Weekly Village Update 10.19.17

Chamber Events & News

Recap: Business After Hours MEGA Networking Event at BRMC The Blowing Rock, Boone, Caldwell, Wilkes, Ashe and Avery County Chambers of Commerce were treated to awesome food and amazing views at the new Blue Ridge Mountain Club Amenity Center Tuesday, October 17th. More than 400 guests enjoyed lots of networking with new friends, live music by the Neighbors, beer from Blowing Rock Ale House and fantastic food from CR Catering. Guests were also treated to guided tours of the new condominiums at BRMC; all have million dollar views with a much lower price tag.  The fun continued well past the 7 pm end time!

Ribbon Cutting at Julian Price Campground's New Shower Facility Tuesday, October 24th at 10 am Julian Price Campground, Loop D (Milepost 297) Come celebrate the opening of this new facility at Julian Price Campground! This is the second campground on the Parkway to offer showers!

Holiday Cheer for the Rest of the Year! Need help with your holiday marketing strategy this season? Don’t miss this FREE webinar from Constant Contact! Learn how to plan, manage and execute your email marketing in a way that connects with your audience and drives better results.

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Online Training for Vendors How to do Business with the State The North Carolina Department of Administration’s Division of Purchase & Contract (P&C) is excited to launch its first online training module for vendors. The How to Do Business with the State online teaching tool was created to navigate vendors on how to register and form a successful partnership with the state. This 20-minute module explores answers to frequently asked questions and can be accessed now by clicking here.

If you have questions or experience any technical difficulties, please contact the Division of Purchase & Contract at 919.807.4500.

Real Estate Report Local real estate activity continued its long standing upward trend through September, with third quarter sales the best in several years. Growth continues to be driven by competitive interest rates, which remain below 4 percent. Inventory has slowly declined as the summer months fade. Read More

Member Events & News

Steaktober at Outback Steakhouse This is how Outback Steakhouse does October! Steak and unlimited shrimp starting at $15.99! At Outback there's always enough to go around. With tender, juicy steak and unlimited shrimp, nobody leaves hungry. Unlimited shrimp available for dine-in only. Visit our local Outback at 8280 Valley Boulevard, Blowing Rock, or call 828.295.6283 for details.

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Canned Food Drive Now - October 21st Appalachian State University Campus Markets Here, in Watauga County, 24.2% of children live in food insecure homes. Of the general population, over 8,000 people don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Last year, the Appalachian Ambassadors raised over 30,000 pounds of food for the Hunger and Health Coalition. This year their goal, with the assistance of Gamma Iota Sigma, is to collect over 25,000 pounds of food for the Hunger and Health Coalition.

Festival of Trees Registration Deadline: TOMORROW! Be part of the 3rd Annual Festival of Trees at Chetola Resort this holiday season! Decorate a 3' - 6' tree and make a difference in your community. Your donation helps fill Western Youth Network's mission "to build kids of character and confidence so that every person in the High Country reaches their full potential." Themes are on a first come, first served basis. Registration deadline: October 20th.

Information & Registration Follow Festival of Trees on Facebook

Monster Mash 30 Year Celebration Bash Friday, October 20th, 5 pm - 7 pm Appalachian Brian Estates It's a celebration commemorating 30 years of service to the High Country!    Join us for a ghostly good time! Costume party, trick-or-treating, food, music and more! Free and open to public.

RSVP to 828.264.1006 so we can accurately order food!

Valle Country Fair Saturday, October 21st, 9 am - 4 pm Valle Crucis This fair is an authentic harvest-season community celebration that revolves around quality hand-made crafts, home-cooked food and mountain music. Admission is free! Parking is available adjacent to the fairgrounds for $10 per car. Sponsored by the Church of the Holy Cross and the Valle Crucis Conference Center, proceeds help people in need.

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A Local Food Dinner Friday, October 27th Cocktails at 6 pm / Dinner at 7 pm The New Public House Join us for an evening with James Beard award-winning author Ronni Lundy and Appalachian chefs John Dean of the New Public House and Shelley Cooper of Dancing Bear Lodge. The locally-sourced dinner​ will feature dishes featured in Lundy's Victuals, a James Beard award-winning cookbook that presents a tapestry of stories, photographs, and recipes that documents the evolution of Appalachian Foodways. ​ Proceeds benefit Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture's work to strengthen our local food system.

Tickets: $75 dinner / $100 dinner & cookbook Purchase Tickets

High Country Walk/Run for Breast Cancer Saturday, October 28th at 9 am Start & Finish at American Legion, Blowing Rock Register now and help High Country Breast Cancer Foundation raise funds to help LOCAL breast cancer patients. The foundation provides scholarships for childcare, wigs/hats, support classes for caregivers, nutritional education, therapeutic classes, career counseling and workshops, individual counseling, transportation services, support group meetings for survivors, end-of-life support and more!

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Food Summit Saturday, October 28th, 10 am - 4 pm Appalachian State University, Plemmons Union This year’s High Country Food Summit, a gathering of scholars, farmers and food lovers, explores the theme “Dynamic Traditions, Resourceful Communities.”  Highlights include a conversation with Ronni Lundy, author of Victuals, as well as an exploration of how communities are building economic and ecological wealth from food waste. The afternoon will examine the issue of food waste and how composting at the community scale can maximize and localize benefits. Other activities will encourage attendees to explore what makes High Country communities both unique and uniquely regenerative: self-healing, self-sustaining, innovative and resourceful.  Local lunch provided by F.A.R.M. Cafe.

Tickets: $30 general public / $15 student Purchase Tickets

3rd Annual Masquerade Ball Saturday, October 28th at 6:30 pm Blowing Rock Country Club The Hunger and Health Coalition is bringing back the Masquerade Ball for year three! The last two have been downright stellar, raising over $20,000 for the Hunger & Health Coalition's programs to help those in need in our community. Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served along with a cash bar! The costumes, dancing, drinks and performances from Appalachian Musical Theatre Ensemble will all be back too, plus visits with fortune tellers and tarot card readers and even more surprises and twists! Come in costume or buy a mask at the door!

Tickets: $55 individual / $100 for two Purchase Tickets To Volunteer or become an event sponsor, please call Elizabeth Young at 828.262.1628.

Tanger Trick or Treat Tuesday, October 31st, 5 pm - 7 pm Tanger Outlets, Blowing Rock A fun, family event for all! Stores will host a Spooktacular Scavenger hunt for guests that require you to participate in all the fun clues and complete your scavenger hunt card. Bring your completed cards to shopper service to be entered in a drawing for a $100.00 Tanger Shopping Spree! Additional fun activities for the family including a costume contest, meet and greet with local fire and police, pet costume contest and much more!

Bridal Showcase Sunday, November 5th, 1 pm - 4 pm The Inn at Crestwood Come one, come all to the Bridal Showcase! Take a tour of the facility, get to know some of the top vendors in the High Country and receive awesome door prizes! For more information, call 828.963.6646 ext.126 or email events@crestwoodnc.com

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Be sure to visit our website calendar for information on other and future events!

Community Events & News

2018 Community Calendar Does your local organization have a public event planned for 2018? Send the date to Amanda at the TDA so she can include it in the 2018 Blowing Rock Community Calendar! This is the printed calendar that is distributed at Town Hall and at the Chamber of Commerce. This year's photos will be gathered from historical archives. Deadline: October 25th.

Blowing Rock Halloween Festival Saturday, October 28th Downtown Blowing Rock Come out for the Halloween festival! Get ready for an afternoon filled with creepy crafts, airwalks, games, a funhouse, hay rides and a monster march! Evening activities include trick-or-treating, costume contest and moonlight scavenger hunt!

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Chamber Events, Information & Meetings

Chamber Executive Board Meeting: Tuesday, October 24th at 8 am, Chamber Office Halloween Parade: Saturday, October 28th at 5:30 pm, Main Street Chamber Board Retreat: Wednesday, November 15th, Location TBD Business After Hours: Tuesday, November 21st at 5:30 pm, The Inn at Crestwood Christmas Parade: Saturday, November 25th at 2 pm, Main Street Chamber Executive Board Meeting: Tuesday, November 28th at 8 am, Chamber Office