Here’s a fun story about Weaverville resident Wallace Shealy, who was recently declared the 2010 Bold-Faced Liar Champion at the Third Annual Southeast Liars’ Competition, held January 23 in Laurinburg, NC.  If you want to hear his tale, Shealy will be telling it on Friday, February 5, 2010 as part of the Reuter Center’s Fab Friday program.  The program begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Center, located on the University of North Carolina-Asheville campus (#16 on this Campus Map).

On January 23, 2010, the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast declared Western North Carolina resident, Wallace Shealy, the 2010 Bold-Faced Liar Champion. Shealy said, while accepting the award, “I am not sure if this makes me the biggest liar in the southeast or simply that I told the most original tall tale today.”

Shealy, who coaches other pastors on church planting, told a story based on the biblical account from the fifth chapter of Mark about Jesus casting out a legion of demons. With a twinkle in his eye he said, “of course I embellished the story slightly.” Maybe more than slightly, when the text says that Jesus sent a legion of demons into a herd of 2000 pigs that fly off a cliff, Shealy quipped, “that of course this is the first recorded case of Swine Flu.” He also suggests that this text might explain legionnaire’s disease. And as the pigs crash on to the rocky waters below, in the name of full disclosure, mentions that he heard the Underwood family got the hazardous waste clean-up contract resulting in the origins of deviled ham. Shealy told me, “it is all in good fun” but, I bet no one who heard him ever forgets that Bible story.

“I am not sure how I am going to explain to the church, public, or my real estate clients that I am now officially the Boldest Liar in the Southeast, “said Shealy. I bet he could put quite the spin on the beauty of those harvest gold counter-tops from the eighties and you certainly want him in your corner to negotiate your next home deal, even if at that point he is ethically bound to tell the truth.

Wallace has been involved with the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee for many years. He is also a member of the Asheville Storytelling Circle, whose membership includes a number of prominent regional and national tellers including Michael Reno Harrell, a judge and featured teller at the liar’s contest.

The 2010 Bold-Faced Liar Champion is already booked to tell his tale at the Reuter Center at The University of North Carolina-Asheville on Friday, February 5, 2010 and has been invited to be a master of ceremonies at The Storytelling Festival of Carolina. Beyond that I am sure we have not heard the last of Wallace Shealy’s tales.

I went to see James Cameron’s new film “Avatar” yesterday, and yes, the special effects are every bit as amazing as they claim. Even cooler was learning they’re the work of North Buncombe High School graduate Rob Powers.  There are articles about him in this week’s Weaverville Tribune and today’s Citizen-Times. The bio on Power’s own website says this about the project.

In June 2005, Robert was asked by James Cameron to be the first 3D artist hired for the “Avatar” feature film project. Working closely with James Cameron and the core design team Robert provided 3D concept and motion studies of key character, creature, and environmental assets for the film. Later Robert’s role evolved and he created and supervised the first ever “Virtual Art Department” for the film.

As Supervisor of the Avatar Virtual Art Department he and his team developed all real-time environmental assets for the production, and developed numerous innovative “Virtual” workflow techniques and tools that defined the process. Robert continued his efforts as Virtual Art Department Supervisor on the Peter Jackson / Steven Spielberg animated feature film “TinTin” where he organized and built a team in Los Angeles and worked in New Zealand with the Weta Digital Team.

Cool stuff.  Good job, Rob.

Congrats to outgoing Weaverville Mayor Bett Stroud (the “Tree Lady”), who was the WLOS Person of the Week last week. I can’t embed the video directly here, but you can watch it online at the WLOS website at www.wlos.com/newsroom/potw/videos/vid_25.shtml.

Congrats to these teen division winners in last month’s Weekend in Weaverville Photography Contest. You can view the winning photographs here, or you can see all the entries on display at contest sponsor Art Accents (1 South Main Street).  There’s some really great shots there, so stop by and check it out if you can. It also sounds like they’re going to make this a yearly event, so keep your cameras ready for next year.

Teen winners:

• Human Interest Category: Sullivan Brady
• Architecture/Structure Category: Sullivan Brady
• Nature/Animal Category: Lauren Eddins
• All In A Days Work Category: Kayleigh Evans

On Saturday, November 7, 2009, Weaverville will officially be designated a Community Wildlife Habitat. A certificate will be presented to Mayor Bett Stroud by Roxanne Paul of the National Wildlife Federation in a ceremony beginning at 11 a.m. at the Weaverville Town Hall Community Room (30 South Main Street). Weaverville is the thirty-third community in the country and the second in North Carolina to receive this designation. The event is open to all. Refreshments will be provided by the Weaverville Garden Club.

A reception to honor outgoing Mayor Bett Stroud will be held Sunday:

The Weaverville Town Council would like to invite you to attend a reception honoring Mayor Mary “Bett” Stroud for her years of service to the Town of Weaverville. It will be held Sunday, October 18, 2009, 2-4 p.m. at Weaverville Town Hall (30 South Main Street).

It’s official. In September Weaverville became the 33rd community in the country and only the second in North Carolina (the first is Montreat) to become a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat.  To be awarded the community certification, the Weaverville Wildlife Habitat team worked with 65 homes, 10 businesses/common areas, and 1 school to have each certified as wildlife habitats.  Each certification garnerned points for Weaverville as a community, and in the end the town earned 422 points towards certification, exceeding the necessary requirements by172 points.

The following letter was sent to the Habitat Team from Roxanne Nersesian Paul, Senior Coordinator of the National Wildlife Federation Habitat Programs, who gave me permission to publish it. Sounds like we made quite an impression.  Congratulations to the team members and community members who worked to help Weaverville achieve this.

I am please to announce that Weaverville, North Carolina has just become the nation’s 33rd certified Community Wildlife Habitat.

Weaverville is a town of about 2850 people located 10 miles north of Asheville and 2300 feet above sea level in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Their team of volunteers was an extremely strong one, with two leaders both having their PhD’s and one of them a Habitat Steward as well.  Weaverville also received support from their local chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, one of our affiliates most actively engaged in education.

Having gone through their project notebook, I wish I could convey to you what an extraordinary project this was for such a small town.  In addition to getting their local elementary school certified, they certified 9 other community sites, including the Fire Station, a local funeral home (!), 3 inns, and a demonstration garden called Main Street Nature Park.  Sixty-five individual homes were also certified.

The team worked with the town government to modify the local weed ordinance to allow only native plants and well-behaved exotics.  The weed ordinance also prohibits the planting of invasives from the North Carolina noxious weed list.  A CVS will soon be opening in town and the team made specific recommendations about native plantings to replace the existing vegetation and the CVS management agreed!

In addition, one of the team leaders created a CD with a 161 page pdf with photos and descriptions of specific plants native to western North Carolina.  The CD was made available to town residents for a nominal fee, which helped support the project’s efforts.

Please join me in congratulating the Weaverville Community Wildlife Habitat team and the North Carolina Wildlife Federation.

Congratulations to English teacher Jenny Wood, North Buncombe High School Teacher of the Year for 2009-2010 and North Buncombe district finalist for Buncombe County Schools Teacher of the Year.  The Buncombe County Teacher of the Year will be announced September 21. More information and other district finalists from Buncombe County Schools:

BCS 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year Finalists
Buncombe County Schools is proud to announce that finalists have been chosen for the 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year Award.  Teachers were selected representing each of the county’s six school districts:

• REYNOLDS: Meredith Stanley, Haw Creek Elementary
• OWEN: Amanda Venturella, Owen Middle
• ERWIN: Lorraine Orenchuk, BC Early College
• ENKA: Erica Battle, Enka Middle
• NORTH BUNCOMBE: Jenny Wood, North Buncombe High
• TC ROBERSON: Christopher Semper, TC Roberson High

“First to be chosen by peers as their school’s best is quite an honor – to represent their district is even more exceptional! As superintendent I am not only proud of these six recognized professionals but all of the dedicated classroom teachers within our system,” says Dr. Tony Baldwin, Superintendent.

Candidates were selected by reviewing their submitted portfolios and by a committee interview process.  In the last phase of the selection process, finalists will be visited in their classrooms and also be asked to present speeches.

The BCS 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year will be announced at the annual banquet on Monday, September 21 at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel.

Last week the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources announced the winners of its 2009 North Carolina Urban Forestry Awards program. Among the winners – Weaverville was named Tree City of the Year and Mayor Bett Stroud was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Here’s the official release:

The N.C. Division of Forest Resources is proud to announce the winners of the 2009 North Carolina Urban Forestry Awards program.

The annual program rewards cities, towns, organizations, businesses and individuals for outstanding work to protect and enhance community forests and raise awareness about the importance of urban forestry projects.

The N.C. Division of Forest Resources announces the winners for the following award categories:

• Outstanding Project Grand Award: City of Gastonia Evergreen Tree Project
• Outstanding Project Merit Award: City of Raleigh Neighbor Woods Program
• Outstanding Individual Grand Award: Mary Silliman of Apex
• Outstanding Individual Merit Award: Mariana Qubein of High Point
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Mary “Bett” Stroud of Weaverville
• Tree City of the Year: Town of Weaverville

Winners were selected by a panel that included N.C. Division of Forest Resources’ urban forestry staff and members of the North Carolina Urban Forest Council. Entries were judged for impact, quality, innovation and the degree to which the work serves as a worthy example for others to follow. The winners may also be nominated for the National Arbor Day Awards program.

Award recipients will be recognized at the N.C. Urban Forest Council’s 2009 Annual Conference Awards Banquet on Sept. 15 at the Marriott Hotel in Winston-Salem.

About the Lifetime Achievement winner:
Mary “Bett” Stroud was instrumental in establishing an urban forestry program in the Town of Weaverville. It was under her leadership that Weaverville earned its designation as a Tree City USA community. Since becoming mayor of Weaverville in 1993, Mayor Stroud has continued to serve as a member of the Weaverville Tree Board, has helped coordinate tree care workshops, garden tours, tree planting events and created the Main Street Nature Park, which has recently been recognized as a “Wildlife Habitat Area” by the National Wildlife Foundation.

About Tree City USA of the Year:
The Town of Weaverville has been a Tree City USA community for the past 18 years and has received 15 Tree City USA Growth Awards during that same time. Weaverville, population 20,702, is located in Buncombe County, just north of Asheville. Weaverville is being recognized because of its extraordinary achievements of its tree board, lead by Mayor Mary “Bett” Stroud, who is being honored with a lifetime achievement award. Over the past 18 years, Weaverville has developed the Main Street Nature Park, conducted numerous tree care workshops for residents, hosted volunteer work days to maintain the nature park, planted over 1,067 trees and publicized the efforts of the tree board in the local newsletter, “Focus on Weaverville”.

While searching online for more information about the awards, I found a short piece about Mayor Stroud winning the National Arbor Day Foundation’s Lawrence Enersen Award in 2004 (it’s the third story from the top). In it, Stroud says over 619 trees have been planted in Weaverville since it was first designated a Tree City.

More news and notes from out on the web.If you find other stories out there that I haven’t mentioned (save for arrest reports and car crashes, which I’m not in the habit of publishing), please let me know about them.

North Buncombe High School’s Deandra Bodenhorst and Audrey Hartye were selected to the Mountain Athletic Conference All-Conference Soccer team.

North Buncombe High School’s Cody Geyer was named the Mountain Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Year for 2009. Geyer also won the Asheville Tourists’ Home Run Derby and will represent the Tourists in a league-wide South Atlantic League contest June 23.

North Buncombe High Schools’s Sydney Revis was second in Shot Put on the Final WNC Track Honor Roll.

Citizen-Times photographer Steven Dixon was taking pictures at last week’s Weaverville Tailgate Market.

North Buncombe High School’s Luke Brown was one of four WNC players selected to play in the East-West all star baseball series later this month. Brown has also committed to play college baseball for Methodist.

Last week’s HonorAir trip, which included 9 local WWII veterans sponsored by the Weaverville Rotary Club, was featured on NBC Nightly News last night.  Included in the segment, Weaverville’s Julian Palien.  (If you have trouble viewing the video below, it’s also available at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30904236#30904236)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Some of the recent North Buncombe and Weaverville school news and notes I’ve found out on the web:

North Buncombe High School students Emma Johnson and James MacDonald received Good Citizenship Awards from the Asheville Civitan Club this week.

North Buncombe High School’s Justin Min made it to the quarterfinals of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 3-A Tennis Championships. (The North Buncombe men’s tennis team also just finished their season with a 15-1 record, their lone loss against 2008 State Champion Charlotte Catholic.)

North Buncombe’s Sydney Revis had the best showing at the 2009 NCHSAA 3-A Track & Field Meet, taking third place in the Girl’s Shot Put. Other North Buncombe finishes:

• Sage Profit finished 8th in the Girl’s Pole Vault.
• The 4×800 Meter Girl’s Relay Team finished 7th. Team members were Justine Stocks, Jessa Vogel, Audrey Garrett, and Allison Fox.
• The 4×400 Meter Girl’s Relay Team finished 4th. Team members were Justine Stocks, Jennifer Roberts, Allison Fox, and Madison Emery.
• Alan Youngberg finished 5th in the Boy’s Discus Throw

North Buncombe Middle School student teams Kayla Metcalf & Robert Brailer, Lindsey King & Danielle Taylor, and Alex Destino & Travis Broadhurst took first, second, and third place respectively in the Spring 2009 Stock Market Game sponsored by the North Carolina Council on Economic Education (NCCEE).

Weaverville Primary first grader Francisco Diaz-Rodriguez was selected as the Shoney’s and Star 104.3 Star Kid of the Week.

The rain location for today’s Arbor Day ceremony, originally planned for Lake Louise, is the Weaverville Fire Department (3 Monticello Road ). Here’s what you’ll find happening there starting at 3 p.m.:

• Weaverville will receive its 19th Tree City USA Award and a special Tree City USA Growth Award
• Several people will be recognized with the Mayor’s Community Service Award
• Beautification awards will be presented
• Tree Board poster and poetry contest winners will be recognized
  • Poster Contest First Place: Bryson Oliver
  • Poster Contest Second Place: Emerson Rohl
  • Poster Contest Third Place: Brandi Berninger
  • Poster Contest Honorable Mentions: Grace Rossell, Freddy Alexis Perez, Jeshua Potts, Brigid Hudson
  • Poetry Contest First Place: Lilah Rossell
  • Poetry Contest Second Place: Polly Metcalf
  • Poetry Contest Third Place: Megan Threadway
  • Poetry Contest Honorable Mentions: Dylan Wofford, Justin Crane, Moriah Buttman
• Music will be provided by Jane and Jim McCoy and the North Buncombe Middle School Jazz Band.
• The Weaverville Wildlife Habitat Team will be giving away free native butterfly plants (one per family as supply lasts)
• A white oak tree will be also be planted in memory of Clark Pennell, educator and principal in the area for 35 years. Mr. Pennell passed away late last year.

Several area World War II veterans left this morning for Washington, DC on a chartered jet to tour various sites, including their memorial (pictured above) and Arlington National Cemetery, as part of the HonorAir program. The Weaverville Rotary Club, along with other area Rotary clubs, is providing this opportunity, at no charge to the veterans, to honor these individuals for their service. Funds for the 9 WWII veterans and 3 guardians sponsored by Weaverville came from the Rotary Club’s flag program.  The Asheville Regional Airport (708 Airport Road, Fletcher ) has invited everyone to meet these Veterans at the airport to welcome them back home. Visitors may park in Short-Term parking (the first 20 minutes are free) and greet the Veterans in the main airport terminal. Estimated arrival time is 7-7:15 p.m.

Weaverville news and notes found around the web this week.  Find something I’ve missed? Leave a comment or send me an email to let me know about it.

Weaverville resident and 2008 Ms. Wheelchair of North Carolina Brandee Ponder passed the crown to 2009 winner Erika Bogan earlier this month.

Wendy Logan of North Windy Ridge has been selected as one of the 2008-09 Counselors of the Year by Buncombe County Schools

11-year-old Kaitlin Jencks, of Weaverville, could attend the world-famous Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan for six weeks this summer on a scholarship if her parents can come up with the rest of the tuition and expenses by the end of April.  If you’d like to help visit www.kaitlinjencks.com.

Photo Gallery from last week’s North Buncombe-Roberson baseball game.  A controversial call allowed Roberson a 4-3 win.

North Buncombe High School’s Cody Cheek has been selected to play for the West team in the 2009 NC Coaches Association East-West All-Star Football Game, to be played July 22 at Grimsley High in Greensboro.

Weaverville news and notes found around the web the last few weeks.  Find something I’ve missed? Leave a comment or send me an email to let me know about it.

Several North Buncombe High School basketball players were among the Final WNC Girls and Final WNC Boys Basketball leaders.  Of note, North Buncombe athletes took the top spot in Rebounding for boys (Randy Pressley) and girls (Sydney Revis).

North Buncombe sophomore Dallas Rice (171) placed ninth in his weight class at the High School Junior Nationals wrestling tournament, held in Virginia Beach earlier this month.

North Buncombe High School senior Hillary Stowe received a National Gold Art Award for her painting, “Vulture”, at the 85th National Scholastic Art Awards in New York City.

The Weaverville Wildlife Habitat Group has certified 51 homes in Weaverville. They need 63 homes, along with 9 businesses/community properties and 2 schools, in order to have Weaverville certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat.  Montreat is the only other community in North Carolina with that designation.

Weaverville news and notes found around the web this week.  Find something I’ve missed? Leave a comment or send me an email to let me know about it.

Citizen-Times photographer Steve Dixon was wandering around town Tuesday.  Check out his pics online in the “Weaverville Walkabout” Photo Gallery.

UNC-Asheville unveiled the Tile Mural Project, mounted in the lobby of the university’s Education Department.  The project features hand-painted ceramic tiles, made by 116 kindergarten and fourth-grade students at North Buncombe Elementary School working with 7 art education students from UNCA.  The Zageir Hall lobby is open to the public 8 a.m.-6 p.m. if you’d like to stop by and take a look, or check out it in the Citizen-Times Photo Gallery.

North Buncombe High School’s Amanda English was one of seven local high-school students who won Asheville Civitan Club $3000 scholarships.  English plans to attend N.C. State.

Weaverville news and notes found around the web this week.  Find something I’ve missed? Leave a comment or send me an email to let me know about it.

Mountain Mobility has added a bus route in Weaverville and North Buncombe.  The service is open to anyone and the fare is 50 cents.  Brochure and Route Schedule.

North Buncombe High School’s Sydney Revis, Riley Cook and Nicole Gentry were named to the All-Mountain Athletic Conference team for girls basketball.

The High School Sports Huddle blog says North Buncombe High School senior Randy Pressley “appears to have set a Western North Carolina record for career rebounds in basketball”.  He had 1,401 during his career.

Weaverville’s Dr. Timothy F. Johnson was re-elected as the Buncombe County Republican Party Chairman last Saturday. (I’ve also heard he will be running for the position of North Carolina Republican Party Vice-Chairman, but I haven’t seen an official announcement.)

North Buncombe High School’s Ski Racing Team finished second among 15 high schools competing in the area high school finals at Cataloochee Ski Resort last week.

The Buncombe County Commissioners approved a grant to help the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy put Hemphill Farm, adjacent to the Vance Birthplace on Reems Creek Road, under a conservation easement. Under the easement, property owner Ed Hemphill gives up his right to develop the 64 acres of land.

Weaverville news and notes found around the web this week:

Organizers more than doubled their goal at last month’s Red Cross Blood Drive at Town Hall, put together in honor of North Buncombe graduate Kevin Roberts.  Hoping to collect 50 units of blood, they ended the day with 105 units.  30 people also joined the National Bone Marrow Registry during the drive.

North Buncombe High School’s Kale Ledbetter and Randy Pressley were selected to play in the Blue-White All-Star Boy’s Basketball game. Ledbetter and Pressley, who helped lead North Buncombe to their first Mountain Athletic Conference title in 3 years this year, will be suiting up for the Blue team.  The Blue-White games will be played Friday, March 20 at T.C. Roberson High School.  The girl’s game is at 7 p.m. and the boy’s game is at 9 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door, $8.50 for students and $10 for adults.

North Buncombe High School’s Cody Geyer, Patrick Shelton, Rodney Pressley, and Luke Brown were picked by Mountain Athletic Conference baseball coaches to the Preseason All-Conference MAC Baseball team.

This didn’t just happen, but I did just learn Weaverville guitar store Dream Guitars won two awards in the 2008 Acoustic Guitar Magazine Players’ Choice Awards.  They took Silver in the Best Guitar Store category, and Bronze in the Best Online Guitar Store category.  There is an article online, but you have to be a subscriber to read it.

Found lots of North Buncombe High School (NBHS) news out on the web this week:

Last Saturday NBHS Senior Justin Rice became the first North Buncombe State Championship wrestler in 21 years.  Rice won the 145-pound weight class at the NCHSAA 3-A Wrestling Championship, held in Winston-Salem.  (I’ve also heard he broke a school record for career victories with 175.)

North Buncombe High School was the winner of the Cone O’ Candy in the Estimation Station contest at the 2009 College of Charleston Math Meet this week.  Having no idea what that was, I searched and found this explanation on the Math Meet website: “The estimation station is another contest in which a school turns in one answer. Students are required to estimate something (the amount of candy in a container, the size of a window high on a building, a length of rope, etc.) and the school whose guess is closest without going over wins a prize of candy.”

Four NBHS students were among the 20 regional Gold Key winners at the 2009 Western North Carolina Regional Scholastic Art Awards. Kimberly Buckner (painting), Rebekah Hencken (drawing), Hillary Stowe (painting), and Kelsey Sawyer (photography) will now be invited to an award ceremony in New York City and their work will be included in a National Exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC this summer.  You can check out all winner’s works in this online gallery.

Three NBHS football players signed to play college football for Mars Hill College.  Linemen Alan Youngberg and Josh Hope and lineman/linebacker Brian Posey will join lineman Cody Cheek, who signed to play for the Lions earlier this month.

See below for video highlights of NBHS Junior Cody Geyer’s performance at the 2009 International Power Showcase High School Home Run Derby.  The baseball competition was held in St. Petersburg, Florida, last month.  Geyer hit seven homers, finished ninth out of the 69 competitors, and won an award for the longest home run hit with a wooden bat (502 feet).  Power Showcase President Brian Domenico told me in an email “I have a feeling Cody (if he chooses to compete next year) will have a legit chance at winning this thing next year…tremendous power and more importantly, a class-act.”

A few Weaverville news and notes found around the web:

Weaverville’s Richard Fireman was one of two individuals given the 2009 Grace D. Lee Peace Award last month at Warren Wilson College.  The award is given in honor of the late Grace Lee of Montreat, in recognition of “unheralded sojourners who have advanced the cause of peace.”

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Weaverville’s Jeffrey E. Pott had a photo selected as the Picture of the Day by Astronomy.com.  Take a look.

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Weaverville’s Crystal Roberts won the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2009 Collegiate Discussion Meet.  Roberts, a student at North Carolina State University, earned a $2,500 scholarship from the CHS Foundation.  She was competing against 42 other college students and is the first North Carolina student to win the national competition. The meet was held February 8 at the Young Farmer and Rancher Leadership Conference in Sacramento, Calif.

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North Buncombe High School’s baseball team is ranked #10 in Impact Baseball’s 2009 Preseason Polls.

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North Buncombe High School senior James MacDonald scored his 1,000th career point Monday in the BlackHawks 85-58 win over Enka in the Mountain Athletic Conference basketball tournament.

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The North Buncombe High School Junior Varsity boys’ basketball team finished their season 23-0.  The Weaverville Tribune blog reports it may be the first perfect season of any NBHS team in the school’s history.

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