Montreat Minute 09/22/23
The Boys (& Girls) Are Back in Town!!
Last week some “new” Montreaters stopped by Town Hall. They didn’t stop to pay their water bill or inquire about a new building opportunity. They didn’t come to discuss the parking situation in Montreat and they weren’t asking how to find the pickle ball courts. But goodness did they have a lot to say!!!
Walter Somerville has a new flock of guinea fowl in Montreat!!! Walter is very excited to talk about his feathered friends. He loves how the flock brings people together adding that sense of community. The first fowl he saw in Montreat arrived the summer of 2005. They adopted lower Kanawha Drive as home and several people began feeding them. The Somerville’s loved them being around so much and took to raising them on their own. Native to Africa, guineas were mainly known for keeping a farm free of insects. Walter says they also kill snakes! They keep the Montreaters entertained and warn those on Kanawha Drive of anything unusual in the neighborhood by utilizing their unique cry.
Keep an eye out for Montreat’s fine feathered friends!!
Get Ready for Made in Montreat, October 14
Made in Montreat, the highly anticipated craft show and sale, is returning to the Moore Center on Saturday, October 14th, from 9:00am to 2:30pm. Beth Casper, coordinator of this year’s event, said the show will feature 20 artisans, all from Montreat.
This is the fourth Made in Montreat, which made its debut in Frank and Mitzi Cooper’s garage in 2018, then moved to the lower level of the Moore Center to accommodate more participants. Artisans will be offering a wide variety of items, including soaps, stained glass, jewelry, wood items, art, pottery and more.
Bears’ Fall Eat-A-Thon: What’s On The Menu At Your House?
In the fall, bears are hard at work searching for plenty of food so they can fatten up for the winter ahead. The hunt for food starts in late summer as berries and fruits ripen and shifts into high gear when calorie-packed nuts and seeds (soft and hard mast) are available. By fall bears are foraging up to 20 hours a day in a race against the clock. This annual power-eating marathon is called hyperphagia.
During hyperphagia, bears need to eat ten times the calories they normally consume – that’s at least 20,000 calories a day. Their goal: put on as much weight and insulating fat as possible before turning in for the winter. Even bears that live in warmer climates and den up later or sometimes not at all still go into hyperphagia in the fall.
A pound of acorns has about 2,100 calories; a pound of blueberries, just 256 calories. It takes many hours of foraging each day for bears to find 20,000 calories’ worth of nuts and berries. But just one bird feeder full of black oil sunflower seed or one garbage container overflowing with leftovers can reward a bear with a day’s worth of calories for less than an hour’s work. No wonder human-provided foods can be even more tempting as winter closes in. For more to this story visit the following website: https://bearwise.org/bears-fall-eat-a-thon-is-on-whats-on-the-menu-at-your-house/
The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame announced that Montreater George Beverly Shea will be inducted into the 2023 Music Hall of Fame class on October 19. Shea was an important member of the Billy Graham Crusade team for many years, leading music and singing a special solo prior to Dr. Graham’s message. Dr. Shea was a part of the first Billy Graham Crusade in Charlotte in 1947. He continued to be a part of the ministry team traveling the world with Dr. Graham, earning him the unofficial title of “the first international singing ‘star’ of the gospel world.” He retired to Montreat, where he lived on Kanawha Drive until his death in 2013 at the age of 104.
What follows is the NC Music Hall of Fame’s induction description of Dr. Shea:
“First singing for Billy Graham in 1944, George Beverly Shea carried the gospel in song to every state in the Union and to every continent of our world. As the musical mainstay in the Billy Graham Crusades, Shea was often called “America’s Beloved Gospel Singer.” Shea received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2011 and in 1966 he won a Grammy Award for Best Gospel or Other Religious Recording. He is most recognized for the songs ‘I’d Rather Have Jesus’, ‘The Wonder of It All’ and ‘How Great Thou Art’.”
Updates and Reminders
- Tree Board will be meeting on Tuesday, September 26th at 9:30 a.m. in Town Hall. The Zoom link, when available, can be found on the Town of Montreat’s website.
- Board of Adjustment will be meeting on Thursday, September 28th at 5:00 p.m. in Town Hall. The Zoom link can be found here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89244506899
- Do you receive your own copy of the Montreat Minute or know someone who doesn’t? Sign up for the Sunshine List to receive the Montreat Minute and stay “in the know” about the Town’s happenings. CLICK HERE to sign up for the list!
Questions or Comments?
Do you have Town-related questions or comments to offer? If so, please send them to Angie Murphy at [email protected]and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Have a great weekend!