News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Winston the Farm Dog, Pardee team member, Local History Fair

Winston the Farm Dog poses at Historic Johnson Farm

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 28, 2023

Johnson Farm hosts Mother's Day Market

Historic Johnson Farm will host the third annual Mother’s Day Market 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 13, rain or shine. The outdoor craft fair will showcase more than 20 local vendors offering an array of crafts including jewelry, ceramics, leather items and wooden décor plus baked goods and more.
The event will take place outdoors at the farm. Hot dogs (donated by Hot Dog World), chips, and drinks will be available for purchase to support the farm’s window restoration project. Johnson Farm gardeners will be selling plants and farm logo items such as mugs and magnets. The Heritage Weavers & Fiber Artists will have their gift shop open with plenty of fiber gifts for purchase. In addition, the historic farmhouse will be open for self-guided tours.
At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., there will be a special reading of the farm’s new children’s book, Winston the Farm Dog: A History of Historic Johnson Farm. If the weather is nice, local car enthusiast Bob Noel will have his antique Model T on display. A station for children to make a craft to take home will be available throughout the day.
Parking will be available across the road at Rugby Middle School, and volunteers from the Sheriff’s Office will help visitors cross the street. Handicapped parking is available at the farm.
Historic Johnson Farm, at 3346 Haywood Road, features 15 acres of forest, fields and streams, 10 historic structures, animals and picnic tables.

Hackett is Pardee Team Member of the month

Samone Hackett, a certified medical assistant, was honored as UNC Health Pardee’s Team Member of the Month, the hospital announced.
As a CMA with Pardee @Work, Hackett is responsible for scheduling appointments, completing new hire physical screenings, giving vaccinations, participating in annual fit testing and assisting providers with examinations.
Hackett first became familiar with Pardee when she gave birth to her daughter at the hospital in 2013.
“The outstanding care and treatment I received at that time made me decide I wanted to work for Pardee,” she said. She said her favorite part of her job is the work environment. “We are a great team and enjoy working together and the providers and nurses are always teaching me new things to expand my knowledge.”
“Samone has been a wonderful addition to our department and her work ethic is motivating,” a teammate said. Hackett is described as very organized and great at prioritizing. Pardee @Work cares for the employees of the healthcare system and helps ensure they can return to work in a timely fashion. “Samone does a great job facilitating the process for team members to get back to work safely, and is a wonderful communicator with both patients and teammates and provides a good organizational structure.”
Hackett also said she appreciates that Pardee has always encouraged her to pursue her goals. She is currently in school to earn her nursing degree.

BRCC hosts first Local History Fair

Western North Carolina history will be the focus of the first annual Local History Fair hosted Tuesday, May 3, by Blue Ridge Community College.
The free public event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Henderson County Campus library, featuring exhibits, presentations, crafts and activities prepared by numerous community organizations.

“In Western North Carolina, we are fortunate to be surrounded by a very rich cultural history, and our first-ever Local History Fair is designed to help us respect and learn more about our roots by making that history accessible,” said Anthony Baltiero, Blue Ridge’s director of library services. “It’s an honor to serve alongside so many fine organizations as we bring our community members together to celebrate our shared heritage.”

The May 3 Local History Fair will feature:
• Center for Cultural Preservation
• Black Research Group of Henderson County
• Hendersonville Historic Preservation Commission
• Henderson County Public Library
• Historic Johnson Farms
• Hendersonville Pride
• Henderson County Education History Initiative
• Buncombe County Special Collections
• Western North Carolina Historical Association
• Daughters of the American Revolution, Abraham Kuykendall Chapter

During the fair, the Blue Ridge Community College Library will present an interactive exhibit designed to give context to hundreds of physical college photos from the 1970s through today. Attendees will also enjoy a special presentation by Historic Johnson Farms and the opportunity to discuss history and initiatives with representatives from all guest organizations.

“Over the decades, our college has collected or been given many photos of our alumni and community events,” Baltiero said. “Our hope is that our neighbors can help give context to these photos by identifying those people and events they remember.”

The Local History Fair is scheduled during the library’s May 1-5 Preservation Week. During this week, partner displays and Blue Ridge’s photo collection will be available for public viewing during library hours.

Brass ensemble joins Community Band

The Hendersonville Community Band will perform its final concert of the season, “Adventures for Band and Brass” at 3 p.m. Sunday April 30, at Blue Ridge Conference Hall at Blue Ridge Community College.
Cole Hairston, director of bands at Brevard College, will make his first appearance as associate conductor of HCB, conducting a lovely Grainger piece, “Australian Up-Country Tune.”
The Blue Ridge Symphonic Brass will perform several pieces with Jamie Hafner conducting. Hafner is director emeritus of bands at the University of Toledo and director emeritus of education and former dean of faculty at the Brevard Music Center. He will conduct the Symphonic Brass in several pieces including “The Danserye,” a six movement piece by Tielman Susato. Hafner will also conduct the combined Symphonic Brass and HCB on “Music for a Festival” by Gordon Jacob.
The program will be rounded out by longtime HCB Conductor Winford Franklin leading HCB in several selections including: “Chester” (William Schuman), “On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss” (David Holsinger), “Valdres” (Johannes Hanssen), “The Phantom of the Opera” (Andrew Lloyd Webber), and “I Will Follow Him” (arr. Roland Smeets).
In keeping with the HCB mission to further music education, HCB will present the Ralph Campbell College Scholarship, and the Joan Tripp College Scholarships.
Admission is $10 per person and is free to students. Tickets are available at the Visitors Center and at the door. For more information call 828-713-8590.