Around Town: MLK Day of Service; the return of Johnson Farm's 'History Bites'

HENDERSONVILLE - At the Jan. 5 Hendersonville City Council meeting, Mayor Barbara Volk made a proclamation for Jan. 16 to be Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

A request to do the proclamation came prior to the meeting by Crystal Cauley of the Black History Collective of Henderson County. With the proclamation, Volk stated, "I, Barbara Volk, Mayor of the City of Hendersonville, North Carolina in honor and recognition of the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the advancement of equalityin our country, proclaim Jan. 16 'Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service' and urge our citizens to honor this day with giving back to their communities and remembering that MLK Day of Service empowers everyone with engaging people from all walks of life and strengthens our diverse city of Hendersonville."

The Black History Collective of Henderson County will also have two exhibits honoring King called "Dream Big: Honoring the Legacy of Dr. MLK Jr."

One exhibit will be at the Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County from now through Jan. 13 and the other will be at the Henderson County Public Library through the end of the month.

In addition, there will also be the MLK Service Project Day from 1-4 p.m. Jan. 14 at Dr. MLK Jr. Memorial Park, where citizens are invited to drop off canned goods and personal hygiene items for those in need.

'History Bites' series returns at Johnson Farm

For the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the winter lecture series "History Bites" is returning to Johnson Farm, according to a news release.

These informal talks delve into local history and culture. The programs are free, and snacks and coffee will be served. “History Bites” will occur the second Friday of each month at 11 a.m. in January, February and March.

The schedule is as follows:

• Jan. 13: Ronnie Pepper will speak on black history in Henderson County.

• Feb. 10: Local archaeologists Bob and Mary Noel will share information about the Native Americans that lived in the area long before European settlers arrived, including how they lived, what they ate and artifacts from these earlier times.

• March 10: Michael Arrowood will present a talk on early roads in the county titled, “Hogs, Taverns & Prosperity: The Story of the Buncombe Turnpike.”

While the series is free, donations will be accepted for the farm’s Window Restoration Project, the release said. All 23 windows of the historic farm house are currently being restored to protect the building and the artifacts inside.

Johnson Farm is located at 3346 Haywood Rd., across from Rugby Middle School. For more information, call the farm foundation office at 828-891-6585 or visit www.historicjohnsonfarm.org, www.facebook.com/HistoricJohnsonFarm or send an email to jfarm@hcpsnc.org.

Quinley to speak at The Brandy Bar

From 7-9 p.m. on Jan. 11, local author John Quinley, PhD, will be a part of The Brandy Bar's Open Mic Series "In the Company of Writers" as he talks about his book "Discovering Carl Sandburg: The Eclectic Life of an American Icon."

When Quinley served as a docent at Connemara, Carl Sandburg’s final home, he realized that a biography of Sandburg had not been written in 25 years, with most written in the 1960s and 70s. The most recent one was more than 800 pages long.

He wanted to introduce a new generation to this public figure, who during the first half of the 20th century seemed to be everywhere and do everything as poet and political activist, journalist, lecturer, folk singer, Lincoln biographer, children’s author, novelist and media celebrity. At his death in 1967, 6,000 mourners gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to pay their respects. But his fame began to fade, and by the 21st century, the public knew little, if anything, about his legacy. So, Quinley wrote Discovering Carl Sandburg: The Eclectic Life of an American Icon, which focuses on different aspects of Sandburg’s life. The book will be available to purchase at The Brandy Bar for $16.

This event occurs the second Wednesday of each month and is co-sponsored by The Brandy Bar (www.TheBrandyBar.com) and the North Carolina Writers Network. Sign-ups for the open mic are at this link: https://thebrandybar.com/writers-open-mic/.

League of Women Voters of Henderson County to present 'Meet the Superintendent'

The League of Women Voters of Henderson County will present “Meet The Superintendent," a program open to the public, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Henderson County Library Main Branch, located at 301 Washington St. The program will feature Mr. Mark Garrett, who became the new superintendent of Henderson County PublicSchools in July 2022.

According to a news release, this program advances the League’s long and productive partnership with Henderson County Public Schools. Prior to coming to Henderson County, Garrett was Superintendent of McDowell County Schools. During his tenure there, McDowell experienced its highest graduation rates, lowest dropout rates,and lowest teacher turnover rates in district history and exceptional academic growth, the release said.

UUFH announces congregational read

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville will hold a congregational read at its 10:30 a.m. services on Jan. 15 and Feb. 26, featuring National Book Award Winner “All that She Carried” by historian Tiya Miles. The novel is a New York Times Bestseller and is the winner of numerous literary awards, including Frederick Douglass Book Prize, Harriet Tubman Prize and Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize.

The novel features an enslaved woman in 1850s South Carolina named Rose who is faced with a crisis: the imminent sale of her daughter Ashley. Thinking quickly, she packs a cotton sack for her with a few items. Soon after, the girl is separated from her mother and sold. Decades later, Ashley’s granddaughter Ruth embroidered this family history on the sack in spare, haunting language.

The novel will be referenced by UUFH Minister Rev. Terry Davis during each service, which will be followed by a facilitated discussion led by Dr. Helen Bishop immediately following the social hour. Attendees are welcome to bring lunch or a snack.

Tours of Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness to continue

Tours of the Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness in Flat Rock will continue, with the next one set for 11 a.m. Jan. 21, according to a news release.

The church and churchyard (cemetery) tours returned last summer and are sponsored by the St. John Episcopal Church Docents. They will begin inside the Carriage Door entrance of the church with the first led by lead docent, E.R. Haire, Jr. Other docents will rotate monthly as guides.

The free tours are limited to 30 people. Reservations are to be made online on the church’s website, www.stjohnflatrock.org/tours. The tours will be held monthly on the third Saturday of each month at 11 a.m. There will be no rain dates. They last about an hour.

Hunter Subaru Polar Bear 5K set for Jan. 28

Fletcher Parks and Recreation will host the 2023 Hunter Subaru Polar Bear 5K Run, which will begin at 10am on thegreenway trails in Bill Moore Community Park.

Registration is $25 and includes a winter running cap for the first 100 runners to sign up. Registration is available at this link: https://www.fletchernc.org/polar-bear-5k/.

Age Groups awards are being sponsored by Borg Warner and First Citizens (hot cocoa mugs) and Rinehart Racing, along with Foot Rx Running and Fleet Feet Sports. All proceeds will go to the Fletcher Park Development fund for future park improvements.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Around Town: MLK Day of Service; the return of Johnson Farm's 'History Bites'