Valley Voice

Featured this week: Renee Anderson

Hot days and only slightly cooler nights are here as we all experience full-on summer. The upside is
that it does make the gardens grow! A phenomenon this year has been the somewhat nasty (when they make your home theirs) proliferation of mice; everyone you mention them to has too many tales (tails) to tell. Perhaps this infestation is due to the low amount of snow we experienced last winter or the availability of seeds such as maple tree winglets in the wild? On a more lovely note, we’ve been hearing the whippoorwills at dark and into the night, a balm for the soul.
Happenings in Hacker Valley in the near future you may wish to take note of include:
Northern Webster Co. Improvement Council sponsored a Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, July 6 from noon to 5 pm at Holly River State Park’s Anderson Activities Center. For future date to donate, call 1-800-REDCROSS or go to redcrossblood.org and (enter code NWC) to make an appointment. It takes less than 30 minutes, snacks and drinks are provided, but most importantly, your
donated blood saves lives!
The Hacker Valley Sr. Center is having a breakfast on Saturday, July 11, beginning at 9 am. The menu includes pancakes, sausage, bacon, biscuits & gravy, breakfast egg casseroles, coffee and juice. $6 for
all you care to eat; this is eat-in only, sorry no take-outs. All proceeds benefit the Sr. Center.
With these hot and humid day, why not take advantage of Holly River State Park’s cool pool! It may be the coldest pool around but on these 90 degree days, a dip in the deep end might be just what you need!
Kids can stay in for hours at time while being safely observed by the park’s certified lifeguards, and adults can swim and relax, read, or chat in the shade on the new pool lounge chairs provided by the
Holly River State Park Foundation. The pool is open every Wednesday-Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. Admission is $6 for adults (18 and over), $4 for kids. Two-day family passes (2 adults and all children
under 18) cost $30; season passes are also available. Call the park office for details, 304-493-6353, and don’t forget your sunscreen.
And while we are talking about Holly River, check out many of the free, fun, and informative activities
led by the Park Naturalist and Educator Shannon Wilde. Each Thursday through Sunday, she plans a
variety of nature awareness, storytelling, and recreational events for folks of all ages. Kids 16 and under can earn Junior Naturalist awards by completing a number of activites. Her full schedule is
posted weekly on the Holly River State Park Foundation Facebook page, on the park’s informational kiosk, or by calling the office.
And one more park event you and any kiddos you know won’t want to miss: The Three Rivers Avian Center’s “Wings of Wonder: WV Birds of Prey” program is coming to Holly River State Park on July
11 at 2:00 PM! The event is free, open to the public and great for all ages. Come meet 6 native WV wild bird Ambassadors close up, including live owls, falcons, a raven, hawk and our bald eagle Regis.
Learn about the habitats they live in, the foods they eat, their unique abilities and the dangers they face.
Pick up pro-active tips for helping wild birds and get a chance to ask questions during this award-winning interactive program. Meet at the Old Pavilion across from the office.
Do you have a Hacker Valley Happening you’d like to see here? Perhaps a report on progress being made with one of the many projects going on in the valley, a Fire Department update, a family event
folks would enjoy hearing about, a church activity open to the public, a newsy item of note? Just message or email me at reneea@mountain.net and I will try to include it. Untl next time, carry on!
Renee Anderson