Posted By Jim on January 26, 2010

Softened by more than three inches of rain on Sunday night, a small section of Railroad Grade Road collapsed into the New River on Monday morning. The flooding incident drew mention in Tuesday’s edition of the Winston-Salem Journal. The DOT tells the Journal that the section was about 8 feet wide and 20 yards long. The incident occurred near the Todd Island Park, at the Panorama Drive turn off. Workers reinforced the roadway on Monday and it is again passable.

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Posted By Jim on January 17, 2010

Two inches of rain caused the ice on the New River to break up and dam on Sunday morning. Within a few hours the ice dam broke and left behind tall stacks of ice along the banks.

The ice which has covered miles of the New River for the last 10 days broke free Sunday morning after two inches of rain overnight, causing some flooding along Railroad Grade Road. The ice was caught at the first low-water bridge below Todd until about 9:30 when the dam gave way. Water and millions of tons of ice heaved downstream, pushing the river out of its banks and slamming chunks of ice into everything in its path. The ice hit utility poles with such force that the electrical service was yanked from the roof of a house on the banks of the river. The ice then dammed at Castleford Road, causing the waters to rise more than 10 feet within a matter of minutes. The 10-acre Todd Island Park was submerged under several feet of muddy water as the ice and water piled up behind the bridge. Trees were pulled from the ground and wildlife scurried for higher ground. Owners of one home along the river scrambled to pull valuables from the lower floor of their home as the water rose higher.

But, almost as quickly as the water rose, the dam gave way from the weight of the ice and water around 11 a.m., and the river of ice and water rushed downstream, pulling trees, stumps and brush with it. The ice appeared to flow freely for several miles downstream and there were no reports of additional damming downstream. Huge sheets of ice were deposited along the banks of the river, some stacked more than 5 feet high.

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Posted By Jim on January 11, 2010

The newly opened Museum of Ashe County History in Jefferson is now working on an HO-scale model of the Virginia Creeper. West Jefferson and Todd will be featured in this project and photographs are now being sought of Todd as it was during the railroad era in Todd. The Virginia-Carolina ran to Todd from 1915 to 1933 and the model aims to accurately illustrate Todd as it was in 1925.

The Todd Community Preservation Organization has a growing collection of photographs, but additional photographs are sought to help accurately build this model. If you have any photographs of Todd during this era, or know someone who does, please let us know.

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Posted By Jim on January 8, 2010

In case you’ve missed it, the South Fork of the New River has frozen over for more than two miles along Railroad Grade Road. Due to the cold and high water levels, the ice has piled up and pushed ice over the Castle Ford bridge at Todd Island Park. A photo taken by Todd’s own professional photog Lynn Townsend was featured at raysweather.com. WSOC-TV in Charlotte broadcast a short piece on the frozen river Thursday. You can view the video here.

If you go check it out, please don’t walk on the river and be careful getting close to the river’s edge. There is still a strong current under the ice which can pull you under to an icy and watery grave! Even on the banks, the water is dammed up and pushed the water out of its banks in places, so you can end up slogging in ice water if you’re not careful!

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Posted By Jim on November 17, 2009

Todd Ruritan Club will hold the annual community tree lighting on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m. in Walter and Annie Cook Memorial Park. Hot apple cider will be served. Those who attend are also encouraged to join in holiday caroling.

For a $5 contribution you can sponsor a light on the tree. All proceeds go to the Ruby A. Trivette Scholarship Fund. Each year, the fund provides a $1,000 scholarship for at least one student from the Todd community. You can download a contribution form here.

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Posted By Jim on October 14, 2009

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Posted By BethM on September 6, 2009

Don’t miss the 4th Elkland International Puppet Festival on September 19

This family-fun event, organized and hosted by Elkland Art Center, features world-class puppetry for all ages. Featuring Madison J. Cripps, Hobey Ford, and Keith Shubert, along with the world-famous Elkland Art Center puppet wranglers. In the Todd Mercantile Gallery and the old Bank of Todd building next door. Puppet shows from 1 to 4 p.m.,  puppet jam and EAC’s “The Runaway” at 7:00 p.m. Admission, $5 for adults, $2 for children under 12. Details at 336-877-5016.

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Posted By Jim on September 1, 2009

When the 2009 Todd Summer Music Series was being scheduled, series organizers contacted Todd’s good friends, Wayne Henderson and Helen White, to invite them back to Todd once again. Henderson and White spent several weeks this summer touring Europe, making an appearance during the regular six-week series impractical. Thus, the special concert this Saturday, Sept. 5, was born.
Henderson, a retired mail carrier from the rural crossroads of Rugby, Va., and his friend Helen White, have been coming to Todd for the better part of the last decade. Henderson, of course, is world renowned for his top-notch finger picking and guitar making, and White is responsible for starting the Junior Appalachian Musicians program which today enriches the lives of so many mountain area school students.
We hope you’ll join us on Saturday, Sept. 5 for their concert at Cook Park from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission to this special concert is $5. Children 12 and under admitted free. Proceeds help offset the costs of the free music program presented each summer in Todd. For more information, please call 336-877-5401 or email us at info@toddnc.org

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Posted By Jim on August 1, 2009

Since 2003, Doc and Richard Watson have been good neighbors and friends to the Ashe County community of Todd, just across the ridge from Deep Gap. Every August, they have played on the stage at Walter and Annie Cook Memorial Park in the middle of Todd’s historic district. Each year, thousands of fans and friends from near and far have filled the little park with their enthusiasm and love for one of our national treasures.

Like all of the preceding events, Doc Watson’s concert in Todd on Saturday, August 22, is a fundraiser for community projects and the James “Crow” Parsons Memorial Fund. As such, it will help to support the nonprofit Todd Community Preservation Organization in its efforts to sustain the community without destroying its unique character.

Each year, too, Doc’s Todd concert has showcased other local musicians, from Alternate Roots and Amantha Mill to Buck Haggard and Southeast Express, presenting a full afternoon of outstanding music in a beautiful rural setting. This year’s opening bands are Lost Ridge Band at 3 p.m. and Backstreet at 4 p.m.

The concert will again be dedicated to the memory of James Parsons, who was part of music in Todd from its very beginnings. Although James is now gone, the Memorial Fund is being built to finance future summer concerts at Cook Park. A pickle jar in the Todd Mercantile Bakery collects change and dollars for the fund, and the pickle jar is passed around during the Saturday afternoon concerts to help the memorial fund grow. TCPO, the nonprofit community organization, also seeks larger contributions to permanently endow the fund to provide dependable financing for the music series that James Parsons helped bring to Todd.

This year’s series is partially supported by a grant from the North Carolina Rural Center’s NC STEP program, of which Todd is a part along with West Jefferson. TCPO applied for the grant through HandMade in America as part of a High Country cluster of communities working together to revitalize and sustain their economies while preserving their cultural and historical roots. The series also received a grant from the Grassroots Arts Program of the NC Arts Council, a state agency, and a Community Arts Program grant from the Ashe County Arts Council.

Tickets to the concert are $15 or $17 for credit card purchases. Children under 12 are admitted free. Only 1,500 tickets are available, that number being the capacity of Cook Memorial Park in the middle of Todd’s historic district. In addition to ticket sales, sponsors have come forward, helping to underwrite some of the concert expense and leaving more for the memorial fund. Among this year’s sponsors are the Kevin and Susan McCarter Family and Nan Wyatt.

The logistics of having 1,500 people in Todd at one time are challenging but not impossible. Close-in parking is provided by the youth of South Fork Baptist Church, raising funds for a mission trip. Other parking is in a nearby field with free shuttle service. Attendees bring their own chairs or blankets and umbrellas in case of late-day showers. Snacks and drink are available at a tent in Cook Park, as well as from the nearby Todd General Store and Todd Mercantile Bakery. Well-behaved pets are allowed, but no alcohol.

The entire Todd summer music series, and especially Doc’s concert, is very much a community undertaking, involving many hours and days of volunteer work in addition to financial contributions and sponsorships. People are needed to set up tents, park cars, collect tickets, sell food and clean up afterwards. Anyone who can spare a couple of hours to help make the concert a success is invited to email info@toddnc.org or call 336-877-5401. Setup will be on Friday, August 21.

Tickets are available at Todd General Store, Todd Mercantile (taking credit card orders), and RiverGirl Fishing Co. in Todd; the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce in Boone; and Ashe Visitor’s Center and BlueMoon Guitars in West Jefferson. If any tickets are left by the 22nd, they will be available at the gate. For more information, call 336-877-5401.

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Posted By Jim on July 13, 2009

Amantha Mill's Randy Paisley plays the dobro during Amantha Mill's concert at Cook Park this summer. Join us for Saturday, July 18th's concert featuring Laura Boosinger and Josh Goforth.

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