Category Archives: Newsletter

Hello everyone!

Just a reminder that Saturday June 24th, Curtis Blackwell and the Dixie Bluegrass Boys will be coming for the first time to the Brasstown Community Center. The members of this band are spread out all over, NC, GA and SC, so let’s give them a good reason to be here!

From the hills of north Georgia comes the high lonesome sounds of bluegrass at its finest. Though some of the members have changed through the years Curtis Blackwell remains. He was once a member of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys where he played guitar and sang various parts before becoming the band leader, He is a member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and the Atlanta Country and Bluegrass Hall of Honor, and is currently accompanied by two of his sons.

Shane Blackwell has played with a lot of groups throughout his career, Marty Rabon, Sierra Hull, Larry Stephenson and many others. He is currently playing banjo and sings as well. Vic Blackwell plays mandolin and sings too. He has been a part of the group for 20+ years. The newest group member is Zack Cash on bass. He replaces the longtime bass player Sam Cobb who was with the band til 2022. Zack also is a great singer as well.

A special thank you goes out to Murphy Rehabilitation and Nursing, located next to the hospital, for their support in bringing this band to the area!

Located at 255 Settawig Road, doors open at 6 p.m. and the music starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $10, children under 12 are free. Food, drinks, and homemade cobbler will be available for purchase. Concerts are usually held May through August on the second and fourth Saturdays. Call 828-361-3040 or go to www.brasstowncommunitycenter.org.

Hello Friends!

Well, I did it again – I forgot to send the news release to the local papers – I’m so sorry. Please pass this email onto anyone you think might be interested and let’s drum up some word of mouth support for the concerts at the Brasstown Community Center.

To round out the month, we will welcome Jimmy Wilson and Friends to entertain us with their homegrown bluegrass music on Saturday, May 27th at 7pm. Just a reminder that the doors open at 6pm. There will be food, drinks, and raffle tickets available for purchase for this year’s beautiful quilt! Bring your family and friends and let’s have fun with Jimmy and his friends!

Saturday, May 27, 2023 – Jimmy Wilson and Friends

From left to right: Jonathan Jones, Daniel Wilson, Jerry Hensley, Jimmy Wilson, Greg Fleming

Jimmy and his friends all love bluegrass music and have played most of their lives. Jimmy and Daniel Wilson (father and son) were part of the Wilson Family Band for many years and both live in Brasstown, NC. Greg Fleming of Otto, NC has been playing bluegrass mandolin since 1996 and is an accomplished player. Jonathan Jones of Robbinsville, NC plays a mean banjo and Jerry Hensley from Ellijay, GA has been playing fiddle for 40 years.

These local, and seasoned, players are sure to entertain us with the bluegrass heritage music we all love. Come join us in welcoming this group of friends to the Brasstown Community Center!

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the music starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $10, children under 12 are free. Hot dog and barbecue sandwich plates, homemade cobbler, ice cream and root beer floats will be available for purchase. The Brasstown Community Center is located at 255 Settawig Rd in Brasstown NC.

Fundraiser concerts are held May through August on the second and fourth Saturdays – except in July 2023 when dates had to be shifted. The center is a non-profit, and all proceeds from the concerts and facility rentals are for maintenance and upkeep of the building. Call 828-361-3040 or go to www.brasstowncommunitycenter.org for details.

On June 10th, we will welcome back the Barker Brothers Band and on June 24th, a new group will entertain us, The Blackwell Band. Save the dates and help support our fundraising efforts this year!

Just a reminder that we are still looking for someone to put together a monthly newsletter and/or maintain our Facebook page. If you are interested, just respond to this email and we will set you up with all the information you need.

Your Brasstown Bell Crier,
Sarah

Hello Friends!

May is around the corner and that means the Summer Concert Series is starting up! Our first concert will be held on Saturday, May 13th at 7pm. The opening group is the Collins Family. This is their first tie at the Brasstown Community Center and we hope you will give them a warm welcome and start off the season with a bang! Check out our website for their bio: https://brasstowncommunitycenter.org/concerts/2023-summer-concert-series

Next up on the calendar will be our monthly potluck dinner held on the third Tuesday of every month – Tuesday, May 16th at 6pm. Bring a friend and a dish to share. Come enjoy good food, good friends and a good time!

To round out the month, we will welcome Jimmy Wilson and Friends to entertain us with their homegrown bluegrass music on Saturday, May 27th at 7pm. Just a reminder that the doors open at 6pm. There will be food, drinks, and raffle tickets available for purchase for this year’s beautiful quilt! Bring your family and friends and let’s have fun with Jimmy and his friends!

Just a reminder that we are still looking for someone to put together a monthly newsletter and/or maintain our Facebook page. If you are interested, just respond to this email and we will set you up with all the information you need.

Your Brasstown Bell Crier,
Sarah

Hello Friends,

Thank you to everyone that came to support us at the Poor Man’s Meal event in March – the fundraiser was a whopping success and we hope you enjoyed this food and friends event! Thank you again for your support.

April 8, 2023 starting at 11am, the Little Brasstown Baptist Church is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt at the Brasstown Community Center. A hot dog lunch will be served and all community children are invited to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

Our next community potluck will be held on April 18 (Tax Day!) – come and unwind from the day’s toil and bring a dish to share. Friends and families are welcome and it’s always a nice place to meet your neighbors. Supper starts at 6pm and is followed by the Brasstown Community Center Board meeting. If you have any questions or concerns or ideas to bring to the Board, this is the time to do it!

Attached is a copy of our 2023 brochure that is being printed right now. Save the dates for the concerts. Usually, we hold the concerts every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, but we had to do a little shift in July, so please pay attention to the dates! The brochures will be available at the Clay and Cherokee Chambers of Commerce, Clay’s Corner, and the Carolina Crafter’s store in Murphy where you can see this year’s beautiful quilt. Buy some chances while you are at it!

Lastly, we are looking for someone to write this newsletter and maybe keep our Facebook page updated. If you would like to volunteer, please let me know!

Your Brasstown Bell Crier,
Sarah

Brochure for 2023

Hello Friends,

First, an urgent appeal from our neighbors in Martin’s Creek – their meeting is tomorrow night!

Please help us get the word out about our community center possibly closing! 
 
Unless we are able to gather enough committed volunteers and a few people willing to be a board member, the center will revert back to the county and be closed.
 
This is one of the few centers that are still open to people looking for venues to have events, community and civic meetings, not to mention the well attended Gospel Singing, all of which will cease to be available to us.
 
If you will kindly print and post the attached flyer and/or share this information with your staff, students or congregations, it will be much appreciated.
 
The attendance at the upcoming meeting will determine the desires of the community as to whether or not the center will be available in the future for its intended purpose.
 
Tuesday, Feb  28th –  6pm
Martin’s Creek Community Center
4605 Martin’s Creek Rd – Murphy, NC

MCCC Flyer 15 FEB 2023 version A – This is the link to their flyer – help them if you can!

Next – our next fundraiser event is a Poor Man’s Diner – we will be serving beans and cornbread, potatoes, coleslaw, dessert and a drink all for $5.00!  You can eat with us between 11am-2pm at the Brasstown Community Center or drop by for a takeout plate. See the attached flyer for this event as well – tell your friends and family and let’s get together!

Poor Man Meal 2023

Finally, we are lining up bands for the 2023 – Summer Concert Series starting in May through August. We have one opening for a group on Jul 29th – if you know someone good, let us know! Call 828-361-3040. We hope you will mark your calendars and make plans to join us for good music, good friends, and good food! Right now, the line up looks like this:

May 13 The Collins Family
May 27 Jimmy Wilson Band

June 10 Barker Brothers  Band
June 24 Vic Blackwell Band

July 15 Grizzly & Grizzell
July 29 – to be announced

Aug 12 Lone Mountain Band
Aug 26 Just Us

Thank  you again for your support for the Brasstown Community Center – if you can help Martin’s Creek, please do so and let’s all come to the Poor Man’s Dinner on Sunday March 5th!

Your Brasstown Bell Crier,
Sarah

Hello Friends of the Brasstown Community Center,

At the last Board meeting, the fee structure for renting the facility was simplified. Starting today, the rental rate for the large hall (gym/kitchen) is a flat $80 regardless of your location and the schoolhouse rental is a flat $35 per event. We are still an affordable option for birthday parties, family reunions, wedding receptions, crafting or dancing classes, etc.

The new Reservation Form is attached and is also available on our web site under the Facility Rental tab. To reserve a date and time, please contact Carolyn at 828-361-3040.

Our next potluck dinner held on every 3rd Tuesday of the month will be on Feb 21, 2023 at 6:00 pm (not 6:30 pm as announced last month- oops). Please bring a dish to share and come spend some companionable time with your friends and neighbors in Brasstown.

The monthly Board meeting will be held immediately afterwards. If you have any suggestions for the community center or have any questions, you can ask a Board member at the potluck dinner.

Planning ahead, mark your calendars for a Poor Man’s Supper on Sunday March 5th, 2023. As soon as we have a flyer with all the details, we will send out the info through the newsletter!

We are still searching for someone interested in the Brasstown Community Center to send out this email newsletter – if you want to help, please reply to this email to volunteer your time and talent!

Reservations Form Jan 27 2023

Your Brasstown Bell Crier,
Sarah

Hello Friends of the Brasstown Community Center,

Wishing all of you nothing but good things in 2023! Tomorrow evening at 6:30pm we will host our first community potluck of the year, please come and join us. Bring a dish to share and come meet your friends and neighbors in Brasstown – this is a family-friendly event – bring everybody!

I might be a little early, but the NC Extension Cooperative and your local 4H club are already talking about preparing your garden, and planning for Summer Camp. Check out their newsletters on the county website.

We appreciate all your support and participation in the life of the Brasstown Community Center. If anyone is interested in putting out a monthly newsletter to keep people informed of the events taking place at the community center, please respond to this email and we will show the ropes!

Your Brasstown Bell Crier.
Sarah