May Magazine

WHAT’S INSIDE:

High Country Fungi

Crossnore’s Vance Family Chairwoman Martha Hicks

Ashe County Young Professionals

Spruce Pine Alien Festival

Air Painters

Roast of the Town

By Jan Todd

“People come in day after day, and we get o know them. It has been a beautiful experience. Seeing people as they start their day, serving them, it is joyful.” – Josiah Davis

High Country Fungi

By Abigail Sherrin

“Our business is nothing without he people who support it. So, we pour our hearts into providing a quality product and everyone just, you know, they embraced it.” – Avery Hughes

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture

By Anna Beth Adcock

“There are so many benefits to buying local food. When you buy local, it improves your helath and it creates a stronger sense of community through knowing you neighbors and helping them thrive.”

– Katie Ferrell

Vance's of Crossnore

By Sherrie Norris

“I was doing my training at Broughton Hospital in Morganton and must’ve been quite the site in my white uniform, with my skin and hair nearly the same color.” – Mary Lou

Martha Hicks

By Tim Gardner

“I have a deep love for being a commissioner. Owners and bosses of businesses in Avery County gave me a job, and I wanted to pay back o the Avery County people however I could.” – Martha Hicks

Fruitful Endeavors and Future Adventures

As May breezes in, the unpredictable weather patterns of spring are leveling out into an easy mountain summer. The milder climate brings with it the growth of the High Country’s best agricultural staples, and this resurgence summons a bounty of artists, farmers, and entrepreneurs to Watauga, Avery, and Ashe counties. High Country Press Publications has the great pleasure of honoring a few of these small businesses in the May 2023 issue of High Country Magazine.

This year, Boone, Blowing Rock, and the greater High Country are chock-full of summer delights, from zip-lining tours to wine tastings to kayaking and tubing. And with the release of our Summer 2023 Visitor Guide, getting access to information on these events and tours will be simple. The free resource will be available on stands throughout the High Country in late May. A lot of love and attention went into creating these guides, and our intrepid team of researchers are excited to get this knowledge out to our readers, especially our new inclusion of Ashe County events in the Visitor Guide! I will be participating in events coming up in June, and I cannot wait to share what is in store for visitors and residents alike.

With local farmers in the midst of harvesting spring crops, this May we cover an extensive network of farmers creating unity between food producers in the High Country. This month’s issue covers their renewed efforts this spring to support local workers in the food system. This next generation of farmers will do amazing things for the High Country and its various communities. I have personally benefited from their fruitful endeavors; after a meeting with BRWIA members, I left with a truckful of the most vibrant, healthy-looking carrots I have ever encountered. Their strawberries on the cover of this May 2023 issue are just a sampling of the gorgeous produce we can expect from the farmers that work with BRWIA.

Along with the success of BRWIA, this month we are pleased to spotlight a couple other small businesses serving the High Country. High Country Fungi’s mushrooms have been blessing the community since fall of 2020, and the chocolatiers and sommeliers of Venture Chocolate and Wine Co. celebrate a new location opening on King Street. Having spoken with these business owners personally, I look forward to seeing how they flourish throughout the summer.

Spring is shaping up to be an exciting season for High Country Press, and summer promises to be even more so. Our readers mean everything to us at High Country Press Publications, and I want to thank you for following along with us as we gear up for more adventures. Enjoy the May 2023 issue and get ready for some exciting content!

Thank you!

A Public Ation o f High Country Press Publications

Publisher / editor

Sam Garrett

design

Ashley Poore

contributing Writers

Anna Beth Adcock

Tim Gardner

Maddie Lipe

Harley Nefe

Sherrie Norris

Abigail Sherrin

Kris Testori

Jan Todd

cover Photogr APher

Courtesy of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture

High Country Magazine is produced by the staff and contributors of High Country Press Publications, which serves Watauga, Avery and Ashe counties of North Carolina.

HIGH COUNTRY MAGAZINE P.O. Box 152, Boone, NC 28607 828-264-2262

Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved

Sam Garrett - Publisher

Local farmers and Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture work hard to provide the High Country with fresh fruit such as these strawberries. Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

Sam Garrett picking up food from Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture at the Food Hub in Boone to deliver it to Casting Bread Market in Blowing Rock. Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture.

Blowing Rock Florist Sells After More Than 25 Years of Creating ‘Wonderful Memories’; A New Florist Blooms in Her Place

STORY BY KRIS TESTORI

Along-time Blowing Rock business owner has put down her watering can and sold her flower shop after almost 26 years of creating and selling flower arrangements. Owner Carol Aldridge sold Park Place Florist, a quaint shop tucked away on Morris Street, to Holly Newsome.

“I am thrilled to be here in Blowing Rock, I love this area more than any other place on earth,” Newsome said. “I grew up traveling and living abroad with a military father. Then, while in college, I was fortunate to travel to the far east, and to Europe. I have been to many countries, but I have always, always looked forward to returning home to my mountains,” she shared. “I am so very proud to live here and to be a Blowing Rock small business owner.”

The flower shop has been an integral part of the community since the 1970s when it was owned by Ruth Townsend. Carol Aldridge, a Blowing Rock native, bought the shop in 1997, moving it to its current location a year later. Aldridge prides herself on the attention to detail she put into her flower arrangements. “I always loved plants and flowers and cultivating relationships with customers,” she said. “My arrangements are not cookie cutter; my reputation is always on the line. It's been a wonderful job, and it's been good to me,” she added. “I sure have made wonderful memories and have met a lot of wonderful people.”

Aldridge is assisting in the flower shop as Newsome transitions. “Carol has made sure I have a good grasp on the ins and outs of running a successful floral business and is staying on to help

with anything I may need help with,” Newsome said. For now, continuing with her predecessor's tradition of creating gorgeous custom-designed flower arrangements and personalized service is Newsome's goal. “I also hope to grow the business by creating a new website and offering specials to the loyal local clientele,” she said. “I have always loved flowers and being surrounded by things of beauty. Now every day, I get to play with flowers and deliver flowers with a smile, to help brighten people's days.”

Newsome originally moved to the area to attend Appalachian State, graduating in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. “I had plans to be a writer. Instead, I pursued a career in law enforcement and retired as a Special Agent from state law enforcement in 2022,” she said. “I wasn't ready to retire completely, and was looking for something that would interest me, and which I would find to be fun and exciting, but that would be a complete 180-degree reversal from what I had been doing. It was then I discovered Park Place Florist, a Blowing Rock staple since the 1970s, was for sale. I met Carol Aldridge, who had owned the business for the past 26 years, and my heart told me that buying the flower shop was one hundred percent the right thing to do.”

“The town of Blowing Rock is one of a kind, and I cannot wait to meet all of my neighbors,” Newsome said. “Please call or come by the flower shop. It is tiny but very welcoming. We can do any size order, from one boutonniere or corsage for prom to the largest of orders for resorts, country clubs, special events, and, of course, weddings.” t

Park Place Florist, a Blowing Rock staple since the 1970's, has recently changed hands. Holly Newsome, who purchased Park Place Florist in December, shows off her flower arrangements.

Local

Band

Cigarettes @ Sunset Prepares for Upcoming Performces

The strumming of Ryland Bagbey’s guitar and the beat of Owen Yawn’s drum set resound throughout the worn wooden walls of an old barn located off a backroad in Banner Elk.

Lights hang on the barn ceiling, creating a warm environment as well as a personal touch added in with a skate ramp and vintage furniture.

Cigarettes @ Sunset band members, lead singer Garrett Dellinger, violinist Sarah Elizabeth Vann, bassist Wells Whitman, drummer Owen Yawn and guitarist Ryland Bagbey are preparing for their upcoming shows, having most recently performed at the second annual Thaw Out Fest on April 22.

After being the only band voted into Thaw Out Fest’s lineup, host organization Draba placed Cigarettes @ Sunset to open for Adam Church.

The band started recording demos three years ago with Bagbey and Dellinger as members and Yawn as the band’s producer. The band originated out of Banner Elk, where Bagbey, Dellinger and Yawn grew up.

“Ferrari,” “Boy Band” and “Great, Kid” are among the demos that the band created before they started performing in September.

Yawn had never played the drums before at the two-week mark before the band’s first show. “He bought a drum kit and learned how to play, and we kind of just went from there,” Dellinger said.

Now, the band plays at the TApp Room, Lily’s, among other venues throughout the High Country.

“We feel really fortunate. It’s really cool that we get to do something like that and to play for that many people,” Dellinger said.

Vann, who has been playing violin since she was five years old and performed classical music most of her life, said the atmosphere Cigarettes @ Sunset brings is a lot different from the more formal setting she’s used to.

“People are quiet and sitting down and

STORY BY MADDIE LIPE

dressed up, and this isn’t,” Vann said. Whitman, who is originally from Raleigh, recounted how he ended up playing bass guitar for Cigarettes @ Sunset. Whitman was and still is in another band named Yesdude! and offered to play bass for Cigarettes @ Sunset because they didn’t have a bassist when they first started playing shows.

The plan was for Whitman to fill in until Cigarettes at Sunset found a bassist, but he stuck around and Whitman said one day Dellinger said, “You know you’re in now. It’s decided.”

“And I’ve been here ever since,” Whitman said.

Whitman said the band went to Wilmington recently for their first out-oftown show, but ever since the weather got colder, the band has had more recent shows at the TApp Room, Noble Kava Boone and Lily’s Snack Bar.

“They’ve been really good to us and all the bands by providing us a place to play,” Whitman said.

Each of the band members have their

favorite songs to perform. For Dellinger, either “Ferrari,” which is an original or the band’s cover of “Vampire Blues” by Neil Young.

For Yawn, either “Great, Kid,” which is an original or their cover of “Lost” by Frank Ocean. Vann seconded the Frank Ocean cover as her favorite song to play in front of a live audience.

Bagbey laughed and said, “I hate all of them equally.”

Cigarettes @ Sunset released their first single “Whatever U Say” in March 2022 and has since released “Ferrari,” “Get By,”and “Misery Forever” with Yesdude!

Cigarettes @ Sunset also released their first album, “Mr. Pucky and The Star Destroyers” on April 7. The album is available for pre-save or pre-add on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer.

“We couldn’t have done this without everyone’s support over the last year,” Cigarettes @ Sunset posted to Instagram. “We’re gonna give you everything we got!” t

Band members, from left to right, Wells Whitman, Garrett Dellinger, Ryland Bagbey, Sarah Elizabeth Vann and Owen Yawn pose for a picture at band practice. Photo by Maddie Lipe.

2023 Yves Delorme Flores, Etoile

Carolina Gal

By Jan Todd

How does your garden grow?

Spring is in the air, and The Mustard Seed has cars piling up on Highway 321 with folks lined up for plants to take home and put in the dirt.

I used to love to garden. I’d go to the local garden center, full of hopes and dreams of home-grown tomatoes and BLT’s. I’d envision myself picking okra, ready to fry, and munching on cherry tomatoes, right off the vine.

But the plants had other ideas. As they saw me approaching with my cart, the seedlings would tremble and hide, even wilting as I got near so they wouldn’t have to go home with me and be subjected to certain death. Somehow they sensed my thumb was anything but green.

I remember one of my first landscaping attempts. Inspired by the beautiful flower garden photos in Southern Living, I ordered a large batch of bulbs from the mail order section of the magazine. When they arrived, I proceeded to spend an entire weekend planting dozens and dozens of tulip bulbs in my plant beds. I was so excited, envisioning a little patch of Holland springing up in my very own yard.

After the weekend, my back ached from bending over and digging a million or so 3” holes, but I was proud of my efforts and bragged to the folks at work about the magical garden yet to come.

“Tulips are so pretty,” one of my coworkers said. “Too bad the blooms only last for a few days.”

WHAT? A few DAYS? How could I not know that? I thought they’d stay in bloom for the whole summer, bless my heart. To add insult to injury, I had planted the majority of the bulbs upside down, and when spring arrived, I had a total of five flowers actually break through the ground to bloom. Scraggly little things for their four days of glory.

For well over a decade, I attempted a vegetable garden each year. My dear husband Tony, who is a strict meat-itarian and shuns anything that resembles a bean, would nevertheless till my garden plot, spread compost and hoe rows for me to plant. (Is that true love, or what?)

I tried growing all sorts of fruits and veggies in my garden: okra, peppers, watermelons, spinach, various herbs,

tomatoes, cucumbers and squash.

Sometimes I’d get lulled in by a false sense of spring and plant too early, losing the whole crop to a late frost. Other times I’d battle droughts, monsoons, blight, weeds, bunnies, bugs and deer. Oh dear, the deer!

I consulted experts, read articles, tested soil. I invested in soaker hoses, state-ofthe-art sprinklers, organic pest control and hula hoes for the weeds. (That’s a thing.) Gardeners in my circle of friends took me on as their personal project, challenging themselves to help me grow anything in my pitiful plot of dirt.

Yet year after year, despite my efforts and investments, my gardens produced very, very little. At one point, I calculated my cost to be about eighty bucks per tomato sandwich.

Finally, I realized the weekly farmers’ market is the most economical choice for me, and I gave up gardening for good. While I do miss digging in the dirt, I take comfort in the fact the plants at the local nursery rest easier when I walk down the aisle. t

For those born without a working green thumb, the Farmer’s Market is an economical choice! Photo by Jan Todd

Engineered to Protect

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Why?

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828-264 -5650

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Yes, GAF shingles are made in the USA! Ever since GAF was founded as the Standard Print Company in 1886, it has been based in the United States. Now, GAF is considered the leading roofing manufacturer in North America, and plants are located throughout the United States.

Spruce Pine Prepares For Alien Invasion in June

STORY BY HARLEY NEFE

Located just under an hour from Boone, and even Asheville, the town of Spruce Pine is preparing for its second annual Alien Festival that will be out of this world. Everyone is invited to join UFO enthusiasts and alien lovers who will descend upon downtown Spruce Pine in the hopes of encountering extraterrestrials on June 10, 2023.

The Spruce Pine Alien Festival, which was formerly known as the SPACE Festival, is a one-day event that will be held all day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both of the main streets in the area, Upper Street (Oak Avenue) and Lower Street (Locust Avenue).

“It’s a big event, and we are super excited about it,” Show Director Sherry Sautner said.

This event follows the 2019 festival that was highly successful with about 7,500 people in attendance. Sautner, who was one of the original attendees and vendors at the festival, explained the foundation of the event.

Many local residents in the area have reported an astounding number of unexplained UFO sightings in and near the small town, and it is no small wonder that the event will be packed with UFO and alien believers.

“There have been so many sightings in Spruce Pine, and not just during the night, during the day as well,” Sautner said.

There are more UFO sightings in Spruce Pine and Mitchell County than anywhere else in North Carolina. In addition, the state of North Carolina is in the top 10 UFO hot spots in the United States.

Sautner further shared that she has met so many individuals who have their own unique stories that are similar to her personal experiences .

“When you start having collaborating witnesses for events that are happening in our small town here, it starts to all make sense,” she said.

Perhaps it’s because of the dark skies in the rural area that offer expansive views from atop the surrounding mountains. However, to discover the answer to the ultimate question of “Are we alone in the universe?” folks are invited to attend the UFOXPO speaker conference where a lineup of guest speakers makes for an extraterrestrial event you won’t want to miss.

Alien believers and skeptics seeking knowledge of the latest sightings over the U.S. and Canada can get inside accounts from expert speakers like headliner Mike Bara from the History Channel’s hit show “Ancient Aliens” along with featured UFO speaker Brittany Barbieri, best-selling UFO author Brooks Agnew, aerospace engineer and space technology consultant David Adair, and Thom Reed, who will all reveal insights and the truth surrounding the U.S. government activities and coverups.

Thom Reed is well-known for the first and only UFO incident to be deemed historically true in America. He and his family had an encounter while in a car in Massachusetts in 1969. His family’s UFO incident resides in the Roswell UFO Museum, and there’s a UFO park in Massachusetts dedicated to his family,

All of the vendors are creating special products just for the event. We asked them to decorate their booths and create products that are alien related. They are ramping it up and trying to make it really unique.

- SHERRY

Mike Bara

Brittany Barbieri

David Adair

Thom Reed

Brooks Agnew

SAUTNER

which the Roswell UFO Museum sponsors.

“I hold UFO conferences in Roswell, New Mexico, and now I’m doing my best to branch out to North Carolina,” Reed shared.

Thom Reed has also appeared on “Ancient Aliens,” “Travel Channel,” “Netflix Unsolved Mysteries,” along with being the subject of numerous documentaries. He is the founder of UFOXPO, which assisted in hosting the alien festival.

To listen to the group of speakers along with special guests on Zoom at the conference, general admission is $40 per ticket. There is also the opportunity to access not only the speaker conference but to attend the Bierdock Brewery Private VIP Party with all of the speakers for $75 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Apart from the speaker conference, in a unified celebration, the streets of Spruce Pine will be lined with over 150 unique vendors spread across nearly a mile showcasing and selling various art, crafts, and commercial goods that represent the universe including the sun, moons, stars, UFOs, aliens, paranormal, and so much more.

“All of the vendors are creating special products just for the event,” Sautner shared. “We asked them to decorate their booths and create products that are alien related. They are ramping it up and trying to make it really unique.”

Visitors can shop from a variety of galactic goods ranging from t-shirts, gems and jewelry, wood signs, decorative glass products, toys, crochet items, quilts, candles, makeup, key chains, purses, car freshies, leather products, pet supplies, laser engravings shadow boxes, original art, woodwork, baked goods, among many other offerings. There will truly be something for everyone.

Shops and businesses throughout Spruce Pine will hold special sales and space products just for the event. Guests can browse and wander through the town's gift shops, such as

the Market on Oak, Rocks and Things, and Toe River Arts Studio. Savvy shoppers will also have a blast checking out Blue Mountain Gifts, the official alien store located in the middle of the festival on Oak Avenue within the show venue.

In addition to merchandise, guests can experience the fantastic food from local restaurants featuring menus specifically designed for the festival. For example, Hef’s is known for its stellar burgers

Attendees participate in the Area 51 Costume Contest. Photo courtesy of Spruce Pine Alien Festival.

Visitors can stroll the streets filled with over 150 vendors. Photo courtesy of Spruce Pine Alien Festival.

and Bierdock Brewery for its rich crafted beers. Out-of-this-World food can also be found at the Venus Food Court with local food trucks fueling up the thousands of UFO hunters and show trekkies. Far Out food trailer will be easily recognizable by their space themed UFO mural and will be serving up mouthwatering BBQ and panini sandwiches, No. 3 Grill will be grilling up chicken and burgers to serve with a swirl ice drink that looks like the Milky Way Galaxy. La Taqueri Estrella is making an alien favorite – Mexican tacos. UFO funnel cakes, alien popcorn, green cotton candy, Waldensian wine slushies, green apple lemonade, celestial cupcakes, baked goods and a ton of other fantastic food delights will also be available.

While sporting galactic gear and consuming delicious treats, visitors can then enjoy some entertainment with the Milky Way Music Stage rocking the crowd all day long. Headline band “Thirty Ought Six” will thrill music lovers and rumble the ground beneath their feet as they kick off this stellar music concert for a good time.

Last but not least, there will also be an Area 51 Costume Contest where adults, children, and even pets are encouraged to dress in the spirit of their favorite alien, martian, monster or astronaut costumes to compete for prizes including gift certificates, telescopes, and more.

For more information about the Spruce Pine Alien Festival and to purchase tickets for the speaker conference, please visit www.SprucePineAlienFestival.com. t

Original artwork representing space is just one of many finds. Photo courtesy of Spruce Pine Alien Festival.

Between a music stage, a childrens' space, a speaker conference, and more, there is always lots to explore. Photo courtesy of Spruce Pine Alien Festival.

Roast of the Town Roast of the Town

STORY BY JAN TODD

Josiah Davis knows beans. He and his wife, Meredith, opened Local Lion roastery and coffee shop in Boone in 2012, and Venture Chocolate and Wine shop on King Street in 2022.

Local Lion, located at 791 Blowing Rock Road near the Appalachian State University campus, offers small batch craft coffee, roasted daily in the shop. Beverages from the full espresso bar are complemented by scratch made donuts, prepared in-house every morning using an award winning recipe from the 1930s.

Downtown at Venture, the aromas are different but just as tantalizing. Chocolate is made on-site, beginning with cacao beans from all over the world. On the street level, display cases filled with hand-crafted bon bons and other confections tempt customers to try treats made by the shop’s chocolatiers. Sipping chocolate, coffee and cappuccino are perfect accompaniments available from the espresso bar.

Whether sourcing coffee beans or cacao beans, Josiah said they consider the farmers. “We want to know who we’re getting our beans from, their farming techniques and practices,” he said. “Our products are special, and it is important that we know exactly where the ingredients come from.”

The same selection principles apply when stocking the wine bar — a surprisingly large space on the lower level of Venture.

“Customers are always surprised when they go downstairs,” Josiah said. “The street facing of the shop isn’t very long, but the basement level stretches under the whole building."

The wine bar offers ample seating for patrons to enjoy bottles or by-the-glass offerings carefully selected by Josiah and Meredith — wine enthusiasts who have earned their sommelier certificates.

“We don’t carry mass market wines,” Josiah said. “We buy from winemakers who work with the crop they have that year

Josiah and Meredith Davis share a glass of wine during the construction phase of Venture. They expanded the lower level of the building — sawing through walls and bringing in a small bulldozer to dig out the crawl space to create the wine cellar and bar area. Photo submitted.

The chocolate lounge on the street level of Venture contains a display of bonbons and confections, an espresso bar and a seating area. Photo by Jan Todd

-

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do at all, and I had a fantastic time in Alaska,” he said. “I learned to work hard and enjoyed seeing a little more of the world.”

she’d come back,” Josiah said.

Meredith did return, and after they married, the two worked as resident counselors and life coaches at the Crossnore School & Children’s Home.

and make the best wine possible from the elements produced.”

In addition to fine wines, Venture’s menu features a robust whiskey selection, which pairs well with the charcuterie, chocolates and cheeses.

A foundation of quality products and excellent customer service is the secret of his business success, Josiah said. The Local Lion has been voted “Best of Boone” for coffee and donuts several times and was awarded Business of the Year by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce in 2020.

A Serendipitous Beginning

While Josiah has achieved success in his local businesses, it was never a path he visualized when he was younger.

He was born in Boone in 1982, the oldest of five children. His parents, David and Freida Davis, were App State graduates and educators. After graduating from Watauga High School, Josiah was eager for adventure, and spent a year in Alaska working on a fishing boat.

When Josiah returned to Boone, he attended Caldwell Community College and then transferred to App State, earning degrees in philosophy and religion and in history. He stopped in the campus coffee shop one day and met his future wife Meredith, an anthropology major who was the assistant manager at the shop.

Meredith graduated a couple of years before Josiah and was on her way to Africa to work for six months. “I proposed to her the day she left, hoping

“We were both mission-minded, and I thought we’d end up out of the country serving in mission work,” Josiah shared. “We went to Tibet a couple of times and had the opportunity to move there in 2008 to run a café in a Jewish community.”

Fate intervened. China hosted the Olympics in 2008 and Tibetans took

Coffee is roasted daily on-site at The Local Lion, ensuring fresh product — and tempting aromas. Photo by Jan Todd

We want to know who we’re getting our beans from, their farming techniques and practices. Our products are special, and it is important that we know exactly where the ingredients come from.

JOSIAH DAVIS

advantage of the world stage to hold protests and demonstrations about the Chinese government’s treatment of Tibetans. In response, China tightened security and cancelled visas to Tibet — putting the kibosh on the Davis’s plans.

They returned to work at Crossnore, and Josiah opened a side business cleaning fire hoods at restaurants.

“It was a tough job, a dirty job,” he recalled. “I’d go out in the middle of the night to pressure wash grease off the hoods. Not many people wanted to do that kind of work, especially in the middle of winter when it was snowing and the roads were bad. I served most of the restaurants in Boone.”

In 2011, the couple did some “soul searching,” Josiah said. “We had a daughter, and living on-site at Crossnore was becoming difficult with a toddler. Our life plan wasn’t working out.”

They decided to explore opening their own business and discussed a coffee shop. “I’d been drinking coffee since I was eight years old and I loved it. Meredith knew a bit about the business from her college job. We decided to just go for it,” Josiah said.

They were driving down Blowing Rock Road and passed TCBY, a frozen yogurt shop that had been in business his “whole life,” Josiah said. “Meredith mentioned if it ever closed, it would be the perfect place for a coffee shop.”

The very next time they drove by the location, there was a sign announcing the closure of TCBY and an advertisement for the lease. “We couldn’t believe it, but still didn’t call the owner right away, because we didn’t think we could afford it,” Josiah recalled.

Meanwhile, Josiah was seeking direction about his future plans. “I took 21 days of intense prayer and deep reflection about what we should do. During that time, I had a dream about a man who walked up to me and poked me in the chest. ‘Four months from now an unexpected door will open in your life,’ the man told me. I woke up and wrote down the date,” Josiah shared.

Four months later to the day, Josiah and Meredith were picking up pizza at Smoky Mountain Bakers in Roan Mountain. “The owner there struck up a conversation with me about buying his donut

Venture offers a large selection of wines by the glass or sale by bottle, plus an extensive selection of whiskey. Photo by Jan Todd

Cozy chairs, tables and booths next to the wine cellar provide a relaxing atmosphere for patrons to enjoy wine, whiskey, coffee and cocktails, charcuterie and desserts. Photo by Jan Todd

Josiah Davis believes quality products and excellent customer service are the foundation for business success. He and his wife are wine aficionados and select the wines and beverages available for sale at Venture. Photo submitted

I’d been drinking coffee since I was eight years old and I loved it. Meredith knew a bit about the business from her college job. We decided to just go for it

- JOSIAH DAVIS

equipment,” Josiah said. “He pulled out a book entitled ‘Chefs of California’ and flipped to a threepage spread about himself. He had won gold medals for his donuts at the Harvest Fair in Sonoma. He’d retired in Roan Mountain and was making breads in a brick oven.”

Josiah explained to the man he wasn’t yet in business and did not have a loan secured. Meredith then pulled him aside and reminded him about the dream. “It has been four months and I don’t see any other doors opening,” Meredith told Josiah. “I think we should do this.”

They made arrangements to purchase the equipment, and the baker shared his recipe and taught Josiah and Meredith to make the donuts.

Building a Business, Building Community

The couple secured the former TCBY building and opened up their business on a shoestring budget. “We didn’t have enough money, but the community came in and helped us so much. We bought used equipment, worked long hours and slept in the shop. People saw a young family trying to start something and contractors were generous with us. We had lots of help from family and friends and people we didn’t even know,” Josiah said.

Appalachia Cleaning Co.

Chocolate treats available for sale at Venture, which may be consumed on site or boxed for gifts.

Photo by Jan Todd.

Ashley Lindemulder makes chocolate in the open kitchen, downstairs at Venture.

Photo by Jan Todd.

How a Bean Becomes a Bar

Venture sources cacao beans from around the world, including origins such as Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Uganda and Haiti. The dried beans are roasted in small batches at Venture, for about 50 minutes per batch.

“The chocolate develops its flavors during the roasting process,” said Jeshua Jolly, chocolate maker and chocolatier at Venture and partner in the business.

After roasting, he puts the beans into a cracker and winnower which removes the husks from the nibs — crumbled bits of the beans. Next, Jeshua places the nibs into a melanger, which spins the chocolate for about 48 hours and converts it into liquid. Raw organic sugar is added during this process.

In a “perfect world,” Jeshua said he transfers the liquid chocolate into the tempering machine before it cools. However, if he is in the middle of another process, the chocolate solidifies and he has to chop it into little pieces before tempering. The tempering machine melts the chocolate and stabilizes it for making bonbons and bars.

Quality tempered chocolate has a smooth and glossy finish and “snaps” when broken, Jeshua said. “It won’t melt in your hand, but will melt in your mouth,” he added.

They use some of the tempered chocolate for bars — poured into molds until cooled and hardened.

To make bonbons, the chocolatiers pour the tempered chocolate into molds to make the shells, then fill the shells with ganache — a whipped filling of chocolate and cream, with optional natural flavorings added — then cap the bonbon with another thin layer of chocolate. The chocolatier decorates each bonbon with finishing touches. t

Downstairs at Venture is the chocolate making station and open kitchen, where the staff transforms the raw cacao beans into bars, bon bons and other confections. The chocolate is also the star of the show in their house-made desserts — including cheesecakes, tortes, homemade ice creams and crème brulee. Photo by Jan Todd

Venture purchases the finest dried cacao beans from vendors all over the world, then hand crafts bars and confections for sale in the shop. Photo by Jan Todd

Jeshua Jolly is both a chocolate maker and a chocolatier. While many chocolate shops feature chocolatiers who source and blend prepared chocolate to make their own confections, Jeshua and his staff begin with the raw bean and make their own chocolate. He is pictured here with the roasting barrel, used in the first step of making chocolate. Photo by Jan Todd

After roasting and separating the cacao beans from the husks, Joshua places the “nibs” — clean pieces of the beans — into the melanger, which spins and liquifies the chocolate in a process that takes about 48 hours. Photo by Jan

In a perfect world, liquid chocolate from the melanger would go directly into the tempering machine, Jeshua said. Sometimes the chocolate making staff is busy with other tasks, though, and the chocolate cools and hardens. They then need to chop it into small bits prior to tempering.

Photo by Jan Todd

Todd

Ashley Lindemulder uses the tempering machine as the final step in chocolate making, prior to pouring in molds for bonbons, bars and other confections.

- JOSIAH

After working all day at Local Lion, Josiah continued to clean fire hoods at night. “It was rough those first years,” he recalled. When the opportunity arose, he sold his hood cleaning business. The highlight of owning Local Lion was the discovery of community, Josiah said. “People come in day after day and we get to know them. It has been a beautiful experience. Seeing people as they start their day, serving them. It is joyful.”

A few years after opening, Josiah again began reflecting on his life journey. “We had once desired to go to the mountains of the world and do mission work, and here we were in the coffee and donut business. How had that happened? I determined I wanted to be in business in such a way that was more than just profit and loss. I wanted to help others,” he said.

Josiah began developing a plan to encourage and support others, sharing all he had learned in his business. He envisioned a space with a mix of retail space and a conference room where he could encourage entrepreneurship and team building.

With his interest in chocolate — having overlap with coffee in growing regions and production methods — and in wine, the concept for Venture was born.

The Greene & Wilcox building in downtown Boone — which once housed a barber shop and a music store frequented by Doc Watson — had space available and the owner approached Josiah about a second location for Local Lion.

Meredith and Josiah Davis opened opened Local Lion roastery and coffee shop in Boone in 2012, and Venture Chocolate and Wine shop on King Street in 2022. They are pictured in the wine bar at Venture. Photo submitted

Chocolate treats available for sale at Venture, which may be consumed on site or boxed for gifts. Photo by Jan Todd.

People come in day after day and we get to know them. It has been a beautiful experience. Seeing people as they start their day, serving them. It is joyful.

DAVIS

Instead, Josiah proposed the chocolate and wine shop.

He reached out to Jeshua Jolly, a friend and former employee at Local Lion. While a college student at App State, Jeshua served as head baker at the Lion from 2014-2016.

Josiah made Jeshua a sweet proposition. “He said he’d send me to chocolatier school where I could learn the trade, and we could start the business together,” Jeshua said.

Jeshua enrolled in Escole Chocolat professional School of Chocolate Arts, an online program based out of Canada. He learned the steps to make chocolate from dried cocoa beans, professional production skills, and decoration techniques.

“We bought and set up equipment in my basement, and I had my own little chocolate lab,” Jeshua said. “My family and friends ate a lot of chocolate during that time.”

They began construction on the shop downtown and opened in early summer 2022.

“The shop became much bigger than we imagined,” Josiah said. “We expanded the lower level, sawing through walls and bringing in a small bulldozer to dig out the crawl space to create the wine cellar and bar area. It was a massive project.”

They lanched the business without a lot of fanfare. “Basically, we opened the doors just to see what would happen,” Josiah said. “We were really busy through December, then just took a breath after the new year started. Business has been steady. We do most of our business in the evenings, both in the chocolate lounge upstairs and in the wine bar downstairs.”

Jeshua manages the day-to-day chocolate “bean to bar” operations, transforming bags of cacao beans into bon bons, chocolate bars and other sweet treats. Josiah and Meredith split their time between the Local Lion and Venture.

A conference room and meeting space is available for rent at Venture. The downstairs area may also be reserved for private events.

“We hosted a chocolate enrichment for a Mothers Morning Out group recently, where we demonstrated how to make rolled truffles on a stovetop,” Jeshua said. “We can set up grazing tables with cheese and dessert boards for wedding receptions, holiday parties and corporate events in the space as well.”

Venture, located at 605 West King Street, opens at 10am Monday – Saturday and 11am on Sunday. The wine bar menu includes small bites, charcuterie and decadent desserts. t

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High Country Fungi: Mushroom Farmers Triumphantly Respawn for Spring Harvest

STORY BY ABIGAIL SHERRIN

The average large chain grocery store in the United States carries 200 different fresh fruits and vegetables in their produced department. In said produce section, there is only one mushroom on the common market for consumption.

A larger selection of edible fungi can be more commonly found in smaller chain grocery stores and farmers’ markets, thanks to the attention fungi has received in recent years for culinary and medicinal benefits. And northern North Carolina is becoming a hotspot for enthusiastic mushroom foragers and growers alike.

One such enthusiast is High Country Fungi CEO and founder Avery Hughes, a licensed forager and entrepreneur whose passion built a successful mushroomgrowing company in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. His mission is to bring a

plethora of nutrient-dense mushrooms to tables throughout the High Country. And he’s back with another bountiful harvest for spring markets!

Avery articulated deep frustration with the way mushrooms have been marketed in mainstream grocery outlets. Regarding the one mushroom that has an inexplicable hold on the fungal corner of the produce section, he voiced his concern:

“I think 90 something percent of all mushrooms in America that are sold in supermarkets are of a Portobello variety. And Portobello, Baby Bella, and Cremini are all the same mushroom at different growth stages. It’s Agaricus Bisporus.”

And Agaricus Bisporus is the least bioavailable species

on the shelves.

“There’s a huge industry there that doesn’t want to be disrupted. Those mushrooms don’t even really contain compounds that are good for you. There was a study done at Penn State that said that if you consume about 20 grams of mushrooms per day, you would decrease your overall cancer risk by 45%. It was a study done over about 40 years. And it’s

all due to the fact that mushrooms contain a compound called ergothioneine. It’s present in Maitake, Shiitake, in basically every variety except for the Portobellos.”

High Country Fungi supplies more than 10 varieties of cultivated fungi to Watauga and Avery county markets and restaurants and have been successfully serving their community since the Summer of 2021.

Started at the beginning of the pandemic by Avery Hughes and his partner, Miika Greenwood, the company struggled and ultimately bloomed through adversity. Miika Greenwood is the grow room manager responsible for prepping and harvesting outgoing orders for restaurants and stores.

“It's just my partner, Miika, and I,” Avery said. “When COVID hit, she basically quit her job and jumped on board full time with me. So, she joined in and has been a critical part of the operations, and we spend every day together.”

Avery and Miika began their two-person company before the first lockdowns of 2020, and like their carefully sporulated fungi, they learned to take time and flourish in isolation.

“We had done the 2020 Boone Winter Market, then COVID came and we were dealing with all sorts of critical supply issues,” Avery described. “We were using a lot of rubbing alcohol in our laboratory, and we couldn't get any of that due to COVID. We were dealing with logistics of restaurants shutting down; that was going to be our primary source.”

Facing the challenge with patience, Avery and Miika took a step back to fine tune the growth facility’s usage and plan for future production.

They made what profit they could by selling products to local restaurants. They consistently began selling harvest again at the 2021 Watauga County Farmers’ Market and began a wholesale partnership with Boone health food store Earth Fare in August of 2021.

Business has boomed since, or “fruited,” as it were. They sell wholesale to 18 outlets total, stocking Lost Province, The Cardinal, and Booneshine Brewing Co., amongst many local eateries. Most recently, the company has begun selling to Wildwood Community Market in downtown Boone.

2022 was a rousing success for the company’s growth, and Avery feels optimistic about the company’s upward trajectory. He mentioned a recent trip to Knoxville, Tennessee to pick up more equipment that will allow them to expand production.

Miika Greenwood and Avery Hughes are the team behind High Country Fungi’s success. Partners in business and life, they work tirelessly to bring their passion to kitchens throughout the High Country. Here they hold bunches of Pink Oysters and Chestnuts, respectively. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

Maine Cap N’ Stem Pioppinos are a nutrient-dense alternative to Portabellas. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

Chestnuts are slightly nuttier than Portabellas, with edible caps and stems. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

It’s such a tight-knit community. Everyone really just wants to see everyone else succeed. We saw that firsthand. I was on the Watauga Farmer’s Market Board of Directors last year, and just to see how, even when there were problems to solve, they were more community-minded versus competition-minded.

- AVERY HUGHES

He then expressed his gratitude toward his community and the deep connections he was able to make with other local businesses in Avery and Watauga counties.

“It’s such a tight-knit community,” Avery said. “Everyone really just wants to see everyone else succeed. We saw that firsthand. I was on the Watauga Farmers’ Market Board of Directors last year, and just to see how, even when there were problems to solve, they were more community-minded versus competition-minded.”

Avery and Miika are devoted to giving back to Boone, donating excess harvest to the Hospitality House, and joining The Food Hub’s agricultural efforts. In addition to becoming prominent vendors at the Watauga Farmers’ Market, they are now avid customers

as well, collecting 75% of their spring seasonal groceries from their fellow farmers’ tables.

Avery Hughes’s journey to cultivating gourmet and medicinal mushrooms began after moving from Georgia to North Carolina to work for UCLA. The summer after moving, he began interning on a farm in Vilas and immediately knew growing food was in his future. After being shown how to grow Shiitake spores on logs, Avery flew out to Oregon to take a 10day course on commercial mushroom growing. He rented out a small warehouse space, converting it into a grow space, and the rest is history.

The foundation of High Country Fungi is, of course, the mushroom “fruiting bodies,” the fresh gourmet mushrooms sold to a couple dozen restaurants and at local markets. And Hughes isn’t shy about playing favorites.

“Chestnuts are pretty wonderful to watch grow,” Avery described. “From when they start growing to when they finish, there’s something about a lot of caps and stems in a big canopy that’s really satisfying.”

Gourmet varieties like Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms are a popular hit, both at High Country Fungi’s market booth and in restaurants they stock. Countertop grow kits and mixed boxes of gourmet mushrooms are also popular purchases

Pink Oysters are a nutrient-dense culinary and visual delight, often used as a chicken substitute in vegan dishes. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

A culinary favorite, these Golden Oysters are ready to be delivered to restaurants around the High Country. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

from the company on market days.

The year 2022 also brought a surge of expansion for High Country Fungi’s production of medicinal extracts. Avery, a licensed forager in 10 states, concisely explained the extraction process.

“We do small batches in house,” he said. “We either forage or grow all the ingredients. Then, we use an organic, food-grade alcohol to do our first extractions with. Then, we do a water extract, and it's a dual extract. So, alcohol pulls out some compounds, and water pulls out more compounds. You combine the two, and you get a full spectrum extract.”

He cited positive response from the public to these supplemental tinctures.

“We have a lot of repeat customers who use them for a variety of medical issues and daily maintenance,” Avery said.

“I know some folks who have diabetes use a few of them to help with blood sugar. Lion's Mane is used for your memory; Chaga for energy. I used to take mushroom supplements before

Avery and Miika enjoy their Saturday harvest table at the Watauga County Farmers’ Market.

Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

Avery Hughes proudly presents Golden Enokis grown from Maine Cap N’ Stem Co. while wearing a Watauga County Farmers’ Market hat. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

I ever started the business, and it’s nice because now I have my own personal stash. And I know exactly what's going into them.”

His own experiences with his mental health led to a greater understanding of the brainhealing capacity of various mushrooms.

“And even Lion's Mane has helped my focus,” Avery revealed. “I didn't find out until recently that I had undiagnosed ADHD probably my whole life, but I've noticed that Lion's Mane helps me focus and keeps me calm.”

Avery excitedly described his medicinal fungal species of this season’s harvest, Cordyceps. The “shag carpet” shrooms have received a lot of buzz due to their sensationalized depiction in the sci-fi video game and subsequent television series, The Last of Us.

“They’re a Cheeto-looking fungus,” Avery said. “They're a little bit more challenging to grow. I had to fail multiple times before my success in growing them, but they became really popular because of the show.”

We have a lot of repeat customers who use them for a variety of medical issues and daily maintenance. I know some folks who have diabetes use a few of them to help with blood sugar. Lion's Mane is used for your memory; Chaga for energy. I used to take mushroom supplements before I ever started the business, and it’s nice because now I have my own personal stash. And I know exactly what's going into them.

- AVERY HUGHES

This beautiful batch of Pink Oysters on the grow room shelves are close to harvesting. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

High Country Fungi sells perfectly preserved, freeze dried gourmet mushrooms, medicinal extracts, and Grow Your Own Kits in addition to their popular fresh fungi produce. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

The skeptical response to the edibility of these mushrooms is compounded by the Cordyceps spores’ ability to attach to and, ultimately, control insect species. But Hughes lays the fear of human mind-control to rest.

“We've gotten mixed reactions,” he said. “Some people are put off by them; we have to tell them that no, they can't zombify or parasitize humans. They can’t jump species like that. It just doesn't work. It's cool because Cordyceps also grow locally here. If you go outside around June, and you go to a low-lying creek bed where it's really moss, they will actually grow on different insect larva. You'll see them sticking up out of the ground. If you dig down, you'll find the host body.”

Cordyceps, much like Lion’s Mane, is known especially for increasing cognitive function, and specifically mind-to-muscle coordination. It is considered a natural nootropic, and athletes have been using them in recent years to improve performance, Avery elaborated.

“It's a popular medicinal with runners,” he said. “It's good for lung health and energy. They call it the ginseng of mushrooms. I know a lot of endurance athletes use them. I recently sold some to someone who does ultra-marathons, and he did well on his last one with the help of it. He told me he feels like it helped him complete the last half of the ultramarathon with a little more ease.”

With the arrival of mushrooms like Cordyceps, Reishi, Lion’s Mane, and Chaga into the spotlight, emerging energy drink companies like MUD\WTR have begun utilizing their energy-boosting properties to concoct caffeine-replacers. Upon probing Avery for an opinion on the legitimacy of products like these, He simply urged caution and to look for the purest form of the fungi.

“I would say look for anything that uses the mushroom fruiting body, so it's the mushroom itself,” Avery advised. “A lot of companies will use myceliated grain. So, basically, it’s grain spawn that the mycelium has just grown on. They'll take that and grind it up, and use it, but it's a lot of filler. And there's been very little

research on the medicinal benefits of just the mycelium, but nowhere near the extent of research that's been done on using the actual mushrooms. So, there's a few companies that do that. We're one of them.”

Hughes ensures his mushrooms are clean from sporulation to harvest by outsourcing spawn from wholesale biotechnology companies like Terrestrial Fungi and Maine Cap N’ Stem, amongst others.

Left Photo: High Country Fungi’s mixed variety boxes are available for purchase at the Watauga County Farmers’ Market. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

Earth Fare in Boone has a fresh restock of mushrooms! Pictured are some lovely Golden Enokis, perfect for stir fry and ramen. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

The nature of his environmentally conscious production process is no small weight off of Hughes’s shoulders.

“As far as our footprint goes, I think we are close to carbon negative,” he mused, as if in sudden realization.

Feeling a need to ease anxieties about creating waste in production, Avery has worked diligently to use as many sustainable materials as possible. High Country Fungi utilizes biodegradable grow bags, which can be bacterially broken down in just under three years. All used substrate is also donated to composting companies after harvesting the product. During the height of the commercial season, the donated amount comes out to about 1,000 pounds of spent substrate. That compost is then distributed to local farms, which then utilize the healthy microbes and bacteria to enrich their soil. Avery’s modesty in the face of these accomplishments is a puzzle, but he admitted his fastidious care to give more than he takes is a relief to his conscience as well as to his corner of Appalachia.

Avery in the grow room with a 3lb 8oz bunch of Pink Oyster mushrooms. The p100 filter masks prevents spores from being inhaled. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

A block of Cordyceps resembling a “Shag Carpet” before harvest. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

“It satisfies a need,” he said. “Going into all this, I knew I wanted to feel good about what I do.”

When asked to share what he would want customers’ big takeaway to be, Avery humbly stated, “General education. I would tell people to not be afraid of mushrooms. They're kind of associated with death and decay. So, there's a lot of fear around it. So, we want to show people that fungi is its own kingdom. And within that there are ones that will kill you. There are some that can heal you, and there are a lot of them that are very good for you. So, I ideally want to dispel some of the myths and give people information that's backed by research and science, allowing them to, at that point, make their own decision about it.”

At the heart of their company is Avery and Miika’s genuine love for the work they do and their commitment to serving their

Avery Hughes stands next to myceliated blocks fruiting Lion’s Mane, one of the company’s most popular gourmet varieties. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

Our business is nothing without the people who support it. So, we pour our hearts into providing a quality product and everyone just, you know, they embraced it.

community. The humble founder gushed about his customers.

“Our business is nothing without the people who support it,” he shared. “So, we pour our hearts into providing a quality product, and everyone just, you know, they embraced it.”

High Country Fungi can be seen at the Watauga County Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until noon, now through November.

Avery’s goals for the company involve expanding use of medicinal Cordyceps extracts as well as experimenting with freezedried mushrooms and, eventually, jerky.

For more information about High Country Fungi or to check out their products, visit their webpage at www. highcountryfungi.com or the company Instagram: @highcountryfungi. t

Miika Greenwood is an integral part of HCF, being manager of the Grow Room. She meticulously harvests and packs all of the mushrooms that go out weekly for restaurant deliveries and the Watauga County Farmers’ Market. Photo courtesy of High Country Fungi.

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Farm Fresh

Organic organization cultivates community and fresh fare from the farm

STORY BY ANNA BETH ADCOCK

Find women doing outstanding work in their field via Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, a female-led organization dedicated to fostering a sustainable and fair food scene in the High Country. To do this, the organization bolsters local producers and creates connections among the community that contribute to knowledge and excitement of eating farm-grown food—ultimately upping the local demand and desire for local fare.

With goals to “increase consumer demand for local food, ensure equitable access to high quality local food and provide producers the support they need,” BRWIA offers a plethora of programs—from farmers markets and workshops to mentorship opportunities and grants/ scholarships. And the organization serves a slew of counties through the High Country—Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Mitchell, Wilkes, Watauga and Yancey—plus Johnson County, Tennessee.

“There are so many benefits to buying local food,” says Katie Ferrell, BRWIA’s community and relations manager. “When you buy local, it improves your health and it creates a stronger sense of community through knowing your neighbors and helping them thrive.”

Spearheading the significant work BRWIA is planting in Boone and surrounding areas, see Liz Whiteman acting as executive director and raising up the local food system through fundraising, grant writing, program planning and staff supervision. Originally from Minnesota, Whiteman has a background in federal food and farm policy work as well as work on organic farms around the country and the world.

“I spent some time working on a farm in Wilkes County,” shares Whiteman. “I learned I didn’t want to

farm as a profession but I wanted to stay in the area and BRWIA was always an organization where I wanted to work.”

Whiteman joined the BRWIA team in January 2020 as an operations director, becoming executive director in October 2022. When Whiteman joined the team, the organization only had four employees, but it has since grown into a team of ten (!).

“There is really no typical day at all,” she says of her job. “It’s challenging, rewarding and very public-facing—I get to meet and interact with people a lot.”

To boot, BRWIA has their hands in myriad markets, programs and workshops through the counties it serves… all with a focus on supporting local farmers and creating a craving for fresh,

locally-grown and healthy fare. Here, we take a deep dig into what this benevolent organization is up to and how it’s benefiting its community in ways both big and small.

Sarah Edmondson, BRWIA intern, lets folks know about the Food Hub pickup options in Blowing Rock. Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

Tracy and Naomi Jarrell pick up their Food Hub order at the Boone location. Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

There are so many benefits to buying local food. When you buy local, it improves your health and it creates a stronger sense of community through knowing your neighbors and helping them thrive.

- KATIE FERRELL

My coworkers and I joke that we have no memory of 2020 because we were just working. But it was really great to see the community come out and support each other and support farmers that had previously depended on restaurants and tourists.

- LIZ WHITEMAN

Fodder on the Food Hub

Keeping things fresh for their community, one of the central programs that BRWIA is behind is the High Country Food Hub, a yearlong online market that allows community members to shop for goods (think: meat, dairy, bread, artisan foods, cut flowers, body care products, and plants) and fresh produce from local farmers and vendors. The main appeal of this program is ease and access to local products— once consumers shop goods online, they can go pick it up from a location convenient to them around town—whether it’s the High Country Food Hub itself to the Ashe County Public Library, Blowing Rock Market and a handful of other options. The Food Hub is no small feat—it boasts over 3,000 locally-made or locally-grown products from over 90 local farmers and entrepreneurs.

To back it all up, BRWIA has the numbers to prove how it’s helping grow the love of eating fresh and local in the High Country community. In 2022, the High Country Food Hub generated $859,730 in sales and tallied 558 new local customers. The impactful organization also touted over 5,000 unique goods all produced within less than 100 miles of Boone, with a total of 12,706 orders placed and 100 producers supported in the last year alone through the food hub.

“People can go online and shop like they’re at the farmers market from their couch,” says Liz Whiteman, BRWIA's executive director. “This was the program that people really turned to during the pandemic when ground beef, eggs and other pantry staples were missing from the grocery store. We saw our sales increase about 500% almost overnight.”

Essentially, the food hub jumped from about 100 customers and about $3,000 per week in sales to over 500 customers and

MISSION:

VISION:

We envision an equitable and sustainable High Country food system where producers are thriving and local food is accessible to all.

Olivia George-Drouet helps her family pickup their order at the High Country Food Hub in Boone. Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

Support producers and cultivate community connections that educate, inspire, and increase the demand for local food.

earnings between between $20,000—$30,000 a week.

“My coworkers and I joke that we have no memory of 2020 because we were just working,” Whiteman says. “But it was really great to see the community come out and support each other and support farmers that had previously depended on restaurants and tourists.”

Double the Fun (and Food!)

“A healthy food incentive program that doubles the value of federal nutrition benefits spent at farmers' markets, helping people buy local food while supporting our local farmers and economy,” BRWIA’s Double Up Food Bucks program is a win-win-win scenario for all parties involved. Local families can access healthier eating options, farmers receive a financial boost and these two perks work together to bolster the local economy.

“The program basically allows those using federal nutrition benefits to double their dollars when they spend them on local food,” explains Whiteman. “That’s another program that has seen really incredible growth in the past three years—which just kind of shows the demand for healthier options for their families.”

Crafting Cuisine

Working closely with the local community and cultivating relationships is a huge aspect of BRWIA’s work. The Blue Ridge Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training, or CRAFT for short, is a program centered on creating and nurturing mentorship and relationships between the farmers and growers of today and tomorrow.

“This is basically our producer support program,” says Whiteman. (Cont. on page 53)

BRWIA’s CRAFT workshop series “Winter Vegetable Production & Marketing” held at Opossum Bottom Farm in Johnson City, TN. Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

Sara Hedge of Hedge Family Farm shows their purple cauliflower destined for the High Country Food Hub and other area Farmers’ Markets. Photo Courtesy of Hedge Family Farm.

BRWIA staff helps F.A.R.M. Cafe serve meals at BRWIA’s Double Up Food Bucks Fundraising week (Pictured: Liz Whiteman and Maggie Caswell). Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

It’s a really great program that allows us to get out on people’s farms. We pay farmers to host these workshops and the farmer is the expert. We don’t bring in other experts, the farmers just talk about what they do on their farm and people come and ask questions.

- LIZ WHITEMAN

BRWIA staff shows off the size of some of rare watermelons they get at the High Country Food Hub! (Pictured: Taylor Campbell and Katie Cavert Ferrell). Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

BRWIA staff at their first annual Savory Shindig fundraising event. Pictured: L-R Back: Dave Walker, Shannon Carroll, Meredith Sigler, Carolina Norman, Sam Springs, Maggie Caswell, Jess McClelland. Front: Katie Cavert Ferrell, Liz Whiteman. Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

BRWIA staff shows off their newly wrapped High Country Food Hub delivery van! (Pictured Front, L-R: Carolina Norman, Jess McClelland, Taylor Campbell, Sarah Edmondson, Sam Springs, Billie Comer, Maggie Caswell; Back: Katie Cavert Ferrell). Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

Original Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) is celebrating 20 years as a non-profit organization in the High Country. What started as a group of female farmers sharing meals and best practices at each others’ farms has evolved into an organization that supports all kinds of local food producers and cultivates community connections that educate, inspire, and increase the demand for local food.

Women, as practitioners and advocates of good farming practices, have two early 20th-century pioneers, who are not usually associated with agriculture because of their other accomplishments.

Bertha L Cone is known primarily as the wife of Moses Cone and "the hostess" of Flat Top Manor in Blowing Rock. Dr. Mary T. Sloop was a physician and the founder of Crossnore School.

The purpose of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture is to strengthen the local food system by supporting women farmers and their families with resources and educa¬tion. These commitments fall easily upon the work of two amazing women. Here is a brief version of their stories.

STORY BY JUDITH PHOENIX

market was a major barrier in limiting sales, thus keeping the Avery citizens in poverty and isolation.

But then things changed.

One of the men, Mr. Jim, said to Dr. Mary Sloop, "I made a mistake, I planted too many potatoes."

Dr. Sloop replied, "That is great. You can sell them!"

The man said, "Who ever heard about anyone who wanted to buy an Irish potato?"

Dr. Sloop replied, "They buy them where I come from, down in Davidson County."

Mr. Jim said, "I can't get them there. The roads would tear up my wagon long before I was out of the county."

Dr. Sloop knew these were good potatoes, but she didn't know just how good until she contacted the North Carolina De¬partment of Agriculture, which sent a man to Crossnore to evaluate the best crops for that area. The expert from Raleigh spoke at a citizens' meeting.

"You folks have a gold mine here," he said. "Right now, the best seed potatoes come from Maine, the only state with farms above 3,000 feet. You have a whole valley floor at 3,200! Why, you could grow the best seed potatoes ever!"

In the 1920s, moonshine was a main source of income for local farmers.

To provide for another income stream, Mary Sloop advocated selling farm crops (corn, cabbage, beans, onions, Irish pota¬toes and sorghum). However, the lack of good roads to transport the crops to

Following his exact instructions, several men raised a plot of potatoes and sent them to Washington, D.C. to be tested. Avery seed potatoes were rated better than Maine potatoes!

Better roads still were required to bring the potatoes and other crops to markets in Boone, Blowing Rock and off the mountain.

Thanks to extensive lobbying efforts by Dr. Sloop, the state government gave $50 million

dollars to build a school and roads. Avery County seed potatoes were soon considered to be the best seed potato in the southeastern United States. Raleigh gave additional funds to build two large warehouses for winter storage. The success of the potatoes was followed by beans and cabbage that were sold as far away as Tex¬as and New York. In addition to helping the men learn new farming methods, agricultural classes were taught to the younger boys at the Crossnore School.

The local women also had food needs. An ambitious housewife could put up a hundred cans of beans in a single summer, only to lose 75 percent of them to mold!

Dr. Sloop learned that the women ster¬ilized their jars by putting them on a stick stuck into

Dr. Mary Turpin Martin Sloop (1873-1962)

Mary T. Martin Sloop was known as the 'Grand Lady of the Blue Ridge.' Photo submitted.

the ground and allowing the sun to shine through them.

Dr. Sloop arranged for a home economics specialist to come to Crossnore from Raleigh to teach the women about canning.

To preserve food safely, the specialist only needed what every woman already had: flour sacks, a big kettle and plenty of water. The sacks were used for blanching, and the jars were sterilized in boiling water. Excited by their new skills, the women requested the home demonstration agent to teach them cake decoration. Soon, they successfully competed at county fairs.

At age 78, Mary T. Martin Sloop was nicknamed "Grand Lady of the Blue Ridge.”

Bertha Lindau Cone (1858-1947)

Bertha Cone found herself a widow at 50.

Flat Top Manor in Blowing Rock was a 3,600-acre farm valued at $48,000. She purchased several more tracts of land after the death of her husband, denim magnate Moses Cone. Managing the estate was not a role Bertha had "been groomed for."

It required maintaining the mansion and out-buildings, constructing and repairing roads and the selling of farm produce. She monitored the behavior of "her" farm labor¬ers, forbidding alcohol and stressing edu¬cation and cleanliness. She developed her agricultural expertise with the help of her foreman and subscribing to farm journals.

She carried on an active correspondence with experts on raising dairy cows, the selection of apple trees and the control of apple pathogens. She served on the committee that planned the first Watauga County Fair and operated Flat Top Estate as a model farm.

Moses Cone was known for his prize-winning apples. To better manage the steep and rugged slopes of the China Apple orchard, Bertha arranged for the construction of an apple narrow gauge tramway. The apples were loaded in wood¬en cars and drawn 1,700 feet downhill.

To further improve agricultural methods, she arranged free training for local apple growers. A state "scientific apple man" demonstrated the best method of gather¬ing and packing apples.

During World-War I, she regularly sent apples to Europe to help feed American soldiers.

In 1913, a carefully designed, 12-stall dairy barn was constructed with milk and feed rooms. The Flat Top Manor Dairy be¬came Watauga County's first Grade A dairy farm, selling milk to Blowing Rock hotels and Appalachian State Teachers College.

Bertha kept sheep, cattle, horses, mules, chickens and turkeys. Her profit margins were smaller than those of her apple and dairy operations, but she was known for her

quality cattle and raised fees from breeding her bulls. Bertha managed the operations for 39 years. She proved to be an excellent financial manager, making the Cone Estate the major economic force in Blowing Rock.

By the 1920s, the four apple orchards had grown from their early mountain ruggedness to beautiful orchards. Other, now mature trees, as well as hydrangeas, hedgerows and rhododendrons at last made the manor house and farm look like a natural part of the landscape, rather than what it had been - an imposition.

In conclusion, two of our High Country women pioneers took an active role in developing and promoting agriculture.

Today, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture represents modern-day women's efforts to improve the local food system by support¬ing farmers and connecting consumers with local food producers. BRWIA envisions an equitable and sustainable High Country food system where producers are thriving and local food is accessible to all. You can buy local and support these efforts at the High Country Food Hub, the Boone Winter Farmers’ Market, and the King Street Market. In addition, BRWIA offers educational workshops to farmers and provides fresh local food boxes and a local food incentive program for those experiencing food insecurity. Stay tuned for the return of the High Country Farm Tour later this year! t

Bertha Cone found herself a widow at 50. Flat Top Manor in Blowing Rock was a 3,600-acre farm valued at $48,000. She purchased several more tracts of land after the death of her husband, denim magnate Moses Cone. Photo submitted.

“We host a pretty wide range of workshops throughout the year for farmers or aspiring farmers.” Discover workshops on soil health, egg grading, innovative ways to feed your chickens (pro tip: use black fly larvae!), growing plants in greenhouses and making your own on-farm compost.

“It’s a really great program that allows us to get out on people’s farms,” she adds. “We pay farmers to host these workshops and the farmer is the expert. We don’t bring in other experts, the farmers just talk about what they do on their farm and people come and ask questions.”

Another perk of this program? Farmers of all levels of expertise and experience are able to relate to each other simply through working in the same profession. CRAFT workshops occur about 12 times throughout the year— though not necessarily on a monthly basis. There tends to be more workshops offered during the off-season aka winter and springtime.

LocalFAM

Local Food As Medicine—dubbed LocalFAM—helps

“community organizations provide their neighbors with fresh, nutritious food, supplied by local producers.”... And the best part of the deal? The fare is free for those that receive it and producers are paid in full due to the fact that funding for this program is provided by grants. … And this initiative is especially important because on average, one person out of every six in the area is considered to be food insecure. The idea is based on the thought that all people are entitled to healthy food options—and that food that’s good for you can help treat chronic illness and prevent disease and promote holistic health.

Last year, this program helped put more than 27,000 pounds of fresh food on people’s dinner tables and generated over $98,000 in revenue for 60 farmers/producers while working with eight recipient organizations.

In partnership, BRWIA, Publix, and local food pantries distributed 2,750 lbs of turkeys and local food to families in need during BRWIA’s "No Hunger for the Holidays” event over Thanksgiving 2022. (Pictured: Sam Springs, BRWIA staff, and Dennis Norris, volunteer at Blowing Rock Cares). Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

More on the Market

BRWIA is also behind two local farmers markets—the King Street Farmers’ Market—running from May—October on Tuesday afternoons—and the Boone Winter Farmers’

CARLTON GALLERY Celebrating 41 Years

Market on Saturdays from November—March. The King Street Farmers’ Market began in 2017 as a means to make selling goods more accessible to farmers that were newer to the scene and it’s conveniently located next to the Department of Social Services, making it very accessible for those utilizing nutrition benefit plans. Last year, the King Street Market doubled over $3,874 in nutrition benefits—and it’ll be back to continue bolstering the community in 2023.

Digging Into Agriculture Education

Spring Group Exhibition

The

In order to foster positive change in the world, BRWIA believes you have to implement and encourage educational opportunities across the board. Just launching this year, the Betsy Lawson Willis Education Scholarship (applications will be accepted starting May 1!) started to honor the heritage begun by BRWIA’s initial leading ladies, women who “believed in the abilities of women to build a stronger, more resilient local food system and achieve meaningful careers in agriculture.”... And that’s something we can all root for.

More Dirt

In a nutshell, BRWIA operates with a mission to build resilient local food systems and channel resources and money back into

BRWIA staff loads the satellite van full of local food and plants for distribution at Food Hub satellite pickup locations in Banner Elk, Pineola, West Jefferson, Deep Gap, and Blowing Rock (Pictured: Maggie Caswell and Katie Cavert Ferrell). Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

BRWIA staff and interns at the

happening every Tuesday from

- October (Pictured: Paola Rivero, Meredith Sigler, Rachel Kinard and Kristen Schapp). Photo courtesy of BRWIA.

By providing options and a really convenient way for people to purchase local food, that money stays here in Boone and surrounding areas which contributes to farming being a viable livelihood. It keeps people wanting to farm and steward the land in our community and we think that’s really important.

- LIZ WHITEMAN

the High Country community—rather than sending hardearned dollars elsewhere through spending at corporate grocers such as Food Lion, Wal-Mart or other big bucks chains.

“By providing options and a really convenient way for people to purchase local food, that money stays here in Boone and surrounding areas which contributes to farming being a viable livelihood,” says Whiteman. “It keeps people wanting to farm and steward the land in our community and we think that’s really important.”

Plus, BRWIA has big plans for the future. The organization is now celebrating 20 years of serving the community—and it’s spending the whole year celebrating by bringing back its farm-to-plate dinners and the High Country Farm Tour— which is an annual farm tour that halted operations during the pandemic.

And a special addition for farmers market fans with an appetite for adventure—nab a market passport to document

each local market you visit for your products (!) inspired by the 2023 North Carolina Year of the Trail.

Here’s some food for thought: BRWIA depends on local support to continue caring for the agriculture community. From generous donors to its annual fundraising “shindig” gala—hosted at the Apple Barn this year!—the org hopes to raise $20,000 and highlight its founding mothers… a group of women who started the organization 20 years ago on the ideals of sharing skills and mentorship.

Supporting sustainability, healthy eating, local farmers and the High Country community is no small undertaking… and it shapes up society for significant positive impacts.

“It makes a big difference in how people enjoy food, how I enjoy food and it supports people in the community,” says Ferrell. And if the saying, “you are what you eat,” rings true— wouldn’t you prefer to eat fresh and local fare?

Want to keep growing your knowledge of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture? Visit www.brwia.org t

Local History Revisited:

Three Albino Children Presented Unique Challenges for Crossnore’s Vance Family

STORY BY SHERRIE NORRIS

The Vances of Crossnore, North Carolina have long been identified by their musical talents, outgoing personalities, culinary skills, and their love for dancing and bear-hunting, among other notable traits.

In the early 1920s, however, a rare occurrence began to take shape in the home of Crossnore native, Jeter Vance and his wife, Blanche, that surpassed their greatest expectations: Not only one albino child was born to the couple, but within five years, three were born — creating quite a challenge for the couple and curious stares wherever they went.

The first child, Juanita Jean, entered the world March 23, 1922 in Caywood, Ohio. Shortly before her unexpected death at the age of 82 in 2005, she still recalled life as a toddler; the fact that her mother dyed her white hair a coppery red had never left her memory. “When the white roots began to grow out, mother just put a hat on me,” Jean said. “She soon learned that nothing would cover it up for very long, so eventually she just let it grow out naturally.”

Second child, Mary Lou, came along two years later, and again, the newborn was albino. The scenario was repeated again in 1927, when Kenneth “Bub” arrived with pale skin, white hair and a pinkish tint to his eyes — just like his sisters. There was no known scientific explanation or genetic link to understand at that time.

Despite their peculiar appearance, and disabilities credited to albinism — especially visual loss and related inconveniences — the three Vance children tried hard to “make it” in a world that was not always kind to them. They were determined to live life to the full, and were productive citizens in many respects. They were able to complete high school and contribute to society, but, as their descendants recall from hearing all the stories, it was never without challenges or complications.

Constant stares and unpleasantries followed them through life, some poked fun at them and to many, they were considered anomalies. But, they persevered and are remembered fondly by those they left behind.

The family patriarch, Jeter Horace, was born in Crossnore on Aug 1, 1889, one of 12 children

to Richard Melvin and Emma Aldridge Vance. Blanche Irene, a native of Kaywood, Ohio, and of German descent, was born on April 28, 1902, one of six children to George and Sophia Snodgrass.

During World War I, young Jeter joined other hometown boys in search of work and ended up in Akron, Ohio, where he became a cafeteria cook.

Prior to meeting Blanche in the food line, he had written a note —and stuck it in his pocket — declaring his fondness for another young woman who frequented the eatery. As it turned out, he decided at the last minute to pass the note

The Vance family, with three albino children, usually attracted quite a bit of attention when seen in public together. Pictured left to right at a young age with their parents, Blanche and Jeter Vance, are Kenneth “Bub,” Juanita “Jean” and Mary Lou. Photo submitted.

on to Blanche, who accepted his words of affection, and later his proposal for marriage.

The Vances moved around with better job opportunities to Elizabethton and Johnson City, Tenn., as well as to Parkersburg, West Va., before settling back in Crossnore, where they opened one of the town’s first cafés during the Great Depression, and later, the J.H. Vance Grocery Store.

The couple put their inherited cooking skills to good use; baking 20 to 30 pies a day was not uncommon, and the pastries disappeared nearly as soon as they came out of the oven.

Despite the unique appearance of the Vance family, they did not allow the curiosity and constant stares of others to affect them, outwardly, at least. The children grew up in a loving, although strict Christian home, but also enjoyed good times with music and square dancing, especially with their cousins, the Aldridges, who are known for musical and dancing skills that came as naturally to them as did breathing.

Jeter, too, was an accomplished

musician, and played on various radio shows. “He could play anything that made a sound, but did his best on the violin,” Jean once said.

Jeter Vance became a wellrespected mayor —the second in Crossnore — the same role in which his nephew, Tudor Vance, served for several terms, until his death in 2018.

Juanita “Jean” Leaves The Country For The Big City

Jean shared her father’s love for the violin and learned to play it well. She won numerous awards and was invited to join the Goldenrod All-Girl Orchestra in Greeneville. She later played in a variety of minstrel shows and organizations in the Atlantic City, N.J. area.

In her high school years, she was a noted public speaker, writer of plays,

and was voted “Most

and “Best Dressed.”

Likely To Succeed”

After high school, Jean left Crossnore for Baltimore with her cousin, Bonita Smith (Hennings), and worked in the food and entertainment business.

Jean remembered, when preparing to leave home after high school, her mother stayed up long nights sewing for her and making her “city” clothes to wear.

“When I left Crossnore with two fur coats, I felt like the richest girl who ever got out of that town,” she said in a reflective interview late in life.

Trying to impress her fellow passengers on a ride home one night

“Juanita” Jean in Baltimore, 1946, the year she got married. Photo submitted.

Store owners, Jeter and Blanche Vance, take a break from work in their well-stocked general store; the café part was located off to the side. Both of these folks were well-loved and respected in the town of Crossnore. While bearing no resemblance to their fair-skinned children, several of their grandchildren, especially Mary’s three oldest children, inherited their physical appearance. Photo submitted.

When the white roots began to grow out, mother just put a hat on me. She soon learned that nothing would cover it up for very long, so eventually she just let it grow out naturally.

- JUANITA "JEAN"

after coming south and catching Leo Braswell’s bus in Marion, was something she never forgot.

“As we ascended the mountain from North Cove, and rode the winding staircase known as Highway 221 through Linville Falls and Altamont, I was pointing out familiar sites to everyone one the bus. I was using my northern accent and was especially proud when we hit the straight, to tell them that’s where I had picked beans out of Sam Brown’s bottom when I was a young girl.”

She never forgot the stunned expressions on several faces as those very descriptive words spoken by this country-girl turned city-slicker backfired on her.

(The vast acreage in the flat area just out of Crossnore near the Linville River was commonly referred to by the locals as “Sam Brown’s Bottom,” and it was there that many locals spent

their summers working for the Brown family who grew large crops of beans, especially.)

In Baltimore, Jean joined the USO and performed dance routines with several rising celebrities, including a young, handsome soldier, Ronald Reagan, prior to meeting Roderick O’Connor from New York in Baltimore and marrying him on December 5, 1946.

She often down-played her friendship and connection to Reagan, saying that no one would believe her. “I know it happened, and that’s all that matters.”

For many years, she enjoyed a happy life with Rod, who became a successful businessman in Atlantic City, NJ. Together, they parented two daughters, Linda and Laura (Candy).

Later in life, the couple agreed to an amicable divorce, even after which they remained close friends until Rod’s death.

In the meantime, Jean was active in civic organizations, such as the Eastern Star for 50 years, through which she served as president of the Social Club; she was a member of the Ladies Oriental Shrine with Atlantic

City Lodge, Red Ladies of Absecon,

Jean O’Connor, center, and her two best friends and” partners in crime,” in Atlantic City, Dolores Bachen and Patsy Maguire, enjoyed many happy times together. Photo submitted.

Mary Pritchard, center, is pictured at an Aldridge Family Reunion with the famous Aldridge Sisters, Sheila and Sherry, of Lawrence Welk Fame. Their father, the late Talton Aldridge, was Mary’s cousin. Photo submitted.

Little Mary Lou might have been a bit happier to have her picture made than was her older sister, Juanita Jean. Photo submitted.

When I left Crossnore with two fur coats, I felt like the richest girl who ever got out of that town.

- JUANITA JEAN

and Somers Point Senior Citizens Club. She had also served as chairman of the AARP membership committee for Cape May County during the time she lived in Cape May Courthouse, NJ.

“Although I miss her every day, I sometimes forget all the ways she affected my life,” said her daughter, “Candy” Jankowski of Marmora, NJ. “As we were growing up, she always put Linda and I first, even if it was hard for her.”

Jean was always the life of the party, Candy said of her mother, “No one would disagree with that! She was an easygoing, kind person who loved life to the fullest.” And she was loved by many, a great inspiration to all those who knew her.

After her parents divorced, Candy said, Jean and the girls moved to Atlantic City so that Jean, whose visual impairment did not allow her to drive, had access to public transportation to get to her job. She worked as a hostess at the elite Coachman’s Pub for many years.

The cancer death of her first born daughter, Linda Huntley, on March

Teenagers Mary and Juanita in front of their family store and café in Crossnore. Photo submitted.

11,1998, left a huge void in Jean’s life, but the presence of Candy and three wonderful grandchildren helped ease the pain.

At the time of Jean’s death, she, “Gammy” to her grands, Kelly, Eric and Chrissie, lived in Somers Point, NJ, although she had lived in Atlantic City, just three blocks from the infamous Boardwalk, until the casino industry took over. She also lived with Linda’s family in Cape May Courthouse until Linda’s death. She enjoyed time in her family’s summer residence in Crossnore, where she also owned a mobile home park for many years.

Jean passed away unexpectedly in her sleep from natural causes on February 2, 2005.

Her daughter, Candy and husband, Frank Jankowski, along with her grandchildren, Kelly Huntley Gibson, Christine Jankowski Stafford and Eric Jankowski, and their families, all live in New Jersey.

“I wish her great-grandchildren could have experienced some of the craziness that her grandchildren, Kelly, Eric and Chrissie did,” Candy recently shared. “We all still miss her terribly.”

Sweet Mary Lou Loved God, Family & Friends With a Passion

Mary Lou, born July 28, 1925, and dying at the age of 64 on September 11, 1989, was a very quiet and timid girl, her siblings recalled. “She was an angel – she never did anything

wrong,” Jean once said.

Mary graduated from Crossnore High School in 1943 and a career path to becoming a nurse was shortlived, she often shared.

“I was doing my training at Broughton Hospital in Morganton and must’ve been quite the site in my white uniform, with my skin and hair nearly the same color.”

Upon entering a room, Mary Lou apparently scared a mentallyunstable patient so badly, the woman began yelling, “It’s a haint, it’s a haint!” and threw her filled bedpan at an equally frightened young nurse trainee. Mary Lou ran out the door, left the hospital and never returned.

Mary Lou, who married D.W. “Whitie” Pritchard on Valentine’s Day in 1946, was a mother to five children (Gary, Joe “Peewee,” Gail,

The Vance Family as the children grew into young adults. Photo submitted.

Mary Pritchard was not only Woman of the Year at Crossnonre First Baptist Chruch in the mid-1980s, but she was also named Avery County Woman of the Year by the Avery County Chamber of Commerce. Photo submitted.

I was doing my training at Broughton Hospital in Morganton and must’ve been quite the site in my white uniform, with my skin and hair nearly the same color.

- MARY LOU

Albinism Considered a Rare Phenomenon

According to the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation, about 1 in 18,000 - 20,000 people in the United States have a form of albinism.

Albinism is an inherited disorder that is present at birth. For most types of albinism, both parents must carry the gene in order for their child to develop the condition. Most people with albinism have parents who are only carriers of the gene and don’t have symptoms of the condition.

The cause of albinism is a defect in one of several genes that produce or distribute melanin, the pigment that gives skin, eyes and hair their coloring. The defect may result in the absence of melanin production or a reduced amount of melanin production.

Although there's no cure for albinism, people with the disorder can take steps to protect their skin and eyes and maximize their vision.

The most recognizable form of albinism results in white hair and very light-colored skin compared with siblings. Skin coloring (pigmentation) and hair color can range from white to brown, and may be nearly the same as that of parents or siblings without albinism.

For some people with albinism, skin pigmentation never changes. For others, melanin production may begin or increase during childhood and the teen years, resulting in slight changes in pigmentation.

Hair color can range from very white to brown. People of African or Asian descent who have albinism may have hair color that's yellow, reddish or brown. Hair color may also darken by early adulthood or stain from exposure to normal minerals in water and the environment, and appear darker with age.

Eyelashes and eyebrows are often pale. Eye color can range from very light blue to brown and may change with age.

The lack of pigment in the colored part of the eyes (irises) makes the irises somewhat translucent. This means that the irises can't completely block light from entering the eye. Because of this, very light-colored eyes may appear red in some lighting.

Vision impairment is a key feature of all types of albinism. Eye problems and issues may include:

• Rapid, involuntary back-and-forth movement of the eyes (nystagmus)

• Head movements, such as bobbing or tilting the head, to try to reduce the involuntary eye movements and see better

• Inability of both eyes to stay directed at the same point or to move in unison (strabismus)

• Extreme nearsightedness or farsightedness

• Sensitivity to light (photophobia)

• Abnormal curvature of the front surface of the eye or the lens inside the eye (astigmatism), which causes blurred vision

• Abnormal development of the retina, resulting in reduced vision

• Nerve signals from the retina to the brain that don't follow the usual nerve pathways (misrouting of the optic nerve)

• Poor depth perception

• Legal blindness (vision less than 20/200) or complete blindness

In addition to skin and eye complications, social and emotional challenges are usually also present. Problems with vision can impact learning, employment and the ability to drive.

People with albinism have skin that is very sensitive to light and sun exposure. Sunburn is one of the most serious complications associated with albinism because it can increase the risk of developing skin cancer and sun damage-related thickening of the skin.

Some people with albinism may also experience discrimination. The reactions of other people to those with albinism can often have a negative impact on people with the condition.

People with albinism may experience bullying, teasing or probing questions about their appearance, eyewear or visual aid devices. They usually look very different from members of their own families or ethnic groups, so they may feel like outsiders or be treated like outsiders. These experiences may contribute to social isolation, poor self-esteem and stress.

If a family member has albinism, a genetic counselor can help you understand the type of albinism and the chances of having a future child with albinism. He or she can also explain the available tests. t

Sources: National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation, Mayo Clinic

Sherrie and Sandra); she is remembered by many as a loving and kind Christian woman — and faithful community volunteer, especially at Sloop/Garrett Memorial Hospital to where she walked every Monday morning for many years to serve patients and staff. She penned the Crossnore Community News for the Avery Journal for 20-plus years, sharing all the interesting town events with readers near and far. She was never physically able to work a public job or drive a car due to her visual impairment, and also hearing loss which developed later in life, but she impacted the world around her and is still remembered for her efforts. Her children and first two grandchildren recall how she loved them unconditionally, and made the best of what they called “a hard life behind closed doors.” Perhaps it was the daily Bible readings at her corner of the kitchen table, or the worn linoleum behind the bathroom door where she knealt daily in prayer, that kept her strong. Despite numerous heartaches along the way, she never wavered in her faith.

For being such a wonderful person, in general, and for her community service,

whether at the hospital, in church or wherever she was helping others, Mary was named Avery County’s Woman of the Year and Mother of the Year at First Baptist Church in the mid-80s. She survived cancer in her 40’s, but suffered a horrendous death when the disease returned about 20 years later. Not only did the disease grow around the nerves in her left leg, resulting in its amputation, but the cancer also was eventually described by hospital staff as “the worst case we’ve ever seen.” Even in her last days, Mary was a strong witness to her Christian faith and never missed an opportunity to share her love for God with anyone in her presence.

But, at the same time, the sweet softspoken woman had a great sense of humor and often laughed with her family at her own jokes and comical errors. Because of her hearing loss, and hearing aids that never seemed to work well enough, as well as thick, awkward glasses, she often heard and saw things differently than intended, which resulted in her off-thewall responses.

With two precious granddaughters, Kerenna and Renee, who she helped raise, and three years after the death of their father and her firstborn child, Gary, Mary died on Sept. 11, 1989, at the age of 64, just two months prior to the birth of her first grandson. Family members said

A young Bub Vance poses for a quick picture in the Vance family yard in Crossnore. Photo submitted.

she grieved her son’s death to the point of her own demise, with her cancer discovered just one month after his unexpected death from a heart attack at the age of 39.

She would’ve been so proud of the family that she left behind, including her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

From The Kitchen to the Garage, Bub Excelled

Sharon Kenneth “Bub” was born March 11, 1927 in Crossnore. Also known by his mother and sisters, as “son and brother,” Bub was a good boy, Jean said. He loved music and dancing and was something to behold on a pair of roller skates. He was married three times and fathered five children. Divorced from the mother of his first two sons, he lost his second wife, Maggie, to cancer, and later met and married Rita Archer, with whom he spent the last 30 years of his life in her hometown of Jonesborough, Tenn. Bub was 92 at the time of his death on August 2, 2019, after a seven-month battle with cancer.

Bub grew up in the family business and became a great cook, himself, eventually preparing large meals for local construction crews who were in the area building roads. Even in his advanced age, Bub loved being in the kitchen, especially

where he enjoyed baking and canning garden goods.

Experiencing the same side effects of the rare genetic condition of albinism as did his sisters, Bub had serious visual impairment, but that did little to inhibit his skills as an auto mechanic, for which he was well known. He operated a garage at his home in Crossnore for many years, ran a service station, and worked for various automobile dealerships through the years. He had a real love for cars and trucks, and throughout his life, literally owned hundreds of vehicles, but he was not always licensed to drive.

He loved country music and was an accomplished dancer; along with his wife, Rita, he spent Saturday nights doing the two-step at a favorite night spot near their home, right up until his cancer diagnosis. He also loved to square dance. He and Rita loved taking day trips out into the countryside and enjoyed stopping at yard sales along the way. He also loved to read and work puzzles and could solve complicated Sudoku puzzles quicker than most. Bub enjoyed his farm animals, always had a dog, and even in his later years, loved tinkering with autos for friends and neighbors.

Bub attended Crossnore High School, served as a member of the Crossnore Volunteer Fire Department for over 30 years, and was a longtime member of Crossnore First Baptist Church; after moving to Jonesborough in the late 80s, he attended Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren.

Bub was the last of his longest-living Avery County relatives with cousins and close friends, Bob Aldridge

Kenneth “Bub” with his first two sons, “Buddy” and Mike, along with his father, the ever-dapper, well-dressed Jeter Vance, one of Crossnore’s first mayors. Photo submitted.

and Tudor Vance, preceding him in death a short while earlier. Only three known first cousins are still living, including Rosalee Odom of Johnson City, Tenn. Harry Jo Dennis of Shingle Springs, California and one other whose name was not recalled.

The deaths of his wife, Mary Agnes “Maggie” Bare Vance, to whom he was married for 30 years, and the deaths of his three sons, Jerry, Mike and Sharon Eugene “Buddy” Vance, left much emptiness in his life. His fourth son, Bruce Vance, who was diagnosed with cancer at about the same time of his dad, died in 2021. Left to cherish the memory of her family, his daughter, Patty Vance Knowles and her son, Justin Knowles (and daughter), reside in Avery County.

Despite the heartache of losing so many loved ones, Bub said just prior to his own demise, “The Lord has been good to me and I guess you could say, I’ve had a pretty good life.”

Jeter Vance died in 1957 with a heart-related condition; his wife, Blanche in 1979 with pancreatic cancer. They, along with Mary, her husband Whitey, and oldest son, Gary, Bub’s wife, Maggie, and two of his four deceased sons, Jerry and Buddy, and other relatives, are buried in the Johnson Cemetery in the Hughes Community, above Crossnore. Bub’s remains joined those of his family on a hot summer day in August, 2019.

The children of Jeter and Blanche Vance came into this world in a rather unique way; their albinism caused various disabilities, mainly impaired vision, but that did not deter their love for life and their involvement in making the world a better place for others.

They were a part of a family that helped build a rich heritage in Avery County, and they looked back — as their descendants continue to do — with fond memories and stories to last for generations to come. t

Sweet Mary Lou poses with her parents, Blanche and Jeter Vance.

Photo submitted.

Martha Hicks Avery Legend, Patriot and County Commission Chairwoman

STORY BY TIM GARDNER

In a county commission form of government, a body of elected commissioners is responsible for both the executive and the legislative duties, meaning they enact local policies by adopting resolutions and ordinances and then administering them. They also set a county’s property tax rate, adopt budgets, oversee spending and supervise county employees.

And if you were looking for a quintessential county government servant to the people of his or her constituency, Avery County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Martha Hicks would be a model choice. It would be difficult to find anyone with more dedication and commitment in such a leadership position. Some of her constituents and colleagues have even referred to Hicks as a matriarch of Avery County Government as well as a stateswoman.

Notably, there is a definite difference between a politician and a statesman or a stateswoman. A statesman or stateswoman is a respected, skilled and experienced political leader or figure who exhibits great wisdom and ability in directing the affairs of a government. In most respects a statesman or stateswoman is the opposite of a politician. Some politicians are considered people who will say or do anything to get elected or to gain power. A statesman or stateswoman is someone who does everything for the common good of the people he or she represents. To call a man a statesman or a lady a stateswoman is a mark of high regard for his or her integrity.

Also, to call someone a politician sometimes implies the person is worthy of very little esteem. Additionally, a statesman or stateswoman is a term often defined as a politician or advisor who is thought to be above normal politics.

Continue reading to learn more about Martha Hicks—a true Avery County icon and government matriarch.

Martha Hicks, Chairwoman of the Board of Commissioners poses in front of the Avery County seal and between the State of North Carolina and Avery county flags in the county's Administration Building. Photo submitted.

Family Heritages

A life-long Avery County resident who was raised in Newland, Martha was one of three children born to the union of Lloyd Albert Jaynes and Elizabeth Townsend Jaynes. She has two brothers: Albert Lee Jaynes (wife, Julia) and Roy Allen Jaynes (wife, Diane). Martha’s parents and Albert are deceased.

“I grew up in a close-knit, blue-collar family,” Martha recalled. “I was raised by good parents, and like many in Avery County, I grew up in a poor family, but one in which my brothers and I learned about hard work and earning everything we got. We also learned the ultimate importance of Godly values and trying to live our lives in the right manner.”

Shortly after graduating from Newland High School, Martha married Phillip Wade Hicks (he likes being called by his middle name best), who was raised in the same Avery County Community (Heaton) in which they currently reside. They will celebrate 60 years of marriage on June 28, 2023.

According to an old axiom, behind every successful man, there is a great woman, or behind every successful woman, there is a great man. When discussing Wade and Martha Hicks, it would be more fitting to say that beside every successful man is a great woman, and beside every successful woman is a great man.

After each called the other the “a faithful partner and the greatest blessing in my life,” Wade added about Martha: “She is also a faithful partner to Avery County through her work as a commissioner.”

They have a son, Phillip Lloyd Hicks (wife, Tina); one grandchild, Heather Hodge (husband, Kevin); and two greatgrandchildren, females Emma Blair and Tenley Hodge.

Martha and Wade are devout members of the Curtis Creek Freewill Baptist Church in Heaton, where Wade has served on the Board of Deacons for many years and Martha has previously been treasurer and a Sunday School teacher. She also has been instrumental in various church fundraisers there, including helping raise many thousands of dollars to replace the church’s windows and install new tiles with names of church members, patrons and other benefactors.

Martha has worked in various professions. She was a bank

teller and loan officer at Avery County Bank in Newland for 17 years. She also worked ten years for American Wicker in Foscoe as a designer and later as a supervisor. And she worked another ten years for Glen Raven and two years for Lowes Foods, both in various capacities, and each located in Newland.

Roy Jaynes, who worked many years as the Town of Newland’s Public Works Director, said that he was not surprised that his sister became an Avery County Commissioner and also its Chairwoman as she exhibited some of the same qualities needed for both posts even at a young age. “Martha was always a leader of sorts, even when she was younger, and she was organized and detailed-oriented then,” he commented. “Those types of qualities have continued to expand throughout her life. It was evident many years ago that Martha would eventually be in some kind of professional position where she could help and do good for many people. And she has.”

Roy’s wife, Diane, added that Martha is a “humble and compassionate lady who deserves every good thing said about her.”

Martha was always a leader of sorts, even when she was younger, and she was organized and detailed-oriented then. Those types of qualities have continued to expand throughout her life. It was evident many years ago that Martha would eventually be in some kind of professional position where she could help and do good for many people. And she has.

- ROY JAYNES

Martha Hicks sits in a plane wearing headphones and ready for takeoff on a flight from the Avery County Airport, in which she flew all over the county to survey it from several thousand miles high. Photo submitted.

Martha has served the county so well for many years. She truly goes beyond the call of duty as a commissioner. She is a wonderful lady who deserves any recognition she receives for her work on behalf of Avery County as Chairwoman of our Board of Commissioners.

- TIM PHILLIPS, VICE-CHAIRMAN, AVERY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Also about Martha, Julia Jaynes remarked: "Martha is one of the most caring and loving individuals I've ever known. She considers everyone in Avery County her family, and she would do anything she could to help others. Martha and I have had some real adventures together, and she has made my life better as she has many others. I thank God for her.”

Martha is one of three generations of the Jaynes Family to serve in an Avery County political office. Her niece, Valerie Calloway Jaynes, was a long-time Mayor of the Town of Newland, and her great-niece and Valerie’s daughter, Lauren Jaynes Turbyfill, is currently a Newland Town Council member.

County Commission Work

Hicks declared her zeal for serving as a county commissioner is, and has remained, as high as when she first was elected as such in 2008.

“I have a deep love for being a commissioner,” she proclaimed. “Owners and bosses of businesses in Avery County gave me jobs, and I wanted to pay back to the Avery County people however I could. And being a commissioner is one through which I can pay back. I’ve long had a desire to serve my county as a commissioner — even before I ran for the office and since I’ve served in the capacity.

“I enjoy working together with my current fellow-board members (Tim Phillips, Vice-Chairman, Dennis

Aldridge, Wood Hall (Woodie) Young, Jr. and Robert Burleson) for the people of Avery County as I have all other commissioners with whom I’ve served. As Chairwoman, I like giving our other Board members a chance to voice their opinions.”

Hicks has disciplined herself for the continuous and detailed study of county government, and she ranks among

the longevity leaders among active and former county commissioners throughout the North Carolina High Country region and many other areas of the State of North Carolina.

Also, serving as the Avery Board of Commissioners’ Chairwoman for the past ten years, Hicks presides over the commissioners’ public and closed session meetings and workshops,

office and since I’ve served in the capacity.

I have a deep love for being a commissioner. Owners and bosses of businesses in Avery County gave me jobs, and I wanted to pay back to the Avery County people however I could. And being a commissioner is one through which I can pay back. I’ve long had a desire to serve my county as a commissioner — even before I ran for the

- MARTHA HICKS

The Avery County Commissioners pose in front of a wreath they placed at the county's Veterans’ Monument section on the County Square in Newland. Left-to-Right: Tim Phillips, Martha Hicks, Dennis Aldridge and Wood Hall (Woodie) Young, Jr. Photo submitted.

calling them to order and keeping them flowing in an organized and timely manner. As a general rule, a Board Chairperson (female or male) has much the same authority as other county commissioners. However, there is some power that only a Board Chairperson possesses. In case of a tie vote among the other county commissioners, Hicks casts the deciding vote to break the deadlock, which is always done in open public session by law. Also, as Chairwoman, Hicks can declare states of emergencies in and for the county, issue curfews and call special meetings of the Board of Commissioners.

Hicks said she has dedicated herself to underscore the right principles, approaching her work as a county commissioner with humility and class. She is known by her family, friends and colleagues for her genuineness and warm personality. But with Hicks, it's not just what you see is what you get, it's more so who you see is who you get. She is respectful of others and their opinions, but she will promptly tell you exactly what she believes.

"I believe everyone has a right to his or her opinions, and many of mine aren't always politically correct, but I try to form them on what is morally right," she stated. “I always try to base my thoughts on what is pleasing to God. When we do, or at least attempt to do what is right, God blesses and rewards us for it. I'll stand for what I believe, and whether I'm in the majority or minority is of no relevance. And as a commissioner, I always base how I stand on any issue as what is best for the county and our citizens.”

Hicks said the attributes for being a productive and successful county commissioner are: “Staying involved in county activities, caring about its citizens and considering their wishes.”

Top Accomplishments

Hicks lists Avery County’s greatest accomplishments during her tenure as: “Not having a tax increase for the last five consecutive fiscal years (2018-19 through 2022-23), having some fiscal years in which there was actually a tax decrease and the

The Avery County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service located at 661 Vale Road in Newland. Photo submitted.

The new outdoor swimming pool, The Dive-In, opened in 2019. Photo courtesy of Avery County Parks & Recreation.

The new, state-of-the-art, two-story wing at Avery County High School. Photo submitted.

completion of the following projects: Banner Elk Elementary School; the Agricultural Extension Office; the Avery Community Center; the Dive-In Swimming Pool; the new addition and renovations at Avery High School; the Avery County Veterans Monument; and the county’s playground.

“Additionally, the renovation and addition of a new Department of Social Services building is a project that we are currently working on that once completed, will be a major asset to the county. So, I also consider it a top achievement.”

She added: “Our various board members have worked collectively well within the county’s forecasted budgets. And the county has adopted a pay-as-yougo policy and has been financially able to complete projects with very little debt. Our county has really good financial solvency. But as commissioners, we must make the right decisions to maintain that solvency.”

Some may not realize that while commissioners do typically attend one regular monthly meeting and

For most commissioners, their first year serving is spent trying to get caught up on the committees and other boards that on which you serve, represents the county,” she said. “It’s a complicated job, so if you’re going to run for county commissioner, you might want to think about all that goes along with it, because there’s much more than just a meeting to attend a month.

- MARTHA HICKS

Rendering of the new Avery County DSS Building, set to open in 2023. Photo provided by Avery County Manager Phillip Barrier, Jr.

sometimes another depending on work load as well as various workshops — particularly the first six months of each year when preparing for the next fiscal year's budget (which runs from July 1 each year until June 30 of the following year), they have many other duties as well. Many times, Hicks has traveled as far away as several hundred miles or maybe even more than a thousand miles, round trip, to attend some of those meetings of the boards on which she serves, or has served.

Additionally, there’s a significant amount of reading and homework commissioners must do on complex subjects, such as the county budget and various new facility and renovation projects.

Hicks described her average work schedule as a commissioner: “Some weeks are busier than others. There are usually meetings during each week and social events that I try to attend. I also try to meet with the County Manager (Phillip Barrier, Jr.) weekly, and I talk on the telephone most days about county business. I also serve on several other service boards, so I attend those meetings as well.”

The various community and civic service boards on which Hicks serves

Posing in front of a Christmas Tree grown in Avery County, the Christmas Tree Capitol of The World, are (left-to-right) commissioners Wood Hall (Woodie) Young, Jr., Martha Hicks, Tim Phillips and Dennis Aldridge. Photo submitted.

or has served includes: Mayland Community College Board of Trustees;

Avery Transportation Advisory Board; Avery County Board of Education Advisory Board for Healthcare; Avery County Council on Aging; Yellow Mountain Enterprises Board; Avery County Social Services Board; MitchellAvery-Yancey (MAY) Coalition; and Avery’s Veterans Monument Project Committee.

“For most commissioners, their first year serving is spent trying to get caught up on the committees and other boards that on which you serve, represents the county,” she said. “It’s a complicated job, so if you’re going to run for county commissioner, you might want to think about all that goes along with it, because there’s much more than just a meeting to attend a month. Plus, there are various Federal and State mandates to which every Board of Commissioners must adhere. The laws and guidelines that regulate our Board must be followed. Commissioners can’t always just do what we want.”

A Government Team

A sentiment that Hicks reiterated multiple times while reminiscing about her tenure as a commissioner is the way her fellow-commissioners, other Avery officials and its other employees have worked well together for the county’s common good. She stated, “Commissioners are the true voice for the constituencies they serve as board decisions impact everyone in the county. We have to make sure that the county’s bills are paid and day-to-day business gets done, and of course, to be fair to all the county’s citizens when adopting

the fiscal budget each year. I and all the other commissioners with whom I’ve served have worked very hard at doing all those and not neglecting any county agency, our employees and other organizations or people having business with Avery County.

“As a whole, all commissioners with whom I’ve served have tried to help people of Avery County to the best of their ability. When I came on the board, Kenny Poteat, Phyllis Forbes, Scott Heath and Glenn Johnson were the other commissioners. I appreciate their willingness to help me learn the intricacies of county government.”

Hicks added that while commissioners are the county’s authoritative body, they shouldn’t micromanage county departments and employees. “Commissioners should oversee, but let our county employees of each department flap their own wings so-to-speak,” she said. “If there’s problems, the commissioners will correct them. But we’ve got outstanding employees in the county’s various departments. They’re truly the best at what they do, and that makes it a lot easier for our Board of Commissioners. There are approximately 250 county employees, and I want to thank them for their service, hard work and dedication to the county.”

Hicks cited obtaining Broadband Internet service throughout all Avery County as perhaps the commissioners’ top challenge.

“We would like for every citizen who wants to have affordable and reliable internet service to do so,” she shared. “It’s going to be a challenge for several more years, but our continued efforts have already produced results as a lot of our citizens already have Broadband service. We will keep

Martha Hicks at a North Carolina Association of County Commissioners meeting, of which she has represented Avery County numerous times. Photo submitted.

Martha displays a massive trout she caught during a fishing trip with Wade. Photo submitted.

Martha Hicks with her husband, Wade, pose in front of the commissioners’ podium in the board room suite after she was sworn in for another term as a Commissioner. Photo submitted.

Martha is very committed to Avery County's citizens as a commissioner. She's very caring about their well-being and wants to all she can for the county's betterment. The way Martha approaches county government is a model of what it should be for a public servant.

- DENNIS ALDRIDGE, AVERY COUNTY COMMISSIONER

Commissioners are the true voice for the constituencies they serve as board decisions impact everyone in the county. We have to make sure that the county’s bills are paid and dayto-day business gets done, and of course, to be fair to all the county’s citizens when adopting the fiscal budget each year.

- MARTHA HICKS

working on the issue until Broadband is available everywhere in the county. Places that don’t invest in broadband lose people and jobs to other places that do have good Internet connections.”

Hicks added that county officials are developing a long-term plan to address and triumph over all challenges Avery’s government may encounter.

“Myself, our other commissioners,

county manager, Assistant County Manager Cindy Turbyfill and other county departmental chiefs are working to develop a five-to-ten year plan on what the needs of the county are and may later be. We think this plan will help be a tremendous help for the county and help us successfully meet the challenges,” she said.

Personal Life Interests

Hicks has varied, yet simple interests. She lists reading, watching television, listening to various kinds of music, shopping, cooking and going fishing with Wade as among her favorite pastimes. She also enjoys recalling old times and swapping stories with family, friends and colleagues, and they are usually laced with hearty laughter and profound sentiment.

Like many others, Martha and Wade have endured medical problems, but she acknowledges their faith in God reaches new zeniths daily as a result of her healing from two back surgeries and Wade’s recovery from three brain surgeries and his success battling Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Martha is a good woman who cares a lot about Avery County's taxpayers and other citizens. She's done an exceptionally good job as a commissioner and I'm honored to serve on the board with her.

"I’m happy to say that Wade and I are the best health-wise we’ve been in in quite awhile,”

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she said. “As God shows in many people's lives every day as He has done, as He is doing, in mine and Wade's, He is the ultimate healer. We are forever grateful to all who have asked us about our health and prayed for us. We want everyone who reads this article to know how blessed we are to have so many people who care about us. And I hope they realize how much we love and care about them, too. Life can be a series of health struggles, but knowing God will give us the necessary strength to handle them makes them easier to bear and to overcome."

Martha Hicks is among a special breed who have done tremendous good for this country, their state, county and community as well as for their professions and fellowcitizens. And she commands the respect of all who know her, as a family woman, as a county commissioner, as a commission chairwoman, as an Avery County patriot and legend, and foremost, as a Christian lady.

She enjoys hearing from her fellow-Avery County citizens, her other friends, and she welcomes every opportunity to make new acquaintances. She may be contacted by writing: Martha Hicks, Avery County Commissioner, PO Box 640, Newland, NC 28657 or by phone (828) 733-2891. t

Martha is a very intelligent lady who will do anything to help people in Avery County.

- ROBERT BURLESON, AVERY COUNTY COMMISSIONER

Martha Hicks with Tommy Burleson, former Avery County Planning and Inspections Director. Photo by Linda Webb.

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Remembering Dr. Lee Warren

Community Saddened by Death of Beloved Dentist

STORY BY SHERRIE NORRIS

The unexpected death of longtime local dentist, Robert “Lee” Warren, has saddened the High Country. As his obituary so aptly describes, “The world has lost a true gentleman, renowned dentist, beloved husband and loving father.”

As news of Warren’s death began to circulate, tributes began pouring into the family via phone calls, texts, social media and personal visits.

They are grateful for the overwhelming support they are receiving, said Warren’s daughter, Debin, on behalf of her mother and siblings, as she shared that her “sweet daddy” has left a lasting legacy in the High Country.

“This is very hard for all of us,” she said. “I loved him dearly and was such a daddy’s girl. He was such a special man to so many people. And he loved Watauga County.”

And, there’s no doubt that Watauga County loved Lee Warren in return.

Next to his family, perhaps Vanessa Minton knew him like few others, and shared. “Some things are hard to grasp. It is with great sadness that Dr. Lee Warren is no longer with us, but I know where he resides. Heaven is having a glorious celebration as they welcomed this kind, precious man into the presence of his Lord and savior. He’s laughing and hugging on all those he has not seen in a while and walking pain-free with Ava (his fourlegged companion) by his side!”

Minton said she knew how much Warren loved his family —“fiercely” —and with all his heart!

“I’ve been so blessed to work alongside this gentle, kind and compassionate friend for 40-some years,” Minton added. “So many memories, shared laughter and tears. We prayed together and cried together. He was my dear friend who has stood in the gap for me. I will miss him and love him with all my heart. I am thankful to Dr. Warren for being a huge part of my life. Heaven is surely sweeter.”

Tina Watson, owner of Blue Ridge Diner, where he ate frequently, shared that she and her staff loved Warren like family — and they felt certain that he loved them, too.

“There were days when we knew he didn’t feel well, he dealt with severe back pain, but he still came in to eat with us, and would always stay around to talk after he finished his meal,” Watson said. “He was such a sweet, pleasant person. He loved my mom’s desserts, and I would always send some home with him. We loved sitting and talking with him when we could, and we will definitely miss him.”

The Warren family shared about the man behind the dental chair. It was no secret that he loved his family, and as his wife, Debbie, said, “Especially his kids. He was so proud of them.”

And for the lengthy dental career for which he was best known, they described him as an artist at his craft. “He believed

in providing the best possible treatment for his patients.”

Warren retired from this career on December 31, 2019, at which time his older daughter, Blaire, the first to follow in her father’s footsteps to become a dentist, bought his practice and took it over January 1, 2020. All three of the Warren children pursued dental careers, much to their father’s delight — and primarily at UNC. Just as their father had done, Blaire and Robert completed dental school. Robert became a pediatric dentist with his own dental corporation. Debin went through the dental hygiene program at East Tennessee State University initially, before obtaining her masters in dental hygiene education at UNC. Debin works as a Director of Operations for Burlington-based North State Dental Partners.

“We loved our dad to the moon and back, and we hope we made him happy.” Debin concluded. t

Recently retired dentist, Robert “Lee” Warren will long be remembered as a “master of his craft,” having brought countless smiles to many people through his meticulous work, but also smiles to the faces of those he casually met along life’s way. Photo submitted.

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