Association Meeting Minutes – November 20, 2015

Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association
Meeting Minutes
Friday, November 20, 2015

The meeting of the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association was held at the Cove Ridge Center on Friday, November 11 at 12 pm. Present at the meeting were Charlie Allen, Mary Allen, Scott Bowen, Grace Bradshaw, Joe Brown, Robert Chapman, Gretchen Cope, Margaret Crouch, Aaron Davis, Larry Fleenor, Joe Fuller, Darinda Hood, Bob McConnell, Wanda McConnell, John Mullen, Joy Mullen, Barbara Reed, Benny Reed, Joan Short, Ron Short, Jim Stallard, and Dale Taylor.

Approval of Minutes from September meeting:
Ron Short moved that the minutes be approved as written. Grace Bradshaw seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

Treasurer’s Summary Report:
Joe Fuller delivered the Treasurer’s Report. A full copy of the report is filed in the Secretary’s archive.

John Mullen moved that the financial report be approved. Ron seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.

Blockhouse Report:
Megan reported that there was an increase of almost 400 in Blockhouse attendance for 2015.

Reports from Partners along the Trail:
Sycamore Shoals:
In the absence of a representative from Sycamore Shoals State Park, Joan announced that Christmas at Carter Mansion was coming up on the first weekend in December and admission would be $5. Old Christmas at the Fort was scheduled for the first Saturday in January.

Southwest Virginia Museum:
Aaron Davis announced the Museum had kickstarted their 20th Annual Festival of the Trees this past weekend. Aaron also announced that their bus tours were going very well, as were their Wise Jams programs.

Wilderness Road:
Scott Bowen reported that the park was going to host Karlan Country Christmas on Fridays and Saturdays beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving and running until the Saturday after Christmas. Other seasonal programs and dinner theaters were also coming up in Winter and early Spring.

Cumberland Gap National Park:
In the absence of a representative from Cumberland Gap, Joan reported that she had spoken with Pam Eddie and the park was very busy and looking forward to their many upcoming programs.

Report from Natural Tunnel:
Robert Chapman reported that the first hunt had already taken place and they had a few more to go. He announced that they already had the footers in place for three of the four new cabins. Robert also announced that they were looking forward to the beginning of their Lighting Programs which were scheduled to start the Friday after Thanksgiving and then take place every Friday and Saturday through January 1st and 2nd, with the exception of the Friday and Saturday after Christmas. The State was also in the final stages of purchasing 100 acres of property that would connect Natural Tunnel to Clinchport.

Report from NTSP Education Specialist:
Megan Krager reported that she was currently in the process of looking for an Americorp worker for the upcoming season. She added that she was working on the Virginia Is For Students Tour as well as all the other upcoming programing.

Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center:
Bob McConnell reported that they were still waiting on new information that they hoped would fit into their budget.

President’s Report:
Frontier Harvest Festival
Joan reported that there were about 250 people that attended the Festival and that most of the visitors seemed very interested.

The Carter Society
Joan then reported that the Carter Society visited the park and Corey, Megan, and Dale met with them at the park and made a stop at the Carter Cabin. The Society was very pleased with their visit and sent a long a letter of thanks that included a portion of a book that was written by a member of the Carter Society that contained quite a bit of information on the Carter Family.

Friends of Boone Trace
Joan, Megan, and Scott recently drove to Berea, KY for a meeting with the Friends of Boone Trace. The organization had applied for a grant that would help them establish the Trace as a National Trail.

The Boone Society
The Boone Society had an upcoming event in which they were planning to ride from Sycamore Shoals to Boonesborough on horseback. They were planning to make stops along the way at Natural Tunnel, Wilderness Road, and possibly a few other locations.

James Boone Massacre Site:
Joan showed a few pictures of what Dr. Fleenor believes to be the site of the James Boone Massacre and passed around copies of maps of the site. She explained that the location was about 3 miles above Wallens Creek Primitive Baptist Church. There was much discussion about which piece of property the site was actually on; it was difficult to tell based on the maps and property lines.

Carter Cabin Christmas Lighting Schedule:
Joan asked everyone in attendance to please let Gretchen know if they are able to host the Carter Cabin during any of the Lighting of the Tunnel events.
Old Business:
There was no old business.

New Business:
There was no new business.

Announcements:
There were no announcements.

Adjournment:
Ron moved to adjourn the meeting. Margaret Crouch seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.