4-B

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 THE ERWIN RECORD

NEIGHBORS
A few years ago one
summer, my dear friend
Tina and I tie-dyed several
times. There was a point
when we realized that
when we were not work-
ing, our wardrobe always
consisted of at least one
item of tie-dye.
That summer, lled with
wonderful memories and
good times, became to be
known to us as The sum-
mer of tie-dye. We had
caught the tie-dye bug and
it wouldnt be going away
anytime soon. Tie-dyeing is
still one of my favorite sum-
mer crafts. I love gathering
up clothes and fabrics and
heading to the backyard to
see what I can create!
Believe it or not, Ameri-
can hippies did not invent
tie-dye in the 60s. It is an old
technique, with the earliest
surviving examples dat-
ing from around the fourth
century in Peru and China.
The modern technique of
applying different colors of
dye simultaneously direct-
ly to cotton fabric became
possible with the develop-
ment of cold-water ber
reactive dyes, which were
introduced in the 1950s.
So how does it work?
When you put a band tight-
ly against fabric, it will
resist the dye and make a
pattern based on the folds
and twists in the fabric.
This week I want to share
the basics of tie-dye using
a complete kit you can pur-
chase at many retail loca-
tions or online.
The kit comes in various
sizes and prices, includes
dye application bottles,
powdered dye, rubber
bands, gloves and instruc-
tions. The dye powder in
most kits is cold-water re-
active so pre-treating and
soaking the fabric in a solu-
tion is not required but still
an option. For about $20
you can get a kit containing
a variety of dye colors that
will make about 20 shirts.
For a fun afternoon of
tie-dye I recommend the
following supplies: one-
step tie dye kit, white cot-
ton fabric to dye (T-shirts,
bedding, curtains, ban-
dannas, etc), plastic shop-
ping bags one for each
item dyed, extra rubber
bands or string, permanent
marker (optional), plastic
covering for dye area, large
trash bag/container to hold
bags of dyed items.
The process: 1. Prewash
the fabric. 2. Soak the fab-
ric briey and wring out
right before dyeing (dye
soaks into a wet fabric
more easily). 3. Add water
to the dye bottles and with
the cap attached, shake to
mix the dye. 4. (Optional) If
multiple people are dyeing
at the same time, use the
permanent marker to write
a name or symbol on the tag
of T-shirt to avoid confu-
sion on which shirt belongs
to who. 5. On a clean at
surface, fold and/or twist
the dampened fabric then
tightly apply the rubber
bands or string. There are
many patterns available
online and a selection in-
cluded in most tie-dye kits.
6. On a surface covered
with a plastic sheet apply
the dye in any color com-
bination you choose, but
be careful to not over satu-
rate the fabric or you will
end up with a pool of dye
under your item. 7. Place
each item individually into
a plastic shopping bag and
tie the handles together.
8. Place all of the plastic
shopping bags in either a
large trash bag or a plastic
container in case any of
these shopping bags leak.
9. Let the dyed items sit for
12 to 24 hours. 10. Thor-
oughly rinse and wring
the items out. 11. Launder
as instructed in the kit. 12.
Proudly wear or display
your newly dyed items!
CAPRICIOUS CRAFTS
Damaris Higgins
Return of tie-dye summer
The rst thing I need to
say about LoCash Cowboys
self-titled, debut album is
its about time. The duo,
made up of Preston Brust
and Chris Lucas, have been
around for a while, putting
two singles, Here Comes
Summer and Keep in
Mind, in the Top 40 back
in 2010.
They released more
singles in 2011, 2012 and
2013, but none of them
got as much air time as I
think they should have. As
a result, not many people
heard the songs or request-
ed the songs to be played
on the radio, and none of
these songs did very well
on national music charts.
This singer/songwriter
team has had a Number 1
single, but it wasnt some-
thing they recorded. Keith
Urban took You Gonna
Fly, written by Preston
and Chris, to the top of
the charts, in 2012. Tim
McGraw had a Top 10 hit,
Truck Yeah, also written
by this duo.
Several songs LoCash
Cowboys previously re-
leased as singles are also
part of this new album, in-
cluding my favorite, Keep
in Mind. I will never un-
derstand why this song
peaked at No. 34 on Bill-
boards country chart.
Well written, and certainly
well performed, the song
should have been a Num-
ber 1 hit for the duo. It
seems not enough radio
stations picked the song up
at the time of its release.
Other songs on the
new album are Chase a
Little Love, You Make
it Look Good, I Hope,
Hey, Hey, Hey, Best
Seat, Little Miss Cra-
zy Hot, Bounce, Love
Drunk, Fine, Inde-
pendent Trucker, and
C.O.U.N.T.R.Y. Nine of
the 12 songs were written
or co-written by Chris and
Preston. George Jones is
a featured guest vocalist
on the song Independent
Trucker.
This debut album comes
just six months after the
signing with their new la-
bel, Average Joes Enter-
tainment. Fans will nd a
little of everything in the
music on this new CD. A
lot of the songs are about
family and fun, some are
irty songs, and of course
there are some of the high-
energy songs you will hear
at their stage shows.
Not surprising they in-
cluded C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.
and Hey, Hey, Hey on
this new project. These are
two of the songs the duo has
been performing for a long
time. Fans probably cant
think LoCash without
thinking C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.
I wasnt a fan when I rst
heard LoCash Cowboys.
Their music was loud, and
seemed to be more for the
young country/rock fan
than it was for the older,
more traditional country
music listener.
However, they won me
over with Keep in Mind,
and they kept my attention
with songs like Chase a
Little Love, and I Hope.
Whatever you may be in
the mood to listen to, they
seem to have a song that
will work for you.
When I listen to a CD for
the rst time, I pick a favor-
ite. I didnt think I would
have to do that this time,
because Keep in Mind
is one of the songs on this
new album, and because
that will always be my fa-
vorite LoCash Cowboys
song. But I did pick a sec-
ond favorite. That honor is
going to I Hope.
Preston tells his fans that
what country music really
boils down to is the power
of the song. His hope is that
the group will be able to
reach out to both the older
and younger crowd. One
of the hopes for the duo
was that this album contain
songs that best dene Lo-
Cash. I think they accom-
plished that.
You can get all your Lo-
Cash Cowboy news by vis-
iting their website at www.
locashcowboys.com, and
follow them on Twitter @
locashcowboys. Keep up
with everything country
music by visiting our web-
site at www.countryschat-
ter.com, and follow us on
Twitter @countryschatter.
COUNTRYS CHATTER
Donna Rea
LoCash Cowboys debut album
arrives after years of hit singles
Summer bird count sets new record
FEATHERED FRIENDS
Bryan Stevens
The Lee and Lois Hern-
don Chapter conducted its
20th Summer Bird Count
on Saturday, June 8. A total
of 19 observers in ve dif-
ferent parties participated
in the count. A total of 121
species were found, which
established a new record.
The old record of 118
species dated back to 2008.
Despite the record number
of species, compiler Rick
Knight noted that Great
Horned Owl was a notable
miss. Other birds not found
included Bald Eagle and
Black-billed Cuckoo.
I spent the day birding
with Brookie and Jean Pot-
ter, mostly at Wilbur Lake,
Stoney Creek and Holston
Mountain. Our group found
a total of 86 species.
The average number of
species found over the pre-
vious 19 years was 112 spe-
cies.
Over the 20 year run of
this count, 149 species have
been found, Knight said.
Of that number, 81 spe-
cies occurred every year
while 16 occurred in just
one year.
Knight said that some
unexpected nds this year
included Black-crowned
Night-Heron and White-
throated Sparrow.
The most numerous bird
on the count was the Eu-
ropean Starling with 389
individuals counted. Other
common birds included
American Robin (282), Barn
Swallow (157), Canada
Goose (137), Indigo Bunting
(130) and American Crow
(118) .
With 100 individuals
counted, the Hooded War-
bler was the most numerous
of the 20 species of warblers
found during the count.
Other abundant warblers
included Ovenbird (80) and
Chestnut-sided Warbler
(31).
There will be a long gap
between counts now. The
next count conducted by
the chapter will be the Fall
Bird Count, which is a re-
gional census conduced
in the ve-county area of
Northeast Tennessee in late
September.
The total is listed below:
Canada Goose, 137;
Wood Duck, 6; Mallard,
68; Northern Bobwhite, 1;
Ruffed Grouse, 7; and Wild
Turkey, 12.
Great Blue Heron, 14;
Green Heron, 4; Black-
crowned Night-Heron, 2;
Yellow-crowned Night-
Heron, 3.
Black Vulture, 6; Turkey
Vulture, 51; Sharp-shinned
Hawk, 1; Coopers Hawk,
2; Red-shouldered Hawk,
1; Broad-winged Hawk, 9;
Red-tailed Hawk, 9; and
American Kestrel, 2.
Killdeer, 4; American
Woodcock, 2; Rock Pigeon,
66; Eurasian Collared-Dove,
2; and Mourning Dove, 73.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
2; Eastern Screech-Owl,
5; Barred Owl, 1; Common
Nighthawk, 1; Chuck-wills-
Widow, 2; and Eastern
Whip-poor-will, 10.
Chimney Swift, 52; Ruby-
throated Hummingbird,
28; Belted Kingsher, 14;
Red-bellied Woodpecker,
17; Yellow-bellied Sapsuck-
er, 2; Downy Woodpecker,
7; Hairy Woodpecker, 1;
Northern Flicker, 14; and
Pileated Woodpecker, 17.
Eastern Wood-Pewee,
19; Acadian Flycatcher, 30;
Alder Flycatcher, 5; Willow
Flycatcher, 1; Least Fly-
catcher, 2; Eastern Phoebe,
39; Great Crested Flycatch-
er, 5; and Eastern Kingbird,
12.
White-eyed Vireo, 4;
Yellow-throated Vireo, 2;
Blue-headed Vireo, 36; Red-
eyed Vireo, 119; Blue Jay, 42;
American Crow, 118; and
Common Raven, 4.
Purple Martin, 22; Tree
Swallow, 96; Northern
Rough-winged Swallow, 71;
Cliff Swallow, 97; and Barn
Swallow, 157.
Carolina Chickadee,
57; Tufted Titmouse, 44;
Red-breasted Nuthatch, 8;
White-breasted Nuthatch,
11; and Brown Creeper, 3.
Photo by Bryan Stevens
A young Eastern Phoebe was among the many birds
observed during the Summer Bird Count.
Carolina Wren, 49; House
Wren, 46; Winter Wren, 6;
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 21;
Golden-crowned Kinglet,
12; Eastern Bluebird, 37;
Veery, 26; Hermit Thrush,
2; Wood Thrush, 37; and
American Robin, 282.
Gray Catbird, 25; North-
ern Mockingbird, 35;
Brown Thrasher, 28; Euro-
pean Starling, 389; and Ce-
dar Waxwing, 76.
Ovenbird, 80; Worm-eat-
ing Warbler, 6; Louisiana
Waterthrush, 5; Golden-
winged Warbler, 3; Black-
and-white Warbler, 30; Ken-
tucky Warbler, 1; Common
Yellowthroat, 16; Hooded
Warbler, 100; American
Redstart, 6; Northern Pa-
rula, 6; Magnolia Warbler,
3; Blackburnian War-
bler, 8; Yellow Warbler, 2;
Chestnut-sided Warbler, 31;
Black-throated Blue War-
bler, 21; Pine Warbler, 2;
Yellow-throated Warbler,
13; Black-throated Green
Warbler, 28; Canada War-
bler, 26; and Yellow-breast-
ed Chat, 3.
Eastern Towhee, 93;
Chipping Sparrow, 99; Field
Sparrow, 37; Vesper Spar-
row, 1; Song Sparrow, 138;
White-throated Sparrow; 1;
Dark-eyed Junco, 92.
Scarlet Tanager, 32;
Northern Cardinal, 65;
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 5;
Blue Grosbeak, 4; and In-
digo Bunting, 130.
Red-winged Blackbird,
80; Eastern Meadowlark,
17; Common Grackle, 30;
Brown-headed Cowbird,
39; Orchard Oriole, 12; and
Baltimore Oriole, 5.
House Finch, 28; Red
Crossbill, 6; Pine Siskin, 2;
American Goldnch, 83;
and House Sparrow, 31.

As a result of taking part

in the Summer Bird Count,
I added ve new species to
my year list. I will talk about
those birds in next weeks
column. Heres a hint: the
new birds consisted of four
warblers and a dove.
I received an email re-
cently from Judy and Bill
Beckman. They reside on
Spivey Mountain in Unicoi
County.
The masked marauders
(a.k.a. Cedar Waxwings)
have arrived in full force,
Judy wrote. There appears
to be two ocks of them.
These gorgeous birds are a
welcome sight in the garden
and yard as they go after
our bugs.
Cedar Waxwings were
a little late in returning
this spring, but they re-
turned seemingly overnight
throughout the region when
they did arrive.
We just hope they decide
to depart before the black-
berries and plums ripen,
Judy added. We saw them
in action in a large sour
cherry tree stripped it
clean in about 10 minutes.
In past years they have been
brief migrants. But this year
they seem in no hurry to
leave.
From Staff Reports
The Erwin Kiwanis
Club is excited to host
Youth for Christ at
their weekly Friday eve-
ning campre program
at Rock Creek Park in
Erwin. Musical enter-
tainment will be provid-
ed by Amber Dunnavant
and Southwestern Bap-
tist Church of Johnson
Citys At His Feet.
Dunnavant has re-
cently been a part of
Youth With a Mission, an
organization that trains
and sends out people
with the heart to know God and make Him known.
For a short time before that, she was also with an orga-
nization called Christ Reaching Asia Mission. Through
combined years with these groups, she has been to
China, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Germany and Sicily to
proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and declare the real-
ity of the presence of God and His kingdom.
Local youth groups are encouraged to attend this
special evening. The show starts at 8 p.m., in the parks
amphitheater. Following the program there will be a
marshmallow roast over the campre. The Kiwanis
Campre is celebrating its 20th year and shows are still
absolutely free.
In the event of rain, programs will be moved down
the road to Rock Creek Presbyterian Church. To get
there, Exit I-26 in Erwin at Exit 36. Turn left (east) and
proceed to the rst red light. Turn right on North Main
Street, then turn left on Highway 395. Proceed less than
2 miles to Rock Creek Recreation Area, then follow
signs to the Campre Program.
Youth for Christ
scheduled event at
Kiwanis Campre
Amber Dunnavant
From Staff Reports
The Unaka Piecemakers Quilt Group has been
meeting the past few weeks to make a quilt for the
Welcome Center at the Clear Branch exit on I-26. For
two weeks the group met at the Welcome Center, set
up their frame, and spent most of the day working on
the quilt, while talking to visitors. The visitors, who
were from all over the country, took great interest in
seeing this old mountain craft actually being done at a
welcome center.
This particular quilt is called, The Underground
Railroad. The pattern for this sampler quilt came from
a book by Eleanor Burns and Sue Bouchard. The in-
spiration for the 15 blocks making up the quilt came
from the book, Hidden in Plain View, written by Jac-
quelin L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard.
For more information about the quilt, or the Peace-
makers Quilt Group, call Brenda Wilkins at 743-9154.
Club makes quilt
for Welcome Center