Rugby Prepares for Christmas - Touch of Snow,
Remembrance and New Beginning
Rugby saw a little snow Thursday night and Friday morning, which somehow seemed fitting as many were getting ready for Christmas. The dusting also seemed appropriate since Friday was both the shortest day of the year and the day some had predicted the world would come to an end.
Remembrance and New Beginning
Rugby saw a little snow Thursday night and Friday morning, which somehow seemed fitting as many were getting ready for Christmas. The dusting also seemed appropriate since Friday was both the shortest day of the year and the day some had predicted the world would come to an end.
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| Christ Church - site of bellringing for Newtown victims |
While the world did not come to
an end, there was a solemn ceremony in Rugby on Friday. Tom Howell rang the
Christ Church bell twenty-eight times at 9:30 in the morning - once for each of
the deceased in the Newtown, Connecticut shooting.The bell ringing was done at the
request of the Bishop in all the East Tennessee Diocese churches, but reflected
the sadness and feelings of concern that many in Rugby share.
There is somewhat of a history in
Rugby of ringing the church or schoolhouse bells to sound an alarm. Using a
more modern mode of communication, Tom Howell had kindly emailed a number of
the folks who might hear the bell, so they would not be alarmed and they might
share in a moment of silence. Word had
spread and Tom’s email had made its way onto Facebook where it received several “likes.” And while the bell is not as
loud as it used to be (Benita says it may be cracked), several folks mentioned
that they did stop what they were doing on Friday morning and go out of
their homes to try to hear it and share the moment.
As the weather improved on Friday
and Saturday, it seemed to lift Rugby’s spirits. There were a surprising number
of people out in the village and the Café was busy Friday and Saturday
nights.
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| Perrigo Construction early last week |
One of the attractions for those
walking around the village Saturday appeared to be the construction project
for rebuilding Perrigo Boarding House. The walls of the first floor went up last week, so visitors, as well as
hopeful residents, are getting very interested in the project. Even without a second floor or a front porch,
it is clear what a wonderful impact the building will have on the village
streetscape. We noticed interested
visitors stopping in front of the construction site and reading the historic
marker telling about the original building and the plans for its new
beginning.
So on that note, we bid you
all a Merry Rugby Christmas – of remembrances and new beginnings (and maybe a
little snow).
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| Winter hike 2010 |
By Tom Howell
The Christmas Day hike
this year will go around the Massengale Homestead loop instead of the usual
Colditz Cove loop that we have done in past years. Mary Dresser, whom some of
us remember from her days a few years ago as Historic Rugby head interpreter,
will be coming in for this hike. She has but a short time in Rugby and has
not yet seen the new Massengale loop.
Meet at the Visitor Center at 2:00 p.m. EST Tuesday, December 25
Meet at the Visitor Center at 2:00 p.m. EST Tuesday, December 25
Master Gardener Classes Offered in Scott County
Program starts Feb. 5
Program starts Feb. 5
For the first time folks in Rugby will have the opportunity to participate in a Master Gardener Certification nearby. The UT/TSU Extension Office in Scott County has announced that they will be offering classes beginning on Feb. 5 at 6p.m. There will be a total of seven classes to receive certification.
The classes cover a variety of gardening
subjects, including vegetable gardening methods, plant identification, native
and invasive plants, garden pests and disease control. The cost is $115 which covers
the classes, a comprehensive Master Gardener Manual, course materials and
certification.
Class sizes are limited. To register call the
Extension Office at 423-663-4777 or email jwest@utk.edu
Bridge Work Nears Completion
Dozens of concrete trucks were seen going back and forth on Highway 52 through Rugby until dark on Wednesday. It was obvious from the construction noise that major work was being done on the Little Creek Bridge which is part of the new road work being done near Rugby. Work sounded like it was continuing after dark and when we went up there on Sunday there were large utility lights set up. It appears that the concrete road surface has been poured.
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| Equipment on top of Little Creek Bridge above newly poured concrete covered in plastic - photo by George Zepp |
Nominating Committee Requests Suggestions
By Tracey Stansberry
The 2013 nomination process for recruiting new board members for the
Historic Rugby Board of Directors has begun. Members of Historic Rugby may
submit suggestions for people to fill board positions any time before March 30,
2013. Suggestions should be addressed to Historic Rugby Nominating Committee,
c/o Historic Rugby, 5517 Rugby Hwy., Rugby, TN, 37733 or emailed to Tracey
Stansberry at tstansberry@stanlodge.com
New board members will begin their first term after the annual membership
meeting on Sunday, June 23, 2013. The first term lasts three years. Board
members can serve another three-year term before they must go off the board for
at least one year.
Board members must be Historic Rugby members, and they are expected to
attend a minimum of four Board of Director’s meetings each year. Their duties
also include being active on one or more of the standing committees.
This year the Nominating Committee has identified several areas of
particular need including marketing/public relations and sponsorship
development/fundraising. But more than anything, Historic Rugby needs Board
Members who share a love for Rugby and the surrounding region.
Please determine that the person you are suggesting has the desire and
time to serve. Include a brief biographical description and qualifications. The
Committee will select the final slate of nominees. This slate, with brief
descriptions, will be sent to the HRI membership by May 24 and voted on at the
annual membership meeting in June.
Pigs Are Back
The wild pigs have been back recently, making a mess by rooting along
Eric Wilson and Vi Biehl's fence and in the Mitchells' lovely orchard. The pigs truly make a mess. Some local hunters have been actively pursuing
them on the west side of town with guns and dogs. Hopefully the porcine invasion will move on soon.
BIRTHDAYS
Dec. 24 - Charles Gibbs
Dec. 30 - Ron Jackson
CALENDAR
Rugby is in the Eastern time zone, just barely
Rugby is in the Eastern time zone, just barely
Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve Service at Christ Church – 5 p.m.
followed by a potluck. All are welcome.
Dec. 25 – Christmas Day Hike – meet at the Visitor Centre
at 2 p.m. to hike the Massengale Trail
Dec. 31 – New Year’s Eve Dinner at Harrow Road Café.
Reservations required. Call 423-628-2441 or 1-888-214-3400 for details.
Jan. 2 – Winter Hours begin at Historic Rugby – Café open
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Dinner at Harrow Road Cafe
| Ongoing Activities Quilters’ Group - Wednesdays and Saturdays, 2–4 p.m. Eastern, at the Friendly House behind Christ Church Episcopal. Rugby Yoga –Mondays at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, at the Friendly House behind Christ Church Episcopal. Christ Church Episcopal -- Sunday morning services, 11 a.m. Eastern, year round; all are welcomed |
By Linda Konig
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| Pileated Woodpecker in Rugby |
A couple of afternoons
ago, I saw a male Pileated Woodpecker and 3 squirrels on one of those small
ornamental apple trees near the school in Allardt. They were all so busily engaged in eating the
grape-sized apples that they ignored me. I was really surprised to see the Pileated Woodpecker because I'd
thought that woodpeckers only ate insects, but I was wrong. When I got home, I looked them up on the web
and learned that they do indeed eat fruits, nuts, acorns, and berries, though
carpenter ants and other insects found on or in trees are their main menu
items.
Some of the berries they
eat are poison ivy berries, Virginia creeper berries, hackberries, holly
berries, Greenbriar berries, and elderberries. They also eat beetle larvae they find in decaying wood, which means they
probably enjoy eating the Ribbed Pine Borer larvae and pupae that I wrote about
last week, since both the woodpeckers and the pine borers frequent dead or
decaying trees.
Usually we hear a
Pileated Woodpecker before we see it. Their loud maniacal-sounding call is a real attention-getter. I was amused to read recently that one of
Hollywood's studios used the sound track of a Pileated Woodpecker's “laughter”
with a Tarzan movie, supposedly because they thought it sounded strange and
exotic; never mind the fact that Pileated Woodpeckers don't live in Africa.
Pileated Woodpeckers are
good parents. They generally mate for
life, and both share in the nest-making work and in the parenting and feeding
of the chicks. They even take turns
sitting on the eggs. One site I found on
the web said that a pair had been seen retrieving their eggs from a tree that
had blown over, and they were carrying the eggs to a different site! This is
rare behavior in birds.
This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp
