Fundraiser for A Cool 5

The Buckeye Recreation Center's ongoing quest to fund the construction of a new children's playground has resulted in a new venue for those who would like to participate.

A fundraising dinner for A Cool 5 will be held May 31st at 6:00pm. An Oriental meal extraordinaire prepared by Chef Cynthia Lehr, which will include bar service by a professional bartender. Seats are limited at a cost $100.00 each and are tax deductible. Seating will be limited to 10 per table so get your group together and sign up, or you can sign up and the committee will assign you to a table. To reserve your seats or ask any questions you may have, please call Ricky Holcombe at 828-387-4246. Information about the race itself may be found at www.ACool5.com.

See you there!

Watch Out For the Bears!

A couple of weeks ago a resident of Beech Mountain posted a picture of a bear in her yard. Since that time there have been numerous sightings of bears all over the mountain, both night and day.

During the last week we have had 4 visits from at least two different bears. The first night a huge bear (the head was at about a 4' height as he walked past our trash receptacle) cased out our trash receptacle and tried to open the lid but we have locking mechanisms on the fasteners so he was out of luck that night. The next two nights he was here again and on the second night he figured out if he sat beside the receptacle, put his feet against the side and pulled on the pickets he could bust them out. The result is this:



He pulled and bit and shoved until he managed to get a garbage bag out of the bin and carry it down into the yard where he proceeded to make quite a mess. The next day my daughter and I bagged the debris while my husband and son-in-law shored up the receptacle with more heavy duty wood. The next night he came back and it seems to work as he was not able to pry the new boards off.

Last night the entire house (and probably a couple of neighbors) were awoken to a terrific noise. We went to the window to see that a different bear had discovered that he, too, was not able to get into the receptacle so he took his frustration out by shoving the entire thing down into the yard. He rolled it over and over until it came to rest against a stump, about 20' from its original position, as shown in the following three pictures:

Now it will probably take all four of us to haul it back up into position and I guess we need to start thinking about how we can anchor it into position. Hmmmmmm.

At least we know the lids and locks work! They did not budge and the trash stayed put.

Today John Carrin (golf course head pro) told me that when he came to work this morning there were two bears in the middle of the road between the golf course and Buckeye Recreation Center.

If you have problems with keeping your trash in its receptacle and want to have the lids and locks (even a mailbox flag to let the collectors know if you have a pickup), contact me and I can get you a name of someone who does this work.

CPR Classes To Be Taught This Summer

Has it been awhile since you took a CPR class? Have you ever taken a CPR class? The techniques have been simplified by the American Heart Association so now is the time for a refresher course or, if you have never taken the class, here's your chance.

The Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department has been teaching CPR courses for years and this year is no different. They will be offering 4 free courses to a limited number of students this summer. Lectures are kept to a minimum to allow video and practice as the best 'hands-on' techniques are taught to students. The Family and Friend Adult CPR classes are scheduled to be held on June 5th, July 9th, July 23rd and August 7th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Beech Mountain Club recreation area so sign up before the classes fill up. If you have a group of 4-6 people that cannot attend on these dates, you may arrange for an alternate class at your home by contacting head instructor, Tim Holland,

Call the Club Recreation Department at 828-387-4208 for reservations. If you have a group of 4-6 people that cannot attend on these dates, you may arrange for an alternate class at your home by contacting head instructor, Tim Holland, at 828-387-4530 during office hours or email him at hollandrcc@skybest.com.

Fire Department Fundraiser on August 2nd

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, Congressman Patrick McHenry and USDA Rural Development representative Terry Edsel visited Beech Mountain recently to present a check for a grant to the Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department. Ms. Foxx is seen here in the new pumper truck.

On April 1st the BMVFD received delivery of a brand new all-wheel drive pumper truck. It is currently being equipped to put into service where members will be able to train for structure fires with 'Class A' foam, making for more effective efforts and lowering property losses. A FEMA grant enabled the department to purchase this truck by providing money to partially fund the purchase. Fundraisers vitally supplement additional funds necessary for our volunteer fire department to operate.

The annual fundraiser for the BMVFD will be held on Saturday, August 2nd this year. This is always a fun and much anticipated event so book early as space is limited!

The golf and tennis tournaments will operate, as usual, under the direction of Tim Smith (tennis pro for the Club) and John Carrin (golf pro for the Club).

The Saturday night cocktail buffet and dance will be held this year at the Beech Mountain Club Dining Room.

Invitations will be sent out in the near future. To avoid the rush you may call (anytime after May 1st) the following for reservations:

Golf Tournament - John Carrin: 828-387-4717
Tennis Tourmament - Tim Smith: 828-387-4208, Ext. 3
Cocktail buffet/dance - Dining Room: 828-387-4747

Note that these events are a great way to support the BMVFD and that we would not have the great insurance rates and equipment that we do if it were not for your support. If you wish to contribute but cannot attend any of these events, you may contact our fire chief, Jim Brooks, at 828-387-4251 to see how you can help.

To check out pictures and further information on the fire deparment, go to http://www.beechmountainvfd.org/. Thank you in advance for your support.

April Showers...Opps, I Mean April SNOWS!

The calendar says 'spring' but looking out my window this afternoon looks like we are still in winter. The snow is coming down in pretty, large flakes and we are anticipating up to 2" of the fluffy white stuff by the time this system passes sometime tomorrow. I know many do not share my enthusiasm for watching the snow fall but it always gives me a calming, peaceful feeling to watch it while sipping hot tea... probably the last of our hurrah for the season. The daffodils are springing up all over the mountain and will have white heads on them before long but they are hardy and will bounce back once the sun reappears and it warms up into the 50s once again by Tuesday.

For those who have not yet made it back to Beech, you just don't know what you are missing! :)