ALDHA’s
Southern work trip
March 21-23, 1997
By “Jester!”
aka Wolff Alterman
Join members of ALDHA, local friends and any early thru-hikers drifting through town on the weekend of March 21-23, 1997, for a worktrip to “The Place,” a revered hiker landmark. For many years, the Damascus Methodist Church has provided a hostel in a house behind the church. Tens of thousands of thru-hikers, weekenders, scouts and section hikers have stayed dry and (in summertime) warm at “The Place.” National Geographic saw fit to feature a photograph of the building in a popular article about the Trail. It's high time we gave something back.
The building is in need of scrubbing and disinfecting, since we can't find a cauldron big enough to boil it in. Walls need to be paneled, painted and puttied; windows reglazed. Old bunks need to be rebuilt, and the old mattresses interred in toxic waste dumps. None of this is the church's responsibility; we're the ones who used the building and made it stinky. If you've ever been in the church, you know it smells and looks really nice. Let's make “The Place” look just as pretty.
No amount of help is too small. We need painters, nail bangers and nail pullers. Disinfecters and disassemblers. Heck, even some disestablishmentarianism would be welcome. Folks with skills in building trades, or access to inexpensive or free materials (“Hey Lois, look what fell of that truck!”) are especially welcome, and will be hosana'd and kow-towed to. No beer on the job site (we are on Methodist Church property) but field trips may be arranged to local Damascus landmarks like Dot's and Quincy's.
A final date has been set (March 21-23), and late March seems to be the best time. We'll have access to running water (the pipes are shut off in winter) and displace the fewest number of hikers. This may even turn into a multiple-weekend project; there's an awful lot of work to do. Plan on bringing tools, noseplugs and a sense of humor. No trains will be sold after the magazines have left the station.
For contributions, info, or knock-knock jokes, contact JESTER! Alterman, 76½ Lanvale Ave., Asheville, NC 28806. Phone: 704-254-4115, or via e-mail: jester@buncombe.main.nc.us
~ Jester!
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