Students Get Ready for 2012-2013 School Year

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Summer is over for most students in Ashe County on August 6th. Most kids probably thought the summer went by way too fast, but on August 7th kids will have to get back on the busy Ashe County school schedule. The daily school schedule will be 8:25 to 3:25 for ACHS. ACHS is hosting a Freshman Orientation on Monday, August 6th from 9:00 till 11:00. Parents and Freshman will gather in the auditorium at 9:00 a.m. with a presentation of information needed for the coming school year. They will then have time to locate their classrooms and meet with teachers. Schedule change requests can be made in person by the student during the school day on August 7 and 8 during normal school hours. The window for schedule changes will close at 3:30pm on August 8. Exceptions to this will be for WCC classes and inevitable errors that are discovered as we move through the first week of school. They will not be able to honor schedule change requests made after the start of the school year. The 2012 – 2013 parking passes this year may be purchased from the School Office for $30.00. Students must present a valid driver’s license. The 2012-2013 student meal prices will $1.00 for breakfast, $2.10 for lunch and $.40 for student reduced lunch.

Places to shop in the High Country

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Boone is the most popular place to come shop in the High Country. You can start in downtown A wealth of shops cluster along West King Street, the main thoroughfare, and adjoining Depot and Howard streets. Classic outdoor outfitter Footsloggers can set you up to ski or hike or just weather the weather. Mast General Store has clothing, candy, and almost everything else, including an extensive selection of footwear for outdoor recreation. Lucky Penny features fashion-forward boutique women’s apparel brands. Just below King on Depot Street, Magic Cycles is another reflection of Boone’s outdoorsy culture. Adjacent and upstairs,Farmers Ski Shop has been a Boone winter sports source since 1969 for ski and snowboard gear, clothing and accessories. Also you have the Boone Mall, which there you have Belk, Old Navy, Tj Max, Sears, Shoe Dept., Gamestop, JC Penney and plenty more.

West Jefferson has a very popular visitor attraction because of the different shops they provide. Mountain Outfitters provides clothing, hiking, camping, footwear, water sports, and winter sports. Also there are several antique shops that brings in big crowds. Year a round sports offers different sports equipment. Hobby barn has different crafts and hobbies like train sets, airplanes and helicopters that you can build and plenty more. That’s just the beginning of the shops in West Jefferson, you need to come down and enjoy this small community.

Blowing Rock has the Tanger Outlet Store near Chetola Resort. This more than 30-store mall features the best national brands in many categories at discount prices. The list starts with A, for accessories, with Chico’s Outlet, Coach Factory, Levi’s Outlet, Sunglass Hut and more. Next is “apparel,” with Aeropostale, Banana Republic Factory Store, Bass, Gap Outlet, HANES, Izod, J.Crew/Crewcuts, Jockey, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store and Van Heusen. Children’s apparel includes Gymboree Outlet and OshKosh B’gosh. Footwear features Bass, Rack Room Shoes, and Skechers. There are housewares options also, with Corningware Corelle, Revere Stores, and the Kitchen Collection.

SugarBrew at Sugar Mountain

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Sugar Mountain Resort’s SugarBrew is just around the corner. The summer, mountain festival begins at 11 am and winds down at 6 pm on Saturday, August 4th. General admission and parking are free. The main attraction will be the sampling of domestic craft and import beers from local favorites to famous foreigners. Some of the beers you’ll find on tap include Sweetwater Brewing from Atlanta, GA, Olde Hickory Brewery just down the road in Hickory, NC, Kind Beers from Charlotte, NC, French Broad Brewing and Highland Brewing Company from Asheville, NC, Thomas Creek Brewery from Greenville, SC, Abita Brewing from Abita Springs, LA and Front Street Brewery from Wilmington, NC. Franziskaner Weissbier comes all the way from Munich, Germany and Staropramen Lager comes from Prague, Czechoslovakia. A few Yankee brews like Brooklyn Brewery from Brooklyn, New York, Sam Adams from Boston, MA, Southern Tier from Lakewood, NY, Narragansett Beer from Providence, RI and Blue Point Brewing Company from Long Island, New York will make their way South for the first annual SugarBrew. Of course, local brewer Blowing Rock Ale will be on tap and the resort will be proud to be the stage for local company Blind Squirrel Brewery as they launch their brand new brews. That’s not all. For a complete list of breweries please visit www.sugarbrew.com/breweries.

United States Olympic Update

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There are five different sports already that have medaled for the United States. The sports are Archery, Diving, Judo, Shooting, Gymnastics and swimming. United States have 12 out of the 19 medals coming from swimming. Men’s team Archery Brady Ellison, Jake Kaminski, and Jacob Wukie finished with the first United States medal of the Olympics with a Silver medal. In the Sport of Judo Marti Malloy finished with a bronze medal. In Diving we had two women to win the silver medal, Kelci Byrant and Abigail Jonston worked great as a team in the synchronized diving. In Gymnastics the USA women grabbed the gold. Swimming right now is the where United States is getting most of their medals from. From the men’s side you have Ryan Lochte, and Matt Grevers to win gold. From the Women’s side Missy Franklin, and Dana Vollmer. Michael Phelps has yet to win a Gold medal but has plenty of more chances to win Gold. Right Now United State is tied for the medal count of 19 with China. USA has 7 Gold’s and China with Gold’s.

Tax Free Weekend

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The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) has announced that the 10th annual Sales Tax Holiday is scheduled from Friday, Aug. 3 through Sunday, Aug. 5. Due to the success of the previous tax-free weekends, the North Carolina General Assembly has once again set aside one weekend free of sales tax on back-to-school related items such as pencils, paper, backpacks, text books, computers, shoes and clothing. The popular event exempts clothing, footwear, and school supplies of $100 or less per item; school instructional materials of $300 or less per item; sports and recreational equipment of $50 or less per item; computers of $3,500 or less per item; and computer supplies of $250 or less per item from sales tax. Tablet computers and netbooks of $3,500 or less per item qualify, eReaders, do not. Items are not necessarily exempt from sales tax just because they are required by a child’s school or sports team. Visit NCDOR’s website for a complete list of items that qualify. Come to West Jefferson NC and check out our local shops!

ASU Football is gearing up for the 2012-2013 Season

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ASU football is in full force right now practicing and getting ready for the upcoming season. The freshmen are trying to get involved in the Mountaineer offense and defense by learning the playbooks and maybe get a chance to work themselves into the starting lineup. The App State Mountaineers of Boone NC have three Non-Conference match ups this year. The first non-conference matchup is against East Carolina. The Mountaineers faced East Carolina on the first game of the 2009-2010 season and came up short with a 24-29 Loss. Montana is one of the Mountaineers FCS rivals from the west because both teams have made the playoffs regularly for the past couple of years. Some of the other Key games at home this year is Elon at Homecoming, Wofford at Education day and Furman with Black Saturday. Come and Support the Mountaineers in their first home game against Montana on Sept. 8 at 6:30 pm.

Real Estate Recovery

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The first half of the year of 2012 is starting to recover according to the High Country Association of Realtors. From last year this time the listings sold are up 31 percent and more than 42 percent more than the first six months of 2010. The Cause of the rise in NC Mountain real estate sales is mostly due to the buyers’ market value conditions. The prices are staying low and buyers are exploring the Western NC real estate market, which means prices should be on the rise. In the first six months there have been 543 listing sales in the High Country worth $135.3 million. All of last year sold 414 listings worth $107.3 million. Between the high in 2006 and the low in 2010 the market seems to being back on track with and average market listing of 248 days. Hopefully the market will continue to rise and sales will continue throughout the year.

Virginia Creeper Trail

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Starting at Abingdon VA and ending at Whitetop VA, there is a 34.3 mile rail to recreation trail. If you are a first time visitor then the Virginia creeper trail section from Whitetop down to Damascus is best for you. Bike rental companies in Damascus and Abingdon will shuttle you to the top of the mountain for an easy 15 mile coast/pedal down to Damascus. The ride takes anywhere from 2-4 hours, depending on your pace. Stops along the way include the old railroad station at Green Cove, operated by the US Forest Service; check out the high trestle at Creek Junction, where the trail runs beside some of the best trout fishing in Virginia; or stop for a bite of lunch in the community of Taylor’s Valley. If you choose to ride the section between Abingdon and Damascus, you’ll have the experience of passing over the longest Virginia Creeper Trail trestle as it crosses the Middle and South Forks of the Holston River at their confluence. You’ll also be able to stop at the newly built Alvarado Station, a replica of the one that served the Virginia-Carolina Railroad. Mark, at Old Alvarado Station next door, serves some of the best BBQ you’ll ever taste. The Virginia Creeper Trial is appropriate for all levels of bike riders.

Sightseeing along and near the Parkway

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Here in the High Country are some destinations that are a must see for the Summer!

The Blowing Rock

Blowing Rock – The Blowing Rock is an immense cliff 4,000 feet above sea level, above Johns River Gorge 3,000 feet below. The rocky walls of the gorge form a flume through which the northwest wind seeps with such force that light objects thrown over the void return to their senders, thus the name Blowing Rock. There are several lookouts that let you enjoy the view in almost every direction. You can also see different mountain ranges; For example Grandfather Mountain, Table Rock, Grandmother Mountain, and many more.

Moses H. Cone Memorial Park

Blowing Rock – This 3,500-acre country estate was the turn of the 20th century home of “Denim King” Moses H. Cone, whose textile empire made this magnificent retreat possible. Today, 26 miles of carriage roads are available for hikers and horseback riders. Shop for fine crafts at the 23-room manor house. Or, simply sit on the front porch and enjoy the views and cool temperatures from 4,000 feet. Also there is approximately 2 mile hike up and back down from Bass lake to the Manor house. From Bass lake in certain areas you can see the manor house on top of the hill. If you start at bass lake its an uphill hike but you can enjoy it when you get to the top with the wonderful views and you can take a tour of the house.

Linville Falls

Linville Falls – The home of the most popular waterfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains due to its accessibility to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a spectacular three-tiered waterfall plunging into Linville Gorge, the "Grand Canyon of the Southern Appalachians."

White Water Rafting

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If you are a beginner rafter and you would like to know what rivers best fit for you and your family here are the class ratings and rivers for you.

The Class Ratings

Class I – Very easy. Waves small, regular. Passages clear, sandbanks, artificial difficulties like bridge piers. Riffles.

Class II – Easy. Rapids of medium difficulty, with passages clear and wide. Low ledges.

Class III – Medium. Waves numerous, high, irregular. Rocks, eddies. Rapids with passages that are clear though narrow, requiring expertise in maneuvering. Inspection usually needed.
The river best for beginners would be the Watauga River it is a popular river to enjoy for families with younger children. On this river you can enjoy the milder rapids and beautiful pastoral scenery along the banks of the river.

If you love adrenaline high pace rides then here are the class ratings you might want to consider when you go white water rafting.

The Class Ratings

Class IV – Difficult. Long rapids. Waves powerful, irregular. Dangerous rocks, boiling eddies. Passages difficult to reconnoiter. Inspection mandatory first time. Powerful and precise maneuvering required.

Class V – Very difficult. Extremely tough, long and very violent rapids, following each other almost without interruption. River bed extremely obstructed. Big drops, violent current, very steep gradient. Reconnoitering essential but difficult.

Class VI – Extraordinarily difficult. Difficulties of class V carried to extremes of navigability. Nearly impossible and very dangerous. For teams of experts only, at favorable water levels and after close study with all precautions.

One of the local favorite rivers to raft is Wilson’s Creek NC. The creek drops 85 feet per mile and gives you a great thrill as you raft over 5 and 10 foot ledges. More popular rivers for NC white water rafting is the Pigeon River in Gatlinburg, French Broad river near Asheville, and the Nolichucky River lies at the bottom of one of the deepest gorges in the east.