We Have So Many to Thank!
This Thanksgiving, Team Tryon is full of gratitude to so many of you.
To the competitors, venue staff, grooms, lodging guests, volunteers, photographers, vets and equine care teams, and of course the horses who made this season’s competitions so incredible: celebrating ten years of horse shows at Tryon International with you was so special. We can’t wait to see you all again soon.
To our WNC and Upstate SC community members who jumped in to help us take care of our neighbors in the wake of Hurricane Helene: this community is the BEST community, and we are so proud to call Mill Spring, NC our home.
For these and more, we are so grateful:
Volunteers:
More than 800 volunteers helped receive, organize, and distribute donations to more than 9,876 people from October 3-9, 2024 at an emergency supply distribution center in Tryon International’s Indoor Arena. This distribution center was made possible through assistance from the Polk County Emergency Management team.
Competitors from around the nation as well as local neighbors organized to help at both animal and human supply distribution centers at Tryon International. Some brought trailers full of supplies with them when they volunteered!
Barns, including but NOT limited to: Hidden Valley Farm, AMC Show Stables, Haven Hill Farm, Clear View Farm, the High Point University Equestrian Team, Nick & Jacqueline Ruyle, Samantha McKenzie/WB Stables, Jordan Gilchrist/Summer Hill Farms, Stony Creek Farm, Our Main Gate, LLC, and MANY more showed up in force to volunteer.
PacJAM families from throughout the region spent nearly every day volunteering at the distribution center, and were a massive help from day one.
… and so many more! Hundreds and hundreds per day, for which we are so grateful.
First Responders:
Hundreds of first responders were our first guests in the now-open Overmountain Lodge, including but not limited to: FEMA Search & Rescue NYC, the National Forest Service, US Border Patrol, Rutherford Electric & Co-Ops from the Southeast, the National Guard, and more - all helping to provide immediate aid to those affected by storm damage. We are thankful that we were also able to utilize the Overmountain Lodge to temporarily house those in need of a place to rest, from patients awaiting treatments to volunteers who drove cross-country to drop off supplies and volunteer.
The Atrium Health Med-One Center was a welcome site on our property, hosting a Level One Trauma Hospital for weeks and then a clinic, also hosting FEMA aid and logistics officers until very recently at Tryon International. We are grateful that medical assistance was so readily available for anyone who needed it in the immediate weeks after the storm, and that we were able to facilitate that team with power, space to operate, and other resources as needed.
Team Tryon:
In addition to keeping competitors and their families safe and comfortable during an unprecedented disaster, our team helped create magic all year before stepping up to the plate in a huge way this fall. Our staff pulled off a spectacular wedding rehearsal dinner and reception without power, fed hundreds of first responders, staff members and stranded horse show competitors via generators, creativity and undying tenacity, and juggled their day-to-day workloads while tirelessly supporting relief efforts.
Nourishment:
World Central Kitchen, Blockhouse Restaurant of Greenville, Cracker Barrel, and South of Pearl (Louisiana), who donated hot meals to those in need and supported first responders and volunteers alike with the fuel to keep doing good.
Through World Central Kitchen, Tryon International has been able to donate multiple truckloads of potable water per day to restaurants, businesses and families who need it most - an estimated 1,566,205 gallons of clean drinking water since September 28.
Partners in Relief:
The Sanctuary at Red Bell Run, Mary Adams, Stephanie Melton, and team joined forces with Fleet of Angels and Anita Williamson to provide livestock and pet supplies to the areas of greatest need. These superstars and their volunteers accepted, sorted, and distributed supplies at Tryon International DAILY October 3-November 15.
Even more heroes joined them for long-term assistance: “Scott B, Justen, Sarah, Jacob and Scott K, members of a SURGE team of volunteers from the federal government, have been working tirelessly to help us with livestock distribution supplies,” Red Bell Run posted on their Facebook page recently. “No one could ask for more dedication or sense of mission. They worked 7 days a week, drove well over 3,000 miles delivering supplies, and were instrumental in organizing supplies and finding areas in need of help.”
In collaboration with numerous distribution points throughout WNC, Tryon International was able to be used as a hub for inbound donations. Livestock support CONTINUES through a hay bank at Red Bell Run:
319 Blackwood Road, Columbus NC
Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 9am-12pm, 1-4pm
Saturdays: 9am-12pm
Appointments available at other hours: call 828-863-2017
Donors:
We could never hope to provide an exhaustive list of the individuals, businesses and nonprofits who stepped in to help us provide aid to Western North Carolina. Donations appeared from more than 18 states within days of requests for help, including from as far as California, Wisconsin, Maine, New York and Texas. Despite our best efforts to keep record of the do-gooders, any list we could share would be far from exhaustive. Instead, we will highlight a few who exemplify the many that joined them in their efforts:
Fountain Electric donated the use of their forklift and sent an employee to operate it for several days. He brought friends to volunteer with him! THEN, they rented a second forklift on our behalf, when the need for unloading and loading supplies outpaced our ability to do so with one machine.
Horseware Ireland sent blankets for equines of all sizes - desperately needed as winter temps set in.
Goodtainer initially brought us supplies, then connected with us to take supplies where they were most desperately needed. Just the first container made stops in Lake Lure, Burnsville, Spruce Pines, Asheville, Old Fort, and Black Mountain. The Goodtainer team connected with local officials and relief workers to help get supplies to more remote areas that larger vehicles could not reach.
Scott Kelnhofer of Fenway Farms organized and donated over 86,000 pounds of alfalfa products to the victims of Hurricane Helene.
Guardian Horse Bedding donated a truckload of shavings, which we were able to connect to Canton, NC where it was most desperately needed.
On Course Consignment (Wellington, FL) donated desperately needed fencing and also organized donations to Fleet of Angels.
The Town of Cynthia, Kentucky brought a truckload of supplies, including supplies for humans and about 8,000 pounds of animal feed.
… and SO many more not listed here! We are truly grateful for each and every donation, from warm clothes to financial gifts to pet and livestock food. The impact is ongoing!
Sponsors:
We owe endless thanks to our sponsor partners, who jumped into action with donations, frequent check-ins with our team, and volunteer efforts in-person at Tryon International. Beyond hurricane relief efforts, we are grateful as always to the sponsors who made our season so spectacular in and out of the horse show rings in 2024. We look forward to another incredible year ahead, and invite you to support each of our sponsors.
Supporting Affected Businesses:
We are thrilled to be able to support small businesses this holiday season at Tryon International, particularly hurricane affected businesses. WNC Main Street features retailers from Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Hendersonville, and Asheville, and the Tryon Upstairs ArtSpace Studios feature hurricane affected local artists who are working and selling from Tryon International as their temporary home. Our Christmas Market this weekend features dozens of small businesses who would also love your support this holiday season. NEW, Chimney Rock Smokehouse has moved into our concession stand at Jennifer’s Creamery near Roger’s Diner, and is open Thursdays-Sundays for lunch and dinner.
Finally, we are grateful that we have the ability to host Winterfest this season after a particularly tumultuous fall. It is our delight to spread holiday joy to all who attend, from carousel rides to ice skating to visiting Santa and Mrs. Claus, to carriage rides and beyond. Learn more about all the festivities here!
From all of us at Tryon International,
Happy Thanksgiving!
We hope to see you again soon.