North Carolina

It was a beautiful sunny and blue sky day as my cousin from Maggie Valley, NC stopped by for a visit. We had a great lunch at the Italian Cafe and then headed over to the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. We spent lots of time in the Gift Shop and picked up some watercolor note cards by Margo Locke, and various other pottery items. The Folk School was having weekend classes so we were invited to take the self-tour of the classes and observe their creative makings. First we spent a little time in the History building and then caught a small music group and dancers practicing. Now on to our tour, with map in hand we started down at the Blacksmith Shop and had a great tour of the students there forging and hammering away. One of the best things about the Folk School is they really have small classes usually not more than 12 or so that you really get special instruction and attention with each class you take. Next we headed over to the Fiber Arts for weaving; then on to the Woodcarving; Enameling and Windsor Chair Making. Then we headed over to the wonderful smells from the class learning to Smoke Meats. In that same building was the Spinning class with wool and wheels everywhere. Then across the street for the Watercolor class and finally, the Woodturning class. By then we were pretty tired and took a quick drive through town and headed back home. What a great day with family and opportunity to see all these classes and visit with the students. Every class we visited I asked if they were local residents or visiting - everyone was from another state or town. The John C. Campbell Folk School is and a great place to come for a week long or weekend class to learn and experience some these creative arts.

Seasonal Event Services & Special Event Services -
Interior decorating design for holidays, special occasion decorating, events such as birthday parties, anniversaries & retirement parties.

Belmont, NC

The Natural Beauty... Each season is a delight. Springtime begins a dogwood show, summertime delivers dense foliage to our numerous trees, and winter opens the door to cozy sweater weather. For those of you who are accustomed to heavy winter coats, you can pack those away for awhile. Fall presents a color show so intense that you will walk from street o street just to see what Mother Nature is presenting that particular day. We are fortunate to be within a short drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It makes a great day trip. And, the South Carolina beaches make for a great weekend break. Hilton Head Island, Myrtle Beach, & Charleston are all a reasonable drive for a quick get away

Hometown Lifestyle... Belmont is not only a quiet place to live & enjoy, it invites you to become a part of its community. The town is charming & warm, but, if it's excitement you thrive, you'll find plenty to keep you busy within a short distance.

The National White Water Park is close by with whitewater rafting, kayak & flat water canoeing, Bouldering and climbing on one of the largest outdoor climbing facilities in the country, 11 miles of the best mountain biking, hiking, and running trails in the region. They have something for every fitness level.

Historic Stowe Park presents a variety of activities year round. The park offers locals various festivals, free music & movies to enjoy. Movies & music in the park are during the warmer months only, and you will want to plan your vacations around them. The area is like a natural amphitheatre where you will find many with their picnic blankets, pets & family members enjoying their leisure time.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is Belmont's own pride and joy. The garden ranks among the top 20 nationwide.

Lack of Traffic means a different way of life... Traffic is stressful. Living in Belmont avoids waiting long periods of time just to get to the supermarket. Its location makes this area a hidden gem. And, you save valuable time to do what is most important to you.

Our local Gaston Memorial Hospital has won many awards through the past several years. It ranked within the top 100 throughout the nation & was given the 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Airport Convenience ... Around 10 miles says it all!

Convenient Dining... Our own town offers excellent food. With many great restaurants like Old Stone Steak House, Sammy's Bar & Grill, Cherubs Sandwich & Ice Cream Shop, for a change 20 minutes will get you to T-Bones at Lake Wylie, or 20 Minutes to uptown Charlotte, not to mention all the restaurants in Gastonia, 10 minutes away. And, yes there are fast food places within a couple minutes.

So, with all this, why live anywhere else? Belmont has a wonderful feel that words cannot describe. Its charm & appeal are somewhat indescribable. Call Lynne Rowland Eaker for more information about Belmont.

In most of the U.S. the real estate market is a buyer's market. A few years ago, home owners did not have to do much to sell their home. Sometimes a few repairs of upgrades would be negotiated, but overall you could pretty much sell your home "as is". That has changed drastically. More and more sellers are finding they need to do some home improvements BEFORE they can sell their home. Appraisers have given a few tips to help home owners make their home stand out from the rest.

The biggest thing you can do is paint the walls and replace the carpets! Give your home a mini facelift so to speak. The new flooring and fresh paint will give your home more of a new feel. The old adage remains true when it comes to the color palette; go neutral. If you aren't sure how neutral to go, you can always fall back on white with the paint. Not only does it brighten a room, but it can make it feel clean and fresh too!

Speaking of clean, don't even think of putting your home on the market without making it spic and span. If your home is dirty, there are 3 others down the block your potential buyer is more than willing to go see. Wipe down walls, mop the floor and yes clean the baseboards. If you have a lot of stuff, then your best friend could be a storage unit. The more of the floors you can see, the bigger your home will feel! Don't forget the curb appeal! Keep the yard clean and neat! Make any repairs needed to the sidewalk or driveway. Again, remove as much clutter from the yard as you can. This will make your home inviting from the moment they pull into the driveway!

Real Estate still remains one of the best investments you can make. If you are not ready to sell your home, but may be in the next few years, start planning now. Keeping an eye towards the resale value of your home you can't go wrong! Capitalize on this by slowly upgrading your home. There are some things you should avoid though. These things may limit the buyers you attract. One good example of that is a pool. You may love the idea of a swimming pool, but it is definitely one of those things you may want to wait on if you may be selling your home. Not everyone wants one in their backyard so you may lose some potential buyers.

Just because it is a buyer's market doesn't mean it is a bad time to sell. Interest rates are still historically low. There are many first time and repeat buyers taking advantage of the Home Buyers Tax Credit. Now could be the best time to sell your home! If you want to know if it may be the right time to sell your Greater Charlotte home, call Lars Hedenborg! He can answer your questions on getting sold in Charlotte!

Fort Macon State Park in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

The War of 1812 opened the eyes of our nation and proved how vulnerable our coasts were to enemy attack. Fourty forts were constructed by the U.S. Government between 1817 and 1865. All the way from Maine to the Gulf Coast to California.

Fort Macon, named for Nathaniel Macon, began construction in 1826 and was completed in 1834. In 1861, Fort Macon joined the Confederacy and remained a Confederate Fort for one year. On April 26, 1862, Fort Macon was bombarded and reoccupied by Union Forces.

Following the war, Fort Macon served as a federal prison until 1876 when it returned to caretaker status.

During the Spanish-American war in 1898, Fort Macon was reactivated. By 1903, Fort Macon was completely abandoned and all guns were sent to federal arsenals to be scrapped. In 1924, Fort Macon was purchased by the state of North Carolina for $1.00, along with it's surrounding property and soon become North Carolina's second state park. Yes, you read it right...$1.00.

Fort Macon was restored by the Civilian Conservation corps between 1934 - 1936 and became a very popular tourist attraction until World War II when the park was occupied by Coast Artillery units, a deterrent to German U-Boats. By 1946, Fort Macon became a state park again and today is the most visited state park in the state of North Carolina.

Fort Macon State Park in Atlantic Beach is a great place to visit, again and again and again. The history is fascinating and the atmosphere is almost too real...they have done an amazing job with the props, so visitors really get a feel for what it must of been like for the soldiers who called the fort "Home" so many years ago.

Fort Macon is open daily for touring and offers a museum, bookstore and audio programs. April through October, they offer guided tours, Civil War Reenactments, Musket Firing Demonstrations, Canon Firing and a Living History Program. During the summer months, the fort hosts concerts on Friday nights featuring such bands as "Unknown Tongues" (Cajun/Zydeco), "Mac & Tammy McRoy Band" (Bluegrass) and my personal favorite, "The Carteret Grays" (Civil War Era music). There is usually a large crowd fo the concerts and it is so much fun! Bring the kids, the camp chairs or picnic blanket, and even a picnic...you do not want to miss the concerts at the Fort.

Fort Macon State Park also includes a large beach area where visitors can fish or just relax in the sun. There is a bathhouse and concession area located at the beach park.

For more information about Fort Macon State Park or to get a schedule of Tours and other events, call (252) 726-3775.