Area Christmas events

We're listing all the area Christmas events we've received so far. Email wteditor@weavervilletribune.com to add your event to the list

* Dec. 3 beginning at 1 pm - Weaverville Christmas Parade. It will start at the corner of Dula Springs Road and North Main Street and continue south down Main Street and through downtown.

* Dec. 3 from 4 pm to 7 pm - Vance Birthplace candlelight tours

* Dec. 9 from 6 pm to 9 pm - Weaverville Candlelight Stroll - Downtown businesses stay open late as carolers and performers gather along the streets

* The adult choir at First Baptist Church will present "The Marvel of This Night” beginning at 10:55 am on Dec. 11.

* The First Presbyterian Church, Weaverville United Methodist Church and First Baptist Church will again take part in the churches’ candlelight walk beginning at 6 pm on Dec. 11. The walk will begin at First Presbyterian Church and conclude at First Baptist Church with events in each sanctuary.

* The children choir at First Baptist Church will present the program “Christmas Everywhere” at 7 pm on Dec. 14.

* The Brio Series will hold its last concert of the year at 7 pm on Dec. 15 with piano, clarinet and voice performances at First Baptist Church.

Magician show

Release from The Vanishing Wheelchair, an organization headed up Woodfin-based paraplegic magician Ricky Boone..

Santa Claus will be joining the magician founders of the public charity The Vanishing Wheelchair, Inc. to share the magic of the season at the Asheville Masonic Temple Theatre, 80 Broadway, Asheville, North Carolina on December 6  at 7:00 p.m. The family-friendly hour-and-a-half magic and music show is free to the public (donations are welcome).

 The Vanishing Wheelchair, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded by Ricky Boone and T.J. Shimeld. It is inspired by the mystifying misdirection of Ricky who uses magic and comedy to make his disability a great ability. The Vanishing Wheelchair, Inc. wishes to raise funds to establish a universally accessible hands-on museum centered around a magic show for children of all abilities to explore the arts and sciences at which people with disabilities can work and learn skills in performing, painting, photography, music, crafts, and wood working.  “Just like the old Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer movie,” Ricky jokes, “we wish to find a loving home for misfit toys.”

Ricky Boone’s biography, The Four-foot Giant and the Vanishing Wheelchair, is T.J. Shimeld’s sixth book.  Proceeds from the book benefit the non-profit charitable organization. To download a free chapter of The Four-foot Giant and the Vanishing Wheelchair, visit www.FourFootGiantBook.com.

Author T.J. Shimeld and Ricky D. Boone will be available to sign books after the shows. A suggested donation of $10 for adult tickets and $5 for children tickets is appreciated. Tickets may be available at the door, but advanced reservations are strongly encouraged since seating is limited.

Local named to bike board

Weaverville resident Ben Elderd will be the town's representative on a regional, seven-county bicycle plan steering committee headed up through the Land of Sky Regional Council. The committee will look at developing biking initiatives throughout the area. Weaverville Councilman Doug Dearth nominated Elderd to the position.

Woodfin resident named top cyclist by USA Cycling

Press release from USA Cycling...

USA Cycling will award its annual “Athlete of the Year” designations on Nov. 5 at the 2011 U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in Davis, Calif.
 
Developmental mountain biker Stephen Ettinger (Cashmere, Wash./BMC Mountain Bike Development Team) will receive the men’s award while the women’s designation will go to the foursome of Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./OUCH Pro Cycling), Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, Calif.), Jennie Reed (Seattle, Wash./OUCH Pro Cycling), and Lauren Tamayo (Asheville, N.C./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12) for their success in the team pursuit. 
 
“Being recognized as ‘Athletes of the Year’ for the Women's Team Pursuit is such an honor,” said Reed. “We've all been working hard and continuing to get faster and faster, so it's always nice to be recognized for our hard work and achievements.  These women motivate and push me every day to reach a higher level.”
 
In the last two years, American women have experienced unprecedented team pursuit success. On May 12, 2010, Sarah Hammer, Dotsie Bausch, and Lauren Tamayo set the world record for the team pursuit—3:19.569—becoming the first team ever to break the 3:20 barrier. This achievement set the stage for the UCI Track World Championships, where the USA women had never won a medal. At the 2011 Worlds in the Netherlands, the determined trio of Hammer, Bausch, and Jennie Reed rode like the wind to reach the gold medal round against Great Britain and eventually earned the silver medal, another landmark for American cycling.

Looking back at NBHS football season

North Buncombe ended its season Friday (Oct. 28) with a loss to Reynolds, finishing the season 1-10 under first-year coach Brandon Allen. The BlackHawks have fallen on hard times since their last playoff appearance in 2008, winning just four games on the field (they also claimed a 2009 victory against McDowell due to the Titans' use of an ineligible player).

This season started on a rocky note in the first weeks of Allen's tenure when quarterback Christian Jewkes transferred to Christ School, leaving the BlackHawks' without its 1,000-yard signal caller from 2010. The move prompted Allen to shift the BlackHawks to a running team, and they used a variety of sets throughout the year to add spice to the running game.

Senior Adam Davis had a big year from the BlackHawks, rushing for 1,175 yards and 10 touchdowns. He spent half the season at tailback and the other half at quarterback, replacing Zac Shook. Davis also had 343 return yards, second on the team behind Colby Fox. The BlackHawks only completed 29 passes on the season with two touchdowns and seven interceptions.

They were at their most effective, such as in the lone win against Enka, controlling the clock with their running game.

Although the BlackHawks started the season 0-4, they were competitive in every game early in narrow losses to Madison, Draughn, West Henderson and Mountain Heritage. After the homecoming victory against Enka, spirits ran high as the BlackHawks had a chance to move to 2-0 in the Mountain Athletic Conference with an away game at McDowell on the docket. The Titans, at the time, had the longest losing streak in the state.

However, the Titans shut out the BlackHawks in a demoralizing defeat. As injuries began piling up throughout the season, Allen was forced to rely on inexperienced and overworked players. The BlackHawks ran out of gas as they faced the meat of the conference schedule (Roberson, Asheville, Erwin, Reynolds).

No one expected the turnaround to happen quickly. The BlackHawks will continue to rebuild in 2012.

Mars Hill College events and news

* The public is welcome to Local Food Night on Wednesday (Nov. 2) at Mars Hill College featuring an all-you-can-eat buffet of local food from farms in Madison and Buncombe counties. Cost is $8.25 for adults; $4.50 for children 5-11 years of age; and free for children 4 and under.  MHC Students will also be collecting nonperishable food items at the event for The Mars Hill Baptist Church Backpack Program to benefit Madison County students. 

*The Bailey Mountain Cloggers, Mars Hill College’s award-winning dance team, made an impressive showing at the America’s Clogging Hall of Fame national competition in Maggie Valley, October 22-23, winning 16 team awards and numerous individual awards. BMC took first place in Contemporary Moving Line, Contemporary Standing Line, Kentucky Running Set Precision, Smooth Appalachian Dance, and Props Exhibition. They also won Overall Titles with each of these routines. The team won second place in Country Hoedown, Running Set Hoedown, Southern Appalachian Hoedown, 4 or More Couple Hoedown, Artistic Expression and Open Precision. 

* Mars Hill College will be partnering with Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville and Healing Art Missions for an exhibition of Haitian art, called “Art from the Heart,” through Nov. 9 at Weizenblatt Gallery in the Moore building on the campus. The art will then be auctioned at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church on Sunday, November 13. All proceeds from the auction will go for medications and operating expenses for a medical clinic funded by Healing Art Missions in Dumay, near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 

Kruger Bros. concert in Marshall

The Madison County Arts Council presents

The Kruger Brothers in Concert

Saturday, November 5th   7:30 pm  $20

at the Madison County Arts Center

90 S. Main St

Marshall, NC  28753

The Kruger Brothers were awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant for Music from the Spring a sym­phonic suite composed and orchestrated by Jens Kruger, which premiered in 2007. In late 2010, the Kruger Brothers premiered the Appalachian Concerto, a concerto for banjo, bass, guitar, and string quartet. In addition to their regular concert schedule they perform these pieces regularly with select symphony orchestras and string quartets throughout the country.

The Madison County Arts Council is pleased to host the Kruger Brothers once again.  For more information contact www.madisoncountyarts.com or call (828) 649-1301.