APRIL 2019

Monthly Newsletter showcasing activities and accomplishments of the departments within Rutherford County Government.

Airport

Animal Control

Dogs /puppies picked up or surrendered to shelter 75

Cats /kittens picked up or surrendered to shelter 17

Wildlife/other picked up or surrendered to shelter 3

Total number of animals picked up or surrendered 95

Total number of Dogs/Cats ADOPTED from the shelter 22

Total number of Dogs/Cats returned to owners 28

Total number of Dogs/Cats rescued by groups 56

Total number euthanized this month 11

Calls completed this month 251

Rutherford County Animal Control

Monthly Report

Report prepared by Kathy Haulk

This month at Animal Control, we took in 95 animals (this is 123 less animals than March of 2018) and 117 left the shelter. Since implementing managed intake and educating people about TNR, our numbers for animals coming into the shelter are continuing to decline. This month our euthanasia rate remains at the 12%. This is great news and we

are hoping to keep that number even lower in the upcoming months.

Kathy Haulk Administrative Specialist

828-287-6025 (p) 828-288-3287 (f)

An Airforce OA-X aircraft making multiple landings at Rutherford County Airport.

2

Board of Elections

The Board of Elections lobby was closed for several days while our ceil-ing was replaced (pictured). Thanks to all the workmen that made our office look much better and to the Planning and Maintenance staff who take such

good care of our staff!

Director and staff participated in ad-ditional training on the County Col-lege system learning how to set up our own training classes both in per-

son and online.

Director Debbie Bedford attended a North Carolina Association of Direc-

tors of Election conference in Hicko-

ry.

3

Cooperative Extension

Tracy Davis, Extension Agent, Family & Consumer Sciences:

• Sixty-eight preschoolers at Carver Center completed the Color Me Healthy pro-

gram. Students attended nine nutrition sessions, sampled a variety of fruits and vegeta-

bles, and received a new book and water bottle.

• Students attending the Fitness Fair at Trinity School enjoyed Cooperative Extension's

booth where they were challenged to a game of Fruit & Vegetable Twister. (See photo

below.)

• Tracy Davis represented North Carolina's Extension Association of Family & Consumer

Sciences at the Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) conference in Washington,

DC. She also attended the Annual Institute Training held in Raleigh.

• Cooking School will be held on April 30 and May 23. These classes are open to the pub-

lic. For more information, contact Cooperative Extension at 287-6010.

Hannah Bundy, Horticulture Agent, reporting for April:

• 4H Small Fruit Sale

• Leadership Rutherford Agricultural Panel speaker

• Farmers' Market board meeting and opening day prep for the start of the season

• Rural Resiliency session at the Mills River Research Station

• Small Town Revitalization via Local Foods programming and businesses in Shelby

• Combination Flower Planter class with seven participants (pictured on page 4)

• Friends of Agriculture April breakfast...May breakfast will be on May 8th

• NC Foothills Farm Tour farmer orientation session at the Bradley Farms (pictured on

page 4)

• NACDEP Conference planning and MLW planning

• Master Gardener demonstration garden work days (pictured below)

4

Cooperative Extension continued from page 3

Cynthia Clark Robbins, Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development:

• Held annual Small Fruit Plant Sale, our primary fundraiser. We do have some plants left over

(apple and fig trees, grapes, muscadines, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries).

• Eleven classrooms from four different schools participated in 4-H Embryology. Students got

to witness the growth of the embryo while they study life cycles. All classrooms reported very healthy chicks and were very eggs-cited. More schools will participate in the program after spring break.

• 4-H was represented at Sunshine School's Heritage Day. We had a 4-H Poultry display with

live chickens to promote our opportunities in poultry science.

• Eight youth attended the West District 4-H Teen Retreat in Black Mountain March 30-31.

They participated in team building activities, attended workshops on electronic coding, public speaking, CPR, and more. They also participated in service projects and in the district coun-cil elections. Two Rutherford County 4-H youth, Madison Breedlove and Dixie Lovelace, are serving as District Officers for the West District.

• Kitchen Science workshops are being held for youth ages 12 and up. Youth are learning the

science behind baking and experimenting with various ingredients.

5

Click here for more information.

County Manager/Commissioners

April included many resourceful and eventful meetings, celebrations, and activities in which the County Manager, Commissioners and staff were involved with the following individuals, depart-ments, boards, and businesses:

• IPDC Building Meeting

• Agenda Preparation for the Board of Commissioners’ Meeting

• County Attorney

• Planning and Projects

• Budget Preparation and Meetings

• Board of Commissioners Meeting

• Community Health Council

• Opioid Forum Implementation

• JCPC Board

• Department Head Quarterly Meeting

• Rutherford County Schools

• Health Department

• Airport Annual Planning Meeting

• Chase Highschool Talent Show (pictures on page 6)

• RS Middle School

• Republic Services

• Rutherford Bound Video Campaign

• Hometown Strong Event (pictures on pages 6-8)

• Economic Development

• Pick It Up RoCo

• Animal Control

• Groundbreaking for The Factory, KidSenses Children’s Museum

• Revenue Office

• Solid Waste

• Senior Center Board Meeting

• Rutherford County National Alliance on Mental Health

• Groundbreaking event for Rutherfordton Presbyterian’s new addition

• Local Government Workshop in Asheville

• Broad River Board Meeting

• Rutherford Children’s Collaborative

• Rutherford County Behavior Coalition

Other activities and events this month included Rutherford, Bostic, Ruth, Ellenboro, Forest City, Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, and Spindale Town Council meetings, meetings with citizens, numerous calls, interoffice meetings, conference calls, public relations, advising, and preparation for various responsibilities.

County Department Heads met for their quarterly meeting April 24, 2019

Photos on page 9-10

Boards and Commissions

Joe DiMaggio, Hall of Fame Baseball Player

Take a walk or bicycle ride

on the beautiful

Rutherford County

Thermal Belt Rail Trail!

6

County Manager and Commissioners continued from page 5

This month, our own accomplished and talented County Manager, Steve Garrison, had

the opportunity to sit on the panel of judges for the Chase Highschool Talent Show.

Some of the exceptional and artistic contestants are pictured below.

7

The Hometown Strong team from Gover-

nor Cooper’s office traveled to Rutherford

County in April. They shared information

and began the initial planning for local

leaders to help businesses thrive by focus-

ing on projects such as infrastructure im-

provements, broadband access and work-

force training. “Small communities like the

one I grew up in have a special character

and so much to offer. They deserve a real

partner in state government and a chance

to thrive,” Gov. Cooper stated on video.

“That’s Hometown Strong.” Pictured right:

Commissioner Michael Benfield and Reve-

nue Director Sherry Lavender.

County Manager and Commissioners continued from pages 5-6

Pictured above: Pryor Gibson, HTS,

speaking to Rutherford County Depart-

ment Heads on April 15, 2019.

Pictured above and right: Hometown

Strong team engaged in video interview

with County Manager (not pictured) and

Commissioner Bryan King. (Location: Rail

Trail behind Yelton Mill, Spindale)

8

“The primary thrust behind this initiative is to increase communi-cations between the state departments/officials and state and local leaders championing rural North Carolina, and to ensure that the various departments/divisions/agencies we interact with on a daily basis in Raleigh have a better comprehension of the challenges and opportunities we have in rural Rutherford County. The hope is that through this dialogue, critical partnerships can be developed in Raleigh to address our challenges and opportu-nities,” related County Manager Steve Garrison (pictured left).

County Manager and Commissioners continued from pages 5-7

9

County Department Head Quarterly Meeting photos

County Manager and Commissioners continued from pages 5-8

Commissioner Bryan King’s daughter, Caroline. These two are having a great time at TIEC - Tryon International Equestrian Center.

10

County Manager and Commissioners continued from pages 5-9

Keynote speakers at the

Department Head Quarterly Meeting:

Dr. Jay Gerlach presenting information re-garding WCU Master of Public Affairs Pro-

gram

(pictured above)

Suzanne Porter, United Way Topic: Standing Up for Stronger Communities

(pictured below)

*********************************** ‘Getting to Know You’ segment:

County Clerk Hazel Haynes was interviewed by County Manager Steve Garrison

(pictured left)

11

The HR Director held meetings to discuss personnel issues, exit interviews, and retirements. Addi-tionally the HR department:

• Attended County Commissioners Meeting

• Attended Human Resource monthly meeting

• Conducted monthly orientation

• Attended JCPC monthly meeting

• Attended Quarterly Department Head meeting

• Hosted Financial Wellness Training by Ricky Sherrill

• Hosted NCACC County College training with Bob Carruth

• Conducted interviews

Welcome New Employees:

Ashley Collins (Social Services)

Regina Glover (Detention)

Retirements:

Peter Gaulin (Information Technology)

Sarah Lee (Transit)

In Remembrance:

We lost a beloved employee and friend this month. Robin Ensley, you will be greatly missed. We ask

for continued prayers of peace for Robin’s mother.

Save the date-

Annual American Red Cross Blood Drive

May 1, 2019, 10:45 am -3:30 pm

County Office Building.

Human Resources

12

Information Technology

A special word of thanks to all who contributed money, time, and food toward Peter Gaulin’s re-tirement celebration last month. It was a very nice send-off!

Also, I am happy to announce that Vicky Edwards (pictured far right) has accepted the position of Assistant IT Director, and Chad Doty (pictured far left) is now our offi-cial Network Administrator. I know they will both do a great job for the County in their new roles.

Director Jai Doherty

SILVER AWARDS

First Year

Rutherford County Maintenance/Public Works Department

GOLD AWARDS

Sixth Consecutive Year

Rutherford County Taxation Department

Fifteenth Consecutive Year

Rutherford County Personnel Department

The NC Department of Labor hosted a

Safety Awards Banquet this month which

featured keynote speaker, NCDOL Commis-

sioner Cherie Berry (pictured below).

Awards were presented to three Rutherford

County departments that met the labor law

criteria: Rate of days away from work, job

transfer, or restriction must be at least 50%

below the industry average. Congratulations

to the following departments (listed in col-

umn to right):

Personnel Department

Taxation Department

Maintenance & Public Works

Human Resources continued from page 11

IT Team

13

Revenue Department

Register of Deeds

Senior Center

Monthly Activity March 25 to April 18, 2019

Assumed Business Names 20

Certificates of Satisfaction 137

Deeds 279

Deeds of Trust 135

Plats/Surveys 18

Powers of Attorney 58

Various other documents 147

Certified Vital Records Issued 683

Marriage Licenses Issued 33

Notary Public Oaths 22

The CFWNC President, Elizabeth Brazas (pictured left), congratulated

Director Tammy Aldridge and Rutherford County Senior Center for being

awarded a Rutherford County Endowment grant from The Community

Foundation of Western North Carolina. The grant amount of

$10,000.00 is for the project Home Delivered Meals.

Robin Kay Ensley, age 57, daughter of Patricia Holland Ensley and the late Bobby Ensley, of 762 Spindale Street passed away April 7, 2019 at Rutherford Regional Medical Center. Robin was a native of Rutherford County; she was a graduate of RS Central Class of 1979, a graduate of Isothermal Community College and employed by Rutherford County as a tax technician with the Rutherford County tax office. Robin was a woman of various in-terests and talents. She and her family enjoyed the Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee having made many friends throughout the region. Rutherford County and Spindale especial-ly held a special place in Robin’s heart. She served the communi-ty she grew up in as an elected member of the Spindale Town Council, following in her late father Bob’s footsteps. She was also

an appointed member for the Board of Directors of Broad River Water Authority, a member of the Rutherford County Genealogical Society Commission and a lifelong member of Spin-dale United Methodist Church where she had served on various committees and offices. Robin leaves to cherish her memory her mother and best friend Patricia Holland Ensley along with many other family members and friends. A celebration of Robin’s life was held on April 12, 2019 at Spindale United Methodist Church with the Rev. Angela Burris officiating. Burial followed in the Spindale Town Cemetery. Please keep family and friends in your pray-

ers.

14

Call Summary

Rutherford County Communications

240 N. Washington Street

Rutherfordton, NC 28139

Monthly Report Date: March 2019

Total 911 Calls

Total Admin Calls

Total Calls

3,214

8,734

11,948

911 Communications

From the director’s (Greg Dotson) desk:

This past month, I had the opportunity to participate in some excellent training with colleagues from across the state ... literally, Watauga to Carteret County. From the instructors to each agency represented - simply an amazing group. I am proud to be a part of COML Class 191. Let the credentialing begin.

15

911 Communications continued from page 14

The week of April 14-20, we recog-nized our staff for Public Safety

Telecommunicators Week.

Telecommunicator Malikka Hutchins was recognized with a certificate and a PIN for providing Emergency Medical Dispatch instructions that

SAVED a life (pictured below left).

Sgt. Jessica Quinn received a certif-icate, PIN, and a Stork Club mug from EMD Quality Assurance, Susan

Sistare (pictured below right).

16

April was Child Abuse Prevention Month. DSS workers dressed in ‘Blue’ to support

child abuse prevention.

Together we can #StopChildAbuse and #MakeGreatChildhoodsHappen!

Social Services

17

Social Services continued from page 16

• Customers served: 1792

• Loads hauled from convenience center: 286

• MSW loads shipped to Lenoir: 159

• Recycling loads shipped to Conover: 20

• Tire customers: 76

Please continue to recycle!

• The director attended the Keep Rutherford Beautiful Committee meeting, mentor training meeting

at airport, ICC expo day, weekly animal control meetings, recycling meetings with Republic Ser-vices, Meeting at Sheriff Office, conducted animal control interviews, webinar NCACC admin. Webi-nar, Quarterly department head meeting, attended mandatory RFQ meeting, met with several pos-sible vendors, and attended Governors Cooper’s Hometown Strong Initiative Meeting. Worked on reports and Budget. Worked on presentations.

• The supervisor attended mandatory RFQ Meeting, met with surveyor, held some in house meetings,

worked on budget and talked with several vendors by phone.

• The office staff keep taking care of customers.

• The staff at the transfer station has been busy with all the loads that are coming in from trash and

recycle. Wrapping televisions and setting them aside for pick up.

• The C&D staff has been working on maintaining the C/D area for everyone to dump.

• The airport staff has been maintaining the grounds.

• The Shop has been performing routine checks on vehicles.

Solid Waste

Madison Hartman is our Employee of the Quarter for

the second quarter of 2019. Madison has been em-

ployed as a Foster Care Social Worker since February

2018. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic and

the ability to provide excellent services to the families

with whom she works. Madison’s focus on her job and

her positive attitude have contributed to a positive

working relationship with co-workers, foster parents,

and other community professionals and families.

Madison is a native of Cleveland County and lives

there with husband, Christian. She graduated from

Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy and UNC-

Charlotte, where she received a BS degree in Psychol-

ogy. Madison has been a Certified Nursing Assistant,

and one of her former jobs was providing home health

care for Bayada Nursing in Shelby. She also worked as

a counselor at South Mountain Christian Camp, and as

a nanny.

Congratulations, Madison, and thank you for your ded-

ication and commitment to Rutherford County DSS

and the citizens of our county.

The District Administration and Education Specialist:

• participated in a CPR training taught by Spindale Fire Department.

• worked on District Minutes, Meeting Notices and Supervisor travel paperwork.

• worked on Farmland Preservation paperwork and updates.

• worked on and completed Cost Share Quarterly report.

• taught soils lessons to all grade levels at Sunshine Elementary Heritage Day.

•

The Resource Conservation Administrator attended the following meetings:

• RHI meeting

• Farmers Market Board meeting.

• TDA Board meeting.

• Second Broad Watershed meeting

• Hometown Strong meeting at County Admin Building

• provided Technical Assistance to land owners.

• presented to Leadership Rutherford.

Soil and Water

18

Tourism Development Authority

TDA General Updates:

The TDA Marketing Com-mittee and Board are working on the new mar-keting plan for the 2019-2020 fiscal year—not to mention, putting the final

touches on the TDA Budg-

et.

The Wayfinding Sign Pro-gram is complete in Ruth-erfordton, Lake Lure, Chimney Rock and Spin-

dale. Forest City is to be completed in June. The towns of Bostic and Ellenboro should get their signs by late June or

July.

Tourism Master Plan

The TDA Strategic Plan continues to move forward with exciting results. The County Deeper Dive – County Recreation Plan is progressing well. The

planning phase should be complete by late August.

The Tourism Asset Development Plan implementation and funding process made significant strides last month with the Towns of Spindale and Chimney Rock Councils approving to move forward on both communities phase

one project.

Rutherfordton Kiwanis Park Project also continues to

move closer to their funding requirements.

Forest City and Lake Lure are working diligently on a

number of projects in their Tourism Plans.

Welcome Center Updates:

Visitor traffic for the month of February was nearly dou-

ble that of last year.

The Welcome Center conducted a survey among its patrons during the month of February, which concluded that as the weather warms up more visitors are coming

to Rutherford County to enjoy being outdoors.

As February neared the end of winter and spring was approaching, hiking, biking, and strolling between shops were starting, and continue, to become more

popular amongst visitors.

Did you know that stakeholders get a free listing on the TDA’s visitor website? Please contact Karen Tegen at karen.tegen@rutherfordcountync.gov for more infor-

mation.

Marketing

The TDA ran advertisements and had ‘media mentions’ in both the March and April editions Our

State Magazine (April edition

pictured right).

Upcoming ads. will be featured in the TIEC Visi-tor Guide, USA Today, as well as an organic men-tion of downtown Rutherfordton in an upcoming

edition of Our State Magazine.

Travel Guide

The 2019 Travel Guide will be available mid-May for

distribution.

Keep Rutherford County Beautiful

The Keep Rutherford County Beautiful Committee is mov-

ing forward with Roxi the Raccoon leading the charge. The

committee will approve the Program of Work and the 2019

-2020 Budget at the end of April.

KRCB hosted a County-Wide Litter Sweep from Thurs-

day, April 4th through Saturday, April 7th.

Roxi greeted volunteers that gathered at Woodrow Jones

Community Hall in the days prior to the event, while they

picked up supplies such as trash bags, safety vests and

more.

The Litter Sweep was a success, as teams of volunteers

picked up trash and recycling from roadsides and highways

all over the county (results to follow in next month’s re-

port).

19

TDA continued from page 18

Enjoy these photos from TDA Everywhere!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR A FULL LIST OF EVENTS WITH LOCATIONS AND TIMES AT:

www.visitncsmalltowns.com

If you have questions about this document please contact Emily Ostertag, Administrative Assistant for the TDA by email at emily.ostertag@rutherfordcountync.gov or Taylor Hardin, Marketing and Admin-

istrative Coordinator at taylor.hardin@rutherfordcountync.gov

20

EMS

EMS would like to welcome the following new employees:

• Justin Moore – Shift Supervisor

• Spencer Thompson – Paramedic

• Raven Fite – Paramedic

Administrative staff held their monthly meeting and dis-cussed project updates on the new inventory control sys-tem and planning efforts for EMS Appreciation Week in May. Congratulations to Director Giles on graduating from the UNC School of Government’s County Administration Course on April 12, 2019 (pictured right). A special thank you to paramedics Kelsea Greene and Lori Roach for managing our first OB patient transport skillfully during this period when Rutherford Regional does not have the ability to accept OB patients. EMS also enjoyed getting to participate in Heritage Day at Sunshine Elementary on April 18, 2019. Thank you to paramedics Bryan Homesley and Greg Walker (pictured below) for taking the kids on tours of our ambulances and explaining to them what we do and the reasons to call 911.

BREAKDOWN OF MONTHLY CALLS:

911 calls: 625

Non-emergency calls: 53

Transportation Services

Transfer/Interfacility/Palliative Care 102

Traffic Accident 92

Sick Person 90

Breathing Problem 81

Chest Pain (Non-Traumatic) 54

Falls 53

Unconscious/Fainting 39

Heart Problems/AICD 21

Hemorrhage/Laceration 20

Stroke/CVA 19

Convulsions/Seizure 18

Psychiatric Problem/Abnormal Behavior/Suicide Attempt 17

Abdominal Pain/Problems 14

Diabetic Problem 13

Overdose/Poisoning/Ingestion 13

Cardiac Arrest/Death 12

Medical Alarm 11

Traumatic Injury 10

Unknown Problem/Person Down 10

Back Pain (Non-Traumatic) 6

Boating Accident 5

Choking 4

Assault 3

Fire 3

Headache 3

Allergic Reaction/Stings 2

No Other Appropriate Choice 2

Pregnancy/Childbirth 1

Stab/Gunshot Wound/Penetrating Trauma 1

21

Transportation Services continued from page 20

Transit

Transit Staff submitted quarterly Operating Statistics Reports to NCDOT.

Transit held their monthly Safety Meeting for April on Proper Procedures for Handling Tire Blowouts, Sudden Brake Failure, and RR Track Crossings. These are recommended training topics for public

transportation providers.

Transit staff have been preparing for several weeks for a NCDOT Proficiency Review. These reviews are conducted generally every three years and are designed to look at all areas of the agency to en-sure that the agency is following State and Federal guidelines in their operations. Our review was con-

ducted, and we received an excellent report from the auditors conducting the review.

Reviewer also conducted an interview with Transit Director for information to possibly be included in

Transportation Research Project.

Operations Manager attended a WNC Roundtable meeting to sit down with other Transit agency per-sonnel to discuss ongoing concerns with the Executive Director of North Carolina Public Transportation

Association.

Director and Operations Manager attended meeting with DSS personnel to discuss latest develop-

ments in the DHHS’s move to Managed HealthCare plans for Medicaid recipients.

Transit part –time driver, Sarah Lee, retired from Transit after driving for 12 years. We wish her joy

and happiness in her retirement (pictured below).

Transit Weekly Numbers

Week of April 10 - April 16

Week of April 3 - April 9

Week of March 27 -

April 2

Week of March 20 - March 26

TYPE

WEEK-LY

AVG

CUR-RENT

WEEK

CUR-RENT

WEEK

CUR-RENT

WEEK

CURRENT

WEEK

Total Miles 9,013 10,046 10,023 10,632 10,365

# of Local Trips

1,166 1,507 1,514 1,563 1,599

# of Out of County Trips

95 112 123 106 96

# Undupli-cated Pas-

sengers

200 208 216 210 221

Total Rev-enue

17,784 $19,354 $19,802 $19,997 $19,027

22

The following is a letter the Veteran Services Office received this month from a Rutherford County veteran, and we

would like to share:

Rutherford County Veterans Spring Warm-Up Lunch

By Wally Wersching

Vietnam War Veterans Day was March 29th, and I was looking for a local event to commemorate the day. I looked on-line, and found that the Rutherford County Veterans Service Office was going to have a Vietnam War Veterans event – at least that’s what the website

said.

I tried to use the contact info to determine what time the event was going to take place but the email ad-dress wouldn’t work, and the phone number was to the VA main office with a series of recordings to help veterans get what they needed but nothing about the

event.

I went on-line again, and found the website for the Rutherford County Veterans Service Office, and called and left a message. A young lady called back to say that they were not having anything on the 29th for the Vietnam War Veterans Day because they would be closed, but they were having a free lunch for all veterans on the 28th from 11:00AM to 1:00PM

at their office in Spindale, NC. I decided to go.

It was a beautiful morning so I drove the GTO, and left

home a little after 10:00AM heading west on Rt 74. I didn’t know how long it would take, and if I could find it even after looking at the map on-line. I arrived a little early at about

10:45.

I met a Tom in the parking lot, and we talked for a few minutes before I went inside. Once inside, I talked with the ladies who worked at the office, and told them about the error on the website. After a few minutes of searching, they found the website, and had no idea who put the info there. They were going to try to remove it before someone would come on Friday for the Vietnam War event,

and find the office closed.

Before long, Tom came in, and we had a great conversation about being in the Navy stationed on Adak, Alaska. I was there in 1969,

and he was there in the early 1970’s. He was the first veteran that I met who was station on Adak. He brought back some not-so-pleasant mem-

ories of being there.

I watched as the ladies along with an intern from Appalachian State University set out the food. Then they all said “Come and get it”. By now there were a few more vets in the office, and we all filled our plates with the delicious mac & cheese , beans, corn

bread, and all the other fixins.

While we were eating a veteran rolled in on his Pride Victory 10 4-

Wheel Scooter. I was impressed first because it was a Victory (no relation to my Victory motorcycle), then it had four wheels, beauti-ful dark blue paint, and a headlight. It was very versatile. The seat

rotated so that the veteran could sit at the table while he ate.

We all talked for a while before I left. It was a very pleasant expe-rience and I was glad to see that our veterans in need have

someplace to go for help.

Veteran Services

23

Report for April

• Assisted veterans in the past week

with claims, benefits, and other ser-vices: 320

• Faxes sent for veteran claims, pen-

sion, compensation and records: 360

• Coffee & Conversation was well at-

tended this past month on the 18th. Our guest speaker was Cathe Banks with Plum Natural Market of Forest City.

Tickets to the

Dirty Dancing Fes-

tival 10th Anniver-

sary Now on Sale

Lake Lure, N.C. (March 1, 2019): Tickets to the 10th anniversary of Lake Lure’s Dirty Dancing Festival on September 13-14, 2019 are now on sa le at www.dirtydancingfestival.com. This two-day celebration of one of the world’s most treasured pop-culture films features a film screening, dance lessons and movie performances by the Asheville Ballet Company, live bands playing soul-filled hits from the 1960s, and a variety of vendors and film-inspired activities. Every year the celebration is punctuated by the hilariously renowned Lake Lift Competition where daring couples test their re-enactment skills of Baby

and Johnny’s iconic water scene. (READ MORE)

Click here to check out March’s

Economic Development Investor Spotlight

Veteran Services continued from page 22

24

25

RUTHERFORD OUTDOOR COALITION

Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Training

June 8-9, 2019

Sign Up Today!

Our survey showed that many of you were interested in a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) training. We have partnered with Landmark Learning to bring a WFA training to Rutherford County June 8th and

9th. Sign up today by emailing main@landmarklearning.org or calling 828-293-5384!

WFA is a 2-day, 16-hour training that teaches the prevention, assessment, and treatment of injury

and illness in remote settings.

The training will be held at the Union Mills Learning Center and the cost is $210. Bring a lunch/snacks with you. The Learning Center has WiFi and access to a refrigerator to store food/drinks.

Saturday, May 11th: ROC Broad River Spring Sweep

On Saturday, May 11th, ROC will be having our annual Broad River Spring Sweep. We will be cleaning multiple sections of the Broad River in Rutherford County. PLEASE RSVP FOR THIS EVENT. You will be added an email list where we will assign boats and sections, as well as send out important information. We need volunteers with kayaks as well as canoes. If you have an extra boat that could be used, please let us know. If you would like to participate but do not have a boat, we will try to arrange a boat for you. Let us know if you have trucks or trailers to help carry kayaks, canoes, or trash. ROC will provide trash bags and a few grabbers. Bring a lunch and some water with you. We will stop about half way through the clean-up for a lunch break. River shoes or shoes you don't mind getting wet are recommended since we will have to get in the water to get most of the trash. Email Robin Schultze at trails@rutherfordoutdoor.org, or call/text 828-351-4294 for more infor-

mation or to sign up.

26

Join us for the first NC Foothills Farm Tour on June 8th. Farms in both Rutherford and Polk counties are participat-ing and there are farms for all to enjoy. This event is for everyone and is a great way to learn about our local agri-cultural producers and all the amazing things that they

have going on this year.

Tickets and more information can be found here or by checking out our Facebook and Instagram pages

@ncfoothillsfarmtour on either app.

Rutherford County is in need

of volunteer child advocates.

Contact our office at 828-287-3929

if you are interested in helping! Good things come to people who help others! Visit our website at www.volunteerforgal.org

27

Vendor Registration and Guidelines for

2019 Festival. Sign up to join us today!

Secure your spot at one of the longest run and best attended festivals in the region! With good weather and exciting new entertainment planned, we anticipate the festival will attract over 3,000 people throughout the day from Asheville to Charlotte and the Upstate regions. Vendors will be confirmed on a first come, first served basis, so the earlier you register the

better.

Last Fall we implemented a new online registration system for vendors who attended Hilltop Fall Festival and we are continuing this same sign up process for Mayfest. Updates and infor-mation for vendors, including booth number announcements, will be communicated to ven-dors through the online system. Visit Myrutherfordton.com/Mayfest to view the different ven-

dor categories, rules and regulations, plus Mayfest event details.

Please make sure to have read and understand the following BEFORE applying:

• Vendors will be confirmed on a first come, first served basis, REGARDLESS OF PAST PAR-

TICIPATION.

• Last minute registration will NOT be accepted. All vendor forms MUST be postmarked or

submitted online by the cut-off-date of April 19, 2019.

• Vendor spaces MUST be paid by or before the cut-off-date in order for your booth space

number to be assigned. Your vendor space will not be shown on the vendor map until

payment is received.

• There was some confusion last year at Mayfest on what defines an arts and crafts vendor

versus the other categories involved. For clarification purposes the following is what will

be followed for the May festival:

• Arts & Craft Vendors: Our festival ONLY accepts arts and crafts vendors who offer their

own unique, handmade, original creations and are sold by the artisan.

• Info/Networking/Non-Handmade Vendor: Those who are a non-profit organization or for-

profit business wanting to promote their services, a political entity, have commercially

produced merchandise or buy-sell items fall under this category.

• Non-Profit Vendors: Any vendor applying as a non-profit MUST carry a 501(c) exemption

status in order to receive the discounted rate provided for participation.

• Please read the vendor rules and regulations before filling out the vendor application

online as it provides arrival times and details about the day's set up and breakdown.

We prefer vendors to register online, and you can do so at Myrutherfordton.com/Mayfest; however we will accept mail-in copies postmarked before the cut-off date. You can download form HERE. Please contact Heather Meech at heather@mcconnellgrouppr.com for any addi-

tional questions.

We are thrilled to have each one of you join us as we look forward to welcoming Spring with a day of family fun, live music and lots of shopping!

28

Celebrate April: • April 1 - April Fool’s Day

• April 15 - Tax Day

• April 19 - Good Friday

• April 21 - Easter Sunday

Don’t blink...April just went by! Notable days in April:

Celebrate May: • May 5 - Cinco de Mayo

• May 12 - Mother’s Day

• May 18 - Armed Forces Day

• May 27 - Memorial Day

29

County Manager Steve Garrison

Rutherford County informationrutherford@rutherfordcountync.gov

289 N. Main Street Rutherfordton, NC 28139

County Commissioners Bryan A. King, Chairman Alan Toney, Vice Chairman Michael Benfield, Commissioner Eddie Holland, Commissioner Greg Lovelace, Commissioner

County Office Hazel Haynes, Clerk to Board

Kim Aldridge, Deputy Clerk Richard Williams, County Attorney

Pictured: Funnel clouds spotted in our area and neighboring counties on April 14, 2019.

Thankfully, no one was critically harmed in Rutherford County during the severe weather that

swept the South this month.