Our beloved dogwood trees are often considered the very symbol of spring.
Calendar of Events
June 18, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. - Community Dinner and Program: Mac McAdams and the weather station
President's Note
Spring is here! The flash of color from blooms and bright green on hillsides, coupled with warm days, brings us to a new season. We learned a lot about what can be planted, pruned, and fertilized at our most recent community center potluck dinner on April 16. Our speaker was asked so many questions after the talk that he was one of the last to leave!
Gentle Yoga is back on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at a bargain price of $15 a session, plus the savings you get from not having to drive to Asheville for class! We have our Gerton Spring Fair on Saturday, May 11, 9 am- 1 pm, with a full breakfast, craft sale, plant sale, bake sale, and flea market. That’s the day before Mother’s Day, so plan to get gifts right there.
If you came to our community center about 60-70 years ago, you would have seen a much different place. It was “ladies only,” with sewing, quilting, teas, and luncheons. Of course, this was true of almost all rural community centers at that time. One long-term resident said that men were finally allowed to attend events when repairs were needed on the building! Such were the old days. History like this will be captured with our oral history project. Details are in this issue.
Nowadays we welcome all neighbors and visitors to our community center. We also look more outward, helping the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach keep its pantry stocked for those experiencing food insecurity.
Keep the third Tuesday evening of the month open, every month, for the community potluck dinner. There is always good food, an interesting speaker, and welcoming neighbors—all at your doorstep.
Chuck Mallory
President, UHNGCC
March Dinner and Program
Diego Infanzon Wins Scholarship
On behalf of the Scholarship Committee, I would like to congratulate you on being selected to receive a $1,250 George H.V. Cecil Journey Scholarship from WNC Communities. Congratulations!
The Scholarship Committee was impressed by your dedication to community service and academic achievement. We are so proud to have you representing Western North Carolina!
Diego's scholarship will be renewed up to four years or $5,000 if he maintains a 3.0 GPA. Congratulations to Diego -- our whole community salutes your good work and wishes you the best as you begin the next leg of your journey.
UHNGCC Scholarship Information
Rules for the College Scholarship from UHNGCC:
College SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION: Due Date this year will be June 15, 2024
(Return to
Today’s Date:_________
Name, Address, Phone Number, e-mail:
High School (or last school attended):
Graduation Date:
Family members we might know:
(Using a separate sheet of paper, number your answers for the following questions. Write in complete sentences, please.)
1--School, Church, community activities I have participated in
2--Jobs I have held (babysitting counts, as does yard work, helping parents in their work—home or other places.)
3--How would any of the above employers describe your work habits?
4--What are your strengths as a student? What are your weaknesses?
5--In three or four sentences tell us your educational goals, and why you are applying for this scholarship.
6--The reason I chose (name of educational institution) is that.....
Save the Date: Saturday, June 15, Gerton Story Day
Do you have a story to tell about Gerton? Are you curious about those who moved here before you?
These and other topics will be talked about in interview pairs – one interviewer and one Gerton storyteller. Sign up to interview someone or to be interviewed – or both. We will schedule time for folks to sit privately in the Community Center meeting room and tape record an in-depth conversation about life in Gerton.
Here are some of the suggested topics – but you may have others --
· How and when did you and your family move here?
· What drew you?
· What have you seen change in the time you’ve been here?
· What is most unique about our land and our community?
· What do you do here? What do you enjoy most?
· What’s something you want people to know about your life in Gerton
Contact Julia Pierce (828 582 3404) or Lee Strickland (773 251 0347) if you would like to participate. They can match you with a person to interview, or you can suggest someone yourself.
These recorded interviews are being archived in order to collect a deep and personal record of the history and present in Gerton. Julia Pierce began recording Gerton stories about a year ago. She is an enthusiastic and astute listener.
“Between the general store, the hamburger stand, and Nita’s store, we had everything here in Gerton. Nita had keys to about everyone’s summer home so if you got up here and forgot your keys, Nita would have a copy.”
“The community center had bingo every Saturday night for 25 cents a game. The pool seemed always to have thirty or so people swimming and hanging out.”
- -Julia Pierce’s interview with Teresa Garrick
“We kids had total freedom during summers in Gerton. My brother and I built a treehouse and slept in it before our parents even checked it.”
-Lee Strickland’s interview with Jim Earnhardt, whose family began coming to Gerton when he was seven.
Sunday Movie Afternoon: A Journey on the Blue Ridge Parkway
YOGA Classes Begin Again...
Gentle YOGA returns to UHNGCC on April 10 at 11 a.m.
Classes will be held each Wednesday at 11 a.m.
Beginning in May, classes will be $60/month or $15 per session.
We have extra mats. You can pay by cash or Venmo. Contact Stephanie for any questions at 912-764-9322.
Gerton Spring Fair
Saturday, May 11
9 am - 1 pm
Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Center
- Full Breakfast - starting at 9 am
- Bake Sale - Call Sylvia Sane (828-625-1356) or Lee Strickland (773-251-0347) if you are willing to bake something
- Plant Sale
- Crafts - Tables are free; sellers keep proceeds or make a donation
- Flea Market Table - Time for spring cleaning! Donate small items (jewelry, books, kitchen utensils, scarves, small tools, etc.) Bring the day of the event or contact Lee Strickland to drop off earlier. Nothing will be returned to you and all proceeds will go to the Community Center. Anything not sold will be donated to Goodwill.
Food and Flora at April 16 Community Dinner
A table in front was laden with canned-food donations for the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach food bank, donated by community members. Lee Strickland greeted the group and made quick announcements of upcoming events, such as our Gerton Spring Fair on May 11 and trash pick-up day on May 10.
Isaac’s talk included slides of which plants should go in the ground now, including a variety of shrubs, flowers, and trees. He also advised on fertilizing local soil, which leans to the acidic side, and proper ways to prune bushes and trees. Though many attendees knew of local beneficial fauna, such as butterflies and bees, Isaac told of a number of other garden insects that help. He explained the list of the many types of pests that are a hindrance to good gardening and how to get rid of them.
One interesting fact he shared was this: though Henderson County is a leader in providing apples throughout the U.S., it’s much harder work here. Trees must be constantly monitored for pests and treated with pest preventive solutions. In Washington state, they get a free ride, as it is one of the most pest-free spots in the U.S. for fruit trees and bushes.
Isaac grew up in Haywood County, gardening even as a youngster. He recently graduated from Western Carolina University. He was gracious enough to stay after the presentation as a line of guests asked him their individual gardening questions.
The icing on the cake was that an attendee donated some raffle tickets to Isaac, and as it turned out, Isaac won the raffle!
Neighborhood News
Russell was born in 1940 in Miami, Florida, where his parents, both immigrants from northern Syria, owned a small, neighborhood grocery store. Though he graduated from the University of West Florida in 1971 with a degree in accounting, he was an avid, lifelong Florida Gators fan. Go Gators! He received his CPA certification in 1976.
He started his accounting career with Howard Johnson’s in Miami, and in 1976 joined DavGar Restaurants, Inc.. which owns and runs numerous restaurants in Central Florida. He worked there until his retirement in 2019. He also served on the Board of Directors for Commerce Bank and Trust for more than 30 years.
An enthusiastic runner, Russell ran 20 marathons both nationally and internationally, including the January, 2000 New Zealand Marathon, which saw the first light of the new millennium. He loved to read, especially thrillers and westerns, and to relax, refresh, and renew his spirit at his family’s home in Gerton, in the mountains of western North Carolina. His family and friends will miss his booming laugh, his kindness, his devotion to his family, and his great generosity and decency. As Russell liked to say to his grandchildren: we love him to the moon and back, and more than all the grains of sands on the beach and stars in the sky.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Toni Field Barkett, whom he met on a blind date in 1966 and married in 1967; by his son Brent Barkett and wife Hannah Nordhaus of Boulder, Colo.; by his son Christopher Barkett and wife Laura of St. Augustine; by his two beloved grandchildren, Delia and Milo Barkett; and by his four surviving brothers, Skip, Larry, Ted, and Bruce Barkett, and their families. He was preceded in death by his father, Abraham Barkett; his mother, Della Barkett; and his eldest brother, George Barkett.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Track Shack Youth Foundation (1104 North Mills Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803) or the Gerton Volunteer Fire Department (4975 Gerton Highway, Gerton, NC 28735).
Officers of UHNGCC for 2024: President - Chuck Mallory; Vice-President - Ellen Boyle; Secretary - Karen Owensby; Treasurer - Sylvia Sane; Board Members - Sarah Gayle; Stan Mobley, Lee Strickland, Tom Buffkin. Immediate past president - Margaret Whitt.
