RUGBY IS FOR (FOOD) LOVERS

Apparently folks were in the mood to get out and celebrate their Valentines this weekend. The Harrow Road Café was sold out for both seatings of the special Saturday night dinner and was packed again Sunday for the Valentine’s Day Brunch. I am sure that Grey Gables was very busy as well.

We were with a group at the Café Saturday night and found all the staff at the Cafe doing a great job with the food and the service – with assistance from hostess Cheryl Cribbet and husband Dennis, who once again graciously volunteered his help in the kitchen. Rita Myers and the Decorating Committee had the Café dripping in hearts and flowers. Rita worked most of the week preparing flower arrangements for the Café tables and female guests plus decorations for the guest rooms in the lodgings. She was spotted at one point, out in the bitter cold, picking little hemlock cones for pillow decorations that she made by hand!

Top left: Jane Fuchs is shown at the buffet table at the Sunday brunch at the Harrow Road Café. (Jane and Bob recently escaped from the big snow event at their home near Washington, D.C.) Top right: A group enjoys Sunday brunch at the Café next to the fire. Bottom right: Valentine roses on the table at Walton Court. Photos by Rick Murphy

HISTORIC RUGBY TO HOST TRAVELING FILM FESTIVAL

Historic Rugby will present the Southern Arts Federation’s 3rd Annual Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival at the Rebecca Johnson Theatre in Rugby on Saturday, March 6, 2010, beginning at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.

Short Circuit is the only program that spotlights short films created by filmmakers living and working in the Southeastern United States. The festival runs approximately 2½ hours and includes a brief intermission with complimentary hot chocolate.

The festival has 10 short films chosen for their artistic merit by a panel of media arts professionals. The engaging selections include fiction, animation, experimental and documentary films. From an ode to Georgia O’Keefe and an animated “monster movie,” to stock-car racing preachers, all 10 short films will be most enjoyed by teens to adults of all ages. The full listing of films is at the end of this newsletter.

“Historic Rugby is excited to partner with Southern Arts Federation for the first Short Circuit film festival in this region,” said board chair Greg Reed. “We hope it will encourage both new and past visitors to discover or rediscover this unique historic village.”

This year, the festival features work by filmmakers from Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee. The Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival is an annual program of the Southern Arts Federation (SAF), a non-profit regional arts organization. Founded in 1975, SAF creates partnerships and collaborations; assists in the development of artists, arts professionals and arts organizations; presents, promotes and produces Southern arts and cultural programming; and advocates for the arts and arts education. For more information on the Southern Arts Federation and its programs visit http://www.southarts.org/.

Film festival tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. Call Historic Rugby at 888-214-3400 to purchase tickets by phone. After-festival dinner at Rugby’s Harrow Road Café and lodging in historic buildings can also be reserved.

BOOK CLUB MEETING ANNOUNCED

The Rugby Book Club’s next selection is Kathryn Sackett's The Help, which has been on The New York Times best seller list for 45 weeks. The meeting will be at the home of Lavonne and Charles Gibbs in Beacon Hill (137 Luton St.) on Saturday, February 27 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The Help is a fascinating book about African American maids in Mississippi in the early 1960s and is a perfect selection for Black History Month. Lavonne may be able to help you locate a copy of the book. It is a quick read. You can contact her at 628-5678 or clgibbs@highland.net

ROBERT MONDAY FUNERAL TUESDAY

Long-time Rugby resident Robert (Bob) Monday had been in the hospital at Oak Ridge for pneumonia and multiple ailments recently. Tom Howell passed along the sad news that Robert died Saturday morning, at age 84. Schubert Funeral Home says that services will held Tuesday, Feb. 16 at Christ Church in Rugby with a 10:00 a.m. viewing and an 11:00 a.m. funeral sevice by Peter Keese. For further information, contact Schubert Funeral Home in Sunbright at 423-628-2888.

HISTORIC RUGBY WORKSHOPS BEGIN SOON

A new season of workshops begins soon at Historic Rugby. The first three workshops are listed below following the calendar of events. For a full listing go to http://historicrugby.org/workshop/workshop.htm

BIRTHDAYS
February 17 - Liam Neary
February 18 - Linda Brooks Jones
February 19 - Mike Stagg and Peter Erickson

CALENDAR

February 27 – Book Club meeting at Lavonne Gibbs home in Beacon Hill (137 Luton Street) - 7:00 p.m. The book is Kathryn Sackett's The Help

February 28 – HRI Board Meeting 1:30 p.m. Eastern

March 6 - Southern Arts Federation’s 3rd Annual Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival at Rebecca Johnson Theatre in Rugby 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Film festival tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Call Historic Rugby at 888-214-3400 to purchase tickets by phone. After-festival dinner at Rugby’s Harrow Road Café and lodging in historic buildings can also be reserved.

March 6 – Community Potluck 7:00 p.m. Eastern

March 12 – History Club 7:00 p.m. Eastern – Mike Harris will discuss the planned Cemetery Tour

March 20 - The Wild Thyme Players and The Silver Stage Players present an original production of “The Way the Story Goes” a collection of true stories written and performed by artists ranging in age from 10 to 85. 7:30 p.m. Eastern, Historic Rugby’s Rebecca Johnson Theatre. Contact Historic Rugby for more information or reservations at 888-214-3400 or 423-628-2441. Admission is free, but donations to Historic Rugby and the Players will be appreciated.

Quilters Group - Wed. and Sat. 2-4 p.m. Eastern at the Friendly House

WORKSHOP CALENDAR
For Workshop Registration contact Historic Rugby at 888-214-3400 - rugbylegacy@highland.net

Pastel Easter Basket - Saturday, March 27 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Instructor: Veronica Ludlow Fee: $54
A perfect workshop for beginner basket makers. This class makes basket making simple and you will create a colorful Easter basket to use year after year.

Spring Wildflower Walk & Image Show - Saturday, April 10 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Instructor: Jack Carmen Fee: $25. The Rugby region abounds with spring wildflowers, including several rare species. Jack Carman, whose book Wildflowers of Tennessee is a definitive guide, will lead us, by carpool and then hike, to a very special Cumberland Plateau location for wildflower viewing and photographing. Attendees will learn and see at least 30-35 species and attend an afternoon film presentation and book signing. Rugby's rare heirloom English Primroses and gladiolus bulbs will be for sale from Rugby’s Heirloom Nursery & Greenhouse.

Wet on Wet Iris Painting - Saturday, April 24 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Instructor: Mara Trumbo Fee: $60.  Learn how to master the principles of the Jenkins “wet on wet” oil painting technique with Rugby artist Mara Trumbo by following her personal step-by-step instruction.

NATURE NOTES
By Linda Konig
Most of you have probably seen Donna Heffner's Christmas cards she made last year--the ones with the Golden-Crowned Kinglets on them. At that time, I knew absolutely nothing about these tiny kinglets, but since then, I think I've heard and seen a couple of them up in some pine trees. Then yesterday, I purchased Winter World, by Bernd Heinrich, and it's the best nature book I've come across in a long, long time. Mr. Heinrich is in love with these diminutive birds (about the size of hummingbirds), and though many species of animals are covered in his book, he keeps returning to the Golden-Crowned Kinglets as the species with the biggest problem of survival in a New England winter. In fact, about 87 percent of their population dies every year, mostly in winter. Most kinglets live less than a year. Yet, their high rate of reproduction keeps them coming.

Throughout the book, he returns to the way these tiny birds keep from freezing to death. Many of these factors, such as fluffy insulating feathers, long flat wing feathers that act as a "raincoat" for the birds, tucking their heads under feathers at night, and reduction of blood flow to their feet are common to all birds. Some other factors such as huddling together are used by some besides Golden-Crowned Kinglets and are quite helpful. Some Golden-Crowned Kinglets live in the south, and so I wonder why they don't just all fly south where the living has got to be easier, but perhaps the long flight would be too much for these tiny birds' reserves. They must spend each day in constant movement from twig to twig snapping up insects, mostly geometer (inch-worm family) caterpillars that are glued to twigs, spending the winter in diapause before completing their life cycle in spring. It takes a lot of energy to keep warm in those New England winters.

Photo by Donald Waite - http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet/id

In the end, after endless cold days and nights of observation and experimentation, Mr. Heinrich still hasn't completely solved the mystery of how Golden-Crowned Kinglets survive winter, and I think that's one reason he's so fascinated by them. So what difference can all this mean to us, snug and smug as we are at the top of the food chain? I defy anyone to read the last two paragraphs of his book and not be moved and inspired by them.

This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp

Full Film Festival Listing

“Falling to the Top” Narrative Short. Directed by Wes Edwards.  Produced by Brittany Hailes. Nashville, TN.  Shot in an artfully directed, gothic comic book style, this is a uniquely crafted, funny short film about Bob, a hapless twenty-something trying to pull his life together.

“Faster Pastor” Documentary Short.  Directed by Adam Farrell, Savannah, GA.  As the sun sets on a humid August evening, local preachers, pastors, and ministers end their sermons and start up their stock cars. There can be only one Faster Pastor.

“Flight Lessons” Animated Short.  Produced and Directed by Neil Helm, Savannah, GA.  An airline captain and aviation enthusiast relates to an unexpected audience the wonder and intricacy of modern jet aviation.

“Monster Movie” Animated Short.  Produced and Directed by Stephen Hammond, Savannah, GA.  A cute, pigtailed little girl sits silently in front of the TV flipping through channels. Out of the darkness, a monster leaps forward, but the little girl remains unmoved.

“My Deer Friend” Narrative Short.  Produced and Directed by Andrew Cherry, Savannah, GA.  Glen, an energetic pre-teen, is faced with the pressure to kill a deer in order to win his father’s respect. Richard, a white tail deer, offers to lay down his life for his friend.

“Pollenating” Experimental Short.  Directed by David Montgomery, Fernandina Beach, FL.  An ode to Georgia O'Keeffe, “Pollenating” features imagery derived directly from nature. The motion is a result of the diversity of nearly everything in existence.

“Raised on Rice and Gravy” Documentary Short.  Co-Directed by Conni Castille and Allison Bohl.  Breaux Bridge, LA and Lafayette, LA.  More than anywhere else in the South, folks in the food-conscious town of Lafayette stubbornly cling to their traditions of home cooking and a shared midday meal.

“Si Tú No Estás” Narrative Short.  Directed by Noé Santillán-López, Savannah, GA.  A bolero guitar player, Julian struggles with music and life after the death of his wife. His grief breeds indifference to his son. Taken aback by a revelation, Julian opens his eyes to the reality in front of him.

“Sunlight & Babies” Documentary Short.  Produced and Directed by Kimberly Craig, Savannah, GA.  This documentary ventures into the nightlife of truck stop culture, as told through the voices of several anonymous truckers via CB radio interviews.

“The Farm Team” Documentary Short.  Produced and Directed by Scott Balzer, Marietta, GA.  This short doc is a first-hand look at the challenges of being on the grounds crew of a minor league baseball team in Mobile, Alabama, the rainiest city in the United States.