An entire day of Celtic fun begins at 10 a.m. at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock on Saturday, May 21. While a festival mood will exist for the first eight hours, the atmosphere by Lake Chetola changes to a concert mood from 7 until 10 p.m.
Again this year the Blue Ridge Celtic Festival will host activities for the entire family and among the groups scheduled to make an appearance are Rathkeltair, Enter the Haggis and Fire in the Kitchen, top Celtic musicians that were hits at last year's Festival. Joining them this year will be a 27-member contingent from the Guilde of St. Andrews and a dance troupe from the Walsh Kelly School of Dance.
The Guilde of St. Andrews will re-create the Royal Court of Mary Queen of Scots at this year's Festival. Scheduled are lots of activities patterned after the court, such as Knighting Ceremonies, the Royal Table, How to Catch a Spouse, and much more.
Tickets for the Festival are $12 ($8 for children) if purchased in advance, or at the Chetola gate the day of the Festival the price of admission is $14 ($10 children). Concert tickets that night are the same price. In both cases, a special combo rate for both events is available for $20 (Children $14) in advance, or $22 (children $16) at the gate. Advance tickets are available at Chetola Resort, or from Wachovia Bank in both Blowing Rock and Boone, the Blowing Rock Visitor Center on Valley Boulevard, High Country Visitor Centers in Boone, Mast General Stores in Boone or Valle Crucis, or from Blowing Rock Stage Company at The Glenwood on Sunset.
Joining Chetola in bringing the Blue Ridge Celtic Festival to Blowing Rock are the Tanger Outlet Center-Shoppes on the Parkway, The Meridian Agency, Wachovia Bank, and the Blowing Rock Stage Company.
The Festival will run from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. with the Concert set to run from 7 until 10 p.m.
For more information on the Festival, and other special events on the 2005 season calendar for Blowing Rock, visit the Visitor Information Office on Valley Boulevard

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BRAHM Night At Turchin Museum

The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum members will share a unique opportunity on Thursday, May 19 from 5:00-7:00 pm. Hank Foreman, Curator of Appalachian State University's Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, has invited BRAHM members to a guided tour of the two exhibitions that are currently shown at the King Street Museum.
In a New Light: America's Brush with Impressionism features a private collection as well as pieces from the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia exploring the impact made by the Impressionist movement on American Art created in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Artists from the United States, who often studied in France, blended the techniques of French Impressionism with their concepts, ideals and goals to create a new American Art for the 20th Century. Impressionism, in various forms, held sway over the work of many Southern Artists until the approach of the mid 20th century.

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Tweetsie: Will That Sassy Whistle Continue To Blow Across The Blowing Rock Landscape?

By Scott Nicholson
Tweetsie Railroad may have to roll up its tracks and head for lower ground in a couple of years.
Tweetsie, a Wild West theme park and summer tourist attraction that was launched in 1957, is facing the expiration of leases for property at the park, which lies between Boone and Blowing Rock. The leases expire in 2007, giving the park less than two years to come up with a plan to either work out a new lease or relocate.
Tweetsie general manager Chris Robbins said moving would be a "dire option" but one that also offers some benefits for expansion.

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First Ever Purchase Award Is Secured By The New Village Inns

Irene Rodrigez (left) and Jim Smith (right) accept their Purchase Award selection from Bob Gwynn of Bob Gwynn Metal Art during Saturday's Art in the Park. The beautiful wall sculpture was the first ever Purchase Award under a new arts program initiated by the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce and supported by Blowing Rock retail merchants and Friends of Art in the Park. Irene and Jim are with Village Inns of Blowing Rock, and it will be on the wall of one of their three accommodations facilities in town that the beautiful creation will be displayed.

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Joann Mitchell Named BRAHM's First Executive Director

The Board of Trustees of the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM) is pleased to announce that Joann Mitchell has been chosen as the first Executive Director for the Museum, effective June 1st.
BRAHM, a non-profit organization whose mission is "to promote visual arts and history and to celebrate the rich heritage of the mountains," has been active in the community for several years and recently decided to open a local office to conduct its business and centralize its activities.

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TDA And Chamber Host Open House For New Valley Blvd. Visitor's Center

The Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority would like to invite the public to the Grand Opening Reception of the new Visitor Center facility May 25, 2005. TDA Executive Director Susan Freshcorn, Chamber Executive Director Charles Hardin, their Boards of Directors and other staff members will be welcoming guests from 4:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Canyon's Restaurant, Manor House Restaurant, The Green Park Inn and Storie Street Grille are supporting the event with catering services.
The TDA and the Chamber of Commerce collaborated in moving to the new facility at 7738 Valley Boulevard to provide relocation and visitor information under one roof. The building was most recently home to Park Place Realty, but has been completely renovated to service visitors, residents, family and friends.

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Two Are Injured In Aho Road Accident

Two young girls were injured when the driver lost control of her car traveling west on Aho Road Sunday morning. Fourteen emergency units and sixteen police, fire or rescue officials responded to the scene where the car ran off the right side of the roadway, struck a tree and ended up leaning against a culvert with the front end of the care underwater. Both girls were taken to an area hospital for treatment and remain in satisfactory condition. Highway Patrol investigators say preliminary evidence points to excessive speed as being the primary cause of the accident.

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Jeff Clark Named As The Executive Director of The B. R. Arts Center

The Blowing Rock Community Arts Center Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeff Clark to the position of Executive Director.
Clark comes to Blowing Rock from the Kansas City Repertory Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri where he was the Associate Artistic Director for Production for the past three years. Prior to his working in Kansas City, Clark served as the Production Manager for the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston for seven years and Trinity Repertory Company in Providence for five years.

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