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Greetings from the cool and beautiful Blue Ridge mountains!
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| 2023 SGA Homecoming
Springdale/Cold Mountain • Grove Park
The Grove Park Inn, Asheville, North Carolina
"The Beauty & Peace of the Blue Ridge..."
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Both the mountain sunset and the buildings of downtown Asheville are visible from the Grove Park Inn's Sunset Terrace
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Catherine, Gwen, Jane, Janie, Sue & Dora
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| The Senior Golfers returned to the historic Grove Park Inn in May of 2023. The event opened with drinks and dinner on the Sunset Terrace of the hotel, with its incomparable sweeping views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Old friends were back together again, and plans were made for the week of golf and enjoyment of the mountain area.
The first day of play was at Springdale/Cold Mountain, home course of second-generation SGA member Ken Young. This absolutely beautiful course is on the site of Charles Frazier's well-known historical novel and epic 2003 war film Cold Mountain, and quickly turned into a favorite of all participants. Following golf the group was treated to hors d'oeuvres and drinks by the gracious staff at the onsite Rocky Face Tavern, winner of the Golf Club House of the Year award for 2022.
After two days of golf on the lush and legendary Grove Park course, the event closed out with dinner and awards in newly-opened Eldr Restaurant (Eldr is Old Norse for "Fire"), situated in a century-old cottage nestled amid the trees in historic Grovewood Village. Event Winners at gross were Jim Harrenga and Gwen Ward. "This has been a wonderful trip." said Gwen. "The courses obviously are great, but it always is the people who make the SGA trips special. Mike and I thank Catherine and Cynthia, who are super hosts, and we cherish our new and old friends in the group."
"Thanks for my Asheville Pottery bowl, said Jim. "Although Jane and I live in Sioux Falls, I am part North Carolinian, having spent a lot of my working life in the banking world of Charlotte and other parts of the Carolinas. This is a very beautiful area, and I always am happy to get back here. And I hope to see everyone out in our part of the country at the SGA event at Coeur d'Alene."
Low Net Winners were Jane Harrenga and Ken Young, who, along with Jim and Gwen, won gift certificates and also hand-thrown pottery bowls from the Asheville arts area. Putting Contest winners were Pam and Wayne Dadetto, and Gwen and Mike Ward. Best Ball of Team winners were Sue Arnold, Jeff Leech, and Wayne Dadetto. Close to pin winners were Jeff Leech, Jim Parson, Gwen Ward, and Jim Harrenga, who wanted everyone to know that he went on to three-putt the green. Daily Net prizes went to Bill Cembor and Janie Risley, and Kickin' It Up a Notch award was won by Dora Parson. Congratulations, everyone!
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Wedge Studios Asheville
WEDGE Studios is located in the heart of Asheville’s River Arts District and houses workspace for over 30 professional working artists studios on 4 levels, a brewery, a restaurant, and a wine bar. At WEDGE, artists come together in a 100-year-old converted three-story classic railroad warehouse building to work, experiment and exhibit, actively enriching the community through new ideas, innovative projects and the creative spirit.
The WEDGE is the legacy of John Payne, sculptor, inventor, engineer. John’s vision continues to inspire an entire generation of artists and visitors alike. John was always the first to help artists by giving them space to live and work, and by creating a community in which to flourish.
SGA winners were presented with handthrown pottery bowls from the Wedge Studios. For more information, go to wedstudioartists.com.
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A Ghost in Room 545: The Pink Lady of the Grove Park Inn
Built in 1913 by Edwin Wiley Grove and his son-in-law Fred Loring Seely, the Grove Park Inn has been host to a number of famous guests. Ten Presidents–from Woodrow Wilson to Barack Obama–as well as Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harry Houdini, and F. Scott Fitzgerald have stayed at the inn. Its most infamous guest, however, is a young woman who hasn’t left for nearly 90 years: the Pink Lady.
“It was 3:00 A.M. in front of the fireplace,” a Grove Park Inn bellman, Dave Bergam, explained in a video interview. “A lady showed up, I took a picture. She was not there. The next picture, she was there. And then she disappeared.”
SGA FoG Pam Dadetto recounted the theories of the Pink Lady to the SGA group. Sometime in the early 1920s, a young woman in a pink gown, staying with a registered guest in room 545, allegedly fell to her death from the balcony. Rumors are that she died by suicide, that she was pushed to her death, or that she simply slipped and died accidentally.
Some see the Pink Lady in the form of a dense, pinkish-hued smoke near room 545. Others have spotted her downstairs in the lobby near the fireplaces. She is a friendly, mischievous ghost, who loves to pull pranks on the guests and staff. Some staff members claim to have seen the fifth and sixth floor lights flick on and off on their own. Guests who stay in room 545 have complained of their belongings being moved around, or of feeling a distinct presence sitting next to them on the bed.
Some speculators argue that the ghost could be the spirit of Zelda Fitzgerald, who was being treated for a nervous condition at the nearby Highland Hospital. Her husband, the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, stayed at the Grove Park Inn, in rooms 441 and 443, on and off for two years while visiting Zelda in the hospital. Some believe Zelda, who died when the hospital burned to the ground in 1948, may have associated the Grove Park Inn with happier times, and taken up residence there.
Of the many reports local paranormal researcher Joseph Warren has collected, one festive encounter sticks out. One New Year’s Eve, at 4:00 A.M., two hotel employees heard someone come in the back door. It was a young woman, wearing a pink party dress. “We thought it was a guest, so we got up to help her,” they told Warren. “Then she was gone.”
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Catherine, Marty, Mark & Terri celebrate in Little Rock
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Who is Mayor of Marty's Place? Marty is!
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Lovin' It in Little Rock
Special thanks to SGA members Marty and Terri Gunaca for hosting SGA Directors Cynthia & Catherine for a fun few days in the great state of Arkansas. After a great lunch at the brand-new Marty's Place restaurant in Maumelle, Cynthia & Catherine were whisked away to Marty & Terri's lovely house, made even more beautiful with Terri's many batiks, art quilts, and acrylic paintings. To see more of Terri's work go to https://www.terrihaugen.com/
Many of Marty & Terri's friends and neighbors accepted the kind invitation to visit them, along with Cynthia and Catherine, in the evening, to enjoy drinks and delicious food from -- you guessed it -- Marty's Place! -- and be introduced to Senior Golfers of America. It was a delightful time together and quite a few Arkansans became SGA members.
The visit continued with a tour of Chenal's stately golf facilities and a round on the Founders course with Marty, Terri, and friend and Little Rock native Mark Riable. Cynthia and Catherine also had the pleasure of touring Chenal's newer course, the Bear Den. Both golf courses were in spectacular shape, with beautiful views and interesting layout in the rolling foothills of the Ouachilta Mountains. The Senior Golfers all are invited to an event at Chenal in Autumn 2024. Let us know if you are on board! Thanks for everything, Terri & Marty!
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Greer's Ferry Lake at Red Apple
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Batik Print by Terri Haugen Gunaca
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Coming Up...
Plan to join us at one of these upcoming SGA events! Just reply to this email, or give Catherine a call on her cellphone 310-600-9278 to sign up. You may also register for events on the SGA website https://seniorgolfersamerica.com/.
European Excursion, Lake Como, Italy, June 25-29, 2023 (Wait List)
European Excursion, Crans-Montana, Switzerland, July 2-6, 2023 (Wait List)
Lobster Festival, Bar Harbor, Maine, August 6-9, 2023
End-of-Summer-in-the-Mountains, Jefferson, North Carolina, August 27-30, 2023
Heart of the Awl, Coeur d'Alene Resort, Idaho, September 24-27, 2023
Heart of Texas, Pecan Plantation, The Nutcracker, Granbury, Texas, October 29-November 1, 2023
Florida Fiesta, Mission Inn, Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, November 12-15, 2023
Christmas at the Cloister, Sea Island, Georgia, December 11-14, 2023
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Plan to join us! You'll have a wonderful time!
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Senior Golfers of America~Lovingly run by our family since 1976~
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If you want to have fun come along with us!
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Senior Golfers of America
3013 Church Street
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 29577
843-626-8100
www.seniorgolfersamerica.com |
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