Two Rugby actors in a cemetery event held last year

Tours Now Available for Massengale and Cemetery

 Audio Tour Allows Visitors to Tour at their Own Pace

By George Zepp

Historic Rugby's two new audio tours are now available for anyone who would like to take them for just $3.

The professionally produced narratives feature both voice actors and East Tennessee participants. They were written by Barbara Stagg, Historic Rugby's immediate past executive director, with aid from a review committee.

One is a tour of Laurel Dale Cemetery highlighting a dozen of the individuals buried there.  The other tells about the whole trail to and from the Massengale Family Homesite, predating Rugby, now part of the new Rugby State Natural Area.

On the cemetery tour, you'll learn little-known facts about an assortment of original Rugby settlers and those who came later. One is the founder's 90-year-old mother. Another is a beloved lady who died in poverty. One man drowned and another died in Rugby's typhoid outbreak.

As you walk the Massengale trail, numbered signposts correspond with fascinating tidbits about the plant and animal life of the area as well as the story of the Massengales. The family had a homestead in Morgan County long before the British settlement of Rugby in 1880. You'll hear about how they succeeded on an isolated ridge and how Rugby residents interacted with them. 

Each tour takes a little more than an hour at minimum, but the pace is up to individuals' own speeds. The Massengale trail includes modest uphill hiking, but the cemetery is generally flat with nearby parking.

The AcoustiGuide audio tours were funded by an Appalachian Regional Commission "Gems of Appalachia" grant. They are both available at Historic Rugby's Visitor Centre, where personally guided tours of Rugby's historic buildings also continue to be available seven days a week.

Photo of the Week

The PeeGee Hydrangeas are in bloom in Rugby.  This is one of the few hydrangeas that can be pruned into a tree shape, as seen in this photo of the cluster in front of Walton Court.  There is also a large one in the front yard of the Hicks' home in Beacon Hill which was the historic site of Lizzie Fletcher’s home.   Photo by George Zepp.

World’s Longest Yard Sale Coming Near Rugby Soon

 2011 World's Longest Yard Sale Set For August 4-7

 Four Days of Bargain Hunting Now Spans 6 States, Over 600 miles

The U.S. 127 Yard Sale is coming up soon, August 4-7.  The event, which started in 1987,  now runs from Hudson, MI, south to Chattanooga, TN, then switches to the Lookout Mountain Parkway, continuing to Gadsden, Alabama, for a total of over 600 miles!.

The route goes about 15 miles west of Rugby, so it is very easy to go to part of the Yard Sale from Rugby.

 The original intent of the sale was to prove the back roads have something to offer, and that the interstate system was not the only mode for travel. County officials put together a list of attractions along the route in Kentucky and Tennessee. There are over three hundred attractions along the route to provide enjoyment for the family. Whether it be majestic hills, beautiful scenery, river boats, railroads, toe tapping music, arts, crafts, horses, fishing, hiking, bits of Civil War or Indian History, there are many opportunities to enjoy the beauty and culture of the land along the 127 Sale Route.

Thousands of people participate in the sale each year as vendors. A front lawn may be turned into a showcase as items are displayed. Off road parking is essential, and many of the homes have this space. Visitors should honor requests of "No Parking" or "No Trespassing" posted by families not participating in the sale -- cars can leave deep tire ruts on a soft lawn.

 As the sale developed, a vacant field at a good location has proven to be an excellent place to rent as vendor space. This yields a cluster of sellers at one spot and reduces the stop and park routine of the buyers. Such areas can be spotted from a distance because of the activity. Community parks, such at the South Fentress Park, are proving to be ideal for a grouping of vendors, as good parking and restrooms are available.

 People come from near and far to view this event. Folks come from all across the country by car, truck, motor home or plane. Some fly in, rent a car, travel the route and ship their newfound treasures back home. Some pull a trailer behind a truck, park the trailer somewhere and run around in the truck seeking items. Many visitors plan their vacations around the sale event, with some traveling the entire 654 miles. Others may opt to spend their time in a selected area, and venture off the beaten path to discover the history and charm of the land.

 For more information regarding the annual U.S. 127 Corridor Sale may visit its website at www.127sale.com .


Medical Providers for Rugby  

We have received a few emails about medical providers in the Rugby area.  It will take us a while to put together an information list.  If you have have any medical provider information, please email us.

BIRTHDAYS

July 27  -  Linda Konig and Louise Zepp

 July 31 - Jane Fuchs

CALENDAR

Rugby is in the Eastern Time zone, just barely


Saturday, July 30 - Craft Demonstrator on the Commissary Porch - Mara Trumbo, oil painting

Saturday, July 30 - Lunch and program by author Barbara Howell. Noon to 2 p.m. Eastern at Grey Gables. $12 plus gratuity. Meet Barbara Howell, a woman who beat the odds. Her book, Splinters, is the true story of a woman who faced her fears and overcame daunting obstacles to become successful in a man's profession. Her commitment to succeed, her courage and undefeated attitude will be an inspiration as you read this story of struggle and ultimate victory. Reservations required: 423-628-5252

Saturday, August 6 – Community Potluck 7 p.m. Eastern

Sunday, August 7 – Poetry Reading. Former Rugby resident Lisa Coffman will read from her newest poetry manuscript, "To the Less Obvious Gods," at the Friendly House behind Christ Church, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Coffman is the author of "Likely," an award-winning book of poetry published by Kent State University Press. An East Tennessee native, she currently lives and works on California’s Central Coast. Her poetry has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Saturday, September 10 – Book Club Meeting - next selection, “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Some reviews of the book, which is set in Barcelona in the 1950s, can be viewed at http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Wind-Carlos-Ruiz-Zafon/dp/1594200106. The meeting will be at the Beacon Hill home of Debbie Harris at 7 p.m. Eastern.

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

Rugby Yoga – Wed. 8:30 a.m. Eastern at the Friendly House.

  

NATURE NOTES

Stranger Than Science Fiction

By Linda Konig


I've wanted to see digger wasps for some time now, ever since I read about them in The Hunting Wasp by John Crompton.  I finally saw a female Common Thread-Waisted Wasp (better known in some circles as the Ammophila procera) the other day.  You can see photos of them sipping nectar, digging a hole, paralyzing a caterpillar, etc. at bugguide.net/node/view/11119/bgimage.  The wasp I saw was perfecting and stopping up the burrow she'd dug for her egg by holding a tiny bit of rock and rubbing it about on the ground to smooth an area about the size of a silver dollar.

 I sat down on the rusty guardrail near the highway where the road branches off to cross Little Creek to watch her.  She kept worrying about, and at first I couldn't figure out what she was doing.  The second thing I noticed is that she was buzzing as she worked.  This low noise reminded me of the sound of crows grousing among themselves at a distance.  Finally I realized the sound was coming from her.  It was different from any other buzzing I've ever heard from wasps or bees.   It wasn't until she began lifting tiny gravels which were much much larger than her upper body and placing them carefully in a round area that it dawned on me what was happening.  She was filling and disguising her hole.  Then she flew away without a backward glance.

 This last action convinced me that she had already placed a paralyzed caterpillar in her hole and laid an egg on it.  She wouldn't be back to that particular hole again.  Later I read some more about the complicated lives of these wasps.  First she digs the elongated hole and loosely fills it up with sand or bits or gravel, then circles about overhead to memorize the location (I'm not kidding; entomologists have determined this through testing), before going a-hunting for a hairless caterpillar. She stings the caterpillar into submission (mostly paralyzed but still alive) and drags it to the hole she'd previously dug.  She unplugs her burrow and then stuffs the hapless caterpillar into the hole where it will become fresh meat for the Thread-Waisted Wasp's baby larva after it hatches. 

 That is if all goes well.  What often happens is that a certain satellite fly follows the female wasp to her hole and deposits her own live-birth larvae at the rim of the burrow.  The wriggling fly larvae fall into the hole where they'll eat the caterpillar (a moth or butterfly larva) and also the wasp larva after the mother wasp has filled the hole and left.  I was amazed that the wasp does nothing to drive off the satellite fly or sting the fly larvae.  These are gentle wasps, perhaps too gentle for their own good.  It's a dog-eat-dog world out there.  Or should I say a larva-eat-larva world.

Historic Rugby’s Workshops

Saturday August 27 - Vegetable and Flower Gardening For The Fall ~ 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. EDT. Instructor: Bob Washburn. Fee $15. Planting a fall garden provides an opportunity to garden with fresh vegetables and flowers throughout the fall and early winter. The cool season enhances the flavor of vegetables. You will also learn the varieties and proper times to plant for the best fall garden ever. Bob will have a delightful selection of vegetables and flowering plants from his 52-greenhouse nursery available for sale.

Saturday, August 27 - It’s All Done With Mirrors – “The Kaleidoscope” ~ 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. EDT. Instructor: Sara Senft. Fee $65. The world of kaleidoscopes will be explored. This includes various mirror configurations, how object boxes are constructed, etc. Each student will complete a kaleidoscope to take home.

Saturday, September 10 - English Country Dancing For Beginners ~ 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. EDT (with a two-hour break). Instructor: Mary Hemminger. Fee $25. Come learn simple historic dances that were written and compiled in England in the 1600s and 1700s, the earliest being published in 1651. The dancing will be to recorded music. Individuals will use walking steps for most dances, as well as some slipping and skipping steps during the course of the day.

Saturday, September 17 - Victorian Decorations ~ 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. EDT. Instructors: Beth Hester, JoNell Hester and Joyce Lantz. Fee $25. Using fabric, lace, paper, ribbon and reed, create charming Victorian ornaments. At the end of the day, take home 6-8 ornaments plus many ideas and patterns.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23, 24, and 25 - White Oak Basketry ~ 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. EDT. Instructor: Bobby Edwards. Fee $130. This very popular 3-day workshop teaches the art of White Oak basketry from tree selection, splits, rims and handles to weaving a beautiful traditional basket. This is an experience not to be missed even if it does require “hand strength.”

Saturday, October 15 - Autumn Gathering and Arranging ~ 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. EDT. Instructor: Linda Konig. Fee $24. Join us in the fields and roadsides to gather dried wildflowers, seed heads, berries and nuts to create your own fall arrangement. Learn the names of and interesting information about all your “autumn gatherings”.

To register for workshops, call toll-free 1-888-214-3400 or 423-628-2441. Lodging may be available at 1880 Newbury House and local cottages at a 10% discount to students. Food service is available at the Harrow Road Café.

Historic Rugby’s website at http://www.historicrugby.org/ lists all workshops for the year.


This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp