THE YANCEY JOURNAL
VOL. 3, NO. 25
Trail Bikes Threaten Public
Lands In North Carolina
By Jim Dean
A significant and disturbing
change is being wrought on the
public lands of this state,
particularly in western North
Carolina, and the near wilder
ness quality of these lands is
seriously threatened.
No, it’s not pollution or
forest fires. It’s not encroaching
development. It’s not /anything
that anyone is likely to suspect,
and certainly nothing anyone
would have predicted a decade
ago.
The culprit is the motorized
trail bike-or more accurately,
the ptople who are using them.
VISIT TO PISGAH FOREST
On the first weekend in
June, a friend of mine and I took
my eight-year-old son Scott into
the Pisgah National Forest to
camp and fish. For weeks prior
to the trip, Scott could hardly
sleep.
“Are we really going to hike
back into the wilderness like
Daniel Boone and see all those
creeks and everything?” he
asked not more than a couple of
dozen times.
"You bet,” I told him.
“Do you think we might see
a deer?” he asked excitedly.
“I wouldn’t be at all
surprised,” I told him, and I
was telling the truth.
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Crafts, Entertainment Featured At Fair
Work has began on the 18th annual Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair, sponsored by the Yancey County
Chamber of Commerce and scheduled for August 2-3 on the Town Square, Burnsville. There will be
many craftsmen from Yancey, surrounding mountain counties, other places in North Carolina, and
several other states who will show their handmade crafts and actually be doing craft work along with \
selling in the two-day event which attracts hundreds of people to Burnsville. Opening on Friday
morning, the Fair will end late Saturday. During both days there will be entertainment, games, and
refreshments. A bicycle race is being planned, along with buttered corn-on-the*cob. The traditional
chicken barbecue will be on Saturday when well over a thousand barbecued chicken plates will be sold
to hungry fair-goers. Along with the Fair will be the 7th annual Yancey Youth Jamboree, also
sponsored by the Yancey County Chamber of Commerce and presenting folk music, singing, and
dancing staged by Yancey County young people of school age. The Jamboree will begin in the
auditorium of East Yancey High School on Thursday night, August 1 and will run again on Friday
night, August 2.
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When the long planned-for
trip finally materialized, we
packed up our camping gear and
headed west on a Friday
evening. We camped out that
night and got up early the next
morning to hike into a rugged
trail. Scott was so excited he
couldn’t even tie his shoes.
TRAILS ARE ERODED
When we arrived at the trail,
we parked next to the road and
began to walk. I was surprised
to see how badly rutted the trail
had become in a few short
months. In placed, it was little
more than a quagmire, and
every few hundred yards, you
Bloodmobile
To Visit Here
Sponsored by the Yancey
County Rescue Squad, the
Bloodmobile from the Asheville
Regional Red Cross Blood
Center will be in Burnsville on
Wednesday, June 26. It will be
operating at the Armory from
1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Blood is still urgently need
ed for Mitchell, Avery and
Yancey, the three counties
served by the Mayland Red
Cross Chapter. A quo+a of 100
pints has been set.
BURNSVILLE, N. C. 28714
could see where new trails had
been cut by spinning wheels up
and down the side of the
mountain. The rain had washed
them badly, pushing silt down
the slope to the stream.
We walked for about two
miles before Scott said any
thing. “What caused all these
other trails?” he asked finally.
“People riding special kinds
of motorcycles,” I told him.
“Why?” he asked.
“I guess it’s because it’s
fun,” I said.
BIKERS SCOURGE HILLSIDES
We spent most of the day
up that trail, walking a total of
about five or six miles. It could
have been a very nice exper
ience. Instead, after the first
hour, we were never out of
hearing of the persistent buzz of
trail bikes. We actually saw 18
trail bikes during the day, and
that was probably not an
accurate total since we heard
many pass while we were off the
trail.
The hills were alive with the
sound of trail bikes.
At one point, some idiot
drove a trail bike into the creek
behind us and came roaring up
the middle until he was right in
the pool below us. His bike
finally flooded out in mid
(Cont’d on page 2)
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1 Herb Allen, Gtibftit'ki
Vo-Ed Grant
Announced
By Taylor
Congressman Roy A. Taylor
Wednesday announced the ap
proval of a $390,600 grant from
the Appalachian Regional Com
mission to aid in the construc
tion and equipping of the
vocational wing to the new
Consolidated Yancey County
High School in Burnsville.
The new facility will enable
the County to consolidate their
two present high schools into
one school of 825 students. The
existing two vocational curricu
lums will be consolidated and
expanded into 50 vocational/
occupational sub-courses which
will be taught in 10 major
curriculum areas. The project
will include $128,000 worth of
equipment for the vocational
courses.
The total cost of the
project
'will be $706,700. Local resour
ces will supply $226,700 and
Vocational Education Act of
1968 funds of $89,400 will round
out the funding program.
Special Song
Service Here
There will be a special song
service at Covey Rock Free Will
Baptist Church, Green Moun
tain. N.C. on Sunday night,
June 23, at 7:00 p.m. according
to pastor Rev. Holt Herrell.
The “Cpvey Rock Church
Youth Choi A',’ Little Lesia Joe
Potter of Bakersville will be
featured as will the “Gospel
Tones” of Marion; the “Silvers
Chapel Trio” from Bandana; the
"Walsh Family” from Eliza
bethton, Tenn.; the “Laws
Quartet” from Green Mountain;
the “Rainbow Quartet” from
Radio Station WMBS, Black
Mtn.; the "Gospelaires Quar
tet" from Spruce Pine.
Also there will be a Bible
School program Sunday morn
ing, June 23 at 11 a.m. The
theme is “Good News for
Jesus”, under the direction of
Mrs. Holt Herrell. Everyone is
Invited to attend both of these
services. <
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1974
Roy A. Taylor
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Yancey Men Receive Awards
The Division of Highways of the North Carolina Department of
Transportation presented awards recently to six employees of
Division 13, Yancey County, for their combined 145 year service to
the State of North Carolina. Mr. Joel Mashburn, Division Personnel
Officer, presented 20 year awards to Wilbur Burdett Carroll and
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William Long, Royce Hunter, David Gibbs, Randy Crowder
East Yancey FFA Places First
Members of the East Yancey Future Farmers of America organization won first place in major
events at the 46th State Convention held at Scott Pavilion in Raleigh, on Jane 12, 13 and 14 th.
The Tool Identification team scored consistently high to edge some 40 Federation team winners in
the Agricultural Tool and Material Contest. Receiving a plaque and a check for SIOO were the
following members: William Long, David Gibbs, Royce Hunter and Randy Crowder.
In the Public Speaking contest, Tony Eubanks amazed the entire assembly with his forceful
delivery of his own prepared speech, “The Remarkable American Farmer”. Tony received the state
trophy and a check for SIOO and will represent North Carolina in the Tri-state Contest to be held in
Virginia during July. He is a part time announcer at WKYK in Burnsville.
In related events, two members, George Powers and Tony Eubanks received the coveted State
Farmer Degrees with George Powers also receiving a S3O check and plaque for outstanding work in
Farm Electrification from Carolina Power and light Company.
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Council Plans Community
Center; Needs Local Support
A special meeting, spon
sored by the Yancey County
Council will be held Thursday,
June 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 3
of the Courthouse. The subject
of this meeting will be planning
for a Multi-Purpose Community
Center for this county.
The need for such a center to
hold meetings and activities is
felt by every group and agency
in this county; the need for a
place to go for socialization and
recreation is felt by every
citizen, according to a report by
Shirley Anne McAllister,
Chairman of the Council.
A member of the Resource
Mobilization and Planning Staff
Flea Market
The Women’s Organization
of the First Presbyterian Church
will sponsor a Flea Market Sale
on the parking lot of the church
on Saturday, June 22 from 10:30
to 4:00 p.m. The public is
invited to come by and see the
fine collection of “treasures”
and "fleas”.
Fred Harvey Phoenix, Byrd Metcalf, Charlie H. Miller, and Frank
Black were presented 25 year awards. Trey J. King was liimii|iifi§t
his 30 years of service. Pictured [left to right] are, Mr. MariflMß,
Wilbur Carroll, Fred Phoenix. Byrd Metcalf, Charlie Milter, Frank
Black, and Troy J. King.
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of W.A.M.Y. Community Ac
tion will meet, with the group to
hear ideas and to share with
them the work she has already
done towards raising money for
this important project.
Local community supportis
vital at this time, says Miss
McAllister. Foundations and
State and Federal agencies who
will be approached for funding
must see local support before
they will give theirs. If you are
interested in your county and
community, you are urged to be
present at this meeting.