GREEN ENERGY We partnered with the FFA of Carroll County High School to install a water turbine powering greenhouses and small barn of the 92 acre agricultural research school farm. We guided students and worked with their teachers to complete the water turbine installation under US HWY 221. Tom (pictured below, second from right in photo left) explains how the power in the flowing water is transformed to household AC power they can use.

Inside two greenhouses, students are doing field research that pushes teamwork and critical thinking. From overseeing the production of their Angus beef, crops and renewable energy production, these future leaders are learning lessons about hard work, patience and planning. Contributing to our future in this important way makes us feel good inside.

FARM TO OUR STORE Students learn to grow and market their raspberries and blackberries in the greenhouses. These berries are proudly available in our store in their season. Our partnership with the local FFA chapter helps to create the highly-skilled workforce we’ll desperately need in the future to solve many challenges of our communities. There may be nothing more important than developing confident agriculture leaders. We are the link between the farming agriculture students and the consumer market. Read more about berries and the work on the Carroll County FFA school farm here.

HONORARY FFA DEGREE Red Hill General Store received the Honorary FFA Degree in 2011 at the annual FFA banquet in recognition of, "helping to advance agricultural education and the FFA, and who have rendered outstanding service, may be elected to honorary membership by a majority vote of the members present at any regular meeting or convention.”

Buried treasure? That equals excitement. Red Hill General Store has held and created two epic fast-paced day-long treasure hunts. Hurried individuals and teams ruthlessly navigate riddles and mountain topography for the golden possibility. The hidden loot? $500 in gold coins. The first Treasure in the Blue Ridge was held after Red Hill allegedly received a letter containing a cipher, which we provided in the local news paper.

Each hunt included multiple clues, ciphers, witty deductions with real-world monuments, numbers, clocks and other epic-treasure-adventure inspiration. We used text-message check-points to follow the heated progress in the field and to deliver the clues. Team historical knowledge was tested as well as their ability to reason a riddle or puzzle. Only one lucky winner goes home with a $500 of free gold well-earned.. (Below: Confederate Gold Hunt $500 Winner)

We want to update our hunt text messaging system to encourage visitors to embark on an independent quest for lost treasure. If you've read this far, we hope you've got the spirit for a half-day adventure challenge in the mountains. Do you think you have what it takes to win?

We're not sure when our small staff can make this purely-fun endeavor come to life. We're not planning another treasure hunt in the near future. Still, we believe anything is possible. Are the people of the Blue Ridge ready to compete for forgotten gold round three?

For now, here are the original letter clues and secondary clues reveled the morning the hunt began.

Sealed in their envelope using red wax, as each team opened their letter just after sunrise the first clue was revealed (letter back for letter 1 and "Numbers 31:28). Click here to see a jpeg of the clue worksheet for the first letter. To enlarge letter images click on them.