Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Goose Creek Overflow


Fred First's Posterous Supplement to Fragments from Floyd / Fred's books at fragmentsfromfloyd.com/stuff

You can win a host of great prizes just for spending money in Floyd

Local Gifts 2011

You can win a host of great prizes just for spending money in Floyd, between Friday November 18 and Sunday November 27. All you need to do is make purchases at any business participating in Blue Mountain School’s Local Gifts Fundraiser, and you could win:

A ticket to FloydFest in 2012;

Four $25 gas cards from Circle K;

Two $50 gift certificates for Creative Edge Nail Studio;

A gift basket from Sweetwater Baking Company;

Two loads of mulch from Griffith Lumber Co.;

A Christmas Gift Basket from the Harvest Moon Food Store;

Two lunches or dinners for two at the Historic Pine Tavern;

A fresh Christmas floral arrangement from the Flower & Gift Shop;

A $40 credit for any cooking class at Natasha's Market Cafe;

A $40 gift certificate for Oddfella's Cantina;

An oil change at Neal's Automotive Repair;

Five pairs of regular 6" sandwiches at Subway;

A $25 gift certificate from Thomas Auto Parts;

Two Friday Night Buffets at Ray's Rest;

A $20 gift certificate for a haircut & style at Styles 4 U!; and

A $15 gift certificate for El Charro Grill Mexican Restaurant.


To win prizes, pick up a punch card from Blue Mountain School or any of the event’s Premium Supporters, and take it with you as you shop in Floyd. 

To make it even easier for you to win, we are providing free childcare at the school on Saturdays November 19 and 26, from 10am to 5pm, along with childcare on Black Friday, November 25.

By encouraging people to spend their money locally, we are helping to ensure that Floyd continues to thrive off its own steam. Meanwhile, the environment gets to breathe a breath of fresh air, as we minimize our dependence on fossil fuels, and our consciences can be a little cleaner knowing we are a little less responsible for the exploitation of our fellow human beings in less fortunate places. Best of all, in these difficult economic times, we can know we are supporting the small businesses that are so critical for the continued vitality of our national economy.

This year's participating businesses are:

PREMIUM SUPPORTERS: Gallery One Eleven, Medina Baskets, Blue Ridge Restaurant, Country Store of Check, Floyd Country Store, Mickey G's Bistro & Pizzeria, Slaughters' Supermarket - Garden Center & Christmas Shoppe, T & E Small Engine, and WinterSun Clothing; HONORARY SUPPORTER: Star*Song Art Gallery; VALUED SUPPORTERS: noteBooks and Black Water Loft, Protocol Incorporated, Treasured Toy, Green Label Organic, Bell Gallery & Garden, Flower & Gift Shop, Floyd Country Store, Floyd Pharmacy, Heavenly Mountain Acupuncture, Simmons Grocery, G J Ingram & Son Store, Phoenix Hardwoods, Finders Keepers, Floyd Automotive Supply, Thompson Real Estate & Auction Co., Wills Ridge Supply, Elisha's Graceful Hands, Across the Way Productions, Creative Edge Nail Studio, Historic Pine Tavern , Natasha's Market Café, Subway, Ray's Rest, Styles 4 U, and El Charro Grill Mexican Restaurant.

Full details are at www.bluemountainschool.net or 745-4234.

For more information, please contact Jamie Reygle at Jamie@bluemountainschool.net.

Christmas Bazaar Benefits Floyd Food Bank in Eastern Floyd County

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Christmas Bazaar 
To Benefit Haven’s Food Pantry
Haven’s Chapel Fellowship Hall
3375 Daniels Run Road, Check, VA
Friday, November 25th 12-6
Saturday, November 26th 10-5

Vendors are being accepted for the first annual Christmas Bazaar to be held at Haven’s Chapel Fellowship Hall. All profits from the bazaar will benefit the Haven’s Food Pantry- a non- discriminating food pantry open on the third Saturday of each month to all that need assistance. 

Each vendor is requested to pay a vendor fee of $25.00 and to donate a door prize of their choice. Each vendor will receive a 6 foot table, table cloth, 2 chairs, and refreshments for both days. Additional tables can be rented at $5.00 each and will include a table cloth. Set up will begin at 10:30 am on Friday, November 25. If you need to set up earlier, please make this known on your application. Items may be left over night as the building will be locked. Haven’s Chapel, Floyd Parish, and/or Joni Underwood are not responsible for lost or destroyed items/products.

Vendors may offer home party items (i.e. Tupperware, Avon, etc.) or craft items. Vendors are accepted on a first come basis. Two or more vendors from the same company or offering the exact same product(s) will not be allowed; this ensures better sales for each vendor. 

If you are interested in taking part in the first annual Christmas Bazaar please complete the attached application and return with a check made out to: “Joni Underwood” and in the memo area please put “Christmas Bazaar”. Checks will be returned if another vendor with the same products beats you to registering.

In addition to the vendors, we will be having a hotdog and bake sale, silent/sealed bid auction, and offering gift wrap (free for the items purchased at the show and at a low cost for those items brought in). Any suggestions or questions are encouraged. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Joni Q. Underwood
Joni Underwood
Christmas Bazaar Coordinator
4591 Daniels Run Rd
Pilot, VA 24138
540-651-8750

Christmas Bazaar Vendor Application
Haven’s Chapel Fellowship Hall
3375 Daniels Run Road, Check, VA
Friday, November 25th 12-6
Saturday, November 26th 10-5

Name:___________________________________________________________________________________
Company Name:___________________________________________________________________________
Mailing Address:___________________________________________________________________________
Phone Number:_____________________________
E-Mail:_________________________________________
Description of Product(s) being sold:____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

I will need electricity: ________YES   ______NO
I will need extra tables at $5.00 each: ______________YES   _______How Many?
I do NOT need a tablecloth(s): ____________
I will need chairs: ______YES _________How many?

Other information:__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
I have enclosed a check for:________________ made out  to “Joni Underwood” and  have put “Christmas Bazaar” in the memo section.

By signing below I am agreeing to displaying my and/or my company’s goods at the first annual Christmas Bazaar to benefit the Haven’s Food Pantry on Friday, November 25th and 26th. I am, also, signing that I understand that Haven’s Chapel, Floyd Parish, and/or Joni Underwood are not responsible for any lost or destroyed items or products.
Signature:_________________________________________________ Date:_________________________

Christmas Bazaar 2011
“How can I help?”

Advertise
     -This is the biggest area where help is needed. Without successful advertising there will be no bazaar. 
     - Banners and yard signs have been taken care of- thank you donors. 
     -You can help by: passing and e-mailing out the fliers, spreading the word- verbally, posting fliers in stores  and your  place of employment, and: 
       assist with cost of mailings- there is a desire to mail a flier to each church in Floyd, Riner, and Bent  
       Mountain. This is a great idea because we will hit hundreds of people.

Bake
      -There will be a bake sale at the bazaar. We will be selling items as whole, half, and in personal size.
      -This time of year folks buy up tons of baked goods to give as gifts and to save them time with all the parties they will be attending.
      -Attendees tend to buy a food, even if they buy nothing else. “A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach…”-So True for Man or Woman!

Donate
       -Silent/sealed bid auction & door prizes.
       -We are going to have a combination auction to allow most everyone a chance at great gifts (donated by you and the vendors) regardless of the day they attend. 

Attend & Buy
        -Without attendance the bazaar will be a bust! Please take time to stop by and look around, buy a hotdog and/or a cup cake. 
        -Help our vendors by doing your Christmas shopping with the little man rather than the big box stores. If the vendors are not successful they will be discouraged and not attend next year, therefore giving the bazaar a bad name.

Thank You
            -Thank you for your time, concern, and help. Without you the bazaar will be a bust. So, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Questions/Concerns
          -Contact Joni Underwood. 540-651-8750 or joni@swva.net

Team work will lead to a successful bazaar.
A successful bazaar will lead to needed revenues for the food pantry!

Come join us: Lineberry Park (Floyd Virginia) Bluegrass Benefit on SaturdayOctober 8

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"The Boys in Hats and Ties" comes to Floyd October 8

Big Country Bluegrass delivers their own hard driving and heartfelt style of bluegrass music, and it makes them crowd favorites wherever they perform.  Whether it's at a festival in Missouri, on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry,or at a small intimate concert in their hometown of Independence, Virginia, the band brings back memories reminiscent of the early days of bluegrass music.  Big Country Bluegrass will be playing at the Floyd County High School on Saturday, October 8 in a benefit concert for the Warren G. Lineberry Park in downtown Floyd. 

Tommy and Teresa Sells formed Big Country Bluegrass in the late 1980s, and the group's name comes from the instrumental "Big Country" that the late Jimmy Martin recorded many years ago.  All band members live in and around the Virginia-Carolina Blue Ridge, and their music reflects much of the deep musical heritage found in this region which is at the heart of the Crooked Road Music Trail. 

Tommy plays mandolin and does most of the emcee work while Teresa plays rhythm guitar, sings lead and the high harmony vocals.  Jeff Michael, who once played with Charlie Louvin, handles most of the distinctive lead vocals and plays the fiddle.   Lynwood Lunsford, a former member of both Lost and Found and Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys, plays banjo and also sings harmony for the group.  Tony King of Galax, Virginia, plays the acoustic upright bass.  

With two decades of experience under their belts, the band offers the very best of traditional bluegrass music. The recent success of Big Country Bluegrass on the charts has helped spread the word about their traditional sound.  Their current Rebel recording and it's title cut, "The Boys in Hats and Ties" has garnered the prestigious # 1 spot on both the Bluegrass Unlimited and the Bluegrass Music Profiles' radio air-play charts.  

Mac and Jenny Traynham, local favorites known for their Old Time music will also be playing at the event.  They are a husband and wife duo who specialize in the early country duet style of singing and playing old-time country and mountain music. They draw their repertoire from a wide variety of sources from the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and beyond. 

In addition to prize-winning musicians, the Partnership for Floyd, sponsor of the event, has assembled an array of other activities for the evening of October 8.  Come at 5:00 p.m. and partake of a light supper of barbecue, home baked goodies, and drinks.  Whole cakes and pies will also be available for purchase just in time to take to Sunday lunch. 

Currently, the items included in the live auction are a black walnut corner cupboard donated by St. Pierre Furniture Gallery; a quilt from the collection of Pauline Hodges, and a new 40" LED state of the art Samsung TV donated by The Hotel Floyd; a new Epson Stylus NSX420 Printer donated by Ralph Roe; and a handcrafted paper rendering by Gibby Waitzkins of Sarvisberry Gallery and Studio.

The Silent Auction list includes a four-piece set of decorative crocks from the Farmers Supply, handcrafter pottery from the studios of Silvia Granatelli, Rick Hensley/Donna Polseno and Ellen Shankin, a Chateau Morrisette antique basket filled with items from the winery as well as cheese and bread, a handmade Raggedy Ann and Andy Doll, an Alpaca blanket, a hammock, jewelry from local artisans, candy, a cooked barbecue shoulder, a jacket, lotions & soaps .and many, many gift certificates from local businesses and Restaurants. It is not too early to do your Christmas shopping.

The Partnership for Floyd and the Warren G. Lineberry Park Committee are very proud to be able to bring this quality of bluegrass music to Floyd.  Come "Do your part for your park".  Tickets may be purchase at Bell Gallery, Oddfella's Restaurant and at the Partnership for Floyd booth on Friday nights between the Country Store and the Park. 

Tickets are $10 before the performance and $12 at the door.  Telephone reservations and information can be obtained by calling 540-745-4174.  Put on your toe-tapping shoes and meet us at the Floyd County High School!  Come at 5:00 p.m. for food and to view the auction items.  Music will start at 7:00 p.m.  Dancers are welcome!

Sponsored by Partnership for Floyd

Love to Hate Al Gore? Now's Your Chance!

September 14. Climate Reality. 

Reality? Maybe you don't think so. Maybe you can't wait to poke holes in an essentially universal conclusion that you BELIEVE is the grandest hoax of our times that has bewitched the scientists of every continent for the past decade in some kind of grand brainwashing and diabolical plot.

Or maybe you're one of those science types who actually believes the preponderance of accumulated data from such silly sources as ice cores and pollen columns and climate records going back 150 years. 

Whatever your stripe, might be worth watching Al Gore's CLIMATE REALITY--a 24 hour streaming slurry of inconvenient reality about that business-dampening stuff going on with the silly weather. Who really cares? Just get an umbrella, turn up the AC, and buy a generator. You'll be fine. 

Or not.

Blacksburg Showing of The Last Mountain at the Lyric Theatre

Please join Appalachian Voices and Coal River Mountain Watch on Monday, September 19th, for the Blacksburg Showing of The Last Mountain at the Lyric Theatre.

The film will be followed by a lively panel on mountaintop removal coal mining at the amazing Gillie's Restaurant. The panel will be shared by Mike McCoy from Appalachian Voices, Kara Dodson (a local leader from the Student Environmental Coalition) and special guest Vernon Haltom from Coal River Mountain Watch based in West Virginia.

Appalachian Voices will be providing free food from Gillie's during the panel, drinks can be purchased at the bar.

The Last Mountain is an in depth documentary about mountaintop removal coal mining that “weaves scientific testimony, contentious debates and moving personal stories into a persuasive indictment of… fossil-derived energy in general” according to the New York Times.

Join Appalachian Voices staff at the Lyric before the film for free popcorn and to get a special deal on Appalachian Voices memberships. We will be giving away free Appalachian Voices T-shirts to anyone who signs up at $25 or more.

Tickets to the movie are $5.00 for adults and can be purchased at the theatre.

SCHEDULE

    6:30pm Free popcorn and a special deal on Appalachian Voices memberships at the Lyric Theatre. 135 College Ave, Blacksburg, Va.
      7:00pm Showing of The Last Mountain (Lyric Theatre)
        8:45pm Panel with Vernon Haltom of Coal River Mountain Watch and Appalachian Voices' staff starts promptly at the awesome Gillie's Restaurant where drinks can be bought at the bar and we will have 
        free Gillie's food
        !

        Gillie's is just a few doors down from the theatre on the same street.

        Please call the office at 828.262.1500 or email events@appvoices.org for more details.

        I hope to see you there,

        Kayti Wingfield

        Appalachian Voices

SustainFloyd to Host “Floyd Top Tomato” Contest

Saturday, August 27th at Floyd Farmers Market

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Do you think you grow the best-tasting tomatoes anywhere? Put your ’maters to the test. Bring them to the Floyd Farmers Market no later than 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 27, 2011 to be tasted by a panel of local tomato aficionados and by the public for prizes in SustainFloyd’s “Floyd Top Tomato” contest. All are welcome to enter, whether you are a market or garden grower. However, all tomatoes must have been grown in Floyd or contiguous counties. The judges will begin tasting at 11 a.m. The Floyd Farmers Market is held every Saturday during the summer from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Floyd Community Market pavilion downtown across from the Floyd Country Store.

The first prize for the best-tasting tomato will be a beautiful locally-made wood cutting board. The second prize will be a coupon to Dogtown Pizza in Floyd and the third prize will be $10 in Floyd Farmers Market Bucks to be spent at the Floyd Community Market pavilion. Prizes will also be given for the biggest tomato by weight and for the most unusual looking tomato (a tomato resembling Abraham Lincoln, for instance) or (same category) the tomato with the best story (unusual origin of the seed, perhaps).

The news media is welcome and encouraged to cover this event.

DETAILS:

What: SustainFloyd hosts “Floyd’s Top Tomato” Contest: Prizes given for best-tasting, largest and most unusual tomatoes

When: Saturday, August 27, 2011 — 10 a.m. - Deadline for entering tomatoes in contest; Judging begins at 11 a.m.

Who: Garden and market growers of tomatoes raised in Floyd County, VA & contiguous counties

Where: Floyd Farmers Market held every Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the summer in the Floyd Community Market pavilion downtown across from the Floyd Country Store 

--
Fred First / Floyd County VA
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Do Unto Others to Keep What's Yours

Last night I was among a group of people, with a large contingency from a county other than this one, who stand against much of what I stand for.  My vocabulary, my passion, what is at the core of my hope for the future is the personification of evil to this assortment of fearful folks. 

They feel a sense of powerlessness and loss of control I understand. They sense that most everything is broken, that there are pressures on every aspect of human provision--even, alas, in THIS country, that we live in a world where populations increase while one person's slice of the pie stands to diminish. They sense they are losing control of their future and their childrens'.

But to cope with these very real risks and stressors peculiar to our age, they see the answer, not in sharing, collaborating or education toward solutions but in circling the wagons, strengthening their own personal control, their own bubble of self, and the devil take the hindquarters. There were no pitchforks or flaming torches, but there was an aggregate delusion of personal importance at the expense of wider society, a kind of group superiority I have not encountered since I left Alabama, and it makes me very sad. 

They have regained some control the easy way: in the form of an instant, received-by-revelation over-arching explanation that "makes sense" of our plight, encompassing all their perceived injustices under the guise of illogical but explanatory conspiracies that blame all who are not like them, and especially "the government"--a term spoken as if it were the sworn enemy of personal autonomy, even while no small number of them draw Social Security, unemployment or live from week to week on food stamps. 

Many used scripture to support their claims, and it reminded me of the "Jesus wants you rich" perversion of some decades ago. Now, Jesus just wants you to be free do do whatever you want with all you can hold onto. He wants you, to quote Genesis as one speaker did last night, to have dominion, and "ordinances, regulations, restrictions and laws take your dominion", and that's against this edition of their Bible. Yep, Christ was all about personal rights and power over others. Do unto them.

I heard the following last night spoken as if they were from the lexicon of Satan: social justice; sustainability, serving the underserved, endangered species, volunteerism, biosphere rights, conservation easements and so many more.

Their legitimate concerns need to be addressed. Their delusional fears, I'm afraid, will have a life of their own, no matter what.

And meanwhile, those of us from the "reality community" can do the right thing, shoulder to the wheel. In time, truth, charity and perseverance will make here a better place, even for them. You have to hope they won't resent it.
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