Ready to enjoy Summit's hot chocolate for six more weeks of winter is two-year-old Stella Blackwell

Welcome February!  With yesterday’s prediction from Punxsutawney Phil that we will have six more weeks of winter, we know to keep our heavy coats handy and the hot chocolate simmering on the stove.  Or we can visit Main Street’s Summit Coffee to take away the winter chill as Stella Blackwell did recently.

Cold weather is perfect for staying in to watch football, ACC basketball or Wildcat victories in the Southern Conference.  It is also a good time to think Valentine’s Day.  Today Around Davidson reports on the Blackwell family, a recent Valentine social at The Pines, a reunion of one time Davidson College BETAs, and a note about the Four Coursemen.

THE BLACKWELLS – SINGIN’ FOR THE EMPRESS

Thanks to Megan and Greg Blackwell for the photo of their daughter, Stella, sipping hot chocolate at Summit Coffee.  Stella turned two last month and is already a very “grown up” young lady as she visits Main Street merchants or her grandparents, Irene and Taylor Blackwell, who live in town.

The other Blackwell children live near and far.  Jeb Blackwell and his wife, Anita (known to many through her work helping out Megan and Greg, who own the Village Store), live in Charlotte.  Somewhat farther afield are Betsy Blackwell and her husband, John Watson, who currently call Paris, France, home; and Waller Blackwell and his wife, Dawn, who live in Tokyo, Japan.  Lots of good excuses to travel across the oceans for visits.

A phone call to Taylor and Irene’s home in Davidson caught us up on the Blackwells and it turns out that Betsy and Waller are actually here this week visiting their parents.  Waller has used Davidson as his home base during some recent travel in the US.  He reports that his wife, Dawn, has an active schedule singing  for groups in Tokyo and recently sang for the Empress of Japan.  Their sons, Daniel and David, are attending the International School there and loving it.

Betsy is active with the Episcopal Church in Paris and enjoying living in the city.  John and Betsy’s children attend college in the US now with son John at Stanford and daughter Liz at Barnard.  Nice to hear the international Blackwell news.

Never too old or too young to "cut a rug" are 92 yr old Pines resident Kathleen Marshall and 18 yr old Davidson College freshman Andrew Hanson

A VALENTINE PARTY AT THE PINES

Thanks to Health Care Activity Director Cassi Goforth who coordinated last week’s “‘Young at Heart’ Social and Dance to Celebrate Your Youth” at The Pines.  Seventh graders from St. Mark Catholic School in Huntersville came to help the residents prepare for the occasion, as well as Davidson College students who participate in Westminster Fellowship through the Davidson College Presbyterian Church.

The residents of Health Care enjoyed light refreshments and lots of fellowship with the young students. The musical program included the well known barbershop quartet from the college, “The Four Coursemen” (yes, that’s the correct name, see a news note below for more on that!), and the Pinetones, a singing group made up of residents in Independent Living at the retirement center.  Libby Appel was on hand to play familiar dance tunes on the piano as the young people encouraged residents to try a few steps on the dance floor.

Many thanks to the students and parents from St. Mark who made the social and dance such a success.  The Pines is always glad to have college students volunteer as well.

St. Mark Valentine Volunteers at The Pines: (l-r) Hailey Huber, Sydney Krisa, Kristen Schimmoller, Erin Donahue, Meghan Flyke, Kaitlyn Desormeaux, Morgan Donnelly

BETA BONANZA

Memories are made of this! Last month there was a mini reunion of 45 members of the Davidson College Fraternity Beta Theta Pi, who gathered in our town to enjoy some basketball (the Wildcats handily beat Wofford) and a lot of reminiscing. This group along with 40 additional guests had a wonderful time renewing friendships and “partying” at the new (and very accommodating to the brothers) Homewood Suites which was the host location.  Festivities began with a dinner on Friday night at North Harbor Restaurant, lunch on Saturday at the home of Andy and Kim Beard, pregame and postgame receptions at Homewood Suites and a brief get together on Sunday.  Many thanks to Andy Beard for being the “chief coordinator” for the weekend and to Mickey Brabham for sharing the photo.

Enjoying yet another great day to be a Wildcat were (l-r): Carla Timmons (wife of Clyde Timmons, '69), Gene Brabham (wife of Mickey Brabham, '68), the Wildcat, and Wright Caughman, class of 1970.

This fraternity regrettably was decommissioned in the early 1970’s so members returning for this reunion hailed from classes of 1959 until 1970.  Local Betas included Bob Avinger (’60), Jack Sherrill (’67), Billy Mills (’64) and Andy Beard (’68).  Coming the farthest for the gathering was Arch McCallum (’67) who traveled from Eugene, Oregon, but had good reason because he also got to visit with his mother, Lois McCallum James, and her husband, Dick, residents of The Pines.

Noteworthy Notes

A new exhibit opens today at the Christa Faut Gallery in Cornelius’ Jetton Village.  Joana Wardell’s “Dreams and Abstractions” will hang through March 17.  Nice chance to view her works with gallery hours Tuesday through Saturday.

The Creative Art Exchange in Cornelius’ Oak Street Mill (just behind the Police Station on Catawba Avenue) currently is showing works by Tonya Gregg of Baltimore.  Her exhibit runs through the end of this month.  Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday with Friday and Saturday by appointment only.  (More on this artist in Thursday’s Around Davidson.)

Did you see on page 5C of the Tuesday Charlotte Observer that Stan Olson praised “the four older gentlemen who sang the national anthem before the game,” but called them the “Four Horsemen”?!  As we noted in our item above about The Pines, they are actually the Four Coursemen.  Those in the know will recognize the name as a humourous takeoff on the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame football fame.  The Wildcat quartet consists of Dennis Appleyard, Dave Grant, Ed Palmer and Durwin Striplin.  And they seem plenty young at heart to us!

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