Chimney Rock State Park Honors Grandparents this Weekend

September 12 - 13, 2015    Grandparents Day Special at Chimney Rock State Park    Grandparents love spending time with the grandkids. What better way to spend time together than at Chimney Rock? 

When you purchase one regularly-priced adult admission, receive one youth admission free. Click here to download this special coupon. Coupon must be presented to the Ticket Plaza at the time of purchase. Valid September 12 and 13, 2015 only. 

Chimney Rock State Park - Standing atop Chimney Rock, a 500 million-year-old giant granite monolith overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge, visitors are awed by the breathtaking view that spreads 1200 vertical feet beneath them and 75 miles across the Carolinas. 

The state owned park, located in Chimney Rock North Carolina, encompasses 1,000 acres, including the Chimney itself and Hickory Nut Falls. 

The Park, located 25 miles southeast of Asheville North Carolina, offers a variety of experiences including 75-mile views, guided hikes and hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall,  special events and nature programs, rock climbing, bird watching and more.  

Celebrate the Last Days of Summer with Three Outdoor Events

September 12, 2015: Family Friendly Outing on the Henry Fork River.   This Saturday bring your bathing suit or wading shorts and a picnic lunch to the cool, clean waters of the Henry Fork River at the Foothills Conservancy's new Smith Cliff/Henry Fork Preserve.  This event is free for current members/supporters; $10 per person for non members. If you would like to attend please RSVP by noon this Friday 9/11/15; call 828-437-9930 or email shjones@foothillsconservancy.org.

Henry Fork River, photo courtesy of Foothills Conservancy

September 19, 2015: Catawba RiverFest.  For generations, the Catawba River has shaped the economic vitality of the region and remains a public commons of immeasurable recreational value. Catawba RiverFest promotes a greater appreciation of this vital waterway. The day-long event at Lake James State Park highlights a variety of conservation groups and their ongoing projects working to improve the quality of life for people and animals along the river.

The event will place at the Paddy's Creek Area from 10 AM - 3 PM. Admission is Free. Enjoy music, food, educational exhibits, a live raptor release at approximately 10:30 AM., nature hikes, and try out canoes and kayaks for free. For more information email  bwillardpatton@foothillsconservancy.org  or call Lake James State Park at (828) 584-7728.

September 19, 2015: Rutherford Outdoor Coalition Broad River Cleanup.  The Rutherford Outdoor Coalition is hosting a cleanup on the Broad River beginning at 10:00 AM. The number of sections cleaned will be determined by the number of volunteers. ROC hopes to clean sections 2 (starting at Rock Springs Church Road), 3, 4, and 5 (ending at Coxe Road in Rutherfordton).

Each group of volunteers will clean one section of the river. To volunteer contact trails@rutherfordoutdoor.org. Trash bags and gloves will be provided. There are a few pair of grabbers available, but people are encouraged to bring their own if they have them. ROC needs people with canoes as well as kayaks to attend. They may have a few extra kayaks or canoes for those who want to help but do not have a boat of their own.
  
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to working together with you and others to preserve and protect the places we all love across the eastern Blue Ridge Mountains and Foothills, including watersheds, environmentally significant habitats and forests and farm lands for this and future generations. 

MAKE A DONATION  or BECOME A MEMBER

 

LTLT Calls for Volunteers for The BigSweep

Volunteers Needed for Two September Projects

Sept. 12, 2015:   On the River LTLT (Little Tennessee Land Trust)  is hosting a Little Tennessee River BigSweep on Saturday from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Volunteers are asked to meet in the lower parking area at Big Bear Park in Franklin, wearing clothes and shoes suitable for picking up trash in the river. Canoes and boats would be helpful but are not necessary to participate. Gloves and bags will be provided. For more information about the Little Tennessee BigSweep, contact Guy Gooder by phone at 828.349.4097 or by email.

Sept. 19: On Dry Land - For those of you who prefer to remain dry, there will be a workday Saturday, September 19, from 9 AM to noon, at the LTLT office (557 East Main Street, Franklin NC). The back building is now cleaned out at the property adjoining the LTLT office, and the group will be dismantling and salvaging the tin walls, maybe the roof, and perhaps some of the interior lumber, depending on volunteer turnout. There is also some brush that could be burned. Please wear long pants, sturdy shoes, leather gloves, and safety glasses if you have them. Crowbars and clawfoot hammers will be the main tools needed.

To volunteer for this day, please contact Dennis Desmond at 828-524-2711 x310 or ddesmond@ltlt.org. The volunteer day is weather-dependent, and Dennis will update those who have signed up if inclement weather is a possibility.

Little Tennessee Land Trust is dedicated to conserving the waters, forests, farms and heritage of the Upper Little Tennessee and the Hiwassee River Valley.  LTLT works in partnership with private landowners, public agencies, and others to conserve land and water, ensuring that the water quality, natural beauty, ecological integrity, and rural character of our region are preserved for generations to come. DONATIONS are always needed along with volunteer workers. CLICK HERE for details.

Tessentee Bottomland Preserve 

Experience the richness and diversity of the Upper Little Tennessee in the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve. This nearly 70-acre tract of bottomland and river bluff land lies at the junction of Tessentee Creek and the Little Tennessee River. The Tessentee Preserve is stop #53 on the NC Birding Trail with the preserve’s bird list at Tessentee Bottomland Preserve Signage115 species and butterfly list at 42 species and counting. Here one can hike the most extensive trail system found on any LTLT property. Volunteers have also helped to restore the historic farmstead – by restoring the apple house, smoke house, and in recent months the foundation of the historic farmhouse. The Tessentee preserve is a wonderful place to walk and to appreciate the extraordinary richness and diversity of the Upper Little Tennessee. 

Directions: From Franklin NC -  Take the Georgia Rd (US 23/US 441) south for approx.5.2 miles, turn left onto Riverside Rd and follow for 0.5 miles, turn right onto Hickory Knoll Rd and follow for approx. 1.9 miles — the Preserve is located off a private drive (2249 Hickory Knoll Rd) on the right-hand side of the road; parking area is on the left, before the farm gate.

Labor Day Weekend Events: Annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival at Lake Junaluska

September 4 - 5, 2015   Annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival  -  45th Annual Festival. Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center offers two nights of the finest traditional music and dance of the Southern Appalachian Region. 

The main shows begin at 6:00 PM,  both Friday and Saturday, on the grand stage of the Stuart Auditorium overlooking beautiful Lake Junaluska. Both nights will include a rich variety of the region's finest fiddlers, banjo players, string bands, ballad singers, buck dancers, and square dance teams as well as the marvelous sounds of dulcimer, harmonica, jew's harp, bagpipes, spoons, saws, and folk ensembles. 

Check for last minute availability 

and the lowest rates at Lake Junaluska Inns:

 Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center 

 The Terrace at Lake Junaluska

Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska 

 Lagoalinda Inn B&B at Lake Junaluska