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VOLUME LXXV. ? >NO. 24
An Independent Weekly IV eu* paper
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1M2
v ?. is
? CENTS
^ ? -
Tony Krasovic, ski instructor at Blowing Rock Ski Lodge,
demonstrates one of the snow-making device* that are now
Stores Plan
Night Hours
Local businesses will re
main open nightly until 9
p. m. during the coming
week, according to Boone
Chamber of Commerce pres
ident Herman Wilcox.
Wilcox stated Monday that,
beginning Friday, December
14, all stores are urged to
remain open until 9 at night
through December 21. The
stores will close at their re
gular times on Christmas
eve, Wilcox related.
It mi not kMwi this week 0
what day or days stores in
Boom would be closed
Christmas week. "We will
attempt to reach some gen
eral agreement within the
next week," Wilcox stated.
There are approximately
60 business firms in Boone,
of which nearly 40 are re
tail establishments.
Cecil Critcher
Funeral Held
Cecil A. Critcher, 66, of Blow
ing Rock died Tuesday, Decem
ber 4 at the Blowing Rock Hos
pital after a lingering illness.
He was born February 3,
1896 in Ashe County to A. M.
Critcher aod the late Laura
Howell Critcher. He was a re
tired real estate broker and a
member of the Rumple Memor
ial Presbyterian Church of
Blowing Rock.
Surviving are the father; the
widow, Mary Virginia Teague
Critcher; two sons, Cecil Ray
Critcher of Blowing Rock and
James Mitchell Critcher of
Miami, Fla.; two sisters, Mrs.
Helen Forbes of La Mesa, Calif,
and Mrs. Beulafa Morrison of
Santee, Calif.; and two grand
children. '
Funeral services were con
ducted Thursday, December 6
at 2 p. m. in the Rumple Mem
orial Presbyterian Church, with
the Rev. Blake Brinkerboff of
ficiating . Burial was in the
Blowing Rock cemetery.
Donald Swift
Dies Monday
Donald Lewis Swift, 73, died
Monday, December 10, at Wa
tauga Hospital after an illness
of several months.
He was born in Watauga coun
ty to the late Enoch and Martha
McBride Swift. He was cus
todian at Cove Creek Element
ary School several years.
Surviving are the widow, Mae
Young Swift; one son, Omar G.
Swift of High Point; one broth
er, Scott G. Swift of Sherwood;
three sisters, Mrs. Selmer Full
er of Mountain City, Tenn., Mrs.
Stanley Harris of Boone and
Mr*. Charles Lewis of Sher
wood; and one grand-daughter.
Funeral services will be held
(Continued an paflt two)
in operation along the new ski rum at the lodge readies for
its formal opening Saturday afternoon. ? Flowers photo.
Blowing Rock Ski Lodge To
Open First Season Saturday
The restaurant and shops at
Blowing Rock Ski Lodge will
open this week.
Offering service before the
lodge's official opening Decem
ber IS will be a restaurant, a
ski clothing shop and a rental
and equipment shop, M. E. Thal
heimer, president of the lodge,
announced. The restaurant will
offer snack bar service initially
end will begin full breakfast,
?lunch dinner service after
the opening. ' '
Weather permitting, the ski
slopes will be open to the pub
lic daily after Sunday, Decem
ber 16.
The restaurant and shops are
housed in the large two-story
"base lodge" at the foot of the
three ski slopes. The lodge is
situated on a state maintained
all-weather road 1 3-4 miles off
U. S. 221-321 and the Blue
Ridge Parkway three miles
north of Blowing Rock.
The restaurant will be oper
Grandfather
Home Gifts
Are Sought
A group of local indivi
duals are again seeking some
special gifts for the annual
Christmas party for the child
ren at Grandfather Home in
Banner Elk.
The children who are cared
for at Grandfather are for
the most part our own moun
tain people, and the institu
tion has been regarded very
highly here. As in the past, it
is expected that a large num
ber of local people will coo
tribute to the Christmas fund
for the children there.
It is suggested that contri
butions be made soon. They
can be left with James Marsh
at the Savings and Loan As
sociation; with Rob Rivers at
the Watauga Democrat, with
Guy Hunt, at Hunt's Depart
ment Store, or with W. V.
Chester at Belk's.
I a ted by H. M. (Mac) Lanier,
Mr. Thalheimer said. Mr. Lanier
is a restauranteur with more
than 30 years experience in the
business in Florida and Flow
ing Rock. He operates The
Chestnut Restaurant in Blowing
Rock. The lodge restaurant has
a seating capacity of 290.
Jack Feimster, owner of the
Varsity Shop in Boone, will op
erate (he ski clothing shop. The
shop will ottmc a conmtoU UlH
of ski clothing and accessories
such as sunglasses, wind masks,
and the like. It will also offer
general sportswear lines and
will be open year-round, Mr.
Feimster said.
The shop, colorfully decorat
ed In an Alpine theme, occu
pies nearly 1,000 feet of mer
chandising space on the ground
floor of the lodge.
Otter facilities on the ground
tCcnthuwd on PW two)
S?otv Closes
?' Schools
An icy rain followed by a six
inch snow hampered travel in
this mountain area to such an
extent last week that public
schools were closed Thursday
ancf Friday. Additional snow
during the week end forced
schools to remain closed early
this week.
The first major snow of the
season was accompanied by low
temperatures ranging from 10
to 35 degrees.
Snow first began falling
around 3:30 p. m, Wednesday.
By 4 o'clock the ground was
cloaked in white and by Thurs
day morning approximately six
inches of snow was on the
ground.
Snow scrapers from the city
and county worked day and
night keeping streets and roads
open. Travel was difficult ? and
in some areas impossible ? with
. nt chains.
Some thawing occurred Sat
urday, but low temperatures
kept most of the streets and
roads coated with a sheet of
ice. Shortly before noon Sunday
snow began falling again, and
by late evening an additional
inch was recorded.
Drifts, caused by high winds,
further endangered travel
throughout the county.
Schools were closed in Avery
County last Week, also.
It was three years ago to the
week that Watauga's initial
snow of the season fell. That
year a total of 119 inches of
snow was recorded and in
March of I960 Watauga was
one of four counties in this
area to be included in a disaster
(Continued on page two)
County Schools
Close Dec. 21st
For Christmas
All Watauga County
Schools will close (or the
Christmas holidays at the
close of school on Friday,
December 21; classes will be
resumed on 'Monday, Decem
ber SI.
The original school calen
dar issued earlier this year
called for the closing of
schools at the close of school
on Thursday, December 20;
classes were to be resumed
M Wednesday, January 2.
The decrease in the holiday
schedule has been prompted
by the loss of three school
days as a result of the recent
closing due to weather and
road conditions. This change
In schedule will enable our
schools to begin the new year
on regular schedule provided
?o additional days are lost
prior to Christmas.
Says Time Growing Short For
Mailing Christmas Packages
Postmaster Ralph Beshears
cautioned today that time is
growing abort for mailing
Christmas parcels.
Studies show, he said, that
late mailing of parcel post tends
to increase losses on the basis
of the old truth that "haste
makes waste."
He observed that the Post
Office Department is unable
each year to deliver or return
about half a million parcels, in
cluding many lost at Christmas
time, because of poor packag
ing or inadequate addressing.
He suggested several steps
that can be taken by mailers to
protect themselves against low
of valuable Christinas gifts, as
follows: | ,
1. Check and revise mailing
lists.
2. Type or hand-print gum
med mailing labels. Fill them
out now and save time latjr.
3. Use complete addresses.
Don't abbreviate. Include dell
very zone number.
4. Make a list of your mall
ins needs and start buying good
quality mailing materials now
? strong cord, heavy wrapping
paper, and so forth.
8. Include ? separate sheet of
paper inside the parcel with
the address of the intended re
cipient, as well as yoar own
name and address.
6. Plan to use insurance on
all parcels. (Neither insurance
fees nor parcel poet rates were
changed by recently-enacted
nke legislation, incidentally.)
? 1
DEVELOPMENT GROUP MEETS
Mountain Dale Winner
#
In Community Category
Watauga Gets
First Place In
Travel Class
The 35-family community of
Mountain Dale, in Beaver Dam
Township, Watauga County,
was awarded first plade in the
newly organized community cat
egory of the Northwest North
Carolina Development Associa
tion community judging contest.
The award was made Thurs
day night at Elkin during the
association's annual banquet.
This was the second time a
community in Watauga county
has been given this signal at
tention by the judges. In 1960
Timbered Ridge community,
then just newly organized, won
first place.
Watauga county also won the
first-place crown in the travel
and recreation grouping. In
pointing out this honor for the
county, it was noted by officials
of the association that travel
and recreation is "Watauga's No.
1 industry."
Dr. W. H. Plemmons, presi
dent of Appalachian State
Teachers College, made the
main address to the meeting,
and excerpts of his speech are
to be fouad elsewhere in this
issue of the Watauga Democrat.
A large delegation from Wa
tauga county attended the ban
quet. jjjsy ...
Other u wards were made to
counties In the eleven-county de
velopment association for strides
made in agriculutre, youth pro
grams, and industry. Counties
included in the group arc Ashe,
Watauga, Alleghany, Caldwell,
Alexander, Surry, Yadkin, Da
vie, Wilkes, Stokes, and For
syth.
First place county winners
were:
Ashe county ? Community De
velopment.
Alexander ? Agriculture.
Surry ? Youth programs.
Yadkin ? Industry.
Watauga ? Travel and recre
ation.
Mountain Dale won the first
place designation with the aid
(Continued on page two)
Don Thomas
Rites Held
/
Don Thomas, age 68, former
resident of North Fork town
ship, died at the Mt. Alto
hospital in Washington, D. C.,
Sunday evening, December 2.
Funeral services were held at
the Chambers Funeral Home in
Washington, D. C., December S,
and he was buried in Arlington
National Cemetery with full mil
itary honors.
Mr. Thomas had been ? resi
dent of North Fork town
ship until about ten years ago
when he went to Alexandria,
Va.
Mr. Thomas has been a pat
ient at the hospital for several
weeks, and heart trouble was be
lieved to have been the cause
of bis death.
Mr. Thomas was born in Wa
tauga county, ? son of the late
Marion Thomas and Mrs. Maggie
Church Thomas. He served in
the United States Army during
the world war. He had been a
farmer, but for the past ten
years had been in poor health.
He was a member of the
DAV.
Mr. Thomas U survived by
the widow, the former Miu
Juanita Lawrence of Trade,
Tenn.; a daughter, Mrs. Joan
Worley of Alexandria, Va.; a
?on, Johnny Thomas of Newport
News, Va.; and two grandsons,
Danney and David. Also sur
viving are a sister, Mrs. Lizzie
Little of Creston, and three
brothers, Clint Thomas, Reed
Thomas, and Howard Thomas,
all of Trade, Tenn.; and an un
cle. George Church of Ok Park.
1
Ellard G. Cornett's new home in
Mountain Dale community. The
new community was top winner
in its division in the contest
sponsored by the Northwest
North Carolina Development As
sociation. The award was made
last week in Elkin at the asso
ciation's banquet. ? Photo cour
jj tesy Winston-Salem Journal.
L ? ? ? ??? - ;
Valle Crucis Proud Of Nativity
Scene; Carols To Be Broadcast
A nativity scene is being con
structed by Mr. and Mrs. J. F.
Ayers at their home in the
Valle Cruris community.
Mrs. H. W. Mast, Jr., who tells
of the project, saya, "Valle
Cruris is very proud of the
nativity scene. Mr. and Mrs.
Ayers hope that otheri will en
joy the figures as much as they
do, and they have added many
special touches over the years
to increase the pleasure of spec
tators."
The Ayers house is on a hill
near the junction of 105 and
the Valle Crucia road.
Spotlights will be trained
on the display at night. Begin
ning December 16, Christmas
carols will be played over a
loudspeaker system every day
from 2 to S p. m. and from 7
to 10 at night. One of the re
cordings will be a carol made
by a group of Korean children.
On the two Sunday afternoons
before Christmas, December 10
and 23, the Christmas section
of the Messiah by Handel, will
Mrs. Greene
Succumbs
Mr?. Carrie Cinderella Greene,
77, of Route 1, Boone, died
Wednesday, December 3, at the
Watauga Hospital.
She was the widow of Thomas
Alexander Greene and a native
of Watauga County. She was
the daughter o I Charlie and
Cinderella Brown Smithey.
Surviving are five (laughters,
Mrs. Ralph Hodges, Mrs. W. C.
McNeil, Mrs. Charlie Spann and
Mrs. Bruce Norria, all of Boone,
and Mrs. Allie Norris of Fleet
wood; three sons, Johnt R.
Greene of Todd, Raymond and
Verne Greene, both of White
Sulphur Springs, Mont.; 13
grandchildren; and 11 great
grandchildren.
Funeral service were held
Saturday, December 8, at the
Laurel Springs Baptist Church
(Continued on page two)
be played. This recording is
based on the original Dublin
performance and is conducted
by Hermann Fcherchen.
Mrs. Mast said, "The citizens
of Valle Crucis join Mr. and
Mrs. Ayers in urging residents
of the county to come and share
this beautiful representation of
the true spirit of Christmas."
National Bank Is
Approved For Boone
Washington. ? Comptroller of the Currency James
J. Saxon gave preliminary approval Tuesday (Dec. 4)
to the organization of a new bank in Boone.
The institution, to be called the First National
Bank of Boone, will be capitalized initially at $300,000.
The application for approval was filed by A. J. Wil
liams of Boone.
Yule Decorations Contest
Will Be Held Wednesday
The Boone Junior Womans
Club is handling arrangements
and publicity for the 1962
Christmas Decorations Contest.
The club is interested in a large
participation this yeap. Any per
son may enter and enter aa
many divisions as they desire.
Club membership is not requir
ed. The date of the contest is
December 19. Interested per
sons call either club presidents
as follows or Mrs. Bob Snead,
264-8719; Mrs. Max Fox CO 7
2936; Mrs. Bill Foutz, AM 4
3506.
Appalachian Garden Club,
Mrs. Bob Davis, mantles; Blue
Ridge Garden Club, Mrs. J. B.
Winkler, outside decoration;
Jaycettes, Mrs. Grady Moretz,
Jr., outside decoration; Garden
Council, Mrs. Jim Duncan, liv
ing outdoor trees; Rhododen
dron, Mrs. Dave Mast, Ubles;
Worthwhile Womans Club, Mrs.
Dempsey Wilcox, windows;
Business Professional Women,
Mrs. Maxie Edmisten, doors;
Gardenerettea, Mrs. Charles Is
ley, inside trees; Blue Bonnets,
Mrs. Dewitt Barnett, childrens
All entries must be in by
noon December 19. Children
may enter any type of inside or
outside decoration prepared by
children. Prizes will be award
ed by sponsoring divisions. Be
sure to give name and address
when making entry.
Mrs. Phillips
Dios In Mebane
Mrs. Callie Bryan Phillips, 70,
former resident of Boone, died
in Mebane last Wednesday after
a short illness.
A daughter of the late James
W. Bryan, pioneer Boone jew
eler, and Mrs. Bryan, Mrs. Phil
lips had resided in Metanc
since 1925. Her hustand Clyde
Phillips, died several years ago.
Funeral services fere held
Friday at IX o'clock tit the Haw
Field Methodist Church in the
home community, and burial
was in the church cemetery.
There is no survivor in the
immediate family. A brother
in-law Mr. Burl resides
mBo?*, J^