Lots of people turned out Saturday to help make Christmas wreaths for the Historic Rugby buildings and Christ Church. The Community Building was a beehive of activity as folks inside assembled wreaths and sprays and others outside cut limbs of pine, arborvitae, cedar, boxwood, holly, sumac, and nandina.
Rita Elliott did her usual incredible job of organizing the event and recruiting volunteers even though she had been feeling poorly all week. In addition to recruiting many people from the village and surrounding area, she rounded up a large contingent of her family who went to great effort to travel and devoted much of their weekend to this effort. Rita said: “It takes a village, and lots of family to get this work done. I am very grateful to everyone for their help.”
Lots of good food was provided for the volunteers. One highlight was some amazing deviled eggs made by Sarah Senft.
THANKSGIVING MARKETPLACE THIS FRIDAY
This Friday Rugby is having its annual Thanksgiving marketplace from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Eastern. While Christmas decorating is going on throughout the Village, craftsfolk will be demonstrating their wares at the Commissary. Victorian Santa with his "reindeer" dogs will greet visitors, who can also tours several historic buildings.
In addition there will be a Traditional Cream Tea ~ 2 seatings at 1:30 and 3:30 (by reservation) serving traditional scones, finger sandwiches and English Teas at Newbury House – $16.00/person, seats still available. Call 1-888-214-3400 for more information or to make a reservation.
Harrow Road Cafe will be open until 9:00 pm, with seating for dinner until 8:45 pm eastern time.
MAKE CHRISTMAS EVENT RESERVATIONS NOW
Historic Rugby is now taking reservations for its two Christmas events.
Home Tour – December 5
The Christmas home tour will be held Saturday, December 5, 2009. This is the first time private homes have been open at Christmas. A tour of 10 decorated homes and horse-drawn wagon rides in the lantern-lit village is included. A special holiday dinner will also be served at Harrow Road Café. Following dinner will be a concert by the Don Brakebill Singers at the Rebecca Johnson Theatre.
The home tour is 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Dinner seatings begin at 5:00 p.m. The last seating will be at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. The concert starts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. The event is $50 per person, which includes the home tour, dinner and concert. Reservations are required by calling 423-628-2441 or toll-free 888-214-3400.
Christmas at Rugby – December 12
Step Back To An 1880s Christmas At Rugby With candle and lamp-lit
visits to traditionally decorated historic buildings – hot wassail and caroling – actors presenting Rugby Christmas Past - Seasonal Music - Lessons and Carols Service at 1887 Christ Church plus traditional four course dinner 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern
EVENT TICKETS: (Includes all activities except dinner) $10 Adults; HS and Elementary Students $4.00, Historic Rugby Members $7.00
CHRISTMAS DINNER TICKETS By Advance Reservation two seatings – 5:45 and 8:00 p.m. Eastern $29.00 Each, tax and gratuity Included
THANKS FROM ERIC AND VI
By Vi Biehl and Eric Wilson
Our friends John and Joan enjoyed their weekend in Rugby very much. They were especially impressed by the sense of community that they felt as they met so many Rugby folks. We would like to thank all of you who came to the book signing and the open house on Saturday. This sort of interest and support by friends and neighbors is an example of what makes Rugby the special place that it is.
BEAR CLAWS AT THE TRUMBOS???
By Bob and Mara Trumbo
No, not the edible type you thought of at first, but Mr. Bear leaving his imprints on Mara's natural fern planter which was obviously also doubling as an ant nest. I guess if Mr. Bear is not the guilty party, then it's the annual visit by black hogs? The tree trunk still has a hard bark, can pigs do so much destruction in one night with their snouts? Any input on prevention would be greatly appreciated.
BIRTHDAYS
November 25 - Marilyn Young
November 28 - Walter Young
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Today, November 23 – Hike Around Rugby – meet at the Harrow Road Café at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. We plan to leave the Cafe area and head southeast to Allerton Ridge and the White Oak Creek. After a few hours of hiking in the morning, we'll rest and have a light lunch at Allonby. Then we'll finish with an afternoon hike along the Laurel Branch trail and eventually to the Meeting of the Waters. We'll hike along the Clear Fork River and then the historic trail. We'll enter back into the historic area of Rugby from the trail behind Wren's Nest. Hikers are welcome to do just the morning sections, just the afternoon sections, or both. There will also be a few places that folks who wish for an even shorter walk can break off from the main hike. For questions, contact Carrie Thornthwaite or Benita Howell.
November 27 – Thanksgiving Marketplace
November 28 - Lynn and Tim Takacs lead a hike at Big South Fork on the Slave Falls Loop, an easy 4.2-mile trail. We'll leave Harrow Road Cafe promptly at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time and carpool via TN 154, the Divide Road, and Fork Ridge Road to meet Lynn and Tim at the Sawmill Trailhead at 2:00 Eastern. Hikers are invited to Callie's Cabin for fireside refreshments afterward. Please RSVP to Lynn at lynntakacs@comcast.net and let Benita Howell know if you intend to carpool from Rugby (bjhowell@highland.net.)
December 5 – Christmas Tour of Homes – Tour of decorated Rugby homes, Christmas dinner at Harrow Road Café and concert at the Visitor’s Centre. Contact Historic Rugby for Information
December 6 - Casual Christmas open house at Gibbs’ 2:00 -5:00 p.m. Eastern. Learn to make Norwegian Christmas cookies or read Christmas stories and relax after work of Saturday's Christmas Fundraiser. Rugby friends all welcome.
December 12 – Invasive Plant Removal work day to pull Japanese spirea in the Rugby State Natural Area. Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Harrow Road Café. People interested in that project are asked to register with State Naturalist Lisa Huff by calling 865-594-5601.
December 12 – Christmas at Rugby – Tour of decorated historic Rugby buildings and Christmas dinner at Harrow Road Café. Contact Historic Rugby for Information (see above).
December 24 -- Christmas Eve Service at Christ Church 5:00 p.m. with the traditional potluck afterward.
December 25 - Christmas Day Hike - everyone is invited to meet at the Cafe at 2:00 p.m. to go to Colditz Cove for the traditional Christmas afternoon hike.
December 27 – Annual Meeting - Big South Fork Chapter of Tennessee Trails - 3:00 p.m. at the Harrow Road Cafe
December 29 - Christmas carol sing and open house at Tom and Benita Howell’s home, Ambleside, from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
January 2 – Community Potluck
January 16 – Book Club Meeting - The next selection is “The Known World,” by Edward P. Jones. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel explores the moral complexities of slavery in antebellum Virginia through the experiences of free and enslaved blacks, black and white slave owners, and their interactions with one another and with whites in a society shaped by slavery. The book was published by Amistad, a division of HarperCollins, in 2003 (paperback edition 2004).
Exercise Group - Monday and Thursday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern at the Friendly House
Quilters Group - Wed. and Sat. 2-4 p.m. Eastern at the Friendly House
TO Contact Historic Rugby call 423-628-2441 or Toll-Free 1-888-214-3400.
NATURE NOTESWouldn't you think that after almost 12 years in Rugby, I would have positively identified every tree here, especially those growing in yards I have visited many, many times? Well, you'd be wrong. I've only this weekend identified one that is rare, historical, beautiful, and growing at The Lindens.
Yes, I've "seen" this tree many times but to really know it is something else again. Only this early fall had I seen one of its blossoms – a large exotic white beauty with wavy petal margins and prominent golden stamens.
Then last Friday I observed its autumn foliage, dramatic orange-red. This is the first year I've seen it bloom, but I probably just missed it before. I misidentified it earlier this year as a Mountain Camellia (Stewartia ovata) which is in the same family and has similar blooms. Both are in the Tea family. Yes, it’s the same mostly tropical exotic family to which commercial tea and camellia bushes belong.
This lovely slender slow-growing tree is called Franklinia after Benjamin Franklin, and it's as American as they come. Discovered by the Bartrams, father and son, in the 1700's near the Alatamaha River in Georgia, it has since become extinct in the wild. Thank goodness, the Bartrams collected the plants and seeds and grew them in gardens because, thanks to them, these trees are available from nurseries.
James Keen, Marilyn Young's father, planted the Franklinia tree at The Lindens in 1976 as a celebration of our country's bicentennial. Look for it to bloom next September near the patio very close to the tall Dawn Redwood tree.
This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp
