BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA – Casa Rustica’s Rick Pedroni is hosting a 3rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament at Red Tail Mountain on August 27th and the proceeds are going to benefit many less fortunate.

Boone, NC is well known to most Carolina residents as home to great golf, snow skiing, cool summers and close proximity to great attractions such as Grandfather Mountain, Tweetsie Railroad and more. It became more well-known nationally over the last few years as home to Appalachian State University and their hugely successful Division I College Football program – that won three straight national football championships from 2005-2007 and kicked a fifth-ranked Michigan football team’s rear in 2007.

Fans of Boone also know it to be a very cool (in a lot of ways), small town in Western North Carolina that allows it to escape many of the problems that plague large, metropolitan areas. However, like many small towns, they still face problems and issues of having to assist and provide for people lacking food, clothing, and other necessities of life.

The Hospitality House of the Boone Area, Inc. is a private, non-profit crisis intervention agency that assists adults and families in homeless situations. They have provided shelter and services to the homeless for 24 years.

We at GolfNorthCarolina.com and our parent company of AppNet.com have an affinity for this particular organization since they are the only homeless shelter in a seven-county area including Ashe, Avery, Allegheny, Mitchell, Wilkes, Watauga, and Yancey. According to spokespersons within The Hospitality House, there are 1,069 homeless individuals on a given night in this seven mountain county region.

HOW YOU CAN HELP…

We happen to dine with some frequency at Casa Rustica Italian/American Restaurant which is located on Hwy 105 in Boone. On my last visit I noticed the announcement of the 3rd Annual Charity Golf Event and quickly became interested because of the intent to benefit The Hospitality House. I called Rick Pedroni to sign up a foursome for the event and had an opportunity to find out how this tournament came about.

“I’ve been in the restaurant business all my life”, says Pedroni, “and we’ve done some local fundraisers like a Katrina Rescue charity a few years ago that raised $4000.”

That got him involved with other local business people and he quickly found that many were willing to donate time and money to help others less fortunate. That led him to establish the 1st Annual Casa Rustica / Red Tail Mountain Charity Golf Event and all of the proceeds raised during that first year benefitted the Humane Society and local Rescue Squad. The 2008 event benefitted MS (Multiple Sclerosis Foundation) and they raised $10,000 during the tournament. Impressive.

“I’ve been involved with charities since a young age—my father taught me that. He always found a way to help people in our community, so we’re trying to give back,” said Pedroni. “And it’s also a good way to get people together—friends, local business people—to have a great time for a good cause. Plus, we love golf. And we really like the people at RedTail Mountain—the managers, the pros—we really clicked. It’s a way for all of us to give back.”

“We participated in the ‘Celebrity Serve’ for the Hospitality House back in March and raised enough money to assist in finishing the kitchen, and we’ve made the charity golf tournament benefit a different charity each year so we figured ‘what the heck’ let’s make this one help out a great local cause and positively influence a growing number of people who are down on their luck.”

Indeed.

According to Rick, they had about 30 teams play in the four man, scramble (best ball) tournament last year and as of today (July 23rd) he said they have about 15 teams signed up to play. All of the proceeds will go directly to The Hospitality House and Pedroni has gone all out to insure a great day of fun golf, great eats and more.

“We’ll (Casa Rustica) provide a small lunch (snacks, appetizers) at noon on Thursday, August 27th at Red Tail Mountain and the driving range will be open to us at noon as well. We’ll do a shotgun start at 1pm and play the tournament. As soon as we’re done we will be providing a great dinner for everyone and raffle off some great Appalachian memorabilia, gift certificates and more,” says Pedroni.

Additionally a contact with ESPN will be awarding a $5000 award during a putting competition and there will also be a $10,000 prize if anyone scores a hole in one on one of the designated holes during the tournament. Tournament organizers will be selling raffle tickets for numerous other prizes and golfers will be provided the opportunity to “BUY Mulligans” to improve their scores. (Remember this thing is all for fun and helping a great cause.)

GolfNorthCarolina.com will be there and we’ll bring a foursome that is bound to finish at the bottom of any “leaderboard”! These guys can write and market golf, but our golf is another story.

There will be loads of food and prizes and if you’re interested in playing or entering a foursome in the event call Rick Pedroni of Casa Rustica at 828-406-7085 or Josh McWhorter at RedTail Mountain at (423) 727-7931. There are other ways to donate to the event through hole sponsorships (at $100 per hole) and of course you can spend some money purchasing some of the memorabilia (or simply write them a check)!

Join Casa Rustica and RedTail Mountain for a fun-filled day of golf and philanthropy. Enjoy a challenging course, beautiful scenery and great prizes on Thursday, August 27 beginning at noon. Food, appetizers and drinks provided by Casa Rustica during and after the round. Cost is $100 per player or $400 for teams of four. The format will be Four Man Scramble/Captains Choice.

We hope to see you guys there. By the way, if you’re visitiing Boone or the High Country this summer or in the near future, you should make one of your dinner trips to Casa Rustica.  We highly recommend it and you’ll thank us! Try the Seafood Pasta and the Ravioli is great.  They offer a meatless version and you can add meat sauce, meatballs and more.

Casa Rustica is a very popular Italian Restaurant (dinner only) started by Peter Pedroni in 1981. According to their website ” Peter’s vision was a restaurant based upon consistency, value and great service”. That vision lives on with the current owners Rick (Peter’s son) and Elizabeth Pedroni. Reservations are highly recommended on weekends.

More Information:
Address: 1348 NC Hwy 105
Phone: (828) 262-5128

Grill Hours: Monday – Sunday opens at 5 p.m.

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