Archive for September, 2009
Haunted Halloween Hoe Down
It’s time for our annual Halloween party at the boarding house. Join us for lots of fun, great food, a costume contest and live music on Saturday, October 31 at 7:00pm. The theme this year is a Haunted Halloween Hoe Down, so wear your best boots and hat. The menu will feature barbeque chicken, ribs and all the fixins’. If you don’t have your favorite costume, come on and join us anyway, we’re sure you’ll have yourself a good ol’ time! Cost per person is $40 and does not include alcoholic beverages.
Activities will hold a Monster Bash at the nature center from 6-10pm. Kids will participate in a costume contest, dinner, skeleton hunt, games, arts and crafts and the movie Monster House. Cost is $10 per child.
We hope to you see there! Happy Fall Y’all!
2 commentsBalsam’s First Annual Chili Cook-Off
Well, with October right around the corner I can’t help but think back to growing up in Vermont and watching all the bright red, gold and orange leaves come out for one final blaze of glory. Every year for my birthday my mother would take a group of my hooligan friends for a “hike” up Mount Philo…well we hiked; she met us at the top with a big pot of chili. That still stands out as one of my favorite memories of growing older but not up. That is why, with great pleasure, I’m announcing the First Annual Balsam Mountain Preserve Chili Cook-off happening Saturday, October24 at the Pavilion. Please have your best chili recipe in hand by 11:45 a.m., we will provide chafers to keep it hot along with all of the sides, accompaniments etc. Please contact April to sign up as soon as possible as space is limited and you would not want to miss out on your chance to win the coveted “Traveling Ladle”. Good luck and I expect to see everyone there.
Cheers,
Chef Jonathon
P.S. Wine pick of the Month….Orin Swift “The Prisoner” DELICIOUS!!!!
No commentsRays Of Sunlight
After months of “doom and gloom” reporting by the media, the overall real estate market appears to be basking in some encouraging rays of sunlight:
- Existing home sales surged 7% in July, posting the largest monthly increase in 10 years. July results represented the fourth straight monthly increase and the highest level of sales since August, 2007.
- Sales of newly built homes rose for a fourth straight month in July to set their fastest pace since last September, while the inventory of unsold homes fell to the lowest level in 16 years. The sales number also represented the biggest monthly percentage gain since February, 2005.
- The National Association of Realtors reported U.S. home prices posted a gain in the second quarter of 2009.
Here at Balsam Mountain Preserve, we are actually ahead of last year’s sales pace, with 21 agreements consumated in the first eight months of this year. In fact, just in the past thirty days, we have welcomed families from Atlanta, Raleigh, Columbia, Shreveport, and Houston to the ever-growing Balsam family.
Why is Balsam growing its owner family at a time when other communities in Western North Carolina are searching to find their way? According to Gregg Logan, Managing Director of RCLCO, “families entering the market today are primarily seeking convenience, active lifestyles, and social interaction. They want more than just golf courses and clubhouses; they are looking for communities that make it easy for them to shop, make new friends, pursue continuing educational opportunities, and engage in active lifestyles”.
If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Balsam, you know that our community satisfies every one of these desires. In addition, as today’s buyers look to purchase or build smaller homes that are more in line with their actual needs, the fact that Balsam has no minimum square footage requirement is also perfectly aligned with the new reality.
Restored confidence along with unprecedented purchase incentives make this one of the most historic times ever to purchase property in the mountains. Other families are making an intelligent decision to take advantage of this opportunity, so if you’ve been thinking and dreaming about the right time to get involved, your time has come, and you won’t be jumping into the pond alone. In fact, you’ll be in very smart company. Call us at 866-452-3456 or click here to request more information, and we’ll help you put your dreams into motion.
Kids’ Club at Balsam Stables
Saturday, September 5th, kids at Balsam Mountain Preserve met at the stables for a horsing around good time! They started by brushing Ginger and Kuko, helped saddle them and then took turns riding in the arena. Ginger is pictured to the left with Laney Nichols, granddaughter of members Mac and Linda Purdy. August Ladies Lunch
The ladies enjoyed a delicious lunch on the porch at the dining hall on August 21st. We determined the pot luck dinners would continue on a monthly basis hosted by a homeowner. More details and a calendar will be determined in the near future. We followed lunch with a lively discussion of the monthly book selection Water for Elephants based on life in the circus in the early 1900′s. The ladies chose 1000 White Women by Jim Fergus as the next book club selection. Please join us Friday, September 18th for lunch and book club. This is a great time to meet other women and share information about the area, favorite restaurants, shops and activities.
Security welcomes two new officers to the team!
Bobby Cogdill was born and raised in Haywood County where he continues to live with his wife Lucy. They have two children and are expecting their first grandchild at the end of the month. Prior to working at Balsam Mountain Preserve, Bobby was employed at Dayco Products and Haywood County Solid Waste. He is a member and Deacon of Balsam Baptist Church, enjoys outdoor activities such as fishing, water and snow skiing, rock climbing, camping and travelling. 
Anticipation of Fall
