The village has been very busy preparing for the big Quilt Event coming up April 8 and 9. This will be a great opportunity for people who appreciate the traditional art of quilt making to experience quilts, old and new, in the very appropriate setting of Rugby. One of the attractions will be the exhibit of quilts at Uffington House - one of the most important historic houses in Rugby. See photo of Uffington to the right taken by George Zepp.
It was owned by the elderly mother of Rugby founder Thomas Hughes, and became a focal point for the community while she lived there. It will be a rare opportunity for the public to be able to see this interesting building, which is a restoration-in-progress. While the house is not yet fully furnished, its mostly-empty rooms with their aged pine walls are a perfect setting for displaying quilts as works of art.
The Rugby volunteers have been very busy getting Uffington House ready for this show. The arbor (below) greets visitors. Julian Bankston has done a great job of rebuilding parts of it which had fallen into disrepair. He has also done some recent interior work. Jane Logan, George Zepp, Rick Murphy and others spent several days recently helping trim and prune the yard and grounds in front of Uffington. The redbuds and the white dogwood trees in front should be in their full glory in time for the quilt exhibit.
Volunteer Julian Bankston's repair of arbor at historic Uffington House. Photo by George Zepp
The 2011 Rugby Quilts Past and Present: A Unique Quilt Exhibit is scheduled for Friday, April 8, from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern time). Exhibit and site admission is $7. Quilters and visitors will enjoy a variety of activities: displays of old and new quilts in historic settings; quilt appraisals by Certified Appraiser Shari Pierce; Bed Turnings, and vendors galore to find that special quilting item. The movie, “How to Make an American Quilt” will be featured on Friday evening in the Rebecca Johnson Theatre.
Several weeks ago we included a report from Benita and Tom Howell about the burglary at the local fire hall that disabled several of the fire engines. The March 16, 2011 Morgan County News included a front page story about the theft which says that some of the stolen items were located at a scrap yard in Sunbright and that Jonathan Donovan Smith was arrested on March 2 on charges in connection with the sale of the stolen items, according to Steve Cochran, chief deputy of the Morgan County Sheriff Department.
The article quotes Gerald Hanwright, chief of the Clear Fork Area Volunteer Fire Department, as saying that plans are being made to build an addition to the fire hall that will be more secure “but paying for the that addition will be a hurdle for the small department.” Hanwright told the newspaper “the community is behind us, but I hate to ask them for more money until we have a secure place to keep the equipment.” The article says there was no insurance to cover the losses.
The report said that while the fire department still has one small truck (see photo above) it uses for emergency calls, that one “would not be useful in fighting a fire.” Benita Howell says it is a four-wheel drive pumper truck that is regularly used to fight brush fires and to work on the perimeter of structure fires to keep them from spreading. It also carries medical emergency supplies. It doesn't have the equipment to fight structure fires.
For the full article from the Morgan County News, including information on where to make contributions to help the fire department, go to http://www.morgancountynews.net/content/theft-closes-volunteer-fire-dept .
Celebrate the Season With Historic Rugby’s Spring Workshops
Historic Rugby’s spring workshops are sure to chase away the winter blues. The Cumberland Plateau museum village, with its unique Victorian architecture, lodging in historic buildings and wooded, river-gorge setting, is an ideal location for learning experiences.
An Edwards basket. Photo by George Zepp.
Imagery In Writing workshop is Saturday, June 11, from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. This workshop will focus on voice and imagery. Struggling to find a voice in writing, the student will produce writing a reader will listen to and read. Included are exploring subject matter, diction, point of view, syntax, grammar, and imagery to allow the voice of an author to be distinguished from that of others. Come prepared to write and bring along some work you have already begun. The instructor is K.B. Ballentine. She has attended writing academies in both America and Britain and has published in Alehouse, Bent Pin, Front Range, River Poets Journal, Touchstone and others. The fee is $28.
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 and includes a map and driving directions.
By Lavonne Gibbs
Mara Trumbo recently held a painting fundraiser for the people of Japan with funds given to the American Red Cross. Mara donated her teaching and painting skills, boards, brushes and paints for an all-day Saturday class at Christ Church's Friendly House. Five students and Mara each painted a charming Japanese geisha. Mara is calling the woman "Hope." Students brought donations of $40 or more and food to share. Mara will be doing another benefit for Japan on her upcoming trip to Italy.
Photo by Mara Trumbo shows the art class. Mara says Lavonne had stepped away!
Mara and her students want to thank Christ Church for the use of the Friendly House and the Rugby Quilting Club which gave up its regular meeting space.
Teresa Coker and Louise Brewster at yard sale. Photo by Charles Gibbs
Bob Hemminger Doing Well After Hospital Stay
It was good to hear that Bob Hemminger is doing well after a recent stay in the hospital in Nashville. Eric Wilson said Bob had a brief period of discomfort that resulted in his hospitalization while they determined the cause. It turns out that getting treatment was a very good thing as he had a substantial blockage in an artery to his heart. A stent was put in last Monday and Bob was reportedly home the next day. It sounds like he has made out very well and is resuming his walking and exercising. I guess years of exercising and dancing have paid off.
I know the Rugby English Country dancers (and all the rest of us as well) are looking forward to Bob and Mary returning to Rugby very soon.
Email Correction
By Jody Hester
Please put in the next newsletter that my email address in the Rugby calendar is incorrect. Here is my correct email address: jonell@deeceelabs.com
BIRTHDAYS
March 27 - John Hicks
March 28 - Jane Logan
Photo at the right shows Jodye Weiler at the Commissary with some amazing new handcrafted walking sticks just arrived for sale. They would make great birthday presents!
CALENDAR
Rugby is in the Eastern Time zone, just barely
Saturday, March 26 – Harrow Road Café scheduled to reopen. Please call first to make sure. 423-628-2350, or 628-2441
Friday, April 1 - English Country Dancing 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 2 – Community Potluck 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 7 - Spirit of Red Hill reopens for season
Fri. and Sat., April 8 and 9 – Rugby Quilts Exhibition, "Rugby Quilts: Past and Present." Displays of old and new quilts, quilt appraisals and bed turnings are all on the program. There's even a film: "How to Make an American Quilt."
Friday, April 15 – History Night Annual Dinner at Grey Gables. 7 p.m. Willie Beaty from Jamestown will be the guest speaker. His topic will be Buck's Mill, the closest grist mill to Rugby in the 1880's. Mr. Beaty is the author of a book about the grist mills of Fentress County. The dinner is $11, plus tax and gratuity. Please let Linda Jones (423-628-5252) know the number in your party by Wednesday, April 13, if at all possible, especially if you have special dietary needs.
Saturday, April 16 - English Country Dancing 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 16 - Rugby Book Group – 7 p.m. at Judy Newport’s house. The book is Jonathan Franzen’s best selling novel “Freedom.” For more information or directions, Judy can be reached at 931-704-7946
Quilters Group - Wed. and Sat. 2–4 p.m. at the Friendly House
By Linda Konig
What a week we've had! Though I didn't get to explore quite as much as I wanted to, I kept track of all the "new" things that I saw flowering for the first time this week. Even I was surprised when I counted them up -- twelve kinds of wildflowers, five kinds of flowering trees and two kinds of bushes. Here's my list: common purple violet, gill-over-the-ground, spring beauty, small bluet, hispid buttercup, grape hyacinth, star chickweed, bloodroot, Dutchman's breeches, one Sweet Betsy trillium, cutleaf toothwort, and today--the first Quaker lady. Trees and bushes--Bradford pear, ornamental plum, saucer magnolia, star magnolia, ornamental cherry, flowering quince, and leatherwood.
Daffodils and forsythia bloom Sunday at Newbury House, Rugby's main historic lodging inn. Photo by George Zepp
So who's going to pollinate all these? Of course, our faithful local honeybees are on duty. Saw a few paper wasps on some of the flowers, a couple of tiny wild bees, but where are the bumblebee queens? I haven't seen any butterflies yet, either, but surely a few are around by now.
I read an interesting article this week about pollinators. I learned that flies and beetles are the oldest pollinators on earth, having been around about 130 million years. I knew that mosquitoes, soldier beetles, ants, moths (for night-bloomers), and some bats help to pollinate certain flowers but was flabbergasted to learn that snails, slugs, opossums, and some skinks also pollinate, sometimes by accident. Once more, Mother Nature is telling me that it takes diversity to make a WHOLE world, surely one of life's deepest spiritual lessons.
This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp
