All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the Publisher.
Babette McAuliffe, Publisher & Editor in Chief
Deborah Mayhall-Bradshaw, Design Director
Kathy Griewisch, Account Manager
Meagan Goheen, Marketing Manager
Tamara S. Randolph, Managing Editor Keith Martin, Cultural Arts Editor
Contributors: Edwin Ansel, Rebecca Cairns, Jim Casada
Trimella Chaney, Kim S. Davis, Brennan Ford Morgan Ford, Gail Greco, Bob Griffin, Dr. Jim Hamilton Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Michael C. Hardy, Annie Hoskins Rita Larkin, Paul Laurent, Tom McAuliffe
Samantha Steele, Carol Lowe Timblin, Emily Webb
Libby Whyte, Doug Winbon, and Steve York.
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CML is published 4 times a year and is available by subscription for $35.00 a year (continental US) Send check or money order to: Carolina Mountain Life, PO Box 976, Linville, NC 28646
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
I love autumn… period. My senses become heightened, not just because of the visual display, but also from the aromas of fall and the sounds made by crunchy leaves, combined with the joyful laughter of children playing outdoors.
Hiking in the woods is one of my favorite things to do, especially this time of year with the hues of autumn colors: the brilliant yellows, burnt oranges, and vibrant reds. I imagine the chatter that must have gone on before me while animals scurried down the trees and onto the path to gather their acorns and buckeyes for the coming winter. With each step I hear the cracking of a nutshell as evidence of their activity.
Cooler temperatures inspire me to pull out my favorite App State sweatshirt, wool socks, gloves and scarves that were lovingly packed away last spring. Have you ever noticed, as I have, that the fall sky seems brighter, and the air feels fresher? The autumn colors surround me, and I am literally in the middle of Mother Nature’s art palette.
As our communities prepare for all their fall festivals, calls go out to local farmers and wreath makers to help decorate each main stage. I can envision the haystack that I perch upon while watching Woolly Worms race up their respective strings. Another favorite activity is helping with the sausage booth at the Valle Country Fair, located right next to “the apple butter gang.” My mouth is already watering in anticipation of the aroma from spices patiently being churned into this treasured fair favorite.
I want to take the colorful leaves and press them, to somehow hold on to them forever, just like the memories of my kids piling leaves in a huge heap and jumping into them with wild abandon—of carving jack-o-lanterns with them (and now the grands), bobbing for apples, making pies for Thanksgiving from my grandma’s recipe. So many cherished memories and many more to create this season.
People comment on our carefully selected cover photographs and frequently ask where they were shot. The image that graces this issue was taken by our multi-talented editor, Tamara Randolph, and is viewable in an outdoor theatre near you. Just look out the window, down the roadside, or in your front yard—the display is everywhere!
We hope you will take CML with you and dog-ear the pages to remind you where to go and what to experience. See our extensive listing of fall festivals, fairs and events with your calendar ready and a pen nearby, knowing that we love hearing from our readers. Write us a note or drop me an email at cmlbabette@gmail.com
With custom colors, dynamic shapes and sizes and unlimited design options, E-Series windows and doors make it possible to create the home you’ve always imagined. Follow your inspiration, express your own unique style and set your home apart with Andersen.
n Deborah Mayhall-Bradshaw, Design Director – Deborah has been designing CML since 2007. She is our “puzzle queen,” fitting stories, images, and advertising into what becomes— page by page—Carolina Mountain Life Magazine. She has been a graphic designer here in the High Country for 43 years, and along with commercial work for area businesses, she has created coffee table books for artists (including The Private Diary of Noyes Capehart; The Art of Lillian Athey Turchin—An Abundance of Joy; Wayne Trapp—The Journey of a Sculptor; and Emily and Me—Poems by Emily Dickinson with Faces by Ellen Bienhorn). She lives and works in the lyrical log home her husband handcrafted from trees he felled on their property. On the side, she has spent the past twenty years with an ongoing project that takes her on walks through the forest with her dogs and cats in search of grapevine tendrils—their endless designs reminding her of beautiful calligraphy—and using them to ‘give the forest a voice’ through a collection of forest ‘poems.’ So far, that project has no end in sight...
n Meagan Goheen, Marketing Manager – Meagan officially joined the family business in 2020, although CML has been part of her life since its 1997 inception at the age of seven. She watched her parents transform their passion for the community into a published reality, tagging along for interviews, photoshoots, and recipe curating while observing how they captured the heart and soul of the High Country—ranging from interviews with Lance Armstrong on Beech Mountain at the Tour Du Pont bicycle race, to intimate story-time listenings with Ray Hicks in Valle Crucis.
Meagan’s position evolved as she learned the ways of the trade, applying her App State degree to the critical areas of graphic design, photography, sales, customer relations, and account management. Her current community involvement includes serving on the Boards of the Avery Chamber of Commerce and the Woolly Worm Festival, among other civic activities. Meagan and her husband have two young daughters, who are now tagging along in their honored family legacy.
n Kathy Griewisch, Account Manager – Kathy is now in her 10th year with CML. She manages a variety of tasks, which include advertising accounts, bookkeeping, writing the occasional column, social media posts, and email blasts. She says it is the wonderful people she meets in her connection to CML that makes her job so special—the team she works with, the local community, and visitors to our area. Kathy enjoys sharing her love of the region in the pages of CML so readers will know the many activities they can pursue, and where to shop, dine, and stay. “I love to see how the magazine comes full circle to its finished product and then hear a reader’s feedback on a great shop, restaurant, place they stayed or story they read.” Kathy loves to get outdoors; you will often see her running the streets or trails, or hiking up a mountain. In addition to working at CML Kathy works part-time at her church as a bookkeeper. She lives with her husband Carl in Banner Elk. Together they have two children, son Kyle and daughter Kate (husband Mike), and granddaughters Grace and Peyton.
n Keith Martin, Cultural Arts Editor – Keith began his career in publications at the age of 10 as paperboy for his hometown Hickory Daily Record (where his family dates back to 1710) and later became founding editor of his high school’s underground newspaper, “The Gripes of
Wrath.” With over 450 stage productions to his credit, Keith’s five decades in the not-for-profit sector include producing, artistic direction, choreography, and management in professional theatre, dance, opera, symphony, film and television, for which he received a 2010 Emmy® Award. The current board chair of the historic Appalachian Theatre in Boone, Keith served on the faculty at Davidson College prior to becoming Distinguished Professor of Theatre at Appalachian State University. He received the Plemmons Faculty Leadership Medallion and was the 2021 recipient of the N.C. Governor’s Volunteer Service Award. Keith hasn’t missed a Broadway production since 2005, and shares the protagonist’s philosophy from Voltaire’s Candide, his favorite musical: “Everything happens for the best in this best of all possible worlds!”
n Tamara Randolph, Managing Editor – Tamara has been with CML since 2017. In addition to her content management and production tasks, Tamara maintains the CML website and contributes her graphic design skills to our digital and print content. As a N.C.-Certified Environmental Educator and certified Blue Ridge Naturalist, Tamara especially enjoys sharing her interests in nature and resourcefulness with readers through her two columns, Blue Ridge Explorers and Resource Circle. “I love to provide information on ecological connections and how we can be good stewards of our surroundings.” Beyond working for CML, Tamara teaches part-time at Appalachian State, runs a graphic design business, is a member artist at BE Artists Gallery in Banner Elk, and leads a summer sciencebased program, “Adventures in Nature,” for children at the Banner Elk Book Exchange. She lives with her husband, James, in Linville, NC.
Deborah Meagan Kathy Keith Tamara
Autumn Happenings
REGIONAL HAPPENINGS | REGIONAL HAPPENINGS
Autumn in the mountains and foothills is a joyous time! Countless activities attract people from near and far to explore all this region has to offer. Fall is also FESTIVAL season, and on page 25, we feature a series of popular festivals that you and your family won’t want to miss.
Here, we invite you to peruse our long list of additional happenings, attractions and events related to local history, art, food, agriculture, holidaythemed adventures and more—there’s truly something for everyone this season.
Corn Mazes & Pumpkin Patches
It’s time to celebrate the ripening of pumpkins and corn! Our area farmers commemorate harvest time by welcoming families to pick out their own pumpkins and meander through mazes of towering corn stalks and hay bales. Now through late October, you’ll find a number of opportunities in our region, including: Ashe County Corn Maze in Jefferson, NC (ashecornmaze.com); Lantern Farm in West Jefferson, NC (lanternfarm.com); New River Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Boone, NC ( newrivercornmaze.com ); and Harvest Farm Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch in Valle Crucis, NC (harvestfarmwnc.com). See our feature article on Harvest Farm on page 105.
Orchard at Altapass
The Orchard at Altapass is one of the most visited locations on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Altapass aims to preserve the history, heritage and culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains; protect the underlying orchard land with
its apples, wetlands, butterflies, and other natural features; and educate the public about the Appalachian experience. This fall, head to the orchards to pick your own heirloom apples. Take a “Heyride” through the orchard and travel back in time. You can also shop for locally made gifts in the general store, enjoy live music and dancing in the pavilion, and much more. The Orchard at Altapass is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday, now through October 27 altapassorchard.org
Tweetsie Railroad Presents Ghost Train®
All aboard for this popular fall family tradition, beginning Friday, September 20, and continuing every Friday and Saturday night through October 26. During Tweetsie Railroad’s family-friendly Halloween celebration, the theme park transforms from the Wild West by day to a Ghost Train at night. Children will love the costumed characters, dance parties, trick-or-treat stations, themed photo opportunities, and the Palace Spooktacular Show. Braver kids and adults will want to jump onboard for a scary night-time journey on the Ghost Train, and explore the hallowed halls of the Haunted House and the murky Freaky Forest. tweetsie.com
Art in the Park
Don’t miss the final 2024 event on Saturday, October 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Award-winning and acclaimed artisans, jury-selected each year, present their arts and crafts to the public. Pick up gifts for everyone on your list, including yourself. You’ll find functional beauties like furniture, cutlery, and wearable art. And on Sunday, October 6, enjoy the last of the 2024 “Concerts in the Park.”
Bring a lawn chair or blanket to Memorial Park on Main Street to enjoy the music. More at blowingrock.com/artinthepark and for the music, blowingrock.com/concertinthepark/
Angora Goat Shearing at Apple Hill Farm
Apple Hill Farm is a unique mountaintop alpaca farm, home to a variety animals on 10 acres of mountaintop land in the Banner Elk area. Open year-round to the public, the farm hosts fun and educational animal experiences, while the farm store offers products made from alpaca fibers, along with local books, jams and jellies, and more. On October 5, visitors can view the farm’s twice-a-year Angora goat shearing, learn about the goats and their mohair, and shop in the store. Make reservations and purchase passes at applehillfarmnc.com.
Spruce Pine Potters Market
The 16th Annual Spruce Pine Potters Market takes place this year on October 12 and 13 at the historic Cross Street Commerce Center, 31 Cross Street, in Spruce Pine, NC. The event runs from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and showcases the work of over 30 potters from Mitchell and Yancey counties who have established studios and made this area home. See our “Art Remarks” on page 51 to learn more about these artists and their renowned work. sprucepinepottersmarket.com
Beech Mountain Haunted Harvest & “Trail or Treat”
On Friday, October 25, join the fun at Buckeye Recreation Center for Beech Mountain’s annual Halloween party and Haunted Trail. The trail or treat and Halloween party will run
New River Corn Maze
Apple Season
HAPPENINGS | REGIONAL HAPPENINGS
from 5-8:30 p.m. Bounce house, games and a variety of Halloween-themed activities are planned. For more info, call 828-387-3003 or visit beechrecreation.recdesk.com.
Spookley’s Trick-or-Treat Tours at Apple Hill Farm
On Saturday, October 26, join Spookley the Square Pumpkin and the Apple Hill Farm animals for a storybook trail Trick-or-Treat Tour! On this educational and hands-on minitour, your Tour Ghoul will share fun facts about the animals at each stop and safely distribute goodies for each child. Make reservations at applehillfarmnc.com.
The Blowing Rock Halloween Festival
On Saturday, October 26, join Blowing Rock Parks & Rec for tons of fun with a full afternoon of spooky activities. From downtown carnival-style games, to trick-or-treating, to the famous Monster March, this is a hugely popular Halloween event for kids of all ages. The fun begins at Memorial Park, located in the middle of downtown, and all activities are free. For more information and a complete schedule of festival events, visit blowingrock. com/halloween, or call 828-295-5222.
Seven Devils Trunk or Treat
Come enjoy some fun and safe Trunk or Treating on Tuesday, October 29, from 5 to 7 p.m. The community will give out candy bags, fun giveaway items, and CANDY!! Bring children 16 and under for a spooky time, located at 157 Seven Devils Rd. Visit sevendevilsnc.gov or call 828963-5343 for updates.
Banner Elk Trunk or Treat
On Thursday, October 31 from 5-7 p.m., families come dressed in costumes for a unique trick-or-treat experience from the trunks of cars and trucks. Local businesses and individuals decorate their vehicles and distribute tasty treats. bannerelk.com/ members/trunk-or-treat/
Boone BOO!
Join the Town of Boone on Thursday, October 31, from 5-7:30 p.m. for Boone BOO! The community and visitors are invited to stop by downtown Boone merchants for a safe, family-friendly trick-or-treating event. The stage will be set with special Halloween music streaming down King Street and larger-thanlife Halloween inflatables lining the sidewalks. The central part of King Street will be closed (from Appalachian Street to Burrell Street) to accommodate trick-or-treaters and to make room for some surprise guests. More details at Joneshouse.org, or 828-268-6280.
*Many other festive and safe “Trick or Treat” events will be taking place in our High Country communities. For updated dates, times and locations, visit highcountryhost.com/nc-highcountry-halloween-2024.
Honoring Veterans
at Hickory Ridge History Museum
Hickory Ridge History Museum, located at Daniel Boone Park in Boone, NC, hosts this year’s special “Veterans Day” event on Saturday, November 2, noon to 2 p.m. The Museum provides a look back at High Country history, and showcase 18th and 19th century
cabins that reflect High Country heritage. Guests can roam from cabin to cabin and see how people lived, including Daniel Boone himself. The museum is open through November 9 for guided tours on TuesdaysFridays at 10 a.m., with the last tour time at 3 p.m. Tours last approximately 45 minutes. On Saturdays the museum is open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Find out more details about special events and museum tours at horninthewest.com/museum or inperson at 591 Horn in the West Drive, Boone, NC 28607.
17th Annual Veterans Day MOAA Ceremony
In honor of Veterans Day, the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) will host its annual Veterans’ Day Program on Monday, November 11, at the Boone Mall. The Watauga Community Band commences at 10:30 a.m. with the program starting at 11 a.m. Hundreds of members of the High Country community pay tribute at this memorable event.
MOAA is a non-profit veterans’ association dedicated to maintaining a strong national defense and to preserving the earned entitlements of members of the uniformed services and their families and survivors. The High Country Chapter of the MOAA serves Avery, Mitchell and Watauga counties, and has been awarded the MOAA 5-Star level of Excellence Chapter recognition. Visit hccmoaa.org for additional details.
Continued on next page
Tweetsie Ghost Train Banner Elk Trunk-or-Treat
Spruce Pine Potters Market
Veterans Day
REGIONAL HAPPENINGS | REGIONAL HAPPENINGS
Choose & Cut Tree Farms
Beginning mid-November of every year, families drive to the High Country to choose their favorite Fraser firs, white pines, and other varieties of evergreens for decorating their homes during the holiday season. You’ll find dozens of tree farms in Avery, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Burke, Mitchell and Yancey counties in NC, and bordering counties in TN and VA.
Many of these farms offer a large wreath selection, hayrides, hot chocolate/hot cider, petting zoos and visits with Santa. Pick up your “North Carolina Choose & Cut Memories” guide at visitors’ centers and retail locations throughout western NC, or access their online guide to local Choose & Cut Tree Farms at ncchristmastrees.com
Western Youth Network’s 10th Annual Festival of Trees
Celebrate the season and support Western Youth Network (WYN) by visiting and bidding on more than 100 decorated trees and wreaths displayed across the High Country! Designers will decorate and place trees in area businesses and retail locations in Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties. The festival takes place November 20-December 5. View in person or online and bid for these beautiful creations—many of which are loaded with gift certificates, goodies and gifts. The auction for the trees and other items will close at 8 p.m. on December 5. The Festival of Trees also includes wreath making workshops, a Hot Chocolate Social, and a holiday movie night. A map to trees, along with auction and festival details can be found on Facebook @ fot.wyn/ and wynfestivaloftrees.com.
Light Up Downtown North Wilkesboro
Light Up Downtown is an annual holiday lighting ceremony and street festival presented by the Downtown North Wilkesboro Partnership, held the Friday before Thanksgiving. This year’s festival takes place on Friday, November 22, from 6 to 9 p.m. Visitors will enjoy crafts, food and gift vendors; plus, local shops throughout downtown will stay open late. Visits with Santa Claus, a marching band, dance troupes, live holiday music and so much more is offered at this family-friendly event. 832 Main Street, North Wilkesboro, NC, downtownnorthwilkesboro.com
Ashe County Holiday Parade in West Jefferson
Always a great time, this year’s holiday parade in downtown West Jefferson will be held Saturday, November 23, from 3-5 p.m. Local bands, dance groups, churches, businesses, fire/rescue trucks, police cars and more participate in the parade each year. And of course, Santa will be there to meet and greet the kids! Known by many as “The Christmas Tree capital of the USA,” Ashe County’s parade and other related holiday events celebrate tree growers and our native Fraser firs. Find out more details at ashechamber.com.
Blowing Rock’s Christmas in the Park
This annual two-day event begins with carnival games, visits with Santa, hayrides, live music, and a tree-lighting to kick off the event on Friday, November 29, around 5:30 p.m. The fun continues with the Blowing Rock Christmas Parade on Saturday, November 30, at 10 a.m. The parade, complete with decorated floats, animals, and festive parade
walkers, makes its way down Main Street. Enjoy additional free Saturday entertainment, including music, games, crafts, hayrides, gingerbread house building, and Santa sightings. All events take place in Memorial Park, right on Main Street in downtown Blowing Rock. For more information on all of Blowing Rock’s autumn and winter happenings, including the annual Winterfest Celebration in early 2025, call 828-295-5222, or visit blowingrock.com.
Newland Christmas Tree Festival
Avery County is known to be the “Fraser Fir Capital of the World.” And on Thanksgiving weekend, you can participate in the celebration of this area’s long history of Christmas tree growing and honor its strong bond to the industry. Head on over to downtown Newland, NC, for the first annual, inaugural Christmas Tree Festival. This new High Country event kicks off Friday, November 29, and runs through Saturday, November 30, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. both days. You’ll get to know tree growers from the region, enjoy food from a variety of vendors, and shop for holiday gifts at the art and craft tents. Decorated trees will stay lit in the town square through New Year’s Day, 2025. newlandchristmastreefestival.com
Beech Mountain Holiday Market
On Saturday, November 30, grab your Santa satchel and head over to the Fred & Margie Pfohl Buckeye Recreation Center for the annual Beech Mountain Holiday Market, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check out a variety of local arts and crafts to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. Bring
Blowing Rock’s Christmas in the Park WYN’s Festival of Trees
Choose & Cut
HAPPENINGS | REGIONAL HAPPENINGS
the kids and enjoy holiday-themed activities throughout the day. Beech Mountain Parks & Rec hosts this annual event, located in the gym at 1330 Pine Ridge Rd. Beech Mountain, NC. For additional details, call 828-387-3003. Beechrecreation.recdesk.com
Banner Elk’s “A Small Town Christmas” Enjoy a full weekend of traditional holiday activities at this popular annual holiday event. “A Small Town Christmas” will take place at various locations in downtown Banner Elk, NC, the weekend of December 6 through 8, beginning Friday evening with the lighting of the town tree and a holiday play performed by Ensemble Stage Theatre at the Historic Banner Elk School. Saturday’s events begin early in the morning with a 5K “Reindeer Run,” breakfast with Santa, holiday fun at the Fire Station, ornament making, an arts and crafts market, cookie decorating, Christmas caroling with the choir, a Christmas Parade, train rides through the park, hot cocoa and so much more! All activities are within easy walking distance in this one-stoplight resort town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. On Sunday, visit one of many local choose & cut tree farms. Bannerelk.org, bannerelk.com, ensemblestage. com
Autumn Farmers’ Markets
Our local Farmers’ Markets continue to deliver the season’s freshest vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs, baked goods, jellies and jams, and a wide assortment of arts and crafts. Enjoy hot beverages and a variety of entertainment. And most important, get to know your local farmers! Please be sure to confirm dates/ times with your markets of choice prior to scheduling a trip.
Abingdon Farmers Market
Saturdays 8 a.m.-12 p.m., through Oct., and 10 a.m.-noon Nov. through Dec. 21; Tuesdays 3-6 p.m. through September
The corner of Remsburg Dr. and Cummings St. in downtown Abingdon, VA
Alleghany Farmers Market
Saturdays 9 a.m.-1 p.m., through October Crouse Park in downtown Sparta, NC
Ashe County Farmers’ Market
Regular market, Saturdays 8 a.m.-1 p.m. through October 26; Holiday markets on Nov. 23, 29, 30 and Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
108 Backstreet, West Jefferson, NC
Avery County Farmers’ Market
Thursdays 3-6 p.m., now through Oct. 17
Historic Banner Elk School Parking Lot 185 Azalea Circle, Banner Elk, NC
Beech Mountain Farmers’ Market
First Friday in October, 2-6 p.m.
Public Parking Lot across from Fred’s General Mercantile, Beech Mountain, NC
Blowing Rock Farmers’ Market
Thursdays 2-6 p.m., through October
379 Sunset Dr., Downtown Blowing Rock, NC
King Street Farmers’ Market, powered by Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture
Tuesdays 4-7 p.m. through October
126 Poplar Grove Connector, Boone, NC
Johnson County Farmers’ Market
Saturdays 9 a.m.-12 p.m. through October 26
Ralph Stout Park in Mountain City, TN
Lansing Park Farmers’ Market
Fridays 1-6 p.m. until November
Lansing Creeper Trail Park, 114 S Big Horse Creek Rd, Lansing, NC
Morganton Farmers’ Markets
Saturdays 8 a.m.-12 p.m., through October
300 Beach St., Morganton
Wednesday Mini Market, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., through October
111 North Green St., Morganton, NC
Town of Newland Flea & Farmers Market
Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m., September 21
Riverwalk Bandstand at 211 River St., Newland, NC
Watauga County Farmers’ Market
Celebrating Their 50th Anniversary!
Saturdays through November, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. 591 Horn in the West Dr., Boone, NC
Wilkes County Farmers’ Market
Saturdays 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Tuesdays 3:30-6 p.m., through September
Yadkin Valley Marketplace in downtown N. Wilkesboro, NC
High Country Food Hub, operated by Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA)
A year-round online farmers’ market where you can order fresh produce, meat, dairy, bread, artisan foods, cut flowers, body care products, and plants online and pick them up at one of seven convenient locations throughout Ashe, Avery, and Watauga counties.
Spruce Pine Potters Market
Nothing celebrates the arrival of autumn and the spirit of our mountain communities like a fall festival! Enjoy these fun-filled scenes from some of our most popular regional festivals.
OUR FAVORITE AUTUMN FESTIVALS
Brushy Mountain Apple Festival
n October 5 | Historic Downtown North Wilkesboro, NC
This fall celebration is one of the largest one-day arts and crafts festivals in the Southeast. Pay tribute to apple orchardists in northwestern NC who provide every type and color of apple you can imagine! Three different music stages perform Blue Grass, Country, Folk, Gospel, and Appalachian Heritage, with cloggers, folk dancers, rope skippers, and square dancers providing additional entertainment. applefestival.net
Photo by Caroline Watkins
Photo by Tucker Farlow
Photos courtesy Brushy Mountain Ruritan Club
Sugar Resort’sMountain Oktoberfest
n October 12-13 | Sugar Mountain, NC
Lace up your lederhosen and don your dirndl for Sugar Mountain Resort’s 34th annual Oktoberfest celebration. This festival favorite is “yodels-n-yodels” of fun for the whole family. Take in the sounds and dances of Bavaria, while enjoying traditional German fare and other festive foods … plus barrels of Bavaria’s Spaten Oktoberfest beer. oktoberfest.skisugar.com
Courtesy of See Sugar Mountain
Small Photos by Todd Bush
Mountain Glory Festival
n October 12 | Downtown Marion, NC This heritage craft festival, now in its 41st year, celebrates the arrival of autumn in the Blue Ridge and small-town life in the mountains. Vendor tables line the streets with offerings from local makers, artists, and crafters, plus food trucks, live music, contests, and an indoor craft show featuring locally made quilts reflective of our rich mountain history. mtngloryfestival.com
Photos courtesy of Mountain Glory Festival
Valle Country Fair
n October 19 | Valle Crucis, NC
One of the most beautiful settings for any harvest season festival is the pastoral community of Valle Crucis. Celebrate the rich heritage of the region—nearly 150 jury-selected artisans offer hand-made creations. Kids enjoy endless activities, with magicians, face-painting and more. Favorite foods include Brunswick stew, homemade chili, and baked treats galore. Watch as the “Apple Butter Boys” stir up their sweet delight over an open fire. Vallecountryfair.org
Courtesy
Valle Country Fair
Small Photos by Bob Griffin
Woolly Worm Festival
n October 19 – 20 | Downtown Banner Elk, NC
Celebrating 47 years, the Woolly Worm Festival attracts many thousands of leaf peepers and the local community to Banner Elk as our area’s favorite caterpillars compete for cash prizes! Recognized by its fuzzy black and orange stripes, the woolly worm is known for its legendary abilities to predict the winter weather. This family-oriented festival includes arts, crafts, food, kids’ activities and all-day entertainment. woollyworm.com, averycounty.com
Photos by Meagan Goheen
Other Mountain Fall Festivals to Enjoy!
n West Jefferson Old Time Antiques Fair
September 20-21
Downtown West Jefferson, NC
Celebrating Old Town history and heritage, featuring booths from locals and the region alike. wjeffersonantiquesfair.com
n Mountain Heritage Festival
September 21, Sparta NC
On the 3rd Saturday each September, over 100 craft, non-profit, and food vendors line Main Street in Sparta to celebrate local mountain heritage.
FB@MountainHeritageFestival/
n Art on the Mountain
September 28, Ashe Arts Center, West Jefferson, NC
Find holiday gift ideas, fall theme items, unique art pieces, crafts and more. Several artists will demonstrate their artwork. ashecountyarts.org/ art-mountain/
n Buskers Fest
October 4-5, Downtown Boone, NC
A vibrant, open-air street festival and art crawl with music performances, demonstrations, artwork, food, and more. watauga-arts.org/buskersfest
n Festival of Frescoes
October 12, Glendale Springs, NC
This traditional country fair features local arts, crafts, food, live music, activities for the kids and tours of the Frescoes. pohcnc.com/festival-of-the-frescoes.html
n Beech Mountain Fall Festival
October 12, Buckeye Rec Center, Beech Mtn, NC
Enjoy wagon rides, games, crafts and more while checking out all of the fun amenities at the Fred and Margie Pfohl Buckeye Rec Center. beechmtn.com
n Appalachian Autumn Market and Fall Festival
October 12, Hickory Ridge in Boone, NC
This family-friendly event at Horn in the West/Hickory Ridge Living History Museum offers activities and experiences for all ages, including 18th century demonstrations, pumpkin painting, live music, and more. horninthewest.com
n N.C. Mountaineer & Apple Butter Festival
October 11-12
Bakersville Creek Walk, Bakersville, NC
The traditional Mountaineer Challenge, Pet Pageant, live music, food vendors, a car show and lots of family fun are hallmarks of this annual event. Facebook @ NCMountaineerFestival/
n Save the Date!
Winterfest, January 23-26 Downtown Blowing Rock, NC
“Don’t hibernate, celebrate!” WinterFest turns the town of Blowing Rock into a magical winter wonderland filled with unforgettable experiences for the whole family. Plan early to attend this popular winter festival. blowingrockwinterfest.com
Cultural Calendar Set Through the Holidays by Performing Arts Groups
Offerings Include Plays, Musicals, Classics, Revivals, and New Works
By Keith Martin
My favorite moment putting together the Cultural Calendar for each issue is the immediate response CML receives to the request for information about upcoming productions. “We are pleased to announce…,” “The excitement about our slate of offerings…,” “Following up on the success of last season…,” “Back by popular demand...,” etc. The enthusiasm is contagious as performing arts groups flood our inbox with all the details, far more than we have room to print. From now through December, there are hundreds of performances, exhibits, and events on local stages, at museums, and in galleries across the region.
The following is an overview of performing arts offerings on the schedule but note that campus events by our area colleges and universities are listed separately. PLEASE REMEMBER that all performances, dates, and times are subject to change; you are strongly encouraged to contact the box office for the most current info. See you at the theatre!
The newly formed APPALACHIAN PLAYERS will mark their debut with an original production titled High Country Christmas Carol, a chance to ring in the holiday season with a professionally produced rendition of Dickens’ most beloved holiday ghost story. Portrayed by a four-person cast, this memorable and interactive performance of “A Christmas Carol” takes place December 19 – 22 and includes seasonal treats and hot cider. For tickets and information, visit AppTheatre.org.
The APPALACHIAN THEATRE OF THE HIGH COUNTRY (ATHC) in the heart of downtown Boone has dozens of events programmed this autumn, but here is a representative sampling. On September 29, The Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra (PRSO) returns to the ATHC for National Silent Movie Day. Under the direction of virtuoso Andrew Greene, they recreate the syncopated stylings of a bygone era, including ragtime, theater, and dance music, along with underscoring classic silent films. Local favorite and Deep Gap’s rising star of Bluegrass, Liam Purcell, takes to the Doc Watson Stage with Cane Mill Road on October 4. Old Gods of Appalachia, the award-winning and critically acclaimed audio drama podcast, brings their live show—a staged storytelling performance—to the historic venue on October 25.
ATHC celebrates their 86th year on November 14 with the Appalachian Roadshow with special guest Bryan Sutton, Grammy Award winner and a nine-time International Bluegrass Music Association Guitar Player of the Year. Three Times A Lady on November 22 features singer/songwriters Victoria Camp, Kennedy Scott, and Hannah Blaylock in a timeless show about country music. Scottish heritage meets holiday magic when the Highland Echoes return for one evening with their heritage Christmas featuring Highland music, dance and bagpipes. The Highland Echoes Holiday Show takes place on November 30. On December 1, three-time IBMA Vocal Group
of the Year Sister Sadie and their “Raging hot Bluegrass” combined with breathtaking instrumental drive and awe-inspiring vocals. December 13 will see the ever-popular Kruger Brothers back home in the ATHC. The Barter Theatre Players bring everyone’s favorite dancing snowman to Boone when Frosty: The Musical returns for two performances on December 20. For the second year in a row, audiences are invited to ring in 2025 during New Year’s Eve at App Theatre. In addition, over a dozen movies will be shown from September through December. For a complete schedule of concerts, film screenings, and performances, go to AppTheatre. org.
The dynamic ASHE COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL works closely with the Town of West Jefferson to program a wide variety of events ranging from a Downtown Scarecrow Contest in September and October to a countywide choral festival in December. The On The Same Page Literary Festival is slated for September 17 – 19 followed by Black Opry in Concert on September 26 showcasing Black artists, fans and industry professionals working in country, Americana, blues, and folk music. The weeklong Missoula Children’s Theatre residency from September 30 to October 5 engages local children in the theatre experience complete with costumes, scenery, and props, and concludes with two performance of The Wizard of Oz on October 5.
PEACHERINE / ATHC
TAKE3 / Ashe Civic Center
Concert opportunities include Carl “Buffalo” Nichols on October 3, an artist who aims “to responsibly tell Black stories through his music, offering a modern perspective on the blues.” The genre-defying trio Take3 appears on November 15 “with a flair for the wild and unexpected, bringing the refinement of a rigorous classical music background” infused with rock-star charisma. On November 16, the 580 WKSK Live Old Time and Bluegrass Show Radio Show features the Sheets Family Band with host Tom Hartman. The family’s unique old time mountain style takes inspiration from the music of the Appalachian Mountains and beyond. AsheCountyArts.org
In addition, the ASHE COUNTY LITTLE THEATRE is taking full advantage of the Halloween season by producing Dracula at the intimate Ashe Civic Center October 17 – 20. Bram Stoker’s classic novel is about a charming Transylvanian count who is really a vampire out to seduce women for their blood and has been frightening and entertaining audiences since 1897. AsheCountyLittleTheatre. org
BARTER THEATRE, “The State Theatre of Virginia,” has five shows on the boards beginning with the regional premiere of The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields. It’s an illfated play-within-a-play, set on the opening night of the Cornley Drama Society’s newest production, “The Murder at Haversham
Manor.” Throughout the night things go from bad to utterly disastrous; nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences. Performances continue through November 9. It alternates performances on the Gilliam Stage with Katie Forgette’s Sherlock Holmes and the Case of Jersey Lily wherein famous playwright Oscar Wilde and actress Lillie Langtry (a.k.a. “The Jersey Lily”) have come to Baker Street seeking help from world famous detective. This fastpaced ride is full of surprises and disguises as Holmes and Watson face down their greatest foe yet, running through November 8.
Across the street in the Smith Theatre, you only have until November 2 to catch Horton Foote’s poignant 1953 drama The Trip to Bountiful. Elderly widow Carrie Watts dreams of escaping her cramped apartment in Houston and returning to simpler times in her beloved hometown of Bountiful, Texas. She sets out alone on a risky journey only to encounter unexpected instances of kindness and compassion and makes a remarkable discovery about the true meaning of home.
Barter’s holiday season kicks off on the Gilliam Stage on November 20 with A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Ebenezer Scrooge hates everything and everybody, but he hates Christmas most of all. This new adaptation of the classic story by Catherine Bush will leave you glowing with the joy of the season through December 29. Another new work by Bush is Go Tell It on The Mountain with
vocal arrangements by Eugene Wolf, opening in the Smith Theatre on November 14 with performances through December 22. It gives witness to the lives of ordinary Appalachians as they celebrate “the most wonderful time of the year” with monologues and songs that remind us that faith and family is what Christmas in the mountains is all about.
BarterTheatre.com
Rehearsals are underway at BEANSTALK COMMUNITY THEATRE for their “trick-ortreat” gift to the High Country: an all youth production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow running from October 10 – 12 in Boone. Adapted from an 1820 short story by author Washington Irving, it is among the earliest examples of American fiction with enduring popularity, especially during Halloween because of a character known as the Headless Horseman believed to be a soldier who was decapitated by a cannonball in battle. For info, visit BeanStalkNC.com, but for tickets go to AppTheatre.org
For the fifth year in a row, the BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY THEATRE is staging a radio show produced by the immortal Orson Welles. After a sold-out production of War of The Worlds last year, the BRCT returns to its first radio reproduction, Dracula! The Bram Stoker story was the first production by the “Mercury Theatre On The Air” debuting on July 11, 1938. The play will follow the exact script, including
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THREE TIMES A LADY / ATHC
A CHRISTMAS CAROL / Barter Theatre
the entrance by none other than Orson Welles himself. Along with the radio performance and the chance to see “behind the curtain,” the audience will be shown stills taken from the 1922 silent movie “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.” Bram Stoker sued the unauthorized production and demanded all prints to be destroyed, but fortunately several prints survived, and it is considered an influential masterpiece. There will be one performance on October 31 at the App Theatre. BlueRidgeCommunityTheatreNC.com
After participating in Paris this summer with Project Dance, the CAROLINA SNOWBELLES return to the Appalachian Theatre for a four-show run of A Carolina Snowbelle Christmas from December 6 – 8. The 2024 edition of this holiday favorite features new scenes and a few surprises for audiences young and old from the precision dance troupe, led by former Radio City Music Hall Rockette and founder Cheryl Cutlip. For info, go to TheCarolinaSnowbelles.com but for tickets, visit AppTheatre.org
The CITY OF MORGANTON MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM provides entertainment to the residents of Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties, including the vibrant communities of Hickory (my hometown), Lenoir, and Morganton. Their fall offerings include Deana Carter, the folksy singer and songwriter from Nashville who took the industry and fans by storm with her wildly successful
multi-platinum international debut “Did I Shave My Legs For This?” Anchored by the hit “Strawberry Wine,” Carter showcases her own blend of country and retro-rock on October 5.
Set during the 1967 summer of love, A Wolf’s Mother by Cary Simowitz is described as “an immersive experience for deaf and nondeaf alike” on October 10. This is the story of 47-year-old Ada “Kathleen” Bower, hardened from more than three decades of ceaselessly outrunning a pack of inner demons, answering an unexpected knock on her door, only to find her long-lost son poised on the threshold with a hand outstretched. Equal parts disgusted and horrified, she slammed the door on him. Mother and son never saw each other again. But what if Kathleen had let Charles Manson in?
Canaan Smith had his first big hit in 2015 with “Love You Like That,” the lead single off the critically acclaimed album “Bronco.” The platinum-selling song skyrocketed to #1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and spawned a second top 40 hit with “Hole In A Bottle.” Recently, Canaan seized on the opportunity to sign a new record deal with his college buddies Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelly of Florida Georgia Line and has been touring extensively with the superstar duo. His performance takes place on November 1.
The Jazz Ambassadors of The United States Army Field Band are the official touring big band of the United States Army. Formed in 1969, this 19-member ensemble has received great acclaim at home and abroad performing
America’s greatest original art form, jazz. The November 8 concert is free of charge, but audience members must reserve a ticket.
The World Ballet Series: The Nutcracker returns on December 4 with a ballet classic that is performed live by a multinational cast of 50 professional dancers gathered to bring the most beloved holiday tradition to life. It’s a family-friendly experience accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s timeless score, over 150 hand-sewn costumes, hand-crafted sets and iconic Lev Ivanov choreography. Next up is A Holiday Spectacular with The Western Piedmont Symphony on December 18 with a seasonal concert of holiday songs and winter music classics. Led by Maestro Matthew Troy, the 60-year-old Western Piedmont Symphony is the professional orchestra of the western foothills of North Carolina.
On December 21, the third annual Winter Solstice and Christmas Jazz Concert featuring Joseph Hasty and Centerpiece Jazz brings their unique arrangements of Holiday and Christmas classics featuring Hasty (guitar/ vocals) along with Geoff Clapp (drums), Pavel Wlosok (piano, Jazz Professor at WCU), Rick Hefner (sax/flute), Daniel Iannucci (bass) and special guest Sandra Bennett (vocals).
In addition, CoMMA has programmed a trio of concert tributes (often referred to as “jukebox musicals”) to delight their audiences. On September 27, the Electric Avenue: The 80’s MTV Experience celebrates1980s New Wave and Radio Pop. On October 19, The Barricade Boys: Stars from the West End
CAROLINA SNOWBELLES / Photo by Leslie Restivo
HIGHLAND ECHOES / ATHC
Cast of Les Misérables features four performers taking you on a musical journey through the greatest pop, rock, swing, Motown, and Broadway hits in a song mashup with hilarious and inspiring stories. It is followed on October 25 by the Big/Gun AC/DC Tribute “to one of the greatest bands in the world, AC/ DC.” CommaOnline.org
According to their website, ENSEMBLE STAGE in Banner Elk—celebrating its 15th year—has two upcoming events: The Hitchcock Radio Hour on October 25 – 26 and A Banner Elk Christmas from December 6 – 21. At the Hitchcock Radio Hour, a Staged Radio Play, you can be a part of the “studio audience” and experience the spookiness of Hitchcockian stories along with their sound effects and suspenseful musical underscoring. And don’t miss their holiday show, a fast-paced homage to the television holiday musical variety shows of the ‘60s and ‘70s, complete with all or parts of nearly 40 songs, lots of choreography and costume changes. EnsembleStage.com
The WATAUGA ARTS COUNCIL (WAC) in partnership with the Downtown Boone Development Association and the Jones House, is combining the Fourth Annual Buskers Fest from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, October 4 as part of the First Friday Gallery Crawl with Oktoberfest from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, October 5; this two-day event is now collectively known as BOONETOBERFEST! Oktoberfest is a busi-
ness-to-business festival, with downtown business owners offering various themed events, sales, food and drink, and competitions. Organizers will have passports people can get stamped to enter to win a prize.
Buskers Fest is a much-anticipated celebration of our eclectic creative community with artists, musicians, performers, demonstrators, and creative groups lining the streets of Boone and filling the parking lots. Over 200 artists and performers will be on the streets, sharing their talents while providing a chance for residents and visitors to experience the arts like never before! You can buy art, make art, dance, sing, make pottery, discover bands and musicians, and learn about our incredible creatives here in the High Country and beyond. Have your Venmo app ready or bring cash to support the artists. Watauga-Arts. org/buskersfest.
While you’re on the WAC website, check out their art classes and workshops, gift making sessions, gallery exhibits and opportunities to showcase your artwork; find a High Country Arts Map; and learn about the Youth Makers Market on the first and second Saturday of every month at the Watauga County Farmers Market. Watauga-Arts.org
The Benton Hall Community Arts Center in North Wilkesboro is home to the dynamic WILKES PLAYMAKERS, an avocational theatre that welcomes everyone in front of or behind the curtain. Their current offering is Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias, but you’ll
need to act fast since performances conclude on September 22. The story unfolds in Truvy’s salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where a diverse group of women gather for hairdressing and camaraderie. The salon hosts colorful characters, humorous banter and poignant moments, making them endearing companions through both joy and sorrow.
Comedian and musician Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile runs from November 1 – 10. This absurdist comedy places Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a Parisian cafe in 1904, just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter set the art world afire with cubism. From December 1 – 10 the Playmakers are producing Reindeer Games by Jeremy Johnson. It is an actionpacked kids’ play, complete with a holiday message from Coach Kris Kringle about teamwork, trust, and faith in the spirit of Christmas. “Pulling Santa’s sleigh is hard work, and even reindeer have to hang up the reins eventually.” When team leader Dasher decides to retire, coaches Kris and Carol Kringle host the Reindeer Games to find the next member of Santa’s reindeer crew. WilkesPlaymakers.com
“There are hundreds of events on our local stages...”
BUSKERS FEST / Boone, NC
JAZZ AMBASSADORS OF THE U.S. ARMY FIELD BAND / CoMMA
Courtesy of army.mil
KAREN BARKER
828.406.2816
KAREN.BARKER@PREMIERSIR.COM
KARENBARKER.PREMIERSOTHEBYSREALTY.COM
SUZY GREENE
828.406.1231
SUZY.GREENE@PREMIERSIR.COM
SUZYGREENE.PREMIERSOTHEBYSREALTY.COM
Area Colleges and Universities Announce Their Fall Productions
By Keith Martin
There are exceptional cultural programs being produced and presented by four venerable academic institutions here in the High Country: Appalachian State University, East Tennessee State University, Lees-McRae College, and Wilkes Community College. Their programming during the academic year nicely complements seasonal offerings by our vital community and professional companies. These groups recently announced their fall 2024 seasons with a combined 22 productions from September through December. The following is a brief overview of what to expect in the upcoming months. For more information, visit the websites listed at the end of each section.
The APPlause! K-12 Series at Appalachian State University presents affordable music, dance, film, and theatre events to students and their teachers from K-12 classrooms across the region. Students experience everything from high-energy acrobatics and Appalachian music to international dance and literary classics brought to life through theatrical productions. In recent seasons, more than 8,000 students across our region have attended APPlause Series events. This fall, schoolchildren will enjoy performances by Ailey II: The Next Generation of Dance, Appalachian State University’s Steely Pan Steel Band, and Black Violin - BV20: Then & Now. For a schedule of school shows, visit their website at TheSchaeferCenter.org/Applause
We make art. The arts make us. The arts sustain life. That vision statement from the Department of Theatre and Dance at Appalachian State University goes
hand in hand with their mission to facilitate transformative experiences for students and the public, which cultivate compassionate, creative and collaborative communities through theatre and dance. They have announced four major offerings produced in various indoor and outdoor venues on their Boone campus, all centered around the theme “Monsters.” theatreanddance.appstate.edu
First Year Showcase: Climate of Change, September 26 – 27 and September 29; performances take place in Durham Park or, in case of rain, I.G. Greer Studio Theatre; Coordinators/ Mentors: Marianne Adams and Dr. Gina Grandi
The First Year Showcase connects first-year and new transfer students with upper-level students and faculty/staff in dance and theatre. Throughout the process, students form a new artistic community. This inclusive, sitespecific campus production incorporates anyone who is interested in majoring or minoring in any of the six-degree concentrations within the department. “Climate of Change” is this year’s theme for students to investigate, create, collaborate and devise as they begin their Appalachian State University experience.
Emilie: La Marquise du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight by Lauren Gunderson, October 2 – 4 in the Valborg Theatre, directed by Dr. Ray Miller Tonight, 18th century scientific genius Emilie du Châtelet, and romantic companion to France’s preeminent literary star, Voltaire, is determined to answer the question, love or philosophy? In this highly theatrical, fast, funny, sexy rediscovery of one of history’s most intriguing women, Emilie defends her life and loves leaving a legacy that echoes its way into
our hearts and minds today. “This ambitious, non-linear experiment is a highly theatrical romp that literally crackles with electricity.” ~LA/OC Examiner
Let the Right One In by Jack Thorne, based on the novel and film by John Ajvide Lindqvist, October 30 – November 3 in the Valborg Theatre, directed by Dr. Derek Davidson Oskar is a bullied lonely teenage boy living with his mother on a housing estate at the edge of town, when a spate of sinister killings rocks the neighborhood. Eli is the young girl who has just moved in next door. She doesn’t go to school and never leaves the flat by day. Sensing in each other a kindred spirit, the two become devoted friends. What Oskar doesn’t know is that Eli has been a teenager for a very long time. “Let the Right One In” is an enchanting, brutal vampire myth and coming-of-age love story adapted from the bestselling novel and award-winning film.
Fall Appalachian Dance Ensemble, November 20 - 24 in the Valborg Theatre, coordinated by Sherone Price
FADE is a popular semi-annual concert featuring Appalachian faculty and students showcasing their talents in choreography and performance. The 2024 edition includes original choreography by Dance Studies faculty members Emily Daughtridge, Sherone Price, and Chris Yon. Student choreographers creating new works for each program will be announced at a later date with as many as eight different pieces being performed every night.
The Department of Theatre and Dance at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City offers comprehensive training within a liberal arts setting and believes an investment in the well-being of the whole student is how to best assist graduates to achieve career goals. etsu.edu/cas/theatre
Their ambitious fall 2024 production season opens with the following shows:
The Moors by Jen Silverman, directed by Ante Ursic, October 24 - 27 in the Bert C. Bach Theatre
Two sisters and a dog live out their lives on the bleak English moors, dreaming of love and power. The arrival of a hapless governess and a moorhen set all three on a strange and dangerous path. The Moors is a dark comedy about love, desperation, and visibility.
Cabaret by Joe Masteroff, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, directed by Melissa Shafer; based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, November 20 - 24 in the Bert C. Bach Theatre
Set in 1929–30 Berlin as the Nazis rise to power, the musical focuses on the hedonistic nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around American writer Clifford Bradshaw’s relations with English cabaret performer Sally Bowles. A subplot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Emcee, whose club serves as a metaphor for ominous political developments in late Weimar Germany.
The Martin Center for the Arts at East Tennessee State University is Northeast Tennessee’s premier destination for Broadway, touring concerts, and stage productions. Their
vision is to enrich the lives of the people in our region through world-class cultural experiences. Their mission as one of the region’s leading centers for diverse cultural, educational, and entertainment experiences is to inspire and enrich the community’s quality of life by promoting accessibility to the arts, cultivating community engagement, and enhancing regional economic prosperity. ETSUMartinCenter.org. Fall events include:
The Black Jacket Symphony presents Elton John’s “Madman Across the Water” September 28 in Foundation Grand Hall, ETSU Martin Center
Remember putting on an album and listening from start to finish? Relive that moment with a live concert experience unlike any other as The Black Jacket Symphony recreates Elton John’s iconic album “Madman Across the Water” live and in its entirety; note for note, sound for sound.
Ben Folds: Paper Airplane Request Tour October 17 in Foundation Grand Hall, ETSU Martin Center
Ben Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation. The Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter-composer has created an enormous body of genrebending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and numerous collaborative records. Folds is joined by Lindsey Kraft, a multi-faceted artist, actress, singer, and composer. You may recognize her from various TV roles including Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, HBO’s Getting On and most recently Netflix’s Obliterated.
Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet November 26 in Foundation Grand Hall in the ETSU Martin Center
America’s favorite Christmas tradition with an international all-star cast that blends world class ballet with whimsical puppets, lavish costumes and stunning acrobatics! Share the tradition of pure Holiday magic and Tchaikovsky’s timeless score with friends and family of all ages. Don’t miss this chance to create warm glowing memories under the tree.
A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live On Stage December 17 in Foundation Grand Hall, ETSU Martin Center
The Emmy and Peabody award-winning story by Charles M. Schulz has warmed the hearts of millions of fans since it first aired on television over fifty-five years ago. Now the classic animated television special comes to life in this faithful stage adaptation that celebrates the timeless television classic so the whole family can join Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts characters in their journey to uncover the true meaning of Christmas.
The Performing Arts Department at Lees-McRae College, housed in the School of Arts, Humanities, and Education, has scheduled a two-show fall theatre program with performances in the Broyhill Theatre of Hayes Auditorium on their idyllic campus in Banner Elk, NC. The box office phone number is 828-898-8709 and their website is lmc.edu/ theatreshows.
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Appalachian Dance Ensemble images by Bob Brodd.
Sweet Charity with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon, October 10 – 13 in the Broyhill Theatre, directed by Dr. Michael Hannah, music direction by Kathy Den Bleyker
A classic, toe tapping, Tony-winning Best Musical about the misadventures of a dance hall hostess in NYC. Hapless but unflappable Charity Hope Valentine desperately seeks love in Manhattan in the 1960s. In this exuberant, groovy, hilarious musical comedy, Charity tries again and again to find her dream and make something of herself.
26 Pebbles by Eric Ulloa, November 21 - 24 in the Broyhill Theatre, directed by Dr. Michael Hannah
A riveting and heartbreaking docudrama about a community’s reaction to tragedy. Similar in style to The Laramie Project, the playwright conducted interviews with residents of Newtown, Connecticut, and crafted them into an exploration of gun violence and a small town shaken by a horrific event.
The Schaefer Center Presents performing arts series, presented by the Appalachian State University Office of Arts Engagement and Cultural Programs, offers a diverse array of music, theatre and dance designed to enrich the cultural landscape of the campus, community, and region. The box office numbers are 828-262-4046 or 800-841-2787 with additional information available online at theschaefercenter.org
Ailey II: The Next Generation of Dance, Friday, October 4 in the Schaefer Center
This company marks its 50th anniversary of merging the spirit and energy of the country’s finest early-career dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today’s most outstanding and emerging choreographers. Founded in 1974, the company embodies founder Alvin Ailey’s pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training, and community programs for all people.
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Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Thursday, October 17 in the Schaefer Center
Gillian Welch’s rich and remarkable career spans over 25 years, and she and her musical partner David Rawlings are a pillar of the modern acoustic music world. They have been hailed by Pitchfork as “modern masters of American folk,” and “protectors of the American folk song” by Rolling Stone, for her work as executive producer as well as a performer and songwriter on the eight-times platinum “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack.
Black Violin – BV20: Then & Now, Friday, November 8 in the Schaefer Center
Celebrating their 20th anniversary, Black Violin is the groundbreaking duo that has captivated audiences around the globe, harmoniously merging the sophistication of classical melodies with the rhythmic pulse of hip-hop. From humble beginnings to widespread acclaim, this show promises to leave you feeling inspired, energized, and uplifted through a performance that defies expectations and redefines genres.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Creole Christmas, Thursday, December 12 in the Schaefer Center
Celebrate the season as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band returns with the Creole Christmas concert series, which features New Orleans classics as well as some of the band’s best-loved holiday selections with a twist. Throughout its history, New Orleans has been the point at which sounds and cultures from around the world converge, mingle, and resurface, transformed by the Crescent City’s inimitable spirit and joie de vivre. Nowhere is that idea more vividly embodied than in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
At Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, the John A. Walker Center is a vibrant civic treasure that is profiled elsewhere in this issue of CML. Now in their 41st season, they offer six shows on their main season, five additional events on their Lakey Ballroom
Series, along with daytime school performances for students throughout the region. Tickets and information are available online at walkercenteronline.org Their fall events are as follows:
A Murder Mystery “Cruisin for Clues” Dinner Theatre in the Lakey Ballroom on Saturday, September 28
For over 25 years, “It’s A Mystery” has taken pride in creating top-quality, professional, and memorable, entertainment. Most notably, they have been featured in Southern Living Magazine and on UNC-TV. The production has just the right balance of scripted scenes and audience interaction. Seven professional actors will provide attendees with a cruise that will be for the books!
Sun Records Live in the Walker Center on Saturday, October 5 and Direct From Sweden: The Music of ABBA in the Walker Center on Thursday, November 21
The first of these two “jukebox” tribute musicals celebrates 70 years of the birth of rock and roll with music from Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins to honor the magic of Sun Records, the legendary recording studio in Memphis. The second uses costumes, make-up, musical arrangements, movements, and singing to replicate the look and sound of Sweden’s biggest music export: ABBA. Songs include “Dancing Queen,”“Mamma Mia,”“Money, Money, Money,” “Take A Chance on Me,” “Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie,” and many more.
Grand Ol’ Christmas Show in the Walker Center on Thursday, December 19
This live, one-of-a-kind musical variety show brings all-time favorite Christmas classics and original sketch comedy antics to theaters across Texas. Made for music and comedy lovers from boomers to millennials this tribute to American Christmas traditions cleverly and progressively blurs the lines between heartfelt nostalgia and contemporary pop-culture satire. An inspiring Holiday tradition that gets better every year.
Ailey II's C. Moulterie, A. Jordan, K. Moore
Photo by Nir Arieli - Schaefer Presents
Gillian Welsh and David Rawlings Schaefer Presents
Black Violin Schaefer Presents
By Keith Martin
Baxter Edmisten “Our Hero Behind the Curtain”
Venerable Piano Technician Retires After 65+ Years of Service
Onceevery six months, like clockwork, this writer’s phone rings early on a Monday morning with the gracious and instantly recognizable voice of Shirley Edmisten, the business half of the husbandwife duo that comprises Baxter Edmisten Piano Service. “It’s time to tune your Steinway, Mr. Martin,” she politely reminds me while helpfully adding, “Would you like your piano serviced this week, because Baxter’s going to be in your neighborhood?”
Thus, it has been for piano owners throughout the High Country and beyond since 1958 when the then 20-year-old was hired as an “action trainee” at Kohler & Campbell Piano Company (K&C) in Granite Falls at a starting salary of one dollar per hour, approximately $10.88 today. CML sat down with Edmisten on the occasion of his retirement—at age 86—to reflect upon his life’s work.
We thumbed through page after page of letters, contracts, correspondence and neatly hand-written ledgers that document his entire career, each accompanied by side notes marking every promotion, salary increase, or other notable event. “Well, there was that time in ‘60 when they fired me because I thought I knew everything there was to know about pianos,” he recalled, although his notes say, “terminated for infraction of company rules about outside smoking.” When that discrepancy was noted to him, Baxter just shook his head and smiled wistfully.
Edmiston moved to Winston Salem where he learned the more complicated craft of piano tuning when hired to work
for a blind piano tuner. Just a few years later, he was welcomed back to Kohler & Campbell. By 1965, Baxter had saved enough money to build a home just 100 yards away from the house where he grew up on Edmisten Road in Blowing Rock, “named after my father, Shuford, not me.” It was in this household that he and Shirley raised two children, Karen and Greg. Baxter worked his way up from first to second to third piano tuner (“subsequent tunings of a new instrument require a more highly experienced technician,” he explained) to lead man, foreman and, eventually, plant manager, serving in that capacity until the company closed in 1985. A lifelong member of the National Piano Technicians Guild and its NC Chapter, he opened his own shop and has been tuning and repairing pianos ever since for churches, schools, and private owners. They range from an 1884 Steinway concert grand to brand new instruments. “My favorites are Yamahas because they just tune easier; those foreign pianos can be a bear!”
For over a quarter century, beginning in 1972, Baxter tuned all 100+ pianos in the Broyhill Music Center at Appalachian State University at least twice a year along with more frequent tuning for the concert hall pianos and those in faculty studios, plus on demand each day of every guest artist performance. “That’s in addition to an untold number of churches, most with three or four pianos that required frequent service. And, of course, I rough-tuned as many as 18 to 22 pianos right off the K&C assembly line five days a week.” A conser-
vative estimate of the total number of instruments tuned in eight different decades numbers well into the six figures.
Edmisten even taught a course on piano tuning to students at Appalachian back in the 1980s. Dr. William L. Pelto, former Dean of the Hayes School of Music and recently retired Executive Director of the College Music Society, fondly remembers Edmisten from his time at Appalachian.
“Like most piano technicians, it seems, Baxter maintained an almost invisible presence. Always ready and available, he kept us going for so many years until the school could hire a full-time technician. Late summer tunings for the fall semester, concert hall tunings for guest artists and faculty recitalists, touch ups before juries, and readiness for the Cannon Music Camp; our need for his expertise was constant and ongoing. And, of course, he delivered with professionalism. We salute and congratulate Baxter, our ‘hero behind the curtain.’”
Ironically, Edmisten doesn’t even own a piano anymore, having had as many as seven or eight in his home or studio at a time. “Our daughter Karen took the last one with her when she moved to Belmont and, well, that was that!”
When given the chance to provide the last word on this profile by commenting on her spouse of 65 years (“We started courting in ’57 and married in 1959”), Shirley paused for a minute, then quietly laughed before replying, “Baxter’s a good husband, works hard, and loves his job. What else would anyone need to know?”
Music is made in our area all year long by skilled and talented musicians. They’re picking and jamming on the stages, in the meadows and on front porches. Here are some of our favorite places…
Where the Music Is . . .
n AT WINERIES AND VINEYARDS
Linville Falls Winery – Located near Linville Falls and the spectacular Linville Gorge, the steepest gorge east of the Mississippi River, Linville Falls Winery hosts music every Friday through Sunday until the end of October from 2-5 p.m. | 9557 Linville Falls Hwy (Hwy 221) Linville Falls, NC Blue Ridge Parkway Mile 317, 828-765-1400, linvillefallswinery.com
Banner Elk Winery – The High Country’s original winery is just minutes from downtown Banner Elk and hosts music on Friday and Saturday 1-5 p.m., all year long. | 60 Deer Run Lane, Banner Elk, NC, 828-898-9090, bannerelkwinery.com
Grandfather Vineyard and Winery – Music in the vineyard continues with a full autumn season of live music. Enjoy music and food trucks in September every day but Monday starting between 12:30 and 2 p.m. In October, there will be music and food trucks daily, and in November, music is available on most weekends. | 225 Vineyard Lane, off NC 105 between Boone and Banner Elk, 828-963-2400, grandfathervineyard.com
Watauga Lake Winery – Johnson County, Tennessee’s, first winery will host musical lineups on Saturdays starting at 5 p.m. 6952 Big Dry Run Rd., Butler, TN, 423-768-0345, wataugalakewinery.com
Villa Nove Vineyard – Nestled in the Appalachian High Country with vineyardlaced hills giving way to breathtaking 360-degree views. Enjoy live music Sundays 2-5 p.m. | 1877 Dry Hill Rd, Butler, TN, 423-768-0345, waterfrontgroupwatauga.com/ villa-nove-vineyard/
Old Barn Winery – Enjoy live music at this family-owned winery located in the beautiful mountains of West Jefferson, NC, Fridays 3-6 p.m., Saturdays 1-7 p.m. (usually two bands), and Sundays 2-5 p.m. | 2152 Beaver Creek School Rd, West Jefferson, 336-846-6060, oldbarnwinery.com
Eagles Nest Winery – Live music Friday from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday 2-5 p.m. plus open mic on Thursday from 6-9 p.m. Eagles Nest offers the best in entertainment. Sip back and relax as you enjoy indoor-outdoor seating areas, an intimate atmosphere, breathtaking views, and live events you won’t want to miss. 1965 Old Beech Mountain Road, Elk Park, NC, 828-898-2027, eaglesnestwinery.net
n AT RESTAURANTS AND BARS
Old Hampton Barbecue and The Tavern at the Old Hampton Store – Live music on select Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at noon and 6 p.m. Go to Old Hampton Store Facebook page for the latest updates, additions, and changes. | 77 Ruffin Street, Linville, 828-733-5213, Facebook @ OldHamptonStore/
Banner Elk Café – Live bands on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year, 6-10 p.m. | 324 Shawneehaw Ave. S, Banner Elk, 828-8984040, bannerelkcafe.com
Lost Province Brewery – Live music every Friday and Saturday evening starting at 6 p.m. | 130 N. Depot Street, Boone, 828-2653506, lostprovince.com
Chef’s Table – Live Wednesday night jazz with Shane Chalke at 7 p.m. Additional live music on Friday and Saturday nights with
By CML Staff
Paul Schiro starting at 7 p.m. 140 Azalea Circle, Banner Elk, 828-898-5214, bannerelkvillage.com
Famous Brick Oven Pizzeria – Live music every Friday 5:30-8:45 p.m. and family friendly pianist Andrew Cotts Thursdays and Sundays 5:30-9 p.m. | 402 Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain, 828-387-4000, famousbrickoven.com
Timberlake’s Restaurant – at the Chetola Resort features live music in the Pub, on the Patio or by the Bonfire, depending on weather and special events, Wednesday through Saturday 6-9 p.m. | 185 Chetola Lake Dr., Blowing Rock, 828-295-5505, chetola.com/dining/
Casa Rustica – Live music on Thursday evenings with Todd Wright and Andy Page 1348 Hwy. 150 South, Boone, 828-262-5128, casarustica1981.com
Blowing Rock Brewing – Enjoy great food and beer with live music on Sundays from 2-5 p.m. | 152 Sunset Dr, Blowing Rock, 828-414-9600, Facebook @ BRBrewingCo/
Blind Elk Tap Room – Live music and food trucks on various nights and trivia on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. There’s a lot to choose from for your entertainment pleasure. Please check their Facebook page for up-to-date information. | 397 Shawneehaw Ave., Banner Elk, 828-898-2420, Facebook @ BlindElk/
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Grandfather Vineyard Banner Elk Café
n AT INNS AND RESORTS
Music on the Lawn at The Inn at Ragged Gardens – Friday evenings through the end of September, 5:30-8:30 p.m., weather permitting. Bring your own seating; outdoor bar and lawn menu available. Sorry, no coolers, pets, or outside food or beverages. | 203 Sunset Dr., Blowing Rock, 828-295-9703, ragged-gardens.com
Music on the Veranda and the Lobby at Green Park Inn – Music on the Veranda Sundays, 5-8 p.m. through Oct. 6. Bring your own chairs. Music in the lobby with Charlie Ellis on piano Friday and Saturday nights 6-9 p.m. | 9239 Valley Blvd., Blowing Rock, 828-414-9230, GreenParkInn.com
The Pineola Live Music Weekends – Live music Friday and Saturday nights from 7-10 p.m. | 3085 Linville Falls Hwy, Pineola, 828-733-4979, thepineola.com
Beech Mountain/Beech Mountain Resort – Free live music through mid-October, on Thursdays at the Mile High Tavern (1003 Beech Mountain Parkway, 828-387-2470) and Saturdays at 5506’ and at the Resort Village. Beechmtn.com, beechmountainresort.com
n AT FESTIVALS
Mountain Glory Festival – Visitors will find original crafts, food, local wine, and beer, plus two stages presenting Marion’s finest musicians. Free admission. October 12, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | Main Street, Marion, NC, 828-652-2215, mtngloryfestival.com
Sugar Mountain Oktoberfest – Sugar Mountain’s annual Oktoberfest invites you to bring your lederhosen or dirndl and have fun! Parking, shuttle service, and admission are free for this two-day event. The Harbour Towne Fest Band will provide entertainment
from noon until 4 p.m., food and crafts will be available for purchase, as well as traditional Spaten beer. October 12 and 13, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sugar Mountain Resort, 1009 Sugar Mountain Dr., Sugar Mountain, NC, 828-898-4521, oktoberfest.skisugar.com
Valle Country Fair – The annual Valle Country Fair is a sure favorite among locals and visitors. Crafts, food, and toe tapping music, traditional dancing, and classic tales by a master storyteller. Admission is free, and parking costs $10 per car, $25 for a small bus or van and $50 for a motorcoach. Across from Holy Cross Episcopal Church. October 19, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | 122 Skiles Way, Banner Elk, NC, 828-963-4609, vallecountryfair.org
Woolly Worm Festival – The quirky and light-hearted Woolly Worm Festival is an event that you won’t see anywhere else! Enjoy crafts, plenty of food vendors, and live music, plus the Woolly Worm Wace. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children five years of age and younger. Proceeds go to support children’s charities, small business, and tourism. October 19 – 20; Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | 185 Azalea Circle, Banner Elk, NC, 828-898-5605, woollyworm.com
Brushy Mountain Apple Festival – This free one-day arts and crafts festival on October 5, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. in downtown Wilkesboro, has four music stages, hundreds of arts and crafts vendors and food. On the Friday night before the festival, October 4, gather at the corner of 10th and Main Streets in downtown North Wilkesboro for Apple Jam, a live music event starting at 6 p.m. The proceeds go to the Brushy Mountain Ruritan Club, a group that supports nonprofit organizations and families in need. | Downtown Wilkesboro, 336-921-3499, applefestival.net
Buskers Fest – An open-air sidewalk street festival on Friday, October 4, starting at 5 p.m. Walk the streets of Downtown Boone and discover a diverse array of artists, performers, and demonstrators from all walks of life and in all different mediums. Experience the Arts with opportunities to dance, sing, make pottery, paint, and more! | Downtown Boone, 828-264-1789, watauga-arts.org/buskersfest
n AND EVERYWHERE ELSE
Harvest Hoedown at Linville Falls Winery
An evening of fun in Blue Ridge Mountain style from 5-8 p.m. Live music by Bluegrass Blend, food from The Famous Brick Oven Pizza truck, and a Square Dance caller to lead you through the steps! You’re encourage to break out your boots and wear your “country best.” The event is free with food available for purchase. | 9557 Linville Falls Hwy (Hwy 221), Linville Falls, Blue Ridge Parkway Mile 317, 828-765-1400, linvillefallswinery.com
The Crooked Road’s 20th Anniversary Celebration - Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail
– This 333-mile-long driving trail connects 10 major venues and over 50 affiliate venues that preserve and promote traditional Appalachian old time and bluegrass music. So, grab your dancing shoes or throw your guitar in the car for a musical adventure of a lifetime and plan your trip today! 276-492-2400, thecrookedroadva.com
Appalachian Theatre of the High Country
This restored theatre has too many dates and acts to count so please check out their events page for tickets and information at apptheatre.org. | 559 W King St, Boone, 828-865-3000
The Schaefer Center Presents – Offering a diverse array of music, dance, and theatre programming for audiences of all ages September through April. Musical events
Banner Elk Café
Sugar Mountain Oktoberfest
range from symphony orchestra and chamber music performances to jazz, blues, folk, popular and international artists. | Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, 733 Rivers St., Boone, 828-2624046, theschaefercenter@appstate.edu
The Jones House – The music moves to the Mazie Jones Gallery for the Indoor Concerts at the Jones House on October 13 and November 3. Tickets are $20 and require advance reservation. | 604 W King St, Boone, NC 28607, 828-268-6280, Joneshouse.org
Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music
Two live music events, one at South End Brewing on Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. and the other at Appalachian Theatre of the High Country on October 18 at 7:30 p.m. Check their website for concert details. | 828-263-4511, mountainhomemusic.org
Concerts on the Deck – Bring a chair and your dancing shoes to the Yadkin Valley Marketplace and catch the last concert of the season on Saturday September 21, starting at 6 p.m. | 842 CBD Loop, North Wilkesboro, 336-667-7129, north-wilkesboro.com
The Orchard at Altapass – Free live music in the outdoor pavilion through October on Saturdays and Sundays, 2-4 p.m. | 1025 Orchard Rd., Spruce Pine, 828-765-9531, altapassorchard.org
Crossnore Jam – Free live jam sessions. Bring an instrument if you would like to join in! Town Meeting House on the first Friday of the month at 10:30 a.m. and every Tuesday at 1 p.m. | Crossnore Drive, Crossnore, 828-733-0360.
Bluegrass Country Music Jam – This is a community event at the Historic Banner Elk School in the Book Exchange on the 3
Monday of each month at 6 p.m. | 185 Azalea Way, Banner Elk, bannerelkbookexchange.com
Old-Time Acoustic Jams at the Jones House
Join local and visiting musicians every Thursday at 7 p.m. for an old-time jam. Bring an instrument and join in or just enjoy the music. | 604 West King St., Boone, 828-268-6280, joneshouse.org
Red, White, and Bluegrass Jams – at the American Legion in Blowing Rock on the first
and third Tuesday of the month from April to November at 6 p.m. Come to listen or bring your instrument and join right in. 333 Wallingford St, Blowing Rock, 828-295-5222, Facebook @ rwbj.boone.nc/
Search for additional regional music opportunities at Blue Ridge Music Trails: blueridgemusicnc.com. Be sure to check with each venue or search online for any changes to dates, times, locations, and restrictions before heading out.
Ashe County Ashe County FALL
INTO FALL INTO
The Crooked Road
Valle Country Fair
Schaefer Center Presents
Art Remarks
By CML Staff
This fall, opportunities to enjoy local art are numerous! In addition to the many arts and crafts festivals taking place throughout the region, check out these developments in our local visual arts scene.
Campus Arts Corridor Unveils New Installations
Appalachian State University continues to celebrate the dynamic role of sculpture on campus with the unveiling of new installations for the Campus Arts Corridor in August 2024. This collection features seven sculptures created by artists across North Carolina and New York, marking the second phase of this ongoing project. The sculptures start at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on King Street and extend along a public art pathway into campus.
The Campus Arts Corridor connects the university’s major arts venues, including the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. These two hubs, along with the Valborg Theatre, Chapell Wilson Hall, Wey Hall, and the Broyhill Music Center, form a vibrant arts community on the campus. The Corridor builds on more than three decades of outdoor sculpture programming at App State, reinforcing Boone’s reputation as a cultural destination.
Anchored by the Turchin Center located at the crossroads of Appalachian State University and downtown Boone, the Campus Arts Corridor serves as a bridge between campus and town. The iconic Transit Candy stair mural by Baltimore artists Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn marks the starting point of the Corridor.
This year’s featured sculptures resonate with themes of re-emergence, transformation, social unity, and hopes for a more equitable world. These works not only enrich the campus environment but also engage visitors and the local community in the life of the university.
Sculptures and exhibiting artists include: “Golden Arch” by Jim Galluci (Greensboro, NC); “Seeing Beyond” by Mary Anne Prack (Jefferson, NC); “Raven” by Vandorn Hinnant (East Grimesland, NC); “Coming Around” by Robert Winkler (Asheville, NC); “Breakaway” by Bill Brown (Linville Falls, NC); “Nexus” by Sam Spickza (Apex, NC); and “Martyr Dress” by Jennifer Hecker (Brockport, NY).
These sculptures will be on display for two years. For more information, visitors can scan the QR code on the signage next to each sculpture, visit TCVA.org, or stop by the Turchin Center front desk for a sculpture guide.
The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, named for university benefactors Robert and Lillian Turchin, is the largest visual arts facility in the region. The center offers dynamic exhibitions, educational programs, and serves as a vital cultural resource for the university and the community. Located at 423 West King St. in Boone, the Turchin Center is open from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tuesday - Thursday and Saturday, and 12-8 p.m. on Fridays. Admission is free, though donations are appreciated. For more information, visit TCVA.org or follow the Turchin Center on Facebook and Instagram @TurchinCenter.
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“. . . only our thoughts and fears keep us from achieving our dreams. We must Breakaway.”
– Bill Brown, owner of Anvil Arts Gallery and Sculpture Garden
Transit Candy stair mural, the starting point of the Campus Arts Corridor
Seeing Beyond, by Mary-Anne Prack (pictured) – This sculpture explores the architecture of the human figure and the joy of the human spirit through abstract forms.
Breakaway, by Bill Brown
ART REMARKS
Hellbender Salamander Mural Unveiled in Boone
On August 23, one of the newest—and most eye-catching—pieces of public art in the High Country was officially unveiled. The Hellbender Mural, located at 140 South Depot Street in Downtown Boone, is part of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Endangered Species Mural Project. The Project works with artists, scientists, and organizers to bring endangered wildlife onto the streets of cities and towns around the country.
Boone’s mural was painted by Josh Johnston, an artist based in Boone (@joshjohnstonart/) specializing in custom murals and 2D artworks, and was made possible through a partnership with the Downtown Boone Development Association, MountainTrue, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, and the Watauga Arts Council.
The Center for Biological Diversity noted, “Just as nature inspires art, art inspires actions to defend wild places and the wild creatures that live in them. With this in mind, these murals are imagined as tools to help celebrate local endangered species within communities, and to encourage people to make connections between conservation and community strength.”
The Boone mural celebrates the long-lived giant hellbender salamander, a state-listed species of special concern, found only in the eastern U.S. Though their numbers have dwindled in recent years, they remain an important organism in our mountain stream ecosystems. “Hellbenders are a vital indicator of water quality,” said Andy Hill, MountainTrue’s Watauga Riverkeeper. “This mural will inspire both residents and visitors to appreciate and safeguard our natural resources.”
In addition to the Eastern Hellbender, the mural features a variety of flora and fauna found in our High Country region, including native brook trout, an Eastern box turtle, a kingfisher, sugar maples, flowering dogwoods and more.
The Town of Boone stated, “Thank you to the Center for Biological Diversity for allowing the Town of Boone to be a part of the #endangeredspeciesmuralproject trail and designating Boone as the official ‘Hellbender Town.’ Thank you to the Watauga Riverkeeper for continuing the conservation efforts that have helped our ‘snot otter’ friends thrive here in Boone! We also want to thank Watauga Arts Council and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts for the continued support of public art in Downtown Boone.”
Want to help with hellbender conservation efforts? Report any hellbender observations to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission by submitting photographs of your observations, along with date and location, to lori.williams@ncwildlife.org.
New Boone Heritage Monument Honors Founders and Developers
The Boone Heritage Monument, a community-based project created by famed artist Brenda Councill, is nearing its final stages and will soon be a welcomed addition to the historic landscape of Boone. Councill, whose work includes public art sculpture and large scale murals, created the monument in her Blowing Rock studio. The design includes three life-size bronze portraits of representative pioneers which crown the top of the stone monument; founding Boone families, organizations and businesses are prominently displayed on four large bronze plaques below. This monument honors all of the early Appalachian pioneer families and African Americans whose courage, strength, and hard work laid the foundation upon which the town was built.
The monument’s permanent location will be at the historic Dan’l Boone Inn Restaurant where onsite construction is in its final stages. Financial support and in-kind donations from descendants of early families, individuals, businesses and organizations have made this project possible.
Supporter Mary Bohlen, President of the NC Daniel Boone Heritage Trail stated, “Our organization is honored to be part of this worthy endeavor.” Loretta Clawson stated, “As former Mayor of Boone, I would like to say that I think this public art sculpture will be a great addition to our town.” Regional and state historians and genealogists have worked with the supporters to insure accuracy and to narrate the history, educational and cultural significance of the Appalachian region.
Councill stated, “My vision is to commemorate the brave, courageous and industrious spirit of the pioneers. The representative bronze busts evoke the determined self-reliance of the early American founders and settlers who developed the frontier town of Boone, North Carolina.”
While visiting The Boone Heritage Monument, visitors will be able to read brief portions from the vast history of Boone while standing in and near historic sites referenced on the bronze plaques. The monument will be dedicated this fall.
For more information, visit councill.net.
Hellbender Mural in Downtown Boone
Artist rendering of the completed Boone Heritage Monument to be dedicated in Fall of 2024
Artist Brenda Councill puts final touches on bronze bust portraits that will sit atop the Boone Heritage Monument.
Big Things Happening in Mountain City
Our friends over at the Johnson County Center for the Arts in Mountain City, TN, have BIG news to share with art patrons this season.
For starters, the Center held their Grand Opening of their expansive new Gallery on Main on August 30! This beautiful property is now the gallery and gift shop’s primary home, with an additional classroom, special events gallery, maker space, and even a studio space for working artists. Their original Heritage Square location (College St.) will house an Arts Education Center with space for larger classes, events, a pottery studio and the frame workshop.
“The community has been so supportive to bring this dream to life with the new Gallery on Main,” said organizers. The Grand Opening took place in conjunction with The Long Journey Home Musical Heritage Festival and the unveiling of a brand new mural, titled ‘Mountain Elixir.’ This large-scale work features the history of the Medicine Shows and Tom Ashley’s music. Cristy Dunn, Lewis Chapman, JP Burnham, Jacob Proffitt and Temple Reece were the mural artists. The ‘Mountain Elixer’ mural completes the Musical Heritage Mural series and marks a decade of murals in downtown Mountain City.
Several art shows are also underway at the Center for the Arts, including The Edge Effect Show and Plein Air Show. The Edge Effect Show is an Invitational Show featuring artists’ collaborative efforts—it runs through September 28. The Plein Air Show features artwork depicting the area’s “Cultural Heritage” that was created within the past year by participating local artists. These paintings will be on display at the Center for the Arts throughout the month of October.
The Plein Air show opens with a reception for artists and a Wet Paint Sale on Friday, October 4, from 4-6 p.m. Enjoy light refreshments and live music as ribbons and monetary prizes are awarded to first, second, and third places for the adult and youth divisions.
Learn more about all the latest happenings at Johnson County Center for the Arts at jocoartcenter. org.
The 16th Annual Spruce Pine Potters Market
In the beautiful western NC mountains, scattered in Mitchell and Yancey counties, live and work some of the finest nationally and internationally known clay artists in the field today. SPPM is an annual weekend gathering, organized collaboratively by clay artists, that always takes place on the second weekend in October. This year’s event will be held October 12-13 at the Cross Street Building, 31 Cross Street, Spruce Pine, NC.
SPPM’s beautiful venue, a former textile factory with large windows, high ceilings, wooden beams and floors emphasizes the open, informal displays of artwork and encourages interaction. Artists and enthusiasts look forward to lively visits and conversations that strengthen relationships between makers and collectors.
This year, Spruce Pine Potters are delighted to welcome exciting, new artist members. Andy Palmer creates works that encompass a wide range of techniques including pit-fired, low fire oxidation, and high temperature wood and soda firing. His forms are figuratively inspired and tactilely appealing. “Because my main love is with experimentation and clay/ firing/ process testing, I have got to be the most inconsistent ceramicist I know,” he quips. “But I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Daniel Garver, originally from Wisconsin, moved to Mitchell County, attracted by opportunities to work with local potters. “I am very excited the SPPM group is open to include artists such as myself that are working on the edges of traditional North Carolina pottery. I believe in this community, the ability to work alongside and together with one another has created an atmosphere that is thriving.”
Julie Wiggins grew up in Jacksonville, NC, and began her clay journey in 1997. Julie forms her elegant utilitarian pieces from porcelain clay using a combination of wheel thrown and hand built techniques, and fires in an electric kiln. Julie describes her work as “mindfully handmade pots and wares for the home, inviting touch and curiosity.” In 2022, Julie received “Best in Show” at the Mint Museum’s Potters Market.
Kurt Anderson’s unique ceramic pieces are primarily made from mid-range red clay, covered with white slip, decorated with underglazes, finished with clear glaze, and fired in an electric kiln. “What I love most about living in this area is the knowledge that when I’m in my studio grinding away to meet a deadline, dozens of other artists are in their studios grinding away to meet deadlines. It makes me feel as if we are all silently encouraging each other.”
Stormie Burns creates colored porcelain vessels with a focus on double walled/hollowed forms. Burns says, “By drawing from my personal vocabulary of form and shape, my work often holds a softness and sharpness at the same time.”
SPPM artists practice a wide variety of techniques and processes, aesthetics and styles. On exhibit, you’ll find sculpture, functional pottery, large to small scale work, work suitable for everything from kitchen cabinets and tables to mantels and walls. The Spruce Pine Potters Market has become a wildly popular event, attracting local and regional visitors as well as those who travel long distances to attend. The show provides a unique opportunity to visit with and collect from exceptional clay artists, each offering a large, fresh selection of their finest work. It’s a “neighborhood show of national significance.” Admission is free. sprucepinepottersmarket.com
Artists at Johnson County Center for the Arts working on the Mountain Elixir mural in Mountain City, TN
Stormie Burns at Spruce Pine Potters Market
Kurt Anderson at Spruce Pine Potters Market
Julie Wiggins at Spruce Pine Potters Market
Chihuly at Biltmore
By Carol Lowe Timblin, with photos courtesy of Biltmore®
TheChihuly Exhibit, the special attraction at Biltmore Estate in Asheville through January 5, 2025, chronicles the artistic development of Dale Chihuly from his student days at the University of Washington to his world acclaim today. (His studies at the University of Wisconsin and the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as his glass-blowing experiences at the Venini glass factory in Venice, also helped prepare him for the successful art career he enjoys today.)
Chihuly’s first exhibit at Biltmore was held in the estate gardens in 2018. Biltmore also has several permanent Chihuly installations—“Winter White” and “Glacier Blue Tower” near the main entry of the Biltmore House, “Torchlight Chandelier” in Antler Hill Village, and the “Iris Gold and Garnet Chandelier” in the Biltmore Winery.
Upon entering the Amherst galleries, located in Deerpark on the estate, visitors are attracted to “Light Drawings,” a group of clear wall panels. Measuring 7 feet by 30 feet, the panels are painted in vibrant acrylics and illuminated with interior light. One of 33 works on display, the drawings illustrate the artist’s use of the pencil-and-wash technique he perfected early in his career and still uses today in designing large-scale glass works. Glass flower arrangements on display reflect Chihuly’s interest in Ikebana,
the art of Japanese flower arranging, with its focus on sparseness, simplicity, and stylized aesthetics.
Visitors may wonder why the brightly colored Western trade blankets, woven in a variety of textures, are displayed on another wall? A closer look at the glass baskets and soft cylinders resting on the pedestal tables nearby reflects the influence of the blankets on Chihuly’s art.
A bright ceiling of circular and angular glass formations that burst into every imaginable color entices visitors to move on to the next gallery to see what is aptly called the “Persian Ceiling.” Covering 25 feet by 15 feet in area, the ceiling is mesmerizing.
Next, visitors move into a dark gallery, where large multi-faceted icicles crafted in bold hues appear to be suspended in space. The display is called “Chandeliers and Towers.” In another dark gallery there is a garden of glass flowers and tapers that cover a floor space of 8.5 feet by 34.5 feet by 15 feet. The impact of this Chihuly piece, labeled “Mille Fiori,” is nothing short of stunning!
The last dark gallery in the exhibit, called “Sapphire Neon and Neodymium Reeds on Logs,” puts the spotlight on tubes of neon, intertwined with wooden logs from the Biltmore Estate. Neon is considered one of the most dramatic blown glass forms.
In his use of free-flowing forms and
unique combinations of glass, Chihuly has taken glass blowing to a fine art. His work is included in the permanent collections of more than 200 museums around the world today.
Not since the days of Louis Comfort Tiffany and John LaFarge, both masters of stained glass, has glass art been so revered
and so appreciated by so many. Among the fine objects of art chosen by George and Edith Vanderbilt to decorate their elaborate home in the 1890s is a hand-blown multicolored vase with a gold metallic surface and woven sterling silver overlay by Tiffany. It is displayed in the Claude Room of the mansion. “Hospitalitas/Prosperitas,” stained glass panels from the New York home of William Henry Vanderbilt (George’s father), were installed as a permanent feature in the Biltmore Winery a few years ago. Art enthusiasts will not want to miss this special opportunity to view the latest Dale Chihuly exhibit, and with the High Country’s proximity to Asheville, a day trip to Biltmore Estate is a great option for an autumn outing.
Ticket packages are available for daytime tours of Biltmore House, including an audio guide and the Chihuly exhibit, as well as entrance to Antler Hill Village & Winery, complimentary wine tasting, and complimentary parking, plus free next-day access to the grounds. Special tours, which include the 90-minute “Guests of the Vanderbilts Tour,” Candlelight Tours (available Nov. 2-Jan. 4), and “A Vanderbilt Christmas” are also available this season. For details on tickets and packages, visit biltmore.com.
Make the trek to the Boone & Blowing Rock area in Watauga County to hand pick your family Christmas tree. Many farms offer hayrides, farm animals, cookies and cocoa, and even Christmas Shops where wreaths and roping are also available. Visit the Choose and Cut Capital this season, and start your own family tradition.
Amy Brown, CPA Certified Public Accountant 828.898.7607
Avery County Chamber of Commerce 828.898.5605 / www.averycounty.com
Creative Interiors by Darlene Parker 828.898.9636
Hero’s Axe House 828-898-4376 / www.herosaxehouse.com
Highlanders Grill & Tavern
Open 7 Days a Week 828.898.9613
Peak Real Estate 828.898.1880 www.peakrealestatenc.com
Rhapsody in Cabinetry Design Studio for Kitchens, Baths, Closets & Flooring 828.406.4348
Salon Suites at Tynecastle • SALON M 828.260.3791
Shooz & Shiraz A Shoe & Wine Salon at The Dande Lion
Sky Mountain Nail Bar 828.783.9393
The Dande Lion Ladies Apparel, Shoes, & Accessories 866.222.2050 and 828.898.3566
Truist Financial 828-292-9219 / www.Truist.com
Valle de Bravo Mexican Grill valledebravomexicangrill.net 828.898.4949
Walgreens Pharmacy 828.898.8971
Yoga828 yoga828.com / 828-406-9610
Locally Crafted Gifts
n Sally Nooney Gallery
7137 NC-194, Banner Elk, NC 28604
828-963-7347
sallynooney.com
Unique fused glass and original paintings by gallery owner Sally Nooney.
n The Shoppes at Farmers
661 W King St, Boone, NC 28607
828-264-8801
shoppesatfarmers.com
The Shoppes at Farmers is an emporium comprised of multiple vignettes including Turtle Old Man jewelry, fossils, and crystals handcrafted locally near Boone, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
n Mica Gallery
37 N Mitchell Ave, Bakersville, NC 28705
828-688-6422
micagallerync.com
Mica Gallery represents exceptional works by over 35 artists who live in the region and work in functional and sculptural ceramics, glass, fiber, wood, jewelry, paper, prints and painting. Visit the gallery for all your holiday gift needs!
n Appalachian Apothekary
10543 NC-105, Banner Elk, NC 28604
828-963-8327
Facebook @ whittonanne2001
Beautiful, locally crafted roll-on essential oils by Allen Creative.
n Craftsman Cabinets & Furniture
2994 Hickory Blvd., Hudson, NC 28638
828-572-4424
craftsmancabinetsandfurniture.com
Handcrafted products made by true craftsmen and artists showcasing the talent that exists in their hometown—works you won’t find for sale anywhere else.
n Apple Hill Farm
400 Apple Hill Rd., Banner Elk, NC 28604
828-963-1662
applehillfarmnc.com
Stay comfortable year-round with our Survival Sock, crafted from soft alpaca fiber and durable nylon. Perfect for hiking and outdoor adventures, these mid-calf socks are made in NC, offering warmth, breathability, and a perfect fit every time.
n Crossnore Weavers & Gallery
Johnson Lane, Crossnore, NC 28616
828-733-4660
crossnore.org/crossnore-weavers
“Please come and enjoy diverse works of art from local and regional artists, along with our exceptional hand-woven goods.”
n Abode Home
4004 NC 105 Suite #1 Sugar Mountain, NC 28604
828-898-4449
Shopabodehomedesign.com
“Be a little Notti, be a lot nice!” Handmade, preservative free Notti Toffee, Notti Cookies and Notti Cheese Wafers. Bringing jobs to Alleghany County, NC, and available at Abode Home.
n BE Artists Gallery
185 Azalea Cir SE , Banner Elk, NC 28604 beartistsgallery.com
BE Artists has locally created works of art or functional crafts for everyone on your list. This fused glass cheese plate with glass bead wrapped cheese knife and matching cracker/ appetizer fused glass dish by Kimberly Tufts makes a perfect gift.
Looking for gift ideas this season? Visit the shops and galleries in this guide for one-of-a-kind, affordable art and crafts.
n Banner Elk Soap & Candle Co
3221 Tynecastle Hwy , Banner Elk, NC 28604
828-898-4006
Bannerelksoapandcandleco.com
IQuality handmade artisan soaps & candles. Candle pouring experiences are also available by online appointment.
You can’t get more local than Fred’s and these photographs by Beech Mountain photographer Sally Woodring. Her landscape photography is breathtaking.
n Mast General Store
2918 Broadstone Rd., Banner Elk, NC 28604
(Located in the heart of Valle Crucis) 828-963-6511
630 W King St., Boone, NC 28607
828-262-0000
mastgeneralstore.com
This Pewter North Carolina Ornament crafted by Kent and Martha Morgan, celebrates the great state with a delicately depicted cardinal perching on a branch of flowering dogwood, the state flower.
n Carlton Gallery
10360 Hwy 105 S., Banner Elk, NC 28604
828-963-4288
carltongallery.com
One-of-a-kind handcrafted gemstones in sterling silver settings by local jeweler, Don Haywood.
n Old Store at Grassy Creek 710 Grassy Creek Rd, Grassy Creek, NC 28631 336-384-1220
theoldstoregrassycreek.com
The Old Store at Grassy Creek has a wide variety of unique, locally made crafts and foods. “We love supporting our talented local artisans as well as artisans across the state of North Carolina.”
n Rivercross Made in USA
3595 NC Hwy 194, Sugar Grove, NC 28697
(Located in the heart of Valle Crucis) 828-963-8623
Facebook @ rivercrossmadeinusa
Perfect gifts for everyone…. including yourself. All the works at Rivercross are made in the USA. Steve Williams is a local artist who has been making beautiful and functional pottery for 24 years. His “rising moon” pattern keeps folks coming back for more.
n Ashe County Arts Council Gallery 303 School Ave., West Jefferson, NC 28694
336-846-2787
ashecountyarts.org
...houses a year-round exhibition space that showcases works of art by local and regional artists. The Gallery Shop features locally produced art and crafts.
“Explore our locally crafted cutting boards, coasters, ornaments, and more, all expertly made in our wood shop. From building and refurbishing furniture to creating unique products, our work embodies craftsmanship and community spirit.”
n Johnson County Center for the Arts
129 W Main Street , Mountain City, TN 37683 423-460-3313 jocoartcenter.org
At Johnson County Center for the Arts, you can almost always find an artist at work as you shop for paintings, pottery, woodcraft, fiber arts creations and so much more, all handmade by local artisans.
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n It’s All About the Art Gallery 163 Shawneehaw Ave. S. Banner Elk, NC 28604 828-783-9233 itsallabouttheart.net
Jewelry by Carol Berns is featured in the jewelry room and makes for a special gift.
n Doe Ridge Pottery
125 Burley Ave. West Jefferson, NC 28694 828-264-1127
Facebook @ doeridgepottery
Designed in house, these North Carolina Plates are the perfect mountain souvenir.
n Mustard Seed Home
312 Green St., Blowing Rock, NC 28605 828-818-0036 mustardseedblowingrock.com
Bear Food is a locally crafted gourmet peanut and popcorn company. With sweet and savory flavors such as chocolate, dill pickle, peanut brittle and cajun, these snacks make a delicious gift. A portion of all Bear Food sales are donated to Rainbow Express Ministries. Shop Bear Food and other local finds at Mustard Seed Home this holiday season!
High Winds and a High Country Writer
Twisters is a Perfect Storm Blockbuster
By Elizabeth Baird Hardy
In 1996, Twister blew through the box office, sweeping up cows, combines, and the title of second-highest grossing film that year. Its cultural impact ranges from documentaries to a Universal Studios ride, but plans for a sequel never materialized—until now. Twisters, a standalone sequel, written by the High Country’s own Mark L. Smith, roared into theaters this past summer and has not disappointed either fans of the original film or those who are new to the franchise and seeking a stormchasing wild ride.
Although the success of the original film led to sequel speculations with the original cast, Twisters follows new characters and new challenges with the ageless force of nature, the tornado. Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Kate Carter, haunted by trauma from an F5 tornado that tore apart her graduate school research, her team, and her life. Now, five years later, she finds herself drawn back into storm-chasing to help understand these dangerous forces of nature and perhaps protect humans from them. She joins her sole surviving research team member, Javi (Anthony Ramos), on a one-week trip to help his company, Storm Par, perfect its new storm-tracking system. In the process, she meets storm-chasers with very different approaches, including daredevil YouTube star Tyler (Glenn Powell) and his team of “tornado wranglers.” The film includes, as one might expect, amazing special effects and reminders that people, like storms, sometimes are not what they initially seem to be. Rather unexpectedly, Twisters also allows Kate to be a unique character who contradicts common disaster-movie tropes for female characters. In fact, some of those conventions, like a female character getting hurt while running from danger and needing rescue, are role-reversed for a breath of fresh air that is not moving at hundreds of miles an hour. While the storm systems of the film are necessarily exaggerated to allow for an action-packed two hours, the film’s weather science is drawn from the research and personal experience of Mark L. Smith and director Lee Isaac Chung.
Smith, the writer behind films like The Boys in the Boat and The Revenant who makes his home in Valle Crucis, found that Twisters was unlike anything he has previously done. “It was just fun and exciting rather than trying to tell a true story,” he says, but although the film is fictional, the meteorology and the storm chaser experience are based in reality. To research the film, Smith joined up with storm chasers who debated whether or not hailstones were golf ball or baseball sized, a conversation that appears on screen in Twisters. Although he did not actually experience a tornado while riding around with the team, his own childhood experience of evacuating a little league game due to a tornado finds its way into the film. Even without an actual tornado, Smith’s adventures riding with the storm chasers definitely helped shape the film. He recalls how everything went dark while they drove at 80 miles an hour, watching phones for radar images to make the distinctive “red hook” described in the film.
“We had a really wild time, and I eventually realized they were all crazy!” Smith jokes that his time with them contributed directly to the
development of the character of Ben, a British journalist who travels with Tyler’s team and discovers that storm chasing is a terrifying activity conducted by terrifying (but brilliant) people. The stories and expertise of those chasers, crazy or not, contribute to the film’s story, as well as to its science. One of the best sequences in the film, as well as a favorite of Smith’s to write, involves two characters, in different places, describing tornado formation to two different groups, with their dialogue alternating. The structure keeps the pace snappy and delivers the science while also developing the characters and their approaches.
Twisters is, as Smith always wanted it to be, “Kate’s story”—a journey of redemption, growth, and driving into literal and metaphorical storms, framed by two critical events for her from the earliest story concepts. All of the characters, though, contribute to a solid story, with a strong cast of performers who seem to be having a grand time. In fact, Smith attests that working on the film was a great experience with one of the happiest casts he’s ever seen. Even though the characters experiencing mortal peril may not be having the times of their lives, the actors playing them were apparently enjoying themselves, and a couple of them are particularly fun choices. In a motel lobby in the path of one of the titular tornadoes, a grumpy guest and his obnoxious girlfriend berate a harried clerk and, ignoring warnings, drive off into the storm and are swept away. The characters who get their comeuppance are played by James Paxton, son of Bill Paxton who starred in the original Twister, and Lily Smith, daughter of writer Smith. “It was wonderful to have her in it,” he says. “That’s the dad in me.”
While film-goers may not catch those fun family connections, they are sure to notice great call-backs to the original, from costume choices for Edgar-Jones that evoke Helen Hunt’s Dr. Jo Harding to Kate’s insistent “I’m not back,” which intentionally echoes Bill Paxton’s Bill Harding. The use of a film within a film also salutes Twister’s destruction of a drive-in during The Shining. This time, the film is the 1931 Frankenstein, a clever choice with its use of storms and themes of humans attempting
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Savor award-winning wine and pamper yourself at The Villa, an 8 bedroom house available for rent. Spend your days exploring the local golfing, fishing, and skiing. Or recharge with a glass of wine in front of the magnificent stone fireplace.
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to subdue nature. References to The Wizard of Oz are in homage both to the classic story of a girl and a life-changing cyclone and to the original Twister and the Dorothy device, a version of which appears at the beginning of Twisters. Javi’s storm-chasing team has trucks named Lion, Scarecrow, Tinman, and Wizard, which reflect the personalities of the characters who travel in them
In addition to the great performances and story, Twisters is technically impressive, with wonderful visual effects from the symbolic, tiny seeds of a dandelion blowing in the wind to huge explosions and dissolving buildings whirling in massive clouds. The fantastic sound editing brings to life the storms, particularly with a distinctive “whomping” sound effect that is particularly well done.
Rated PG-13 for the action and violence, Twisters is appropriate for any viewers who don’t panic in storms. An exciting and thoughtful action adventure, Twisters works beautifully both as its own film and as a fitting tribute to the original and those who made it.
Twisters Director Lee Isaac Chung with James Paxton, Glen Powell and Lily Smith
James Paxton and Lily Smith
The Wonder of Fall Wildflowers
By Jim Casada
Beginning in 1926, and continuing on pretty much an annual basis for some two decades, noted Impressionist painter Rudolph Ingerle visited the North Carolina High Country to sample, savor, and attempt to capture on canvas the region’s autumnal splendor. He spoke of the mountains’ “one quality that is unique—charm. They have enduring charm. Having seen them once they lure you back again and again. I love them.” He then added emphasis to this glowing statement on the allure of lofty peaks and deep valleys words that almost could have come from some grizzled old timer living far back in a secluded, sheltered cove. They “just keep a callin’ come back,” he mused, “and it makes me mighty lonesome for them.”
The word lonesome is well chosen, and in another context it perfectly captures the showy splendor of a mountain fall, a time when every ridgeline, pastures at the foot of those ridges, road verges, and indeed everything within the scope of one’s vision seems so filled with color that no artist’s palette, not even that of a gifted landscape artist such as Ingerle, could hope to capture it. Yet that beauty is fleeting, for it is a harbinger of months to come where words such as grey, grim, or gloomy best capture the land’s mood. Those months of winter are a time of loneliness and cabin fever, but the good earth readies us for it with exquisite loveliness. We herald ever returning spring and all its beauty, but when it comes to sheer splendor nothing compares to a High Country fall.
For anyone who now calls the highlands their homeland, or for the masses sometimes known as leaf peepers who visit during this season of splendor, it doesn’t require much imagination to realize that the mountain landscape surrounding you is one of the warmth of an Indian Summer day, the comfort of sitting around a cheery fire pit warding off evening’s chill, or the sense of consuming beauty at daybreak as sun drives the fog away to reveal trees adorned in all their finery. They wear a cloak of burnished browns and scarlet, magenta and a staggering array of hues of gold, with their ranks of stair-stepping mountains rising to a distant horizon. It is a scene evocative of serenity and ethereal calmness, of a beauty better seen than described. Yet all of this visual wonder is but part of the grandeur of a mountain fall. Arguably the finest of the season’s raiment is to be found not on distant hillsides but at one’s feet. It takes the form of wildflowers.
Nature puts on a mighty fine show in the spring, but for all the wildflower wonder of that season in High Country woods and waysides, autumn has to be given pride of place. Fall blooms are a mature matron at her loveliest, displaying the finest jewels from a treasure chest filled with visual wonder and enchanting with a degree of loveliness that begs for a restful pause during a quiet walk or demands a camera in hand to capture something of fleeting wonder.
Appropriately, given that the color also dominates changing leaves on deciduous
trees, with poplars, maples, and hickories coming immediately to mind, associated hues of yellow and orange probably stand in the forefront of fall flowers in terms of variety of species. You find visual gold pretty much everywhere you look. Most dominant of all is the ubiquitous, aptly named goldenrod. In damp places along creek banks and seep springs, jewel weed, colloquially known as touch-menots thanks to ripe seed pods sort of exploding on contact, flaunts its finery in various hues of orange and yellow. Incidentally, if you should suffer the misfortune of experiencing one of the downsides of a mountain autumn and stumble across a nest of those minions of Beelzebub known as yellow jackets, juice from the stalks of jewel weed offers an aloelike soothing relief to stings. Then there are various golden asters including lofty camphorweed with its useful medicinal properties; several types of wild sunflowers; mullein, at least as lovely for its fuzzy leaves as the tiny flowers adorning soaring stalks and yet another of countless wildflowers associated with traditional folk medicine; the various types of tickseed; yarrow; the breathtaking orange of butterfly milkweed; sneezeweed; and if you are specially blessed in your wildflower quest, the elusive yellow-fringed orchid.
For all the cheery nature of the myriad fallblooming wildflowers sporting sunny hues of yellow or orange though, my personal favorites fall into the blue and purple category. There are several asters sporting adornment
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AND WAYS
Ironweed
Great lobelia Ageratum
Gentian Passionflower
in this color range along with blue gentians and gerardia. Great blue lobelia, sometimes known as blue cardinal flower, is plentiful. So is chicory, with its numerous light blue flowers and roots that gave coffee-deprived folks an ersatz version of that beverage during the hard times of both the Civil War and Great Depression. Clusters of Ageratum appear at every turn. But the real stars of the show are two of fall’s tallest wildflowers along with one ground runner that arguably stands in a class by itself when it comes to being spectacular.
Ironweed is widely dispersed in opens areas, especially pastures, and its color is so vivid, so intense, as to be hard to miss. The muted, hazy purple of Joe Pye weed is not quite as readily noticeable when it comes to “jumping out” to the eyes, but it has several attributes beyond attractive bloom clusters that make it stand out. The first of those characteristics of this plant that loves wet feet and is most commonly found in sandy ground along streams is its height, ranging to 10 feet or more. Then there’s the vanilla-like aroma its blooms exude, and that scent must be intoxicating for butterflies, because they flutter around the huge flower heads in great numbers. Then too, at least for my eternally curious mind, there’s the mystery of just who Joe Pye might have been. I have no idea but to have such a grand plant named for him old Joe Pye must have been what my grandfather sometimes called “much of a man.” The third member of the grand purple triumvirate is the maypop, also known as wild apricot or passionflower. To my way of thinking, there’s no single wild-
flower bloom more spectacular, and the fact that you can eat the fleshy seed coverings inside the mature, withered and yellowed fruit is a special bonus.
The color red is less preponderant, but one notable example is well known to mountain fly fisherman or those who spend time along streams. This is cardinal flower. The name pretty well tells the tale, and the flower spikes from plants invariably growing right at creek’s edge cannot be missed. That leaves flowers of multiple colors, such as black-eyed Susans and late blooming coneflowers, along with the bridal purity of a myriad of white flowers. These include several types of asters, usually with golden centers; boneset (another example of a plant known to folk medicine with the name of it telling the tale); fleabane; and ubiquitous Queen Anne’s lace. The latter is truly queen-like in its regality, but it unfortunately has a commonly used name, chigger weed, that can at times be richly merited.
Someone else can have my full share of chigger bites, and the same holds true for encounters with ticks or active, angry yellow jackets. I’ve had enough experiences with them to last several lifetimes. Set against that however is the enduring and endearing wonder of fall wildflowers. To wander these storied hills and hollows, surrounded by the final fling of blooming beauty before winter lays its cold hand on the land, is to tread trails of wonder.
Learn more about Jim Casada’s many books or sign up for his free e-newsletter at jimcasadaoutdoors.com.
Avery Animal Hospital
Small Animal Medicine
Surgical Services
CO2 Surgical Laser
Purina Pro Plan & Prescription Diets
In-house Laboratory
Therapy Laser Treatments
Dr. Brent Jewell
828-733-9810
351 W. Mitchell Street Newland, NC 28657
Sally Nooney
ARTIST STUDIO GALLERY
Fine Art Paintings, Glass Creations & Heirloom Jewelry — Commissions Invited! — Scenic Hwy 194 South Midway between Valle Crucis & Banner Elk Tuesday thru Saturday 10-5
828-963-7347 | Nooney@skybest.com sallynooney.com
Frank Nooney Furniture Restoration, and Antiques at the Gallery, next door
Butterfly weed
Black-eyed Susan
Tall goldenrod
Spotted jewelweed
Ginseng & Medicinal Herb Production: An Option for Underutilized Forest Land
By Dr. Jim Hamilton, photos by author
Manylandowners, especially in western North Carolina, have forestland that they may not be using for anything other than shady hikes, a buffer from neighbors, a benefit of inheritance, or simply to enjoy the diversity of nature and the ‘critters of the woods’ that grace our mountains.
With low current timber prices and increasing value placed on aesthetics, diversification, and alternatives to timber harvesting, there is a lot of underutilized forestland in the western part of the state that could be considered for growing medicinal herbs in a “forest farm.” In the mountains and foothills of western North Carolina, the colder winters, ample rainfall, good drainage, and prevalence of rich cove forests create the ideal climate and environment for ginseng and other medicinal forest herbs. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) has the most well-known (notorious, some might say) reputation and is the most sought after of our native medicinal plants.
If you own mature forestland (or even a nice quarter-acre wooded backyard) with good soil and drainage and the right mixture of trees, ginseng may be a viable way to diversify your property and produce a forest-farmed ‘crop’ in your underutilized woods. Ginseng roots have been wildharvested in the mountains for centuries to export to Asia. Their purported health and energy benefits make ginseng a key ingredient in energy drinks you find on retail market shelves.
Our region’s wild ginseng roots historically have been prized for their shape, quality, and “character” by consumers in China and Korea. However, by planting
seed into your wild woods on a good site, you can become part of the centuries-old ginseng trade. It can be a tricky plant to grow successfully, but with prices for wild and wild-simulated ginseng fluctuating from between $600 to $1,000 per dried pound, it might be worth giving it a shot! Increasingly, there is also interest from domestic markets and consumers, as well as herbal pharmaceutical companies who are seeking to capture and create additional outlets for verified and sustainably grown forest herbal products.
Growing ginseng beyond the hobbyist level is not for the faint of heart who are looking for a quick return. Ginseng takes eight to ten years or more to reach a size favored by the markets to which it is most commonly sold. When planted at any density, voles, deer, disease, and thieves become daunting challenges for larger-scale cultivation. However, it can be done…with an ample supply of sweat equity, vigilance, and patience…and a good planting site.
Ginseng prefers shady, older-growth forests. There are a number of companion plants commonly found growing with it in the wild that are also indicators of a good site. If you’ve noticed other herb species like trillium, ramps, bloodroot, blue and black cohosh, maiden-hair fern, and jack-in-the-pulpit on your property, you probably have a good site to try your hand at growing ginseng. Some of those other plants ALSO have some commercial value attached to them. Black cohosh, goldenseal, Solomon’s seal, and others make excellent co-planting species.
While hardwood coves dominated by older yellow-poplar (tulip tree) and sugar maple trees are the ideal forest types under
which to grow ginseng, some forest farmers in western North Carolina have had good luck under older-growth white pine stands as well. The rich tilth of decomposing needle mulch makes for a great planting and growing environment. If your woods fit this ‘menu’ of prime forest-herb-growing site characteristics, all you need is some site-prep labor (clearing downed branches and rocks), a rake, and some seed—and more labor to get it planted. And fall is the best planting season for ginseng.
Currently, there is not a reliable North Carolina source of ‘native’ ginseng seed for landowners. Most ginseng seed available commercially, from online or social media ‘interest pages,’ comes from large-scale, field-cultivated ginseng farms in Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada. Some internet sources advertise this seed from $50-$80 per pound. Higher quality seed harvested from older plants can average in price from $125-$200 per pound. Planting rates can vary from a few ounces to several pounds per acre, depending on the investment (and risk) that the landowner is willing to make. If you’re interested in considering ginseng or other forest herbs to diversify production in your underutilized forest lands, you can contact me at jvhamilt@ncsu.edu. Additionally, Dr. Jeanine Davis’s book, “Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal, and Other Woodland Medicinals,” is an excellent guide to the production of these and other forest herbs.
Dr. Jim Hamilton, County Extension Director for Watauga County, has been offering advice on wildsimulated ginseng production via workshops over the last decade.
Ginseng emerging and unfurling in the spring
Ripe ginseng berries turn ruby red in late summer and early fall
Plan the Perfect Fall Visit to Grandfather Mountain
GroupduringFallColorRamble
The fall season on Grandfather Mountain (September and October) in Linville, N.C., is certainly a favorite for many as the crisp cooler temperatures usher in a leaf color show that lasts for many weeks.
In locations where just a few tree species dominate, like in New England, color displays are intense but short. Diverse forests, like those found around Grandfather Mountain, mean a longer display with more variety in colors.
From the high, windy, spruce-fir forests to protected gorges, the Blue Ridge Mountains sustain some of the greatest biodiversity in North America. More species of plants can be found in the mountains of North Carolina than in any other area of similar size in North America.
Guests to Grandfather Mountain in late September and October are treated to a 360-degree vantage point of the fall leaf change. The first colors can be seen from the top of the mountain in late September. Then the red, orange and yellow hues make their way down the flanks in October. Even in late October, when the color is past peak at Grandfather Mountain, its lofty heights serve as the perfect spot to see color in the valleys below and in the distance.
most out of your mile-high excursion to Grandfather:
Book your timed entry and tickets in advance at com! Fall can be a busy time on the mountain, and you don’t want to miss out.
Wanting to hike? Plan ahead and choose the right trail via our website. Also, make sure to check the weather before your visit and dress appropriately (with multiple layers, including a waterproof jacket).
Check the schedule of many daily programs, included in admission, before your trip.
Take part in the Fall Color Ramble, a 30-minute guided walk with park naturalists focused on the leaf change, at 1 p.m. Oct. 5-13.
Bring some layers in the car. Fall days at Grandfather are usually crisp and cool!
Look for fresh ways to see the color show. The views up top are nice, but also check out the vantage points from the viewing areas around the bear and elk habitats. The Woods Walk is also nice!
Pack a picnic, or plan to eat lunch at Mildred’s Grill.
When is peak color? Leaves begin changing color at the highest elevations and gradually work down the slopes into the valleys over several weeks. Typically, the first fall colors appear on Grandfather Mountain in late September. Peak color toward the summit is usually early October. The lower sections of the park peak in mid-October.
Find more tips at grandfather.com/fall
Botanical Garden, Photo by Skip Sickler
Mountain Ash
Photo by Leslie Restivo
BearyScary
Hawk Watch Participants, Photo by Dennis Smith
...notes from the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation
The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation strives to inspire conservation of the natural world by helping guests explore, understand and value the wonders of Grandfather Mountain. For more information, visit www.grandfather.com
Fall Events
Hawk Watch | Sept. 1-30
All throughout September, guests are invited to join the mountain’s naturalists as they count and celebrate the annual spectacle of fall raptor migration. Participants can observe the migration daily at Linville Peak or Half Moon Overlook, weather permitting. Included with park admission.
53rd Annual Girl Scout Day | Sept. 21
Girl Scouts are invited to join the park’s naturalists for a fun-filled learning adventure on Grandfather Mountain. All Girl Scouts and troop leaders are admitted free with proof of membership. Included with park admission, though advance registration for some of the day’s programs may be required.
Creatures of the Night and Bonfire Delight | Sept. 28
Embrace your nocturnal side at Grandfather Mountain through Creatures of the Night and Bonfire Delight, the park’s after-hours program where guests enjoy rare after-dark tours, fireside tales and a chance to meet the park’s nighttime residents. This program is for individuals eight years of age and older. A rain date of Oct. 5 is set for this event. Extra cost and advance registration required.
Fall Color Ramble | Oct. 5-13
Enjoy a short, guided nature walk that highlights Grandfather Mountain’s fall colors. These rambles take place daily, weather permitting, and are included in park admission. The excursions begin at 1 p.m. and typically last for 30 minutes. Included with park admission.
Beary Scary Halloween | Oct. 26
A day of nature programs about animals that some consider creepy and crawly! This fun-filled celebration includes an opportunity to trickor-treat on the mountain and watch special Halloween enrichments be given to the animals. Included with park admission. Plus, children in costume are admitted at half-price.
Learn more about these special events and many others by visiting grandfather.com/event-calendar
Autumn Notes . . .
Photos courtesy of Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation
Girl Scouts at Grandfather Mountain
Cougar,PhotobyVictoriaDarlington
Mile High Bridge, Photo by Skip Sickler
Elk, Photo by Skip Sickler
Two Treasured Trees
Early explorers often earned naming rights for the places they “discovered” and documented. While we don’t know with certainty who originally named two of the highest peaks in the High Country—Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain—we do know that the once dominant trees growing on these mountains, sugar maple and American beech, contributed to their names.
As you set out on a leaf peeping adventure this season, get to know these two native deciduous broadleaf trees growing in our high elevation environments. While a journey through the resort communities of Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain will certainly offer a glimpse of these great beauties, you’ll find them flourishing on cool slopes in cove forests on many of our mountains.
Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
Trees have numerous characteristics that help us identify them, including the size and shape of the tree in general; the color, size and shape of the leaves; the color and texture of the bark; and the various traits of their buds, twigs, fruits and flowers.
In the case of maples, start with the leaf. Our area has a nice selection of native maples, including red, silver, striped, mountain, and, of course, sugar. The palmately-lobed leaves of these different species resemble one another… so what’s the best way to tell them apart?
A glance at the logos for the Village of Sugar Mountain and Sugar Mountain Resort reveals a key difference: the sugar maple has smooth leaf margins. Most other maples have serrated or “toothed” margins.
As an environmental educator, I have the
By Tamara S. Randolph
privilege of teaching kids about the flora and fauna of the Blue Ridge. When I ask a child to identify a sugar maple, I remind them that this particular maple is missing its “teeth.” And to help them remember, I use a fun metaphor that I learned along the way: “It’s missing its teeth because of all that SUGAR.”
Reaching heights of 50 to 120 feet, sugar maples have a dense, spreading crown. As you take notice of the colors adorning our hills, you’ll be captivated by the combination of red, orange and yellow hues that make sugar maple leaves so striking. What’s more amazing is that each leaf is like an individual chemistry lab that synthesizes sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to produce food for the tree. Chemicals involved in the process (photosynthesis) include chlorophyll, but also orange and yellow antioxidant chemicals called carotenes and xanthophylls. Until autumn comes around, those orange and yellow hues are masked by the green pigment chlorophyll, but as food production slows in late summer, chlorophyll starts breaking down and the oranges and yellows become dominant.
Another chemical, anthocyanin, is also produced by some trees come autumn—anthocyanin adds visible red hues to leaves, including the sugar maple’s. All this color chemistry is made possible by our fall climate— frosty nights, and warmish, sunny days. In fact, the reds we see in sugar maples here in the High Country would be much duller in the more temperate regions in which they grow.
Sugar maples are valuable, both for their wood and their prized sap. It is the only tree commercially used today for syrup production. Yet making syrup is no simple task, as it
can take 35-40 liters of sap to make just one liter of syrup, and a single tree may produce only 5-60 liters of sap per year.
American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
While the American beech grows beyond our mountain region, it tends to do best in moist mountain coves. You’ll find it growing alongside oaks and hickories, as well as sugar maple, yellow birch and other hardwoods. Known for its light gray bark that remains smooth even as it ages, beech trees can reach heights of 60-80 feet. They are also prolific in their production of beech nuts, a prized food source that supports many species of wildlife. Perhaps the best way to identify American beech is by its leaves, in combination with its smooth bark. The leaves are fairly large, up to six inches long, with small teeth along the leaf margins that curve slightly inward. These teeth are spread out, with a smooth “dip” between each tooth. In the autumn, look for beech leaves to turn bright yellow as they begin to express their xanthophylls. From their yellow stage, the leaves transition to a tan color, and beeches will hold on to many of those tan, crinkly leaves through the winter months.
Beech trees have made the news recently as they battle for their lives—a number of threats are impacting their populations, from Canada to the High Country of NC and Tennessee. The most serious affliction is “Beech Bark Disease” (BBD), which results from a combination of a hungry, non-native scale insect that was introduced to the east coast in 1890, and a fungal pathogen. The beech scale feed on
the trees and create cracks in the bark, which in turn allows a destructive fungus, Neonectria spp., to enter. The fungus damages the inner bark tissue, and cankers form on the trees, which can eventually lead to their death.
Several treatments are being applied on Beech Mountain and elsewhere in an attempt to save as many of the trees as possible, where possible, and researchers continue to study select genes that provide greater resistance to BBD. With this research, the hope is that resistant beech trees can be bred and planted to replace trees in areas where they are dying off.
Why does it matter if a certain native species of tree begins to disappear from its natural range? As we have learned with the chestnut blight of the 20th century, entire forest ecosystems can be transformed when just one organism is introduced or removed. In the case of the American chestnut, the loss of this dominant tree species dramatically altered the structure and food webs of our east coast forests. A similar outcome is possible in areas where beech trees are dominant, yet dying. The ecological significance of a single tree species cannot be overstated.
Hug Your Mountain Trees
To know trees is to love them. They add so much to our world—from their scenic beauty, to their commercial value as timber, furniture and firewood, to their abilities to produce oxygen and sequester carbon, to their role as provider of basic needs for wildlife. This fall, learn to identify some of the most common trees in our region and add to your own enjoyment and understanding of these all important natural resources.
Have a tree, or stand of trees, on your property that you’re concerned about? Reach out to your local NC Extension agent for help. Find your county center at ces.ncsu.edu.
Love your soil? Leave the leaves.
By Tamara S. Randolph
“Civilization itself rests upon the Soil.” – Thomas Jefferson
Soil is something that most people don’t think about that often, but it is a critical component of our natural systems and a resource that humans can’t live without. Nearly everything we eat and drink relies on soil. A lot of what we wear relies on soil. Our homes are made from lumber, bricks and stones, all connected to the soil. And much of the water we need is filtered by soil.
Think of soil as Earth’s skin—it forms the thick outermost layer of Earth’s crust and is composed of a mix of ingredients: minerals, air, water and organic matter. This complex mix forms layers called soil horizons, and some of these horizons can take hundreds to thousands of years to form!
Earth’s Skin Needs Constant Care
Soil’s top horizon contains mostly organic matter, which includes both living organisms and the decaying remains of dead stuff. For soil to be its most fertile this top layer and the topsoil just below it need to be constantly replenished with nutrients.
When leaves, needles and twigs fall from trees, they gradually decompose on the ground and become humus, a compound rich in nutrients that also helps soil retain moisture. Consider this thin layer of leafy mulch as a supercharging, slow release fertilizer for the soil beneath it. Keep replenishing this layer of organic matter and your ground will always have what it needs. A good layer of humus also suppresses weeds, and provides habitat for wildlife and countless beneficial organisms, especially important during the winter.
For many people, the thought of having “leaf litter” on an otherwise pristine lawn is hard to imagine. If that’s the case, focus on keeping the margins of your wooded areas and your garden beds covered with leaves, or leaf mulch. Many leaf blowers now come with a leaf mulching option that lets you consolidate your dry leaves, suck them up, and chop them into smaller pieces. Some mowers do a nice job of chopping leaves, too. You can then return the leaf mulch mixture to your wooded areas and garden beds to nourish the soil below.
Leaves are produced in bulk every year, at no extra cost to you. Soil requires a steady supply of organic matter (and time) to deliver its best benefits. This fall, rethink what you do with those dead leaves and put them to work for your land—it’s the little things that can make a world of difference.
World Soil Day is December 5! Celebrate this natural resource by “feeding” it this fall. Learn more at soils.org.
Photo by Cathy DeWitt
A Most Incredible Journey
By Paul Laurent
BIRDING
It’s early September in a forest in eastern Ontario. A young Blackburnian Warbler is perched in a white pine as the sun begins to set, painting the clear sky in shades of red and orange. Nearby, a Black-capped Chickadee noisily inspects one last pinecone before settling into a thicket for the night. The young warbler has been following the Chickadee all day, taking advantage of the Chickadee’s detailed knowledge of its territory to make finding food a bit easier.
He was born in these Canadian woods in late spring, one of five eggs laid in a small, well hidden nest high in a black spruce tree. The nest was made of twigs and bark, tied to the branch with spider silk, and lined with soft moss, lichen and conifer needles. The whole nest was no more than three inches across. His parents were stunningly beautiful birds; his father had striking black and white markings across his back and wings, and a blazing orange throat and face, with black streaks like war paint across his face. His mother was a bit more subdued, but her pale orange face and throat were accented by faint dark streaking and a pair of bold, white wing bars.
Something stirs deep within the young warbler. An irresistible urge to take to the night sky and fly south. As the sky darkens and stars appear, he sees a glowing arch across the sky—the earth’s magnetic field is visible to him, pointing the way south. He recognizes the constellations, and has seen
them shift as the days shorten. The little bird has been gorging himself on abundant caterpillars and berries in preparation for this night. He launches himself into the night sky to begin one of the most incredible journeys on earth.
This tiny bird weighs half an ounce, and from beak to tail is only five inches long; yet he might fly over 100 miles that night. When dawn breaks he will land in some new patch of woods to rest and feed before continuing his journey the following evening. Over one thousand miles and two weeks later, this Blackburnian Warbler sees the mountains of North Carolina rising out of the mist at daybreak.
He drops lower, seeing the darker needles of spruce and fir trees crowning the highest peaks, while oak, birch and maple leaves fill the canopy further down the slopes. A sparkle of water catches his eye. A small lake sits surrounded by dense foliage. He veers to the east and lands on the branch of a white pine on the edge of the lake.
A chorus of chirps, chips, buzzes, and soft whistles tells him he is not alone in choosing this particular spot to rest. He recognizes the clear calls and buzzing chirps of a Carolina Chickadee. It’s not quite the same as the Black-capped Chickadee, but it will do perfectly well for this day. He finds the pair of Chickadees flitting around a dead snag on an old oak tree. The rotting
wood is home to beetles, and juicy caterpillars can be found inching along the healthy branches. Food is abundant in these mountains.
Other migrants are joining the group, and before long there are dozens of birds chirping and flying around. All keep within sight and sound of the Chickadees. Carolina Chickadees don’t migrate, so this pair knows every inch of this forest by a lake. They know where the best berries, seeds, and caterpillars are at the moment, which tree the local Sharp-shinned Hawk likes to perch in, and which side of the lake has a nice little stream that is perfect for a bath to clean well-used feathers.
There is a path around the lake that is popular amongst human joggers, dog walkers, and those who just want to take a nice walk in the woods. Today the human visitors to this wooded lake include a flock clad mostly in khaki, sporting wide brimmed hats, binoculars, and bird books as they crane their necks towards the canopy.
Fall birding in the mountains is both spectacular and also frequently frustrating. Tens of thousands of migrating warblers and other songbirds form mixed flocks of dozens of birds. The majority of them stay in the tree tops and seldom sit still for any length of time. Most of these birds are juveniles. In fact roughly 80 percent of fall migrants are first-year birds, traveling thou-
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Carolina Chickadee by Max Ramey
sands of miles to a continent they’ve never seen. Since most juvenile birds look like slightly drabber versions of adult females— which are already far less colorful than their male counterparts—fall birding is an exercise in identifying ‘Little Brown Birds.’
The Black-throated Blue Warbler that just flew past our young Blackburnian looks similar, but her colors are more olive and she sports a small white patch on her wing instead of wingbars. Her throat is not black and she does not have a single blue feather on her body. The far less common adult male is exceedingly well named. The young Bay-breasted Warbler nearby boasts striking wing bars and dark streaks across his back. He looks just like our Blackburnian, but without the pale orange on the throat. If he survives the jungles of Columbia to return in the spring, he will have bold maroon markings across his chest and head and be far easier to identify. There are quite a few Tennessee Warblers in this flock, most of which will never see the state of Tennessee. They breed in Canada and winter all across the Caribbean. They are olive or yellowish birds whose distinctive marking is their complete lack of distinctive markings. They are beautiful in their own, more subdued way.
In the spring, these warblers sing beautiful songs, and can often be identified just by their distinctive voices. In the fall, most just make short, soft chips and chirps. Luck-
ily, the resident Chickadees are noisy all year long. If you can find a Chickadee in the fall, there is a very good chance that a lot of other birds are nearby.
My birding tour ends just before lunch. There are restaurants and breweries calling, and this flock of birders disperse in search of their own sustenance. The young Blackburnian Warbler we encountered just for a moment continues his search for food. He must replenish his fat reserves if he is to survive the remainder of his journey.
That night he flings himself skyward once more and follows a thousand generations of instinct toward a new land. He will eventually come to the Gulf of Mexico, and dawn will greet him with an endless sea spreading out before him. After a few days in Florida he will fly across the gulf non-stop, resting only when he reaches South America. He will crash into the foliage of northern Columbia, exhausted, and weighing less than half he did when he left Florida. He will need a few days to recover, but then he will continue south into the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, where he will spend his first winter after traveling more than three thousand miles.
Birds connect us to the rest of the world in a way nothing else can. To think that a tiny bird you see on your daily walk or in your own backyard might have been born in the forests of Canada, and is currently on its way to the jungles of South Ameri-
ca. Imagine the things that little bird sees along the way… giant mountains, endless seas, boreal forests and tropical jungles. I wonder what would change if humans were to make such journeys.
Paul Laurent has been a birder and nature lover for as long as he can remember. He is the Naturalist for Valle Crucis Community Park, and owns and operates a small birding tour company called Epic Nature Tours. He also leads tours for Ventures Birding.
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler by Vicky Burke
Tennessee warbler, by Alan Schmierer, USFWS
Trail Reports: Autumn 2024
By CML Staff
TRAIL REPORTS
Does your family enjoy hiking, biking, paddling, fishing, horseback riding, and exploring our region of the world? Follow our “Trail Reports” in each issue for some of the latest developments on trails and public lands, and to learn about opportunities throughout the area.
New Trail to Crab Orchard Falls
The Valle Crucis Conference Center (VCCC) announced over the summer that the new trail leading to Crab Orchard Falls at the VCCC was completed and accessible to hikers. A short hike from the main campus of the Conference Center, the lovely Crab Orchard Falls cascades, pools and eddies over a series of boulders.
The new trailhead is approximately 50 feet from the original trailhead, and adds a quarter-mile to the distance between the VCCC main campus and Crab Orchard Falls. The new trail provides a gentler slope up the mountain, as well as more sustainable surfacing and more opportunities for native plants to flourish near the trail.
The old boardwalk to the falls was replaced with stone steps. Hikers can choose an up-and-back path on the new trail, or use the old trail to return to the main campus, for a total loop of 1.3 miles and an elevation gain of 324 feet.
The Crab Orchard Falls trail project was the result of community impact stud-
ies and advocacy by local company Destination by Design, which led to approval and funding by the Watauga Tourism Development Authority. Design and implementation of the trail was a joint effort by Destination by Design and Greenville, SC-based Benchmark Trails, Inc. Work was completed over a three-month period by a crew of trail experts from Benchmark Trails.
VCCC executive director Margaret Love praised the initiative and resourcefulness of Destination by Design, as well as guidance by the Blue Ridge Conservancy. She said, “This trail renovation is in perfect keeping with the mandate to preserve and protect the natural beauty entrusted to us, and we are proud to offer this renewed way of enjoying the gift of nature to everyone.”
Located about a mile past the Original Mast Store on Hwy 194 S, the Valle Crucis Conference Center is housed in the historic Mission School, featuring buildings dating from the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, many of which are on the National Historic Register. Both trailheads to Crab Orchard Falls are located behind Johnson Hall (263 Skiles Way, Banner Elk, NC 28604).
The VCCC is a non-profit that relies on donations to make improvements like these possible. Visit vcconferences.org for more information.
Blowing Rock Designated as an “Outdoor NC Trail Town”
The town of Blowing Rock has announced its designation as an Outdoor NC Trail Town and recently celebrated the launch of the Official North Carolina Trail Town Guide.
The Guide celebrates towns across the state that are dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and cultural heritage of their destination while fostering a strong sense of place. The destinations featured in the guide, including Blowing Rock, are championing destination stewardship, accessible outdoors and responsible recreation to sustain our towns and trails for future generations. The 2024 edition includes 15 destinations and 105 trails to explore throughout North Carolina.
According to the guide, Blowing Rock “remains surrounded by rugged and unspoiled natural beauty, wrapped in the cool mountain breezes that gave the town its name. Miles of protected natural spaces in adjacent national forests, state parks, national park lands, and land trusts offer hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, mountain and road cycling, rock climbing, fishing and more.”
The Guide provides information on a variety of Blowing Rock’s trails, including Moses Cone Park Trail System, Middle Fork Greenway, Julie Price Park Trail System, and the Blowing Rock History Walk,
Crab Orchard Falls
The Blowing Rock
among others. Additional areas in our region that are featured in the 2024 guide include Lake James, Little Switzerland, Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro. NCTrailTownGuide.com
Upgrades Completed at Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park
The Watauga County Tourism Development Authority (Explore Boone) recently announced the completion of upgrades to Rocky Knob, a 185-acre mountain biking park home to roughly 10 miles of trails for all experience levels alongside other amenities.
Enhancements include a new observation deck, refreshed branding, additional parking and state-of-the-art additions to the pump track, which reopened to the public in August.
A significant milestone in the organization’s Imagine Watauga program, Rocky Knob’s renovation is one of several tourism-related infrastructure projects that will enhance the visitor experience while providing new opportunities for residents.
“As Watauga County continues to evolve, it’s all about championing the people and experiences that make us so unique,” said Wright Tilley, Executive Director of the Watauga County and Boone Tourism Development Authorities. “The new-and-improved park will continue to
engage our local community and offer visitors a thrilling new way to experience awe-inspiring Boone—on two wheels.”
Started in Fall of 2022, the renovation project is a collaborative effort between Explore Boone and the Boone Area Cyclists (BAC), a local nonprofit working to promote and develop cycling opportunities throughout the area.
Rocky Knob’s trails are designed for skill progression, utilizing dedicated skill stations and a stacked-loop system to provide a wide variety of options to combine fun and challenging rides. The park also offers a picnic area, rentable shelters and an adventure playground.
A public “Grand-Reopening” event takes place on September 21, with a ribbon cutting, a Kid’s Pump Track Jam, a Group Ride and a Whip-off Competition. facebook.com/RockyKnobPark, imaginewatauga.com
A
“Trail” for Fly Fishers
Fall is an ideal season for fly fishing and our region is overflowing with great locations where you can enjoy the beauty of autumn along pristine mountain streams. If you tend to stick to only one or two main streams, consider expanding your options by creating your own “trail” to follow.
Begin with learning about the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) and their “Delayed Harvest” season. The Commission stocks the Delayed Harvest streams in October and November; these streams are designated catch and release, and only single hook, artificial lures are allowed. The Delayed Harvest season runs from October 1 to the first Saturday in June. (From the first Saturday in June to October 1, Hatchery Supported rules apply.)
Map out your fall fishing outings, adding a few of the following Delayed Harvest streams in the High Country and foothills:
The Watauga River in Watauga County has two sections designated Delayed Harvest. The first is in Valle Crucis from S.R. 1114, Dewitt Barnett Rd., to the lower boundary of the Valle Crucis Community Park. The second section is from the S.R. 1103 bridge to the confluence with Laurel Creek.
Ashe County has several good Delayed Harvest streams. The first is Helton Creek from 900 yards upstream of the S.R. 1372 bridge to the North Fork New River. Also in Ashe County is Big Horse Creek from the S.R. 1324 bridge to the North Fork New River. Finally, consider
Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park
Flyfishing
New Pump Track at Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park
TRAIL REPORTS
the South Fork New River from the upstream end of Todd Island to the S.R. 1351 bridge. This river also flows into Watauga County with the same regulations.
Delayed Harvest streams in Mitchell County include Cane Creek from the N.C. Hwy. 226 bridge to the S.R. 1189 bridge, and the North Toe River from the U.S. Hwy 19E bridge to the N.C. Hwy. 226 bridge. Caldwell County has a stretch of Delayed Harvest on Wilson Creek, from the game land portion below Lost Cove Creek to Phillips Branch Creek.
As you chart your own trail through these four counties, remember that fall fishing is not just about catching fish. What better way to simply enjoy the splendor of the fall foliage in the High Country than on a beautiful mountain stream? -Contributed by Andrew Corpening; maps of trout water and their classifications may be viewed at ncwildlife.org
Blue Ridge Conservancy and Watauga County Officially Open Valle Crucis River Access
In late July, Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) and several partners officially opened the Watauga River Access on Hwy 194 in Valle Crucis. BRC staff were joined by officials from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Watauga Tourism Development Authority (TDA); MaryAnn
Mueller and Diana Travis, who gifted the majority of the land for the access point; and other supporters of the project.
This beautiful spot, including 1,300 feet of river frontage located between the Valle Crucis Community Park and the Watauga Gorge Park, provides parking and recreational opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, tubing, and fishing.
“Blue Ridge Conservancy is committed to creating recreational opportunities and expanding public access, which is getting more and more difficult,” said BRC Director of Land Protection Eric Hiegl at the recent dedication. “Creating access is so important, and this is for everyone in the community.”
Diana Travis echoed Hiegl’s statement about the importance of public access: “When you get out there on the river, you want to conserve it. You just fall in love with it and want to protect it all. We hope that having this access will make more people love it too.”
The Watauga TDA’s Wright Tilley added, “The public lands conversation is so important, to continue to provide access and keep people safe. Being able to connect to the Upper Gorge from here on the Watauga Paddle Trail is great.” (For more information about the Watauga River Paddle Trail and a map of access points, visit: exploreboone.com/listing/wataugariver-paddle-trail/2326/).
Future plans for the Valle Crucis site include a riverbank restoration project to fix erosion issues—the project will likely take place over the winter. Learn more about Blue Ridge Conservancy’s work to protect natural resources in our mountains, and to expand public access and recreational opportunities. blueridgeconservancy.org
Valle Crucis River Access
Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Conservancy
From Cliffs to Classroom
By Emily Webb
Thewinner of the 2024 Boone Chamber of Commerce 4 Under 40 Award for Education Professional says that if you had told her younger self that one day she would be a professor, she would have laughed you out of the room.
“I mean, I was like a solid B student,” said Dr. Katie Wall, associate professor of Outdoor Recreation Management at LeesMcRae College. “I liked to work with my hands, I didn’t like sitting in classrooms with lectures, I didn’t like memorizing things. The traditional learning style was not for me.”
Luckily for the students in the three programs Wall developed at Lees-McRae (Outdoor Recreation Management, Ski Industry Business and Instruction, and Wilderness Medicine and Rescue), a professor who is more drawn to practical learning than lectures is exactly what they need to thrive professionally and personally.
Wall grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she was introduced to outdoor sports like rafting and rock climbing. Her love of the outdoors led her to the Environmental Science program at Elon University. At that time, she said, none of the colleges she was interested in offered an academic program dedicated to the outdoors, and she thought this major was the next best thing. Early in the program, however, she realized that she was on the wrong path.
She described attending class and suddenly picturing her future: Wall saw herself sitting in a deer stand, alone in the woods, participating in a research project to study the calls of wolves.
“And I’m by myself in the middle of the woods, and I’m so bored, I need somebody
to talk to—I’m like ‘what am I doing?’” Wall said. “I thought ‘I have to get out of this. This is not going to be the path for me.’”
Wall’s best friend at the time encouraged her to switch her major to Leisure and Sports Management, which featured classes focused on outdoor recreation. She also got a job working as a trip leader for the university’s campus recreation department. Her supervisor with campus recreation encouraged students to attend professional conferences, and Wall learned about the many job opportunities available in the outdoor recreation space.
Throughout her undergraduate degree and graduate program at the University of Mississippi, Wall worked as a guide with the National Outdoor Leadership School; the army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program at Fort Carson, Colorado; Adventures Cross Country; and Outward Bound. She led trips all around the country and the world while simultaneously earning a master’s degree in higher education.
As much as Wall loved the outdoors in general, her real passion lay in helping others see the value and importance of getting outside and having adventures. This passion led her to a position at the University of South Carolina, where she developed the institution’s first outdoor program for students, and eventually to the campus recreation department at Appalachian State University. It was during her time at App State that she began to seriously consider the possibility of moving into teaching. She had taught a few classes at both USC and App State as an adjunct instructor, and now could pursue a doctorate at App State while
still working. A new challenge presented itself at this point that would let her take her career to the next level.
Lees-McRae College was looking for someone who knew both higher education and the outdoors to develop an Outdoor Recreation Management academic program. The proposed program was a perfect match for the small mountain college, and Wall was the perfect person to get it off the ground.
As it was her first real foray into academia, Wall was worried about building relationships with students in the same way her Campus Recreation roles allowed her to, but it turned out her fears were unfounded. “I think my relationships now with students are more meaningful,” Wall said. “I get to spend more time with them.”
The Outdoor Recreation Management program was officially launched in 2016, followed by minors in Ski Industry Business and Instruction and Wilderness Medicine and Rescue in 2019, and a major in Wilderness Medicine and Rescue in 2022.
“I can’t really see myself doing anything else right now,” Wall said. “Lees-McRae is such a good spot to be doing this. . . Obviously the motto ‘In, Of, For the Mountains’ aligns perfectly with our academic programs; the students that are coming to Lees-McRae are really, genuinely excited about wanting to work in the outdoors and help people. It’s been an easy space to dream up ideas and try to implement some of them because the college is really
Professor Katie Wall Spreads the Joy of Working Outdoors
Dr. Katie Wall, left Photo courtesy of Lees-McRae College
supportive and the students are really passionate about what they’re doing.”
Wall believes that her early career experiences working in the outdoor recreation industry have been foundational to her success as a teacher, as she is comfortable teaching in any environment and has a wealth of personal stories to draw from. She helps students network with industry professionals and advises students on how to overcome potential obstacles. And as someone who preferred hands-on experiences to sitting in a classroom, she can relate to her students who have similar
learning styles.
Above all, she is able to pass along her convictions about the importance of getting as many people as possible involved in the outdoors. Making outdoor spaces accessible and preserving these spaces for future generations are major focuses of the Lees-McRae outdoor programs, and Wall believes her students will have a significant impact on the industry and the world.
Wall’s contributions to the college and the wider community were recognized in April at the 8th Annual 4 Under 40 Awards. It was a deeply meaningful moment for her,
and gave her the chance to reflect on the legacy she hopes to leave.
“I spend a lot of my time trying to empower other people,” Wall said. “I want a student to take my job one day. That’s the ultimate goal.”
As the Lees-McRae outdoor programs continue to grow, Wall is poised to continue making a difference in the lives of her students and the outdoor industry at large.
Learn more about Lees-McRae College’s Outdoor Programs at lmc.edu/campus-life/recreation-wellnessoutdoors/outdoor-programs/
respectful of others in Boone’s outdoor spaces to create a welcoming and relaxing environment for everyone. We all have a responsibility to preserve the awe for those enjoying its beauty today and for those discovering it tomorrow.
Blue Ridge Parkway News
Adaptive Kayaking
By Rita Larkin
In August, two groups set out on adaptive kayaking adventures at Price Lake near Blowing Rock. The excursion, led by Waypoint Adventure, in partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, paired trained staff and volunteers with individuals with physical or mental disabilities for morning and afternoon sessions of paddling.
“That program was a highlight of the summer,” said Adam Combs, cofounder and North Carolina director of Waypoint Adventure. “I couldn’t think of a better way to close out our summer season.”
Each session sold out and enabled a total of 14 participants to explore the 47-acre lake at Julian Price Memorial Park at milepost 297 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The outing was designed to be accessible to people with a range of disabilities thanks to a variety of adaptive kayaking equipment and instruction designed to meet individuals’ needs. Staff members taught, supported, and encouraged participants as they expanded their outdoor skills.
“I know it had an extremely positive impact on all the participants,” said Parks Duncan, a Waypoint volunteer. “And it provided a sense of empowerment to them, which will serve them well in their other endeavors.”
The training and excursions were funded by a grant from the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF).
“Our national parks belong to everyone, and increasing visitors’ opportunities to expe -
rience and enjoy public lands is central to our organization’s mission,” said Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. “We are thrilled that this collaboration allowed more people to experience the natural wonder of the Parkway.”
Waypoint Adventure is a nonprofit educational organization founded in 2010 that awakens youths and adults with disabilities to their willful spirit through the power of adventure. With guided, experiential programs tailored to meet people right where they are, Waypoint Adventure provides personal growth and team triumph—as participants discover their purpose, value, strengths, and abilities. Learn more at nc.waypointadventure.org.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is the nonprofit fundraising partner of the Blue Ridge Parkway, helping to ensure cultural and historical preservation, natural resource protection, educational outreach, and visitor enjoyment now and for future generations. To learn more, visit BRPFoundation.org.
NEEF is the nation’s leading organization in lifelong environmental learning, creating opportunities for people to experience and learn about the environment in ways that improve their lives and the health of the planet. To learn more, visit neefusa.org.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is working to identify additional funding to expand these offerings in the near future. Stay tuned!
Group shot on the water during the afternoon orientation session
Phillip Santiago coming up for a closer view as Waypoint Adventure co-founder Adam Combs explains how to paddle a kayak
Phillip Santiago coming back from the morning session and giving a high five to Adam Combs, co-founder of Waypoint Adventure
Ryan Carlson of Waypoint Adventure instructing Phillip Santiago how to hold the paddle
Hi, I’m Dr. Derrick Denman, DC., PA. Let me personally invite you to our office. We’re conveniently located at the Shops @ Shadowline near Harris Teeter. Feel free to stop in, allowing me to shake your hand and take a few minutes for a quick office tour! We enjoy introducing folks to our patients, who’ve benefitted from our services. Their testimonials offer hope and encouragement to others! Don’t suffer another day. There is a better way, and… We’re Here to Help! We o
Alarge, enthusiastic, capacity crowd gathered in the community room of the Watauga Public Library on an early August morning to surprise a person near and dear to their collective hearts. Over a dozen different groups were represented, from book clubs to non-profit organizations to libraries, including elected officials from every governmental body, and her family, friends, and neighbors. The energy in the room was palpable. “Is she here yet? Does she know anything? Do you really think it will be a surprise?”
The doors sprung open, the audience parted like the Red Sea, and in waltzed the common denominator of all this adoration: Bettie Bond. A three-minute standing ovation greeted the confused guest of honor as she was slowly led to a special chair in the front of the room and finally sat, a bit dazed and confused.
Dr. Eric Plaag, Chairperson of the Digital Watauga Project, gave an overview on the award she was about to receive. “Since 1963, North Carolina’s governors have reserved their highest honor, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, for persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. Persons named to The Order become honorary North Carolina ‘Ambassadors’ with their names and award dates recorded on a Roster maintained by The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society.”
Plaag continued, “It is an honor that can only be granted in the State of North Carolina and is presented to individuals who have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state. Contributions to their communities, extra effort in their careers, and many years of service to their organizations are some of the guidelines by which recipients are selected for this award.
“The Order is similar to honors be-
Bettie Bond Receives NC’s Highest Civilian Honor
By CML Staff
stowed in other states, such as South Carolina’s Order of the Palmetto and the famous Kentucky Colonels, which our recipient’s husband, John James Bond, received in 1975. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine began as a symbolic honor for visiting dignitaries, but later it became an honor for notable North Carolinians,” Plaag concluded.
Keith Martin, Chair of Appalachian Theatre, emceed the event and briefly summarized the reasons that led to the nomination. “Dr. Elizabeth Minton Bateman Bond arrived in Boone in August 1971— fifty-three years ago this month—when her husband, John, accepted a faculty position in the Department of Biology at Appalachian State University, joining him two years later on the faculty of the History Department. For the next half century, she struggled— unsuccessfully—to find something, anything to do with her spare time,” Martin quipped.
“Since then ‘Bettie’ has chaired both the University and Watauga County Library Boards; served as president of the Watauga County Historical Society and Co-Founder of their Digital Watauga Project; helped organize the Boone 150 Sesquicentennial; served as a Boone Botanical Gardens trustee and played ‘Mother Nature’ during numerous Arbor Day celebrations; chaired both the Fur Ball and the Heart Ball; been an active board member of the Boone Historic Preservation Commission, Southern Appalachian Historical Commission, Horn in the West, and the Watauga Humane Society; proudly served as a trustee of both the Watauga and North Carolina Community Foundations, and as a founding trustee of her beloved Appalachian Theatre of the High Country
“And that’s an edited list!” continued Martin. “Just last month, Bettie was grand marshal for Boone’s Fourth of July Parade and received the 1872 Award honoring residents and organizations that have shown innovation, preservation, service, and tradition, and have made outstanding contributions to the town of Boone. Fulbright Scholar, Hall of Fame, Lifetime Service Awards, etc. The list of goes on and on… but today we add another honor to that ever-growing list.”
Three close friends, all of whom are former recipients, then presented the award to Bond: Faye and John Cooper, and Jim Deal. They recited the official proclamation by NC Governor Roy Cooper, which read as follows:
“Reposing special confidence in the integrity, learning, and zeal of Dr. Bettie Bond, I do by these presents confer The Order of the Long Leaf Pine with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary, privileged to enjoy fully all rights granted to members of this exalted order, among which is the special privilege to propose the following North Carolina Toast in select company anywhere in the free world:
Here’s to the Land of the Long Leaf Pine, The summer land where the sun doth shine. Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here’s to ‘Down Home,’ the Old North State!”
Later that afternoon, sipping gin and tonic on the back deck of her lovely cottage on Grand Boulevard, Bettie confessed to being utterly surprised by the day’s festivities. “I was completely flabbergasted and genuinely flummoxed… I had no clue!” Neither did John, her husband of nearly 60 years, who said they were both absolutely “gob smacked.” Bettie said it was so wonderful to see people who she hadn’t seen in years and spoke fondly of the many friends she admired who had previously received the award, saying that it was a privilege to be in their company.
“My mentor at N.C. State University, where I received my master’s degree in Asian studies, was the late Dr. Burton Beers, who was an early recipient of this award, and he would be so pleased for me. It’s always an honor to be recognized, but I don’t deserve it any more than all of the people who have made Boone such a wonderful place in which to live.”
When asked what was next on her plate, Bettie winked while joking, “I guess I better get to work memorizing that toast!”
For decades, the sections around Grandfather Mountain remained incomplete. (National Park Service)
Monument commemorating the construction of the Linn Cove Viaduct (Michael C. Hardy)
Hidden History of the Blue Ridge Parkway
A popular destination since it partially opened in 1936, the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) is visited by millions of visitors every year. They come to see the long-range views, hike the trails, and enjoy the cool summer breezes. Yet the history along the BRP goes back much further than the 1930s. This history includes ties to the American Revolution, the Civil War, and even to an earlier scenic road; much of that history lies hidden in the thick underbrush.
The Blue Ridge Parkway was designed to connect the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. In a revised plan, instead of turning west in Linville, the Parkway continued to follow the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, staying on the North Carolina side and never entering Tennessee. The route was surveyed, and local property owners learned that their land was being acquired through eminent domain by the government when notices were posted at the courthouse. Today, the BRP is 469 miles long. Every mile is marked by a concrete post. Those markers, running north to south, correspond with the list below.
276.4
– Deep Gap (Watauga County)
| An old road, sometimes referred to as the Old Buffalo Road, crossed through the mountains at the point. The road headed toward Meat Camp, a long hunters’ camp that Daniel Boone visited. In April 1865, Federal soldiers constructed a fort at the site, protecting the lines of communications for Maj. Gen. George Stoneman’s command as he raided through
North Carolina and Virginia. Elements of the fort were still visible when the BRP was constructed in the 1930s. The ramp from US 421 to the BRP destroyed most of the fort.
285.1 – Boone’s Trace Overlook (Watauga County) | Daniel Boone was one of the first folk heroes in American history. Born in 1734 in Pennsylvania, Boone migrated with his family, first to Virginia, and then to the Yadkin River Valley in North Carolina. In the 1760s, Boone crossed over the mountains through a gap nearby, hunting for months on end in the Watauga River and Toe River Valleys. The nearby town of Boone is named for the famed hunter. He often stayed at Benjamin Howard’s cabin and was guided by Howard’s slave, Burrell. A bronze marker was once on a boulder at this pull-off denoting the importance of the site.
294 – Moses H. Cone Manor House (Watauga County) | Known as the “Denim King,” Moses Cone operated a textile mill in Greensboro. He and his wife Bertha purchased and developed this property, consisting of 3,600 acres, known as Flat Top Manor. The house was 14,000 square feet, modest compared to other wealthy summer retreats. The Cones also constructed an extensive road network, along with houses for their servants, tennis courts, a croquet lawn, and two lakes. Added to this were extensive apple orchards and herds of sheep and cows. The Cones hired local people to help tend the orchards and pastureland. Moses died in 1908, and
By Michael C. Hardy
Bertha continued to manage the property until her death in 1947. Both are interred on the grounds. Bertha was decidedly against the government taking her property for the BRP, even going so far as writing to President Roosevelt. After her death, the property was transferred to the Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, who then gave the property to the National Park Service. Most of the buildings on the estate were torn down. Flat Top Manor was considered for a restaurant, or even for demolition. In 1951, the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild opened a craft center in the manor house.
296.5 – Boone Fork Trail (Watauga County) | Located within the Julian Price Memorial Park, the Boone Fork Trail has lots of hidden history. The trail starts in an ancient riverbed. Nearby are caves that once sheltered ancient Native Americans and maybe Civil War dissidents like Keith and Maline Blalock. Part of the trail follows the path of Boone Fork, named for Jesse Boone, a nephew of Daniel Boone. Once leaving Boone Fork, the trail follows an old railroad grade road, carved out over 100 years ago by logging trains from nearby Shulls Mill. And then there is the park’s namesake, Julian Price. He was the founder of the Jefferson Standard Insurance Company, and, after his death, the company donated this property in his honor.
304.4 – Linn Cove Viaduct (Avery County) | For decades the BRP was unfinished. The government wanted a high route on the
. . . much of that history lies hidden in the thick underbrush.
slopes of Grandfather Mountain. Property owner Hugh Morton refused. Over the years, Morton, the state of North Carolina, and the Federal government wrangled over the route. In the 1970s, a compromise was reached. A middle route was agreed upon, and to protect the boulder field that the BRP would pass through, a bridge was constructed. The Linn Cove Viaduct was completed in 1983. Made up of 153 segments, each weighing fifty tons, it is 1,243 feet long. It has been designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark.
312.2 – Access to NC181 (Avery County) | In the midst of the Civil War, a group of raiders passed through the gap here, on their way to Camp Vance, near Morganton. The late June 1864 raid was led by Capt. George W. Kirk, a Tennessee Unionist. His small band was able to capture the camp and about 250 Junior Reserves. These 16- to 17-year-old boys were in the process of being mustered into the Confederate army to serve as guards when the raid took place. During one of the skirmishes that occurred as Kirk returned through the mountains, some of the Junior Reserves were used as human shields. Kirk and some of his captives were able to return to Tennessee.
316.4 – Linville Falls Recreation Area (Avery and Burke Counties) | Linville Falls might just be the richest history spot along the entire BRP. The Cherokee, who had seasonal hunting camps in the area, called the falls and river Eeseeoh, “the river of many cliffs.” The area was declared off-limits to set-
tlers by King George III in 1763. In 1766, William Linvil [Linville], his son, and another man were hunting in the area when they were attacked by a “Northern band” of Indians, possibly Shawnee. The two Linvils were killed, but gave their name to the river, falls, and several communities in the area. During the Civil War, there was a camp here to process iron ore mined locally. The camp was attacked, possibly by Kirk’s men. In the early 20th century, there were tourist homes and a sawmill along the river. In 1951, philanthropist John D. Rockefeller donated $95,000 to the National Park Service to acquire hundreds of acres in the area, including Linville Falls.
328.6 – The Loops Overlook (McDowell County) | Near the historic Orchard at Altapass are the Clinchfield Loops, sections of railroad constructed between 1905 and 1908. The railroad was built to connect the coalfields of Kentucky with the cotton mills in central North Carolina and South Carolina. To help the heavy trains navigate the steep grade, a series of eighteen tunnels and numerous switchbacks were built. Some of the workers brought in were Italian immigrants seeking to escape poverty in Italy. In May 1906, in a workers’ camp near this location, a riot broke out between the sheriff and workers. The workers were upset over not getting paid. At least two Italians were killed. Also near this location, running for several miles along the BRP, are the remnants of the Crest of the Blue Ridge Highway. Plans were for this scenic highway to stretch from Marion, Virginia, to Tallulah,
Georgia. Work began on this section in 1914. The road was twenty-four feet wide, with a sand or gravel surface. World War I halted construction. Remnants can be viewed in the fall in the woods on the north side of the BRP.
330.9 – North Carolina Museum of Minerals (Mitchell County) | The Toe River Valley is one of the richest areas, minerally speaking, in the United States. And the North Carolina Museum of Minerals, which opened in 1955, is a great place to explore this history. However, there is more hidden history. The museum is located at Gillespie Gap. In September 1780, militiamen from the Watauga Settlements, and from Virginia, camped near here on their way to Kings Mountain to fight the British under Maj. Patrick Ferguson. Thomas Jefferson considered the battle, a Patriot victory, the turning point of the American Revolution.
Although these spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway may be largely hidden, they represent important glimpses into the past and into our history.
The Cone Manor House on the Blue Ridge Parkway (National Park Service)
There is a great walking trail underneath the Linn Cove Viaduct. (Michael C. Hardy)
The original monument to the Overmountain Men at the Museum of North Carolina Minerals (State Archives of North Carolina)
There are several state highway historic markers for Stoneman’s 1865 raid, including this one near the fort at Deep Gap. (Michael C. Hardy)
Whatif? A trip to the library doesn’t sound like the first stage of an adventure, but it is? What if you thought reallife archaeology would be kind of nerdy, but it’s not? What if the most important single event in our nation’s history occurred, arguably, not in Boston or on the banks of the Delaware River, but just this side of Morganton, NC, down at Worry Crossroads? And what if you had the opportunity to participate in this adventure, actually get your hands dirty with historic dirt? Because you do.
An adventure should begin with a surprise. I was at the library getting something off my honey-do list when I saw a flyer that had been left out on a table. “Conquistadors in North Carolina” was the heading. It caught my eye. Reading further, I saw that a Spanish fort had been discovered down in the foothills near Morganton, only thirty miles away. Really!? That bit caught my imagination. I decided to do a little digging.
The story is told in ancient documents, discovered and translated within the last century, and by a handful of artifacts: a bit of steel from a soldier’s armor, a nail, a broken jar. In 1567, Juan Pardo, Captain of the Spanish Infantry for His Majesty, led an expedition from the coast of what is now South Carolina. His task was to create a trade route to the silver mines in Mexico and to “pacify” the Native people he encountered. By “pacify” it was meant, of course, to claim their land for Spain, to claim their bodies to be subjects of His Majesty, and to claim their souls for the Catholic Church. Pardo’s men built Fort San Juan alongside a Native village called Joara. The fort was occupied by a garrison of thirty soldiers under Hernando Moyano de Morales. Not long after, in May of 1568, the Native men rose up against the Spaniards and killed all but one, Juan de Badejoz, who ran into the woods and lived to tell the tale. One plausible reason for the uprising was that the soldiers had misbehaved with
Joara: Digging Up Adventure
By Edwin Ansel
the Native women and that they demanded too much food. Indigenous societies operated on a principle of reciprocity—“we support you, you support us.”
Ancient documents, Spanish mines, a sole survivor: Yes, this is a proper adventure and worthy of a short road trip. And yes, I put “Worry” in the navigation app and it took me there. You can also search for “Joara.” The village was located on a floodplain divided by a creek and surrounded by rugged hills. It was a summer day, but cool and pleasant. Tall corn swayed in the breeze. The people who lived here 450 years ago raised corn, too. It was easy to imagine them working among the stalks, wading in the creek. And also watching the soldiers strutting about. Read between the lines and the human element comes into focus. The Spaniards demanded food and labor from the Natives, acting as if they owned the place and the people. They took young women from the village into their fort to prepare their meals and, perhaps, to share a bed. The families of these women were angry, but had no recourse against the soldiers. In other words, conflict arose over pride, food and social order, things at the core of the human experience. It’s easy to imagine also that the faces of the Natives who watched the soldiers were growing cold and hard as the weeks and months went by. Pardo’s orders included a prohibition against the soldiers fraternizing with Native women, but it would seem that Pardo’s lieutenant Moyano failed to control his men. So, it’s increasingly easy to imagine that after months of tension there was one final provocation—a harsh word, an arrogant glance—and by the end of the day the fort was on fire and Badejoz was running for his life.
It’s also possible to assert that this uprising is the pivotal event in our nation’s history. At the time, Spain wanted to seize as much of North America as possible, and Pardo’s expedition was the first step down
that path. When it failed, Spain abandoned its efforts here. Soon enough English colonists came, and here we are today. Could it be that the future of our continent was reset when a Spaniard, perhaps Moyano himself, snubbed the head man at Joara? Was our world reshaped, literally, in the blink of an eye?
The dig site is located on private property, so impromptu visits are not possible. There is, however, an excellent way to gain access. The Exploring Joara Foundation (EJF) sponsors excavations at the site, and every year there are days when volunteers can come and do actual excavating. See the accompanying sidebar, or go to exploringjoara.org for dates and times. And before you sign up, by all means have a look at excerpts from the ancient documents, compiled in American Journeys, Account of Florida (1566-1568) available from the Wisconsin Historical Society at content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/aj/id/8424.
Since 2008, the Exploring Joara Foundation has invited the public, young and old, to be a part of discovering our nation’s past. This fall, participate in the following events:
Fall Dig Days | October 5, October 19 and November 9
Dig Days take place at the Berry site, outside of Morganton, NC, so everybody has a chance to participate in the discovery of Fort San Juan and Joara. Registration required, details at exploringjoara.org
3rd Annual Community Day at the Catawba Meadows Living History Village, Saturday, October 19
View artifacts from the sites, and enjoy demonstrations, such as native cooking, flint knapping and pottery making. See Spanish Reenactors, and participate in spear throwing and other activities. Located at 701 Sanford Drive, Morganton, NC, 28655
Photos courtesy of Exploring Joara Foundation
Boone’s Own Hawkeye Pierce Returns?
By Trimella Chaney
Similar to Alan Alda’s iconic character
Hawkeye Pierce on the popular television show M*A*S*H, Dr. Michael Hodges served as a U.S. Army doctor in a CSH (Combat Support Hospital) in Tikrit, Iraq. Different war, many of the same challenges.
His book, A Doctor Looks at War: My Year in Iraq, is a detailed account of those challenges and victories. Like Hawkeye, Dr. Hodges never thought he would be caring for wounded soldiers in a war zone. Also like Hawkeye, he learned to be creative in treating patients when supplies were limited or non-existent. And just as Hawkeye had occasion to use his medical skill for the “enemy” and the locals as well as for the American troops, so did Hodges.
Mike Hodges is a proud Boone native whom many local folks will remember as the grandson of R.B. and Maude Hodges; as a Watauga High School football and baseball player; and as an active member of Oak Grove Baptist Church and Perkinsville Church, both in Watauga County. His love for his mountain community has never changed and is evident in his and his wife’s, Dr. Ana Hodges, decision to retire here in the near future.
One big difference from Hawkeye’s character is that Lt. Colonel Dr. Michael Hodges came home with a deeper and
broader Christian faith. Although he quickly states that he hopes to never again go to Iraq, he values his time there and would not trade the life-changing experiences he gained from serving there. He is very proud of being a veteran of Enduring Freedom and he, like his fellow soldiers, knew why he was there and who he was representing.
As a life-long Baptist, he recognized locations in Iraq from early Bible lessons. “Our water is processed from water taken from the Euphrates River so we are drinking water from the same source as Abraham did,” noted Hodges. The ruins of the Tower of Babel were approximately 30 miles from his camp. The ancient city of Nineveh was across the Tigris River from Mosul and he learned that the Assyrians were considered the first terrorists for destroying the Temple of Israel.
Dr. Hodges used his time in country to learn more about his faith with the help of Group Chaplain Keith Croom (1st Special Warfare Training Group, Airborne). He grew to love this chaplain as a Christian brother and credits him with having “a tremendous influence on my spiritual life here.” On one occasion he struggled to live out Jesus’ commandment to love your enemies as he treated a suspected Iraqi bomb maker. On May 27, 2003, he wrote, “I have been giving more thought lately to the sig-
nificance of deployment in my life. There is little way I could have predicted the events I am experiencing here. I am reminded that I am here because God has blessed me with the understanding of human illness and an ability to intervene in that illness. I continually strive to be content in the circumstances, knowing that it is in God’s perfect will that I am here.”
In the Foreword to Dr. Hodges’ book, Chaplain Croom wrote, “Michael Hodges started the war as a trained physician, but an inexperienced soldier”; he quickly added, “I have gone to war with Mike Hodges once, and I would go with him again!”
His dream was always to become a doctor and he was motivated to achieve that dream. With an uncommon maturity, he began working at age 15 to help out with his own financial needs. A personal note here: as his eighth grade language arts teacher at Hardin Park School I would often answer his request for a book to read, but was surprised when he would return the book to me the very next day, often with his informed opinion of it. When his grandmother attended my first parent/teacher conference I learned that he was caring for his hospitalized grandfather and was reading during those long night hours.
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L to R: Dr. Michael Hodges served as a U.S. Army doctor in Tikrit, Iraq / Dr. Michael C. Hodges today, courtesy of capefearcardiology.com
Dr. Hodges’ commitment to his dream and his work ethic ensured his eventual graduation from medical school and his future position as a partner in the Cape Fear Cardiology Associates in Fayetteville, NC, where he still practices today. His path led from Appalachian State, to Wake Forest, to the University of Miami School of Medicine. His life validates the saying, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” He joined the army to finance medical school and was awarded a Health Professions Scholarship. And his decision to become a “scholarship mercenary for the US Army” led him to meet his wife, Ana, who was also in the Officer Basic Course in San Antonio, TX, in 1989.
Ana is a practicing pediatrician and merits much praise from him for holding down the fort while Dr. Hodges was in Iraq. The couple have three children and Ana’s thoughtful care packages, pictures, and emotional support helped him cope with often difficult situations while in Iraq. He cites her strength of character and ability to be a single parent as keys to the ongoing development of their children (Noah, Logan, and Caroline) in his absence. While Dr. Hodges did not experi-
ence PTSD, Ana felt that he returned home a much more serious person due to things he had witnessed and could not “unsee.” Dr. Ana Hodges continues to support the families of deployed military personnel in her medical practice.
There were also occasions when Mike and fellow soldiers enjoyed the camaraderie of sports while serving in a war zone. Being unfamiliar with the sport of soccer and less skilled in technique, he placed himself on the back line as a defender on the team. His self-evaluation was good; he thought he was playing well until a fellow teammate said, “Sir, you are not supposed to knock them down.” Some might say his Watauga High School football training could not be denied!
It is undeniable that Lt. Colonel Dr. Michael Hodges and his family have served our country honorably and deserve our heartfelt thanks on Veterans’ Day and every day.
Although currently out of print, you can find A Doctor Looks at War: My Year in Iraq, by Michael Hodges, M.D., at Amazon.com
Wines for quaffing & collecting, cheese from around the world, gifts & goodies, specialty cocktail additions and accessories, cigars, glassware, custom cheeseboards made to order and so much more. Friday & Saturday Wine Tastings 1-5
Published by Tate Publishing & Enterprises.
Flowers for Friends
Attention summer residents: If you’re leaving the High Country in early fall, please don’t throw away your potted or hanging plants—instead, donate them to uplift the lives of others! It’s a simple and convenient process to donate to Flowers for Friends: Call 828-898-5557 or email brent@brentatwater.com and provide the date of your departure from the High Country, plus your phone number, address and number of plants. Atwater and her team will schedule a pickup time for your plants or have you drop them off at a convenient, designated area.
Find out more about this unique effort on the organization’s Facebook page, Flowers for Friends—KNOW you are Special and Loved.
Early Detection Saves Lives!
To kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the High Country Breast Cancer Foundation (HCBCF) and Invision Diagnostics will be partnering to bring their first FREE mammogram event to
Banner Elk. Mammograms will be offered on Monday, September 30, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. To schedule an appointment, visit: appointments.invisiondiagnostics. com, enter the zip code (28604) or event name (Elk), select a time, and click on Get Appointment. Want to support the HCBCF? The all-volunteer board of this local non-profit makes sure that 100% of the money donated or raised goes to those in need who have been impacted by breast cancer. hcbcf.org
Yum! Pancakes!
On Saturday, October 12, show up hungry for the famous Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser, held by the High Country Chapter Military Officers’ Association of America (MOAA). The breakfast, in conjunction with their 20th Anniversary, will be held at the Boone United Methodist Church from 7:30-10:30 a.m. The church is located on New Market Blvd, in Boone. The cost of the breakfast is $10 and can be purchased at the door. Learn more about our local MOAA at hccmoaa.org.
Autumn at Mica
This fall, plan a visit to Mica Gallery on Mainstreet Bakersville, NC, open seven days a week (except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve). And on November 8-10, stop by select studios in the area during the Toe River Arts Studio Tour. You will see extraordinary
examples of contemporary craft and fine art made by artists who live in the area.
Mica Gallery is artist-run with functional and sculptural works on sale from over 30 artists working in clay, wood, metals, fiber, bookarts, paper, painting, printmaking and more. Mica is located at 37 N. Mitchell Avenue in Bakersville and is open Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon-5 p.m. Follow the gallery on its website micagallerync.com and on Facebook or Instagram at micagallerync
Seeking Foster “Fur Parents”
Love animals but not in a position to fully adopt a pet? Fostering a shelter pet is a wonderful way to help the animals in need. According to the staff at Watauga Humane Society, “We always need foster parents for a number of reasons—shelter pets that need special care such as bottle feeding, decompressing from a fearful environment, and pets that require extra medical care such as broken legs, amputations or surgeries.” They also welcome foster parents who just love having the companionship. “We offer Fun Fostering opportunities for the shelter pets that have been in the shelter the longest, and who would benefit the most from a break out of the shelter environment and into a home for a while.” If you are interested in fostering, please visit the Watauga Humane Society shelter, Tuesday through Saturday 12:30-5 p.m., to speak to one of their staff members. 312 Paws Way Boone, NC 28607, wataugahumane.org/fostering
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A Retrospective of Maud Gatewood at BRAHM
One of the latest exhibitions at BRAHM (Blowing Rock Art and History Museum) is The Hard Edge & The Soft Line: A Retrospective of Maud Gatewood, running now through January 5, 2025. Maud Gatewood (1934–2004) is an exceptional figure in the art history of North Carolina and the American Southeast. A painter of exacting technique with a keen eye for composition and cultural commentary, her pictures capture the Carolinas (and the expanding world beyond) across much of the 20th Century. This exhibition is a major undertaking by BRAHM— the retrospective project provides a comprehensive narrative of Gatewood’s career, as an artist and an educator, to the field of contemporary representational painting in North Carolina and the region. blowingrockmuseum.org
(Above: After Rain, by Maud Gatewood)
“Milky Way Over the Mountains” at Earth to Sky Park
This Appalachian Astronomy Story will take visitors on a tour of the current evening sky as seen from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Join your Space Ranger as you learn about the night sky, seasonal constellations, deep space objects and mythological constellation lore from groups around the globe. The natural
progression of the night sky is constantly changing throughout the year, along with our seasons. Visitors will be able to leave the planetarium with the ability to locate stars in the evening sky and share this new information with their friends! Shows are held every Friday at 6 p.m. in the Arthur Planetarium. Tickets are sold at the door—visit mayland.edu/esp/ for updates prior to your visit.
The Florence Thomas Art School
The Florence Thomas Art School provides resources for instruction, exhibit and experience in the fine arts and heritage crafts for Ashe County and the region. This year, the Art School welcomes two new Directors to the team—Jessa Gerrald, Director of Operations, and Samantha Oleschuck, Director of Community Engagement. Throughout the season, participate in a wide range of art workshops and activities. On Friday, October 11, Florence Thomas Art School will be open for the last Downtown West Jefferson Gallery Crawl of the season from 5 – 7 p.m. And on Saturday, December 7, plan to attend their annual Holiday Market—you’ll enjoy art, music, food and fun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 10 S. Jefferson Ave, West Jefferson, NC 28694, florenceartschool.org (Artwork above by Betty Miller)
Racing on Solar Energy
Appalachian State University’s studentled, interdisciplinary solar vehicle team, Team Sunergy, achieved a podium finish after a strong showing in the 2024 Electrek American Solar Challenge (ASC), an international solar vehicle distance road race held biennially by the Innovators Educational Foundation. Team Sunergy also took home this year’s Spirit of the Event Award for its collegiality, crossteam collaboration, expertise and technical innovation.
Over the eight-day competition in July, ROSE (Racing on Solar Energy)—Team Sunergy’s multi-occupant vehicle—completed 1,562 miles, racing from Nashville, Tennessee, to Casper, Wyoming. Learn more at sunergy.appstate.edu/rose/.
Photo by Team Sunergy Media Advisor Kyla Willoughby
SmileOn ADG Partners with Dewey’s Bakery Holiday Store
The Adam Davis Galleher Memorial Fund began in January of 2013 after the sudden passing of a loving son, brother, and friend who touched many lives in his 26 years on the Earth. Eleven years later, SmileOn ADG has awarded over $180,000 in grants, scholarships, and charitable gifts in areas that Adam was passionate about. SmileOn ADG will once again be partnering with DEWEY’S Bakery Holiday Store in Blowing Rock for this year’s fundraiser. Look for the red and white DEWEY’S signs in mid-November at Shoppes on the Parkway and shop in-store or online every day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Learn more
about this special fundraising effort, get updates on locations and times, or make a donation online at smileonadg.org. Visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/ deweyholidaystoreSmileon/.
Congratulations to Jane Lee Rankin!
In August, Jane Lee Rankin, owner and founder of Apple Hill Farm in Banner Elk, NC, was inducted into the Western North Carolina Agriculture Hall of Fame. The Ag Hall of Fame was founded to identify and honor significant contributions in agriculture, to recognize individuals who have been responsible for agricultural advancement, and to improve and promote agriculture as a result of the honorees’ work within the agricultural community in any phase of agriculture and related endeavors. Rankin also recently authored the book, Farm Family: A Solo Mom’s Memoir of Finding Home, Happiness, and Alpacas, available at applehillfarmnc.com and at Amazon.com
W.A.M.Y.’s Santa for Seniors
W.A.M.Y. Community Action celebrates 60 years of dedicated service to Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties!
W.A.M.Y.’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty by partnering with families and communities to provide the disadvantaged the support and tools they need to become self-sufficient. You can support this mission by participating in their annual Santa for Seniors service project. Simply donate gift items on their wish list and you’ll spread holiday cheer to local senior citizens in assisted living or hospice care. Santa for Seniors reaches all four counties the organization serves. For more information or to donate online, visit wamycommunityaction.org or call 828-264-2421.
Annual Reindeer Run
Lace up your running shoes (and bring your antlers)! On Saturday morning, December 7, from 9 a.m. -12 p.m., you can participate in the annual Reindeer Run in Banner Elk! The event begins at Tate Evans Park in downtown Banner Elk and is open to everyone—in fact, bring the whole family! Feel free to run, jog or walk the course. Registration opens in late October. Please visit the Williams YMCA Membership Desk to register or ymcaavery.com.
Keep the “Wild” in Wildlife
This fall, please refrain from feeding deer. According to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, feeding deer can:
• provide food sources that are often less nutritious and that can compromise the animals’ digestive systems; deer are adapted to adjust as their diet changes throughout the year— eating anything they don’t feed on naturally can cause severe illness or even death.
• discourage deer to forage for themselves, which in turn makes them less resilient.
• increase disease risk (which can spread to other deer).
The biggest action High Country residents and visitors can take to encourage healthy deer populations in our area is to keep them dependent on their natural food sources. White-tailed deer by Ken Taylor, courtesy of NCWRC
Enjoy These New Titles from Local Authors
n Queens of Blowing Rock, by Dr. Barry M. Buxton
Dr. Barry M. Buxton, an award-winning history author, chronicles a chapter in Blowing Rock’s rich history in his new publication Queens of Blowing Rock. The book centers on eight women who each made a unique mark on the town’s future. Each of these women were heroines who overcame their own difficult obstacles to make their mark on local history. With their efforts combined across time, they built schools, churches, hospitals, and libraries. Driven by an intense love for Blowing Rock and its community of people, these women worked to leave a legacy of compassion and purpose. Queens of Blowing Rock is available at the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM), The Blowing Rock Attraction and online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
n She Talks to Fish, by Brian Hester & Barbara Beam
In the new novel She Talks to Fish, Maya Jones, a young Black woman from the mountains of NC, discovers her obsession for fly fishing which fuels a pilgrimage through unchartered territory riddled with obstacles that only the strongest of wills can endure. In this coming-of-age narrative, Maya’s struggles are met with brazen resilience as she confronts stereotypes, bigotry, weather, and even death with immeasurable perseverance.
Co-Author Brian Hester, a native of Boone, NC, grew up waist deep in whatever river water he could find so he could develop his craft and love for fly fishing. Co-Author Barbara Beam is a gifted storyteller who grew up in Charlotte and is a proud graduate of Appalachian State University. She Talks to Fish will be released this fall. Shetalkstofish.com, Amazon.com
Crossnore Communities for
Children
Standing in the Gap for Foster Care
By Elizabeth Baird Hardy
In1913, the Crossnore School began its mission of caring for children. Now, over a century later, Crossnore Communities for Children continues that legacy of caring by advocating for children in a wide array of settings that provide children with the support and stability they need. Currently, Crossnore Communities for Children encompasses three facilities: residential campuses in Crossnore and Winston-Salem and foster care/administrative offices in Hendersonville. As the state and nation are undergoing a crisis in foster care, Crossnore is rising to the challenge of filling needs for children and families.
Brett Loftis, who has served as the Crossnore Chief Executive Officer for over 11 years, points out that the foster care system is radically different than it was fifty years ago. There is “no other public resource mostly run by volunteers, but foster care has relied on good-hearted people to do a really hard job.” While in the past, volunteer foster parents often primarily cared for children who had been sent into care due to poverty, Loftis notes that the needs have changed. Children being placed in care now have often suffered from “significant and prolonged abuse and neglect, trauma, and other problems” such as the devastating effect of the opioid crisis, in addition to poverty. Children who need foster care now include children who have endured child trafficking as well as those who have witnessed addiction, untreated mental illness, and domestic abuse in their homes.
In addition to changing issues, the available workforce for fostering children has been decreasing. As the older foster parents of the past have retired, they have not been replaced, and fewer career foster parents are available. The steady decline
that has been occurring for years was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a 25 percent decrease in the number of foster parents statewide. Now, Loftis says, “Children are being removed from dangerous situations and there is nowhere to put them.” Children are sleeping in DSS offices and being housed in makeshift, unlicensed situations ranging from hotels to Airbnbs. “It stresses the system to the breaking point,” he adds, and children who are already vulnerable and experiencing grief and trauma often feel like burdens upon a struggling infrastructure. In North Carolina, on any given day, approximately 12,000 children are in care, with a yearly average of 15,000. Of those children, 40 percent are six years old and younger, and the average age is seven.
With counties across the state reporting increasing vacancies among social workers and volunteers even as populations increase and the number of children in care rises, foster care has become a “chronic crisis.” People begin to accept that this is just the way it is. However, the system doesn’t have to be broken, and Crossnore is leading the way to address the crisis.
In addition to innovating, Crossnore continues its ongoing mission with an array of programs. With the Campus Foster Care cottages, large groups of siblings— as many as nine—can be kept together, a tremendous gift for children who have already lost everything familiar. Since only a few other facilities include this option, Crossnore is meeting a huge need.
For older children, Crossnore provides experiences such as job training through businesses like the Blair Fraley Sales Store or Miracle Grounds Coffee Shop. As they reach adulthood, support systems and resources aid in older independent living. In fact, one of those adults who was not long ago a child at Crossnore just graduated from law school, and another is currently in medical school. Crossnore works to remove barriers so all children can reach their full potential.
Community Foster Care trains and supports volunteers across the state and places children in licensed foster homes within their communities. While the goal is to reunify families whenever possible, foster parents can also choose to adopt, providing forever families for children unable to return to their biological relatives.
There are many ways to get involved and help. Those who feel called to foster parenting will find support, training, and a fantastic network of resources with Crossnore. Those seeking to welcome one of the over two thousand children available for adoption can do so without fees by fostering first.
The campuses are open for tours, and visitors are encouraged to come see what’s happening and check out new developments. Loftis hopes more visitors will learn about the wonderful kids who often end up
in foster care through no fault of their own. “They didn’t do anything wrong.”
He emphasizes that there is a way for “everybody to do something” to help. Of course, financial support is always welcomed, as 40 percent of Crossnore’s budget is provided by private philanthropy, and that is what makes Crossnore special. Since government funding only covers the minimum amount to care for the basics of care, the generous contributions of supporters help provide the world-class care children experience.
Part of that care includes a remarkable staff of 300 that is always seeking new members. From dietary aides to licensed therapists to cottage parents, a wide range of positions are open at all three sites. Crossnore is “a great place to work with great benefits,” and Loftis stresses that filling more positions will allow Crossnore to serve more kids in need. Volunteers are also important to the Crossnore mission, with an ongoing need for mentors, sponsors, and Williams Academy tutors. The charter school, which serves as many community members as it does cottage residents, has provided such an excellent model that the Winston-Salem campus will be opening a similar charter school next year. Tutors can help all students, especially those whose education has been disrupted.
Supporting foster parents is also a great way to help. Sponsoring a foster family financially would be a fantastic opportunity for a church or civic group. In addition, being a foster parent can be isolating and tiring, so providing social support and encouragement for those who are fostering, and helping with needs like babysitting, can make a tremendous difference.
To find out more about fostering, ca-
reers, and other ways to get involved and support the extraordinary Crossnore Communities for Children in its quest to help children find the way home, check out Crossnore.org or schedule a visit to see for yourself the miracles and innovations happening in the High Country and beyond.
Support Crossnore Communities with a Visit to Their Avery Campus
Crossnore Fine Arts Gallery represents regional painters, sculptors, and fine craft persons who want to take part in benefiting the children of Crossnore Communities for Children. The gallery specifically supports Crossnore’s Youth Independent Living program, which transitions students from foster care to successful independent living, and the Avery campus Student Work Program.
Crossnore Weavers was established to preserve the Appalachian art of hand-weaving, to give an economic opportunity to women, and to promote Crossnore Communities for Children through the sale of beautiful hand-woven goods all over the world. Visit the Crossnore Weaving Room, or shop online at crossnore.org/crossnore-weavers/.
E.H. Sloop Chapel is well known for its powerful fresco masterpiece, Suffer the Little Children, by Benjamin F. Long, IV, one of only four master fresco artists in the world. The Chapel is open for viewings daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Miracle Grounds Coffee Shop and Café is a great spot to purchase fine coffee, specialty drinks, breakfast, lunch, and dessert to help support the children of Crossnore.
The Blair Fraley Sales Store is one of the largest resale shops in the High Country. When you shop at the Blair Fraley Sales Store, you “help make miracles happen for children in need”—all the money you spend will benefit Crossnore Communities for Children.
Learn more about each of these locations at crossnore.org.
Photos courtesy of Crossnore Communities for Children
DINING | CATERING LODGING | EVENT VENUE
Lodging Event Venue
The High Country’s Best Vacation Rentals
• One main lodge and three cabins with mountain views
• 1-4 bedrooms available
• Event barn, outdoor pavilion, open field, meandering streams, and ponds all onsite
• Located in the heart of Sugar and Beech Mountains, with proximity to all High Country attractions
• Detect air leaks around doors and windows. (Look for daylight around frames.)
• Choose a silicone caulk that will form a weather-resistant seal.
• Prep your surface by removing old caulk and paint. Make sure the area is dry.
• Aim and pull the trigger. Hold the caulk gun at a 45-degree angle while pulling it toward you.
• After covering 2-3 feet of the surface, run a damp finger or foam paintbrush lightly along the bead to seal the caulk.
Tiny Homes
By Steve York
Affordable Housing Initiative Comes to the High Country
Oneof the most pressing needs throughout our High Country communities—and certainly in the immediate Avery, Watauga, Ashe and Mitchell counties area—is affordable housing. Available rentals are scarce, and rates are high and on the rise. The same applies to land for building single family and multi-family housing. As spectacular and economy-boosting as our major high-end communities are, they have also consumed a lot of mountain land which, consequently, has led to land prices increasing dramatically over the past several decades.
Young couples, young families, singles and people needing temporary transitional housing are hard-pressed to find affordable options. Wage earners, small business employees and seasonal workers of all ages face that same challenge. Many of those workers have to commute long distances for work, often resulting in one- to two-hour drives each way. In many cases, that also means commuting via older and sharply winding two-lane mountain roads with few passing zones, all of which adds to commute time. And, with the cost of gas plus many other goods and services having gone up during and since the COVID years while some wages have remained at or near their preCOVID levels, the added expenses of twoway work travel can cut deeply into family and individual budgets.
Fortunately, there are developers and municipalities exploring ways to help alleviate the affordable housing void for both locals and long-distance working commuters. But it can be a slow process and requires overcoming the diminishing land availabilities and increasing building cost challenges. And, from a strictly pragmatic perspective, any developer or community considering investing time and resources into affordable housing has to consider their return on investment. Will this type of project yield as high a return in sales or rental rates as an up-
scale housing project, and will it be designed to be value-compatible with nearby
All of these factors present a big challenge when trying to resolve the area’s lack of affordable housing. However, there are those who have approached the challenge with a concept known as “tiny houses.” These are smaller, space-saving dwellings that offer many of the comforts, design features and modern amenities found in fullsized homes, yet require less land and can be available to qualified customers at much lower costs.
One such recent initiative is a 501(c)(3) organization founded last February called Tiny Together™, formed and promoted by Debbie and Greg Stephenson.
“Ours is a community housing nonprofit start-up Community Development Corporation (CDC), which is intended to help Avery and Mitchell County residents by providing workforce housing, career and financial education, and community support with job placement,” noted Debbie Stephenson. “We hope to partner with local businesses, regional non-profits, and community health services to provide wrap-around care for participants. As a non-profit, we would be funded through general public donations, affordable rent payments, and grants.
“Our goal is to give people a fresh start—through secure housing with solid career and financial footing—increasing the economic and social strength of our own Appalachian communities,” Stephenson added. We are dedicated to providing lowand middle-income housing and career opportunities for entry-level workers/students, young/single-parent families, Veterans, and domestic violence survivors. We project an expansion of services to include affordable housing communities with mixed rental tiny homes and cottages, spaces for individuals to park their own tiny homes on wheels, and purchase options for some homes, complete with community centers, gardens, green-
ways, and play areas.”
The Stephensons have been participating with the High Country Council of Governments and local Avery and Mitchell Economic Development Committee (EDC) councils to explore ways in which workforce housing can be accomplished affordably. “[We] ultimately decided that we were ready to launch our nonprofit this past February. We are seeking to make workforce housing both beautiful and energy efficient, in an environment that fosters supportive and sustainable communities of residents working and living here full-time,” she explained.
The couple, who collectively have experience in community non-profits, healthcare, and construction project management, continue to develop a board of local community leaders in the areas of finance, construction, healthcare, and project management as well as a group of mentors with small business, legal, social services, financial management, and community development backgrounds.
To build community awareness and help fund their project, the Stephensons have planned several fall fundraising events (see sidebar). In addition, they reported that they are continuing to apply for multiple grants—both federal and state, as well as regional community grants. Inquiries, donations, event information and planned housing services are available at tinytogether.org
Tiny Together™ Fundraiser
Tiny Together™ will have a special fundraiser event on Saturday, October 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mountain Glen Golf Course Clubhouse. Get better acquainted with Tiny Together and hear about their ideas for the community. Join various area business and community leaders, and see what tiny homes look like. Raffles, prizes, and delicious barbeque plates from Mountain Boomer will be available. From 12 to 1:30 p.m., enjoy live music. Located at 1 Club Drive in Newland. For updates on other promotional and fundraising events, visit tinytogether.org.
Be Amazed… with an Old Time Corn Maze
By Bob Griffin
Have you ever tried a corn maze?
Simply put, a corn maze is a path cut into a field of corn allowing for various routes, twists, and turns. The path is generally cut near the end of the growing season, when the corn is between eight and ten feet tall. Maze designs can range from simple, straightforward paths to the complex, with dead ends and hidden shortcuts.
Navigating a corn maze can be a fun, memorable experience. This fall, Valle Crucis, NC, has just the place to try one, and it is only a stone’s throw from the Watauga River. In 2013, Cassandra Bare and her family decided to create a corn maze just for fun, and eleven years later, their maze has become one of the “must-see-and-do” activities for locals and visitors each fall.
On their 25-acre site, the Bare family operates the Harvest Farm Corn Maze, sells hundreds of pumpkins, runs a threeacre U-Pick flower field, and offers hayrides. Cassandra, who lives nearby, operates the seasonal holiday attraction each year starting in August. In addition, they own and operate a wholesale commercial nursery in Newland, NC.
In late summer, Cassandra, her husband, her two kids, and her dad plant seven acres of corn that will eventually become the maze. When the Corn Maze is open beginning mid-September, she also recruits help from neighbors and church friends.
“The corn is planted closer than normal to create the dense forest you feel here,” Cassandra says. “Because it is so close, you cannot pick the corn with machines, like farmers normally do. We cut it down in November, the old-fashioned way, and sell the corn to farmers for animal feed. We also sell stalks as decorations.”
There are two basic routes within the maze that crisscross each other and can go on for what seems like miles. “No year’s layout is the same,” she explains. “The maze is a labyrinth of paths—some paths may cross each other, some lead to a dead end, and some circle back. We have veteran corn mazers that come here every year; they are always expecting a new challenge.”
In fact, “corn mazing” has become a family tradition. “Harvest Farm is rooted in the idea of sharing agriculture with all the generations, in hopes of sparking enthusiasm for farming and the outdoors,” Cassandra says. “Our family has a shared goal of having a unique and special experience for all our guests.”
The Harvest Farm Corn Maze is also a puzzle—at least the way Cassandra describes it. All registrants are given a map on a clipboard. The objective is to solve the puzzle with clues found along the way inside the maze. For those playing, there is a prize! If your group completes the maze and solves the puzzle, you receive a free pumpkin.
“We have many, many church groups, scout troops, private schools, day cares and other groups that enjoy our maze each year,” Cassandra adds. She notes that the best way for a group to participate is to call ahead for reservations and additional details.
The Harvest Farm Corn Maze is open Friday through Sunday, now until the end of October. Once a year, they host a night-time event for those “not afraid of the dark.” And it really is dark out there! This year, the family friendly “Flash Light Night” will be held on October 12. Visitors should bring their own flashlights to tour the maze.
In addition to a challenging corn maze, enjoy these family friendly activities at Harvest Farm . . .
HAYRIDES:
Old-fashioned hayrides—a wagon pulled by a tractor driven by Cassandra’s father—can be added to your visit. Discounts are available when combined with Corn Maze tickets.
THE PUMPKIN PATCH:
The Pumpkin Patch is full of pumpkins for sale—all kinds, colors, and sizes. You can harvest the pumpkin you like, right from the field, or choose from a huge selection of pumpkins that are for sale at
Cassandra Bare of Harvest Farm
Photos by Bob Griffin
the barn. “There is a difference between our pumpkins and those bought elsewhere,” Cassandra says. “Our pumpkins are grown locally on our farm in Newland. We bring fresh pumpkins to the Corn Maze every week.” Squash, Indian corn, corn stalks and popcorn are also offered for sale.
THE FLOWER PATCH:
Three to four acres are reserved for their Flower Patch. Located next to the old barn, rows and rows of flowers are planted— as many as 70 varieties—that can be picked and purchased. “We started this just three years ago, and it has been a big hit,” Cassandra says. “We plant the flowers during the summer, and they are fully blooming in September and October.” Choose from dahlias, zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers and more.
• For more information on Harvest Farm, visit harvestfarmwnc.com and their Facebook page at facebook.com/WNCFun/.
• Harvest Farm Corn Maze is located at 3287 Hwy 194 (Broadstone Rd.) in Valle Crucis. Call 828-260-0765 for group reservations.
Labor Day Weekend thru the Last Sunday in October Fridays: 10am-6pm Saturdays: 10am-6pm Sundays: 1-6pm No Reservations Required (828)260-0765 | 3287 NC 194 Valle Crucis, NC 28691
Borkowski Honored with a Lifetime Community Service Award
Congratulations to beloved civic leader Kay Kaiser Borkowski on receiving the Lifetime Community Service Award from Boone Sunrise Rotary Club, only the sixth time the honor has been presented in the organization’s 38year history. Kay has been a High Country resident since her husband of 65 years, Dr. Francis T. (Frank) Borkowski, became Chancellor of Appalachian State University in 1993. Within a few short months of arriving to town, Kay was on the board of directors for Hospitality House; shortly thereafter, she gathered a group of 16 women at the chancellor’s residence to discuss the formation of an auxiliary to aid the non-profit, and out of that gathering grew the Hearts of Hospitality House.
The Hearts organized a holiday ball for 12 seasons before transforming it into an even more popular Valentine’s event, ‘The Hearts Ball.’ This newer event features a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ competition and sweetheart auction of romance packages. Now celebrating their 30th anniversary, Hearts of Hospitality House served as the non-profit’s sole fundraising entity for a decade and a half. According to John Cooper, who presented the Lifetime Community Service Award, “If the house needed furniture: summon Hearts. If the refrigerator stopped working: call Hearts. When a client moved out and needed housewares: reach out to Hearts. Kay Borkowski’s strong involvement and support has been, and continues to be, the heart and soul of the organization.”
Borkowski continues to serve as board chair emeritus, personally recruiting many board members by reaching out into the community to find active, capable, and responsive participants. In addition, Cooper said that Borkowski has served on the University’s School of Music advisory board since 1993, as
well as the advisory boards of An Appalachian Summer Festival, the University Library, and the Department of Theatre and Dance.
In accepting the award, Mrs. Borkowski remarked, “Needless to say, this is overwhelming. You go about your life trying to see things that need to be done, and if you think you can and are able to step up, you help out in those situations. I’ve been able to do that in a place that we love so much. It certainly has been a great honor, and we are indebted to all of you for your kindness and acceptance. Thank you so much.” –contributed by Keith Martin
Photos: (L) Frank and Kay Borkowski as Mickey and Minnie at the ATHC 2014 Gala; (R) John Cooper with Kay Borkowski, June 2024
Lees-McRae College Welcomes Students Back to Reinvigorated Campus
After a busy but productive summer, LeesMcRae College started fall semester classes on Monday, August 19. The new and returning students arrived at a campus that has more residence space, classroom locations, and dining options than ever before.
The summer of 2024 witnessed the completion of the Historic Commons renovation, which was announced in 2022 and predominantly funded by $33 million from United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development—one of the largest single investments by the federal government in western North Carolina.
Tennessee and Virginia Hall, the oldest residence halls on campus, were redesigned to meet the needs of modern students. They now feature brand-new furniture, larger single and double rooms, a community kitchen and living areas, and individual wi-fi hubs and air conditioning in each room. North Carolina Building now houses modernized classrooms, a central meeting space the college hopes will become the “campus living room,” and a meeting room upstairs that features the signature of founder Rev. Edgar Tufts on one of the exposed roof beams.
In addition to updating the two residence halls and the classroom building, the Historic Commons renovation also included the reopening of the Pinnacle Room. The dining room was originally built to serve guests of the Pinnacle Inn, which operated out of the Virginia and Tennessee Halls during the summer months from the 1930s through the early 1960s. The Pinnacle Room eventually became a student dining hall, before it was closed in the 1990s. It has now been restored as an additional dining location for students and community members and serves food from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
South Campus, formerly Grandfather Home for Children, has gone through changes as well. The School of Business and Management has moved their faculty offices into Campbell Hall, and for the first time, classes will be held on South Campus in six new classroom spaces. Transportation between North Campus, South Campus, and the Athletics Complex has been streamlined with the addition of a new shuttle named MontiBUS.
The Lees-McRae leadership team also looks a little different going into this academic year. Marty Favret has joined the college as the new director of athletics and club sports. Favret previously served for 24 years as the head football coach and associate athletic director at Hampden-Sydney College in HampdenSydney, Virginia. Watercolor by KC Ramsay
The High Country community celebrates the life and service of former Banner Elk Mayor and civic leader, Deka Tate, who passed away in late summer. She was first elected to Banner Elk Town Council in 1993, and served in that capacity until she was elected Mayor, a position she held from 1999-2010.
Deka grew up in Roanoke, VA, attended college in Greensboro, and moved to the
Continued on next page
Deka Tate, Banner Elk Treasure
Community & Local Business News
North Carolina mountains in the late 1960s, living on Beech Mountain for many years before moving to Banner Elk. She had a true love for the town and was serious about her community service. Deka was a leading force in bringing the brick sidewalks to Banner Elk; as an accomplished artist, her original painting of “The Banner Elk” was created to raise funds for those sidewalks. This painting can still be found in homes and businesses across the High Country.
She was known to be a force of nature, working tirelessly to get an easement through properties, because she knew what a difference it would make for the town. Beautifying Banner Elk was near and dear to Deka’s heart, and as a founding member of the Beautification Committee, she spent countless days building planters and planting flowers all over town.
She was also founding member and past president of the Banner Elk Heritage Foundation, and as such was responsible for getting the Banner House Museum open and fully funded. In addition, she served as the vice-president of the Banner Elk Chamber of Commerce for many years, and was a member of the Banner Elk Board of Adjustments until the time of her passing.
Deka was an active member of Banner Elk Presbyterian Church for over 50 years, holding many roles in the Church, including Elder, worship committee, and choir member, and was instrumental in bringing the organ to the church—and of course her beloved church flowers.
According to her friends and family, “Deka was a true southern lady, always welcoming everyone to her lovely mountain home. She was beautiful, eccentric, selfless, artistic, supportive and caring—she was one of a kind, a true original to the end.”
Beech History Museum’s New Exhibit Reveals Early 1900s Medical Care
Medical care today is far different than 100 years ago. The new exhibit at the Beech Mountain Museum looks back in time and explores healing through the life of Dr. William Jackson Love, a much loved “saddlebag doctor,” who treated people on Beech Mountain in the early part of the 20th century. The exhibit contains many of his tools, textbooks and ledgers, which were made available by his grandsons, Doug and Jack Love.
Dr. Love’s formal medical knowledge was gained through classes at the University of Knoxville, which followed European medical traditions, but he also included the use of local herbs and plants in treating patients. Widely used books called Materia Medica combined European herbal knowledge with other traditions, such as Native American and local folk healing.
Dr. Love routinely made house calls on horseback to remote cabins. In addition to the medical tools in his saddlebag, Dr. Love carried pills, powders and tonics, including opiates, which were ordered from a pharmaceutical company in New York. However, many of the ingredients contained in these purchased medicines were frequently made using herbs, roots, bark, and flowers gathered here on Beech Mountain and throughout the Appalachians.
Also important in early medicine were midwives and herbalists. They cultivated medicinal plants in their gardens or gathered them from the woods and forests on Beech. These plants included Purple Trillium, European Foxglove, Opium Poppies, and many others. They would sell these to a middleman who supplied the pharmaceutical companies, where they were prepared into the forms sold to doctors. Dr. Love had an annually renewed license to purchase and dispense opiates, and remarkably, he also had a license to practice medicine long before such licenses were required.
The museum exhibit features these approaches to healing with detailed descriptions and displays of the herbs used a century ago, providing visitors with a hands-on understanding of their uses and significance. Because of the personal artifacts from Dr. Love’s practice on display, visitors can gain an understanding of how medicine was practiced on Beech Mountain a century ago.
The Museum is open Thursday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. and is located at 503 Beech Mountain Parkway next to Fred’s General Mercantile. Admission is always free. For more information on the Beech Mountain History Museum, call 828-387-HIST (4478).
The White House Comes to Newland for Official Christmas Tree
The official White House Christmas tree will once again come from Avery County, NC! This year’s tree has been lovingly grown at Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland. Our region of the Appalachian Mountains is one of the leading producers of Christmas trees in the state, and anywhere east of the Mississippi.
“Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm grows what is known as a ‘Carolina Fraser Fir’ (Abies fraseri),” says Sam Cartner. “It is special because it adapts to the kind of soil, temperature, rain and elevation found here on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is one of the most ‘hardy’ Christmas trees on the market today, keeping its needles, color and fragrance longer.”
The Cartner farm is a family business, started by Sam Sr. in 1959. His three sons—Jim, David, and Sam Jr. —have continued the tradition to this day.
“To be selected as the official White House tree, you must be a member of the National Christmas Tree Association, and place in the top three in the state’s competition for Best in North Carolina,” adds Cartner. “Then you must compete and win Best Tree in the Nation in a multi-state competition, as well.”
In early October, a select committee from Washington, D.C., will travel to Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm and select the one tree that they prefer. It must be no taller than 18 feet, 6 inches to fit in the Blue Room at the White House. It also can be no wider than 12 feet in diameter. Once selected, the tree is cut and shipped to the White House.
This year, you, too, can walk their farm and pick a tree for your family on these select days: November 16-17, November 28-December 1 (Thanksgiving weekend), and December 7-8. For more information go to CarolinaFraserFir. com, or call 828-733-1641. Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm is located at 901 Balsam Drive, Newland. -Contributed by Bob Griffin
Photo: Sam Cartner of Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm
Remembering Dr. Richard “Dick” Larson
In August, the High Country lost a powerful advocate for our greater mountain community. CML had the good fortune of knowing Dr. Dick Larson for many years, and we have enjoyed featuring him in a number of articles.
For our Spring 2019 issue, writer Cindy Michaud had the pleasure of interviewing Larson, writing, “As a pilot, vascular surgeon, guitar strummer, wood carver, choir member, furniture craftsman, fisherman, former golfer, and now director of Feeding Avery Families, Dick Larson is a ‘hands-on’ sort of guy.
....read all about it!
Throughout his life he’s shown an uncanny ability to analyze the situation at hand, creatively imagine results and then dig in, getting his hands dirty while moving forward. Whether anticipating retirement or just starting a career, nearly everyone can learn much from his example.”
Born in Oswego, New York, Larson attended Oswego public schools and graduated from Cornell University in 1966. He joined the Marine Corp and trained as a fighter pilot—he served one tour of duty in Vietnam and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
“As a young second lieutenant, I had to be disciplined, organized, and regimented to the standards of the military,” Larson shared with Michaud. “Little did I know how valuable those lessons would be.” Little did he know either, that the old guitar he bought off a fellow ROTC camp attendee would play a long role in his life as a leisure activity. “Music had always been important to me—I enjoyed singing and I relaxed by playing.”
When he left the Marines after six years, Larson chose to pursue his dream of medical training. Not letting his age or his out-of-date test scores deter him he filed applications at numerous medical colleges. Perseverance paid off when Duke University School of Medicine called. They saw advantages in training non-traditional students as doctors.
While a medical student Dick also discovered another outlet for his creativity: woodworking. “We didn’t have a lot of money so I decided to make my Christmas gifts one year,” he had recalled. “Presenting my wife Carol with a primitive cookbook stand I had made myself with just a few tools was a thrill. She loved it. It was a very personal, significant gift but it also opened the door to woodworking, which I soon dubbed my ‘stress therapy.’”
Larson practiced medicine in Greenville, SC, for nearly 20 years. He had shared that the best part of being a surgeon was “the ability to intervene in a truly hands-on way to help people get better.” While he and Carol raised their son in Greenville, they often retreated to the High Country to camp and enjoy the outdoors. As happens with so many weekenders they soon had a cottage in the mountains. When retirement beckoned they moved to a larger home in Beech Mountain that could accommodate Larson’s growing wood working
interest. He proved prolific and took his wares on the road for nearly ten years selling at festivals and fairs. In 2017, both Dick and Carol became founding members of BE Artists Gallery, an art co-operative in downtown Banner Elk, where Dick’s work continues to be prominently featured.
As active members of Banner Elk Presbyterian Church both Dick and Carol enjoyed serving in areas of mission outreach, so it was an easy sell when some fellow church goers approached him eight years ago with the idea of filling the directorship for Feeding Avery Families (FAF), a non-profit Christian organization in Avery County “dedicated to eliminating hunger by any means possible.” Larson’s reaction was to do what he always did: carefully analyze the need, assess what skills he could bring to the table, and then roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty.
According to those who knew him best, he shared that of all his careers, this may have been the most rewarding. As Executive Director of FAF, he spearheaded the expansion of the organization, including the construction of a new 10,000 sq.-ft. Distribution Center, which today provides nearly 60 percent of the food assistance in Avery County (Newland, Banner Elk, Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Crossnore, Linville and Elk Park).
In our 2019 issue, Michaud wrote: “Dick Larson is the last person to point to his many accomplishments with outsized pride; he’d just tell you he does what needs to be done. But perhaps that is his greatest mission: demonstrating that we all have something to bring to the table if we are willing to get hands-on with a challenge.”
We thank you, Dr. Larson, for sharing your many gifts and for your “hands-on” service to our local community and the nation. You will be missed by many.
Photos: Dr. Dick Larson with his family in front of the Feeding Avery Families food pantry, recently named in his honor. Larson working with Larry Fisk to build a replica of one of the original 1909 Series Wright Flyers for the LeesMcRae Summer Theatre world premiere musical The [W]right Sister. Dick and Carol Larson at BE Artists Gallery.
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Comm. & Local Business News
High Country Toy Drive Brings Christmas to the Area’s Homeless Children
Now in its 11th year, the High Country Toy Drive is collecting toys, gift cards, and cash donations to bring Christmas to the homeless children in four counties of the High Country. In cooperation with Hospitality House of Western North Carolina, Inc., the toy drive makes sure that every child has gifts to wake up to on Christmas morning—in the shelters and ancillary housing provided by the only shelter system in the area.
Lynne Lear, founder of The High Country Children’s Foundation and the toy drive, says, “These children have enough of a struggle in their daily lives and we just want to show them that somebody cares and see that they have gifts to open on Christmas morning. No child should feel like Santa skipped them! We have one of the highest percentages of homeless families in the entire country and I feel it’s imperative that these kids have a warm coat, winter boots that fit, and a toy or gift that is just for them.”
How it works: “The shelter system provides us with the first name, age, gender, sizes and wishes for each child in the system and we go shopping!” explains Lear. “We raise money and gift cards through donations all autumn and through to December. We also have many talented musicians who donate their time to host two or three live music parties in December to collect donations, bring people together and spread the word. The list of children and needs grows every year so we do all we can!”
If you’d like to donate to the High Country Toy Drive, sponsor a child by getting their list and shopping for them, or volunteer, contact Lynne Lear at: The High Country Children’s Foundation, 1484 Tynecastle Hwy, Banner Elk, NC 28604; highcountrytoydrive@yahoo.com; or 828-260-1840. Photo: Lynne Lear (second from left) with High Country Toy Drive volunteers
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Our Self-Wash Service! Leave the bath time mess to us. Our self-service facility is perfect for any size, age or breed.
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The Milkman Still Delivers
“Sprinkle these overtop,” my new neighbor nudged handing me a canister of storebrand breadcrumbs for a mac-‘n-cheese casserole—a thank-you for taking her to Shipley Farms. (More on the legendary Vilas ranch later.)
How to kindly be dismissive of the breadcrumbs though, as I planned to serve them to our mountain birds instead. I had an idea: “Have I mentioned my trail of breadcrumbs?”
“Hansel ’n Gretel’s path the birds ate?”
“Yeah, the fairytale’s metaphor, leaving behind a trail of crumbs, but my path … well … sit a minute,” I motioned. “I’ll put the kettle on with a special tea from the charming Appalachian Apothekary and Tea Room (Foscoe). Sweetener?”
I placed a stylish bottle of local honey from Whole Hive Honey Company (available at J&M Produce, Boone and Provisions on Sugar, Banner Elk) by her teacup and an empty bottle popping with wild fall asters. She oohed and aahed: “Wow, honey jar is also gorgeous as a bud-vase, and you said Whole Hive also makes delicious-flavored lip balms and craft honey sodas. All this local honey might help with allergies, too.
“BTW,” she chuckled, “a little buzz from mead helps my allergies. Have you tried?”
“Yup. The centuries-old honey drink’s back and at our bars and wineries. Stardust Cellars samples their Wilkesboro-made mead weekly at Watauga County Farmers’ Market (WCFM) in Boone. I love the sweet kick from their muscadine-lime. Mead was poetically fermented in the Middle Ages
‘under the lunar moon’ when newlyweds drank it excessively to stimulate conception, calling this blissful time the honeymoon.”
The kettle’s whistle beckoned me back to the tea. “Milk?”
“Cream?”
“Too heavy for tea.”
“Well, you wrote the (tea) book,” she replied, “so ...?”
Sooo, shaking thick cream atop a jug of milk, I explained, “It’s non-homogenized so a cleaner creamier whole milk. Taste...”
“Mmm. Nutty sweet. Who makes this?”
“The milkman.”
She shot me a cheesy grin: “And, I suppose he delivers it?”
“Actually, yes! Cheek Farmstead Creamery’s Rodney Cheek and sons Brandon and Trathen truck their Fleetwood dairy’s milk (not raw) to subscribed customers of the Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture’s Food Hub (FH). Grass-fed cow’s milk is vat-pasteurized (low-heat, more easily digestible), retaining nutrients and flavor that ultrapasteurized milks lack.”
A Farm-to-Drive-Thru Mission
Cheek’s mantra is Make milk as close to the way God made it as we can, a reason why the milkshakes at the family-owned Come Back Shack (Boone) have been touted as ‘udderly heavenly.’ Here, they—well—churn the other Cheek into soft-serve ice cream for shakes tasting “dairy-forward—clean, crisp, non-gummy,” describes Shack’s development officer, Elliot Coatney. After spend-
Story and photos by Gail
Greco
ing months integrating the mechanics of a commercial kitchen with the limitations of a small farm, Come Back’s farm-to-drivethru mission succeeded with Cheek now delivering more than 100 gallons weekly.
Many of our fine restaurants source mindfully—Bistro Roca (Blowing Rock), and Coyote Kitchen and The Wildwood Community Market (Boone), among others. But a fast-food place with such conscience? Under their iconic rusted-tin awning, sure enough, Come Back Shack (just opening another on King Street) also attracts locavores with grass-fed meat from Apple Brandy Beef (Wilkes County) and burger buns from a Charlotte bakery.
Pastured beef is abundant in the High Country, and I had previously introduced my neighbor to Shipley Farms, so popular its beef and pork are cooked and served in App State’s dining rooms. You can buy right off their farm (family-owned since 1872) and considering her two little Papillons, my neighbor was impressed by Shipley’s Products for Pets!
Continuing on the Trail of Crumbs
Sipping tea, we dipped rosemary sourdough crackers (Land of Milk and Honey, Deep Gap) and Creeksong Farm’s (WCFM) sugar snap peas in hummus. While prepping peas, I unzipped strings so fresh, their crisp snap-snap, bum-dittied through my ear buds, echoing the plucking of banjo strings by the Kruger Brothers band (Wilkesboro) and their Indian Summer on Pandora.
Ingredients for a fall hummus
Local fruit from Brushy Mountain Orchards
Speaking of such unseasonably warm weather, my husband and I recently ambled out to The Old Store at Grassy Creek—a treasury of local pottery, jewelry, and fresh eats. We grabbed house-made sandwiches and pie to munch lunch on their picturesque porch and then rode out to nearby Fishel Organics (at WCFM weekly).
Farmers Sanford Fishel, Leticia Gonzalez and Artemio Guerrero helped me choose pumpkins to puree with heirloom shelling beans by Mountain Roots (Lansing) and garlic from Lively Up Farm (Banner Elk, WCFM) for that hummus dip.
I bake a mean granola thanks to maple syrups from Waterfall Farms, seasonally sold at Molley Chomper cidery (Lansing), and The Sugar Shack of Boone (Stick Boy Bakery and West Jefferson farmers’ market). But my baking prowess is limited, so I should’ve bought scones from The Hive Bakery (WCFM) instead of serving mine. An expert baker, my neighbor surprised me, “Tender, fluffy, Gail.” I sheepishly admitted my success was baking with wholegrain flour (packaged with flour-sack cloth and stitched closed) from Two Stones Farm Flour + Mill (Greeneville, TN, available at Stick Boy and FH).
Tea-time morphed into dinner time …
… so, we cleansed palates with fennel slices (Mountainwise Farm, Zionville) and poured wine. Jeff Collins, owner of Peabody’s Wine and Beer Merchants (Boone), suggested The Scholar, created by App State’s
fermentation sciences department with Grandfather Winery (Banner Elk). Peabody’s sells Appalachian-made cheeses and crunchy NC small-batch snacks, the envy of charcuterie boards everywhere!
We tossed a scramble of leafy greens and then added pecans grown by Little Creek Market (Walstonburg) from Corbett’s Produce (Deep Gap), a farm store brimming with variety: bake-off biscuits, seafood from NC waters and Carolina Gold’s extra-virgin sunflower oil (Harrellsville). Topping the salad were apples from Brushy Mountain Orchard (Moravian Falls, WCFM)—leaves/ twigs attached sans the wax that grocery warehouses add as preservative.
I whisked a dressing with olive oil from Fresh Press Farms’ olives, harvested and cold-pressed in Colquitt, Georgia. “Local?” my friend challenged. “The benchmark is 100 miles, but up to 500 (says App State’s agriculture department) when something isn’t produced locally.” In a decorative metal pour-spout decanter, it’s at Harris Teeter and Publix.
Farmacy, not big pharma
The breadcrumbs trail had gone cold, until I opened a container from my freezer.
“So, naturally you bought those breadcrumbs locally, too?”
“Not exactly. I made them.”
“I never thought to make my own.”
“Me neither until I read package labels: preservatives, sugars, corn syrup, saturated fats. My homemade recipe: Cube unseeded
local fresh-baked bread (crusts optional) and harden overnight; add to processor (with dried seasonings, if desired); freeze.”
Even though tiny bits, breadcrumbs symbolize how all food can be preventive medicine, a philosophy practiced abundantly at Be Natural, a boutique grocery carrying local dairy, eggs, meats, produce, and an impressive hands-on-help wellness department! Owners Dave and Catherine Reczek tout farmers as, “infusing their products so lovingly, so wholly and naturally, that they’re the true Wonders of the World.”
And the NC-based supermarket Earth Fare (Boone) also sources responsibly and local including Springhouse Farm’s (Vilas) produce and owner Amy Fiedler’s bundled flower bouquets, a sensual medicine for sure!
Finishing dinner prep, my friend scattered the homemade breadcrumbs over the mac-‘n-cheese then hit the trash with hers, hoisting me a thumbs-up. “Not good for birds, either, who shouldn’t eat any bread; maybe you didn’t know that?” she winked, dropping her own trail of crumbs now, saying she was off to make vanilla extract.
So, sit a minute; I’ll put the kettle on ... Maybe you’ve got some breadcrumbs to drop up my way, too?
Good food begins at the farm. But then what? A conversation on sourcing local food to live better, and age well!
Artemio, Leticia, and Sanford of Fishel Farms
Jeff Collins of Peabody’s
Homemade breadcrumbs
Homemade Breadcrumbs
Elevate Your Experience
Suggestions for Tasting and Enjoying Wine
Wine is a complex and distinctive spirit and there are multiple reasons for drinking wine: for enjoyment and intellectual challenges, for social and symbolic purposes, and because of cultural or family traditions. Those who enjoy wine imbibe because they like the taste, the effect of alcohol on the body, and the opportunity to evaluate the subtle differences in wines. Additionally, wine adds to the enjoyment of food because when paired appropriately, it complements foods. And some research suggests the fermented fruit in wine provides possible health benefits.
Depending on social and cultural backgrounds, and motivations for enjoying wines, there are several approaches to tasting and choosing wines. Serious connoisseurs may elect to take seminars and classes to develop a deeper understanding; even more enthusiastic consumers may opt for certifications especially geared toward tasting and pairing wines with food. However, the suggestions in this article are for prosaic consumers who enjoy savoring wines and would like to enhance their experiences.
There are considerable opportunities for selecting the most suitable wines for indi-
vidual palates and purposes. Several options exist in our area for sampling diverse wines, including visiting any of the High Country American Viticultural Area (AVA) wineries, stopping by one of the region’s specialty bottle shops for organized or independent tastings, or going to local restaurants that offer wine tastings and wine-pairing dinners. Any or all of these alternatives let you explore a wider range of wines to find the best options for your needs.
Articles and books abound discussing how to taste wine, and most involve some form of the sight, swirl, smell, sip, and savor technique. The sight part of a tasting seems pretty straightforward: you are looking for color, clarity and viscosity. However, with wine nothing is quite so simple. Wine color might indicate how full bodied a wine is, or how tannic. Clarity might help distinguish the age or variety of wine. Viscosity, sometimes noted as “wine legs,” refers to the consistency and alcohol levels of wine.
And what are you searching for as you swirl and sniff wine? Well, that too is subjective. The smell or “nose” refers to the aroma of the wine, contributing to how you process flavor. Swirling the wine first
By Kim S. Davis
releases the aromas into the air so you can determine the “nose” more easily. You might only smell wine, and that is okay, but if you are able to distinguish specific aromas such as fruity, floral, or earthy, that can enhance the taste and your enjoyment of the wine.
Sipping and savoring are the most conspicuous aspects of wine tasting. The unique flavors in wine often compel wine tasters to compare wines to other more approachable tastes, such as apple, pear, cherry, tobacco, etc. Because wine is such a discriminable beverage, your individual tastes should come before any suggested rules or rituals. However, there are standards that make the tasting experience more enjoyable.
Depending on where and why you engage in wine-tasting, you might choose to participate in an organized tasting in which a professional guides you through the process. Or, if you are leisurely enjoying a glass of wine or two, a flight of similar or varied wines, or wine paired with food, you can follow some general guidelines to help prepare your palate to maximize the tasting.
For new wine drinkers who are unsure if they prefer sweet or dry wines, white versus red, or red versus rosé, etc., a good place to
EXPLORE A WIDER RANGE OF WINES TO FIND THE BEST OPTIONS FOR YOUR NEEDS
start is with a lighter bodied wine. In general, white wines tend to be more floral or fruity, whereas red wines are more robust and earthy, although there are whites and reds that take on different characteristics. If you plan to taste more than one wine at a sitting, you should begin with lighter bodied before full bodied, dry before sweet, and younger wines before aged ones. Most wineries, wine shoppes, and restaurants will serve multiple wines in the appropriate order but always ask for assistance if you are unsure. Remember the social aspect of wine—wine lovers enjoy conversing about the subtleties and properties of the beverage.
Whether you are a novice or seasoned wine drinker, there are always occasions to expand your palate and sample wines you have never tasted. Hopefully the suggestions above will inspire wine lovers to head out to one of the amazing wineries, knowledgeable wine shoppes, or creative dining establishments here in the High Country and savor some wonderful wines.
Tasting Notes
Tannins refer to the dryness, bitterness, and astringency of a wine. A tannic wine is on the opposite end of the spectrum from sweet. Tannins come from skins, seeds, and stems being in contact with the juice longer, and also from oak barrel aging. The woody properties add texture, mouthfeel, weight, and structure to wine.
Try sparkling whites and lighter whites like Prosecco, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc before bolder whites like Chardonnay and Viognier. Lighter reds such as Grenache, Pinot Noir, and Primitivo should be tasted before bolder reds like Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.
Because wine extols food, any tasting is enhanced by including food. Even if it is just a cracker or bite of cheese to “cleanse the palate” between tasting categories, or a more formal pairing with heartier foods, it is best to include either congruent or similar flavors, such as creamy nibbles with creamy wines, or contrasting flavors for balance, like salty foods with bubbles, or spicy bites with sweeter wines.
Heart & Vascular Care
Exceptional heart care is just a heartbeat away. With three locations in Watauga, Ashe, and Avery counties, it’s never been easier for patients to access comprehensive intervention and diagnostic services here at home.
If you are experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, or other life-threatening symptoms, call 911. If you are at risk for heart disease or heart failure or are experiencing minor symptoms, schedule a consultation today. Heart & Vascular Center 336 Deerfield Road, Boone, NC 28607
Feeding Avery Families (FAF) is a non-profit food pantry in Avery County, NC, that is dedicated to eliminating hunger by providing supplemental food assistance to those in need. The organization's mission is achieved through monetary and food donations, and a committed group of volunteers.
n FAF serves residents of Avery and surrounding areas including Newland, Banner Elk, Elk Park, Beech Mountain, Crossnore, Linville and more.
n FAF provides supplemental food assistance to 500+ families (1,100+ individuals each month).
n FAF distributed more than 450,000 pounds of food in 2023, enough for 375,000 individual meals.
If you’d like to make a financial donation, visit the Feeding Avery Families website at feedingaveryfamilies.org.
Navigating Information Overload
By Libby Whyte
Withthis recent trend of following wellness influencers, people often become innocent consumers of endless tips and tricks. From drinking olive oil to perineum sunning, these little trends can be enticing when promising a figurative ‘fountain of youth.’ Our social media, television, and health-minded friends and family are always promoting something more that we “should be doing” for our health. This can lead to information overload and leave us feeling completely inadequate.
We are all so radically different! Our bodies are made differently, time is managed by our circumstances, and tolerance levels vary. There is much power in taking over your health to realize the results you’ve been looking for, but let me assure you that acting on these borderline satirical health trends won’t get you any closer to that goal.
This is how you can take your power back: by simply knowing you are unique and your health needs are unlike all others’. I suggest spending time thinking about your goals and what results you’d like to see in yourself. Additionally, plan the amount of time you have available to put wellness practices in motion. Before you go out and buy the most popular supplements, get your hormone levels and blood tested for deficiencies. More importantly, be sure you are
drinking filtered water, getting rest, eating whole foods in three well-balanced meals and moving your body outside in the fresh air.
Always remember that wellness is not a static state. There will be fluctuations in the Illness-Wellness continuum that will present challenges, making life interesting. It is inherently good for our souls to improve our wellness, especially when we keep a balance of our mental, emotional and physical health. These are the three pillars of transformation. With all three we are strong, but when one falters, imbalance begins. From something as simple as a stressful drive home after a long day at work, our dinner might not be digested properly and the gut will suffer the consequences. But taking time to joyfully prepare dinner and peacefully eat can restore your attitude and improve your digestion.
Above all, you are your own best advocate and expert on your individual health. Intuition has guided you well and leaning into it is valuable! So unfollow that account, change the channel, and learn that a “no, thank you” can be one of the best tools in your toolbox.
Libby Whyte is a personal nutrition specialist. You can contact her at libwhyte@gmail.com.
In 2021, the state granted AMOREM’s request to build a hospice patient care unit for residents of the High Country. Donate today or learn more at 828.754.0101, www.amoremsupport.org or scan here!
Change
Enveloped by the beauty of autumn in the High Country, the warm hues of fallen leaves conjure deeper reflections on what will be left with us to carry through the long winter.
Prepare your mind to receive the stillness that fall, and then winter, brings. Often when the invitations to gatherings begin flowing in, we feel obligated to arrive at every event with our best foot forward. Perhaps this is the season to rest at home with your loved ones. If you are feeling more lonely than usual, this may be the right time to invest in your community.
Nourish your body to prepare for the challenges of cold weather and holiday treats. With the progressive loss of daylight, our primary source of vitamin D, be reminded to prioritize early morning or evening sunlight exposure. Boost your vitamin C intake with citrus and leafy greens.
Finally, embrace stillness and reflect on the summer, another season that has passed— note your achievements and celebrate them. Appreciate your challenges and how they provide strength for your soul. Receive the gift of grace, peace and rest as winter approaches.
Be Well
—Samantha Steele
See the beauty. Taste the tradition. Feel at
SUNSET DRIVE • BLOWING ROCK
(One Block Off Main Street)
Restaurant: 828-295-3466
Serving Dinner Inn: 828-295-9703
Music on the Lawn Fridays May–October Ragged-Gardens.com
Consistently voted the “Best of the Best” Liquor store in the
Largest Whiskey selection in the area Handpicked Single Barrel Bourbons and Whiskeys currently available:
To a medium sauce pan, add the whites of the green onion and all chutney ingredients and simmer until apples are soft, about 10 minutes.
While the chutney simmers, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Season pork with chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side and let rest for 5 minutes, top with chutney and green onions and enjoy!
made with love!
Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale and Chorizo
INGREDIENTS
1 small butternut squash peeled and cubed
2 TBSP olive oil
9 oz chorizo
4-5 cups chopped kale
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp cumin
½ cup Cotija cheese
¼ cup roasted pumpkin seeds
DIRECTIONS:
In a large pan, brown chorizo over medium high heat and set aside.
To the same pan add the olive oil, garlic and cubed butternut squash. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook for 15- 20 minutes, tossing as needed.
Add chopped kale and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Top with Cotija cheese and pumpkin seeds.
Upside Down Spiced Pear Cake
INGREDIENTS:
4 TBSP unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp cardamom
3 pears, peeled
1 spice cake mix
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil or butter
4 eggs
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place butter in a 9” round cake pan and heat in oven until butter is melting. Once melted, sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter.
Cut peeled pears in half lengthwise and remove cores. Cut pears again lengthwise in ¼-in. thick slices and place in a large bowl.
Sprinkle pears with cinnamon and cardamom and gently toss to coat. Arrange pear slices over the butter mixture in pan, slightly overlapping.
In a medium bowl add spice cake mix with milk, butter and 4 eggs.
Carefully spoon and spread cake batter over the pears.
Bake cake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cake cool for 10 minutes and then carefully invert cake onto serving plate.
