The Clay County Communities Revitalization Association (CCCRA) will hold its annual meeting at 6 PM on October 27, 2011, at Hayesville’s Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. Everyone is invited. Dr. Jane Eastman, director of Cherokee studies at Western Carolina University, will talk about the various Cherokee archeological sites around Hayesville. These sites can help Clay County expand its appeal to potential tourists and thereby boost its economy. CCCRA will discuss its plans for the coming year. The meeting will follow a potluck dinner. Note that this year’s meeting is in a different location from last year’s meeting. The address of Good Shepherd church is 495 Herbert Hills Road. It is located half a mile east of Hayesville, on the south side of Route 64.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Cherokee Heritage Festival Planned October 15
Plans are underway for the first annual Cherokee Heritage Festival to be held Saturday, October 15 from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM at the Cherokee Homestead Exhibit in Hayesville. Demonstrations and information will be shared by:
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- Cherokee basket weaver Emma Garrett
- Southeastern potter Tammy Beane
- Cherokee artist and historian Davy Arch
- Local resident and native lore expert Darry Wood
- Cherokee educator and storyteller Diamond Brown
- Cherokee trading trails expert Lamar Marshall
- Hiawassee Valley town settlements expert T. J. Holland
These experts will be demonstrating their skills and knowledge throughout the day and offering their handiwork for sale. On the day of the event, the Clay County Historical Museum will be open, and food will be available. As this event is being publicized throughout our region and beyond, we expect a large number of visitors.
Other Happenings at the Exhibit: Our own artist and retired educator Reba Beck has spent countless hours painting basket weave patterns on the concrete slab near the corn crib. Additional medallions created by local blacksmith Joe Miller have been added. You’ll want to stop by the exhibit to see these wonderful works of art created by local talent!
We’re gearing up for the student field trip experiences at the exhibit, which will be scheduled during the latter part of September and early October. Fourth and eighth grade students in North Carolina, and second and eighth graders in Georgia are invited to attend. The curriculum and activities are written, and materials are available to use with the students. If you’re interested in providing these experiences for our children, please contact Sandy Nicolette at 389-3045.
Live Acoustic Performance on the Square in Hayesville September 16
The Hayesville town square will be the scene of another concert on Friday September 16. Paul J. Constantine, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, will play. The concert will run from 7 to 9 pm. Bring your chairs, and enjoy a fun-filled evening. The concert itself is free; however, donations are welcome.
If the weather is bad, the concert will move indoors to the Gathering Place room of the Hayesville First United Methodist Church right off the square. Take your chairs with you to the church.
As a professional musician, Paul has performed around the country both as a solo performer and as a member of various musical groups. Paul specializes in music tinged with country, soul, and R&B. He plays some classic rock and oldies and draws on many styles from the 50's to the present.
Paul grew up in New Jersey. An avid electronics experimenter, he first became involved in music when he built a custom amplifier for a friend who owned an electric guitar but could not play it. Acquiring his first guitar in his early teens, Paul performed for friends at parties and barbeques. Early musical influences included country & western, doo wop, R&B, soul, jazz, folk, and rock & roll.
After a tour in the United States Army, Paul returned to New Jersey and joined a group of friends in his first band as the lead singer and bass player. Musical performance became more than a hobby. Paul played acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, and electric bass in both solo and group settings. Touring the United States throughout most of the 70's and early 80's, Paul met his wife, Dawn, in Tampa, Florida. A musical hiatus followed for the next 25 years while they raised a family of five daughters.
Paul moved to the mountains of North Carolina in 2005 and reconnected with his musical past. He now performs as a solo entertainer, occasionally teaming up with other various local performers in the southeast. Paul has many neighbors and friends in Hayesville.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Concert on the Square August 26
The Hayesville town square will be the scene of another concert on Friday August 26. Lee Holland, jazz vocalist and composer, will sing with the Charles Milne combo. The concert will run from 7 to 9 pm. Bring your chairs and enjoy a fun-filled evening. The concert itself is free. However, donations are welcome.
If the weather is bad, the concert will move indoors to the Gathering Place room of the Hayesville First United Methodist Church right off the square. Take your chairs with you to the church.
Jazz vocalist Lee Holland is now a permanent resident of Hayesville but still performs in Palm Beach, Florida. She delights audiences with her stylized renditions of jazz favorites from Cole Porter to George Gershwin to Billie Holiday that showcase Ms. Holland’s impressive vocal range.
Accompanying Ms. Holland at the August 26 concert are Charles Milne on piano and Louis Ferkovics on drums. Milne, a resident of Warne, performs weekends with his Providence Jazz Trio at Café Portofino in Hiawassee. He also serves as Music Director at St. William Church in Murphy. Hungarian/French Canadian percussionist, Louie Ferkovics, a Murphy resident, has enjoyed an extensive career as a jazz drummer backing such musicians as pianist Dick Hyman and multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan. Since moving to North Carolina, he’s been a regular at the Grove Park Inn’s international jazz fest in Asheville.
The Clay County Communities Revitalization Association (CCCRA) is a sponsor of the Hayesville concert.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Providence Jazz Duo Will Play uly 29
If the weather is bad, the concert will move indoors to the Gathering Place room of the Hayesville First United Methodist Church right off the square. Take your chairs with you to the church.
The light jazz duo of Charles Milne on vocals and keyboards with Louie Ferkovics on percussion gives new meaning to the term ‘eclectic.’ Their repertoire touches every decade since the 1920s, from jazz standards to 50’s doo-wop to contemporary ballads, with an occasional hint of country. Whatever the vintage of song material, their music is accessible and inviting.
Hungarian/French-Canadian percussionist Ferkovics served as a jazz drummer with such notables as Dick Hyman, Buddy DeFranco, Chuck Hedges, and Ira Sullivan. He also recorded with the Allman Brothers, performed at the White House, and has been a regular at The Grove Park Inn’s International Jazz Fest in Asheville.
Milne played on the professional R&B circuit, providing back-up support for such groups as Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, and Little Anthony & the Imperials. He now serves as music director at St. William Church in Murphy and accompanist at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hayesville. He also has a full calendar of public and private appearances.
The duo can be heard at dinner clubs and music fests throughout the region.
The Clay County Communities Revitalization Association is a sponsor of Hayesville concerts on the square.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Steven Philips and Midnight Express to Perform on Hayesville Square June 24
If the weather is bad, the concert will move indoors to the Gathering Place room of the Hayesville First United Methodist Church right off the square. Take your chairs with you to the church.
With his country roots and southern style, Steven Phillips appeals to all ages.
Backed up by Midnight Express, a band containing some of the best talent to be found in the region, you are sure to enjoy a large variety of Steven's own originals, blended in with some of the finest musical talent in country music history.
With its entertaining style, Steven Phillips’ Midnight Express band has become the most requested band for Enchanted Music on the Square. It opened for Earl Thomas Conley and Gene Watson at the Georgia Mountain Fair and also for Lee Greenwood at the Smoky Mountain `Center for Performing Arts. In addition, it performed at Brasstown Valley Resort, played a street dance for the Last Kiss of Summer, and celebrated Labor Day with the first annual Fire on the Water at the Ridges Resort and Marina. Philips has also kicked off the Moonshine Cruize-in and provided entertainment for the Gold Rush in Dahlonega.
The Clay County Communities Revitalization Association is a sponsor of Hayesville concerts on the square.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Another Concert on the Square: May 27.
If the weather is bad, the concert will move indoors to the Gathering Place room of the Hayesville First United Methodist Church right off the square. Take your chairs with you to the church.
Susan Gray Riley is the Junction Band’s lead vocalist. She has been a member of the Georgia Mountain Fair staff band since 1977. A member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, she has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta Society of Entertainers.
Bill Puckett, also a member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, is the band’s guitar/vocalist. He played bass with the blue grass duo, Jim and Jessie, and is a retired member of the Atlanta Seventeen Orchestra.
Max Harper, the band’s saxophonist, has played that instrument for more than 40 years with artists from Nashville and elsewhere. He is also a member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.
Ken White, drummer and vocalist, is a retired school band director. He has played bass and drums with various bands and orchestras.
Gary Moore, bass/vocalist, has been playing bass for more than 40 years. Gary is an established luthier, maker of stringed instruments—in Gary’s case, guitars. He spent one year traveling with the renowned group “Up with the People.”
The Clay County Communities Revitalization Association (CCCRA) is a sponsor of the Hayesville concert.
Hayesville Is Where It's Happening: Clay County's 150 th Birthday
Clay County was founded in 1861, the same year that the Civil War started. Most of the land that is now Clay County was previously the eastern part of Cherokee County. Farmers living in that area found that Murphy, the Cherokee County seat, was too far for them to travel to and return home on the same day if they needed to transact legal business at the courthouse. George Washington Hayes, who was running for election as representative from Cherokee County, promised voters that -- if he won -- he would introduce legislation to split the county. Thanks to voters in the eastern part of the state, he did win. He soon fulfilled his promise. The North Carolina General Assembly passed the legislation authorizing the split in February 1861. The new county was named after Henry Clay, the great US senator from Kentucky who had died in 1852. The county seat, Hayesville, was named after George Washington Hayes, the man who made the new county a reality.
Activities celebrating the county’s founding will take place all summer and fall. The focus of many of the activities will be the quaint Hayesville town square with its 1888 courthouse. The square’s historic appearance appeals to both visitors and filmmakers, who have used it as the setting for movies.
Sesquicentennial activities will peak between July 2 and July 10. The July 4th weekend will feature a traditional patriotic Independence Day parade with floats honoring the 1861 founding. Highlights of the following weekend will be the 25th annual rodeo at the Cutworm Corral and the Festival on the Square. All events include food and beverages and activities for kids.
While you’re here for these celebrations, tour the Old Jail Museum just off the square to learn about Clay County’s history. Nearby, you can check out the Cherokee Heritage Village that will introduce you to the area’s Native American heritage. To see Lake Chatuge’s beauty, visit the dam and the newly opened Jackrabbit Mountain Bike and Hiking Trail. Jackrabbit Mountain is a major center for mountain biking in the Southeast.
In addition to the July 2-10 events, others also celebrate the sesquicentennial. Come to the Car-B-Que on June 11, a festival on the square celebrating antique cars and barbeque. Or come in August and enjoy the Family Fun Fest on August 11 and the 21st Annual Mountain Golf Tournament on August 27 at the Ridges Resort. This golf tournament offers 18 holes with team and individual prizes. The proceeds fund college scholarships for Hayesville High School students. August 27 and 28 also feature open houses at Clay County heritage homes.
Come in early fall and see the Tractor Parade and 4H festival on September 24. Come a little later October 23 and 24, and visit the Third Annual Punkin Chunkin Festival, where individuals and teams compete to see which of them can hurl pumpkins the greatest distance. Competitors use their own homemade medieval siege machines.
Plays run at the Peacock Playhouse throughout the summer and fall. Clay County has long had as residents a talented group of amateur actors and directors in the Licklog Players. Free concerts by local musical groups take place on the square on Friday evenings every few weeks all summer.
Visitors to Clay County can stay at B&Bs, mountain cabin rentals, and campgrounds. Restaurants offer a range of choices including fast food, pizza, barbeque, sports bar, Mexican, traditional home cooking, American grill, and European-style fine dining.
Visitors in the market for second homes or retirement homes will find a large selection of houses with mountain and lake views at a wide range of prices.
Clay County residents are an engaging mix of local people and recent arrivals. Local people share a Scots-Irish heritage with strong family ties, a rich musical tradition, and a culture of craftsmanship. Many local farmers raise cattle and grow their own vegetables. Recent arrivals come from everywhere. In addition to retirees from Atlanta and Florida, they include people who were simply driving through the area; they saw it, fell in love with it, and decided to stay.
Clay County Sesquicentennial calendar: www.claycounty150.org
Car-B-Que and Festival on the Square: www.clayhistoryarts.org
Clay County Chamber of Commerce: www.ncmtnchamber.com
Rodeo and Golf Tournament: www.ncmtnchamber.com
Concerts in the Park: www.cccra.net
Farmers Market http://mountainvalleyfarmersmarket.com/
Plays by Licklog Players at the Peacock Playhouse: http://licklogplayers.org/
Jackrabbit Mountain Bike and Hiking Trail: http://www.sabacycling.com/
Lake Chatuge and its dam: http://www.tva.gov/sites/chatuge.htm
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Jackrabbit Trails Grand Opening on April 30, 2011
The Clay County Communities Revitalization Association
The Tusquittee Ranger District, USFS
What: Jackrabbit Trails Grand Opening
When: Saturday, April 30th, 2011
Where: Jackrabbit Mountain Bike & Hiking Trails, Jackrabbit Road, Hayesville, NC 28904
Time: 10:00am
Details: Festivities begin with speeches from all collaborating parties, Mike Riter of Trail Design Specialists and dignitaries to discuss the history, collaboration, funding, construction, usage and future trail plans and goals.
Ribbon cutting ceremony will take place immediately after the speeches for not only the existing 14.5 mile trail system, but also for the new 'Bike Practice Trail' which is expected to be completed prior to this date.
This will be followed by 1) group mountain bike rides led by SABA, 2) group trail runs led by members of the Young Harris College cross country team and 3) group hikes led by the Mountain High Hikers.
Music- Slideshow Presentations- Food
Free commemorative water bottle to the first 200+ who register
Souvenir brew glasses, t-shirts, caps and stickers for sale (proceeds to benefit trail maintenance/projects)
Jackrabbit Campground (Loop A-40 sites) will be open for this weekend celebration. Reserve a 2-night stay at http://www.reserveamerica.com, or one night stays can be obtained on-site on a first come, first serve basis (call Tusquittee Ranger District at 828-837-5152 for more info).
Other lodging choices can be found on the links page of http://www.sabacycling.com under the Chambers of Commerce links
Upcoming Concert in the Park
If the weather is bad, the concert will move indoors to the Gathering Place room of the Hayesville First United Methodist Church right off the square. Take your chairs with you to the church.
The group that will play does not have a name, but its four musicians are well known on the local musical scene. They include Rob Tiger (guitar and vocals) and Rebekah Scott (vocals), both of whom have played with Irons in the Fire. They also include Pat List (guitar and vocals) and Keith Layton (guitar and vocals), both of whom played with Gnarly Fingers and Martin Breedlove. The members of the group have only recently begun to play together, but they have been very well received at the Daily Grind in Andrews.
The Clay County Communities Revitalization Association (CCCRA) is a sponsor of the Hayesville concert.