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County, Laurel Park win park grants

Henderson County News

Town dedicates mural honoring veterans

The Henderson County Fire Department hoisted a giant American flag above Andrea Martin’s mural honoring veterans on Sunday as townspeople and veterans dedicated the 90x20 foot salute. Led by Hendersonville Police Department and Patriot Guard motorcycle riders, Gold Star families rode up King Street to Fourth Avenue, where some of them could see their family members depicted in the mural.The wall depicts four military personnel who served in four branches of the armed services, including two who died in combat and one badly wounded.Terry Lee Varnadore Jr., 29, of the U.S. Army, died in Afghanistan in 2011. Jessie Cassada, 19, U.S. Marine Corps, died in Afghanistan in 2009. Todd King, U.S. Air Force, survived a suicide bomb in the Green Zone in Iraq. Local veterans Jessica Bayne, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard, and Tony Koone, a Navy veteran who teaches at Hendersonville Elementary School, are also depicted.“We want to make sure veterans know their sacrifices were not in vain,” said Martin, who worked on the mural in her free time during the past year.Martin, who has a full time job, said it took her 43 days to complete.At the dedication, the VFW presented Martin with a plaque for her service.“Vets are courageous, humble people of integrity,” she said.Martin’s father always taught her to honor veterans and now she has passed along that lesson to her son, who watched her paint the mural most days.“America sometimes has a short memory,” she said. “The best way to thank them is to honor their fallen and take care of their families.”In good weather and bad, Martin could be seen working on the mural throughout the past year.“Every family that I’ve met, I just adore them,” Martin said. “I can’t explain it. I feel a connection with them.”Tina Varnadore, mother of fallen Army veteran, Terry Varnadore, said, “We want to thank Andrea for what she has done to help honor our fallen.”Josh Smartt, president of the veterans supporter group Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, said, “I can’t think of a more fitting day.”He asked the audience to think about Sept. 12.“The day we were all Americans, one America,” he said. “We must remain vigilant. We must never forget the price paid for our freedoms.”During his high school years Jessie Cassada worked with Smartt in the summertime.“I look up there and I see Americans — men and women who made sacrifices for their country,” Smartt said. “Jessie and Terry made the ultimate sacrifice.”A former Marine himself, Smartt did not want Cassada to follow in his footsteps.“Jessie wanted to be a Marine since he was 13 years old and he died doing what he wanted to do,” said Chastity Bloomfield, a close friend of the Cassada family. “He was like a little brother to me. I took him to church when he was little.”“Most of the guys in our chapter are veterans, so it’s pretty emotional for us to be involved,” Smartt said. “At the end of the day, we are proud to have all of them on that wall and every branch of service represented.”Cameron Sproles, the best friend of fallen marine Jessie Cassada, attended the ceremony along with Cassada’s mother.“The mural represents our community as far as Hendersonville’s strong ties to supporting our veterans and fallen heroes,” Sproles said. “And especially today, on Sept. 11. It’s been a great day. And the work that has been put in to do this represents our community in a great fashion.” Henderson County Sheriff Charles McDonald served in the Navy toward the end of Vietnam.“Whatever branch, whatever role, those who have served should always be honored,” McDonald said.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Korean War veterans to board HonorFlight

Blue Ridge Honor Flight Founder Jeff Miller launched a program in the summer of 2006 to fly veterans to Washington to see the National World War II Memorial. The first flight took off on Sept. 23, 2006.More than 200,000 veterans later, the program that spread nationwide will celebrate its 10th anniversary and fly 102 veterans from Buncombe and Henderson counties to Washington, this time with Korean War veterans on board along with WWII veterans.The Korean War, sometimes referred to as “the forgotten war,” will be remembered by 68 Korean War veterans who are making the trip.“This day is all about the veterans,” Miller says.The itinerary includes the WWII Memorial, Korean Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. The veterans will see the changing of the guard and wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater. There will also be a wreath laying ceremony at the Korean Veteran Memorial. During lunch the group will be driven around on buses for a guided tour of D.C. Then it’s on to the Marine Corps Memorial and Air Force Memorial before driving by the Pentagon.The Transportation Security Administration allows veterans and guardians to go through expedited security at both the Asheville Regional Airport and Reagan National Airport in Washington.A few guardians will be making their second or third Honor Flight trip but for most the trip will be a new experience.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ask Matt ... about sheriff's sale of unclaimed items

Q. I read in a recent issue of the Lightning where the Sheriff posted a notice for 162 unclaimed items. Where did they get them all? For those who missed it, the paper ran a legal ad for lawnmowers, rifle cases, laptops, power tools, bolt cutters and even a banjo! Some of these items were abandoned and turned in to the Sheriff’s Office. Others could have been recovered stolen property where the owner could not be identified. If you are the owner and you can produce a serial number, sales receipt, etc., you can get your item back.There will not be a fire sale on lost or stolen items. The disposition of recovered property is governed by law. After the deadline for claims, our Sheriff’s Office will turn over all unclaimed items to a third party, Propertyroom.com. These guys clean and test the items and destroy anything fake (like knock-off handbags). The merchandise is then added to other items from across the country. Similar to eBay, bidding is done online. Propertyroom.com gets a cut and Henderson County gets the net sales receipts. Eventually proceeds from the sale of items, again by law, ends up in the coffers of our county schools. Propertyroom.com has some pretty good deals on name brand jewelry, fashions, cars and more. Maybe we’ll see that banjo. Q. The county jail is only about 15 years old and now we are spending almost a million dollars to replace the roof. Why so soon? If you look at the County’s Detention Center’s roof from the air you get an idea just how massive it is. When it was built in 2001 the roof had a typical 10-year warranty during which time there were some repairs made that were covered. But the warranty expired five years ago and according to County officials the roof has simply reached the end of its useful service life. The roof is flat and supports heavy HVAC equipment, which is a hindrance to roof replacement and adds to the cost. The good news is that there will be no similar equipment on the roof of Henderson County’s new Health Sciences Center. Q. Can the traffic light at Asheville Highway at Haywood Road change more often? During rush hours, traffic backs up on both roads and creates a dangerous condition. I pitched the question to NCDOT traffic engineers, who said that U.S. 25 (Asheville Highway) has twice the traffic volume as N.C. 191 (Haywood Road) so any adjustments would only be minimal during peak times. This is an awkward intersection and the existing road alignment and lack of adequate right-of-way limits the potential for physical road improvements. Nevertheless, the NCDOT says technicians will review the signal settings.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

LIGHTNING EDITORIAL: Take a timeout and call the right play for HHS

Thanks to the Hendersonville High School mess, a level of mistrust has crept into the relationship between the Board of Commissioners and School Board that we have not seen since the recession-inspired budget cuts of 2007 and before that in the run-up to the failed school bond issue in 1997.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Sheriff offers emergency prep classes

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is offering two more Emergency Preparedness classes as part of National Preparedness Month.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

WTZQ debuts Breakfast Club with Mark & Paige

Radio station WTZQ-1600 AM  and Q-95.3 FM launched the Breakfast Club with Mark & Paige this week.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Uber, Pork Chop Hill, AT thru hike

Yep, Uber's here   Need a ride? You can get one the new way. Hendersonville now has Uber.The app-based taxi service launched in Hendersonville earlier this summer and covers Henderson County destinations. According to a check of the app, a ride from the Historic Courthouse to the Flat Rock Playhouse would cost $6-8. It would cost you $17 to $22 to get to Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Mills River. And a ride down the hill to the Purple Onion in Saluda would set you back $14 to $19, according to fare estimates the Uber app provides.The ride service also offers UberXL for larger groups. It cost more but the vehicles seat at least six people so cost-sharing is a common option. Pork Chop Hill hero to attend film screening Joe Clemons, a Hendersonville retiree who was one of the U.S. Army heroes of the famous Battle of Pork Chop Hill in the Korean War, will be on hand Saturday for a showing of Pork Chop Hill at the Henderson County Heritage Museum in the Historic Courthouse at 2 p.m. Saturday.Gregory Peck played Clemons in the 1959 movie about the bloody battle in which American troops fought off the Chinese Army to take the pivotal hill.1st Lt. Joseph G. Clemons Jr. was one of the infantry leaders in the battle, which was known as one of the most intense artillery battles in U.S. military history. Nine artillery battalions of the 2nd and 7th divisions fired 37,655 rounds on the first day and 77,349 rounds on the second.As a fresh Chinese assault made its way up a ridge Clemons radioed his battalion, “I must have water, plasma, more medical assistance, flamethrowers, litter, ammunition, several radios.” Only a little water and C rations arrived, according to an account of the battle in Military History magazine in April 2003.Clemons led the 135-man Company K of the 31st Infantry, which suffered 125 casualties, including 18 killed, in the fierce battle. A 1951 West Point graduate, Clemons was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism in the battle. A career officer, he rose to the rank of colonel and became commander of the 198th Infantry Brigade in 1969. City advisory committee announces downtown survey The City’s Downtown Advisory Committee is conducting a customer survey to find out why people come downtown and what they enjoy most about downtown.The committee is asking what draws you in and what makes downtown a place you enjoy? To take the survey visit DowntownHendersonville.org and click on “Take The Survey.” The survey consists of 13 questions and only takes a few minutes to complete.If you have a question or would like to hear more about the survey, contact Lew Holloway at lholloway@hvlnc.gov or 828.233.3216. Barr presents slideshow of Appalachian Trail hike Peter Barr, the trails and recreation coordinator for the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, will present a slideshow about his 2010 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the Henderson County library.Barr’s movie and slideshow set to music chronicles his 161-day hike of the 2,181-mile Georgia to Maine trail. His hike included more than 100 miles of side hikes to peaks, waterfalls, views and other highlights. The program, presented by the Friends of the Library, is free.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

AlyKat opens at new location

Ask Richard Kaltenbach about his tasty and creative AlyKat soups and he responds with a question of his own.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Agarwals repay community many times over

To understand the charitable spirit of Rakesh and Dolly Agarwal, you have to go back 31 years to their arrival in Hendersonville from India with nothing but $20 and a desire to pursue the American dream.   Read Story »

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