Henderson County News
The Chimney Rock section of Chimney Rock State Park is closed to the public beginning today for work by the N.C. Department of Transportation to restore a one-lane washout of the main entrance road in the park.
Read Story »
Henderson County News
Q. The new post office location at the mall is missing a self-service kiosk and a drive-up mail drop. What happened?
The plan is to put in a newer model kiosk at the mall location in August. It will be able to issue stamps and mail packages. Drive-up mail drops are not put on two-way public streets and we know of no current plans for one at the mall. I know of two driver’s side mail drops in downtown Hendersonville — one is on Church Street (one-way) between Third and Fourth avenues and another is in the HomeTrust Bank parking lot. At the request of city officials, the Postal Service placed a mail box near the old Fifth Avenue West location. It’s on the north side of Fifth between Economy Drug and the Flower Market. But you can’t access the slot from your car (again, a two-way street). The slot is on the sidewalk side.
Q. I understand that the elevator at Chimney Rock State Park is finally working again after almost three years. What took so long?
Let’s start with some quick history. The elevator was built in 1947. The vertical shaft is 258 feet high and it’s all inside a cliff of solid granite. But before they could build the shaft, they had to blast out a 198-foot tunnel. It took two years before the elevator was finished and opened to the public. That was back when the park was privately owned. The elevator has served well over the years but when the state acquired the park in 2007, the elevator, along with much of the park, had to be upgraded and that work began immediately. The last time the elevator was modernized was in the 1980s so it came as no surprise that many problems were encountered.
One of the first problems was getting reliable power to the elevator — something particularly important for passengers. Chimney Rock officials could not put the public at risk so a back-up generator was installed. Next came the job of bringing the old Otis elevator control unit up to modern standards. A new controller from a different manufacturer was installed but it did not function properly so engineers decided to switch back to an Otis brand controller. Then the elevator motor was replaced and more troubleshooting was needed to find the cause of the “dirty power” they were getting from Duke Energy. All this added to elevator down time.
Finally, there were issues with natural occurring condensation. A 64-story shaft through solid rock is basically a cave – cold and damp. Moisture can wreak havoc on sensitive electrical equipment so a gutter system was designed to remove the water. Finally, air conditioning and a dehumidifier were installed in the penthouse room at the top of the elevator.
Park superintendant Mary Jaeger-Gale has had her hands full with one elevator problem after another not to mention the damage to the upper parking lot following last May’s storms. Since the upgrades began, the state has expended about $4 million at Chimney Rock State Park, but the elevator is now back in service and eight people can ride to the top (and back down) in just 32 seconds. The walk is cool too – only 499 steps.
* * * * *
Send questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Read Story »
Hendersonville News
Ashley and Walker Covington had everything a couple could want in Raleigh — good jobs as a CPA and schoolteacher, respectively, and a big city with plenty for young people to do.
Read Story »
Horse Shoe News
HORSE SHOE — Developer John Turchin has begun renting Horse Shoe farm for retreats, weddings, family reunions and other events and for now is holding off on a residential development.
Read Story »
Fletcher News
Four Fletcher Police Officers who responded to a call on July 18 of an armed suspect inside the Fletcher CVS Pharmacy and subsequently shot and killed the suspect will not face criminal prosecution, District Attorney Greg Newman announced on Friday.
Read Story »
Hendersonville News
Hendersonville police detectives coordinating with Homeland Security agents arrested a 23-year-old Greensboro man they say traveled to Hendersonville with the intention of meeting a 13-year-old female for sex.
Read Story »
Hendersonville News
A rash of thefts from motor vehicles likely could have been prevented if drivers would take the simple step of locking their cars, Hendersonville Police Chief Herbert Blake said.
Police responded to 16 reports of car break-ins in July.
“Of these 16 car break-ins, 15 of these cars were left with visible items of some value," Blake said in a call to the city alert line to residents and businesses. "Let us remind you that thieves will enter unlocked vehicles for minimal value items. If your car is locked, they will damage your vehicle for items that they can notice of value.
"Don’t become a victim. Consider removing any items of value from your vehicle and locking your vehicles when you park them."
Most of the thefts occurred on the west side of the city, a police spokeswoman said. Read Story »
Henderson County News
Hurry up and grow out those sideburns, crank up the Atari and burn gasoline as if there were no Arab oil embargo on your way to South Main Street. The '70s are playing at the Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown.
The songs of one of the most defining musical decades of the century are sure to spark the Night Fever. Running this weekend and next, '70s Summer Nights promises an infectious evening of energy, music and entertainment.
'70s Summer Nights features "Stayin Alive," "I’m All Out of Love," "Take a Chance on Me," "My Baby Loves Lovin’," "Band of Gold," "Right Back Where We Started," "Dream Weaver," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "Brandy," "Come and Get Your Love,"I’ll Never Fall in Love Again," "Boogie Oogie Oogie," "How Deep is Your Love," "My Sharona," "Killing Me Softly With His Song," "Bridge Over Trouble Water," "Night Fever ," "The Time of the Season," and "Seasons in the Sun."
The show stars singers Dustin Brayley, Jason Wooten and Ebony Blake with music director Will Moss (keys, vocals), Sarah Fowler (keys II), Tucker Warwick (bass), Casey Cramer (guitar) and Phillip Bronson (drums).
Brayley most recently appeared at the Flat Rock Playhouse in Motown Summer Nights, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and The Music of the Beatles. Wooten appeared most recently in Music of the Night: The Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bubblegum Pop.
The show runs through Aug. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by calling the Playhouse Box Office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org. The Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown is at 125 S. Main St.
Read Story »
Henderson County News
When Publix holds a jobs fair this weekend, the Florida-based supermarket chain will find that it’s hunting in a sparse field.
Read Story »
