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By Danielle Morin
Star Correspondent
Hellbender Outfitters, a new outdoor gear supplier in downtown Elizabethton, is hosting its first public event on Friday, June 30. The location will be hosting Ruth Freeman, an expert on the hellbender salamander from which the store derived its name. Freeman will be giving a visual presentation as well as a Q&A segment to help educate the public on the Hellbender species.
“You’ll be able to see what they look like. You’ll be able to hear expert advice and also get knowledge on how to preserve and protect the habitat, like the correct practices on what to do and what not to do when you’re going out exploring,” said store owner and operator Peyton Brondos.
Brondos, who opened Elizabethton’s first outdoor supplier in May of this year, said he wanted their first event to be “meaningful,” explaining, “The whole goal of naming our store Hellbender is to help educate not only locals but also tourists who come to our area about what our mountains have to offer, and also how to best preserve that for future generations. Our store’s whole purpose is to get people outdoors, and with that comes more pressure on the environment. So if we can spread education on how to safely do that for our local river health and ecosystem health, then that’s fundamentally crucial to us and our store.”
The event is free and open to the public from 6-6:30 p.m. at 547 East Elk Ave. Brondos said doors would close promptly at 6 p.m., so he encourages those interested to arrive early. For those interested but unable to attend, the event will also be live-streamed on the store’s Facebook page. For questions about the upcoming event, residents can call Hellbender Outfitters at 423-430-9123.