Public Park Is Well-kept Secret

The Blue House, as 615 North Main Street is now known, fronts one of Mount Airy’s best-kept secrets.

The grounds of the house make up Robert Edwin Smith M.D. Memorial Park, a unique blend of public and private space.

The property formerly housed the office of Dr. Robert Smith M.D., who lived in the large yellow house a block away on North Main Street. Both properties operate under the Gilmer Smith Foundation, set up in 1982 by Gertrude Smith, Dr. Robert Smith’s sister. Foundation offices are upstairs and the downstairs area is used as an art teaching studio for adults with disabilities. For decades this historic home served the community by housing entities such as the Red Cross, Surry government, Surry Friends of Seniors, Hospice, Simple Living, the Mount Airy Visitor Center and the Andy Griffith Museum.

Cindy Puckett, supervisor of Buildings and Grounds for the Gilmer Smith Foundation, says that Gertrude Smith not only set up the foundation and gifted the properties but left funds to maintain and operate them. According to Puckett, Smith hand-picked the board of directors to manage the foundation and even though all of those original board members have passed on now, each picks their successor. Puckett credits Smith’s cleverness in setting up this system with the foundation’s longevity.

While the Blue House has benefited the community in many ways, the grounds are open to the public as a public park. There are a number of signs identifying the property as “Robert Edwin Smith M.D. Memorial Park” but none clearly spell out it is a public park. Puckett calls it “a well-kept secret.”

The garden, like all landscapes, is ever-evolving, Puckett says. The bones of the garden were laid out in the mid-1980s but the enormous red oak in the back could be 200 years old. Puckett is not sure how tall the tree is but its canopy spans the full width of the 150-foot wide property with a good bit hanging over on each end. The exact variety has stumped experts and arborists from NC State University and other places. “They just say it’s some kind of red oak,” says Puckett.

Puckett says the park has been the scene of much activity for the last three weekends, as high school students have utilized the formal, English-style garden as a backdrop for prom pictures. Easter week was also a busy time as dozens of people strolled in the park and took photos in their Easter finery.

Puckett says the park often serves as a quiet picnic spot for downtown workers to eat their lunch or read a book. She’s also seen people doing yoga on the lawn. “We love it when people use the park,” she says.

Aside from prom pictures, marriage proposals, picnics and the occasional yoga practice, larger events sometimes take place in the garden. Over the years, music events and even wedding ceremonies have been performed in front of the gazebo. But for those events, Puckett says you need to call and reserve the space.

Long-time Mount Airy residents know the park is a pretty spot to snap a picture or relax for a bit in a lovely spot, but the park’s discrete placement at the back of a house on a residential street make it the kind of place only insiders know about.

But on June 10, the park’s quiet charms will be made available to a wider audience when it is one of the stops on “Mount Airy Blooms,” a garden tour that is a joint project of Mount Airy’s three garden clubs, Garden Gate, Modern Gardeners and Mountain View.

That will be a good day for the uninitiated to walk down the driveway and check out one of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in Mount Airy. As an added bonus, during the garden tour, Master Gardeners will be on the grounds doing gardening demonstrations, according to Master Gardener Joy Barlow.

Demonstrations will include container gardening, garden pests and disease, herbs, edible landscape, vermiculture, the use of the color wheel in the garden and native plants for the landscape. Barlow adds that the master gardeners will be set up on the lawn of the garden and will offer handouts on demonstration topics and answer questions tour-goers might have, on the topic of the demonstrations or anything else gardening related.

“Mount Airy Blooms” will give visitors the opportunity to see history up close on June 10 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are on sale at Webb Interiors, 1191 W. Lebanon St., Mount Airy and at the Mount Airy Visitors Center, 200 N. Main St., Mount Airy and online at Eventbrite.com.

Public restrooms will be available at the Main Street comfort station and at Cross Creek Country Club.

Proceeds raised from “Mount Airy Blooms” will go to support garden club projects in the area, including the Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice Home Rose Garden, restoration of the gardens at the Historic Moore House, maintenance and upkeep of the Main Street mini-garden fountain, lobby arrangements at Northern Hospital and special programming for the Jones School exceptional children’s class.

A Box Luncheon will be available under the Pavilion at Cross Creek Country Club, 1129 Greenhill Road, for $12. It must be prepaid by June 5. Payment may be made at the Mount Airy Visitors Center, 200 N. Main St., Mount Airy. A vegetarian meal is available. Please request when ordering.

The tour is underwritten by BB&T Insurance Services, Inc., Carolina Environmental Contracting, Inc. and SouthData, Inc., as well as other sponsors and contributors.

Contributors to “Mount Airy Blooms” include Simcon General Contractors, Surrey Bank and Trust and Webb Interiors.

Reach Bill Colvard at 336-415-4699.

Marriage licenses issued in Surry County

Real property transfers in Surry County

Dogwood winter reaches its end

The Dogwood winter has come to an end and the month of April has almost reached its end. Most of the dogwood petals have fallen from the trees like an April shower. As they have fallen, the trees reveal tiny green leaves and the tiny center where the flowers were will become red berries in autumn. Now that dogwood winter is over, so is the heavy frost mostly over. We may have a few scattered frosts and a few more cold nights, so don’t plant any warm weather vegetable crops yet.

Daphne’s do well as perennials in containers

We are glad that Daphne are perennials, not because their blooms are very beautiful, but so is their light green foliage. The variety named October Stonecrop produces rose pink flowers that enhance the grayish green foliage. They may need a layer container in a semi-sunny location away from direct sunlight for best blooms and foliage. It is beautiful in all seasons. You can purchase them at most nurseries and many garden shops and hardware’s. Transplant them to larger containers filled with fine textured potting medium as soon as you bring it home. Feed once a month with Flower-Tone organic flower food. Water once a week.

There are enough hummingbirds now arriving to fill the feeders. We think that by the end of next week most of them will be here. You can purchase nectar that is ready. Made in half gallon bottles or in packets and boxes that you mix with water. You can mix your own nectar with a half and half mix of sugar and food water with several drops of red food coloring. Change leftover nectar every five days. You can also use bottled water to make nectar.

Hilling up the row or bed of Irish potatoes

The crop of Irish potatoes is now up and own its way and as the month of May begins next week, you can side dress the row or bed of potatoes with an application of Plant-tone organic plant food and then hill up soil on both sides of the potatoes for support and feeding. Water with the water wand in spray mode every week when no rain falls. Keep an eye out for Colorado potato beetles.

Getting ready to plant summer annuals

The annuals of impatiens, petunias, begonias, portulaca, geraniums, zinnias, vincas, salvia, verbena, coleus, cosmos, poppies, marigolds, clown flowers, Japanese lanterns, bachelor buttons, sunflowers, and a host of others are ready to plant. Use one cubic foot bags of flower potting medium such as Sta-Green flower potting soil that is available in bright yellow one cubic foot bags at Lowe’s Home Improvement and Home Depot. Another good medium is Miracle-Gro flower soil in one cubic foot food bags. Great flower medium has no chips, bark, or sawdust in it. It has the ingredients to give hanging baskets, pots, containers and all annuals and perennials a good start.

Gambling on Early Girl tomatoes

As we move toward May, there will still be some cold nights, but hopefully no killing frosts. Tomato plants have been available at hardwares as well as garden departments for more than a month. At this time of season, a gamble on several tomato plants such as Early Girl are an acceptable risk worth taking. Don’t set out a whole row but only three or four plants that you can cover at night and uncover each day. Wait until after the middle of May to set out the bulk of the tomato crops when nights are warm and consistent.

The season to plant annuals in hanging baskets

As we approach the merry month of May, hanging baskets need to be started and some annuals perform much better than others in hanging baskets. The very best are those that grow over and not up in the baskets. When they cascade over the sides, they create a bouquet of blooms. Great choices for hanging baskets are impatiens, verbena, wave petunias, and the begonias. Place only two or three plants per basket to allow room for them to spread out. Water baskets often because the summer sun shines down on the baskets all day and dries them out. Water until water runs out of the hole in the bottom of the basket. Water them every evening at sunset.

Starting a container of Dragon Wing

We love this variety of begonia. It has proved itself the past five years. It is so different from all other types of begonias because of its oblong foliage that reaches four or five inches long, and they are in clusters with plenty of multiple blooms that grow among the shiny foliage. They spread out and cover the container all day long all summer long. Their blooms are deep pink and really highlight those oblong leaves with blotches of color.

A large container of portulaca

This colorful cactus-like flower is also known as desert rose, rose moss, and cactus rose. It is a distant cousin to the cactus family and performs well in larger containers and it can also be planted in a large tub with holes punched in the bottom. Most are in full bloom when you purchase them so that you can choose the color combinations that you like. The plants are so small that you can plant them close together for a real cluster of color all summer long. Plant them about five inches apart. One of their unusual features is they have new blooms each day, and on cloudy days, not as many will reach full bloom stage.

A row or bed of zinnias can now be planted

Packets of zinnias can now be purchased in every color of the rainbow except blue. They cost less than $2 per packet. Zinnias will thrive in all types of soil and will produce blooms until frost. They attract plenty of birds and butterflies. Dig a furrow about three or four inches deep. Apply a layer of peat moss in bottom of furrow, sow seed, cover with another layer of peat moss and apply an application of Flower-tone organic flower food and hill up soil on each side of the furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade for good soil contact.

Checking the Irish potatoes and spring onions

The Irish potato and spring onions are now thriving in the mid spring garden and both need an application of Plant-Tone organic plant food on each side of the row and extra soil hilled up on both sides of the row. They could use a drink of water from the water wand in shower mode on weeks when no rain is forecast.

Easy does it puffy sour cream muffins

This is a quick bread for a cool spring evening that the whole family will enjoy with only a few ingredients and easy to prepare. You will need two cups of Bisquick, one stick light melted margarine, one cup sour cream. Coat a muffin pan with Pam baking spray. Melt margarine, mix with Bisquick and sour cream and stir well. Spoon the bread mixture into muffin tin to make sure each is half full. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Will make about 12 muffins.

Something beautiful and something blue

Blue is an unusual color for flowers and all blue flowers are beautiful and unusual. Luckily, there are two blue varities that are both perennials and they are forget me nots and periwinkles and a close third to Veronica. Their tiny blue flowers stand out in a dark green background of foliage that closely resembles ground cover. They perform well in containers placed toward the back of the porch or deck away from direct sunlight. You can start them from seed, then transplant to small pots, and lastly to larger containers.

April has almost showered its way out

April 2022 has reached its grand finale with less than a week remaining. The season of Jack Frost will soon reach the back door also. We may have a few cool nights remaining in the month, but most of the heavy frosts are over for the season. Fickle April will soon have to make way for the consistent gardening month of May.

“Wrong song.” “I think we need a new song this morning,” the pastor told the song leader. “My sermon this morning is on gossip, and I don’t think ‘I love to tell the story’ is the appropriate song.”

“Footprint.” Teacher: “Joey, you have your shoes on the wrong feet.” Joey: “But these are the only feet I have.”

“Test for the teacher.” Student: “Would you punish someone for something they did not do?” Teacher: “Certainly not.” Student: “Good, because I did not do my homework.”

There were a lot of smiles on display Thursday at East Surry High School as the Special Olympics returned to the field. The pandemic caused the same havoc to these games as it has in so many other events of note over the past two years. That was of no matter as the parade of athletes hit the track to some rather raucous cheering for so early in the morning.

Like the Olympic Games, the Special Olympics had opening ceremonies with presentation of the colors form East Surry JROTC, speeches from Surry County Schools Superintendent Dr. Travis Reeves and Chairman of the Surry County Board of Commissioners Bill Goins, and the oath of the athletes. Each school was announced and entered the football field as a group. There was a group for individual competitors as well as not every athlete is of school age.

When the torch entered the stadium flanked by Sheriff Steve Hiatt and a large contingent from the Surry County Sheriff’s Office the excitement grew. The flame lit, the oaths offered, it was game time.

Game time is not a wholly inappropriate way to describe the variety for the athletes. Games from soft ball toss, wheelchair races, and race walking were happening on the field and track simultaneously.

Daniel White is the local organizer, and a member of Surry parks and recreation staff, who emceed the morning as well as handling dance contests between cheerleaders and the PTA. He announced the dance off was a two-way tie.

Some of the youngest competitors were across the field near the visitors seating area where there was a spirited tug of war going on, while another young man did his best Evander Holyfield impression while bopping and boxing with an inflatable penguin.

Whatever the activity, location, or age group there was a contagious joy to the event that was not sullied by cloudy skies. There was “the thrill of victory,” what was missing from these games was “the agony of defeat.” It has no place amongst these Olympians who were winners already, but some took home additional hardware at days end, nonetheless.

Commissioner Mark Marion pointed out that people may not often think of all age groups participating in Special Olympics, but he said they were all kids at heart on this day. That was easy to see when adults, teachers, the superintendent, and county big wigs were tapping their toes to Earth, Wind, and Fire’s September, or struggling with the cupid shuffle – they got an A for the effort.

Marion included himself among the kids at heart and echoed the exact words of his colleague Commissioner Larry Johnson, that this was one of the best days of the year, something he looks forward to. He has his own personal connections to the Games as he has a family member in competition and Johnson Granite is one of the many corporate sponsors.

The sponsors and the volunteers were an army, with East Surry High students in red t-shirts identifying themselves as ‘buddies.’ Kassi Hiatt, a red shirted buddy herself, explained the buddies were paired with an athlete to travel through the day with them. They were given encouragement during the opening ceremony to help their athlete have fun and make great memories.

Students from inside East Surry were coming out to cheer on the athletes as well, one teacher mentioned his class finished what they needed to do, so he was bringing them down to cheer on the Olympians. “I’m on my sixth trip already,” he said as he hurried behind his students.

Bill Goins spent a long time in public education, and he told the crowd that in his days in school administration the visits to see his exceptional students would often be a bright spot in his day. “I spent 28 years in education and 17 in administration. The highlight of my day often was to go see my exceptional students. I knew I could get a smile or a hug if I was having a bad day,” he told the crowd.

It was not necessary to have a family member competing to feel the sense of happiness and joy that permeated David H. Diamont Stadium. Special was a word used a lot Thursday, but it did not lose its luster or prove to be anything but true – the games and the athletes were indeed special, and winners all.

Westfield Elementary School recently named its Leaders of the Month for March.

“These students were chosen by their peers for demonstrating the leadership attribute accepting,” the school said. “Accepting is understanding that others are different from you and respecting their differences.

Each student received a book to take home.

In addition to those pictured here, Angel Sawyers was also named one of the Leaders of the Month.

The Pilot Mountain Civic Club named Carolyn Boyles as the 2021 Citizen of The Year. At a recent meeting, Mayor Evan Cockerham presented her with this award stating she is “integral to this club, this community and the very history of Pilot Mountain.”

She is no stranger to the community as she is a lifelong resident and taught in the Surry County School System for more than 40 years; serving at Shoals Elementary and Pilot Mountain Middle schools before her retirement in 2011. She was honored with the Teacher of The Year award at both schools during her tenure. She received her bachelor’s degree from High Point University and her Masters and Education Specialist degrees from Appalachian State University. She was included in the first edition (as well as two additional editions) of “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers” and was featured in “Great Women of the 21st Century.”She is well-respected and admired by her former students as she is frequently recognized by them when they see her. She always takes time to reconnect and ask about their families and current activities.

As a leader and pillar of our community, she served as a commissioner in Pilot Mountain town for 23 years and as Mayor Pro-Tem for a number of years. In addition, she served on multiple town boards including the planning board and the TDA.

She is a lifetime member of the First Baptist Church where she taught Sunday School, served as a deacon, church clerk, and member of the Women’s Missionary Union. Many families especially appreciate the care she provided as a teacher in the nursery on Sundays. She also served on multiple committees to further the development of the church ministry.

She can be seen at every Red Cross blood drive, thanking the donors and serving refreshments.

She is an avid genealogist having researched and published a book titled “Early Days of Pilot Mountain, N. C. – A History and Genealogy.” Not surprising, with her love of history and genealogy, she is a member of the National Education Association, North Carolina Association of Educators, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution: Jonathan Hunt Chapter, Surry County Genealogy Association, Genealogy Society of Rockingham and Stokes Counties and the Mount Airy Regional Museum of History where she serves as a docent.

She enjoys reading, playing bridge, participating in exercise and yoga classes at the Armfield Civic and Recreation Center, and is a former golfer. She is a world-wide traveler having visited more than 100 countries. She is an adventurous cook who enjoys trying new recipes and sharing with friends and family. She even prepared apple strudel with the head chef during a Rhine River cruise to Germany.

Her spirit of public service is unwavering. She exemplifies the ideals of a citizen by volunteering her time for worthy community or civic causes to improve the quality of life for those in our community. She is a role model who inspires other club members to invest their time and talents in service-oriented activities. When community needs are identified, she is the first to step up and assist in any way possible as evidenced by Mayfest planning committee, the Surry Community College scholarship program, and many unexpected emergent needs in our community.

“As an elected official, Carolyn is someone I look up to and admire,” Mayor Cockerham said. “As a young leader in the community, I am grateful for her support and know her counsel and wisdom are available. When I think of well-rounded individuals, I think of Carolyn, when I think of people who have had a lasting impact, I think of Carolyn. When I think of people who made this community what it is today, Carolyn is in a class of her own.”

Books available at the Mount Airy Public Library:

A Family Affair – Robyn Carr

Summer at the Cape – RaeAnne Thayne

The Missing Piece – John Lescroart

“STEAM”ed UP on Mondays at 4 p.m. — Join us for science stories and simple experiments for grade school ages. Toddler Time for children ages 2-3 Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.; Book Babies for children ages birth to 2 years old Thursday at 9:30 a.m.; preschool story time for ages 4 – 5 Thursday at 11 a.m.

Surry Community College is offering a fun and free English as Second Language (ESL) class at the Mount Airy Public Library Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Anyone interested should contact Jennifer Pardue at 336-386-3674.

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

Make It Mondays. Craft class for adults meets the third Monday of each month at 3 p.m.

The Community Book Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. This month we will have local author Ruben Gonzales speaking. He has written two books that take place in North Carolina, The Cottage On the Bay and Murder On Black Mountain.

It’s Yoga Y’all – Yoga with Ms. Heather will be the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

Pages and Petticoats Book Club — meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month’s book is Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James.

Classic Movie Monday – April’s Classic Movie selection is Our Town starring William Holden and Martha Scott. The film is based on the play by the same name, written by Thornton Wilder. Copies will be available if you’d like to read before you watch. This movie will be shown on April 25 at 5:30 p.m.

Friends of the Library Book Sale – The Friends of the Library will have its annual spring book sale beginning, April 20 at 5:30 p.m. and running through April 25. The book sale will be open during regular library hours.

Author Meet and Greet on Wednesday, April 27 at 1 p.m. Local author Ruben Gonzales has written two books that take place in North Carolina, The Cottage On the Bay and Murder On Black Mountain.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Gray Smith celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary Wednesday, April 6, 2022, with friends and family at 13 Bones.

Bobby and Shelby Smith reside in Mount Airy, and were married April 6, 1957 in York, South Carolina. They have three children, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Mrs. Smith is retired from Spencers and Mr. Smith is retired from United Plastics.

Six award-winning short films were screened at Surry Arts Council’s Historic Earle Theatre for student filmmakers, casts and crews, their families and friends, as well as the public on Tuesday.

The in-person event was hosted by Surry Arts Council staff including David Brown welcoming and presenting the awards, and RJ Heller handling projection and technical support. Brown noted the event is sponsored by Surry Arts Council fundraisers for school programs as well as a Grassroots Grant from the NC Arts Council, a Division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Each of the filmmakers whose film was screened won in one of the following various categories. In addition, Brian Hutchins, a student at UNC-Greensboro, won Best Overall for his film, “The Show Goes On.”

• “Deep Waters” written, directed, and edited by Jonathan Yamashita, home school; produced by Katie Debnam with actors Benjamin Ainsley and Sydney Tanner, director of photography David Kennedy, and boom operator Myles Wood. won Best Visual Effects.

• “Spies” directed by Charlie Johnson, J.J. Jones Intermediate School, won Best Animation.

• “The Woods” Teaser Trailer and “Knock Knock Lesson” directed by Lee Bodenhamer, Rock House Christian (home school,) won Best Cinematography and Best Director respectively.

• “The Show Goes On” directed and edited by Brian Hutchins, UNC-Greensboro, and produced by Blaise Gourley won Best Documentary.

• “Communion” directed and edited by Jonathan MacLeod-Jefferson, UNC-Greensboro, with actor James Stadler won Best Costume Design.

In addition to the awards and recognition, filmmakers were gifted two annual passes to the Surry Arts Council from Surry Arts Council Executive Director Tanya Jones as an extra thanks for their participation this year.

Students were encouraged to continue to express their vision and talent. Heller, Surry Arts Council director of operations, closed the evening by encouraging the students to get started on the submissions for next year’s screening.

For more information on school programming, movies at the Earle Theatre or volunteer opportunities for students, contact the Surry Arts Council at 336-786-7998 or email tyler@surryarts.org.

From now until the end of April, the bulbs of summer flowers such as glads, peonies, clematis vines, bleeding heart bushes can be set out. You can find the bulbs of summer at nurseries, hardwares, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Ace Hardware, and garden centers. When you purchase bulbs, buy a bag of bone meal and blood meal as well as peat moss to apply around the bulbs and corms. Feel the bulbs and corms before buying to make sure they are not rotten or mushy. Dig holes about three or four inches deep, place the bulbs and corms with root sides down. Place peat moss in bottom of the hole and cover with more peat moss, bone meal and blood meal before covering with soil and tamp down with hoe blade. Water once a week.

Season of the bird nests

Birds are active as April showers its way down. The birds are looking for secure places to build nests and lay eggs. They especially like areas near a food and water supply and also close to nesting materials. If you keep the feeders and birdbath supplied with food and fresh water, they will certainly find a nesting area near your home.

Organizing the shed, barn, or outbuilding

As the gardening season gets on the way, it’s time to organize tools, shovels, mowers, trimmers, and supplies. Place everything where you will know where to find it when you need it. Keep the barn, shed, or outbuilding swept out and sprayed once a month to protect from insects and critters.

Planing for a colorful four o’ clock year

Now is the time to purchase several packs of four o’ clocks for a season of dark green foliage and colorful flowers of red, yellow, wine, white, pink, and speckled and marbled blooms. You can find them in seed racks at Walmart, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, hardwares, and supermarkets for around $2 per packet. Four o’ clocks will thrive in any type of soil and will bloom until the first frost.

Red Hot Poker is one tough perennial

Red Hot Poker has a great name and when it blooms, it actually resembles a red hot poker. You will need an extra large container to grow one of these on the porch or deck. It thrives in all seasons and blooms in early spring and summer. It needs water once a week and feeding with Flower-Tone organic flower food once a month. The red hot poker is red but also available in bright yellow orange. They are definitely one of the most carefree of all perennials to grow and their blooms are beautiful as well as unusual.

Mowing season on the way

The season of mowing is now upon us as early spring is here. Make sure the lawn is dry before you mow. It is easier to mow when the lawn is dry and you have a sharp blade. Before mowing, spray the housing of the mower with a light oil spray such as WD-40 to prevent clippings from sticking to the housing and promoting rust. Oil the wheels and cables to make it easier to adjust. Check the oil before starting the mower and always fill mower with gas before starting. Mow preferably in the afternoon when the sun has completely dried the lawn.

Wild onions still part of the lawn

Wild onions will be with us until the warmer weather dries them up. Before you mow, use the weed trimmer to cut the onions down to ground level to stunt the growth. If dandelions are around use the weed trimmer to cut them down to ground level, destroying their yellow flowers.

Use a fine textured potting medium

Fine texture is the ingredient most important when you purchase potting medium for hanging baskets, pots, and quality medium has no bark chips, sawdust, but a fine mix of soil, peat moss and fine nutrients. A finely textured medium will retain the moisture in the heat of summer without drying out. The very best potting mediums come in one cubic foot bags and are especially formulated for flowers. Feel the bags and if you feel lumps and clumps, do not buy it. It is always better in the long run to pay a little more and get something worthwhile that will produce good results.

Ferns are investment in long term greenery

You can have greenery all year long when you take care of ferns. They will thrive on porches and decks outside in spring, summer, and early autumn. In late autumn before frost, you can move them inside the house for winter. You can choose from the Boston Fern, Panda Fern, or Asparagus Fern. You can purchase them in small containers and transplant them to larger containers filled with fine texture potting medium to grow all summer on the porch or deck. They can be moved inside to a semi-sunny room to winter over. All they will need in winter is a semi-sunny location in a corner of a room, a drink of water every ten days, and an application of Flower-Tone organic flower food every month. By being indoors, ferns will develop runners in the quest for sunlight. Trim these runners back to promote growth in winter.

Sunflowers perform well on the edge of the summer garden plot as they bloom and follow the sun all day long. Their seeded flowers attract goldfinches and other birds. A pack of seeds cost around $2. There are quit a few varities in short and tall species. You can plant one or two hills in the flower bed and the corners of the garden plot. They will certainly make your garden or flower bed bird friendly and full of activity.

Hoping for plenty of late April showers

Maybe if we keep the umbrella handy, it will coax an April shower as we move farther into the month. We always loved April showers because you can just walk in them without getting soaking wet and also enjoy their fresh aroma and breath in all that fresh air. We don’t seem to get as many now, but every one we experience is a welcome event.

Preparing an English green casserole

To prepare this pea casserole you will need two cans of Green Giant Le Sueur early June peas or one quart fresh or frozen green peas. If you use canned peas, drain them, one can Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, one third cup of milk, one two ounce jar of diced pimentos, one eight ounce pack finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, one pack of Ritz crackers (crushed or run through blender in “grate” mode), four hard boiled eggs (diced), one stick melted light margarine, two beaten eggs. Mix the peas, Campbell’s soup mix, melted margarine, and milk. In another bowl, mix the diced eggs, pimentos, finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Spray a two quart casserole dish with Pam baking spray. Layer bottom with cheese mixture, and then a layer of the pea mixture, followed by another layer of cheese mixture and finally another layer of pea mixture. Top with the pack of grated Ritz crackers. Bake at 300 degrees for half hour.

“Turn off.” There is something about him that attracts woman to other men.

“Rainbow tie.” “That’s a beautiful rainbow neck tie you are wearing.” “What do you mean by a rainbow tie?” “Well, it has a big pot at the end of it!”

“Unusual proposal.” Wife: “I remember the night you proposed to me.” Husband: “Oh, yes.” Wife: “I was silent for a whole hour after that.” Husband: “That was the happiest hour of my life!”

“Strange craving.” “A pregnant woman and her husband were sitting in the waiting room. The wife looked at a lamp on a table and said, “That is a lovely lamp.” Her husband gave her a strange look and said, “Don’t tell me you’re starting to crave furniture!”

After a two-year hiatus, an April tradition returns to Mount Airy with this week’s Friends of the Library Book Sale to get underway Wednesday at the Mount Airy Public Library.

“Last week was national library week,” said Rana Southern, branch librarian for the Mount Airy facility. “We usually have it around that week.”

This will be the first full spring sale the library has had since 2019, with COVID restrictions wiping out the sales in 2020 and limiting them in 2021. The Friends of the Library did have a limited spring sale last year in May, along with its regular fall book sale, but this will be the first full spring event in three years.

The popular book sale is a way for the Friends to raise money to support the library, by selling books and audio-visual items which have been donated to it over the year.

“We’ve had lots of people asking asking about it, when it would start,” Southern said.

It kicks off on Wednesday with the first choice sale beginning at 5 p.m. That night, all hardbacks are $3, paperbacks are $2, and DVDs, audios and videos are $1 each. Children’s books are five for $3.

Thursday and Friday, prices drop. Hardbacks will go for $2, paperbacks for $1, while the prices for audio and visual items and children books remain at the Wednesday prices.

On Saturday, book prices drop again, to half-price, and then on Monday is the bag sale portion of the effort, when folks can pay $2 for a plastic grocery bag full of books and related material.

“We have books, we have movies, we have vinyl, we have lots of people donating everything,” Southern said, adding that donations seem to be greater than normal for a spring sale. “I think where people have been home, they are cleaning out their closets,” she said.

The money raised is used by the Friends of the Library to support the facility.

“They use that money to contribute to the programs we buy, they buy supplies for our programming, they’ve helped us buy some new book carts, some new area rugs for the children’s area,” Southern said of the group. “They help us pay for the authors who come to visit us, we have Bright Star Theatre coming this summer, they’ve helped us pay for that. They help us provide programming for all ages.”

She said this is an opportunity for those who enjoy books to get some great deals, as well as a chance to “support your local library.”

Southern also said anyone interested in becoming part of the Friends of the Library will find the group is always welcoming of new members. “Just come by the library, we have a pamphlet they can fill out,” she said of prospective members. “We meet the first Monday of the month at 9:30 a.m.”

For next week’s sale, the event is from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., and Monday from 8:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.

The Mount Airy Photography Club will offer a free presentation featuring Kevin Adams, at The Historic Earle Theatre at 142 North Main Street in Mount Airy on April 23,

Adams is one of North Carolina’s premier nature photographers. The presentation and workshop is entitled “365 Nights: A Yearlong Immersion into Night Photography.”

For this project, Adams took one photo for every day of the year, and at the end compiled them into a collage. In 2021, he created a different photo every night. The resulting images cover a plethora of subject matter: Closeups of household items, mobsters carrying chainsaws, Jack-O-Lanterns on fire, waterfalls, the Milky Way, and other photographic creations.

Adams says that without question, this was the most challenging and rewarding project he had tackled in his 40 years as a photographer. In his presentation, he will cover “the good and the bad,” and explain why taking on a project like this will be the best thing you can do, not only for your photography, but also for your well-being.

Adams is a naturalist, writer, teacher, and photographer who has had a lifelong love affair with nature and the outdoors. In addition to photo credits in all manner of publications, he is the author and photographer of nine books. An accomplished photography instructor, he leads photo tours and teaches numerous workshops and seminars throughout the year.

Often called the “MacGyver of Photography,” he designed and sells several unique products for night photographers. Adams lives in Waynesville with his wife, Patricia, their cat Lucy, eight chickens, and a colony of groundhogs that tear up everything and eat Patricia’s plants.

Some of Adams’ publications include books on his favorite topic—his home state of North Carolina. His nature and photography books include North Carolina Waterfalls, Wildflowers of the Southern Appalachians, Hiking Great Smokey Mountains National Park, North Carolina’s Best Wildflower Hikes, Our North Carolina, and Backroads of North Carolina. He is a regular contributor to Our State and other magazines. According to Adams, “the most rewarding aspect of my career is sharing my passion for photography and the natural world through presentations. I love to expose people to new places and techniques and see the excitement on their faces.”

This free presentation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. and is sponsored by the Mount Airy Photography Club and supported in part by a Surry Arts Council subgrant from the Grassroots Program of the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that “a great nation deserves great art.”

For more info on the photographer, visit www.kadamsphoto.com.

In recent years, Pilot Mountain leaders have made a concerted effort to increase events in town — not only to draw visitors and tourists, but to improve the quality of life for town residents.

Now, the town’s Main Street Program has initiated yet another project to both encourage home and yard owners to keep their places nice and spiffy, and to recognize those who do so — a periodic Yard Spotlight Award.

While the program officially got its start in the autumn, the first awards recently went out to two homeowners — Marilyn Thomas, of 406 W. Main Street, and Gerald and Susan Reams, of 509 E Main.

“They loved it,” said Jenny Kindy, Main Street coordinator for Pilot Mountain. “One was very shocked, I don’t know if she had been following along…she was shocked and pleasantly surprised that her yard had been nominated and selected.”

She said the Main Street board of directors approved the program in October, although they decided to wait until spring to officially start handing out the awards.

“We thought it would be a great way to keep the community involved and engaged,” she said of the program, which originated among the town staff members. “This is the first time we’ve really done something where the community can nominate their peers to be recognized…a way to reward people for taking good care of their yard, to encourage other people to take pride in their yard. It makes the town a prettier place.”

She said the program works by folks simply nominating a yard from town. While the first two winners live on Main Street, she said it is for all town residents.

‘It’s a great chance to brag on your neighbors for doing a good job,” she said. The winners receive a yard sign touting their recognition, as well as promotion on social media.

Those wishing to make a nomination can do so via email at yardspotlight@pilotmountainnc.org Kindy said a group of town staff reviews the nominations, visit the yards before choosing those which will be recognized.

Creating a safe place for artists in Mount Airy was Donna Jackson’s goal, she called it a dream in her heart from God. The Blue House Art Studio was her creation and a gift to special needs artists of Mount Airy and their families.

Wendy Tatman made the announcement this week that Blue House is ceasing operations. After many years and a countless number of smiles, things happened quickly from the phone call last Thursday to the final dyeing of Easter eggs tomorrow with the result a sad one: the doors are closing on this artists’ space for good.

“We received a call from the Gilmer Smith Foundation informing us that the Blue House itself will be put up for sale,” Tatman said. “We do not yet know further details, but it seems that we will soon be displaced.”

To her students, volunteers, and supporters she broke the news as gently as possible. “This is a difficult letter to write, and it may be a difficult letter to read. Here is the bottom line first: the Blue House Art Studio is closing, and it is doing so much faster than any of us anticipated. “

“The Gilmer Smith Foundation has put the Blue House building up for sale and the Art Studio Board sees no other option other than to ‘dissolve’ our Blue House Art Studio. We had hoped to hold classes through the end of April, but the necessity of disposing of all our supplies and furniture makes that too difficult.”

“We are sad to learn the Blue House Teaching Studio will be closing. The studio has meant so much to its students and their families,” Melissa Hiatt, director of the United Fund of Surry said. “It is certainly a loss to our United Fund family.”

Founded in 2004 by Donna Jackson as a safe space for her son Ben, she told Wanda Stark in 2013 that it came to her in a dream where she saw Ben opening the door to his own gallery to welcome her in. “I woke up that morning and I told my husband ‘I now know what I have to do. God has put this dream in my heart.”

Jackson’s son John III said he heard the tales “about all of the hard work she and many others put into that place to make it shine.” He acknowledged the closure as, “The end of an era.”

“The Blue House has provided a safe haven that fostered artistic growth and nurtured their special population of students to proudly display their works of art,” Hiatt remarked. Blue House is one of the 26 member agencies which are assisted in their goals by the United Fund of Surry. “We are thankful for the years of service the Blue House has given to our community.”

Tatman said the interpersonal connections she has made over the year will be hard to replace. “Very hard, I will miss my students. I will miss the connections, and I hope we will retain those connections.” She will be hosting her students for a final picnic at her home in May, a chance to connect and remember fun times with her students.

She also is hopeful that art education need not end for the students either or hopes to work something out. “We are working with Rosie and Lee Bolin at the Groovy Gallery in hopes of arranging some art class opportunities there for any of our students who would like to try.”

In the short term though, some of the students may find they have no safe space to create and therefore may do so at home. She does not want supplies to go to waste, “All students are invited to bring a box to class and gather art supplies that you would use at home.”

The process of getting the studio out of the Blue House is a truncated one. Tatman said she in unclear of the timeframe she must exit but will rent a dumpster and hire helpers as needed to “finish this rather giant job.” Staff, volunteers, and board who wish to reclaim any items contributed over the years are welcome to take those.

Non-profit groups are subject to rules when they shut down so any specific grants issued or funds remaining when the studio closes will be given to United Fund or the Webb-Midkiff Foundation. Some specific items such as sculptures by Bill Maxwell will be offered back to their families.

The remaining sundries of the office will then be offered to the sister organizations under the umbrella of The United Fund. Tables, chairs, and even a stand-up piano will be looking for new homes with other non-profits before going to the landfill.

“It has been a joy to work with all of you and a delight to get to know you. We all treasure the friendships and memories we have made together,” Tatman said in the letter to students.

“On behalf of our founder, Donna Jackson, and all the teachers and board members and volunteers who have worked at Blue House Art Studio and Gallery Group over the years, we thank you for your amazing support and help and belief in our vision.”

Books available at the Mount Airy Public Library:

Witness for the Persecution – E.J. Copperman

The Younger Wife – Sally Hepworth

The MIssing Piece – John Lescroart

Summer On the Island – Brenda Novak

Wish You Were Here – Jodi Picoult

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

Make It Mondays. Craft class for adults meets the third Monday of each month at 3 p.m. .

It’s Yoga Y’all – Yoga with Ms. Heather will be the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

Pages and Petticoats Book Club — meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month’s book is Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James.

Easter Egg Hunt – 10 a.m. Join us at the library to hear Easter stories, meet the Easter Bunny and participate in an Easter Egg Hunt.

Author Meet and Greet on Wednesday, April 27 at 1 p.m. Local author Ruben Gonzales has written two books that take place in North Carolina, The Cottage On the Bay and Murder On Black Mountain.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

April showers and maybe snow showers?

April can bring all kinds of surprises and we hope one of them will be plenty of April showers. They don’t seem to be as common as they used to be. At one time, they were almost a daily occurrence in April. A bit of snow could also be a surprise element during the month of April. It may not be a five-inch snow but just any amount in April will bring excitement and melt the heart!

The fickle days of April can be tricky

April is moving along and even though April 15 is the supposedly the last frost date, do not be surprised to see some frost even into the early days of May. It is defiantly not the time to plant any warm weather vegetables. There are a lot of cold nights as we move through the rest of April.

The dogwood blossoms are now in full bloom and tiny leaves are beginning to form on the limbs. This is the time in April that is known as “Dogwood Winter.” It is a time of cool nights, damp soil and some light frost and maybe a dusting of snow. This cold spell will not have any effect on cool weather vegetables.

As we arrive in mid April, some hummingbirds are already showing up. Don’t wait until you see a hummingbird to place your feeder out. Place the feeder on the porch or deck and watch for the hummers. Fill the feeders only half full until you see how many of the hummers are showing up. There are not many flowers blooming at this time, so your feeder will be a welcome sight for them.

Getting Christmas cactus ready to move

The Christmas cactus has been inside the sunny living room since mid-October and as we reach the middle of April, it is time to prepare the cactus for its move to the front porch to spend spring, summer and early autumn. During their stay inside the house, they have been watered every ten days and fed with Flower-Tone organic flower food once a month. Before moving to the front porch, we trim them back to promote new growth. We place them in a semi sunny location on the porch. Their time outside prepares them for blooms in late November and into December. When properly cared for, the Christmas cactus will thrive and bloom for many years to come.

April may have plenty of cool days, but perennials thrive in all seasons of the year. As the month reaches the half way mark, most hardwares, nurseries, garden shops, Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Ace Hardware and Walmart will have plenty of perennials in stock. This month is the ideal time to plant perennials. You can plant them in medium or large containers for a show of color and foliage for years to come with very small amount of care.

Looking ahead to next spring’s bulbs

The spring flowering bulbs of jonquils, narcissus, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus have finished their blooming cycle but their spikes and foliage are still thriving. Do not mow them down or trim them back, but allow them to grow until they turn brown and die. They are producing energy for the next season’s forming of bulbs and providing nutrients for them. Don’t mow them down but water them every week until they turn brown and fade out. Jonquils and other bulbs are heirlooms of the flower world.

The purity and beauty of the dogwoods

In a background of trees with their leaves awakening to early spring and highlighted by the petals of snow white dogwood blooms that pave the arrival of spring. dogwoods are the herald of warmer and more pleasant days over the horizon. They will feature their pure white blooms until April’s end and their petals will fall like snow to begin the merry month of May.

The season of summer annuals in mid-spring is now here. To recycle potting medium that the pansies and other winter annuals are in, pull out their plants and empty the old medium into the wheel barrow, stir it up, break it down and add a 50% mixture of new potting medium that can be purchased in one cubic foot bags at Lowe’s, Home Depot, most garden centers and Ace Hardware. Add some peat moss to the recycled potting medium to improve moisture retention. Stir the recycled medium and water to moisten the medium a day before you set out your annuals for the summer.

We know that Creeping Jenny is a great ground cover but it also works well as a container perennial and adds plenty of greenery to the porch or deck. The variety named “Goldilocks” performs well and cascades out of its container and resembles golden locks of hair. It does best in a semi sunny location and thrives in winter temperatures. As it grows out of its container, shoots can be transplanted to other containers. They do not need a lot of attention and only a drink of water each week. If they get too long, they can be trimmed back. They stay green all year.

American violets adorn garden plot

The heart-shaped leaves of American violets are now adorned with the royal purple and white flowers that are dainty and fragrant as they cover the edge of the garden plot. They add a burst of majesty, color, and beauty to the spring landscape.

Keeping birdbaths and feeders filled

The birds of spring are now active and all over the lawn as they search for grubs, worms, and insects. They are also scouting for nesting areas. Keep feeders and birdbaths filled and make your lawn a welcome mat for them. Empty the birdbath and replenish with fresh water every morning.

Making a party beefy chicken casserole

This is an unusual chicken casserole that features chicken, chopped beef, and bacon in a creamy sauce. You will need one package of chipped beef, one tray of chicken breast tenders or fillets, one pound of bacon, one can of Campbells cream of mushroom soup, half pint sour cream, one eight-ounce pack of finely shredded mozzarella cheese. Boil or fry the chicken until golden brown. Broil the slices of bacon. Place chipped beef in the bottom of a casserole dish. Place fried chicken pieces on top of beef chips, spread broiled bacon strips on the chicken. Mix mushroom soup and sour cream and pour over the mixture. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over top of casserole. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until firm and shredded cheese melts into the casserole.

Using a potting soil with fine texture

When you purchase potting medium for spring and summer annual flowers, always remember that you get what you pay for. Cheap, lumpy, and clumpy mediums filled with bark chips and other questionable materials is no bargain because it has no texture and nutrients and quickly dries out. Feel the bag and if it is lumpy, don’t buy it. Good medium comes in one cubic foot bags and is finely textured and consistent and will retain moisture.

“Higher gas!” A city woman was driving on a country back road late at night. She had not seen a town for miles and her gas gauge registered almost empty. Finally she saw a ramshackle country store in a small village. The light was on and an antique gas pump was in front of the store. The country store keeper assured her it still worked. She told the storekeeper as she filled up her tank, “This sure is a tiny village. What do you people do for a living around here?” The storekeeper replied, “We sell gas for $10 a gallon!”

“Not good enough!” New bride: “My husband is very good to me. He gives me everything I ask for.” Bride’s mother: “That only proves you are not asking for enough.”

“Tune ups.”- What is the difference between a bagpipe and a lawnmower? Answer: You can tune up a lawn mower!

Books available at the Mount Airy Public Library:

We Know You Remember – Tove Alsterdal

The Sugarcreek Surprise – Wanda Brunstetter

The Element of Love – Mary Connealy

A Relative Murder – Jude Deveraux

The Recovery Agent – Janet Evanovich

The Hidden Child – Louise Fein

Fear Thy Neighbor – Fern Michaels

The Diamond Eye – Kate Quinn

Seven-Year Witch – Angela M. Sanders

What Happened to the Bennets – Lisa Scottoline

The Shop on Royal Street – Karen White

A Safe House – Stuart Woods

Robert B. Parker’s Bye Bye Baby – Ace Atkins

Shadows Reel – C.J. Box

The Sugarcreek Surprise – Wanda Brunstetter

The Judge’s List – John Grisham

The Golden Couple – Greer Hendricks

The Lady’s Mine – Francine Rivers

Freedom’s Song – Kim Vogel Sawyer

The Speckled Beauty – Rick Bragg

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

Make It Mondays. Craft class for adults meets the third Monday of each month at 3 p.m. .

It’s Yoga Y’all – Yoga with Ms. Heather will be the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

Pages and Petticoats Book Club -meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month’s book is Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James.

The YVEDDI Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the Surry County Senior Center are partnering with the Mount Airy Public Library and the IRS to provide free tax preparation at the library. VITA sites provide free income tax preparation for low-to moderate income taxpayers (generally those who make $57,000 and below) who need help filing their returns. The program will run through April 9, operating on Saturdays at the Mount Airy Public Library from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at the Surry County Senior Center from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 336-415-4225. Masks are mandatory for this event, for the safety of the volunteers.

Easter Egg Hunt – 10:00 am Join us at the library to hear Easter stories, meet the Easter Bunny and participate in an Easter Egg Hunt.

Author Meet and Greet on Wednesday, April 27 at 1 p.m. Local author Ruben Gonzales has written two books that take place in North Carolina, The Cottage On the Bay and Murder On Black Mountain.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

Larry Sigmon and Martha Spencer return to the Historic Earle Theatre with their Unique Sound of the Mountains show on Saturday, April 9 at 7 p.m.

Larry Sigmon was born in Callaway, Virginia. His father, Lewis Eldridge Sigmon, was a locally beloved banjo and fiddle player. Larry Sigmon taught himself harmonica as a child and then moved to guitar, learning to play by backing up his father. When he took up the banjo at 15, it became his main instrument, and he developed a signature hard-driving, rhythmic style.

The younger Sigmon’s first band was the Sugar Hill Ramblers, a six-piece group that performed old-time tunes and old country numbers for six years. He went on to play stints with Carl Scott and Richard Bowman until the late 1980s when he met bassist Barbara Poole at a local fiddlers’ convention.

He and Poole began performing together, winning countless ribbons in banjo, bass, and folk song competitions and playing at festivals, dances, and other concert venues. Their sound was so distinctive with just the banjo, bass, and Sigmon’s distinct singing, they became known as the “Unique Sound,” and gained a dedicated local following, particularly among flatfoot dancers.

The two drew upon a repertoire of old-time and bluegrass songs from Charlie Poole to Jimmy Martin and Bill Monroe, making songs their own through Sigmon’s strong vocals and Poole’s double-slap bass. Throughout their 18-year career, the duo performed at the Carter Family Fold, the Grand Ole Opry, and mountain music festivals throughout the South, becoming one of the most popular bands in the Blue Ridge Mountains until Poole passed away in 2008 after a long struggle with cancer.

Sigmon had quit performing until old-time musician and advocate Martha Spencer arrived to interview him for her online documentary project, Mountain Music Magazine. Like Sigmon, Spencer was raised in a musical family, the daughter of acclaimed old-time musicians Thornton and Emily Spencer and a longtime member of their family group, the Whitetop Mountain Band.

During their interview, she encouraged Sigmon to play some tunes, joining him on bass and playing Poole’s signature spirited double-slap style. The two took to each other immediately, and the “Unique Sound” was reborn.

This performance at the Historic Earle Theatre is part of the Surry Art Council’s Blue Ridge and Beyond Series. Tickets are $12 per person. For additional information or tickets, visit www.surryarts.org, call 336-786-7998, or email marianna@surryarts.org.

Frost possible in late April

One important reason why warm weather vegetables should not be planted anytime soon is that frost is a possibility even past April 15, which is considered the last frost date. We can have frost anytime during the month of April. The nights are plenty cold and this means garden plot soil is much too cool for any warm weather vegetable crops to be started.

Plenty of wild onions and dandelions

As we enter April, the wild onions and dandelions are showing up on early spring lawns. They are both hard to control and get rid of because both have deep root systems. Rather than dig up the lawn to get rid of them, we use the weed trimmer and clip them off at ground level to stunt their growth. When warm weather arrives, they will slow down and be gone for late spring and summer.

Taking care of spring flowering bulbs

The blooms of daffodils, jonquils, hyacinths, narcissus and tulips have faded away. The foliage is still green and important. Do not cut or mow them, allow them to phase their way out. They are passing strength to what will be next season’s blooms and bulbs for next spring. Just let them run their course and fade on their own and pave the way for next year’s bulbs and blooms. They are the heirlooms of the flower world.

April is the time to sow carrots

April is the month to sow a row or bed of carrots. Carrots have a difficult time producing in acid soil of the Piedmont, but this problem can be solved by improving soil texture and add amendments to the soil that will promote a harvest of carrots. They require 90 days to produce a harvest, so be patient with carrots. Plant the long varities such as Danvers Long.

To prepare a bed that will be receptive to growth of carrots, add peat moss, Black Cow composted cow manure, bone meal, blood meal, a couple of bags of top soil and compost. Mix all together and sow carrot seed in a six-inch deep furrow. Sow seed thinly and cover with a layer of peat moss on top and bottom of seed. Apply a layer of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food. Hill up soil on both sides of the row and tamp down with the hoe blade. Feed once a month with Plant-Tone and as carrots grow, keep soil hilled up on both sides of the row. Water every week with water wand on spray mode when no rain falls. Thin the carrots if they are growing too quick.

With the arrival of April, we can soon see the arrival of a few early hummers. It is a good idea during April to have a feeder about half full of nectar, waiting and ready for these first arrivals. Most garden shops and hardwares already have hummingbird nectar in stock. You can choose from bottles of ready to go use nectar or packets and envelopes that you mix with water. If you want to make your own nectar, use half water and half granulated sugar and a few drops of red food coloring. You can purchase feeders that are tinted red and make nectar with only water and sugar.

Sowing beets in early spring

Beets are another cool weather vegetable that needs an early April start because they require a long growing season. Beet seed are hard and need to be soaked for several hours before you plant them. After soaking the seed, sow the beet seed in a furrow about 4 inches deep. Cover with a layer of peat moss and water the peat moss and seed in the furrow, apply an application of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food and cover by hilling up soil on each side of the furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade.

Water often when rain is not in the forecast. Feed every 20 days with Plant-Tone or Miracle-Gro liquid plant food. When beets sprout, thin to three inches apart. Hill soil up to them every 10 days. Detroit Dark Red is a good variety. Beets will need a growing season of around 90 days and they demand a whole lot of patience.

Getting warm weather seeds ready

Seed for warm weather vegetables can be purchased now and stored in a cool dry place in a box or bag or drawer. Packages of seed including flowers can now be purchased including flower seed packets. Zinnias come in many sizes, varities and colors and can be purchased at hardwares, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Walmart and many supermarkets. Try to discover as many different colors and varities as you can find to make a colorful bed or row that will perform all summer long.

The fickle month of April

We are now into the third day of April and we can look forward to the last frost of April after the middle of the month, but we could see a little frost even in early May. Don’t be in any hurry to set out tomatoes, peppers or any warm weather vegetables. April is a month of fickle, unpredictable weather, definitely no time to gamble on warm weather crops. We can expect plenty of showers during the month and also a lot of cool days and nights. If you do gamble on a few tomato plants, set out only as many as you can cover up each night.

Don’t be fooled by fickle April weather

Everyone knows we celebrated April Fool’s Day last week, but in April, we can be fooled every day by unusual and changing, unstable weather with no two days being exactly the same. We can definitely expect to be fooled by April’s weather patterns, but don’t be deceived by a few seemingly warm April days. Wait until more stable weather in May to set out tomatoes, peppers and sow warm weather vegetables.

April snow possible, but only melt the heart

One of the ways we can be fooled during the month of April is the surprise of a few snowflakes on an April morning. Most snowfall in April doesn’t hang around and many old timmers say it only excites kids and melts hearts. It is just one of the many tricks fickle April could have laid up in store for us.

April showers seem fewer and fewer

We do not think it is global warming or cooler weather patterns or just weather extremes, but April showers in the 21st century seems to only be the words of love songs. We remember as kids in April, we walked to school almost every April day and walked home in an April shower. We still have a few but not as common as they were back in the 1950s. April showers bring May flowers, but they also bring an unforgettable fresh aroma as well as a breath of April fresh air. Maybe this will be a come back year for the rebirth of April showers!

Making a heavenly delight dessert

This is a dessert that lives up to its name and easy to prepare and the whole family will really like it. You will need two sticks light margarine, half cup light brown sugar, half cup chopped pecans, two cups plain flour, twelve ounces of softened cream cheese, two cups 10x confectioners powder sugar, two cups Cool Whip, one three ounce box Jello instant french vanilla pudding mix, one three ounce box of Jello instant cheesecake pudding mix and three cups of milk. Mix light margarine, brown sugar, chopped pecans, plain flour. Spread evenly in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan or dish. Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Mix softened cream cheese, 10x sugar, and Cool Whip and pour over the cooled crust of chopped pecan mixture. Mix the pudding mixes and milk and pour over top of cream cheese mixture and top with Cool whip and refrigerate. A melt in the mouth dessert!

A lawn filled with robins

A flock of robins searching for worms and grubs on the lawn on a spring morning is a beautiful sight. They have been around during winter but now they are abundant. The April lawn is moist and they are finding plenty of food to satisfy them.

The deadline for setting out a row or bed of Irish potatoes is defiantly this week. They do need to be in the ground this week because they are a root crop that requires a 90-day growing period. Planting this week will assure a harvest before the Dog Days of heat in July. You can choose from Irish Cobbler, Yukon Gold, Red Pontiac or Kennebec.

An old preacher was on his deathbed. He sent a message for an IRS agent and a lawyer (both church members) to come to his home. When they arrived, they were ushered into his bedroom, and they sat on each side of his bed. for a time, no one said anything. The IRS agent and lawyer were surprised the preacher would want to see them in his final moments. They were also puzzled because he had never indicated he particularly liked either one of them. Finally, the lawyer asked, “Preacher, why did you ask both of us to come?” The old preacher said in a weak voice, “Jesus died between two thieves, and that’s how I want to go too!”

Almanac for month of April 2022

There was a new moon on Friday as we started the month with a new moon and will also end the month with a new moon on Saturday, April 30. All’s fool day was also celebrated on Friday. The moon reaches its first quarter on Saturday, April 9. Palm Sunday will be Sunday, April 10. Thomas Jefferson’s birthday will be Wednesday, April 13. Good Friday will be Friday, April 15. There will be a full moon on Saturday, April 16. This moon will be named “Full Pink Moon.” it is also named “Paschal Moon” and “Passover Moon.” Passover begins at sundown on Friday, April 15. Easter will be Sunday, April 17. Earth Day will be Thursday, April 22. The moon reaches its last quarter on Saturday, April 23. National Arbor Day is on Friday, April 29.

Auditions for the Surry Arts Council’s production of Little Women directed by Shelby Coleman are being held today, March 30 from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the Andy Griffith Playhouse.

• Sing an approximately 32-bar cut from a musical theater piece in the style of the show;

• Be prepared to read sides with other auditionees.

Video auditions are available for those who cannot make it in person. Send a video of a 32- to 62-bar cut of a musical theater piece and a 30- to 60-second monologue to shelby@surryarts.org by 11 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30.

The public performances will be on Saturday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 15 at 3 p.m.

Little Women is based on the American classic by Louisa May Alcott. This timeless, captivating story is brought to life in this musical filled with personal discovery, heartache, hope and everlasting love.

Based on Louisa May Alcott’s life, Little Women follows the adventures of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March. Jo is trying to sell her stories for publication, but the publishers are not interested – her friend, Professor Bhaer, tells her that she has to do better and write more from herself. Begrudgingly taking this advice, Jo weaves the story of herself and her sisters and their experience growing up in Civil War America.

For additional information, contact Shelby Coleman at 336-786-7998 or shelby@surryarts.org. Tickets for the shows are available online at www.surryarts.org, via phone at 336-786-7998, or at the Surry Arts Council office at 218 Rockford Street.

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

Make It Mondays. Craft class for adults meets the third Monday of each month at 3 p.m. .

The Community Book Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. Our book this month is The Widows by Jess Montgomery. Copies are available at the front desk.

It’s Yoga Y’all – Yoga with Ms. Heather will be the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

LACE, the Romance Readers Book Club meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month’s book is Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath.

Classic Movie Monday – March’s Classic Movie selection is Grapes of Wrath starring Henry Fonda and John Carradine. The film is based on the play “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck. We have copies available if you’d like to read it before watching it with us on March 28 at 6 p.m.

Author Meet and Greet on April 2 at 11 a.m. Jess Montgomery talk about her latest book in “The Kinship Series,” “The Echoes”. This series takes place in the coal fields of Ohio in the mid 1920s, there is a lot of history, mystery, murder and intrigue. Jess will be here in-person to talk about her books, the people she based her characters on and the history of the region.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

The first full week of spring past

Spring is now past its first week whether it feels like it or not. All cool weather vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, radish, broccoli, spring onion sets, Irish potatoes and greens will be untouched by cool days and nights of March. We will probably have plenty of cold days and nights through March and even through part of April, but not much danger of the soil freezing even though there could be some snow.

Plenty of buds on dogwoods for April blooms

One sure sign that spring is here is the emerging buds on dogwood trees. Most trees have produced plenty of buds so we can look forward to a great display of dogwood blooms in a few weeks. Some buds start forming in late winter, but swell up as we pass mid March when they become visible on bare limbs.

Spring birds active at the feeder and bird baths

Robins don’t eat at the feeders, but they visit the birdbath all during the spring days. Most of their diet comes from worms, grubs and insects on the lawn. At the feeders, sparrows, chickadees, cardinals and blue jays as well as juncos show up each day. During spring, keep feeders and baths filled as birds will soon begin to nest and lay eggs.

Planting roses for beauty all summer

Getting rose bushes ready for a season of blooms as well as planting new rose bushes is the order of business as we move further into spring. The roses that have come through winter now need some attention as they begin a new season. Trim back old growth and canes. Remove all spent blooms and hips. Pull out chickweed and other weed growth. Dig around the base of roses and apply several handfuls of Rose-Tone organic rose food and cover it up. Water the roses and allow the food to soak in. When planting new rose bushes, consider the varities of Mr. Lincoln, Peace and Tropicana as well as all varities of Knockout roses in colors of red, yellow, pink and white. They are bush type with no long canes and easier to care for.

Knockout roses come in their trademark light green plastic buckets and are easy to plant. Dig a hole for the roses twice the size of the container. Fill the hole with water and allow it time to soak into the soil. Add several quarts of peat moss into the hole and water. Carefully remove rose bush from the bucket and place in the hole. Water the rose bush. Mix soil and peat moss together and fill the hole. Water and allow soil to soak down around the rose bush. Add more soil and a little more water. Finish filling in with soil and tamp down. Water roses once a week. Feed with Rose-Tone after a month and once a month afterwards. Use a sprinkling can or water wand in spray mode to water the rose when needed.

When will the last frost of spring occur?

Spring may be here but Jack Frost can still be a possibility well into the month of April, and along with the frost some fairly cold nights. It is defiantly no time to plant or set out warm weather vegetables or tomato and pepper plants, unless you would just enjoy doing it all over again! My Northampton County grandma always said, “As long as you sleep with a blanket on the bed, it is too cold to plant or set out warm weather vegetables.” She did not have much education, but her words were wisdom worth listening to. She did not know horticulture but she knew a bit about agriculture and what made plants and vegetables tick and not tick.

Making a dish of cheesy bread

My mother always made cheese biscuits when we were kids. This is a form of cheese bread that is simple to prepare. You will need one beaten egg, one cup of Bisquick, half cup of milk, four tablespoons melt light margarine, one tablespoon sugar, one can cream style corn and eight ounce pack finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Combine corn, Bisquick, beaten egg, margarine, milk and sugar, mix well. Pour half the batter into a greased casserole dish or baking dish, cover with the shredded sharp cheddar cheese and top with remaining batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes until golden brown. Check occasionally to see if done. Serves eight.

Not too late to sow mustard or greens

Cool early spring nights are receptive for a row or bed of greens which will produce a harvest in around 50 to 60 days. Curly mustard produces a sweet green that is tender. You can also sow mixed greens that include Kale, rape, tender green, mustard, broad leaf, leafy turnip and spinach. The hardware will mix the seed in the ratio you prefer. Plant the tiny seed in a furrow about 3 or 4 inches deep and cover with a layer of peat moss and apply an application of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food and hill up soil on each side of the furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade. One ounce of seed will plant a 4×4 bed or a 30 or 40 foot row.

Getting panda and asparagus ferns move ready

These ferns have spent winter in the living room in a semi-sunny location and are soon going to be ready for their move to the deck for spring, summer and early autumn. To get them ready, they will be trimmed and extra potting medium mixed with Flower-Tone organic flower food and a small amount of water to soak down the flower food. In winter, the ferns are trimmed back once a month to promote them to grow out instead of up. Inside the house, they develop runners because they are trying to get more light.

Irish potatoes should be planted during March

Irish potatoes are a vegetable that requires at least a 90-day growing season to produce a harvest. They should be planted by the end of March to assure a harvest in three months. Potatoes planted in March will be ready to harvest before the heat of Dog Days of July. Planting potatoes now will allow you to plant a warm weather vegetable such as green beans to follow the potato harvest. You can choose from Kennebre, Yukon Gold, Red Pontiac or Irish Cobbler. Always plant whole seed potatoes because when you cut the potatoes or split the eyes, you promote rot or mildew and mold. Place a layer of peat moss on top of the seed potatoes and apply Plant-Tone organic vegetable food before hilling up soil on both sides of the furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade for good soil contact. Set seed potatoes about 10 to 12 inches apart. Apply Plant-Tone once a month and hill up soil on both sides of row as the potatoes grow.

The deep greening of spring azaleas

In late March the deep green foliage of the azaleas becomes much more lively. At this time of year it is time to give them an application of Holly-Tone evergreen organic food and a drink of Miracle-Gro liquid azalea food to boost them to a season of colorful blooms. We like azaleas because of their evergreen foliage and their impact on the landscape of the house all seasons long.

Bee population begins wake up

With the color and fragrance of Carolina Jasmine and American violets, jonquils and hyacinths, the bees are making early arrivals and stretching their wings. It is a sure sign that the warmer days of spring are not too very far away.

Snow is a possibility in late March

The chances are not great as we end March, but there is the possibility and it has occurred in years past. A snow at this time of spring may not be heavy, but it could drum up a lot of excitement. No matter the amount, it will not hang around long but melt away quickly and like a snow in early April, it will only melt our hearts. This may be a way March leaves like a lion.

Keeping a magic potion for garden on hand

The cool soil on early cool weather crops needs a pep shot in the early spring garden. A bale of peat moss is the magic ingredient of the garden in all seasons especially in early spring. A 3.5 cubic foot bale costs about $11 or $12 and is the best improvement you can make to the garden soil. It improves texture, promotes growth, retains moisture and improves the production of vegetables. It is a totally organic product that makes a difference in any garden row or bed. It is great for plants and flowers. It is one of the best investments you can add to the garden and pays off in better soil and produce. It adds to the garden instead of subtracting.

If it forms a ball, don’t till at all

This is the formula for dealing with the soil in the early spring garden plot. Soil can be hard to work in early spring even when it is only a little bit moist, wet or damp soil is impossible to work with and it does more harm to the soil by working it when wet. If soil sticks to your shoes, it is too wet to work. Ball the soil up and if it forms a wet ball don’t work or walk in it. When soil will crumble in your hands and fall apart, conditions are ideal for the working and planting in the soil.

“Good housekeeping.” One thing I can say for my wife, she’s a very neat housekeeper. If I drop my socks she picks them up. If I throw my clothes around, she hangs them up. Last night, I got up at three in the morning and went to the kitchen for a glass of milk. When I got back I found the bed made up.

“True Liar.” First wife: “Does you husband lie awake all night?” Second wife: “Yes, and he lies in his sleep too!”

“Hit the road, Jack.” First husband: “I think my wife is getting tired of me.” Second husband: “Why would you even think a thing like that?” First husband: “She keeps wrapping my lunch in road maps!”

“Cookie monster.” “Young man, there were two cookies in the cabinet this morning, why is there only one in there now?” The young man said, “It must have been so dark I didn’t see the other one.”

“The gospel shows us a God far more holy than a legalist can bear and yet more merciful than a humanist can conceive.” – Tim Keller

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9

Recently on Wednesday nights we watched The Chosen series. One of the things I like about that series is that it can help me to see something that has always been in the word of God in a framework that I had not realized before. I knew Jesus came to push back what was dark and that in His own perfect way fought against the brokenness of the world.

But in The Chosen I see that very clearly, but it strikes me that Jesus’ opposition isn’t coming from just one particular place, even though he is fighting one thing, it is actually coming from two places. The message and ministry of Jesus is at odds with Rome and at odds with the Pharisees. Jesus, intentionally and yet lovingly is pushing against both of those. He is pushing against one thing; he is pushing against unGodliness. But that one thing is showing itself in two different ways. It is showing itself as being anti-God and so Jesus confronts both; humbly, sacrificial, and lovingly.

He confronts Rome’s Godlessness. We know that his ministry confronts this because it is Rome that puts him to death. And we see Jesus’ ministry, both by himself and by his followers, call him Lord; an undeniably political theological term. His ministry preaches against the secular Roman culture that is all too prevalent in some of the churches New Testament letters find themselves in. It calls people to personally, culturally, lovingly fight against anything that would strip away the goodness of the reality of God.

This is not surprising. After all, if you have grown up around Christian culture or household you were taught how important it is to stand up for Jesus, and reject false doctrines of this world that say only the material matters, God is not real, or Jesus is not 100% God and 100% man. But Jesus does not just push against Rome; He pushes against the Pharisees.

The New Testament follows this example by not just pushing against Roman culture but also against religiosity. Rome was anti-God and the Pharisees were anti-God. Yes, they knew his name and they knew his word. They had learned about it since they were young, and had grown up in a culture steeped in it. And yet the way Jesus speaks to them absolutely says you do not know or represent the real God. Paul makes this same argument in the first century christian context of Galatians. Being furiously against demonic ideologies; and then telling us that demonic ideology is legalism, is Jesus plus, is seeking to measure up in works.

Satan is fighting in our current culture the same way he has always fought. From the very beginning when he deceived Eve he spoke half-truths that sounded right but in the end led away from God. And so what he may be doing now is pointing to one side of the aisle and saying look at how wrong they are and then whispering the lie in our ear “so the other side must be right.” “Look at how Godless that left side is; the other side must be correct. Look at how unloving and ungracious and unpeaceful that right side is; the other side must be correct.”

If we take an honest look at all of Jesus’ ministry and the whole of the New Testament, the reality we will be left with is the truth that Jesus does not belong to the left side or the right side of the aisle. He does not sit closer to one side of the voting platform than the other. No, Jesus Christ sits as king on his throne. Telling his followers what His kingdom is and what it looks like. Promising that this kingdom will come to fruition and asking those who carry his name and bare his mark live in the reality that he already made. Jesus is neither Democrat nor Republican. Jesus is king.

Folks often enjoy hiking wilderness trails — a chance for some exercise while getting away from the modern world, clearing their head, simply communing with nature.

Sharon Short uses such sojourns to plan murders. Or at least germinate a few deathly ideas she might put into practice.

No, Short is not a serial killer. She’s better known to many people as Jess Montgomery, author of The Kinship murder mystery series.

Short is scheduled to be in Mount Airy on April 2 for an author meet and greet at Mount Airy Public Library, where she’ll be discussing her latest novel — The Echoes — which is the fourth novel in The Kinship series.

The series is not her first foray into the world of novel writing and publishing.

“My first published novel came out 30 years ago,” she said. It was a three-part series known as The Patricia Delaney eGumshoe Electronic mystery series.

“She (Patricia Delaney) was a woman who used computers to solve crime. It was very high tech at the time, now it would read historical,” she said with a laugh.

She has since penned the six-part Josie Toadfern Stain-Busting humorous mystery series about a laundromat owner and stain-removal expert who happens to solve crimes, along with stand-alone novels, poetry, and a collection of her columns.

Even before her first novel, Short was a writer and journalist and, she said, one in a long line of story tellers, having grown up with parents, grandparents, and extended family who all loved to weave tales for whoever would listen.

“I’ve been a writer essentially my whole life, since I could write as a little girl,” she recalled recently when talking about her career and her impending visit to Mount Airy.

After earning a bachelor of arts degree in English from Wright State University and a master of arts degree from Bowling Green State University, she spent ten years writing a weekly humor and lifestyle column for The Dayton Daily News. She still writes for the paper as a literary life columnist, and pens a regular column for Writer’s Digest called Level Up Your Writing.

But it is storytelling that she loves, though she struggled early on to find her place in the literary world.

“In my 20s, I tried my hand at writing a romance novel.” At the time, the romance genre was hot, filling the best-seller lists, but she said she struggled. Then came what she calls her “light bulb moment.”

She was sitting with a collection of mystery novels she was getting from the local library when her husband shared an observation.

“You’re writing a romance novel, but the only thing you’re reading is mystery novels. That seems to be what you are most drawn to as a reader.”

That, Short said, changed her life. She set to work penning a mystery novel. Once completed, she attended the Antioch Writers Workshop in Yellowstone, Ohio. There, a young Sue Grafton — just before she hit the best seller list with her Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series, gave Short a detailed critique of the first few chapters of her work.

“She was great, she was just such a good teacher, she reviewed the book I had worked on, the opening pages. She told me it had a good plot, the characters were interesting, but she said ‘You haven’t really done as much research as you need to in police procedure and your dialogue is a bit stilted.’”

Getting encouragement, as well as detailed pointers on where she needed improvement, from someone already with a few publishing credits under her belt was the final push for Short. While that first novel was never published — she said it was more of a learning experience — she soon published her first Patricia Delaney novel, and has been publishing ever since.

Her latest work, The Kinship Series, had its genesis when she and her husband were getting ready to go on a hike with her youngest daughter.

“She majored in outdoor education. She likes to do outdoor things, so we were going to visit her, do some hiking. I started doing some research on that part of the state, hikes that would be interesting to her and doable for us.”

In doing that research, she stumbled across the real-life accounts of a woman named Maude Collins, who in 1925 became the first female sheriff in Ohio history. She inherited the post when her husband, Fletcher, was killed in the line of duty. A year later, however, she ran for re-election and won.

“There have only been five female sheriffs in the state’s history,” she said, with the next one not winning the office until 1976. It wasn’t until after the turn of the 21st century that another would take the office in one of the state’s 88 counties.

“I found that really remarkable, that she was able to win election. My imagination was inspired. I wondered what if Maude didn’t know who killed her husband?” While the killer of the real-life Fletcher Collins was well-known at the time, Short said the idea of the mystery of solving such a crime took root and grew in her imagination into the Kinship series.

She said during her library visit she will be making a more detailed presentation on the series, with particular emphasis on the fourth installment, which is set to be released March 29. She said she would be glad to take questions from the audience, both on the series and about writing in general.

“I’m very much looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to chatting with readers and meeting the good folks of Mount Airy.”

More information on Short and her Kinship series can be found at https://jessmontgomeryauthor.com/ Her talk at the local library is scheduled for April 2 at 11 a.m.

The Surry Arts Players community theater will be performing Seussical JR. this Saturday and Sunday at the Andy Griffith Playhouse. Shows on both days are at 3 p.m. This Junior show directed by Shelby Coleman is filled with Dr. Seuss classics, and more than 700 students in area schools will see the production on Monday.

Horton the Elephant, the Cat in the Hat, and all of the favorite Dr. Seuss characters spring to life onstage in Seussical JR., a fantastical musical extravaganza from Tony-winners, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

Transporting audiences from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus, the Cat in the Hat, our narrator, tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos, including Jojo, a Who child, who gets in trouble for thinking too many “thinks.”

Horton’s challenge is twofold — not only must he protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must also guard an abandoned egg that’s been left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping, and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family, and community are challenged and emerge triumphant.

The production stars Mason St. Angelo as Jojo, Django Burgess as The Cat in the Hat, Max Barnard as Horton the Elephant, Walker York as Mr. Mayor, Gracie St. Angelo as Mrs. Mayor, Lilly Ruth Beck as Gertrude McFuzz, Raegan Amos as Mayzie La Bird, Hannah Hiatt as Sour Kangaroo, and Maddie Youell as Young Kangaroo. Coleman is grateful to the parents who supported their children in this production that has more than 50 cast members.

Additional cast includes Thomas Holladay, Kori Hawks, Morgan Shipley, Tanner Price, Kinston Nichols, and Judy Adams as Wickersham Brothers; Lydia Beck, Maggie Wallace, Zinnia Burgess, Reese Cox, and Abbie Schuyler as Bird Girls; Noah Wilkes as Vlad Vladikof; Noah Petree as The Grinch; Brooke Nichols as Thing 1; Chloe Lawson as Thing 2; Matthew Adams as Elephant Bird; Kaitlyn Holladay, Ashton Freeman, Remi Devore, and Anne Rachel Sheppard as Featured Dancers; Claire Youell, Evelyn Casstevens, Noelle Snow, Ellie Kniskern, Chloe Vinson and Sidney Barker as Jungle Citizens; Genevieve Quinn, Makenna Wall, Avery Leonard, Owen Leonard, Lorena Arroyo, Ellyzabeth Rojas, Sidney Petree, Sierra Nichols, Catherine Douglas, Atticus Hawks, Prim Hawks, Kaitlyn Holladay, MaKenna Holladay, Anderson Holladay, and Samuel Holladay as Who Citizens.

Serving on the production crew is Coleman as director and choreographer, Music Director Darrell Beck, Stage Manager Lori Beck, Technical Director and Setbuilding Tyler Matanick, and Stage Crew Revonda Petree, Isabel Cowan, Patrick McDaniel, and Jordan Dover. Others assisting with design and setbuilding included Johannes Arnold and Bruce Burgess. Others helping with costumes include Amanda Barnard and Khristie Petree.

Performances are on Saturday, March 26 and Sunday, March 27 at 3 p.m. in the Andy Griffith Playhouse. Tickets are $15-20. Tickets are available online at www.surryarts.org, via phone at 336-786-7998, or at the Surry Arts Council office at 218 Rockford Street. For additional information, contact Marianna Juliana at 336-786-7998 or marianna@surryarts.org.

New releases available at the Mount Airy Public Library:

The Personal Librarian – Marie Benedict

The Element of Love – Mary Connealy

The Neighbor’s Secret – L. Alison Heller

The Summer Getaway – Susan Mallery

Along the Rio Grande – Tracie Peterson

Confessions From the Quilting Circle – Maisey Yates

The Personal Librarian Librarian – Marie Benedict

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

Make It Mondays. Craft class for adults meets the third Monday of each month at 3 p.m. .

The Community Book Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. Our book this month is The Widows by Jess Montgomery. Copies are available at the front desk.

It’s Yoga Y’all – Yoga with Ms. Heather will be the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

LACE, the Romance Readers Book Club meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month’s book is Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

First full day of spring

The spring equinox is today, but the first full day of spring will be tomorrow. The first day of spring can be deceptive and feel like it is still winter. We do have more daylight with Daylight Savings Time and also a minute more daylight each evening. Wild onions are growing and the lawn is getting some green on it. Cool weather vegetables planted now will thrive even though the days are still nippy and the nights cold with frost still around.

Time to set out cabbage and broccoli

As we pass the middle of March, there is still time to set out cabbage and broccoli plants. They will thrive and produce a harvest before warm weather arrives and still allow enough time to produce a warm weather vegetable crop to follow behind them. Check the plants you purchase carefully at this time of the season. Make sure the stems are healthy and blue-green in color and not tan and damped off and also check that the plants have not legged out of their containers.

Making an emerald broccoli cauliflower salad

To end the week of Saint Patrick make this emerald green broccoli cauliflower salad to perk up the kitchen table and welcome the arrival of spring. You will need one three-ounce box of lime Jello, half teaspoon salt, one cup boiling water, three-fourth cup of cold water, one cup chopped broccoli, one cup chopped cauliflower, one small bunch of spring onions chopped, three teaspoons apple cider vinegar. Dissolve Jello and salt, one cup boiling water, three fourths cup cold water. Chill until very thick. Meanwhile, prepare and combine all other ingredients and marinate them for at least an hour. When Jello is firm, fold in the other ingredients. Pour into a loaf pan and chill until firm. Unmold and serve on a leaf of lettuce. Makes six servings.

American violets fragrant springs arrival

Their heart-shaped leaves are now a backdrop for dainty flowers of purple and white violets. They are one of America’s favorite wild perennials. They will bloom for over a month. They leave their mark as winter fades into spring. You can dig up a clump of violets and place in a container of potting medium and make them a porch perennial. They will endure on the porch or deck for many seasons to come.

Beautiful blue of Wandering Jew

This is another wild perennial that produces dainty royal blue flowers with amber centers and bright green leafy foliage. You can tame down the Wandering Jew by placing a bunch in a large container of potting medium or a mix of regular garden soil and some peat moss for added texture. As the plant begins to wander, you can trim it back or thin it down. It may slow down in winter, but it will bounce back in spring . The blue flowers thrive all spring and summer. Even they grow wild like American violets, they can be tamed to thrive in pots or containers and provide a free and natural perennial.

Late March time to start perennials

Most hardwares, garden shops, Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Ace Hardware and nurseries have cool weather vegetables as well as pots and containers of perennials. Mid March is a great time to start containers or pots of perennials and there are so many to choose from. Some of the many varities are Diantus, Creeping Jenny, Daphne, Bugle Weed, American Bee Balm, Sea Thrift, Coral Bells, Sweet William, Veronica, Forget Me Nots, Dusty Miller, Hen and Chicks, Red Hot Poker, Periwinkle, Columbine, Candy Tuft, White Daisy, Creeping Phlox, Pink and Lavender Thrift. Perennials provide color, foliage and beauty in all four seasons of the year. March and April are the best times to plant perennials because there are so many available. The perennials require little care and put on a display all year long. Weed them once a month and feed them with Flower-Tone organic flower food and a drink of water each week when rain does not fall and they will thrive and perform all year long. Use a 25-pound bag of finely textured potting medium such as Miracle-Gro to start perennials on their way to long life.

Enjoying an American Bee Balm perennial

The American Bee Balm is truly a part of American history and has been for more than 250 years. Its leaves were used as a substitute for tea during the Revolutionary War shortly after the Boston Tea Party when tea was dumped from British ships into the Boston Harbor. American Bee Balm most likely grew wild in the Massachusetts countryside and must have been a common wildflower plant at that time. American Bee Balm plants can be purchased at nurseries, garden shops, Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Ace Hardware and some florists. Most bee balm comes in small pots and containers and when you buy a pot of bee balm, go ahead and purchase a larger container and some medium so you can re-pot it as soon as you bring it home. It will grow fast and spread out when you re-pot it. It will thrive on the front porch in winter if you trim and protect it from winter extremes and cover with a towel or cloth during hard freezes and remove cover when temperatures rise above the freezing mark. Use fine textured potting medium to start the balm off in a new, larger container and feed with Flower-Tone organic flower food once a month. Most nurseries have bee balm in several varities (tall and short). The tall variety produces two- to three-feet tall plants with lavender blooms and large leaves. The short variety is about one to two feet tall and produces pink flowers. They prefer plenty of sunlight. To avoid powdery mildew, water once a week and water only the bottom of the plant. There are several varities of the bee balm that are resistant to powdery mildew such as Colrain Red, Violet Queen and Marshall Delight. They can be ordered from mail order nurseries and off the websites and may be in seed packets and not potted plants. Local nurseries may be able to order containers of bee balm for you and some nurseries may know where they can find you the ones you like. There are as many as ten or more species of bee balm. We wonder which variety of bee balm the American colonists used to make their bee balm.

Making American Bee Balm tea

When speaking of bee balm, it would also be interesting to know the 250-year-old recipe that American colonists used to prepare bee balm tea. Their recipe may have been similar to this simple one for a cup of bee balm tea. Place five or six fresh bee balm leaves in a cup (or six dried leaves), then pour boiling water over the leaves to steep for ten minutes. Remove leaves and sweeten with sugar or honey, a few drops of lemon juice or mint flavor. We wonder if they used a little brandy in it just for flavor? A little root beer could help flavor bee balm today. Somewhere, in a 250-year-old faded out recipe box is an authentic recipe for American Bee Balm tea!

Starting bulbs of summer’s flowers

As we move toward the end of March, bulbs of summer flowers are showing up at Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Walmart and many hardwares and garden shops. You can choose from dahlias, Rose of Sharon (hibiscus), clematis vines, peonies, gladiolas and Bleeding Heart bushes. These bulbs, tubers or corms come in mesh bags or are sold individually from bins at many hardwares. Check bulbs carefully and feel the mesh bags to make sure bulbs are firm, healthy and not soft or rotted. You can set out summer bulbs in containers or beds and by the time the soil warms up, they will be on their way to a colorful summer. As you plant them, cover with a layer of peat moss, a handful of bone meal and a layer of soil mixed with some peat moss. Tamp down soil with the hoe blade for good soil contact.

“Smokey Situation.” Wife: “My husband frightens me the way he blows smoke rings through his nose.” Doctor: “That is not unusual.” Wife: “But my husband doesn’t smoke.”

“Tale of the scale.” A very fat man and a very skinny man were in the hotel lobby. “From the looks of you,” said the fat man, “you might have been the victim of a famine.” “Yes, and from the looks of you explains the cause of the famine,” replied the skinny man.

“Rich food.” Ronda: “A chef says we are what we eat.” Wanda: “That’s great, let’s order something rich!”

After a two-year absence induced by the COVID pandemic, VOCE — a choral ensemble — will return to performances in 2022.

“Our name, VOCE, means voice,” the group said in a press release. “If you love to sing, if you love to sing with others, if you would love to take your singing to a whole new level, then please join us.”

VOCE will begin rehearsals for a modified spring/summer concert on March 21 at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Dobson.

“This season will be different for us all as we have had to adapt to a new way of life and learn to protect each other over the past two years, but the love of music is still with each of us,” the group’s statement read. “We look forward to making music and sharing it with you, our community. We will abide by the pandemic guidelines established by the VOCE Board of Directors during our early meetings, with future modifications as the COVID outlook changes.”

For more information, call 336-789-2035, visit the group on Facebook, or visit its website at vocemtairy.org.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” – Hebrews 10:24-25

Around two years ago I held my first service in a pastoral capacity for Rocky Ford Christian Church and what I mean by held service is me preaching to a camera in my living room on live stream because COVID had become a reality. After the right amount of time we began to meet at the church but we continued to play it safe by staying outside with members in the vehicles and me behind a podium on the front porch area. Then after some more time we moved back inside and encouraged masks and social distancing and hand sanitizers and all those things.

I start this article by telling you this because it is important to remember and realize that this reality was true for some congregations and individuals before COVID and it is still true for some congregations and some individuals now. And so how do we lay the undeniably New Testament command for brothers and sisters in Christ to gather across such things?

One, I think we do so humbly. We remember that our circumstance is not everyone’s circumstance, and that what is going on in our local demographic is not what’s going everywhere; in our world, in our nation, or even in our state.

We also wrestle with this command individually, the same way we do with all of God’s commands. What does God’s command for us to gather look like for me? And although I have continued to speak in a way that is regarding one to two hour interactions one day a week this verse sits in a context in this book, and in the grand story of the New Testament of something far more.

The New Testament would call brothers and sisters in Christ to absolutely always meet Sunday morning. What it would call Christians to do is to do life with each other as seen in the book of Acts, as with Jesus with his disciples, and as implied with Paul with his churches, and this means two things at least: Time and authenticity.

If you’re going to do life with somebody it involves you doing real time with them. Twenty-first century America is a busy, busy place and there are lots of things we can do that all in all are really good. And are good for us. But very few of those things are biblical things. And almost none of them are commanded with the same emphasis we see the command to do life together. Family is good. jobs are good. Social engagement is good. But those things do not negate or contradict the command of the word of God for brothers and sisters in Christ to be together.

The other thing this must mean is be authentic. To do life together is to be absolutely real with them. I grew up in the church and have spent thousands of Sunday mornings in worship gatherings which means I have probably heard some variation of the question “How are you?” tens of thousands of times. But I can tell you that less than ten times have I ever heard anyone answer that question without a smile on their face.

It’s not easy to be authentic or to be real. And yet when we look at the example of Jesus and his disciples or the book of Acts we see real authentic Christians with each other. Brother and sister in Christ I am convinced by the Holy Spirit and the word of God that you and I will not be all of what God has called us to be if we are not doing life with others who are in Christ.

With pandemic limits on public gatherings being curtailed, local activities and gatherings are getting back to normal.

Nowhere is that more evident than in Pilot Mountain, where a full slate of spring, summer, and autumn activities has been unveiled, with the first such event starting this week with Thursday’s St. Patrick’s Day Downtown celebration getting underway.

That begins a string of more than 20 festivals, cruise-ins, specialty markets, family events and concerts slated over the rest of the year.

Christy Craig, Pilot Mountain’s downtown event coordinator, said the town’s first-ever St. Patrick’s Day event is a little more low-key than some of the other planned activities.

“It features a scavenger hunt,” she said.

The hunt begins at Town Hall, where visitors can stop in and pick up a complimentary green tote bag, along with a list of town stores participating in the event.

“Each store has a shamrock in there with a number,” she said. Shoppers write down the number on the shamrock, on the list of participating stores, then once they’ve found all the shamrock numbers, shoppers turn the card back in at town hall to be entered into a drawing for prizes.

She said the organizers might even help pay for a bit of the shopping — when visitors start their day at town hall, they can get a scratch-off ticket, with cash prizes to help lighten the cost of the downtown shopping.

“It’s just a small event to get people downtown, give the business owners a little bit of boost during a slow time,” she said, while offering visitors some fun activities.

“We were just looking to expand to do some events earlier in the season,” Mayor Evan Cockerham added. “Our summer schedule, and even our fall schedule, has gotten pretty tight. St. Patrick’s Day seemed like a logical choice.” He said some of the businesses and restaurants are even taking on a St. Patrick’s Day theme that day.

While it might be a smaller event, the scavenger hunt kicks off a wide variety of celebrations set for Pilot Mountain. Among those is the town’s well-known Hot Nights and Hot Cars cruise-in series set for a monthly get-together May through October; the return of the popular Mayfest after a three-year pandemic-forced absence; vintage marts; and a new activity — Fun Fridays.

“We’re going to try something out a little different this year to try to get people to come downtown after hours to stay,” Craig said of the Fun Fridays, which will take place on July 15, Aug. 19, and Sept. 16. “We want to give people something to do that no one else is doing.”

The event will include live music and a DJ, dancing, concessions, and other activities, with each one patterned after a different theme — the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

“We’ll encourage people to dress up for the theme and visit the stores before they stay for the party,” she said.

“We’re always looking to add on, to do more events,” said Mayor Cockerham. “Pilot Mountain has always done events really well, we just wanted to do something that brings more music, arts and entertainment.”

He said when he was first elected to office several years ago, one of his priorities was to work with businesses and other organizations to put on events that would bring more people to the town.

“We want downtown Pilot Mountain to become a destination choice, a place where families would visit.”

At the time, he said the town hosted seven or eight annual events. Now, that figure is nearly at two dozen.

“I give a lot of credit to Jenny Kindy and Cristy Craig,” he said. Kindy serves as the town’s Main Street coordinator. “We are excited to welcome people back to Pilot Mountain now that a lot of the COVID restrictions are over. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The full slate of Pilot Mountain events are:

March 17 — St Patrick’s Day Downtown

April 9 — Pilot View Vintage Market

May 28 — Community for a Cause 5k

June 4 — Hot Nights Hot Cars Cruise In

June 25 — PMPO Food Trucks

July 2 — Hot Nights Hot Cars Cruise In

July 15 — Fun Friday 70s

July 23 — Dinosaurs on Main

Aug. 2 — National Night Out

Aug. 6 — Hot Nights Hot Cars Cruise In

Aug. 19 — Fun Friday 80s

Sept. 3 — Hot Nights Hot Cars Cruise In

Sept. 16 — Fun Friday 90s

Sept. 24 — Foothills Dinner on Main

Oct. 1 — Hot Nights Hot Cars Cruise In

Oct. 29 — Monsters on Main & Trunk or Treat

Nov. 5 — Pilot View Vintage Market

Nov. 26 — Deck the Halls/Mistletoe Market

Dec. 3 — Parade and Tree Lighting

Sons of Mystro will perform at the Historic Earle Theatre on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The violin duo will have two performances, one daytime performance for more than 425 local students and an evening performance open to the public.

Together, these brothers are Sons of Mystro. They use their violins to interpret reggae classics, American pop songs, and their own creations accompanied by a DJ and a drummer. They are winners of the Emerging Artist under 21yrs Old award at International Reggae and World Music Awards. Their debut recording, “Reggae Strings” is available wherever music is streamed or sold. Mentored by the classical meets hip hop duo, Black Violin, these artists’ stars are on the rise.

Sons of Mystro has played at many festivals and events, including The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival, Legends Easter Fest, One Love Reggae Fest, Reggae Dancehall Awards, Sunfest, and the annual Jazz in the Gardens. They’ve graced the same stage with reggae, dancehall, and R&B veterans such as Marcia Griffiths, John Holt, Ken Boothe, Dobby Dobson, Freddie McGregor, Frankie Paul, Fantasia Barrino, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, and Earth, Wind & Fire.

The performances are funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council. Tickets are $10-$15 per person. For additional information or tickets, visit www.surryarts.org, call 336-786-7998, or email Marianna Juliana at marianna@surryarts.org.

New releases available at the Mount Airy Public Library:

Shadows Reel – C.J. Box

The Paper Palace – Miranda Cowley Heller

The Darkest Place – Phillip Margolin

Run Rose Run – Dolly Parton and James Patterson

The Last Chance Library – Freya Sampson

A Darker Reality – Anne Perry

The Bird Way – Jennifer Ackerman

Smile: The Story of a Face – Sarah Ruhl

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

Make It Mondays. Craft class for adults meets the third Monday of each month at 3 p.m. .

The Community Book Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. Our book this month is The Widows by Jess Montgomery. Copies are available at the front desk.

It’s Yoga Y’all – Yoga with Ms. Heather will be the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

LACE, the Romance Readers Book Club meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month’s book is Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath.

Author Meet and Greet on March 15 at 6 p.m. Author Martin Clark will talk about his latest book, “The Substitution Order.” He is a retired Virginia circuit court judge who served 27 years on the bench. His novels have appeared on several best-seller lists.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

Making a container of “fake” shamrocks

On the week during Saint Patrick’s Day, many florists and super markets feature small and medium containers of shamrocks from Ireland. You can produce your own if you have any clover growing in clumps in the garden area or lawn. Just dig up a clump and set it in a pot of potting medium and water it. Place a plate under the container to prevent it from leaking. Wrap the container in Saint Paddy’s wrap with shamrocks on it. A green candle in the container adds extra color to the pot. The shamrocks at Food Lion, Lowes, and Harris Teeter cost between $3 and $4.

An unusual green for Saint Paddy’s Day

In the Elvis Presley classic song, “Poke Salad Annie,” every day Poke Salad Annie would pick a mess of poke salad and cook it up. Poke weed is common and grows wild in most southern states, and it is edible especially in early and mid spring when leaves are tender and have no stems. My Northampton County grandma would pick tender leaves of poke salad and mix it with other garden greens and season a huge pot full with a slab of bacon. She would serve them with a cake of yellow cornbread. The “pot likker” the greens was cooked in was awesomely great with chunks of fried cornbread in it! Poke salad is great by itself without adding any other greens with it. If poke salad has gained a bad reputation, it is simply because its tiny purple berries are poisonous, but the leaves are not poisonous. The leaves do get tough as they grow larger and are only edible in early spring when leaves are tender. Best of all, they are free for the picking. “Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch?”

Getting ready to plant Irish potatoes

Saint Patrick’s Day will arrive this week. Irish potatoes requires at least a 90-day growing season and are mostly a cool weather vegetable that reaches over into early summer around a Dog Day harvest in July. It performs well in cool weather because it is a root crop. By planting in mid-March, they will have plenty of time to produce a harvest and allow plenty of time to succeed them with a warm weather vegetable crop. Hardwares, seed and garden shops already have seed potatoes that include Red Pontiac, Yukon Gold, Irish Cobbler and Kemebec. Always set out whole seed potatoes and do not cut potatoes to divide the eyes because this may cause rot, mildew and mold as well as promote animal pests. Plant potatoes in a furrow about 7 or 8 inches deep and about 10 to 12 inches apart. Cover with a layer of peat moss and apply a layer of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food. Hill the soil up on both sides of the furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade. Before the potatoes sprout, cover between rows with a bed of crushed leaves. Feed every 15 days with Plant-Tone organic plant food and hill the Plant-Tone into the soil on both sides of the row. Hilling up potatoes will also give them protection and support.

Plenty of signs of spring

Spring is still a couple of weeks from now, but signs of spring are showing up all around us. The hyacinths, jonquils, and daffodils are showing up and glowing in their beds. Crows are making plenty of noise in the pines. birds are active and robins are searching the lawns for food. There is more daylight as Daylight Savings Time is with us again. Frogs are out of the hollow logs and singing their songs down by the creek bank.

A one-shot Alaska green pea harvest

One of the unusual late winter and early spring vegetables is the early June Alaska green pea. It requires no plant food because the peas themselves add nitrogen to the soil. Cold weather has no effect on them. They will produce their whole harvest in a two-week period. They have a maturity date of 52 to 60 days after sowing. You can choose from varities of Wando, Green Arrow, and Alaska. A pound will cover a 40 foot row. Sow them in a furrow about 3 or 4 inches deep and cover with a layer of peat moss and hill up soil on both sides of the furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade.

Saint Patrick’s Day corned beef pie

As we prepare to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, a corned beef pie is a great way to celebrate the day of the Irish. This is a simple recipe that is easy to prepare. You will need one can of Libby’s corned beef, one cup diced onion, one cup diced potatoes, half cup diced carrots, four tablespoons light margarine, three large eggs (slightly beaten), half cup milk, half teaspoon salt, half teaspoon pepper, one cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, one cup sour cream. Mash the can of corned beef and spread it in a nine inch pie plate and flatten it out like a pie crust. Fry onions in the margarine until tender but not brown. Spread onions over corned beef. Boil diced potatoes and carrots and spread and mix over the onions. Mix the beaten eggs, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the pie ingredients. sprinkle finely shredded cheddar cheese over the pie. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes until firm and set. Top with a few green stuffed olives.

The heart-shaped glossy American violet

A spring herald in the form of the heart-shaped American violet now adorns the edge of the garden and in several containers on the deck. Most of them will soon be purple and white with blooms as well as a sweet fragrance. We like them in containers because after they bloom, they spread their glossy leaves over the sides of the containers to form an umbrella like cascade of shiny leaves for several months.

Great drainage for annuals and perennials

If you have annuals and perennials that need to be transplanted into larger containers, you can provide great drainage for them by crushing a few aluminum soda drink cans and spreading them in the bottoms of containers before you fill them with potting medium. They perform well and are very light weight. They make the containers easier to move around.

The month of the lion and the lamb

In March we can experience a bit of lion-like and lamb-like weather, and a few days in between. Even some snowfall could be in the works. In speaking of the lion, the spring constellation of Leo the lion is rising each evening and is now well up on the Eastern horizon as it gets dark each evening. You can find Leo by locating the Big Dipper and then find the two stars in the end of the Dipper and follow them five times the distance between these two stars downward and you will find Leo the lion. Follow these same two stars upward five times their distance and you will find the North Star and the Little Dipper.

Adding a layer of medium to perennials

As we move closer to the first day of spring, give your perennials a new boost of energy by adding a layer of new potting medium to the top of the containers after applying a handful of Flower-Tone organic flower food.

“Fruity.” A little boy showed his teacher his drawing, entitled “America the Beautiful.” In the center was a huge airliner covered with pears, apples, oranges and bananas. “What is this?” the teacher asked, pointing to the airplane. “That,” said the little boy, “is the fruited plane.”

“Caution.” His teeth are so yellow that every time he smiles in traffic all the cars slow down to see whether they should stop or go.

-If a gardener has a green thumb, who has a purple thumb? A near-sighted carpenter!

Night of the Full Worm Moon

Next Friday, March 18 will be the evening of the Full Worm Moon as it shines down on mostly bare tree limbs and a mostly cold evening. It will be silvery in color and maybe greeted by the peepers down by the creek bank or perhaps a few snow flakes which could be a possibility as we reach mid-March.

Nearly two dozen individuals and bands competed in the recent Tommy Jarrell Youth Competition was held at the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre.

All totalled, there were 19 separate entrants, coming from as far away as Taylorsville and Boones Mill, Virginia. The youth competed in two age levels: 5-12 and 13-18 with categories for both age groups in fiddle, clawhammer banjo, guitar, vocal, dance, and other (which includes all other instruments and bands).

The Tommy Jarrell Youth Competition was sponsored in part by a TAPS grant from the Folklife Division of the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

First place: Cheyenne Grantham of Boones Mill

Second place: Hunter Hiatt of State Road

Third place: Sam Wilkerson of Thurmond

Third place: Sylvie Davis of Leicester

First place: Wyatt Grantham of Boones Mill

Second place: Everly Davis of Leicester

First place: Judah Davis of Leicester

First place: Gatlynn Grantham of Boones Mill

First place: Maggie Wilkerson of Thurmond

First place: Josiah Wilkerson of Thurmond, Bluegrass Banjo

Second place: Emme Davis of Leicester, Mandolin

First place: Neely Sizemore of Elkin

First place: Bayla Davis of Leicester

Second place: Robbie Herman of Taylorsville

First place: Robbie Herman of Taylorsville

First place: Candace Noah of Dobson

Second place: Darrius Flowers of Pilot Mountain

First place: Jackson Dunning of Pilot Mountain

Second place: Bayla Davis of Leicester

Third place: Robbie Herman of Taylorsville

Third place: Neely Sizemore of Elkin

First place: Candace Noah of Dobson, Bluegrass Banjo

Second place: Natalie Sizemore of Elkin, Mandolin

First place: Highway 268 featuring Darrius Flowers of Pilot Mountain, Neely Sizemore of Elkin, Natalie Sizemore of Elkin, and Jackson Dunning of Pilot Mountain;

Second place: Grantham Family featuring Cheyenne Grantham, Wyatt Grantham, Gatlynn Grantham of Boones Mill;

Second place: Wilkerson Family featuring Sam Wilkerson, Josiah Wilkerson, Maggie Wilkerson, and Silas Wilkerson of Thurmond;

Third place: Davis Family featuring Bayla Davis, Sylvie Davis, Judah Davis, and Emme Davis of Leicester.

“Have you noticed that Jesus talked more about serving humanity than fulfilling your destiny?” – Naeem Fazal

And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” – Luke 3:10-11

The Bible calls us to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and in the same passage it calls us to love our neighbor as our self. Now one way we see the Bible explain what this means is it’s continual call for us to be generous to our neighbor. We see this with Jesus’s story of the Good Samaritan — how he sacrifices his time, his money, his reputation to take care of this man who is near death. We also see when John the Baptist talks to a group listening to him preach, he tells them that if they have two coats, they should give one to the poor.

So, the universal biblical truth that we find all throughout scripture, and especially pointedly at New Testament believers in Jesus is that those who would call themselves Christians should be generous, overflowing or sacrificially loving to our neighbor.

What does that mean as we bring that forward nearly 2,000 years into our current culture and our current context? It means that as we live in one of the wealthiest places in the world, and as we have the freedom to work for a wage we are to freely and somewhat sacrificially give some of that away. Now I don’t know what the next week or months or years will look like for you and your pocketbook. I don’t know if they will be affected by things in this world far out of our control or not. I don’t know if your savings account or 401k will boom or take a massive hit because of the cost of living or any number of financial variables.

But what I do know is that the word of God has called me and you to be generous, and it does not stipulate the time. It does not stipulate our financial circumstances, it does not stipulate what our house looks like. So when things get lean it’s really easy for me to want to keep my second coat and stop being generous to those around me, but that is not the call of Christ. The generosity of Christ cost him his very life, and he calls you and I brother and sister in Christ to do the same. To voluntarily sometimes take up our cross, to die to comfort or even our own life for the sake of loving others.

Now what if these “others” are ungrateful or do not accept Christ? Well, once again in the example of Jesus — that did not stop him from being generous. Jesus heals ten lepers knowing that only one would come back. Their appreciation of Jesus as Messiah or even their appreciation of just what he had done for them was not the motivation for Jesus’ kindness. The underlying factors for his generosity was that he was generous and they were needy. And so fellow brother and sister in Christ, let’s model our savior and do the same. Let’s seek to be generous in loving our neighbor, making the only requirement that they are needy.

More than 200 area people turned out for the annual Surry Arts Council Arts Ball at Cross Creek Country Club on Feb. 18, showing their support for the arts and helping the council pursue a goal of raising $25,000 at the event to fund art programs in area schools.

The gathering featured a Mardi Gras theme that was incorporated through table decorations, booklets, and the silent auction.

“The Surry Arts Council is grateful to Airmont Florist, Cana Mount Airy Florist, and Creative Design Flowers who worked tirelessly to provide elegant centerpieces for the evening,” the agency’s officials said.

The guests enjoyed a seated dinner, live music, and dancing with The Band of Oz, and a silent auction with more than 400 donated items.

“The staff at Cross Creek Country Club went above and beyond with passed hors d’oeuvres and soup followed by a seated dinner featuring filet and salmon with key lime parfait and tiramisu for dessert,” council officials said.

Those who attended the celebration had a chance to meet and speak with local school administrators, who were on hand to greet guests. Dr. DeAnne Danley served as the liaison for Surry County Schools, and Dr. Phillip Brown and Mandy Brown represented the Mount Airy City Schools.

Melissa Sumner coordinated the Arts Ball and worked with Surry Arts Council Board members, school personnel, and volunteers to organize the event, sell tickets and ensure the arts remain a part of area school programming in 25 schools. The auction was successful with items ranging from tickets and gift cards to household items, purses, and jewelry.

This year, thousands of students have already enjoyed arts programming provided by the fundraising from the Arts Ball. In addition to directly paying for arts programs, the Arts Ball proceeds leverage grants from the North Carolina Arts Council and South Arts.

The TAPS grant provides support for several hundred students to have a hands-on experience with traditional stringed instruments. Jim Vipperman spends a week in each of three schools introducing students to fiddles, guitars, and Surry County’s traditional music heritage. Students are then able to attend the weekly free year-round lessons at the Historic Earle Theatre every Thursday afternoon if they wish to continue lessons.

Other cultural arts programs provided during the current year include two school performances of “The Nutcracker,” performed by Ballet for Young Audiences, two performances of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” performed by the Surry Arts Players at the Andy Griffith Playhouse, and three performances of “Pout-Pout Fish,” performed by Theatreworks USA, a professional touring company.

Additional programs include “Rosie Revere, Engineer” and “Have You Filled A Bucket Today,” productions from Virginia Repertory Theatre; two performances of Seussical Jr will be performed by the Surry Arts Players; two musical performances by Sons of Mystro that are funded in part by a grant from South Arts; Mike Wiley will be featured in four performances of “Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart;” along with multiple monthly free movies and additional programs that target students with special needs that are sponsored in part by the United Fund of Surry coupled with Surry Arts Council support.

The Surry Arts Film Festival for Surry County High School and Surry Community College Students will again be hosted at the Earle Theatre and students will have the opportunity to see their work shown in a movie theatre setting.

Arts programs funded by the Arts Ball result in more than 15,000 student contacts during this school year. Students receive free arts programs in their own schools and have the opportunity to bus to the Blackmon Amphitheatre, the Historic Earle Theatre, and the Andy Griffith Playhouse. Students also have field trips to the Andy Griffith Museum, the Old-Time Music Heritage Hall, and the Siamese Twins Exhibit at no cost. These field trips include guided tours, scavenger hunts, and music.

The Surry Arts Council provides its venues to the schools for holiday and year-end choral and band programs at no cost to the schools. The Surry Arts Council also works with schools to host interns and provide art instruction in both in-school and after-school programs and many other partnerships.

For additional information, contact melissa@surryarts.org. To view additional photos of the event, visit www.surryarts.org.

March may produce lion and lamb days

March is now six days old and the whole month can produce some lion and lamb days and a few split personality days and also a few snows to make the month interesting. There is quit a bit of winter remaining in March. We need to recall that over the past years, there have been some hefty snowfalls in mid-March and even several back-to-back deep snows. The best thing of all about March snowfalls is that the cool weather vegetables already planted are tough enough to survive snow, freezes and cold temperatures.

March produces golden pathways and beds of jonquils that adorn sidewalks, pathways, into gardens and colorful beds in woodlands. They are one of the heralds of spring. There are many varieties of jonquils and they will display their colors throughout the month.

Jonquils are heirloom spring flowering bulbs and perennial. Some of the beautiful beds in the woodlands next to the Reynolda Gardens have been enjoyed every spring for generations. A trip through the countryside of Surry County depicts many old home places where ancient jonquil beds planted many years ago still make their appearance every spring in silent testimony to the occupants who planted them when the homeplaces were built by hand many years ago. An amazing jonquil display is one displaying its blooms on a vacant meadow where there is no homeplace but these golden jonquils are a memorial that a family once lived in this meadow and planted these beds of jonquils. We remember old graveyards where jonquils bloom to honor loved ones and family members. Who knows, the beautiful beds along Reynolda Road at Reynolda House in Winston-Salem may have been set out by the Richard Joshua Reynolds family themselves!

Hyacinths add fragrance and color

Jonquils produce their golden glow to month of March, but the fragrance, beauty, dainty flowers, and colors of the awakening hyacinths on a March morning on the front porch makes any morning brighter. They are pleasing to the eyes and the nostrils. At this glorious time of the year, their fragrance is like the essence of perfume that lingers on the winds of a March morning. Their colors of red, white, yellow, pink, lavender, purple and blue pastels are a welcome sight on a cool March morning. Their wide green leafy foliage also adds depth to their display of blooms. They seem to emit more fragrance in the morning when the sun shines bright beams down upon them.

A Saint Patrick’s Day angel pie

Saint Patrick’s Day is only one week away. You can make an angel pie for Saint Patrick’s Day with a graham cracker crust ready-made or a nine inch pre-baked pie shell. The ready made graham cracker crust is defiantly the best. You will the need pie shell of your choice, one cup of crushed pineapple, one fourth teaspoon salt, six tablespoons corn starch, three egg whites, half pint dairy whipping cream, (beaten until stiff, one small jar green maraschino cherries (chopped), and a half cup sugar. Combine crushed pineapple, half cup sugar, one forth teaspoon salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Blend cornstarch with half cup cold water and add to crushed pineapple mixture. Cook on medium heat until clear and glossy (stirring constantly). Set aside to cool. Beat the egg whites until stiff, fold the beaten egg whites into the crushed pineapple mixture. Spread the mixture into the pie shell or crust. Beat the other half pint dairy whipping cream until stiff, add three teaspoons of sugar and stir. Top the pie with the whipped cream and sprinkle the jar of drained, chopped, green maraschino cherries over top of whipped cream topping. Keep refrigerated before and after serving.

The garden soil is workable and conditions are ideal for sowing a row or bed of curly mustard greens. They are sweet and tender and yes, they are curly. You can also sow mixed greens which can be mixed in any ratio you desire. You can choose from kale, rape, broad leaf, tender green, leafy turnip and spinach. The hardware or seed shop will mix the seed for you or have them pre-mixed in one-ounce bags. Spring greens perform well and produce a harvest in 50 to 60 days and in spring, they have very few insect enemies this time of year. Sow seed in a three-inch deep furrow, cover seed with a layer of peat moss and add Plant-Tone organic vegetable food before hilling up soil on both sides of the furrow and tamping down with the hoe blade.

Across the highways and byways of Surry County and into the Virginia foothills and all the way to the Sandhills, the peach trees are displaying their dainty pastel pink blossoms. Their shade of pink is like no other. Even backyards and small orchards glow with shades of blushing pink. We hope this will be a bountiful, abundant year for peaches.

A bowl of Saint Patty’s sparkling punch

It is not too early to enjoy a bowl of sparking Saint Paddy’s punch or prepare a bowl for Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations. This is an easy recipe and very green too. You will need three packs of lime Kool-Aid, one can (46 ounce) of pineapple juice, one 46 ounce can of water, two cups sugar, one two liter bottle green apple Fanta, one two liter bottle pineapple Fanta, one two liter bottle of Mountain Dew, one three ounce can of limeade concentrate. Mix the 46 ounce can of pineapple juice, one 46 ounce can water, two packs lime Kool-Aid, two cups sugar and three ounce can limeade concentrate. Mix well until sugar and Kool-Aid are dissolved and mixed. For an ice ring, mix one pack lime Kool-Aid and two quarts water. Mix and pour into a tube cake pan and freeze overnight. Refrigerate the two liter drinks over night and also the punch base. To serve, add ice ring to punch bowl, add half punch base and half Fanta green apple and Mountain Dew. Add this ratio to replenish the bowl as needed.

A row of spring onions

Most hardwares and seed shops have spring onions in stock in colors of white, red and yellow. A pound of sets will sow a 40foot row or a four-by-eight foot bed. They will perform well in cool March soil and cold temperatures and their growth will not be hindered. Plant the sets in a furrow about four inches deep. Place sets about three inches apart, cover with a layer of peat moss and then apply a layer of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food before hilling up the soil on both sides of the furrow. Be sure to set the onions with the root side down. Apply Miracle-Gro liquid plant food mixed with water on the sets once a month.

Peat moss is magical ingredient of garden

Peat moss is totally organic and not only improves texture of soil, but it also absorbs and retains moisture and promotes growth and health of both soil and plants. It produces its magic touch on flowers as well as vegetables and bulbs in all seasons of the year. A few handfuls in potting medium for containers of annuals and perennials work to maintain moisture and texture. A 3.5 cubic foot bag of peat moss costs about $11 or $12. It pays to apply peat moss on every growing thing you plant or set out. When planting rose bushes, fill bottom of the hole where roses are planted with peat moss and also mix peat moss with the soil you cover the roses with. In the drought of summer, the peat moss will help roses retain moisture.

Keeping an eye on the Christmas cactus

The Christmas cactus have been spending winter in the sunny living room. They get sun there, but not full sun. They are kept away from direct sunlight because direct sunlight causes the cactus to develop reddish foliage which is a warning the cactus is receiving too much sun. A move across the room will solve the problem. In the middle of April, the cactus can be moved to the front porch to spend spring, summer and early autumn. March is the time to prepare them for their move outside. During this month, water lightly every ten days. Add extra potting medium if the cactus needs it. Add Flower-Tone organic plant food to the medium. If any foliage is discolored or unhealthy, pull it off. Wait until all frost danger is over before transferring to front porch.

“Wrong coat.” A polite man at the restaurant touched the man who was putting on an overcoat. “Excuse me,” he said. “But do you happen to be Mr. Johnston of Mount Airy?” “No, I’m not,” the man said abruptly. “Oh, well,” said the first man, “I am Mr. Johnston and that’s my coat your putting on!”

“Weep no more, my lady,” A woman in church was weeping as she said goodbye to her pastor of several years. “My dear lady,” said the pastor, “don’t get upset, they will send a much better pastor to replace me.” “That’s what they said the last time,” said the woman.

The almanac for the month of March 2022

Mardi Gras is celebrated Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Ash Wednesday will be Wednesday, March 2, 20222. There will be a new moon on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. The moon reaches its first quarter on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Daylight savings time arrives at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 13, 2022. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on Thursday, March 17, 2022. The moon will be full on Friday, March 18, 2022. The first day of spring will be on Monday, March 21, 2022. The name of the full moon of March is “Full Worm Moon”. The moon reaches its last quarter on Friday, March 25, 2022.

New releases available at the Mount Airy Public Library:

Death in Daylesford – Kerry Greenwood

With Love from London – Sarah Jio

When the SHooting Starts – William W. Johnstone

Gwendy’s Final Task – Stephen King

This Thing Between Us – Gus Moreno

The Last Checkmate – Gabriela Saab

The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream – Dean Jobb

The Icepick Surgeon – Sam Kean

Life is What You Bake It – Vallery Lomas

The Woman They Could Not Silence – Kate Moore

The Rose Code – Kate Quinn

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

Make It Mondays. Craft class for adults meets the third Monday of each month.

The Community Book Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. Our book this month is The Widows by Jess Montgomery. Copies are available at the front desk.

It’s Yoga Y’all – Yoga with Ms. Heather will be the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

LACE, the Romance Readers Book Club meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month’s book is Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath.

Author Meet and Greet on April 2 at 11 a.m. Jess Montgomery talk about her latest book in “The Kinship Series,” “The Echoes”.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

An African drum and dance workshop will be held in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre on Saturday, March 19. The workshop will begin with drumming at 1 p.m. followed by an African dance workshop at 2:15 p.m. The workshops are free for all ages and are limited to 30 participants per session.

Tam Tam Mandingue of Winston-Salem will be providing 30 drums at each workshop. With an authentic imported drum for every participant, these education programs immerse participants in both the music and dance of West Africa.

Participants learn rhythms and songs that represent the traditions of several African ethnic groups, then learn dances that historically accompany the musical selections. Strong emphasis is placed on the traditional West African values of respect, community, and teamwork. Living Rhythms workshops broaden participants’ understanding of our increasingly interdependent world, and encourage them to embrace a life of critical thinking.

The African drumming and dance workshops are sponsored in part by the African American Historical and Genealogical Society with funding from a Grassroots Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.

Contact Marie Nicholson at mariejnic@hotmail.com or RJ Heller at rj@surryarts.org with questions, to participate, or for more information.

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” – John Piper

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” – Luke 10:27

A lawyer comes up to Jesus with a question. His question is “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus, who regularly answers a question with another question, asks him “What is written in the Law?” To this the lawyer answers with our verse up above; the Luke 10:27 passage. Jesus tells him that he has answered correctly. It is this answer that I want us to look at in detail. What exactly does it mean?

It means, in general, that followers of Jesus, Christians, are people that love God with all of who they are. God is the sovereign ruler of the universe and there does not exist a square inch of reality that is not his; this includes every bit of you and me. The reality of Christianity, real Christianity, is loving God means giving him everything we are. And everything we are includes our heart, soul, strength, and mind.

To love God with our heart means to be passionately in love with God. Being someone who loves God does not simply mean you believe the right things, nor that your love is an action. Loving God is doing the right things and love is action, but loving God is more than those things. To love God is to feel love for God. God’s call for all Christians is to be in love with him. To be head over heels, puppy dog, boy just discovered girls aren’t icky, heart beating out of your chest, sweaty palms, emotional love.

To love God with our soul means to put the hope of our eternal self in his hands. For as long as people have walked this earth we have wondered about eternity and our place in it. So we have sought to find, and came up with, a way to ensure that eternity favors us. Some have put that hope in science and some in false religions and cults, but the truth is we all put that hope in something. The Bible calls Christians to put that hope in God: To trust not in our own ability to ensure our eternal reward, but to trust in the sacrificial work of Christ on the cross: That he lived perfectly and died for my sins and that even though I should die because of my sins I now get the eternal life that he deserves.

To love God with our strength is to love God with what we do. Once someone becomes a Christian they are given a new heart that seeks to please the one who loves us most, God. The call to love with our strength is the command to love with our hands and our feet; to let the new heart of Christ flow into our actions. Christ, in affirming the lawyer’s answer, is saying that to be one of his is to do what pleases him and what he has called us to. And not to do it because we have to or because it earns anything. But to do it because that’s what love does. Love seeks to please its lover.

To love God with our mind is to seek to know God more. When we love something, truly and deeply love something, we want to know all there is about it. New relationships often start with long conversations over the phone, or now through Snapchat I guess, because each person wants to know more and more and more about the person of their affection. People who love football spend hours looking at stats of their favorite players. Baseball junkies pour over baseball cards. None of this is mandatory. Instead, it flows from a heart that is in love. Love seeks to know and understand. To love is to seek to better know him and better understand him. He is found most directly in his Word.

This lawyer rightly says that to inherit eternal life one must love God with their heart, soul, strength, and mind. One must love God with all of who they are. Do you have eternal life?

Residents living in and around Mount Airy can learn about their risk for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and other chronic, serious conditions with screenings by Life Line Screening. Cross Creek Country Club will host this community event on March 7.

• The level of plaque buildup in your arteries, related to risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke and overall vascular health.

• HDL and LDL Cholesterol levels

• Bone density as a risk for possible osteoporosis

• Kidney and thyroid function, and more.

Free parking is also available.

Special package pricing starts at $159, but consultants will work with patients to create a package that is right based on age and risk factors. Call 1-877-237-1354 or visit our website at www.lifelinescreening.com. Advance registration is required. Cross Creek Country Club is located at The site is located at 1129 Greenhill Rd in Mount Airy.

New releases available at the Mount Airy Public Library:

Death of a Green-Eyed Monster – M.C. Beaton

Nothing to Lose – J.A. Jance

With Love From London – Sarah Jio

City of the Dead – Jonathan Kellerman

House of Sky and Breath – Sarah J. Maas

Murder on an Irish Farm – Carlene O’Connor

The Lady’s Mine – Francine Rivers

Abandoned in Death – J.D. Robb

The Death of Jane Lawrence – Caitlin Starling

A Flicker in the Dark – Stacy Willingham

Over My Dead Body – Jeffrey Archer

Game On: Tempting Twenty Eight – Janet Evanovich

The Party Crasher – Sophie Kinsella

I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness – Claire Vaye Watkins

The Cause – Joseph J. Ellis

The Book of Hope – Jane Goodall

Light Up the Night – Travis Lupick

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Acrylics and Watercolors Group – This group was meeting at the Senior Center, but now is meeting at the library every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

Make It Mondays. Craft class for adults meets the third Monday of each month.

The Community Book Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. Our book this month is The Widows by Jess Montgomery. Copies are available at the front desk.

It’s Yoga Y’all – Yoga with Ms. Heather will be the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

LACE, the Romance Readers Book Club meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month’s book is Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath.

Classic Movie Monday. February’s Classic Movie selection is My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. The film is based on the play “Pygmalion” by George Bernard Shaw. We have copies available if you’d like to read it before watching it with us on Feb. 28 at 6 pm.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

Winter’s shortest month almost over

The shortest month of winter is not far from being over. There is still a lot of winter remaining. Even with the arrival of spring in late March, the possibility of snow, ice, freezing rain and cold days will be with us for quite a while. Don’t let cold weather hinder you from sowing seeds of mustard greens, spring onion sets, broccoli, cabbage, Alaska green peas, lettuce, radish and carrots. As long as winter soil is not frozen it can be worked and cool weather vegetables can be sown and planted.

Staying ahead of the wild onions

Cold temperatures cause wild onions to sprout on the lawn. They have deep roots and it is difficult to destroy their bulbs. You can help solve the problem without disturbing the lawn by using the weed trimmer to cut the onions to ground level every ten days. This will stunt their growth and improve the appearance of the lawn. The mower will help but will not cut onions down to ground level.

Still time to feed the dormant lawn

As February ends, there is still time to feed the lawn for healthy and greener grass this spring. Do not use any 10-10-10 fertilizer but apply a specially designed lawn food that will feed over an extended period of the growing season. Apply on a day when snow or rain is in the forecast for the week. Clean the spreader with fresh water when task is finished to prevent rust.

Repairing bare spots on the lawn

As February leaves us, it is an opportune time to repair bare spots on the lawn and sow new grass seed to improve the appearance of the lawn by reseeding and feeding bare spots. Dig around bare spots to loosen soil, apply lime and fertilizer and seed. Rake in the seed and apply a layer of hay on the spots. Water once a week when no rain falls.

Jonquils brighten the winter landscape

The golden blooms of jonquils, daffodils and narcissus glow in the late winter sun and brighten up the cold porch at the close of February. They are a beautiful sight that announces that spring is on the way. Combined with the fragrance of colorful hyacinths in colors of white, pink, purple and lavender, yellow, and red, we enjoy the color, aroma and also the brightness of spring.

Graceful buzzards fly on a winter day

When we were kids, we called these birds of prey “country airplanes.” They are defiantly not the most beautiful of birds, but they are certainly most graceful when in flight on a clear winter afternoon. They glide through the air and ride the currents of the wind, soaring higher and higher with seemingly no effort, searching for a meal or road kill as they sore.

Starting a row or bed of mixed greens

March is only two days away and the garden plot soil is workable enough to sow a row or bed of mixed greens or mustard greens for an early spring harvest. They will grow quickly in the soil of winter and produce a harvest in about 50 to 60 days. The hardware or seed shop will mix the greens or sell them to you already premixed. You can choose from rape, kale, curly mustard, tender green, Florida broad leaf, spinach, and leafy turnip. Dig a shallow furrow and sow the tiny seed and cover with a layer of peat moss and apply a layer of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food on top of peat moss. Hill up soil on each side of furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade for good soil contact. When greens develop two leaves, apply an application of Plant-Tone and hill up the Plant-Tone on both sides of the row.

Setting out a row or bed of spring onion sets

As February comes to end, a row or bed of spring onion sets can be set out in the cold winter soil and they will thrive in late winter. You can choose from white, yellow or red bulbs. A pound costs less than $3. Plant sets in a furrow about four or five inches deep and place sets about four or five inches apart with the root side down. Apply a layer of peat moss and an application of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food on top of the peat moss and hill up soil on both sides of the furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade for good contact with the soil. They should sprout in about 20 days. Side dress with Plant-Tone once a month and hill up soil on both sides of the row.

Stocking up on plant foods for garden plot

You will notice we mentioned “food” not fertilizer. Gardens need more food (organic) than they do fertilizer (chemical). Chemical fertilizers are only shots in the arm, gardens need organic material. As cold weather is still the norm, most hardwares, garden shops, Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement and Ace Hardware are well stocked with supplies and organic plant foods such as Holly-Tone evergreen and azalea organic food, Flower-Tone organic flower food, Plant-Tone organic vegetable food, Garden-Tone organic plant and herb food, Tomato-Tone organic tomato food, Rose-Tone organic rose food. Miracle-Gro liquid plant food, Alaska fish emulsion in quart bottles, Dr. Earth natural plant, vegetable and tomato foods. These foods are easy to apply and a little goes a long way because it is not filled with hard pellets, but finely textured plant food that quickly absorbs into the soil and provides quick response and results. The Holly-Tone products are available in four- and ten-pound bags.

Making a broccoli and rice casserole

There are a lot of broccoli casseroles and this one is good because it has a lot of flavorful ingredients. You will need an eight-ounce bag of finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, one can Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, one stick light margarine, two cups Success minute rice, one envelope Recipe Secrets onion soup mix, one very large head of broccoli or a twenty ounce box of chopped frozen broccoli, two eggs. Cook rice according to the directions on box, boil broccoli until tender but not over cooked, melt margarine and set aside. Combine broccoli and rice and mix together. Add mushroom soup, shredded cheese, onion soup mix and two eggs. Mix all ingredients well. Spray a large casserole dish with Pam baking spray. Pour mixture into casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for half hour or until firm and golden brown on top.

Still plenty of snow opportunity remains

As we end February, the opportunity for snow is still promising. As we are on the doorstep of March, always remember that huge back-to-back snowfalls have occurred during March in past years with several dumping more than ten inches. We would certainly love to see several snows before the winter ends. Snow would be a great benefit to the dormant lawn and give a boost to the garden plot, add nutrients to the soil and build up excitement for the kids and grand kids as they await a snow day.

Signs of spring at the end of February

The cold month of February is almost at an end and the month of spring’s arrival will soon be here. Some signs are appearing including bees visiting Carolina Jasmines, buds forming on dogwood trees, jonquils and hyacinths ready to bloom, some trees already have tiny leaf buds forming, frogs are croaking down at the creek and days are getting longer by a minute per evening.

Ordering from the 2022 seed catalogs

As we approach March, it’s a great time to place your order for the seeds from the seed catalogs. Several important things to remember about ordering catalog seeds are: 1) Don’t purchase seed varities you can purchase locally. 2) Remember that most seed packets only contain 30 seeds or less. 3) Some seeds originate from other countries. 4) You have to pay shipping, handling fees and state taxes. 5) Most catalog seed costs more for less seeds. 6) Order only proven seed varieties that you have tried before and seed varieties you can’t buy locally.

-Hair-raising sermon. This pastor was well known for his long-winded sermons. One Sunday morning, he noticed a man get up and leave during the middle of his sermon. The man returned just before the service concluded. After the service, the pastor asked the man where he had gone. The man said he went to get a haircut. “But, why didn’t you get it before the service?” said the pastor. “Because I didn’t need it then,” the man explained.

-Self paying windows. A window salesman phoned one of his customers and said, “I’m calling because our company replaced all the windows in your home with triple glazed, weather tight windows more than a year ago, and you still haven’t sent a single payment.” The homeowner replied, “but you said they would pay for themselves in twelve months.”

-A horse of a different color. You can lead a horse to water and most folks can, but if you can get a horse to float on his back, then you are on to something.

The screening of “You Gave Me A Song,” a film about Alice Gerrard, will be held on Friday in Mount Airy.

The film offers an intimate portrait of old-time music pioneer Alice Gerrard and her remarkable, unpredictable journey creating and preserving traditional music. A Q&A session with Director Kenny Dalsheimer and Gerrard will follow the film. A short performance by Gerrard accompanied by Tatiana Hargreaves and Reed Stutz will start after the Q&A.

In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has known, learned from, and performed with many of the old-time and bluegrass greats and has in turn earned worldwide respect for her own important contributions to the music.

Gerrard is particularly known for her groundbreaking collaboration with Appalachian singer Hazel Dickens during the 1960s and ’70s. The duo produced four classic LPs (recently reissued by Rounder on CD) and influenced scores of young women singers — even The Judds acknowledge Dickens and Gerrard as an important early inspiration.

Gerrard’s two solo albums, Pieces of My Heart, and Calling Me Home, were released on the Copper Creek label in 1995 and 2004, respectively, to critical acclaim in Billboard, Bluegrass Unlimited, New Country, and other publications. These superb recordings showcase Gerrard’s many talents: her compelling, eclectic songwriting; her powerful, hard-edged vocals; and her instrumental mastery on rhythm guitar, banjo, and old-time fiddle.

As a musician, Gerrard has appeared on more than 20 recordings, including projects with many traditional musicians such as Tommy Jarrell, Enoch Rutherford, Otis Burris, and Matokie Slaughter; as an expert with in-depth knowledge of mountain music, she has produced or written liner notes for a dozen more. She also co-produced and appeared in two documentary films.

A tireless advocate of traditional music, Gerrard has won numerous honors, including an International Bluegrass Music Association Distinguished Achievement Award, a Virginia Arts Commission Award, the North Carolina Folklore Society’s Tommy Jarrell Award, and an Indy Award.

In 1987 Gerrard founded the Old-Time Herald and the Old-Time Music Group, a non-profit organization that oversees the publication of The Old-Time Herald. She served as editor-in-chief of The Old-Time Herald from 1987 till 2003.

Gerrard performs and tours regularly with Tom Sauber and Brad Leftwich as Tom, Brad & Alice. When she can, she performs with the Herald Angels and the Harmony Sisters, and very occasionally with Dickens. Along with Mark Weems, she has recently formed the Weems Gerrard Band, a local band that specializes in country/honky tonk and original material. She continues to perform, teach, and document and can be found most afternoons at the dog park with her beloved pit bull, Polly.

Over the past decade, Tatiana Hargreaves has been at the forefront of an up-and-coming generation of old-time, bluegrass, and new acoustic musicians. From placing first at the Clifftop Appalachian Fiddle Contest to her bluegrass fiddling on Laurie Lewis’ Grammy-nominated album The Hazel And Alice Sessions, Hargreaves shows a musical fluency that flows between old-time and bluegrass worlds with ease. She has toured with musicians such as Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Laurie Lewis, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, and Jake Blount. She currently tours with banjo extraordinaire Allison de Groot and teaches bluegrass fiddle at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Reed Stutz brings instrumental fluency and a unique voice to string band music, artfully complementing whatever music he is a part of. As a mandolin player, multi-instrumentalist and singer, he has performed around the country with musicians including Alice Gerrard & Tatiana Hargreaves, Bella White, Bruce Molsky & Allison de Groot, and George Jackson, playing at festivals such as Grey Fox, IBMA World of Bluegrass, Porch Pride, and Old Tone Roots Music Festival. His mandolin playing and singing can be heard all over Bella White’s acclaimed debut album “Just Like Leaving” on Rounder Records, and he appears on Joe Troop’s album “Borrowed Time.”

The film screening and short performance is free and open to the public. It will take place at the Historic Earle Theatre on Friday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. For additional information, visit www.surryarts.org, call the Surry Arts Council at 336-786-7998, or email Marianna Juliana at marianna@surryarts.org. This film and this event are made possible in part through support from Presenting Sponsor The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources as part of their “She Changed the World: NC Women Breaking Barriers” and “Come Hear NC” programs.

New releases available at the Mount Airy Public Library:

Once More Upon a Time – Roshani Chokshi

A Slow Fire Burning – Paula Hawkins

The Book of Magic – Alice Hoffman

Nothing But Blackened Teeth – Cassandra Khaw

The Stolen Lady – Laura Morelli

The Man Who Died Twice – Richard Osman

Steal – James Patterson and Howard Roughan

A Season on the Wind – Suzanne Woods Fisher

Waiting on Love – Tracie Peterson

The Best Ever Cookie Book – Good Housekeeping

Deliberate Evil : Nathaniel Hawthorne, Daniel Webster, and the 1830 Murder of a Salem Slave Trader – Edward J. Renehan Jr.

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Acrylics and Watercolors Group – This group was meeting at the Senior Center, but now is meeting at the library every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

Make It Mondays. Craft class for adults meets the third Monday of each month.

The Community Book Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. Our book this month is The Substitution Order by Martin Clark. Copies are available at the front desk.

It’s Yoga Y’all – Yoga with Ms. Heather will be the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

LACE, the Romance Readers Book Club meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month’s book is The Texas Wager by Jodi Thomas

Classic Movie Monday. February’s Classic Movie selection is My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrision. The film is based on the play “Pygmalion” by George Bernard Shaw. We have copies available if you’d like to read it before watching it with us on Feb. 28 at 6 pm.

Come by and see some of the changes that are taking place at the library. The Children’s Area has moved and we’ve rearranged the Juvenile Area and the Young Adult Area. We have some new furniture and rugs in the Children’s Area and we have more coming. It’s an exciting time to come to the library.

Virtual Author Visit on Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. to meet with author Wiley Cash virtually and hear him discuss his new book, When Ghosts Come Home.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

The annual Tommy Jarrell celebration — to commemorate the life and music of the influential local musician, is set for Feb. 24-Feb. 26 at the Historic Earle Theatre in Mount Airy.

The celebration includes concerts, a youth competition, workshops, and a film screening. The popular festival has something for every old-time music lover. The yearly event celebrates the music and teachings of Surry County native and old-time music pioneer and icon, Tommy Jarrell, who lived from March 1, 1901 to Jan. 28, 1985.

Many of the activities are scheduled at the Old-Time Music Heritage Hall at the Historic Earle Theatre at 142 North Main Street.

On Thursday, Feb. 24 there are free youth lessons. Flatfoot dance is at 4:30 p.m., fiddle lessons are at 5:30 p.m., followed by guitar, banjo, and mandolin lessons at 6:15 p.m. The music lessons are taught by Jim Vipperman, Brown-Hudson Folklore Award recipient as a traditional musician and teacher. These lessons are sponsored in part by a TAPS grant from the Folklife Division of the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The Southeast Sirens Tour will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The tour is presented by The Surry Arts Council and Pine State Marketing and features Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast and Abby Bryant & The Echoes. Tickets are $15.

Friday at 7 p.m. is the free screening of “You Gave Me A Song,” a film about Alice Gerrard. The film offers an intimate portrait of old-time music pioneer Alice Gerrard and her remarkable, unpredictable journey creating and preserving traditional music. A question and answer session with Director Kenny Dalsheimer and Gerrard will follow the film.

A short performance by Gerrard accompanied by Tatiana Hargreaves and Reed Stutz will follow the Q&A. This film and event are made possible in part through vital support from Presenting Sponsor The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources as part of their “She Changed the World: NC Women Breaking Barriers” and “Come Hear NC” programs.

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Gerrard has made an indelible mark on the history of traditional music. Her groundbreaking collaboration with Appalachian singer Hazel Dickens during the 1960s and ’70s produced four classic LPs (recently reissued by Rounder) and influenced scores of young women singers. Her subsequent four solo albums including Bittersweet, produced by Laurie Lewis, and Follow the Music, produced by Mike Taylor of His Golden Messenger — further showcased Gerrard’s many talents: her compelling, eclectic songwriting; her powerful, hard-edged vocals, and her instrumental mastery on rhythm guitar, banjo, and old-time fiddle. Gerrard’s 2015 album, Follow the Music was nominated for a Grammy. Her most recent release, Sing Me Back Home: The DC Tapes 1965-1969 on Free Dirt Records, has found critical acclaim for its intimate peek into previously unheard Hazel and Alice practice tapes.

Gerrard has appeared on more than 20 recordings, including projects with many traditional musicians such as Tommy Jarrell, Enoch Rutherford, Otis Burris, Luther Davis, and Matokie Slaughter; with Tom Sauber and Brad Leftwich as Tom, Brad & Alice, with the Harmony Sisters, the Herald Angels, Beverly Smith, and with Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle.

Old-Time workshops are on Saturday from 1:30-5:00 p.m. at the Earle. The workshops are $25 per person and participants may register online www.surryarts.org or rj@surryarts.org or call 336-786-7998. Through classes, presentations, workshops, and performances participants will learn from some of the most esteemed and respected musicians in the field: Chester McMillian, Martha Spencer, and Emily Spencer.

The workshops will take place in the Historic Earle Theatre and will include fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass, singing, and dancing – whatever participants want to learn. Martha Spencer is a singer-songwriter, mountain musician, and dancer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She grew up in the musical Spencer family and learned to play several instruments (guitar, fiddle, banjo, bass, dulcimer, mandolin) and flatfoot/clog at a young age. She has played shows, festivals, and led workshops across the US, Australia, UK, and Europe. She just released a solo album and has been included in articles such as Rolling Stone Country, No Depression, Wide Open Country, Cowboys & Indians Magazine, Americana Highways, and PopMatters.

Emily Spencer is a certified PK-12 teacher and has taught fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, and bass in the schools and at Wilkes Community College and Wytheville Community College. Since childhood, she has played music and started playing with the Whitetop Mountain Band in the 1970s with Thornton Spencer and continues with the band today.

Chester McMillian was born in Carroll County, Virginia, into a musical family and community. He has played traditional Old-time Round Peak style music since childhood. By the time he was 11 or 12 years old, he was living in Surry County and taking an active part in the Round Peak music community. In 1962, Chester married into Dix Freeman’s family, and the two began playing a lot of music together. Chester played guitar with Tommy Jarrell for fifteen years, and he developed his guitar style specifically to play with Tommy. He has also played and recorded with Dix Freeman, Kirk Sutphin, and Greg Hooven, with whom he founded the group Backstep.

On Saturday the WPAQ Merry-Go-Round starts at 11 a.m. with workshop instructors and participants followed by bands including Grace ‘N Grass.

Lew Bode and Jim Vipperman will preside over the Tommy Jarrell Festival Youth Competition on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre below the Andy Griffith Museum. Categories include fiddle, clawhammer banjo, guitar, vocal, dance, and other (which includes all other instruments and bands), in two age levels: 5-12 and 13-18. Contestants will have three minutes to perform and can have one accompanist, though no recorded backup is permitted. Contestants may register at the event, there is no fee for competing, and trophies are awarded following the competition.

Whitetop Mountain Band will take the stage on Saturday at 7 p.m. for the Tommy Jarrell Birthday Concert and Dance, hosted by Lew Bode. The Whitetop Mountain Band is a family-based band from the highest mountains of Virginia. Known for their high energy and charisma on stage, Whitetop Mountain Band is one of the most popular dance bands of the Appalachian Mountains. They have performed at all sorts of venues throughout the United States and abroad including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, National Folklife Festival, World Music Institute, Carter Family Festival, Dock Boggs Festival, World Fair, Virginia Arts Festival, Floyd Fest, Ola Belle Reed Festival, and Merlefest. Tickets are $10.

For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit www.surryarts.org or call the Surry Arts Council at 336-786-7998. Tickets can also be purchased at the door before each show if they are available. Select Tommy Jarrell Festival events are supported in part by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Saint Matthew’s Day

Wednesday, Feb. 23, is known as Saint Matthew’s Day. On his special day, an important event occurs that is a harbinger of spring. It is said that on this day, the sap in the mighty oaks and the maples begin to rise up the trunks and into the limbs on a journey of life for another season of growth. As we speak of the journey of life, we also see it in the garden spikes of hyacinths, jonquils and daffodils as they start on their spring journey of life. The American violets are displaying their heart shaped foliage. In the dead of winter, we can see the hints of new life all around us.

Debunking the “First Snowfall” urban legend

There is an old urban legend that says you should not eat any of the year’s first snowfall. We definitely do not accept this legend simply because the first snowfall is no different than all the other snowfalls of the season. My mother who lived in northeastern North Carolina was the world’s greatest snow lover. Even though that legend was around in her day, it did not hinder her from making snow cream from the first snowfall to the last snowfall of winter. She would find where the snow had blown into drifts, dig down a few inches and scoop up the fresh clean snow and make a batch of snow cream. The first snowfall had no ill effects upon her and her four sons. She lived to be over 90 years old. We miss you mom and we keep the snow cream tradition alive each year by making snow cream from the first snowfall to the last snowfall. When we make snow cream and scoop up the fluffy white snow, you become very much alive in the windmill of our mind.

The plants of cabbage and broccoli can now be set out in the late winter garden. Most hardwares, seed shops, Walmart, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Lowe’s Home Improvement and most nurseries have plenty of plants and varities to choose from. They come in six and nine packs. Check the plants and select plants that have blue-green stems that are straight. Don’t buy plants with dried stems or those that have legged out of their containers. Set plants about two feet apart. Apply a layer of peat moss under each plant and apply Plant-Tone organic vegetable food in the furrow. About two weeks later, side dress the plants with another application of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food and pull soil up around the Plant-Tone. Feed cole family plants once a month with Plant-Tone.

Wild onions on late winter lawns

With lawns dormant, tan and drab, the wild onions popping through are really a horrific sight as we move toward the last days of February. They will be with us until warm weather arrives. The only plus that they have is the fact that they are green. You can make them easier on the eyes by using a weed trimmer and trim them down to the ground. This will not get rid of them, but it will stunt their growth. You can trim them in the barren moon sign of Leo the Lion if you follow the almanac. It may not get rid of them, but it will slow them down. Believe it or not, mowing the grass on barren moon signs does keep grass from growing as fast as it does when you mow on a watery, fertile sign such as Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. If you trim wild onions in the barren sign of Leo, it may not help, but it certainly will not hurt anything either. Even if it’s mind over matter, your going to mow and trim anyway, aren’t you? If it works, great, if not, what have you lost?

Frogs signal the coming of spring

The frogs down by the creek bank are leaving the hollow logs and making a bit of noise at February twilight time. They seem to sense that the season of spring will soon be here. Their croaks are a welcome sound and we are sure they will get louder and longer as spring draws nearer. Just the sound of frogs croaking makes winter seem hopeful and pleasant. They are a sign and a herald of the up and coming spring.

Hyacinths: One of springs early blooms

The fragrant hyacinths in dainty colors of red, white, pink, lavender, yellow and blue are now spiking and preparing to bloom. No other flower in late winter has an aroma as sweet as that of the hyacinth. They will continue to bloom for several weeks.

A lettuce bed for early harvest

A lettuce bed or row is a great way to start the garden season and a quick harvest in about 45 to 50 days. Lettuce is a quick growing winter and early spring cool weather vegetable. you can choose from so many varities that are available in packets for about $2 or less. You can sow lettuce now and it will not hinder the planting of seeds of warm weather vegetables later in spring.

Making 2022 a colorful four o’clock year

The seeds of four o’clocks are now available in hardwares, supermarkets and garden centers in seed racks. They come in packets of assorted colors and cost around $2 a packet. They come in red, yellow, white, pink and wine. They thrive in all types of soil and feature bright green foliage that really makes their blooms more colorful. They will bloom from mid-May all the way until the first frost. Burpee Seed features the speckled varities and Park Seed has the two-tone marbled four o’clocks. Several packets will produce a summer of beauty, greenery and color that will last all the way until the first frost.

English green peas are an unusual cool weather vegetable that produces its whole harvest in two weeks. They thrive in cold soil and require no plant food or fertilizer, In fact, they add nitrogen to the soil and produce a harvest in around 60 days which will allow you time to succeed them with warm weather crops. You can choose from varities of Wando, Alaska, Green Arrow and one pound will sow a 50-foot row. Even a winter snow will not hinder their growth. Sow seed in a furrow about four inches deep and lightly scatter seed in the furrow. Cover seed with a layer of peat moss and hill up soil on each side of the furrow and tamp down with a hoe blade for good soil contact. As the peas grow, continue to hill up soil on both sides of the row.

Baked chicken breast and chips bake

This is a great meal on a cold day. It is easy to prepare and a meal in a dish. You will need one four-pack of Tyson chicken breast (boiled until tender and debone and cut into chunks), two cups finely chopped celery, one cup mayonnaise, half cup chopped pecans, one envelope of Lipton onion soup mix, two tablespoons lemon juice, half teaspoon salt, one cup finely shredded mild cheddar cheese, two cups crushed potato chips, half teaspoon pepper, half teaspoon paprika. combine the boiled chicken chunks, celery, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, paprika. Spoon lightly into a casserole dish sprayed with Pam baking spray. Sprinkle top of casserole with shredded cheese and top with crushed potato chips. Bake at 425 degrees until firm and bubbly golden brown.

Cold, frosty, crisp, and gray

These words describe the winter garden in late February. Another word describes the winter garden, and that is “alive.” The collards have a blue gray tint to them after being nipped many times by frost, covered by ice and snows but still ready to harvest. Onion sets are dark green as they spike from cold ground. The soil does not freeze that much in winter and a coat of leaves protects them. Broccoli and turnips are still dark green and a contrast to the gray of the woodlands and the tan of the dormant lawn. Anything with a hint of green in it in the dead of winter is precious to behold.

Watering pansies, perennials, winter flowers

In winter perennials, pansies and flowers of the season need a drink of water, but not as much in warm weather. Use precaution when watering in winter. Use a sprinkling can to provide only a minimum of water. Too much water will cause medium in the containers to freeze. Water just enough to dampen soil.

“Dry sermon.” The visiting pastor at a country church asked one of the area farmers if he could use his barn to get away to where it was quiet and study his Sunday message. After several hours of study, the pastor left the barn for a walk. When he came back, he discovered the cow had eaten his sermon notes. The next day, the farmer complained to the pastor that his cow had gone dry.

“Less time, more pain.” Larry was having trouble with a toothache and decided to visit the dentist. “What do you charge to extract a tooth,” Larry asked. “One hundred and fifty dollars.” the dentist quoted. “One hundred and fifty dollars for two minutes of work?” complained Larry. “Well,” replied the dentist, “If you wish, I could extract it very slowly.”

“A hammy situation!” Where was deviled ham first mentioned in the bible? When the evil spirits entered the swine!

The Surry Arts Council kicked off its 2022 Fund Drive last week, showing off many of the events the council has planned for the coming year, along with setting its fund drive goal for 2022.

Board members, staff, volunteers, and members of the community gathered at the Andy Griffith Playhouse for the kickoff, admiring a new rack card that was front and center — featuring the 54 2022 summer series concerts. Photos of Surry Arts Council programs were shown on a screen in the Andy Griffith Playhouse lobby for attendees to enjoy.

Brian Royster, president of the Surry Arts Council Board of Directors, reviewed the Surry Arts Council’s successes during the challenges and uncertainties of 2020 and 2021. As many doors closed, the Surry Arts Council figured out ways to open new ones. Venues have all reopened and the priority remains keeping the community safe while keeping everyone engaged with the arts. Royster shared that the Surry Arts Council is excited about what the future holds. He thanked all those who have already made donations.

Will Sheppard, Surry Arts Council held prayer for the meeting, utilizing the prayer as an illustration of how arts connects with the lives of individuals. He emphasized strength, wisdom, and faith along with the need to pray for teachers, leaders – both local and national — and the weak.

Sheppard acknowledged the role of supporters, parents, grandparents, kids, teachers and programmers noting that arts can bring beauty and peace during challenging times. He emphasized the importance of the success of the fund drive to ensure that the arts remain a part of the community. He encouraged members to share the Surry Arts Council story with others.

Nicole Harrison, 2022 fund drive co-chairman and Surry Arts Council board vice president, gave an overview of the past year and the programs that are in progress and upcoming. She noted that the council already has more than $90,000 of its $175,000 raised. She focused on the many upcoming programs that are planned and her hopes for another safe year of arts programming.

Harrison announced that the summer amphitheatre series is scheduled to kick off on April 29 with Legacy Motown Revue. The 54-concert series is the largest ever. She shared that the Arts Alive theme this year is “Reach for the Stars” and that participants will focus on learning constellations and associated mythology while enjoying arts activities.

Arts Alive will once again kick off the Surry Arts Council summer weekly camp series on June 6. Harrison shared that she was a child of the Surry Arts Council participating in dance, Arts Alive, and plays while growing up. She said now, her daughters are participating and she is honored to work with the Surry Arts Council to keep arts programming alive for her children and for our community.

Harrison pointed out that the council’s dance program, led by Shelby Coleman, has more than 100 dancers enrolled who attend weekly classes. They are working in preparation for the May recital. She pointed out that the Andy Griffith Museum continues to thrive and that there were more than 40,000 guests during the first seven months of 2021-2022. Daily guided behind the scenes tours of the Andy Griffith Playhouse have continued to be popular with visitors.

Tyler Matanick, technical director, has started a theater boot camp and he is also teaching voice lessons. Harrison emphasized the quality of life and economic impact of the arts. She noted the fact that many have stated that the in-person programming has been an important for their family’s emotional health during the pandemic. She shared that upcoming programming includes the Arts Ball o Feb. 18 featuring Band of Oz at Cross Creek Country Club. All the proceeds from this event support free cultural arts programs for 25 area schools. She reviewed some of the school programming that has already touched thousands of students.

The Surry Arts Council and Pine State Marketing are presenting “Sirens of the Southeast Tour” that will feature Abby Bryant & The Echoes, and Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast at the Earle Theatre on Thursday, Feb. 24. On Feb. 25, Alice Gerrard, old-time music icon, will host a free showing of the film “You Gave Me A Song” at the Earle at 7 p.m. followed by a question-and-answer session and a short set of live music.

The Tommy Jarrell Concert on Saturday, Feb. 26 will be hosted by Lew Bode and will feature the Whitetop Mountain Band. Martha and Emily Spencer, and Chester McMillian will lead old-time workshops in the afternoon and Lew Bode will assist Jim Vipperman with the annual Tommy Jarrell Youth Competition at the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre. The Earle is showing first run movies with “Marry Me” starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson running through Sunday, Feb. 20.

High energy drumming and dance workshops will be held in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre beginning on Feb. 19 in association with the African American Historical and Genealogical Society. These will be held monthly through May.

The Surry Arts Council is working with area high schools on the upcoming Film Festival. Student entries will be shown on Tuesday, April 12 at 7 p.m. at the Earle to the filmmakers and friends and family.

Tanya Jones, Surry Arts Council executive director, closed the kick-off by introducing staff and thanking staff, board members, volunteers, and supporters for their hard work and creative solutions to the challenges of the past two years. The Surry Arts Council oversees programs at the Andy Griffith Playhouse, the Historic Earle Theatre and Old-Time Music Heritage Hall, the Andy Griffith Museum, the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre, and the Blackmon Amphitheatre.

Membership, giving opportunities, ticket purchases and program information are available online www.surryarts.org or by calling 336-786-7998 or emailing rj@surryarts.org. Movie information can be accessed by calling 336-786-2222. Pledges and contributions may be made online or by mailing checks or pledges directly to the Surry Arts Council, PO Box 141, Mount Airy, NC.

The Surry Arts Council is celebrating Black History with Living Rhythms African drumming and dance workshops in conjunction with the African American Historical and Genealogical Society; the Earle Theatre will be showing King Richard; Mike Wiley will be performing in five area schools with his show entitled Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart; Sons of Mystro will be performing for students at the Earle and will also be performing in the evening for the public on Thursday, March 17.

The arts council will be joining with the African American Historical and Genealogical Society again in April to provide a one-hour drumming and dance interactive performance at the Multicultural Festival on Market Street.

These programs will be held on Saturday, Feb. 19, March 19, April 16, and May 21. Each workshop will begin with drumming at 1 p.m. followed by an African dance workshop at 2:15 p.m. in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre on the lower level of the Andy Griffith Museum. The workshops are free for all ages and are limited to 30 participants per session.

Tam Tam Mandingue of Winston-Salem will be providing 30 drums at each workshop. With an authentic imported drum for each participant, these education programs immerse participants in both the music and dance of West Africa. Participants learn rhythms and songs that represent the traditions of several African ethnic groups, then learn dances that historically accompany the musical selections.

Strong emphasis is placed on the traditional West African values of respect, community, and teamwork. Living Rhythms workshops broaden participants’ understanding of our increasingly interdependent world, and encourage them to embrace a life of critical thinking.

On May 28, a dance workshop will close out the series. In addition, a one-hour interactive performance will be held at 5 p.m. on April 28 at the Multicultural Festival on Market Street. Contact Marie Nicholson at mariejnic@hotmail.com or RJ Heller at rj@surryarts.org with questions, to register/participate, or for more information.

The celebration continues Wednesday, March 2 and Thursday, March 3 with performances by Mike Wiley. Wiley’s play chronicles the life of Jackie Robinson. Acclaimed actor and playwright Mike Wiley has spent the past decade fulfilling his mission to bring educational theatre to young audiences and communities across the country.

In the early days of his career, Wiley found few theatrical resources to shine a light on key events and figures in African-American history. To bring these stories to life, he started his own production company. Through his performances, Wiley has introduced countless students and communities to the African American legends.

Wiley has a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is the 2010 and 2014 Lehman Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor in Documentary Studies and American Studies at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to his numerous school and community performances, he has also appeared on Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, and National Geographic Channel and has been featured in Our State magazine and on PBS’ North Carolina Now and WUNC’s The State of Things.

The finale will be a performance by Sons of Mystro on Thursday, March 17 at the Historic Earle Theatre. The violin duo will have two performances, one daytime performance for local students and an evening performance open to the public.

Born in South Florida to a Jamaican father and Barbadian mother, Malcolm, 23, and his 20-year-old brother Umoja learned to play violin through South Florida’s public school system and attended Dillard High School for the Performing Arts. Together, these brothers are Sons of Mystro. They use their violins to interpret reggae classics, American pop songs, and their own creations accompanied by a DJ and a drummer.

They are winners of the Emerging Artist under 21 years of age award by the International Reggae and World Music Awards. Their debut recording, “Reggae Strings” is available wherever music is streamed or sold. Mentored by the classical meets hip hop duo Black Violin, these artists’ stars are on the rise. Sons of Mystro has played at many festivals and events, including The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival, Legends Easter Fest, One Love Reggae Fest, Reggae Dancehall Awards, Sunfest, and the annual Jazz in the Gardens. They’ve graced the same stage with reggae, dancehall, and R&B veterans such as Marcia Griffiths, John Holt, Ken Boothe, Dobby Dobson, Freddie McGregor, Frankie Paul, Fantasia Barrino, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, and Earth, Wind & Fire.

For additional information or tickets visit www.surryarts.org, call 336-786-7998, or email rj@surryarts.org.

“STEAM”ed UP on Mondays at 4 p.m. — Join us for Science stories and simple experiments for grade school ages.Toddler Time for children ages 2-3 Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.; Book Babies for children ages birth to 2 years old Thursday at 9:30 a.m.; preschool story time for ages 4 – 5 Thursday at 11 a.m.

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Acrylics and Watercolors Group – This group was meeting at the Senior Center, but now is meeting at the library every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

Make It Mondays. Craft class for adults meets the third Monday of each month.

The Community Book Club meets the third Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. Our book this month is The Substitution Order by Martin Clark. Copies are available at the front desk.

It’s Yoga Y’all – Yoga with Ms. Heather will be the third Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

LACE, the Romance Readers Book Club meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month’s book is The Texas Wager by Jodi Thomas

Rescheduled Author Visit – join us Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. for a visit with local author Tom Perry. He will be reading from his book, Murder In A Rear View Mirror.

Virtual Author Visit on Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. to meet with author Wiley Cash virtually and hear him discuss his new book, When Ghosts Come Home.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

Saint Valentine’s Day is tomorrow

The day of hearts, flowers, candy and gift cards is just a matter of hours away. The sweet day will be celebrated tomorrow. Most stores and shops are still very well stocked and florists still have plenty of floral offerings although there may be a short supply of roses, but there are some still available if you search around. If you wait until the last minute, you can get a Valentine money card and slip some money in it or purchase a gift certificate from a favorite restaurant.

This is a colorful salad for Valentine’s Day that is simple to make as well as unusual. You will need one box (three ounces) strawberry jello, one cup water and (juice from pineapple), one can crushed pineapple, (drain and reserve juice), one cup boiling water, two cups strawberries (mashed), two small containers of strawberry yogurt. Combine strawberry jello, one cup boiling water, one cup cold water and reserved pineapple juice. Let stand until it starts to thicken. Add two cups mashed strawberries, strawberry yogurt and crushed pineapple. Stir, put in a bowl, refrigerate for three hours. top with dollops of Cool Whip.

For a sparkling bowl of punch on Valentine’s Day for a party or gathering, mix two bottles of strawberry Fanta, two cans red Hawaiian Punch, two bottles of Sprite, two teaspoons of strawberry flavoring. Make an ice ring of one two litter bottle of strawberry Fanta and one can of red Hawaiian Punch and pour into a tube pan and freeze overnight.

Siberian kale is winter’s best

The cold of February only makes Siberian kale sweeter and it can even be harvested with a layer of snow on it. Siberian kale can be chopped up finely and mixed with ranch dressing for an unusual salad. Unlike collards, curly mustard and other greens, Siberian kale has a certain sweetness a cut above other greens of winter. A covering of crushed leaves or grass clippings between the rows of kale prolongs the harvest well into winter and will make harvesting cleaner.

Mid-February time to prune fruit trees

In mid-February, grapevines and fruit trees are dormant which makes vines and limbs or branches bare and clearly visible and easier to see what needs to be pruned and trimmed. This will help the trees and vines bare more fruit and also make the harvest of fruits easier. Another plus is the trees and vines will look much better. Cut back limbs that rub against each other and limbs that grow too high to make the fruit out of reach for harvest. Cut back limbs at the very bottom so you can get under them to mow and rake. Usually there are a few pleasant days in February, so pick one of these days and trim and prune the trees.

Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees

After pruning fruit trees and grapevines, add a finishing touch to the task by spraying them with a cast of dormant oil spray. This spray will coat trunks, limbs, branches, and vines with oil that protects the trees and vines against infestations of insects, borers and worms. This spray comes in bottles and is mixed with water according to directions on the bottle. Pick a sunny day with no wind to apply the spray. Cover trunk and limbs from bottom to top. Apply when no rain is in the forecast for several days. A good coat will cause limbs to look slick and shiny.

Starting a row or bed of lettuce

Lettuce is a tough winter vegetable that will produce a quick harvest in about 45 to 50 days and it will survive in cold weather and winter soil. You can purchase lettuce in packets for less than $2. There are many varities of lettuce that include, Iceberg, Black Seeded Simpson, Grand Rapids, Buttercrunch, Red Sails, Salad Bowl and Oak Leaf. You can sow seed in a small bed or a short row and a small area will produce a lot of lettuce. Sprinkle the seed lightly in a furrow about two or three inches deep, cover with a layer of peat moss and apply Garden-Tone or Plant-Tone organic vegetable food and hill up soil on both sides of the furrow and tamp down with a hoe blade. Feed with Miracle-Gro vegetable food after seeds sprout.

Winter’s back will soon be broken

On Tuesday, Feb. 15, the back of Old Man Winter will be broken as we reach the halfway point of winter. There is still plenty of cold bite and icy breath, but on the calendar we are halfway through. Even with winter being at the halfway point, February is still the month of hard freezes and ice in the mud holes, as well as a few snow days to get everyone excited.

Seeing honeybees in winter is rare

Winter may be half over and most bees are balled up in hives or hollow trees keeping warm. This does not mean they are hibernating. On a rare day in February when the sun shines and warms above the freezing mark, some bees may venture out of the hive or hollow to activate their wings and scout around a bit. We have a fragrant Carolina Jasmine at the edge of the garden plot with bright yellow sweet smelling blooms and in February sometimes we see them around the jasmine blooms. We don’t think they venture too far from their hives during winter, but cabin fever could cause them to scout around quit a bit. A small bit of weather lore says that if you see bees buzzing about in mid February, it is also possible to experience cold wind as well as rain. Later they could zoom back and bring some snow to make things interesting! After all, half of winter remains.

Perennial flowers and cold weather vegetables enjoy the arrival of winter snowfalls, as well as kids and a lot of adults. We have a list of reasons why everyone should love snow, and the list is long: 1) snow is fluffy, white and beautiful, covers up all that is ugly and beautifies that which is already pretty. 2) Kids love snow and just the mention of snow excites them and they look forward to it. 3) Snow kills wintering insects, eggs and larvae, diseases and fungus. 4) Snow covers the lawn and garden in a blanket of white and adds nutrients to the soil. 5) Snow covers pots, containers, and perennials and makes them look like snow cones. 6) Snow is the main ingredient of Carolina snow cream. 7) Snow insulates pots and containers of perennials and protects them from winter extremes with a blanket of snowy white insulation. 8) Snow also boots business and the economy by creating a sudden craving for bread, milk, eggs, potato chips, dips, cold cuts, junk food, cereal and cookies. 9) We can not prove it, but we have reason to believe that winter snows subtly promote a response for seed and items for the upcoming garden season. 10) Snow makes the sun look brighter and the landscape look like tiny and sparkling diamonds. 11) An atmosphere with snowflakes is much easier to breath.

The sun is red like a pumpkinhead!

“The sun is red like a pumpkinhead, and it shines so your nose wont freeze.” This is from the Dean Martin song, “A Marshmallow World.” A red sunrise or sunset in winter with a snow on the ground is always a beautiful sight. Every day in the winter when the sun sets, we are gaining an extra minute of daylight. The sunshine melts snow even on a cloudy day, not because of heat, but from ultraviolet radiation. Yes, even in the marshmallow world of winter, the sun does its job.

Watering plants in sunny living room

The Christmas cactus, snake plant, asparagus and panda ferns thrive in the sunny living room all winter long. With a small drink of water each week and some Flower-Tone organic flower food once a month, they are very much alive. The ferns need to be trimmed every two weeks to promote new growth.

“Horseplay.” “Doctor, you’ve got to help my husband,” said the wife, “He thinks he is a race horse. He wants to live in a stable, he walks on all fours and eats hay.” The doctor said, “I’m sure I can help him, but it will cost a lot of money.” The wife said, “Money is no object, he’s already won two races!”

“Wrong seat.” A drunk driver phoned the highway patrol to report that someone had broken into his car and stole the dashboard, steering wheel, the brake, gas pedal and emergency brake. The highway patrol was puzzled and they sent an officer to the scene. Before the officer arrived, the drunk called back a second time, and said “Never mind, I got in the back seat by mistake.”

Full Snow Moon is Wednesday

A snow white full moon will rise in the eastern sky on Wednesday evening in a bare tree-lined horizon and possibly living up to its name of Full Snow Moon. It may even be adorned by a halo with stars inside of it. The night should be cold making for a silvery glow of moonlight.

The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History located at 301 North Main Street, Mount Airy, has announced a slate of programming for the month of February.

Museum Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, February 12: Ghost Social 7 -8 p.m. Sit and enjoy treats while listening to ghostly folklore and tales on Saturday February 12 from 7 – 8 p.m. $25 per person includes coffee, tea and sweets. Pre-registration and masks required (when not eating.) Call 336-786-4478 for more information or to make your reservation.

February 15, 22, March 1 Genealogy Class for Beginners This course, taught by local genealogist Esther Johnson, will be a four-part series designed for the individual who is interested in researching his/her family tree. The first two classes, February 8 and 15, will be held in the Museum’s 3rd floor classroom from 6-7:30 p.m. The 3rd class on February 22 will be at 1 p.m. at the Surry County Register of Deeds Office in Dobson and the 4th class on March 1 will be at 1 p.m. at the Carlos Surratt Genealogy and Research Room at Surry Community College. There is a limit of 12 participants to allow for social distancing. Pre-registration and MASKS ARE REQUIRED. Museum members are admitted free. There is a fee of $5.00 per class for non-members. Laptops are welcome but not necessary. In case of inclement weather and Mount Airy City Schools are closed, genealogy class will be rescheduled. For additional information, or to register, please contact Amy Snyder (336) 786-4478 ext. 227 or aesnyder@northcarolinamuseum.org

Saturday, February 26: Behind the Scenes Ghost Tour 7-8:30 p.m. $20 Get a tour of the Museum like no other! Hear new ghost stories, staff stories and history! The tour remains inside the museum building for its duration. Pre-registration and face masks are required. Please call the Museum at 336-786-4478 to make your reservation.

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