Autumn at KOA

Greetings Kampers!  

Autumn is our favorite time of year here at the Boone KOA, and in celebration we have tons of fun-filled activities planned throughout the season!  Events include decorating contests, apple cider, trick-or-treating, and chances to win free nights of camping! 

Autumn Festivities at KOA

Friday, October 8^th

Campsite Decorating Contest – In celebration of Appalachian State University’s Homecoming weekend, Boone KOA will host a decorating contest with Black and Gold as the theme.  The best decorated campsite will win ONE FREE NIGHT OF KAMPING at the Boone KOA during the 2011 camping season

Saturday, October 9^th

9:30am Scavenger Hunt – Fun for all ages. Fastest hunter/team wins a prize!

4:00pm Judging of Best Decorated Campsite

 

Friday, October 15^th

Campsite Decorating Contest – In honor of the beautiful fall colors around us, Boone KOA will host a decorating contest with Autumn Décor as the theme.  The best decorated campsite will win ONE FREE NIGHT OF KAMPING at the Boone KOA during the 2011 camping season

Saturday, October 16^th

9:30am Scavenger Hunt – Fun for all ages. Fastest hunter/team wins a prize!

11:00am Arts and Crafts – Join Lindsay in the Rec Room for an autumn arts & crafts activity

4:00pm Apple Cider Social and Popcorn –Best Decorated Campsite winner will be announced

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Halloween at KOA

Friday, October 29th

Campsite Decorating Contest– In celebration of another great season, the Boone KOA will be hosting a campsite decorating contest with Halloween Décor as the theme.  The best decorated campsite will win ONE FREE NIGHT OF KAMPING at the Boone KOA during the 2011 camping season

Around dark – Spider Sniffin’ Night – meet in front of the KOA offices for a short night hike to Jont Brown Cemetery.  Once you reach the top, a local storyteller and historian will entertain with a few ghost stories.  Keep your eyes peeled for night creatures along the way! 

Saturday, October 30^th

9:30am Scavenger Hunt – Fun for all ages. Fastest hunter/team wins a prize!

11:00am Arts and Crafts – Join Lindsay in the Rec Room for a Halloween arts & crafts activity

4:00pm Apple Cider Social and Popcorn – Judging of Best Decorated Campsite announced

5:00pm – Trick-or-Treating in the Campground – Look for participating campsites with a balloon

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Campsite Decorating Contest 

at Boone KOA

Campsite with the best decorations will win

**ONE NIGHT OF FREE KAMPING**

at the Boone KOA during the 2011 camping season!

Judging will be held on Saturday evening by 4:00pm

Decorating themes:

October 8^th – 10^th:  ASU Homecoming

October 15^th – 17^th:  autumn décor

October 29^th – 31^st:  Halloween Décor 

Show your camping spirit and WIN!!!!

October Update...

Greetings Kampers!

Autumn is upon us! The leaves are beginning to change colors and the temperature is dropping.
The Boone area is packed with fun filled, family oriented events going on all season long, not to mention things we have planned here at the KOA!  And for the first time ever, the Boone KOA is hosting a variety of contests during October where kampers can win a FREE NIGHT OF KAMPING!

October Events:

       

Ghost Train Halloween Festival @ Tweetsie Railroad

October 1st - 30th 

Ghost train rides, haunted house, Halloween shows, and much more!  Friday and Saturday nights only.  Advanced tickets required.  

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Brushy Mountain Apple Festival @ Wilkesboro, NC

Saturday, October 2nd

8:00am - 5:00pm

The Annual Brushy Mountain Apple Festival is one of the largest one-day arts and crafts festivals in the Southeast.  The streets of downtown North Wilkesboro, NC are filled with over 425 arts and crafts, 100 food concessions, 4 different music stages consisting of Blue Grass, Country, Folk, Gospel, and Appalachian Heritage. Cloggers, folk dancers, rope skippers, and square dancers provide additional entertainment venues for festival goers.  And the best part is that it's FREE!!!

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Art in the Park @ Blowing Rock, NC

Saturday, October 2nd

10:00am - 5:00pm

46 years after its start, Art in the Park is host to 90 artisans at each show. Some of the best local and regional artists and craftspeople showcase their handcrafted jewelry, pottery, fiber, glass, photography, painting and more.

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Autumn at Oz @ Beech Mountain, NC

October 2nd & 3rd

Guests will take a tour of Auntie Em’s and Uncle Henry’s farm and meet Dorothy and friends along the Yellow Brick Road.  The tour takes from 2-3 hours and you may choose your session times when you purchase your ticket. Tour sessions are Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 12, 12 to 2, and 2 to 4, although you can spend more than 2 hours in the park!  The ticket price is $16.50 in advance, $20.00 the day of the party. Children 2 and under are admitted free.  For more information, pictures, or to order tickets, click on the link above!

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Hickory Ridge Apple Festival @ Horn in the West

October 9th

9:00am - 4:00pm

Crafters from the local area and the region gather along with musicians to celebrate the apple harvest. Museum interpreters prepare applebutter in a large kettle over an open fire and ask passersby to help with the constant stirring. There are also contests - from hatchet throwing to apple pie eating - that are sure to add some excitement to the day.

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Todd New River Festival @ Todd, NC

October 9th

9:00am - 5:00pm

 The festival features multiple music performances, storytelling, bluegrass jams, puppet shows, athletic competitions and other recreational events for all to enjoy. All proceeds go to help those in need in the community and to support ongoing Todd community projects. 

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Oktoberfest @ Sugar Mountain, NC

October 9th - 10th

10:00am - 5:00pm

Grab your beer stein, put on your lederhosen and head to Sugar Mountain Resort for the 20th annual Oktoberfest celebration Saturday & Sunday, October 9 & 10, 2010. Over 40 artisan's and craftspeople open their stands at 10:00am each day. A sampling of this year's vendors include: chair canning, wooden toys, oil paintings, stain glass, handmade furniture, dolls, copper art, ceramics, honey, beeswax candles, bird houses, and much more.

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ASU Football vs. Elon @ Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, NC

October 9th

3:00pm

Homecoming Weekend

In celebration of the Appalachian State fans and alumni that visit the campground, Boone KOA will be hosting an ASU Campsite Decorating Contest!  The campsite with the most ASU decorations, memorabilia, etc. will win 

ONE FREE NIGHT OF KAMPING

at the Boone KOA during the 2011 camping season!  So bring out your black and gold, 

Go Mountaineers!!!

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Festival of the Frescoes @ West Jefferson, NC

October 9th

9:00am - 4:00pm

Located at the Mission House at Holy Trinity Church in West Jefferson.  Arts & crafts, bake sale, entertainment, handmade quilt raffle, and of course, those beautiful church frescoes of Ashe County.

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33rd Annual Woolly Worm Festival @ Banner Elk, NC

October 16th & 17th

The town of Banner Elk welcomes both old and new friends to the annual Woolly Worm Festival. This family event co-hosted by the Avery County Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Organization of Banner Elk welcomes more than 23,000 people to the community to make family memories and also to win the prestigious title of predicting the High Country weather and the chance to 

win the $1000 bounty!

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32nd Annual Valle Country Fair @ Valle Crucis

October 16th

9:00am - 4:00pm

The Valle Country Fair is an overgrown church bazaar set in the center of one of the most picturesque valleys in the North Carolina mountains at the peak of the fall color season. All monies raised go to fund High Country organizations which serve people in need. 

Admission is FREE.  $5 to park.

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ASU Football vs. Citadel @ Kidd Brewer Stadium

October 16th

6:00pm

Education Day

In celebration of the wondrous colors that Mother Nature has to offer this time of year, the Boone KOA will be hosting another Campsite Decorating Contest!  This weekend, the theme will be Autumn Decor.  The campsite with the best fall decorations will win 

ONE FREE NIGHT OF KAMPING 

at the Boone KOA during the 2011 season!  Get creative!

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5th Annual Punkin Festival @ Valle Crucis 

October 23rd

The Valle Crucis Punkin Festival is a fund raiser for the Western Youth Network, an organization serving youth and parents in Ashe, Avery, and Watauga Counties. It is hosted by the Mast General Store in the yard by the Annex and is all about fun for all ages … especially kids. You’ll find old-fashioned games, live music and a bake sale round out the activities for the day.

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Preservation Hall Jazz Band w/ Dell McCoury Band @ ASU's Farthing Auditorium

October 29th

8:00pm

Adults $20, Students $18, Children $10

Bringing these powerhouse groups together on one stage creates a mixing of bluegrass and jazz that has never sounded so alive. When these musical forces join together, they create an unforgettable fusion of sound.

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Blowing Rock Halloween Festival @ downtown Blowing Rock, NC

October 30th 

Trick-or-treating at local businesses, scavenger hunt, and the costumed Monster March!

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ASU Football vs. Furman @ Kidd Brewer Stadium

October 30th 

3:30pm

Black Saturday - wear black ASU colors

In celebration of a wonderful 2010 camping season (we close for the winter on November 1st), the Boone KOA will be offering campers one more chance to win free camping with our Campsite Decorating Contest. This weekend's theme will be Halloween Decor.  The campsite with the best Halloween decorations will win 

ONE FREE NIGHT OF KAMPING

at the Boone KOA during the 2011 season.

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Thanks for checking in with us, and we hope to see you soon!

Here are some of my favorite Autumn quotes:

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  ~Albert Camus

Bittersweet October.  The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.  ~Carol Bishop Hipps

Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.  ~George Eliot

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.  ~Stanley Horowitz

Besides the autumn poets sing,
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the haze.
~Emily Dickinson






*All information & pictures are taken from linked websites*

Labor Day Crafts

Greetings Kampers!


Labor Day Weekend is here!  Be sure to keep up with us here and on Facebook for plenty of pictures over the weekend.
In the meantime, I thought I would share some instructions on the crafts we will be making on Saturday.  Even if you can't join us this weekend, you can still have your own crafts time at home!

Campfire Crowns:

Materials:

1 piece ORANGE felt (16" x 5.5")*

1 piece GREEN felt (26" x 2.5")

5 pieces YELLOW felt (4" x 3" each block)

Scissors (share)

Glue (share)**

Handful of mini marshmallows

4-6 twigs

2 paper clips

*To make things easier for the kids, I traced the pattern onto the pieces of felt before hand.  However, I will also provide the measurements I used in case you want to measure things yourself!  I had trouble finding felt by the roll in Boone, so I ordered some through Amazon.com via The Felt Store.  There, I got felt by the yard, which means it came in 72" x 36" blocks.  From these larger blocks, I cut the smaller blocks listed in the Materials above.  For the orange piece, there is about 2.6" in between each "flame" point.*


**Glue:  Fabric Glue is best, but is often strong and not non-toxic.  Therefore, I did tests with other types of glue to figure out which kind would work best with kids.  Tacky Glue, Tacky Glue Quick Dry, and Elmer's All-Purpose Glue worked the best.  I also tried standard glue sticks and standard Elmer's school glue, but neither would hold the felt no matter how long I let it dry.  Summary: Fabric glue is best, but Tacky Glue and All-Purpose Glue work great!**

1.  Cut out orange pattern along dotted lines:

2.  Cut out yellow triangles:

3.   Glue yellow triangles onto orange felt:

(You can use the skinny yellow triangles for the end pieces)   

4.  While glue is drying, place twigs in between flames as shown.  Use a small bead of glue to hold twigs to flames. Also let dry.

5.  Glue green strip of felt on top of flames and twigs as shown.  (**Make sure the green covers up the bottom of the twigs so everything stays put!**)










6.  Let dry.  This is a very important step, especially if you are using Tacky Glue or All Purpose glue instead of Fabric Glue!

7.  Stick as many marshmallows as you want on the twigs:  


8.  Once glue is completely dry, wrap crown around head and secure with paper clips.....VIOLA!  Your campfire crown is finished!






*The idea and basic outline for this craft came from Disney's Family Fun site at http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crafts-by-material/food-crafts/campfire-caps-667742/, however, I did change some of the measurements.*

If you have any questions or any suggestions to make this craft better, please email me at OrganicRocks20@yahoo.com with the subject line Campfire Crowns. 

Homemade Fire Starters:


Here at the Boone KOA, we are big believers in recycling and trying to preserve the beauty around us.  In the spirit of that, we will be handing out Homemade Fire Starters made from household items to the kids who come to arts and crafts.  We are planning on making the fire starters for arts and crafts some time in October.  Until then, here are the directions!


Materials:
Cardboard egg carton(s) - I used an 18 cup carton
Paraffin wax*
Dryer lint
Pyrex measuring cup with pouring spout**
CRAYONS
Scissors
Knife or cheese grater
Rags or oven mitt
Access to a microwave***
Non flammable work surface!!


*Paraffin wax can be found at most craft stores, however I ordered from Amazon.com. It usually comes in 1 pound packages.  For this project, I used a total of 1 pound of Gulf Wax paraffin wax. 
**Since you're going to be using this in the microwave, glass is best.
***You can also use a double boiler method, but I found the microwave to be easier to clean up!

1.  Stuff egg carton cups full of dryer lint.  Be sure to press the lint down as far as you can.  The wax will weigh down the lint even further.  

2.  Grate/shred 1/4 pound of wax into Pyrex.  (Shredding the wax helps it melt easier and faster!)

3.  Microwave wax for about 2 minutes, or until wax is almost all the way melted.  (CAUTION: Pyrex glass will be very hot.  Handle with care and be sure to use oven mitts or rags to take glass out of microwave.)

4.  Add 1 crayon, any color you want!  Again, shredding the crayon will help it to melt faster.  One crayon to about 1/4 to 1/2 pound of wax works well.  

I picked Yellow for KOA!

5.  Stir crayon into wax until smooth.

6.  Pour colored wax into egg carton cups stuffed with lint.  (You should have enough wax per cup that it shows through on the bottom, like a greasy fast food bag!)

Wax shows through like a greasy fast food bag!

7.  Let wax dry until hard.  Cut apart Fire Starters with sturdy scissors and VIOLA! Your Homemade Fire Starters are complete!  




Hints, Tips, and Pics:

The wicks

**One thing I added to some of the fire starters was wicks.  To do this, I cut tiny strips from the the lid of the egg carton, since I wasn't using the lid anyway.  Then I packed the lint in around the wick and made sure wax got onto the wick when I poured it in.  This worked very well, and was good use of an item I wasn't using otherwise!

All the colors!

**Saw dust also works well either mixed in with the lint or by itself, but I think this would require a bit more wax.


**A Popsicle stick works well as a stirrer for the hot wax and crayon.

Got creative with shredding the wax!

Again, if you have any questions or any suggestions to make this craft better, please email me at OrganicRocks20@yahoo.com with the subject line Fire Starters. 


Thanks Kampers!  Enjoy this beautiful Labor Day Weekend and be sure to come see us in the fall!