Rock Hill to present ‘Into the Woods’

ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP — The Rock Hill High School Music Department will present the musical “Into the Woods” on Friday, April 17th and Saturday, April 18th at 8 p.m. at Rock Hill High School.

Tickets may be purchased at the door or reserved in advance by calling 532-8053, ext. 2119.

Groups to host plant exchange

IRONTON —The Rock Hill Garden Club, in cooperation with Ironton Garden Club members and Ironton In Bloom, will oversee the second annual Plant Exchange Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. at the Farmers Market on South Second Street.

Organizers point out this is a completely free and enjoyable way for area residents to acquire varied and often novel plantings for their yards.

Residents are encouraged to simply put aside their extra bulbs and plantings as they separate and rearrange them this spring, then bring these to the Saturday exchange to trade for some they may not already have.

Experienced gardeners will be on hand to identify plants and to offer advice about planting and maintenance. If further information is needed, call Sheila Tackett at 532-3489.

‘American Idol’ 2007 finalist to perform

LUCASVILLE —Phil Stacey, American Idol finalist in 2007 will be in concert June 5 at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 ) at the Valley Middle School in Lucasville.

This free event is sponsored by Center Street United MEthodist Church in Lucasville, the Ambassadors for Christ of Portsmouth, and Life Ambulance.

Phil Stacey will be launching a Christian CD this summer. This is a free Christian outreach to the surrounding communities, everyone is welcome and encouraged to come!

Cabell records rot in basement

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Some of Huntington’s history is rotting in the basement of the Cabell County Courthouse.

Cabell County Clerk Karen Cole said she doesn’t have enough resources to properly preserve the nearly 200-year-old documents stacked on the floor of the records room.

A $25,000 grant from the state will enable her office to digitize some of the most fragile documents, like deed books from the early 1800s.

Another $150,000 the County Commission set aside will help expand efforts to make digital copies of liens, trust deeds and other records for public use.

American chestnuts planted in WNF

Nelsonville — Almost 1,000 blight resistant American chestnut trees and 200 disease resistant American elm trees were planted over the weekend by Boy Scouts from Columbus, as well as Forest employees from the Watershed Restoration Group and local volunteers.

The seedlings were planted on a piece of reclaimed mine land.

that was restored last year in Athens County. Last year, the Forest planted 600 American chestnut trees on the Ironton and Athens Ranger District. This year, the Forest estimates 3000 of the trees will be planted by the end of April on both districts. The project is in partnership with researchers from the U.S. Forest Service Research Lab in Delaware, Ohio.

The American chestnut tree was nearly wiped out by a blight that killed an estimated four billion trees in the eastern United States in the early 20th century. The naturally surviving trees remain vulnerable to the fungus, however through years of cross breeding with its disease-resistant counterpart, the Chinese chestnut; researchers are seeking to develop a blight-resistant American chestnut.

The American Chestnut Foundation’s backcross breeding program produces seed that combines the disease-resistant traits of the Chinese chestnut with the superior size and timber traits of the American chestnut. In order for the seedlings to grow in the poor soil conditions of the reclaimed mines, Forest Service Researchers inoculate the chestnut seedlings with mycorrhizal fungi that will aid in the survival, growth and development of the seedlings.

Mycorrhizal fungi play a vital role in reforestation by providing the plant several benefits that are critical for its survival and growth in a nutrient poor and hostile environment such as in reclaimed mined sites.