Around Town: Blessing of the Animals returns; Hendersonville Chorale holds first rehearsal

Staff reports
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A pony is blessed at The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness during a past Blessing of the Animals event.
A pony is blessed at The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness during a past Blessing of the Animals event.

The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness will offer a “Blessing of the Animals” at 4 p.m. Sunday, October 2 in the Rector’s Garden, located behind the Parish House at 1895 Greenville Highway in Flat Rock.

According to a press release, all animals are welcome, including cats, dogs, snakes, chickens, horses, birds and goats. People can also bring a stuffed animal or photo of an animal to be blessed.

This popular service comes two days before the annual Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the release said.

Brandy Bar to host poet Kathy Ackerman

Kathy Ackerman
Kathy Ackerman

Hendersonville's Brandy Bar will host In the Company of Writers, which is a series of personal and conversational dialogues, featuring guest writers and poets. From 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, the guest poet will be Kathy Ackerman, who is a published poet and speaker, according to a press release. The Chicago blues music of "Mr. Jimmy" will begin the program, continue during intermission and then close the program.

In-person sign-ups for open mic are from 6:30-7 p.m. and guest authors will speak from 7-8 p.m. with open-mic readings from 8:15-9 p.m.

Anyone interested can sign up at the door or online at https://thebrandybar.com/writers-open-mic/. Presentations are limited to five minutes.

Kathy Ackerman lives on a loblolly farm-in-progress at the true edge of Polk County, the release said. She is an administrator and Writer-in-Residence at Isothermal Community College in Spindale. Her 2019 collection of poems, A Quarrel of Atoms, was a finalist in several contests and received the Lena Shull Book Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society.

Hendersonville Chorale set for rehearsal and in need of male tenors

The Hendersonville Chorale will be returning for the fall season held its first rehearsal Aug. 8 at First United Methodist Church, located at 204 6th Ave. W. Registration will begin at 5 p.m.

The group is not an auditioned group. According to a news release, the singers are just  people who love to sing for the community. The Chorale is currently in need of male tenors. Face coverings are optional. The cost to join the Chorale is $30.

Earl Scruggs Music Festival lineup set

According to a press release, the Earl Scruggs Music Festival will welcome Asheville-based alt-country/bluegrass fixtures Town Mountain to its inaugural celebration being held Sept. 2-4 at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring.

The other groups in the lineup include Béla Fleck My Bluegrass Heart, Sam Bush, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, The Earls of Leicester, Leftover Salmon and festival host Jerry Douglas, the decorated ensemble will bring a spectacle of strings and swagger to their home state of North Carolina for a can’t-miss performance on the Foggy Mountain Stage. Renowned multi-instrumentalist and composer Alison Brown, country-rock icons Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and a choice display of North Carolina talent including Rissi Palmer, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Balsam Range and several more.

Earl Scruggs Music Festival also announced its partnership with internationally-recognized roots music brand The Bluegrass Situation to present a tribute to one of the most iconic Earl Scruggs Revue albums, Live at Kansas State, the release said.

Weekend and single-day passes are on sale now via the festival’s website at https://earlscruggsmusicfest.com/.

Onacona Day Camp to begin on Aug. 15

From Monday, Aug. 15 through Friday, Aug. 19, Onacona Day Camp will be held at Bullington Gardens, located at 95 Upper Red Oak Trail.

The free camp will be hosted by 4-H and the non-profit Caregivers of Mother Earth, and it will be a Cloverbud nature adventure, according to a press release. The camp will be from 9 a.m. to noon each day and is for children ages 5-8.

“Our mission at Caregivers of Mother Earth is to connect children with nature by going on adventures through stories, followed up with crafts, games, nature walks and a snack,” said Chief Pollinator Elle Travis in the release.

Hands-on activities and games will include themes on soil, water, wind, pollination, seeds, flowers and more. Campers will receive a framed certificate as an Official Caregiver of Mother Earth, along with a set of Nature Connections books. Space is limited. To register, go to https://forms.gle/ndvmnWKWMmfEBjmn7.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Around Town: Blessing of the Animals returns; Hendersonville Chorale holds first rehearsal