The Badin Villager is a free monthly newsletter available on the first of the month at the Badin Post Office, the Badin Town Hall, the Badin Library and West Badin Community Center. It is also published online at www.visitbadin.com. For more information contact info@visitbadin.com

With Badin’s centennial less than a year to go, ideas are flying for ways to celebrate. Badin Museum, Better Badin, the Town of Badin, Badin Inn and other businesses and private citizens are meeting on a regular basis, and there is no shortage of suggestions for a variety of year-long events.

“We are short of volunteers to make these events happen, though,” says Museum Chairman, David Summerlin. “To put on the 10 events we hope to have, we need lots of help from the local citizenry.”

The several events scheduled on a regular basis every year will take place as usual. These include the Best of Badin Festival, the Triathlon and the Poor Man’s Supper. The latter will become a big birthday bash complete with cake and 100 candles.

Added events will possibly include a parade and pageant, 4th of July Fireworks, a West Badin old time camp meeting, a BBQ cook-off, and an Indian pow-wow celebrating the Indian tribes of the Hardaway Site.

Summerlin and John Westbrook are busy creating a History of Badin book With written history and archival photographs, the book will tell the story of Badin from the partial construction of the Whitney Dam until the present day. With 150 to 200 pages, the hardback book will be clothed in silver aluminum appropriate for an aluminum company town.

During the year, special banners will fly from lamp posts around town. The banner design is being created and donations are being accepted. Thirty banners are needed at a cost of $100 apiece. Any sum will be accepted to go towards that cost.

Badin Museum, Better Badin and the Town of Badin hope to see enthusiasm and participation from all the citizens of this small but historically unique town as it celebrates an eventful 100 years.

Meetings are being held on a regular basis. Check with the Town Hall for place, dates and times.

The Badin Inn is now serving Sunday Brunch. The restaurant is open to the public and from 11am to 2pm every Sunday you can feast on a variety of omelets, French Toast, Steak and Eggs and more.

The Chocolate Festival is still planned, but the date has been changed to March 9 through 11, 2012. Stay tuned, all you chocoholics.

Plan a romantic evening at the Inn on Valentine’s Day with special menus and libations.

The annual Better Badin Poor Man’s Supper is planned for Saturday, February 18, 2012 from 4 pm to 7 pm at the Badin Firehouse. Don’t miss this great supper for a worthy cause. Donations are accepted at the door.

More food news: Steve’s Pizza and Subs has reopened on the corner of Falls and Walnut Streets. Hours are Monday through Wednesday, 11am to 7pm and Thursday through Saturday from 11am to 8pm.      Steve’s will be closed on Sundays.

And more good food news: The Dough Bro Bistro on Falls Road will soon reopen under new management. Stay tuned.

Donna Johnson’s Great Looks Hair Salon on Falls Road now offers full nail services. Susan Palmer is board certified and licensed and offers manicures and pedicures. Now is the time to get those feet in shape for summer sandals, Make an appointment or just walk in. Hours for the Salon are Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm, Wednesday from 10 am to 5 pm, Thursday from 10 am to 6 pm and Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. The Salon is closed Saturday through Monday.

Gill’s Tackle and Taxidermy on Falls Road, next to the Badin Town Hall, is now open Monday through Saturday. Owner James Gill, a Badin native, plans to expand his tackle business the better to serve local fishermen.

“Until now, folks have had to drive all the way to Albemarle for their fishing supplies,” he says. “New display counters and new supplies are in the works. Stop by and check us out.”

The Badin Villager is a free monthly newsletter available on the first of the month at the Badin Post Office, the Badin Town Hall, the Badin Library and West Badin Community Center. It is also published online at www.visitbadin.com. For more information contact info@visitbadin.com

The Badin newsletter has a long history, stretching back nearly a century. The first recorded publication was in 1915, but the regular monthly publication began in 1918 with the Badin Bulletin.

Alcoa put out these informative newsletters for the community until 1996.

In 2003, the Badin town manager, Scott Slatton decided the town needed to resume its monthly publication, citing the need for a way to inform the community about local events.

When Slatton moved on to bigger and better opportunities, the town council agreed to continue the Badin Bulletin with Bridget Huckabee as writer, editor and photographer of the one-page sheet.

In 2008, the Badin Inn sponsored a 4-page, full color edition of the newly-named Badin Villager with Huckabee continuing as editor. Unfortunately, the publication proved too costly and the newsletter was discontinued.

In 2010, 2 local citizens were instrumental in ensuring the Badin Villager resumed its monthly edition of local news and it became, once again, a one-page newsletter currently sponsored by the Town of Badin and the Badin Inn.

Thank you to all who make my job as the Badin Villager editor a pleasure. Special thanks to the Town Hall staff for their patience, editing and fact-checking skills. Thanks, also to the museum staff for their patience. And many thanks to the readers and their encouraging remarks about this small attempt to provide our community with local news. Happy New Year! Bridget Huckabee, Editor

My hope for 2012 is to see the economic prospects of Badin Business Park become a reality. The Badin Town Council and I will do everything in our power to ensure job opportunities are forthcoming so that our town may prosper and grow. Happy New Year.

Jim Harrison

Mayor, Badin, NC

Let’s start with the festival. Save the date: on February 11 and 12, 2012, when the Badin Inn has big plans for a Chocolate Festival. Some details are still in the works, but there will be chocolate, chocolate and chocolate. From Saturday noon until Saturday evening there will be chocolate exhibitors throughout the public areas of the Inn. Dinner will be optional and will have a chocolate theme as will the Sunday morning buffet breakfast. A package or single ticket will be available and there will be a reception for ticket holders on Friday evening to start off the festival. The event will benefit the Make a Wish Foundation so all you chocoholics can indulge and feel good about it.

Plans are also under way for a Badin After Hours event at the Inn. This will be a social event with drinks and finger food to bring together customers, businesses and residents of the area to socialize and network in a convivial atmosphere.

More plans are in the works for a Murder Mystery evening in April. What better venue than the old Inn with its ghosts of Badin Past.

On a sad note, we must report that Twila’s Thrifts and Gifts is closing.

“I have no regrets,” says Twila. “I want to thank the community of Badin and the many friends I’ve made during my time here.”

Twila was a great asset to the community, helping over 100 families with food and toy drives during the Christmas season. She will be missed. We wish her well in her next endeavor.

We had a preview of The Tree House during the Christmas festival and can’t wait for it to open on a regular basis. Tanning salon, art gallery and gourmet coffee will be offered in the old Roger Thomas Gallery building on Falls Road.

There is much activity inside Steve’s Pizza on the corner of Falls and Pine Streets. This popular café should be open soon and will be a welcome addition to our downtown area.

And don’t forget to stop by The Cottage House. Vanessa has lots of new inventory in stock.