Weekly Village Update 3.1.18

Edition: March 1, 2018

Chamber Events & News

Ribbon Cutting ReCap: reFresh Your Space Last Thursday we had a great ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of Eric Reeve's reFresh Your Space - a professional Home Staging service.  They believe the first step in connecting buyers to your home is through fantastic professional photos meant to help people form an emotional connection with your home.  Eric's work has even been featured on HGTV!

Read More & See Photos

Protect Yourself from Fraud! Wednesday, March 14th at 1 pm First Citizens Bank, Blowing Rock Amber Moore, CTP, Small Business Treasury Specialist will teach us how to protect ourselves from fraud. This seminar is FREE and open to the public. Space is limited to 20 attendees; registration is required. Refreshments will be served. Reserve your seat NOW by calling the Chamber at 828.295.7851.

Registration will close when all seats are reserved!

Firehouse Cultural Center Committee Update The committee is looking at the Firehouse location being repurposed from its current Parks & Rec / maintenance use, to a cultural center and community auditorium space, due to its historic significance and centralized location with access to parking. The committee had an agreement with the Town to conduct due diligence on this use of the Firehouse until the end of April 2018. We will report to Town Council in May. We are calling this project the "Firehouse Cultural Center" due to its multi-purpose abilities. The committee will review the survey data in more detail at the next meeting and compile a summarized report that we'll present to council in May. 225 locals were surveyed, and the majority were in support of an auditorium. The first Survey Question was, "Do you think Blowing Rock would benefit from an intimate (less than 150 seats) multi-purpose community auditorium for music, dance, and theatre productions, movies, education, presentations, entertainment and larger civic functions?" 73% of people answered YES.

This committee will provide another update following their meeting with Town Council.

Business Tax Workshop Thursday, March 15th at 9 am NC Department of Revenue, Hickory This free workshop will cover basic business requirements from how to register a business as well as how to file and pay taxes that are relevant to your business. Learn More

Register

Share Your Opinion with NCDOT The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is conducting a survey to find out what North Carolina residents think about various services provided by NCDOT. This survey is part of our department’s efforts to measure performance and provide high quality services. Results from this survey will be used to identify ways we can make North Carolina transportation safer, more efficient, and customer-focused.

Information & Survey

Member Events & News

Position Opening: Better Business Bureau Seeks President & CEO This is a unique opportunity to advance BBB's mission through: setting standards for marketplace trust; educating consumers and businesses on best practices; celebrating marketplace role models; calling out substandard behavior; and creating a community of trustworthy businesses and charities. BBB seeks an ambitious, savvy and visionary leader steeped in integrity. This position reports to a regional board of directors and leads an experienced team of sales, marketing and operations.

Learn More

J.D. Lee Named Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent “J.D. is a valuable member of the Southeast Region and we are pleased to welcome him as the new superintendent of Blue Ridge Parkway,” said Regional Director Austin. “J.D. is a proven leader with vast experience managing complex operations, building strong teams and collaborating with community partners.” Read More

Superintendent J.D. Lee

Parkway is #1 in Visitation! More than 16 million people accepted the Blue Ridge Parkway's invitation to explore these gorgeous mountains in 2017, making the park unit the most visited in the country! For several years, the Parkway and Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California have traded turns in the number one position, but this was the Parkway's year!

Doncaster Store Closing Doncaster Blowing Rock will be closing their doors tomorrow, Friday, March 2nd. If you have gift certificates, please be sure to stop by the store to redeem them before they close. If you have questions, please call the store at 828.295.4200

Partnership Opportunity! The Office of Relocation and Dual Career Assistance within Appalachian State University is a new university program developed collaboratively by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Human Resources. Its purpose is to support new and prospective faculty, staff and their dual career partners and families in relocating to the local community. Read More Please email Becky Gosky or call 828-262-6483 to discuss how we may partner to help our new Appalachian faculty and staff and the Blowing Rock Chamber members.

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March Salon Special! Now through March 31st Westglow Resort & Spa The salon at Westglow is offering a free lip or brow wax for all new customers when they book a salon appointment. Call the salon directly at 828.295.5102 for reservations.

Salon Menu

Tunes at the Trout Thursdays, 6 pm - 8 pm The Speckled Trout Restaurant & Bottle Shop It's a boot stomping, knee slappin' good time with some of the high country's talented musicians. March 1: Smokin Joe March 8: TBD March 15: Handle Bar Betty March 22: Shay Martin Lovette  March 29: TBD April 19: Andrew Massey

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Spring Exhibition Celebration Friday, March 2nd, 6 pm - 10 pm Turchin Center for the Visual Arts The public is invited to “engage, discover and connect through the arts.” This is a wonderful opportunity to meet the artists and gain an “insider’s view” of the featured exhibitions. This event will be the beginning of a series of events celebrating the Turchin Center’s 15th year anniversary!  This festive evening will include live music, refreshments and a cash bar and is free and open to the public. Read More

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Appalachian State University Part-Time Summer & Fall Jobs Fair Wednesday, March 21st, 11 am - 2 pm Plemmons Student Union Local employers on and off campus are invited to attend. Part-Time Summer & Fall Jobs Fair is open to ALL students seeking employment for Summer and Fall 2018. We encourage you to engage with our students at this event to identify the experiences, skill sets and career competencies your organization needs.

Registration closes March 7, 2018 Information & Registration

Easter Day Buffet Sunday, April 1st, 11 am - 3 pm Timberlake's Restaurant at Chetola Open to the public. Call 828.295.5505 now to make your reservations! Menu

Please visit our website calendar for more events.

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Community Events & News

Blue Ridge Parkway's Linn Cove Viaduct Closed for Maintenance The National Park Service has announced the closure of the Linn Cove Viaduct (Milepost 304) located on the Blue Ridge Parkway from March 1, 2018 through May 24, 2018. The closure is for surface repaving and bridge maintenance. These projects require a full closure of the Parkway, including closure of the trail below the bridge. Linn Cove Viaduct will reopen for Memorial Day weekend. Read More

Photo from blueridgeparkway.org

MyFuture NC Listening Tour Wednesday, March 7th, 2 pm - 6 pm Broyhill Center, Lenoir The myFutureNC Commission wants to hear from business leaders in your community! We are a new, statewide group with a focus on improving educational attainment and economic opportunities for all North Carolinians. We are traveling across the state this year to get input and ideas from North Carolinians. We want to hear from everyone: educators, parents, service providers, faith leaders, businesspeople, government representatives, and students.

Drop in at any time: We will be talking to participants 1:1 starting at 2:00, meeting in small groups at 3:15, and hosting a community conversation with local education thought leaders at 4:30. Learn More & RSVP

Chamber Events, Information & Meetings

Board of Directors Meeting: Wednesday, March 7th at 8 am Fraud Prevention Seminar: Wednesday, March 14th at 1 pm, First Citizens Bank, Blowing Rock Business After Hours: Tuesday, March 20th at 5:30 pm, hosted by Premier Sotheby's International Realty, Blowing Rock, event will be held at American Legion Executive Board Meeting: Tuesday, March 27th at 8 am All meetings are held at the Chamber Boardroom unless otherwise noted.