(Pictured above is the lower entrance to Old Yonahlossee Road)

October 30, 2024

State of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games- Now and Forward

I am directing this notice to our Clans, Conveners, Campers, Patrons (all classes) and the attending public.

Hurricane Helene (or Tropical Storm Helene by the time it arrived in Avery County) devastated the North Carolina High Country, both from disastrous flooding and high winds. Our beloved Avery County was hit especially hard, as you have no doubt noted in media reports.

Luckily, the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games came through very fortunately when compared with many in the county. That is not to say we came through unscathed. There is certainly work to be done to allow us to hold our 69th Annual Games July 10-13, 2025, but I want to allay any concerns on the part of the public about our ability to hold our event. We will go on!

Having said that, we do need help to recover and so does our community.

In summary, our impacts are assessed as follows:

We have some trees down at MacRae Meadows and MacRowdy that have to be cut up and removed. We have $10,000 of repair and replacement to the campground electrical system. We have $5000 to $10,000 of road repair at Gate 2 and the entry to the Chieftain parking area.

Most importantly, Old Yonahlossee Road was left impassable for nearly the entire length. Old Yonahlossee Road is the path by which our shuttle buses access MacRae Meadows. The Road is privately owned by others, but we desperately need to contribute financially to the restoration of the road to ensure the restoration is done before next July. The greatest and most expensive damage to the road is from severe washing. In many places Old Yonahlossee is a third of its former width and cannot accommodate school buses.

In recent years, the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games has seen our resources diminished by the costs of no Games in 2020 because of COVID, the tragic death in 2022 associated with the Bear, the cost in 2023 of removing over 90 trees on MacRae Meadows due to fungus and insect attack, and the 2024 failure of a major portion of our electrical system which required wholesale replacement. Each of these occurrences represented a significant, unbudgeted expenditure. In the aggregate, they represent over $400,000 in out-of-pocket expense for GMHG.

We are now in the position of asking for donations to help with these extraordinary expenses associated with Helene. We hope that our subscribing Clan societies, Scottish societies, and supporting individuals will donate to GMHG as generously as you can. No donation is too small; any amount will help. We pledge to keep the donations separate from our operations funding, and we will donate any money remaining from the campaign to the Avery County Chamber of Commerce “Build Back Avery” fund. The Avery Chamber of Commerce account will be targeted 100% to Avery County recovery.

GMHG is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit and your donations will be tax deductible. Thank you very much for your consideration of this appeal. If mailing a check the address is GMHG, PO Box 1095, Linville, NC 28646.

Yours Aye,

Steve