News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Saluda concert, tree walk, Literacy Council

By Lightning Reports, Published: August 14, 2023

Top of Grade concert

SALUDA — The Top of the Grade Concert series concludes the 2023 season at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, with the Trophy Husbands on the Ella Grace Mintz Stage in McCreery Park in downtown Saluda.

The Trophy Husbands is a local band formed in Polk County almost 25 years ago by a group of (mostly) regional artists who had an affinity for playing music as their second vocation. Featuring Doug Dacey on guitar/vocals, Andy Costine on guitar/vocals, mandolin and mandola, Rich Nelson on guitar/vocals, Stan Halbkat on bass/vocals and Jay Wetmore on drums/vocals, the band serves up a robust palette of Americana music along with other popular songs of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and beyond.

Please remember to bring a lawn chair. Concert goers may bring beer and wine to the concert seating area. No alcohol is allowed on the playground or in the parking lot. In the event of rain the concert will be held in the McCreery Park pavilion.

Arborist leads guided walk on Main Street

Arborist Bill Leatherwood will identify trees, shrubs and flowers on Main Street and discuss their care and maintenance during a 90-minute guided walk at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20.

Those planning to go must make reservations by Thursday, Aug. 17, by phoning Mac Brackett at 828-692-3026. Details will be provided. Sponsored by the Hendersonville Tree Board, the guided walk is open to the public at no charge.

Leatherwood, an arborist under contract with the city of Hendersonville to care for downtown trees, is intimately involved with tree care and maintenance along the downtown artery and has inventoried each tree and shrub. He will discuss methods he uses to both prevent and treat pest damage and his efforts to keep the trees and shrubs stress-free.

“The trees and garden-like setting create the character of Main Street as much as the sidewalk cafes and historic buildings,” Leatherwood said. “As we walk, we will identify some unusual trees and see how the city and the downtown business district have planted and maintained trees over the years to enhance the beauty of this ‘front yard’ of Hendersonville.”

Local Legends series profiles music business figure

A Local Legends discussion series highlighting notable personalities in Western North Carolina will feature noted music business figure Bob Hinkle at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at the Freeburg Pianos MasterWorks Theatre, 2314 Asheville Highway.

A partnership between author and arts/entertainment journalist Bill Kopp and Freeburg Pianos, Local Legends is part interview, part discussion to learn more about notable personalities in Western North Carolina in the arts, culture and business.
Founder of the White Horse Black Mountain music hall in Black Mountain, Hinkle is a longtime music industry figure whose experience reaches most every corner of the business, including working closely with The Band during the era that yielded their classic album Rock of Ages.

Hinkle got his start as a musician in WNC, eventually forming a group, recording  albums, working for Bob Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman, serving as head of A&R for a record label, and managing high-profile artists including Harry Chapin, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, The J. Geils Band and more.

After that career, Hinkle left New York City and, soon after settling in WNC, opened White Horse Black Mountain, which hosted local, regional and national touring musical artists.

Admission is $13. For tickets visit tickettailor.com/events/billkopp/963992.

Literary Connection adds board members

Literacy Connection has added six new directors to its board, the agency announced last week. Anthony Baltiero, David Ellis, Christa Hemans, David Maupin, Michelle Reynolds and Eduardo Trevino began three-year terms in July.
Director of Library Services at the Blue Ridge Community College library for almost two years, Baltiero is also a Henderson County Library Board of Trustees member, a former Hendersonville Environmental Sustainability Board member, and a member of the city Historic Preservation Commission.

Dr. Ellis served as chief medical officer at UNC Health Pardee from 2014 until his retirement in 2021 and also served as presiding officer of multiple committees, including the Medical Executive Committee and Credentials Committee.

Retired from commercial banking, Hemans began training to become a tutor with Literacy Connection last August and has spent the past year as an ESOL tutor. She previously served three years on the board of directors of the United Way.

Formerly a plant controller with the AGI-Shorewood Group in Hendersonville, Maupin has been a financial advisor at Edward Jones Investments for the past eight years. He served on the board of the Council on Aging for six years and just finished a term on the board of directors of the Lions Club. Since 2019, he has served on the board of directors of THRIVE.

Owner of Kanuga Tire & Auto, Trevino was brought up in a bilingual household and thus resonates with the mission of Literacy Connection. He intends to use his life experience to help Literacy Connection continue to increase in scope.
Reynolds, who has been with UNC Health Pardee for more than 30 years, is administrative director of support services for the hospital. She also serves on the board of directors of the United Way.

Executive committee officers are Kim Hinkelman, president; Donnie Parks, vice president; Caroline Patterson, secretary; Sonya McCall, treasurer; and Danny Hein, immediate past president. The Literacy Connection thanked outgoing board members Sharon Tirrell and Keith Johnson.