Piedmont Bottle & Pottery Club

The 11th annual antique bottle show and sale of bottles, jars and pottery will take place Saturday, April 22 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Salisbury Civic Center, 315 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Admission is free, parking is free and appraisals are free. To learn more, contact John Patterson at 704-636-9510 or ncmilks@carolina.rr.com

 

The Salisbury-Rowan Choral Society 

The Salisbury-Rowan Choral Society will present two concerts titled “Sounds of the Jungle,” directed by Catawba graduate Matthew Newton.

The first concert is April 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the First United Church of Christ, 207 West Horah St.;

the second, on April 23 at 4:30 p.m., is at Milford Hills United Methodist Church, 1630 Statesville Blvd.

Selections include familiar tunes “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and “The Bare Necessities” from the movie Jungle Book. Other interesting pieces express sounds of human voices in various situations: Sudanese basket weavers, Venezuelans crying “The earth is tired,” “a passionate hymn” of South India, and Australians welcoming sharks (Ngana) around the coral reef.  A love offering will be received. See https://www.facebook.com/Salisbury.Rowan.Choral.Society/ to learn more.

 

Natural Beginnings third annual Spring Fling

On April 22 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. meet the midwives and staff of Natural Beginnings and tour the birth center at the third annual spring fling. This will be an outdoor event for the whole family, with face painting and bounce areas for the kids and lots of vendors for moms and moms-to-be. There will be food, give-aways and more. This is a free event. Call 704-380-3722 to learn more.

 

HSF Preservation Awards

Hundreds of hours are spent each year as owners, volunteers and contractors rehabilitate the historic buildings that define the character of Rowan County. Countless others focus their attention on research of the past and educating others about the importance of our history. Together, their work protects and promotes the special historic fabric that brings visitors to our area and supports a sound, sustainable and vibrant economy.

The Historic Salisbury FoundationPreservation Awards Banquet is Thursday, May 25 at The Salisbury Station, 215 Depot St. Find out more at www.historicsalisbury.org/

 

Kneeling Gardeners

KANNAPOLIS — The Kneeling Gardeners held their monthly meeting March 27 at Trinity United Methodist Church, President Jean Kadela presiding.

Guest speaker was Mitchell Hagler from Concord. He was born and raised in Concord working for CPCC for 50 years, teaching English and serving in an Administrative capacity. Mitchell, from Concord, is a Master Gardener and a lay speaker in the Methodist church, and a daylily addict. He provided a video taken at his home of the daylilies in his “Serenity Garden.” No words can describe how beautiful it was with all the varieties of lilies and the magnificent colors. He does not sell daylilies but has a display garden. On June 10 there will be a meeting of the Piedmont Daylilies Club. Hagler is a National Daylily Judge and has a daylily named for him.

In the mid 1980s there was a shade garden in this area. Money, time and effort was spent creating paths, trellis, and ponds stocked with fish. In September of 1989 Hugo came through and the shade garden was turned into a disaster.

His first thought was that he was being punished. Fallen trees were cleared over the months that followed and when summer came a clearing was made. The shade garden was gone. An exhibition of daylilies beckoned him and Mitchell found himself intrigued by this magnificent flower with the many patterns.

Why choose a daylily when the bloom only last for a day you might ask? Spiritually, we only have a single day to make a difference in life. Hagler learned about faith from gardening; patience, beauty wonder and awe. Gardening helps one to learn to slow down. After 33 years in Charlotte, he and his wife moved to Concord and all the daylilies came with him. They moved in April and Concord imposed water restrictions. The daylilies survived and flourished. Today the garden has more than 500 different daylilies.

The botanical name for a daylily is “hemerocallis” which means “only one day.” Always look for a plant that produces 20-30 buds when making a new purchase.

There is no pure white or pure blue. Many shapes, textures, short, tall, miniature, small varieties can be found. They need to be deadheaded daily to keep them blooming. To plant, dig a hole, spread the roots and mound the dirt around. They need at least 6 hours of sun to bloom. Mulch to keep moist and never plant deep.

In 2017 daylilies were introduced that cost as much as $100 a bulb. Buy blubs from a grower and try to see that plant in a garden before purchasing it if you can. Buy bulbs from region 15 in N.C. or S. C. Beware of the deer, since they like daylilies. Use home remedies to keep them away such as Irish spring soap or planting garlic among the daylilies.

Refreshments were provided by Judy Graeber. Millie Fink, Valerie Vernon, and Saranette Shelton.

The Kneeling Gardeners annual plant sale will be May 6 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 416 E. First St. across from A.L Brown High School.

Anyone interested in gardening is welcom to join us at 7 p.m. on May 22, when Maureen Collins from the Black Lion will have a program on Fairy Gardens.

 

Reed Gold Mine 40th Anniversary Celebration

MIDLAND — In the 40 years since its opening day April 23, 1977, Reed Gold Mine has welcomed more than two million visitors to the site of America’s first gold rush. Re-enactors and living history specialists will descend on Reed from across the country to celebrate this history on April 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In 1799, 12-year-old Conrad Reed discovered a 17-pound gold nugget while fishing in Little Meadow Creek. After years serving as a doorstop, the nugget was determined to be gold by a jeweler in 1802 and purchased for $3.50. From there, gold mining began in earnest along the Reed property.

The discovery will be commemorated with rare, special living history demonstrations of surface and underground mining, hands-on mining activities, general demonstrations and mining related vendors.

Costumed interpreters will demonstrate cradle and log rockers, used to sort through dirt and find large nuggets on the surface. Other interpreters will show how blasting holes were drilled and gold bearing quartz rock was removed from the mine. The California-type 10-stamp mill will be in operation to show how rock was mixed with mercury to extract gold.

Reed’s underground mine was opened in 1977 and panning was added in the 1980s. Visitors on April 22 will be able to pan for gold and also take turns on the cradle rocker during the celebration. Guided tours and exhibits will also be available.

Admission for adults is $5, plus tax; and $3 plus tax for ages 3 to 12; aged two and younger are free. Panning will cost $3.21, tax included, for ages eight and older. Panning tickets are not sold to those younger than age eight because adult assistance would be needed.

For additional information, call 704-721-4653 or email reed@ncdcr.gov. Reed Gold Mine is located in southeastern Cabarrus County, 12 miles southeast of Concord.