Stop in to see Jessie at Commissary on Friday

Spring Schedule for Historic Rugby

Starts Friday

 Come Have Breakfast at the Café – Friday thru Sunday

 The Spring schedule begins at Historic Rugby this Friday, March 15 as the museum village resumes site tours and the Commissary reopens, according to Executive Director Mike Harris. The Spring schedule also includes expanded hours for the Café, including breakfasts Friday through Sunday and an expanded schedule for lodging.  Here is the new schedule from the website (all times Eastern Daylight):

Commissary and Museum Visitor Center:
Thursday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday - Noon to 6 p.m.

Lodging: Newbury House Bed & Breakfast: Thurs/Fri/Sat

Lodging: Pioneer Cottage & Percy Cottage: Seven days a week

Harrow Road Cafe:
Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

“Lantern Tour on Stage” and St. Patrick’s Day Dinner – Saturday

 New Characters Added to Performance  

Just a reminder that a new “Lantern Tour on Stage!” will be performed Saturday in a version not seen last year. Reservations are available now at $10/$5 students by calling 423-628-2441. Seats are limited. The performance tells the story of Rugby’s past through the words of Rugby residents who are buried in Laurel Dale Cemetery. The unique combination of live presenters and historic photographs makes for an interesting afternoon.  Added this year to the program are stories of more recent history, including tales of Martin family members who helped revive Rugby starting in the 1940s after decades of decline.  

Rebecca Johnson Theatre on Saturday, March 16 at 4 p.m. Eastern/ 3 Central. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. Included in your admission will be a special 20% discount card to be used that evening at the Harrow Road Café for one meal (wine and ales not included in discount). Just bring your ticket to the Café for your special discount after the show. Reservations are highly recommended, but tickets may be available at the door. Call Historic Rugby at 423-628-2441 or e-mail for reservations historicrugby@highland.net .  

After the program, don’t miss the special St. Patrick’s Day Feast at the Café.  In addition to the usual menu items available that night, a special dinner of Irish favorites will be featured, including corn beef and cabbage and flounder almandine. Reservations are not required, but will be accepted. The Café phone is 423-628-2350. 

Also, the Commissary will be having a special sale this Saturday and Sunday of green merchandise in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and the museum/general store’s seasonal reopening.

 

 Lisa Huff leads Saturday's State Natural Area Hike

Geology Workshop and Hike March 23

Reserve Your Spot Today

Enjoy an early spring hike and lunch as you learn more about the geology of the Cumberland Plateau. Geologist Peter Lemiszki will lead a very special program and hike on Saturday, March 23, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. You will enjoy a hike into the beautiful river gorges surrounding the village of Rugby. The morning will begin in our classroom at the Commissary Store, where we will learn about the ancient geographic history of the region and how to identify various geographic features common on the Plateau. Following this introduction we will go on a 2.5-mile hike into the river gorges.  Be prepared for some steep climbs along this hike. A sack lunch will be provided.

Reservations are required, as there is a limit of 25 persons for this workshop. Call Historic Rugby at 423-628-2441 or e-mail us at historicrugby@highland.net for reservations. The cost is $20 and must be paid in advance to cover lunch and materials.   

History Excursion to Monticello, Ky. Rescheduled

 

New Date is Saturday, March 30 

By Lavonne Gibbs 

The History Group's field trip to the Monticello Museum has been moved from March 23 to the following weekend, March 30. Some of us from Rugby plan to drive up beyond Monticello to Mill Springs for a reenactment of return of troops from the War of 1812-1813, sponsored by the Historical Museum and Historical Society. We will then visit the Museum's new exhibits basement and floors 2 and 3. More information next week, but people can talk with Charles or Lavonne about the trip.

Save the Dates

 

Philosophy Club Meeting – The next session will be on Thursday, March 28 at 6:30 in the Harrow Road Cafe large dining room. – Amy Barnes 

Quilt Exhibit and Quilt Play Premier – Make sure you don’t forget that the Quilt Exhibit is April 12 and 13.  And the world premiere of the new Rugby Quilt Play is Friday night April 12. Details will be available soon.  Also, organizers are looking for quilts to include in the exhibit.  If you have a quilt that you would like to include, contact Debbie Harris at 628-6374 or email her at harrismd1@highland.net – Jody Hester

The Nancy Swain Watters Memorial Walk -- Friday, April 19 a benefit walk (five miles) is scheduled in Oneida to help support education programs on child sexual abuse, domestic violence, professional training, and services for children seen at the Children’s Center of the Cumberlands as well as clients of the Scott County Women’s Shelter.  We would like to get several people from Rugby to help support this important cause. For additional information and an entry form, email Debbie White at whited1@highland.net – Jody Hester

 

Young Dog Needs Home

 

 

Above is a cute young black dog with white markings that has been left in the village in need of a home. The friendly dog has been hanging around at the Café so that is the most likely place to find her.  I had trouble getting her to pose for a photo - she is in constant motion, but is prettier than these photos show!

 

Birthdays   

March 11 - Michael Buck

March 13 - Hannah Alley and Zach Alley

March 17 - Eric Wilson 

Calendar     

Rugby is in the Eastern time zone, just barely, and now on Daylight Savings Time!

 

Sat. March 16 – Lantern Tour Onstage! 4 p.m. Eastern/3 Central, at Rebecca Johnson Theatre. Hear stories of nearly a dozen Rugby residents of old and see projections of the people, places and things they mention. Live presenters tell their tales in their own words, from archival documents and interviews. Admission $10/Students $5. Call 423-628-7842 for reservations. Theatre seats only 100. 

Sat. March 16 – St. Patrick’s Day Dinner at Harrow Road Café. No reservations required. 

Fri. March 22 – Volunteer Clean-Up Day – Help the Quilt Group clean the buildings for the Quilt Show.  Meet at Uffington House at 10 a.m. Bring cleaning supplies, mops, brooms, vacuum cleaners, cleaning rags, etc.

Sat. March 23 - Geology Walk -Join Tennessee state geologist Peter Lemiszki as he takes us on a hike along the Meeting of the Waters trail to explore the geology of the Plateau. The day will begin with some classroom overview in our Commissary Classroom, then a hike and sack lunch through the Clear Fork and White Oak gorges. Reservations are required and there is a $20 charge for lunch and classroom materials. Please make your reservations now for this special workshop. Limit 25 participants. (423-628-2441)

Thurs. March 28 - Philosophy Club meeting will be on Thursday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the Harrow Road Café’s large dining room.

Sat. March 30 (Date Change) – History field trip to Wayne County Museum. Gather at Christ Church parking area at 10 a.m. Eastern to carpool to Monticello, Ky.

Sat. April 6 – Community Potluck, 7 p.m. Eastern/ 6 Central.

Fri. and Sat. April 12 and 13 – Rugby Quilt Exhibit and quilt play premiere

Save the Date – Please mark your calendars – this year’s Rugby Independence Day picnic will be June 29 (the Saturday before July 4^th) at John and Kathy Hicks’ house.

	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 welcome

Nature Notes 

Blues in the Night

By Linda Konig

 

I really miss taking folks out on night walks in the spring and summer, especially the part when we would go down into the woods a little way to look at the fungus gnat glowworms on seeping bluff faces. If anybody out there wants to go some night before it gets too late in the season, please let me know, and we'll get up a group to go.

 

 The sight of these tiny steady blue lights is awe-inspiring, to say the least. Scientists have determined that our southern U.S. fungus gnat glowworms (Orfelia fultoni) have the bluest light of any insect in the world. Sometimes, a little later in the season, we've been lucky enough to see what some people call the little blue ghosts at the same time and in the same place where we were seeing the fungus gnat glowworms. 

 The blue ghosts are a species of firefly that are quite different from the ones that glow yellow. Their lights are dimmer and blue. Instead of flashing, blue ghosts keep their lights on for several moments while they sail slowly along not far from the ground. Then they land in the undergrowth and their lights go out. A few seconds later, they rise with their blue lights on again. These are truly amazing and ghost-like to see, but they much prefer the darkness of woods. Their lights appear much brighter under the trees but are washed out by moonlight and house lights, etc., so don't expect to see them on your lawn. However, thanks to the fact that I don't have a security light, I sometimes see them at the edge of the woods against my yard. I should start seeing them next month.  Wil and Carrie Thornthwaite have them around their house, too. 

Another blue night phenomenon I've seen around Rugby is the Jack-o-Lantern mushrooms. These come up in July or August or so. Their daytime color is basically bright pumpkin orange, hence the name Jack-o-Lantern. These often grow piled loosely together. I used to see them at the base of a big rotten oak that was recently cut down at Ivy Cottage and against the boardwalk going up to the cafe on that side facing Ivy Cottage. At night, their gills glow with blue phosphorescence, but usually only the tiny crawling insects and the elves see it. I couldn't see it either as long as it was so near the lights of the cafe and Ivy Cottage. So I sometimes picked a couple of them and took them home to look at in total darkness. Your eyes have to be completely adjusted to the darkness to see this, but gradually you make out the faint ghostly blue. The blue lasts several nights. Unfortunately, I didn't find any good photos of Jack-o-Lantern mushroom gills glowing blue in the dark, and likewise no luck with the other luminescent blues in this article. Evidently photographers don't photograph these things in the dark or the color shows as green in the photograph.

 

 A more startling blue that lucky (sometimes frightened) people see at night is foxfire. I have yet to see it, but I look about hopefully every fall. I can't tell you how many times I've picked up pieces of decaying wood in the daytime and taken them home to observe in darkness that night, only to be disappointed. Some say the luminescence is bluish green, some say green, some say blue. Anyway, it's a fungus and needs moisture and warmth to grow. Many people eat the mushroom part, called honey mushrooms. The honey mushroom rhizomorphs (the parts that are root-like) grow on trees, usually under bark or nearby on the ground.  I've learned that in the daytime, the foxfire rhizomorphs look like black shoelaces or netting. I now know an area against a farm road where there are lots of fallen rotten trees where I haven't looked before, so I'm still hopeful. . . .

 

This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp