13 minute read
Becoming a Horse Dog
The arrival of Jethro is an emphatic declaration that Carpe Diem Farms is happily going to the dogs.
It’s been nearly four years since we have added to the family of “furry kids” at the farm.
Ellie Mae, our rescued Yorkie came to us from “Angels Amongst Us” and has been a five-pound spirit to be reckoned with! She moved into our home with two cats and our 110-pound Xantos.
Xantos died two years ago, and with him we lost our farm companion dog. He was the greeter who knew not a stranger, who preferred working with any worker who carried tools, and the minute he saw Ricky Siegel’s truck drive in he ran to the shop and assisted him in his farm projects. Or at least he kept him company and gave Ricky a sounding board for his thoughts!
The newest member of the family is a Bernie-Doodle puppy to join Ellie Mae who is rightfully named Jethro. He will grow up to be the newest farm helper. Once we get potty training, lose baby teeth, and grow into his adult body we’ll find him a job!
His heritage, the Bernese Mountain Dog, is one of work and service. We’ll plan on getting him a cart and training him to help carry things around the farm. And most of all, have a purpose and a place for all that energy. He needs a job and we are going to give him one!
He was born on a horse farm in Iowa and is now growing up on a horse farm in Highlands. At this age he is curious about the horses and wary of their size. He loves going to the stables, so we’ll see just what kind of a horse dog he will become. He seems very bright and quick to learn.
Stay tuned for the continuing story of Jethro, down on the farm.
by Sue Blair, Carpe Diem Farms
Your Event on the Green
The unparalleled vistas and venues offered by the Village Green make it an unforgettable choice when considering events large and small.
Plan your next birthday party, family reunion, corporate event, neighborhood gathering, wedding or other private function in The Village Green.
The beauty of the 13+ acre park and its distinct venues create a memorable setting for your special occasion. The Village Green is flexible for all kinds of themes and setups.
The Village Green has three venues that offer unique vistas and experiences perfect for an unforgettable event. The Gazebo is an open-air pavilion with a spacious lawn near the crossroads of Cashiers. The Pavilion is a rustic picnic structure in the center of the park with tables and a charcoal grill.
The Village Green Commons is a majestic event space designed and constructed with 30-foot ceilings, a stained concrete floor, two garden courtyards, and massive hand-carved beams connected with mortise and tenon joinery The expansive open space of the Commons Main Hall with stacked-stone fireplace provides a stunning location for your special event. The venue also features two smaller rooms, a catering pantry, green room and a state of the art audio-visual system. Venue rental can include the use of the Commons outdoor attached pavilion and lawn.
During spring and summer, The Village Green blossoms with native azalea, rhododendron and lupine as well as roses and hydrangeas. The spectacular dahlia garden blooms into early fall. Winter is a secret season with its own lovely and peaceful landscape. The beauty of The Village Green inspires creativity to events memorable and unique. “Everyone loves a party,” says Executive Director Ann Self, “What better place to celebrate than in the delightful green heart of Cashiers!”
If you’d like to know more about The Village Green hosting a wedding or special event, email info@cashiersgreen.com or call (828) 743-3434.
28 Acres of Generosity
The Plateau’s premier conservation group has extended its domain by 28 acres, thanks to the generosity of Little Bear Pen LLC.
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust has just announced that Little Bear Pen LLC has donated 28 acres along Hwy 64 to the Land Trust.
“The property extends from just past the Highlands Community Center to Sherwood Forest Road on the right as you leave town going East,” said HCLT Director Gary Wein.
“The primary contact for the effort was Cantey Davis, the registered agent for Little Bearpen LLC, and he did a wonderful job pulling this together,” said Julie Schott, HCLT Director of Development.
The gift comes as this segment of Highlands is facing increased development pressure and it’ll ensure that the property is protected in perpetuity.
In all, HCLT preserves over 3.200 acres of forests, wetlands and vistas. It’s been a quiet force for the protection of the Wild Places on the Plateau since 1909.
If you’d like to learn more about the Land Trust and its ongoing mission, visit hicashlt.org or call (828) 526-1111.
And Then There were 23
The siren call of the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society’s cats and dogs extends far beyond the Plateau. And people respond.
Scotty and Kathy
Morales Painting
With a national reach on adoption websites such as Petfinder and Adopt-a-Pet, as well as our own website, Facebook (with more than 24,000 followers) and Instagram, it’s no wonder that responsible pet owners travel from far and wide to meet their new best friend at CHHS.
Adding to that is the national publicity the CHHS Animal Rescue Team has received for our work during puppy mill raids, hoarding and cruelty cases, and natural disaster response. (The CHHS Animal Rescue Team has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, and other news outlets around the country.)
It also doesn’t hurt that our 10-acre campus is one of the most picturesque no-kill shelters in the United States, and that we are located in the most beautiful place on the planet. So it’s a little-known secret that adopters from 22 different states have traveled to CHHS to give our shelter pets a forever home. Make that 23.
Kathy and her son made the 14-hour drive from Connecticut this past January just to meet our shelter dogs. It was love at first sight for Scotty and Kathy. Scotty is a two-yearold Pit Bull mix we rescued last summer after he was found wandering as a stray in Glenville. We knew we would find Scotty a forever home but we never imagined this sweet dog would someday become a Connecticut Canine! Kathy checked in with us to let us know they all arrived safely back, and Scotty is loving his new family and home.
We are proud and honored to serve as the animal welfare ambassador for the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau, and to add the State of Connecticut to our national map of CHHS shelter pet forever homes.
Established in 1987, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization located at 200 Gable Drive in Sapphire, one-and-a-half miles east of the Cashiers Ingles in between Cedar Creek Club and Lonesome Valley on Highway 64 East. Our no-kill shelter is open Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. by appointment. For more information, visit us online at chhumanesociety.org or call (828) 743-5752.
by David Stroud, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society
Point phone camera at QR code to learn more Cashiers Highlands Humane Society
Volunteers for Vaccine Registration
A determined cadre of volunteers helps to prevent Covid-19 from establishing a beachhead on the Plateau. For more information, to register, or volunteer, please call (828) 526-1310.
The call went out for volunteers to help register our citizens for the vaccine in the HighlandsCashiers Plateau Vaccine Initiative.
Within days, people from all over the Plateau started coming together to help their friends and neighbors.
We work hard to assure the volunteers are safe in a sanitized environment, training them and giving them the tools to handle the variety of calls. It’s been a heartwarming experience to work with the volunteers and to hear how grateful callers are for our help.
The H-C Plateau Vaccine Initiative, started by the H-C Health Care Foundation, is fueled by the spirit of volunteers. On any given day, we have 6+ people in the conference room doing data entry, and back office tasks for the system led by Jerry Moore and Michael Murphy.
The call center has six stations for people working the phones and works from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., six days a week. Now we are beginning outreach projects to get essential workers, rural poor and the Hispanic community registered.
The initiative has been successful in getting two deliveries of vaccine for the community and had events on Jan 20 and 24 getting vaccines in arms of 976 of our 65 and older members of our community. Our oldest recipient was 102!
Over 50 Clinic volunteers help to make the event run “smooth as honey,” as one recipient said.
HC Hospital Administrator Tom Neal is here every day, making sure we have all we need to be successful, organizing clinics and fighting to get the vaccine for the effort. Robin Tindell, Executive Director of the Foundation, joins Tom in that daily battle and they both coordinate with Macon and Jackson county officials and the state.
Thanks to the generosity of spirit of the volunteers we have a long waiting list registered for appointments to get the vaccine. The challenge now is working the connections to get allocations of vaccine for the plateau. For more information, to register, or volunteer, please call (828) 526-1310.
by Robin King Austin
Rotarian David Jellison
For Highlands Rotarian David Jellison, the notion of Service Above Self resonates here on the Plateau and far beyond.
David Jellison
Connection, service, fellowship, and outreach are all reasons many individuals find Rotary Club a compelling, worthwhile organization with which to align oneself. David Jellison is one of those people. “For me, it’s been a way to meet and mix with people and to give something back to society and the town [of Highlands],” he said.
Although at present, in compliance with pandemic restrictions on face-to-face gatherings, Rotary Club of Highlands meetings are held via Zoom every Tuesday at 12:15 P.M., the “normal” protocol is for Rotarians and guests to meet weekly in person, share lunch, and glean ideas and inspiration from a speaker before receiving updates on club projects and events.
Jellison, who has been a member of Highlands Rotary since the late 1990s, serving as secretary since 2000, indicated the membership experience is rich and rewarding. He enjoys both Rotarian history and its impact.
“Highlands is home to two Rotary Clubs, which are a part of an International Rotary Service Club effort dating back to the early 1900s,” he explained. “The contributions these service clubs make to the communities they serve and to the world in general are innumerable, including worldwide polio eradication, other health threats, and natural disaster response.”
He stressed that the Rotary Club of Highlands supports a great many local institutions and organizations, including Highlands School; Hudson Library; The Historical Society; Meals on Wheels; The Boy Scouts; Highlands Emergency Council, and much more. Plus, Rotarians volunteer and serve in such capacities as street guards for Halloween activities and the Christmas parade, collecting coats and gloves as well as distributing heating fuel for the needy, and numerous other worthwhile community service projects.
“To fund these efforts, the Highlands Rotary Club sponsors an annual Golf Tournament, a Craft Beer Night, a Fourth of July Barbecue and Duck Race, Bingo Nights, a Club Sponsorship Drive, occasional talent shows, and a 5K Twilight Race,” he added.
While Covid-19 has put a damper on many opportunities to celebrate, gather, and enjoy throughout the community, Rotary Club of Highlands’ work continues.
by Deena Bouknight
(L-R Top Row): Jason Kimenker a nd Sean Cronin (L-R Bottom Row): Ashlie Mitchell-Lanning, Abby Powell and Maggie Elmer
leadershipcashiers
A new graduating class of Leadership Cashiers brings a dynamic energy to the community.
The second class of the Leadership Cashiers development program was recognized Tuesday in a virtual graduation ceremony. Themed “Giving Back,” the session featured special guest speaker Meghan Barp, President & CEO of United Way of Greenville County, who shared her perspective on community development and the importance of collaboration.
Irv Welling, President of program sponsor Vision Cashiers, set the stage with remarks about the value of civic responsibility. He urged the audience to “get involved, volunteer, care for others, make a difference and be a servant leader.” He then introduced Ms. Barp who spoke to the importance of community commitment. 2019 LC Alumna and active community leader Maggie Carton provided examples of successful local volunteer efforts ranging from Covid-19 response and recovery to building a Cashiers dog park. Serenity Richards of Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library invited graduates to stay involved with class colleagues and others by joining the Leadership Cashiers Alumni Network.
Graduating 2020 class members were: Jairo Arenas, Michael Blaylock, Sean Cronin, Kathryn Davis, Helen Ellerbe, Maggie Elmer, John Garcia, Charlie Hudson, Jason Kimenker, Ashlie Mitchell-Lanning, Gary Long, Jr., Abby Powell, Kurt Pusch, Jennifer Reid Fowler, Julie Schott, Chris Stuckey, Nancy Warriner, Lindsay Heller and Jon Welch.
The Cashiers Area Chamber’s community engagement initiative is based on a development model used by many cities across the country to prepare and motivate participants to offer quality community leadership. Now in its second year, the 2020 class began with an opening retreat at Silver Run Reserve last February. Its in-person format immediately converted to online conferences and later socially-distanced gatherings about once a month.
A volunteer task force worked to establish the program, which the Cashiers Area Chamber underwrites and manages with the financial support of Program and Session Sponsors: Vision Cashiers, Balsam West, Dillard-Jones Builders, Eric T. Moody CPA, First Citizens Bank, Harris Custom Builders/Silver Run Reserve, High Hampton, Landmark Realty Group, Southwestern Community College, Western Carolina University and Zoller Hardware. Other contributing investors include Albert CarltonCashiers Community Library, Church of the Good Shepherd, Leadership Cashiers Alumni Network, Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley and United Community Bank.
For more information, visit LeadershipCashiers.org, email office@LeadershipCashiers.org or call 828-743-5191. Applications may be submitted for the 2021 class online and financial sponsorships and support are appreciated.
byStephanie Edwards Executive Director, Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce