This may look typical for Vermont, but was a snowy March spectacle that caught folks on Davidson-Concord Road by surprise!

No doubt about it: March roared in like a lion Sunday, bringing bone-chilling wind, inches of cold blowing rain and then a beautiful covering of snow.  Just when we thought spring was arriving, brrr! The wintry blast knocked out power for many in our town.  Nothing makes you grumpier than no heat, no lights and NO coffee!  Good news that warmer temperatures are expected in a few days.  Can’t wait.

This week Around Davidson focuses on two youth projects of note:  Alex Gunn and Kevin Beach riding their bicycles to benefit trees in Haiti as well as Molly Frowine and Maggie Peterson’s second annual Boats for Goats campaign to provide goats to developing countries.  We also bid farewell to Dot and Dave Kaylor as they head west to a new address in Black Mountain.

BIKING FOR TREES

Young people in our town are involved in so many projects to help others whether planting spring bulbs or collecting basketball shoes.  To add to the list, meet Kevin Beach and Alex Gunn.  Recently we learned that these two young men are joining to raise awareness of a need in a developing country.  Seniors at North Mecklenburg High School, these good friends wanted to do a “green” fundraiser and with a suggestion from Kevin’s mom, Connie Beach, decided on a project providing trees in Haiti.  They are working with an organization called “Trees for Haiti” that helps combat deforestation in this impoverished country. They are raising money for the purchase of fruit trees to reforest the land while at the same time feeding the people in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country.  (Trees for Haiti is part of the organization called Food for the Poor, the foremost international relief and development organization in the Caribbean.)

Be sure to "share the road" with cyclists Kevin Beach (l) and Alex Gunn as they bike to and from school to raise money for trees in Haiti.

Beginning this Friday, March 6, and continuing for 10 Fridays, Alex and Kevin will ride their bicycles to and from their high school.  With extra reflectors and bright clothing, they will ride from the Beach house on South Street along Route 115 through Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville, approximately 10 miles each way.  Biking is a hobby for Alex and Kevin but before they head off to college next fall, they are turning a fun pastime between two friends into a fund-raiser which just might made a difference in the lives of impoverished residents of Haiti.

At completion in mid-May, they will have logged 200-plus miles on their mountain bikes. They’re hoping people will contribute at least 10 cents a mile or $20 total.  To support them, mail checks made out to Trees for Haiti to Alex Gunn, P.O. Box 1797, Davidson 28036. For more information, contact these energetic cyclists by email:  gunn.alexander@gmail.com or kev.beach1@gmail.com. Good luck as you pedal to and from North Meck and please be careful on that narrow strip of asphalt we call Route 115. Around Davidson will keep up with your rides and report to our readers.

Just a note about Alex Gunn.  Many in our town will remember that he traveled to Rwanda last summer with Echo Foundation.  He continues to give presentations about his experiences in that country and is also collecting “crocs” to ship there later this year.  So far more than 300 pairs of shoes have been collected.

This little guy won't be tied up for long.

BOATS FOR GOATS, ROUND TWO

What is there not to love about baby goats?  And big goats, too, for that matter, who provide milk and meat for their owners – especially for families in Third World countries.  Last spring we featured two young ladies, Maggie Frowine and Molly Peterson, who live in our area and attend Cannon School. They had decided on a service project (Boats for Goats) to raise enough money to purchase a few dozen goats for developing countries.  They ended up collecting enough for more than 600 goats.

Maggie and Molly are now seniors at Cannon and looking forward to college next fall but not before one more “Boats for Goats” campaign.  The girls actually kicked off their 2009 fund raising at the So Alive Gallery during Christmas in Davidson 2008.  They once again are looking for people to form teams with a donation of $75 which enables the team to compete in a paddle boat regatta at Dave’s Paddle Boats on March 28, 9-11 a.m.  There are also T-shirts for sale to promote and benefit the event. Individual donations of any amount are also welcome.  Check out their website or read our coverage last year, “Girls Get Their Goats.”

(l-r) Molly Frowine, Maggie Peterson, Brent O'Brien and Sara Rubens found out that 16 day old kids can be a real handful!

Good sports Molly and Maggie sidestepped the puddles and mud last weekend to visit the Tevepaugh Farm and check out some real goats.  Owner Jan Tevepaugh was delighted to show off her seven new “kids” who were just 16 days old but already jumping, running, butting one another and chewing on anything within reach.  What a grand photo op with squirmy, bleating babies!  Joining Maggie and Molly were Sara Rubens, a Davidson resident and Cannon parent, who is helping the girls, and 107.9 The Link’s Brent O’Brien, a Cornelius resident.

You might ask how we jumped from “Boats for Goats” to 107.9 The Link?  Matt Harris and Ramona Holloway of Charlotte’s “Matt and Ramona Show” (Talk Radio’s weekday 2-7 p.m. show) recently introduced “Spread the Love” where each show personality (including Bandyboo, Doc and Wheezy) would choose a listener partner and each would be given $100 to invest in a project of their choosing.  The station wanted to boost charity giving during these hard economic times by seeing how their announcers could make $100 grow.

Sara Rubens heard about the project, submitted an application and Bandyboo ( Brent O’Brien) chose “Boats and Goats” as his partner project.  Molly and Maggie will be interviewed live on The Link this week to promote their “goats” and Brent will be at Cannon School for the official project kick-off this month.

Thanks to Molly, daughter of Sam and Velda Frowine of Davidson, and Maggie, daughter of Dave and Mary Peterson of Cornelius, whose hard work, great organizational skills and enthusiasm are making a difference – one goat at a time.  Thanks also to Brent “Bandyboo” of The Link, and mentor Sara Rubens who are assisting  with the fund raising as well as farm owner Jan Tevepaugh who took the time to introduce us to her beautiful “kids!”

FAREWELL TO FAMILIAR FACES

After 40 years at 740 Virginia Avenue in Davidson, David and Dot Kaylor are leaving the house they built in 1969 and heading to a new adventure in Black Mountain.  It is certainly with a degree of reluctance that they leave the town where they raised their five children, but downsizing looked good to them and their new location will be close to two of those five:  Marilyn in Black Mountain and David in Asheville.  The other Kaylor offspring live in Decatur, Ga. (Marion), Lexington, Va. (Cathryn) and the Washington, D.C. area (Charlie).

Dave and Dot Kaylor

The Kaylors first arrived in Davidson in the summer of 1964 when David took a position in the Religion Department of Davidson College.  Following five years in college housing, they moved to their new home on Virginia Avenue which at that time, according to Dot, was “way out in the country!”  They found our town a wonderful place to raise a family and a great community which enriched their lives in so many ways. Their eight grandchildren have also spent many weeks with their grandparents in their home here.

Both David and Dot have been active in church work, community work  and volunteer organizations.  David was an original board member of Davidson’s Habitat for Humanity and has been active with the Davidson Housing Coalition and Hammers since his retirement from the college in 1999.  He is also well known for his exceptional wood-turning, which he started in the late 1980s.  Many blue ribbons from art shows attest to his considerable skill with wood.

Dot served as Director of the Davidson-Cornelius Day Care Center for three years and spent almost 10 years as a clinical social worker for Mecklenburg County Mental Health.  Many days you could find Dot volunteering for Crisis Assistance Ministry at Ada Jenkins or serving in many assignments for the Davidson College Presbyterian Church.

The moving van will be at the Kaylor home tomorrow packing up favorite pieces to furnish David and Dot’s new home.  If you happen to be in the neighborhood, wave and wish them well as they head west for this new beginning.  This talented energetic couple will be missed in our town.  So we say good-bye with a tear in our eyes to two good friends.  Come back and visit often, David and Dot, and good luck in Black Mountain!

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