Penny and Ken Hawks, the winners of Whisper Creek Cabin, the 2009 Southern Living Choose Your Home Giveaway, were also in residence for the week with their extended family from North Carolina. The Hawks are from the New Orleans, and very generously prepared a jambalaya feast at Sky Valley Lodge for their friends and the Whisper Mountain team. The spicy meal was perfect for the cool evening spent watching the sunset over the mountains and enjoying the beautiful cool evening weather.

We enjoyed a perfect Friday night with a fireside meal on the outside terrace at the lodge. With a full moon over the mountain, firelight bouncing off the stone, and candles spreading their warm glow, we were tempted to spend the night right there on the terrace! Honestly it was one of the most relaxing and beautiful evenings that we have spent in a long time. We hope that all of our residents find the time to make these kind of memories on the mountain.

– Troy and Charlie Ball, Whisper Mountain

(L to R) interior designer - Steve Chambliss, Troy Ball, Charlie Ball, winners of the Whisper Creek Cabin - Penny and Ken Hawkes. The picture is taken inside of the winning Whisper Creek Cabin.

Charlie and I are so excited that Whisper Creek was selected to be the winning home of the 2009 Southern Living Choose Your Home Giveaway. It makes us feel very good that so many people voted to win our beautiful cabin at Whisper Mountain. Over 5.4 million entries were cast in this sweepstakes. Whisper Mountain had the most email subscriptions of any of the other houses and was the second most viewed community on MyHomeIdeas.com and Southern Living’s websites. That tells us this cool mountain air, stunning location and dedication to doing it right resonates with many people. We want to thank Bill McDougal and the rest of the Southern Living and MyHomeIdeas.com, Steve Chambliss, our outstanding interior designer and Haven Custom Homes for making this dream a reality for us and for the winner Penny Hawkes.

Meet Penny Hawkes, the lucky winner of our Choose Your Home Giveaway Sweepstakes.

Sara Essex, Article by Cathy Still Johnson // southernliving.com

Penny Hawkes received the best 50th birthday present ever. (Officially, it’s August 24th.) Winner of the MyHomeIdeas.com and Southern Living Choose Your Home Giveaway, this lucky entrant chose the Whisper Mountain’s Whisper Creek Cottage for herself, her husband, Ken, and their family to enjoy. Now residents of LaPlace, Louisiana, the Hawkes family has ties to the mountains and are finally getting a chance to come home. “I was born in Huntersville, and Ken and I met when we were both working in Charlotte. Their careers took them to California and then to Louisiana, but Penny says, “We always said we would retire to North Carolina.”

Big Win

Persistence paid off for Penny Hawkes. This devoted winner visited MyHomeIdeas.com and SouthernLiving.com every single day to enter the Choose Your Home Giveaway Sweepstakes. With more than 5,400,000 entries, her name was the first pulled from the hat. “The Whisper Creek Cottage was the only house I entered for,” Penny says. “I called my friend, Arlene, and told her to enter too. I said, ‘Someone’s got to win, and it should be us,’ never imagining that it would really be me. I’ve never won anything in my life.”

There’s No Place Like Home

Jean Allsopp, Article by Cathy Still Johnson // southernliving.com

The mountains have always held a special place in Penny’s heart. She’s from there, after all. Though she’s running LaPlace Optical, a thriving eye care business in LaPlace, Louisiana, she’s anxious to make an escape as soon as possible to meet her new home. Her parents, North Carolina residents, are equally excited that the Hawkeses’ dream of retiring to their home state will come to fruition. “When I found out I won, I called my mom and told her I was coming home,” Penny says.

Welcome Home

The mountaintop community of Whisper Mountain covers more than 270 acres in one of the most beautiful and culturally diverse areas of the South. Just 17 miles outside of Asheville, North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Mountains have long been a go-to for outdoors enthusiasts and those who just need a cool, breezy retreat.

On the property, Penny and her family will find creeks, meadows, trails, and panoramas of the mountains and valleys below. The center of the community, Sky Valley Lodge, will serve as an extended gathering spot for the Hawkes family with its spacious decks and cozy gathering area around a stacked stone fireplace. ” I hope to make it up in time to celebrate my birthday,” Penny says. “And after that, I plan to spend as much time there as I can.”

Oh, the Places She’ll Go!

Joe DeSciose, Article by Cathy Still Johnson // southernliving.com

With close proximity to Asheville, Penny and her family will have the best of both worlds: a private mountain getaway and a city center brimming with culinary delights and a thriving arts and music scene.

She’s likely to embrace local favorites such as Tupelo Honey Café, beloved for its shrimp and grits and pecan crusted chicken, Biltmore House and Biltmore Village, America’s largest home and adjacent shopping area, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, a LEED-certified building with interactive maps of the area’s sights and activities. “I’ve been to Asheville a couple of times, but I’ve never gotten to spend a lot of time there. It will be fun to get to know the city better,” Penny says.

A Great Getaway

Charmed by the house and its location, Penny says, “It looks like a little cabin in the woods.” She’ll find out soon that the house is just that―set over a creek with spectacular mountain views. Perfect for a family getaway or just relaxing on the porches, Penny and her family may find themselves relocating sooner rather than later.

Jean Allsopp, Article by Cathy Still Johnson // southernliving.com

Back to Her Roots

Designed in the mountain Arts-and-Crafts style, Penny’s new home is made of natural materials pulled from the site. Poplar bark dresses the facade, and the ceiling of the master bedroom. Locust tree columns support the front porch, rhododendron branches form porch railings, and salvaged barn roofing give that timeworn appeal that adds to the home’s indigenous look. And because it’s a North Carolina HealthyBuilt home, it’s just as environmentally friendly as it looks. “I love that they used recycled things and composite siding,” says Penny. “I didn’t want a house that would require a lot of upkeep.”

Family Gatherings

Jean Allsopp, Article by Cathy Still Johnson // southernliving.com

“My daughter, Hannah, was in Gatlinburg when I got the call that I had won,” Penny says. “Everyone there said they were already planning Thanksgiving at Whisper Creek.

“I’m so excited about the kitchen,” says Penny. Part of the modular home system delivered to the site, the kitchen features cabinetry that wraps around one side of the great room. A granite-topped island will suit casual meals for Penny’s family―or serve as the Thanksgiving buffet.

“I love the area, and I love my family. We usually make it to the mountains two or three times a year, but now, we can all spend more time together,” Penny says.

Just Relax

Inspired by the architecture of homes throughout the mountains of Western North Carolina, Whisper Creek Cottage blends well into the history of this region. With shakes and lap siding accented by a stone chimney and Craftsman details, the house is very much at home in the Whisper Mountain community. “I can’t wait to be able to sit in the chairs on the porch and relax,” Penny says.

Private Retreat

Impressed by the master bathroom, Penny is looking forward to checking out the walk-in shower. “It looks awesome!” says Penny. The tiled shower was delivered intact as part of the modular home system―and it has an eye-level window with a view.

»» Take a virtual tour of the bathroom on southernliving.com

Out and About

“I look forward to being able to get out and walk on the trails,” Penny says. “I can’t wait to watch my grandson running around out here. Whisper Mountain looks like a great place to just get away. My brother and sister-in-law live nearby, so they got a chance to see it. She said that it is to die for!”

Guest List

“More than likely, someone will always be there,” Penny says. Her parents have joked that they’re going to sell their house in nearby Huntersville and move in. Does she have a sign-up list yet for guests? “Not now,” says Penny, “but I am sure I will be getting a lot of calls after this is released.”

Whisper Creek House Plan

You can have your own version of our winning house by purchasing the plans for the 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home.

»» See the house plan on southernliving.com

Some of the 25 graduates of the class of 1945 have been gathering consistently since their 44th reunion held in Mars Hill. Their 50th was held at the Deer Park Restaurant on the Biltmore Estate, and their 52nd through 62nd were held at Mr. Jarrett’s picnic area on his property in Leicester. The switch to Whisper Mountain, past the log cabins that form the Welcome Center and Poplar Ridge House, seemed to be a return to earlier times, to a time these octogenarians remember from their childhood here in the mountains.

Mr. Jarrett recalled walking with his father past several vacated log cabins off of Little Pine and listening to his father tell him, “You remember this… all of the empty log cabins we have passed… I won’t live to see it, but you will see people come back to the mountains.” Forrest was gone from the mountains about 40 years and now points to Whisper Mountain and says, “It’s true!”

Mrs. Sprinkle, who retired from teaching in 1992 reminisced about how things have changed in the mountains. She observed that all of the local towns had their own schools, and travel from one town to another was not easy over dirt roads. Children walked to school and everyone seemed to know everyone else. Forrest Jarrett noted changes as well, adding that during World War II, many families left the mountains to find work in Baltimore and Norfolk in the shipyards and airplane factories. Some returned, but many did not since industry in Asheville was limited. According to Jarrett, the auto industry of Detroit offered more possibilities for employment and many families never returned to the mountains after the war. Mary Sprinkle added that by 1974 many of the area high schools had merged because of a declining population, and observed “that the character of the mountains communities seemed to change without their own schools.”

What hasn’t changed is the resilience and strength of the people who have remained in Madison County. Mrs. Sprinkle quoted the inscription above the elevators of the Buncombe County Courthouse, “Men to Match our Mountains,” and observed that it was true even today.

These two institutions of higher education are leading the way in continuing education in the area, but they are by no means the only schools actively serving the continuing education population. Mars Hill College, AB Tech, and Penland School of Crafts also offer continuing education. Working professionals are in need of continuing education and many retired professionals need continued training to take part fully in the workplace and community service, or simply enhance their knowledge or skill in an area of interest. There are plenty of options for adult learners in the Asheville area to do just that.

University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA)

UNC-Asheville is one of the sixteen schools in University of North Carolina system and it is the only one dedicated solely to the liberal arts. UNCA began as an institution that prioritized the humanities and has flourished into one of the top liberal arts schools in the country. UNCA has also established a North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement (NCCCR) where adult learners can pay an annual membership fee of $40  and receive access to university resources such as the library, and classes. NCCCR members take classes in a variety of useful subjects that can enhance professional skills, nurture creative talents, and allow study in areas where more knowledge is desired such as: computer software, finance, art, and photography.

Mars Hill College

Mars Hill College is a Baptist institution of higher education located in the town of Mars Hill. Adult Access at Mars Hill College is a program that caters specifically to the needs of professional adults. Mars Hill College offers classes in the evening in the areas of business management, teacher and special education, social work and teaching English as a second language. Academically and intellectually gifted and reading classes area also available. Some classes are also available online, on the Moodle platform, and at satellite classrooms in Asheville, Burnsville, Hendersonville, Marion, and Waynesville.

Warren Wilson

Warren Wilson College inherited a distinguished program called the MFA for Writers from Goddard College,  that is designed for the professional adult learner. This low residency program is taught during summer and winter academic breaks so that active professionals can take part. The highly distinguished faculty and students have made the program what it is today, one of the top MFA programs in the nation.

Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College (AB Tech)

AB Tech is located in Asheville and surrounding locations and works especially hard to meet the needs of working professionals seeking continuing education opportunities. Through its close association with the Small Business Incubator and Small Business Center,  AB Tech offers a variety of choices of continuing education classes for the business professional. Many classes are taught at night or on Saturdays. Class topics range from “Marketing Your Business for Success” to “Accounting for Non-Accountants” and “How to Value a Business”. Most classes cost $75-175. The Small Business Incubator is one of the few programs like it in the country, and is housed at the AB Tech Enka/Candler campus, just west of Asheville.

Penland School of Crafts

One of the world’s most highly acclaimed school of crafts is located just outside Burnsville, North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Penland School of Craft’s mission is “individual and artistic growth through craft”. It supports this with one to eight-week workshops in a variety of craft mediums, artist residencies, and a top-notch gallery that exhibits the best in student and faculty work, and other craft artists. A complete updated list of classes is available on their website.

Green, Sustainable Mexican Delights at French Broad Taqueria

The French Broad Taqueria in Marshall, NC offers a delicious local approach to traditional and vegetarian Mexican dishes. The Taqueria purchases local and organic produce whenever possible including kale, spinach and lettuce from local framers like the Rice Family Farm, Philosophy Farm and Dry Pond Farm. Co-owner Amy Newton says local farmers keep her up to date about what produce they have available and The Taqueria takes advantage of the local tailgate markets as often as possible.

Newton is currently studying Sustainable Community Development, with a focus on sustainable food systems therefore, creating a model of sustainability in the restaurant’s daily operations is a major goal. The Taqueria recycles as much as possible. They compost kitchen scraps through an employee, compost vegetarian cooked food scraps through a local bakery that uses them to feed pigs and fryer oil waste is removed by a local bio-fuel producer.

The Taqueria also uses eco-friendly take out packaging and continuously explores local meats. Currently their most popular menu item is the fish taco made with Sunburst Farms trout, a local fish producer. They also offer hormone-free and humanely raised chicken and pork (for the chorizo).

Eco-Friendly, Sustainable Business at The Bridge Street Cafe & Inn

The Bridge Street Cafe and Inn in Hot Springs, NC is an excellent dining choice when you are in Hot Springs, NC. Located on the first floor of a restored 1920’s building on historic Main Street, Bridge Street Cafe provides an elegant yet earthy experience of Italian and Mediterranean flavors. Stop in and taste their Zucchini Parmigiana, made with locally grown zucchini or the hormone free Grilled NY Strip topped with caramelized red onions and accompanied by smoked gouda, mashed potatoes and lemon asparagus.

Sustainable, Green Initiatives

The restaurant has also taken a multiple green initiatives to promote earth-friendly and sustainable business.

1. Preparing food with fresh, locally-grown organic vegetables, organic flours and grains, and hormone and antibiotic free meats.

2. The use of cloth napkins instead of paper and recycled paper products.

3. A dishwasher model that conserves water by using rinse water from one cycle as the wash water for the next cycle, reducing per-wash water usage by 75%.

4. The use of eco-friendly cleaning supplies, environmentally safe paints.

5. Composting food waste to minimize landfill usage.

6. All oil used in the kitchen is recycled and used in local bio-diesel engines.

Bridge Street Cafe also has future plans that include building a bio roof, purchasing energy efficient water heaters, using solar power, buying energy efficient washers, supporting the One Laptop Per Child Program through an Internet program for Cafe guests and sponsorship of a community based Clean Up Hot Springs Day.

Zuma Coffee: Building Sustainable Communities in WNC

If you are looking for a quick bite and a great cup of coffee stop at Zuma coffee in Marshall, North Carolina where you’ll find a delicious selection of fair trade and organic coffees, as well as what co-owner Joel Friedman calls “creative, healthy comfort food”. For six and a half years owners Joel Friedman and Lesley King have cultivated a warm, inviting atmosphere that celebrates mountain heritage.

In addition to fresh baked goods and yummy lunch sandwiches made with high quality, local ingredients Zuma has become a popular local music venues. Residents and visitors can take part in the Friday night open mics, see local musicians on the weekend or come to the long standing Thursday night bluegrass jam. Stop by and give their signature Chipotle Turkey Wrap a try or visit their website to find out more about upcoming events like the monthly French Broad Friday celebrations.

Mission is Known in Western North Carolina and Beyond

Mission Hospital is not just known in Western North Carolina, but is nationally recognized. The Heart Services department of Mission was voted one of the Top 100 best heart hospitals in the nation in 2007 by Thomson. This distinguished award was given to Mission Hospital’s Heart Services for overall outcomes for congestive heart failure, heart attacks, bypass surgery, angioplasties, and other coronary problems.

Mission Hospital Orthopedics: Best in the North Carolina Mountains

Mission is a widely renowned health care leader in Orthopedics as well. In 2006, U.S. News and World Report selected Mission Hospital as one of the top 50 Orthopedics hospitals. Many factors were taken into consideration, including death rates, Medicare discharges, complex procedures, number of nurses to patients, technology, and quality of care. The orthopedic nurses and physician staff agreed that teamwork had a great deal to do with the U.S. News and World Report ranking.

Patients treated at Mission Hospital remark on the quality of care, the professionalism of staff, and the facilities. In addition, there are a multitude of other health care resources surrounding the Mission Hospital district in Asheville, including dentists, women’s health care, chiropractors, dermatologists, cancer treatment, and more.

Asheville North Carolina: A Health Care Hub

Because Asheville is one of the largest cities in the Western North Carolina area, it is a hub for health care services. Many who live in the rural mountain communities surrounding Asheville rely upon Mission Hospital for high quality health care.

Southern Living Green Idea House Proceeds Benefit Mission Children’s Hospital

Whisper Mountain has a special relationship with Mission Hospital. From June 21 to October 12, 2008 the Southern Living Green Idea House will be open to the public for interpretive tours. The admission fee will be $5. A portion of the proceeds from the Green Idea House tour will be donated to Mission Children’s Hospital . Fifty percent of the proceeds from the Green Idea House will benefit children in need of health care. Volunteers from the Mission Hospital Foundation will greet visitors at the Green Idea House while it is open to the public.

The Southern Living Green Idea House  demonstrates home energy conservation. Solar panels, radiant heated floors, and a gray water system are some of the elements of green building technology that went into the Idea House. The three-bedroom 4 bath Green Idea House includes a separate barn with a two-car garage and a guesthouse. Southern architecture, interior design, and landscaping techniques are all incorporated into the Green Idea house.

Whisper Mountain Provides a Heli-Pad for Medical Emergencies

There are times when every second counts, and that’s during a medical emergency. Whisper Mountain has a heli-pad available for community use, should someone need immediate assistance. Once the helicopter is dispatched and airborne, the trip to Mission Hospital takes about 7-8 minutes by air.

The heli-pad is a great addition to Whisper Mountain because it provides peace of mind to residents and their guests. If a medical emergency should arise, the community has the heli-pad in place for faster transfer to one of the nation’s leading healthcare facilities.
In fact, Mission Hospital just did a survey among new residents and having emergency air transport was high on everyone’s list. Mission Hospital offers a service called MAMA – Mountain Area Medical Airlift.