Chuck Busse's camera phone caught his son, Carter, mother-in-law, Kim Beard, and that big ole' Wildcat hanging out together. Go Cats!

Thanksgiving is just two weeks away and our thoughts turn to sweet potato casseroles, pumpkin pies and, of course, basketball.The Davidson College men’s basketball team has its first home game Friday and we’re looking forward to a winning season, along with enthusiastic fans of all ages.

Putting roundball aside for a moment, we all need to begin thinking holidays.  Last Sunday, Davidson merchants held Christmas Open Houses for shoppers.  This Saturday, shoppers can gather gift ideas from St. Alban’s Episcopal Church Holiday Bazaar. Keep reading for more about this Bazaar, as well as a report from the Nov. 1 Mergefest at Cornelius Arts Center.  Around Davidson also visits with Pines’ residents Garnet McAllister, who turned 100 years young recently, and “Calendar Girls” Dee Russell and Margaret Hipple, who are delighted to be in print!  In addition we report on Kai Tisljar‘s visit to The Pines and trips out West for Russ and Nancy Gavitt and to Prague for Laura Grosch and Herb Jackson.

Crafts, Jewels, Food and More!

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in the New Neighborhood is having its annual Holiday Bazaar this Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the the church.

Co-chairs of the St. Alban's annual holiday bazaar are (from left) Sandy Hartwell and Gail Goss. They are seen here with Rosalie Allen (at right), president of Episcopal Church Women.

Co-chairs are hard-working church members Gail Goss and Sandy Hartwell.  These ladies have organized a marvelous sale which includes handmade and olivewood items from the Holy Land, gift baskets, a silent auction and raffles for gift certificates to area restaurants.  There even will be a special table of vintage jewelry – complete with gift boxes.  Children are welcome to come with their parents and enjoy a special craft room when they can make fun gifts.

Perhaps best of all for harried cooks or those working too late, there will be food!  Soups, cakes, cookies, chutney, side dishes for your Thanksgiving table and most importantly, frozen casseroles to feed the family can be purchased.

The Bazaar committee has planned well and reminds shoppers to arrive early for the best selection.  Proceeds from the sale go to Hope House and to Episcopal Relief and Development so shoppers will be helping themselves and helping others.

MERGEFEST – a Big Success

These little one sat in a line at Mergefest, listening to Davidson Express.

Perfect weather, great food, a large crowd and music by Davidson Express made for a most successful Nov. 1 Mergefest at Cornelius Arts Center, celebrating the pending combination of Creative Arts Exchange (CAE) and the Children’s Arts Project (CAP).

'Mergefest' brought big smiles to organizers Kim Fleming (left) and Rea Wright.

Held at their facility on Oak Street in Cornelius, Mergefest organizers Kim Fleming and Rea Wright were thrilled with the turnout and are already planning next year’s Mergefest 2009.  Many who attended were first time visitors and were delighted to tour the building and learn about the art classes offered.

Hats off to all who worked so hard on this event and put this new arts facility on the map.

Happy Birthday to Garnet!

Pines resident Garnet McAllister celebrated her 100th birthday Nov. 3.  Still enjoying her apartment in independent living, Garnet finds her eyesight is not as good as it once was and that she might be moving just a wee bit slower, but her mind is razor sharp.  What a joy to visit with her and hear about growing up in Ohio and her love for sewing, gardening, church, theater and the game of bridge.  It is certain that her secret to longevity comes not only from great genes but also from the love and attention she receives from her daughter, Alice Garbrick, and her husband, Dave, who live in River Run.

Warm 100th birthday wishes for Garnet McAllister from her great granddaughters (l-r): Julia, Kristin and Brooke Van Epps.

Garnet has made many friends during her 11 years at The Pines and was showered with greeting cards and well wishes as she celebrated a day early with two large birthday cakes in the retirement center’s dining room following Sunday lunch.  In addition to Alice and Dave, other family attending included grandson, Rob Van Epps, and his wife, Natalie, with their daughters, Kristin (9), Julia (8) and Brooke (5) who also live in River Run.  Another grandson, Mark Garbrick, came with his wife, Jennifer, from Durham.  A niece, Carolyn Snedden, and her husband, Pat, came from Coshocton, Ohio, as did family member Carol Miller.  Additional family from Durham included Erin and Dan Waanders.

DavidsonNews.net sends Garnet best birthday greetings and looks forward to next November when we all can celebrate your 101st!

“Calendar Girls”

An enjoyable part of any afternoon is a visit with a resident at The Pines Retirement Community in Davidson.  Each resident has a story to tell – most always with a bit of laughter as they reminisce.  But each will also tell you that they find the security of living at The Pines the most important issue.  There are more daily activities than one can attend; there is always someone to check on you; and there is the fellowship of being with people who share similar life experiences.

HAMMERS 2009 "Calendar Girls" from The Pines are Dee Russell (l) and Margaret Hipple.

Indeed The Pines is remarkable and Dee Russell and Margaret Hipple add to the flavor.  Attending last May’s Derby Day Party in the Davidson Room, these good friends found themselves the object of a strolling camera and next thing they knew, their picture was voted “Calendar Girls” for the May page of the 2009 HAMMERS calendar.  What fun!  What an honor!  and what smiles on the faces of these delightful ladies.

Margaret Hipple came to The Pines four years ago when her Vero Beach, FL, condo was destroyed by a hurricane.  She has a daughter and son-in-law who have a home in Statesville as well as two sons who are living in Georgia and Ohio.  Margaret also has one granddaughter who has been working at the White House for the past five years.  Lots of interesting stories for Margaret to share.

Dee Russell has been a resident of The Pines for the past six years.  She is a Charlotte gal who worked for 48 years for Wilson Lewith Textile Machinery and lived in the same house in Dilworth for all that time.  She has two daughters:  one lives in Lakeland, Florida, and the other is close by in Mooresville.  Dee’s eyesight is not what it once was so she often depends on Margaret for help in the dining room.  The many activities available to Margaret and Dee and their strong friendship is certainly what keeps them young!

(By the way, the calendar is a fundraiser for the Davidson Housing Coalition.  You can purchase yours for $14.95, and either order it online or pick it up at the coalition office, 220 Sloan St. It features photographic “Images of Hometown” beautifully formatted by area resident Tomm Lorenzin. Watch for more on HAMMERS and the calendar next week in Around Davidson.)

Need a Doctor?  Call Zurich!

We often hear people remark that their doctors look younger every day.

Rosmarie and John Monahan welcomed their nephew to The Pines for a visit.

Dr. Kai Tisljar is certainly a “poster child” for this comment.  This young man studied in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, to become an Internal Medicine doctor and now practices in Zurich, Switzerland.  Around Davidson caught up with him at The Pines where he has been visiting his Aunt Rosmarie Monahan and her husband, John, for a week.  He was familiar with Charlotte from previous visits but this was his first introduction to the retirement community. Rosmarie even took Kai with her to a doctor’s visit here.  How nice to have your nephew concur (we hope) with your care.

Following his week in North Carolina, Kai flew to New York City to join an organized tour of New England for ten days.  Hope he will come back to visit again soon.

Travels Out West and Across the Pond

1. Parks and Rec takes the Gavitts to the Colorado Rockies

Wonder how many of our town’s residents pay close enough attention to the Davidson Parks and Recreation Department offerings to know that this fall they offered seats on a Collete Vacations tour called “Trains of the Colorado Rockies.” Russ and Nancy Gavitt of River Run signed on as did Cornelius residents Joanne Lippincott and Paul Kinney. Also joining this foursome was Nancy Gavitt’s brother, George Hamilton, a journalist who lives in Vienna, Austria. (Interesting to note that George was an Editor of Fodor’s Guide to Austria and continues to contribute business articles for East-West trade journals.)

Touring Pike's Peak in the Colorado Rockies were (l-r): George Hamilton, Nancy Gavitt, Paul Kinney, Joanne Lippincott and Russ Gavitt.

This group of five parked their car at the Parks and Rec location in Davidson, was transported to the airport, flew to Denver and joined more than 80 others who traveled a loop through the Rockies in a combination bus/rail tour during the third week of September. Points of interest included Vail, Grand Junction, Silverton, Mesa Verde, Pike’s Peak and a thrilling train ride through Royal Gorge. All mentioned highlights of awesome scenery and beautiful golden aspens for which the area is well known.

For Russ and Nancy it was a marvelous trip with perfect weather, a charming tour guide, good bus driver and a chance to celebrate their 70th birthdays as well as their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Happy belated birthday to you both and congratulations on your 50 years of marriage.

All were well pleased with the trip and recommend that we all pay more attention to the interesting offerings of the Davidson Parks and Recreation Department.

2. Catching up with Laura Grosch and Herb Jackson

Laura Grosch and Herb Jackson took advantage of October fall break at Davidson College and frequent flyer miles to spend a week in Prague visiting museums and doing research on the Grosch family roots. Herb found an excellent centrally located hotel via the Internet so that he and Laura could walk to sites of interest - traversing the historic Charles Bridge many times during their stay. The weather was beautiful and the trees at their peak of fall color. They toured Prague Castle and numerous museums including the National Gallery adjacent to the Charles Church as well as the Old New Synagogue and cemetery in the Old City.

Herb and Laura enjoyed the rooftop garden of their Aria Hotel in Prague.

Laura’s family comes from a long history in the Moravian Church beginning with relatives from the Palatinate area near Prague who immigrated to Lititz, PA, in the 1700’s. She and Herb were interested in touring Prague’s Bethlehem Chapel where Jan Hus preached and to visit sites connected to his martyrdom.

Prior to their travel to the Czech Republic, Laura and Herb’s family gathered in Davidson for two important dates: The October 4th opening reception of son Ulysses Grosch Jackson’s one man show at the Christa Faut Gallery in Cornelius and the October 6th honor for Herb when he received an Arts and Science Council Lifetime Achievement Award in the area of Visual Arts. Held at the Imaginon Theatre in Charlotte, Herb’s award was one of six given. In addition to Laura, cheering from the audience were Ulysses, his girlfriend, Christina Toro, Laura and Herb’s older son, Leif, his wife Nicky, and granddaughter, McKinleigh. Congratulations to you, Herb, and to all the family.

Send us your news

Have news for Brenda? Write to her at hbarger@bellsouth.net.