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Lookout Mountain
​Happenings

Check back often for up-to-date news, events and article previews between issues of the monthly Lookout Mountain Mirror.

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The Do's and Don'ts of Recycling

9/15/2020

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Lookout Mountain is fortunate to have a recycling program in the community. Both Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and Lookout Mountain, Ga., have access to it. However, some of us need a refresher course on what we can and cannot recycle.

The other day I looked into the recycling bin and noticed boards, lots of plastic bags, a doll, some hardback books and Styrofoam food boxes - none of which are recyclable. The dumpster is available on the first Saturday of the month, and that’s the occasion to get rid of your trash that is not recyclable.

But lots of people think the recycling bin is the same as the garbage dumpster and throw their plastic bags of “junk” into the recycling bin. I know it’s tempting, but when you add stuff that is not accepted by the recycle center, it contaminates the entire “batch” of recycling. One bad apple indeed does spoil the whole bin in the case of recycling. Obviously, this defeats the purpose. And it’s not fair to those who take the time to clean recyclable containers, collect them and then take them to the town’s recycling center.

Some of the things that are accepted are plastic bottles and jugs and their lids and caps, cans, plastic tubs and containers, phone books, newspapers, scrap paper, magazines and paperbacks, paper milk and juice cartons, metal jar lids, paperboard boxes like cereal/cracker boxes, steel bottle caps and old greeting cards.
Glass is recycled in a separate bin labeled Glass Only, and cardboard is also recycled in a separate area that is labeled Cardboard Only. All boxes must be empty, with no Styrofoam, plastic or packing peanuts inside.

Some of the things that are not accepted in the big recycling bin include PLASTICS, except those listed above, scrap metal, frozen food containers, mirrors, Pyrex, plates, drinking glasses, plastic bags, Styrofoam or Kraft envelopes, tissues, paper towels or napkins that have been used, stickers or sheets of address labels, empty aerosol cans, batteries, light bulbs, foil pouches like Capri Sun, scrap metal, wax paper and hardback books. Really, it is just common sense. No, whole toilets are not recyclable. And yes, someone did that.

Also, we don’t need to flatten anything, like cans and plastic bottles, because it makes it harder on the sorting machine. So, let’s all use our brains when it comes to recycling, and if you have a question, ask Johnny Bowen. He is usually around with a smile and a friendly comment, and who couldn’t use that? Thank you all so much for recycling, and thanks to our towns for making it possible!
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by Gwin Tugman
​

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Allison Foster Teaches Yoga at Area Wellness Retreats

9/10/2018

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PictureAllison Foster
by Ann Henley Perry
Beauty and grace are synonymous with Allison Foster. For nine years, Allison has lived here on Lookout Mountain with her family, which includes son Holden and daughter, Riley. Holden will be a junior at McCallie, while Riley will be a freshman at GPS.
 

"We have lived on Lookout Mountain for nine years and found it to be an amazing community in which to raise children and develop incredible friendships. In addition to the community of people, we love the fantastic opportunities to be able to play in the outdoors!  From hiking and biking to paddle-boarding and fishing, we have fallen in love with the whole region," Allison says.

That love has spread to others, for everyone who knows Allison absolutely loves her. Due to her lovely and peaceful personality, she has many followers in her yoga classes. When asked how her love for yoga began, Allison explained, "Our family lived in New Orleans between 2001 and 2005. During that time, both of my children were born, and I began practicing a little yoga with pre-natal yoga videos. A small studio opened around the corner, and I took a few classes before Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. After that, we moved to Memphis, and life felt upside down for a while. Some good friends recommended yoga as a stress reliever. It worked and has been an incredibly important part of my life ever since."

After experiencing all of the benefits of yoga, Allison desired to become an instructor. In 2008, Allison completed her 200-hour RYT (registered yoga teacher) instruction with Yoga Alliance. Since that time, she has constantly continued her education through programs and workshops. "To date, I have accrued over 300 additional hours of training through Asheville Yoga Center, OM Schooled (Yoga for Teens) and certified Broga training (yoga for men)."  

When Allison is not teaching yoga, she loves to hike with her dogs, write poetry and stories for children and teens, cook and spend time with Holden and Riley. "My kids would say that my favorite hobby is teaching them 'life lessons.' I told them that once they realize everything is a life lesson, then my job will be done!" Allison said.  

Allison hosts wonderful women’s wellness retreats each year. These weekends are intended for renewal, self-discovery and rest. Their theme is based on a quote from poet David Whyte, who said, "What shape waits in the seed of you to grow and spread its branches against a future sky?" Taking the time to realize this transformation can be restorative, if not life changing.

"We will honor the journey of our lives with nourishing yoga, delicious food, beautiful accommodations and the Great Smoky Mountains. We will also provide options for massage, hiking, biking, floating down the Little River, touring the Tuckaleechee Caverns or just relaxing in a hammock with a good book. The best part is that EVERYTHING is completely optional," Allison says of the retreat she will lead this month at Dancing Bear Lodge in Townsend, Tenn.

Allison has been leading retreats and workshops for the past eight years. This year’s retreat will be her second at Dancing Bear Lodge. In May, the retreat she led there sold out quickly, so she is excited to offer another one from September 21-23. To register for the retreat, go to the Dancing Bear Lodge website. For more information, call Dancing Bear Lodge at (865) 448-6000. 

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Kudzu is Killing Beautiful Lookout Mountain

9/4/2018

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PictureKudzu flowers may be pretty, but the vine is a serious threat on Lookout Mountain.
by Ferris Robinson
(Editor's note: Lookout Mountain, Ga., Councilmember Taylor Watson asked us to remind residents that now is a great time to spray and remove kudzu on your property. By city ordinance, each property owner is responsible for removing kudzu and other invasive species, such as English ivy, and fines can be issued if the plants are not removed. The column below originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of the Lookout Mountain Mirror.
)

I grew up fearing kudzu. When I was a little girl, my grandmother talked about it the same way she talked about a Russian invasion, always keeping an eye peeled for the threat of either. I don’t remember actually seeing it up close, probably because she never let it get a foothold on any spot she could reach in her leather pumps, veiled chapeau and kid gloves.
​

But my grandmother’s job is not done. Now, 60 years later, I see it everywhere – up close and personal. I drive past enormous masses of it on the way up the mountain, and I see it suffocating the treetops within city limits. It lays over shrubbery along the road in great billows, inching its aggressive tendrils right onto the asphalt. It makes its way up stately oaks and pines and other native trees, clamoring rapidly toward sunlight and suffocating any and all in its way.

This non-native invasive vine was actually introduced to the U.S. at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, and until the mid-’50s, farmers in the South were encouraged to plant it to control soil erosion. To say it backfired is an understatement. At maturity, kudzu grows about a foot a day and is swallowing the U.S. at the rate of 50,000 baseball fields per year. It kills other plants by smothering them under its solid blanket of leaves, hogging sunlight and water and entwining trunks and branches in its thick vines. Obviously, by the time the authorities officially began attempting to control “the vine that ate the South,” it was too late.
When we moved to our neighborhood on Bartram Road, I was dismayed to realize the woods behind our house were overrun with this horrendous vine. We began the arduous task of eradication. My neighbor initially sprayed it with an herbicide, and we pulled it down from the trees, unwrapping the tenacious vines and bagging them in heavy black contractor bags. The bags sat in the sun in our driveway for months until there was no sign of life on the vines, and only then did I dispose of them.

After the winter, I ventured back down in the woods and was stunned to see new growth on a thick arm-sized branch of kudzu. It was cut from the root, but left lying in the dirt. Like something out of a horror movie, it had rooted, and I had to pry it out of the earth.
​

Kudzu is next to impossible to control, but if untended, there is no doubt it will change the landscape of Lookout Mountain. I think we need to take off the kid gloves and deal with it, one way or another. Or maybe leave them on, and enlist the powerful workforce of our area’s garden clubs, book clubs, service leagues, PTOs, church groups, and of course, Love Lookout. Because if we don’t, this place we love will be unrecognizable.

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Sign Up for Cub Scouts

8/21/2018

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Lookout Mountain's Cub Scout Pack 3191 is looking forward to a new year of scouting and is welcoming new members. Boys from first through fifth grades are encouraged to sign up for Cub Scouts. Sign-ups take place on Monday, August 27, at 6:30 p.m. in the Fairyland School Conference Room. For more information, email Bob Zendejas or visit the Scouting website. 

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Music on the Mountain is Aug. 25

8/21/2018

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Fairyland School is excited to host its fifth annual Music on the Mountain at the end of the month! The event will take place at the Lookout Mountain Club on August 25 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Everyone from the community and beyond is invited for a Southern dinner, great music by The Foothills, wonderful live and silent auctions and much more!

Tickets are on sale now for $70. There is also VIP ticket option ($100) that will include an open bar, express check-in and a commemorative ticket and cup. Only 100 VIP tickets will be sold, so get yours quickly!

Check out motm.fairylandschool.org for more information and to purchase your ticket online and your golf cart raffle ticket.

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Fun at the 2018 Fairyland Festival

6/14/2018

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PictureFairyland Festival 2018. Photo by Tommy Hopper.
Fairyland Elementary School's annual Fairyland Festival on May 1 was a fun flurry of activity! Some of the many great booths included face painting, Topple the Teacher, the ever-popular Jail, inflatables, laser tag, and the new farmer’s market. The beautiful black and white student photos were also a big hit!

A few weeks before the big day, the FES PTO started a “Which Teacher Should be Slimed” competition to raise money. Students put spare change into containers designating Troy Green, Jeff Ashworth, or Cory Hall as possible “slim-ees.” Additionally, students paid money to be the slime slingers or even be slimed themselves! At the end of the coin drive, there was a clear winner! Surrounded by quite a crowd, Jeff Ashworth was thoroughly slimed. 

A huge thank you goes out to Kristin Tremain, Kim and Marshall Brock, as well as generous sponsors, donors, parents, staff (especially Mr. Ashworth) and the entire community for supporting our school and this fantastic event!


Click here to see all the great pictures taken by Tommy Hopper during the Fairyland Festival. You can download and print the photos, as well. Just input PIN "5248" when prompted.

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Pollinator Festival is May 20

5/14/2018

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PictureThe Pollinator Festival is from 1-4 p.m. at the LMS Gym on May 20.
Buzz-z-z over to Lookout Mountain School Gym on Sunday, May 20, from 1-4 p.m. to discover the world of pollinators. Learn what you can do to safeguard a vibrant future for these tiny creatures on the mountain by planting native plants in your yard. Come rain or come shine, as all the booths and displays will be in the gym. Admission is free.

As a special event for children, Reflection Riding will have hawks, owls, crows and other furry creatures up-close and personal. Everyone can see the actual wildlife that lives on our mountain. 

Pollinator artwork from Lookout Mountain School, Fairyland School and Renaissance School will also be on display. The winners of the “Bee a Friend to Pollinators” art contest will be announced at 2 p.m. Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club will award cash prizes to the winners. Face painting and pollinator coloring activities will be available at the Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club booth.

Free gardening advice and planting guides will also be available at the Pollinator Garden, Butterfly Garden and Vegetable Garden booths. Experts from the Aquarium and Tennessee Valley Wild Ones will offer free advice on how to create pollinator-friendly gardens and improve yields from vegetable gardens, so bring a sketch or photos of your yard. Craig Walker from The Barn Nursery will offer organic solutions for common yard and garden problems. Lynn Chartier of the Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club will have a display on invasive plants and offer suggestions on how to eradicate them. Christine Bock-Hunt from the Tennessee Aquarium will give away free native plant seedlings. Reflection Riding will be selling native perennials, shrubs and small trees. 

Other booths include:
  • Butterfly Gardens and how to attract butterfly babies to your yard.  Learn about the life cycle of butterflies and what plants can attract these beautiful creatures.
  • Pollinator Gardens: The Wild Ones will help you chose plants that will attract a variety of pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and birds.
  • Beekeeper display. Derick Forester, a third-generation beekeeper on the mountain, will have a demonstration hive in a glass case. Honey and bee products for sale.
  • Vegetable Gardening and Pollinators:  Charlene Nash suggest ways to increase yields by improving your soil and by attracting native bees to your garden. 
  • Encaustic art by Betsy Rice: Come watch the artist heat beeswax and resin to create works of art.  
  • Invasive plants on the mountain: A display of invasive plants with Lynn Chartier offering ways to eradicate them.
  • Organic solutions for common yard problems. Join Craig Walker from the Barn Nursery to learn about products that will not harm children, pets or pollinators.
  • Bees on a Bicycle: an urban garden center fostering community and creating beauty.
  • Tours of the Lookout Mountain School Greenhouse.

If you have any questions, email Ann Brown at princeoberon@gmail.com or Candace Chazen at candacechazen@epbfi.com.


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