Storm Causes Damage in Rugby

Power Outage Lasts Nearly 12 Hours

A violent rain and wind storm came through Rugby early Thursday morning bringing lightning, high winds and hail. The storm was hard on Rugby’s trees and damaged the sign at Grey Gables Bed and Breakfast. The electricity was out in Rugby for nearly 12 hours after the storm. Land line phone service was also out for hours, but cellular service remained functional.  

Downed trees blocked at least two streets in the Beacon Hill area. Trees were also blown down at various places around the village, including several large trees down at the Massengale Homesite and on the Massengale trail in the Rugby State Natural Area that ends at the Historic Rugby workshop. Debris from wind-blown tree branches and evidence of cut downed trees was seen along Highway 52 all the way from Elgin to Allardt. 

Damaged sign at Grey Gables.  Downed ornamental pear trees at Grey Gables.  Downed trees near Massengale Home Site.

While it did take almost 12 hours to get the electricity back, it seemed like some crews were out very quickly clearing trees and limbs off the main road so that traffic could get through.  Many thanks are due to those in Beacon Hill who helped with the cleanup there. Historic Rugby’s Kares Stonecipher was seen bringing a truckload of tree limbs and debris out of Beacon Hill. 

As a side note to all of this, in addition to damage from the storm, there was apparently damage from a bear. Eric Wilson says “The storm wasn't the only thing that blew through Rugby Wednesday night. At least three people had their bird feeders trashed. In one case it was a hummingbird feeder and in another the feeder was empty.  Carman Roberson heard the bear at his place and saw it - a big fellow.” 

So, I guess that is fair warning that everyone should be vigilant about not leaving bird or pet food outside and keeping trash cans and grills secured, and if possible inside, so as not to encourage bears. 

Historic Rugby to Receive History Awards

Historic Rugby has been chosen to receive two Awards of Distinction from the East Tennessee Historical Society for the Laurel Dale Cemetery Lantern Tour and for the Audio Tour to Massengale Homeplace.

The awards will be presented at the East Tennessee Historical Society’s Annual Meeting on May 8 at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville.

38^th Spring Festival is May 12 - 13

It’s British, It’s Appalachian, It’s Festival Time at Historic Rugby

                                                  

Spring is here and it’s time to get out and enjoy the weekend…hear great traditional music…tour antique filled buildings….visit with craft folk and artists, all at Historic Rugby’s Festival of British and Appalachian Culture on May 12-13. Festival hours Saturday are 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday 10 am – 5:00 pm EDT.

On Saturday at the main tent, join us for local musicians, Standing Stone and Great Day in the Morning along with David Coe and the Appalachian-Irish Band.  Sunday, Historic Rugby welcomes newcomers to the area - Mountain Soul and Four Leaf Peat, as well as old time music by Tony Thomas and Judy Carson.

The Rugby festival will showcase numerous traditional arts and crafts exhibitors and demonstrators.  Children will especially enjoy Storytelling, Goat petting and demonstrations by State Park Rangers and miniature horse rides plus other hands-on activities in several locations including the Christ Church lawn.  

Regional crafters and artists will display and sell pottery, dolls, weaving, woodwork, handmade soaps, jewelry, white oak and reed baskets, candles, stained glass, honey and beeswax candles, wreaths, bird carving, art prints, watercolors, photographs and much more at booths throughout the historic grounds.     

Lark In The Morn English Country Dancers will teach and perform on the grounds on Saturday and  Sunday, including traditional Maypole dances for visitors.
                                                                  
Plenty of traditional food and drink will be available at Historic Rugby’s Harrow Road Cafe for home cooked meals, sandwiches and desserts and at booths with: pit cooked barbecue, cold drinks and more; The House of Douglas Bakery with British baked goods; Muddy Pond Mennonite goodies (Saturday only), Funnel cakes, homemade fruit cobbler, and ice cream, sassafras tea and others. 

ALL ACTIVITIES are included in one $5 daily admission for adults, $2 for K-12 students.  Preschoolers and Historic Rugby Members are free. Proceeds help support Historic Rugby’s preservation and year-round public programs. Media sponsors include WUOT-FM, and WDVX-FM.

Smithsonian “The Way We Worked” Exhibit is Open in Jamestown

Campanion Exhibit at Rugby Visitor Centre

Companion Exhibit in Rugby

The traveling Smithsonian Exhibit “The Way We Worked” opened Saturday in Jamestown.  It will continue until June 2.  It is at Progressive Savings Bank at 500 North Main Street in Jamestown. The hours are Central Time - Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays 2 – 8 p.m, and Saturdays 9 – 12 p.m.

Historic Rugby is sponsoring a companion exhibit of over 30 photos of people working in Rugby over the years. It is in the lobby of the Historic Rugby Visitor Centre and is free.

Jodye Weiler wrote about the opening of the exhibit in Jamestown:  “Who'da thunk it...’dignitaries’ among us...Butch and Cheryl Hodgkins were among over 300 Dignitaries invited to attend the ‘sneak peek’ of the Smithsonian Exhibit opening today in Jamestown.”

Pampered Chef Show May 5

Mother’s Day Lunch May 13


Tiffany Terry is having a Pampered Chef cooking show at Grey Gables on Saturday, May 5 from 3-5 p.m.. It is free. Come learn some new recipe ideas. Call her at 423-663-7503 with any questions.

Grey Gables is also offering a Mother’s Day lunch, Sunday, May 13.  There will be  12:30 and 3 p.m. seatings, Eastern Time. Adults $12 plus tax and gratuity, children under 12: $6.50 plus tax and gratuity. Call Linda for reservations: 423-628-5252

Matthew, Boyd, Michael and Kim

Three Generations in Race

Barbara Mitchell said three generations of their family did the half marathon in the Country Music Marathon event in Nashville on Saturday.  They included Barbara’s grandson Matthew who is 12 (this was the first year he was eligible to run), daughter Kim Stagg and her husband Michael Stagg, and Grandpa Boyd Mitchell. Boyd had been seen doing some serious walking in Rugby lately to prepare for the race. Barbara said “This was Boyd's first race. They said Michael set the pace. Four half marathon finishers and they could still smile after 13.2 miles. They then walked 2 miles to the car.”

Church Rummage Sale

Donated goods are still being accepted for the rummage sale that will be held at Friendly House during Spring Festival. Please bring all donations to Friendly House by Wednesday, May 9, if possible. 

Someone will be at Friendly House Wednesday mornings between 9:30 and 11; on Saturday afternoons during quilting; and between 9 and 11 Sunday mornings. If you want to drop off your donations at other times, please call Benita Howell at 423-628-5521, or email bjhowell@highland.net, and she will arrange to meet you.

History Night May 18

Just reminder that the History Night annual dinner meeting will be on the third Friday night of May. So mark your calendars for May 18, 7:30 p.m. Linda Konig will speak about Charles Wilson -- Emily Hughes' ill-fated fiancee.-- and three well-known-in-their-day members of his immediate family.Call Grey Gables at 423-628-5252 to make reservations.

BIRTHDAYS

None reported this week

CALENDAR

Rugby is in the Eastern time zone, just barely.

Saturday, May 5 – Pampered Chef cooking show at Grey Gables from 3-5 p.m. Free – come learn some new recipe ideas.  Call Tiffany Terry at 423-663-7503 with any questions.

Saturday, May 5 – Community Potluck 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13 – 38^th Rugby Festival of British and Appalachian Culture 

Sunday May 13, Mother's Day Lunch Grey Gables Bed and Breakfast -12:30 and 3 p.m. seatings, Eastern Time. Call Linda for reservations: 423-628-5252

Friday, May 18 – History Night Dinner , 7:30 p.m., at Grey Gables. 423-628-5252 for reservations.

Moss near Rugby earlier this year

Ongoing Activities

Quilters’ Group - Wednesdays and Saturdays, 2–4 p.m. Eastern, at the Friendly House behind Christ Church

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

Christ Church Episcopal -- Sunday morning services, 11 a.m. Eastern year round; all are welcomed.


Historic Rugby Workshops

Mosses and Liverworts Around Rugby Learn about the small plants, which form a green carpet over the forest floor, the luxuriant mosses, and liverworts. The workshop is Saturday, May 5, from 10 a.m.. – 2 p.m. Eastern. Instructor Dr. Kenneth McFarland is a Ph.D. Lecturer, Division of Biology, from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. His interests are morphology, taxonomy, and ecology. Workshop fee is $15 ~ register early!

Spring Wildflower Walk and Picnic Lunch ~ On Saturday, May 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, attendees can take part in one of the most diverse wildflower walks in Tennessee, led by instructor Jack Carmen, whose book Wildflowers of Tennessee is a definitive guide. Jack leads field trips and photo workshops for the Gatlinburg Spring Flower Pilgrimage, among others, and has won awards for his wildflower photos. The fee is $25 and includes a plant list of expected sightings. The day will finish with a film presentation and book signing in the late afternoon.

Sun to Shade Design Garden/Cumberland Plateau Garden Tour at Rugby Come spend the day in garden activities including a sun to shade design workshop plant sale, lunch and garden tour. Included in the day’s activities is a presentation including information about Rugby’s gardens, lunch and finishing the day with an Afternoon Tea in the garden. The event is Saturday, June 9 from 9 a.m. Eastern until 5:30 p.m. The all-inclusive fee is $40. Instructor Bob Washburn, co-owner of Wolf River Valley Growers in Pall Mall, will be joined by Rugby’s own Rick Murphy and Barbara Mitchell for this very special event. Register early – this is a day not to be missed.

Show Your Spirit Basket Workshop Create a generously sized Spirit Basket that is perfect for tailgating or carrying with you. This is an intermediate level project. The workshop is Friday, June 22 from 4 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Eastern and Saturday, June 23 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Eastern. Instructor Beth Hester is the owner of The Basket Maker’s Catalog. She has been teaching basketry workshops locally and throughout the southeastern U.S .for many years. Workshop fee is $99 ~ register early!

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

NATURE NOTES

Seventy-Six Spring Beauties

 By Linda Konig

I counted 'em. I've tried to keep track of the local spring flowers I've seen during the month of April, and, as of today, I've noted 76 kinds. Actually, I keep a daily nature journal, and all I had to do to know how many I've seen in and around Rugby was to go back through my journal and count them. So this count doesn't even include the ones I saw at or near Standing Stone State Park when I went to the Spring Naturalists Rally there.

Which was the prettiest I've seen around Rugby?  Who can say?  I tend to think some of the tiniest and least-noticed are the loveliest just because their petals, stamens, etc. tend to be so intricate and dainty.  Some of these would include the Speedwells, Buffalo Nut flowers, or Blue-Eyed Grass. On the other hand, you just have to love the larger or showier ones like Crossvine, Showy Orchis, or Showy Evening Primrose. You can always consider those sporting the colors you like best as being the prettiest. Who would want to ignore the reds of Columbine, Indian Pinks, Fire Pinks, Trumpet Honeysuckle?  How about the purples of Violets, Spiderworts, Wisteria, Smooth Vetch?  The oranges, the whites, the blues, the yellows?

I guess the one I was most thrilled at seeing recently was the Showy Orchis at Leatherwood Ford in the Big South Fork NRRA. I'd seen one there a couple of years ago, but this time I saw several growing close together. People are often surprised to learn that we have native orchids growing in Tennessee. I guess the nursery business has done too good a job of growing, hybridizing and selling exotic orchids from the jungles of somewhere or other.  Take a look at  www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/ShowyOrchis_090506.htm to see some Showy Orchids or consult a good wildflower book.  The Latin name for Showy Orchis is Galearis spectabilis, and spectabilis is Latin meaning “worth seeing.”  They’re well-named.

By the way, Rugby's annual Spring Wildflower Walk is coming up very soon—Saturday, May 19, beginning at 10 a.m. We'll be having a picnic lunch (included in class fee of $25) midday and another walk in the afternoon. Jack Carman, author of Wildflowers of Tennessee, will lead the walks. These walks will not be strenuous. We'll be stopping often for photography, questions and examining each flower. Jack will also show slides of wildflower photos he's recently made. For more information or to register, call toll-free 888-214-3400 or E-mail rugbylegacy@highland.net .  WEBSITE: www.historicrugby.org.  See you soon!

 This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp