Beech Mountain History Museum Holiday Openings

The Beech Mountain History Museum will be open December 26 - 31 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. The Museum is located on the Beech Mountain Parkway, next to Fred's General Store. There is no charge for admission.

If you haven't visited the Museum lately, you may be interested in some of their new exhibits. The Museum is fortunate to have on loan an exhibit of the photographs of W.R. Trivett, known as “The Picture Man.” Trivett (1884-1966) was a self-taught professional photographer who lived on Beech and photographed Beech Mountain folks. Another new acquisition, a large-scale model of The Land of Oz as it was in the 1970s, has been very popular with many visitors. In addition, the Museum was given an infant coffin and a grain cradle, made by John Harmon (1868-1957), known as “The Coffin Man.” Harmon lived on Beech Mountain and made over 500 coffins, without a complaint. A scale model of the Beech Mountain home of Ray Hicks (1922-2005) is a unique exhibit which you won't see anywhere else. Ray Hicks was a well-known teller of Jack Tales and was named a National Treasure by Smithsonian.

This Holiday season, bring your family and friends for a visit to the Beech Mountain History Museum and get a glimpse of the lives and stories that made Beech Mountain, and our Club, the amazing place it is today.

For questions about the Museum, please call Ann Iles at (828) 387-2930 or (828) 387-1988.

Retro ’80s Ski Weekend Named a Top 20 Event in Southeast

Press Release by Craig Distl

ATLANTA, Ga. – Southeast Tourism Society has named the Totally ’80s Retro Ski Weekend at Beech Mountain one of the Southeast’s top 20 tourism events for January/February 2018.

The Totally ’80s Retro Ski Weekend is Feb. 22-25, and this marks the first time in the weekend’s seven-year history that it has earned a spot in the STS Top 20. Events considered for recognition must be at least three years old and have attendance of at least 1,000.

The four-day weekend celebrates the New Wave decade with retro skiing daily, ’80s tribute bands nightly, and lots of throwback activities in between. People wear dayglo retro ski apparel on the slopes and 1980s fashions off the slopes.

Activities include a retro ski parade, Rubik’s Cube contest, Ms. Pac Man competition, 1980s Name That Tune, and the ever-popular $500 Totally Retro Apparel Contest. There are also special appearances by a Ghostbuters Ecto-1 and the South’s top Bret Michaels look-alike.

“The Southeast Tourism Society is the preeminent voice for travel in our region,” said Kate Gavenus, tourism director for the Town of Beech Mountain. “We are quite honored and feel it will help us spread the word about this uniquely fun event.”

STS Top 20 Festival and Event Awards have highlighted programs around the Southeast since 1985. Travel industry experts select 20 events in the January/February time frame and STS publicizes them throughout the United States. The complete list is published on two websites: www.southeasttourism.org and http://www.travelmediapressroom.com/sts/

“In spotlighting the Top 20 festivals and events, STS is not only giving these events the recognition they deserve but we’re also creating a quick reference guide to some of the best festivals in the Southeast,” said Bill Hardman, president and CEO of the Southeast Tourism Society.  “These events are important to the economic vitality of our communities.”

Headquartered in Atlanta, STS is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting tourism in 12 states – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

For information about the Totally ’80s Retro Ski Weekend at Beech Mountain, visit www.BeechMtn.com or call 800-468-5506.

Beech Mountain Celebrates a Half Century as the Highest Slopes in East

News Release provided by Craig Distl

 

A milestone occurs this winter in the North Carolina mountains. Beech Mountain Resort marks 50 years of skiing on the highest elevation slopes in eastern America.

 

The resort had a new vision for Southern skiing when it debuted in the winter of 1967-68. It was the only North Carolina resort built around an alpine village, and remains that way today.

 

“Skiing in the South was just being developed and this was a unique facility at 5,506 feet in elevation with a Swiss Bavarian village. It exposed the Southeast market to something new,” says general manager Ryan Costin. “That continues to be one of our strongest assets – a layout where you can navigate the village and experience all the wintertime activities we have here.”

Courtesy of Sam Dean Photography

 

To celebrate the half century mark, Beech Mountain Resort offers season-long throwback pricing for night sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tuesdays are ladies’ nights with $9 lift tickets – the same price as opening day. Wednesdays are men’s nights with $9 tickets and Thursdays are couples’ nights featuring a first ticket for $14 and a second ticket for just $8.

 

In addition, the resort hosts a special celebration Jan. 20-28 featuring activities, contests, live music, games and fireworks. Meanwhile, the events calendar throughout the season will include special recognitions of the 50th year.

 

New this winter is a streamlined check-in process in which customers purchase lift tickets and rental equipment at a central location, then go straight through the fitting process and are ready to hit the slopes in less time. Also new this winter is the ability to buy multi-day tickets and multi-day rentals to avoid repeating the same process each day.

 

“Going into the 50th year, we took a hard look at not only the product on the mountain, but the process, too. That's one of the elements we needed to make easier,” Costin explains. “We want people to spend as much time outside enjoying activities as they possibly can.”

 

Other activities at the resort include snow tubing, ice skating, and learn-to-ski programs for adults and youths. For après ski, the resort is located in the town of Beech Mountain, which offers lodging, restaurants and nightlife within walking distance or a short drive of the slopes.

 

“It’s an exciting year for us and we look forward to another half century of serving skiers across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions,” Costin says. “A lot of people are surprised at just how good a winter season we have. Our infrastructure provides a strong product all winter.”

 

For resort info, visit: www.beechmountainresort.com or call (800) 438-2093. For lodging and visitor info, go to www.beechmtn.com.

The Mountains are Alive With the Sounds of Music and Great Food!!! Beech Mountain Style

Beech Mountain Club Pickleball

News Release

by Elizabeth Higginbottom

Beech Mountain Club is hosting a regional Retreat for Pickleball Ambassadors of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia on June 25-28.  Ambassadors are individuals who have pledged to promote and grow pickleball in their area. These hard-working folks do not get paid. They do this for the love of the sport of pickleball. Beech Mountain Club is putting together this retreat so the Ambassadors in this region can gather to share best practices for growing the sport, participate in breakout sessions to learn new ideas, build camaraderie and, of course, play Pickleball. The Retreat is an all-inclusive 4-day 3-night event which will allow the 50 participants a chance to visit beautiful Beech Mountain and experience what the mountain has to offer its residents.  

On the local front, the Pickleball Center is gearing up for another spectacular season!  We have put together a schedule of Beginner Clinics, Intermediate Clinics, Round Robins, League Play, Men's Only Play, Women's Only Play, and fun social events for Beech Mountain Club members, their guests and qualified renters.  Drop by the Pickleball Center to pick up a copy of the schedule today!

LOCAL EVENT:

Avery County Wine & Beer Festival June 10, 2017

At Blind Squirrel Campground

Live Music & Great Food/Bring Blanket & Chair

Click for Information!

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS ONLINE

 

Holston Camp and Retreat Center Wildcat Lake Music Festival 

(Benefit for Holston Camp)

August 12 @ 2:00 pm - 10:00 pm 

 

• $10  Adults; $5  Ages 12-6
• Ages 5 and under FREE!
• Games and prizes for kids!
• Horseshoes, Bocci Ball, and Cornhole tournaments.
• Activities include: Hiking, swimming, canoe/kayak, paddle boards, and fishing.
• Please, no pets. No alcohol served.
• Bring lawn chairs and/blankets.
• Food vendors will be present.
• Package rates for lodging and camping

BAND SCHEDULE: 

2:00-3:15  Swing Set
Big Band music of the 20's thru the 50's

4:00-5:00  Clint Roberts (www.clintrobertsmusic.com)
Americana Singer/Songwriter from Western North Carolina. Starting fresh with new EP "Where The Heart Is". 

5:45-7:00  The Groove Inc.
The Groove Inc. is a band of veteran musicians who loves to play Blues, Soul, Rock and Motown with conviction!!

7:45-10:00  Chuck Johnson and Charlyhorse. (www.thecharlyhorse.com) Chuck Johnson & Charlyhorse is what Americana Music has always striven to be. A group of outstanding musicians and modern day troubadours who weave tales of small southern towns and hell-fire preachers, shuttered cotton mills and down home philosophers. The music of Chuck Johnson and Charlyhorse is firmly anchored in the Americana roots tradition. Influences from Rock, Country, Bluegrass, R&B and Soul, gives each tune its own unique feel. Onstage, the upshot is compelling, soulful performances. The Band's performances are salted with wry humor, and the band camaraderie always invites the audience into the act. Chuck Johnson & Charlyhorse is truly an American band tailored made for Americana Roots Music. Listen here.

SPECIAL GUEST:  George Rabb "Man of a Thousand Voices"

 

CLICK TO VIEW SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE!

It's Baaack: the Totally ’80s Retro Ski Weekend at Beech Mountain

News Release by Craig Distl

From material girls to men without hats, fans of the 1980s will flock to Beech Mountain this month for the sixth annual Totally '80s Retro Ski Weekend.

The weekend, consisting of four days of tubular awesomeness, takes place Feb. 23-26 at Beech Mountain Resort and throughout the town of Beech Mountain. This year's festivities include live '80s music each night, retro ski fashions every day and a plenty of old school activities ranging from a Rubik's Cube competition to '80s karaoke to the ever-popular Totally Retro Apparel Contest.

A talking Knight Rider KITT car and stainless steel DeLorean will be on display in the ski village, while arcade aficionados can take a shot at the high score in the Ms. Pac Man contest. There will also be opportunities to take photos with Brake Michaels, the Carolinas' premier Bret Michaels look-alike artist.

Most attendees say the highlight of the weekend is checking out the colorful throwback ski clothes.

"You dust off all your best '80s gear and wear it on the slopes. It is awesome and fun and the pictures are worth a thousand words," says Talia Freeman, marketing director for Beech Mountain Resort. "People get so into it. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff we see."

This year promises an even larger array of 1980s ski threads as the first-ever '80s ski apparel parade unleashes a neon procession of dayglo Fridayafternoon from the top of the slopes.

Further bending the space-time continuum is an audacious lineup of bands, starting with the power rock of Raleigh-based Rockzilla on Thursday night at Famous Fast Eddie's, followed by the new wave sounds of Cassette Rewind from Charlotte on Friday night at Mile High Tavern. Headlining the weekend Saturday night is The Breakfast Club, America's Favorite 1980s Tribute Band, in the Beech Tree lodge at the ski resort. During intermission Saturday night, a winner will be crowned in the $500 retro apparel contest. A late-night dance party closes the Saturday bash.

"It's a unique ski weekend and draws a lot of non-skiers, too," says Beech Mountain tourism director Kate Gavenus. "When people come up the mountain and drive into town, we want them to feel like they've gone back in time, and many of them say they do feel that way."

For more info or lodging specials, call (800) 468-5506 or visit: www.BeechMtn.com.