News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Realtors help Habitat; PEO, Trout scholars honored

Habitat CEO Ron Laughter accepts a check from Tim Ertzberger, president of the Board of Realtors.

By Bill Moss, Published: August 9, 2015

Realtors help Habitat

The Hendersonville Board of Realtors presented Henderson County Habitat for Humanity a check for $3,000 last week. The money was raised through the board’s annual charity golf tournament held on May 11 at Kenmure Country Club. Ron Laughter, president of Henderson County Habitat for Humanity, receives the check from Tim Ertzberger, president of Board of Realtors.

Keillor’s farewell tour is coming to Brevard

A Prairie Home Companion, the long-running National Public Radio show hosted by Garrison Keillor, is coming to Brevard for its farewell tour.
The show returns to Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium at Brevard Music Center for a live performance on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
As one of only a few cities across the country that will feature Keillor and company during his 2015 “The America the Beautiful” farewell summer bus tour, the Brevard Music Center performance marks one of the last opportunities for the public to experience A Prairie Home Companion with its original cast before Keillor retires as host.
The show will also conclude this season’s popular BMC Presents series, featuring non-classical programming that delights and inspires new audiences. BMC Presents expands the Brevard Music Center’s annual summer music festival, featuring 80 performances over 7 weeks.
For over 40 years, A Prairie Home Companion has brought its unique mix of storytelling, live music, classic radio drama and the news from Lake Wobegon to audiences in theaters, and over the airways, around the world. Today, Prairie Home Companion is heard by 4 million listeners each week on nearly 700 public radio stations, as well as online and satellite stations. The Aug. 15 performance will feature celebrated singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz.
Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. To purchase tickets, or for more information about Brevard Music Center, Garrison Keillor and A Prairie Home Companion, call (828) 862-2105 or visit BrevardMusic.org.
Brevard Music Center acknowledges the generous support of RBC Wealth Management of Asheville (Lead Sponsor) and Hampton Inn – Brevard (Sustaining Series Sponsor) of the BMC Presents performance of A Prairie Home Companion.

PEO grants scholarships

Alexandra Foote accepts scholarship award.PEO chapter B recently awarded grants to two students. Alexandra Foote of Flat Rock received a grant toward her master’s degree program in English from PEO International’s Program for Continuing Education. PCE is a grant program providing assistance to qualified women whose education has been interrupted and who return to school to complete a degree or certification that will improve their marketable skills for employment. Elda Lepak and Helen Palmer, co-chairs of Hendersonville Chapter B’s PCE committee, assisted Foote through chapter sponsorship and a competitive application process including candidates from the United States and Canada. Foote attends Western Carolina University.

Ashley BrittainAshley Brittain, of Mills River, won a grant from PEO International for her studies in nursing at Western Carolina University. The grants are awarded to qualified women who have had a break in their education and have returned to complete their education to increase their employment opportunities.

Congregational Church announces forums

First Congregational United Church of Christ on Fifth Avenue West in Laurel Park announced its weekly adult forums in the Felix Building on Sundays at 9:15 a.m. Visit fcchendersonville.org, or call 828-692-8630 to learn more. Here is the schedule:
Aug. 16 – Conversation on Spiritual Practice of Diversity. Gary Cyphers, church moderator, leads an ongoing conversation on each of the 10 spiritual practices that our fall Ashley Lecturer Diana Butler Bass finds in vibrant and growing congregations.
Aug. 23 – The Contemplative Life, Part I: Did you ever wonder what life in a convent is like? Or what “religious orders” are, or what monks do all day? In this forum, people from the congregation will relate their prior experiences in various ashrams, convents and monasteries. Presenters: Nolleen Kelly, Romella Hart-O’Keefe, Ed O’Keefe and others.
Aug. 30 – The Contemplative Life, Part: Is there a difference between meditation and contemplation? Isn’t plain old prayer good enough? Where does mindfulness fit in? What about TM, Transcendental Meditation? Church members will share their knowledge and experience with such concepts and practices.

Local authors to speak at library

Authors Jack J. Prather, Dave Richards and Richard Gould Woodhull Jr. will speak in a panel forum at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18, in the Kaplan Auditorium at the Henderson County Public Library.
Each will speak for 10-12 minutes, followed by a question-and-answer period and an opportunity to purchase signed books and to speak with the authors.
Prather, the author of seven books, who lives in Henderson County. His last two books have entailed research and interviews with 18 notable persons (10 men, 8 women). “Notable” indicates an exemplary person who has had or is still enjoying a
successful career, who has made his/her mark in North Carolina or elsewhere, who has given back to his/her community, and who liaves in North Carolina now. Prather founded The Young Writers Scholarship, to which he donates a portion of his book proceeds.
Richards’ first book is the result of almost 10 years of research and writing. “Swords in Their Hands: George Washington and the Newburg Conspiracy” focuses on an obscure event that took place in the spring of 1783, less than a year after the American Revolutionary War.
Woodhull, who lives in Brevard, is a retired Air Force colonel and first-time author. His 30-year military career included many assignments, worldwide travel and flying experiences. In the 1960s he became one of the first to pilot the classified U-2
spy plane. His book is “Flying High: Memoir of a Thirty Year Adventure.”

University mission is Table Talk topic

The University Mission Field will be the subject of a talk by John Hanna at Hendersonville Presbyterian Church’s Table Talk at 6:25 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12. The public is invited and there is no charge. For those who would like to attend dinner (small charge) at 5:25 p.m., reservations are required and can be made by calling the church office at (828) 692-3211. Hendersonville Presbyterian is located at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Grove Street.

Trout Unlimited awards scholarship

Brian AlbeaBrian G. Albea, a recent graduate of West Henderson High School and a rising freshman at Brevard College, is the 2015 recipient of the Pisgah Chapter of Trout Unlimited William L. Arbuckle Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $1,000.
Albea is pursuing a career as a wildlife biologist. “I have basically grown up in the outdoors and I can’t imagine living a life without being able to enjoy the natural resources that we have so readily available,” he said. Growing up in Mills River, he lived on land next to the river and from a very young age spent much of his time fishing and exploring the river.
The scholarship fund, a component fund of the Community Foundation of Henderson County, was established in 2006 by The Pisgah Chapter of Trout Unlimited. It is named for and honors the memory of William “Bill” L. Arbuckle, an avid angler, supporter and former director of the Pisgah Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Pictured are Tyler LaRowe, a Brevard College sophomore; Bill Medl, Connestee Falls Student Scholarship Program representative; and Hayleigh Mann, a Brevard College freshman. LaRowe and Mann, as well as three other students, will receive scholarships from the Connestee Falls Student Scholarship Program for the 2015-16 academic year at Brevard College.

Connestee Falls fund grants five scholarships

The Connestee Falls Student Scholarship Program recently chose five local students to receive scholarships for the 2015-2016 school year at Brevard College.

“I continue to receive an outstanding education thanks to the incredible sponsors of the Scholarship Program,” said recipient Tyler LaRowe, a sophomore majoring in theatre. “I hope to make them proud by continuing with my studies, graduating from college, and inspiring people every day to strive for greatness.”

LaRowe, along with Gina Pressley, Hayleigh Mann, Hayden McCall and Kirstyn Whisenant are graduates of either Rosman or Brevard high schools.

The Connestee Falls Student Scholarship Program is in its 28th year of assisting students from Transylvania County to achieve their academic goals. Since 1987, organizers have raised more than $700,000 and provided scholarships for nearly 500 students. Last year, the program pulled in $65,200 in donations, with funds distributed equally among Transylvania County schools, Brevard College and Blue Ridge Community College.

“I believe that the majority of Connestee Falls residents, local businesses, and community organizations realize that their contribution to the Student Scholarship Program is an investment in both our local students’ futures and the future of Transylvania County,” said Bill Medl, a liason between the Scholarship Program and the schools. “Whether it is through a financial contribution, an in-kind donation, or serving as a volunteer on one of the many committees responsible for organizing or executing the Program’s activities, we all benefit from a successful Student Scholarship campaign.”

The Connestee Falls Golf Course annual tournament is one event that provides funding for the scholarships. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 19 (rain date Oct. 3). Registration forms and additional information about the tournament are available online at www.wsqlradio.com or through the Connestee Pro Shop by calling 828-885-2005.