Serving—
^ "~ '^ - -! ~" ——— > >—■ . I .1 (*f>tlt l: mii** nititi
Rain eases drought,
Isheville settlement soon
by Dan Ward
Heavy rain last week
amoved the need for
oluntary water rationing, but
ailed to bring Black Mountain’
reservoir level up to normal,
ccording to Water
upenntendant Ai White..
It's still 51 inches down
om the top. The rain helped
at. but didn’t help all that
iuch. The streams (feeding
le reservoir) are up some,’ ’
lute said.
Before rains last week, the
ater level was six feet below
le top. Last summer, when
landatory rationing was
ft ■■ a
enacted, the reservoir had
dropped to 13 feet below the
top.
White said that part of the
reason the town is relatively
well off following the driest
July since the '20s is that the
water department installed a
second pump in the collection
pond below the reservoir to
pump additional water back
into the storage system.
Following last week’s rains,
the lower pond is overflowing.
White said.
“Having two pumps is
helping us through what could
have been a crisis by the end
of the week “White said. He
L IS
jp £Sm 4 .HBup H
■ A walk in the rain can be romantic. (Dan Ward)
added that a request for
voluntary cutbacks in water
use had little effect on con
sumption last week.
In other events concerning
water, White said that the well
recently drilled on the Black
Mountain Golf Course is
producing more water than
two earlier estimates
predicted.
Tests made last week
showed the well capable of
supplying 40.7 gallons per
minute, or about 15 per cent of
Black Mountain' s needs.
Earlier tests showed the well
capable of only 25 to 35 gallons
per minute.
White said that the pump
and chlorinator for that well
should be installed by the end
of next week.
A proposed site for a second
well on the golf course near
Homer’s Chapel Church has
yet to be inspected by the
country health department,
White said.
Mayor Tom Sobol, in the
meantime, said he will meet
with Asheville city officials in
what he hopes will be the final
meeting to settle a trade-off
involving a water bill owed to
Asheville and Asheville’s use
of Chestnut Cqve runoff
belonging to Black Mountain.
Black Mountain incurred an
118,000 water bill with
Asheville last year when
Asheville water was used to
supplement the drought
stricken town.
Also at issue is Black
Mountain’s water rights to
Chestnut Cove — water that
flows into Asheville’s North
Fork Reservoir. Sobol said
that Asheville engineers
constructed a dam and
measured water flow from
Chestnut Cove over the past
weeks to determine how much
runoff is at issue. Results of
that study are expected to be
the key to negotiations bet
ween the two municipalities.
Sobol said that negotiations
have been friendly and
cooperative, and that
whatever agreement is
reached, with Asheville City
Manager Ken Michaelove
is expected to be approved
by the Asheville City Council.
A turtle dodges raindrops in a Black Mountain flowerbox. (Dan Ward)
__ *-1 J
All systems ‘go’
for festival plans
by Dan Ward
Plans for Swannanoa Valley
Sourwood Days, August 9-12,
were confirmed at a Chamber
of Commerce breakfast
Tuesday, and festivities were
expected to begin Wednesday
with a parade from Black
Mountain Primary School to
WNC Shopping Center
beginning at 4:30 p.m.
According to Chamber
Manager Ed Weber, more
participants were lined up for
the parade. Roberson High
School Band, two ROTC color
guards, Miss North Carolina
Hemisphere and Miss
Asheville were expected to
participate, as well as a
number of floats, “Sourwood
King” Perry Stone, a wagon
train, antique cars and others.
High school bands and flag
corps have been difficult to
obtain because many schools
are at band camp, according
to parade chairman Bob
Miller.
Weber also said that
response to the Sourwood
Marathon Race, to be held
Saturday at 7 a.m. from
Swannanoa to Black Moun
ts*- d. He
' saW Wffticipaifcs Wul?inciudo
70-yea r<-old and 62 year-old
men, and a number of women.
The only change made in
earlier plans printed in the
August 3 editiqn of the News
has been to move the location
of the awards presentation for
festival events from the
Primary School to Cherry
Two arrested for theft
n*_r»i_i_ w_• i .. _
i wo black Mountain youths,
Greg White, 19 and Ricky
Reeves, 17, were arrested
Saturday morning by Capt.
Robbie R. Yates and Officer
Ronnie Halford of the Mon
treat Police Department for
larceny of a pocketbook and
wallet containing ap
proximately 94,000 in cash,
checks and jewelry belonging
Doris Davis of Charlotte,
Montreat Police reported.
The pocketbook and wallet
were taken from Anderson
Auditorium in Montreat on
July 29. Officer Nick Neville
of Montreat Police recovered
the empty pocketbook from a
creek in Montreat on the
morning of the larceny. The
wallet, with only partial
Family craftsmen rate own shop
uy uau nara
It isn’t uncommon to have
enough cooks in a family to
open a restaurant. Nor is it
odd to have enough carpenters
w a family to start a con
tracting business. However,
having enough artisans in a
family to open a craft shop is a
distinction that the Martins of
S*annanoa only may be able
to claim.
While some of the crafts on
display at Driftwood Den.
across from Beacon
Manufacturing, are from non
Martins in Swannanoa, Black
Mountain and Hendersonville,
the main attraction is
definitely things made by the
deseendents of the late
Marcus Martin, one-time state
fiddle champion and one of the
finest fiddle-makers in the
Blue Ridge.
Elaine Early, a grand
daughter of Marcus, operates
the little shop.
I’ve always been interested
m crafts and always done
them There’s so much talent
ui the family that I felt should
he displayed and sold. There’s
always local people who want
to get one of Edsel’s birds, or
one of Fred’s dulcimers, or
something and cant get it,"she
^id Elaine, herself, creates
-u:i paintings — paintings on
wood or metal — that hang
along walls of the shop.
Rdsel and Fred Martin are
’ wo of Elaine’s uncles. Edsel,
who now lives in Old Fort, is
nationally reknowned for his
hand-painted birds he carves
out of boxwood. The birds are
so detailed and life-like that
the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington asked him to
carve a series as a national
keepsake. Edsel also makes
— and plays professionally —
traditional mountain
dulcimers.
"I have some of his birds
here and his dulcimer music
album. I hope by the end of
the week, I have some of his
mountaineer carvings, ’ ’
Elaine said.
Edsel’s wife, Elsie, makes
wood snaving (lowers that are
sold in the shop.
Fred, whose daughter,
Joyce Moore, and grand
daughter, Kristy Moore, also
contribute crafts to the shop,
is also a woodcarver. His
specialty is dulcimers he
makes at his home in Swan
Darrie and Elaine Early (Dan Ward)
nanoa. He also makes cast
silver jewelry ranging from a
“Carter peanut”to a cast of a
mountaineer’s face carved by
his brother Wade.
Wade, beside being an
accomplished carver of
figures of mountain people
and animals, is also a
dulcimer maker. His son,
Bruce, makes carved birds
like Edsel's for the shop,
which his daughter, Nancy Jo,
paints.
Joyce Moore makes wooden
flowers and paintings of
mountain people for the shop,
while her daughter, Kristy, 15
, makes paintings, painted
rock animals and yarn
animals.
Elaine’s sister and brother
in-law, Ginger and Rick Hall,
make hydrocal molds, a sort
of plaster cast. Elaine’s son,
Darrie, 15, contributes
Christmas cards and or
naments to the homespun
variety.
Being off the beaten track
doesn’ t seem to hurt the
Driftwood Den, which Elaine
opened in April.
“To start out, most of them
(customers) were locals, but
now they are mostly tourists
who come through, “she said.
"The reaction’s been good, ”
she added — so good that
Asheville-Buncombe
Technical Institute will
sponsor craft classes there
this fall.
contents was recovered from
I-ake Tomahawk August 5 by
Frankie Williams, scuba (fiver
with the Black Mountain Fire
Department, where the youths
had reportedly tried to dispose
of the evidence.
White was released on $3,000
bond, while Reeves was held
in Buncombe County Jail
under $1000 bond. Det. Don
Ramsey of Black Mountain
Police assisted Montreat
Police in the investigation.
Police did not know why Ms.
Davis carried so much money
with her to the program.
A Black Mountain man has
been charged in the theft of a
car on August 2.
Walter F. Tipton of Black
Mountain was charged with
DUI, no license tags, and
possessing stolen property by
McDowell County Police
approximately two hours after
the car was reported stolen
from Steve Thorpe. Black
Mountain Police also charged
Tipton — with auto theft.
Black Mountain Police
received 261 calls last week.
They issued seven traffic
citations and arrested two for
DUI, including one who was
driving a tractor. They
recovered one stolen bicycle,
investigated three traffic
accidents and assisted
Sherriff’s Police in issuing a
warrant.
Buckeye Cove,
Montreal in
beauty judging
Montreat and Buckeye Cove
will be judged August 8 in the
Buncombe County
Beautification contest.
The judges will be Charles
Norman, Max Osteen and
Judy Schlaefer. They will
spend 45 minutes in each
community reviewing the
efforts of those communities
in improving the appearance
or roadsides, mailboxes,
picnic areas, parks, buildings
and individual homes.
Three communities will be
selected as having made the
greatest improvements
during the past year. The first
place winner will be judged in
area competition which in
cludes all of Western North
Carolina during the last week
in August.
The community selected as
having made the most
progress will receive a $100
cash award. Second place
winner will receive $75. and
third place $50.
The contest is sponsored in
Buncombe County by the
Community Development
Club Council and the Bun
combe County Agricultural
Extension Service and on an
area basis by the WNC
Development Association.
Street. That ceremony will be
held at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Those persons in charge of
registration for the following
schedule of events are:
horseshoe pitching — Bill
Ricketts at the Nostalgia
Store; Open Market — Ron
Morrow; Swim Meet — Black
Mountain Pool; Sourwood
Marathon Race — Black
Mountain Police Department;
and Skate Board Contest —
Steve Minnick.
WEDNESDAY — AUGUST 9
Golf tournament:
8 a.m. starting time. All day at
the Black Mountain Golf Course.
Old Depot:
AH day. Art and craft displays,
music, craft sales, and demonstrations.
Sourwood Parade:
4:30 p.m. Begins at Black Mountain
Athletic Field and ends at WNC
Shopping Center with free ice cream
for the kids at Cherry Street afterwards.
Over 25 units, 11 floats, horses,
wagons, antique cars, etc.
Street Dance:
7:30 p.m. Swannanoa Ingles Shopping
Center. Rock and sqpare dance music.
v Old Depot: “ ‘ [
AH day. Arts and crafts demonstration
and sales.
Horseshoe Pitching Contest: ,
Cherry Street parking lot.
Street Dance:
7:30 p.m. Cherry Street in
Black Mountain. Rock and
square dance music.
FRIDAY — AUGUST 11
Old Depot:
All day. Arts and crafts
sales and demonstrations.
Fair Grounds:
Jaycees Open Market. Funds go to
fight Muscular Dystrophy. All day
at Primary School in Black Mountain
Food, games, crafts, exhibits.
Swim Meet:
Black Mountain Pool.
Different age groups.
Horseshoe Pitching:
Cherry Street parking lot.
Street Dance:
7:30 p.m. on Cherry Street.
Rock and square dance music.
SATURDAY — AUGUST 12
Sourwood Race:
7 a.m. 4.6 miles from Swannanoa
to Black Mountain. By age groups.
Jr. Women’s Club will have
refreshment booths along route.
Fair Grounds:
Jaycees Open Market. Funds go to
fight Muscular Dystrophy. All day
at Primary School in Black Mountain.
Food, games, crafts, exhibits.
Old Depot:
All day. Arts and crafts
Skate Board Contest:
10a.m. Ages 7 to 19. Three groupings
at Black Mountain Primary School
Awards Presentation:
4 p.m. at Cherry Street.
For all events held during week.
Crash report not in
Fire Chief Gary Bartlett
said that results are not yet in
from an investigation made by
the American I.aFrance
Corporation into the cause of
an accident involving a Black
Mountain Fire Engine. Tests
were made Friday on the
truck which reportedly ex
periee.vd brake failure while
it was being Unveil by a
fireman in training and
crashed into a house on Old US
70, August 1. No persons were
injured, but the house was a
total loss in that accident.