlanta Lyric Theater production of “Jerry’s Girls” and featured as Muzzy in “Thoroughly Modern Millie.”

For more information about Highlands Playhouse, visit www.highlandsplayhouse.org or to purchase tickets to daMon On The Keys call (828) 526-2695. Showtimes are 8:00 P.M. for Friday and Saturday and 2:00 P.M. for the Sunday matinee. Tickets are $30 and $12 for children 12 and under.

The Highlands Playhouse is located at 362 Oak Street. Subscriptions for all five 2013 plays are available now for $150, with extra discounts for educators. To purchase subscriptions or to receive more information, call (828) 526-2695 or go to www.highlandsplayhouse.org. Group tickets (10 or more) are available now at savings up to 30 percent. Tickets for individual performances are available by calling the box office. For full sponsorship information, contact Chesley Owens at (828) 526-9443 or email highlandsplayhouse@yahoo.com.

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Savory Scrumptious Spickles THE ARTS

Every so often we find ourselves in a pickle and need to set the record straight. Our apologies to John Dawson and Spickles for running the incorrect photos in the April issue. Look for delicious Spickles products in Cashiers Ingles and other fine grocers in the area.

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hen asked where he got the Spickles recipe, Tom Banks, owner of Spickles, in Cashiers replies, “I actually ‘stole’ the recipe from my mother who had ‘stolen’ it from her niece who had ‘stolen’ it from a friend in Alabama.” Southern recipes do have a way of making the rounds.

When asked why his pickle recipe is better than all those he ‘stole’, Banks replies, “I tweaked it, making my Spickles with three layers of flavor...dill, sweet and spicy. I know that lots of people can make spicy pickles but only we can make Spickles.”

The Banks family pickles have been around a long time.

Tom’s mother, Faye Banks, 98 year-old matriarch, was the originator. Over the years the Banks gave gift jars of pickles to family, friends, fellow-church members, and friendsof-friends until their pickle-making grew into a business.

Now they cater to several regional stores including Ingles, Bryson’s, and Mountain Fresh. Their goal is to go nationwide with a full product line of pickles and relishes.

It goes without saying Spickles pickles and relish

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are great on sandwiches and hotdogs. But there’s more.

Leftover pickle juice can be a jump-starter for pickled onions, beets, or other veggies. Just throw a few garnishes in the juice and marinate a day or two and you have your own personalized pickle du jour.

Spickles relish mixed with a little mayo makes a wonderful tartar sauce. Spickles juice can be mixed with a spoonful of oil for a tasty dressing on greens or potato salad. One little jar packs a whole lot of flavor into a variety of foods. It is a very versatile product.

There seems to be no end to Spickles possibilities.

Here’s a factoid, pickles, which have been around about 4,000 years, were part of Cleopatra’s beauty regimen. She claimed pickles were responsible for her beauty.

Who knew? Pass the Spickles, please.

If you want to know more about Spickles, or if you want to purchase a case at cost, contact John Dawson at (828) 743-7096 or (817) 706-8437; visit Spickles website at spicklesproducts.com.

HC Chamber

THE ARTS

Music Festival

By Luke Osteen

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he Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival sets the stage for its 32nd season with a pair of events that provide unforgettable up-close performances by some of its internationally-recognized musicians, paired with irresistible culinary creations.

Wolfgang’s Restaurant and Wine Bistro hosts Martinis and Mozart at Wolfgang’s Wine Bistro from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. Sunday, May 19. Owners Wolfgang and Mindy Green will open their venerable Highlands Main Street Restaurant for a concert by Highlands Chamber Music Festival favorites The Vega String Quartet. As you’d expect, the Greens will treat concert-goers to some of their crowdpleasing hors d’oeuvres -- lamb pops, crabcakes and much more – and martinis and wine. Reservations for the evening can be made through the HCCMF office at (828) 526-9060 or hccmf@frontier.com. Pricing for Martinis and Mozart is $85 per person.

“Because of the July 4th weekend, our opening concerts will be a little earlier than usual this summer – we open on June 28-29 with William Preucil and friends for a weekend of brilliant string playing,” said Dr. Ransom.

“Other highlights will include the festival debut of the dashing young Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony, David Coucheron, and his talented sister pianist Julie.

Other newcomers include English flutist Anthony Reiss in a program entitled ‘The Magic Flute’ and clarinetist Roeland Hendrikx from Belgium. It wouldn’t be summer without The Eroica Trio, and they will be joined by special guests in ‘Eroica Plus!’

“The Vega Quartet will be back, and we will have some fun with another ‘Jazz Meets Classics’ concert featuring, this time, the saxophone, with Dwight Andrews.

The Festival Chamber Orchestra will once again close the season at our final Gala with Mozart’s extraordinary ‘Sinfonia Concertante.’”

Throughout the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival season, concerts will be held at 6:00 p.m. Fridays at the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center in Highlands and repeated at 5:00 p.m. Saturdays at the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library in Cashiers. Sunday concerts will be staged at 5:00 P.M. at the Performing Arts Center in Highlands and repeated at 5:00 P.M.n Mondays at the Cashiers Community Library.

For more information about the festival and its full lineup of performances and events, visit www.h-cmusicfestival.org or call (828) 526-9060. www.thelaurelmagazine.com | May 2013 | 47

Love, Loss, and What I Wore THE ARTS

By Wiley Sloan The Highlands Cashiers Players will present the joyous and bittersweet “Love, Loss and What I Wore,” May 23-26 and May 30-June 2, at the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center.

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he Highlands Cashiers Players’ spring production of “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” written by Nora and Delia Ephron, promises to be a fashion-filled dazzler.

Directed and staged by Dr. Ronnie Spilton, “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” features different stories about women and their experiences as they reflect upon their wardrobes.

Playwright Nora Ephron is best known for writing the Academy Award-nominated screenplays of “When Harry Met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle.” With her sister Delia, she co-authored the screenplays for “You’ve Got Mail,” and “Bewitched.”

“Love, Loss, and What I Wore” opened Off-Broadway in 2009, starring Rosie O’Donnell and Tyne Daley. The show featured a rotating cast of five actresses all playing multiple roles. And won a 2010 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience as well as the 2010 Boardway.com Audience Award for Favorite New Off-Broadway Play.

In HCP’s unique production of “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” Spilton has morphed the five actresses into 25

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veteran actresses of the Highlands-Cashiers plateau, all of whom she has previously directed.

“Not only does the show bring together a tremendous amount of local talent,” explains Spilton, “but will also be a stunning display of fashion as the actresses share memories of their lives through the prism of their clothes. Some vignettes are bittersweet; some are funny; some are sad, but all are entertaining.”

Robin Phillips acts as the narrator and weaves her life story among the other tales. Notable stories include “The Prom Dress,” performed by Michelle Hott; “Brides,” acted

by Mary Adair Leslie and Jenny King; “Boots,” told by Bonnie Earman; and “The Purse,” performed by Virginia Talbot.

Spilton, assisted by Lance Trudel, is backed by the creative production team of production coordinator/lighting designer Megan Potts, set designer John Roman, and music designer Steve Hott.

For tickets, call (828) 526-8084 or e-mail highlandscashiersplayers@gmail.com for reservations.

Famous Choir Celebrates 55th Year THE ARTS

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he Grammy Award winning Atlanta Boy Choir, now it its 55th season under the direction of its founder, Fletcher Wolfe, will present its annual Highlands concert at The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation on May 19 at 5:00 P.M. This world acclaimed group has sung before Presidents, Popes and Crowned heads of Europe. Last summer they were heard in Russia’s Great Hall of the Philharmonic. This summer they will travel to Nova Scotia where they have been invited to sing at some international venues.

The 55 boys and men of the choir’s program in Highlands features Highlands soprano Molly McKim who often appears with them throughout the world. Ms. McKim is also soloist at the Episcopal Church.

Maestro Wolfe, longtime Highlands resident, travels twice weekly to Atlanta where his accompanist is international prize-winning pianist Robert Henry. Dr. Henry counts Maestro Wolfe as his mentor since his early youth.

Local residents whose sons have been a part of the choir over its long history are Dr. and Mrs. William Stiefel (three sons of whom two are now professional musicians); Mr. and Mrs. John Maddox two sons and Mr. and Mrs. Robbie Robert’s son, Brent, was a choir boy; Tom and Wendy Dowden’s son John, appeared throughout the world and Toxaway re-

dents Art Rollins and Robert Balentine sang with the choir when they were young.

Some of the 8,500 boys have gone through the ranks of the choir are now well-known on Broadway, television and cinema. Tony Award-winner Schuler Hensley, “American Idol” star Justin Guarnini, European conductor Mark Stringer, “Mad Men” producer Dwayne Shattuck and Pulitzer Prize winner Taylor Branch are just a few of the alumni who began their career in the choir.

For their performance here on May 19, the choir will feature “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.” This piece was composed on poems written by young Jewish children held by the Nazis in the Terezin concentration camp during World War II. They have performed this work throughout the world and sang it before President Jimmy Carter and both houses of Congress in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

Renowned actress Mira Hirsch will be narrator.

Admission to this spectacular concert is free and open to the public. Some reserved seating will be held for those wishing to support the choir’s scholarship program. These seats are available by calling the choir at (404) 378-0064 or emailing info@atlantaboychoir.org.

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Visit

Village Walk Hwy. 107 S. • Cashiers

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SweeTreats, A Savory Tradition DINING

By Wiley Sloan

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ince May 1989 SweeTreats in the Mountain Brook Center, Highlands, has been serving custom-blended ice cream to seasonal and year-round Highlanders. Each freshly-baked cone is filled with your special flavor of ice cream or yogurt.

From a small shop tucked in the corner of the center just two blocks from Main Street, SweeTreats has grown over the years. In 2005 the store was enlarged to include a coffee shop and a restaurant featuring hot and cold sandwiches, delicious salads and soups and a wide array of tantalizing desserts.

Last year SweeTreats expanded once again by buying the Highlands Hill Deli at the corner of Main and Fourth Streets. They kept many of the Deli’s signature sandwiches while adding the SweeTreats favorites that people craved including their special blended ice creams. For a casual lunch in a hurry, the Deli is the place to eat.

SweeTreats at Mountain Brook Center has been transformed once again. The kitchen has been enlarged; the dining room has been spruced up, giving everything a fresh, new look. In addition to the new décor, the menu has grown exponentially to include a more extensive and varied menu. A wide array of mouthwatering appetizers including cold salmon, calamari, fried shrimp, pepperjack cheese bites and much more are available for nibbles with

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your wines and beers or before your meal. Now enjoy french fries and onion rings with your favorite sandwich or one of their many burgers. They even offer a burger with double patties.

SweetTreats’ new dinner menu features more than 14 entrees from filet mignon, pork chops, baked salmon, chicken cordon bleu (a personal favorite), pasta and more. Freshly-baked rolls and a vegetable accompany each entrée. A dinner salad is available, too. Be sure to leave room for one of SweeTreats freshly-created desserts. There’s nothing better than their warm apple tart topped with cinnamon ice cream drizzled in caramel (just one of the many to choose from).

Anytime of day is a good time to stop at SweeTreats.

For a hearty lunch, try one of their sandwiches or burgers or a salad (the chicken gorgonzola is superb) and a cup of soup. Take a mid-afternoon break where you can savor a bottle of the Flat Tire Amber Ale or a glass of wine.

For a relaxing evening meal, choose SweeTreats. Have you looked for a place to go after a play or a concert?

Look no more. Bring your friends and come to SweeTreats after 9:00 P.M. for dessert and coffee or an afterdinner liqueur. Want to have a small party? Come to SweeTreats. Need a gift? A SweeTreats’ gift certificate is always appreciated.

Lunch is served daily 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.; dinner from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. (9:00 P.M., Friday and Saturday). For more information, visit www.sweetreats.com or call (828) 526-9822. For a quick meal, remember the SweeTreats Deli at the corner of Main Street and Fourth Avenue (828) 526-9632.

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With Wine, Keep it Simple DINING

Contributed by Mary Ann Hardman

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ine intimidates people for reasons that leave me puzzled. Hostesses planning dinner parties fret over wine/food pairings as if negotiating peace between North and South Korea. Wine novices wonder why they don’t taste similar

notes in a wine reviewed by Mr. Famous Wine Critic. A friend told me he had read about a wine that was described by a critic as having essences of bacon. Bacon in wine? I’ll pass!

Because I have grown wine, pruning by hand rows of dormant vines in the chill of winter as well as harvesting those vines in the blistering heat of early fall, I have little patience with wine being needlessly complicated.

Wine – from Chateau d’Yquem (a dessert wine from the Bordeaux First Growth whose history precedes the French Revolution) to Barefoot Chardonnay – comes from a plant that has been cultivated for centuries.

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When dining at Chez FonFon and the bespectacled sommelier presents a wine list equivalent to Tolstoy’s War & Peace in length, I remember that wine comes from a plant. Being a gardener helps to appreciate the earthy origins of wine.

Below are a few ideas about wine. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) applies: Drink what you like. But do not be afraid to try new grapes such as Cabernet Franc, Arneiss, or Picpoul.

Drinking the same wine is like wearing the same dress day in and day out. Variety is the spice of life.

Pair lighter wines with lighter foods. Pair buttery Chardonnays with buttery foods. Pair heavier wines (Cabernet Sauvignon) with

heavier foods (filet mignon).

Pair Champagne with everything, especially oysters.

Find a wine shop that you trust. A good wine shop is a travel agency: by suggesting wines of distinction and quality, a customer can travel vicariously to the wine’s place of origin.

To recognize great wines, it’s necessary to experience some not-so-great wines.

If a wine tastes watery or smells of wet cardboard, those are sure-fire indicators of poor quality.

No matter the numeric rating of a wine, it is your palate that has the final say.

Highlands has lots of great wines available at restaurants and retailers awaiting your enjoyment and discovery.

DINING

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Dairy-Free Creamy Frosting DINING

Contributed by Dr. Anastasia Halldin, Nutrition Coach www.healthymamainfo.com

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ealthy dessert sounds like an oxymoron, but it can be done, if you use the right ingredients in right combination. Frosting, which can be the basis of many desserts, can be timeconsuming to make at home.

Frosting you buy from the store, however, is generally full of hydrogenated corn syrup, trans-fatty acids, preservatives, soy lecithin, food colorings and other sub-optimal ingredients, which could ruin your family’s health over time. What can you do to make a quick, healthy dessert (or to enjoy some frosting in a bowl?)

This dairy-free creamy coconut-based frosting is light, fluffy, sweet and satisfying. Best of all, it takes only five minutes, which is a small time commitment to improve your health. According to Dr. Oz, coconut oil can boost thyroid function, increase metabolism, energy and endurance. It increases

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digestion and helps to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

Coconut can help improve insulin use within the body. Coconut has special fats called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). It has been shown that breaking down these types of healthy fats in the liver leads to efficient burning of energy and weight loss over time.

Dairy-Free Creamy Frosting Yield: 1 cup Ingredients: 1 can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated over night; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup; 3 teaspoons arrowroot powder or organic cornstarch.

Directions: Do not shake the can of coconut milk be-

fore opening. Scoop out only the top, fatty part of the coconut milk, leaving the liquid in the can. Add all other ingredients and blend until the mixture resembles a thick cream. Cool in the refrigerator for two hours and use.

See my blog for multiple healthy cake and cupcake recipes to use with this frosting.

You can add one of the following ingredients to your frosting: Berry frosting: ¼ cup of fresh berries; Chocolate frosting: ¼ cup raw cocoa powder; Pina colada frosting: 4 tablespoons raw shredded coconut and ¼ cup fresh pineapple; Lemon frosting: juice and grated zest of ½-1 lemon.

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Scaly Mountain DINING

Pancake Breakfast Contributed by Margaret Spraggins

For more information on dining options on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau visit thelaurelmagazine.com

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he Women of Scaly Mountain are cranking up for another busy season in 2013! We have six pancake breakfasts planned, each on the fourth Saturday of the month, beginning May 25th at the Old School House, just off Dillard Road. Follow the signs and bring your kids, grandkids and neighbors. Our hours are 7:30 to 10:30 A.M. Breakfast consists of piping hot pancakes, sausage, orange juice and coffee, all for just $5.50. You have your choice of plain pancakes or ones loaded with delicious Scaly Mountain home grown blueberries. Remember, all of our events benefit our Scaly college students scholarship fund. See you there!

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A New Chef in Town DINING

Chef Dean Neff

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he Cornucopia has been family owned for over 35 years, serving good food with prompt and attentive service. Last year brought the addition of Cornucopia Gourmet Cheese, Meat and Specialty Shop and a Wine Bar. This year brings us Dean Neff and that is going to be a very special treat.

Dean has a stellar culinary background. He was raised in Savannah and graduated from UGA’s Terry Business School with a degree in marketing.

Upon graduating

Dean decided that his heart belonged in a kitchen and enrolled at the School of Culinary Arts in Atlanta. He went to work at Pricci, one of Buckhead Life Group Restaurants. For the past twelve years he has been Executive Chef at the famed Five & Ten in Athens, Georgia where he has worked alongside Hugh Acheson.

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Dean and getting to know him better. Of course my first question was, “What brought you

to Cashiers?” Dean replied, “Meeting the Peterkins and seeing their vision for Cornucopia and their invitation for me to be a part of the vision.

I have clicked with them and I am excited about the future of Cornucopia. Personally it’s a beautiful change of pace. Not too far from Athens and I love hiking and canoeing. Also it was time for me to step up to a new challenge. This opportunity presented itself and everything fell into place so perfectly that I knew it was the right new thing to do.”

I voiced my concerns to Dean that everyone loves the old Cornucopia and now with the new bar and a new chef is it going to change?

Dean shared, “the last thing I want to do is to change everything. Hopefully we will keep some of the menu items and make sure we are doing them really well and add in some new things and update the restaurant for a long future.

The legacy items such as, Wade Hampton’s Downfall,

the Arabian Club will stay and we will make sure that we do them really well. We will be adding a few of my favorite items, fried chicken sandwich, a pimento cheese burger with Benton’s bacon. We are trying to use great local products such as Benton bacon, and Anson Mill’s grains.”

Along with Dean Neff comes a new look for the Cornucopia, zinc table tops, and a new bar complete with beer, wine and liquor. The wine list will be well-rounded, where everyone can find exactly what they desire.

Wines served from all over the world that will change with the season. Dinner is going to be Dean’s shining star. They have plans to start simply with good comfort food, such as meatloaf, and smoked Mississippi catfish with cornmeal crusting. He convinced me, I am making my reservations now.

Cornucopia is located at Highway 107 South and can be reached at (828) 743-3750.

Cashiers and Atlanta resident Elizabeth Fletcher makes event planning and public relations seem as effortless and anxietyfree as a day at the spa. Part of that is predicated on her years of experience as the publisher of four regional bridal magazines, bridal events spokesperson for Federated and Belk department stores, and guiding force behind media campaigns for exclusive inns. Equally important are her boundless energy, effortless imagination and fanatical attention to detail.

Photo by Tina Rowden

elizabeth@idoeventsatlanta.com

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Your Guide to the Restaurants of Highlands & Cashiers

Breakfast

Mountain Dining HIGHLANDS’ RESTAURANTS

Altitude Restaurant at Skyline Lodge • Flat Mtn. Road • 828-526-2121 $ $ $$$ • • • • • NC • • • • 56 Bella’s Junction Cafe • 20 Old Mud Creek Road, Scaly, NC • 828-526-0803 ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢-$ • • C • • • 58 The Bistro at Wolfgang’s • 460 Main Street • 828-526-3807 $-$$ • • • • NC • L • • 5 Cyprus International Cuisine • 490 Dillard Road • 828-526-4429 $$$ • • • • NC • L • 61 Dusty’s • 493 Dillard Road • 828-526-2762 ¢ ¢ • • C • • • • 53 Flip Side • 30 Dillard Road • 828-526-4241 ¢ $ • • • • C • • • • 53 Fressers Eatery • 470 Oak Street, Village Square • 828-526-4188 • • C/NC • • • • 53 OPENING MAY 10 IN NEW LOCATION Ghangri Asian Fusion Restaurant • 490 Carolina Way • 828-526-8500 ¢ $ • • • C • • • • 6 Highlands Smokehouse • 595 Franklin Road • 828-526-5000 $ $ • • • • C • • • • 55 * The Kitchen CarryAway & Catering • 350 S. Fifth St. • 828-526-2110 $-$$ $-$$ • • • 58 Lakeside Restaurant • Smallwood Avenue • 828-526-9419 $-$$ • • • C • L • 55 Madison’s Restaurant & Wine Garden • 445 Main Street • 828-787-2525 $ $$ $$ • • • • NC • • 4 On the Verandah • Hwy. 64 (Franklin Road) • 828-526-2338 $-$$ $-$$ • • • • • NC • • • • 55 Paoletti’s • 440 Main Street • 828-526-4906 $-$$ • • • • NC • • • 58 Ruka’s Table • 163 Wright Square • 828-526-3636 $$$ • • • • • NC • • • 57 SweeTreats • Mountain Brook Center • 828-526-9822 ¢ ¢ ¢ • • • C • L • • 55 SweeTreats Deli • Corner of Main and South 4th St. • 828-526-9632 ¢ ¢ • • C • L • 55 Ugly Dog/The Ugly Dog House • 294 South Fourth Street • 828-526-8364 ¢ ¢ • • C • • • 53 Wolfgang’s Restaurant • 460 Main Street • 828-526-3807 $-$$ • • • • NC • L • • 5

CASHIERS’ RESTAURANTS Café 107 • Highway 107 South • 828-743-1065 ¢ • • C • • • 51 *On the Side at Cashiers Farmers Market • Crossroads • 828-743-4334 • 54 The Orchard • Highway 107 South • 828-743-7614 $-$$ BYOB • Dinner NC • • • • 54 Randevu Restaurant • 18 Chestnut Square, Highway 64 • 828-743-0190 ¢ ¢ ¢ $$ • • • C • L • • 54 Zookeeper • Mountain Laurel Shoppes • 828-743-7711 ¢ $ ¢ $ BYOB • • • C • • 34A ¢ $

Pricing Guide Minimal, most entrees under $10 $$ Deluxe, most entrees $15-$20 Moderate, most entrees $10-$15 $$$ Grand, most entrees over $20

Highlands Restaurants Altitude’s at Skyline Lodge - 828-526-2121 Bella’s Junction Cafe - 828-526-0803 Bistro on Main/Main Street Inn - 828-526-2590 The Bistro at Wolfgang’s - 828-526-3807 The Brick Oven - 828-526-4121 Bryson’s Deli - 828-526-3775 Cafe 460 - 828-526-8926 Cyprus International Cuisine - 828-526-4429 Dominick’s Restaurant - 828-526-0527 Downhill Grill - 828-526-1663 Dusty’s - 828-526-2762 El Azteca - 828-526-2244 Flip Side - 828-526-4241 Fressers Eatery - 828-526-4188 Ghangri Asian Fusion Restaurant - 828-526-8500 Golden China - 828-526-5525 Highlands Smokehouse - 828-526-5000 Kelsey Place Restaurant - 828-526-9380 The Kitchen CarryAway & Catering - 828-526-2110 Lakeside Restaurant - 828-526-9419

L

*

Checks Local Only Takeout Only

Madison’s Restaurant & Wine Garden - 828-787-2525 Mountain Fresh - 828-526-2400 On the Verandah - 828-526-2338 Pescado’s - 828-526-9313 Pizza Place - 828-526-5660 Paoletti’s - 828- 526-4906 Rosewood Market - 828-526-0383 Ruka’s Table - 828-526-3636 Rustico at The Log Cabin - 828-526-0999 Southern Belles Restaurant - 828-787-2299 Sports Page - 828-526-3555 Subway - 828-526-1706 SweeTreats - 828- 526-9822 The Ugly Dog/Dog House - 828- 526-8364 Wild Thyme Gourmet - 828-526-4035 Wolfgang’s Restaurant - 828-526-3807 Buck’s Coffee Cafe - 828-526-0020 Cashiers Area Restaurants Brown Trout Mountain Grille - 828-877-3474 Buck’s Coffee Cafe - 828-743-9997 Cafe 107 - 828- 743-1065

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Dress Code C Casual NC Nice Casual J Jacket

Carolina Smokehouse - 828-743-3200 Chester’s Chicken at Cashiers Exxon - 828-743-5041 Chile Loco - 828-743-1160 Cornucopia - 828-743-3750 Four Season Grille - 828-743-4284 Grill at Jimmy Mac’s - 828-743-1180 Happ’s Place - 828-743-2266 High Hampton Inn - 828-743-2411 Hunt Bros. Pizza at Cashiers BP - 828-743-2337 JJ’s Eatery and Canteen - 828-743-7778 Mica’s Restaurant - 828-743-5740 On the Side at Cashiers Farmers Market - 828-743-4334 The Orchard - 828-743-7614 Randevu Restaurant - 828-743-0190 Rosie’s Café - 828-743-0160 Subway - 828-743-1300 The Gamekeeper’s Tavern - 828-743-4263 Wendy’s - 828-743-7777 Zookeeper - 828-743-7711

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Under a Spreading Chestnut Tree HISTORY

by Donna Rhodes | Photo Courtesy Highlands Historical Society

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ighlands’ In spite of the lush forests fact that chesthave no nut timber was equal, but over hard and rotthe centuries, they resistant, it still have been put fell prey to the to the test. Trees fungus. By 1927 have been subjectmuch of the once ed to over-cutting, mighty chestnut fire, drought, and forest gave way pestilence. Thanks to the oak and to science, conserhickory, which vationists, and the were immune to Biological Station the fungus. most tree species Then Mother have survived. But Nature let two a few have sucother despicable cumbed, among critters worm them, the Ameritheir way into can Chestnut. the environment.

By the 1930s the The Japanese chestnut was well Beetle arrived on its way to exin New Jersey in tinction, courtesy 1912 and 20 years of Endothia paralater had spread sitica, a fungus to the Piedmont that hitched a ride area around Rato the U.S aboard leigh-Durham. It Asiatic chestnut didn’t take long seedlings.

Just to make its way the sound of the to Highlands. By disease conjures 1953 the balsam up evil: Endothia wooly aphid had American Chestnut Burr Parasitica, Mother made its debut Nature’s wicked on Mount Mitchkin. Starting in the ell. In just seven 1920’s and ‘30’s, Endothia did her worst, wiping out nine years, 275,000 trees of all kinds withered into a bleak, million acres of chestnut forest in fewer than 50 years. wooden bone yard.

Before the blight, chestnuts were collected by the Even the state flower, the native flowering dogwood, bushel in the Highlands area. Sometimes gatherers had has had a close call. A blight traced to acid rain came close to outmaneuver animals feasting on the bounty, includ- to wiping it out. ing wild hogs and bears. According to Louis Edwards, you While we often blame over-cutting timber for the loss had to get out pretty early to beat the hungry hordes to of beautiful forests, we must remember there is a bigger sheir breakfast. danger: the trees we love are often just a microbe—or Each chestnut tree grew hundreds of burrs, which some a worm—away from extinction. For more information folks laughingly call porcupine eggs. Burrs were about about the beautiful mountaintop on which we live and the four inches across and each one contained three chest- organizations which help keep it green, read “Heart of the nuts. Burrs opened September-October. Trees could grow Blue Ridge” by Ran Shaffner or visit the Highlands Historias high as 120 feet, forest floor to crown, and decorated cal Society’s website: www.highlandshistory.com the landscape with a carpet of prickly pods.

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The Death of Danie HISTORY

Contributed by Jane Gibson Nardy, Historian, Cashiers Historical Society

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n the Little Canada section of Jackson County is the Sol’s Creek Cemetery, located on the grounds of the Sol’s Creek Baptist Church. There you’ll find the grave of a “well-liked, kind, generous and religious” woman who was brutally attacked and murdered. Her tombstone reads, “Danie H. Mathews Brown, born 19 October 1910 – died 27 September, 1961.” The sensational story of her demise and the wounding of her husband, Jesse J. Brown, was written by W. W. Ward of Brevard and published in a true crime magazine following an in-depth personal interview with Sheriff Frank Allen whose clever detective work had quickly identified and captured the two killers. The sheriff, who recently had a road named for him in Cashiers, even showed the writer the murder weapons. Following is a short version of the cold-blooded murder of Danie Brown.

Highway 281 runs between Highway 107 South in the Tuckaseegee section all the way to Highway 64 in the Lake Toxaway section – a very long, sparsely populated, curvy and at times steep road. Jess Brown and Danie, his wife, owned a farm and a little general store about midway up 281 on Wolf Mountain. The store was across the road from the Browns’ house and farm and a fairly new, white frame Baptist Church had been built just in front of the house, and on that evening in late September 1961, there was a prayer meeting going on in the small church with the sound of the singing of spirited hymns. Danie was milking the cows in the barn while Jess closed the store and when he stepped out on the porch he heard a shotgun roar from across the road and felt slugs tear into his

belly. Forty years earlier, Jesse’s father, Lon Brown, had been murdered at this same spot – the killer was Lon’s own brother, Fib Brown. The hymn singing muffled the sound of the shots. Jess fell, could not get up but crawled to his Jeep and managed to honk the car horn until church people came out, laid Jesse on the ground, phoned the sheriff, and went to tell Danie what had happened. Danie could not be found but the milking stool in the barn had been turned over. A search party failed to find Danie that night but the next morning, her body was finally found way up the mountain side – she had been shot in the legs and her throat cut.

Sheriff Allen found a bloody tree limb and a shotgun near the barn and in a short time he had arrested and charged with murder, Rought Brown, age 24, Jesse’s cousin, and a 14-year-old, Charlie Mathis, on parole from reform school. The motive was robbery, which was not carried out. Rought Brown was the son of Fib Brown who had killed Jesse’s father, Lon Brown. “Murder Runs in the Family” was the title of the magazine story.

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Highlands Springs and Falls HOMES & LIFESTYLES

By Wiley Sloan | Photos by Guy Fielding

S

unlight threads through the high evergreens to dance across the large deck overlooking the cool mountain stream. In the distance you hear the gentle rumble of the waterfall as the song birds warble. Located in the community of Highlands Springs and Fall located off of Buck Creek Road near Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, this is the perfect home for a family with children or for emptynesters who want a place to entertain friends. Whether you are looking for a year-round home or a seasonal escape from the harried pace of the city, look no more. This is the home for you.

A short drive from Highlands’ Main Street you can enjoy the quiet of the country without being remote. The home’s open floor plan provides optimal benefit while remaining economical to operate. Take in the beauty of the out-of-doors as you relax in the home’s large Great Room with its cathedral ceiling and granite-faced fireplace with raised hearth. The warm hues of the hickory flooring add character and warmth to the room. Gather with your family and friends around the expansive dining table in the home’s dining area adjacent to the Great Room. With double French doors opening to a large deck and a wall of windows, the room is always bright and cheery.

The recently-remodeled kitchen features shimmering granite countertops, a breakfast bar and custom maple cabinetry by Ben Welch of Franklin. You’ll find a place for all your treasures in the kitchen’s many cabinets. There’s 66 | May 2013 | www.thelaurelmagazine.com

room for multiple chefs to assist in meal prep in this design-inspired kitchen.

Adjacent to the Great Room are two large bedrooms separated by a bath. With large closets and carpeted floors, this is the perfect suite for your youngsters or your guests. Down a short hall on the other side of the Great Room is the home’s large master bedroom with private bath. A pair of vanities, a spa tub and a tile shower pamper you after a busy day in the mountains. You’ll both have space galore in the suite’s large walk-in closet. Double French doors lead to a large deck overlooking the gently ambling brook.

Across the hall from the Master Bedroom is another large room that you may use as a media center or family room. There’s room for a large screen TV, a computer desk, game table or craft space. You decide what fits your lifestyle. With its own half-bath this room is perfect for a variety of activities. A large laundry room finishes out this recently completed addition. Conveniently located up a short flight of stairs is a space perfect for a home office, a reading area or a loft bedroom.

Located on a large lot with a two car garage and central heat and air, this home is a must-see. Immaculate and neat-as-a-pin; look no further. For more information go to www.hcmls.com/hlc/maildoc/sd_wA1Wgn20130330120916.html or call Kay Earp of John Cleaveland Realty at (828) 526-4983 or via cell at (828) 526-5118.

HOMES & LIFESTYLES

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Andrew Who? HOMES & LIFESTYLES

Contributed by Matthew T. Bradley | matbradl@gmail.com

B

Chattooga Gorge

orn in the Delaware Valley in 1754, Andrew Ellicott’s lifelong obsession with precision crafting and measurement was fostered by his apprenticeship to his clockmaker father. Following his service in the Maryland militia during the Revolutionary War, Ellicott developed a justly deserved reputation as one of the young nation’s premier boundary surveyors. Best known for his 1791–93 work marking the boundaries of the new “Federal City” (Washington, D.C.), he also participated in the completion of the survey of the Mason-Dixon line between Pennsylvania and Maryland and helped draw the boundary between the United States and Spanish Florida.

In 1811 Georgia Governor David Mitchell contracted Ellicott to resurvey the Georgia/North Carolina state line.

Mitchell was convinced that the then-standing state line had been poorly drawn and that an accurate survey would result in the addition of 800,000 acres of land to the Peach State’s territory. One of Ellicott’s tasks during the survey was to locate the point at which the 35th parallel crossed the Chattooga River. He identified that point by engraving a boulder at the river’s edge with an <N> and a <G>. The boulder came to be known as “Ellicott’s Rock,” and a trip there via the Bad Creek Trail makes for a great destination hike for visitors to the Highlands-Cashiers area.

Parking for the hike is available at the Bad Creek trailhead on the side of Bull Pen Road at gps coordinates 35.0236 -83.0948; Bull Pen Road is accessed from Highlands via Horse Cove Road and from Cashiers via Route 107.

The trail to the Rock covers about two-and-a-half miles 68 | May 2013 | www.thelaurelmagazine.com

of varied terrain, beginning with a gentle quarter mile followed by a half-mile of steady climb. Your climb is rewarded with over a mile of practically flat ground. After the trail crosses over to the west side of the ridge you will begin to hear the sounds of whitewater in the Chattooga Gorge below. That’s your signal that the descent to the river— the fun part!—is about to begin. The way down is eased by numerous switchbacks, and a walking stick or pair of trekking poles eases it even more.

The trail emerges at a backcountry campsite at the edge of the Chattooga. Follow the trail downstream for a few yards while keeping an eye out for a tree marked with an <i> in black paint. Ellicott’s Rock is just down the bank from the tree. Be aware that the way down involves crossing water-slicked rock face, so do be cautious if you decide to make the trip down.

Golfing Ireland and Scotland HOMES & LIFESTYLES

Contributed by Tom Chillemi

Contributed by Tom Chillemi, Tom’s Golf Tours, tnchillemi@windstream.net

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reland: Many thoughts come to mind when I think of my golfing experiences in Ireland –

Links golf (the word Links comes from the fact that the courses link the land to the sea).

Humps and bumps; standing on a tee and not having a clue where to aim unless you have a caddy; Pot Bunkers you have to hit out sideways from, Tall Fescue; Thorny Gorse Bushes; Lots of Wind; having to hit 5 irons from 100 yards; Bump and Run Shots; the Irish accents of the caddies, Pub Grub, Irish music; the friendliest people you will ever meet; lots of sheep; a golf course 99 percent surrounded by water and 250-foot cliffs (Old Head). Where else do you hit across the

edge of a cemetery (Ballybunion)? You probably won’t shoot your career round here but I can assure you when you have a unique golf experience, you will enjoy telling your friends about it when you return and probably will be keen to get back to the “Emerald Isle.”

Scotland: Here you will get all the experiences of playing Links Golf with humps, bumps, pot bunkers, wind and so on with more history and tradition. Scotland is the home of most British Open venues with St. Andrews Old Course being the “Home of Golf.” Walk out on number 18 on Old Course,

stand on the Swilken Bridge at sunset and I assure you chill bumps as you look around and think of all the famous golfers that have walked on these hallowed grounds.

The most scenic and least visited area and one of my favorites is the Highlands. Not as many courses here and you go from the flat lands to the mountains. Venues such as Royal Dornoch, Royal Aberdeen & Cruden Bay are world class and equal to any in all Scotland.

My ideal trip would be to enjoy a St. Andrews, Turnberry experience and then head to the Highlands for a few rounds.

For more information on Highlands and Cashiers visit www.thelaurelmagazine.com

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Vitamin Myths HOMES & LIFESTYLES

Contributed by Jim Johnson, DC, DACBN & Resa Johnson, DC, DACBN, Mountain Air Wellness (828) 743-9070

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r. Resa and I are both Diplomates of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition and for over thirty years have been effectively counseling people on their health-

care. We’ve just returned from an International Symposium as guests of Thorne Research. The three-day event was about aging well and the role of vitamins in creating a healthier life. The speakers, MD’s, PhD’s, ND’s and DC’s all shared scientific research data on vitamins.

Myth: If I take supplements I can forget diet and exercise. I wish! Eating well every day and getting good exercise are the foundations to health. Your diet is the base of the pyramid and everything builds from there. Unfortunately, our food production in this country is significantly altered from 50 years ago and as a result the quality

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has diminished. Therefore you have to supplement your diet with vitamins.

Genetically modified organisms make up over 80 percent of our corn and soybean production. (Our president and Congress passed a bill last week that holds the companies that make genetically modified food unaccountable even if the seed has not yet been proven safe). High fructose corn syrup, farmraised fish, pesticides, cattle that are fed corn instead of grass, and herbicides are just a few of the changes that have affected our food supply, impacting our health.

Myth: All vitamins are the same! Quality of the

vitamin depends on many factors; for example, fish oil. We take fish oils, which are strong anti-inflammatory agents and proven effective in lowering triglyceride levels, for their content of EPA/ DHA. The amount of DHA/EPA can vary greatly depending on what you buy. Has the product been assayed? Does the label match up with what is in the capsule and has the oil been filtered? When a company makes fish oil capsules, lead, mercury, PCBs, etc, should be removed. Whether they are depends on the company.

Bottom line: To maintain your health, get the latest facts. The information is available.

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Social Security Survivor Benefits HOMES & LIFESTYLES

Contributed by Granville Younce, Financial Advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors in Highlands at (828) 787-2323.

A

lthough there’s a great deal of speculation these days surrounding the future of Social Security, no one knows exactly what’s in store for the program. What we do know is that, in spite of the challenges facing the program in today’s economic

environment, many Americans have factored Social Security benefits into their retirement plans.

Here are some good things to know if you or your loved ones fit into this category.

Surviving spouses. If you were married to your deceased spouse for at least nine months and you are not remarried, you may begin to draw Social Security benefits as early age 60 (age 50 if you are disabled).

If you are taking care of a child who is younger than 16 or disabled, there is no minimum age requirement.

Surviving ex-spouses. If you were married to the deceased for at least ten years and you are not remarried, you may begin to draw Social Security benefits as early as age 60 (age 50 if you are disabled). A surviving divorced spouse

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may draw a benefit at any age if taking care of a child who is younger than 16 years or disabled. The 10year duration-of-marriage requirement does not apply to child-in-care benefits.

Surviving children. An unmarried surviving child can draw benefits while younger than 18, and between 18 and 19 if still a fulltime high school student.

An unmarried disabled adult child may be able to draw survivor benefits if under a disability that began before the child turned 22 years old.

Surviving parents. As a surviving parent, you may be able to draw a survivor benefit based on your deceased child’s Social Security work history. To qualify, you must be at least age 62, and you must have been dependent on your deceased child for at least

one-half of your support.

Survivors may apply for benefits over the phone (800) 772-1213 or by visiting a local Social Security office. Generally, every applicant must submit a birth certificate and proof of death for the decedent.

Widows and widowers must present a marriage certificate; ex-spouses a divorce decree; surviving parents proof of dependency.

To help you determine a retirement strategy that factors in Social Security benefits, talk with your Financial Advisor. This article was written by Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Granville Younce in Highlands at (828) 787-2323.

Investments in securities and insurance products are not FDIC-insured and bank guaranteed and may lose value.

www.thelaurelmagazine.com | May 2013 | 73

Family Travel HOMES & LIFESTYLES

Contributed by Bryan & Tricia Cox - Highlands Travel (828) 526-5243 HighlandsTravel.com

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hen we look back on our lives, we realize that some of our fondest memories are those we have shared with family. To that end, many families are choosing to travel together. From European

adventures to Caribbean getaways or a cruise vacation which has something for everyone, there are so many options when it comes to traveling as a family.

If you are considering multigenerational travel, here are some tips to ensure a successful family vacation: 1. Make sure you get everyone involved in the planning. Everyone should contribute at least one thing they want to see or do during the trip. Plan something for everyone but don’t expect that everyone will participate in every activity.

2. Choose correct accommodations. Maybe it is one large suite or villa, or perhaps everyone prefers separate rooms. Discuss pref-

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erences and respect each other’s privacy.

3. Be clear on finances from the beginning. Consider everyone’s budget and make sure to discuss who will pay for what. In many cases, these types of trips are gifts with one party footing the bill for the entire group. However, be sure to talk about who will pay for any additional or unexpected expenses.

4. Take a break. While this may be a vacation loaded with fun, don’t make the mistake of thinking it will be relaxing. As with any group traveling together, there will be times that you simply need time apart. Schedule time for this to happen so you prevent getting on each

other’s nerves. Regroup at the end of the day to share your experiences.

5. Capture every moment. While we as families often discuss taking trips like these, our busy schedules only allow them to occur every so often. Take a ton of photos and videos.

With the camera quality of smartphones these days, it is easy to have your camera with you at all times. Capture these moments as they are the whole reason you are traveling together in the first place.

With a little planning and the help of a travel expert, you can have the family vacation of a lifetime with memories you will cherish forever.

The Music HOMES & LIFESTYLES

Within Contributed by Tom Nixon

Music comes alive in venues across the Southern Appalachians -Just follow the joyful sound.

H

ave you ever wanted to learn to play an instrument or sing?

Maybe you are a beginner and looking for someone to play with or a venue to demonstrate your musical abilities. Many beginning players or vocalists can benefit from just having a place to go where they can share their ability with the least amount of performance anxiety possible. Playing with a group or for an audience takes the player to a much higher level of self-confidence than by simply practicing in private.

There are some local venues where players and wantto-be players can observe and interact with others at various levels. Being able to share your knowledge and talent with others regardless of how well you can sing or play, reinforces your own abilities while allowing others to learn from you. I would like to share some local venues where one may observe, interact, and participate to whatever degree. One may experience professional players with a high skill level or fellowship with those just beginning to learn the mechanics of musical performance. The following venues mainly consist of old country, folk, bluegrass, and gospel performers, but the open mic night is anything goes. Some of the gatherings are seasonal, but some go year round.

Feel free use the following contact information if you wish to participate in any of the following jam sessions/ performances; Blue Ridge Music SEBA jam, first Saturday of each month noon to 3:00 P.M., contact (706) 782-9852; Mountain Grove Baptist Church, first Saturday of each month 6:00 to 9:00 P.M., contact (706) 982-0904; Tiger Food Mart, every Friday night starting at 6:00 P.M., contact (706) 782-7343; Patton Methodist Church, third Saturday of each month from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M., contact (828) 524-9619; City of Tallulah Falls, every Friday night starting at 6:00 P.M., contact (706) 754-6040; Mountain Rest, South Carolina, Community Jam, one time per month please call (706) 782-9852); Silver Dollar at Long Creek, South Carolina, every Friday night at 6:00 P.M., contact (864) 647-0188; Open mic night Promenade for the Arts, first Friday night of the month starting at 7:00 P.M., contact (706) 782-9852.

There are many other places you will find to play as you begin to network with others. www.thelaurelmagazine.com | May 2013 | 75

Have Fun Storming the Castle HOMES & LIFESTYLES

“

by Donna Rhodes

The number of connections in the brain is greater than the number of stars in the Milky Way, and most of my connections are taken up with movie quotes.”

So sayeth my best bud, Bobbo Goldberg. I venture to say every conversation I have ever had with him has had at least one movie reference. We have watched so many films that we often speak in movie shorthand . . . one or twoword exchanges that represent lines if not whole paragraphs of dialog. For example, when we’ve had enough of a self-righteous so-and-so we’ll look at each other and say, “Fruit basket” which is a reference to a Ghostbusters quote. The scene: The vengeful Inspector Peck has been bested by Venkman. As he is being ushered out he yells, “I’m gonna get you Venkman . . . I’m gonna fix you!” To which Venkman replies, “I’m gonna get you a nice fruit basket. I’m gonna miss him.”

Bobbo has a phonographic memory. He can play back anything he hears. Me? Not so much. But it’s still fun to play the movie quote game with him and I encourage you to do the same with a movie pal. By the way two of the most quotable movies of all time are Princess Bride and Galaxy Quest, so I highly recommend your seeing both films if you need a movie quote jumpstart.

In the meantime, test your movie I.Q. (Identifiable

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Quotes) with the following: 1. “Hello, My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” 2. “Get away from her, you bitch.”

3. “They’re dead. They’re all messed up.” 4. “Heeeere’s Johnny.” 5. “I’m king of the world!” 6. “I collect spores, mold and fungus.” 7. “You can’t handle the truth.” 8. “I’ve come to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubble gum.” 9. “It might be a tumor.” “It’s not a tumor.”

10. “ Sex alleviates tension and love causes it” 11.” May the Schwartz be with you.” 12. “I’ll have what she’s having.” 13.

“What we have here is a failure to communicate.” 14.” Is it safe?” 15. “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here. It’s the War Room.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little excursion into movie land. “One is glad to be of service.” (Bicentennial Man).

Until we meet again, “Hasta la vista, Baby!” (Terminator II).

Answers: 1. Princess Bride; 2. Aliens; 3. Night of the Living Dead; 4. The Shining; 5. Titanic; 6. Ghostbusters; 7. A Few Good Men; 8. They Live; 9. Kindergarten Cop; 10. A Midsummers Night Sex Comedy; 11. Space Balls; 12. When Harry Met Sally; 13. Cool Hand Luke; 14. Marathon Man; 15. Dr. Strangelove; and the title, “Have fun storming the castle.” is from Princess Bride.

Waterfall Guide Where’s the Water Cashiers Waterfalls DRIFT, TURTLEBACK, RAINBOW & STAIRSTEP FALLS In the Horsepasture Wild & Scenic River area - 64 E. to Sapphire; to Hwy. 281; .7 miles to gated road on left — follow trail.

JOHN’S JUMP 64 E. to Sapphire; to Hwy 281; 4.8 miles - park on shoulder and follow path.

Highlands Waterfalls Bridal Veil Falls Hwy. 64, can be seen from road.

Where’s the Water

KING CREEK FALLS Hwy. 107 S.; about 13 miles; turn right on Burrells Ford Road — park at campground parking.

SCHOOLHOUSE FALLS In Panthertown Valley - Hwy 64 E. to Cedar Creek Road; to Breedlove Road — park at dead-end.

SILVER RUN FALLS Hwy. 107 S.; 4.1 miles from crossroads, look for gravel pull-off on left — follow trails.

DRY FALLS Hwy. 64; turn at Dry Falls sign.

GLEN FALLS Hwy. 106 S., left at Glen Falls sign.

KALAKALESKIES FALLS Hwy. 64; just below Sequoyah Lake.

LOWER CULLASAJA FALLS Hwy. 64 at pull-offs.

PICKLESIEMER ROCKHOUSE FALLS Hwy. 28 S. to Blue Valley Road; 4.3 miles - park at dirt road on right take trail - about 1 mile to falls.

UPPER & LOWER SATULAH FALLS Hwy. 28 S.; both can be seen from road.

WHITEWATER FALLS Hwy. 64 E. to Sapphire, to Hwy. 281 — look for signs.

To view photos and videos of the waterfalls in Highlands and Cashiers visit thelaurelmagazine.com/cashiersnc_outdoors.php and thelaurelmagazine.com/highlandsnc_outdoors.php www.thelaurelmagazine.com | May 2013 | 77

SERVICES ACCOMMODATIONS

BEAUTY

CABINET DESIGN

ART LESSONS

BEAUTY

CABINET DESIGN

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SERVICES CABINET DESIGN

FRAMING

PAINTING

CONSTRUCTION

MASSAGE

TRAVEL

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Cashiers Consignment shoppes

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Visitors from Afar GIVING BACK

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Contributed by Slocum Howland

several other professionals. ighlands is a small ruThe primary goal of the ral town but over the Rotary International Friendpast few years the ship Exchange is for particiRotary Club of Highlands has pants to experience other welcomed visiting Rotarcultures and build goodwill ians from foreign shores. In and friendships. The pro2012 we welcomed a Rotary gram advances international Group Study Exchange Team understanding and peace of visitors from Finland, who through personal relationspent several weeks in Westships. The visitors stay in ern North Carolina, exchanglocal homes, visit local ating ideas on everything from tractions, try local food and education to business and always find common areas entrepreneurship to recreof interest and concern. ational sports. They visited In 2012 visitors from Finland were hosted by the Rotary Club of Highlands.

With 1.2 million members our local school, hospital in 3200 clubs 170 countries, and police department, met Rotary supports projects with local leaders and played world wide that focus on health, poverty, conflict resolugolf at Highlands Country Club.

In April, we welcomed a Rotary Friendship Team from tion, hunger, and illiteracy. Rotary’s goal is to “make the India. This group of 11 included Rotarians and their spouses world a better place.” from several different Rotary clubs in India and included a The Rotary Club of Highlands is proud to be a part of teacher, a tax consultant, a housewife, a social worker and this vision.

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Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust GIVING BACK

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Contributed by Julie Schott, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust

ince its founding more than one hundred years ago, the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT), originally known as the Highlands Improvement Society, has pursued the highest degree of professionalism as it conserves and cares for vital lands, water, and wildlife of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.

However, resting on tradition is not the approach taken by this historic conservation organization. The Land Trust Alliance has designed a program that officially recognizes a land trust as a national leader in land protection. The land trust accreditation program identifies land trusts that meet national quality standards for protecting and caring for important lands.

The accreditation process includes an extensive review of each applicantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policies and programs by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. The program has been developed to foster public confidence in land conservation and help

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ensure the long-term protection of land.

HCLT is proud to announce that they have earned national accreditation through this prestigious program. Through the rigorous accreditation process, HCLT is advancing its commitment to excellence. Becoming an accredited land trust is an objective affirmation that HCLT meets national standards, upholds the public trust, and ensures that its conservations are permanent.

In 2012, HCLT conserved new properties that will protect the quality of the water we drink as well as healthy habitats for many of the plants and animals that live on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. New projects are already in the works for 2013.

The mission of HCLT is to protect valuable land resources for all generations. To learn more about your land trust or how you can be involved visit www.hicashlt.org or call (828) 526-1111. Together we are saving mountains.

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Literacy Council of Highlands GIVING BACK

Contributed by Tonya Hensley, Executive Director, Literacy Council of Highlands Instead of hibernation, the Literacy Council of Highlands approaches the summer with a trio of events to power the program into the future.

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ay typically begins our yearly wind-down here at the Literacy Council of Highlands – a time when we can breathe a little sigh of relief that our year is almost over and begin planning for next year.

However, this May we are going to be very busy as we have three special events upcoming: The Highlands Motoring Festival, Homecomin’ 2013, and Kidz Kamp.

This year, the Highlands Motoring Festival benefits the Literacy Council. This means we are going to be working very hard the weekend of June 7 and 8. We are hosting a welcome reception at SweeTreats on the evening of June 7 and a barn dance at Gus Lard’s barn on June 8 entitled BBQ and Bluegrass for Books. Both events will begin at 6:30 P.M. Tickets for the events are available at the Literacy Council.

Homecomin’ 2013 is a conference that Judy and I will be attending the week of June 11-14 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This conference will allow us to meet children’s authors, get to know our Dolly Parton Imagination Library team, learn how to use the data system, hear keynote speakers, and learn a thing or two about marketing the

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program. We are looking forward to this unique experience. Currently, we have 447 participants and 16 graduates of this wonderful program!

This year’s Kidz Kamp will be a one-day event on June 24. It will be a nature-themed day including fun outdoor activities for kids from fourth to sixth grades. Participants will receive a cool field guide, backpack, hat, binoculars, and other tools to help them explore the world around them. Folks from the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust will be guiding us through our adventure. There is no cost for the camp and lunch will be provided. Registration is limited, so call Miss Judy to get registered today!

If you or anyone you know could benefit from one of our free programs, please contact us at (828) 526-0863 and we will be more than happy to assist you. We currently offer GED and ESL classes which will both run throughout the summer. After school programs, including individual tutoring, study hall, computer labs, and after-school enrichment will end on May 23 and begin again on September 2. For more information, visit our website at www.highlandsliteracy.com.

GIVING BACK

Highlands Biological Station

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very summer the Highlands Biological Station offers five-day workshops tailored for the local community and members of the Highlands Biological Foundation. These workshops provide opportunities for in-depth study of special topics of relevance to the southern Appalachians. This year, the Station is offering several art workshops and a literature workshop with Brent Martin. Spend part of your summer developing your creative side to compliment your love for science (or vice versa), or exploring the western North Carolina landscape with local authors including Charles

Contributed by Michelle Ruigrok, Highlands Biological Station

Frazier, Wayne Caldwell, George Ellison, Ron Rash, and John Lane!

The 2013 schedule for workshops this summer is: Attention Artists!

May 6-10 – “Journaling Nature a Day at a Time” with Nancy Lowe July 1-5 – “Sharing the Stories of Science” with Nancy Lowe August 12-16 – “Small World: Drawing Insects and Other Small Organisms” (advanced drawing and watercolor) with Nancy Lowe For Book Lovers!

July 1-5 – “Literary Journals through the Western North Carolina Landscape: An Exploration in Cultural and Natural History through

Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry” with Brent Martin Nancy Lowe is a scientific illustrator and photographer specializing in insects, plants, and fungi. She has spent her professional career focusing on art and science collaborations for museums, libraries, universities, and professional organizations to name a few. Her workshops are designed to encourage students to become better observers of natural history, and to improve their artistic skills in order to compliment and improve their ability to record their observations.

Brent Martin currently serves as Southern Appalachian Regional Director

for the Wilderness Society. He is a lifetime writer, educator, and conservationist. Brent is the author of three chapter book collections of poetry, and his poetry and essays have been published in several literary reviews and journals.

For more information about these wonderful workshops, including descriptions, syllabi, and fees, visit www.highlandsbiological.org/summercourses/. You can also call (828) 526-2602 or visit 265 North Sixth Street for more information. Members of the Highlands Biological Foundation at the Sagee Mountain Level and above receive a discount.

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2013 Annual Faux Fur Ball GIVING BACK

Contributed by Kathy Bub, Executive Director, Forever Farms

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f you are on our mailing list, you may have already received your invitation for our annual Faux Fur Ball. For those who have not, meet the Queen of this year’s ball, Amore. She is ready to kick up her paws and get the party started.

Our annual Faux Fur Ball, “which is actually no ball at all,” helps us raise the funds for our very large food bill at the Forever Farm. “So don’t put on your ritz and glitz, just send us a donation for kibbles and bits. Your stay-at-home celebration will be met with tail-wagging appreciation.”

We are dependent on your generous tax deductible donations for the operation of the Friends for Life Forever Farm, a life-long sanctuary for senior and special needs companion animals located in Lake Toxaway. Visit our website at www.friendsforlifeforeverfarm.org to take a Visual Tour of our facility. Donations can be made online, or mailed to P.O. Box 340, Sapphire, NC 28774.

Albert-Carlton Community Library

By Luke Osteen

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he Friends of Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library is seeking young artists and writers for a pair of fun contests.

For “I Love My Library,” local students are invited to create their own bookmark design that reflects their passion for the Cashiers Library. Winners will be selected from each of two categories – Grades 0-4 and Grades 5-8.

Contestants can pick up entry forms with the dimensions of the bookmark at the library. Their submissions can utilize markers, crayons, pencils or pens and should be entirely original – no copyrighted images or characters from books, TV, movies or comics. Deadline is May 6. Entries should be delivered to the library or mailed to: ACCCL, attn: Serenity, PO Box 2127, Cashiers NC 28717.

Each winner will receive a printed copy of their design, a $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card, and recognition at a special reception. For more information, contact Albert 88 | May 2013 | www.thelaurelmagazine.com

Carlton-Cashiers Community Library at (828) 743-0215.

Friends of the Library and the Cashiers Writers Group are also sponsoring “If I Were A Book,” a writing contest for middle school students (including home schoolers) in Cashiers and Highlands. The contest is divided into Prose and Poetry categories and submissions should be built upon the theme, “If I were a book.” Entries should not be more than 325 words.

Prizes include: First Place in each category, a Kindle and publication in Laurel Magazine; and Second Place in each category, a $25 gift certificate from Chapter 2 Bookstore in Cashiers. In addition, each First Place winner will be invited to read his or her entry at Poetry Night, set for August 15 at the library. Entry Forms are available at the library. Deadline is May 6 and submissions may be dropped off at the library or mailed to: ACCCL, attn: Serenity, PO Box 2127, Cashiers NC 28717. For more information, call Kathie Blozan at (828) 743-1765.

Carpe Diem Farms GIVING BACK

Contributed by Sue Blair, Carpe Diem Farms Executive Director

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oyalty is a trait we all hope to be known by; in friendship, in love, in our work ethic, in our family of origin and our family of choice. We want to be loyal above all else. Yet, how many of us truly are?

On March 28, I said good-bye to the most loyal creature I have ever known. She demonstrated her loyal commitment the day she showed up at the farm, claimed me as her person of choice and the farm as her home. There wasn’t a day that passed that she didn’t wake up with a smile and only one agenda, to be my constant companion all day every day. It didn’t matter to her if we were in the stables, working in the office, taking a long trail ride, running errands in the truck with her waiting for me to return, conducting kids camps, after school programs, painting or constructing building; her only request, to be by my side.

In the 15 plus years here she has been a beacon of light at Carpe Diem Farms. She has greeted every guest and participant joyfully. She has welcomed every dog, cat and horse into our family happily. She seemed to live with a motto that “there is always room for one more to love.”

She taught me so much and my heart aches for the physi-

cal space she no longer occupies. She took a piece of my heart with her on her latest journey and she left my heart full of her love.

Joy lived to be 18 years old. As she aged gracefully through every season of her life she made concessions.

When she could no longer go on trail rides she watched as we rode off and awaited our return on the front porch.

She took to sleeping in my closet knowing I would return.

She shared every trial, happiness and sorrow of my life… my constant companion. She slept in the stables with me as we awaited the birth of Promise. When one of the horses, dogs or cats became sick or infirm she stayed by my side nursing them and being with me as they passed on. She attended every burial, comforting me in my sadness.

My life is so much richer for having shared it with her.

I know that she will be waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge and in the meantime she will be running in the fields with all her friends, two and four-legged alike who have gone before her. Her unconditional love and loyalty will be her legacy. I am a better person for the gifts she shared and taught.

To read more on the philanthropic efforts in Highlands and Cashiers, visit www.thelaurelmagazine.com/news

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The Benefits of Service GIVING BACK

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Contributed by Steve Mills

Hospice assisted with necessary t has been a privilege to serve medicines, as well as supplies as the director of our hospice and training for his care. How in the Highlands-Cashiers area gratifying for my sister and me to the past two years. Our team fulfill his wish to stay in his home have been honored to be part of during his final days. the lives of so many. Recently my Hospice helped us deal with family took the journey that so the stress we experienced. I remany have taken before. My dad member thinking, “This is increddied on February 27. He lived just ibly hard to do.” The hospice over a month after his diagnosis team helped us manage our own of pancreatic cancer. During that needs, while supporting him in time, we faced the same confuthe best ways possible. sion and need as every family.

Hospice helped us gather the Hospice helped with the treresources to move forward in a mendous confusion we felt. Denew way. My dad was the prispite my experience, our world mary caregiver for my mom for turned upside down as my dad, a number of years. The hospice who was a rock-solid presence, team helped us begin to address quickly grew weaker. He was a camy mom’s needs for care as my reer policeman and the one peodad quietly and peacefully left us. ple turned to for help. Now we had questions, uncertainties and Through this personal experience, I now have an even stronfears as we faced what it meant Steve’s Dad Howard Mills ger commitment and passion for for him to leave us. Hospice proserving those in the Highlandsvided answers and support.

Cashiers region who need the Hospice helped us deal with the physical changes my dad experienced. What a change support and care that we provide as your local hospice it was for me to be providing personal care to my dad. team. Please call us with questions at (828) 526-2552.

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A Pawsitively Purrfect Evening GIVING BACK

Contributed by David Stroud, Executive Director, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society

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hen you first arrive at the beautiful and exquisite Country Club of Sapphire Valley, you know this night is going to be special. From the spectacular views on the Mountain Veranda to the elegant dining experience in the Sapphire Room, there is only one thing that could make this evening more perfect. Pawsitively Purrfect, as a matter of fact. And that is to combine this uniquely stunning venue with a night of fundraising and “fun-raising” to support the shelter pets at the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society.

Pawsitively Purrfect Eve-

ning is our annual gala that kicks off the social season in grand style! Join us at the luxurious Country Club of Sapphire Valley and enjoy a magical evening featuring cocktails, an exquisite dinner, live and silent auction, and dancing. Among the live auction items this year is a one-week stay in a majestic 19th-century townhome in Barcelona, Spain. Other auction items include private home dinner parties, golf packages, gift certificates to area restaurants, and much more!

Pawsitively Purrfect Evening is Friday, June 14, from 6:00-10:30 P.M. and tickets are $175 per person ($350

per couple). To purchase tickets or for more information, please call (828) 743-5752 or email info@ chhumanesociety.org. Last year’s gala welcomed a record number of attendees and tickets sold fast, so make plans today to be a part of this elegant evening to support the rescued animals entrusted to our care!

Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society is located on Highway 64, two miles east of the Cashiers Crossroads behind Reid Real Estate.

Shelter hours are 10:00 A.M. -4:00 P.M. Monday through Saturday. Visit CHHS online at www.chhumanesociety. org to see pictures and de-

scriptions of all the adorable, adoptable dogs and cats looking for forever homes. For more information, call (828) 743-5752.

Established in 1987, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society is a private 501(c) (3) not-for-profit animal welfare organization and no-kill shelter that receives no federal, state, or county tax dollars, and no funding from the Humane Society of the United States. CHHS relies solely on donations, grants, bequests and special events to further our mission of rescue, compassionate care, and finding forever homes for abandoned and neglected animals.

To read more on the philanthropic efforts in Highlands and Cashiers, visit www.thelaurelmagazine.com/news

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Relay Around the World GIVING BACK

Contributed by Ellen Bauman

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Relay for Life Highlands is part of a worldwide effort to honor cancer survivors and boost the prospects of a cancer-free world.

highly-visible symbol of a personal victory over cancer, the Global Relay For Life Heroes of Hope and their profiles of courage encourage support and participation in the programs of each international cancer organization. More than simply inspiring us, cancer survivors and caregivers reaffirm the missions of our organizations and reinforce, in a personal way, the need for all of us to continue to fight back against cancer.

The Global Relay For Life Heroes of Hope survivorship initiative involves the selection of Heroes of Hope from Global Relay For

Life participating countries.

The initiative has three primary goals: •To give each Global Relay For Life member country an opportunity to recognize one or more cancer survivors who have impacted their community •To give one or more cancer survivors the opportunity to serve as a voice for their country’s cancer organization •To encourage other cancer survivors to actively share their own cancer Relay For Life events. As ambassadors of their country’s cancer organization, these Heroes of Hope will inspire other survivors and expand

the whole world of cancer survivorship.

Today, Relay events proudly host more than 600,000 survivors each year. These extraordinary beacons of hope – and the caregivers at their side – show us that, together, we’re stronger than cancer!

From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Sydney, Australia, and from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to Moncton, Canada, survivors are showing that cancer is defeated by coming together. No matter where you are in the world, our survivors speak a common language -- the language of hope! For some, it is the hope that a

newly diagnosed patient will live to celebrate their next birthday. For others, it is the hope that they will dance at their grandson’s wedding. And, for others, it is the hope that nobody will have to go through the pain and suffering of cancer ever again. It is hope that brings the strength and courage to these survivors!

Next month, we’ll honor a Highlands survivor and share her story. Please join us to celebrate our survivors and honor our caregivers. Visit www.relayforlife. org/highlandsnc, www. facebook.com/relayforlifeofhighlandsnc, or call (828) 526-1841.

To read more on the philanthropic efforts in Highlands and Cashiers, visit www.thelaurelmagazine.com/news

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Mountaintop Rotary GIVING BACK

Contributed by Victoria Ingate The Highlands Mountaintop Rotary Club welcomes four new members and sets its sights on the 5K Run for June 1.

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he Highlands Mountaintop Rotary Club is moving into spring and summer with several new members and exciting events planned.

Mountaintop Rotary would like to welcome all of our new members. Danielle Koman is a Family Nurse Practitioner at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, and was sponsored

by Callie Calloway. Rita Kelly is the owner of both Ritaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cottage and Highlands Fine Consignments and was sponsored by Bill Zoellner. Pat Turnbull, who was sponsored

by Al Bolt, is a returning member to the club. Pat is the Membership Coordinator at The Bascom. The most recent member to join is Cherry Bittick, owner of Cabin Couture.

She was also sponsored by Bill Zoellner. Mountaintop Rotary is excited to have all of these talented people join our club.

In March, the Mountaintop Rotary was able to deliver $2,000 worth of food items and essential household supplies to the Highlands Emergency Council for distribution to those in need in the area. Funds used were raised from donations collected during our annual Halloween Hot

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Dog Giveaway and our Annual Holiday Wreath Fundraiser.

Money raised from those events was matched by a $1,000 grant from Rotary District 7670.

Our next fundraiser will be taking place on June 1. Highlands Mountaintop Rotary is reviving the Mountain Lakes 5K, formerly put on by the Highlands Roadrunners Club.

The race for both runners and walkers will raise money for wheelchairs in third world countries, the Highlands Community Care Clinic and other charities. The race will take place on Saturday, June 1, beginning at 8:30 A.M. Registration will take place at the Highlands Recreation Park and starts at 7:30 A.M. The entry fee for adults is $25 with an event T-shirt and $15 with no T-shirt. Students can take part for just $15 with t-shirt. Participants are urged to preregister and forms will be available at the Highlands Rec. Park or by phone or e-mail by contacting Skip Taylor at (828) 526-4280 or e-mail sidebead1@gmail.com.

The Highlands Mountaintop Rotary meets every Wednesday morning at 7:30 A.M. in the dining room at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital.

Highlands Playhouse Lock-Up GIVING BACK

Contributed by Chesley Owens

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Local leaders are facing jail time to benefit the Highlands Playhouse, May 18 at Town Square.

ighlands community leaders are taking a break from their daily duties to spend time in “jail” for the Highlands Playhouse to gain charitable donations for their release. The Highlands Playhouse Lock-Up is a community event that is a high spirited way to help the Playhouse with operating expenses.

By agreeing to do time, Playhouse Jailbirds from the community go behind bars as they ask family, friends and business contacts to make donations to their “bail” to benefit the Highlands Playhouse to help continue the tradition of professional theatre. Community support is the driving force that enables the Playhouse to continue providing high quality professional entertainment.

“The Playhouse Lock-Up is a fun and exciting way for community leaders to show their support of Arts and Entertainment on the plateau,” said Playhouse Managing Director Tammy Hernandez. “The arts play such an important role in our daily lives and we are blessed to have a dynamic community that will come together to support the Playhouse.”

The goal for each Jailbird is to raise $500 to help support

the oldest theatre in North Carolina. Our “living theatre” came to Highlands 75 years ago to serve as a gathering place for all who love live entertainment, served up by professional actors and other performers who make it their passion.

Once arrested, Jailbirds will be transported to the mock jail in Town Square on Saturday, May 18, where they are encouraged to make additional calls to friends and business associates to raise money for their bail. To nominate a community leader that you would like to see “do time,” call (828) 526-2695 .

The Highlands Playhouse is located at 362 Oak Street.

Subscriptions for all five plays are available now for $150, with extra discounts for educators. To purchase subscriptions or to receive more information, call (828) 526-2695 or go to www.highlandsplayhouse.org. Group tickets (10 or more) are available now at savings up to 30 percent.

Tickets for individual performances are available by calling the box office. For full sponsorship information, contact Chesley Owens at (828) 526-9443 or email highlandsplayhouse@yahoo.com.

To read more on the philanthropic efforts in Highlands and Cashiers, visit www.thelaurelmagazine.com/news

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Catman Shelter GIVING BACK

Contributed by Harold Sims

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Catman Shelter rescued 118 cats and kittens in 2012.

he year 2012 was a great year for the cats. We rescued 118 cats and kittens.

Twenty two came from the Jackson County Shelter, 19 from other shelters, 50 were picked up as strays and 27 were surrendered by their owners.

When the year started we had more than 90 residents at the shelter. We found new homes for 90 cats and ended the year with a population of 86.

Catman2, as well as being a rescue and adoption center is also a sanctuary and when a cat is accepted it is given the right to stay until it finds a new

home or becomes too old to enjoy a good quality of life. We take the term “nokill” to be what it means.

Although the year was good for the cats, it was not as good as it may sound for the shelter. Adopting ninety cats sounds like a lot. But we do not make money on adoptions. The average cost to get a cat ready for adoption, vet work, vaccines, food, and the like, is about $130. Our adoption fee is $80. Do the math.

Of course, the cats know nothing of this.

They still want to be fed quality food, use clean litter and be warm in winter

and cool during the summer. Catman2 had to hire its first employee. This has added about $28,000 to the budget. Up until now all work with the cats was done by volunteers. I, Harold Sims, have never taken a cent for myself.

Mine is a labor of love.

What are we going to do? We are going to keep going. In the good years we were able to tuck away surplus funds in CDs. The most I can hope is that the money is safe and will be there when needed.

We hope to do the “Cats in Review” show we had to cancel last fall. We want to raffle a car this

year rather than a quilt.

We hope to find a way to profit from the Painted Cats. We’re going to try to find a way to promote “Kevin the Helpful Vampire Cat” and his books.

Tell a friend about us and ask them to help.

We need money and we need volunteers. Since Catman2 started in 1996, we have saved more than 3,000 cats within our shelter and many more with the advice and education we have been more than willing to give. Call us at (828) 293-0892 and we will return your call when you want help or need advice.

To read more on the philanthropic efforts in Highlands and Cashiers, visit www.thelaurelmagazine.com/news

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Community Computers Program GIVING BACK

Contributed by Vanna Cameron

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The Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley and Sounds Essential team up to provide area schools, non-profit organizations and other charitable entities with quality refurbished computers.

he Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley and Sounds Essential, a Sapphire-based marketing and IT firm, are teaming up to provide area schools, non-profit organizations and other charitable entities with quality refurbished computers.

The program, called Community Computers, seeks to find new homes for gently used, completely refurbished computers and equipment, placing them where need is the greatest.

As part of the program, individuals and businesses from the community are asked to donate their old equipment while Sounds Essential donates its time to rebuild and restore the computers to working condition. Rotary will identify needy recipients.

Sounds Essential proposed the project to Rotary after several of the firm’s IT clients asked what could be done with computers they were replacing or no longer needed. “We often help guide customers and clients through the process of updating or modernizing their equipment,” says Duncan Baker, co-owner of Sounds Essential. “That doesn’t mean the old equipment is useless, though.”

For Vic Galef, president of the Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley, the program seemed like a natural fit. “In these difficult

times, when affordability is such a huge issue for so many, Rotary can help facilitate a service to those in real need. It’s especially important for younger people, who need to keep up with the fast paced computerization of learning tools.”

Donated equipment can include PC or Mac laptops or desktops, monitors, printers, keyboards, wireless routers and other accessories that can be used in rebuilding the computers, along with operating system and other software installation discs when present. Tablets and smartphones with wireless capabilities will also be accepted.

To donate to the Community Computers program, please bring all old or no longer needed equipment, including any available operating system or installation discs specific to that device, to the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce Office and Visitor Center, located at 202 Highway 64 West, between the hours of 10 A.M. and 4 P.M., Monday through Friday.

For those interested in learning more about or joining the Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley, please visit www.cashiersrotary.org., or contact Bob Starkey at (828) 508-2659. The Rotary meets on Wednesday mornings at the Cashiers United Methodist Church.

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Highlands Outdoor Classroom GIVING BACK

By Wiley Sloan Several community organizations and individuals funded the Courtyard Project, an outdoor classroom for Highlands School students.

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he courtyard between the Highlands Middle School and the main school building has a fresh new look and is almost ready for outdoor classes. Science teacher Stephanie Smathers, who spearheaded this project, said, ‘Everyone says this place looks great!’

Last October, Tate Landscaping corrected drainage problems, removed dying trees and shrubs, installed pebbled concrete walkways, brought in boulders for splash rocks, and created planters rimmed with low stones for seating. They also reworked the bricked portion of the courtyard as a gift to the project.

In April, Tate Landscaping built a two-tiered sitting wall, and Mrs. Kara Faust’s art students created glazed ceramic pieces for the mosaic on the back of the wall. Native flagstone stepping stones now meander through a space that will soon be planted with native grasses and high elevation bog plants.

During the week of May 15th students from the Middle School Junior Beta Club, the Middle School Student Government Association, and the High School Ro-

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tary Interact Club will work with Tate Landscaping and adult volunteers to plant shrubs, trees, ground covers and perennials.

The courtyard project is truly a community-wide endeavor. Funds were provided by the Highlands Community Foundation of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Mountain Findings, Cullasaja Women’s Outreach, Laurel Garden Club, Mountain Garden Club, Wild Azalea Garden Club, Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, Community Bible Church, Mountaintop Rotary Club, Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, Highlands School PTO, Highlands School Booster Club, and many individuals. Professional in-kind services were provided by Summit Architecture, PA, Tate Landscaping Services, and the Highlands Biological Foundation.

Come tour the new outdoor classroom Monday, June 10 from 1:00-2:00 P.M. when students host this year’s ‘Lemonade in the Courtyard.’ See the amazing transformation that has taken place since last June and hear about the exciting plans for upcoming classes and activities.

Big Brothers and Big Sisters GIVING BACK

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Contributed by Julie Schott

during the school day and visiting with ig Brothers Big Sisters of Western their matched “Little.”

North Carolina (BBBS) is celebratThe BBBS mission is simple; to proing its 30th anniversary this year! vide mentors for youth – transforming Since its inception, 10,500 WNC children the lives of both children and volunhave received the benefits of having a teers. The BBBS track record is filled one-to-one relationship with a caring, with positive experiences and growing supportive volunteer mentor. friendships that will never be forgotMore than 250 children in Highlands ten. Through the mentoring efforts, have participated and Cashiers’ new we see outcomes of youth achieving program is already off to a great start! educational success, having the ability There are two programs offered in Julie Schott and her “Little Brother” Dillan to avoid risky behaviors, and building Highlands: After School and Commuhigher aspirations for their future. Chilnity Based. The After School Program dren gaining the confidence and tools involves a mentor and child meeting for one hour each week after school on the school campus dur- to reach their new found goals.

Big Brothers Big Sisters needs more caring mentors and ing the school year. Community Based is the traditional program where the mentor does activities with the child at least supporters. Start something Big by sharing a Little of your twice a month; such as going to the movies, a ball game, or time and attention by supporting a young person in the community. We all reap the reward of this relationship because maybe a trip to the ice cream shop.

In Cashiers, an In-school Program is offered at Blue Ridge the children grow into more productive citizens and contribSchool (BRS) and formulation of an After School Program uting members of society. is in the works at Summit Charter School. The BRS program For information, contact Debbie Lassiter at highlands@ involves mentors coming to the school one hour each week bbbswnc.org or cashiers@bbbswnc.org or (828) 526-4044.

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Bags on Main COMMERCE

By Luke Osteen

B

ags on Main, Highlands’ original handbag store, has exciting news for the 2013 season.

Not only is the store under new ownership, but the boutique has an expanded new location. You’ll find it right beside The Toy Store, 364 Main Street.

The new expanded location continues with familiar favorites, including Eric Javits, Hobo, Anuschka, Big Buddah, My Walit, Sondra Roberts, Ellington and many more. They stock handbags, cross bodies, wallets, and organizers -from playful to polished, an array of colors and designs to complement any style.

To complete your shopping experience, the new owners, Michelle and Harry Bears, have added fun finds for hostess and girlfriend gifts, or just a little something to pamper yourself. Luxurious bath and body products, sassy party hats, napkins and beverage cups, soy candles, umbrellas, expressive readers, fun watches and Quotable gift cards are just some of the new additions.

The refreshing look and new location of Bags on Main is certainlyworth a careful browse. It’s open year-round.

Harry and Michelle Bears

To read more on the philanthropic efforts in Highlands and Cashiers, visit www.thelaurelmagazine.com/news

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Accommodations Country Club Properties www.ccphighlandsnc.com Page 2 Fire Mountain Inn & Cabins www.firemt.com Page 6 Inn at Half Mile Farm www.halfmilefarm.com Pages 78, 87 Landmark Vacation Rentals www.landmarkvacations.com Page 105 Old Edwards Inn www.oldedwardsinn.com Page 4 Skyline Lodge www.skylinelodge.com Page 56 Whiteside Cove Cottages Pages 72, 92 Adventures Highlands Aerial Park www.highlandscanopytour.com Page 8 Antiques & Home Furnishings Acorns Boutique www.acornsboutique.com Page 4 Bound’s Cave www.boundscave.com Page 97 Cabin Couture www.cabincouturehighlands.com Page 20 Dovetail Antiques Page 27 Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com Page 70 Greenleaf Gallery www.greenleafgallerygifts.com Page 45 Into the Woods Home Interiors Page 76 Mantiques Page 9 Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com Page 25 Mirror Lake Antiques Page 6 Museum of American Cut & Engraved Glass Page 48 Nest Page 16 Peak Experience www.peakexp.com Pages 17 Rusticks www.rusticks.com Page 71 Scudder’s Galleries www.scuddersgalleries.com Page 29 The Summer House www.summerhousehighlands.com Page 103 Summer Place Antiques www.summerplacenantiques.com Page 41 Vivianne Metzger Antiques Page 71 Art Galleries/Artists Annell, Portrait Artist www.annell.com Page 46 Around Back at Rocky’s Place www.aroundbackatrockysplace.com Page 44 The Bascom www.thebascom.org Page 108 Blue Valley Gallery Page 34A Cabin Couture www.cabincouturehighlands.com Page 20 Calderone Fine Art Gallery www.calderonegallery.com Page 78 Chivaree Southern Art & Design www.chivarts.com Page 40 Dovetail Antiques Page 27 GG’s Consignments, Etc.* www.ggsconsignment.com Page 81 Gracewear Collection www.gracewearcollection.com Page 89 Greenleaf Gallery www.greenleafgallerygifts.com Page 45 Highlands Fine Art www.highlandsfineartandestatejewelry.com Page 15 Into the Woods Home Interiors Page 76 John Collette Fine Art www.johncollettefineart.com Page 43 Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com Page 25 Mountain Mist Gallery Page 42 Museum of American Cut & Engraved Glass Page 48 Oakleaf Flower & Garden Page 18B Peak Experience www.peakexp.com Page 17 Peter J. Pioli Interiors www.macdonaldhomeconstruction.com/interior.html Page 28 Scott Upton www.scottupton.net Page 47 Scudder’s Galleries www.scuddersgalleries.com Page 29 Summer Place Antiques www.summerplacenantiques.com Page 41 TJB The Gallery www.tjbmens.com Page 64 Banks/Mortgage Companies Macon Bank www.maconbank.com Page 8

Bedding/Linens Blue Ridge Bedding www.blueridgebedding.com Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com Highlands Emporium www.highlandsemporium.com Into the Woods Home Interiors Lenz Gifts Bird Supplies Bird Barn and Gift Emporium Books The Book Nook The Corner Store Dovetail Antiques Builders Arrowood Construction www.arrowoodconstruction.com Lupoli Construction www.lupoliconstruction.com Mountainworks Design www.mtnworks.com Srebalus Construction Co. Warth Construction www.warthconstruction.com Cabinet Hardware Highlands Doors & Windows, etc. www.highlandsdoorsandwindows.com Candles 4th Street Boutique www.4thstboutiquehighlands.com The Corner Store Canopy Tours Highlands Aerial Park www.highlandscanopytour.com Cards The Corner Store Caterers Café 107 www.cafe107south.com Fressers Eatery www.fresserseateryhighlands.com The Kitchen www.thekitchenofhighlands.com Chambers of Commerce Cashiers Chamber of Commerce www.cashiersnorthcarolina.com Chiropractic Services Mountain Air Wellness www.mountainairwellness.com Churches Wayfarers Unity www.wayfarersunity.org Cigars Highlands Emporium www.highlandsemporium.com Cloth/Upholstery Wilhites Clothing & Accessories 4th Street Boutique www.4thstboutiquehighlands.com Acorn’s Boutique www.acornsboutique.com Alyxandra’s Boutique Bags on Main Cabin Casuals www.cabincasualshighlands.com Ellen’s Gracewear Collection www.gracewearcollection.com The Look Jewelry www.thelookjewelry.com Martha Anne’s Mountain Mist Gallery Narcissus Nora & Co. Peak Experience www.peakexp.com

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Sashay Around www.sashayaround.com Page 35 Sorelle Designs www.sorelledesignstudio.com Pages 46, 104 Spoiled Rotten www.spoiledrotten2.com Page 8 T.J. Bailey For Men www.tjbmens.com Page 64 VC for Men www.victoriasclosetnc.com Page 81 Victoria’s Closet www.victoriasclosetnc.com Page 81 Victoria’s Sportswear www.victoriasclosetnc.com Page 81 Vivace Page 73 Wit”s End Page 83 Xtreme Threads Page 14 Clothing Consignment The Blue Elephant Page 80 Victoria’s Closet www.victoriasclosetnc.com Page 81 Communities Cullasaja Club www.cullasajaclub.org Pages 17, 19, 21, 23 Highlands Cove Realty wwwhighlandscoverealty.com Page 101 Preserve at Rock Creek www.preserveatrockcreeknc.com Page 24 Silver Creek Real Estate Group www.ncliving.com Page 13 Condiments The Hen House Page 3 Cosmetic Surgery Center for Plastic Surgery - Robert T. Buchanan, M.D. www.plasticsurgerytoday.com Page 80 Custom Cabinetry/Countertops Black Rock Granite & Marble www.blackrockgraniteandmarble.com Pages 78, 98 Keystone Kitchen & Bath www.keystonekb.com Pages 78, 100 Welcome Home Kitchen & Bath www.welcomehomecashiersnc.com Page 79 Custom Furniture Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com Page 70 Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com Page 25 The Summer House www.summerhousehighlands.com Page 103 Dentists Dr. Joe Wilbanks www.wilbankssmilecenter.com Page 85 Doors, Windows Highlands Doors & Windows, etc. www.highlandsdoorsandwindows.com Page 84 Electrical/Electric Zoller Hardware www.zollerhardware.com Page 90 Event Design /Planning Southern Gardens www.southerngardensnc.com Page 92 Events The Bascom www.thebascom.org Page 108 Big Ol’ Mountain Country Breakfast Page 31 Blue Ridge Music www.blueridgemusicacademy.com Page 114 Blues, Brew & BBQ www.visitcashiersvalley.com Page 11 Buechner Fest - King University www.buechnerinstitute.org Page 104 Cashiers Arts & Crafts Show Page 99 Cashiers Empty Bowls Kick Starter Page 26 Cashiers Valley Poker Run www.visitcashiersvalley.com Page 11 Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival www.h-cmusicfestival.org Page 82 Highlands Cashiers Players www.highlandscashiersplayers.org Page 26 Highlands Mountaintop Rotary 5K Page 83 Highlands Playhouse www.highlandsplayhouse.org Pages 10, 49 Love Your Library Week - Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library Page 26 110 | May 2013 | www.thelaurelmagazine.com

Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center www.highlandspac.org Martinis & Mozart www.h-cmusicfestival.org Rabun County Music Festival www.rabunmusicfestival.com The Ugly Dog www.theuglydogpub.com Village Square Art & Craft Show FIreplaces Patio & Fireside www.patiofireside.com Florists BB Barns Flower Market www.bbbflowermarket.com, Fiddlehead Designs Oakleaf Flower & Garden Furniture Bumpkins www.numpkins-cashiers.com Carolina Rustic Furniture www.carolinarusticfurniture.com Dovetail Antiques Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com Into the Woods Home Interiors Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com Nearly New Oakleaf Flower & Garden Rusticks www.rusticks.com The Summer House www.summerhousehighlands.com Summer Place Antiques www.summerplacenantiques.com Furniture Consignments The Blue Elephant Consignment Market www.consignmentmarketcashiersnc.com GG’s Consignments, Etc.* www.ggsconsignment.com Highlands Fine Consignments LOTSA Furniture Consignment Nearly New Furniture Refinishing Furniture Barn www.thefurnitureman.com Garden Accessories Bird Barn and Gift Emporium Garden Design Southern Gardens www.southerngardensnc.com Garden Supplies BB Barns Flower Market www.bbbflowermarket.com Chattooga Gardens www.chattoogagardens.com Highlands Lawn & Garden Zoller Hardware www.zollerhardware.com Gift Shops Around Back at Rocky’s Place www.aroundbackatrockysplace.com Bird Barn and Gift Emporium Bumpkins www.numpkins-cashiers.com Cabin Couture www.cabincouturehighlands.com Cashiers Valley Pharmacy The Corner Store The Dry Sink www.thedrysink.com Dovetail Antiques Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com Fiddlehead Designs Greenleaf Gallery www.greenleafgallerygifts.com Lenz Gifts The Look Jewelry www.thelookjewelry.com LOTSA Furniture Consignment

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com Nest Nora & Co. Stone Lantern www.stonelantern-highlands.com Zoller Hardware www.zollerhardware.com Golf Cars Appalachian Golf Cars www.appalachiangolfcars.com Golf Tours Tom Chillemi www.tomsgolftours.com Gourmet Foods Dusty’s The Hen House Grading/Excavating Larry Rogers Construction Grocery Stores Dusty’s Groomers Fancy Paws Hair Salons Creative Concepts Head Innovations Hardware Supplies Zoller Hardware www.zollerhardware.com Health Food Supplies Nature’s Vitamins Heating and Air Madco www.holleyheating.com

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Home Accessories Bird Barn and Gift Emporium Bumpkins www.numpkins-cashiers.com Cabin Couture www.cabincouturehighlands.com Carolina Rustic Furniture www.carolinarusticfurniture.com Dovetail Antiques Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com GG’s Consignments, Etc.* www.ggsconsignment.com Highlands Fine Consignments Into the Woods Home Interiors Lenz Gifts Lucas Patton Design www.lucaspattondesign.com Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com Oakleaf Flower & Garden Peak Experience www.peakexp.com Stone Lantern www.stonelantern-highlands.com The Summer House www.summerhousehighlands.com Vivianne Metzger Antiques Housekeeping Highlands/Cashiers Concierge & Management Ice cream SweeTreats www.sweetreats.com SweeTreats Deli www.sweetreats.com Interior Design & Home Furnishings Bound’s Cave www.boundscave.com Bumpkins www.numpkins-cashiers.com Dovetail Antiques Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Into the Woods Home Interiors Page 76 LOTSA Furniture Consignment Page 80 Lucas Patton Design www.lucaspattondesign.com Page 107 Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com Page 25 Peter J. Pioli Interiors www.macdonaldhomeconstruction.com/interior.html Page 28 Raffa Design Associates www.raffadesignassociates.com Page 21 Rusticks www.rusticks.com Page 71 The Summer House www.summerhousehighlands.com Page 103 Summer Place Antiques www.summerplacenantiques.com Page 41 Zoller Hardware www.zollerhardware.com Page 90 Investment Planning Edward Jones Investments www.edwardjones.com Page 95 Wells Fargo Advisors Page 72 Jewelry - Fashion Acorns Boutique www.acornsboutique.com Page 4 Alyxandra’s Boutique Page 99 Calderone Fine Art Gallery www.calderonegallery.com Page 78 Dovetail Antiques Page 27 Ellen’s Page 51 Gracewear Collection www.gracewearcollection.com Page 89 Greenleaf Gallery www.greenleafgallerygifts.com Page 45 Highlands Fine Art www.highlandsfineartandestatejewelry.com Page 15 The Look Jewelry www.thelookjewelry.com Page 75 Mountain Mist Gallery Page 35 Narcissus Page 41 Peak Experience www.peakexp.com Page 17 Sashay Around www.sashayaround.com Page 35 Sorelle Designs www.sorelledesignstudio.com Pages 46, 104 Spoiled Rotten www.spoiledrotten2.com Page 8 Vivace Page 73 Jewelry - Fine Drake’s Diamond Gallery Page 39 Mirror Lake Antiques Page 6 Scudder’s Galleries www.scuddersgalleries.com Page 29 Stone Lantern www.stonelantern-highlands.com Page 7 Kitchen Accessories Bird Barn and Gift Emporium Page 9 The Dry Sink www.thedrysink.com Page 19 The Summer House www.summerhousehighlands.com Page 103 Zoller Hardware www.zollerhardware.com Page 90 Landscapers Laurel Crest Landscapes www.laurelcrestlandscapes.com Page 23 Southern Gardens www.southerngardensnc.com Page 92 Landscaping Supplies Highlands Lawn & Garden Page 86 Lighting Bumpkins www.numpkins-cashiers.com Page 87 Carolina Rustic Furniture www.carolinarusticfurniture.com Page 34B Dovetail Antiques Page 27 Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com Page 70 Into the Woods Home Interiors Page 76 Lenz Gifts Page 74 The Summer House www.summerhousehighlands.com Page 103 Summer Place Antiques www.summerplacenantiques.com Page 41 Vivianne Metzger Antiques Page 71 Luggage Highlands Emporium www.highlandsemporium.com Page 51 112 | May 2013 | www.thelaurelmagazine.com

Man Cave Decor Mantiques Masonry Laurel Crest Landscapes www.laurelcrestlandscapes.com Palillos Stone Masonry www.palillosstonemasonry.com Massage Therapy Mountain Air Wellness www.mountainairwellness.com Tranquility Cove Massage www.tranquilitycovemassage.com Mattresses Blue Ridge Bedding www.blueridgebedding.com Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com Museums Museum of American Cut & Engraved Glass Music Stores Blue Ridge Music www.blueridgemusicacademy.com Nail Care Creative Concepts Nurseries/Plants BB Barns Flower Market www.bbbflowermarket.com Chattooga Gardens www.chattoogagardens.com Office Supplies Zoller Hardware www.zollerhardware.com Outdoor Adventures Highlands Aerial Park www.highlandscanopytour.com Painters D.P. Painting Quality Painting Pet Care/Supplies Fancy Paws Woofgang Bakery Zoller Hardware www.zollerhardware.com Pharmacies Cashiers Valley Pharmacy Highlands Pharmacy Photography Charles Johnson Fine Photography www.charlesjohnsonfineart.com Valentine Photo Studio www.valentinesphotostudio.com Picture Framing Greenleaf Gallery www.greenleafgallerygifts.com Plants/Nurseries Highlands Lawn & Garden Plumbing/Fixtures Zoller Hardware www.zollerhardware.com Porch and Patio Patio & Fireside www.patiofireside.com Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com The Summer House www.summerhousehighlands.com Portraits Annell, Portrait Artist www.annell.com Pottery Around Back at Rocky’s Place www.aroundbackatrockysplace.com BB Barns Flower Market www.bbbflowermarket.com

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Bird Barn and Gift Emporium Page 9 Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com Page 70 Greenleaf Gallery www.greenleafgallerygifts.com Page 45 The Hen House Page 3 Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com Page 25 Mountain Mist Gallery Page 42 Printing Companies Cashiers Printing Page 35 Produce Cashiers Farmers Market www.cashiersfarmersmarket.com Page 54 Property Management Highlands/Cashiers Concierge & Management Page 74 Southern Gardens www.southerngardensnc.com Page 92 Pubs The Ugly Dog www.theuglydogpub.com Page 53 Radio Stations WHLC FM 104.5 www.whlc.com Page 41 Real Estate Sales Betsy Paul www.betsypaulproperties.com Page 115 Country Club Properties www.ccphighlandsnc.com Page 2 Cullasaja Club www.cullasajaclub.org Pages 17, 19, 21, 23 Highlands Cove Realty wwwhighlandscoverealty.com Page 101 Highlands, NC Realty Tammy Mobley www.highlandsnc.info Page 50 John Cleaveland Realty www.jcrealty.com Page 102 Landmark Realty Group www.landmarkrg.com Page 105 Meadows Mountain Realty www.meadowsmtnrealty.com Page 106 Pat Allen Realty Group www.patallenrealtygroup.com Page 65 Preserve at Rock Creek www.preserveatrockcreeknc.com Page 24 Silver Creek Real Estate Group www.ncliving.com Page 13 Restaurants Highlands-Cashiers Directory Page 60 Altitude’s Restaurant www.skylinelodge.com Page 56 Bella’s Junction Cafe Page 58 Café 107 www.cafe107south.com Page 51 Cashiers Farmers Market www.cashiersfarmersmarket.com Page 54 Cyprus International Cuisine www.cyprushighlands.com Page 61 Dusty’s Page 53 FlipSide www.highlandsrestaurantgroup.net Page 53 Fressers Eatery www.fresserseateryhighlands.com Page 53 Ghangri Asian Fusion Restaurant www.ghangri.com Page 6, 55 Highlands Smokehouse www.highlandsrestaurantgroup.net Page 55 The Kitchen www.thekitchenofhighlands.com Pages 58, 91 Lakeside Restaurant www.lakesiderestaurant.info Page 55 Madison’s www.oldedwardsinn.com Page 4 On the Verandah www.ontheverandah.com Page 55 The Orchard Restaurant www.theorchardcashiers.com Page 54 Randevu Restaurant Page 54 Ristorante Paoletti www.paolettis.com Page 57 Ruka’s Table www.highlandsrestaurantgroup.net Page 57 SweeTreats www.sweetreats.com Page 55 SweeTreats Deli www.sweetreats.com Page 55 The Ugly Dog/Dog House www.theuglydogpub.com Page 53 Wolfgang’s Restaurant & Wine Bistro www.wolfgangs.net Page 5 The Zookeeper Bistro Page 34A

Rugs Bound’s Cave www.boundscave.com Page 97 Into the Woods Home Interiors Page 76 Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com Page 25 Peter J. Pioli Interiors www.macdonaldhomeconstruction.com/interior.html Page 28 The Summer House www.summerhousehighlands.com Page 103 Shipping Services Stork’s Wrap, Pack & Ship Page 9 Shoes 4th Street Boutique www.4thstboutiquehighlands.com Page 45 Martha Anne’s Page 96 Nora & Co. Page 51 T.J. Bailey For Men www.tjbmens.com Page 64 Socks Peak Experience www.peakexp.com Page 17 Sportsman Collectibles Mantiques Page 9 Stonework Laurel Crest Landscapes www.laurelcrestlandscapes.com Page 23 Palillos Stone Masonry www.palillosstonemasonry.com Page 22 Tables Dovetail Antiques Page 27 Dutchman’s Designs www.dutchmansdesigns.com Page 70 Into the Woods Home Interiors Page 76 Midnight Farms www.midnightfarms.com Page 25 Theatre/Entertainment Highlands Cashiers Players www.highlandscashiersplayers.org Page 26 Highlands Playhouse www.highlandsplayhouse.org Pages 10, 49 Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center www.highlandspac.org Page 93 Telephone Books Yellowbook www.yellowbook360.com Page 83 Toys The Corner Store Page 51 Transportation Highlands Transportation Company Page 48 Travel Tom Chillemi www.tomsgolftours.com Page 69 Vacation Specialists Highlands Travel www.highlandstravel.com Page 74 Vitamins/Food Supplements Nature’s Vitamins Page 34A Wedding Venues Cedar Creek Racquet Club www.cedarcreekracquetclub.com Page 57 Window Treatments Into the Woods Home Interiors Page 76 Peter J. Pioli Interiors www.macdonaldhomeconstruction.com/interior.html Page 28 Wine & Accessories Dusty’s Page 53 Zoller Hardware www.zollerhardware.com Page 90 Yarn Silver Threads Golden Needles www.silverthreadsyarn.com Page 102 Zipline Adventures Highlands Aerial Park www.highlandscanopytour.com Page 8 www.thelaurelmagazine.com | May 2013 | 113

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