Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2015 - 52

Fun
in Record Time.
VisitMartinsville.com
opened in Holland in 2009, footgolf
has taken off like wildfire in the western
United States. Pipestem's course
joins more than 200 U.S. golf courses
that have marked new tee boxes and
placed cups the size of manholes for
the new sport. Footgolf could be more
than just an interesting marriage of
golf and soccer. Golf courses have been
struggling to attract golfers, with the
National Golf Foundation reporting
an almost 20 percent drop in players
since 2006. Footgolf could bring a
younger and perhaps more athletic
demographic to the greens. Even the
PGA of America is endorsing the game
and talking tournaments.
I'm far from competing at any level.
But I like footgolf, I decide by the 9th
hole. I like the exercise, the excitement.
And I'm not too discouraged. When the
winning kickers of Concord University
soccer team played Pipestem's course a
few days earlier, Hawkins says they too
were pretty far over par. It's a sport that
takes practice. And because it's fun,
folks will play again.
Footgolf may be played at Pipestem
after 4 p.m. Saturdays and after 2 p.m.
other days.
IF YOU GO
Find your balance
of Rest & Adventure in Western NC
Andrews, Murphy & Brasstown
Info: 304-466-1800; pipestemresort.com.
Luckily, great lodging and food is yards away in
Pipestem's McKeever Lodge overlooking
Bluestone Gorge. The Bluestone Dining Room
on the seventh floor serves a variety of tasty
entrees as well as buffets. Phone extension
368.
-Su Clauson-Wicker
STORY WORKSHOP IN
TENNESSEE
There's so much to do!
* Outdoor
Adventures
* Scenic Byways
* Canoeing
* Quaint Shops
* Variety of
Dining
* Festivals
* Fine Art
* Local Crafts
828-557-0602
VisitCherokeeCountyNC.com
52 | BlueRidgeCountry.com
I had expected I could pull together
some family history by getting a bunch
of aunts and uncles together with some
hard cider and a tape recorder. ("A
what?" tittered the young woman on
my right. "You're so funny.") When I
signed up for the workshop on creating
a family history and stories at the
International Storytelling Center in
Jonesboro, Tennessee, I didn't expect to
be hearing terms like DVD, app,
iPhone, iMike, and iPad, or iPod - I
never could figure out which. I didn't
know I'd be learning where to get free
software to edit digital sound files
made on a phone (fat chance on my
phone) or tape recorder, or which free
websites I could use to make a
slideshow.
Or that I'd want a slideshow. I just
wanted to know how to go about gathering
and telling family stories.
But according to workshop leader
Anne Shimojimo, a school librarian
and professional storyteller for 35
years, computerized slides shows,
DVDs, and computer-generated books
are the way to go when you're sharing
your family history with family.
Especially the family members under
40.
"They'll treasure this, the gift of
where they came from and who they
are," she says. "It makes a nice holiday
present."
To her credit, Shimojimo also
knows the beauty of oral storytelling.
"The story is most effective in person,
when you put the book down,
close the computer, and just tell it," she
said. "It's more intimate because you're
looking into their eyes. There's no
book or technology between you. I
started storytelling because when I told
a story, the kids were hanging onto my
http://www.pipestemresort.com http://www.VisitCherokeeCountyNC.com http://www.VisitCherokeeCountyNC.com http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2015

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