A collaborate effort!

Most of the fine fellers in this photo are Lee County Board of Supervisors.

Full group shot

Many dignitaries and officials joined in on the celebration.

Groundbreaking photo

Here's another photo from today's groundbreaking festivities. Craig Barbrow from USDA, Delegate Terry Kilgore, and IDA Chairman Quinton Littrell.

Constitutional Oaks Groundbreaking

Today was a big day in Rose Hill! The groundbreaking for a new shell building in the local industrial park site was held today. Here's a scene from some of the festivities.

Snowing in Rose Hill

I took this photo a few hours ago. Yep, it was snowing up a blizzard in Rose Hill, today, the day after Easter! It didn't last long. Matter-of-fact, now the sun is shining and there's barely even a trace of today's "blizzard."

trillium

This photo is copyright by Harold Jerrell. It's trillium, growing somewhere in western Lee County. Apparently, there are lots of different kinds of trillium, and several of them are endangered or threatened species. Trillium are fairly unique in that they change colors during the blooming season.

A little story

So the story behind this little photo series is one I've told frequently, and I'm sure I've embellished it a bit along the way. Well, it's a story. This month marked five years since I moved to Rose Hill, so what better time to reflect over the few times I've "thrown events" in Rose Hill since my arrival.

The first event was the dulcimer concert at The Barnyard. I'd gotten a grant from The Puffin Foundation of Teaneck, NJ to launch a revival of the Appalachian dulcimer, giving us some marketing money and such. We filled the house. Downtown was full of cars. Folks talked about what a traffic jam I'd created for quite awhile.

Then later on, I found myself throwing a community information event about upcoming broadband service. We held that event at the clubhouse in the new little apartment complex. We had a great turnout of folks, and managed to have traffic congested with lots of parked cars throughout the apartment driveway and spilling out onto the main road up past Hensleys and such. Once again, folks would kindly jest in the grocery store or gas station for awhile afterwards, that I'd certainly clogged up the traffic flow in Rose Hill again with one of my events.

But the third event, well now, it really surpassed the other two. The third event was the fiberlighting event at the Rose Hill Library where we had not four, but about a dozen dulcimers playing... we had local, state and national elected officials... the whole nine yards. Watching the activities as they progressed that day, I remember really laughing when I saw the police block off the traffic for the ribboncutting event in the front of the library. I kept thinking about the folks who kindly jest me at the gas station and the grocery store about creating traffic jams in Rose Hill, knowing I could look at them next time and respond, "Hey, I've really worked my way up now! Instead of just creating a traffic jam, for the first time, I managed to actually stop the traffic altogether." hahaha!

okay, that was my "Happy Easter" present to you today, my little story about the time I actually stopped the traffic in Rose Hill. hehehe!

One more quick photo, and then I'll go back to grantwriting...

Rose Hill ribbon cutting

During this ribbon-cutting event during the fiberlighting celebration, the local police briefly stopped the traffic in front of the library (next photo).

Project Leaders

Founder of Sunset Digital Communications Paul Elswick (a Lee County native) and Executive Director of Lenowisco Planning District Commission Ron Flanary on the day of the Fiber Lighting event in Rose Hill.

In The Barnyard

Here's a photo from inside The Barnyard that night. You, too, can learn to play the dulcimer. Wilderness Road Dulcimer Club meets on Tuesday evenings at 7PM at Rose Hill Christian Church in the fellowship hall. They teach beginners and it's free! Look on the website under "clubs & organizations" for more information. Also check out the website "events" section for information about an upcoming dulcimer weekend at the nearby national park campground.

downtown photo

Here's a downtown photo. This was taken back before the new awning was up at O'Dell's Furniture. The photo was taken while the crowd from a dulcimer concert was letting out at The Barnyard. Notice the street is lined with cars and even the "square" (as I call it, I believe that it is a church parking lot) is also full of parked cars. We had a full house in The Barnyard that night. It was fun!! I was one of the four dulcimer players putting on a little performance inside. I'll post that photo next.

Black Bear Blast on March 21-22

According to an article in the March 15, 2008 Kingsport Times News, the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park will host the Black Bear Blast on March 21-22. The event will involve scientists, educators, artisans from the region, and anyone else interested in the black bear. According to the article (and certainly also confirmed by stories of recent black bear visits in the campground and around western Lee County farms), "The black bear once roamed freely through these mountains but was virtually eliminated from the region through over-hunting and loss of habitat. Due to recent conservation efforts and habitat availability, the black bear is making a come back on it's own. Scientists studying the black bear in Kentucky and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park have noted a healthy increase in bear numbers."


The article further reports, "The event will kick off on Friday, March 21, at the park visitors center and will feature an outdoor exhibit area, numerous demonstrations, programs, and special keynote speakers in the visitors center auditorium." All of the event activities are FREE!! For more information, call (606) 248-2817 or visit www.nps.gov/cuga.

Virginia Bluebells

This photo is copyright by Harold Jerrell. One of the best things about living in the Appalachian Mountains, is watching Spring arrive. Crocus and daffodils are blooming all over the place already. Although it will be awhile until they bloom, the Virginia Bluebells in my flowerbed have come up already.

The Kite Day Tradition

Kite Day is a wonderful Rose Hill tradition. An amazing number of parents join their kids at school for the Kite Day festivities. Both Rose Hill and Ewing elementary schools have a long tradition of Kite Day. Many of the parents enjoyed Kite Day when they were students "way back yonder when."

March 7th is Kite Day

Friday, March 7, 2008 is Kite Day at Rose Hill Elementary School, weather permitting. If the weather prevents having Kite Day on Friday, another day will be scheduled.

Maybe this photo from last year's Kite Day will show up dark, but there are actually several kites in the air.

Rose Hill Elementary students plant trees

Fourth graders from Rose Hill Elementary School came home with free trees on Friday. Today was warm and sunny, so here's one of the fourth graders planting his new little pine tree.

signs of Spring!

Then on Saturday, the weather really warmed up.

Today was sunny!!

Made the crocus open up.

snow

I was taking a picture of the amaryllis, but you can see snow on the bank outside the window. School was out until Friday, which was 2-hour delay.