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Henderson County News

Ron Shuler, funeral director, dies at age 75

Rutledge Everett “Ron” Shuler Jr., passed away Saturday, November 5, 2016 at the Elizabeth House in Flat Rock after a valiant struggle with cancer. He was 75. Ron was born on February 14, 1941, to Lillie Mae Rickenbaker Shuler and Rutledge Everett Shuler, Sr. in Orangeburg County, S.C. He grew up swimming, fishing, and skiing from the loamy banks of Lake Marion. He fell in love with golf as a teen and helped build his first home course, Holly Hill Country Club, while receiving lessons from the local professional. Ron always loved a good day’s work, and he poured himself into every venture he pursued. After graduating from Holly Hill High School in 1959, Ron attended the University of South Carolina. After USC, Ron moved to Dallas, Texas, to study at Gupton-Jones Mortuary Institute, completing his coursework for licensure in 1964, while also serving as Vice-President of his class. Interestingly, while there, Ron worked as a paramedic and found himself driving an ambulance the day of John. F. Kennedy’s assassination. He was at Parkland Memorial Hospital during the tragic events, something which left a poignant and indelible memory. After graduation, Ron returned to his home state of South Carolina to pursue his career in funeral service. Ron met the his wife, Faye Kirby, in Florence, S.C., while he was working as a funeral director. They were married in August of 1965. In South Carolina, he actively served the community as president of the Jaycees and in other civic roles. Before retiring from his tenure with Batesville Casket Company, Ron was inducted into the Masters Club, the company's highest honor. In 1975, the family moved to Hendersonville. In 1997, he and Faye founded Shuler Funeral Home. His years at Shuler Funeral Home were the most fulfilling of his career life and he felt humbled and grateful each day to help families during some of their most difficult days. He believed in the wonder of human compassion and in the dignity of life, and he made these tenets the mission of his work. Ron was a member of Hendersonville First Baptist Church for 40 years, serving as a children’s Sunday School teacher and as a Deacon. His love for Christ, heart for his family, and desire to help others were the motivators of his life. His other passion was golf. Ron was an avid and naturally gifted golfer who enjoyed his memberships at Hendersonville Country Club and in the Crooked Creek Men’s Golf Association. Ron was preceded in death by his loving wife of 47 years, Faye Kirby Shuler, and his father, Rutledge Shuler, Sr. He is survived by his mother, Lillie Mae Rickenbaker Shuler, and his sister, Lynda Shuler Caughman, both of Lexington, SC; two daughters, Heather Shuler Stepp, and husband, Christopher, of Flat Rock, and Holly Shuler Ollis, and husband, Jeff, of Greensboro. Ron is also survived by two grandsons, Samuel Rutledge Stepp and Micah Wade Ollis; three granddaughters, Kirby Nichole Ollis, Celeste Leslea Ollis, and Lilly Margaret Ollis; sisters-in-law, Elizabeth Kirby Tart and husband, Thomas, and Annie Mae Kirby Broach and husband, Ralph, and brother-in-law, Alton Kirby and wife, Judy, all of Florence, SC; and by several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. A funeral service will be held at 2 pm, Friday, Nov. 11, at the First Baptist Church. The Rev. Steve Scoggins and the Rev. Wally Shamburger will officiate. Burial will follow at Oakdale Cemetery. The family will receive friends from noon to 2 p.m. in the church prior to the service. Memorials may be made to Four Seasons Compassion for Life, 571 S. Allen Road, Flat Rock, NC 28731, or to First Baptist Church, 312 Fifth Ave W, Hendersonville, NC 28739.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Forest Service bans burning

Because of increased fire risk, the N.C. Forest Service has issued a ban on all open burning and canceled all burning permits in Henderson County and 24 other counties in Western North Carolina. The burning ban, which takes effect at 5 p.m. Monday, will be in effect until further notice. Violation of the ban carries a $100 fine plus court costs of $180. Here are a few facts about the law regarding the ban on open burning: The burn ban does not apply to cooking fires such as grills or outdoor cookers. The Forest Service ban does not apply to a fire within 100 feet of an occupied dwelling. County fire marshals have jurisdiction over open burning within 100 feet of an occupied dwelling. The N.C. Forest Service has advised county fire marshals of the burning ban and asked for their consideration of also implementing a burning ban. In addition, other local ordinances and air quality regulations may also impact open burning. If a fire within that 100-foot area escapes containment, a North Carolina forest ranger may take reasonable steps to extinguish or control it. The person responsible for setting the fire may be responsible for reimbursing the N.C. Forest Service for any expenses related to extinguishing it. Open burning includes burning leaves, branches and other plant material. In all cases, it is illegal to burn trash, lumber, tires, newspapers, plastics or other non-vegetative materials. Outdoor burning is also prohibited in areas covered by Code Orange or Code Red air quality forecasts. Local fire departments and law enforcement officers are assisting the N.C. Forest Service in enforcing the burn ban. As of Nov. 6, there had been 2,829 wildfires affecting more than 18,158 acres on state-protected lands across North Carolina this year. More than 1,000 of those fires were in the mountains and burned 3,375 acres. State-protected lands include state- and privately owned properties. For more information contact the county Fire Marshal’s Office at 828-697-4728.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Drug unit brings multiple felony charges

Henderson County Sheriff’s Direct Enforcement Team detectives charged a 60-year-old Etowah man with multiple drug felonies last week after they responded to reports from neighbors of suspicious activity at his house.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ask Matt ... about the right site for a hotel

A boutique hotel? After hearing from the UNC consulting group supporting a 130-room “boutique” hotel on the Grey Hosiery Mill site, I started thinking like the old planning hack I was some years ago. The mill site is a two-block uphill hike to Main Street and you have to cross the King Street “Interceptor.” There is little room for a streetscape. Hotel guests would look down on a jail, an impound lot, warehouses and the back side of buildings. Not stuff that spells boutique. Let’s be fair. We all know that location drives real estate but there is new thinking out now that says “invest in what’s hot.” But just how hot is the neighborhood between North Grove and the railroad tracks and if it’s not hot, can the city light the fire?To support their claim that a boutique hotel could make it on the Mill site the consultants looked at four towns they deemed comparable. So with the super powers afforded me by Google Maps, I swooped down on each town to see for myself.Staunton, Va., has a nice downtown with narrow streets. The majestic Stonewall Jackson Hotel has 124 rooms and a conference center. It’s two blocks from a commercial strip and two blocks from Mary Baldwin University. No busy streets to cross.Beaufort, S.C., is a dandy little historic town on the Harbor River. They have a few B&Bs on palmetto-lined streets and a 43-room chain hotel across from a marina plus a smaller hotel billed as “romantic.”Blowing Rock is a charming old mountainside resort town with a dozen small inns and B&Bs in walking distance from shops and eateries. Nice town but it feels more like Saluda than Hendersonville, without the railroad.New Bern has a downtown “area” not a strip. The two upscale hotels combine for 169 rooms and overlook the waterfront where boaters can dock. In between is a convention center and two blocks away is the historic Tryon Palace, a big tourist attraction.The consultants looked at four hot spots and concluded that since downtown room rates were significantly higher than at their counterpart highway hotels, a 130-room hotel on the Mill site could make it. I’m not buying that. Not without a river, a marina, a college, or a tree-lined mountain top. And let’s not kid ourselves, our Mill building neighborhood is anything but romantic. Anyone who books rooms online can hit the map button and see.Yet we do need downtown accommodations. The best sites with the best views should be between King and Church — not at the bottom of the hill. I easily found four suitable locations all fronting on Main Street. Sure, they would have to combine some properties or remove some buildings but isn’t that exactly what Publix just did? Do we really need 130 rooms? The Inn on Church does well with its 21.Finally, what to do with the Mill building? Bulldoze it. The highest and best use of the square block is an arts and residential district. Craft a smart plan for neighborhood revitalization and link it to Seventh Avenue. Then and only then will the area catch fire.  * * * * * Following 10 years in the city manager profession, Matt Matteson served as Henderson County's planning director from 1989 to 1999. He holds a certificate from the American Institute of Certified Planners.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

We're not closing Edneyville school, commissioners say

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners has no plans to close Edneyville Elementary School, two commissioners and the county manager said last week.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

TRUMP WINS: HHS students favor Republican nominee

We'll have to wait four more days to find out how the nation votes. But we know now how the Bearcat Nation voted: for Donald J. Trump. Hendersonville High School wrapped up its annual symposium week with its quadrennial enactment of the electoral college — the state-by-state voting that decides the presidential election. U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows praised the students for their enthusiasm and conducted the rollcall of states, from smallest to largest, to deliver their presidential choice. The map behind the congressman held surprises that would shock the pollsters. Deep-blue California and New York both went for Trump while solid red Texas cast its electoral votes for Libertarian Gary Johnson. When California's electoral votes went for Trump, the Republican nominee vaulted to 289 electoral college votes, defeating Clinton, who had 186, and Johnson, with 63. The strong contingent of Trump supporters roared. "We had a whole week where we went over the issues, we let them debate the issues, we looked at the platforms of both sides," said U.S. history teacher and department chair Alan Broadhurst. "We wanted it to be them and not their parents." Jerry Smith and Broadhurst described this year's presidential election symposium as one of the most enthusiastic, with lots of passion on either side. "That's the best one I've seen since I've been here," Broadhurst said. Teachers randomly assigned students to states and also allowed them to vote individually. Trump also took the popular vote, 48 to 40 percent over Clinton, with 12 percent for Johnson.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Music community mourns death of Terry Wetton

The local music community is mourning the unexpected death on Friday of Terry Wetton, a musician who got his start as a teenager in the 1960s British rock scene and became a producer and passionate promoter of local musicians in Hendersonville. He was 68. Wetton became ill early Friday at his home in Saluda, prompting his wife to call 911. He died on the way to the hospital from what his fiancee described as a heart probem, according to Mark Warwick, general manager of WTZQ radio, where Wetton had a weekly show interviewing musicians and playing their work. A guitar and piano player and singer, Wetton plunged into the local music scene when he arrived in the area in 2003. He organized the popular Beatles tribute acts at the Highland Lake Inn, served as music director of the Namaste Center and produced numerous local bands and performers.A teenager during the British music explosion of the Sixties, Wetton "bought his first guitar from Mitch Mitchell, who was Jimi Hendrix' drummer," his friend and fellow musician Andrew Robinson said Friday afternoon from the WTZQ studio, where he was broadcasting a tribute to Wetton. Wetton performed as lead vocalist for the rock band Joker at many major London venues, once looking out from the stage to see that the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin was watching them. The Briton moved to the United States in 1982 and performed and produced music in Southern California, where he co-produced a Grammy-nominated album for jazz artist Tony Guerrero.Since moving to North Carolina in 2003 he had performed concerts on stage and in listening rooms throughout Western North Carolina, entertaining audiences with original songs.“He pumped out a ton of music,” Warwick said. He released a successful original CD "This Time It's Personal" in 2011 and many of the songs have become audience favorites, including "It Is What It Is" and "Learning To Fly.” He produced records for many local artists, including Carrie Morrison, Garry Segal, The Lonesome Road Band, Rob Curtis and Lynne Goldsmith. Robinson, a WTZQ afternoon host who played guitar in the Beatles tribute shows Wetton staged the last two years at Highland Lake Inn in Flat Rock, said he was stunned and saddened at the news of his friend's death. "I had seen him three days ago," he said. "He was at my wedding two weeks ago. He put every bit of himself into that Beatles tribute. I was talking about it on my show this afternoon. Some of those Paul McCartney parts are pretty high but he handled it well. The Local Artist Showcase was very important just for the fact that he was showcasing local musicians. He played a lot of benefit concerts. He'd go to retirement homes. He played at the Namaste Center. He was fun, I never saw him mad. Just a great guy. I can't honestly think of any bad memories of Terry." Robinson said he would miss having Wetton in the studio on Friday afternoons, interviewing new or established performers and playing their music. "He did God's work as far as getting local musicians on the air, which is a very rare thing to find in today's radio marlet," he said. Howard Molton, who produces the annual Warmth of Hope benefit at the Flat Rock Cinema, said Wetton had always joined local singer Tom Fisch at the performance. Molton said Saturday he plans to make this year's seventh annual show in two weeks a tribute to Terry Wetton.     Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Downtown getting ice skating for Christmas

Local residents, kids out of school and tourists will get a new treat this holiday season: ice skating at the Visitors Center downtown. A partnership of the America In Bloom Committee and the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority, the surface of artificial ice will be open for two weeks — Dec. 19 through Jan. 2.“We’re going to be open at the time children are going to be home, during all the tourist season, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve,” said Mia Freeman, chair of the America in Bloom Committee. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for children. “They get the ice skates and everything. They’re going to be able to lace up their shoes and go out there.”The TDA welcomed the opportunity to add an attraction to fill the downtown with local shoppers and tourists.“Travel and Tourism has been working on this whole program of ‘Home for the Holidays,’” Freeman said. "I think it's a great new activity that we'll have," said Lew Holloway, downtown development coordinator for the city of Hendersonville and a member of the Tourism Development Authority. "It adds a really neat activity right around Christmas. I hope it's very successful that that it will draw more activity into the district. We've never had a specific dedicated attraction beyond the downtown itself." The ice rink is another example of the increasing partnership of the city and county that has not always been the case. America in Bloom and the TDA are the main sponsors of the ice rink; they city is erecting extra decorations around the rink and in the Visitors Center block.On the America In Bloom Committee, Freeman led efforts to incorporate as a nonprofit organization. The ice rink is a fundraiser for the local American In Bloom effort. America In Bloom sends judges to towns that want an expert evaluation on their outdoors look and commitment to beautification, from landscaping to public art to volunteerism.The skating rink is made of 44 panels roughly 4 feet-by-8 feet each. It’s made by Ice Rink Engineering and Manufacturing, a Greenville, S.C., company that says it is the largest manufacturer of synthetic ice in the world.“I even went down there to South Carolina to talk to the manufacturer,” Freeman said. “It’s actually safer than ice because it’s not wet. I really wanted the hockey part. It’s just too expensive. So I’m hoping next year, if we make good money, we might be able to introduce the hockey. … If it works, we’re going to do it every year.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

New director homes in on affordable housing

Sarah Grymes felt blessed to grow up in Hendersonville with “a wonderful life with two wonderful parents.”   Read Story »

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