BMCK
Black
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JEC crabapp!e
<s champ
Students and staH at the Juvenile
Evaluation Center have always enjoyed
the flashy spread of pink blossoms put
forth every spring by an old crabapple
tree on campus. But It wasn't until
recently that they knew they were
looking at a national champion of trees.
The crabapple was registered on the
National Register of Big Trees on
February 23, 1931, by the American
Forestry Association.
On hand to record the champion
tree's spring extravaganza last week
was photographer and reporter Henry
Gorsidnsky of Life Magazine. The
crabappk will be featured in an
upcoming iasue of this national
magazine.
The tree was nominated for honors by
Joe Hinahaw, a N.C. Forest Service
special projects forester, for its
measurements rather than its spring
beauty. Hinahaw noticed in January
that the crabappie tree in the front of
the JEC campus was larger than most of
the spedes Malus Angustifoiia or
Specia! Otympics
'first' to be heid
The 10-meter crawi, the 25-meter
wheelchair race and the bean bag throw
for distance and accuracy will be some
of the events for participants in the first
Special Olympics for the severely and
profoundly handicapped to be held in
Western North Carolina. Events will
begin with opening ceremonies at 10
a m. May 6 at the Owen High School
held.
Over 60 residents from the Western
Carolina Center-Black Mountain Facil
ity will participate. They will be part of
a national study to determine events for
the severely and profoundly handicap
ped In the International Special
Olympics.
The event is sponsored by the
Swannanoa Valley Optimist Club.
Other volunteers, a total of about 150,
will assist, including Owen High School
students and students from the Juvenile
Evaluation Center.
Jeannie Rack, coordinator of the
Olympics, explained the large amount
of help needed: "Besides timers and
scorers, we have things like greeters
and buggers. ' The participants, child
ren and adults, all need continuous
supervision.
Practice for the Olympics began in
February at the Western Carolina
Center, Pack said. All who participate
will win either a first, second or third
place ribbon, she explained.
Hie public is invited to attend the
events at Owen High School.
The Speciai Oiympics invoives participants, timers,
scorers, as weii as buggers and greeters.
County day care faces cuts
Parents with children in Buncombe
County Child Development day care
centers are concerned about the effects
of a possible cut in Appalachian
Regional Council (ARC) funds.
"BF the service is< not here,"
Buncombe County Child Development
director, Doug Michaels, said, "parents
won't be able to work. Many will go on
welfare."
ARC provides over a third of the
funds *or the program used to subsidize
day care for anyone who needs it,
Michaels said. Rerents pay for care
according to income, with the difference
in the actual cost of providing day care
made up in ARC funds.
Another source of funding, Title XX,
which Michaels calls "welfare money,"
could also be cut as much as 25 percent
next year. Because new rules could
govern the apportioning of Title XX
funds, state and local governments may
not be required to match Title XX funds
as they have in the past and the day care
program could lose those monies, too.
Michaels said the centers offer
children an environment where they can
develop physically, mentally and emo
tionally. Each child is assessed monthly
and group and individual activities are
planned according to the assessments.
"ft is not a school; I think that's
important," Michaels said. "We assist
in the economic and social stability of
families," Michaels explained. "We re
not here to replace families but to
support them. "
The centers also provide a third of the
nutritional requirements for each child
for the day.
Faced with program cuts, Michaels
gjd parents are already paying as
Mch as they can pay. For many the
Ksent requirements are difficult to
meet, so a raise in fees would not be
feasible.
"We re making a strong effort to
continue as is until we know what we
have to do," Michaels said. "We may
have to start selecting who gets day
care, what components of day care we
continue to provide."
Parents, teachers and others involved
in the Child Development Program have
written letters to Congressmen asking
them to support the program. Parents
will go to the Bumoombe County
Commissioners this week, asking them
to draft a resolution in support of Child
Development. What else can be done to
save the program? "We need the
support of people in the community,"
Michaels said.
Weather
review
April 14-high 80, low 49 degrees;
trace precipitation.
April 15-high 71, low 40 degrees;
.07 inches precipitation.
April 16-high 71, low 33 degrees.
April 17-high 80, low 51 degrees;
.41 inches precipitation.
April 18-high 78, low 46 degrees;
.10 inches precipitation.
April 19-high 78, low 47 degrees.
April 20-high 68, low 47 degrees;
.33 inches precipitation.
Cotuteay of WFGW
Radio National
Weather Service
atation, Black
Mountain.
southern crabapple.
Hinshaw submitted the tree's
measurements-circumference, 77.5
inches, height, 35.5 feet, spread, 43.5
feet-to the North Carolina Forest
Service. While the tree sounds puny for
say, a poplar or an oak, Hinshaw says it
is about twice the size of most
crabapples
Although the tree reached its peak
bloom last week, many of the rosy
blossoms remain.
Discussing the best angie to photograph the nationai champion crabappie at the Juveniie Evaiuation
Center were (ie/t to right); Henry Croshinshy, Li/e Magazine photographer; Don L. Pagett, director o/
the Juveniie Evaiuation Center; Aian Woody, Buncombe County Ranger; Aima Croshinshy,
photographer's assistant; and Joe Hinehaw, speciai projects /orester and nominator o/ the tree. (Photo
by Larry Landis)
Three years and a
'pi!e of stone'
went into his
first arrowhead
indians make a
'most enjoyabie hobby'
by Cynthia Reimer
Jim Creasman has been fascinated
with the life of the American Indian for
16 years. What began when his father
brought home pockets full of arrow
heads after a day's plowing in the
Georgia fields, has grown to an interest
in reproducing Indian tools using the
same methods the Indians did.
R took Creasman three years and "a
pile of stone" to make the first
arrowhead he was satisfied with. "I
read books by the thousands," Creas
man said. "That's all I do nearly, study
Indians."
In the way of the Indian, Creasman
heat-treats his rocks first by putting
stone chips in a pit, then covering them
with dirt and building a Bre on top. The
length of heating varies, depending on
the kind of rock being used, from 12 to
36 hours.
The heat changes the stone so it will
split in crystals, making shiny, sharp
edges.
Some of Creasman's rocks have such
descriptive names as wonder stone and
blood stone, while some mo mom
ordinary, such as flint and jasper and
agate. The colors range from golden to
red and blue and green.
There are two methods, Creasman
said, the Indians used for shaping the
stone into arrowheads or spearheads or
knives: percussion or pressure flaking.
Tiny chips are removed by either
striking the edge of a chip of stone with
a piece of bone or antler, or by pressing
with the same tools on the edge of the
stone which rests on a heavy piece of
leather.
True arrowheads are very small,
Creasman explained. The larger points
were used on spears and knives,
although people mistakenly call them
arrowheads now.
Creasman uses animal sinews to
make threads to atttach the arrowheads
to the shaft. Up the shaft of an arrow he
carves a zigzag design, an Indian
symbol for swiftness. Below the
feathers, he paints black and red
stripes, symbols for night and day
which represented accuracy to the
Indians. For feathers, he uses those
from turkey, grouse and owls.
War points were dipped in rotten
liver, Creasman said, so that if the
arrowhead itself did not kill, the man
would later die of gangrene.
Spear points were often attached with
glue the Indians made of pine pitch or
animal hooves.
Creasman sees an Indian story in
every fragment of the stone he has
collected from Indian camps and trails
in the area, even those that look like the
uninteresting driveway variety to the
uninitiated. He sells the arrowheads
and spearheads he makes to collectors
and hobbyists, and is happy to share his
knowledge of Indian lore with all who
come & his workshop on Montreat
Road.
When he has had experience in using
his spears and arrows, Creasman would
like to take his knowledge of Indian
living into the woods. 'Td leave here
for six months, go to the mountains and
stay and not take a thing but some stone
and my antlers.
"It's about the most enjoyable hobby
Fve ever had."
Ben Lippen Schoo) to reiocate on gift tract
Dr. BiHy Graham
A 1,447 acre tract of land in Porter's
Cove, Oteen , is being donated to
Columbia Bible College by the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association, it was
announced % a Monday press
. conference.
The South Carolina college operates
the Ben Lip pen School near Asheville,
which lost a main campus building,
"The Inn," in a fire last December.
Flans call for the 1,447 acres to indude
a new campus for the Ben Lippen
School, as well as a training center
where laymen can study the Bible in
depth and a summer camp for Ben
Lippen Bible conferences.
John L Layman, headmaster at Ben
Lippen, said the high school is held to
its current enrollment of 170 students
because the 140-acre campus has no
room for expansion.
Dr. Robertson McQuiUdn, president
of Columbia Bible College, said, "As
you may know, we have been very
limited % Ben Lippcn-no room to
expand, aging buildings and a noisy,
bustling community fast closing in on ail
sides. But we had never thought of
moving until God let our past' go up in
smoke, clearing the way for something
far better."
The Porter's Cove land was purchas
ed in 1975 by the World Evangelism and
Christian Education Fund to be used as
a training center for laymen. After
purchasing the land, Dr. Billy Graham
said, "My colleagues and I in the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association
realized that we had never been
involved in these areas to any signi
Hcant degree and sensed that perhaps
we were not the right organization to
develop this project. "
Dr. Graham said that other building
has also depleted the organization's
funds.
He began discussing the use of the
Porter's Cove land with Dr. McQuilken
of Columbia Bible College about two
years ago. Last December after the
fire at ' The Inn," Dr. Graham offered
the possibility of relocating Ben Uppen
at Farter's Cove.
Dr. McQuilken said pians will begin
immediately and construction wiil begin
as money becomes available. Hans
indude construction of energy-efBdent
buildings, he said.
Ben Lippen School is a Christian high
school which has had special emphasis
on educating the children of missionar
ies and other Christian workers.
"I am convinced," Dr. Graham said,
"that this (gift) will be of special
interest to the people of Western North
Carolina because it means that addi
tional hundreds of people will come to
these mountains both summer and
winter."
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