Valle Crucis News
by Callie and Ethel Foss

May 14, 2008

	Many thanks to Peter Poranski. He sent in these photos of the big ol' water tank being moved from the flat bed truck to its new home in the "big hole" behind the Original Mast Store.

Did you have wind over the weekend? Even with the high winds, we were very fortunate because we didn’t have tornados. It seems that they are getting much closer than what we remember from years ago. Eric Thomas even said that the conditions were close to right for one to have dropped down in Lenoir. Imagine that!

I used to think about what would  happen if a tornado touched down here in our mountain home. You see the pictures as they make their way across the plains, picking up anything in their paths. It’s just not that flat here. Would it bounce around like a pinball? Or just slam into a mountain and dissolve? I hope we don’t ever find out.

I did hear tell of one that touched down in nearby Abingdon way back in the 30s or 40s or maybe even earlier. Wonder what happened there. Hmmmmm….

I’m glad that we didn’t have much out in the garden with the cold snap and the hail. Our broccoli seems to have weathered it well. Maybe this weekend or the first of next week, we’ll be able to get in our tomatoes and peppers. Folks always say that you shouldn’t be planting much before Mother’s Day. This year sure did prove them right.

Ethel went up to the Shawneehaw Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary plant sale and picked up a few flowers. They’re waiting to be set out.

I goofed last week when I put the information in about the Farmers’ Market at the Mast Store. Mary sent me an e-mail and said that she wants to make sure that the great big hole in the ground behind the store is filled in before the market starts. So mark your calendars for June 4th from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. It should run after that until October.

The folks at the Shawneehaw Fire Department are holding their annual BBQ dinner on June 7th. I hope you’ll attend the food should be good!

Also coming up in June is the first ever Valle Crucis Blood Mobile at Holy Cross Church on Thursday, June 5th from 2:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Blood is always in such great need, Ethel and I hope that you’ll make it out on that day to give a pint or to help host the canteen. If you donate on that day, you’ll be entered in a drawing for a $750 gas card.  You can call Tom over at the Conference Center to set up an appointment to give blood or to volunteer. The number is 828-963-4453.

Looking ahead into June, the season for Music in the Park starts on Friday, June 13th with a performance by the Worthless Son-in-Laws. The fun starts at 7 p.m., so come out and join your friends and neighbors at the community park for a great evening of music.

Speaking of music, the first concert at St. John’s is set for Sunday, June 1st. I should know in a little bit who is going to be performing. These concerts have been very well attended. The setting at St. John’s is so beautiful and the acoustics in that building are excellent.

Congratulations to Aleena Boone and Wil McGuire! They are winners of this year’s John E. Cooper, III Memorial Scholarship that is given by Mast Store employees to employees or the children of employees. This year’s winners fit into both categories. Aleena and Wil both work at the Original Store in Valle Crucis. Aleena’s mom, Janet Mahala, now manages the Mast Store in Boone and Wil’s dad, Jim McGuire, is one heck of a shoe fitter in the shoe room. Wil and Aleena will be attending ASU in the fall.

The Mast Store has a number of upcoming Watauga High School graduates. Congratulations to Jamie Lawrence, Wil McGuire, Aleena Boone, Heidi Tester, and Meagan Ford.

Have you wondered what is going on behind the Original Mast Store? I know that Ethel wrote in one of her columns that the store is installing a sprinkler system. Well, I thought that they were digging a cement pond around back. Peter Poranski sent along a couple of pictures from when the water tank was put in. It must have been a pretty amazing site. A large crane picked up the equally large tank and gently moved it over to the hole and set it down on the concrete pad. It was pretty amazing.

The High Country Soccer Association is having tryouts the fall season on May 19-22 at the Valle Crucis Park. Online registration is available and a non-refundable, one-time try-out fee of $15 is required. If you don’t register online, the fee increases to $25. You can find out more at www.hcavalanche.org/pages/tryouts.html.

The Third Annual Valle Crucis Punkin Festival is scheduled for October 25. This year’s festival, which will again benefit the Western Youth Network, will expand into the parking lot at the Mast Store Annex. The organizers are seeking crafters that either make “kid-oriented” items or those who could offer a hands-on experience to festival goers (like a patron pays $5 to make a bracelet with items that are provided and with a little instruction). If you might be able to share your talents, call the Mast Store (828-963-6511) and ask to speak with Tracey, Eron, or Sheri.

Please send us your news via email at callieandethel@hotmail.com. If you need to send it by the postal service, mail it to:

Valle Crucis News
c/o Sandy Shook
Watauga Democrat
474 Industrial Park Drive
Boone, NC 28607

With so many graduations coming up, I thought it might be good to share a quote about dreams and life: Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. Langston Hughes.

Have a wonderful week.