Big Cove named "Community of Distinction"

Five other Cherokee Communities recognized at Annual Awards

By Dawn Arneach
One Feather staff

Big Cove holds the awards they received for being named a Community of Distinction during Saturday’s WNC Communities Awards in Asheville.

ASHEVILLE

 

 

– The WNC Community held its 60th Annual Honors Awards and Luncheon on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa.  Sixty-three  communities were represented during the award ceremony.
 

Big Cove Community was named a Community of Distinction along with the Spring Mountain Community.  This award is given to those communities that have an initiative, who work together well to achieve their end goal, “The Best of the Best Award”.  These two communities each received $2,200, a certificate and a road sign designating their award. 
 

Five communities from Cherokee received the Participating Communities Award including:  Painttown, Snowbird, TowString, Wolftown, and Yellowhill.  Each of these communities received  $375, a certificate as well as a road sign designating their award. 

 The yearly WNC Communities awards brings together communities that for the past year have held fundraisers, programs for youth and elders, community clean up events. Many of the same needs in each community are handled differently as well. Another opportunity that communities take away with them from the Awards are new ideas to bring back to their community.
 

Lifetime Board member Ed Broadwell welcomed everyone to Saturday’s event and gave the invocation.  L.T. Ward, vice president of WNC Community, recognized the sponsors as well as special guests in the audience including: Randy Flack, from Representative Heath Shuler’s office; Senator Ray Rapp; Senator Joe Sam Queen; Dale Carrol, Deputy Secretary of Commerce from Raleigh; and Linda Lamp, executive director of WNC Community for the past six years. 
 

Representatives from Cherokee included Cherokee County – Snowbird Rep. Diamond Brown Jr., Big Cove Reps. Perry Shell and Teresa McCoy, as well as North Carolina Extension Services representatives from Cherokee including:  director Kathy Dugan, Karina Bottchenbaugh, Hweinko Walkingstick and Tony Walkingstick.
 

Lumpy Lambert, on behalf of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel, presented a $10,000 check to Lamp. 
 

The Calico Cat Award is highly prized throughout the WNC Communities, and this years award went to Beech Community with the Jr. Calico Cat award going to Cane Creek.
 

Communities of Promise awards were presented to: Bethal, Big Ivy, Crabtree, Iron, Duff, Hyder Mountain, Edneyville, Pigeon and Topton.  Beaverdam and Nantahala communities received the 25 Year President’s Award. 
 

Sponsors for the event included: Harrahs’ Cherokee Casino & Hotel, represented by Lumpy Lambert who also serves on the WNC Communities Board; Biltmore Farms Inc.; Duke Energy; Farm Bureau of Buncombe; First Citizens Bank; Home Trust Bank; and Progress Energy. Other contributors included: Carolina Farm Bureau, Haywood County Farm Bureau, Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, Southern Audio Visual, and Justin Page.