Decorating for Christmas

Mark your calendars for A Very Opry Christmas - RAIN - SNOW - or SHINE

3:00 Music begins & continues all day

3:00 Concessions open; Vendors & Bonfire

4:00 - 6:00 Santa and Mrs. Claus

4:00 SMMHS Chorus

4:45 Marian Wagner

5:30 Connor & Trevor bluegrass

6:15 Christmas Tree lighting

6:30 Mt. Cove Bluegrass Band

7:00 Gingerbread House winners

7:30 Jam Session - open mic

7:30 Door Prize Drawing

      Vice president, Carolyn Longphre, and President Karen Stone, place lighted figures and candy canes to help visitors navigate the grounds after dark. 

      A Very Opry Christmas begins at 3:00 with music continuing all evening, At about 7:30 you can enjoy open mic jam sessions.

      The Christmas tree will be lighted near dusk at about 6:15. Be sure to visit the vendors at the Pavilion.

      Margha Davis, Angela Cassidy and Michele McNeill decorate the Women's Building where Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit with the children 4 - 6 PM,.

      Inside Lolly Durant will offer her popular marbling. Kids can make art creations to post on her gallery wall. See the Gingerbread houses and vote for your favorite. Visit the toy store, Swing Through Time too.

      ENTER the Gingerbread House Baking Contest. Deadline is 3:00 PM. Saturday, December. 11, at the Women's Building. Winners determined by votes of visitors.

1. Kids up to age 14

2. Bake from scratch of from a kit

3. Edible ingredients only - no toothpicks, wire, cardboard, plastic, etc.

4. Bring your entry to the Walden's Ridge Civic League before 3:00 PM Dec. 11.

5. Questions? Carolyn Longphre 423

      Roxie Thornton, board member and Decorations Chairman, can assist you when you bring your Gingerbread House entry. Please take your house to the Women's Building, which is the small building near the pavilion and Vendors. 

     Someone will be there to assist you, or look for Mrs. Thornton in the Concession area where she will be helping prepare delicious food for our guests.

Gingerbread House RULES

1. Kids up to age 14

2. Bake from scratch or use a kit

3. Edible ingredients only - no toothpicks, wire, cardboard, plastic, etc..

4. Deadline 3:00 PM December 11

5. Questions 423-315-3405 or waldensridgecivicleague@gmail.com

6. Prizes from Mt. Top Toys: 1st, 2nd, 3rd awarded at 7:00 PM

7. Winners determined by the number of votes by those present at A Very Opry Christmas

      Gwen Brimer decorates the side porch with silver and blue to attract the musicians who access the stage by using the ramp for their instruments. 

For A Very Opry Christmas, this door also offers a direct route to the concession stand where sandwiches, chips, popcorn, drinks and more will be available for purchase. 

      Restrooms are located just inside the door from the hallway on the left

    The little Christmas tree as it looked last year in anticipation of lighting at the Hanging of the Greens Festival. Though is is still only a little over 5 feet tall, it is anticipated to reach as much as 30 feet at maturity.

       At A Very Opry Christmas on Saturday, December 11,  the tree will be lighted at about 6:15, just after the sun goes down.

      Volunteers begin decorating the Walden's Ridge Civic League for the season. A Very Opry Christmas will be Saturday, December 11 beginning at 3:00 PM

      Music starts at 3:00 PM. The Concession Stand will open then. Visit with Santa from 4-6. Vote on the Gingerbread Houses in the Women's Building. Shop with Vendors. Make S'mores at a safe, small fire pit. and warm your hands at the Bonfire.

      The Walden's Ridge Civic League is cooperating with Mayor Lee Davis in promoting and picturing Walden's Civic Organizations and Homes decorated for fall. We are delighted to include our open doors and invite you to visit. 

      GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING is Thursday, October 21, at 7:00 PM in the Auditorium. If you are not yet a member, you can join then.  Members will elect officers at the 

      Board member Andy Brockman teaches John Stone the safe way to work with a log splitter as they clear the parking lot in anticipation of a big crowd attending A Very Opry Christmas. 

    A Bonfire, WRES truck, and vendors will be in the front parking area. The live Christmas tree is growing in the adjacent garden. To park, enter from Fairmount Pike at the sign. By courtesy of Wayside Presbyter

      Improving the grounds is a priority. Volunteer David Dolan had dead and unwanted trees cut. They were removed to improve safety and parking.

      Here Paul Stone cuts the limbs, while his son, John, loads the log splitter, and Larry Mick carries brush to the burn pile. The wood will be used in the bonfire at A Very Opry Christmas

      Soccer players are back on the field, and we are happy to see them. Here is our  policy regarding the field and other outdoor facilities:   

  1. WRCL considers the field, playground, and pavilion a community resource. As such the facilities are to be first come, first serve to all residents of Walden's Ridge. 

  2. WRCL does not desire regularly scheduled organized sporting events that would 

      Kids and parents are welcome to use the playground equipment, picnic tables and new horseshoe pit on a first-come first-served basis. 

      The horseshoe pit is at the west edge of the property near the white concrete block building. Please help keep all equipment in good condition.

      If you would like to participate in a Work Day or to help in some other way,  please drop us a line walde

      On Friday nights folks gather to play and hear Old-Time Music. This group is assembled outside near the Pavilion. There is no charge to participate or to listen.

      Old-Time Music is distinguished from Bluegrass in that old-time musicians play tunes together continuously as suitable for dancing. With Bluegrass, individual players will take a turn in what is called a "break.' At the break, 

      Miss Pierson Brown is working on a summer project for the Guggenheim Museum in New York. She came to the Walden's Ridge Civic League to interview and record a conversation about Bluegrass Music, which the museum considers an American treasure worth preserving.

      The result will be a 10 minute podcast on how live music and community centers preserve Appalachian history.  The final product 

      Three different signs were on display over the stage at the Walden's Ridge Civic League recently. The top sign was reinstalled after it was found in the basement where it had been stored for many years. The center banner was hung for the first NEW Mountain Opry performances in June. At the bottom, is a welcome to the students who attended Stem Camp at the Civic League.

      On the third Sunday of the month, the South-Eastern Bluegrass Association meets in the Walden's Ridge Civic League auditorium. Here a group of SEBA members jam together on stage. Pictured on the left are Peggy Douglas, and on the right, Steve Daugherty, President of the organization. 

      Carolyn Longphre helps a customer while Hilda Horton serves coffee at the Walden's Ridge Civic League concession area. If you look closely, you can see the musicians on stage flooded with blue lights. 

      Mountain Opry performances return the 4th Saturday of the month through October. Come prepared for a good time and good food at the concession stand.

      Players on stage at the Walden's Ridge Civic League on June 19th.

      The NEW Mt. Opry was welcomed to present programs on July 24, August 28, September 25, and October 23.

      A donation of $5.00 or more is requested at the door.

      A kind friend built a new horseshoe pit in time for the Birthday Bash celebration. Here he levels the ground before constructing the wooden rails for the first sand pit and adding the stake. The horseshoe pit is beside the white concrete block building known as the "highway patrol building." We hope many of our visitors will enjoy pitching horse shoes, and we hope you will help monitor the p

      To celebrate Independence Day, the Board of Directors of the Walden's Ridge Civic League decorated a truck and participated in the Signal Mountain parade. Here Andy Brockman drives with Cole Petty beside him, as Roxie Thornton, Carolyn Longphre, Hunter Petty, Karen Stone and Hilda Horton ride to the line up point. 

      The parade is an example of the traditional and new activities that ever

      The parade in Signal Mountian left at 9:00 from Alexian Village on Signal Moutain Boulevard. Here the Walden's Ridge Civic League entry travels along the parade route with many spectators enjoying the candy and other treats our group threw to them.

      Participating in the parade is one of the fun activities the Board of Directors enjoys as we reintroduce the Civic League to all the residen

      At the Birthday Bash on June 26th, there were  places designated for "pickers" to play together. Here several gather under a banner that indicates the NEW Mountain Opry will be sponsoring performers on the Auditorium stage on the 4th Saturday nights of the coming months.

      Plan to come on July 24, August 28, September 25, and October 23. The music starts at 6:00 PM. A donation of at least

     David Dolan directs one of the vehicles of our visitors. We now are able to offer many spaces in our newly expanded parking areas. Thanks to the Wayside Presbyterian Church and their kind cooperation is sharing their parking lots. We are proud and grateful for our good relationship with the church.
Boy Scouts from Troop 116 assisted to keep our visitors safe by guiding drivers and helping 

      Birthday cake and ice cream were a big hit at the Birthday Bash. Here Kristy Sanders arranges some of the 200 cupcakes she baked. She is placing them in a pattern that forms the numeral 100 to reflect the centennial anniversary. 

    Helium filled balloons were also very popular, and children lined up for them while their parents registered at the next table. If you did not add your name to t

     To her left and behind Rita Smith Irvin is the table where she exhibits bits of history about the Auditorium and the Civic League. Joining her are Brenda Harker, standing, with John Wynne and Ray Fox, seated. Dr. Fox is one of the founders of the original Mountain Opry, which performed every Friday night in the Auditorium for over 40 years. 

      The New Mt. Opry is now bringing music to the 

      The audience enjoys Bluegrass plus Ragtime and Blues Music at the Birthday Bash June 26. Here

      Some arrived as early as 4:00 to get a front row seat for the music performance that started at 5:00. Even a brief rain shower did not deter them. They simply tipped their chairs over so the droplets would not collect and went into the Auditorium. In a few minutes they were able to resume their seats and the music began.

      The Devil Makes Three was first up on the agenda. Originally billed as Just US Gals, a last minute health emergency necessitated a change, and the Master of Ceremonies, Steve Daugherty, stepped in to play with Peggy Douglas and  Marilyn Rippond. "The show must go on!"

      Steve is President of the Southeast Bluegrass Association, which meets every third Sunday afternoon in the Civic League 

      The soccer field makes a great place for children to play, and they had wonderful things to play with. We owe many thanks to the generous participation of Mountain Top Toys who provided many of the fun games and activities.

      Parents were pleased that they could safely leave their children with Roxy Thornton who took responsibility for them while the adults visited the vendor area or stoo

      Among the activities enjoyed by big and little, was the hay wagon pulled by Andy Brockman. Even small children could ride safely in the low cart with high sides. The trip took them down Lyness and back. The hay wagon was very popular and was full for every trip from 5:00 PM till dusk.

      Some members of the Walden's Ridge Civic League will be riding in the hay wagon to celebrate in the Sig

      Have you ever seen dancers using a light-as-a-feather parachute in a performance? Tossing it in the air and running, jumping and dancing underneath is a great experience. Here a little girl learns all about it from her mom and dad. Lots of kids and adults enjoyed using the colorful fabric in creative ways and experiencing something new. Thank you to dancer Elizabeth Longphre for providing th

      Children were not the only ones who wanted to pet Molly, the pony. Hilda Horton and Molly walked to the Walden's Ridge Civic League from their home about a mile away. Molly seemed to enjoy the reward of good grass, and she was very friendly and gentle with all those who visited her - even a few dogs. 

      Molly raised funds to help the Walden's Ridge Civic League by donating her shoes that 

      When the Walden's Ridge Civic League Auditorium was built 100 years ago, the residents of the mountain saw  few cars. A family was very fortunate to own one, and many relied on a mule or a horse for transportation. Roads were  made of dirt, and early members of the Civic League worked hard to improve them.

      Charles Adams generously agreed to display his beautifully restored 1934 Studebak

      There were 12 vendors who set up booths selling all sorts of beautiful, useful and interesting things. One of the vendors who attracted the most attention was 11-year-old Tristan Sanders, The Travelling Swordsman. 

      He offered long and short wooden swords for children, and leather bound journals for everyone. His booth was a big attraction, and he sold most of his wares. Kids enjoyed pla

      There was a place for everyone to enjoy the party - from kids on the slide and swings to adults propping their feet up to enjoy a cool drink. The grounds were manicured by volunteers, and looked great. The Auditorium was open for folks to explore.
      A new regulation sized horseshoe pit was recently constructed in the southwest corner near the white building. Come and try it out. The soc

Many people brought their own picnic baskets, blankets and chairs. Here they spread out in the shade of one of the big oak trees. Across the field the tents of vendors can be seen. Over 300 people enjoyed the afternoon and  evening together.

Close to the Auditorium is a good vantage point to see the bands and greet passing friends. In the middle is Charles Adams' 1934 Studebaker on display. In the background the tantalizing smoke rises from the grills where members of New Beginnings Baptist Church are cooking hamburgers and hotdogs. All are within an easy stroll from one to the other.

    YAY! Summer is here and everyone is ready to get outside and explore! In STEM camp you will have the time of your life building rockets, making slime, experimenting with water and MUCH MORE! 

    Monday-Thursday from 9am-noon, July 19-22. Snacks will be provided. The cost is $175 per session (10% sibling discount) with all materials and experiments included. Sessions . Jennifer Cisto 423

     These fine paint-spattered boys, Blevin Johnson,  Hutton Whatley, Sanders Turley and William Cross  recently painted the soccer goals behind the Walden's Ridge Civic League, with help from Lloyd and Henley Turley.
     The Town of Walden is paying for new soccer nets to be installed soon. The field, walking track, swings, slide, and covered pavilion are all available for use by everyone, on

      On May 21, the students of Signal Mountain Christian School held their Field Day at the Walden's Ridge Civic League. All sorts of games allowed the members of the Blue, White and Green Teams to complete and show off their talents. 

      Especially exciting were the races around the track. Many of the games were more for fun that for demonstrating skills. In the pictures at right, kids are pa