Appalachian Country Living, Feb-Mar 2022

WWW.ACLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

The

Fine Art

of Backyard Farming

BUILDING YOUR HOME: SNUGGLE UNDER THE WHY IT PAYS OFF TO DO COVERS AND ENJOY YOUR HOMEWORK BREAKFAST IN BED FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

ANNOUNCING THE THIRD ANNUAL GA MOUNTAIN NEEDLE ARTS FESTIVAL WWW.ACLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM

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WELCOME TO AC LIVING MAGAZINE

D

Dang it! Just when we’re ready to get out from under this virus, here comes Omicron.

Even with my 3x vaccines and flu shot I’m not taking the risk, I have too many friends that I would never want to infect. For me that means back in lockdown, N95+ mask everywhere I go, which is once again limited to Maxine giving Mrs. Claus a high five, or maybe Mrs. grocery store, bank and Claus was the one with the doggie treats. Xmas in pet food store. Well, Copperhill and Ducktown was an old-fashioned maybe a quick stop in good time. Leslie and Errol McGonegal once again transformed themselves into Mr. & Mrs. Claus, to Buck Bald Brewery shown here at Copperhill Brewery. for a growler refill, pick up eggs from Courtney, and kombucha from Tina of Tina’s Tie Dye, both saved for me in the B3 cooler. Thanks- you awesome gurlz!

Maxine has decided that in her grumpy old age she wants to be an only dog.

And guess what that means? I get to be the other dog. Luckily for me we’re both getting up there in years so my dog duties are not as strenuous as they were when I first adopted her nine years ago. Wow. I’ll be turning 65 this year, Maxine in dog years is, according to the AKC , 75 in human years. She does like to sleep in these days, as do I, especially with the colder morning temps up here in the mountains.

She’s almost become cuddly- almost.

This issue we’re going back to backyard country basics with one of my favorite articles from artist Ande Cook. I’ve run this article before, yet in the cold of winter her- light, bright, and brilliant, color-saturated artwork- always inspires. Especially love those ‘possums!

AC Living Mag’s Design Editor, Cindy Trimble has new digs and the place looks like a winner. Again, we share her insightful recommendations on hiring contractors. With the construction boom exploding in north Georgia, I thought repeating this article would help folks who are thinking about building their new mountain home.

In the April May issue we’ll check in with Old Toccoa Farm (OTF) to see how their clubhouse is progressing and find out what else is new. You can bet that there’s lots happening since they made the LINKS Magazine’s list “10 Must-Visit Public Golf Destinations for 2022.” If you haven’t been to OTF you really should go, the grounds/course are stunningly beautiful.

We’ll also be taking a visit to Engelheim Vineyards in Ellijay, GA. The Engel family has created an outstanding venue featuring award winning wines, gorgeous mountain views, and a newly built event center.

That wraps it up for me, see y’all next time.

Stay safe and healthy!

PUBLISHER | EDITOR IN CHIEF Alice Sexton ARTIST IN RESIDENCE Betty Kossick | onwingsofthedove@gmail.com GARDENING & LANDSCAPE EDITOR Position Open HISTORY EDITOR Leslie Barker Thomas | PresHist@etcmail.com OUTDOOR ADVENTURE EDITOR JR Ferjak | jferjak1@gmail.com STYLE & DESIGN EDITOR Cindy Trimble | cindy@studiotrimble.com ADVERTISING SALES Pam Cavender | Account Executive 770. 367. 3648 | CavenderPam51@gmail.com ALL INQUIRIES Appalachian Country Living 706. 492. 5070 | alice@blueridgemediagroup.com LAYOUT/DESIGN Alice Sexton | Blue Ridge Media Group 706. 492. 5070 | alice@blueridgemediagroup.com DISTRIBUTION Arthur Pope Publication Marketing & Distribution, Inc. 770. 807. 3043 | publicationsinc@att.net

APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE PO Box 1250, Blue Ridge, GA 30513 706. 492. 5070 alice@blueridgemediagroup.com www.aclivingmagazine.com

PLEASE RECYCLE

Appalachian Country Living Magazine is published six times a year. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American copyright conventions. Reproduction of this work in whole or in part without the written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Appalachian Country Living is printed in the United States of America. The articles contained in this magazine are works of journalism and do not represent the opinions or ideas of Appalachian County Living Magazine and the publisher assume no responsibility for the content of advertisements. While we welcome submissions, the magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Please do not send originals. The magazine is given away free by advertisers and at selected businesses in the region. A one year subscription is $20 per year for six issues. For renewals, new subscriptions, or any other correspondence, write to PO Box 1250 Blue Ridge, GA 30513.

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CONTENTS Spotlight, Colonel 7 Restaurant Poole’s BBQ

A Home Town Favorite. World Famous for Great Food and Friendly Service.

8 Studio Trimble

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Award Winning Interior Designer, Cindy Trimble, Stresses the Importance of Using Qualified Builders for Your New Home or Project.

10 Backyard Barnyard

Part-Time Resident and Full-Time Artist Ande Cook Gives Us the Down Low on the Latest Organic Backyard Craze.

16 Breakfast in Bed

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Cozy Up Under the Covers and Enjoy These Gluten-Free Delights

20 New Vistas of the Blue Ridge

A

Artist in Residence Betty Kossick Shares Her Love of Words and Local Appalachian Culture.

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Breakfast in Bed GLUTEN FREE

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February & March Happenings

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So Much to Do. Arts, Festivals, Outdoor Adventures, Music, Theater, Breweries and Wineries!

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Gluten-Free C Breakfast Past

Tender, buttery layers o filling and finished with perfect “fancy” breakfas

ON THE COVER IVINGMA WWW.ACL

Ande Cook is an artist and aspiring farmer splitting her time between Atlanta and Blue Ridge, GA.

GAZINE.C OM | FEBR RCH UARY/MA 2022

The

e Artd Fin of Backyar Farming

Ingredients First layer • 8 tablespoons unsalted • 1 cup Gluten-Free Me • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 3 tablespoons water • If you’re using salted b

Second layer • 1 cup water • 8 tablespoons butter* •1 cup Gluten-Free Me • 3 large eggs, at room t in hot tap water for 10 • 1 teaspoon vanilla ext • If you’re using unsalte

RECIPES & PHOTOS: KING ARTHUR FLOUR

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

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APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

“Love this Country Life” 18 x 24 on wood. Available on andeland.com.

R THE GLE UNDE : SNUG AND ENJOY YOUR HOME VERS BUILDING YS OFF TO DO CO EAKFAST IN BED BR WHY IT PA WORK YOUR HOME NTRY IAN COU

G THE THIRD ANNOUNCIN MOUNTAIN ANNUAL GATS FESTIVAL 1 NEEDLE AR E.COM

MAGAZIN

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AC LIVING RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT

COL. POOLE’S Georgia Bar-B-Q

PO Box 727 East Ellijay, GA 30539 706. 635. 4100

Poole’s Bar-B-Q

Oscar and Edna Poole Darvin Poole

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289 Highland Crossing East Ellijay, GA 30540 In Front of Lowe’s APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

Named by CNN as one of the TOP “DON’T MISS BBQ SPOTS” in Georgia and Alabama!

What started as an eight by twelve shack with no indoor seating in 1989, Poole’s Bar-B-Q, is now world famous for its great food, friendly service, the Taj-Mah-Hog, the Hog-Rock-Cafe, The PigMoby-il and the Pig Hill of Fame.

Yes the Pig Hill of Fame. Rumor has it that state authorities would not allow Colonel Poole to put a sign by the highway, so instead he just up and planted pigs on the steep hill behind his restaurant. First it was just names of friends and family, but now the Pig Hill of Fame has over 4,000 little piggies. Want your name on a pig? For just five bucks, they paint your name on a pig and plant it somewhere on the hill. Then you have to come back and try to find it!

With the tourist attraction aside, Poole’s Bar-B-Q is a serious All-American BBQ establishment serving delicious options for locals and visitors alike. At lunchtime you’ll find fire fighters, policemen and women, and many other local workers partaking in the great home style foods. By evening, be prepared to stand in line because it’s just THAT good. Poole’s offers up beef, pork and chicken barbecue plates with Colonel Poole’s in-house barbecue sauce. There are a plenty of side dishes to choose from: barbecue beans, creamy mac-n-cheese, crisp coleslaw, potato salad, Brunswick stew, freedom fries, and onion rings. Many say the Brunswick stew is some of the best they’ve ever had. If you’re hankering for Brisket- get there early before they run out! For the younger (or maybe just less hungry) crowd, Poole’s offers Junior plates. Not in the mood for barbecue? Poole’s offers ribs, chicken strips, corn dogs and hot dogs.

Take some of Colonel Poole’s famous BBQ sauce home with youOriginal or Sweet- or get both. And don’t forget to impress your friends with a Poole’s BBQ Pig Hill of Fame T-shirt.

Get ready to treat yourself to some great local Bar-B-Q! ACLM Colonel Poole’s BAR-B-Q – Open Friday thru Sunday Highway 515 at 164 Craig Street East Ellijay, GA 30540 Call: 706. 635. 4100 Visit: PoolesBBQ.com • Fridays from 11am to 7pm • Saturdays from 11am to 6pm • Sunday from 11am to 6pm Facebook “f ” Logo

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Just Look for the Pig Hill of Fame!

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Building Your Own Home Style & Design Editor Cindy Trimble on The Pros and Cons of Hiring a Licensed Contractor

H

How exciting to be building a new home! Do your homework, due your due-diligence, “get educated” on your building options, your liabilities and warranties provided in all these options.

Being Your Own Builder

In Georgia, homeowners can build their own homes without a license. However, there are stipulations. Many do this thinking they will save a lot of money – not necessarily so. This process can cost you dearly if you are not educated on building. In this scenario, homeowners assume all liability for the construction methods, the adherence to building, fire and life safety codes.

The homeowner is required to get their own general liability and worker’s comp insurance. If you are a very educated homeowner, know building methods, are willing to accept the full liability and do not want any home warranty once the home is finished then being your own builder may be an option for you.

If you are considering purchasing a new or partially constructed home, do your research on who built or is building the home. Were they a licensed contractor? Did they use licensed sub-contractors? Some individuals who are not licensed will build “spec homes” as their own home, then sell them when they are almost finished for a profit. This is essentially building without a license. According to the GA Secretary of State’s website, there are restrictions on this method: “Yes, property owners may construct a building or structure which is for their own use and not for use by the general public and not offered for sale or lease. If you sell or transfer the building or structure, you will not be allowed to build another for a period of two years, unless you obtain a license or hire someone who is licensed to oversee the construction.”

In this method, it is unlikely that this unlicensed builder will provide the year home warranty.

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Unlicensed Builder

It is the homeowner’s responsibility to insure they are working with a licensed (or unlicensed) builder. Anyone can contact the Secretary of State’s office (SOS) and confirm a builder’s professional license. If your builder is unlicensed, they will may have gone one of these routes: pay another builder to pull a permit for them (highly illegal), they may have someone on their

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Hire a licensed a builder for their indepth knowledge and expertise in building a quality house, for their knowledge of codes and construction techniques, for their stable of quality licensed subcontractors and for the home warranty that builders are required to provide.

Approval from Cindy’s Corgi, Peanut, was required for this job.

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AC LIVING STYLE & DESIGN

staff who is licensed pull the permit and work on the job or they will ask the homeowner to pull the permit themselves. In most states, if a homeowner pulls a permit, they assume “ALL” liability for making sure the home meets all building, state, national, fire and life safety building codes.

Additionally, you void the state requirement to provide a home warranty for 12 months. And typically, it is up to the homeowner to take out all required insurance policies – alleviating the builder of all responsibilities. Generally, this is why someone hires a builder: for their in-depth knowledge and expertise in building a quality house, for their knowledge of codes and construction techniques, for their stable of quality licensed sub-contractors and for the home warranty that builders are required to provide.

Qualifying Agent

An alternate type of license in Georgia (and some other states) is called a “qualifying agent.”

Builders who possess qualifying agent status are doing the work as a representative of another individual (or company.) The homeowner will have the depth of resources and liability coverage afforded through the licensed builder as if they were contracted with that builder individually.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

This is common however, there are restrictions.

Again, per the GA. Secretary of State’s website: “A qualifying agent license is not a personal license and may not be used to operate as an individual and may not be used to operate for any other business organization.”

Even if you’re considering a small addition or an outdoor living space, a licensed builder should be an asset. Being an educated customer is the best way to get the results you want.

Licensed Builder

Also ask your builder to see certified copies of all certificates of insurance before your sign on! Be an educated consumer, don’t ask these questions when it is too late. Buyer always beware! ACLM

For most situations, this is the best route. It is well worth the percent the builder will charge you above the cost of your home to take care of all the liability, carry all the required insurance, hire qualified and licensed sub-contractors and provide you with a 12 month home warranty following completion of your home. There are “FAQ’s” on the Georgia SOS’s website for homeowners with questions relating to building your home. If you feel you have issues with your builder regarding unlicensed practice or other legal issues, you can report them through the SOS office by filing a formal complaint.

Best advice for homeowners wanting to buy or build a new house is do your research, go online to the SOS’s office and research individual licenses and types of license. Talk to others in your community who have recently built and ask about builders you are considering.

APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

Cindy Trimble, ASID is owner of StudioTrimble, Inc. based in Blue Ridge. She is NCIDQ certified and a Georgia Registered Interior Designer.

For more information visit Cindy and her team at their new location: 770 Scenic Dr Suite 2, Blue Ridge, GA (706) 946-2030 www.studiotrimble.com WWW.ACLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM

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Cluck Your Heels Three Times and Say...

WORDS, PHOTOS & WICKED COOL ART: ANDE COOK & HER MUSES

...Oh Boy I Love Fried Chicken!

Part-Time Resident and Full-Time Artist Ande Cook Gives Us the Down Low on the Latest Organic Backyard Craze

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t all started at Brown's Feed and Seed in downtown Blue Ridge. I’d been treating the store like a kind of farm zoo, welcoming spring to a sound track of hundreds of peeping, chirping chicks. Their tiny heads frantically bobbed in and out of trays of starter feed.

They were busily pecking and scratching through the shavings in their pens, erratically running around, climbing over each other and eventually collapsing under a heat lamp in exhaustion. It was adorable, and definitely not something I was accustomed to seeing. I was, after all, a recovering city person, just a few years into my "country life."

Sporting an astonishing assortment of shapes and colors, the baby chicks displayed little hints of mature patterns to come on their tiny wings. I was on the verge of becoming a loitering pest and realized I had to go ahead and get some chickens. I studied the breeder posters to see if I could match the baby chicks with the illustrations of the adults. When I figured out what I wanted, I bought my first three chickens.

Bantams. "They are smaller,” I said, "easy to take back and forth to Atlanta".

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

Above Left: Easter found a cache of termites under the leaves.

Above Right: Lily in her blueberry laying box. Our coop was made entirely of recycled and repurposed materials.

Left: From the Williams-Sonoma Catalog, the Alexandria Chicken Coop & Run. Priced from $599.95 to $1449.95.

"I'll have fresh organic freerange eggs and I'll stick it to big corporate food," I said. "If I am what I eat, then I am whatever my chickens eat too, right?" This, I suspect, is how new chicken people, like myself, rationalize the leap into the feathered symbol of rural revival and urban homesteading. And who can blame us? Choosing to eat healthy chicken products is an exercise in avoiding hormones, antibiotics, GMO feed, and caged birds. Getting your own chickens is the ultimate in food sourcing! Or maybe it was the charming Williams-Sonoma Agrarian catalog– with page after glossy page of pastoral scenes featuring ready-to-go coops and stylish chicken accessories– that signaled to me that the chicken trend was evolving into bona-fide suburban revolution. As anyone who bought into Williams-Sonoma Agrarian catalog view of raising chickens will tell you, it's definitely not about saving money. When I consider

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what I’ve spent on the country coop, the city condo coop, traveling carriers, organic feed, oyster shells, grit, pine shavings, feeders, waterers, meal worms and sunflower treats, I figure every egg averages around $17. Just like my home grown organic heirloom tomatoes.

On the upside, I didn't anticipate that my chicks would grow up to have such distinctive personalities! There's Easter, the tiny golden jewel of a hen with a big personality and a poor laying record.

Because she’s so cute and personable, I've let her come in the cabin a few times at night, mostly to entertain guests. I’ve now created a monster. This little bird has butted the bottom of the screen door relentlessly until she punched out a hole big enough for her to enter at will so she can do such charming things as jump up on the kitchen counter and peck into a stick of butter, or beg strings of vermicelli off the Mister, or roost on the bookcase where she can hold court over all cabin activities. She's good about staying in that one place, so I just slide a piece of newspaper under her and let her be.

Vera the Barred-Rock has an agreeable nature and a beautiful brick of a body. Plus she’s quiet! Her little sounds are softly inquisitive and bright. Quiet is a trait I’ve grown to 12

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Above Left: Vera and Wren in a rhododendron hammock behind the art studio.

Above Right: Better than the USDA– the flock examines a pole bean harvest.

Left: Vera and Edith (R.I.P) check out my first batch of Easter egg radishes.

Top Right: A gouache illustration of the Hound and Hens in their Atlanta yard.

Far Right: Barred Rock folk art painting with bottle caps 14 x 18."

Near Right: Bottle cap chick #4.

treasure in chickens after losing my little Wren to a hawk last summer. Wren was a noisy, tireless complainer who broadcast like a beacon to hungry raptors, endangering all the hens. And since they free-range almost all day, a noisy bird is a hazard. Vera is on top of the pecking order, and is the best lookout sentry the flock could have. I count on her watchful eye to spot danger and sound the warning trill to alert the flock. Free ranging is dangerous, but I think it's a fair tradeoff against being penned up all day for safety. The hens are much happier and healthier when they are free to roam and I’ve made peace with the possibility of loss. In 7 years I’ve only lost two to hawks.

Peggy Jean possesses an air of self-determination and a crazy pair of earmuffs. Her head down forward running rush reminds me of a college football scrimmage line. Birds lower

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Blue Ridge Coin Shop and Collectibles THE LITTLE STORE THAT PAYS YOU MORE!

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on the pecking order better move aside! Peggy Jean can spot a jar of peanut butter from a distance better than any chick in the flock and cover the ground to get to it the fastest. Plus her eggs are the most beautiful pale green.

Last year I added Lily and Annette. Lily, a classic Welsummer, and on the large size for a Bantam, lays lovely speckled brown eggs. Her big and efficient earth moving feet can yield a haul of earthworms and tender pupae throughout the day, keeping her entertained while honing her foraging skills. She might be my favorite because she’s incredibly beautiful. She’s so big she has her own travel carrier, while the other three ride together in another.

Annette is a shiny iridescent black with a stylishly appointed Polish Crest.

Her crest flopped off to the left side of her head, covering one eye, resembling a hip hairstyle. When Annette began launching sneak attacks on the back of our legs and crowing loudly she became known as "Muchacho" and "Death from Below." I’d wanted to keep the rambunctious cockerel, but when Muchacho's crows alerted our Atlanta neighbors to our stealth coop in the back yard, we worried about complaints. Therefore, Muchacho went to live with Michelle in Mineral Bluff. And is much happier in her– er his– new home, a large run filled with soft clover and an entire harem of Silkies.

It's all worked out. Four is the perfect number of hens for this family. Now we’re planning to build a brand new coop out by the garden where they’ll get more sun and have a job in assisting with gardening and pest control chores. We've learned that having them hang around the house has some clear drawbacks. Mostly tearing up potted plants and leaving fertilizer in inappropriate places where it’s not needed.

The hens have earned a new chicken palace. After all, they’ve starred in lots of my home movies from comedies to Italian operas and even horror films, in which they've excelled. If you imagine a chicken that is dinosaur sized (and indeed the dino’s are their ancestors) you can see how those crazy features could work to a frightening effect. I’ve conscripted each of them, without consent, and they've been exploited time and again for art, with a mostly good nature.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

Top: Eggs from Peggy Jean, Vera and Easter. Lily was not yet laying at the time of this photograph.

Below: A stack of $40 chicken paintings.

Our hens are my muses as well– being featured in dozens of paintings, hundreds of illustrations, countless blog posts, photo essays and Facebook updates. They are valued members of the family that connect us back to the good earth in a most elemental way.

I believe this is where the true appeal lives, understanding that caring for the land and her creatures is the same as caring for our own lives and for the future. Sustainable thoughtful living is on the rise precisely because life giving resources are fragile, and we sense them slipping away.

Now and then on 515 I'll pass a tractor-trailer of fat white chickens stacked in metal cages. Soon they’ll be plucked, packaged and stuck under a fluorescent light at the grocery store. I often wonder if these chickens had had the kind of life my chickens have, would they also be unique individuals? Would they have liked dusting under the studio? Perhaps sunning at the edge of the hemlocks, with their wings stretched out like solar panels? Would any of them surf the dashboard of my old truck, as Easter did? Would these be brave enough to fly across the creek like Peggy Jean did the afternoon a hawk dipped and missed? Of course they would. But the world needs food and the trailer moves on. I look over at the carriers containing my own small flock en-route to the city and take comfort in knowing that everyday more people are discovering the joy of raising chickens. ACLM Thinking about getting chickens? Here are some useful links: MyPetChicken.com BackYardChickens.com ChickenWhisperer.net Ande Cook is an artist and aspiring farmer. You can purchase her paintings, prints, and other pieces at andecookstudio.com or andeland.com Her work is also avaiable at High Country Art Gallery in Blue Ridge, GA. https://highcountryart.com/

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Breakfast in Bed GLUTEN FREE

RECIPES & PHOTOS: KING ARTHUR FLOUR

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APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

AC LIVING RECIPES

The sun was just beginning to rise over the hill, all was quiet upstairs but outside deer, fox and pheasant were stirring. The light began to shimmer across the valley. Flowers in the garden were waiting for the sun to melt the heavy burden of frost across their shoulders. Tiny particles of ice created patterns in nature that would vanish with the coming spring. A perfect day to spell the march of time, pull the blankets up tight and enjoy a lovely breakfast in bed.

Gluten-Free Cinnamon-Apple Breakfast Pastry

Tender, buttery layers of pastry topped with cinnamon-y apple filling and finished with a rich, sweet glaze: sounds like the perfect “fancy” breakfast, doesn’t it?

Ingredients First layer • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pats • 1 cup Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 3 tablespoons water • If you’re using salted butter, omit the salt in the ingredients.

Second layer • 1 cup water • 8 tablespoons butter* •1 cup Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour • 3 large eggs, at room temperature; warm them, in the shell, in hot tap water for 10 minutes if they’re cold from the fridge • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • If you’re using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt.

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APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

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Topping • 1 cup apples, peeled and grated (about 1 large apple, or 1 to 2 smaller apples) • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1/2 cup granulated sugar • 3 tablespoons cornstarch • 1/8 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon cinnamon •1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional Icing • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/8 teaspoon salt • 1 to 2 tablespoons water or 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream Instructions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) a large baking sheet.

First layer • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the butter, flour, and salt, working the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or fork, your fingers, or a mixer.

• Mix until everything is crumbly, then stir in the water. The dough will become cohesive, though not smooth.

• Divide the dough in half. Wet your hands, and shape each piece of this wet dough into a rough log.

• Pat the logs into 10” x 2 1/2” rectangles on the sheet, leaving about 4” between them, and 2” on each side for expansion.

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Second layer • In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the water and butter to a boil. Stir until the butter melts, then add the flour (and salt, if you’re using it) all at once. Stir the mixture with a spoon until it thickens, begins to steam, and leaves the sides of the pan; this will happen very quickly.

• Transfer the stiff batter to a mixing bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat it at medium speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just to cool it down a bit.

• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; beat until the batter loses its “slimy” look, and each egg is totally absorbed.

• Mix in the vanilla extract.

• Divide the batter in half. Spread half the batter over one of the dough strips on the pan, covering it completely. Repeat with the remaining batter and dough.

• With a spatula (or your wet fingers) spread the batter until it completely covers the entire bottom layer of dough. Smooth it out as best you can.

•Bake the pastry for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until it’s golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and transfer each pastry to a rack.

• Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the apple starts to release its juice.

• Increase the heat to medium, and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring, until the mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes; a spatula drawn across the bottom of the pan should leave a track that doesn’t readily fill in.

• Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool to room temperature.

• Spread each warm pastry with half the topping. Sprinkle with nuts. Allow the pastries to cool completely before adding the icing.

Icing • Mix together all of the icing ingredients.

Drizzle over the pastries once they’re cool.

• Pastries are best served the day they’re made.

If you plan on baking ahead, don’t ice the pastries immediately. Once they’re completely cool, wrap loosely in plastic. Add the icing just before serving.

Prep 40 mins Bake 50 mins to 1 hr Total 2 hrs 10 mins Yield 2 loaves, about 16 servings

While the pastry is baking, make the topping • Toss the grated apple with the lemon juice in a saucepan.

• Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon, and add to the pan, stirring to combine.

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King Arthur Flour 100% Employee Owned Serving our communities and our planet with care, equality and education. www.kingarthurbaking.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

AC LIVING RECIPES

Gluten-Free Dessert Crêpes

Light, tender and now even gluten-free- crêpes are everyone’s favorite flapjack. Dress them up with cream cheese and orange zest, bananas and caramel, or a strawberry-ricotta filling and a drizzle of chocolate. The creative possibilities await you!

Ingredients • 2 cups King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (more if needed to b ring batter to correct consistency) • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum • 2 1/2 cups milk • 4 large eggs • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 4 tablespoons butter, melted Instructions • Combine the flour, salt, sugar and xanthan gum in a medium-sized bowl.

• In another, smaller bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, and vanilla.

• Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in about half the liquid mixture. Blend well, then add the remaining liquid and stir until fairly smooth; a few lumps can remain.

• Stir in the butter. Cover and let sit for at least an hour.

• The best pan in which to cook crêpes is a 10” cast iron pan or crêpe pan. Heat the pan until it’s medium-hot. Wipe the bottom of the FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

pan with a bit of butter or oil (a paper towel works well).

• Pour a scant 1/3 cup batter into the bottom of the pan, pick it up, and tip it in a circular motion so the batter covers the bottom of the pan. Cook until the bottom begins to brown and you can slide a spatula under it. It will hold together quite well, so you can flip it over easily.

• Cook briefly on the other side, and place on a warm plate. Cover until the remaining batter is cooked.

• Fill crêpes with fruit and whipped cream, sweetened cream cheese and berries, or anything else from bananas and chocolate or caramel, to ice cream and maple syrup.

Prep: 10 mins Bake: 10 to 15 mins Total: 1 hr 20 mins Yield: 16 large (10”) crêpes

Gluten-Free Classic Baked Doughnuts

Imagine a big mug of hot coffee and a couple of delicious homemade donuts. With a few small changes, this recipe will make chocolate chip, cinnamon sugar, or coconut donuts.

Ingredients • 4 tablespoons butter, softened • 1/4 cup vegetable oil • 1/2 cup granulated sugar • 1/3 cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed • 2 large eggs • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, to taste • 2 2/3 cups King Arthur Gluten-Free AllPurpose Baking Mix* • 1 cup milk Instructions • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans.

• In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until smooth.

• Add the eggs, beating to combine.

• Stir in the nutmeg and vanilla.

• Stir the gluten-free baking mix into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the baking mix and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

• Transfer the batter to the prepared doughnut pans, filling the wells to about 1/4” below the rim. A teaspoon cookie scoop works well for this; as does a piping bag, or a plastic sandwich bag with the corner cut off.

• Bake the doughnuts for 10 minutes, until set. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 to 7 minutes before turning them out of the pans onto a rack.

• Enjoy warm; or cool completely.

• Shake doughnuts in a plastic or paper bag with about 1/2 cup non-melting white sugar (for best results), or confectioners’ sugar.

Prep: 15 mins Bake: 10 to 12 mins Total: 35 mins Yield: 12 doughnuts

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New Vistas of the Blue Ridge

by Betty Kossick

She returned recently to a place where she found solitude those years ago: the chalet with the second-story screened in porch; this time, the day felt a coolness, a relief for her companions, but she prefers bright sun.

These days, the village shops are quite busy, different than before yet she enjoyed a restaurant of agreed choice, along the riverside. The food satisfied.

She spied kayakers and rafters, portaging their watercraft across a foot bridge.

However, she felt charmed by her response to the overcast day: the mountains appeared with clouds covering their tops, and mists hanging over the valleys.

She caught a glimpse of why the mountain people develop strong personalities.

Fresh, appreciative feelings emerged for her good husband, himself an inheritor of Blue Ridge ilk yet reared up north. Thus, with new emotions evoked, she relished in the discovery that resulted in collected memories of a day away from cares.

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Classic Vegan Virgin Mary

This drink is super flavorful and does not need vodka for you to enjoy! The fresh vegetables blended with tomato juice and vegan Worcestershire sauce create a savory drink with a tinge of tanginess from the lemon juice and a delightful zing from the hot sauce.

Ingredients • 2 ½ cups of tomato juice • 4 tablespoons of green olive brine • 1 garlic clove • 1-2 teaspoons of hot sauce • ½ of a medium cucumber, peeled & chopped • 1 celery rib, chopped • Juice of ½ of a lemon • 1 teaspoon of horseradish • 1 teaspoon of vegan Worcestershire sauce • Ice • Green olives for garnish • Celery for garnish Instructions • In a blender or food processor, add the tomato juice, olive brine, cucumber, celery, lemon juice, garlic clove, horseradish, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce (if using) and blend until smooth.

• Pour over a glass of ice and garnish with celery and green olives.

There are an abundance of non-alcoholic drinks, exoctic coffee recipes, andover-the-top garnishes to make your Breakfast in Bed fun and festive.

Find your favorites and carry on!

APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

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Gluten-Free Lemon Pancakes

Lemon and cornmeal give these pancakes a bright citrus flavor that tastes great with blueberries, raspberry jam, maple syrup, or simple butter and honey. Be sure to read the list of ingredients before you start; you’ll need potato starch and xanthan gum to make these pancakes.

Ingredients • 1/2 cup potato starch • 3/4 cup cornmeal (whole-grain preferred) • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar •1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 3/8 teaspoon xanthan gum • 2 large eggs • 3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil • 3/4 to 1 cup milk • 2 tablespoons lemon zest (grated rind) or 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil Instructions • Whisk together the first six dry ingredients and set aside.

• Beat together the eggs, melted butter or oil, milk, and lemon. Whisk into the dry ingredients. The batter should be thinner than regular pancake batter; if it’s not, stir in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk, or enough to thin the batter.

• Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes, while you preheat your griddle.

• Preheat your griddle to medium-high; if you have an electric griddle, set it to 350°F. Grease the griddle.

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• Pour about 2 tablespoons batter at a time onto the griddle. Cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes, until their tops are bubbly, their edges look dry, and their bottoms are golden brown.

• Turn over and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot, with butter and syrup.

Prep: 8 mins Bake: 10 to 30 mins Total:20 mins Yield: 18 medium pancakes (3” to 4”)

Gluten-Free Scones

These moist scones have delicate crunchy, golden-brown tops. We like to add dried fruit to these, but leave it out if you prefer.

Ingredients • 1 3/4 cups King Arthur Gluten-Free AllPurpose Flour • 1/4 cup granulated sugar • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, optional • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pats • 3/4 cup diced dried apricots, raisins, or cherries • 2 large eggs • 1/3 cup cold milk • 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract Instructions • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a divided scone pan, or grease (or line with parchment) a baking sheet.

• Whisk together the flour or flour blend, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and nutmeg.

APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

• Work in the cold butter till the mixture is crumbly.

• Stir in the dried fruit.

• Whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla till frothy.

• Add to the dry ingredients, stirring till well blended. The dough should be cohesive and very sticky.

• Drop dough by the 1/3-cupful into the scone pan or onto the baking sheet; if you haven’t added dried fruit, use a slightly smaller amount of dough, about 1/4 cup. Let the scones rest for 15 minutes.

• Sprinkle the scones with sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, till golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes or so before serving. Best enjoyed warm, with butter and jam.

Prep: 17 mins Bake:18 to 22 mins Total: 55 mins Yield: 8 scones

Bacon Hearts

With Valentine’s Day right round the corner nothing says “I love you” like bacon... right?

Instructions • Preheat oven to 400ºF. • Cut bacon slices in half. Arrange slices into heart shapes onto a baking rack on a cookie sheet and secure with a tothpick.

• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until bacon begins to turn brown.

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STRINGS & STITCHES YARN SHOPPE AND THE NORTH GEORGIA KNITTING GUILD ARE PROUD TO SPONSOR

The Third Annual

Georgia Mountain Needle Arts Festival April 22–24, 2022 Gilmer County Civic Center, Ellijay, GA

Vendors, Classes, Indoor Market, Community, and Daily Door Prizes!!

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

S

Following the huge success of their first year, the Needle Arts Festival is proud to announce an even bigger and better Festival for 2022. Vendors, classes, and door prizes are just some of what you’ll find at this fabulous event in the north Georgia mountains.

Strings & Stitches Yarn Shoppe and the North Georgia Knitting Guild are proud to sponsor the Third Annual Georgia Mountain Needle Arts Festival. This event will take place in Ellijay at the Gilmer County Civic Center, April 22nd – 24th. An absolute treat for knit, crochet, weaving, rug hooking enthusiasts and other crafters. Attendees of this event will gain access to a variety of vendors and educational resources. Needle artists will enjoy shopping for yarn, beaded projects, hand dyed materials, felted rug supplies, wood products and more.

Through partnership with the North Georgia Knitting Guild, guests will also have the opportunity to advance their skills through a variety of educational courses.

A list of classes is available on the website at georgiamountainneedleartsfestival.com and guests are urged to sign up now to take advantage of the opportunity to grow their skills.

Participants of the Festival will absolutely love sharing their craft with others and experiencing the connection between specialty stores and the needle artists they serve.

Vendors will be traveling from all over the southeast for the event, which is estimated to welcome as many as two thousand guests.

The backdrop of north Georgia makes this festival the ideal weekend getaway for crafting and knitting groups, as there are numerous hotel and cabin rental opportunities. Along with the festival, visitors will have the chance

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The Third Annual Georgia Mountain Needle Arts Festival The Gilmer County Civic Center 1561 South Main St. Ellijay, GA 30540 Vendor opportunities available, call 706. 698. 5648! to experience all that the Ellijay community has to offer, including hiking, fishing, camping and mountain biking! You and your traveling companions are sure to enjoy Ellijay’s lovely wine vineyards and countless other attractions while breathing in the Spring aroma of the north Georgia mountains.

This festival is sure to be a great way for craft and fiber art enthusiasts to learn new skills, access a variety of materials, be inspired by north Georgia’s beauty and make new friends along the way! Bring your craft groups, knitting buddies and entire family to make this an unforgettable weekend retreat. So let all your crafty friends know about this event and start now to plan your “girls weekend” or family trip to Ellijay, GA the 4th weekend of April 2022.

Please be sure to check the Georgia Mountain Needle Arts Festival website or their Facebook Page for the latest news about vendors, classes, featured events and more.

See y’all there! ACLM

APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

For more information, including lists of vendors, educational courses and local hotel and cabin rental options, please visit their website or Facebook page: www.georgiamountainneedleartsfestival.com www.facebook.com/ georgiamountainneedleartsfestival.com.

Hours: Friday & Saturday: 10am- 5pm Sunday: 10am to 4pm.

There is a cash only admission fee of $5. Vendors will accept payments of checks, cash and credit.

Parking is free.

For vendor opportunities available contact Karen and Janice Moss at 706-698-5648 or StringsandStitches@ellijay.com.

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INSIDE Welcome to our Calendar!

Due to COVID-19 many events may have vaccination or mask requirements.

While every attempt has been made to provide accurate event listings, we urge you to confirm the information provided before making travel plans. With that said, come and see all that the southern Appalachians has to offer!

ARTS 1st & 3rd Tuesdays Every Month

Plein Air Painters of Hiawassee Hiawasee, GA. Meet at ArtWorks and leave at 2pm for a local scenic spot to spend a fun afternoon painting with other artists. All media welcome.

Bring supplies and equipment you can carry.

Some walking on uneven ground may be required.

Remember to bring some water and a hat. During winter months, we paint as long as afternoon temperature is at least 50 degrees. 2pm-5pm ArtWorks Gallery & Gifts, 232B Chatuge Way, Hiawassee, GA. www.artworksgalleryga.com or 706-896-0932.

3rd Wednesdays Every Month Quilt Guild Jasper, GA. Out on a Limb Quilt Guild meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month 1pm – 3pm.

Pickens County Community Center, Camp Road, Jasper, GA. 30143. Info: Cathy Vickers (678) 4522155.

9/14 thru 10/10 Plein Air Exhibit Blue Ridge, GA. A spectacular exhibit filled with images from local scenery and landscapes created during our four-day 2021 Plein Air International Paint-Out. This exhibit will be on display and available for purchase in our Studio Gallery. Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Center, Website: www.blueridgearts.net, Email: BlueRidgeArts@gmail.com, Phone: 706-632-2144.

1/8 thru 2/19 Art Archive Sale Blue Ridge, GA. Enjoy handcrafted works and hundreds of art items available at incredibly discounted prices during the 2022 Art Archive Sale inside the Richard Low Evans Gallery at the Art Center. Tuesday- Sunday 10am -6pm. Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Center, Website: www.blueridgearts.net, Email: BlueRidgeArts@gmail.com, Phone: 706-632-2144.

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APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

NORTH GEORGIA'S GUIDE TO AREA

ARTS | DINING & DANCE | EVENTS & SHOWS | MUSIC | THEATER

1/20 thru 4/2 1st Quarter Artist in Residence: Marla J. McCormick Blue Ridge, GA.T ake an art journey through the realistic paintings of Marla J. McCormick. Her precise painting skills combined with her artistic talent for realism create an exhibit you don’t want to miss.Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Center, Website: www.blueridgearts.net, Email: BlueRidgeArts@ gmail.com, Phone: 706-632-2144.

2/3 Temi Coker, Photography & Design Young Harris, GA. Temi Coker is a multidisciplinary artist from Dallas, TX. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Temi is widely known for his creative approach to photography and design. His goal is to help people tell and share their stories through different digital mediums. Temi was one of the seven Adobe Creative Residents for the 2018/2019 year and has since worked for Apple, Adobe, Facebook, HBO, Google, Twitter and more. Weekdays 9am – 5pm. Campus Gate Art Gallery Young Harris College, 5149 College Street, Young Harris, GA 30582. Info: (706)379-5114 2/24 thru 3/31 Youth Art Month Blue Ridge, GA. Support our young and talented emerging artists during the nationally celebrated Youth Art Month. Young artists from Fannin County and Copper Basin area schools, as well as homeschool artists and students from the Radical Scholars program, will display their artwork inside the Richard Low Evans Gallery highlighting this year’s theme “Art Connects Us.” Opening Reception will be February 24, 3:30pm–5:30pm.

Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Center, Website: www. blueridgearts.net, Email: BlueRidgeArts@gmail. com, Phone: 706-632-2144.

EVENTS Ongoing Mondays Bingo at Buck Bald Brewing Copperhill, TN. Win cool prizes and have some fun.

Starts at 6m. Free! Buck Bald Brewing, 160 Ocoee Street, Copperhill, TN 37317. Info: 706.431.7141 or https://buckbaldbrewing.com 2nd, 4th, and 5th Mondays Twirlers Square Dancing Jasper, GA. Twirlers dance the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Mondays of the month at 7pm (lessons at 6pm).

Bent Tree Club Tamarack, Jasper, GA. Info: 770893-2629.

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Ongoing Mondays SINGO! Blue Ridge, GA. Singo is a mix of Bingo and great music. To play, everyone is given a bingo card.

We’ll play about a minute of each song and you match the song to a tile on your board - just like Bingo! The first person to match 5 in a row and yell out “SINGO” is our winner! 6 - 8pm. bin322 Wine & Tapas Bar, 116 West Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513. Email: info@bin322.com Phone: 706-946-0472 Tuesdays Trivia at Lucky’s Blairsville, GA. Prizes and great food! 7-9pm.

Lucky’s Taqueria & Cantina, 17 Merchants Walk, Blairsville, GA 30512. Info: : https://www.luckystacoshop.com/ or 706-487-4231.

Ongoing Wednesdays Cast-Off Pet Rescue Bingo Blairsville, GA. Would you like to save dogs and cats and win money? Join us every Wednesday for Bingo Night! The Jackpot depends on YOU! If we at have least 60 players, jackpot will be $600.00.

At least 80 players, jackpot will be $800.00. At least 100 players, jackpot will be $1,000.00!!!

Doors 6 pm and games 7pm. Blairsville Civic Center, 165 Wellborn Street, Blairsville, GA. 30512.

For info: www.castoffpetrescue.org or call (706) 487-4539.

Ongoing Wednesdays Team Trivia at Hoppy Trout Andrews, NC. Four rounds of trivia. Each round has a different category with 10 questions. Prizes are a $5 gift card for each of the first three rounds and a $20 gift card for the overall winning team at the end. 6:30pm. Free! Hoppy Trout Brewing Company 911 Main St. Andrews, NC 28901. Info: www.hoppytroutbrewing.com or 828-835-2111 Ongoing Thursdays Trivia at Copperhill Brewery Copperhill, TN. Gift certificates for first thru 3rd place winners. Starts 6pm SHARP. Copperhill Brewery, 105 Ocoee St, Copperhill, TN 37317. Info: (423) 548-3030 or copperhillbrewery.com First Thursdays Shop Late Thursdays Blairsville, GA. Downtown Blairsville businesses will be open additional hours from 5pm - 8pm and featuring deals, discounts and other offers! Avoid the crowds on the weekends and visit Downtown Blairsville on the First Thursday of the month! Look for businesses with a red balloon! Info: www.visitblairsvillega.com or 877. 745.5789.

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AC LIVING CALENDAR Ongoing Thursdays Dart Tournament and Open Jam Session Murphy, NC. Darts- 5pm. Jam- 5pm – 7pm. The Daily Grind And Wine, 46 Valley River Ave Murphy, NC 28906. Info: (828) 835-7322 or http://thedailygrindandwine.com/ Ongoing Fridays Hiawassee Night Market Hiawassee, GA. Open-air night artist & artisan market: fresh produce, food trucks, games, and live music.The monthly destination for outdoor dining, shopping, and entertainment. 5pm- 10pm.

Town Square at 19 S. Main Street, Hiawassee GA. http://hiawasseega.gov

2/5 Feature Showing- Hidden Figures- 2016 Film Canton, GA. Join us as we recognize Black History Month with this inspiring story of the female, African-American mathematicians who revolutionized the Space Race. Tickets are $2 online and in person. 7pm – 9pm. Canton Theatre 171 E Main St., Canton, Georgia 30114. Info: kristin.norton@ cantonga.gov or 770-704-0755. Tickets available at http://https//cantonga.governmentwindow.com/ estore/theater/canton-theatre.html

2nd Fridy Each Month Fantastic Finds Friday Blairsville, GA. Come to Merchants Walk for great deals all day. Save, stay and enjoy! 7:30am- 8pm.

Hours vary between merchants. Info: www.visitblairsvillega.com or 877. 745.5789.

2/5 Songs and Stories featuring Jim McCutcheon Cherry Log, GA. The Craddock Center is excited to announce the return of Songs & Stories in honor of Helen Lewis. This annual performance includes musicians and storytellers who share the best of Appalachia’s unique culture and traditions. Free!

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The Craddock Center, 186 Fred Craddock Drive, Cherry Log, GA 30522. Info: 706-632-1772 or www.craddockcenter.org

Ongoing 2nd Saturdays Saturdays at Riverwalk McCaysville, GA. Shop * Eat * Play * Late. Most stores open late on the 2nd Saturday of each month this summer. Fun Shopping * Free Gifts * Special Offers. Eat dinner at Burra Burra on the River or Twisted Tomato, browse the unique Shops & Boutiques, and enjoy live music at TOONEYS Music Venue. Riverwalk Shops, 100 Blue Ridge Drive, McCaysville, GA 30555.

2/12 Pawlentines Photo Blairsville, GA. Does your favorite Valentine have paws?! Safe Pet Project invites you to bring your furry Valentine for a photo in our Kissing Booth.

February 12th from 1pm – 4 pm. Safe Pet Project Thrift Store 307 Cleveland St. Unit O (Basement, Back side of the building where Enterprise RentA-Car is located). Suggested $5.00 Donation. Info: http://safepetproject.org or (706) 400-7076.

2/1 thru 2/25 CASA Volunteer Training Ellijay, GA. Join us for CASA Volunteer Training!

Training will be held every Tuesday and Friday until February 25, 2022. 9am-1pm. Please contact our office for more information at (706)276-2272 or advocacy@appalachiancasa.com. Applications are available online at www.appalachiancasa.com.

2/19 11th Annual Fire & Ice Chili Cook Off and Craft Beer Festival Downtown Blue Ridge, GA. Buy a $10 Tasting Card to sample the competition and vote for the People’s Choice Award. An amazing display of individual and unique ice sculptures from the award winning, National Ice Carving Champion Rock On Ice including several ice carving demonstrations, in the park, during the entire event. Hours: Noon4pm. Tasting cards will be sold from 11 am to 2:30 pm. Tasting begins at noon. All People’s Choice votes MUST be turned in by 2:30 pm. Cook-Off will happen come rain, snow or shine! Info: 678793-6645. Or www.facebook.com/fireandicechilicookoff/

2/4 thru 2/6 The Sweetheart Arts And Craft Show Young Harris, GA. The Brasstown Valley Resort and Spa. Sweetheart Show includes pyrography, painting, cut-work, coiling, and basketry on the gourds.

Judo’s specialty is coiling with waxed linen thread to create functional and decorative pieces. This event showcases products like promote both indoor and outdoor festivals of highly juried artisans.

Friday 2pm -7pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am -3pm. FREE! Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa, 6321 US-76, Young Harris, GA. Info: https://www. brasstownvalley.com/ or (706) 379-9900 2/5 Canton Chocolate Walk Downtown Canton, GA. Join us for an afternoon of shopping and chocolate in Downtown Canton!

Stroll the beautiful streets, visit your favorite shops and sample chocolate provided by our Downtown businesses. Don’t worry, you’ll have a goody box to take home any uneaten chocolate....wouldn’t want it to go to waste! Tickets will go on sale soon! Noon-6pm. Info & Tickets: https://www. cantonga.gov

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

2/18 & 3/18 Stories On The Square - Open Mic Night Hayesville, NC. Attend this free in-person event sponsored by Mountain Area Storytellers or watch it as it’s live streamed via Zoom and reconnect with friends, family & fellow storytellers. This “old time” open mic event will combine in-person and Zoom performers: storytellers, writers and musicians. 6pm-7:30pm. FREE! Corner Coffee and Wine Shop at Main and Church Streets, On the Square in historic Hayesville, 66 Church St., Hayesville, NC 28904. Info: (502)525-7272(Kanute Rarey, Storyteller and Host) 2/26 & 3/26 Cars and Coffee Cruise-In Ellijay, GA. North Georgia’s monthly meet of auto and motorcycle enthusiasts. Held in beautiful Ellijay, Ga on the last Saturday of each month.

APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

Bring your everything on wheels and enjoy free coffee and donuts. 50/50 raffle and great conversation. 8am -11am. Riverside Pavillion on Main Street, ELLIJAY, GA 30540. Contact Information: Michael Johnson 843-814-3774 (p) mhjfedex@ aol.com 3/5 Cork & Canvas Blue Ridge, GA. Support the arts as you enjoy wine samplings from various area vintners. This year’s event includes wine grab, silent auction, count the corks raffle, savory food, and live entertainment.

Tickets : $40 ($35 for BRMAA members) includes free samples of local area vintners, a commemorative BRMAA wine glass, gourmet food selections, and a complimentary glass of wine. Tickets are available here online and at the Art Center, located in Downtown Blue Ridge. All proceeds from this event benefit our youth arts programming including our Summer Art Camp and our ongoing youth arts education scholarships. Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Center, Website: www.blueridgearts.net, Email: BlueRidgeArts@gmail.com, Phone: 706632-2144.

3/5 7th Annual Military Ball Young Harris, GA. All Services and Civilians are invited to attend. This event is to celebrate the 80th birthday of “The Seabees.” The evening includes a cash bar and a dinner buffet. Social Hour: 5:30 PM; Dinner: 6:30pm; Ceremony: 7:30pm; Dancing: 10 - 11:30pm. Tickets on Sale until March 1, 2022: Active Duty / Reserve E1-E5: $30. All Others: $50 ($5 Discount per ticket purchased by 1/31/22).

The Ridges Resort On Lake Chatuge, Young Harris, GA. Tickets & Info: Ed Crenshaw at 706-897-2649 or ccbret@windstream.net or Bob Ramey at 706400-9245 or bobramay@windstream.net 3/11 & 3/12 Georgia Mountains Hospice Volunteer Yard Sale Jasper, GA. Yard Sale will be held in the Stancil Room of the Georgia Mountains Hospice Building.

ANY DONATED ITEMS APPRECIATED - but please no clothes. All proceeds go to support Georgia Mountains Hospice. Friday: 8am-3pm, Saturday: 8am- Noon. Georgia Mountains Hospice, 70 Caring Way, Jasper, GA (Stancil Room). For info, contact Judy Chance 706-253-4100.

3/13 The North Georgia Wedding Expo Blairsville, GA. Everything you need to make decisions from destination venues and catering to cake tastings and honeymoon ideas. From wedding jewelry to custom bridal party gifts, from bachelor party getaway guides to photographers, from lodging options to DJ choices, from wedding hair and make-up to flowers and centerpieces, every detail of your wedding matters. FREE! 1pm – 5pm. Union County Community Center, 129 Union County Recreation Road, Blairsville, GA 30512.

Info: www.VisitBlairsvilleGA.com. randi@blairsvillechamber.com or (706) 745-5789.

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3/18 & 3/19 41st Hammer-In at Trackrock!

Blairsville, GA. Anyone interested in knives, knife making, Hawks, leather work, collecting, trading, etc. Watch, meet and talk with some of the Souths most talented makers and craftsmen and women. See discard steel, scrap metal, wood and bone transformed into functional works of art.

Craftsmen and visitors from all over the USA and other countries, Finished knives on display and for sale. Materials and Supply vendors, etc. FREE! Trackrock Campground & Stables, 141 Trackrock Camp Rd, Blairsville, GA 30512. Info: www.facebook.com/events/317218940299677?r ef=newsfeed

4/8 & 4/9 24th Annual Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference Blue Ridge, GA. The Virtual Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference mission is to educate, inform and inspire writers. We are proud to host award-winning author Melissa Fay Greene as our keynote speaker alongside several other talented authors for two days full of literary knowledge. Throughout the conference, writers will network with fellow writers, expand their knowledge base and learn to hone their skills in various breakout sessions. Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Center, Website: www.blueridgearts.net, Email: BlueRidgeArts@gmail.com, Phone: 706-632-2144.

3/19 Yappy Hour Blairsville, GA. Join the all-volunteer crew from Safe Pet Project at Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling for Yappy Hour! Featuring Mountain Gypsy Music with Curtis and Kim Jones. Each ticketholder will receive: Limited-edition Safe Pet Project glass; Choice of one of our signature drinks (The Wicked Mutt or The Pink Pussycat); Food ticket; Tickets for each of our raffles. Starts at 1pm. Online tickets $25.00 (+ processing fee) for attendees 21 and older at: yappyhourwithsafepetproje.rsvpify.com.

Tickets also available at the Safe Pet Project Thrift Store (with no processing fee). Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling Co., 112 Wellborn St, Blairsville, GA 30512. Info: https://safepetproject.org/events/ or (706) 400-7076.

KIDS OF ALL AGES

3/29 Ginseng Diggers Book Signing and Discussion Ellijay, GA. Dalton State Mountain Campus will be hosting and Book Signing and Discussion on March 29, 2022 at 2 pm. Dr. Thomas Luke Manget will discuss his new book Ginseng Diggers: A History of Root and Herb Gathering in Appalachia. 2pm – 4pm. Free! Dalton State Mountain Campus, 103 Dalton Street, Room 106 The Hub Center for Entrepreneurship, Ellijay, GA 30540. Info: www.daltonstate.edu/mountaincampus or 706-635-1260.

Ongoing Wednesdays Themed Storytime & Crafts Jasper, GA. Join Miss Crystal at Pickens County Recreation Department in classroom one for Storytime! We’ll have themed stories and a themed craft! Children must be accompanied by an adult. To sign up for this event, call 706-6925411 or visit calendarwiz.com/sequoyahreglib.

Pickens County Recreation Department, 1329 Camp Road, Jasper, GA 2/18 & 2/25 The Sun: Our Living Star, Planetarium Show Young Harris, GA. The Sun is our nearest star and our planet’s powerhouse, the source of the energy that drives our winds, our weather and all life.

The light that warms our skin today has been felt by every person who has ever lived. The passage of the Sun’s fiery disc across the sky - day by day, month by month - was how humanity kept track of time for countless generations. Although it is a typical dwarf star, the Sun consumes 600 million tons of hydrogen each second and is 500 times as massive as all the planets combined. Discover the secrets of our star and experience neverbefore-seen images of its violent surface in this visually striking planetarium show about the most important star in our lives. Tickets: $5 online or at the door. O. Wayne .Rollins Planetarium, Young Harris College Campus, 1 College Street, Young Harris, GA 30582. Tickets & Info: http://yhc.edu/ planetarium or (706)379-5195.

MUSIC Every Evening Bell Music from the Tower 7:00pm – 7:30pm. At the Historic Courthouse on the Square in Downtown Blairsville, GA. Free!

Contact (706) 745-5493 or www.unioncountyhistory.org Mondays Live Music at Lucky’s Blairsville, GA. Featuring local artists every Monday from 7-10pm. Lucky’s Taqueria & Cantina, 17 Merchants Walk, Blairsville, GA 30512. Info: https://www.luckystacoshop.com/ or 706-4874231.

Thursdays Karaoke at Lucky’s Blairsville, GA. Prizes and great food! 7-10pm.

Lucky’s Taqueria & Cantina, 17 Merchants Walk, Blairsville, GA 30512. Info: : https://www.luckystacoshop.com/ or 706-487-4231.

Thursdays thru Saturdays Live Music at Tooney’s McCaysville, GA. A special spot where you can enjoy live music, drink an ice-cold craft beer, and enjoy the night scene by the river. Tooneys Music Venue, 100 Blue Ridge Drive, McCaysville, GA 30555. Info: https://www.tooneys.com/ or 828347-1370.

Fridays Concert Series at the Old Courthouse Blairsville, GA. Free! 7pm. Old Historic Courthouse, 1 Town Square, Blairsville GA. For info: Union County Historical Society 706-745-5493 or www. unioncountyhistory.org/ Fridays Guitars & Grapes Live Music Series Blairsville, GA. We are featuring some of the best local musicians to play in every Friday night on our patio from Bring a friend, grab a glass of wine, and enjoy a variety of music including Indie Folk, Country, Americana Folk, and more. Free! 4:00pm - 8:00pm. Paradise Hills Resort, Winery & Spa, 366 Paradise Rd., Blairsville, GA 30512. Info: www. paradisehillsvineyard.com or 706-745-7483.

VACATION RENTALS BLUE RIDGE & ELLIJAY WHITEWATER RIVER & TROUT STREAM LAKE & MOUNTAIN VIEWS HOT TUBS ACCEPTING NEW CABINS CONTACT JOY 706. 635. 3952 / 404. 791. 4388 stressbuster@ellijay.com www.stressbustercabinrentals.com

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APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

Consigning Women Gently Pre-Loved Clothing at a Fraction of the Original Price

706. 253. 6905 540 North Main St. Suite E Jasper, GA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

AC LIVING CALENDAR Fridays Live Music Andrews, NC. Snowbird Mountain Brewery and enjoy live music paired with Terry’s craft beer selection. Local talent! Free. 4pm-7pm. 378 Locust Street, Andrews, NC 28901. Info: https:// www.snowbirdmountainsbrewery.com/ or 678410-3035 Fridays & Saturdays Live Music at Misty Mountain Hops Blue Ridge, GA. 6- 9pm. Misty Mountain Hops, 3300 East 1st Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513. Info: 706-946-8620 Fridays & Saturdays Live Music at the Reece Farm & Heritage Center Blairsville, GA. Small venue concerts will be held behind the welcome center on the stage beside the creek or at the pavilion. Free, donations accepted. 1pm- 3pm. Reece Farm and Heritage Center, 8552 Gainesville Hwy, Blairsville, GA 30512. Info: Web: http://www.unioncountyga.gov/ reecefarm/ Email: bhrfarm@uniongov.com Phone: (706) 745-2034 Fridays & Saturdays Live Music at bin322 Wine & Tapas Bar Blue Ridge, GA. 6-9pm. bin322 Wine & Tapas Bar, 116 West Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513.

Email: info@bin322.com Phone: 706-946-0472 Fridays & Saturdays Live Music at Murphy’s Chophouse Murphy, NC. Murphy’s Chophouse, 130 Valley River Ave, Murphy, NC 28906. Info: http://www. murphyschophouse.com/ or 828.835.EATS (3287) Fridays & Saturdays Live Music at Chevelle’s Murphy, NC & Hayesville, NC. Chevelle’s 66, 66 Hiwassee St, Murphy, NC 28906. Chevelle’s 69, 983 NC 69 ,Hayesville, NC 28904. No cover. 9pm.

Info: http://chevellerestaurants.com or 828-8357001.

3rd Friday Every Month Live Music Acoustic Blends Listen to a Variety of Quality Music Acts … or Join the Jam! Bring your own libations and munchies.

7 pm. Free & Public Invited. For info please contact Gilmer Arts 207 Dalton St. Ellijay, GA 30540. 706635-5605. Visit www.gilmerarts.com Weekends Live Music at Engelheim Vineyards Engelheim Vineyards 127 Lakeview Road, Ellijay, GA 30540. Call 706-635-WINE (9463) or visit www.engelheim.com.

Weekends Live Music at Rocco’s Rocco’s Pub, 47 Mountainside Village Parkway, Jasper, GA. Contact 706.253.1900 or visit http:// roccosjasper.com

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

Weekends Fannin Brewing Company Live Music in the Bier Garden Fannin Brewing: 3758 East First Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513. www.fanninbrewingcompany. com or 706.258.2762 Weekends Cartecay Vineyards Cartecay Vineyards, 5704 Clear Creek Road, Ellijay, GA 30535. Call 706. 698. 9463 (WINE) or visit www.cartecayvineyards.com Weekends Chateau Meichtry Vineyards Chateau Meichtry, 1862 Orchard Lane, Talking Rock, GA 30175. Info: (706) 502-1608 or www.chateaumeichtry.com.

Weekends Live Music at Mystic Mountain Pizza Blue Ridge, GA. We’re excited to showcase some of the Groovy local live talent. Mystic Mountain Pizza, 4118 E First Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513.

Info: www.facebook.com/topstreet1, mysticmountainpizzaco.com or 706-946-0378.

2/19 Rich Cerniglia & Shani Palmer Ellijay, GA. Two Shows for the Price of One! Rich Cerniglia, guitarist. Shani Palmer, vocalist and her acoustic trio. 7pm. Tickets & Info: Gilmer Arts 207 Dalton St. Ellijay, GA 30540. 706-635-5605. Visit www.gilmerarts.com 2/26 Three Dog Night Hiawassee, GA. Live with some of their greatest hits: “Mama Told Me (Not To Come)”, “Joy to the World”, “Black and White”, “Shambala”, “One”, and more! 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, 1311 Music Hall Road, Hiawassee, GA 30546. Info & tickets: https://georgiamountainfairgrounds.com or (706) 896-4191 3/11 Johnny Jameson Ellijay, GA. Get Your Irish On with a Johnny Jameson St. Patty’s Weekend! You will hear all your favorite Irish ditties, ballads, and stories from the man who was celebrating with us each St. Patty’s for a few years now. Johnny Jameson and the Empty Pints are the best Irish/Celtic drinking song band in Tennessee! 7pm. Gilmer Arts 207 Dalton St. Ellijay, GA 30540. 706-635-5605. Visit www.gilmerarts.com 3/12 Blue Betty Sessions: Wyatt Espalin & Surrender Hill Ellijay, GA. Two seasoned songwriters/performers will share the stage at the playhouse at 7pm. One of our very favorites Surrender Hill will open the show followed by the headliner, award winning fiddler Wyatt Espalin and his band performing Wyatt’s original music. Wyatt will also conduct a songwriting/harmony workshop at 1 PM; there is no additional charge for the workshop if a ticket has been purchased for the evening performance.

APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

1 pm Songwriting Workshop by Wyatt Espalin.

6 pm Art Exhibition by Jonathan Callicutt. 7 pm Blue Betty Sessions Presents: The Big Show Extravaganza! Featuring Wyatt Espalin Band and Surrender Hill. Tickets & Info: Gilmer Arts 207 Dalton St. Ellijay, GA 30540. 706-635-5605. Visit www.gilmerarts.com 4/17 7 Licks Concert Ellijay, GA. 7 Licks is coming to the George Link, Jr Gilmer Arts Playhouse to share the rock, blues and jam music they love! 7pm. Tickets and info: Gilmer Arts 207 Dalton St. Ellijay, GA 30540. 706-6355605. Visit www.gilmerarts.com

OUTDOORS Thursdays Fun Runs at The Riverwalk Walk, jog, or run with us every Thursday at 5:30pm .. then stick around to unwind with a craft beer or fine wine. Join friends, have fun, and get some exercise. Meet by the steel bridge, just outside Burra Burra’s river deck gate. Location: Riverwalk Shops ~ Burra Burra, 100 Blue Ridge Drive, McCaysville, GA 30555. Info:www.riverwalkshops.com 2/19 Chilly Bear Chase 5K McCaysville, GA. 3.1 Miles, 2 States, 1 Steelbridge .. a 5K like no other, costumes encouraged!!! The course takes runners through the charming downtowns of McCaysville and its sister city, Copperhill, Tennessee – two cities united by a state line at the heart of the historical Copper Basin. Covering 3.1 miles, participants will not only cross from Georgia into Tennessee and back into Georgia, but they will also run through the iconic steel bridge, one of few left in America, that spans the Toccoa River (aka Ocoee River in Tennessee). 5:30 – 6:30pm.

Hosted by the McCaysville Business Assoc. Info: 706-964-1000 3/26 The Great Ape Escape 5K-ish Morganton, GA. Join us for our very 1st Great Ape Escape 5K-ish! Invite your friends and family to walk, run, or hike this fun off road race! $60/ Participant: Admittance to race and the Escape Zone, Race Packet, 10 week 5K-ish Training Plan, Finisher’s Medal (wooden), Great Ape Escape T-shirt. Students save $10! $25/Participant: No Frills Option- Leave out the t-shirt and the medal and save money! Add On Tour Option: Add on a tour of the sanctuary! Select the time window for your tour when booking your ticket, exact time of tour will be confirmed upon check-in at the event.

Proceeds benefit Project Chimps. Registration 10am, Race 11am. Info & tickets: https://projectchimps.org/events/great-ape-escape-5k-ish/ 4/2 2nd Annual Cartecay Wine Run 5k Ellijay, GA. Like Running or Walking? Love Wine?

This race is for you! An exciting new event that features the amazing hospitality and scenery of Cartecay Vineyards with a breathtaking backWWW.ACLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM

27

Lucy, Ricky, Ethel & Fred’s hijinx land them into a murder and need your help solving it. This Comedic, Musical Murder Mystery has it all!

TROUBLE AT THE TROPICABANA

March 3rd - March 20th Thursday - Saturday 7:30 PM Sundays at 2 PM When Jessica is cast as Hamlet it sends her into an existential tailspin. A crazed acting coach helps her discover how “to be or not to be.”

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706. 635. 2322 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

AC LIVING CALENDAR drop of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, and amazing wines produced by locally grown Cartecay Vineyards’ grapes! Please Note: This is a very hilly course. It is very suitable for walkers and beginners, but does have some challenging spots. 8am – Noon. Cartecay Vineyards, 5704 Clear Creek Rd., Ellijay, GA 3053. Info and tickets: 706-698-9463 Or www.cartecayvineyards.com/calendar.htm

THEATER 2/25 thru 3/6 Tuna Does Vegas Ellijay, GA The hilarious new installment from the legendary Greater Tuna creative team! Tuna Does Vegas re-unites the lovable and eccentric characters from the ‘third smallest town in Texas’ as they take a rambling romp in Sin City. The hilarity begins when oddball-conservative radio host Arles Struvie announces on air that he and his wife Bertha Bumiller are heading to Vegas to renew their wedding vows... but everyone in Tuna, Texas goes along for the ride!

This next installment is sure to have you in stitches!

Fridays & Saturdays 6pm, Sundays 2pm. George Link, Jr. Gilmer Arts Playhouse, 135 Dalton St. Ellijay, GA 30540. Tickets & Info: www.gilmerarts. com or 706-635-5605

3/3 thru 3/20 Trouble at the Tropicabana Blue Ridge, GA. Join Lucy, Ricky, Ethel, & Fred as their hijinx land them into a murder that they need your helping in solving. This Comedic, Musical Murder Mystery has got it all! Blue Ridge Community Theater, 2591 East 1st St., Blue Ridge, GA 30513. Tickets & Info: (706) 632-9223. blueridgecommunitytheater.com 3/24 thru 3/27 Women Playing Hamlet- Black Box Theater Blue Ridge, GA. When Jessica is cast as Hamlet, it sends her into an existential tailspin. Despite everyone (including Patrick Stewart) telling her that she’s too young and can’t do it, with the help of a crazed acting coach Jessica must discover how “to be or not to be.” Blue Ridge Community Theater, 2591 East 1st St., Blue Ridge, GA 30513.

Tickets & Info: (706) 632-9223. blueridgecommunitytheater.com 4/7 thru 4/24 The Play That Goes Wrong Blue Ridge, GA. It’s opening night of the Blue Ridge Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. Accidentprone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Part Sherlock Holmes, part Monty Python! Blue Ridge Community Theater, 2591 East 1st St., Blue Ridge, GA 30513. Tickets & Info: (706) 632-9223. blueridgecommunitytheater.com

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

WINE & BEER TASTINGS 3/1 thru 3/31 2022 Georgia Wine Highway Grab a ‘passport’ at any participating winery and take a self-guided tasting tour. Each passport holder will receive either 4 tastings or 1 glass at the participating wineries.You are encouraged to check the business hours of the property you plan to visit. For more information contact: www. georgiawine.com; info@georgiawineproducers.org or 706-669-8184.

Open Every Day Engelheim Vineyards Engelheim Vineyards 127 Lakeview Road, Ellijay, GA 30540. Call 706-635-WINE (9463) or visit www.engelheim.com.

Ongoing Cartecay Vineyards Wine Tastings on the Chimney Patio or the Nealey Barn Loft. Cartecay Vineyards, 5704 Clear Creek Road, Ellijay, GA 30535. Call 706. 698. 9463 (WINE) or visitcartecayvineyards.com Ongoing Cartecay Wine & Craft Ellijay, GA. Cartecay Wine & Craft is a tasting room located in Downtown Ellijay, serving our wines, other GA Wines and GA Craft Beers. 19 South Main Street Ellijay, Georgia 30540. Phone: 706-6979463 or www.facebook.com/cartecaywineandcraft/ Ongoing Cartecay Wine & Craft Blue Ridge, GA. Cartecay Wine & Craft is a tasting room located in Downtown Blue Ridge serving our wines, other GA Wines and GA Craft Beers. 19 South Main Street Ellijay, Georgia 30540. Phone: 706-697-9463 or www.facebook.com/cartecaywineandcraft/ Daily Chateau Meichtry Chateau Meichtry, 1862 Orchard Lane, Talking Rock, GA 30175. Info: (706) 502-1608 or www. chateaumeichtry.com.

Fridays Crane Creek VIneyards Young Harris, GA. Kick off the weekend with live music out on the vineyard decks & delicious housemade seasonal appetizers. No reservations! Weather permitting. Saturday Vinters Tours.

Open Tuesday - Sunday. 16 Crane Creek Road | Young Harris, GA 30582. 706.379.1236 or visit cranecreekvineyards.com Saturdays Out Of The Blue Wine Tasting Blue Ridge, GA. Drinking alcohol is just drinking.

Wine is a lifestyle. We sell fine wine, cheeses, and beer and specialty kitchen items. Wine tastings Saturdays at 1:00 pm. Out of the Blue, 647 E. Main Street, Blue Ridge, 706-258-2750. Visit www. outofzbleu.com

APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

Ongoing Copperhill Brewery Copperhill, TN. High quality craft brews, stop in and experience ours! 105 Ocoee Street Copperhill, TN 37317. Info: 423-548-3030 or copperhillbrewery.com Daily Buck Bald Brewing Check for Hours. Buck Bald Brewing, 160 Ocoee Street, Copperhill, TN 37317. Info: 706.431.7141 or buckbaldbrewing.com Ongoing Thurs - Sun Fannin Brewing Company 3758 East First Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513.

706.258.2762 or www.fanninbrewingcompany. com Ongoing Thurs - Sat Grumpy Old Men Brewing Dog & kid friendly. 1315 East Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA. 770-331-8870/404-966-2665, grumpyoldmenbrewing.com Ongoing Mon- Sun Valley River Brewery & Eatery Located in Historic Downtown Murphy, NC at 71 Tennessee Street. 828-837-BEER or www.valleyriverbrewery.com Ongoing Thurs- Sun Cartecay River Brewing Co. Ellijay, GA. Thurs - Sun. Craft beers on the river.

At 26 River Terrace, Ellijay, GA 30540. Info: (706) 395-8935 orcartecayriverbrewing.com Fridays – Sundays Pendley Creek Brewing Company Jasper, GA. Offering flights, pints, and growlers to-go, we are proud to be Jasper’s first smallhold brewery. Friday: 12pm - 9pm, Saturday: 12pm - 9pm, Sunday: 12pm - 5pm. Pendley Creek Brewing Company, 57 N. Main Street Jasper, GA 30143. Info: @PendleyCreek · Brewery, (706) 253-2739 or www.pendleycreekbrewingco. com Ongoing Currahhee Brewing Co. Franklin, NC. Mon-Thur 12-9 PM // Fri & Sat 12-10 PM // Sunday 12-8 PM. 100 Lakeside Dr, Franklin, NC 28734. Info: 828.634.0078 or www.curraheebrew.com We recommend checking events and COVID restrictions before making travel plans as dates, times and requirements can change.

Editor’s Note: While we try our best to include everyone, we’re sure we’ve unintentionally missed some Happenings along the way.

If you’d like to be included in our CALENDAR, please email the information to a lice@blueridgemediagroup.com or call 706. 492. 5070

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AC LIVING HISTORY

history of indian georgia

– The Georgia Frontier

History Editor Leslie Barker Thomas Digs Deep Into The Rich and Exciting Cultural Past with This Ongoing Series About Our Native Ancestors

A Frontier of Wild People, Terrors of The Pony Club

T

The Cherokee Territory of Georgia had instituted the Cherokee Light Horse Guard and was working with a group of Federal Troops to rid their lands of the some 4,000 intruders who kept entering into the Cherokee country to find gold.

When the Cherokees adopted a constitution in 1827, Georgia’s legislature was furious. Over the next five years, the legislature continued to pass laws that restricted the Cherokees every move to gain their independence. This effort encouraged the Pony Club, a band of mounted criminals who terrorized the Cherokees and pioneers living near the Georgia frontier.

By 1830 the government of Georgia had disbanded the Light Horse Guard, dismissed the Federal Troops and implemented their own Georgia Guard of 40-60 men, who were described as outlaw ruffians themselves. Their objective was to protect the gold mines from the miners or Cherokees, since they felt that the mineral rights belonged to Georgia. Part of their orders included ridding the country of the Pony Club. Militia Col. John W.A. Sanford failed to run them out of Georgia, in fact was considered to have been in cahoots with them on many occasions even during an election of officials in Murray County.

The Pony Club was glamorized and written about in “border romances”

by Charles Dickens and

by Mark Twain in stories from McMinn County Tennessee. They were a group of about 50 interrelated families that left Tennessee in 1826 and found there way to Dekalb County, Georgia along the 30

Chattahoochee River. According to descendants, the group left Tennessee for the explicit purpose of forming a Pony Club to raid Cherokee and Creek settlements, to steal horses and pass them on to club members in other counties and states to sell.

Carroll County’s extensive Indian frontier contributed to another problem that threatened to have grave consequences. The county became the base of operations of this well-organized gang of horse thieves, along with other renegades, and outlaws whose operations extended all the way from Alabama on the west to South Carolina on the east.

Known locally as the “Pony Boys,” this group of thieves brought real terror to the country during the mid 1800’s and through the early 1840’s. They had dozens members across the state of Georgia and into parts of South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama. These members would facilitate the movement of the “hot property” of cattle or stolen goods but mostly for the horses. Some stolen horses even made it as far as Illinois.

It was difficult to convict them because of the clandestine character of their occupation and their closed organization. Habeas Corpus (aka insufficient evidence to convict) and other proceedings in the 1830’s show numerous prisoners were released from custody because of perjury, lack of witnesses, falsified alibis; also some of those citizens seated on the grand jury that released them were members of the gang.

Honest citizens, known locally as “slicks” could be spotted easily for their snappy dress and the way they carried their guns, like characters out of a John Wayne Western. A “Captain Slick” whose real name was never determined headed one such group up. We can assume that Capt.

Slick never existed but was probably a series of men who chose to be vigilantes for the cause.

Whoever they were, they managed to set their sights on ridding the south of these criminals however they could. They set up their base of operations in six counties in Georgia and about the same number in Alabama. It was reported in the Macon Telegraph newspaper “the ‘ Slicks’

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have done more than all the courts in the world in relieving the frontiers from the terrors of the Pony Club.” In some cases it didn’t take long for those who were riding the fence and perhaps leaning more towards being one of the Pony Boys to become law-abiding citizens.

The first fictional treatment of life in frontier Georgia to receive national recognition appeared in 1834 with the publication of Guy Rivers: A Tale of Old Georgia, the border romance that launched the literary career of William Gilmore Simms. Widely acknowledged for his keen eye for geographical and historical detail, Simms set this story in the North Georgia Mountains to take advantage of popular interest in the discovery of gold which had sparked the first major gold rush in American history. It was so popular it was even printed in England.

Simms called Guy Rivers “a tale of Georgia ---a tale of the miners---of a frontier and wild people”. Wildly regarded as a haven for embezzlers, runaway slaves, horse thieves, and cattle rustlers, the region around Auraria had acquired a well-deserved reputation for lawlessness. Moreover, Guy Rivers and his band of outlaws had a contemporary parallel in real life. The Sandtown community in modern Fulton County is on the eastern side of the Chattahoochee River and derives its name from the Sandtown Indians, who migrated there from the Alabama territory following the Creek War of 1813-1814. ACLM Leslie Barker Thomas is a resident of Ellijay and the President of the Gilmer County Historical Society; Former President, Georgia Chapter Trail of Tears Association and Board Member of the National Trail of Tears Association.

“When history is erased, people’s moral values are also erased.” –Ma Jian Visit the Gilmer County Historical Society Historic Tabor House & Civil War Museum 138 Spring Street, Ellijay, Georgia 30540 706. 276. 1861. Reservations by Appointment, or Open Thursday & Friday 11am to 3pm www.gilmercountyhistoricalsociety.org/

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

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Nowhere else can you enjoy a true mountain lifestyle a stone’s throw from the charm and vibe of Georgia’s favorite mountain town, Blue Ridge. Only at Old Toccoa Farm, behind the beautifully appointed Gate House, can you enjoy custom homes and residences of unparalleled quality and design alongside a magnificent mountain “links-style” golf experience. Here, People, Lifestyle & Design live together and nature stands center-stage. Home of the 2021 Georgia State Golf Association Public Links Championship.

oldtoccoafarm.com 706.946.4653

Obtain the Property Report required by Federal Law and read it before signing anything. No Federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. This is not intended to be an offer to sell nor as a solicitation of offers to buy property in Old Toccoa Farm by residents of any state where prior registration is required.

Photographic credit: Square Frame Media

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APPALACHIAN COUNTRY LIVING

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022