The running water and the sounds it creates proves to be so calming that some people listen to the CD sounds of a babbling brook while in their cars. Others have fancy alarm clocks that waken them with melodic strains of a small river rolling over rocks.

Tampa real estate agent Tonya Hammond understands people's desire for those pleasant sounds, but as a board member for the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly Center in Black Mountain, N.C., she knows the real thing.

The center is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. That is why Hammond is telling anyone who will listen about this jewel. Blue Ridge sits on 1,200 acres and hosts conventions, youth assemblies, corporate team-building retreats or even families looking for a mountain escape.

By M. Sese
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