Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Beech Mountain 'Beest' Cycling Time Trial

April 15, 2009
Media Release by Craig Distl:

In the spring of 1998, Lance Armstrong came to Beech Mountain to train for the first of his seven-straight Tour de France victories. This spring, cycling aficionados can put themselves to the test on the same curvy mountain ascent that inspired Armstrong.

The first annual Beech Mountain “Beest” Cycling Time Trial Weekend is May 23-24. The event includes a host of activities for participants and their families, highlighted by Saturday’s time trial from Banner Elk up Hwy. 184 to the top of Beech Mountain.

The Beech Mountain Beest was created by David Klein of Charlotte, a 42-year-old cyclist who also owns Charlotte Health & Fitness Magazine.

“It is geared toward all avid cyclists,” Klein said. “We welcome racers, but it is not necessarily for racers. It’s for working guys like me who like to get out and stay athletic. We might not fly up the mountain, but we’ll get up there.”

Klein has put together a weekend agenda that includes a post-ride dinner & awards ceremony on Saturday evening at the new Beech Mountain Recreation Center, followed by several road rides and a variety of family activities on Sunday. Discount lodging is available for the weekend at several places on Beech Mountain.

“Endurance athletic events don’t always have a family component. We specifically designed this for families – spouses and children,” said Klein. “There are so many amenities on Beech Mountain for family members to enjoy. And for the cyclists, it’s pretty cool to be able to ride the same road that motivated Lance’s comeback.”

Registration fee is $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event. The entry fee includes a goody bag, t-shirt and dinner. Awards will be presented to the top three finishers in each age group, male and female. All participants are entered into a drawing for door prizes.
For info on the time trial weekend, call (704) 333-5697 or visit: http://www.chfmag.com/.

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Note also that you may obtain lodging, restaurant, shopping, hiking and other information from the Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce by calling Peggy or Mike at 828-387-9283 or visiting the Chamber's website at http://www.beechmountainchamber.com/.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Town Selects New Town Manager

April 1, 2009

Randy Feierabend has been named town manager for the Town of Beech Mountain.

Feierabend comes to Beech Mountain after eight years as planning services director for Caldwell County. Prior to that, he was with York County, S.C., for 11 years as planning and development services manager.

Mayor Rick Owen said Feierabend was selected from a pool of more than 40 applicants. He impressed the town council with his management experience and background in planning.
“Randy is a positive, energetic guy and I think he’s going to be a good fit,” said Owen. “We have a lot of infrastructure needs right now and his experience working with county governments, EDCs and planning boards will allow him to pull different factions together and work for common goals.”

In addition to being certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners, Feierabend will soon complete an extensive city-county administrative course conducted by the UNC School of Government.

“The council members have the best interest of Beech Mountain in mind and I liked what they had to say,” Feierabend said. “They want to move forward progressively and positively.”
Feierabend doesn’t expect to make major changes as he addresses pressing needs.
“We’ll develop a plan to make sure our infrastructure is there for future generations. I want to get a feel for people who live there and what they want, as well as the people who make it home for part of the year. Then we’ll come up with a vision that meets the needs of everybody.”
Feierabend is proud of his record in government, particularly the commitment he makes to the communities he serves. This is only his third job change in 28 years.

“If you’re in government, serving is your reward and I try to serve the citizens of the community,” he said. “Government can sometimes have a black eye with the people. I don’t want that to be the case locally.”

Feierabend is a native of Louisiana and a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His wife, Kathryn, is a watercolor artist. They have a 32-year-old daughter, Megan, who lives in Apex, and a 26-year-old son, Evan, who lives in Fort Mill, S.C.

story and photo provided by Craig Distl