Weekly Village Update 3.4.21

 

Chamber News Business Before Hours Business Before Hours is a great opportunity to showcase your business and network with fellow Chamber Members. Email Suzy to find out available dates for 2021! Register Here COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout: Workplace and Legal Implications Webinar hosted by the NC Chamber March 9th, 2021   As North Carolina heads into Phase 3 of Covid-19 vaccine administration to essential workers, job creators and employers across industry sectors are considering repercussions on their workplace and operational practices, including legal consequences.   Join business leaders and legal experts to further unpack the potential effects on organizations and to review the implications of vaccine distribution to this critical segment of our state’s workforce. This webinar is complimentary and open to the public. Watauga Medical Center announces entrance and parking changes in order to begin $100 million expansion Patient and Visitor Entrance Changes Hospital patients and visitors, including Emergency Department walk-ins, should enter the building through the temporary main front entrance doors close to the newly constructed canopy and walkway beside the Heart & Vascular Center. The usual Emergency Department entrance patients and visitors have been using for the past year will be closed on March 10th.   ARHS is attempting to limit the inconvenience for the community while proceeding with these much-needed improvements and additions to the hospital facility.     For more information about Watauga Medical Center, visit apprhs.org/wataugamedical. In preparation for a new hospital patient bed tower, Watauga Medical Center will experience changes to the entrances, exits and parking lots over the next few months. Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) announced that construction on the new patient bed tower began this week.   “The expansion project represents a $100 million investment in the health of Watauga County,” said Rob Hudspeth, Sr. VP of System Advancement for ARHS. “The first phase – a new Heart and Vascular Center – was completed in August of 2020. Phase two, in progress, includes construction of the new central energy plant. Phase three calls for construction of a new medical bed tower, which we are excited to start this March.” Traffic and Parking Changes Beginning March 11th, traffic into Watauga Medical Center, including the Emergency Department, will flow one way (two lanes) into the main parking lot entrance closest to the hospital. Leaving the hospital, drivers should exit to Deerfield Road through the parking lot’s side exit. Signage will be posted.   All Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center patients and ambulances should enter from Mary Street and park in the existing parking spaces. There will be no public access to the hospital from the Mary Street entrance or from the Cancer Center lot. Are you owed unclaimed property? As of FY 2020, there is approximately $919 million in the unclaimed property fund administered by the NC Dept. of the State Treasurer. You or your business may be one of the North Carolinians who is owed money from the fund. Unclaimed property consists of bank accounts, wages, utility deposits, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, bonds, and contents of safe deposit boxes that typically have been abandoned for one to five years. Funds become unclaimed because the company loses track of the consumer, due to an incorrect address or other missing information. By law, these funds are turned over to the Department of State Treasurer for safekeeping until claimed. Visit nccash.com to learn more. Read the Weekly Covid-19 Situation Update - February 26, 2021 here. Update from AppHealthCare "This has been a very difficult year for so many dealing with this virus and the impacts it has had on everyone’s daily lives. With vaccine being administered, this will be our best tool to slow the spread of the virus and fight this pandemic but it will take some time to get everyone vaccinated since we have limited amounts of vaccine. We are working very hard to get vaccine out to the community as quickly and efficiently as possible but with small amounts of vaccine, we are limited to the number we can vaccinate week to week. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are hopeful we will receive more vaccine in the coming weeks,” stated Jennifer Greene, Health Director, AppHealthCare. Upcoming Activities & Meetings Town Council Meeting - March 9th Easter Family Photos at Tanger Outlets - March 12 -14 Blowing Rock Easter Egg Hunt - March 27th Trout Derby - April 3rd Member News Welcome New Member! C.S. Smith Management is a comprehensive property management team that provides the highest level of personal and professional service in the High Country. ​ We specialize in customized maintenance and care of non-rental properties for absentee homeowners including regular property inspections, vendor oversight, new home set-up and renovation/project management. Chetola Sponsors Teacher Appreciation Lunch On Wednesday, March 3rd Timberlake's Restaurant at Chetola Resort and the Blowing Rock Chamber hosted a Teacher Appreciation Lunch at Blowing Rock School. Thank you Chetola for supporting our Teachers! Steep Canyon Rangers The Schaefer Center Presents (SCP) virtual performing arts series, presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts and Cultural Programs, proudly welcomes to the stage of the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts the Grammy-winning bluegrass septet Steep Canyon Rangers, Thursday, March 11 at 8pm. Steep Canyon Rangers are Asheville, NC’s Grammy winners, perennial Billboard chart-toppers, and frequent collaborators of the renowned banjoist (and occasional comedian) Steve Martin. The concert will be performed without a live audience, but livestreamed for free to the general public as the penultimate event in the spring virtual series. The event is free, but registration is required. Reid's is Open! After taking some time for for winter Reid's Cafe (located in Banner Elk) and The Beacon Butcher Bar (located on HWY 105 in Boone) are back up for the season! Check out their menus and make a reservation today. Dates: Friday March 12 - Sunday March 14 Friday March 19 - Sunday March 21 Friday March 26 - Sunday March 28 Hours: Friday 2PM - 5PM Saturday and Sunday 12PM - 3PM Easter Photos at Tanger Outlets Spring is in the air, hop into spring with fresh portraits of the kids and the entire family presented by Reg & Kala Photography, LLC. Photo sessions are 10 minutes long and cost $125.00+ tax! After your photo session you will receive an online gallery where you can choose and purchase your digital files or prints!   CLICK HERE to book your session and select your photo packages! Photo sessions by Reg & Kala Photography, LLC will be located in Suite 16, just near Banana Republic and Van Heusen. Don’t forget to shop with your TangerStyle 25% OFF Savings Coupons for extra savings on the perfect Spring and Easter outfits for everyone! Staycation at The Horton Hotel In celebration of their 2nd birthday, The Horton Hotel is inviting guests to TAKE 2 - Book 2 nights Sun-Thurs and save 50% off of one (the lowest rate) on reservations from Feb. 1 through April 29th, 2021. Must book by April 1st and use promo code TAKE2 to save. Book online or call 828-832-8060. Not valid on existing reservations. Not valid on Fri or Sat dates. Cannot be combined with other discounts. Can only be used once per reservation. Appalachian Fossil Museum Field Trip Friday On Fridays from 11am - 2pm Appalachian Fossil Museum is hosting Field Trip Friday. Buy one Adult ticket, get one children's ticket free! We'd love to see you! The Chamber Team is glad to see our businesses re-opening! Email Regina to let us know you're open and we will stop by for a socially distance visit. To submit your news to our weekly newsletter, email Suzy@BlowingRock.com by Wednesday. Our newsletter reaches over 1,000 member contacts each Thursday! More events and updates can be found on our online calendar. To submit your news to our weekly newsletter, email Suzy@BlowingRock.com by Wednesday. Our newsletter reaches over 1,000 member contacts each Thursday! Thank you to our 2021 Chamber Partners!