JUNE 11, 2009 ISSUE
Letters to the Editor
About the The Dixie Swim Club
The Blue Ridge Community Theatre would like to thank the staff of the Broyhill Inn for making our production of The Dixie Swim Club such a huge success. Doug, Laura and the front desk crew were always willing to go the extra mile for us. Chef Bill made wonderful treats that enhanced our production and his servers were excellent. Community theater is about people coming together to enjoy an evening of laughter, friendship and drama. We would wholeheartedly recommend Broyhill Inn to anyone with a big event on their calendars!
The cast and crew of The Dixie Swim Club worked very hard bringing laughter to the Broyhill. A standing ovation goes to the actresses, Shelia Deal, Kay Stacy, Amy Beane, Cindy Brown and Kathy Cottrell. Our director Trimella Chaney, stage manager Freda Smith, stage designer Sheri Furman and all the hairdressers get big rounds of applause. Thanks to the board of directors of Blue Ridge Community Theatre for ushering and cleanup.
Be on the lookout for our next children's production of Twinderella, a twist on the classic Cinderella story that includes her twin brother Bob. Auditions will be June 13 at Watauga High School from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. BRCTNC.org
Kathleen Rowell
President
Blue Ridge Community Theatre
About Midnight at the OASIS
The board of directors and staff of OASIS (Opposing Abuse with Service, Information, and Shelter) wish to thank the following corporate sponsors who provided financial underwriting for our Seventh Annual Midnight at the OASIS: Mast General Store, Marc & Sandra Kadyk, Watauga Women’s Center, AF Insurance, Allen Wealth Management, Appalachian Regional Medical Associates, Bare Essentials Natural Market, Bloom Salon, Dr. Craig Bridgeman (DMD), Dr. Robby Bridgeman (DDS), Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, Diane Davant Interiors, Dan & Summer Hays, Josephine & Peter L’Heureux, JNC Computer Services, Kilwin’s, Lavender Fields, Meadowbrook Inn, Melanie’s Food Fantasy, Mountain Construction Enterprises, Inc., Mountain Lumber, Panera Bread, SEANC (State Employees’ Association of NC), Tatum Galleries, Weichert Realty
We also thank the many individuals and businesses that helped make the May 2nd event such a success: Josephine L’Heureux and Summer Hays, Gadabouts, High Country Press, High Country Radio, Lamar Advertising, Mountain Television Network, Mountain Times Publications
For 31 years, OASIS has worked to end domestic violence and sexual assault in our community. We appreciate the generosity of all our local partners, especially during these times of severe economic challenge, as we continue to work toward creating a community of non-violence and mutual respect.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Herman
Executive Director
OASIS, Inc.
About Massage for Hunger
Throughout the month of May, massage therapists across the high country joined hands to help the hungry. Together, they raised $2,900 for the Hunger & Health Coalition, an amount that will buy over 13,000 pounds of food. Nineteen professional massage therapists participated, along with students from Caldwell Community College’s therapeutic massage program. We want to thank each of them personally: Sharon Parton, Tim Winecoff, Kirsten Tiedemann, Linda Hilyard, Karen Iverson, Cheryl & Ben Simpson, Morgan Winkler, Mitzi Bunton, Diana Latendresse, Caroline Briggs, Cindy Caron, Liz Pinske, Dianna Lee, Zan Valliant, Nancy Greene, Selina Giacinto, Patrick Benson, Danielle, Patty Ross, Kara & Cody Hawkins, Jerri McNeil, Victoria Anton, Steve Moehler, Sara Osborne, Malissa Wells, Leslie Jackson, Ashleigh Bretz, Joey Ratti, Chad Estep and Ben Epting. We also want to thank Bare Essentials Natural Market for hosting the chair massages, to this newspaper for helping with publicity, and to all of you who received a massage in support of this event. We create so much more together than we do apart!
In Warm Gratitude,
Eileen Laird & Lauri Whyte
Local Massage Therapists & Coordinators of High Country Massage for Hunger
About the Skatepark Closing
I was very disappointed by the Parks and Recreation’s and County Commissioners’ decision to close the skatepark. My 6.5-year-old son is a skateboarder and cried when I told him the skate park was closing. He also loves t-ball and soccer, but he is in total bliss when he is skateboarding.
Listening to the County Commissioners and Parks and Recreation speak about the skatepark did not resonate with what our family experienced. At the skatepark, I saw mentoring, camaraderie, dads bonding with their kids, I saw a 10-year-old encourage my son and cheer, "Dude, you're my hero!" when my son landed a trick the boy taught him. I saw some tough looking kids show kindness and patience when teaching their peers. I went from being leery of my son's interest in skateboarding to a believer that this sport fills a void in modern society, bringing kids of all ages and backgrounds together and gives them a positive outlet for their energy and self-expression.
My son always wore a helmet and pads because that was the rules. I don't understand why citations were never issued to kids that didn't wear them. The 'low attendance' excuse for closing the park is especially annoying, because it’s not true. Anyone that went to the skatepark knows it was one of the most consistently used facilities at the complex. If anything, we found it to be too crowded at times.
There were some great suggestions at the Commissioners’ meeting on June 1st. ASU Recreation offered to try a partnership with the skatepark, which in addition to monitoring the skatepark, would lead an effort to educate skateboarders on equipment use. Other suggestions included charging an entrance fee to offset the cost of an attendant, locking the park when there is no attendant or only opening the park on weekends.
I don't know all the intricacies in the history of the skatepark. However, as an outside observer at the meeting, I saw the Appalachian Skate Council make thoughtful suggestions and show willingness to compromise. They pleaded to keep the skatepark open for the summer while they worked on a solution. On the other hand, the Commissioners and P&R seemed resolved to shut down the park. They held the ASC accountable for not policing the park, which isn't fair because the ASC are just private citizens with no authority to do so. I also felt my blood pressure rise as I listened to the P&R Employees and a few Commissioners stereotype all skateboarders as troublemakers. I fell in love with a lot of those kids we met at the park...there are good kids out there. They don't all deserve to be held responsible for any incidents of negative behavior that happened at or near the skatepark.
In the end, I feel the failure of the skatepark reflects poorly on P&R and the Commissioners. They are elected by taxpayers to solve problems, not tear things down. There are over a thousand skateparks in the US that have miraculously sorted out these issues. Consider the irony that a neighboring county's P&R wants to buy the ramps and equipment so they can offer a skatepark to their youth. How can so many other towns/counties find a way to work out these issues but we couldn't? How does this not reflect a lack of creativity and motivation on the part of our local administration?
Skateboarding often attracts kids that don't fit into traditional sports. Some of these kids might seem rough around the edges, but they are a part of our community. The skatepark kept these kids in public instead of hiding in the cracks of society. I can empathize that dealing with the skatepark made the P&R’s and the Commissioners’ job more difficult. Working with adolescents can be very frustrating and requires patience and fortitude. But the worst thing to do is what the P&R and Commissioners just did. They gave up and shut down the only public place for teenage kids in our community.
I want to thank Buzz, Ken and Brian for taking out a personal loan to create the skatepark and for putting all their hearts into it. We really enjoyed it while it was here. Watauga P&R is currently working on a long-range recreation plan for our county. If anyone is interested in joining a discussion about what we would like to see included in that plan or has other ideas how we can raise the quality of life in our town, please join our Facebook group, Watauga Citizens for Recreation, and share your thoughts and ideas.
Sincerely,
Whitney Van Sant
About the Government and Reality
In America we are taught from birth about our freedom. This is an unexamined hymn. We were taught, in the fifties and sixties that the Russians were also taught that they were free. Governments don’t give freedom of speech, thought, and religion. Righteous governments protect such freedoms and they are honest with their citizens. Towns’ folk around the nation are coming to believe that trust in our rulers has contributed to the ruin of their daily lives.
In Washington, the new game is corporate socialism, where the rich make the laws to protect themselves at our expense. Politicians are protecting some of the most mismanaged companies in history. Few talk about what’s really going on. Those at the Fed, in banking, on Wall Street and government are allegedly solving the problems they created but they aren’t. They are just pushing judgment day further out. The bomb gets bigger every day and you won’t want to be around when it explodes.
“Our Government” has mastered the magician’s art of illusion by distorting reality. They don’t want you seeing the real cost of their actions. We see reports like “same-store sales are up” and then, looking deeper, discover that it’s not been inflation corrected so that with inflation, a sales increase really means on a constant-dollar basis, sales are down. Government agencies who “track” information purposefully distort information to manipulate both the markets and the “confidence” of the “consumer.” If someone lies to you, do you trust them? As the market continues to tank, and unemployment numbers explode, and as housing prices tumble, and as I read about lies about the TARP and WMD and the safety of my money, I check right out.
Fraud and deceit at every level have destroyed trust. “Our leaders” seem to think that they can manufacture trust: that confidence comes from passionate speeches and artificial optimism. Confidence will be restored when the liars disappear.
As the government chooses not to govern righteously, we abandon the liars who use us for their gain. As “our government” continues to confuse, evade, lie and attempt to beat us senseless we will choose not to play anymore.
When the Obama chooses a wider war as a way to artificially grow the economy, as well as to keep nukes out of “their hands,” thinking people will know such a war is dishonest but will be forced into support. “Not in our name” is often heard from those who oppose such endeavors, but our tax money goes to support such efforts and our young are compelled to participate in wars for greed and power.
“Our leaders,” as they have done many times before, will beg us to stand together during these difficult times so that we will prevail. You might question for whom we will prevail. Will our lives be improved by the continuing wars or will it be fought in the best interest of the few who are committed to protecting their wealth at all costs.
Craig Dudley
EDITOR'S NOTE: High Country Press does not verify the information in the letters to the editor submitted to the newspaper and does not endorse the positions expressed in the letters. The opinions and assertions are those of the writers alone.
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Please keep letters to a 600-word maximum. Letters containing personal attacks, obscene language, or name calling will not be printed. Issues-oriented letters are always welcome. Letters must include the writer's name and phone number for verification purposes.
Email your letters to: info@highcountrypress.com
Or mail directly to: High Country Press · PO BOX 152 · Boone, NC 28607
Community Interest
News & Notes
Events
Arts & Entertainment
