THE YANCEY JOURNAL
VOL. 5, NO. 23
Pete Coletta Honored: ]
Hundreds Attend Feldspar
Open House Celebration
More than 400 people
visited the new Feldspar
Corporation quality control
and research facility at the
company headquarters, 530
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Photo by C.E. Westveer
Mrs. Gladys Coletta Receives Plaque
Wagons Ho! 9 Time
When wagon master
Charles Letterman calls out
“Wagons Ho!” chief scout
Ottis Honeycutt will be first
out on the trail of the
Tri-County Regional Wagon
Train Association’s 6th an
nual trek through the moun
tains.
This year will mark the 6th
Anniversary of the wagon
train’s trip in our beautiful
mountains. Each year since
the Association formed as the
first organized association for
persons interested in wagons,
horses, good clean fun and
fellowship in the Tri County
areas of Madison, Buncombe,
and Yancey, the group has
enjoyed a beautiful trip.
This year’s trip will
originate in McDowell County
and travel to Yancey via
Curtis Creek. The remainder
of the trip will be in Yancey on
some of the most beautiful
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Wagon ‘Spruceu dp aor Yearly Event
Altapass Road, Spruce Pine,
Sunday, June sth.
A highlight of the day was
the awarding of a plaque to
Mrs. Gladys Coletta, wife of
trails in the world. The train
will roll into Burnsville on
July 4. The last time the
wagon train came into Burns
ville the crowd of enthusiastic
spectators was overwhelming.
Folks lined the highway from
Windom to Burnsville to
welcome the train. This was
the biggest crowd of specta
tors to ever welcome the
Tri-County Regional Wagon
Train at its destination.
Folks are , already shining
harnesses, L greasing wagon
wheels, starching their bon
nets and bib overalls for the
trip. This year on the last day,
July 4, all people on the train
will be encouraged to wear
old-timey costumes, Folks in
Burnsville may think then
ancestors are “back in town.”
The folks on the wagon train
love horses and this love helps
them make it through all
kinds of weather which
BURNSVILLE, N.C. 28714
Peter C. Coletta, for whom
the building was named. Mr.
Coletta, deceased, was asso
ciated with Feldspar Corpora
tion for forty-six years, and
includes occasional periods of
rain which they call “liquid
sunshine.” At night wagon
trainers enjoy sitting around
the campfires resting from the
day’s ride and preparing for
the next, while visiting and
telling tall tales of the
previous year’s trip.
Last year’s group num
bered 22 wagons with 125
riders. Each year the train "
grows. Anyone who is in
terested in joining in good
clean fun for 4 days of riding
the trails on this year’s trip
will be welcome to come
along. The Association ex
pects all riders to follow a set
of rules which have been set
up in orjder to make the trip
more enjoyable for all.
Visitors are invited to
come to the campsites at night v
to visit friends and see how
the people manage to camp,
provide good food for the
was Director of Purchasing
and Personnel at the time of
his death.
The control and research
facility of the company is the
most sophisticated and ad
vanced in the feldspar and
related minerals industry. In
the research department, the
pilot plant attracted large
crowds. Here, it was possible
to see in one room the
operation of the big feldspar
plant across the highway. A
step by step operation was
viewed horn ore evaluation
and dressing by the flotation
method of separating the
different minerals.
One feature of the opera
tion which attracted much
interest was the meticulous
care given to environmental
problems. Advanced techno
logy in the new facility makes
environmental protection
water and air quality-even
more accurate than ever
before.
Quality control features
assure a much more uniform
feldspar product, which
means better quality. This is a
[Cont’d on page 6]
horses, and make camp.
All interested persons
should contact the following
people about joining the train:
Charles Letterman 682-2784,
Ottis Honeycutt 682-3742,
Dan Wilson 682-6501. If you
can’t join the train, plan to be
in Burnsville on July 4 to
welcome the Tri-County Re
gional Wagon Train.
Blood
Donors
Needed
Monday
The need for blood donors
is a constant one. And the
responsibility for fulfilling
this need belongs to every
one, young and old, who
can qualifiy as a blood donor.
Because of the unpredictabi
lity of life, no one can know
whether he/she or a member
of his/her family might have a
desperate need for this
life-sustaining fluid.
The Bloodmobile is com
ing again to Burnsville on
Monday, June 13, from 1 to 6
p.m. at the First Baptist
Church on the town square. It
is sponsored, as always, by
the Radio Patrol. Ladies from
the Church of God will be
canteen hostesses.
Everyone is urged to take
on their responsibility by
visiting the bloodmobile next
Monday. Your blood pressure
will be checked free of charge,
regardless of whether you are
able to donate at this time. If
you have never been a donor
before, please come by and
see how easy it is to give “The
gift of life.”
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Patrick Hardy
Burnsville Little Theatre
Presents ‘The Rainmaker’
BY JODY HIGGINS
Burnsville Little Theatre is
presenting their spring pro
duction this weekend at
Parkway Playhouse. “The
Rainmaker,” a romantic co
medy in three acts by N.
Richard Nash, offers a de
lightful evening of entertain
ment. A superb cast should
make this a memorable
theatre experience for those
This production is
being directed by Jim Pries
meyer.
Performances will be Fri
day and Saturday night at 8
o’clock p.m., with a Sunday
afternoon matinee at 2 o’clock
p.m. Admission is $2.00 for
adults and SI.OO for students.
Tickets may be purchased in
advance from Little Theatre
members, at the Yancey
County Country Store, and at
Yancey Graphics. Tickets will
also be on sale at the door
before performances.
“The Rainmaker” was
presented on the stage in the
1950’s and a later movie
version starred Burt Lancas
ter and Katherine Hepburn.
The story is set during a
paralyzing drought in the
west. The plot revolves
around a very plain young
/Woman whose father and two
brothers are worried as much
about her becoming an old
maid as they are about then
dying cattle. Suddenly out of
nowhere appears a fast
talking character who pro
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Church Plans Note Burning Ceremony
Sunday, June 12, a note-burning ceremony will bo
conducted at 2i30 p.m. at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church at
Swiss. Tbs 5125,000.00 structure which was completed la July
1075 to bow debt-bee. A brief memorial service, la memory of
THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1977
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Julie Guemple
mises to bring rain for a fee,
then turns his magic on
Lizzie, the daughter.
In the role of Bill Starbuck,
The Rainmaker is Patrick
Hardy, pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church in
Burnsville and Director of the
Blue Ridge Community Men
tal Health Center in. Yancey
Storm KiHs
Yancey Man
A severe thunder
storm with winds gust
ing over 50 miles per
hour devastated Wes
tern North Carolina
Monday afternoon and
caused fatal injuries to a
Yancey County man.
Glen E. McCurry, 68
of the Mine Fork Com
munity, was clearing
trees that had blown
down in the storm,
working along the road
leading into the George
King farm where he was
manager. He was ap
parently killed instantly
when he was struck by a
dislodged tree that had
been blown into another
tree. Several injuries
throughout the area also
were attributed to the
Bill Perkins
County. Rev. Hardy is a
delight as the fast-talking con
man.
lizzie, the plain and
headstrong daughter, is play
ed skillfully by Julie Becton
Guemple. Originally from
Spruce Pifle, Julie teaches
dance there. She received her
B.A. in theatre arts from
storm, as were exten
sive damages to homes
and property and wide
spread power outages in
Western North Caro
lina.
In Yancey County
there were reports of
huge hailstones “big as
golf balls.” One local
resident, Horace Hig
gins, reported seeing
four trees fall on three
cars on Mitchell Branch,
crushing them badly.
"The Rescue Squad
worked until dark to
remove the trees from
on top the cars,” he
stated. Other damages,
mostly from the high
winds, were reported by
the Sheriffs Depart
ment and the Rescue
Squad.
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Philip Shore
Rollins College in Florida and
has been working professibn
ally in various dinner thea
tres, summer stock compan
ies, and night clubs both as
actress and choreographer
(“1776,” “Catou-et,” “Jesus
Christ Superstar,” “Who’s
Afraid of Virginia Woolf,”
“The Taming Os The Shrew.’)
Bill Perkins, who plays the
father, is making his return to
absehce/8511 ha* degree iff
drama from Catawba College
in Salisbury and taught drama
at Cane River High School
from 1960-65. He is presently
teaching at Mountain Heri
tage High School. In the past
he has appeared in “Unto
These Hills,” spent two years
[Cont’d on page 6]
MTI Chorus
Concert Set
The Mayland Tech Chor
us, directed by Dr. Lee Beall,
will hold its Spring Concert on
Sunday, June 12, at 3 p.m. at
the First Methodist Church,
Spruce Pine.
Among other selections
the Chorus will be singing
“Frostiana,” several of Ro
bert Frost’s poems set to
music by Randall Thompson.
Admission is free and the
public is cordially invited to
attend. -’ieiH