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BRIEFS: Capote's 'Christmas Memory,' Celtic ConFusion, Bullington greenery, cookies

Earle Ross (E.R.) Haire Jr. will read Truman Capote’s beloved short story “A Christmas Memory” at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. at the Parish Hall of St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church, 1895 Greenville Highway.

The son of Pat and Earle Haire Sr. of Hendersonville, Haire graduated from high school in Salisbury. He worked as an actor and at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. In 2000 he graduated from Yale University Divinity School with a Master of Sacred Theology, focusing his thesis on drama and worship. In 2017 he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Theater credits in Los Angeles include The Foreigner, You Can’t Take It With You, Hamlet, Henry V, Richard III, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, the comedy spoof Riffs of Shakespeare, and at Yale, a play entitled Then, Face to Face. A member of the Screen Actors Guild, he has appeared in some forgettable films, and on the daytime TV drama “Days of Our Lives.”
"A Christmas Memory" is a frankly autobiographical story about the time Capote spent until age 10 living with a family of distant and elderly cousins in a small town in rural Alabama. The story focuses especially of his relationship with one of the cousins, Miss Sook Faulk.
The story first appeared in Mademoiselle magazine in the late 1950s, and has since become one of Capote’s best-selling titles. The story was written when he was 27 years old, and is considered his most beloved work by many readers.
Also the author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, In Cold Blood, Other Voices Other Rooms, and The Grass Harp, Capote died in 1984 at the age of 59.

 

Grace hosts blood drive on Dec. 9

Grace Lutheran Church will host its annual Holiday Blood Drive to support hospitals in Henderson, Transylvania and Buncombe counties, and the V.A. Medical Center from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday Dec. 9, in Stull Hall in the church Education Wing. Every blood donor will receive a $20 Visa gift card and a certificate for a free order of pancakes at the Fireside Restaurant and Pancake House. There will also be an enhanced canteen for donors at the church.
To schedule an appointment to donate blood, or if you have question about your eligibility to donate, call The Blood Connection office at 828-585-8060. You may also register in advance at the reception area at Grace Lutheran. Walk-ins are welcome, but those with an appointment will have a shorter wait.
Donors should drink plenty of water and eat well prior to donating. Those donating blood should bring their TBC donor card or driver’s license for required identification. If you have not given blood in the last eight weeks, you are eligible to donate. Grace Lutheran Church is located at the corner of Sixth Avenue West and Blythe Street. For more information call 828-693-4890.

 

Flat Rock Cinema hosts yule concert


Morris Broadband and Magnolia Concert Series present “A Very Special Christmas Concert” featuring Celtic ConFusion (Aoife Clancy & Bill Elliott) and Tom Fisch at Flat Rock Cinema on Sunday. After a 3 p.m. performance sold out, producer Howard Molton added a second show at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
Celtic ConFusion brings a Scottish and Irish twist to the season with their songs and stories while Flat Rock singer-songwriter Tom Fisch’s acoustic guitar and singing add a folk flavor to traditional holiday favorites. This show is sure to leave you with spirit of the season in your heart!
Flat Rock Cinema, located at 2700 Greenville Hwy in Flat Rock, NC, is a bistro-style cinema serving food, wine and local brews. Tickets are $20 plus tax and fees and can only be purchased online. Visit FlatRockCinema.com for tickets, driving directions, a complete food and beverage menu and more information.



Applications now open for 2020 scholarships

The Henderson County Education Foundation scholarship application portal is open for 2020 Henderson County graduating seniors. HCEF offers 26 scholarships totaling more than $45,000 in awards.
Through the generosity of its donors, the Education Foundation awards financial support to graduating seniors from Henderson County. New to the HCEF list of scholarships this year are the Ann Mullican Scholarship and the McMinn Leadership Award.
Heritage Weavers and Fiber Artists are providing the $1,000 Ann Mullican Scholarship for a student attending a two-year or four-year university or college with plans to major in textiles or fiber arts.
The McMinn Leadership Award, started last year to honor the late Rev. Dr. James McMinn, supports two students with $500 scholarships.
In other updates, the Hendersonville Lions Club is now offering two $1,000 scholarships for students planning to major in the health care field, and the Community Tennis Association is increasing its awards to two $1,500 scholarships for students enrolled in public, private or home schools.
“The scholarship money I received was a tremendous help to me. It’s helped me with books, fees and other expenses,” says Elizabeth Morgan, 2019 Scholarship recipient of the Mickey Marvin Memorial Scholarship and the Dr. Don Jones Scholarship. “The application process was really straight-forward and simple. When I went online to apply, the process automatically took me to the scholarships that I qualified for.”
Detailed instructions on how to apply and scholarship eligibility are available on the Education Foundation website at: http://hcefnc.org/ourwork/scholarships/. The deadline for applying is February 11, 2020 at midnight. Questions regarding the scholarship process can be directed to scholarships@hcefnc.org or by calling 828.697.5551.

Mitten Tree is up at Trinity church

The Mitten Tree is up at Trinity Presbyterian Church through Dec. 17. Each Advent Season, Trinity puts The Mitten Tree up and invites the community to help decorate it with gifts of mittens and gloves, wool hats and stocking caps and socks and other small clothing items that children need to keep warm in the winter cold. The gifts on this special sharing tree will be taken to IAM and given to children in the community. who need and will appreciate them so much. The church is at 900 Blythe St.

Blue Ridge Ringers perform holiday show

 

The Blue Ridge Ringers, an advanced handbell group under the direction of Karen Grady, will present the “Christmas Around the World” program featuring holiday favorites from Mexico, the former Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, the Caribbean, Canada, England, Germany and France and a traditional Jewish prayer for peace, at free performances. Concerts are 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at Hendersonville Presbyterian Church; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22, at Congregational Church in Tryon.

 

Bullington Gardens sells holiday greenery


Bullington Gardens, a horticultural education center and public gardens, holds its 15th annual Holiday Craft and Greenery Sale 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, and Saturday, Dec. 7.
The Holiday Craft Sale features nature-themed, handcrafted items, including free-standing owls and snowmen, holiday gnomes and ornaments. Wreaths and swags embellished with botanicals gathered on the Bullington Garden grounds and created by volunteers are ready for your home. Premium amaryllis, poinsettias, cyclamens and Christmas cactus plants are also available.
The Holiday Greenery Sale features premium, freshly-cut fraser fir trees ranging in height from five to eight feet. These native trees come from the Western North Carolina mountains and are wrapped for protection during transport. Also available are premium garlands in a 25-foot length, plus unadorned 8-inch and 12-inch wreaths. Orders can be placed online at www.bullingtongardens.org, by phone at 828-698-6104, or in person at Bullington Gardens. Holiday greenery must be pre-ordered by Tuesday, Nov. 26, as limited quantities will be available at the Holiday Craft Sale. Greenery can be picked up during the Holiday Sale, and weekdays thereafter. In partnership with local veterans and volunteers, Bullington Gardens also offers Veterans Wreaths for sale. A $16 donation to honor a fallen veteran will provide a 12-inch wreath, decorated with a hand-tied red bow, placed by a volunteer on a gravesite at the State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain. Veteran wreaths can be ordered at www.bullingtongardens.org or purchased during the Holiday Craft and Greenery Sale. Bullington Gardens is located at 95 Upper Red Oak Trail. For more information, call 828-698-6104 or visit www.bullingtongardens.org.

Church announces holiday cookie sale


First Congregational Church welcomes the public to its eighth annual Holiday Cookie Sale from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, in the Fellowship Hall, 1735 Fifth Ave. W., Laurel Park. The popular holiday event includes hundreds of homemade holiday cookies, many from heirloom recipes. Create your own assortments from the many trays of tasty treats to munch yourself or give to others. The Holiday Café serves complimentary beverages and luscious cakes amid holiday music. Browse the selection of fair-trade coffees, teas, cocoa and candy. Join in a raffle of creative, thematic gift baskets.

Bounty of Bethlehem seeks volunteer leaders


The Bounty of Bethlehem is seeking new leadership to assist in organizing this year’s celebration. There are a variety of areas needing assistance with leadership, to include decorations, breakout room organization, kitchen and dining room volunteer organization, dessert coordination, marketing, and toy collection. It takes the work of hundreds of volunteers about six days to organize this successful event, and the leadership helps organize and coordinate all the planning leading up to the day.
The Bounty of Bethlehem Community Christmas Dinner happens on Christmas Day for the 37th year in a row. A special Christmas meal is provided for anyone and everyone who comes through the door. It provides folks a place to gather for fellowship and a warm meal — no matter who they are, how they worship, their income, or from where they come. The mission is that “no one be alone on Christmas Day.”
Hosted at Immaculata Catholic School, the dinner is served and supported by and for the community at large with 100% of the funding coming directly from our community through fundraising efforts.
Donations can be made online at www.TheBountyofBethlehem.org or by mail to PO Box 883 Hendersonville, NC 28793. Anyone interested in learning more about working with the leadership team may email Annamarie Jakubielski at Annamarie@Jakubielski.com or call Joanne Mummert at 828-702-1467.

Methodist Church hosts party for youth

First United Methodist Church is hosting a “Gift of Giving Party” for the Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County 4-6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, and 4-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Almost 375 Club members from kindergarten through high school are expected to attend this festive party over two days. More than 200 volunteers support the event, including adult and youth members from First United Methodist and Grace Lutheran Churches plus community friends. The event is held in the Barber Christian Life Center.

Youth musicians perform on Dec. 6


The Hendersonville Symphony Youth Orchestra and Youth Chorus will present a combined concert featuring music for the holidays at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, in the Blue Ridge Conference Hall at BRCC.
Tickets for the performance are $10 for adults and free for students. All tickets will be available for purchase at the door beginning at 6 p.m.
The Hendersonville Symphony Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Faith Foster, features 20 advanced music high school students from the area. The Orchestra rehearses weekly throughout the school year and is featured in annual concerts and special events. The orchestra will perform a variety of works including Beethoven’s “Contra Dances Nos. 1-3,” “Suite from Lord of the Dance,” Grieg’s “Norwegian Dances Nos. 2 and 3,” and more. Members of the Orchestra will also perform with the Youth Chorus on additional works, culminating in both ensembles performing the festive “Holiday Jubilee.”
The Hendersonville Symphony Youth Chorus, under the direction of Kelli Mullinix, also performs in several concerts and events throughout the region each year. At this concert, they will perform holiday classics like “Up On the Housetop,” “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,” Hanukah songs including “S’Vivon,” with Youth Orchestra oboist Alice Frisch, and holiday favorites like “Sleigh Ride,” with Jordan Reaves on percussion. The chorus will also debut a jazzy “Jingle Bells” featuring soloists Jamaria Kilgore and Sofie Cameron.