Cub Scouts from Pack 58 helped install erosion fencing at Brackett Bluff Nature Preserve, near Fisher Farm, on Saturday.

Davidson’s Cub Scout Pack 58 worked with Roy Alexander of the Davidson Lands Conservancy on Saturday, Jan. 28, to install a silt erosion barrier in the new Brackett Bluff Nature Preserve” near Fisher Farm Park.

The silt barrier will help maintain the pristine quality of the preserve by controlling run-off during storms.  The Conservancy had discovered that a previous silt fence had begun to fail, and that erosion from an adjacent landfill was threatening the property.   Read the full story

Dione Goyette taught the Guys Night Out painting class Sunday at Sanctuary of Davidson. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Guys, beer, and … a painting class? That was the special Sunday night at Sanctuary of Davidsonon Main Street, which hosted the first of a planned series of Guys’ Night Out events built around a painting class.

Eight adventuresome Davidson guys showed up to get in touch with their inner artists, or maybe the lure was the chance to hoist a few microbrews. Sanctuary owner Kristen Feighery modeled the event after the “Girls’ Night Out” art classes she has been hosting for the past couple of years. Read the full story

Life can’t get much better than in the Davidson Dog Park. Friends are there, everyone gets along (dogs and humans) and there’s plenty to do with balls and Frisbees and books. Yes, books — there’s a lending library for humans. Leave one, pick one up. Read Chip Dawson’s report on our PETS & ANIMALS page.

Emergency workers helped an occupant of a vehicle that struck a utility pole on Concord Road Monday. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Updated Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011
A driver lost control of his car and struck a telephone pole on Concord Road around 11:35 a.m. on Monday. A woman passenger appeared to have minor injuries after the crash, which closed the town’s main east-west street for a while. Read the full story

Carolyn Cook, of LiveSmart Design in Charlotte, has the latest entry in our ongoing series of articles one issues facing seniors as they try to “age in place.” Today, she looks at “visitability,” an affordable, sustainable and inclusive design approach for integrating basic accessibility features into all newly built homes and housing.

“Inaccessible homes impede the daily lives of people who are mobility impaired due to illness, accident or age. Visiting an inaccessible home presents the danger of falling on the entry steps, the worry of not fitting into the bathroom and the embarrassment of being carried up stairs,” Ms. Cook writes.

Read the full article and see the photo examples, on our YOUNG AT HEART page.

Mothers and daughters posed on the front porch at Beaver Dam. See a gallery below. (Colleen Whalen/Davidson Parks & Recreation)

A flock of mothers and daughters young and old, all dressed up in their Christmas finest, gathered at Beaver Dam Park in Davidson last Sunday afternoon, Dec. 18, for a Mother-Daughter Holiday Tea. Thanks to Colleen Whalen at Davidson Parks & Recreation, we have a photo gallery from the party. Read the full story

Workers install solar panels on the Baker Sports complex this week. (Chip Dawson/DavidsonNews.net)

By CHIP DAWSON
DavidsonNews.net

Long under consideration and announced in October, the first solar panels on the Davidson College campus are being placed on the roof of the Baker Sports Center this week. College officials say the $600,000 project is funded by the college as well as federal and foundation grants, and could save $25,000 a year.

Two crews from Southern Energy Management are doing the work. One team is placing panels on the south center of the roof, for pool heating, and on the north side, for heating water for the showers at the tennis complex. Read the full story

Drivers stopped Thursday for a man crossing Concord Road at Faculty Drive, where a new sign has been installed. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Someone has hung a Christmas wreath on a telephone pole at the Concord Road crosswalk where Davidson College Professor Rob Whitton was struck by a car the night of Nov. 3. This week, the town began the first of a series of planned improvements prompted by the fatal incident, installing new warning signs in the middle of the road at Faculty Drive and three other crossings. Meanwhile, improved lighting also is in the works for Concord Road, town officials said. Read the full story