FEBRUARY 4, 2010 ISSUE
Winterfest Fares Well in Spite of Winter
Supporters of the Appalachian Women’s Fund (AWF) jump into Chetola Lake at last weekend’s Polar Plunge. The plungers for AWF included Dale Howard, Richard Stevens and John Turner. “It’s over before you know it,” said Turner. “The worst part is the anticipation beforehand, but it was well worth it,” Howard said.“Raising awareness to the struggles of women who need support as they work to break the cycles of poverty and abuse is crucial,” said AWF President Patti Turner. “The willingness of men to help with that goal brings new voices to the discussions.”
Siblings Sonya Finn, Robyn Cruz and Cale Strickland from Garner and Winterville won the Golden Plunger Award for their Hawaiian-themed costumes.Despite a weekend of snow and sleet, Blowing Rock’s Winterfest attracted hundreds of people to the small mountain town January 28 to 31.
Tracy Brown, executive director of the Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority, said that volunteers are still counting attendance and proceeds numbers, but he was able to report on several of the festival’s major events.
“Overall and considering the weather, we had a great weekend,” Brown said. Guests staying in the village’s inns were able to arrive before the snowfall Friday evening, resulting in few lodging cancellations, he said.
Attendance at WinterFeast, a dinner featuring food from numerous Blowing Rock restaurants, saw an increase over last year, with more than 200 dining at the Manor House at Chetola Resort.
A Friday night concert by Echo Park suffered because of the weather, but the performance was outstanding, Brown said. Two game shows—patterned after The Newlywed Game and the Match Game—received many favorable comments from the crowd, he said.
Saturday morning’s Polar Plunge at Chetola Lake saw 35 daring souls leap in the water, raising several thousands of dollars for various charities. Siblings Sonya Finn, Robyn Cruz and Cale Strickland from Garner and Winterville won the Golden Plunger Award for their Hawaiian-themed costumes.
The Appalachian Women’s Fund (AWF) raised the most money in pledges for the Polar Plunge, jumping into 38-degree water to earn $1,500 in donations that will help underserved women and children in mountain communities. AWF plungers Dale Howard, Richard Stevens, John Turner and Jana Lake donned tiaras and boxers declaring their support of the fund.
The Wine Tasting and Auction saw an increase of about 25 percent in bidding, Brown said.
“That may be because Mike ‘Bubba’ Sweeting was the auctioneer or maybe it was [because] the money raised would go to Wine to Water,” he said.
The Chili Challenge had several out-of-town competitors cancel because of the weather—“the local restaurant scene had to pick up the slack and cover for the numbers coming to sample chili,” Brown said. Twigs won in the restaurant category, and The Table at Crestwood garnered the People’s Choice Award.
Nearly 200 folks attended a pancake breakfast on Sunday morning at the Blowing Rock School cafeteria that raised money for Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue. And the second annual dog show held Sunday afternoon featured 29 canine participants and raised more than $200 for the Watauga Humane Society.
For information about next year’s Winterfest and other Blowing Rock events, call 828-295-7851 for the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, 828-295-4636 for the Visitors Center or click to www.blowingrock.com.
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