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Summer is in full swing with the hot, humid dog days of August fast approaching. Nice to have the afternoon showers in the past weeks to keep our yards green and the lawn mowers in constant use. Swimming pools are the perfect way to cool off on a hot July afternoon - even with the added attraction of a greased watermelon making for Fourth of July entertainment two weeks ago. (This energetic group of young people was trying to keep the watermelon from touching the side of the pool.) Thanks to Shelly Hoffman for sharing her photo.

News this week includes another high school graduate, Russ Kerr; a fishing trip to Alaska by the Mitchell fellas; DCPC Bible School kudos to Ginny Barton, Hunter Busse and Robbie Howiler; Luke Barton marries Zane Wood; a report from Nicaragua and a comment on the “fresh air approach to laundry.”

Graduation Grapevine: Russ Kerr

Russ Kerr graduated from Cannon School in May and was congratulated by his mother (l) Sally Kerr and his aunt, Christina Tarry.

Congratulations to Russ Kerr, oldest son of Martin and Sally Kerr of Cabin Creek, who graduated from Cannon School this past May. Russ’s mom and dad gathered under the big tent at Cannon to cheer for their graduate and were joined by Russ’s aunt, Christina Tarry, who lives in Runnymede with her family. A nice touch for our local graduates was the fact that Cannon Board Chairman, Lawrence Kimbrough, a Davidson neighbor, handed diplomas to each graduate.

Russ is headed this fall to Emory and Henry College in Emory, Va.

Tom Mitchell (l) and his son, Tommy, vacationing in Cordova, Alaska.

North to Alaska

Tom Mitchell of Pine Road and his son, Tommy Mitchell of the New Neighborhood, took the fishing trip of a lifetime for two weeks in June.

From June 14-28, these two dedicated fisherman traveled in and around Cordova, Alaska, on the eastern side of Price William Sound. The highlight of the trip was a week spent at a primitive Forest Service cabin accessible only by float plane where Tom was able to try out his new fly rod presented to him last December when he retired from his duties as Financial Officer at the Davidson United Methodist Church.

Though the fishing was slow due to the poor sockeye salmon run on the Copper River this year, father and son had a great time fishing for trout and observing the many black and brown bears, moose, beavers and fowl surrounding them.

Vacation Bible School = Busy Days

What would summer be without Vacation Bible School? Harried mothers welcome the four days of structured, supervised, educational activities for their preschool to fifth grade age children.

“Marketplace” camp coordinators Robbie Howiler (l) and Hunter Busse hold stained glass crosses made by children during the week.

Following morning and evening sessions of VBS at the Davidson United Methodist Church last month, the Davidson College Presbyterian Church had their final session of “Marketplace” this morning for more than 160 children in our community. The theme was “By the Sea of Galilee” with a focus on the parables of Jesus. Today’s closing ceremony was a “great banquet” in tents or classrooms with parents invited before all gathered for final prayer.

Kudos to Ginny Barton who directed this year’s VBS at DCPC and to Hunter Busse and Robbie Howiler who coordinated the Marketplace activities including each child’s handprint to be made into a quilt. What a busy four days in the life of a church! With 130 youth and adult volunteers it reminds us that for VBS, it truly “takes a village” to handle this number of participants.

Wedding Bells

Congratulations to Cole and Sydney Barton of Davidson, whose younger son, Luke Barton, married Zane Wood on May 31. The wedding and reception were held on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. You can read the complete announcement by clicking on our wedding page.

A Pink Flamingo Sends Regards from Nicaragua

Nineteen members of the Davidson College Presbyterian Church (and one pink flamingo) recently spent ten days in Nicaragua. The main focus of the trip was to visit the mountainous Kilambe region of northern Nicaragua and the chance to forge friendships, primarily with the youth of the Aguas Frias area. DCPC has a partnership with ASDEK, a community organization formed by seven villages in this region who are trying to protect the natural resources surrounding their homes. DCPC youth making the trip (see the photo below) included Cameron Clark, Thomas Hall, Elliott Hill Jennings, Sara Justus, Greg Kuras, George Lyles, Ridge Morgan, Nora Munger, Becca Powell, Taylor Rothrock, Emily Stroud and Hannah Samson. Adults were Steve Justus, Stella Stroud, Cissi Lyles, Shelli Latham, Katherine Cole, Val Morgan and Matt Samson.

Members of the DCPC trip to Nicaragua show off one of their pink flamingoes to friends in Maleconcito.

Flying into the capital city of Managua, the group took a 12 hour bus ride to spend the first night in the homes of hosts in Maleconcito, the village closest to the main road heading to Aguas Frias. The community of Aguas Frias is the gateway to the ASDEK ecotourist project under construction near the peak under the landmark Caballo Blanco rock formation. This project is currently funded with a grant from the European Union after initial start up funding from the U.N. Young Nicaraguan guides with great enthusiasm and knowledge of the project quickly formed bonds with the DCPC youth - certainly a highlight of the trip. Limited language skills on both sides did not hamper the friendships. Splitting into small groups, the travelers from DCPC visited each of the seven communities in the Kilambe region, distributing school supplies while acquiring memories of a lifetime with family meals, music, dancing, heavy rains and steep, muddy mountainside treks on horseback.

As a result of the time in Nicaragua, DCPC hopes that the Davidson youth on this trip will serve as ambassadors to the Kilambe partnership. With better understanding of the issues involved, the youth can provide new energy and ideas hopefully inspiring a better informed DCPC community to be more active partners with their Nicaraguan brothers and sisters in this beautiful region of northern Nicaragua. (Many thanks to Steve Justus for his contribution to this trip report.)

Putting Davidson’s Green Campaign “on the Line”

Can’t let this week go by without chiming in on David Boraks’ note about clotheslines on July 11 when he included a news story on the decision of Hawaii’s governor to veto a bill which would have made it illegal for homeowners’ associations to ban clotheslines. Town resident Shelley Rigger wrote a commentary for DavidsonNews.net some 18 months ago on this same issue.

Clotheslines certainly deserve a closer look in these days when consumers are looking to save a few dollars in their weekly budgets. Why not turn off your dryer and invest in poles, lines and pins? Ninety degree heat will dry even the thickest towel or bathmat in a matter of hours. Blue jeans are stiffer, towels are scratchier, and pollen may attach to garments but making use of solar power while helping your gas or electric bill is a no-brainer. And those of us who are clotheslines enthusiasts know that a sudden afternoon downpour simply provides a second rinse for your laundry!

Good wood clothespins are hard to find and passing birds can be a hazard but the overall benefits far outweigh the negatives. Seems Davidson residents who are not members of a homeowners’ association can install a clotheslines at any time. Sadly, we see so few in our town. Davidson prides itself on “Going Green” and being on the cusp of environmentally friendly programs. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Town Board could go out on a limb (sorry, “line”) and pass an ordinance that would supersede homeowners’ association rules allowing anyone who wished to forego the clothes dryer and let their laundry “be hung out to dry!”

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