Swannanoa News

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FANS E-Newsletter

August - September 2023

This every-other-month newsletter is a free publication of Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS). Help us spread the word about the great things happening in our community by forwarding this to a friend. If you have a story idea, please click here to send us an email. We'd love to hear from you!

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In This Issue

Swannanoa Valley Museum Exhibit Celebrates the Valley's Musical Heritage

New Snorkel Trail Gives

Up Close Look at the Swannanoa River's Underwater World

Swannanoa's Newest Public Space

Takes Shape in Grovemont

Owen High Welcomes New Principal

Swannanoa Scenes -

Groovin' on Grovemont

Watch ''The Iron Giant' Under the Stars in Grovemont Park - Sept. 22

Save the Date for Fall Community Yard Sale Oct. 7

Annual Sourwood Festival

Aug. 12 & 13

Vintage Postcard Journey Through Swannanoa Valley & Asheville History August 17

Dungeons and Dragons at the

Swannanoa Library - Aug. 12,

Sept. 7 & Oct. 14

Free Summer Art Program for Kids -

Aug. 24

Madden's Ace Hardware

Annual Car Show - Aug. 26

Live Theater at Black Mountain Center for the Arts - 'Radium Girls'

Sept. 22 - Oct. 1

Swannanoa Library Book Group - Aug. 17

Quick Link

FANS Website

About FANS

Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS) is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working for a strong and vibrant Swannanoa by encouraging active involvement, fostering community spirit, and honoring our unique history and natural heritage. For more info and to find out how you can get involved, visit www.SwannanoaFANS.org.

FANS' Board of Directors:

Matt Barker - Treasurer

Andrew Belz - Secretary

Casey Conner - Chair

Kara Dillow - Vice Chair

Maureen Dillow

Sandy Drake

Samantha Gallman

Carol Groben

Doug Lebbon

Megan McCreary

Fran Thigpen

Evan Yanik

We welcome and appreciate your input and ideas! You can write to us at [email protected].

Watch "The Iron Giant"

Under the Stars in Grovemont Park

Cinema on the Square, Swannanoa's outdoor movie series, returns to Grovemont Park on Friday, September 22, with a screening of The Iron Giant (rated PG). In this endearing animated family classic, a young boy befriends a giant robot from outer space that a paranoid government agent wants to destroy. The Iron Giant's audience approval rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes is a testament to the movie's enduring appeal for kids and adults alike.

Bring a chair or blanket, and enjoy an evening of free family-friendly entertainment under the stars. Popcorn and light refreshments will be available for purchase. The movie will begin around dusk; arrive by 7:00 to secure your spot and enjoy the pre-movie festivities.

Grovemont Park is located adjacent to the Swannanoa Library, 101 West Charleston Ave. For info, call the library at 828-250-6486.

Cinema on the Square is brought to you by Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS) and the Swannanoa Community Council.

Save the Date for Fall Community Yard Sale

If you missed the spring edition of the twice-annual Swannanoa Community Yard Sale, all is not lost! There will be another chance to sell your stuff and shop for treasures when the yard sale returns on Saturday, October 7, from 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

This much-anticipated twice-annual community event always draws hundreds of people to the Swannanoa Ingles parking lot, 2299 US Hwy. 70. With dozens of sellers, you're sure to find some bargains you can't pass up. Mark your calendar now so you don't miss out on this area's largest yard sale event!

The Swannanoa Community Yard Sale is sponsored by Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS); all proceeds from seller space rentals help support projects in the Swannanoa community. Keep an eye on the FANS Facebook page for additional details, as well as seller registration information, as the date draws closer.

Large Crowds Expected for Annual Sourwood Festival

in Black Mountain

The 44th Annual Sourwood Festival returns to the streets of downtown Black Mountain on Saturday, August 12, from 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday, August 13, from 9 a.m.-5p.m. This free family-friendly street festival includes arts & crafts booths, food, games, music, carnival rides and more! The event goes on rain or shine. For more information, visit exploreblackmountain.com.

All Aboard For a Vintage Postcard Journey Through Swannanoa Valley and Asheville History

In this program, sponsored by the Swannanoa Valley Museum, Mary McPhail Standaert, PhD, will take participants on a virtual journey by rail through the Swannanoa Valley and Asheville, circa 1880-1930, illustrated by vintage postcards from the Standaerts' vast collection. The presentation will be based on The Buncombe County Name Game Book, which contains more than 300 posts, centered on historic postcards, that were written by Standaert and distributed serially during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program takes place on Thursday, August 17, at 6 p.m., at the Swannanoa Valley Museum, 223 W. State Street, in Black Mountain. The cost is $10 per person. For more info and to register, visit www.history.swannanoavalleymuseum.org/wncpast/.

Play Dungeons and Dragons at the Swannanoa Library

If you're a teenager and a fan of the fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons, then head to the Swannanoa Library on the second Saturday of the month to embark on an adventure with other players. This event is for ages 13-17, and is limited to six players, first come, first served. To sign up, email Olivia at [email protected]. The next game dates are August 12, September 7, and October 14, from 2-4:30 p.m.

The Swannanoa Library is located at 101 W. Charleston Ave., in Grovemont. For more info, call the library at 828-250-6486.

Free Summer Art

Program for Kids

Woven Bookmarks

Come join local artist Nora Mosrie and learn how to make your own woven bookmarks in this free Summer Art Series program at the Swannanoa Library, 101 W. Charleston Avenue. The class takes place on Thursday, August 24, and is divided into two sessions geared to different age groups. The 2-3:00 p.m. session is for ages 4-6, and the 3-4:00 p.m. session is for ages 7-10. Please register for this program by visiting www.buncombecounty.org/ and searching for the event under "Events Calendar."

The Summer Art Series is sponsored by the Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League and funded by the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. For info, call the library at 828-250-6486.

Madden's Ace Hardware's Annual Car Show Set for August 26

Calling all car enthusiasts! Madden’s Ace Hardware, located at 2319 U.S. Hwy. 70 in Swannanoa, is gearing up to host its Third Annual Hardware and Hot Rods Car Show on Saturday, August 26, from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Between now and then, folks have a chance to purchase raffle tickets for a 1993 GMC 1500 pickup truck that's been tricked out, upgraded, customized, and otherwise spiffed up by Smoky Mountain Motorsports and Dark City Custom Autos. Raffle tickets are $30 each and can be purchased at any Madden's Ace Hardware store (including Swannanoa, of course!). The lucky winner will be announced at the event on August 26.

In addition to lots of cool cars. the event will feature live music, a radio remote from 99.9 Kiss Country, trophies for top cars, vendors, kids' games, food trucks and more! The $20 registration fee benefits the local WNC Toys for Tots. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; the first 75 entries will get a free Hardware & Hot Rods bucket full of goodies. Bring your kids for the Madden 500 Pinewood derby race. Fun for the whole family!

Live Theater at

Black Mountain Center

for the Arts

'Radium Girls'

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts will present Radium Girls, by D.W. Gregory, on the weekends of September 22 and 29, with shows on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Radium Girls offers a wry, unflinching look at the peculiarly American obsessions with health, wealth and the commercialization of science.

The play takes the audience back in time to 1926, when radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest rage — until the girls who painted the watch dials began to fall ill with a mysterious disease.

Inspired by a true story, Radium Girls traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a dial painter, as she fights for her day in court. Her chief adversary is her former employer, Arthur Roeder, an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumors could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees. As the case goes on, however, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation, but also with her own family and friends, who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire.

Tickets are $25, and can be purchased at www.blackmountainarts.org/theatre.

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 W. State Street. For more info, call 828-669-0930.

Join Fellow Book Lovers

at Swannanoa Library

Book Group

Did you know that the Swannanoa Library is home to the oldest continual book discussion group in the Buncombe County library system? The group gathers every 4 - 6 weeks for a lively discussion of a fiction or nonfiction book selected by the participants. The next meeting is on Thursday, August 17, at 4 p.m. at the library (101 West Charleston Ave. in Grovemont) to discuss Circe by Madeline Miller.

Newcomers are always welcome, so don't be shy! For more info, call the library at 828-250-6486.

Swannanoa Valley Museum Exhibit Celebrates the Valley's Musical Heritage

The Swannanoa Valley Museum is celebrating our area's rich cultural heritage of music with its newest exhibit, Striking A Chord: Music and Community in the Swannanoa Valley. The exhibit provides an overview of the Valley's storied musicians, musical communities, and venues, and highlights the varying musical genres that have been enjoyed by Valley residents through the years. There are several interactive components, including musical instruments that you can pick up and play. Some of the musicians and places covered by the exhibit include the Swannanoa String Band at the Asheville Farm School, the Martin Family, the Moser Family, Ray Green and Green Acres Picking Parlor, Walt Davis, Roseland Gardens, McDibbs, and Roberta Flack.

Founded in 1989, the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center is the primary museum of general local history in Buncombe County. The museum is located at 223 W. State Street, in the historic 1921 Black Mountain fire house, which was designed by Richard Sharp Smith, supervising architect on the Biltmore Estate. In addition to temporary and traveling exhibits, the museum houses an extensive permanent collection focuding on the general history of the Swannanoa Valley. The museum is open Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

For more info, call 828-669-9566 or visit www.history.swannanoavalleymuseum.org/.

New Snorkel Trail Gives Up Close Look at the Swannanoa River's Underwater World

The new Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail gives residents a chance to get up close and personal with the amazing array of aquatic life in our local rivers. All you need to participate is a mask and snorkel, a healthy dose of curiosity, and a love of adventure.

The Snorkel Trail officially launched this summer as a project of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, in partnership with MountainTrue and Mainspring Conservation Trust. Ten unique publicly-accessible sites across Western North Carolina were identified for inclusion in the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail, with each one of them located in a different county.

And guess what?! The Buncombe County site is located right here in the Swannanoa Valley on our very own Swannanoa River. The site, which was selected for its accessibility and the clarity of its water, is located at the Black Mountain Veterans Park, 10 Veterans Park Drive. Each site on the trail is designated by signage that provides information on water safety and notable aquatic species that snorkelers might spot.

“River snorkelers will get to experience our rivers through the fishes’ eyes and explore all of the unique and beautiful species that are hidden just under the surface,” according to the Western Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator, Luke Etchison, Ph.D., of the Wildlife Commission’s Inland Fisheries Division. “You’ll get the chance to see crayfishes, mussels, aquatic snails, salamanders, aquatic insects, and fishes you don’t normally see, even if you fish.”

Strap on a mask and snorkel while the water is still warm, and head to the river to see what you can see! For detailed info on each of the 10 snorkel sites, including descriptions of the aquatic life you might find at each site, visit ncfishes.com/blue-ridge-snorkel-trail/site-information/.

Swannanoa's Newest Public Space Takes Shape in Grovemont Community

In the three years since the Fox Creek Park property, located at 111 Ivanhoe Drive in Grovemont, was donated to the Swannanoa Community Council, amazing changes have taken place. Volunteers are now half way through their third season of work on the once-abandoned and overgrown parcel of land, and the results are pretty astounding. The strangling kudzu vines and invasive thorns have gradually been cut back, making room for dramatically increased biodiversity. There are now open spaces and paths, thriving plant and animal communities (including thousands of elderberries ripening on the vine!), and a new volunteer gathering space.

Thanks to a Buncombe County Tipping Point grant, a wealth of new tools have been purchased for the volunteers, along with a solid and secure storage box on site to keep all that gear safe and dry. Thanks to that same grant, and the work of an amazing field biologist, Kevin Caldwell of MTS Ecological, there's now a very detailed report on the property that has been posted online for all to see at foxcreekpark.org/tipping-point-grant-index. The report presents the findings and recommendations from a year’s worth of scientific research and study at Fox Creek Park, and includes maps and test results, as well as solid guidance to shape future restoration efforts at the property.

More than 300 unique species of plants, insects, animals, birds and fungi have been identified inside the borders of Fox Creek Park. You can view information about all of these wonderful creatures and learn how to join in on this “Citizen Science” project at foxcreekpark.org/species-survey.

The transformation of Fox Creek Park is made possible by volunteers, and more are always needed! The next community work day takes place on Sunday, August 20, at 9 a.m. There's a variety of work to be done, with tasks that are suitable for all ages and abilities. Tools are provided, and the work is rewarded with a delicious communal meal around noon. Come one, come all!

A group of volunteers gather at the shade tent during a Fox Creek Park community work day in July 2023.

Owen High Will

Start School Year With A New Principal

Owen High School students will be greeted by a new principal when classes resume on August 28. Dawn Rookey took over the top administrator job July 1, following the retirement of former principal, Samantha Sircey. Rookey is a familiar face in the Swannanoa Valley, having taught at Owen High from 2001-2019.

Rookey brings a wealth of experience to her new job. In addition to her many years as a classroom teacher, she served as an assistant principal at Enka High School for three years, and as an interim assistant principal at T.C. Roberson in 2019-2020. Rookey was honored as the Buncombe County Schools Teacher of the Year in 2013. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Arts, and Master of School Administration, from Western Carolina University.

As a long-time Black Mountain resident, Rookey has strong ties to the Swannanoa Valley community. In a recent article in the Black Mountain News, Rookey is quoted as saying that she's invested in the place she calls home and has developed many strong relationships over the years with families and community members. She went on to say that her main goals for her first year are to focus on school safety, communication, expectations and student learning. In addition, she wants to focus on strengthening partnerships the school has in the community. Rookey described being named as Owen High School's new principal as the "pinnacle" of her career.

Former Buncombe County Schools Teacher of the Year, Dawn Rookey, has been named the new principal of Owen High School. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Schools.

Swannanoa Scenes

Groovin' on Grovemont

The record crowds that turned out for this summer's Groovin' on Grovemont outdoor concerts in Grovemont Park were treated to some fantastic free music, delicious food, great weather, and beautiful mountain views. The final concert was held on August 8, but if you missed out on the fun this year, never fear —Groovin' will be back in 2024! The Groovin' on Grovemont concerts are brought to you by the Swannanoa Community Council and Friends of the Swannanoa Library, with generous support from local businesses and volunteers.

A Special Thank You to Our Newsletter Sponsors!

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Be a FANS

Newsletter Sponsor

The FANS E-Newsletter currently reaches more than 2,000 subscribers (and many more via social media). Additionally, approximately 500 print copies are distributed through the library and local businesses. Sponsorships are available for as little as $30. It's a great way to promote your business and show your support for our community. To learn more about newsletter sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.SwannanoaFANS.org and click on the "Our Projects" tab, or write to us at [email protected].

Please consider making a donation to help support FANS' work in the community.

Checks can be mailed to: FANS, PO Box 697, Swannanoa, NC 28778;

or you can make a secure Paypal donation by clicking the link below.

Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization;

donations are tax deductible, and every little bit helps. Thank you!

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For more info, call 828-581-9848, send us an email at [email protected] or visit www.SwannanoaFANS.org.

Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS)

PO Box 697, Swannanoa, NC 28778