Creeper Trail Nc

This week's community calendar

The 6th annual Ola Belle Reed Festival will be held in downtown Lansing. This tribute event features regional old-time, bluegrass and Celtic artists, performing center stage for the 3-day celebration. This musical extravaganza begins Friday, Aug. 12 at 5 p.m. Saturday’s events begin at noon with Sunday’s tribute beginning at 11 a.m. Food booths will be located in the Lansing Creeper Trail Park, the site of the festival. The event is free. Donations are welcome. For further information, please visit the Ola Belle Reed website at www.olabellefest.com. 8 a.m. Underground Railroad Hike. Traverse the history of Mount Jefferson with a ranger as he travels back in time to the days of the Underground Railroad. Participants will experience the folklore and history surrounding Mount Jefferson as you hike along the mountain ridge. Meet at picnic shelter at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. 6:30 p.m. High Country Audubon (HCAS) will meet at the Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center behind the Cooperative Extension building at 252 Poplar Grove Road in Boone. The meeting will feature a presentation on the March Nicaragua trip that many HCAS members attended. The group will share their experiences and photos of the trip. High Country Audubon Society covers Avery, Ashe, Alleghany, Watauga, and Wilkes counties and is designed to encourage beginning birders and experts alike to engage in conservation, education, and research for the birds of western North Carolina. HCAS invites the public to attend the monthly meetings and field trips. Information can be found at www.highcountryaudubon.org. 4-8 p.m.: Fish Fry to benefit Ashe Outreach Ministries and Mobile Meals will be held at Riverview Community Center. Cost is $10 donation for large portion of fish, fries, hushpuppies, slaw, dessert and drink. Take-out available. Live bluegrass music. Center is located in the Clifton/Creston community on N.C. 88. Look for the flashing Fish Fry sign. Call 385-1314 for information and take-out. Fish fry is held the first and third Fridays of each month throughout the year. 2 p.m. Where am I? Orienteering and what to do if I get lost. Come up after lunch and learn some basic orienteering and map skills. Once the basic skills are learned you will be given the challenge of locating an object. Group will discuss search and rescue. What could you do if you were lost? Meet at picnic area at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. 2 p.m. Acid Rock Hike Crank it up; not the music - the ph. Come on up and find out for yourself why Amphibolite makes the soil on Mt. Jefferson so good for plants that don’t like natural aicds. See why Mount Jefferson is a National Natural Landmark and learn how to identify some local tree leaves. Group will hike and discover the world of plants rock and soil. Closed-toe shoes necessary. Meet at the picnic area. Alleghany County Fair at the Alleghany County Fairgrounds, 1.5 miles north of Sparta on U.S. 21. For more information, call 336-372-5597. Experience this traditional agricultural fair that features everything from blue ribbons from prize farm animals and best canned beans to cotton candy and carnival rides. Agricultural competition begins Aug. 22 and the carnival rides come to town on Aug. 25. Lawnmower race and fireworks finale on Aug. 27. Ashe County Little Theatre presents The Fantasticks. All performances held at the Ashe Civic Center with 7:30 p.m. shows Aug. 25-27 and a matinee performance Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. Reserved seating is available in advance from the Ashe County Arts Council. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 students. Tickets available at the Ashe Arts Center, in person, or by phone at 336-846-ARTS. Credit cards accepted. 1 p.m. The Legend of Tom Dooley (music) Join a Western North Carolina native at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area as he relives the last days of the N.C. legend Tom Dooley. Did Tom Dooley murder Laura Foster in the shadows of the Blue Ridge? The infamous story will be accompanied by songs to include the Ballad of Tom Dooley. Participants should meet at the picnic shelter; all programs are free and open to the public. 7 p.m. Homecoming Services at Gillespie Community Church Nightly with Sunday service at 10:30 a.m. and dinner on the grounds. The singing and preaching will feature The Delp Family from Jamestown Kentucky. A special invitation goes out for all who have ties to Gillespie from 1932 until now. For information, call Pastor Jim Francis at 384-2560. Calvary Free Will Baptist Church in Glendale Springs will present a celebration and reunion as they mark their 70th year in ministry with the annual Homecoming. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m., and a special morning worship service begins at 11. Guest speaker will be Rev. Jerry Roten of Sparta. Following the morning worship service, you are invited to a meal in the fellowship building. At 2 p.m., they will re-gather in the church sanctuary for a special gospel sing with old favorites, The Southern Aires of Dayton, Ohio. For more information and/or directions, call the church at 982-4840 or Pastor Sonny Thomas at 982-4743. We're glad to give you a forum to air your point of view on issues important to this community. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use offensive language, ethnic or racial slurs, or assail anyone's personal or religious beliefs. For anyone who can't be civil, we reserve the right to remove your material. We also reserve the right to ban users who violate our visitor's agreement.

Relaxed Hiking NC: Virginia Creeper Trail 7/6/2011

We get out about once a week to hike usually in central to western North Carolina. We hike slowly and stop often to enjoy the views and the little treasures that nature offers. We enjoy waterfall, river, and mountain hikes frequently visiting The Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smoky Moutains National Park, and Pisgah National Forest. The Virginia Creeper Trail is a 33.4 mile shared use trail  that was once a railroad line.  We chose to bicycle the upper 17 mile section renting bikes in Damascus.  The shuttle ride to Whitetop Station took about thirty minutes.  Even on a weekday there were several vans unloading when we arrived at the trailhead.  This must be a very busy trail on the weekend. This trail is constantly downhill.  I spent more time braking then peddling although the trail was never steep.  The first few miles are through woods with some rock cuts.  The trail is mostly wide and smooth but it is a natural surface so there are some small bumps and ruts along the way.  About three miles down is the Green Cove Station with a combination old general store and restrooms.  Portions of this trail are through Jefferson National Forest and Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area but parts of it are through private property.  We traveled through wooded areas along Laurel Creek and past rural residential areas.   There were many places to stop by the creek.   About seven miles down we passed the Creek junction trail head with parking and restrooms. About twelve miles into the ride we arrived in Taylor's Valley.  There was a roadside stand advertising the lowest prices for lunch on the trail but we continued on a short distance to the Virginia Creeper Cafe where we ate lunch at a table in an air conditioned restaurant.  I should mention that the wooded nature of the trail kept the temperature comfortable even on this hot summer day.

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