The Townsend Ladies Guild vs. Mother Nature

The Second Annual Fund Raiser/Auction for the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center was almost washed out by June storms. Party planners, volunteers and the Ladies Guild were called out in the early morning, 2:30 a.m. in fact, to get to the scene as quickly as possible in order to rescue the two tents, which were in danger of imminent collapse from the rains and winds. Husbands came out en force to help.

Once the tents were anchored and the valuable items for the auction were safe-guarded, some of the hardier helped vacuum water from the ground, while others helped drape round tables with white linens. Each table was centered with small, handmade green wagons filled with flowers.

By 6 p.m. the rains ended and the skies cleared and partygoers arrived to see that order prevailed at the Heartland Wedding Chapel in Townsend where the event was held. Dinner was catered by chapel owner, Janice Fillmore, and music was furnished by The Fiddler Four, a group of young fiddlers who ranged in age from 11 to 15. Mike and Connie Clemmer followed up on dulcimers, with Mike playing one he had handcrafted from rare, wormy chestnut decorated with a carving of the Tree of Life. The dulcimer was auctioned off later in the evening.

What began badly, ended well, with lively bidding and happy attendees. The Heritage Center, scheduled to open in November, received almost $85,000 for the educational facility that will preserve and promote the culture and history of the mountain people and American Indians.