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Autumn moons, nippy weather Stop, Drop and Roll photos
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Autumn moons, nippy weather and coon hunting
Reprinted from our Sept. 27–Oct. 3, 2013 issue
by HELEN LEDFORD
Alas, lawn chair days in the sun (a glass of iced, sweet tea in hand) are swiftly passing. Katydids’ hind legs are sawing out their autumn rhapsodies, and monarch butterflies hover about tall milkweed plants to deposit their eggs. It’s time to find a sweater for the cool mornings and the noticeably less warm evenings.
September’s full or harvest moon moved its magnificent golden orb through the nighttime sky on Sept. 20. Early Native Americans celebrating the end of summer harvest fittingly called it the “full corn moon.”
Memories of shucking those golden ears by the wagonload, in moonlight bright as noonday, and picking peanuts off dried vines, are stuck in my brain. A yearly ritual (and a fun one), it was a routine part of farm work. It seemed not so tedious a task, out in the field underneath a big yellow moon. Telling ghost stories and other yarns added to our pleasure, though all the way home to bed we looked behind us with a creepy feeling clutching at our shirttails. Sure was fun to stick a bread pan full of those fat peanuts in the oven and parch them – a tasty, crunchy and healthy fall treat!
The late “Red” Clodfelter, an Oak Ridge native, shared stories about some of the past corn shuckings in our own once-sleepy hamlet on the Ridge. Those were events where you took your sweetheart and, according to Clodfelter, the first guy to find an ear of corn with a red cob got to kiss the prettiest girl.
With a big grin, he vaguely alluded to the fact that often there was a jar of “white lightning” hidden in the bounty to be shucked. That made the local boys work with more zeal, while the girls watched daintily, pretending mock horror at the very thought of a container of “spirits” somewhere in that pile of corn.
With October also comes the beautiful hunter’s moon, which will occur on Oct. 20 this year; it is sometimes dubbed the “blood moon” because of its reddish glow from seasonal atmospheric particles. Moonlit evenings were the favorite time for Native American braves to venture out with bow and arrow, for the nocturnal animals could be spotted more easily. On farms, with wheat and barley cut to the ground, hunted creatures had fewer places to hide.
Hunting the raccoon, or “coon,” was and still is a very popular sport, and hound dogs are bred for that purpose. And whether it be Bluetick, Plott, or Redbone hounds, these canines, properly trained, are highly prized by their owners.
Bill Gardner, born on the Ridge, long ago related how neighborhood men of former days liked to “run” their dogs at ...continued on p. 34
Over 250 children in Guilford County will go to court alone
Become a Guardian Ad Litem and advocate for an abused or neglected child and advocate for an abused or neglected child (336) 412-7580 | volunteerforgal.org
look up Oak Ridge Youth Association on Facebook, or call (919) 522-4657. TUESDAY, OCT. 19
Candidate Meet & Greet | Northwest Republican Women’s Club will hold a Meet & Greet event for Summerfield Town Council candidates Oct. 19, beginning 6:30 p.m. at Summerfield Farms, 3203 Pleasant Ridge Road in Summerfield. RSVPs required – RSVP at ncgopgal@gmail.com. THURSDAY, OCT. 21
Arts & Crafts Market | Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church at 2600 Pisgah Church Road in northwest Greensboro will host an arts and crafts market Oct. 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come check out handmade pottery, seasonal and holiday items, artisan crafts, wreaths, jewelry, baked goods and more. Concert on the Lawn | Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden at 215 S. Main St. in Kernersville will host a Concert on the Lawn featuring Sassafras, a bluegrass and Americana band from the Blue Ridge Mountain area, on Oct. 21, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the event. Gates open at 5 p.m. Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Rockin Moroccan, Gather & Graze and Gypsy Road Brewing. No outside food or drink, no coolers, no pets (service animals only) and no smoking or vaping. More info: (336) 996-7888. REGISTER NOW for NOV. 13 5K
Adoption run & walk | A 5K and 1-mile fun run fundraiser will be held Nov. 13, 9 a.m. at Oak Ridge Town Park, 6231 Lisa Drive in Oak Ridge, to raise funds for covering final costs of an Oak Ridge couple’s adoption of a child from India. Register online at www.4adoption.eventbrite.com and see more details on display ad, p. 11 of this issue. ORDER HOLIDAY GREENERY NOW
Holiday greenery fundraiser | Greensboro Beautiful’s Holiday Greenery fundraiser has begun, giving residents an opportunity to purchase holiday greenery and make a direct contribution to Greensboro Beautiful’s garden enhancements, tree plantings, community litter cleanups and free garden events. Check out the selection of poinsettias, wreaths, lighted balls, pine garland and much more at www.greensborobeautiful.org/ product-category/greenery-fundraiser. Want to help add a little cheer for a member of your community this season? Consider purchasing a Wreaths on Wheels wreath for a Mobile Meals recipient for only $20 each.
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Saturday, Oct. 2
Summerfield Fire District’s Station 9 on Summerfield Road
Kids enjoy Sparky’s Dash, which is a run through the fire station bay and around half of the building that takes place before the 5K gets underway.
Mark and Darlene Page of Summerfield enthusiastically cross the finish line to cheers and applause; they almost won a prize for being last to complete the 5K, in 1 hour and 7 minutes (one other walker finished behind them).
After taking a hiatus last year because of COVID, Summerfield Fire District had a record number of participants in its annual Stop, Drop and Roll 5K walk/run and Sparky’s Dash for kids; 264 walkers and runners registered for the event, with participants enjoying beautiful weather, a 5K route through Summerfield Community Park – and delicious chili and lots of other refreshments afterward! because of COVID, Summerfield Fire District had a record number of participants in its annual Stop, Drop and run and Sparky’s Dash for kids; 264 walkers and runners registered for the event, with participants enjoying beautiful weather, a 5K route through Summerfield Community Park – and delicious chili and lots of other See more photos from this event at Facebook.com/ NorthwestObserver
Alex Howerton, 15, of Oak Ridge was the top 5K finisher, with a time of 19.55.7.
If a prize had been given for widest smile crossing the finish line, Samantha Hyneman of Summerfield would have been a strong contender!
Connor Wray, 9, of Summerfield finished second in the Male age 10 and Under category, with a time of 31.23.1.
Wayne Gold, 55, of Summerfield pushed his daughter, Lizzie, in a wheelchair along the entire 5K route and still ran at a 13.5 (minutes per mile) pace.
Among the 12 towns and two counties statewide awarded nearly $5.2 million in grants, Summerfield was the only one to win $500,000, the maximum PARTF award. The town also defied expectations among municipalities that first-year applications usually don’t win funding.
Oak Ridge fell short for a second consecutive year. The PARTF committee turned down the town’s application for a $450,000 PARTF grant for the development of Heritage Farm Park. Earlier this week, the Town Council decided to move ahead with the project, estimated to cost $3.63 million. (See related article on p. 8.)
Oak Ridge plans to rely on cash and borrowing to finance the expansion of Town Park, a commitment that Mayor Ann Schneider said will take priority over more spending for Bandera Farms Park.
“We are happy that this project is moving forward,” Schneider said of Bandera Farms Park. “Oak Ridge has said that it will contribute to the maintenance, but we have received no detailed information on costs.
“With that being said, we have a huge commitment here in Oak Ridge that will have to come first,” the mayor said in a telephone interview earlier this week.
Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC) bought the Bandera Farms Park property for $575,000 in February 2020, using a state grant and contributions from Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Guilford County and the city of Greensboro. Summerfield paid $82,500 while Oak Ridge chipped in $41,250.
During its meeting in April, Summerfield Town Council voted 4-1 to approve the master plan for the park, and it authorized the town to apply for the $500,000 PARTF grant.
During the meeting, Mayor BJ Barnes expressed support for the project, but he added he wants to make sure “we’re not going to be left holding a bag fiscally for our town.” He didn’t respond to an interview request earlier this week.
Council member Teresa W. Perryman voted against advancing the project after raising concerns about Summerfield’s responsibilities for opening and locking gates, cleaning restrooms and other maintenance of the trails preserve.
The council ended its discussion of the park in April with a “wait-and-see” attitude toward the PARTF grant.
“It was one of those things that if we get it, then we’ll come up with a really concrete plan about how to match it and go from there,” Walker said earlier this week.
Summerfield has three years to use the PARTF grant once it signs a contract to accept the funds, according to Palmer McIntyre, PLC’s conservation manager. She spearheaded efforts to purchase the property, prepare the master plan and apply for the PARTF grant.
Aside from PARTF, the master plan lists four other possible sources of state and federal grants, all of which require a local match of varying percentages by recipients. The project plans to seek a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior next year, McIntyre said in an email earlier this week.
Separate from the PARTF grant, Summerfield leaders reported last month that the North Carolina Horse Council awarded the Bandera Farms Park project $50,000.
McIntyre said she expects Guilford County to contribute to the project related to the development and maintenance of the Piedmont Greenway, a 19-mile trail from Greensboro to Winston-Salem that will run along the Reedy Fork floodplain of the Bandera Farms Park tract.
McIntyre said she doesn’t expect further contributions from Greensboro, while Oak Ridge’s potential role is uncertain.
“Summerfield will obviously be investing and contributing financially” in the development, operation and maintenance of the park, Town Manager Scott Whitaker said in an email.
A memorandum of understanding will formalize the commitments of various municipalities, according to McIntyre, adding that negotiations to create the agreement will probably start early next year.
Please vote for Oak Ridge Town Council • Jim makes choices that benefit the entire town for the long run. • Jim doesn’t just show up for the vote and take credit, he takes the lead to get things done. • Jim took the lead on adding sidewalks, controlling cell towers, preventing big box stores, and Tree City designation. • Jim supports fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, safety, land use plan, open space preservation, and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. • Jim is a software consultant who has worked for large and small companies and runs his own business. Please remember to vote for Jim Kinneman on November 2. Keep Jim working for you. Authorized and paid for by Committee to Elect Jim Kinneman jkinneman@triad.rr.com The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996 OCT. 7 - 20, 2021 31
Respecting the past, planning for the future. Oak Ridge is at a crossroads; decisions made today will either haunt us or benefit us in the years ahead. We can make the easy popular choices today or the ones that will stand the test of time. • Jim was chairman of the Planning and Zoning Board, Board of Adjustment and Ordinance Review Committee. • Jim was an alternate on the Historic Preservation Commission. • Jim is an Air Force veteran. • Jim is a member of the Oak Ridge Lions Club. • Jim is a volunteer and bubble machine operator at Music in the Park. • Jim is the town representative on the ORYA Board. • Jim has been married to Carol for 34 years. • Jim is a Guardian ad Litem, advocating for children in foster care. • Jim works hard to keep Oak Ridge a great place to live for all.
