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Hunger and Health Coalition’s Fall Fundraisers

The mission of the Hunger and Health Coalition is to relieve poverty and hunger in a compassionate manner for families and individuals who are experiencing economic hardship and food shortages. This assistance may include food, medicine, wood and referrals to other community resources. Each year, the organization hosts several popular fundraising events and the community is invited to participate.

On September 25, HHC will hold their Fall Blast. This beloved clay tournament event is held at the Chetola Sporting Reserve at the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain Club, where participants can enjoy a Shotgun Style tournament with 12 stations nestled in the woods of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Breakfast and lunch are provided as well as a wine social after the event. Stick around for fun prizes and a silent auction. To find out more about Fall Blast, visit the HHC’s events page at https://www.hungerandhealthcoalition.com/events.

And you won’t want to miss their annual Masquerade Ball on October 29! Now in its 7th year, this crowd pleaser will be held at the beautiful Mill at Rock Creek just a few minutes from downtown Boone. Dust off your best costumes and dancing shoes for the only “Adult Halloween” party in the High Country. There will be prizes for different costumes, a silent auction and a DJ to ensure the best tunes are playing to keep you dancing throughout the night. The party will start promptly at 6:30 p.m. and end at 11p.m. And if you don’t feel like dressing up, you don’t have to! “We welcome everyone who just wants to celebrate Halloween while fighting food insecurity all at the same time,” says event organizers.

Ticket prices are $40 per ticket, $125 for a two-VIP-ticket package, or $625 to reserve your own table for eight. To find out more about Masquerade Ball, visit the HHC’s events page at https://www.hungerandhealthcoalition.com/events.

Find out more about the work of the Hunger and Health Coalition at www.hungerandhealthcoalition.com.

A New Name for Crossnore School

For more than 100 years, the Crossnore School & Children’s Home has delivered a continuum of resources and services to families in crisis, promising every child respect, acceptance, happiness, and the opportunity to know and trust a loving place called home.

Knowing that a safe home is built through ongoing collaboration and commitment, Crossnore recently made the decision to update its name to reflect the belief that collective engagement among diverse communities is essential to healing and fostering resilience in children. To that end, Crossnore School & Children’s Home is now Crossnore Communities for Children.

“Our tagline, ‘the way home,’ represents for us the longing in each child to return home—whether that’s a foster child returning to their home, a child receiving day treatment services returning to their home school, or a child and their family creating a safe and healthy home through therapy services,” said Brett Loftis, Chief Executive Officer of Crossnore Communities for Children. “We are so excited to embrace this refreshed look for our organization. We truly feel that it represents our work, aligns with our values, and will serve us well for years to come.”

You can find learn more about Crossnore Communities for Children and download a comprehensive FAQ page at www.crossnore.org/about-us/.

App State’s Team Sunergy Wins Big in U.S. Solar Racing Challenge

Appalachian State University’s solar vehicle team, Team Sunergy, blazed through the 2021 American Solar Challenge (ASC) in late July and early August, finishing in first place for multiple-occupant vehicles (MOV), winning all three stages of the race from Missouri to New Mexico and clocking a total of 964.8 miles. The team also took top awards for teamwork and electrical design.

App State Chancellor Sheri Everts applauded Team Sunergy, saying they “are the epitome of true Mountaineer spirit. Our App State team excelled among a roster of highly elite institutions. I am extraordinarily proud of their ingenuity, perseverance and teamwork.”

App State was one of nine university teams—including MIT, University of California, Berkeley, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State University—that qualified to compete and among only two universities that do not offer engineering programs.

Team Sunergy began in fall 2013 as a class project to build a solar-powered golf cart and developed into an interdisciplinary team of App State students, faculty and staff working together to research and develop solar-powered race cars. Learn more at https://sunergy.appstate.edu/.

Photo: Solar-powered ROSE glides by a wind farm during the first leg of the 2021 American Solar Challenge. Photo by Kyla Willoughby

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A Great Time to Give to Our Local Humane Societies

There’s still time to participate in the Lucky Paws Raffle Extravaganza, the Avery Humane Society’s current fundraising event, with all proceeds going to help vulnerable animals in our community. You can win some impressive prizes, including a 2021 Nissan Frontier Truck, vacation and ski packages, a diamond necklace, and more.

Buying a $100 ticket is the ultimate Win-Win! Each raffle ticket includes two entries in the Lucky Paws Raffle Extravaganza drawings. Plus, you will provide shelter, food, medical care, behavioral support and LOVE to vulnerable animals who need you.

Winners will be announced on October 21 at 6 p.m., and you can view the announcement live at averyhumane.org. You do not have to be present to win; winners will be notified via phone or mail and will be listed on the Avery Humane Society website. Ticket sales will end at midnight on October 17, 2021.

Tickets are available online and at the Avery Humane Society located at 279 New Vale Road in Newland, NC. While you’re there, take some time to visit with the animals—you might just get lucky and take home your furever friend! Learn more about the Lucky Paws Raffle and the Avery Humane Society at https://averyhumane. org/raffle.

Over at the Watauga Humane Society, they’re planning for their first annual Paws on the Mountain fundraiser on October 9 at Appalachian Ski Mountain. Enjoy a ride on the ski-lift to the mountaintop for cocktail hour while basking in the beautiful fall scenery and snuggling some of the furry residents from the Humane Society.

The rest of evening takes place in the App Ski Lodge and will include complimentary beer and wine, a small plate buffet made by Chef Carla Fitzwater, and dancing to live music by Johnnie Blackwell. A live auction and several fun raffles will also be held.

The Watauga Humane Society’s goal is to raise $80,000 to cover our annual medical and food expenses. Your ticket purchase of $50, evening participation, and support helps achieve this goal. Learn more about Paws on the Mountain at https://wataugahumane.org/. Visit the shelter at 312 Paws Way, Boone, NC 28607.

Linville Falls Mountain Club: Reinventing Community

Linville Falls Mountain Club (LFMC), nestled against the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Cove, NC, is known for its convenient location and beautiful mountain landscape. The community has made many changes over the last five years and is now experiencing renewed success.

“The momentum has been building for years at Linville Falls Mountain Club,” according to Glenn Goldan, LFMC developer. “The community has reinvented itself, providing a responsibly priced lifestyle community with a stress-free building process that has culminated in nine custom home sales so far in 2021.” Goldan projects 15 lot/ home sales this year with prices averaging in the mid-$400k price range.

“With its strategic location, North Cove real estate has been in high demand,” according to Tami Newman, REALTOR/Broker of ERA Mountain View Properties. “Linville Falls Mountain Club has made all the right moves to create a turn-key process that takes all the hassle out of building in these challenging times. You do not need to find a builder, secure a construction loan, try to lock in rising building materials costs—they have it all covered.”

The addition of The North Cove Leisure Club adds an exciting twist to the community with a disc golf facility on the property formally home to the Linville Falls golf course. The Leisure Club will be a public club celebrating nature, outdoor leisure, and recreation. According to owners Luke Peniston and Kyle Sims, “Our intentions are to turn this into a multi-recreational facility. We are turning half of the 157 acres into a world-class disc golf course—think of the ‘Augusta’ of national disc golf,” said Peniston. “The rest of the property will be used for other amenities—lots of other games like bocce and large scale Jenga— with long term plans of more development.” Peniston added that they want it to be “a family friendly and community driven” place that will be available to the public.

Expanded amenities at North Cove Leisure Club include Birdie’s Restaurant and Bar set to open at the pro shop this fall. Peniston and Sims are partnering with Michael Piroli, owner of Malvem and Barksdale eateries in Asheville, to upgrade the club’s restaurant.

Learn more about Linville Falls Mountain Club at linvillefallsmountainclub.com.

Mountain Warriors UTV: Book a Fall Adventure

Looking for beautiful fall leaves with a nearby waterfall? They have you covered at Mountain Warriors UTV, a recreational UTV touring business located in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, located in between Blowing Rock, Boone, Banner Elk, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Their mountain tours offer scenery, fun, and adventure. Mountain Warriors UTV opened this

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past July, and has been one of the toprated attractions since its grand opening. The new attraction was started by mother and son Regina and Carson Gordon, both alumni from Appalachian State University; the Gordons have had family roots in the region for many generations.

Located in the sleepy mountain town of Elk Park, Mountain Warriors UTV has over 80 acres of land and trails for their customers to explore. They are a 5-star Google rated attraction with top-of-the-line Polaris Rzr 1000 XP 4-seater vehicles, the perfect allterrain vehicle for extreme thrill seekers here in the beautiful High Country of North Carolina. This is a guided UTV tour that puts you in touch with the Appalachian Mountains, with beautiful trail riding as well as intense hill climbing. Give them a call today at their 24-hour active phone line at 828-FUN-7060, or visit their website at www.offroadmountainwarriors.com to gather additional information.

The New Pedalin’ Pig at Woodlands

Few things are more traditional to North Carolina than barbecue. From our eastern coastal lowlands to our western mountain highlands—whether a country store, a roadside truck-stop or a full-service restaurant—you’re likely to find a local favorite version of barbecue. In fact we hold over 50 barbeque celebrations of some kind across the state each year including the nationally famous Lexington Barbecue Festival in October. Yep...if it’s North Carolina country it’s barbeque country.

And our own High Country is no exception. Pulled, chopped or sliced; pork, chicken, beef or fish; in a sandwich or on the plate; with beans and hushpuppies or potato salad; if you can slow-cook and smoke it, that’s barbeque. All you need is your choice of sides, slaw and sauce…and that’s “good Southern eatin” Carolina style.

No one could agree more than Ethan Anderson. A high-energy 1990 App State graduate, visionary entrepreneur and successful restauranteur, Anderson just happened to be in the right place at the right time when the old Smokies Smokehouse barbeque establishment in Banner Elk’s Tynecastle area decided it was time to sell.

“Some business friends suggested I make an offer. And, although I didn’t expect anything to come of it, something did come of it,” said Anderson. “As soon as I made the deal, I began looking for the right management and cooking team. As my dad always said, ‘Surround yourself with people smarter than you and you’ll succeed,’” Anderson quoted.

“My plan was to uphold the rich history of barbeque from all across the state. After all, no matter where you’re from, the hometown barbeque you grew up with is what you’re hoping to get here. So we expanded the menu and set out to brand the Pedalin’ Pig as a number one High Country barbeque destination,” noted Anderson.

That was 2014 and that was the year that Pedalin’ Pig began to pedal its way strategically across Avery and Watauga counties. Two years later, Pedalin’ Pig opened its second location just past the NC 105 bypass intersection in Boone. And, more recently, it has found its third home in the rustic atmosphere of Blowing Rock’s famous Woodlands Barbeque on Hwy 321 South.

“The legacy of Woodlands is known far and wide,” Anderson touted. “And we pledge to honor that legacy. Founders Butch and Gina Triplett along with Jim and Peggy Houston have made Woodlands a treasured landmark since 1977. So, we’re maintaining their traditional menu, adding a few extras, expanding our catering services and planning a new covered deck for live music next spring,” added Anderson.

True to his pledge, the new official name of Anderson’s third location is The Pedalin’ Pig at Woodlands. And, while each of the three Pedalin’ Pig restaurants has its own unique ambiance, their common promise is to add a little “fresh gourmet flair to some smoky down south favorites.” Menu, services and hours at www.thepedalinpig. com. –contributed by Steve York

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Apple Hill Farm Store

“Get back in touch with what's real.” Largest selection of alpaca yarns & accessories in the High Country. Autumn Hours: Mon - Sat 10-4; Sun 12 to 4 Banner Elk, NC | (828)963-1662 www.applehillfarmnc.com

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