July 2014

A Monthly Publication for Balsam Mountain Preserve Members

In my daily conversations with members, three things came up recently that I

thought might be interesting to share this month:

Pool Etiquette

On most days, the number of lounge chairs by the pool are more than sufficient to

serve the desires of our club members. On weekends and holidays, though, space

can sometimes be at a premium. As a courtesy to your fellow members, if you or

your guests use the loungers and then leave the pool for any period of time, please

take your towels and deposit them in the towel receptacle so that other members will know the chairs are

then free for them to use. This will help ensure that everyone has the best experience possible at the pool

this summer.

Horse Etiquette

As you drive around the Preserve, occasionally you will encounter horseback riders along the way. A

speeding vehicle has the potential to frighten a horse, thus endangering the rider. The best course of

action if you encounter this situation is to come to a complete stop, wait for rider to wave you by, and

then proceed slowly past the horse.

Caring For The Roads

The Community Association has done a terrific job this year improving many of Balsam's primary roads.

One way members and guests can help maintain them is to engage the 4 wheel drive on your vehicle (if

you have that type of system) as you transition from pavement to gravel or on the steeper hills with gravel

surfaces. This can minimize or eliminate wheel spin on the gravel, thus helping to maintain the smooth

surface.

We have some great events planned for the month of July, hope to see everyone here enjoying the

summer with friends and family. Thanks as always for your support of the Club.

Bruce Fine

General Manager

We are always on the lookout for local talent to help our food and beverage operation be the best it

can be for our members, and we are excited to welcome Mige Hambrick to our team. Mige comes to

Balsam directly from the Sweet Onion restaurant in Waynesville, where he served as one of their

leaders for the past three years. He will be here full-time now as one of our leaders in the kitchen.

Mige was born and raised in Waynesville and is attending Haywood Community College. When he's

not here at Balsam he enjoys golf, fishing, and most other outdoor pursuits. Mige has a true passion

for cooking and is excited to be joining the kitchen team at Balsam. As he said on his first day here,

"every day I come to work I want to be the best chef I can be, and working at Balsam Mountain Pre-

serve will give me the opportunity to really showcase my skills".

Please welcome Mige when you see him at the Boarding House this coming week for all the July 4th

weekend festivities.

Employee Spotlight

Have you heard the good news?

Two new families have joined the Club at Balsam Mountain Preserve!

John and Susann Cowley, Gilbert, South Carolina

Robert and Jo Marie Hebeler, Clermont, Florida

Discover more ways to enjoy your Membership.

Explore the Balsam Mountain Member Website for an online directory, calendar of events, 2014 Club Membership documents and more.

Welcome New Members

T hrough the first six months of this year there have been 15 real estate transactions at

Balsam Mountain Preserve:

11 Homesites

1 Home

3 Boarding House

Balsam is off to a great start coming into the prime selling season. The increase in real

estate activity has driven membership growth to 144 members, and that number is sure to

increase as we go through 2014.

New Member Spotlight “Jo Marie, I would like us to take a trip to visit a place; a very special place for our family.”

“What type of place?”

“It’s up in North Carolina, outside of Asheville on the footsteps of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

It’s a remarkable community; one of a kind.”

“I don’t know, Rob. It’s must be a very special place.”

So started the conversation many months that led to a special Mother’s Day Weekend visit to

Balsam Mountain Preserve and a stay of the cottages arranged by Joe Dellinger and Amanda

Watson. What we didn’t realize at the time was we were both about to fall in love – with the

mountain, with the great residents of Balsam Mountain Preserve, with the staff, with the tennis

courts, Boarding House and just sitting back with a glass of wine, or dark beer after placing an-

other log on the fire, ready for another great conversation or an opportunity to day dream the day or night away.

“So what do you think?”, asked Joe Dellinger after visiting and re-visiting many homesteads.

In unison, “We will take it! For our family, friends and everyone else who is privileged and blessed to visit and own at this wonderful moun-

tain community.”

Rob and Jo Marie Hebeler reside in Clermont, Florida with their four children Elizabeth (24), Christopher (23), Lauren (18) and Veronica

(17). Rob is a Vice President with Wyndham Vacation Ownership and will be starting his PhD at Rollins College in August. Rob and Jo Marie

are both graduates of Boston College where they met and were married over 25 years ago. Jo Marie holds the reins in the family and is the

primary care giver of her Mother, Irene Kosiarski (93). Elizabeth is an Assistant Resort Manager at Wyndham Vacation Ownership. Christo-

pher is studying to be an EMT Paramedic Firefighter, Lauren is studying to be a Register Nurse and plans to attend the University of Florida or

Florida International University, and Veronica is entering her Senior Year in High School and hopes to attend the University of Florida.

The entire family enjoys competitive tennis, outdoor activities and golf on occasion (we are planning to play the golf course over the July 4th

week). And as Veronica best stated after her initial tour of Balsam Mountain Preserve,

“Dad, this place has exceeded my expectations. Wow … this place is remarkable.”

We couldn’t agree more,

Rob Hebeler

Wednesday, July 2, 2014 6:00 p.m.

Welcome back to Balsam's famous Wings and Beer night. Enjoy chick-en with 4 special sauces and an

assortment of side dishes. $2 beer specials will be available all

night featuring both domestic and imports.

Thursday, July 3, 2014 Reservations start at 6:00 p.m.

Join us as The Boarding House turns into a classic New York

steakhouse for the night.

Friday, July 4th, 2014

7:15 P.m. After The Parade

Dinner includes Baby Back Ribs, Fried Chicken, Beef Brisket, Shrimp

and Grits, and much more.

$25 per person; $12.50 ages 6-15; 5 and under no charge

Independence Day Celebration (Day 1)

Friday, July 4, 2014 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Flag Day Golf Tournament

2:00 p.m.: Complimentary Ice Cream Sundae Bar at The Pavilion

5:00 p.m.: Trust Talk at The Nature Center

5:30 p.m.: Kids Activities at The Boarding House (face painting, etc.)

7:00 p.m.: Annual Independence Day Parade

Independence Day Celebration (Day 2) Saturday, July 5, 2014

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.: One Day Member-Member/Guest

12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Saturday Lunch at The Pavilion

Special lunch menu including steak and chicken fajitas and all the fixings.

5:00 p.m: Trust Special Event at The Boarding House

7:00 p.m.: Granny's Turkey Dinner Feast

Mama Duke's Wood Fired Pizza Night Sunday, July 6, 2014

6:00 p.m.

Biltmore Wine Fine Dining Night

July, 19th, 2014

7:00 P.M.

Chuck Rutter is coming back to Balsam to host Fine Dining Night featuring wines

from Biltmore Winery

We had a great turnout last year and expect the same this year.

In 1971, George Vanderbilt’s grandson William Cecil first experimented with winemaking at Biltmore. From a harvest of French-American hybrid grapes planted within sight of Biltmore House, the inaugural vintage was bottled in

the estate Conservatory.

http://www.biltmore.com/wine/wine-story/vineyards

If you’ve spotted wildlife on the Preserve, submit your photo to communica-tions@balsammountain.com.

WILDlife Sightings on the Preserve

Friday, July 4th, 2014

Format: 18 hole Individual Stroke Play. Contestants begin their round with an allotment of strokes based upon adding their handicap to par, then play the course until their strokes run out.

Tournament Tees: Men: Red/White/Blue. Ladies: Red

Tee times: Make your own tee time between 8:00am-1:00pm

Entry Fee: $10 in addition to normal greens and cart fees

Prizes: Paid out in Pro Shop Credit based on number of participants

“

By the time you are reading this article, we will have already spiked and top-

dressed the greens. There are several reasons we do these two very important

cultural practices. Going into the months of July and August we want to set

ourselves up with the best possible root system and plant health to be able to

survive our hottest months of the year. Venting is a term that applies to the

practice of creating small, non-disruptive holes in a putting green for the

purpose of improving gas exchange, increasing water infiltration, and

stimulating new root initiation. Topdressing afterwards, and on the bi weekly

schedule that we currently maintain, has several benefits. We are improving

drainage and root-zone aeration, encouraging a more upright plant growth, and

smoothing the overall surface of the greens to allow for a better ball roll.

Maintaining a perfect green that rolls like a PGA tournament course daily is not

a realistic goal, but we can however get them to a consistent speed and

smoothness that will set them up for the best possible overall plan health for

the longevity of the season.

by Brooks Kittrell, Golf Course Superintendent

Member/Member Tournament Results

Overall Champions

Steve Gambill & Rob Howard

Balsam Flight

Low Net – Michael Fulbright & Skip Hauser

Low Gross – JT Thompson & Randy Parker

Mountain Flight

Low Net – Steve Gambill & Rob Howard

Low Gross –Dave Sparks & Bob Fitts

Member / Member

Member / Member Dinner

July 7-10 COMBO CAMP, Ages 7-12 This area offers varied opportunities for kids to immerse themselves in the beauty of local habitats. Learn to identify species at the Preserve, spend a day at Dark Ridge Camp Ground, go on offsite culture visits, take part in hand-on art projects, trail games, and so much more.

July 14-17 WATER CAMP, Ages 6-11 A vast array of water activities and aquatic critters will be explored! We will visit swimming holes, waterfall walks, boating and more! Participants must be able to swim or must wear a life jacket. ADVENTURE CAMP July 21-24 Ages 6-11 & July 28-31 Ages 12+ Hiking, paddling, camping, exploring nature and many more group adventures that encourage healthy activity, as well as mixing, mingling and making new friends.

June 25 -27 Ages 7-12 July 11-12 Overnight Equestrian Campout for ages 12+ July 16-18 Ages 7-12 August 7-9 Ages 7-12 Balsam's horse camp is 3 days of hands on learning about how to groom and care for your horse with games and riding lessons. You will learn the important steps to staying safe around horses and how much fun riding and caring for them can be. A learning experience with horses is best when you can learn by handling and grooming. You will find they can be very sweet and funny. Lunch and a snack

Register by calling Member Services at 828.631.1000, email to memberservices@balsammountain.com or via the Member Website.

Balsam’s Poolside Luau

Fish Fry

Club Hours of Operation

Pro Shop:

Wed - Mon, 7:30am - 6pm

Practice Park: Wed - Mon, 7:30am - 6:30pm

Trail Rides: Wednesday - Sunday

by Appointment.

Pavilion: Open 24 hours.

Fitness Center: Open 24 hours.

Pool: Opening May 16th

Tennis Courts: Open Daily.

Turnhouse: Wed - Mon 11am-3pm

The Boarding House Restaurant:

Light Continental Breakfast:

Mon – Thurs, 8am – 10am

Breakfast:

Fri – Sun, 8am – 10am

Lunch:

Wed – Mon, 11:30am – 2pm

Dinner:

Wed – Sun, 6:30pm – 9:00pm

*Reservations Required

The Nature Center:

April 1– Nov 1

Tues - Sun, 9:00am to 5:00pm

(closed Mondays)

Nov 2 – Mar 31

Tues - Sat, 9:00am to 5:00pm

(closed Sun & Mon)

Club Staff and Contact Information

Administration: 828.631.1040

Bruce Fine: General Manager

Tina Jones: Business Manager

Member Services: 828.631.1000

Melissa Zoda: Boarding House Manager

Amy Coggins: Member Services Manager

Balsam Care

(Maintenance & Cabins): 828.631.1000

Pro Shop: 828.631.1009

Drew Marshall: Head Golf Pro

Security / Main Gate: 828.631.1011

Main Gate Emergency: 828.508.0116

Sales: 828.631.1001

Joe Dellinger: Broker In Charge

Barbara Huse: Sales Executive

Amanda Watson: Sales Assistant

RIDGE Lines Editor

Nature Center / Balsam Mountain Trust:

828.631.1060

Michael Skinner: Executive Director

Rose Butler Wall: Senior Naturalist

www.bmtrust.org

The Reserve at Lake Keowee

Contact Balsam Member Services at

828.631.1000 for all Activities and Reservations.

www.reserveatlakekeowee.com

Grand Harbor Golf & Yacht Club

Contact Balsam Member Services at

828.631.1000 for all Activities and Reservations.

www.grandharbor.net

Balsam Mountain Preserve | 81 Preserve Road | Sylva, NC 28779

866.452.3456

www.balsammountainpreserve.com