Winter Fun Always on Tap at Beech's Youth Sledding Hill

December 21, 2010
News Release by Craig Distl

The popular youth sledding hill in the Town of Beech Mountain is once again open for the winter season. The hill provides free sledding daily for children 12 and under.

Winter Has Arrived on Beech Mountain

December 14, 2010

The deer were out in droves today, rooting to the ground looking for food sources.

First Snow of the Season

November 6, 2010

The snow began to fall about 3:30 yesterday afternoon.  Coming home, I found a herd of deer in the yard munching on the last of my hostas and waiting to see if apples would be handed out.

Beech Mountain Pumps Up Snowmaking System and Revitalizes Village

Press Release by Craig Distl
November 1, 2010

A new system of automated snow guns will have a major impact on snowmaking capacity this winter at Beech Mountain Resort.

Fall on Beech Mountain

October in Beech Mountain

Early fall in October gave us a glimpse of the color to come.

Mile High Kite Festival Takes to the Skies Again!

September 5, 2010
MILE HIGH KITE FESTIVAL

Yes! It's here again. The 8th Annual Mile High Kite Festival events begin with a kite maker's competition from 2-4pm on Saturday. The main event is scheduled for Sunday, September 5th on Beech Mountain, behind the Brick Oven Pizzeria. This event is sponsored jointly by the Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce, Richmond Air Force Kite Club out of Virginia and Wings Across Carolina Kiting and Okra Society out of Charlotte.

Hours are 10am - 4pm and admission is free. In addition, kites have been donated and will be distributed to the first 200 children under 12 to ask for one. You can also bring your own kite. There will also be vendors with kites, food, drinks, face painting and crafts.

All participants will receive certificates signed by Mayor Rick Owen proclaiming "I flew a kite a mile high at Beech Mountain". In addition, there will be prizes for the biggest, smallest and best decorated kites. Come join the fun and don't forget your camera as the sky will be filled with lots of color and interest.

Also, Saturday night will be dancing in the streets at the Town Hall parking lot from 7-9pm. Come join our D.J. and dance to popular tunes on the sand dance surface.

For more information, call the Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce at 828-387-9283 or 800-468-5506 or visit http://www.beechmtn.com/

Saturday Night Evening Services

August 9, 2010
information provided by Nancy Raymond

Reverend Daniel Brubaker of the Banner Elk United Methodist Church is holding evening services on Beech Mountain at 6 p.m. on Saturday nights at the Beech Mountain Pavilion

The meeting is a casual affair. The pavilion is located between the Buckeye Lake Recreation Center and the overlook over Buckeye Lake.

Come meet the group and join in the fellowship.

If you prefer traditional or a 'blue jeans' service, Rev. Brubaker invites you to join his congregation at 486 College Drive in Banner Elk, which is around the corner from the Post Office. The 'blue jeans' contemporary service is held at 9:40 a.m. and the traditional service is at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday. They also hold Holy Communion, covered dish events and 'Wonderful Wednesdays'. For further information on the Banner Elk United Methodist Church and these events, please call Rev. Brubaker at the church, (828) 898-9729 or you can reach him on his cell phone at (828) 280-4792.

Bike Trail Workdays

July 11, 2010 - First trail workday

Emerald Outback Trails, Beech Mountain, NC

The Beech Mountain Bike Club has announced a collaborative trail workday on Sunday, July 11^th. Over the past 6 months many area residents have banded together to create what will soon be the Beech Mountain Adventure Trail Park, a comprehensive public trail park totaling 20+ miles of trail for hiking, biking, running, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing use.

The first phase of the project is the “Emerald Outback” micro-park/trail network. This area consists of 7 to 8 miles of single track, double track, and fire/gravel road trail. The entire Emerald Outback trail is nestled above 5,000ft. in elevation and has varying terrain and geographic features that make the trail system truly unique to the area. The trail system has been designed by bikers, hikers and trail runners in order to better meet the recreational demands of such outdoor enthusiasts. The best part is this is a public project, so the trails are open for your enjoyment. Beech Mountain citizens, Town employees, Beech Mountain Club employees, Banner Elk and Boone residents, and visitors to the area have all played a hand in the creation of this amazing trail network.

On Sunday, July 11^th, 2010 the Beech Mountain Bike Club will host a collaborative trail day of massive scale in order to escalate phase one of the project to its true opening before the XTERRA – Beech Mountain – 10K trail race event is held on Sunday, July 18^th 2010. The group will be erecting the official trail head at the Beech Mountain Town Hall/Chamber of Commerce/Visitors Center, placing directional and informational trail signage on all trails, and doing final trail clean-up before the XTERRA trail race takes place. The BMBC is requesting your help on this momentous day in order to make these trails more accessible, discernable, and clean for your recreational enjoyment.

The trail workday will begin at the Beech Mountain Town Hall at 8:30 AM on Sunday, July 11^th. Although some trail equipment will be provided, it is recommended that you bring along metal rakes, loppers, shears, gloves, weed-eaters, chainsaws, and leaf blowers of your own if you have them available. Also be sure to pack water and snacks. The group will set out on foot to groom every inch of the Emerald Outback trail system while placing brand new directional markers throughout the network. As this is a public project, help from the public is needed in order to better the trails for your enjoyment. Please encourage anyone you know interested in trail building, biking, hiking, etc to come lend a hand in kicking off the next big thing on Beech Mountain! Your help is greatly needed and greatly appreciated!

For more information regarding the Beech Mountain Adventure Trail Park, the trail workday scheduled for Sunday, July 11^th, 2010, or general information about hiking and biking on Beech Mountain, please call 828.387.3003. You can also follow trail development, get group ride and workday updates, view park photos and maps, etc at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=129374807082146&ref=ts

Beech Mountain Yard Sale

June 19, 2010
Beech Mountain Yard Sale

This Saturday, June 19th, is the annual

Beech Mountain Yard Sale

Come as a buyer or seller...Lots of great buys

8:00 am to 12:00 noon

Spaces available at $10 ea.; rain or shine

For more information, call Peggy or John at

Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce

(828) 387-9283

All items not sold or reclaimed by vendors will be donated to

Avery Family Impact

Fund Raiser for Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary

Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 31, 2010

We all know what a worthwhile cause Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary is and the great asset it is for Beech Mountain. Now you can show your interest, appreciation and have fun with this organization by coming out to the Hoot'Nanny fund raiser to be held on Saturday, July 31st at the Buckeye Recreation Center. Come out and support this amazing group of people who have dedicated their time, energy and money to give a safe haven to orphaned and injured animals in our area.

The Babies are Here!

June 5, 2010

Sherry Garris and I were in the parking lot in front of her office and That Pizza Place when we saw a doe come running down Beech Mountain Parkway, then suddenly stop and just stare at us like she was trying to tell us something. We talked to her and she just stood there so Sherry took a couple of steps toward her to get her to move off the Parkway. She jumped across the road but stayed close.

About that time, a visitor walked up and said there was a fawn lying in the ditch alongside the Parkway so we investigated and found her/him lying very still (just as their moms teach them to do) but dangerously close to the road. Having had very recent experience of another situation similar to this and calling Leslie Hayhurst at Genesis, I told the visitor we needed to get the fawn to a safer location close to the area. We found a grassy, flat area across the road within 20' of where the fawn was found and the visitor gently picked the fawn up and moved him/her to that area. Within 20 minutes of the move, Sherry was on the phone to me letting me know mom had come back and taken the fawn to a new destination. Great stuff!!

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Footnote: I called Leslie back to get some information from her on these situations that we could post here. Note that not all situations are critical to relocating or assisting a fawn. The following are Leslie's comments:

"It's wildlife baby season! The cute factor is high! But beware of doing the wrong thing when you are trying to 'help' and orphan.

Fawns are born and retain the protective camouflage of blending in with the environment not only with their color, but the lack of scent for a predator to detect. It will take a couple of weeks for this tiny baby, born the size of a Chihuahua, to be able to run with the herd. Nature has the perfect answer, though. Mom will visit the baby only every 6-8 hours. She is very close by, watching her precious baby. But, if she lingers too long, her scent also lingers, alerting the predators of easy prey. She will feed her fawn and clean her and leave. The same is true with bunnies. Move or touch an orphan only if you are CERTAIN that it is in iminent danger or injured. In the case of the former, often moving a fawn 15 feet or so to keep it from on coming traffic or out of a creek is all that is required for the mom to safely retrieve it. NEVER FEED AN ORPHAN. You won't have the proper formula, the tools or the experience to do it properly. If there is a question, call your wildlife rehabilitator. They can be located by calling your local wildlife officer, animal control, police, humane society or vet. Let those who are experienced and permitted to do their job."

Leslie Hayhurst is a registered nurse and director of Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary. The phone number for the sanctuary is 828-387-2979. Please visit their location on Beech Mountain next to Buckeye Recreation Center and their website at http://www.genesis-wildlife.org/ and contribute to this worthy cause. This is the only rehab facility on Beech Mountain and Leslie and her staff are dedicated to the health and safety of injured and orphaned animals. They also depend heavily on individual contributions. Thanks from all of us, Leslie!

Sharks in the Mountains

June 5, 2010

The Porsche 928 Land Sharks are in our area for the weekend. Over 100 of these coveted sports cars are on display in the parking lots of town hall, Beech Mountain Realty and Brick Oven.

The cars will be travelling Beech Mountain Parkway from town hall to Ski Beech and back at around 5pm today

A look under the hood of any of these cars show the attention to detail that the owners have for the maintenance and upkeep.


The variety of colors in the cars was amazing.

Lots of visitors, residents and passers-by stopped by to see the Sharks and visit with their owners.

Well over 100 cars were involved in this rally.

Cars came from as far away as Ontario, Canada. License plates show participants from Virginia, New Jersey, Tennessee, South Carolina, New York, Canada, North Carolina and more.

The rain threatened, backed off, then opened up briefly but the crowds continued to come to look.

We look forward to seeing this club, based out of Spruce Pine, NC, back next year. Thanks for coming to Beech Mountain!

Don't Forget to See the Sharks on the Mountain

June 5, 2010: Sharks in the Mountains: Porsche 928 Rally with over 100 cars participating. View the cars at 10:00 a.m. in the parking lot at Beech Mountain Town Hall.

See the full article in the May articles; click on 'May' in the column to the right.

Seal Point Siamese Needs a Home

May 6, 2010

This is a generic picture of a male seal point Siamese cat.

Isn't it gorgeous? Don't you wish you had one? Good news ..... You can! Charlene Josselyn has a 3 yr. old neutered male that is very lovable and needs a new home. He loves the outdoors and has not been declawed. His name is Buddy.

For more information or to adopt this gorgeous guy, please contact Charlene at 828-387-2686.

Porsche 928 Rally Visits Beech Mountain

May 4, 2010
Press Release by Craig Distl

Fans of the Porsche 928 can witness the nation's largest gathering of this powerful sports car on Saturday, June 5, atop Beech Mountain.

The 13th annual Sharks in the Mountains rally, hosted by 928 Specialists of Spruce Pine, will attract a fleet of more than 100 cars. These unique Porsches are called "sharks" because their front profile resembles that of a shark.

David and Jeannie Roberts, owners of 928 Specialists, invite sports car fans to visit Beech Mountain for this special event, beginning with a 10 a.m. "park in" of all participants. This takes place in the central business district of Beech Mountain in front of Town Hall.

"We have an ideal setting right here at the top of the mountain. Car owners can use our parking area and visitors can come through and see these cars," said Beech Mountain town manager Randy Feierabend. "It's also an opportunity to get people up here in June so they can see how beautiful our mountain is in summer."

The front engine V8 Porsche 928 is a lesser known model in the Porsche stable. There were only 60,000 made over a 17-year period and there aren't many left.

"To see that many 928s at one time is rare," said David Roberts. "This is one of only two such annual events of this size in the United States, and ours is the biggest and oldest. If you're a car person and like classic cars, it's quite a sight to see."

Roberts said folks are welcome to stroll along the isles of cars and chat with owners.

"Porsche 928 owners are some of the most down to earth folks you'll find," he said. "They love to talk to about their cars and are happy to expose others to the Porsche 928."

After spending the day in the town of Beech Mountain, the group departs in grand style with a 5 p.m. parade that follows the route of the former Beech Mountain Hill Climb race and continues down the mountain to Banner Elk.

"It will be a parade of more than 100 beautiful sports cars driving through town," said Feierabend. "Even if you're not a fan of the Porsche 928, it will still be cool to watch."

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For more information on this or other events on Beech Mountain, call the Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce at (800) 468-5506 or locally at (828) 387-9283.
Debbie Canady, Editor

April 26, 2010

Lake Coffey and Buckeye Lake are stocked by the state with trout and the locals are hauling in some nice sized fish for dinners. Children up to 16 can fish without a license but, remember parents, if you even bait a hook or take a fish off a line you need a license.

It won't be long before the annual Kiddo Fishing Derby rolls around. Mark your calendars for June 26th and call the Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce at 828-387-9283 for further information.

February Blizzard

February 9, 2010

The beginning of the blizzard...huge flakes, some as large as golf balls, moved in late in the afternoon of February 9th but lasted only about 15 - 20 minutes.

Parking lot of Lowe's Foods at Tynecastle

February 11, 2010

Beech Mountain Town Hall parking lot. The problem became where to put all of the snow.

You just can't keep our business people down. Vasarelys was open for business as usual.


The gazebo and trees surrounding it made a beautiful winter wonderland.

Snow mountain

Trees heavily laden with snow with the beautiful blue background was hard to miss.

Lake Coffey...smooth, serene...but DON'T WALK ON IT! Our lakes do not get cold enough, long enough to get the ice thick enough to walk on so please be safe and stay off the ice.

Beautiful...but beware: Do Not Walk On The Ice!!!

Buckeye Lake, Beech Mountain

I love to take pictures, especially when I have such a palette to choose from living on Beech Mountain. It doesn't matter what season it is, I am always awestruck with the beauty that God has provided to the lucky few who live here year round and those who visit this blessed place.

However, I am also shocked at the lack of knowledge that some people have when visiting us that causes them to do some dangerous things. For instance, there have been so many reports in the news this year of people who, for one reason or another, have chosen to walk on the frozen lakes and rivers. If you research this topic, you will find that most experts say ice is not safe to walk on unless the ice is at least 4" thick. Personally, I don't know how you can tell how thick it is unless you breach the ice to do so and I'm not volunteering! Recently, a local man was walking his dogs off-leash with his 10 yr. old son and the dogs took off across a lake. The man took off after them, fell through the ice and died. Luckily, the son went for help and did not follow the man. The dogs never went through the ice but accounts of animals who have fallen through the ice in the past report that most get themselves out without assistance. Those that do need assistance need it from professionals...call the authorities...do not attempt to do a rescue yourself!

I live in the area of Lake Coffey and was astounded about two weeks ago to see a snowman, which had been built in the middle of the lake. I don't know who built it but it sent shivers down my spine to envision a couple of kids out there risking their lives to have fun building that snowman. It is most probably the result of lack of information. We have so very many people that visit our area from warmer climates and do not know what the hazards are when walking on frozen surfaces.

A vast database of knowledge is available on the Internet for virtually anything you need. Check out unfamiliar topics before risking your life in unknown situations. I did a simple Google search on 'safe walking on ice' and was immediately drawn to this site: http://www.wikihow.com/Know-When-Ice-is-Safe. Check it out, do your own search, educate yourself in this matter and others to safeguard yourself and your loved ones...especially children and animals. They are counting on you to protect them. Don't let them down just because you did not check out the dangers first. We want our visitors to have nothing but happy memories of their stay on Beech Mountain and we do not want to lose any of our neighbors to senseless tragedies.

Now go and enjoy your winter on Beech Mountain but....Please, Be Safe! :)

It's Winter and There's Enough Snow for All

What an absolutely beautiful day today, with crystal clear skies and views that just went on forever!

Although we had sub zero temperatures and wind chills were in the double digits, the sun eventually came out, the wind died down and it was a good day to be on Beech.


Definitely a day to have a 4WD and/or chains

With the snow drifting in softly during the night, the trees completed the Winter Wonderland effect...simply gorgeous.

Even the downtown area was very navigable. It appears our holiday visitors have gone home...for now. For those wondering what the 'rocket on a pole' is on the left side of this picture, it is my antenna and topper.