Billie would like input by June 20th. She suggests that the parade will include a Kazoo band section, a fairies and princesses sections, and a zombie and other undead section, among other possibilities.

Some of the potters sponsored includes: Becca Floyd,  Mary Mikkelsen, Rob Pulleyn, Emily Reason, Jim Parmentier, Shirl Parmentier, Alex Matisse, Henry Pope, Jane Renfro, Kyle Carpenter, and  John Ransmeier.

For more information, check out there website at http://www.pottersofmadisoncounty.com

The Madison County Farmer’s & Artisan’s Market will start its 2011 season on Saturday, 2 April 2011. Looks like its location will be in the parking lot on the corner of Hwy.213 and Park St (across from the tennis courts and football field). Hours will be 9am til 1pm.

They have a website: http://marshillmarket.org/ where you can find updates and sign up for their weekly email updates. According to the site, they will have “salad and culinary greens,  fresh breads and other baked goods, jams  jellies & salsas, artisan cheeses, handmade soaps, local pastured meats, eggs, and assorted crafts.”

Not sure if they are doing it again this year, but last year they had drawings for free market items. I won locally made sausage!

So, if you buy, who do you buy Valentine’s gifts for? Your sweetheart, significant other, family, friends…? Did you know that in Japan women tend to buy the chocolate for the men in their lives – bosses, co-workers, friends and sig others? Then in March, they have White Day where the men buy the chocolates.

Most people will also say they enjoy receiving gifts that were handmade. This Valentine’s Day, there is a new option to find that local, handmade gift.

There is a new shop called ~ Flow. They are a co-op of sorts comprised of 8 women, plus other local artists and craftswomen. The shop sells handmade adornment for the body and home including ceramics, wood, and metal, jewelry, clothing and accessories, and aromatherapy products. Flow is located at 14 South Main Street, Marshall, NC. They are usually open Wednesdays – Saturdays from 11am until 4pm. And, also open at other time for special events and occasions.

This Saturday, 5 February 2011, Flow will have the “Sweetest Open House Ever” from 11am – 4pm. They will be offering complimentary champagne and chocolates. They are also introducing the ‘Sweetheart Registry.’ You can register your heart’s desire for local and handmade items including Flow’s regular items (pottery, wood, clothing, art, jewelry, etc). In addition, you can also register and pick up some local chocolates from ‘crumbs and cream nc’ and a local florist will have an assortment of flowers and plants. Attendees of the Open House will also receive a voucher for free Flow signature gift wrapping.

Another new place in Mars Hill to buy local – Bull Creek Shoppe. They are offering special Valentine’s Day bakery items in addition to their regular menu of coffees, teas, smoothies and ice cream. They are located at 41 Bull Creek Rd, Mars Hill, NC (just off Hwy 213, between Mars Hill and Marshall).

And, remember to take that someone special, or just a friend, to one of the local Madison County eateries:

In Mars Hill: El Dorado Latin Grill, Papa Nick’s Pizza, Main Street Deli, Osaka Japanese Restaurant, Wagon Wheel, Bull Creek Shoppe

In Marshall: Bacchus Bistro, Zuma Coffee, French Broad Deli & Cafe, Good Stuff, Longnecks

In Hot Springs: The Iron Horse Station, Mountain Magnolia Inn, Smoky Mountain Diner, ArtiSun Gallery & Marketplace

So, remember to buy local for that someone special or maybe for that someone who doesn’t have a special someone.

snow on christmas 2010

Okay, so I totally forgot to publish this post two weeks ago! Who would have known that we would have received a Christmas gift of around 12 inches in Mars Hill? So, here is the post…

…I might say it all started well before winter even officially begins…which would be next Tuesday, 21 December 2010 – winter solstice, and a full moon. Mars Hill got hit with a cold, wintery mix the first weekend in November.

That weekend also happened to be the Grand Opening of the Asheville Savings Bank’s Mars Hill branch. They had to cut down a few old trees to make room for parking, the ATM and the tellers. But, otherwise, I think they did a great job keeping he old B&B intact. The tellers inside are even where the dining room used to be located.

Since then, we have been snowed n a couple more times. Nothing that really stuck around for more than a day. But, then the weather started again Saturday December 4th with some rain, sleet then snow later in the evening. And, we have had snow on the ground since that date. We are in Day 11 of snow.  And, the temperature. It has been freezing. High in the teens. Wind chills in the minus numbers.

We can all hope that Ray is right. If you live in western NC and have not heard of raysweather.com, I am not sure where you have been. I believe he teaches physics or a science at Appalachian State in Boone and has been in the forecast business for a number of years. I seem to remember he started out with just the Boone area, but is now all over the western (northern) counties. I believe that Ray forecasted that December start with a cold and harsh winter, but than January and February would be much milder.

So, what does the weather have to do with development? I’m no economist or anything, but when it is cold outside and I have to put on 5 layers, I’m less likely to go around town and support any businesses since I am so cold and would just like to get home. And, when the weather is bad for an extended time, bills can start to increase, which leads to less money to spend on those optional dinners out.

Also, remember early voting / one-stop voting stops in Madison County on Saturday. You can still vote at the three locations (in Mars Hill, Marshall and Hot Springs) tonight until 7pm and tomorrow (Saturday) from 9am until 5pm. Go here for more info on early voting. If you don’t vote by Saturday at 5pm, then you have to wait to vote on Election Day – Tuesday, 2 November 2010. In most locations, polls open at 6:30am and close at 7:30pm. If you are unsure of your voting place, go to the North Carolina State Board of Elections website.

REMEMBER TO VOTE!

When/Where: Tuesday, 21 September 2010 at 6:30pm at ABTech Marshall.

Who: Madison County candidates for: Sheriff, Clerk of Court, and Judge

*At the forum, the audience can ask questions through a moderator.

In case you missed last week’s Madison County Commissioner candidate forum-  well good luck finding any information about each candidate since our local county paper refuses to get involved in politics and information, and instead only wants to focus on local high school sports.

Your options for Madison County Commissioner (and you can vote for 1 – 3 candidates):

Roger Haynie (D)

Hall Moore (D)

Sue Chandler Vilcinskas (D)

C. William (Bill) Briggs (R)

Dedrick Brown (R)

Dwight F. Smathers (R)

If you want to know what and who else in Madison County, NC is on the ballot on Tuesday, 2 November 2010 – you can check out the county’s website here for a full list (including a lot of judges and one constitutional amendment).

If you would like to see what the Democrats of Madison County, NC have to say and what they are running on, I found this website: http://www.madisonncdemocraticparty.com/

If you would like to see what the Republicans of Madison County, NC have to say and what they are running on, I found this website: http://madisonncgop.com/our-candidates/

Please remember that you must be registered to vote by Friday, 8 October 2010 at 5pm. Registration must be postmarked by that date or delivered in person to the Board of Elections in Marshall by 5pm. You can check your registration status and also find sample ballots here. If you would like to vote on Election Day (2 November 2010), you can find your polling place here (both are at the State Board of Elections website).

Early voting begins Thursday, 14 October 2010 and ends Saturday, 30 October 2010 at 1pm. Locations to early vote include: Marshall – Board of Elections at Madison County Office Building Room 26 in Marshall; Beech Glen – Greater Ivy Community Center at 2936 Beech Glen Rd in Mars Hill; Hot Springs – Public Library at 88 Bridge St in Hot Springs

You can also request Absentee Ballots. The deadline to request them is 26 October 2010 from the Madison County Board of Elections in Marshall.

Inform yourself. Know the candidates.Vote.

Don’t just vote for them because they grew up in Madison County, or you have know them since you were in school – vote for them because you think that they will be a good representative of your politics/values/etc. Your town and county officials are the ones who decide tax rates, usually tell you what you can do with your property, and decide what your local tax money is spent on (among many, many other things).

In this county, we typically have an average of a 36-40% voter turnout. That means that if you don’t vote, you are allowing all of your neighbors to make decisions for you…well, actually about 1/3 of your neighbors. In a county of our size, every vote definitely makes a difference.

So, are you going to vote or make up some excuse?

Meeting Minutes

Thursday, 19 August 2010 at 6:30pm

Present: Robb Pierce, Steve Subera, Katie Mason, Marsha Mason, Carol Martin, Ken Wright, Rick Morgan, Bruce Frost, and Dr. Paul Smith (business professor at Mars Hill College and Chairman of the Mars Hill Sustainability Committee)

The meeting was called to order. July meeting minutes were approved. The August agenda was approved with no additions.

The committee introduced themselves. Bruce introduced Dr Paul Smith. Dr Smith gave a brief history of his professional life. He would like to encourage sustainability factors when developing revitalization plans. Some include options could include solar power and geothermal heating. He also emphasized that buildings should be designed for energy efficiency. Dr Smith also attended the Livable Communities Initiative at Warren Wilson College and shared some insights from that gathering. He talked about the 3 legs of sustainability: economic aspects, ecological impacts, and social implications. Dr Smith provided a handout to members of the EDC. The Sustainability Committee meets monthly. And for more information, Dr Smith can be contacted via email at prsmith@mhc.edu.

Katie relayed information that Ryan Pickens would like to make a presentation to the EDC concerning the Mars Hill Theatre prior to the September meeting. Committee approved. [Presentation will be at Town Hall at 6pm.]

Gene Cantrell will be contacted to meet with the committee to talk about his project at the Ebbs Chapel School Foundation within the next few months.

Rick provided an update concerning WCU. AB Tech/WCU may not have students available for the project during the fall semester. The Small Business Center might take over project. No start date was given.

Rick brought up: Darhyl Boone sent Judi Jetson an email about availability of specific money for Mars Hill and our marketing proposal. In an email back to Darhyl, Judi responded that “we’ve received approval from the Rural Center to use some of the remaining funds in our grant to help each small town put together a marketing brochure that lists their accomplishments, assets, and aspirations. We will manage this in-house, using a professional designer and writer. We’re developing prototypes now, and should have something ready to share by the end of August.” She also added “Real estate marketing is beyond the scope of this project, but is certainly a good idea for Mars Hill. Most small town organizations have real estate professionals as members of their group, and when Mars Hill is ready to re-activate it’s our small town organization you should reach out to them.” The committee will wait to see what HandMade develops at the end of the month.

At some point, Terry Meek (a local architect, who is also working with Ryan Pickens on the Mars Hill Theatre project) would like to come to a EDC meeting. The committee welcomed him to come and maybe September’s meeting would be appropriate.

The Madison County League of Women Voters are holding two forums. The first will be for the Madison County Commissioners on Tuesday, 14 September 2010, 6:30pm at AB Tech Marshall campus. The second will be for the Sheriff and Clerk of Court for Madison County on Tuesday, 21 September 2010, 6:30pm at AB Tech Marshall campus.

Next meeting will be Thursday, 16 September 2010, 6:30pm at Mars Hill Town Hall.

Meeting adjourned.