Rutherford Weekly - Shelby NC
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1500481
Thursday, June 1-June 7, 2023 www.rutherfordweekly.com 828-248-1408 Rutherford Weekly - Page 5 Article & Photos Provided By: Pat Nanney The splash pads at POPS in Forest City opened on Memorial Day and attracted some youngsters anxious to enjoy playing in the water. The splash pads are open daily from 10am until 9pm. See What's Brewing Nothing goes better with your morning coffee than your local weekly paper. 157 West Main St., Forest City 157 West Main St., Forest City 828-248-1408 828-248-1408 www.rutherfordweekly.com www.rutherfordweekly.com WEEKLY RUTHERFORD A former Charlotte resident and an overseas h o r i t c u l t u r e / a g r i c u l t u r e volunteer and teacher is Rutherford County's new horticulture agent. Laura Ponder joined the NC Cooperative Extension Center in Spindale earlier this year and is on the way to gardening in Rutherford County. She grew up in Charlotte and received her horticulture degree from North Carolina State University (NCSU). Before settling in Rutherford County in 2020, Laura and her family lived in California, four different African countries and two European countries. She has almost lived and gardened in any micro-climate or soil type you can think of. Most of her professional life has been spent in residential landscape design, ornamental plant nurseries and teaching horticulture. After college at NCSU, Laura said she got her fi rst passport. "My fi rst two chances to go overseas were by volunteering: a year in Switzerland in a formal garden at a seminary, then six months in Sierra Leone teaching agriculture at a secondary school," Laura said. While volunteering in Sierra Leone, she met her husband who was also volunteering there as a water engineer. "So the rest of my years living abroad were through his job as a water engineer: Eritrea, England, Botswana, Mauritius, California and now Rutherford County," Laura said. All along the way, Laura has been a landscape designer and horticulture teacher, most recently at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock. The couple came to Rutherford County to be closer to her family in Charlotte. "We stumbled on a beautiful property here with a nice mix of open fi eld and woods bordering a creek. I love being part of the NC State Extension offi ce and working with homeowners to solve their garden and landscape issues. We are just gearing up for the busy season," Laura said. Laura's current position serves all Rutherford Countians who garden and grow: everything from houseplants to ornamental trees to fruits and vegetables for home or local markets. She will be responsible for training all of Rutherford County's new Extension Master Gardener Volunteers each year and overseeing the community programs they are involved. For questions about growing, planting or planning your small farm, garden or landscape, or want to know about becoming an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer, reach out to Ponder at 828- 287-6015 or lponder@ncsu. edu Article Provided By: Jean Gordon Laura Ponder New horticulture agent has extensive gardening experience; will also work with Master Gardeners y Rutherford Weekly Sudoku Answers Rutherford Weekly Sudoku June marks the offi cial start of summer in the northern hemisphere, and it's the month when summer vacation begins for millions of schoolchildren. Those two things make the month of June especially popular in many households. But June is about more than summer and the end of the school year. The following are fi ve fun facts about the beloved month of June that anyone can use as a great ice breaker at backyard barbecues this summer. 1. June is named after Juno, the Roman goddess of childbirth and fertility. 2. The day with the potentially longest hours of sunlight of any day all year is in June. When the sun is out on the summer solstice, which marks the offi cial start of summer and in 2023 is celebrated on Wednesday, June 21, people in the northern hemisphere can anticipate more hours of sunlight than any other day during the calendar year. 3. According to the American Gem Society, June is one of only two months that is associated with three birthstones: alexandrite, moonstone and pearl. Pearls are especially unique among gemstones, as they are the only ones made by living creatures. 4. In both common and leap years, no other month begins on the same day of the week as June. 5. New York Yankee Lou Gehrig began his streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive games on June 1, 1925. The streak ended on April 20, 1939. Gehrig held the record for consecutive games played until Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken, Jr., surpassed the man known as "The Iron Horse" on September 6, 1995. 5 fun facts about the month of June