British Car/Motorcycle Show Saturday

 Grab the family and come to Historic Rugby for the free British Car and Motorcycle Show this Saturday, September 3, on Labor Day weekend. The hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern (9-4 Central). “People’s Choice Awards” will be presented along with prizes for both automobile and bike categories. Spectators will get a chance to vote on their favorite cars or motorcycles and to help Historic Rugby by voting for favorite vehicles at the donation boxes located at each vehicle. All proceeds will assist Historic Rugby in continuing to sponsor and host public events.

Registration of show vehicles is $7 during August, with the price going up to $10 in September or on the day of the event. The show will also feature craft and food vendors. Vendor booths are also available for $20. Come join in the fun. Enjoy the day viewing all of the fabulous vehicles, talking with their owners and helping by voting for your favorite ones.

Photo of the Week

Rugby folks gather at many places – Christ Church, the Commissary, Harrow Road Café, the Community Building, the Visitor Centre theatre.  But one recent gathering occurred by accident at a beverage store about an hour away from Rugby in Oak Ridge.  Barbara Stagg and Gayle Minor just happened to be at the store at the same time as another Rugby group. 

 Shown in the photo are Marilyn Hury, Jessie Gully, Gayle Minor, Barbara Stagg, Vi Biehl and Barbara Mitchell.  Photo provided by Marilyn Hury, on her Droid.

English Country Dancing Workshop Planned

Class for Beginners Sept. 10

If you have been wanting to come to some of the Rugby English Country Dancing gatherings but just weren’t quite sure you could keep up, now is your chance to learn beginning dancing and have some fun. Instructor Mary Hemminger will be teaching simple historic dances that were written and compiled in England in the 1600s and 1700s, the earliest 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.   10 a.m. - 4 p.m. EDT (with a two-hour break).  Fee $25.

Here is a short video that Mary provided of a dancing session held earlier this year. It is sure to go viral, so help spread it around.

 
Darwin Bertram Receiving Medical Treatment in Indiana

By Barbara Stagg

Glenda Bertram called to let us know that her husband Darwin has seen two doctors in Indiana, had several more tests done and expects to have an operation to remove the tumor in his brain in the next week or so. If anyone would like to send cards the address is:

Darwin Bertram
311 Indiana Street
Bicknell, Indiana 47512

For context, in case people don't know, Darwin worked for Historic Rugby as John Gilliat’s assistant for at least five to six years and helped with much building and grounds work, including helping rehab and restore the bat-filled schoolhouse and with the building of Historic Rugby’s workshop structure.

Darwin Bertram at left works on Historic Rugby's workshop. To the right is William Crabtree on ladder and John Gilliat below. Photo courtesy of Historic Rugby Archives.

Fall Planting Workshop

 By Gayle Minor

Ten of us gathered Saturday outside the Community Center for an excellent workshop on Fall Planting. It was a beautiful day, and Bob Washburn of Wolf River Valley Growers did his usual superb job. Bob brought many herbs and flowering plants, good for fall planting. Judy Newport won the container planter that Bob used to demonstrate the correct plantings for a fall planter. If you haven't visited Wolf River, you're missing a gardening treat: good selection, great prices, and really good advice!

  BIRTHDAY

Sept. 3 - Sam Neary

CALENDAR

Rugby is in the Eastern Time zone, just barely

Saturday, September 3 - British Cars and Bikes - Labor Day Weekend's Saturday will bring Historic Rugby's British Car and Motorbike Show. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. IT'S FREE TO SPECTATORS. "People's Choice Awards" will be presented along with prizes for both automobile and bike categories. Registration of vehicles is just $7 during August or $10 starting Sept. 1. Vendor booth spaces will be available for $20. Call Historic Rugby (423-628-2441) to make arrangements or email rugbylegacy@highland.net .

Saturday, September 3 – Community Potluck – 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 10 – Book Club Meeting - next selection, “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Reviews of the book, which is set in Barcelona in the 1940s-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.

Saturday, October 1 – Michaelmas Festival, Christ Church Episcopal – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern. Free events including crafters in church yard, English Country Dancers, bake sale, children’s activities, tours of historic church. British Cream Tea, $10 per person – seatings at noon and 2 p.m. with reservations for tea recommended. Contact Dorcus McBrayer 423-628-1282 or grannymcbrayer@gmail.com

Saturday, October 8 – Cemetery Lantern Tour

Sunday, October 9 – Historic Rugby Board Meeting 1:30 p.m. at the Community Building

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

Meet Ms. Argiope Aurantia

By Linda Konig

She has several aliases: Golden Garden spider, Black and Yellow spider, Golden Orb Weaver, Sewing Machine spider, or Writing spider.  You may prefer to call her Charlotte, after the plucky writing spider written about in E.B. White's book, Charlotte's Web.  You may find many, many pictures of them if you Google photos of Argiope aurantia.  Anyway, I have two Golden Orb Weavers now in the flowerbed against the concrete garage by my residence.  There were three, including a male, but I haven't seen him for a few days.  He was tiny, especially compared to the large females.  The male's sole purpose in life is to mate with a female.  Immediately when this is accomplished, he dies.  So maybe he mated with the nearest female and passed on. So far she hasn't made an egg sac, and I haven't been able to find out how soon after mating they make their egg sacs. Usually she makes one to four of them, and they can have up to 1,000 eggs in each sac. 

I've been watching these spiders for about three weeks. Not only are the females eye-catching, but they're peaceful and leading busy, productive lives.  Almost every day they catch something in their orb webs.  After they bite it and wrap it with the silk in the stabilimentum, in about one to four hours they suck it dry and release the body husk to fall into the vegetation below.  They're busy at nighttime, too, eating the orb part of their web and making a new one before dawn.  All that creative work must require lots of energy.  The most ingenious part seems to be the stabilimentum, the white zig-zag vertical line down the middle of the web.  It reminds me of rick-rack.  Scientists are still divided in opinion about what purpose the zig-zag line serves. There are several plausible answers.

 Several days ago, something happened to the female nearest the rear of the garage.  Somehow she lost two legs, the right front ones.  In spite of her handicap, she's still able to re-weave the most important part of her web each night.  She must be one of the famous Charlotte's great-great-great grandchildren.  Who knows?  Any morning I may wake up to find a message in her web, something like SEE RUGBY or WHERE ARE YOU WILBUR? or, most cunningly, FLY CROSSING.

Historic Rugby’s Workshops

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