Treska Lindsey's WWII journal published

From the Times-News:

For Europeans who opposed German Nazism, the years of World War II were fraught with danger, deprivation and displacement. Treska Lindsey, 90, not only survived those years but managed to record poignantly her family's experiences in an illustrated journal she kept by her side as they worked in occupied France after fleeing Belgium.

Illustrated with beautifully detailed sketches of her family at work in the countryside and the people of France they met, the journal traveled with her the long miles between her homeland and Flat Rock, where she and her husband came to settle.

When she was 87 years old, at her brother's urging, the journal was shown to a French publisher and printed. Now "The Brutish and Magical Years: 1940-1944" has been published in English, and her family and friends are inviting the public to a celebration of the book.

Born Therese Gevaert, she was the daughter of artist Edgar Gevaert and the granddaughter, on her mother's side, of sculptor George Minne. Hers, she said, was a family of artists. So it was only natural that, as a 16-year-old girl, uprooted from her affluent life in the Belgian countryside, she would turn to art to describe their new lives as refugees working as farm laborers and lumberjacks. . .

Want to go? 
What: Celebration of the English translation of The Brutish and Magical Years: 1940-1944 by Treska Lindsey
When: 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16
Where: Highland Lake Cove in Flat Rock
Extra: Lindsey will sign books and exhibit her artwork. Refreshments will be served. Copies of the book also are available at The Fountainhead Bookstore in Hendersonville and Malaprop’s in Asheville.

Read it all.

Julien and Lori Smythe to restore Mountain Lodge

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

The new owners of historic Mountain Lodge plan to nurse the 1820s house back to life before using it as a summer residence and opening it up for a Historic Flat Rock fundraiser.

Historic Flat Rock Inc. bought the property in a sale approved in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Columbia, S.C., and immediately sought a buyer who had the ability and will to spend the money — close to $1 million — needed to stabilize and preserve it. Historic Flat Rock Inc. officials believe they hit a homerun with the buyers — Julien Smythe, whose Flat Rock roots date to the early 1900s, and his wife, Lori.

For Julien Smythe, spending summers in Flat Rock is a return to his boyhood visits to the Many Pines estate that connects his family to the North Carolina mountains. . .

One other connection made the buyers seem like destiny. Joe Oppermann, a historic preservation architect and member of Historic Flat Rock Inc., is married to Langdon Smythe Oppermann, Julien's first cousin. The couple owns Many Pines; Oppermann is guiding the renovation for the Smythes. . .

Read it all. 

Sigh. . .

. . . starting to feel like I live in the 'burbs. . .

America in Bloom: Area gets report card on beauty efforts

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

America in Bloom judges visited Hendersonville, Flat Rock, Laurel Park and Mills River last June. The judges evaluate the community based on its flower displays, landscaping, trees, environmental efforts, heritage preservation and overall impression, make recommendations and write nominations for national awards.

Presenting a report card  to local leaders on Friday morning, America in Bloom judge Jack Clasen said he and co-judge Linda Cromer were disappointed that the national AIB committee chose another city for the commercial streetscape award.

"I've been doing this for 13 years and I'm usually very level-headed. I'm very calm," he said. "I understand how difficult it is (to judge). But I was actually very upset that you did not win that special award for commercial streetscape for Main Street in Hendersonville. Linda and I both felt that the Main Street renovation is first class."

Clasen said he felt so strongly about the award that "a bit of a shakeup" resulted.

Clasen gave the report card at the City Operations Center in a session attended by the mayors of Hendersonville, Laurel Park and Flat Rock, Henderson County America in Bloom Committee members, the Tourism Development Authority and city and county officials. . .

A committee launched the local America In Bloom effort last spring with funding from the municipalities. The committee plans to invite AIB judges back for a second evaluation next summer after working on improvements. . .

The judges praised Flat Rock, Laurel Park and Hendersonville for their heritage preservation efforts and recommended house tours and walking tours to raise the profile of the historic assets. . .

Read it all.

Guess what today is. . .

On this day exactly three years ago, I opened up the Times-News to see the headline:
County to buy Highland Lake Golf Club
Plans call for Flat Rock site to become soccer complex, public park

It was the first of many stories by reporter Gary Glancy on the soccer complex deal and the impetus behind this blog.

My, how time flies. . .

If you haven't done so already, go enjoy your park!

Where's Ashley Cauthen now?

Remember Ashley Cauthen, an 8th grade golfer at Flat Rock Middle School who spoke out in favor of keeping Highland Lake golf course? She spoke before the Henderson County Board of Commissioners and wrote letters in support of golf in 2011.

Well, she's all grown up now, playing for East Henderson High School and this year's recipient of the Blair Lamb Award in golf! Go, Ashley!

Photo credit: MIKE DIRKS/TIMES-NEWS 24-September-2014 East Henderson's Ashley Cauthen tees off during the Henderson County girls high school golf championship Wednesday at Cummings Cove Country Club.

Hendersonville Hen Society enjoys fowl play

From the Times-News:

. . . Funny observations of chicken behavior are shared, as is advice on issues like mucking out coops or preventing older hens pecking at young chicks.

The dozen members present at [Barbara Glassman's, aka “Madame Poulet,”] home cringed at the connotation that their gatherings were a sort of “hen party” — rather, they prefer to think of themselves as an intrepid breed of urban chicken farmers in Henderson County.

“We are women who kind of knew each other before, but we instantly bonded over chickens,” Glassman says. “It’s an obsession.”

Famed quilting instructor Georgia Bonesteel [of Flat Rock] is a member of the Hen Society who has been keeping chickens for about five years.

“I think it’s genetic,” says Bonesteel, adding that her grandfather raised chickens. “I got them mostly for the eggs, honestly. I won’t buy eggs in the supermarket.”. . .

Read it all.

Flat Rock Cider Works labors on. . .

Hey, I've tried it--the blackberry gold apple cider--and it's pretty good. From Bold Life:

In addition to spotting and seizing the opportunity to help usher in a cider sea change, the foursome [at Flat Rock Cider Works] also saw the chance to give North Carolina's apple country a brand it could call its own. They set out to make Naked Apple a truly Henderson County product, starting with the fruit.

The company has its own orchards — one they lease and one they own. It's this vertical integration that makes the cidery unique: They can take their cider from the orchard, through the production process, through bottling, and to the final customer. . .

Read it all. Jim Sparks and Tom Davis, part of the Flat Rock Cider Works team, are the former owners of the Highland Lake Golf Club, now The Park at Flat Rock. Connections, connections. . .

Park welcome center bids top budget by $100K

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

Flat Rock park planners went back to the drawing board after construction bids for a welcome center and public restrooms came in $100,000 over budget. . .

Read it all.

The Book Exchange half-price sale

Help support the Ladies Aid Society of Flat Rock and the charitable work they do--and get a break on book prices, too.

Come celebrate the grand re-opening of

The Book Exchange with a half-price sale

Saturday, August 30, 2014

10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Music from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Light refreshments all day

All workers are volunteers

All profits go to local charities

Lowndes House, 1960

Some background on the Lowndes House, now on the grounds of the Flat Rock Playhouse (from Historic Flat Rock by Kenneth and Blanche Marsh, first edition published 1961, revised 1972):

From the text:

I'ON LOWNDES HOUSE

Late 19th Century

In 1847, Charles Baring sold Diamond in the Desert to Richard Lowndes. Mr. Lowndes conveyed to his son, I'on a tract on the eastern end of the property. It was there that I'on erected the lattice trimmed, towered porch residence in the style of late nineteenth century homes.

The residence is located beside the large outcropping of rock for which Flat Rock is named. According to the legend the Indians held their great annual councils seated around this large flat rock long before the famed Buncombe turnpike encouraged low country aristocrats to establish Flat Rock as a summer colony. Thus Cherokee Indians, white pioneers, tidewater newcomers, alike, enjoyed the cool air of the heights just as do the present day audiences of the State Theater, which now occupies these historic grounds.

Mountain Lodge, 1960

Mountain Lodge is currently in disrepair. I thought it might be interesting to see what it looked like in 1960, from Historic Flat Rock by Kenneth and Blanche Marsh (first edition published 1961, revised 1972).

The text reads:

MOUNTAIN LODGE 1827

Majestic Mountain Lodge is the patriarch of the great old dwellings of Flat Rock .Built as a grand manor house by Charles Baring it has fulfilled its auspicious origin through a succession of distinguished owners.

In 1853 it was acquired by the illustrious Trenholm family. Edward Trenholm was a member of a cotton mercantile firm of Liverpool and Charleston which owned the battleship Alabama. The ship became famous for running the Union blockade of Southern ports. Edward's brother, George, was second Secretary of the Confederate Treasury. 

Caption text: Jane Angier's figure in the foreground helps scale the enormous size of the slow growing English boxwood planted about 1830 by Susan Baring

Edward's daughter-in-law, gracious Alicia, entertained the South's leaders at the Lodge. Her father, Roswell Sabine Ripley, was the honored artillery officer in command of coastal and water defenses of Charleston under General Beauregard. His two volume history of the Mexican War was used as a West Point textbook. While living in Europe after the War Napoleon III requested him to take charge of the fortifications of Paris. Alicia authored a booklet on Flat Rock still in publication through the courtesy of Mary Trenholm Kemper, her daughter.

The George Baldwins--she a member of the Middleton and King families, carried on the cultural traditions of the Old South at the Lodge. Dr. and Mrs. Edward Jones, their successors, spent lavishly of their oil millions to remodel the dwelling adding the columned portico.

The Newton Duke Angiers of the famous tobacco and lumber families added mid-20th century distinction to the venerable old estate.

Top photo: Lida Angier, Newton Angier's sister, and Jane in the great dining hall of Mountain Lodge. The wallpaper is hand painted in the irridescent peacock colors.  
Bottom photo: Newton Duke Angier beside a painting of his grandmother, Lida Duke, who married Jonathan Cicero Angier.

Jane Angier, recent mistress of Mountain Lodge, on her beloved portico.

And a reminder of what Mountain Lodge looks like today:

Photo credit: Hendersonville Lightning

I'm a believer. . .

As I said a few weeks ago, "I'll believe it when I see it" about the completion of Upward Road. Well, here it is, and very nice, too. Still a few lines to paint, but it is pretty much done.

Looking west on Upward Road towards the Spartanburg Highway intersection

Historic Flat Rock house tour this Saturday

Don't miss out on the Historic Flat Rock house tour this Saturday:

Join us on Saturday, July 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a self-conducted tour of four historic homes & gardens, as well as St. John in the Wilderness Church & Churchyard. . .

Tickets are $25 pre-purchase (no children under ten, please), and $30 at each private home on the tour day. Cash or check is requested, but credit cards will be accepted at "Hopewood" only. 

Order tickets on this website (May 15 - July 6) or purchase at Hendersonville Travel & Tourism, The Wrinkled Egg, and The Book Exchange in Flat Rock, or at each house on day of tour. . .

More information on the tour in the Times-News:

Want to mingle with actors portraying famous figures of the 1960s as they cavort around vintage cars, or peek into an old farmhouse or see a Civil War era depiction of a costume ball set in Flat Rock?

The 28th Tour of Homes will allow visitors to spend a leisurely self-guided day getting a look inside some of the most historic sites in the village of Flat Rock. . .

In addition to four residences, the tour will feature the church and churchyard of St. John in the Wilderness, the oldest Episcopal church in Western North Carolina, construction of which was started in 1833.

A variety of residences grace this drive-yourself tour — from the circa 1848 farmhouse at Apple Acres, the Italianate style of the 1837 McCullough Cottage, the gracious 1862 mountain retreat of Dunroy Estate, to Hopewood, a grand 1938 brick mansion.

Gardens are also open on the tour, with such notable history as the garden at Hopewood, which had an original design by Chauncey Beadle, the horticulturalist long associated with the Biltmore Estate. . .

Read it all, and also in the Hendersonville Lightning:

Six years since it last hosted a home tour, Historic Flat Rock is offering a look inside four private homes and the historic St. John in the Wilderness church and cemetery on Saturday, July 12.

Open for the tour are the Dunroy Estate and garden (c1862), McCullough Cottage (c1837), Apple Acres (c1848) and the Hopewood Estate and formal gardens (c1878-1938). Also featured is the Church of St. John in the Wilderness and its churchyard (c1833), a must for history buffs.

At Hopewood, tourgoers will enjoy a special event celebrating the estates' owners in the 1950s. Visitors will "meet" the stars of the late '50s and '60s, an era of dynamic social change and innovation. . .

Bankruptcy judge OKs purchase of historic Mountain Lodge

Good news from Historic Flat Rock, from the Hendersonville Lightning:

Historic Flat Rock expects to close July 11 on the purchase of the historic Mountain Lodge after a bankruptcy judge approved its offer of $550,000 last month.

"We're going to stabilize it and offer it for sale to somebody who wants to restore it," HFR President Rick Merrill said. "We've actually got a conversation going with a prospective buyer and there may be more that come along."

Merrill estimates clearing the property and stabilizing the house will cost around $125,000 and take the rest of the summer. The prospective buyer wants to buy the property and live in it during the summer, posting a caretaker in cottage on the property. . .

Built around 1827, the home is one of the most significant examples of the movement of wealthy Charleston, S.C., landowners and business people into Flat Rock for summer homes. . .

Besides the 7,000-square-foot antebellum home, the 23-acre property includes a separate billiard room, a stone springhouse and a smaller cottage sitting in an overgrown field visible from Rutledge Drive. . .

Read it all.

America in Bloom national judges pleased with Henderson County, offer tips

More on last week's visit by national judges for America in Bloom, from the Times-News:

America in Bloom judge Jack Clasen said he found hidden gems and a lot of community pride in Henderson County on Friday at the tail end of a two-day tour of the area.

"In Raleigh, it's got a good reputation, there's no question. Everybody is always praising this area, but there's nothing wrong with national recognition," he said, grinning under the shade of a large tree at Bullington Gardens.

Last week marked Henderson County's first visit from judges in the nationwide beautification program America in Bloom.

The nonprofit, all-volunteer organization, now in its 13th year, works to cultivate community pride by helping different groups work together on common goals of preservation and beautification. Judges — with horticultural insight — tour locations, provide recommendations for improvements and recognize the efforts of participating communities through AIB's national award program. . .

He recalled the sense of community pride he felt touring the former 9-hole golf course set to become the Park at Flat Rock on Thursday.

"The number of people who are looking at that golf course and saying, 'Ok, I'm willing to help out and to get involved,' some people financially and some people saying, 'I'd like to be on the committee to work on it' — That's really great when you've got that kind of spirit. It's a can-do attitude," he said.

Clasen has been with America in Bloom since its inception, touring the country in visits to cities and towns that show a side of the nation he wishes others could see. . .

Read it all.

Completion date again set for Upward Road project

I'll believe it when I see it. From the Times-News:

After a four-year tangle with delays and a price tag estimated to be $1 million over budget, a project to widen a nearly 2.8-mile stretch of Upward Road seems to be, finally, coming to an end.

"We should have all lanes open, I hope, by early next week," said N.C. Department of Transportation Resident Engineer Aaron Powell, sharing a common refrain of relief heard throughout the community. "It took us four years to get here."

The last minor adjustments still called for in the project should be done in a month. . .

Read it all.

America in Bloom judges in town to evaluate county's beauty

Thursday morning, judges from America in Bloom, a national non-profit group that "promotes nationwide beautification through education and community involvement by encouraging the use of flowers, plants, trees, and other environmental and lifestyle enhancements," visited Flat Rock as part of their Henderson County trip.

They specifically looked at four locations in the village:

• Flat Rock Village Hall
• Flat Rock Playhouse
• St. John in the Wilderness
• The Park at Flat Rock

They are also judging Laurel Park, Hendersonville, and Mills River as part of their two-day visit.

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

Village of Flat Rock officials and park volunteers made a short presentation about the new Park at Flat Rock and answered questions from judges on a two-day visit to see if the community measures up to national beauty standards.

Flat Rock, Hendersonville, Mills River, Laurel Park and Henderson County are participating in the effort to get recognition by America In Bloom, a nonprofit organization that encourages beautification, historic preservation and volunteerism. The judges also look at community pride, and Flat Rock park volunteers displayed plenty of that.

"It's a gateway to the community," Sally Boyd, vice president of the Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation, told the judges. "Everybody is going to see this as they come into Flat Rock and enjoy it.". . .

Read it all, and from the Times-News:

Henderson County rolled out the “green” carpet Thursday morning, welcoming judges from the America in Bloom national awards program to the start of a two-day tour of the heart of Apple Country that could put the land of four seasons on the map once again.

Henderson County will be competing against like-sized populations in Winter Park, Fla., Santa Paula, Cali., and Holland, Mich., this year, to win accolades from the nationwide beautification program that aims to “plant pride” in communities. Contestants will be judged in areas of overall impression, heritage preservation, environmental efforts, urban forestry, landscapes, floral displays and community involvement.

Modeled after successful beautification programs in Europe and Canada, Thursday marked America in Bloom's first visit to Henderson County.

Carol Elliott, of the Land O Sky Garden Club, and Mia Freeman, owner of Mia's Marketplace of Antiques & More, spearheaded the effort to bring America in Bloom to the county. . .

Read it all.

Dye Creek rehabilitation becomes park priority

Dye Creek as it runs through The Park at Flat Rock

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

With the council's tentative approval, the plan to rehabilitate Dye Creek moved to the top of the priority list, not including work the Village Council is already committed to for the clubhouse renovations and landscape buffering between the park and the Highland Golf Villas.

"It sounds almost too good to be true," said Vice Mayor Nick Weedman. "Here somebody walks in and says we're going to do this amazing thing for you and it's not going to cost you a nickel."

Amazing but true.

The work would be done through a state mitigation credit program under which developers can get a permit for projects that eliminate wetlands by paying for projects to repair or enhance wetlands somewhere else. It's the same program Laurel Park used to re-channel the creek through Rhododendron Lake Park, a job the French Broad Mitigation Partners also completed.

The creek that crosses the Park at Flat Rock from Highland Lake and empties into King Creek was straightened decades ago most likely for farming, said landscape architect Ed Lastein, the village's park development consultant.

"It's in full sun, which means it's choked with vegetation, especially this time of year," he said.

The contractor proposed a new path with "meander bends," stream bank repair and plantings of river birch, flowering dogwood, elderberry and pussy willow. . .

Read it all.

Filmmaker Paul Bonesteel headlines ECO event

From the Times-News:

Local filmmaker Paul Bonesteel will speak and show his documentary film “The Mystery of George Masa” at 7 p.m. July 28, as a fundraiser for the Environmental and Conservation Organization. The showing will be in the McIntosh Room of the Blue Ridge Conference Hall, 180 W. Campus Drive, Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock. At 6 p.m., a preview reception with refreshments will feature a talk by Bonesteel about making the film. . .

Read it all.

The Book Exchange reopens after repairs

Good news! From the Hendersonville Lightning:

The Book Exchange has reopened after repairs from a truck accident last month that demolished the front porch.

The front porch of the historic building, which dates to 1847 as the Flat Rock Post Office, was heavily damaged when a pickup truck crashed into it on May 17. A new porch is still under construction but customers can get easy access through the side door. . .

Read it all.

Historic Flat Rock hopes to save Mountain Lodge

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

One of the most historic homes in Flat Rock — and also one of the most time-ravaged and costly to save — would go to Historic Flat Rock Inc. if a bankruptcy court in South Carolina approves the sale.

The preservation group submitted an offer of $550,000 from a revolving fund it uses to save, stabilize and resell endangered historic properties. The offer has the support of a bankruptcy trustee appointed by the court in April to guide the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of owner William Maxwell Gregg II and guard the interest of creditors. . .

"The home [Mountain Lodge] was built in 1827 and is one of the oldest homes in the Flat Rock area with great historical significance to the community," [Bankruptcy trustee R. William Metzger Jr.] said in a motion asking a judge to authorize the sale. "It is in extremely poor condition due to its age and lack of maintenance, upkeep and repairs, which has resulted in vandalism, roof and water damage for several years. The home has not had power or utilities since 2010 and is only presently insured through the efforts of Russell Brands." There is some urgency. The policy expires Aug. 6, and the lender has little incentive to renew it. . .

Read it all. 

Flat Rock ice cream social brings community together

A report on yesterday's annual Flat Rock ice cream social in the Times-News:

From butter pecan to rainbow sherbet, 84 delicious gallons of ice cream were scooped out for Celebrate Flat Rock on Saturday afternoon on the lawn of Village Hall.

For more than 12 years, village residents have come together at the beginning of summer to celebrate their community.

Master of Ceremonies Tiffany Ervin flew in from Australia on Friday night just in time for the celebration, which she's been a part of for seven years.

“It is just the perfect day for people to come out and enjoy the weather, the beauty of Flat Rock and all that Flat Rock has to offer, because they incorporate more than just free ice cream and music,” Ervin said. “You can go shopping, there's live music tonight, there's Connemara, there's the Playhouse, there's the merchants association—it's a great opportunity to bring everyone together.”. . .

Read it all. 

Annual Flat Rock ice cream social this Saturday

The Celebrate Flat Rock! Annual Ice Cream Social is tomorrow (Saturday, June 7) from noon to 4:00 p.m. (rain date June 8). See you there! From the Times-News:

ANNUAL ICE CREAM SOCIAL RETURNS TO THE VILLAGE

The village of Flat Rock will hold its annual Ice Cream Social at noon Saturday on the grounds of the Village Hall and throughout the village.

Mayor Bob Staton will open the festivities, which will continue until 4 p.m. Letters to Abigail will kick off the afternoon's entertainment.

As a change of pace, the Henderson County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit will put on a demonstration of the unique ability of these special dogs and their handlers.

Various musical groups will perform, from The Studebakers to the West Henderson High Small Ensemble.

Caasie and the Clowns of Glory will entertain young and old with face painting, balloon making and temporary tattoos.

The Book Exchange will have a half-price book sale on all used books from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Blood Connection will hold a blood drive from noon to 4 p.m.

The Blue Ridge Fire Department is again arranging for demonstrations by the Sheriff's Office Swat Team and the Bomb Squad as well as EMS and local fire departments. For the comfort of all attending, please leave pets at home.

For more information, call Carol Andrews at 697-0208.

Flat Rock stylin'

No one can say the village of Flat Rock doesn't know how to pick em'.

Not only is The Park at Flat Rock a beautiful place, but Wayland Shamburger of Shamburger Architecture, the architect designing the park buildings, is one well-dressed guy, as evidenced by his appearance in a Joseph Laughter ad.

You can check out some of his preliminary park designs on the village website here.

Caroline Long receives the 2014 ATHENA award

I'm a little late with this, but since there's a Flat Rock connection, I didn't want to miss it. From the Hendersonville Lightning:

Caroline Long, a Hendersonville mom who turned her own struggles and questions about raising two children with autism into a nationally recognized school for autism treatment, was recognized as the 2014 Athena Award winner for her contributions to the community and her mentoring of other women.

Long began working to create the St. Gerard House for children with autism near downtown Hendersonville in 2009, primarily using her own financial resources. In the four years since the St. Gerard House opened, more than 400 students and family members have been helped and served by the school's early behavioral intervention program. She is reachable after hours, before hours and on weekends to mentor moms struggling with an autistic child.

St. Gerard House, which carefully documents its findings, is gaining recognition as a national model for autism therapy. Caroline is also spearheading an international Rwandan Sisters Project to bring missionaries from Africa to St. Gerard House to learn how to help children with autism in Rwanda. . .

And from the Times-News:

Caroline Long, founder of the St. Gerard House in Hendersonville, was recognized Thursday [May 15] as the seventh annual ATHENA Award winner during the Business & Professional Women's Luncheon at Kenmure Country Club. . .

In 2009, Long turned her own experiences raising autistic children into a nonprofit organization that provides families of autistic children with support and educational resources — including The Grotto School, which provides individualized education to local autistic children based on applied behavior analysis.

“I happened to have two children that didn't fit into a mold anywhere, so we had to figure it out,” Long said Thursday.

Now that St. Gerard House and The Grotto School are in Henderson County, local families don't have to go it alone when their children are first diagnosed with autism, said Mike Farmer, treasurer of the St. Gerard House board of directors. . .

Naked Apple Hard Cider hits the shelves. . .

. . . at the local Ingles, anyway.

I understand that it is also being sold in some of the restaurants on Main Street. I bought a bottle of the blackberry gold (only flavor available at Ingles that day) a few days ago--it took three Ingles clerks to find it for me. It's in the hard cider section of their cooler, but it's a single large bottle, so don't bother looking in the six-pack area or the regular singles. Also, the clerk who finally found it for me said that the label is not very "stocking" friendly--the name is not on the front and the design gets lost in all the other bottles. But hey, it's local (Flat Rock Cider Works) so I'm buying it!

I haven't opened it yet (waiting for a very hot day), so. . . to be continued. . .

Naked Apple Hard Cider from Flat Rock Cider Works

Marini out as Flat Rock Playhouse director

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

Flat Rock Playhouse announced today that producing artistic director Vincent Marini will step down on May 31 to pursue new opportunities. Lisa K. Bryant, currently Flat Rock Playhouse associate artistic director, has been named interim artistic director. . .

The Playhouse board will conduct a national search for a new artistic director. . .

Even after he steps down, Marini has been contracted to return in July to work with the 2014 apprentice class and the professional Equity company on the Playhouse's blockbuster summer production of Miss Saigon. . .

Read it all.

Heart attack victim crashes into Flat Rock bookstore

More on Saturday's accident at the Old Post Office from the Times-News:

The heart attack [Lloyd T. Baldwin] suffered on his way back to his home on East Pinecrest Drive caused him to black out, cross the northbound lane, sideswipe a telephone pole and crash his 2005 Nissan pickup into the old Flat Rock Post Office, troopers said.

The crash caused the double-decker porch of the historic building to collapse and shattered the front windows of the Book Exchange run by the all-volunteer Ladies Aid Society of Flat Rock Inc.

“Luckily, there was no (oncoming) traffic,” said N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper M.R. Hinnenkamp. “He went off the left shoulder and hit the porch supports and basically took all of them out and the porch fell.”

Volunteer Mary Terrill was reading a magazine and eating lunch at her desk inside the Book Exchange — which had no customers at the time — when “all of a sudden there was a horrendous noise and all this glass started coming toward me.”. . .

Read it all.

Not a good day in the neighborhood. . .

Whoops!

I stopped by the post office this afternoon and saw this across the street--the porch off of the Old Post Office, which is owned by Historic Flat Rock.

A cameraman from WLOS was there getting footage. He heard that a pick-up truck plowed into the front and that one person inside the Book Exchange on the first floor was taken to the hospital to get treated for broken glass. That's all I know for now.

The Old Post Office, Greenville Highway

Some familiar faces. . .

Recognize some names here?

A group of Hendersonville businessmen will unveil a new line of hard ciders pressed from locally grown apples during a downtown launch party and tasting Friday.

John Coker, Tom Davis, Jim Sparks and Jim Revis are the co-owners of Flat Rock Cider Works, the first Henderson County company to jump into the growing hard-cider market with the introduction of their Naked Apple Hard Cider brand.

The business partners have opened their 4,500-square-foot cidery in South Crossing Business Park on Spartanburg Highway in Flat Rock, where apples from the company's own 10-acre orchard and other local suppliers will be sorted, graded, pressed, fermented and bottled or kegged. . .

Coker, who worked in corporate sales for the beverage packaging industry out of his home here for 10 years, said the new company has strong leadership. Davis and Sparks, who recently sold their Highland Lake Golf Course to the village of Flat Rock for $1.15 million, offer their finance and sales acumen to the team, while Revis brings years of experience in apple and berry growing to his role in operations and procurement. . .

You can check out both styles of cider this Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at their launch party at Hannah Flanagan's Pub, 300 N. Main St. in Hendersonville. The event will also feature finger foods made with hard cider or complemented by it, along with games, prizes and giveaways.

Mr. Peace's postcards

The Markley Blacksmith shop was on West Blue Ridge Road. No longer there, the location is designated by a Historic Flat Rock marker.

The old Rhett Mill was at the base of Highland Lake (formerly Rhett's Pond), next to the dam, and where the Flat Rock Playhouse got its start.

An end to the beginning. . .

The Park at Flat Rock

Yesterday, the Village of Flat Rock officially opened the perimeter trail at The Park at Flat Rock. Students from Flat Rock Middle School were invited to participate by planting a sugar maple at the park to commemorate Earth Day. The event was covered by both the Times-News and the Hendersonville Lightning.

For me, this felt like an end to the beginning. . .

On October 20, 2011, the front page of the Times-News declared:

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners voted today to purchase the Highland Lake Golf Club in Flat Rock to convert the property to a soccer complex and public park.

In a 4-1 vote, commissioners agreed to buy the 65-acre site, currently a 9-hole public course, for $1.15 million.

Commissioner Larry Young was the lone dissenter. He said he could not support the project at a time when the county has cut its budget by 7.5 percent. . .

From that day to this has involved many people, lots of time, and a big financial commitment on the part of the village council and the citizens of Flat Rock once the decision was made to buy the property. The village avoided county control of a large area of pastoral land at one of the gateways into the village as well as the traffic and noise that would have resulted if a soccer complex had been built, especially since the county saw it as a regional soccer destination for tournaments and possible night play.

Much more work needs to be done, and part of that will fall to the Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation and their new director of development, Maurean Adams, as they start fundraising efforts.

Early on, in 2011, three residential neighborhood homeowner associations (HOA) worked together to keep the county from buying the property: Highland Golf Villas, Highland Lake Village, and Staton Woods. Those developments surrounded the Highland Lake Golf Club and would have been the most impacted by any soccer complex development.

In deciding how to handle the situation under time pressure, the HOAs made the commitment to seek legal counsel. Looking at it from the outside (since I wasn't on the village council at the time), I think this was the deciding factor in keeping the county from purchasing the property. Once counsel was retained, I think everyone realized they needed to take a breather and really investigate what was going on. The village discovered that they had the final control because of village zoning, and the county realized that they could not dictate the end result.

It wasn't an easy decision to hire an attorney since no one knew how much time would be needed to present a case and what the final costs would be. Ed Foster, then president of Highland Golf Villas, took the lead in committing to retaining legal advice, even though it wasn't what he signed up for when he became HOA president. Without that commitment from Ed, I think it would have been much more difficult to stop the county. Donations for the legal fund were asked for, and residents responded. In fact, the amount donated was just over what the legal bill ended up being--so all donors got a little back. I always thought that was pretty amazing.

Now that The Park at Flat Rock is a reality, I would like to thank Ed for starting the process of pushing back on the county when he called a meeting of local residents at the Henderson County main library on October 26, 2011; for always supporting the efforts to stop the county purchase; and for always being willing to take the next step in any way needed while this issue was being fought. I'm glad to see he was at the trail opening ceremony on Tuesday--with, I may add, his dog very properly on a leash!

Ed Foster and his dog, Spook, watch the event. 
[photo by Taylor Heery Griffith, Hendersonville Lightning] 

So if this is an end to the beginning, I guess that means we're at the beginning of . . . what? Huummm . . .

And in 1910. . .

The Highland Lake Club--"an exclusive colony in the mountains conducted on the co-operative plan"--was planned but never completed. The plat below shows the lots that would have been available for sale and a planned road at lake's edge that was never built (although parts of it still exist on county records). The large building was the club house, which was built and used for a few years until it burned (approximately where Highland Lake Inn is now) [correction: the club house was north of where Highland Lake Inn is now]. I have always heard that a real estate bust at the time ended the development idea.

From the Highland Lake Club booklet for the 1911 season:

Nowhere east of the Rockies can a more commanding porch view be had than from the spacious verandas of the Club. Ordinarily, such views are only possible as the result of long drives. But in our own location we have a source of continual joy. One can sit and enjoy by the hour the grandeur of Pinnacle Mountain as seen over Highland Lake, or else, to the North, the Bear Wallow Range, in the centre of a beautiful picture framed by Sugar Loaf and Pisgah Mountains. The reader should know that Sugar Loaf is eighteen miles from the Club, and Pisgah is forty, although both are easily seen.

1910 survey of Highland Lake Club lots

When Bonclarken wasn't Bonclarken

Heidelberg, now Bonclarken

Bonclarken on Highland Lake was first named Heidelberg.

Built in 1886 by Dr. Arthur Rose Guérard (1851-1937, originally of Charleston) for his Swiss wife, Eugenie Engels, it was a private residence and for a short time, a planned school, Heidelberg Academy, "a modern home and garden-school for girls." Scheduled to start in 1914, the school never opened because of the beginning of World War I.

Dr. Guérard sold the property in 1921 to the Associate  Reformed Presbyterian Church and moved to Baltimore and then New York. With his first wife, Eugenie, who died in 1900, he had seven children and then five more with his second wife, Madeleine di Marcarellos.

One of the most well-known of his children is Antoinette Francesca Guérard (1881-1964), an artist specializing in etchings during the "Charleston Renaissance" period in the 1920s-1930s. Her work has been exhibited in various museums in Charleston and the South.

Antoinette Francesca Guérard Rhett

Park trail opening ceremony on April 22, Earth Day

Part of the perimeter trail in The Park at Flat Rock

From the Village website:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Village of Flat Rock invites the public to a ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Park at Flat Rock as we officially open the completed portion of the perimeter trail on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 (Earth Day), from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

After opening remarks by Mayor Bob Staton, students from Flat Rock Middle School will help plant a tree to commemorate Earth Day and to enhance the park’s natural beauty. Lemonade and cookies will be provided by the Flat Rock Park Advisory Board, and representatives from the Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation and the Flat Rock Greenways Committee will be there as well.

The perimeter trail is the first amenity to be developed in the park and is about three-quarters completed. Once finished, it will follow the outer boundary of the park and provide a 1.5-mile loop through a variety of landscapes. The current loop of completed perimeter trail and part of one of the secondary trails totals approximately 1.3 miles of flat, all-season walkable surface that begins and ends at the parking lot. The trail’s soft surface is made of finely crushed compacted rock, and is able to handle possible flooding with minimal damage.

While there is currently no seating in the park, we encourage those coming on Tuesday to bring blankets, folding chairs, and their lunch so that they can enjoy a day in the park.

Anyone wishing to donate towards the park’s reforestation project is welcome to contribute to The Village of Flat Rock, with a designation that the money be directed to the Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation for trees.

The Park at Flat Rock is located at 48 Highland Golf Drive, Flat Rock, N.C. For more information, please contact Judy Boleman, Flat Rock village administrator, at 828.697.8100.

Season's chef wins competition

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

Michelle Bailey pumped a triumphant fist in the air as "Got To Be NC Competition" host Jimmy Crippen announced that she had become the first woman chef to lead a team to victory since the series started in 2012.

Bailey, the chef at Season's at the Highland Lake Inn in Flat Rock, won the close battle with Asheville's Sam Etheridge of Ambrozia Bar + Bistro with the dessert course.

Eight chefs from Asheville, Boone and Flat Rock competed in the seven-dinner series that began March 10 and concluded Monday night at the Lioncrest at Biltmore in Asheville. Diners watched tensely as the final scores and numbers posted for each dish. Bailey triumphed in the close battle by almost three points. . .

Read it all.

Couple build tiny house to live in for grad school

From the Times-News:

If anyone can live together peacefully in 200 square feet of space, Lily and Matt Kirk (along with their dog Uwharrie) think they can do it.

Lily Kirk has been busy building the tiny house they will live in once she starts graduate school at the University of Florida this April.

“We're not staying there forever,” she said. “We have to figure out where to park it.”

The house, based on a design by tiny house advocate, teacher, and book author Dan Louche, has a trailer bed for a foundation, so it's good to go on the road. . .

Last fall, the Kirks enrolled in a workshop Louche was giving in Flat Rock, as they'd been curious about tiny houses for a while.

Ignoring the fact that she had never built anything in her life, not even a bookcase, Lily Kirk undertook the task of building a tiny home.

To learn some skills, she asked to assist in the construction of a tiny house — designed by Flat Rock resident Roger Bass — which, once complete, will be lifted onto stilts among trees at Highland Lake Cove. . .

Read it all.

Two village leaders would delay new park entrance (and add a dog park)

This was the lead story in the Hendersonville Lightning a few weeks ago, but it was put online just a few days ago. By now you know how I feel about adding a dog park (ranked 14 out of 16 in amenities by village residents):

The Village Council is also looking at a new project, adding a fenced dog park, which had not up to now been a high priority. But dog owners have been letting their dogs run loose, which has set off complaints from non-dog walkers and opened a debate over what amenity to add first.

"If you go out to the park now the biggest problem we have are dogs," [Nick Weedman, council member] said. "A former council member stated it perfectly. If you don't have a dog park the whole park becomes a dog park. That's what's happening right now."

The Village Council last week authorized new signs that remind park visitors to leash their dogs. "Not everyone is comfortable with dogs," it adds.

Given the size and sparse use of the park now, "People's common reaction is that doesn't apply to me," Weedman said. . .

All I can say is, Henderson County has six parks--all allow dogs on leashes and only one, Jackson Park, also includes a dog park. When you visit the county parks, you will see visitors walking their dogs on leashes, not letting them run loose. It is factually incorrect to say that "If you don't have a dog park, the whole park  becomes a dog park." I think it's a short-term problem that has been decreasing as people have become more used to the rules and more aware that the park will not stay an open field, but will include amenities throughout.

The village council last year approved the master design plan unanimously. I'm not sure how the idea of a dog park became a priority over every thing else when it is not part of the master plan and ranks so low on what residents indicated they wanted in a park.   

Read it all.

Henderson County primary voting information

From the Henderson County Board of Elections, information on the upcoming primary election:

• Primary election day is Tuesday, May 6
• Voting will be held on Election Day from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at all 35 county precincts
• Early voting and absentee voting is from April 24 through May 3
• For those in the Flat Rock precinct, voting will be in the Flat Rock Village Hall from April 24-26 (9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) April 28-May 2 (9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.), and May 3 (9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

Don't forget to vote!

GOP sets forums for local races starting April 3

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

The Henderson County Republican Party plans a series of Thursday night campaign forums in April that it hopes will include all 15 Republican candidates on the primary ballot for local office.

The forums will be held starting at 7 p.m. April 3, 10 and 17 at the Opportunity House.

Here's the lineup. . .

Read it all.

Location of the Jackson Park dog park, just in case you're looking. . .

Jackson Park has a wonderful dog park--it's where we take our dog. There is plenty of space and lots of cool, fresh water.

Check it out on the map of Jackson Park--it's the blue rectangle on the left of the map.

And take a look on Google maps:

Area quilters displaying their work on Saturday

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

Area quilters will display their work during the National Quilt Day exhibit at Blue Ridge Mall this Saturday, March 15.

Quilters Hardy Chandler [of Flat Rock] and Dawn Bartholic of the WNC Quilting Guild helped organize this year's exhibit, whose theme of "Initial This!" required quilters to incorporate their initials into the pattern. . . .

Read it all.

Why the Times-News editorial board is wrong again

Just as they were with the soccer complex fiasco, the Times-News editorial board is wrong again--this time on the dog park issue:

People who thumb their noses at the rules and behave badly should not be rewarded, it’s true. But dog owners in and around Flat Rock should not be punished by the actions of a few scofflaws.

Dog parks are extremely popular, as evident by the hordes of people and pets using one that recently opened at the Mills River Park.. .

Henderson County has six county parks and only Jackson Park includes a dog park. The other parks allow dogs on leashes. These parks do not have lots of dogs running loose just because they don't have dog parks. The Jackson Park dog park is just three miles from Flat Rock, so there is more than enough space there for dogs to run in the immediate area. [ed. - I deleted info on the size of the dog park at Jackson Park because I have not confirmed that with the Parks Dept.]

This issue came up last September as well, before I was on the council. Here is an email I sent the council members at the time that still holds true:

At last Thursday’s village council meeting [held 9/12/13], at the Flat Rock Park Development Advisory Committee presentation, the idea of including a dog park was suggested by several people, including some council members. At yesterday’s park development advisory committee meeting, Ed Lastein showed his latest design of the park, which included an area designated for a dog park.

I am strongly opposed to including a dog park for several reasons:

1) The village council went to great effort to ensure transparency and accountability on the park issue.

• The Flat Rock Park Exploratory Committee provided a survey for residents to complete, held a public forum on the park, and encouraged all residents to participate in letting the village know what they wanted to see in a park.
• Based on that information, the exploratory committee created a list based on number of responses.
• The Flat Rock Park Development Advisory Committee then took that list and determined that they would include the top seven items in the park design.
• This allowed the process to be public, since the exploratory committee’s report was public, and all Flat Rock residents could understand why these particular seven items were to be included: they are the top seven rated features gathered from residents’ input.
• To now preempt that process negates the work of the Exploratory Committee and the decision by the Development Advisory Committee. It also makes unclear how park decisions will be made. All residents were informed of the survey and the public forum. The residents who took the time to come or respond to a survey could now consider that their input is being dismissed. Based on the initial input, they could well ask why these items are not being included:

      Community garden
      Tennis/pickleball/multi-use courts
      Community center
      Bocce court
      Horse shoes

All of these features rated ahead of a dog park in the survey/public forum.

I understand that the needs of residents will change over time and that at a future date, a dog park may be something the village decides to build, but to include it now—to even show a future site (because as soon as it’s on paper, people will assume it will happen)—brings into question the methodology for deciding park features.

2) One of the top concerns I heard from residents was the ongoing maintenance costs of a park. A dog park will require extensive maintenance, including clean-up, providing a water supply, and continuous replenishment of whatever ground surface is used inside the dog park. Some municipalities are also concerned about increased liability with a dog park.

3) While all parks have some of the same features, they do not need to duplicate each other. Jackson Park has a wonderful dog park—it’s where we take our dog. It is just a few miles away and very accessible. There is no need for Flat Rock to duplicate that facility.

4) While the homeowners nearest the park cannot dictate what goes into the park, I do think their wishes should get some weighted consideration. Their understanding was that there would be no dog park in the foreseeable future—that is one reason they welcomed the park. To make a switch to including a dog park at this date seems very counterproductive to maintaining good relations with those most affected.

Thank you.

Unleashed dogs spur call for dog park in Flat Rock [Update]

Update: My thoughts on the issue can be found here.

From the Times-News:

Faced with a pack of complaints about loose dogs at its new village park off Highland Lake Road, Flat Rock council voted 3-2 Monday to lay plans for a contained dog park and, in the meantime, increase signage that pets must be leashed.

“The park has gone to the dogs,” said former Councilman Dave Bucher, who now chairs the village's Park Advisory Board. When approached and told their unleashed canines are breaking park rules, “people have been pretty darn nasty and rude,” he said. . . .

“Let's make it official,” said Councilman Don Farr, who made a motion to erect fencing and establish a contained dog park. He later amended his motion to instruct the Park Advisory Board, working with Project Manager Ed Lastein and Park Development Director and Councilman Jimmy Chandler, to plan for a dog park.

But Councilwoman Anne Coletta said she opposed the idea because a fenced dog park wasn't compatible with the “look and feel” of the passive, dawn-to-dusk park, which she said was conceived by an advisory committee and council largely as “a nature park with observation areas to look at the wildlife.”

Coletta added that not every park has to “provide everything to everybody,” pointing out that Jackson Park has a dog park for those who want to exercise their pups.

“We're also rewarding people that are breaking the rules,” she said. “It's clearly stated that dogs must be on a leash. And I know that it's difficult to keep them on a leash and that right now it looks like a big, open field. But I think once the (new entrance) road goes through and once it starts to look like a park, that perhaps some of this problem will disappear.”. . .

Read it all.

Ken Grossman, Cassandra King to headline Bookfest

It's that time of year, again--the Blue Ridge Bookfest is six years old!

From the Times-News:

Ken Grossman, co-founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and author of “Beyond the Pale,” and novelist Cassandra King, author of “Moonrise,” will be the featured speakers at the sixth annual Blue Ridge Bookfest at Blue Ridge Community College on April 25 and 26.

The theme for the 2014 festival is “Tell Us Your Story.”

Grossman will speak at the Friday evening reception. King, wife of well-known author Pat Conroy and an established writer in her own right, will speak at the luncheon on Saturday. . . .

For more information, visit www.blueridgebookfest.org.

Read it all.

More work set for The Park at Flat Rock

The Park at Flat Rock

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

The Flat Rock Village Council last week authorized a $15,411 contract for stream and creek work and tentatively committed about $150,000 to renovate the clubhouse for restrooms at the village’s new park.

The council also agreed to appropriate $23,000 to operate the Flat Rock Recreation Foundation, which has set a goal of raising $567,950 for the park over three years through grants and donations.

The council agreed to move ahead on public restrooms in the clubhouse when cost estimates for a planned pavilion and separate restroom building came in above forecast.

Project manager Ed Lastein told the council that the village could achieve most of what it planned for the clubhouse including the restrooms, a park information area, office space and required changes for wheelchair access for about $147,000.

“I think this really satisfies all our needs,” he said. . .

Read it all.

A spring trip to the Aiken-Rhett House

Aiken-Rhett House, Charleston, SC

If you're planning a springtime trip to Charleston to see the gardens, you may want to visit the Aiken-Rhett House Museum (48 Elizabeth Street). Built around 1820, it was bought by William Aiken, Sr. in 1827 and remained in the family until 1975 when it was sold to The Charleston Museum.

Interior of the Aiken-Rhett House

William Aiken, Jr. (S.C. governor, 1844-1846) acquired property around Flat Rock's Highland Lake:

William Aiken, Jr. died at his summer home in Flat Rock, North Carolina, in 1887. He left his property to his wife and daughter. Harriet Lowndes Aiken [his wife] continued to live in the [Charleston] house until her death in 1892. Her daughter, Henrietta, and son-in-law, Major A.B. Rhett (CSA), raised their four sons and one daughter in the house. Upon Henrietta’s death, the house was divided between her children and their heirs. Two sons, I’On Rhett and Andrew Burnet Rhett, Jr. continued to live in the house until the mid twentieth century. . .

Aiken's daughter, Henrietta, was given the Flat Rock property in 1873 and it remained in the family until the 1910s.

Harriet Lowndes Aiken, wife of Gov. William Aiken