We’re entering high summer in the mountains. Temperatures have been a bit above 80 at our cabin, and considerably higher in downtown Blue Ridge. With the high humidity, it actually feels pretty warm. The summer usually signals a slowdown in real estate activity that persists until fall, so there’s a window here for folks who want to see what’s on the market before the fall selling season leads to a rapid decrease in the number of good, available properties.
It seems we have a new festival about every other weekend these days, and here’s another one, Summerfest! It’s happening tomorrow in the downtown Blue Ridge Park. Here’s the Arts Association’s Announcement: “Blue Ridge SummerFest will be a celebration to the start of Summer in a creative way. As Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association celebrates their 35th anniversary as Fannin County’s arts council, BRMAA will host a fun-filled day in the park with live music, a variety of food, art tents, kid activity zone and even a sidewalk chalk contest. Come out and enjoy live music provided by a variety of local musicians, taste the culinary treats from a variety of food vendors and let the little ones run wild in our kids zone. Artists of all ages can participate in one of the quintessential summertime hobbies of chalking the sidewalk in our ‘Sidewalk Gallery’. Entrance to this event is free to the public. To participate in the Sidewalk Gallery there is a $10 chalk walk registration which includes a large box of chalk, certificate of participation and the opporunity to win one of the many prizes from the four categories being judged. The summer fun begins June 20th from 11am to 7pm.”
Tonight, the Bergonzi Quartet is playing at the United Methodist Church in downtown Blue Ridge. Here’s their announcement: “Opening night is Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. “From Russia with Love” The internationally-acclaimed Bergonzi String Quartet returns for Season II with a beautiful program featuring the music of Mozart, Wolf, and a masterwork by Gliere. Don’t miss this exceptional concert by the string quartet deemed a “cultural treasure”! ” The church is next door to our office on West Main Street, and admission is listed at $20/$10. There is an encore performance at 7:00 PM Saturday.
On Sunday, the United Methodist Church is featuring a trombone quartet: “Another event in the Blue Ridge Chamber Music Festival. BRCMF is excited to present Blue Ridge’s own group, The Backsliders, a trombone quartet comprised of musicians who are also Fannin County teachers, church leaders and businessmen, including Fannin County High School Band Director, Scott Barnstead. A delight to hear, the Backsliders will present a special one-hour Father’s Day concert, with a mix of classical, jazz and Dixieland!” That’s scheduled for 3:00 PM. Admission is listed as $20/$10.
The DNR’s latest newsletter features a column on the best plant to attract hummingbirds – their peak season is coming – which turns out to be a native, the trumpet creeper, Campsis radicans. Here’s a link to the story.
http://www.georgiawildlife.com/node/3970
At least one of our three so-called newspapers reported that the commercial development on the southwest corner of Loving Road and 515 is a new barrel producing facility. It is expected to employ 15 people initially, which engendered a bit of roostering around on the part of our commissioners, who likely had nothing to do with it.
If you love fresh seafood, you might be interested in a new website created by the University of Georgia Marine Extension. It lists retailers and wholesalers of Georgia seafood, along with facts about various edible species and seafood safety precautions. The URL is http://marex.uga.edu/seafood-directory/.