Beyond the lunch meetings the Alleghany Gentlemen periodically have "Special Events" which consist of activities such as tours of various facilities or sites, participation in community activities, group get-togethers of different activities, etc. This section of the web site contains examples of such events the club has sponsored.
Tour of the Upper Mountain Research Center
August 27, 2026 — The Alleghany Gentlemen and a number of their wives toured the State research center which consisted of 400 acres of land used for testing various elements of farming that supports the development of agricultural improvement for farmers in North Carolina. Test fields of beans, pumpkins, trees, etc. , were visited. We got to hear about and see the wool-less sheep that were being raised as a test of the feeding patterns and the weight gain statistics being studied.
The center had a great touring trailer that was pulled by a tractor which allowed us to visit many parts of the farm without having to walk great distances.
Lunch & Tour of Jim Becher's Farm
September 17, 2026 — Jim Becher hosted the Alleghany Gentlemen at his "barn" (man cave). 28 men attended the lunch and property tour that Jim provided. There was an open bar and burgers, hotdogs and all the trimmings were provided. Three Alleghany Gentlemen of musical talent provided some entertainment. Jim discussed the history of his development of the property and lead a tour. It was a wonderful day.
Tour of Pioneer Eclipse
June 18, 2026 — After the lunch talk by Tom Ordway, Senior Vice President of Business Operations,, we went on a tour of the Pioneer Eclipse factory on 1 Eclipse Road. Although Tom lives in Louisville KY, he has commuted for 15 years to manage the Sparta factory. It’s an unusual operation, producing both machinery and liquid products. The floor maintenance liquids are mixed from large tanks connected to bottling lines that fill, label, and box a variety of products. Separately, numerous work cells assemble the floor maintenance machines, of which the plant makes approximately 50 different models, all displayed in a classy showroom shown in the middle two pictures. Nine of us took the tour and all were impressed that such a major facility existed in the middle of the woods and meadows east of Sparta. Thank you Tom!
Tour of Bottomley's Facility.
May 1, 2025 — Following a lunch meeting where Bottomly's plant manager gave a presentation about the company's business we were able to tour their facilities and beautiful grounds that you often drive by while traveling on the Sparta by-pass.
NAPCO Factory Tour
December 5, 2024 — After a presentation about the company by Rocky Profit, Rocky and his son Rob gave a tour of their box forming business. Custom boxes of all shapes and sizes are being produced in this facility. It was a facinating glimpse of some really specialty product being produced in the heart of Sparta.