LIOF-April2013_FULL

life in our foothills

FEATURE

April 2013

Lifeinourfoothills.com

Block House Steeplechase Dash of elegance, steeped in history

Contra

dancing April 2013

Lichty Guitars goes global APRI L 2 0 1 3

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Enjoy Independent Apartments, Rental Patio Homes, or Ownership Villas, Assisted Services at The Bridge at Lake Pointe Landing or Skilled Nursing and Rehab on our beautifully manicured 50 acre campus in the heart of Hendersonville.

Experience amenities that include fine dining, a pool, theatre, exercise room, billiards room, libraries, housekeeping and laundry services, 24 hour nursing services, and more.

True maintenance-free living!

FEATURE

publisher's note Spring ushers in with it so much life, especially here in the foothills.

Forsythia bushes blossom and trillium flower lifting our spirits as we feel warmer, sunnier days might be ahead. What will you do with the longer hours of sunlight and renewed energy that spring brings?

Inside this edition of Life in our Foothills we’ve got a few suggestions. Consider taking on a new hobby – maybe even building guitars under the tutelage of Tryon’s own Jay Lichty, whose craftsmanship continues to capture the appreciation of musicians worldwide.

Not familiar with the equestrian world but want to learn more? Attend the 67th annual Block House Steeplechase and catch a glimpse of all Tryon Horse Country has to offer. Watching the variety of disciplines trot across the course just might enchant you enough to take lessons yourself or even volunteer as a sidewalker with TROT. You can even find a bit more spring in your step if you join Judy Thompson and other Contra dance enthusiasts on the dance floor at The Party Place and Events Center in Saluda for monthly dances.

Contra dancing is an easy, and fun, bit of exercise anyone can pick up if they come with a willing attitude and a smile on their face.

We are beyond fortunate to live in an area where our neighbors love to share their passions. Artists like Susie Welsh and Bonnie McLain do just that by sharing their work through shows and classes.

Plus, you know in our foothills you can’t really be bored. This month a plethora of events come to life – Tryon Gallery Trots, numerous workshops, hikes and more for you to stretch your physical and mental muscles.

While we strive to cover all the great events and opportunities in our area, we rely on you, the community, to help us not miss anything.

So, if you know of a program, event or character we should feature in this publication, please do not hesitate to give us a call 828-859-9151 or email me at Samantha.hurst@tryondailybulletin.com..

Samantha Hurst, Editor

samantha.hurst@lifeinourfoothills.com

on the cover This month's cover features Susie Kocher who is known as much for riding in the amatuer races at the annual Block House Steeplechase as she is for singing the national anthem each year for the event. Kocher shows off her dressy side as well giving you the reader a glimpse of the fashionably coiffed women you'll see at the event.

Photograph: Erik Olsen Cover design: Samantha Hurst

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PUBLISHER Betty Ramsey EDITORIAL Samantha Hurst Leah Justice Gwen Ring CONTRIBUTORS Barbara Childs Gillian Drummond Robin Edgar Mary Ann Hester Carol Lynn Jackson Erik Olsen PRODUCTION Samantha Hurst Gwen Ring MARKETING Harry Forsha Nicholas Holmberg Lenette Sprouse ADMINISTRATION Jessy Taylor DISTRIBUTION Jeff Allison Jonathan Burrell Tony Elder

Life in Our Foothills is published monthly

by Tryon Newsmedia LLC. Life in Our Foothills is a registered trademark. All contents herein are the sole property of Tryon Newsmedia Inc. [the Publisher]. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher.

Please address all correspondence (including but not limited to letters, story ideas and requests to reprint materials) to: Editor, Life in our Foothills, 16 N. Trade Street, Tryon, N.C. 28782.

Life in Our Foothills is available free of charge at locations throughout Polk County and upstate South Carolina. Please visit lifeinourfoothills.com for a list of those locations. Subscriptions are available at a rate of $35 for one year by emailing subscribe@lifeinourfoothills.com or by calling 828-859-9151, ext. 101.

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FEATURE CONTENTS

features 27 32

Contra dancing

38 46

67th annual Block House Steeplechase

Join dance enthusiasts as they build community.

Lichty Guitars goes global Jay Lighty's craftsmanship has grabbed the attention of musicians around the world.

Get caught up in the excitement of a longtime Tryon tradition.

The other side of FENCE FENCE offers a great equestrian park but it also offers miles of trails and educational opportunities for nature-lovers.

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FEATURE

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COLUMNS 53 Country Living

Gillian Drummond shares the decorating secret to slipcovers.

56 In Good Taste

Carol Lynn Jackson tells us why Cindy Bosien is Polk County's gift to gardens.

IN EVERY ISSUE 8 Out & About

Plan your calendar for the new year.

56 61 A TROTing experience

Discover why TROT is such a vital organization for our area.

65 Life of a national examiner

11 Short Stories

Foothills Music Club celebrates an anniversary.

Janna Ritacco explains what it takes to be a national examineer and details about the rest of her equestrian life.

16 Foothills Featured

67 Harpt's world of horses

Catch a glimpse of recent events.

APPOINTMENTS 60 Equestrian events

As warm weather returns so do clinics and shows from carriage driving to dressage.

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A boyhood love of horses influences man's art.

70 Power of Reiki

Lilia White wants others to know the power of energy.

72 April winds

Dudley lets you in on equestrian world news.

FEATURE

Monthly Contributors Barbara Childs

Barbara Childs is a freelance writer for Appointments. She has authored two children's books, "Sammy and the Cow Bird" and "Dear Bianca, Yours, Rudyard." Child's horse Bagheera and she were the National Champions of the USA in 1987. She also served on the Illinois Dressage and Combined Training Board of Directors for 11 years. Sutton is the horse she loves and rides today.

Gillian Drummond

Growing up and moving around the world taught Drummond three things; that change is positive, there are wonderful people everywhere and you can always create a home. She moved to Tryon in 2010 and opened up her decorating business. She has been in the field for over 35 years. Her mission is to be your guide in creating a beautiful, comfortable haven.

Robin A. Edgar

Freelance journalist Robin A. Edgar writes for local, regional, and national publications from her home near Lake Lanier in Tryon.

She also conducts life writing workshops around the country based on her book, In My Mother’s Kitchen: An Introduction to the Healing Power of Reminiscence.

Carol Lynn Jackson

Carol Lynn Jackson, is a local food system advocate and owner of Manna Cabanna in downtown Saluda. She helped pioneer the Mill Spring Ag Centers' original Farm to Fork suppers, farm tours and farm store.

She also founded Slow Food Foothills in 2011 and serves as its president to date.

Erik Olsen

A native of Germany, Olsen began learning about photography at a very early age. Over the years, he worked in the TV news industry until making the decision to transform his expertise into a business. Today, he is blessed to follow his given passion and pursue what he loves for a living, filmmaking and photography.

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FEATURE

Left: Camp Firewater on Tour of Homes.

Below: Dwight Rose

Community

CALENDAR APRIL

Tryon Fire Department

Saluda Community Land Trust annual meeting The meeting will feature storyteller and naturalist Doug Elliot.

Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration 828-749-1560

April 11-13, 1-5 p.m.

April 6, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

April 3, 6:30 p.m.

show opening Tryon Painter & Sculptors

Steeplechase FENCE

Never Ending Card class Artist Bonnie McLain teaches students about never ending cards. www.purpledragonflystudio.blogspot.com or call 828-625-1180

April 13, 7 p.m.

April 20, 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m.

April 12, 10:30 a.m.

April 16, noon

April 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

April Fool’s Day festival Day of foolish events including outhouse races, a trashion show and live music.

Downtown Tryon.

What Style is my House?

Why Do Details Matter?

Jennifer Cathey, a restoration specialist, will speak.

Saluda Library

April 6

April 13, 3-6 p.m.

Opening celebration of TPS Members’ Show Gallery open Thursdays – Satur- TFAC amphitheater Tryon Fine Arts Center days, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tryon Painters and Sculptors

April 9, 7 p.m.

Here.After Upstairs Art Gallery panel discussion with artists from Here.

After.

Upstairs Artspace

April 9, noon

April 13, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Foothills Music Club recital Lanier Library

April 18, 8 p.m.

Tryon Little Theater’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile TLT Workshop

April 18, 8 p.m.

Jeremy Kittel Band Tryon Fine Arts Center

Green Blades Garden Club Home Tour To purchase tickets, June Current 828-859-2048 or email junecu@charter.net.

April 19, 8 p.m.

April 13, 5-8 p.m.

Tryon Little Theater’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile TLT Workshop

TDDA Tryon Gallery Trot Tryon Visitors Center meeting Downtown Tryon Info: Happy McLeod at HapApril 13, 5-7 p.m. pyMcLeod9@gmail.com or Dwight Rose - watercolor 859-6916.

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Austin Brown lecture Austin A. Brown, son of Carter Brown, will lecture about Block House Steeplechase history.

Tryon Fine Arts Center

Tryon Little Theater’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile TLT Workshop

April 20, 8 p.m.

April 20, 2 p.m.

Tryon Riding & Hunt Club

Fly-fishing school Pisgah Chapter of Trout Unlimited’s annual Fly Fishing School Harmon Field in Tryon Info: pisgahchaptertu.org Fiction Writing Workshop with Mindy Friddle TFAC

April 21, 3 p.m.

Tryon Little Theater’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile TLT Workshop

April 23, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Poetry Writing Workshop with John Lane TFAC

April 25, 8 p.m.

Tryon Little Theater’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile TLT Workshop

April 26, 8 p.m.

Tryon Little Theater’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile TLT Workshop

FEATURE St. Luke's Blue Ridge Jumper Mini Prix

May 4, 5:30 p.m.

St Luke’s Hospital Foundation Blue Ridge Hunter Jumper Mini Prix Harmon Field

May 9

Kiwanis Golf Tournament Meadowbrook Golf Club

May 10, 7-9 p.m.

Literary Open Stage Upstairs Artspace

May 11, 5-8 p.m.

TDDA Tryon Gallery Trot Downtown Tryon

April 26

“Dog On It” Show of Susie Welsh’s clay creations.

Kathleen’s Gallery, Saluda

April 26

Third Annual Spring Fling Opening reception for Don Blackwell Student Art Show ICC Polk Campus

April 26, 5-8 p.m.

Preview Party for Art Trek Upstairs Artspace

April 27, 8 p.m.

Tryon Little Theater’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile TLT Workshop

April 27, 2 p.m.

Poetry Competition Awards Lanier Library

April 27, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Art Trek Tours Upstairs Artspace

Award nominations due Info: call 828-894-8762.

Polk County High School

April 28, noon – 5 p.m.

May 4

Art Trek Tours Upstairs Art Gallery

April 29

2013 Sculpture Exhibit Public Reception Tryon Fine Arts Center

Polk County Beautification

May 11, 5-7 p.m.

Inspired by Matisse Tryon Painter & Sculptors

May 12, 3 p.m.

Family Program – Billy Jonas Tryon Fine Arts Center

Tryon Fine Arts Center presents

Jeremy Kittel Band Thursday, April 18, 8:00 pm We’d call him a rising star, but he’s clearly already risen.

– detroit free press

Tickets: Adult $27, Student $10 SEASON SPONSOR

April 28, 3 p.m.

Tickets available at the box office & online visit tryonarts.org or call 828-859-8322

April 28, 3 p.m.

Tryon Fine Arts Center

Tryon Little Theater’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile TLT Workshop Community Chorus

34 Melrose Avenue, Tryon, NC APRI L 2 0 1 3

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FEATURE

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FEATURE

Foothills Music Club members Ellen Harvey Zipf, Amy Brucksch, Jeanette Comer, Jeanette Shackelford, Kathleen Erwin, Elaine Jenkins, John Gardner, Meryt Wilson and Karen Molnar expected to perform.

Instruments and Songs of Elizabethan England

During the reign of Elizabeth I (1588-1603), music assumed a prominent role in the lives of all Englishmen. Everyone, regardless of social status, read music at sight and performed vocally and on various instruments. April 16 will be a fine example of this.

It will be a fascinating “programme,” one full of different musical instruments, facts, and talents of Foothills Music Club Inc. (FMC) members. You will see and hear a harpsichord, the unusual krummhorn and rebec, a recorder consort, a Renaissance lute, and a piece composed by King Henry VIII. FMC celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, will hold a performance April 16 at noon at Lanier Library.

All donations go toward FMC Inc.’s Young Musician Scholarship Program, a cause of which FMC is very proud. Over the years the group has awarded over $36,000 to deserving young people. It very much

values the support it gets from its treasured community.

Foothills Music Club was founded in 1988 by Tryon resident and flutist Lesley Oakes. Founding members included Carole Bartol, Betty Brewer, Inky Cloud, Kathleen Erwin, Janet Larson, Pam McNeil, Ann Harvey Morgan, Ellie Roemer and Mimi Child Traxler. Today’s total membership is 40.

The group meets once a month in members’ homes to have a business meeting and to perform for each other. FMC holds at least two public recitals a year. Its goals have always been and will continue to be offering scholarships to the area’s talented young musicians and nurturing its members in quality musicianship.

For more information, contact Jeanette Shackelford, 828-894-0461.

– article by Jeanette Comer and Ellen Harvey Zipf

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Dog FEATURE

ON IT

Written by SAMANTHA HURST Photographs submitted

Susie Welsh hopes to warm hearts and benefit the Foothills Humane Society through "Dog On It," a showing of her loveable clay creations at Kathleen’s Gallery in Saluda April 26-27.

A black and white pup, ears flapping, flies through the air in an old FisherPrice plane, while a laid-back hound dons his Hawaiian shirt as he kicks back with a cold drink on a hot summer day.

“Since last fall I have been busy in my studio creating happy, active characters,” Welsh said. “Getting them into the right positions, blending dog and human postures, is so fun. I have dogs in cars, on boats, in beds, on airplanes, riding horses, and on and on.”

The opening reception will be held at Kathleen’s Gallery on Friday, April 26, with a reception from 5-8 p.m.

Welsh started doing pottery about six years ago and said she loves creating figures. A year ago she created a dog sitting on a chair and on a whim took it to a Tryon Painter and Sculptors show. To her surprise, it sold that night!

Welsh said she was an educator for many years, but eventually retired and moved to Saluda. Once she did she found clay and clay found her, she said.

“It has opened a whole new world for me — a joy every day,” Welsh said. “This area is so rich in opportunities to learn from other artists and studio instructors.

Welsh said she has taken classes at Tryon Painters and Sculptors, Tryon Arts and Crafts, John Campbell Craft School and Odyssey. The classroom continues to influence her work drawing from her understanding as an educator of seeing things from an innocent perspective. She said she likes to combine that with her love of the beauty of nature.

Of course, she can’t help but find her own three dogs in her work as well.

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One of Welsh's favorite clay dog figurines is one she lovingly thinks of as her "Jimmy Buffett" dog. Welsh fings old pieces such as this toy chair to sit her creations on, drawing from those pieces for inspiration.

“My dogs are all smiling but I also have a young pup, Tuxedo, that is always into everything. That’s the one who is always influencing me the most as it's being kind of rascally,” Welsh said.

That particular rascal was a rescue found a year ago in the Greenville watershed. She said it was this pup and knowledge of the great work Foothills Humane Society does that led her to want to host a show benefiting the shelter.

“I think foothills does an amazing job finding homes for the dogs and providing opportunity for people to volunteer,” she said.

Twenty-percent of the sales from Friday and Saturday, April 26-27 will go to FHS. You might have known Welsh as “The Flüky Potter” before because she said her life, especially since finding Saluda, has been filled with “accidental strokes of good luck.” However, Welsh said the name resulted in embarrassing mispronunciations, so now you can discover her items under the label “Gingerly Touched Clay.”

“Ginger is one of my favorite herbs, the word “gingerly” seems to appear in every book I read — both fiction and non-fiction, and indeed, clay must be gingerly touched,” Welsh said.

To see photos of more of Welsh’s work, search for Susie Welsh Saluda on Facebook.

Foo lish

FEATURE

fun

Fools discover a day’s worth of festive tomfoolery in Polk County each year around April Fool’s Day. This year downtown Tryon transforms into a goofy gaggle’s paradise Saturday, April 6 with another day filled with events meant to entice visitors to do nothing but have fun! Early morning dancing, an eco-friendly runway show and the annual outhouse races up Trade St. will all attract enthusiastic jesters.

This day of hilarity is not to be missed.

Volunteers and entries for parade, races and Trashion Show are needed – more details can be obtained on TDDA's website www.downtowntryon.org.

Preliminary schedule: 10 A.M.-ISH: Zumbathon (on Palmer Street) NOONISH-3 P.M.: Christopher Laughter will play live Irish Music on the Streets of Tryon NOON-ISH: Parade from Morris (Oak St.) down Trade St., turns right on Palmer St. down to Maple. Everyone is welcome to join in.

1-4 P.M.: Classic Car Show at Stott’s Ford. (sponsored by Stott’s Ford) 1-2 P.M.: Trashion Show on Palmer St. (kids and pets) 2-3 P.M.: Silly races – egg on spoon, Waiter’s Race carrying water pitchers, etc. and then the ever-popular Outhouse Races (sponsored by Stott’s Ford) 3-8 P.M.: Live music bands Local beer and wine tent in the street 6:30-8 P.M.: Contra dance (Irish and Appalachian Folk music The Skeeziks)

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Art FEATURE

comes alive

Saluda Arts Festival May 18 Written by MARK SCHMERLING

Artwork, music, children’s activities, easy walking distance (and accommodation for those who need assistance) to great food and refreshment are some of the features of the 11th annual Saluda Arts Festival, this May 18.

The event, held the third Saturday of May, has grown steadily since it began in 2003. It is held rain or shine, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and centered in George McCreery Park at Main and Greenville Streets in the middle of town.

“We always have perfect weather, rain or shine,” remarked Cathy Jackson, vice-president of promotions for the Saluda Business Association (SBA).

Driven by the efforts of the SBA, the festival began with a modest 18 participants, noted Jackson, who said the event began as a replacement for garden tours. Preparing a garden took lots of work, she said. Last year, the festival drew 72 participants.

“We expect about the same number this year,” predicted Jackson.

Due to the growing popularity of the festival, sponsors will block off the short length of Erwin Street for the first time, to allow additional space for exhibitors.

“May is the kick-off to the tourist season (in Saluda),” said Jackson.

The arts festival, “was a way to kick-start business,” she added. An established art colony in and around Saluda provided a core of both participants and artwork. The festival began as the Saluda Arts and Crafts Show.

This year, visitors can enjoy the music by the band Sol 14 LIFEI NO URFO O T HIL L S. C O M

Driven Train, which will first perform in clown costumes for children, and then play for guests of all ages. Guitarist Clay Ross will also perform. Music will be held in the park’s pavilion.

A children’s art tent will feature face-painting and other projects. Art demonstrations will punctuate the festival.

Public parking lots, and a golf cart shuttle for those with difficulty walking, will provide easy access to the festivities, and to nearby shops and markets.

Each year, said Jackson, artists provide organizers with feedback to better their (the artists’) experience. One bit of fine-tuning, she said, is to cluster artists together for better exposure to visitors.

SBA officials are soliciting sponsors to help fund the event. Sponsorships include $25, $50 and $200 categories, with payments made to the Saluda Business Association.

Additional funding comes from the Polk County Community Foundation.

FEATURE

hounds hunt ball

green creek

The Green Creek Hounds recently celebrated its 2012/13 season with its annual Hunt Ball held at the White Oak Plantation. More than 120 guests attended. Some from as far away as Ireland. The ball was held in a large gala tent set up in front of the White Oak Plantation House, and was catered by Patty Otto. It included a sit-down dinner, silent auction, live band and dancing. Master of the Hounds, Kem Ketcham was the chairman for this year's ball.

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FEATURE

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Go Fly a Kite

Families covered the hill behind FENCE on March 10 for the annual Go Fly a Kite Day. 1. Ashley and Emily Prince, with Claudio, Jessica, Ava and Gabriella Betancourt.

2. Black and Erica Anderson.

3. Harold and Gus Maass.

4. Nicolas, Brian and Sierra Barwell.

OPPOSITE PAGE 5. Otis, Oliviah and Malik Miller.

6. Dana Zygmont and Kristy Burja.

7. Maddie Rogers, Alisha Richardson and Danny Richardson.

8. Cathy Brettman, Joe Cooper, Robin Rice and Garland Rice.

9. Eno Baker, Tamara Black and Elijah Barnes.

10. Mindy Weiner, Jasper Nespeca and Jon Massengill.

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Chamber Banquet

The Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet to honor members on Feb. 21.

1. Stacey Lindsay and Edith Dodd.

2. Marjorie and Charlie Neff (front) with Chris Gillespie, Sue Campbell and Allison Gillespie.

3. Ann and John Gargiulo.

4. Rita Motter, Georgia Pack and Suzanne Keim.

5. Mary Lance and Crystal Laughter.

6. John Gargiulo and Jason Agee.

7. Linda and Chris Howard and Meshelle Colvin.

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Community Chorus apring rehearsals

Rehearsals were well under way in early March for the Community Chorus' spring concert. Community Chorus hosts two concerts each year including the spring concert to be held April 28 at Polk County High School.

1. Linda Eisenlow and Ken Johnston.

2. Lee Lindsay and Lesley Bush.

3. Craig Williams, Ben Davis and Irini Papagelis.

4. Stan Howell and Brian Grimwood.

5. Gwen Butler and Nancy Hiley

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Dale Retirement

Polk County Board of Elections Director Dale Edwards retired after more than 30 years of service. A reception was held in her honor Feb. 28.

1. Dale Edwards with her grandson, Paxton Gibbs.

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3. New Board of Elections Director Tracy Waters with Steve Jones.

4. George Comparetto, Becky Kennedy, Dale Edwards and Judy Arledge.

5. Lindsey Edwards and Sheila Ford.

6. Jewell Carswell and Beth Fehrmann.

7. Jenny Wolfe, Dale Edwards and Sheila Ford.

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8. Dale Edwards and Annie Bell Gilbert.

9. Elvin Clark and Becky Kennedy.

10. Sheila Ford and Jenny Wolfe.

FEATURE

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Phipps Benefit

Community members and businesses came together March 17 to paint the town purple for 25-year-old Jenna Phipps, who is battling cancer.

1. Jordan Brown, Paula Brown, Buffy Blackwell, Kim Cochran, Reggie Brown and Rick McKee. 2. Elizabeth and Harold Burrell.

3. Melissa Baron and Amber McEntire.

4. Michael Pace, Taylor Armstrong and Ben Pace.

5. Musician Randy Flack.

6. Nadine Steinman and Kathy West.

7. Joann Roser and Pam Baston.

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CONTRA DANCING

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Cont ra

FEATURE

dancing comes to the foothills

Written by MARY ANN HESTER Photographs by ERIK OLSEN

Judy Thompson, founder of Blue Ridge Contra Dancers says The Party Place can hold verything old is new again. more people and has a fabulous sound system Dating from 17th France, and stage. contra dancing is more alive now “Dancers love it. We want the beginner than ever and more convenient dancers to get comfortable with dancing than ever with our own Saluda-based Blue and then we will have a core group that will Ridge Contra Dancers. come together each month for a very posiThe first two dances at Sunnydale in tive dance experience,” she said. “We may also Tryon were a huge amount of fun but the have smaller dances again in Tryon aimed at a venue was too small to hold the expanding specific group.” group. The next two were at The Party and At a contra dance a “caller” works with a Event Place in Saluda and the number of group of live musicians with instruments like dancers increased with each dance but it will fiddles, guitars, drums and banjos. In the bebe a while before this venue is outgrown with ginner lessons, the caller teaches each couple their 12,000 square foot space! The dances in the contra line a series of moves; you learn have been at night or a Sunday afternoon and the dance by walking through the steps and both times seem to appeal to folks. formations. Then when the music starts, the

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CONTRA DANCING caller repeats the sequences and the whole time, a community of you move down the line. The people ready to take in anyone dances segments usually last 10with a willingness to be happy.”

15 minutes and then you take a Contra is for people of all breather and either start those ages and children are welcome. moves again or the caller has Contra dances are where peoyou learn new moves. ple from many walks of life One fundamental aspect come together to dance and of contra dancing is that “it socialize…children as young can be the same dance, one as seven can participate time through that is repeated in adult dancing. Contra over and over-but each time dances are also considered you dance with new neigh“family friendly and alcohol bors,” Thompson said. consumption is not part of Blue Ridge Contra the culture.”

Board Member Ben CoonThere is no contra dance rod said the best thing “costume,” but many ladies about contra dancing is that prefer long skirts that it’s fun. “twirl” as they move. Danc“Even people who have ing is a very active form of

“It is exciting to look up from playing a favorite fiddle tune and see a whole room full of smiling, laughing people from different walks of life moving together, worries put aside, celebrating a moment.”

- Alan Dillman of the Skeeziks

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never danced before can’t help exercise so skirts or dresses but start smiling when they can be cooler to wear. But start dancing. And don’t be again, there is no dress code. afraid to jump in even if it’s According to Thompson, your first time,” he said. “The “there are a lot of contra dance basic moves are easy to learn groups around. But having and there are always experisomething close by in a fabuenced dancers happy to guide a lous facility that is large, offers newcomer through the moves.” many amenities and has a great Coonrod is one of the air-conditioning system to keep experienced dancers willing the dancers cool is such a plus. to help newcomers. From the Of course, we hope that bringmusician’s perspective, Alan ing folks in to dance will help Dillman of the Skeeziks says, our merchants.” “it is exciting to look up from Find out more informaplaying a favorite fiddle tune tion by visiting the Blue Ridge and see a whole room full of Contra Facebook page. To join smiling, laughing people from the mailing list or for more different walks of life moving information, visit blueridgetogether, worries put aside, contra@icloud.com. The next celebrating a moment. Folks dance is Friday, April 12 in used to do this as a regular Saluda at the Party Place and part of life, but it isn’t old Event Center. Visit partyfashioned and it isn’t anyplaceandeventcenter.com for thing new. It’s been there directions.

FEATURE

Contra dancers – novice and seasoned – take to the dance floor as the Sheeziks fill the air with toetapping music.

dance

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FEATURE

t he

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Skeeziks

Cont ra

want to be a

FEATURE

Choose the preferred healthcare services of

dancer

If you have never danced Contra before we have at least a 30-minute lesson before each dance. Please attend these so that you can step out on the floor for the dances with confidence!

Shoes need to be the kind that “slide” which means no gym or running shoes. You, your ankles and knees will thank you for letting them glide across the wooden floor.

You do not have to bring a partner but each dance is made up of couples dancing together.

Sometimes we ask the women who are playing the “gent” role to wear one of the neckties that we bring. Also, if you bring a partner you should split up occasionally so that if you are experienced you can help others and if not then someone can help you!

It is best to dance with an experienced dancer if you are new to Contra dancing. The experienced dancers are happy to do that.

There is no dress code but most women wear skirts that can twirl. This is very active exercise so you should wear something cool and comfortable!

Hospice of the Carolina Foothills

Providing dependable help and comforting hope for over 30 years.

 HOSPICE CARE HOSPICE HOUSE PALLIATIVE CARE GRIEF SUPPORT CAREGIVER SUPPORT

Make eye contact! This is not a proposition but simply acknowledges your partner’s presence and it also keeps you from getting dizzy while twirling.

Always say “thank you” to your partner at the end of a dance. Never hurts to thank the band, the caller and the organizers before you leave either!

Leave the perfume off. Be gentle with dancers’ hands. Listen to the caller!

InFORmATIOn dESk

864.457.9122 sc 828.894.7000 nc HOSPICE HOUSE

It’s about living!

864.457.9100 landrum, sc www.hocf.org APRI L 2 0 1 3

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Licht y guitars

LICHTY GUITARS

go global

30 LIFEI NO URFO O T HI L L S. C O M

FEATURE

Written by Robin Edgar Photographs by CORRIE WOODS

P

eople around the globe are warming up to Jay Lichty’s handmade guitars and ukulele’s. In the past year, the Tryon luthier’s business has expanded in several directions — both in the U.S. and overseas.

A resident of Tryon since the early 80s, Lichty built custom homes for a living until the economic downturn. With not much

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LICHTY GUITARS

work in the home construction industry, Lichty, who has been a musician all his life, had a lot of free time on his hands and decided to make a ukulele. After taking a guitarbuilding workshop with renowned custom guitar builders, Wayne Henderson and Charles Fox, he started a luthier business with his wife, Corrie, who does all the photography, web design and marketing for their company. “Once

32 L IFEINO URFO O THI L L S. C O M

Corrie and I made the commitment to Lichty Guitars as our livelihood, we held nothing back and have really put the pedal to the medal to get our product out and are now internationally recognized and things are moving along quite nicely,� Lichty said.

Lichty crafts his instruments with the finest materials he can find from around the world through luthier supply companies and eBay. Although he uses the traditional

FEATURE

Jay Lichty works on a ukelele frame in his Tryon workshop. His craftsmanship has garnered the attention of musicians worldwide.

woods such as Brazilian and Indian rosewood; maple, koa and mahogany for the backs and sides, he also uses varieties that are not so typical, such as Chechen, wenge, pau ferro and ancient kauri. Since the tops of stringed instruments are the main tone generators, he sticks with the traditional types of spruce, cedar and redwood.

Striving to make every instrument with its own character, Lichty says no two are alike. Due to his fine craftsmanship and high tonal and visual standards, they have sold just over 100 instruments since they started. Until recently, the bulk of those sales have been in the U.S. (about 80 percent), but overseas sales in Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Canada, Hong Kong, Austria and China have recently been picking up. Lichty claims much of their popularity is because of their award-winning website, which has no national boundaries.

“First impressions are everything, as long as you have the product to back them up and we seem to be fortunate enough to have come up with the formula for both,” said Lichty.

For the most part, it is the ukuleles that have gotten the most attention, especially after the Lichty’s had the good fortune to connect with Hawaiian ukulele master, Kimo Hussey. It all started when one of their customers attended a show in British Columbia,

Canada that featured Hussey. They showed the accomplished musician their Lichty ukulele and he appreciated the fine craftsmanship so much that he used the Lichty ukulele for his performance that night. The same thing happened a month later, when Hussey was doing a concert in California and another Lichty ukulele owner brought his ukulele to show the artist. After that, Hussey contacted Lichty Guitars and ordered his own custom ukulele and took it to a show in Korea where it was so well received that he sold it.

“It’s truly a magnificent instrument. My experience and knowledge about the ukulele rates it among the very best I’ve ever seen or played,” Hussey said, who is committed to exposing people to fine quality ukuleles.

“The perception of the ukulele has changed so much in the last half a decade or so. It

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LICHTY

is no longer seen as a toy, but recognized, worldwide, as a really cool and versatile instrument. When it is built right, it is every bit as powerful and present as a well built violin...only way more fun,” said Lichty.

Since their fortuitous connection, the Lichty’s now design ukuleles for Hussey. And, as the master performs around the world with them, he also sells them.

With business booming, the Lichty’s have not had much time to travel to the various countries where they are selling their ukuleles. They did make it a point, however, to go to Honolulu, Hawaii this February to personally meet Kimo Hussey and to attend the Ukulele Picnic, an annual event founded by Japanese musician Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, who made the ukulele music scene popular in Japan. Since 2009, this event has attracted more than 5,000 people from around the world who gather to hear musicians from Hawaii and Japan.

“The ukulele community in Hawaii welcomed us with open arms. We met so many wonderful people and secured some great business relationships,” said Corrie Woods.

During the event, the Lichtys stayed on Oahu with Hussey who continues to be a huge fan of Jay's ukuleles and considers him to be one of just a handful to top builders in the world today. In addition to attending the Ukulele Picnic, they met with several Hawaiian ukulele builders; went to a concert for Sound Therapy, a local nonprofit, where Hussey played a Lichty baritone ukulele; and attended the third annual International Ukulele Contest (Kimo was one of the judges). They also had the chance to meet the renowned player, Aldrine Guerro, founder of Ukulele Underground website, and Aaron Crowell, who offers online ukulele lessons to millions of viewers.

“Since that event attracts a lot of foreigners we were able to get our foot a bit further in the door to continue to sell our instruments around the globe,” said Lichty.

For more information about Lichty Guitars, visit lichtyguitars.com/.

ukulele

FEATURE

“The ukulele community in Hawaii welcomed us with open arms. We met so many wonderful people and secured some great business relationships.�

-Corrie Woods

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STEEPLECHASE

36 L IFEINO URFO O T HI L L S. C O M

Steeplchase races FEATURE

block house A Dash of Elegance

ing placing judge for the Block House Races.

“Race day is a manifestation of the pride and love our region has for horses and the people who make a living in this industry. It is a chance for us art time-honored tradition, part to gather together in the spirit of sportsmanship right of spring, the Block House and celebrate friendships, both old and new.”

Steeplechase Races offer a day of This year, when the thoroughbreds hit the splendor and homage to the area’s ground running on the lush turf at FENCE, rich, equestrian heritage. nearly 20,000 spectators from across the south will gather to participate in the vast array of fesEach spring it happens as if by magic — the renewal of all things green and glorious and with tivities that have been months in the making.

“Every year, the events of the day keep getit comes the running of the 67th annual Block ting bigger and better,” explains Laura Weicker, House Steeplechase Races on April 20, 2013. The Executive Director at TR&HC Events Inc. “Not Block House is the longest running steeplechase in the state of North Carolina, occurring continu- only do our race-day guests get to cheer on some of the finest steeplechase horses and jockeys in ously since 1947.

“This event defines who we are as an equestri- the country, but they get to take part in a memory-filled day of fun for the entire family. From an community. It is a tradition that is tightly wothe tailgate and hat contests, to the Stick Horse ven into the fabric of our culture,” said Charles Races, the day offers something wonderful for “Chuck” Lingerfelt, former president of the Tryon Riding & Hunt Club (TR&HC) and presid- everyone.”

Written by LAURA WARD Photographs by ERIK OLSEN AND SAMANTHA HURST

P

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STEEPLECHASE

Bonnie & Chuck Lingerfelt It is with great pleasure and privilege that TR&HC Events announces that the 67th Block House Steeplechase Races will be run in honor of Charles C. Lingerfelt III, former Tryon Riding & Hunt Club President from 2002 until 2012, presiding placing judge for the Block House Races since 1987 and race sponsor. Mr. Lingerfelt has been a vital and integral part of the Block House races and it is only fitting that he receive this recognition.

Howard Greene Howard Greene, 94, has never missed a Steeplechase in all of the event's 67 years.

Greene, in fact, served as the event's first gatekeeper, He said they gave him a tin cup to take admission fees but he collected so much money he had to run to his car and get a cardboard box.

38 LIFEI NO URFO O T HI L L S. C O M

fun!

Ready, set ,

Whether you’re an avid steeplechase enthusiast, or simply love the thrill and energy that comes from spending a day at the races socializing, the Block House Races showcase a full day of equestrian entertainment. This year, the excitement starts with a mock foxhunt held by The Green Creek Hounds, who will take the field with over 40 hounds, horses and riders in formal hunt attire and ready to shout, "tally-ho."

According to Green Creek’s Master of the Hounds, Deborah Bundy, “It is an honor to be a part of the race-day festivities. It gives our staff and members a tremendous thrill to interact with the community and share our love of hunting and hounds. Not only do we gain exposure for our hunt club and the sport itself, but we get to be a part of an event that is so beloved to the people who live here.”

Other equestrian demonstrations will include The Carolina Carriage Club and the Icelandic horses.

tickets

Tickets to the 2013 Block House Races can be purchased in advance by ordering online, blockhouseraces.com or over the phone by calling 828863-0480. The gates open at 10 a.m. for admission to the grounds. Pre-race activities start at 11 a.m. with the beginning of the judging for the Tailgate Competition.

The Hat Contest starts around 11:30 in front of the judge’s tower and the “Parade of the Hounds” starts between noon and 1 p.m. Check your ticket packet upon receipt as times and activities may change slightly.

FEATURE

Every child dreams of riding a thundering thoroughbred down the track and across the finish line, well now’s the time — sort of.

A horse is a horse, of course, of course, even if it is made of wood and painted with love. Just ask the flocks of children of all ages who clamor to run in the Stick Horse Races hosted by the Greenville Foothills Pony Club at the Block House Steeplechase.

“The Stick Horse Races has been a tremendous success for the past two years and a wonderful opportunity to volunteer, as well as raise funds for the Greenville Foothills Pony Club. We are thrilled to be a part of such an exciting, fun event and value the opportunity to promote Pony Club to prospective members,” said District Commissioner Carolyn Culbertson.

Months prior to the Block House Races, Greenville Foothills Pony Clubbers, along with the help of their parents and volunteers, cut, sand, paint and construct over 50 stick horses to be sold on race day.

After the fourth race of the day, children are invited to the race tower to compete in the stick horse races.

STICK HORSE RACES

ride a painted

pony

The competition is divided into the following age divisions: • 6-year-olds and under • 7- 11-year-olds • 12- 18-year-olds • 14-year-olds and under Three Legged Team • 15-year-olds to 79 Three Legged Team • Adults in Silly Hats • Adults without Silly Hats Registration begins at 10 a.m. at the tower, with races beginning at 3:40 p.m. The entry fee is $5 per race or included with your new horse purchase of $20. Prizes awarded to all competitors. Handpainted stick horses will be available for purchase. All proceeds benefit the education program of Greenville Foothills Pony Club.

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Crowning

STEEPLECHASE

HAT COMPETITION

glory of race day

Leasa Hall and Elizabeth Friday (left and right) show off classic summer hats found locally at Vines & Stuff in Tryon, while Lauren Veale dons a fascinator in the fashion of the Duchess of Cambridge. Right: A sea of hats can be found inside the gates if you haven't procured yours in time for the big race.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, the Hat Contest at the Block House Races is a tradition steeped in fun and high fashion.

When it comes to a little friendly competition, a good Southerner always rises to the occasion; always.

For the herd of clothed horses attending the Block House Races on April 20, 2013 at FENCE, fashion always takes first place when dressing for “the” event of the year in Tryon.

Clad in their loveliest springtime finery, and donning luscious hats that would make the most stylish Derby attendee envious, men and women alike, set the standard of fashion excellence for a day that is as much about hats as it is about horses.

“To me, the hat competition plays a huge role in the events of the day. I think it harkens back to a 40 L IFEINO URFO O T HI L L S. C O M

time-honored tradition where people dressed for the occasion and to be seen,” said Heidi Aiken, radio host at WFBC-FM B93.7 and sponsor of the hat competition. “I am always amazed by the amount of time and energy families and friends put in to designing and preparing their hats for the competition. Some hats are literally works of art and it is thrilling to see the creativity and excitement that surrounds each one.”

AHEAD OF THE GAME No matter how silly the hat competition may get, women young and old, take the honor of wearing a hat to the Block House races very seriously. As if sporting a crown for the day, each hat is placed at just the right angle, revealing the intriguing personality of the woman who wears it. Some hats and their wearers cause spectators to pause, snap pictures and men’s heads to turn away from the fine horseflesh and smile

Photo by JOHN FOWLER

broadly in a show of appreciation.

For Bonnie Lingerfelt, avid foxhunter and devoted Master of the Tryon Hounds Hunt for more than 40 years, wearing a hat on race day is a sign unbridled respect and reverence for the “Sport of Kings.”

“I think spectators wearing hats to the races speaks well of the sport and epitomizes the fact they really care about the tradition of dressing nicely — it’s like going to the opera. Hats are a timeless tradition and in a world that is so fast paced and ever-changing, what a truly lovely tradition to uphold.”

The Block House Race Hat Contest judging starts at 11:30 a.m. in front of the tower in the paddock area and lasts about 30 minutes. Children 12 and younger will have hats judged in funniest and most appropriate categories.

Adults can don hats in funniest, most unusual and most appropriate categories.

STEEPLECHASE

Steeped

in fashion

42 LIFEI NO URFO O T HI L L S. C O M

Energetic

FEATURE

This year, dazzle fellow Steeplechase tailgaters with your fashion prowess by wearing the latest trends in vibrant neon colors.

OPPOSITE PAGE: Tryon Riding and Hunt Club’s Jen Hicks shows off this energetic floral and black sundress by Judith March.

This tan hat with black bow, meanwhile, provides ample shade to protect both Jen and Kenzie against the sun; Mudpie. Jen kicks up the fun in this outfit with a turquoise and orange necklace; all from Head Too Toe Salon in Tryon.

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S T E E P L E C H A S E FA S H I O N

LEFT: Kay Spiegel, left, brings a pop of color with this neon pink cropped jacket from PJ's Fashions in downtown Landrum.

To balance the pink she paired the jacket with a sophisticated black hat with white bow. Right, Helen Gilbert, will stop traffic in this zesty tangerine and yellow number complete with a bright yellow cowgirl-style hat; PJ's Fashions.

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S T E E P L E C H A S E FA S H I O N

STEEPLECHASE

Classic

Classic are these three Steeplechase regulars – Emory Viehman, Howard Greene and Susie Kocher.

44 LIFEI NO URFO O THI L L S. C O M

Susie Kocher highlights her timeless fashion sense with hints of playfulness through this embroidered navy blue floral dress with a high see-through neckline, oversized navy and white polka-dot hat with red accents and dangling white earrings.

SA VE

C LO

AL •BUY L

OC A

L

Emory Viehman plays the bugle at the beginning of the block House Steeplechase races for the last four years. Here she models a youthful sundress with a nod to classic style through its lace detailing; from Lucy's boutique in Landrum. Topping her look off is a sunhat from Lucy's, with custom-monogramming from Sissy's of Landrum, and a powder blue statement necklace.

THINK FOOTHILLS FIRST COLUMBUS • TRYON SALUDA • LADRUM

GIFTS Proclaim your love of horses through your accessories. This Wildhorse Creations stone necklace is $48 at 3Mares in Landrum.

equest rian

Perfect your casual brunch table setting with this whimsical foxhunting dip platter, $59 at The Farmhouse.

@HOME

Sniffing out the next ride, this clay hound from 3Mares in Landrum might be just the item missing from your bookshelf; $28.

This fanciful fox can hold your keys or mints, if you wish. Find him at The Farmhouse, $50.

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APPOINTMENTS

daydream about riding the trails while you sip coffee from this horse-themed clay mug; $28 from 3Mares in Landrum.

Check the position of your riding helmet in the reflection of this silver horse mirror, $95 at Vera's Consignment shop in Landrum.

A candy dispenser at 3Mares in Landrum was hand carved by a local artist.

Vera’s consignment shop in Landrum offers these foxhunting decorative plates for $20 each or $75 for a set of four.

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FEATURE

The other side of

FENCE

48 L IFEINO URFO O THI L L S. C O M

FEATURE

Written and photographed by LENETTE SPROUSE

Beyond the equestrian arena, jumps and FETA horse riding trails, FENCE hides a seldom-discovered secret: its outdoor beauty.

Offering more than 5 miles of walking trails winding through 384 acres of hardwood forests, meandering meadows and planked walkways atop wetlands, this area has something for most any outdoor enthusiasts’ appetite. Being a conservation easement, this area is protected for generations to come and continually teaches ways to preserve and protect our natural resources.

The main office is home to a small nature center where Kristy Burja, the Ameri Corps Project Conserve member is the education assistant. She is available for guided walks on one of the nine marked trails or a tour through the small animal area. She can show you Maze, Christina and Carla, the resident Corn snakes, or Merlin and Spike the two bearded dragons that live at the nature center and tell you all about their needs and where they naturally live.

Carrie Knox, executive director of FENCE, looks out over the grounds from her office in this main building and talks passionately about the lands here.

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FEATURE

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FEATURE

Her favorite part, she says, “is looking out of her office window and seeing folks riding by on the trails, watching the birds at her window bird feeder, and learning something new about the critters that live here.”

Hawks Ridge hangs just above the main building and hosts a galaxy of views. Once a month the Foothills Astronomical Society sponsors a viewing session with telescopes pointed to beautiful and interesting celestial objects to see. The astronomers are friendly and informative and will share as much knowledge or as little as you wish.

Jessie Willard is the contact for these star parties and can be reached at jnjwillard@netzero.net. He tells me last month's star was really the planet Jupiter.

“We could see four of Jupiter’s moons and the color cloud bands this past session,” said Willard.

His favorite thing about astronomy, he says, “is observing deep space objects and far out things” and he welcomes the public to come share in his enthusiasm and learn. April’s session, entitled Saturn Captures the Night will be April 11 at twilight. Willard says, “All you have to do is show up.”

Across the gravel road from the office lavender tissue paper flowers cling to stalks of rosemary and offer delightful aroma for those who run fingers across its branches. Here the grounds' herb garden sits in front of the old school house cabin and near the tall Deodra tree. Trailheads can be seen from this point and adventures can begin.

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The Wildwood Trail is one of several meandering paths one can find themselves happily traveling on a beautiful day at FENCE.

the threatened spotted Salamander roams these same walkways. Two rare plant species live on the property as well, including the Whorled Horse Balm, with fewer than 20 individual plants in North Carolina. Seeing this one would be a real treat, as well as the Purple Fringeless Orchid.

Binoculars are suggested when walking these trails and if you're not sure what just flew by, Simon Thompson – a world class birder – conducts day trips at FENCE and points out what sound that was, who’s over there and what just flew by. He and his group will stroll the grounds on April 10. To sign up go to birdventures. com and look under day trips.

The boardwalk over the wetlands provides lots of sit and watch opportunities for those who wish to linger and watch the geese and ducks, count the sliders (turtles) that surface for their dose of sun or simply name the darting dragonflies.

FENCE clearly has something for everyone. You can go to Fence.org or call 828-859-9021 to schedule your walk with a naturalist or grab your dog and leash and discover on your own.

A brochure with information about trails can be picked up at the main office. • 52 LIFEI NO URFO O T HI L L S. C O M

FEATURE

COLUMN

Slipcovers

the art of transformation Written by GILLIAN DRUMMOND Photograph by CHRIS BARTOL

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COUNTRY LIVING

A

s our winter gives way to glorious spring days, we see the transformation all around us. We need change and enjoy its reflection in many parts of our lives, including our homes. Some things, however, might seem hard to change like the chairs, sofas, tables and cabinets that define our rooms.

Not so! Slipcovers and table skirts, which are a form of slipcover, are a wonderful way to transform a room without doing it permanently.

There are so many good reasons to use slipcovers. If the color and fabric of your room seem to call more for a cozy fire in the winter rather than an iced drink in summer, the atmosphere can seem out of sync with the times. Or perhaps, you worry about the effect on your beautiful fabrics from a house full of guests returning from a long trail ride. On the other hand, as you settle down into the business of a more serious life with the onset of autumn, the summer casual look seems out of place.

With slipcovers you can actually change the look and feel of your room to match the seasons – even doing it four times a year.

You have plenty of history behind you. The record of slipcovers shows they have been an essential part of home decorating stretching back at least to the Middle Ages.

Back then people often lived in homes made of wood and stone. The color was drab and the furniture was made of hard wood. To change that people devised chairs with removable cushions covered with fabric - the beginning of slipcovers. It not only made the chairs more comfortable, but, along with tapestries brought color and warmth to the rooms. Furthermore, they could change the fabrics with the seasons as well as wash them for cleanliness.

Fast forward a few hundred years, and we find slipcovers an important part of the 17th and 18th century. In chilly winter climates, people favored wool covers on their seats, but who wants to sit on wool on warm summer days? If you had beautiful silk and satin brocade covers, you did not want to perspire on them as the temperature climbed. The answer back then as well as now, slipcovers in cotton or chintz.

In the United States in the 19th century, slipcovers were very popular. People used bright printed cottons both to save expensive fabrics and as decorations. In fact, from the beginnings of their use, slipcovers have always had a practical and an aesthetic appeal. They save your fabrics and at the same time they change the color scheme of your room. It’s a secret that has been known for centuries.

There are basically two kinds of slipcovers. One is the loose baggy “shabby chic” kind that is favored in England. They are more like dust covers than slipcovers and don’t have welting on the seams. The other kind, preferred by Americans, is well tailored

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and really fits the piece of furniture. When I first apprenticed with major designers in New York I was taught, “you should not be able to tell a slipcover from upholstery.”

Another feature of American slipcovers is that they typically have welting along the seams. These fabric wrapped cords reinforce the seams on the slipcovers and make them strong. They can be made of the same fabric as the slipcover or a contrasting fabric. A bright colored cotton like navy blue with white welting is quite stunning.

I recently had the opportunity to revisit the slipcover designs of 50 years ago when one of my clients retrieved a pair of chairs by one of the great interior designers, Billy Baldwin. Baldwin designed these chairs to have wooden legs and tufted buttoned backs, upholstered in colors of brown and white. The slipcovers he designed for the same chairs had skirts to cover the legs and were made of a quilted flowered fabric. They totally changed the chairs.

There are so many uses for slipcovers. If you put them in a room that has fairly formal furniture, you can really transform it into one that is more relaxed and casual. Another use is to change a piece of equipment that is old, unattractive and too expensive to completely remodel. In a designer show house I participated in there was a sink that was rather an eyesore, but to replace it would cost a small fortune considering the plumbing costs, etc.

The solution, another type of slipcover, a skirt below the basin.

It looked so much prettier at a reasonable cost. Similarly, I was in an antique house with a kitchen that was very much “of the period.” To camouflage the front loading washer and dryer the owner had put an attractive curtain or skirt in front of the machines.

Last year in a dining room, my client needed more storage but didn’t want another piece of wooden furniture. We solved the problem with a console table with a shelf underneath and a slipcover over the whole thing. It is really attractive and solves the

problem. I have done a similar thing with an old bookcase to make a bar. I covered the bookcase with a very interesting, tailored slipcover. The cover was made from striped fabric with inverted pleats at the corners in a contrasting color. It was split down the middle of the front and attached to two wooden arms that opened to give access to the glasses and bottles inside. I had a piece of glass cut to fit the top. On top of this was a silver tray, decanters, a few glasses and an ice bucket. It had a great look and was a functional piece of furniture.

Another interesting use of slipcovers is to cover lamp shades or turn filing cabinets into end tables with a round wooden top and an interesting fabric for a skirt to cover them.

Most of all, we think of slipcovers in connection with sofas and chairs. I much prefer custom made slipcovers. They provide a fit and detail that is simply unavailable in readymade slipcovers. If you want to check out what is available in ready-made covers start with the website www.surefit.net.

The best fabrics to use are natural fibers in cotton and linen with a tight weave and a medium weight. These are washable and cling to the upholstery underneath so they sit better on the chair or sofa. Cottons and linens should be pre-washed so that they don’t shrink once the slipcover is made. After you have washed your slipcover the secret is to put it back on the sofa or chair while it is slightly damp, not wet, then as they dry on the piece underneath the fabric finishes tightening. However, if you have silk or satin underneath I suggest you wait until they are fully dry before putting them back on.

A wonderful idea for summer or for people on a horse farm or with dogs that love to lie on the couch is to use white cotton duck or sailcloth. They can be bleached to keep them white and they never wear out. One of my favorite living rooms on a horse farm here has beautiful antiques and oriental rugs and white cotton duck slipcovers on all the furniture.

This is also a wonderful look with brightly painted walls and lots of art.

I can’t emphasize enough how much slipcovers provide versatility and an instant transformation at an affordable price. Done properly with an attention to detail they can look polished and well coordinated in any type of room, but there is something more I love about slipcovers. There is a sense of fun about them.

Slipcovers and table skirts are also back in style. Have you noticed them along with floral fabrics in all the design magazines lately?

Gillian Drummond has her design studio in Tryon. You can see her website at www.drummondhouseco.com and reach her at info@drummondhouseco.com or 828-859-9895. •

IN GOOD TASTE

garden saviour rain barrels Written by CAROL LYNN JACKSON Photographs submitted

W

e've been sharing information and encouragement for learning to grow your own this year. Now can we interest you in sound water conservation practices for irrigation and other uses? Meet your local Rain Barrel Lady, Cindy Bosien.

During her five years in business, Cindy has been trying to engage Polk County in personal responsibility for water conservation. The goal of Garden Saviour Rain barrels is to have rain barrels on every house, business and barn that can accommodate them!

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COLUMN

"We recycle barrels and rain. We are creating our own jobs. We shop locally for our supplies.

We want to cooperate with the environment and contribute to water conservation. We are building community (and community gardens!). We help people grow their own food. We even build love and philanthropy into the very heart of our endeavor by giving barrels and plants and help to those in need,” Bosien said.

Polk County is fortunate to not have any restrictive laws preventing owning rain barrels, as is common in other parts of the country. Cindy figures since there are at least 80 of her barrels out in the county now, and other manufactured ones, every time it rains an inch, at least 4,000 gallons are being saved, and in reality, much, much more. “Thank you, rain barrel owners," she says.

There are several benefits to using a rain barrel at home or at work. You can save water by leaving the hose off, you can save money and slow stormwater runoff. And by doing this, you can help prevent pollution by lowering the stress on local streams.

At its simplest, a rain barrel is a container with openings, placed outdoors under spots where water pours off the roof of commercial or residential construction. Most people place the barrel under a drain spout and in a location that is accessible to the garden. You then connect a garden hose to the barrel's faucet. Runoff water is soft water devoid of chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals and is great for the garden and indoor uses.

Typically the container is a 55-gallon plastic drum that can last for centuries. A true family heirloom! Barrels must be food-grade and not barrels that have contained any kinds of chemical.

Barrels must be effectively “closed-systems” to prevent mosquito breeding or invasion from other species and animals. A 100-square-foot yard could use several barrels. Once your barrels are full you can go weeks without rain and never have to turn the hose on.

“Rainwater can improve the health of your gardens because of the lack of chemicals. Wash your hair and clothing in it, and enjoy natural softening-

“Mary, Mary, quite cooperative, How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells, And my first five heirloom 'mater plants, All in a row!”

- Mary owns a rain barrel, and plans to triple her garden next year.

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FEATURE

effects. After all it's what people once depended on and wild flora and fauna thrives on,” Bosien reminds us. “Part of my mission in building and installing rain barrels is to demonstrate that even in drought we probably are, as a county, receiving enough water for our needs and to share, if we were collectively working to capture it."

Cindy has created an oasis on her acreage surrounding her old farm house on the edge of Polk County, where

58 LIFEI NO URFO O THI L L S. C O M

she has lived and raised her family for 30 years. She works tirelessly to connect water issues to people's awareness and people to nature through water conservation. She also designs drought-tolerant landscapes and water features, and teaches the methods and importance in building habitat for all living creatures, especially pollinators of our food.

For information on ready-made rain barrels that offer installation services, contact bohog3@hotmail.com •

APPOINTMENTS Doctor Wendell MF's first foal, a black colt. This photo was submitted by Maryanna Haymon, owner of Marydell Farm. Haymon was named the USDF Champion Breeder of the Year 2012.

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CALENDAR

Equestrian Events APRIL April 3-4 CCC Robin Groves Clinic Contact: Sue Carrier at 864-461-8119

April 17 FRC Monthly Meeting at Harmon Field Cabin Contact: Margo Savage at 828-863-4924

April 6 CCC Arena Driving Trial at Foxbriar Farm Contact: Carol Ann Burns at cabooh@aol.com

April 20 Block House Steeplechase at FENCE Contact: Laura Weicker 828863-0480

April 5-7 Jump for Eventing Clinic at Brown Bear Farm Contact: Nicole Watts at 864-276-8536

April 20 Horse Country Farm Tours, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Contact: Libbie Johnson at inveigh@aol.com

April 6-7 PSJ Horse Show at Harmon Field Contact: psjshows@aol.com 803-649-3505

April 20 RVPC Mounted Meeting Contact: Denise Ritacco at Ritacco5@hotmail.com

April 13, 7 p.m.

Austin Brown lecture Austin A. Brown, son of Carter Brown, will lecture about the history of the Block House Steeplechase.

Tryon Fine Arts Center April 13-14 FENCE Horse Trial Contact: horseshow@fence.org April 13 TRHC Equine Art Show at Tryon Fine Arts Center Contact: Kim Nelson at 828-817-3783 April 16 Pisgah Trailblazers meeting at Calvert’s Kitchen, Columbus 6 p.m. eat, 7 p.m. meet Contact: Michael Atkins at Michael@atyourserviceair. com

April 21 Hunter Pace for HALTER Contact: www.wchpace.org

Natalie Holliday was awarded the "Champion Senior barrel Racer" buckle for 2012 during the Foothills Youth Rodeo Association annual awards banquet. The event was held Feb. 24. She also received a "Reserve Champion" buckle for the "All Around" award. Holliday credits her faithful friend and ride "Sho Nuff doc" for the many hours of practice and runs they have shared together. Holliday's plans for 2013 include competing as a member with NbHA and SRA.

April 27 FRC Dressage & Stadium at Riverbend Eq Ctr, Greenville Contact: Margo Savage at redgate@windstream.net

May 4-5 Carolina Carriage Club Driving Trial at Windridge Farm Contact: Alicia Henderson windridge@ioa.com

May 15 FRC monthly meeting at Harmon Field Cabin, Contact: Margo Savage at 828-863-4924

MAY May 3-5 Paul Belasik Clinic at Blue Moon Farm Contact: Sophie Clifton at sophie@montana.net

May 5 RVPC Mounted Meeting Contact: Denise Ritacco at Ritacco5@hotmail.com

May 17-19 Carolina Region Eventing Rally at FENCE Contact: swright14@carolina. rr.com

May 5 Greenville Foothills Pony Club XC Schooling at May 4 Sheriff Mounted Patrol Horse FENCE Contact: Carolyn Culbertson Show at WNC Ag Center at chculbertson@earthlink.net Contact: matt.buchanan@ ncagr.gov May 5 Hunter Pace benefitting May 4-5 BRHJA Mother’s Day celebra- Steps to HOPE Contact: www.wchpace.org tion at Harmon Field Contact: Lewis Pack at 828-894-2721

60 LIFEI NO URFO O THI L L S. C O M

May 18 Horse Country Farm Tours, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Contact: Libbie Johnson at inveigh@aol.com May 18 CCC Trace Pace at Wildwood Farm Contact: Alan Bridge at 828-863-4046

APPOINTMENTS

TROT ing experience

A

Skye Barkschat is the rider, with Carson Kay on the left as sidewalker, and Bill Ennis leading his horse Banjo. Jennifer Smith, instructor is in the back.

Photo by Sandra Sibley.

Written by Barbara Childs Photographs Submitted

T

ROT, the Therapeutic Riding of Tryon has experienced some changes as it enriches lives by teaching horsemanship skills to adults and children with physical, cognitive, developmental and emotional challenges.

The program is carried at FENCE, and the new spring season has begun.

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TROT

Hambright enjoys the bright rewarding smiles on the faces of her students as they enjoy time spent around the horses learning new skills.

Trotter has arrived. Be on the lookout for Trotter, the new mascot who has joined the team to help spread the word about the great experience people enjoy.

Administrative director Robbie Hambright is a physical therapist by profession, a horse mom, volunteer and instructor in training. Her position is a volunteer position, as are all the positions leading TROT with the exception of the lead instructor.

When Norm Powers (founder of TROT) retired, it took two positions to fill his shoes: administrative director and program director.

Sandy Sibley now serves as program director.

Hambright has worked in the non-profit world all her life, holding several volunteer and staff positions. Before moving to this area, she volunteered for a therapeutic riding center.

“I always wanted to return to the field of therapeutic riding because I really loved it,” she said. “When we first moved here there was no therapeutic riding program, and my attention and energy went to running a shop with my sister in Tryon, Sisters...Going to Seed. Once we closed the shop, and TROT was in full swing, I answered an ad looking for horses needed for the program.

I began trailering my horse to TROT one day a week, and then I was hooked all over again.”

Hambright enjoys the bright rewarding smiles on the faces of her Top: Laurie Farmer participates in the unmounted program with Robbie Hambright’s horse Jilly. Photo by Sandra Sibley. Bottom: Participant Jonah Sabo, and sidewalker is Linda Herbert.

62 L IFEINO URFO O T HI L L S. C O M

APPOINTMENTS

“Our accreditation is up for review this spring, so we are busy seeing that all our "i’s" and "t’s" are in order to meet the strict standards and guidelines.”

- Robbie Hambright

Participant Chauncey Hill with volunteers Kitty Bateman Kestler and Judy Lanier. Hill is riding Robbie Hambright's horse, Jesse, at the TROT annual horseshow. Photo by Norm Powers.

students as they enjoy time spent around the horses learning new skills.

Typically each participant has three volunteers with them, a horse leader and two side walkers, in addition to the instructor.

The instructors are certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International or PATH Intl. after having gone through an extensive training process. The lessons are structured to the needs and goals of each participant.

TROT has five new participants this year, bringing the program’s total to 22. Hambright said this is very exciting as TROT hopes to continue to grow and reach more children and adults that will benefit from the program. TROT is a Premier Accredited Program certified by PATH Intl.

“Our accreditation is up for review this spring, so we are busy seeing that all our i's and t's are in order to meet the strict standards and guidelines,” said Hambright.

Some of the challenges Hambright faces with the program is constantly looking for and training volunteers.

Carol Ten Broek, the volunteer coordinator, does an amazing job scheduling the volunteers, Hambright said. There are 50 volunteers in this spring session. Each volunteer must attend a training class working with participants and the horses. Advanced training classes are offered throughout the year.

Robbie Hambright with Trotter. Photo by Norm Powers.

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TROT

“It takes a special horse to be a therapeutic riding horse, yet once they start, they love the job.”

- Robbie Hambright

64 L IFEINO URFO O THI L L S. C O M

The horses are also volunteers. Their owners are horse moms and dads, and they trailer them to TROT on lesson days, which is a tremendous commitment.

Financial support is always needed, and the first need is riderships. TROT does not turn anyone away.

If they qualify for financial assistance, TROT finds it for them in the form of riderships.

Rosemary's Barn has just undergone some repairs, which is a big expense. As growth -assumes exRobbieitsHambright pansive place with TROT, Hambright would like to add an AED (automated external defibrillator) and offer CPR training for volunteers. Another wish Hambright holds is a lift, which would make it easier for some participants to mount a horse. Of course there are many more daily operating expenses, so financial support for TROT is always needed and welcome.

At the present time there are 15 horses in the TROT program.

These horses all have other jobs at home from trail riding to foxhunting to roping and more. The tallest horse is 15.2 hands. Hambright and the instructors evaluate all the horses, first at home and then at TROT to make sure they all fit into the program.

“It takes a special horse to be a therapeutic riding horse, yet once they start, they love the job,” said Hambright.

For more information, contact TROT at therapeuticriding@fence.org. •

Life

APPOINTMENTS

of a

national examiner

Written by bARbARA CHILdS Photographs submitted

J

anna Bankston Ritacco is a national examiner for the United States Pony Club.

This means she travels around the U.S. and conducts the upper level testings for the pony club. Upper-level tests are considered C-3, HB, B, H-A, and A level.

As a national examiner Ritacco is often asked to conduct clinics and give lessons for pony clubs and their regions. She works closely with the Greenville Foothills Pony Club, where they meet monthly at Riverbend Equestrian Park, and she works with the clubs in the North and South Carolina regions.

Ritacco is a member of the National Testing Committee for USPC, and she helps with revising the standards and procedures for testing.

According to Ritacco, the USPC’s national examiners are a diverse group, and most of them are graduate pony clubbers. Ritacco is a graduate H-A. Most of the examiners are full-time horse professionals, but many are also vets. A few have “real jobs” and do the horse career on the side. To be considered for a position as a national examiner, one must have a strong horse background, be well versed in the USPC standards, and work well with teens and young adults. There are about 100 national examiners in the U.S. The USPC has standards of proficiency that the candidates are tested on. The levels for the traditional certification align with the levels of eventing. (Lets add something explaining that the rating system goes D-1 through A. The D-1 through C-2 level certifications are all "club level" certifications. The first national

level certification is the C-3.) The C-3 is equivalent to training level eventing. B is roughly equivalent to preliminary, and A to the intermediate level of eventing. The candidates are evaluated on how closely to the standard they are to perform, not just getting over the fences.

The jump height for the B level is 3 feet 7 inches, and candidates need to ride a preliminary level dressage test. A huge component of the certifications is that candidates need to ride each other's horses (called a switch ride). This helps to level the playing field to prove that the candidate can truly perform to the pony club standards, and it’s not just a fancy horse flattering them and helping them through the testing performances.

The switch is performed on the flat and over fences.

A big portion of the certification requirements include the candidate's ability to verbalize what they did during their ride and have a dialogue with the examiners that accurately reflects the ride concerning strengths and weaknesses, ways to improve, and so forth.

“What I love about the certification process is that we are holding the candidates to a standard and are not comparing them against each other. The process is stringent and thorough, but it means something when the candidate meets the standard. In 2012 there were 430 candidates that tested for various upper level tests, and APRI L 2 0 1 3

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RITACCO

“I love when the kids really grasp this concept, and they don't just blame the horse when things go wrong.”

- Janna Bankston Ritacco the success rate was around 54 percent,” said Ritacco.

As an examiner, Ritacco enjoys meeting knowledgeable, prepared and passionate horsemen and women around the country.

She likes to see the regional differences in horsekeeping and riding.

“Testing on the west coast is always eye opening,” said Ritacco.

“I enjoy being part of the process as they obtain their goals and focus on the testing standards. I also appreciate that they are putting themselves up for evaluation in an effort to develop fully their riding and horsemanship skills.”

As an examiner, Ritacco is looking to see if the candidate understands the cause and effect of his or her position or performance to the horse’s performance. For example, if she does X with her position, it causes the horse to do Y. With the USPC system there is a basis on how the rider affects the horse both negatively and positively.

“I love when the kids really grasp this concept, and they don't just blame the horse when things go wrong. I also love it when the candidate has an intimate understanding of the stable management that it takes for their horse to perform at its best when they are involved in its care and maintenance,” she said. “I love to see a horse and rider presented for their formal looking as if they are ready to do Rolex with great attention to detail and not a hair out of place. What a great first impression that makes.”

Ritacco runs the Riverbend Equestrian Park in Greenville, S.C. She leases it from the Greenville County Recreation District. It is a 12-horse operation with half school horses and half boarders.

Ritacco teaches about 30 lessons a week. Most of the riders are pony clubbers. Ritacco's background is in eventing and she loves dressage. She is also the coach for Furman's Intercollegiate Dressage Team. Her two homebred personal horses are draft crosses (Belgian draft x TB). Elliot is 7 and likes to foxhunt. Logan is 3 and a half and still in pony kindergarten learning how to stop, go and steer.

The biggest challenge Ritacco sometimes faces as an examiner

is when she must tell a candidate they've not met the required standards.

“I prepare tons of kids for the certifications, so I know how much work they have put into getting there, and I still tear up when I have to walk over and tell the rider she has not passed,” said Ritacco. “I always strive to do this in a respectful manner so it doesn't tear the rider down while still being honest. It's very hard!

One of the biggest compliments a candidate can pay you is to say that the certification is a learning process even if it wasn't successful, and that they want to try again! I have a huge respect for the pony clubbers that have the maturity to accept failure and still remain composed and level headed.”

This summer Ritacco will travel to the Gold Coast of Australia to coach USPC's four member Interpacific Exchange Team as they compete against teams from Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia. This is the third time Ritacco has been an Interpacific Exchange Coach. This year's team consists of two A rated riders and the two H-A rated riders. Ritacco expects to be competitive with this team and bring home the Nation's Cup. Ritacco was chosen because of her extensive experience with coaching pony clubbers, and she has also coached the Preliminary Level of eventing. Interpacific Exchange Coaches must be good with young adults and comfortable taking a group of young adults abroad. The chaperone for the trip is Amber Henderson from Hendersonville, N.C. There will be several competitions and a one-day event at the preliminary level. The most important competition will be the Nation's Cup Show Jumping.

Ritacco has been lucky and so blessed to turn her love of horses into a career.

“Pony club has allowed me to travel around the world. It may well be worth adding that pony club is not for little kids on ponies.

The age goes to 25 years. On any Olympic team most of the riders are pony club graduates (especially the eventing team),” said Ritacco. •

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66 L IFEINO URFO O THI L L S. C O M

APPOINTMENTS

Harpt’s world of horses Written by bARbARA CHILdS Photographs submitted

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HARPT

Charles Harpt discovered his love of horses at an early age, and though he's never owned a horse of his own, he pays homage to them in paint.

Charles Harpt, an equine artist, lives in a lovely stone cottage in Tryon.

His passion for horses started when sitting on the front steps of his home in Philly during the depression years.

“I would sit all morning watching the delivery horses and their drivers make their rounds with milk, cheese, meat, foods,” Harpt said. “The horses were so majestic to me. They went about their work with dignity, and their silence spoke from the ages before man.”

When painting Harpt has no special medium that he uses. It depends on the subject at hand, he says. Harpt feels the equestrian world is filled with so many quality things to paint.

“It’s gotten so that I can’t pass a barn without a

68 L IFEINO URFO O THI L L S. C O M

number of different canvases coming to my mind,” says Harpt.

Harpt has never owned a horse.

When working he could have afforded one, but the upkeep and management of its care was of concern.

More important, Harpt says, is the time that a horse deserves. “To me the saddest sight I can witness is a horse all alone in a field,” he said.

Harpt likes to sketch.

He doesn’t like anyone pinned down for modeling, and could not nag at them to look this way or that way.

Sketching is the best for his works.

In general, Harpt has settled into a comfortable niche of painting just for the enjoyment. No more boxing up paintings and carting them all over the landscape. And

APPOINTMENTS

according to Harpt, no more art world politics, either.

Harpt is 85 and has shown his work at many of the prestigious galleries of the art world – The Carolina Art Gallery, Cartwright's Gallery, the Central Gallery of Lexington, KY, Rollins Outdoor Advertising Co., Art Show at the Dog Show, Wichita Kennel Club and the Saluda Gallery.

“I have always responded to the feel of leather and the sight of old, cared for leather tack and boots, the smells and colors of the horse world appeal to me more than anything else,” he said. “I have enjoyed what I have seen with the horses and horse world and responded to each visual adventure with such interest and joy that I have never thought that much about whether or not it came from my gut feeling or from what so many contemporary artists champion, which is the inward journey to the center of one’s soul, in the OM of the universe.” •

“I have always responded to the feel of leather and the sight of old cared for leather tack and boots, the smells and colors of the horse world ...”

-CHARLES HARPT

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FEATURE

Power of Reiki

Written by BARBARA CHILDS Photographs submitted

Lilia White has received her attunements to practice Reiki through the Blue Mountain Healing Arts in South Carolina.

She is able to practice this ancient form of healing with horses, small animals and on humans, too. All of her attunements have been received through and with a Reiki Master. She is located in Landrum, S.C. What is Reiki?

Reiki is the Japanese word for the Universal Life Energy. The practice was rediscovered by Dr. Mikao Usui in the 1800s, and it was brought into Western culture through Hawayo Takata, who was the first woman, a

70 L IFEINO URFO O THI L L S. C O M

FEATURE nonmember of the Japanese elite, and first American to become a Reiki Master. Reiki is a holistic healing system addressing the whole being and providing healing in all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Everything in the universe is made up of connective energy.

Reiki holds no religious attachments. It is simple and nonevasive. There is no required equipment, and the benefits are for yourself and others. Reiki invites the connection to the Universal Source, to provide healing through all pathways in the body. It is important to understand that Reiki is not a substitute for professional veterinary treatment.

It is therapy that complements and supports all other healing therapies, and it is a valuable component of an integrative approach to healing and health maintenance.

How do you perform this healing method on horses and what are its benefits?

The healing method for horses is by hand placement on specific areas or from a distance. For example, standing behind a stall door in case the horse is aggressive.

Therapists scan the body of the horse and look for areas that feel hot, cold, or have a tingling sensation. This denotes where energy is congested where it can later cause illness. Reiki goes directly to the source and if it is unknown to the client healing at that level and intensity will occur if the horse is open to receive it. Treatments last an hour and will alleviate stress and anxiety, help with behavioral issues, reduce post surgical stress and trauma, build and maintain stamina and agility, lower blood pressure, help with bad habits and vices, strengthen the immune system, relax sore tight muscles and bring deep relaxation.

The biggest challenge is the belief that Reiki has a religious attachment. Western culture is now starting to accept energy healing as a holistic practice. The client will accept as much as he is willing at the time of treatment. Owners sometimes do not understand that more than one treatment might be necessary to resolve all the health problems.

Do you have horses and, if so, what disciplines do you enjoy with your horses?

I have been involved in equestrian sports for more than 30 years. The disciplines I practice are show jumping hunters and dressage. I have a total of seven horses mostly warmbloods, in particular Hanoverians.

I am a certified riding instructor and have competed in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Italy and the U.S. I have been fortunate in my riding career to be able to compete, manage barns, teach and train horses internationally.

With my business degree I work as a customer service manager, and I have integrated aromatherapy, polarity and reflexology with my Reiki practice. There is a growing number of veterinarian practices and animal rescue organizations that are using Reiki to help heal animals. There are several studies that show Reiki helps cancer patients to not lose their hair or have symptoms associated with chemo and radiation. •

Do the horses feel less discomfort and pain with Reiki?

When horses, animals or people receive a treatment they enter a state of deep relaxation and peace. There can be sensations of heat, tingling, pulsing, giving a sigh of relief, yawning, or falling asleep. Horses and all animals are more sensitive to energy and they feel the Reiki energy immediately and strongly. How they react to it depends on their temperament and previous experience with humans.

White is in the process of getting her massage therapy certification in order to complement her Reiki Practice.

What do you enjoy about your work with Reiki and horses?

The ability to provide healing to clients, whether horses or humans, is extremely gratifying. White’s childhood dream was to become a veterinarian to help all the sick animals, particularly horses. She did not get a chance to realize that dream, but now she has a way of helping horses and animals heal in many levels of their lives.

What is most challenging to you with Reiki?

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DUDLEY

winds

april

Oh the glory of a spring morning with the warm sun on your back and ears is endearing. The wind is gently flowing through my new coat of gleaming, glossy, gray fur, and blue skies are smiling down on all the new sweet greening pastures, streams and gardens.

There are five new varieties of lettuces being planted in the gardens, along with spinach, Swiss chard, and watercress. I will do some investigation and research in tasting when the time for their peak goodness is ready.

Well, it's all between the ears for the news, so your attention is most appreciated. Did you know that KC Betzel's son, a senior at Landrum High School has just been accepted to West Point Military Academy? Mom, KC Betzel rides, competes, and judges dressage.

She is a Learner Dressage Judge, and very proud of her son.

Robbie Hambright is getting the spring session of TROT organized. There are new volunteers, participants, and horses as the program grows and expands. Lessons will continue from Mon. through Thurs. for 10 weeks. A spruce up at Rosemary's Barn is underway. Wednesdays are devoted to an unmounted program for the TROT participants.

Holly Hansen at her classical dressage farm in Green Creek is training her four Lusitano youngsters as well as starting several other Spanish and Portuguese geldings this season. They are all in training with her. Another classical symposium will be organized in 2014 when these youngsters are further along in their levels of training.

Holly is looking for a working student who has interests in learning the classical principles of dressage. Someone who has experience with stallions and handling young horses is desirable.

Jen Baumert is moving to a barn in Charlotte this spring. Ashley Parsons will go with her. Jen has a 6 year old that she will eventually compete in the FEI 6 year old test or at third level. Jen will come back to the area and be available for clinics.

Catie Costa is riding her horses and enjoying the good dry warmer days of sun and mild air. Sometimes mud, rainy days, the cold make conditions difficult for consistent riding. Jane Eden is doing great and enjoying her riding with her Rocky Mt. horses, Cash and C Note. Her new horse Ace joins her barn, and she loves riding him.

Suzanne Russell of Lone Oak Tryon at Family Farm is so proud of the Converse College Intercollegiate Team. They placed fourth overall at the Zone 5 Horse Show

Region 3 hosted by Georgia Southern Equestrian Team and Evermore Farm. The judge was Anne

Keenan.

Dodie Barr is riding Tahoey, and they are having a great time together in pony club.

Heather Brehm has purchased Copy Editor, and they are going to make a great team in the hunter/jumper ring this year.

Percy MacMillan and Ariodante won ribbons in the First Year Green Hunter Division. Percy was also champion in the PreChild-Adult Hunter Division riding Lisa Banister's Union Soldier.

Lincoln Russell went to the Elite Show Jumping Atlanta Winter Classic II. Richard Kosa's Winona OM2S was third place in the $10,000 classic mini-prix and 7th in the Welcome Stake Class.

Vic Russell and his family moved to Pensacola, Fl. for the winter months, and they are now currently showing in Gulfport, Mississippi. Lily Hahn-Roschan and Paddington were Pensacola Amateur Owner Circuit Reserve Champion. Helen Terranova and her horse Creed were Jr./Am. Jumper champions. Lauren Drummond rose Whiskey De Rustenburg to the Reserve Championship Ch./Ad. Equitation. Tommy John Russell and Mister Polite won the 1.30 class and were 11th. in the $25,000 EMO Grand Prix Pensacola Premier Horse Show.

There were 80 entries in the FENCE Hunter Pace on Feb. 4. Sun and blue skies made the day perfect for the riders. Snow up north and on the borders of states prevented more riders from coming down to FENCE. Laura Watson loves riding her Cleveland Bay, Leo, and they both finished well at the FENCE Hunter Pace. Buddy and Amanda Fisher loved the trails on the Hunter Pace, and they finished and did very nicely. Ladybug, an Arabian mare, and her 12 year old owner did super and enjoyed the day with Mom riding by their side. Ladybug was tied to a tree and left to be rescued. A good mom rescued her, and Ladybug is happy with her new life and owner.

There's a new mare in the mare pasture at What a View Farm in Campobello.

Her name is Garnet, and she is gorgeous.

Garnet is an Arabian mare with many championships to her credit. She has also been trained for driving a carriage. She is a flea bitten gray and very sweet in her disposition.

Dudley (top) and Madeline (bottom).

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DUDLEY ’S RECIPE : Put on a cinema screen smile and present this dish of roasted potatoes and herbs to your family and friends for a winning trophy dish of pure happiness.

New Potatoes Roas t ed with Leeks and Herbs 5 lbs. new potatoes scrubbed and halved 2 cloves of garlic chopped 2 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped 1/2 tsp. dried oregano Kosher salt and pepper 2 medium leeks cleaned and sliced (halved lengthwise) 1/4 cup olive oil 2 ½ tbls. fresh parsley 2 tsp. thyme fresh and chopped

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with oil.

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Roast for 20 minutes. Add leeks and stir. Continue roasting until tender and golden brown.

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In the Nation, we play favorites.

Have you seen Aubie, the roan Quarter Horse gelding at Barbara Stephens Barking Fox Farm in Landrum? He needs a new home and owner, and is available.

Success runs in the family for Maryanna Haymon and her colt Davie, David Bowie MF. This award was presented to Haymon as The Traveling Trot Perpetual Trophy for the Highest Scoring Sport Horse Champion. According to Haymon, good breeding doesn't always come with good manners. "He's the first colt in my 20 years of breeding that was born with a nasty little kick. At 12 hours old, he nailed me on my new hip replacement!

At three weeks the lights turned on in his brain, and he became an absolute gentleman. Since this happened he has developed a desire to please humans, " said Haymon.

New foals are coming to Avalon Farm this spring. Egyptian Arabian mares are due on March 12 and April 23. We will be watching and waiting for their spring arrival.

Valerie Black's 2 old thoroughbred horses need to be helped. They are 25 years old and have always been together.

They need a home where they can be kept and loved. They are not for sale as they would be considered rescue horses. For those who are interested in helping, contact Maureen McManus at alcamee@windstream.net. •

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Renae Dusenbury-Waldman Dusenbury Insurance Agency LLC 951 S. Trade St., Suite 1 Tryon, NC 28782 (828) 859-9187 dusenbr@nationwide.com

Nationwide is On Your Side.®

Products underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Company and Affiliated Companies, Columbus, Ohio. Savings compared to standalone price of each auto, home and life policy. Savings based on new customer data from May 2010. Not all Nationwide affiliated companies are mutual companies and not all Nationwide members are insured by a mutual company. Nationwide, Nationwide Insurance, the Nationwide framemark, Nationwide is On Your Side and Join the Nation are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. ©2012 Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved. NPR-0501M1 (07/12)

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A parting glance

A glorious sunrise over Follow Your Bliss Farm in Columbus. Marcy Wright submitted this photo for our photo calendar contest last year.

To submit your own parting glance shot, email your photo to news@tryondailybulletin.com, with the subject line “Magazine parting glance.�

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