Top 5 Events of 2021
Ceilidh
“May the Good Lord bless and keep you, whether near or far. May you find that long-awaited pot of gold today. May your troubles all be small ones and your fortune 10 times 10. May the Lord bless and keep you ‘til we meet again.” In June of 2021, RidgeCrest hosted their first Signature Experience of the year! Hosting a Ceilidh, a festival of story, song, and dance! Attendees embraced the Celtic Heritage of Mount Airy, North Carolina, and brought it to life at RidgeCrest. Members started their day with a Celtic Balance class where, Wellness Associate, Renatha, modified classic Celtic dance moves. She then guided Members through the Highland Games! Attendees stepped up to the plate to test their balance and accuracy with a variety of games. Participants learned how to throw a shot put, tested their accuracy with ax throwing, and a caber toss. In the afternoon, World-Renowned Bluegrass Musician and Luthier, David Sheppard, spoke about how to make instruments, specifically the guitar. David talked Members through each step that is involved in crafting guitars. A Celtic Cocktail Social was up next where attendees listened to bagpipes by musician, Kyle Auman, and sipped on Shamrock Bubbly, Irish Coffee, and Pot of Gold cocktails. Of course, The Blue Ridge Dining Room was transformed into a Celtic wonderland for the evening, while the Culinary Team prepared a delicious three-course meal that embraced the flavors of the Celtic culture. The menu began with a Smoked Salmon Plate served with pickled veggies, Dill, Capers, and Brown Bread. The Entrée was a Thyme Roasted Half Chicken with stuff served with roasted red baby potatoes and a seasonal vegetable blend. Ending with dessert, a delicious Sticky Toffee Pudding served with Vanilla Ice Cream! The NoneSuch Playmakers entertained attendees as they dined on the delicious meal. They told stories and had soloists sing tunes including Scarborough Faire, Bunch of Thyme, Wild Rover and so much more. By the end of the evening, everyone was up on their feet dancing and concluded the festivities by holding hands and singing together Auld Lang Syne, a Scots poem that has been handed down for centuries.
Paint and Sip with Valerie
Throughout 2021, RidgeCrest welcomed Valerie from the Valkyrie Gallery in Downtown Mt. Airy. Attendees to each of these craft and painting sessions enjoyed choosing their inspiration and painting decorations to be displayed in their homes!
Passage to India
Our Members took a trip to India with a fun Signature Experience surrounding this beautiful culture! Attendees experienced The Spice Roads of India as they drank a Blueberry Mint Lassi and experienced a rhythmic Indian Drumming Cardio wellness class! Later in the day, Pawan Kumar showed us all India has to offer through a tour of the country. This included the “0” as Mathematician, Brahmagupta, around the 7th century used small dots as a placeholder and it became known as “sunya” or zero. Of course, we needed to get into the flavors that make India so magnificent! Our meal began with hummus, pistachio chutney, and Naan Bread, followed by a choice of either Pan-Fried Trout or Buttered Chicken served along with Baji Vegetables with a hint of yellow curry and basmati rice. For dessert, we tried Kerr, a traditional Indian Rice Pudding that wrapped up the tastes of the evening with a subtle sweet delight. Our evening entertainment began with an Indian Sunset Cocktail Hour. For this evening’s entertainment, RidgeCrest welcomed Gaurang and Ragavan! They came and gave a concert of traditional Indian music that was truly amazing. Gaurang Doshi is a performing artist, author, and educator performing on the Sarod as per the traditions of “Maihar Gharana”. Ragavan Lutchmidat is a Tabla artist living in Charlotte. It was truly a beautiful day celebrating Indian culture!
Under the Tuscan Sun
Italy is filled with culture, food, and music that makes it such a unique country! We brought the Italian sunshine to RidgeCrest with an ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ themed Signature Experience. The ‘Best of Ballroom’, a wonderful business from Winston-Salem, stopped by to teach Members a few moves. Attendees enjoyed light refreshing Lemonade served with a hint of Galliano Liqueur. Later in the day, our dining team transported Members to a grand villa in Tuscany with an over-the-top dining experience with a custom Italian menu! For our evening entertainment, Members stepped into an intimate opera house for “Notte All” with Opera starring Baritone singer, Antonio Dagadillo featuring Social Director and Mezzo-Soprano, Jennifer Johnson-Brown accompanied Music Therapist and Pianist, Judy Taylor. They performed an extensive repertoire with music from Puccini, Verdi, Caccini, Caldera.
Biggest Loser
Wellness is at the core of who we are and what we do at RidgeCrest. In 2021, our programming teams collaborated to work towards a Weller Life by hosting a ‘Biggest Loser’ fitness challenge that spanned from September to the end of November! In December, participants were honored at a spectacular banquet, where our programming teams announced the winner and celebrated with their families. As a total, Members at RidgeCrest lost 95 pounds from their hard work! What an accomplishment!
2nd Annual Holiday Walk of Hope
In December 2021, we hosted our 2nd Annual Holiday Walk of Hope benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association and the Walk to End ALZ. This is one of our biggest events all year at RidgeCrest as we welcome hundreds of guests to walk through over 50,000 twinkling Christmas lights! It’s a wonderful holiday event for families of all ages with lights, appearances by Santa, a variety of music, hot cocoa, and so much more! It’s a wonderful end to all of the events for the year, for such a wonderful cause.
