Tanglewood Park's Festival of Lights

While recently trying to get into the holiday spirit, I took my children to Tanglewood Park's Festival of Lights on its opening night and despite the 35 minute drive, the trip was well worth it!!  The almost 4 mile drive through 180 light displays was beautiful!!  Midway through the display, we stopped at the Gift Village where there were some great gift ideas made by 97 area artisans.  We also went outside for a cup of hot apple cider and we roasted marshmallows over the HUGE marshmallow pit!  Our visit to Gift Village was topped off with a visit to Santa and Mrs. Claus!  We left Tanglewood with a promise to return with out of town visitors for some more holiday fun and when the weather is warmer to enjoy this beautiful park with its many activities!

Career Exploration Fair

Guilford County Schools sponsored a Career Exploration Fair last night at the Greensboro Coliseum.  My children and I attended the fair and were surprised with the amount of valuable information, from Career Interest Assessments, to local businesses and local colleges.  My son was able to narrow down some of his interests after speaking with the business partners and school representatives, he is even considering a high school that he wasn't previously considering, based on information provided at the fair.  Participants were entered into a contest to win a laptop computer.........Adam's fingers are crossed!  :)

http://www.guilford.k12.nc.us/news/news_detail.aspx?n_id=1495

Nascar Days 2010

This street festival has a life of its own.  It was so packed with people through Downtown Randleman, that you could barely walk without bumping into someone.  There were booths with Nascar merchandise, crafts and my favorite, the food booths!  My son and I enjoyed spending the time browsing the various vendors, listening to the live music, watching the kids enjoy activities just for them and enjoying the beautiful fall weather.

From the Randleman Chamber of Commerce website:


Every October, NASCAR excitement invades Randleman, NC. If you can imagine 40,000 people coming together to celebrate racing, you will get the picture. An enormous amount of fun happens in Randleman during NASCAR Day Festival.

In 1989, when the Chamber of Commerce launched the first NASCAR Day, little did they realize the celebration would grow to such large attendance and change to include a Festival. Each year, from 9 AM until 7 PM, Main Street is transformed by its vendors to include something for everyone. There is a large selection of things to see, buy or do . . . handmade crafts, food booths, live bands and entertainment, NASCAR show cars, drag cars, vintage antique automobiles, official NASCAR souvenir vendors and games for kids. Visitors especially enjoy the opportunity to meet and visit with members of the Winston Cup Old Timers Club, and admire the collection of vintage race cars on display. A highlight of this annual event is the glittering fireworks display near the downtown festival area that is sponsored by Richard and Lynda Petty.

Also, the Richard Petty Museum is located within one block of Main Street and visitors enjoy touring the 12,000 square foot facility, rich with mementos the Petty family has collected during several decades of racing. Racing highlights include awesome automobiles, an intimate video theater, as well as numerous awards won by Richard Petty. Apart from racing, the museum even includes Lynda Petty’s fabulous doll collection.

Pilot Mountain State Park

While driving North on US Route 52 from Winston-Salem, you can't miss this peak as you round a bend.  The peak rises 2,421 above sea level and is part of the Sauratown Mountains.  Trails range from mild to difficult and the mild trails really are "mild".  We enjoyed watching the borderline dangerous rock climbers prepare for their descent, from a peak on the mountain.  The view is amazing from Little Pinnacle.  There are many activities to enjoy at Pilot Mountain, including canoeing, picnicking, fishing, hiking, rock climbing, cycling and tent camping. 








From the NC Division of Parks and Recreation website:

Pilot Mountain State Park  »  History

Like the rocky escarpments in nearby Hanging Rock State Park, Pilot Mountain is a remnant of the ancient Sauratown Mountains. A quartzite monadnock, this rugged mountain rock has survived for millions of years while the elements have eroded surrounding peaks to a rolling plain.

Pilot Mountain is capped by two prominent pinnacles. Big Pinnacle, with walls of bare rock and a rounded top covered by vegetation, rises 1,400 feet above the valley floor, the knob jutting skyward more than 200 feet from its base. Big Pinnacle is connected to Little Pinnacle by a narrow saddle. Visitors have easy access to the top of Little Pinnacle where the view encompasses hundreds of square miles of the Piedmont and the nearby mountains of North Carolina and Virginia.

To the native Saura Indians, the earliest known inhabitants of the region, Pilot Mountain was known as Jomeokee, the "Great Guide" or "Pilot." It guided both Native Americans and early European hunters along a north-south path through the area. The Sauras were driven southward by the Cherokees, who subsequently occupied the area. Further settlement in the area was led by Moravians, but the population remained sparse during colonial times due to frontier turbulence created by an alliance between the Cherokees and the British.

The mountain was mapped in 1751 by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, father of President Thomas Jefferson. Pilot Mountain became North Carolina's 14th state park in 1968, due in large part to the efforts of a group of local citizens. Prior to that time, the mountain was a commercial tourist attraction. The Pilot Mountain Preservation and Park Committee proposed the establishment of Pilot Mountain as a state park in order to protect it and the surrounding area from further commercial development. Working with the conservation-minded owner of the property, Mrs. J.W. Beasley, the group secured options on the land and raised matching funds that made it possible to purchase the land with federal grants. In further support of the park, the committee acquired more than 1,000 acres of land along the Yadkin River that was added to the park in 1970. Additional acreage was later acquired, bringing the park to its present size of 3,703 acres. Today, Pilot Mountain stands as a monument to the desire and concern of a citizenry dedicated to preserving the natural resources of North Carolina.

Learn about rural life in the past by visiting Horne Creek Farm. This state historic site is adjacent to the Yadkin River section of the park. Currently being restored to appear as it did in 1900, the farm is an educational center dedicated to preserving North Carolina's rural heritage. Visitors may experience North Carolina's agricultural past by participating in hands-on programs held on Saturdays and Sundays, April through October. Special tours and educational programs may be arranged throughout the year by calling (336) 325-2298.

Victory Junction

In October 2000, five months after Adam Petty's death at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH, his family partnered with Paul Newman and the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp to begin the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, North Carolina, as a memorial to Adam. The camp has received support from many NASCAR drivers, teams, and sponsors, including Cup Series sponsor Sprint, which has placed a replica of Adam's 1998 car in the camp. The Victory Junction Gang camp began operation in 2004, and is an official charity of NASCAR.   

• Victory Junction has enriched the lives of more than 11,000 children and families since opening in 2004 and welcomed children from 47 states and three countries.
• The cost of sending a child to camp is valued at $2,500, but no child or family incurs that cost thanks to generous donors.
• Since 2004, 9,234 volunteer positions have been filled. Last year, volunteers sacrificed an estimated 76,222 hours to assist at Victory Junction.
• Victory Junction serves 24 chronic medical conditions and serious illnesses such as, but not limited to, Autism, Cancer, Craniofacial Anomalies, Diabetes, Hemophilia, Sickle Cell and Spina Bifida. For a full list, please visit www.victoryjunction.org.
• Twenty-seven hospitals partner with Victory Junction to deliver exceptional health care to campers with a variety of needs.
• The camp, located in Randleman, N.C., is built on 84 acres and donated by Richard and Lynda Petty. The Kansas facility will be housed on approximately 71 acres.
• The construction process for the Midwest camp is expected to begin in 2010.

This camp is a beautiful place for all children with special needs, they literally think of EVERYTHING!  Once a year, Victory Junction holds an open house for families and race fans to come out and see their facility ~ this is usually held in conjunction with Nascar Day in Downtown Randleman, NC, it is also their chance to help raise some funds to keep this camp going.  If you ever have the chance to visit this place or if you have a child with special needs, or if you know someone that does, please contact them to inquire about their camping opportunities.