4
Linda Burchette Assistant Editor lburchette@jeffersonpost.com West Jefferson’s first photography gallery opened in May on Jefferson Avenue, and welcomed a crowd of vis- itors during the June 8 Gallery Crawl. Gallery owners George Rembert, Jr. and Nicole Robinson are pleased to be offering the public this level of quality from area photographers. Nei- ther have owned a gallery before, and Nicole met George through the Ashe Camera Club which he founded and through which he shares his photogra- phy skills with the members. “I am a photographer, and asked George where to hang my work,” Robinson said about how the idea of a photography gallery came about. “We wanted to showcase photog- raphers on their own,” said Robinson about opening Catchlight Gallery. “It’s a work of heart.” Rembert is also enjoying the experi- ence of gallery ownership. “It’s been exciting,” he said. “We felt there needed to be a place in the community for photographers to dis- play their work, and they’re very hap- py with it.” Rembert and Robinson are looking for the best photographers in western North Carolina to display their work in the gallery. One of their first, Jon Kral, certainly fits that description. With a cowboy theme, Kral’s work features dramatic scenes of cowboys at work and horses, but also more poi- gnant moments that give a sense of the cowboy’s solitude. Kral wrote “Cracker: Florida’s En- during Cowboys,” and is an interna- tionally known photojournalist and award-winning photographer. He won the Robert F. Kennedy Award and is a 00528388 Hurry in today to see how easily Kubota tractors can tackle your toughest projects. MOUNTAIN KUBOTA OF BOONE 418 Deep Gap Dr. • Deep Gap, NC 28618 828-264-2711 Store Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-noon Saturday Great Selection Available! Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Photo submitted The courtroom at the 1904 Courthouse in Jefferson is in need of renovation and several fundraisers are planned to begin that work. Fundraisers now planned for museum courtroom restoration Carol Williams Contributing Writer For most of the 20th century there was one place where the people of Jefferson gathered to be entertained. It was the one place big enough to hold meetings, put on plays, hear musicians perform, watch the young graduate and see court- room dramas played out for real. The time has come for that space to be brought to life again and once more be a focal point for socializing in Ashe County. When the 1904 Courthouse began the actual restoration process in the late 1990s, the plan was always to accomplish the complete restoration in two phases. Phase I, the first floor, is handsomely restored and welcoming large numbers of people into its friendly environment. But old timers are always asking, when will the courtroom upstairs be open. The Museum of Ashe County is ready to begin that task, Phase II, in earnest. Several major fundraisers are planned that should provide the stimulus money necessary to develop some major sourc- es of income to bring the second floor to life once again. All Ashe Countians can join the effort by jumping on the band- wagons heading your way. Post photo/Linda Burchette DAV Chapter 80 (Jefferson) Commander Ralph Poe, left, presents the award for North Carolina’s Outstanding Dis- abled Veteran of the Year 2012 to Marvin Greer of Jefferson. Post photo/Linda Burchette Marvin Greer is fondly nicknamed “Hot Lips” for the perfect pitch he created on a bugle, playing for years at veterans events in the county, and here at the 2010 Christmas in July Festival. Local veteran honored with state award Linda Burchette Assistant Editor lburchette@jeffersonpost.com Out of 35,352 Disabled American Veterans in 62 chapters across the state, Jefferson resident Marvin Greer is the most out- standing for this year. Greer was presented a special plaque this week by Ralph Poe, commander of DAV Chapter 80 in Jef- ferson, of which Greer is a member. Greer was unable to attend the presentation ceremony in Raleigh last weekend, so Poe accepted the plaque on his behalf from the state DAV com- mander, and officially pre- sented it to Greer in his home Tuesday. It is inscribed: Out- standing Disabled Veteran of the Year 2012 Marvin W. Greer June 9, 2012 “I feel proud. This is something nice,” said Greer of the award. Although recover- ing from an illness, the 85-year-old Greer was all smiles for the presenta- tion. He has always been known for his sense of humor, and is fondly nick- named “Hot Lips” for his perfect tones on the bugle he learned to play after returning from World War II. Greer served in the U.S. Army from 1945-47 first as a truck driver and then as a gunner in the 2nd Armored Division under General Patton in Ger- many. When asked about his service, Greer said he was drafted out of high school. He was also driving a school bus at the time, so he was given the job of truck driver. “When I was drafted, they just pushed me through the line, said they needed a truck driver,” Greer said. “They asked me if I wanted Army or Navy. I said ‘Navy,’ and they said ‘you’re in the Army.’” Because he dropped out of high school to serve in the war, Greer never graduated. In May 2008, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx came to the county to present Greer with his high school diploma. Greer’s son, Buddy Greer, a former Marine who served in Vietnam and is commander of the Marine Corps League De- tachment in Ashe, said if anyone knows of some- one who had to drop out of high school to serve in combat, they can be pre- sented their diploma by Congress. After returning from the war, Greer lived and worked in Pennsylvania at the Chrysler tank plant near Avondale. He said he made the wooden boxes for tank parts. Upon re- Photography gallery opens in West Jefferson Post photo/Linda Burchette George Rembert, Jr. (left) and Nicole Robinson of Catchlight Gallery in downtown West Jefferson are pictured with Jon Kral (center) whose work is displayed in the new gallery, seen behind him, as they talk with Red Alderman during the June Gallery Crawl. BREMCO CEO explains cost savings and predicted rate hike Four directors were elected to the board of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation June 14 during the co- operative’s new business format annual meeting held at J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir. Elected to serve three-year terms were: Charity Gam- bill-Gwyn, of Alleghany County, At-Large seat; Kenneth Greene, Ashe district; Jimmy Hemphill, Caldwell district; and Joy Coffey, Watauga district. More than 7,500 members of Blue Ridge Electric voted in their director elections as a result of new, more convenient ways to participate: by mail and Internet. Director election kits were mailed May 16 to all members. In addition to a proxy for voting and a postage-paid return envelope, the kit included candidate biographies as well as directions and ac- cess information for members wanting to vote online. President Kenneth Greene told the audience that help- ing members keep costs low was a primary reason for the new annual meeting format. “Giving members the oppor- tunity to vote in director elections is a primary reason for the annual meeting,” he said. “In the past only about 800 members voted in director elections, but by giving mem- bers more ways to vote than attending the annual meeting, we’ve had more members than ever participating in their cooperative. We’re excited about that—we think that’s good for both members and your cooperative!” Secretary-Treasurer Joy Coffey and Chief Financial Offi- cer Lee Chase told the audience the cooperative is in sound financial condition despite slightly declining member growth and lower kilowatt hour sales primarily due to the impact of warmer winter weather this past year. Chase said the cooperative is well prepared to serve the energy needs of the members now and into the future. Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson reaffirmed Greene’s earlier comments that the cooperative is excited about the savings from the new annual meeting format that help hold down costs for members. “We understand the im- portance of finding ways to keep your bill as low as possible without sacrificing service quality,” he said. Johnson said the cooperative has been successful in cutting and controlling operational costs but that chal- lenges for utilities and their consumers are coming from See HIKE | 2 See MUSEUM | 2 See GALLERY | 2 See VETERAN | 2

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Fundraisers now planned for museum …matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/public/sites/502/assets/GHN4_06_20... · abled Veteran of the Year 2012 to Marvin Greer

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Page 1: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Fundraisers now planned for museum …matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/public/sites/502/assets/GHN4_06_20... · abled Veteran of the Year 2012 to Marvin Greer

Linda BurchetteAssistant [email protected]

West Jefferson’s first photography gallery opened in May on Jefferson Avenue, and welcomed a crowd of vis-itors during the June 8 Gallery Crawl.

Gallery owners George Rembert, Jr. and Nicole Robinson are pleased to be offering the public this level of quality from area photographers. Nei-ther have owned a gallery before, and Nicole met George through the Ashe Camera Club which he founded and through which he shares his photogra-phy skills with the members.

“I am a photographer, and asked George where to hang my work,” Robinson said about how the idea of a photography gallery came about.

“We wanted to showcase photog-raphers on their own,” said Robinson about opening Catchlight Gallery. “It’s a work of heart.”

Rembert is also enjoying the experi-ence of gallery ownership.

“It’s been exciting,” he said. “We felt there needed to be a place in the community for photographers to dis-play their work, and they’re very hap-py with it.”

Rembert and Robinson are looking

for the best photographers in western North Carolina to display their work in the gallery. One of their first, Jon Kral, certainly fits that description.

With a cowboy theme, Kral’s work features dramatic scenes of cowboys at work and horses, but also more poi-gnant moments that give a sense of

the cowboy’s solitude.Kral wrote “Cracker: Florida’s En-

during Cowboys,” and is an interna-tionally known photojournalist and award-winning photographer. He won the Robert F. Kennedy Award and is a

00528388

Hurry in today to see how easily Kubota tractors can tackle your toughest projects.

MOUNTAIN KUBOTA OF BOONE418 Deep Gap Dr. • Deep Gap, NC 28618

828-264-2711Store Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-noon Saturday

Great Selection Available!

T1

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Photo submittedThe courtroom at the 1904 Courthouse in Jefferson is in need of renovation and several fundraisers are planned to begin that work.

Fundraisers now planned for museum courtroom restorationCarol WilliamsContributing Writer

For most of the 20th century there was one place where the people of Jefferson gathered to be entertained. It was the one place big enough to hold meetings, put on plays, hear musicians perform, watch the young graduate and see court-room dramas played out for real.

The time has come for that space to be brought to life again and once more be a focal point for socializing in Ashe County.

When the 1904 Courthouse began the actual restoration process in the late 1990s, the plan was always to accomplish the complete restoration in two phases. Phase I, the first floor, is handsomely restored and welcoming large numbers of people into its friendly environment. But old timers are always asking, when will the courtroom upstairs be open. The Museum of Ashe County is ready to begin that task, Phase II, in earnest.

Several major fundraisers are planned that should provide the stimulus money necessary to develop some major sourc-es of income to bring the second floor to life once again. All Ashe Countians can join the effort by jumping on the band-wagons heading your way.

Post photo/Linda BurchetteDAV Chapter 80 (Jefferson) Commander Ralph Poe, left, presents the award for North Carolina’s Outstanding Dis-abled Veteran of the Year 2012 to Marvin Greer of Jefferson.

Post photo/Linda BurchetteMarvin Greer is fondly nicknamed “Hot Lips” for the perfect pitch he created on a bugle, playing for years at veterans events in the county, and here at the 2010 Christmas in July Festival.

Local veteran honored with state awardLinda BurchetteAssistant [email protected]

Out of 35,352 Disabled American Veterans in 62 chapters across the state, Jefferson resident Marvin Greer is the most out-standing for this year.

Greer was presented a special plaque this week by Ralph Poe, commander of DAV Chapter 80 in Jef-ferson, of which Greer is a member. Greer was unable to attend the presentation ceremony in Raleigh last weekend, so Poe accepted the plaque on his behalf from the state DAV com-mander, and officially pre-sented it to Greer in his home Tuesday.

It is inscribed: Out-standing Disabled Veteran of the Year 2012 Marvin W. Greer June 9, 2012

“I feel proud. This is something nice,” said Greer of the award.

Although recover-ing from an illness, the 85-year-old Greer was all smiles for the presenta-tion. He has always been known for his sense of humor, and is fondly nick-named “Hot Lips” for his perfect tones on the bugle he learned to play after returning from World War II. Greer served in the U.S. Army from 1945-47 first as a truck driver and then as a gunner in the 2nd Armored Division under

General Patton in Ger-many.

When asked about his service, Greer said he was drafted out of high school. He was also driving a school bus at the time, so he was given the job of truck driver.

“When I was drafted, they just pushed me through the line, said they needed a truck driver,” Greer said. “They asked me if I wanted Army or Navy. I said ‘Navy,’ and they said ‘you’re in the Army.’”

Because he dropped out of high school to serve in the war, Greer never graduated. In May 2008, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx came to the county to present Greer with his high school diploma.

Greer’s son, Buddy Greer, a former Marine who served in Vietnam and is commander of the Marine Corps League De-tachment in Ashe, said if anyone knows of some-one who had to drop out of high school to serve in combat, they can be pre-sented their diploma by Congress.

After returning from the war, Greer lived and worked in Pennsylvania at the Chrysler tank plant near Avondale. He said he made the wooden boxes for tank parts. Upon re-

Photography gallery opens in West Jefferson

Post photo/Linda BurchetteGeorge Rembert, Jr. (left) and Nicole Robinson of Catchlight Gallery in downtown West Jefferson are pictured with Jon Kral (center) whose work is displayed in the new gallery, seen behind him, as they talk with Red Alderman during the June Gallery Crawl.

BREMCO CEO explains cost savings and predicted rate hike

Four directors were elected to the board of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation June 14 during the co-operative’s new business format annual meeting held at J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir.

Elected to serve three-year terms were: Charity Gam-bill-Gwyn, of Alleghany County, At-Large seat; Kenneth Greene, Ashe district; Jimmy Hemphill, Caldwell district; and Joy Coffey, Watauga district.

More than 7,500 members of Blue Ridge Electric voted in their director elections as a result of new, more convenient ways to participate: by mail and Internet. Director election kits were mailed May 16 to all members. In addition to a proxy for voting and a postage-paid return envelope, the kit included candidate biographies as well as directions and ac-cess information for members wanting to vote online.

President Kenneth Greene told the audience that help-ing members keep costs low was a primary reason for the new annual meeting format. “Giving members the oppor-tunity to vote in director elections is a primary reason for the annual meeting,” he said. “In the past only about 800 members voted in director elections, but by giving mem-bers more ways to vote than attending the annual meeting, we’ve had more members than ever participating in their cooperative. We’re excited about that—we think that’s good for both members and your cooperative!”

Secretary-Treasurer Joy Coffey and Chief Financial Offi-cer Lee Chase told the audience the cooperative is in sound financial condition despite slightly declining member growth and lower kilowatt hour sales primarily due to the impact of warmer winter weather this past year. Chase said the cooperative is well prepared to serve the energy needs of the members now and into the future.

Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson reaffirmed Greene’s earlier comments that the cooperative is excited about the savings from the new annual meeting format that help hold down costs for members. “We understand the im-portance of finding ways to keep your bill as low as possible without sacrificing service quality,” he said.

Johnson said the cooperative has been successful in cutting and controlling operational costs but that chal-lenges for utilities and their consumers are coming from

See HIKE | 2

See MUSEUM | 2

See GALLERY | 2

See VETERAN | 2

Page 2: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Fundraisers now planned for museum …matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/public/sites/502/assets/GHN4_06_20... · abled Veteran of the Year 2012 to Marvin Greer

state and national environmental regulations. He said Blue Ridge Electric’s costs may rise by about two to three percent per year over the next five years as a result of environmental regulation compli-ance. “These wholesale power cost estimates are based on the fact that Duke Energy, our whole-sale power supplier, has invested billions in environmental compli-ance technology and is shutter-ing several older coal plants and replacing them with new, and more costly, natural gas and coal plants.”

With that in mind, the coop-erative is keeping focused on five strategic ways to benefit mem-bers, Johnson said.

“First, we’re working to keep members bills as low as pos-sible by managing operational costs through the cooperative’s WorkSmart effort,” said Johnson. “To date, our employee team has implemented plans which will re-sult in more than $2.8 million in annual, sustainable savings.”

“We’re also looking to our two subsidiaries for savings opportu-nities,” he added. “This year we expect RidgeLink (a business-to-business subsidiary that leases unused capacity on the coopera-tive’s fiber optic network) and Blue Ridge Energies (a propane, heating fuels and appliance sub-sidiary in each district office) to provide about $1.5 million in di-rect member benefit.”

The second strategy is manag-ing the cooperative’s wholesale power agreement with Duke En-ergy to find ways to help offset part of the coming cost increases.

“A good example is the recent proposed merger with Progress Energy which we have strongly supported,” he said. “Plus, we negotiated a good settlement that protects the cooperative and basi-cally provides that we will benefit from the combined companies.”

The third strategic initiative is to continue providing exception-ally good service.

“Our two big goals are keeping the lights on and giving members excellent service,” he said. “Last year, American Consumer Satis-faction scores placed us among the top five utilities in the nation

for customer service — and in the third quarter we were num-ber one in the country! Our elec-tric reliability score for 2012 was also among the best in the coun-try. And our Energies subsidiary scored a 9.7 on a 10-point scale in customer satisfaction.”

The fourth strategy is utilizing technology to be more efficient and provide members easier ways to do business with Blue Ridge.

“Our new automated metering system is providing incredible op-portunities for members to better manage their energy usage and make it easier to pay,” Johnson said. “More than 1,800 members have switched from conventional billing to our prepaid FlexPay op-tion. As one member told us last month: ‘I love FlexPay because I’m in control of my usage and I’ve reduced the cost of my monthly bill!”

Regarding technology, the co-operative’s RidgeLink subsidiary is leasing fiber optic capacity to other businesses to improve broadband and mobile phone ser-vice in this area. Johnson said, “We installed fiber over the past several years to better operate our electric system and support the automated metering system. But we have excess capacity we’re leasing that benefits you in three ways: better and more affordable broadband provided by the com-panies we lease to, improved cell phone service, and cost savings because all net income goes to off-set electric bills.”

Finally, Blue Ridge Electric is committed to cooperative prin-ciples and local communities.

“Your board recently adopted a new capital credits plan which will allow the cooperative to retire capital back to members at higher levels once we meet certain finan-cial strength measures,” Johnson said. “The most important mea-sure is member equity — or the amount of money we as members have invested in Blue Ridge over the years. The cooperative should exceed a 40 percent equity level in 2013, which means we’ll move from a capital credits retirement of 1.5 percent to a retirement of three percent. The board also agreed to retire this additional amount to active members which means your capital credits check

or bill credit will increase next year by a multiple of 2.7. In sim-pler terms, this means if you re-ceived a $40 capital credits check this year, you’ll get a $108 check next year.” Johnson cautioned that the projections are subject to yearly performance and annual board approval for a capital cred-its retirement.

Johnson concluded by saying that the cooperative’s service area is still continuing to overcome the impacts of the Great Recession of 2008.

“We’re working hard with other leaders to strengthen our local economy and find better econom-

ic opportunities for the people of our area. That’s why we’re so proud of our Members Founda-tion and the fact that thousands of our members voluntarily round up their bill each month (to do-nate to the foundation). This year, we’re introducing ‘impact grants’ that will be larger in size but must produce tangible results in im-proving economic opportunity, access to quality medical care or educational processes that help prepare for a new and different economy.”

“We’re very proud to serve the energy needs of northwestern North Carolina,” Johnson said.

“By working together, working harder, and working smarter, we can keep our communities strong and viable and continue to be a great place to live, work, raise a family and enjoy life.”

Blue Ridge Electric serves some 74,000 member accounts in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Allegh-any, Wilkes, Avery and Alexander counties. For more information, visit www.BlueRidgeEMC.com. Find us on Facebook at www.face-book.com/blueridgeemc

Written by Renee R. Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Cor-poration.

Bandwagon Number 1 is the Wayne Henderson benefit concert on Friday, June 29, at the Ashe County High School auditorium. Wayne and friends Henry Doss, Scott Pope and Brandy Grass will be filling the auditorium with Henderson’s distinctive finger-picking and their special traditional music. The fun begins at 7:30 p.m.; the price is $10 for adults and $5 for chil-dren under 12.

Bandwagon Number 2 is the crazy quilt which is growing in size with each new piece of special cloth donat-ed. Tickets are now being sold for the raffle of the quilt and the scrapbook of stories about each quilt piece; the raffle will be in October. There is still time to have a special piece of cloth from a family cloth article with special mean-ing. The piece of cloth becomes part of the quilt and the written story that explains its significance becomes part of the scrapbook. Raffle tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.

Bandwagon Number 3 is the Time Capsule project. This the opportunity for any individual or group to gather special items to place in a capsule that will be sealed for 30 years and opened by named individuals who will have the excitement of holding in their hands tangible evidence of a time 30 years in the past. School groups, church groups, families and individuals are getting excited about this idea. Be-cause of increasing interest, the dead-line for readying the capsules has been extended. The capsule will not be bur-ied as originally planned in July, but in October during the excitement of the

Fall Open House at the Museum. The capsules come in two sizes: $25 for the smaller one and $50 for the larger one.

So, Ashe County, jump on these bandwagons! Have fun as you support your Museum of History. Let’s get

Phase II off the ground. Let’s look for-ward to the day when the courtroom is again the hub for all that is fun and entertaining. If you have any questions, call the museum at 846-1904 or ask any board member.

turning to Ashe, he became one of the first Christmas tree growers in Ashe County, and was active in various agricul-tural endeavors.

Greer was born and raised in the Horse Creek commu-nity. He and his late wife Edith Johnson Greer raised six children. They have 13 grandchildren and 27 great grand-children.

Last year, Greer made his first trip to the nation’s capital on the Honor Flight for World War II veterans to see the WWII Memorial. He toured the capital with other veter-ans, including J.C. Norton of Ashe.

Greer has been the recipient of numerous awards through veterans organizations including the DAV Meritorious Ser-vice Award in June 2009 and the Commanders Apprecia-tion Award from American Legion Post 275 in 2002.

Poe said he is proud that Greer has received the Out-standing Disabled Veteran of the Year award as it is the first for an Ashe County veteran. DAV Chapter 80 has about 100 members, he said, and is at 100 percent strength.

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ACCOUNT EXEC NEEDEDThe Jefferson Post in WestJefferson is seeking an ac-count executive to sell adver-tising for both print and onlineproducts to local businesses.Will handle an active accountlist as well as cold calling fornew business. Must have priorsales experience, excellentcomputer skills, internet savvy,dependable vehicle, cleandriving record, valid driver's li-cense and auto insurance. Weoffer salary plus commissionand a competitive benefitspackage. To apply send a re-sume and cover letter [email protected].

Sales (HW)

ACCOUNT EXEC NEEDEDThe Jefferson Post in WestJefferson is seeking an ac-count executive to sell adver-tising for both print and onlineproducts to local businesses.Will handle an active accountlist as well as cold calling fornew business. Must have priorsales experience, excellentcomputer skills, internet savvy,dependable vehicle, cleandriving record, valid driver's li-cense and auto insurance. Weoffer salary plus commissionand a competitive benefitspackage. To apply send a re-sume and cover letter [email protected].

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T2

Page 2 — The Jefferson Post Shopper, Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Photo submittedBlue Ridge Electric President Kenneth Greene of Ashe County and CEO Doug Johnson spoke during the June 14 an-nual meeting in Lenoir.

From Page 1

Hike

Photo submittedThe crazy quilt “Winding Through Ashe County,” is in progress and you could win it.

From Page 1

MuseumFrom Page 1

Veteran

From Page 1

Gallery

five-time Pulitzer nominee. Retired after 17 years with the Miami Herald, Kral lives in Boone and is pursuing a freelance career.

Other photographers currently on display and their subjects include Mar-tin Seelig of Fleetwood, people; Jim Ruff of Blowing Rock, nature and landscape; Phil Rhyne, wildlife and outdoors; D. Rex Miller,

outdoors and nature; Tom Gray, Jr. with a background in television and the park service; and Priscilla Pop-per who enjoys using a com-puter in her work; as well as Nicole Robinson whose work focuses on intricate details of a subject.

Catchlight Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 118 N. Jefferson Avenue. Call 846-1551 or go online to www.catchlightgallery.net.

Page 3: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Fundraisers now planned for museum …matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/public/sites/502/assets/GHN4_06_20... · abled Veteran of the Year 2012 to Marvin Greer

Adam OrrStaff [email protected]

Every morning, local man Brett Butler rolls out of bed, steps out his front door, and looks at the sun rising over the mountains in the east just like everybody else - ex-cept Butler’s front door is the flap of his teepee.

Butler, who works at West Jefferson’s The Honey Hole of the Blue Ridge and owns an educational presentation company called Field Trips Delivered, said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love it,” said Butler. “I get up every morning and look at the place that in-spired me to do this right out my front door. I started living in the teepee in Ashe-ville, then Boone, and now here, so it’s kind of come full circle.”

As a boy, Butler loved ‘Hatchet’ and ‘My Side of the Mountain,’ both New-berry winning stories about young men embracing the challenge of surviving, and thriving, in the wild with little more than their wits.

“I loved those books,” said Butler. “As a kid, I thought they were awe-some. They were the origi-nal inspiration for my doing this.”

Butler grew up in Win-ston-Salem, but his fam-ily ties to Ashe County go back generations. The land his teepee now sits on was once owned by his great-grandparents Butch and Opal Dollar Blevins. In total, Butler’s family have owned the land where his teepee sits for close to a century.

The idea to live in a tee-pee started more than six years ago for Butler, a stu-dent at the University of North Carolina-Asheville in 2006, while living in the on-campus dorms. Though his parents embrace the fact he lives in a teepee now, he said it wasn’t always that

way. “My mom was always

overprotective, and when I told her I was going to live in a teepee, she said I had to do it,” said Butler with a laugh. “My dad, who was an Eagle Scout, said, ‘No way. I won’t pay for your school.”

Undaunted, Butler forged ahead.

“I bought the teepee and figured, hey, dad never comes up to Asheville any-way,” Butler said laughing. “So, I just bought it and moved into it and invited him up for a weekend. He stayed with me, stayed warm, stayed dry and he fi-nally said, ‘I’m cool with it.”

Butler isn’t shy about the fact that he lives in a teepee, and said he gets two reac-tions when he tells people about it.

“People say, ‘That is awe-some’ or ‘You are crazy’,” said Butler with a big grin. “It’s one or the other, and one is going to turn to the other. ‘You’re crazy’ turns into ‘That’s awesome,’ and all it takes is an explana-tion. That is the only differ-ence between the two. And pictures, sometimes. I pull out my laptop and show them the pictures of my tee-pee, and that’s it, people are sold.”

Teepee’s were once the traditional dwelling of tran-sient tribes of Indians in the wide plains of the American west. The teepee enabled its inhabitants to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The design is sturdy and upright, and can be broken down for trans-port in just a couple hours.

Even though Native Americans used the struc-tures for generations, much of what Butler has learned over the past six years has been trial and error, includ-ing the best ways to opti-mize his 256 square feet of living space, and how to sew an interior liner that keeps the teepee warmer in the winter.

Other skills and knowl-edge he picked up from Eustace Conway, one of the current stars of The His-tory Channel’s ‘Mountain Men.’ Conway, the subject of Elizabeth Gilbert’s 2002 book, The Last American Man, lived in a teepee for 17 years.

“I picked other people’s brains,” said Butler. “I grew up backpacking, camping, and was a boy scout so I had that experience, but the teepee itself I picked up from Eustace Conway.”

While studying at Ap-palachian, between 2008 and 2011, Butler lived out-side Boone, near Conway’s 1,000 acre Turtle Island Preserve.

Butler’s teepee includes the traditional portions of the teepee, including the poles, an outer fabric made from material used for sailboat sails, and an inner liner that fits around the bottom inside edge of the teepee that keeps cold outside air from blowing up and in. Butler has also in-stalled another inner liner that sits higher, that also acts as a barrier to rain and the cold.

Butler’s teepee sits on a wooden platform and the interior includes his bed, storage containers, a small kitchen complete with a propane stove, and

a handmade wood stove that dominates the center of the teepee. The stove’s pipe rises through a hole in the center of the teepee’s in-ner liner, that allows smoke to rise out of the top of the teepee. Blue sky can be seen through the open hole at the teepee’s top.

“When it rains, typically what it’s going to do is catch (on the inner liner) and run down the pole, and into the ground,” said Butler. “It’s really not a problem.”

Butler said one of the most important pieces of his teepee is its inner liner that keeps the living space warm in winter.

“Without this, you basi-cally have to have a raging fire in here to keep warm,” said Butler. “It stops the air flow, and you’re not heating the entire top of the teepee, you’re only heating the bot-tom where you’re hanging out.”

Butler has also em-braced the ‘do it yourself ’ philosophy since embark-ing on his teepee journey. The inner teepee liner was hand-sewn by Butler, and he learned metalworking while building his wood stove. He also drove more than 4,000 miles cross country to Montana and back to get his lodge poles.

“By driving out there and buying them directly, I paid

$220 a set,” said Butler. “That trip cut the cost of the poles in half.”

There was a catch, how-ever. Butler had to fashion wood frames that would fit the front and rear of his single cab Toyota Tacoma that would allow him to lash down and support the the unwieldy 27-foot long poles.

“I got it done and got them back here,” said But-

ler with a laugh.Ultimately, Butler hopes

to have a collection of mul-tiple teepees and storage areas, and build an off-grid solar power supply. When asked if Butler intends to live in his teepee forever, he just grins.

“We’ll see,” he said with a laugh. “Right now, I like it, and I basically have no bills, and I won’t ever complain about that.”

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The Jefferson Post Shopper, Tuesday, June 26, 2012 — Page 3

DSS works to end abuse of county’s elderlyAdam OrrStaff [email protected]

On June 18, the Ashe County Department of Social Services wrapped up a campaign to edu-cate residents about the abuse of the elderly, what it entails, and how it can be stopped.

More than 100 complaints of elder abuse come in each year to the Ashe County Department of Social Services, and many of those complaints include charges of self-neglect.

Between Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June, the Ashe County Department of So-cial Services set up a display on the first floor of the Ashe County Courthouse with pamphlets and information on the types of abuse that befall the elderly and what can be done to stop it.

“There are three types of abuse that we look at,” said Ashe County Department of Social Ser-vices Adult Services Supervisor Tommy McClure. “These include abuse, neglect, and exploitation.”

McClure said, by far, the num-ber one elder abuse complaint the DSS receives is self-neglect.

“It’s typically a disabled or el-derly person that is living alone, or in a place with no primary caregiver,” said McClure. “Many times these folks are not taking their medicines or eating prop-

erly, and they’re being negligent about things like doctor’s appoint-ments.”

McClure said DSS has a screen-ing protocol they follow that is used to determine whether the agency has the authority to act.

“In order to accept the report and do our evaluation, the elderly person must be disabled,” said McClure. “Are there allegations or complaints of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, and is the elderly person in need of protective ser-vices?”

McClure said elderly persons, due to their physical and mental capacity, who are unable to per-form for themselves essential ser-vices, or obtain essential services, and if that person is without someone who is willing, able and responsible, they can be classified as needing protective services.

“If the answer is yes to all of the above questions,” said McClure, “as the supervisor, I’d look to the severity of the allegation and ap-point a social worker to evaluate it immediately, within 24 hours, or within 72 hours.”

McClure said the appointed so-cial worker would meet with the individual in question and anyone else may be able to provide in-put on the situation, including a spouse, children, neighbors, doc-tors, or a guardian.

“We then make an assessment as to whether or not that individ-

ual is truly being abused, neglect-ed, or exploited,” said McClure. “We then go back and try to de-termine if the individual in ques-tion has the mental capacity to consent. Yes, all these things can be going on, but if this person has the capacity to determine they don’t want to change their situa-tion, then we may not infringe on their rights.”

McClure said in cases where the abuse has been substanti-ated, and the elderly person being abused does not have the capacity to understand their situation or what is happening to them, DSS may then be forced to take action.

“Our appropriate action may include appealing to the clerk of court for a guardian to be as-signed,” said McClure. “And we don’t necessarily try to appoint ourselves as that person’s guard-ian. We try to look at family to determine someone who is able, willing, and responsible.”

McClure said DSS tries to set up a support network for family members who are willing to step up and protect an elderly family member in their task as caretaker.

“We also try to keep that person in their home environment if at all possible, and if it can be done safely,” said McClure. “If not, we may petition the guardian or the court to send that person to a fa-cility where they can be cared for, but that’s an absolute last resort.”

Over the past year, McClure said DSS had been forced to send four such elderly persons to the proper care facilities.

“It has happened,” said Mc-Clure. “We’ve had to do it several times, but it’s always a last resort. I certainly want people to know that.”

McClure said the recession and resulting weak economy have also increased the financial exploita-tion among the elderly in Ashe County and across the country.

“We are seeing a great increase in financial exploitation,” said McClure. “And it typically comes from within the victim’s family.”

McClure said he would tell el-derly residents concerned about, or know someone who may be vulnerable to, financial exploita-tion that they must build a safety net around their finances of more than one person.

“They should have multiple folks to oversee and suggest fi-nancial courses of action,” said McClure. “I also suggest people designate a power of attorney while they are still competent so that if, and when, the time comes when they are no longer compe-tent, they will have somebody they trust entirely to make those decisions.”

McClure said many times, fi-nancial decisions made by the el-derly happen by default.

“There are predators who

would prey on their own family members,” said McClure. “These days, there are also people who have fallen on hard times and think stealing grandma’s social security check is their only course of action. We see that quite often now.”

McClure said the elderly should also protect themselves as best they can against scams, especial-ly those that take place over the phone or through the mail.

“Recently, one person was be-ing scammed by a magazine pub-lication,” said McClure. “They were making threatening phone calls to this person and said they owed the publication several hun-dred dollars in back fees, and that they would send someone to per-sonally collect those fees.”

McClure said the person was told they, “would regret that vis-it.”

“To the person living alone, who may or may not be able to remember if they actually did order these things, this sort of stuff scares them to death, so they comply and send the money,” said McClure.

If you have questions about el-der abuse, contact McClure and the staff of the Ashe County De-partment of Social Services Adult Protective Services at 336-846-5719, or the Ashe County Sheriffs Department at 846-5600.

Living in a truly old school fashionLocal Brett Butler is living the simple life - in a teepee

Post photo/Adam OrrBrett Butler has spent the past six years living in a teepee…and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Page 4: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Fundraisers now planned for museum …matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/public/sites/502/assets/GHN4_06_20... · abled Veteran of the Year 2012 to Marvin Greer

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Page 4 — The Jefferson Post Shopper, Tuesday, June 26, 2012