Volume 8 • Issue 1 August/September 2012
Farm To Table The Buzzword in the Culinary Scene Viaduct Turns 25 25 Years of Motoring Across Linn Cove Man Behind the Mic A Legend of High Country Radio, Sam Tate
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High Country Magazine
August / September 2012
August / September 2012
High Country Magazine
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Discover Morris Street
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An Authentic French Specialty Shop
131-1 Morris Street Blowing Rock, NC 28605 828-414-9200 For appointments: 828-406-2563 Find Us on FaceBook thewhiteelephantinteriors.blogspot.com
131-8 Morris Street • Blowing Rock (828) 295-9989 • Email: retset@charter.net
Hemlock Inn A Blowing Rock Tradition
Immaculate Rooms Fireplaces/Jacuzzis Suites & Efficiencies Available Pet Friendly Complimentary WiFi Available LCD TVs / DVD Players find us on
828-295-7987 www.HemlockInn.net 134 Morris Street Blowing Rock, NC 28605
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August / September 2012
Walking Distance to Restaurants and Shops!
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August / September 2012
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22 C O N T E N T S
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Local Food’s True Flavor
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Linn Cove Viaduct at 25
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Farm to Table has become a major buzzword in the culinary scene across the country including several restaurants in the High Country. But what is it? Essentially it is a movement that supports buying food from small-scale farmers in a way that gets it to our plate while retaining the most possible flavor.
The Linn Cove viaduct was completed by 1984 and thousands walked, biked and cross-country skied over it before the pubic ever motored across in 1987 after the ribbon cutting. Now this section of “America’s Most Scenic Road” is celebrating 25 years.
The Life and Career of a Magician, Scientist and Educator
44
Blowing Rock resident Dr. William E. Spooner is an internationally acclaimed magician, published scientific researcher and former North Carolina educator. This in-depth profile highlights his life and his illustrious career.
Cover Photo by
James Fay
Hanging On To Summer This month’s cover by James Fay is from the annual Tater Hill Open near Boone. James is the co-owner of Gents & Belles, southern proper wedding photography. To learn more visit www. gentsandbelles.com
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READER SERVICES The first High Country Press newspaper was published on May 5, 2005, and the first issue of High Country Magazine went to press in fall 2005. In March of 2012 the newspaper made the transformation to an online newspaper at our new website: www.HCPress.com. Our new “webpaper” is still packed with information that we present and package in easy-to-read formats with visually appealing layouts. Our magazine represents our shared love of our history, our landscape and our people. It celebrates our pioneers, our lifestyles, our differences and the remarkable advantages we enjoy living in the mountains. Our guiding principles are twofold: quality journalism makes a difference and customer care at every level is of the greatest importance. Our offices are located in downtown Boone, and our doors are always open to welcome visitors.
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ABOUT US
ADVERTISING & MARKETING
Our magazine is a wonderful way for businesses to advertise to our readers. Our magazines tend to stay around for a long time, on coffee tables and bed stands, and shared with family and friends. To find out about advertising, call our offices at 828264-2262.
BACK ISSUES
Back issues of our magazines are available from our office for $5 per issue. Some issues are already sold out and are no longer available.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography and page reprints are available for purchase. For sizing, prices and usage terms, please call our office. Some photos may not be available and some restrictions may apply.
FREELANCE OPPORTUNITIES
Writers and photographers may send queries and samples to the editor at hcmag@highcountrypress.com.
Contact us at:
High Country Press/Magazine P.O. Box 152 130 North Depot Street Boone, NC 28607 www.hcpress.com info@highcountrypress.com
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828-264-2262 August / September 2012
High Country Magazine
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C O N T E N T S
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Western North Carolina’s ‘Gypsy Theater’
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The Blue Ridge Community Theater, which has not had a permanent home since 1976, is the oldest theater in the High Country. Despite not having a place to call home, they produce two to three shows every year.
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‘A Great Athletics Director’ and ‘A Good Man’ Appalachian State Athletics Director Charlie Cobb saw the Mountaineers win three national titles in his first three years at the helm, as well their legendary defeat of Michigan in 2007. Now in his seventh year, he has continued racking up accolades since he arrived on the scene.
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The Man Behind the Mic
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How to Find Your Own Golf Ball… And Everyone Else’s
A legend of High Country radio, Sam Tate has been pursuing his dreams since he was a young boy growing up in Morganton. It’s been almost 30 years since he received his license to open a station in Blowing Rock and his fan base continues to grow.
Golf ball hunting is equal parts art and science. It is a healthy and fun hobby that for many was nurtured from Easter egg hunting when they were small children. Learn some helpful tips on how to locate them after those shanked shots, as well as some insight on how golf ball hunting can be good for you.
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828-963-6466 August / September 2012
High Country Magazine
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FR O M T H E PU B LI S H E R
I
hope I don’t get in too much trouble for speaking of this. We all benefit from the influx of Florida visitors every summer, but as the roads become jammed and you feel like it takes more time to get anywhere, the blame is most often verbalize toward those cars with Florida tags. In June of 1979, we published a column by a fellow named Pat Jobe that had a lot people laughing, as well as cursing us, for Ken Ketchie his take on Florida drivers. I still get asked about this column today. Pat was a fabulous writer and a likable character who didn’t have a mean bone in his body. But one day he snapped in his kind natured way – after it took him forever to get to our office, and this is what he wrote . . .
The Florida School of Mountain Driving - Revisited I love tourists. I love Floridians, Yankees, Flatlanders, Catholics, Jews, Black folks, women and children. I love people. I thank the Lord He made so many different kinds of people so we’d all have somebody to talk about. But a lot of people do not know how to drive. I’ll try not to make any generalizations here, but I sometimes get behind a slightly oversized vehicle with Florida tags that’s moving so slow that the bugs hittin’ the windshield live to tell about it. That is no way to drive. New Yorkers, South Carolinians and the timid from every corner of the globe are convinced that driving over thirty-five milesper-hour on a mountain road is reckless abandon of all that’s moral and prudent. Somewhere an idea became popular that thirty-five miles-per-hour protects the driver and his passengers from flying off the side of the road and crashing helplessly to the bottom of a vast ravine. Maybe the tourist promoters down at the beaches started these horrible traditions with tales of T-Models twisted at the foot of every mountain between Jefferson and Murphy. Wherever this 35 m.p.h. myth came from, it is now officially taught at the Florida School of Mountain Driving with branches throughout the kingdom of Anita Bryant. Of course, the 35 m.p.h. rule is not hard and fast. It only applies in 55 m.p.h. speed zones. In 35 m.p.h. zones, the Florida school teaches one to drive 20 m.p.h. At 20 m.p.h. a dog can chase a car all day and never breath heavy. At 20 m.p.h. a young man can grow old and die without ever getting very far. At 20 m.p.h. half the cars in the United States can line up behind a Florida driver and he will eventually arrive wherever he’s going totally oblivious to the fact that he has more anger in his wake than a drunk skunk at an all day meetin’ on 8
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the grounds. There is hope. Read on and follow instructions to the letter. Herein find the philosophy of the Mountain Driver. Rule No. 1: Centrifugal force does not kill. As you approach 45 or 50 m.p.h. on a mountain road, you may feel yourself listing slightly to one side or the other. This is caused by centrifugal force. It is also caused by curves. The slight tilt has no permanent effect on either your vehicle or your vital organs. Heart, lung, liver, kidneys, carburator, radiator, drive shaft, all essential physical elements will continue to function under the influence of centrifugal force. Don’t let it bother you. Rule No. 2: Speed limit signs are not constructed by madmen. Speed limits are based loosely on the idea that a car can travel at that speed on that road without flying to pieces or melting from atmospheric or careening off the side of a mountain. Most of the people who work for the Highway Department are sane, reasonable folks with families and a sense of responsibility. The few among them who are totally bonkers usually get promoted to positions where they do little harm. Rule No. 3: The patience of mountain people is not limitless. Contrary to popular opinion, mountain people will not tolerate Florida driving forever. Organizing has already begun to send thousands of hillbillies to Florida for the sole task of driving slow. Strange stories are beginning to circulate that if you drive over 35 in Florida you may slip into an orange grove and be pummeled to death by falling fruit. Anyway don’t let your feelings hurt over this. We love you and we’re glad to have you. Just try to ease on down the road.
August / September 2012
by Pat Jobe - June, 1979
A Publication Of High Country Press Publications Editor & Publisher Ken Ketchie Art Director Debbie Carter Senior Graphic Designer Tim Salt Graphic Designers Angelo Litrenta Contributing Writers Jesse Wood Paul Choate Randy Johnson Allison West Chelsea Pardue Rebecca Gitlen Anthony Wyatt Ethan Woodhouse Harris Prevost Contributing Photographers Maria Richardson James Fay Associate Editor Angela Rosebrough Finance Manager Amanda Giles
High Country Magazine is produced by the staff and contributors of High Country Press Publications, which serves Watauga and Avery counties of North Carolina
HIGH COUNTRY MAGAZINE P.O. Box 152, Boone, NC 28607 828-264-2262 Follow our magazine online where each issue is presented in a flip-through format. Check it out at:
HighCountryMagazine.com Reproduction or use in whole or part of the contents of this magazine without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Issues are FREE throughout the High Country. © 2012 by High Country Press. All Rights Reserved.
August / September 2012
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Calendarof Events AUGUST 2012
Concerts in the Park: Wolf Creek, Tate-Evans Park,
9
Banner Elk, 828-898-8395
The Festival of Gnarnia, Beech Mountain Ski
9- 11
Resort, 800-468-5506
Lisa Pepper, Edgewood Cottage, Blowing Rock,
9-14
877-750-4636
Concerts at the Jones House: Charlotte Ross, Sound Traveler, .........Orville Hicks & Lisa Baldwin and Dave Haney, Jones House, Boone, 828-262-4576
10
Music on the Mountain Top • August 24-25
Music in the Valle: The Neighbors, Valle Crucis
16-21
Friday Night Bluegrass, Todd General Store, Todd, 336-
17
Skyland Painters, Edgewood Cottage, Blowing Rock, 877-750-4636
Community Park, 828-963-9239
Brethren Choir & Soul Benefactor, Jones House, Boone, 828-262-4576
877-1067
10-11
Ola Belle Reed Music Festival, Lansing Creeper Trail
11
Art in the Park, American Legion Hall Grounds,
Park, Lansing, 336-977-1320
Mountain Home Music: Celtic Winds, Blowing Rock
School Auditorium, 828-964-3392
12
Boone Breakaway Bicycle Race, Boone
Live Band on the Patio: Jonathan Maness, Banner Elk Cafe, 6 - 10 p.m., 828-898-4040
Parking Lot, 828-355-4918 828-295-9768
12-17
4th Annual Banner Elk Paint-Out, Banner Elk Greenway,
Mountain Home Music: The Colors of Country, Blowing Rock School auditorium, 828-964-3392
NeedToBreathe at Appalachian football’s Fan Fest, Kidd
Live Band on the Patio: Sound Traveler, Banner Elk Cafe, 6 - 10 p.m., 828-898-4040
High Country Women’s Fund’s Croquet Fundraiser,
Linville Resort, 828-264-4007
18-19
“Groovy Nights” Variety Show, Blowing Rock Country
20
Concerts in the Park: Dallas Reese, Tate-Evans Park,
Banner Elk, 828-898-8395 10
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August / September 2012
Brewer Stadium, 4 to 10 p.m., 828-262-2079
Parking Lot, 828-355-4918
Rosen Concert Hall: Si Kahn, Joe Shannon, Sixth Floor Trio and Forget-Me-Nots performing, ASU, 3 p.m., 828262-2311, 828-387-9203
828-733-0054
Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West
Club, 828-295-9347
16
Friday Night Bluegrass, Todd General Store, Todd, 336-
18
Fairgrounds, 828-719-8448
Blowing Rock Jazz Society Concert, Meadowbrook Inn,
Community Park, 828-963-9239
877-1067
Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West
Music in the Valle: 8 Miles Apart, Valle Crucis
Blowing Rock, 877-750-4636
Concerts at the Jones House: Boone Mennonite
20-22
Grandfather Mountain volunteer trail workdays,
Grandfather Mountain Entrance, Hwy 221, 828-963-9522
Riders in the Sky, Tweetsie Railroad, Blowing Rock,
800-526-5740
Riverwalk Arts Festival, Downtown Newland, 828898-4292 Annual Fine Art and Mastercraft Festival, Downtown Banner Elk, 828-898-5605
DON’T FORGET
EVENTS
Tax Free Weekend Everything from clothing to computer equipment to major appliances is tax free from August 3-5 to give buyers and businesses a boost.Plan your back-toschool shopping around this weekend to take advantage of some nice savings. Go ahead and spring for those fancy aluminum ballpoint pens and Lisa Frank kitten notebooks. Remember to bring a calculator along to figure out how much money you aren’t giving to the government.
Helping you build your dreams and strengthen our community.
Aug. 3-5
Gnarnia Music Festival A juggernaut of a festival is coming to Beech Mountain Ski Resort August 9 to 11. The Festival of Gnarnia will see festival-goers from across the country flood Eastern America’s Highest Town and enter through the wardrobe and into the parody land of Gnarnia. The all-star musical lineup will perform against the backdrop of a stunning view that extends for a hundred miles, making it one of the most unique and picturesque festivals of all the lands. The festival is chock-full of other creative features, such as an immersive theatre, cirque performers, aerialists, bhangra dancers, stilt walkers, fire dancers, fashion designers and more than a few surprises.
Aug. 9-11
When many businesses are consolidating and moving out of small communities we are working to make our business stronger and stay in the High Country. From traditional FDIC-insured checking and savings accounts to mortgages and loans that can meet your needs, LifeStore is here to help you build your dreams and strengthen our community.
ASU Fanfest Southern rock band NeedToBreathe will headline Appalachian football’s annual Fan Fest on Saturday, Aug. 18 at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Gates open at 4 p.m. with Mountaineer student-athletes and coaches signing autographs and taking pictures, face painting by Appalachian cheerleaders, inflatable rides for kids and access to the Kidd Brewer Stadium playing field. At 6 p.m., Appalachian State football holds its final intrasquad scrimmage of the preseason. After the scrimmage a nationally acclaimed Southern rock band from Possum Kingdom, S.C., NeedToBreathe will perform. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at goasu.com, by phone or at the ASU ticket office.
Aug. 18
(828) 265-2580 | www.golifestore.com A part of the community since 1939.
August / September 2012
High Country Magazine
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Concerts in the Park: Deep River, Tate-Evans Park, Banner Elk, 828-898-8395
Concerts at the Jones House: Buck Haggard Band &
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Strictly Clean and Decent, Jones House, Boone, 828262-4576
Music in the Valle: Folk and Dagger, Valle Crucis
Community Park, 828-963-9239
Friday Night Bluegrass, Todd General Store, Todd, 336877-1067
24-25
Music on the Mountaintop, Grandfather Mountain Campground, 919-818-2614 Greater Avery Tour de Art, 14 area galleries and studios,
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828-963-5247
“From Forests to Bowls,” Alta Vista Gallery, Valle
Live Band on the Patio: Jonathan Maness, Banner Elk Cafe, 6 - 10 p.m., 828-898-4040
Crucis, 828-963-5247
High Country Half Marathon, Kidd Brewer Stadium,
ASU, 828-262-7557
Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West
Parking Lot, 828-355-4918
10th Annual Mile High Kite Festival • Sept 2
Ensemble Stage: All the King’s Women, Blowing Rock
25-9/3
School auditorium, 828-414-1844
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Avery Chamber Business Expo, Chapman Center of the Williams YMCA of Avery County, 828-898-5605 ext. 223
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Concert in the Courtyard: The Get Downs, Bayou Smokehouse, Banner Elk, 828-898-8952
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Concerts in the Park: Whip Daddys, Tate-Evans Park,
31-9/1
Concerts at the Jones House: Dashboard Hula Boys &
Concert in the Courtyard: The Get Downs, Bayou Smokehouse, Banner Elk, 828-898-8952
Music in the Valle: Zephyr Lightning Bolts, Valle Crucis
Ashe County Farmers’ Market, Backstreet in downtown
Friday Night Bluegrass, Todd General Store, Todd, 336-
14
Fall Boone Bike Rally, High Country Fairgrounds, 828-
15
West Jefferson, ashefarmersmarket.com
Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West Parking Lot, 828-355-4918
SEPTEMBER 2012 Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West
Trinity Cathedral Choir, Holy Cross Episcopal Church,
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387-9283 12
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August / September 2012
Concert in the Courtyard: Whip Daddys, Bayou Smokehouse, Banner Elk, 828-898-8952
22
13th annual Stickboy Bread Co. / Mayview Madness 5k, 828-295-6198
Valle Crucis, 828-963-4609
10th Annual Mile High Kite Festival, Beech Mtn, 828-
Grandfather Mountain volunteer trail workdays, Grandfather Mountain Profile Trail, 828-9639522
Parking Lot, 828-355-4918 2
“John Tesh Big Band Live!” Walker Center,
Wilkesboro, 336-838-6260
877-1067
Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West
12
Kirby, Welch and Stone, Jones House, Boone, 828-2624576
733-8060
1
Smokehouse, Banner Elk, 828-898-8952
Parking Lot, 828-355-4918
Community Park, 828-963-9239
Concert in the Courtyard: Whip Daddys, Bayou
Art in the Park, top level of American Legion Parking Facility, Wallingford St., Blowing Rock, 828-295-7851
Banner Elk, 828-898-8395
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Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West
Parking Lot, 828-355-4918
DON’T FORGET
EVENTS
Boone Bike Rally The High Country’s largest and loudest biker extravaganza returns, and it’s bigger and better than ever. The roar of engines and the sounds of rock and roll bands will fill the air for Boone Bike Rally. Bikers far and wide will converge on High Country Fairgrounds in Boone for its Fall rally on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. The rally features bike games, traditional rally contests and vendors. The fairgrounds will be rocking throughout the two-day extravaganza with music headlined by Blackberry Smoke along with tunes from D.B. Bryant Band, Dice, Problem Child and Throwdown Jones.
Aug. 31 & Sept 1
Mile High Kite Festival Why “Mile High”? Because Beech Mountain is 5,506 feet above sea level. It is the highest incorporated town east of the Mississippi, which makes it the perfect place to fly a kite. The elevation almost guarantees great breezes. Two recognized kite clubs will be on hand to demonstrate flying techniques, staff kite clinics and help folks build their own kites. Free kites will be given to the first 150 children under the age of 13.Prizes are given to novice flyers for the biggest kite flown, the most original handmade kite, the highest kite and whatever other categories the organizers can dream up.
Sept. 2
Gallery & framemakers
May 24 - June 23 Opening Reception Saturday May 26th 4-6pm
Visit www.artcellaronline.com for Anniversary Exhibition Schedule
828-898-5175
920 Shawneehaw Avenue, Hwy. 184, Banner Elk
Ronan Peterson – Woodland Humor
The DNC is in Charlotte! The Democratic National Conventionis going to be the most open and accessible in history. It isn’t about political ritual or simply re-nominating the president. It’s about Americans coming together. Success depends on involvement at the grassroots, engaging the American spirit and enlisting people who want to put their shoulder to the wheel and change the country for the better. From format to funding, this convention will increase the influence of the grassroots and empower more Americans to become involved in the political process.
Sept. 4-6
Robert Eoff – What a View
20th Anniversary Gallery Bash Join us on the 20th of each month, June to October 5-6pm
h920 a rShawneehaw d i n j e w eAvenue, l r y @Hwy. g m184 a i•lBanner . c o mElk,|North 8 2 8Carolina - 8 9 8 -28604 4653 artcellaronline.com • 828-898-5175 // Mon.- Sat. 10 - 5 August / September 2012
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Insider tips, fascinating facts, conversation starters and fun stuff to do
Groovy Nights and Community Service Days to Benefit Blowing Rock Community F
or the 24th annual Community Service days, Blowing Rock Community Foundation teams up with Blowing Rock Country Club to raise money to benefit the Blowing Rock community. A week of exciting events supports this worthy cause – golf and tennis tournaments, a social and awards dinner and “Groovy Nights” of dancing and lip-synching. The performers for Groovy Nights are more than 50 local people, lip-synching in costumes and impersonating celebrities of the 60s and 70s. “It’s loads of fun,” said Sandy Miller, chairman of the Community Foundation. “People love it.” The performances will be Sunday, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, Aug. 17 at 7:30 p.m. About 200 people are expected to attend each Groovy Nights showing at the Blowing Rock Country Club. Non-members are definitely invited. The $25 admission fee covers wild entertainment, coffee, tea and snacks. There will also be a cash bar. All proceeds go to the Blowing Rock Community Foundation, which pays for scholarships for high school students in the Blowing Rock district and grants to nonprofit organizations. The board of the Community Foundation assesses the grants and does the best with the amount of money they’ve raised, Miller said. Other events for the Community Service Days include a tennis tournament on Aug. 17-18. The cost is $75 per tennis package, limited to two events – $30 additional per event. “We’ve got all different levels of 14
High Country Magazine
doubles,” said Kathy Arnold, coordinator for the tennis tournament. “There’s even a division called the spectacular seniors for players over 70. We’ve got every level possible all the way from beginner to advanced - there’s a level for you.” The golf tournament is Saturday, Aug. 18 with tee times at 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. The cost is $175 per golf package. The golf tournament has a new, modified Schramble Method of play where all players tee off, then select the best located team member’s tee shot. All players count this shot as their first. From the selected location, all players continue with their own ball. This method of play applied to all holes except all par 3 holes. The tournament will also include special events like a circle game on hole #10 and hole-in-one contests. A Social and Awards Dinner celebrating the winners of the golf and tennis tournaments will be held Saturday, Aug. 18. The social hour is from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and dinner is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per attendee. The community Bridge Event is Friday, Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 per player with lunch included. Registration forms for Community Service Day Events are available at www.blowingrockcf.org. The registration deadline for the golf and tennis tournaments is Aug. 13, and the deadline for Groovy Nights is Aug. 10. For more information, contact Sandy Miller at 828-295-3048 or visit www.blowingrockcf.org. By Rebecca Gitlen August / September 2012
mountain
Friends of High Country State Parks D
id you know the High Country has essentially four state parks? With Grandfather Mountain, Elk Knob and New River state parks and Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, the High Country has a plethora of stunning views, outdoor recreation spots and an array of native plants and animals. In light of increasing park usage and dramatic budget cuts in recent years, Friends of High Country State Parks strives to protect and grow the funding to preserve and enhance these natural treasures. “A lot of people don’t realize that the number of High Country State Parks has gone for two
to four in just the last four or five years,” said Randy Johnson, a board member with Friends of High Country State Parks. “The goal is to receive donations and use every red cent of that money to benefit the parks [and help] offset their budget cuts.” Friends of High Country State Parks has already had an impact, recently donating valuable equipment that enables researchers to continue monitoring the Eastern Hellbender, also known as the Snot Otter, which is listed as a species of “Special Concern” along the New River. Along with more equipment and tools, Johnson said funds will also be used for interpretive signage and trail maintenance within the parks. So what exactly exists within those four parks that are worth the effort and money? Well, a lot, according to nonprofit’s website. Grandfather Mountain has 72 rare plant and animal species,
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An aerial view of New River State Park. Photo Courtesy of NC State Parks
Supt. Larry Trivette stands at the entrance to Elk Knob State Park. Photo by Jesse Wood
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12 miles of rugged backcountry hiking trails and 13 backcountry campsites. Elk Knob features cross-country skiing in the winter, rare plant life, backcountry campsites and stunning views of Mount Rodgers, the tallest mountain in Virginia, and Mount Mitchell, the tallest mountain east of Mississippi. Mount Jefferson has easily accessible, stunning views of the High Country, a family-friendly hiking area and an outdoor venue for family reunions, business retreats and cultural programming. The New River State Park includes a museum and visitor center, music events, family-friendly hiking trails and overnight canoe trips along 26 miles of the New River. Friends of High Country State Parks, which was founded in January 2011, is partnering with the parks to support upcoming events:
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Saturday in the Park at Mt. Jefferson on August 25; Elk Knob’s Headwaters Community Day on September 8; and Grandfather Mountain’s Family Day on September 22. Look out for Views from the Top, an “occasional” full-color newsletter that focuses on the state parks in and around the High Country. Views from the Top will be available online, at the parks and at local establishments such as Footsloggers and Mast General Store. Also look for donation boxes, supporting Friends of High Country State Parks at the parks, where “every red cent” goes to enhance and preserve our natural treasures. For more information, click to http://friendsofhcsp.wordpress. com or call 828-385-6424. By Jesse Wood
August / September 2012
View from the summit of Mount Jefferson in the fall. Photo Courtesy of NC State Parks by Joseph Shimel From Watauga View on Grandfather Mountain, near Calloway Peak, it’s not unusual to see snow and frost on the summit and autumn color far below. Photo by Randy Johnson
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Capital Campaign Breathes Life into Dormant Theater U
ntil it shut down at the end of November 2007, the old Appalachian Twin Theater was a mainstay in downtown Boone for nearly 70 years. But for the past four years, the gutted theater has been an eyesore on King Street with worn-looking brick surrounding graffiti-tinged boards barricading the old entranceways. That changed, though, in late July as staff from Town of Boone Public Works cleaned up the outside of the building, constructing a temporary façade to spur interest and generate excitement for the capital campaign to restore the old theater, which was purchased in a foreclosure auction in November by the Downtown Boone Development Association (DBDA) for $624,000 with a three-year loan from the Town of Boone. At a meeting on July 20, the DBDA and the Appalachian Theater Committee announced the silent phase of its’ capital campaign to restore the old theater. In this initial phase, “nothing is said for months until 50 percent of the goal is reached,” said Whitney Jones of Whitney Jones Inc., the fundraising consultant hired to steer the campaign. To deter sticker shock and questions of fiscal feasibility, Jones said campaigns
generally don’t announce goals until worked on many capital campaigns in the a substantial chunk has been raised. past. “I think it’s a very attainable goal. If Though, he did add that the one of the next steps in the process would be “ulti- we didn’t feel we could reach this goal, mately the acquisition of the building by we wouldn’t be launching this campaign,” the separate nonprofit in 90 to 120 days.” Cooper said, adding that he hasn’t “seen a (The DBDA plans to transfer the deed to a project that has had as much positive imnonprofit that will be formed exclusively pact as this.” to possess and operate the theater.) As of that meeting, the DBDA still owes the Town of Boone “just over $500,000” for fronting the purchasing money, according to Downtown Boone Development Coordinator Pilar Fotta, adding that the “first priority” is repaying the town. The theater will be restored to its original Appalachian Theater, 1947, showing “Maggie and Jiggs In Society.” 1940s art deco with The DBDA is still looking for interior 600 to 700 seats and will feature live music and live theater and, perhaps, will be photographs of the original 1938 design. a site for conferences and meetings. The To donate to the project, mail tax-deductname of the venue isn’t final, but “Doc ible donations to DBDA—Appalachian Watson Appalachian Theater” has been Theatre Project, P.O. Box 362, Boone, thrown around quite a bit, especially since N.C. 28607. For more information, call Fotta at 828-262-4532. Doc voiced his approval last December. John Copper, who has been involved By Jesse Wood with this project since the beginning, has August / September 2012
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BRAHM’s North Carolina Treasures Exhibit Highlights A Busy August for Blowing Rock Museum T
hree of the state’s most be- Glenn Bolick loved artists and artisans, Bob Timberlake, Glenn Bolick and Max Woody, will host galleries at BRAHM beginning in mid-August through November. The exhibit, entitled North Carolina Treasures will examine the men’s works over an extended period of time. The museum will be closed to the public to prepare the exhibits from Mon, Aug. 6 through Fri. Aug. 10, when the museum will reopen at 6:30 p.m., to play host to the reception for the North Carolina Treasures exhibit. “The preview reception gives people a chance to meet the featured artists and artisans and a sneak peak of the exhibit before it opens to the general public,” BRAHM Communications Coordinator Sunny Townes said. “We hope that it generates some excitement around this fabulous exhibit and these three wonderful men “Bob Timberlake’s international popwho are adding to and preserving ularity has brought attention to the beauthe culture of North Carolina.” ty of our state, which he so beautifully Tickets to the reception are $30. captures in his paintings,” Townes said. Bob Timberlake is regarded a NC’s “His ability to capitalize on his natural most recognized and successful living ability is a wonderful success story, and artist. Recognized as an American realist, Timberlake has become primarily known BRAHM is happy to be a part of his celfor his watercolor paintings, which will ebration of ’75 Years of Art.’” BRAHM’s exhibit will celebrate all be on display for North Carolina Treasures, but also passes the time designing seven decades of Timberlake’s work. The and licensing home furniture, much like exhibit will feature over 40 Timberlake paintings, quilts, chairs and photographs exhibit counterpart Max Woody. Timberlake’s first exhibition was held that will bring the artist’s career to life in Winston-Salem in 1970, and three before visitor’s eyes. Timberlake currently furnishes two years later he moved on to the Hammer Galleries in NYC. His first showing there galleries- one in Lexington, NC and anwas sold out before it opened. Since then, other in Blowing Rock, at 946 Main Str. Aside from being an artist and potter, Timberlake has been featured in Raleigh, Washington, D.C.; Seattle, Tokyo and the multi-talented Glenn Bolick is an acvarious other cities. His critically ac- complished old-time musician and storyclaimed work has earned him numerous teller. Raised in Caldwell County, Bolick found himself engulfed in sawmills, stostate and national honors. 18
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rytelling and music from a young age- three traditions he strives to keep alive in his artistic endeavors today. Over 50 pieces of Bolick family pottery will make up the artist’s portion of North Carolina Treasures. Bolick’s variety of talents are expected to be on full-display when members of the Bolick family band along with Max Woody will participate in a BRAHM celebration of mountain music, “Music on the Porch.” Sadly, visitors will have to wait until Sept. 30 for this event. It seems highly likely that Bolick will also share some of his famous jack tales with lucky visitors. Along with the potential for verbal performance, Bolick’s pots and musical instruments will be on display in North Carolina Treasures “Glenn Bolick and his family are true champions of their family’s heritage, and this exhibit will celebrate their efforts, highlighting
Max Woody
mountain both the Bolicks who have lived in Blackberry, North Carolina, for generations, and the rich tradition of pottery making that Glenn and his wife Lula Owens Bolick established here 40 years ago,” Townes said. Max Woody of McDowell County, also known as “The Chair Man” has followed in his family’s footsteps for more than 60 years in the development of quality handmade products. Woody has sent his handmade all over the country and beyond and currently has a 3-5 year waiting list for orders on any of his furniture. For BRAHM’s August exhibit, Woody has donated 15-20 handmade chairs, photographs and tools he used personally in the construction of his goods. He will also host a workshop demonstrat-
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ing the process he goes through in creating these pieces. Much like Mr. Bolick, Woody is a talented storyteller who is never shy about weaving a yarn or two. Visitors to his shop just outside of Marion can expect to hear some tall tales, so visitors to BRAHM’s exhibit who catch Mr. Woody at the museum can expect to be entertained as well. Perhaps a dual story-telling session featuring Bolick and Woody will come about? Doesn’t seem too farfetched… “I think that this exhibit has wide appeal,” Townes said. “It includes fine art and beautiful crafts, as well as history. Guests will be wowed by the great talent that will be on display, while learning more about each of these men and their phenomenal work.” By Ethan Woodhouse
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By the Numbers: So Just How Many Non-Student Residents Live in Boone Exactly?
F
or years the population of the non-student residents in town has been a great mystery. So, can we crunch the numbers and get to the bottom of this? Let’s get started. According to Appalachian State University projections, there will be 16,106 students enrolled at the main campus for the fall 2012 semester. As for the town of Boone, the population was 17,186 as of the 2010 Census. A general formula for a rough estimate of the total population has always been to take the enrollment at ASU and add that to the census data for the town. Students who live off campus in apartments, houses and other dwellings, however, skew that formula. They are counted in both census data as residents and in ASU’s enrollment figures. Additionally, some ASU students do not live in the town of Boone at all. Therefore the “enrollment + town population” formula tends to be significantly inaccurate. According to Janice Smith, administrative assistant for associate director of University Housing, The 2010 Census did canvas students living on campus, so the 17,186 figure as a total of the population of Boone is basically accurate. But that doesn’t answer the question of how many people live in the town and do not attend ASU. So what is the right formula for how many non-student residents there are? Well, that is a bit complicated and the answer might just be: “there isn’t one.” According to Sheila Burleson, business services coordinator with University Housing, there are 5,819 students expected to be living on campus in the fall 2012 semester. If you take the total number of students living off campus (10,287) plus the on-campus population and subtract that from the town’s population, you will wind up with 1,080 non-student residents. So is that correct? Not exactly. Though a portion of the slightly more than 10,000 students who don’t live on ASU’s campus do get counted in the Census as Boone residents, not all of them live in the Boone town limits. Many may live in Blowing Rock, Banner Elk or even farther away. Therefore, you can’t simply take them away from the Boone population figures and 20
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call that the non-student population. Short of combing through thousands of university records to find out how many off-campus students live in the Boone town limits, there may not be an exact way to calculate the number of non-student residents. “You are doing a guestimation,” said Burleson, in reference to trying to determine non-student population totals. “There are all kinds of variables. Back in the day it was easier to get that figure because we weren’t able to register to vote here if we were students, and now they can … I don’t know how you could get that one true scientific number.” Boone Town Manager Greg Young echoed Burleson’s assessment, saying, “To be accurate you pretty much have to do your own count and that is not an easy task. It means you’ve pretty much got to go door to door and count numbers and ask the question ‘Are you a full-time student of ASU?’ Then you might want to ask if they were a part-time student also.” Since there is hardly any way to arrive at an exact number, let’s estimate. One local rental property manager estimated that approximately 6,000 to 7,000 off-campus students live in Boone and are getting counted in the Census as well as in the university’s enrollment totals. If you use that figure, which means after subtracting those and the students living on campus, the non-student
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town residents would total about 4,367 to 5,367. It may not be exact, but that range is probably fairly close. Think this is complicated now? Just wait a few years. Boone and the university are both growing rapidly. In fact, in January of 2012, Forbes listed Boone as the fourth fastest growing small town in America. Since 2000, Boone’s population has increased 27.1 percent according to city-data.com. As for ASU, the university is projecting that by 2020 there will be a main campus enrollment of almost 17,000 students. With both the town and the university growing at a rapid rate, even more students will be living in Boone and more will likely have to look for off-campus living arrangements outside of the Boone town limits as well. That means even greater skewed numbers and higher degrees of “guestimation.” So there you have it. We have crunched the numbers and “guestimated” our way to the closest figures we can come up with. As far as we can tell, only about 4,300 to a little over 5,300 people live in Boone who are not students at the university. This may not be exact, but in the case of Boone as well as college towns around the country, figuring out the population is not an exact science. Do you have a “guestimate” on this? Let us know at info@highcountrypress.com. By Paul T. Choate
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Get Off the Couch with Boone Running Club
he Boone Running Club is the only official running club in the High Country, which is surprising considering the amount of runners and quality trails in the area. The group started in 2009 but became official in 2012 after receiving its nonprofit status. “We are passionate about running and passionate about helping people kind of bridge that gap between sitting on the couch,” said Jay Erwin, who founded the club along with Valerie Mazza, owner of All Out Fitness Camp. Before Erwin started running with the club, he was 250 pounds and could barely run a mile. Today, he weighs less than 200 pounds and runs half marathons. Erwin stressed that the club doesn’t fixate on the fastest times but is more concerned with
helping people reach their own goals at their own pace. “We want to encourage folks it’s not about ‘look at my time or how fast I am going.’ It’s more about having a good time,” Erwin said, adding that “you don’t
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have to be an elite runner” to participate with the club. The group meets 9 a.m. every Saturday at the parking lot of the Boone National Guard Armory to run along The Greenway Trail. For more advanced meets, the group also schedules regular runs along the Tanawha and Bass Lake Loop trails. Whether looking to become more healthy or run with company, consider the Boone Running Club. Erwin said the club has a core group of 40 active members. Membership dues cost $25 annually and include a moisture wicking shirt. For more information, click to www.boonerunningclub.com or call Mazza at 828-773-6482. By Jesse Wood
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true flavor
North Fork Farm
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Chef Tom Jankovich delights diners with his Krispy Kreme Cheesecake at Banner Elk’s Painted Fish Café and Beer Bar.
Connecting with the growers and chefs who transform these arm to Table has become a major buzzword in the culinary scene across the country including several incredibly abundant crops not only connected strangers to one restaurants throughout the High Country. But what another, but served as a strong connection to the beauty and is it? Chefs describe it differently but essentially farm to ta- nostalgia that is the High Country. Simple, elegant food draws ble is a movement that supports buying food from small-scale us into remembering a slower time – one where the goodness farmers in a way that gets it to our plate while retaining the of the earth stands out far above the hectic rush of life in the most possible flavor. Highly flavorful and nutritious, it supports twenty-first century. the local economy by allowing farmers to interact directly with the restaurants instead of both trying to chase down large suppliers. Truly flavorful food serves not only to nourish, but as a cultural centerpiece that stimulates conversation and gives people a shared experience. At its best, food serves to connect us – even total strangers. This past June a small group of magazine journalists from around the state met with several of the area’s farmers and restaurants to see just what the High Country Farm to Table movement is all about. Gracious hospitality was bestowed upon them in true Southern fashion, and they got a delicious firsthand peek at just what Farm to Table means through several lunches and dinners at area restaurants, including a Lace tablecloths adorn tables at The 1861 Farmhouse, where guests enjoy locally raised produce, 4-course restaurant crawl in Boone. such as grilled romaine hearts drizzled with bleu cheese, smoked bacon and tomatoes.
By Angela Raimondo Rosebrough | Photography by Maria Richardson August / September 2012
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Preserves Our Heritage Regional foods throughout America keep our unique cultures alive and well. Take Southern pulled pork barbeques, for instance. States down here have their own individual flair for the dish, and North Carolina even boasts Western versus Eastern styles. Local chili cook-offs are another great example of communities coming together to share and experience a fun event where food is the centerpiece. Prepackaged factory creations lack character and simply don’t contribute to our culture of food. The search for affordability and convenience has given rise to processed food, but at what cost? Grassroots movements to reject these foods and search for locally grown produce and meats are taking hold around the country. Local food connects us to each other and to our past by preserving our culture. Reconstructing the past became the mission of Steve and Alison Garrett, owners of 1861 Farmhouse, located on a hill across from the first Mast General Store, in Valle Crucis. Their two year restoration of the home has brought back much of its original splendor – especially the bricks lining the walls in the “Old World” Wine Room. The Garretts’ attention to detail – right down to the lace tablecloths and curtains, takes visitors back to what the Hard Taylor House could have looked like in the nineteenth century. It makes sense that their menu reflects a sophisticated simplicity in keeping with the history of the home. They feature locally grown meats and produce in true farm to table fashion. This year they planted a large garden where they will harvest from as much as possible for their seasonally inspired menu. Visitors are encouraged to relax here – to enjoy a glass of wine, or sip Southern Sweet Tea on the front porch rocking chairs. Time slows down, and savoring the tastes and smells of the past reminds one not to rush. And that is what supporting local does for us. It creates nostalgia by keeping us grounded in our roots, connecting us to each other and the people that came before us, all while allowing us to move confidently into our future with the inventive ways that food is created now. Cuisine nourishes our souls and our bodies.
Mouthwateringly Good To sample some of the best of the High Country’s offerings, High Country Host orchestrated a four-course restaurant crawl between three Boone restaurants. Michelle Ligon, Director of Public Relations and Visitor Services for Watauga County Tourism Development Authority, picked up the group from their accommodations at the Bob Timberlake Inn at Chetola Resort for a night to remember. Arriving at Joy Bistro on King Street in Boone they met Mary Scott, of High Country Local First, and her husband Jeffrey Scott of Heifer International, rounding the group off to six nearly perfect strangers. Locals know the goodness that awaits them inside the unassuming corner exterior of this small restaurant, situated at the end of a small shopping plaza with ample patio seating and an intimate dining room. Its crisp white linens accent the dark textures of the wood, creating a cozy elegance for the true star of Joy Bistro – the food. Getting-to-know-you conversation started around the table as the server brought seasonally inspired mixed drinks and the
Visitors are encouraged to relax at The 1861 Farmhouse and enjoy a glass of wine from their winery or sip sweet tea on the front porch rocking chairs.
Roasted ramps sit atop brioche with caramelized mushrooms in a cream sauce at Casa Rustica, located just outside downtown Boone.
first of two appetizers. A summer salad of baby beets and goat cheese fondant featuring locally grown small, flavorful and gorgeously dark purple beets began the dining experience. The bit of sweet creaminess from the goat cheese fondant mixed well with them, leaving mouths happy but ready for more. Next up were Joy’s Wontons, Bruschetta and Bistro Crab Cakes. Chef Melissa Joy Claude has outdone herself with the flavor of locally raised beef tenderloin on the Bruschetta. Excited after previewing what the first eatery had to offer, the group caravanned to its next stop, Casa Rustica, which features Italian and American cuisine. The snug but welcoming bar is decked out in Mountaineers gear and newspaper clippings celebrating recent football seasons. Its dark interior creates a familiar and homey feeling, and laughter and conversation could be heard everywhere in its packed lounge and dining room. The server graciously poured both red and white wines, each chosen as the perfect accompaniment to items chosen by the chef. ‘Tis the season for the spring delicacy that is ramps, and they took center stage in a dish featuring creamy caramelized mushrooms over brioche. The yeasty sweetness of the brioche blended with the texture of the mushrooms and creaminess of the sauce while the roasted ramps exploded their oniony goodness, blending different but complementary flavors in each bite. The night ended at Vidalia in downtown Boone where Chef Samuel Ratchford served up a main course featuring foods from five different local producers and a dessert using four. For dinner the group dined on Crispy Ripshin Pork Belly, from Ripshin Farms in Lenoir, topped with a watermelon Spring Granex compote and Sunshine Cove micro greens alongside Ripshin goat dairy mac n’ cheese, and an heirloom kale pepper vinaigrette slaw. Honeysuckle Farm Rhubarb Strudel finished the dinner, featuring Art of Oil’s Eureka Lemon Olive Oil and strawberries grown by Rocky Mountain Strawberry Farm. These flavors and textures came together because of the passion of the chefs, undoubtedly, but also because of the passion of the growers – which is becoming more and more possible in the High Country thanks to the several organizations working to make farming a possibility Says Mary Scott, organizer of High Country Local First, “On the restaurant
Support Local Food Plenty of good reasons exist to support local business, and now finding them is easier than ever with the help of non-profit organizations like High Country Local First. This year they’ve introduced the first ever High Country Local First Rewards Card, which allows users to save money while giving
local businesses much needed support to continue their unique and valuable contributions to our local economy. To view a full directory of local businesses and to get more information about this important movement visit the High Country Local First website at highcountrylocalfirst.org.
Top 10 Reasons to Buy Local Food* Locally grown food tastes better. Local produce is better for you. Local food preserves genetic diversity. Local certified organic food is GMO-free. Local food supports local farm families. Local food builds community. Local food preserves open space. Local food keeps your taxes in check. Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife. Local food is about the future.
*Taken from highcountrygrown.org. August / September 2012
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Vidalia serves up a dessert of Honeysuckle Farm Rhubarb Strudel, featuring Art of Oil’s Eureka Lemon Olive Oil and strawberries grown by Rocky Mountain Strawberry Farm. Lemon pop rocks literally make this dessert ‘pop’.
When you gather together over a meal that is “ freshly sourced from a nearby farm, you can’t help but feel a connection to those with you, to the farms, to the community. Your senses come alive and it takes a regular meal to a whole new meaningful level.
”
– Mary Scott, organizer of High Country Local First
House cured smoked pork belly and goat dairy mac n’ cheese, both from Ripshin Farms in Lenoir, served with heirloom kale pepper vinaigrette slaw, watermelon Spring Granex compote and Sunshine Cove micro greens at Vidalia in downtown Boone. 26
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Dining Room at the Farm to Table Dinner held last October at Camp Sky Ranch.
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Above: Hilary Wilson (right), director of Maverick Farm’s nonprofit activities and the farm’s
Antiques on howArd
operations, leads the farm’s university interns and volunteers into the “wash room” where they prepare produce for the CSA boxes. Below: License plates adorn a wall at Maverick Farms. Wilson moved away from Appalachia to learn about farming systems and social movements and lived in both Northern California’s Bay Area and Chiapas, Mexico.
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tour we started out as complete strangers, but after we connected over food by moving from one restaurant to the next, we felt like old friends. When you gather together over a meal that is freshly sourced from a nearby farm, you can’t help but feel a connection to those with you, to the farms, to the community. Your senses come alive and it takes a regular meal to a whole new meaningful level. Scott worked with other community leaders to organize High Country Local First, and it focuses on networking member farms, businesses, restaurants, and consumers to help strengthen the local economy in the High Country. They support the success of a variety of types of independent, local business and maintain an online resource directory for local food.
Economical With such exotic flavors and excellent quality the issue of affordability can’t be ignored when discussing the local movement. While spending as little money as possible on food has perhaps been an unrealistic expectation within our society, cost is certainly a valid issue. Much attention has been paid lately to the quality of food readily available in the United States thanks in part to the growing obesity epidemic and other health problems
facing Americans. It would appear that more and and more people are realizing the need for a return to more simple, from-the-earth eating, including Michelle Obama with her White House Garden. So how does one access great food without breaking the bank? Several local organizations are actively pursuing ways to keep area residents connected to locally grown food in a way that supports the growers as well as the restaurateurs and individual patrons. A great way to sample the best of the High Country’s fresh, local flavor is to attend a farm dinner. Many area farms feature these dinners, and they not only showcase the bounty of the land but provide another source of income for the farmers. “Farms need to have several avenues of income,” says Hollis Wild, Program Coordinator for Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP). “Take Trosley Farm [in Elk Park], for example. They are a small farm with four main streams of income – baked goods, meats, vegetables and farm dinners.” And now local organizations are taking the traditional farm dinner to the next level, as with the upcoming Food for a Change dinners taking place every Wednesday for the month of August. These dinners feature the talents of a wide variety of chefs, spotlight
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Oak wine barrels in the small winery at The 1861 Farmhouse. The Garrets’ source juice from some of the best vineyards in the country to produce their wine.
ing different local farms, foods, and techniques weekly. The growers and chefs will be on hand to answer questions about production and preparation. Their goal is to help everyone understand - in depth - just how important the local food movement is in their own daily life. In addition to education, these events will focus on delicious, fresh meals and community involvement. Maverick Farms is another local active organization in not only making food accessible to the community but in helping new farmers get started. Founded in 2004, it is an educational non-profit farm dedicated to promoting family farming as a community resource and reconnecting local food networks. Hillary Wilson directs operations of the small farm, the place where she actually grew up. Situated in Valle Crucis, Wilson’s passion lies in helping new farmers get started through a farming incubator project, The Farm Incubator and Grower Project (FIG). Maverick is part of a larger collective, including Appalachian State University’s Sustainable Development Program, the Appalachian District Health Department and the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Helping small farmers get started isn’t 30
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Wilson’s only passion. She also played a major role in starting the area’s first CSA program in 2004 directly from their farm. “In 2008 we started thinking about ways to create retail markets and diversify the markets here. One of the ways we did that was to create the High Country CSA utilizing produce from several farms.” In its fourth year, it runs for 20 weeks during the growing season where people pay in advance and runs a no-commitment online ordering platform in the winter. To become more accessible to people, they are running several programs this year. They have been EBT certified since 2009 but Wilson explains that only two or three people have used those benefits. “We decided to partner with existing organizations to expand EBT usage. Bill Moretz, president of the Watauga Farmer’s Market, and Kaitlyn Jongkind of the Appalachian District Health Department and a few other folks helped us choose who to partner with.” The Cost Share Fund program was born as a way to offset the cost of HCCSA. The group then partnered with organizations connected to EBT recipients, such as the Children’s Council, which works with teen parents, and the Community Care Clinic in Boone that runs a
August / September 2012
free clinic focused on diabetes nutrition. “We fundraised a third of the cost of the CSA with grant funding, then went into the community and collected donations, and we ended up raising more money than we had people matched for,” Wilson laughs. “So now we’re in this terrible position where we have more money than we expected and are having to match other individuals to receive this food – which is a wonderful problem to have!” Folks who participate in the cost share CSA pay $5 and Wilson happily reports that they now have many more people using EBT. “And that is entirely because there are other people in the community willing to work and see that happen,” she quickly credits those who have worked hard with her to make this possible. Local food supports local families So how did this local food movement come about in the High Country, where crops like tobacco, cabbage and Christmas trees once ruled supreme as Western North Carolina’s choice crops? Hollis Wild, Program Coordinator for Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) credits Charlie Jackson’s foresight as the end of tobacco farming approached farmers in North Carolina. “He wanted to figure out what to do to help
farmers and answer their needs once tobacco was gone. That’s how he and others got into working with farmers and markets and creating income streams. ASAP started as a non-profit for that purpose.” Much of the support for the local food campaigns coordinated by ASAP comes from independently owned and operated restaurants, with much less interest coming from franchises and chains according to a report prepared in 2006 by Laura D. Kirby exploring the viability of restaurants as a market channel for local food. This rings true to most discerning diners who know if they want to experience food at nature’s best – not food laden with salt and fat making it appear to taste good – then the smaller restaurants and markets are where it’s at. But let us not underestimate the impact of our voices and the change they can bring to make this food more widely accessible. Sounding off in this movement is important. Ask your grocers and restaurants directly if they carry locally grown food and request that they do. By increasing the demand we help to contribute to a healthier, more environmentally friendly food economy that supports families in our community. And that flavor makes everything taste better.
Pasture raised ducks and chickens abound at Trosly Farm, like this duckling.
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Meet the Farmers The High Country has seen a surge of small farms since the end of tobacco, thanks in large part to non-profit organizations like ASAP. Their vision “is of strong farms, thriving local food economies, and healthy communities where farming is valued as central to our heritage and our future.” To this end they keep their mission simple – “help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food.”
Amy Fiedler, owner and farmer of Springhouse Farm, stands among her fields highlighting the several organic vegetable crops grown here.
Springhouse Farm, a certified organic farm situated in the rolling hills of Vilas, grows several different vegetable crops and produces honey.
Jimmy Greene, owner and farmer of North Fork Farms, holds an example of freshly packed and frozen ground beef patties.
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Amos & Kaci Nidiffer stand outside Trosly Farm’s chicken coop. Trosly specializes in pastured poultry and pork raised on regularly rotated fresh pastures utilizing organic growing techniques.
North Fork Farm is a small family cattle farm located in Zionville. The cattle are raised on a hill behind the family’s neatly manicured lawn and home.
Susan Wright and Brent Cochran run Shady Grove Gardens and Nursery, a farm that offers fresh mountain grown flowers. They host DIY workshops, scenic hayrides, and birdwatching along the NC birding trail.
Fresh baked German Sourdough bread, made by Amos Nidiffer at Trosly. The farm runs a small bakery featuring Kaci’s handmade chocolate truffles and Amos’ artisan breads – which he was trained to bake while living in Europe.
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Linn Cove Viaduct
The artist’s rendering of the Linn Cove Viaduct leaped into reality during the early 1980s. The soaring span opened to the public in 1987 with the Grandfather Mountain portion of the Parkway.
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Story by Randy Johnson Photography by Hugh Morton
A
fter decades of controversy over the long-waited, much delayed completion of the Grandfather Mountain part of the Blue Ridge Parkway—it’s not surprising that it comes as a surprise to many that it was 25 years ago when public vehicles first soared over the breathtaking Linn Cove Viaduct. The viaduct was completed by 1984, and thousands walked, biked, and cross country skied over it before the public ever motored across in 1987—but it was a landmark event when the ribbon was cut and the experience was available from behind the wheel.
The Parkway was done! But one of the most iconic parts of “America’s Most Scenic Road” was just getting its start. What was also just getting started was the legendary status of this bridge as a victory for the environment, a success story of sensitivity to nature. A naysayer or two has called that into question. But it doesn’t take much discussion with the landscape architects who worked their magic on Grandfather Mountain to realize that the viaduct was much more than a bridge. It was the dawning of an era when “reducing environmental impact” really took hold. August / September 2012
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Viaduct # 3
The last of the 153 50-ton segments of the viaducts gets lowered into place. The segments were formed at a work site a short distance away near the Grandfather Mountain entrance and stored until needed at an overlook on the unopened part of the Parkway.
Just the Facts The basics of that claim are simple. It starts with the Parkway’s current location being a long-wrangled over compromise with Grandfather Mountain owner Hugh Morton who rejected the National Park Service’s proposal for a “high route.” Morton said slicing a road higher across the peaks, and burrowing a tunnel through Pilot Ridge, would be “like taking a switchblade to the Mona Lisa.”
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Morton prevailed and a “middle route” was chosen. But that location still retained a tricky passage of Linn Cove, a monumental, moss- and rhododendron-covered jumble of cliffs and boulders. That spot challenged road builders in the 1970s. Imagine if North Carolina had condemned the route when the location controversy first erupted and the road had been built twenty years earlier with more primitive technology. The solution was the viaduct—a radical span built from the top down, from the starting point outward, over thin air, with
Viaduct # 4
Hikers on the Tanawha Trail pass right under the viaduct a short distance from the Linn Cove visitor center at Milepost 304. Workers beneath the bridge were wowed by the scale of the project. sections glued together then torsioned tight with cables to form an undulating serpentine causeway just feet from trees, rocks, and thousands of feet of thin air. Nobody better understood the challenge, or worked harder for a successful solution, than the landscape architects of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
In the Footsteps of Giants From the start, landscape architects have shaped this road. The first and most formative of those was a true giant in the field, Parkway designer and first superintendent Stanley Abbott. He thought the parkway should “lie easily on the ground, blend harmoniously with the topography, and appear as if it had grown out of the soil.” If the Parkway isn’t enough of a monument to him, there’s a plaque to Abbott at the Peaks of Otter in Virginia where the lake is named for him. When the road went through, that lake was no doubt a fragile mountain bog—that today would still be a bog. Times have changed, and so has the meaning of “light on the land.” Greater sensitivity reigns now, thanks to the landscape ar-
The viaduct’s huge segments were pre-cast at a work site near the Grandfather Mountain entrance, a short distance away from the construction site on US 221, the original road between Linville and Blowing Rock and the ongoing detour around the Parkway interruption until the late 1980s. Called the Old Yonahlossee Road, this early, original route was built in the late 1800s. The Linn Cove Viaduct segments, shown here, were stored until needed at an overlook on the unopened part of the Parkway. The $10 million structure is considered to be the most complex concrete bridge ever built. August / September 2012
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The 1,243-foot viaduct cost $8,000 a linear foot. In a ceremony held on the viaduct October 19, 1984, the span received the “Civil Engineering Achievement of Merit” from the American Society of Civil Engineers. chitects and planners who followed, among them the Parkway’s viaduct-era planners Robert Allen “Bob” Hope, Gary Johnson, and Robert Schreffler.
Lemonade from Lemons Gary Johnson, who started the viaduct project after joining the Parkway fresh out of college, attributes the idea of a “top down, segmental span” to the Federal Highway Administration engineers working with the Parkway planners. In an oral history recorded years ago, Bob Hope, the Parkway’s resident landscape architect during that time, under legendary Parkway Superintendent Gary Everhardt, described how the plan for the viaduct came about. “We knew the rugged terrain at Linn Cove,” said Hope. “We had no idea how to get through there with a road. ... Finally after about three or four hikes around there with (what seemed like) everybody in the National Park Service,” he said, laughing, “we finally reached a location and agreed that the only way to get through here was just to bridge all these rock formations and not disturb the rocks.” The Federal Highway Administration engineers said they’d have to get an outside consulting firm and Hope said, they just wanted to know: “Can it be done? Can you cantilever on a curvature like that without it tipping over?” And Figg & Muller, the eventual contractor, said, “‘Yeah, it could be done.”
August / September 2012
Parkway landscape architect Gary Johnson (in hat), follows a gesture by John DeLay, chief, National Park Service Branch of Roads, to the future location of the viaduct during a break on Rough Ridge. At right, the September 11, 1987 ceremony that opened the last segment of the Parkway and the Viaduct. Far right, Parkway Superintendent Gary Everhardt. Fourth from left, NPS Director William Mott.
A Problem Waiting Decades for a Solution All along, the Parkway’s route had Linn Cove in the way. Years of building had completed the road to the north and south, but after wrangling with Hugh Morton for a few decades, Bob Hope remembered, “We kind of designed and built (ourselves) into a problem with our back against the wall. We had to do something to get on through.” Hope remembers one bridge engineer on the project who made a lot of difference. “Rex Cocroft,” said Hope. “He’s probably the one who sold federal highway on that design scheme. The precast segments
placed in progressive placement.” Hope remembered, “There’s a story about Rex and some of the engineers from Federal Highway. We would meet at Grandfather Mountain and talk and look at preliminary plans. I don’t know how long this process had gone on. But the outcome usually was, why, they would go back to Arlington and study it some more.” “Finally,” Hope said, “we met down there and they decided they’d go back and study it some more. So the landscape architects went home and Federal Highway stayed on another night. They decided they would stay there until they worked it out.” “That night,” says Hope, “they were sitting around talking.
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Lacking the helicopter, it’s difficult to grasp the serpentine beauty and grace that the Linn Cove Viaduct achieves on its passage across the flank of Grandfather Mountain. Like the planners desired, it almost looks like the bridge has always been there. From top left to right, the mountain’s peaks are MacRae, Attic Window, and Calloway, the highest summit, at 5,946 feet. Rex had a topo map of the area and he started circling in red the points where there were suitable footings. So he’d circle this one in red ... another over here in red. Finally they decided, ‘Well, that was the design.’ They just connected the red dots ... and there’s your bridge.” Imagine, this was just a few years after the National Environmental Protection Act—called a modern “Environmental Magna Carta.” By the standards of the day, the Parkway already had a “light on the land” philosophy. With the Linn Cove Viaduct, the Parkway was leading the way into a new era of environmental protection. This would not be a road gouged through a piece “land.” It would float over a sensitive environment—elevated above single spots that were suitable for construction of supports.
Gary Johnson Among His Mentors Johnson was among a group of National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration technical staff overseeing the planning and construction of the “Missing Link.” Other names he remembers from that group include regional geotechnical engineer Gary Klinedienst and Roy Crawford. Johnson got where he was in part thanks to the Vietnam War. He was heading into regional planning until a stint in the U.S. Air Force redirected him to landscape architecture. After earning his degree at Virginia Tech, he found himself at the Na40
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tional Park Service’s Denver Service Center in the 1970s. He was transferred to the Blue Ridge Parkway from 1976 to 1979, and after working on the Folk Art Center, he became the National Park Service’s primary project inspector working with Federal Highway Administration engineers on Grandfather Mountain. He prepared construction drawings for the Linn Cove Viaduct abutment treatments, site plans, and several overlooks. Johnson was one of five people working on the bridge pictured standing on the route of the future viaduct in a 1979 Denver Service Center newsletter article. The caption said he was “in an area undisturbed by roads or even trails”—much as Stanley Abbott had been in the 1930s all along the route of the Parkway. One participant was asked what he thought of the bushwhack hike. “That was two hikes for me,” he said, “my first and my last through that part of the country.” Johnson remembers leading a tour of the viaduct site for one of the firms intending to bid on the design of the project. It was during the bitter winter of 1977 and “they needed to walk the site of the seven viaduct support piers. It was just bloody cold,” he says. “We drove near the site, but there had been a major snow and ice storm. We almost froze to death. I had to dig down through the snow just to find the stakes for the piers.” As the viaduct plan was completed by Figg & Muller Engineering and construction started, Johnson became “the enforcer” for efforts to make the new road “lay lightly on the land.”
Hugh Morton stands on the roadside rock that he made famous with viaduct photos. A side path from the Tanawha Trail reaches the site.
Flagging a Route to the Future It was Johnson’s job to hand pick and flag the trees that were permitted to be cut for construction. After construction started, he was monitoring compliance with the rules when he came back to find a mass of dirt and rocks piled against a major old tree. “I really let’em have it,” he says. “I told them to build tree wells in those situations and to really walk a lot more softly.” About a week later Johnson was called back. The contractor refused to cut an unflagged tree and Johnson had to OK it. “I went out there and this tree was 6-feet tall and one-inch in diameter,” he says with a laugh. “The thought crossed my mind that these guys were messing with me, but they’d gotten the message. I needed to make these kind of decisions and we wanted the contractor to know we were serious.” “Our goal for this bridge,” Johnson says, “was to have it look like it had been there for a century—to look like it had almost grown out of the mountain.” The stunning fact is that today’s thorough environmental impact statements were in their infancy. Hope and Johnson had written the EIS for the viaduct—30 pages. “It would be a book today,” he says. That might get people nodding who dislike government regulation—but why wouldn’t this site, on this mountain, warrant a truly thorough environmental assessment? “Today we’d have botanists and biologists all over out there,” Johnson says. “Truth be told, many of the species on that mountainside weren’t even inventoried. Nevertheless, the National Environmental Protection Act had set some standards. Environmental sensitivity was at the front of our minds.” Johnson remembers other examples of concern for the environment. When the sites for the viaduct supports needed to be August / September 2012
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This photo, taken from one of many difficult-to-reach vantage points that Hugh Morton sought out and made his own, is evidence that the famous travel and postcard photographer had multiple goals for his images. Many of his photos were promotional in one way or another, but this photo shows that he also successfully endeavored to communicate the viaduct’s enduring aesthetic beauty. checked, core sampling drills were helicoptered onto the spot where they were needed. The expense of the “Missing Link” also escalated as new bridges were needed to lessen impact. As the road was planned lower on the mountain, more and bigger drainages had to be crossed and more pronounced ridges required more elaborate curves and turns—the single reason why the 45 mph speed limit of the Parkway had to drop to 35 mph around Grandfather Mountain. That meant more bridges, but even more were added when sensitive areas had to be crossed. Johnson remembers an “unmerciful” lobbying session with a Federal Highway engineer who was adamant that his “boss said no more bridges—and now you want two more bridges! He’s going to be mad as hell!” Johnson and the Parkway got their way. Many places on that section were just not “suitable to conventional cut and fill or culvert.” So Johnson was able to put a very low bridge above a boulder field with a complex natural drainage system. Another victory of technology over destruction came at “The Great Wall of China,” that massive retaining wall just across the Parkway from the Rough Ridge Parking Area. “That was all new technology that held the road away from the mountain, reducing the road cut above and containing the fill below.”
Timing is Everything “You know,” Johnson continues, “it’s likely that the years of controversy with Hugh Morton permitted the right solution to emerge. I personally believe that the viaduct was the perfect solution for that landscape. If the road had been built when originally planned, it wouldn’t be what it is today.” 42
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Johnson came back to the Blue Ridge Parkway from 1994 to his retirement in 2011. During those years, Johnson “literally wrote the book” about preservation of the Parkway’s scenic views. His Guidebook for the Blue Ridge Parkway Scenery Conservation System is the Parkway’s handbook for protecting scenic vistas. Johnson received the Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award for excellence in cultural resource management on March 17, 2011 from National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis. Presenting the award, Jarvis said, “Preservation is about deciding what’s important, figuring out how to protect it, and passing along an appreciation to others. Recipients of this award have excelled in all of these aspects.” Looking back, Johnson says, “we never realized how iconic this part of the Parkway would become, but it’s hard not to be proud to have helped design and build it. I’m convinced this part of the Parkway can trace its heritage all the way back to Stanley Abbott.”
This End Was a Beginning Of course, the road opened to wide acclaim on September 11th, 1987. By the time it did, hikers were wandering the mountain side on the Tanawha Trail, seeing even more spectacular sights than the vistas visible from the viaduct. The Tanawha Trail almost didn’t happen. Bob Hope remembers, “When the parkway was being funded, we knew we wanted a foot trail to connect the overlooks, but there was no project money for the trail. So the superintendent (Gary Everhardt), decided to take it on as a project. He convinced the Federal Highway that the foot trail was an integral part of the parkway. And so it was funded.”
Today, the Tanawha Trail explores the sunny side of Grandfather now known for world-class biodiversity befitting what the mountain later became—an International Biosphere Reserve. On the trail’s climb from Linn Cove, it gently crosses a spectacular boulder garden of rare plants, one of the mountain’s many distinct ecosystems, much like the area successfully spanned by the low bridge Johnson prescribed over the boulder field. Ironically, this pristine, preserved ecosystem on the Tanawha Trail is where the Parkway would be today if the proposed “high route” had been built. This endangered area might have been eradicated had construction not taken a long pause until the computer age ushered in the technology needed to design the viaduct. Johnson says, “I was there when the arguments and negotiations with Hugh Morton were fresh in Taken from a roadside rock reached from the Tanawha Trail, this people’s mind. For years the National Park Service winter scene is a Morton masterpiece of subtle lighting, rich color, had been hoping the state would just buy Grandfa- and mountain mood. It also effectively conveys why the viaduct is ther Mountain,” Johnson says. “Sometimes things such an attraction for cross country skiers. just happen when they’re ready. This part of the Parkway almost seems predestined to have turned Writer Randy Johnson trudged the Parkway route with out for the best.” This fall when you drive the Parkway, pause near the Virgin- Bob Hope and Hugh Morton as the mountain’s trail manager. ia line at Cumberland Knob, where the Parkway started 77 years He’s writing a new book for the University of North Carolina ago. There’s a monument there to notice. It honors the Park- Press—Grandfather Mountain: A Guide and History to An Apway’s landscape architects—the folks whose toil and troubles palachian Icon. His books are the preferred trail guides for hikhave perfected the promise of this iconic park in our back yard. ing in the High Country. Visit www.RandyJohnsonBooks.com
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A Look Into The Life And Career of Magician, Scientist And Educator
Dr. William E. Spooner
By: Anthony Wyatt 44
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Dr. Spooner fans a deck of cards, a typical start to many of his classic card tricks.
B
lowing Rock resident, internationally acclaimed magician, published scientific researcher and former North Carolina educator Dr. William E. Spooner was recently awarded the International Brotherhood of Magicians’ (I.B.M.) Medallion of Honor for his dedication to the art of magic and commitment to the I.B.M. community. On July 7, 2012, at the organization’s annual convention in Norfolk, Virginia, Dr. Spooner became only the ninth individual to ever earn the I.B.M.’s most prestigious award. His impressive history with the organization, and in the field of magic as a whole, shows that he is more than deserving of this distinguished accolade. As a fitting reward for a decades long career of fusing together his passions for magic, science, research and education, receiving the Medallion of Honor marks a point where Dr. Spooner can look back and reflect upon the many accomplishments he has had the pleasure of enjoying throughout his successful life. “When the award came, it was a shock,” said Dr. Spooner, “I had trouble dealing with all of the publicity.” After the initial surprise however, Dr. Spooner soon became aware of how privileged he was to earn the Medallion. “I don’t know what higher recognition I could possibly achieve in the world of magic,” he said. Yet, even though the award is unparalleled, Dr. Spooner takes it all in stride with an air of modesty and duty to the art he loves. “It was a very humbling experience,” he stated, “and I am extremely honored to be considered because it totally caught me off guard. I guess that’s the best way you should get an award.” All graciousness aside however, it takes quite an impressive resumé to reach this height in the magic community. Between his outstanding career as a researcher, his great skill as a magician and his dedicated service to the I.B.M., Dr. Spooner truly has the credentials to be a Medallion of Honor recipient.
Promotional photo of Dr. Spooner from the mid 1970’s emphasizing his skill with dice.
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The Love Of Magic Is Sparked
At the age of seven, the young Bill Spooner fell in love with the art of magic. One summer while staying with his grandparents, Spooner’s uncle showed him two tricks at which he was thoroughly astonished. “He came out with a kitchen match,” Dr. Spooner reminisced, “and had me put a mark on it. He wrapped it up in a pocket-handkerchief and let me break it. He shook it out and it was restored. Then, he took his hat off and rolled up a couple of cotton balls. With a clap he made them vanish from his hand and appear under the hat.” These sleights-of-hand were all it took to get the young boy from Wilmington, North Carolina excited and interested in magic. “The tricks impressed me very much,” Dr. Spooner said, “and from that moment on I was hooked” Throughout the early part of his life, Dr. Spooner began to develop his technique and skill as a magician. Close-up magic with cards, coins, dice and rope appealed to him the most, and with these he soon became a master. At age 16, Dr. Spooner joined the International Brotherhood of Magicians and has been a continuous member of the organization ever since. It was clear from his adolescence that he was quite adept in learning the art and had a strong passion for knowing more. The next year, he attended his first magic convention in Louisville, Kentucky, which was a life-changing event for the young man. “I met people of my own age,” said Dr. Spooner, “they showed me things and taught me magic I couldn’t learn anywhere else. I met magicians at the convention that even today have connections to the magic I am researching and performing.” As the years progressed, he attended performances by many world famous magicians, including the great Del Ray who astounded him with a card trick. Inspired, he began to learn and create his own effects with which he would later deceive the greats him-
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self. “I elevated a basic coin effect from a common trick to one that could fool the best of magicians,” stated Dr. Spooner, “I developed a presentation psychology and routine that fools even the world’s best coin magicians.” Just this past year in fact at an invitation-only convention on close-up magic in Batavia, New York, he fooled Italian Giacomo Bertini, one of the world’s leading authorities on coin magic, with the same one of a kind hook coin routine that he began developing as a teenager. Throughout his life, Dr. Spooner has enjoyed the privilege of performing his magic tricks internationally. “Magic has taken me around the world,” he said, but he is quick to point out that his travels abroad were with collegiate research teams and not specifically for his magic. Wherever they traveled though, albeit to China, Japan, England, India or anywhere else, he found himself being urged to display his skill and amaze audiences. “Everywhere we went I was called upon to perform, as magic is a universal language that fascinates people anywhere in the world. My performances were the icebreaker,” he said, “even though in most cases they could not understand English, magic broke the ice.” The most memorable of his magic performances abroad came in the 1980’s when he wowed research colleagues in the Japanese Ministry of Education. “The Japanese are very demonstrative,” Dr. Spooner stated, “when they see magic they just exude enthusiasm. They loved it. That was quite an experience for me.” Left: The International Brotherhood of Magician’s highest distinction, the Medallion of Honor Award, was presented to Dr. Spooner on July 7, 2012. Below: Dr. Spooner displays the magic wand awarded to him by the I.B.M. commemorating his presidency of the organization from 1985-1986.
A Prolific Career In Science Education
as a TV physical science teacher,” he said, “and I taught 435 30-minute programs over a period of four years. It was an unusual job and a highlight in my career, but it was also very stressful.” After all of the anxiety and hard work though in initially creating one program a day and working sometimes seven days a week, his efforts paid off with state-wide recognition and the sense of great accomplishment. “The TV series educated many teachers and students,” he stated, “and for many years I could cross the state and students would recognize me.” This was not the only success Dr. Spooner would experience in his career,
Even though magic became a dominant avocation for Dr. Spooner, his career path has always centered upon science and education. After earning an M.S. in Botany and a Ph.D. in Science Education from North Carolina State University, Dr. Spooner set out on an exceptionally productive professional career. Following a brief spell as a high school science teacher, he began work with North Carolina’s Educational Television. From 1967 to 1971, his job as TV’s “Mr. Wizard” brought him notoriety and success all across the state. “I was hired
The Magic Circle In addition to the I.B.M., Dr. Spooner is also a member of the world’s most distinguished magic organization, The Magic Circle in London, England. Touted as “the premier magical society in the fascinating world of mystery and illusion,” The Magic Circle has been internationally acclaimed since its formation in 1905. Recently, Dr. Spooner was promoted to the rank of Associate of the Inner Magic Circle, Gold Star, the organization’s second highest position.
Promotional photo circa 1968 of Dr. Spooner as “Mr. Wizard” on North Carolina’s Educational Television.
“ [Being awarded the Medallion] was a very humbling experience, and I am extremely honored to be considered because it totally caught me off guard. I guess that’s the best way you should get an award.” – Dr. William E. Spooner B
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Magical Spoonerisms To market magic publications explaining and teaching the effects Dr. Spooner became known for, he created Magical Spoonerisms in the late 1980’s. As opposed to a traditional Spoonerism, which is defined as a slip of the tongue, a Magical Spoonerism is a slight of hand, according to Dr. Spooner. Under this production name, he has published various magic booklets on card and coin tricks.
August / September 2012 October / November 2011 H i g h C o u n t r y M a g a z i n e
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and throughout his years of working with the NC Department of Education he held many high ranking positions and left quite an influence on the state. “I spent 31 years with the agency,” Dr. Spooner said, “and had many roles as science consultant, director of science, director of high schools and director of instructional service, which included the total state curriculum.” During this span of time though, what meant the most to him was conducting workshops for elementary school educators on how to teach science in the classroom. “The greatest reward I had was providing in-service education for teachers,” Dr. Spooner said, “I trained 8,000 elementary school teachers on how to teach an experimental science course in grades K-6.” For Dr. Spooner, this training workshop was extremely rewarding because he had the opportunity to help educators overcome their fear of teaching science. “We guided teachers… for five days in a non-threatening environment,” he said, “and at the end of the workshop there was a significant change in [the teachers’] attitudes. One teacher came up to me and said, ‘I’ve always hated teaching science, but now I can’t wait to get back and try.’” In these training courses, as well as in his own experience as a teacher, Dr. Spooner used his expertise in magic to make science more entertaining. “I used magic as
August / September 2012
an attention getting device which related to the concept I was teaching,” he said, “and I also did a lot of lecturing to teachers at national workshops on the science and mathematics of magic. I explained effects that teachers could use in [their own] classrooms to teach science concepts.”
Dr. Spooner discusses the state science curriculum at a meeting of North Carolina science teachers in 1994.
Dr. Spooner at work in his study, surrounded by the literature and magic items related to his many research projects.
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NE
Dr. Spooner happily stands with a collection of promotional posters advertising “Wallace The Magician.”
Dr. Spooner demonstrates and explains how an inexhaustible vessel functions.
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Dr. Spooner advocated for the use of common, public-domain magic tricks to be employed by educators because they made very effective teaching tools. Students would see the tricks and their curiosity would immediately be sparked. This not only grabbed their attention, but would also add a layer of tangibility and entertainment to the lesson. Although at first glance education and magic might not seem interrelated, when used together appropriately, they certainly make a great pair. “After the teacher training,” Dr. Spooner stated, “I worked with the National Academy of Sciences and on four National Research Council committees developing national standards for science and math education.” Adding to this great achievement, he has also served on the adjunct faculty at North Carolina State University, taught physics at Meredith College, worked abroad with many research teams and has delivered countless lectures and led numerous workshops for schools and universities nationwide. This remarkable career has taken him around the world, gained him much notoriety in the field of science education and even led him to being elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1993. Varied and extensive, Dr. Spooner’s decades long career in science and education has seen no shortage of highlights and success.
August / September 2012
Del Rey – Honoring A Legend When asked what his most successful publication has been, Dr. Spooner unhesitatingly stated the book, “Del Ray – America’s Foremost.” For six years, he, and two other magicians who knew and admired the great card magician, worked extensively compiling research, photographs and articles for the book. They then hired fellow writer and magician John Moehring to edit their work and write the book’s copy. Since its release, “Del Ray – America’s Foremost” has sold nearly 2,000 copies, an almost unheard of success for a magic publication.
Dr. Spooner proudly displays his most successful publication, “Del Ray – America’s Foremost.”
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Tradur In Yo ld & o old Gused un rY! Jewel
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Dr. Spooner smiles as he performs one of his favorite card tricks.
Retirement & Life After Work
In 1997, Dr. Spooner began the next chapter of his life as a retiree. Between his continued commitment to the I.B.M., ongoing research projects and the founding of the Journal of Magic Research, He has been busier than ever before. Along with his wife LaRose, Dr. Spooner also finds time to travel, visit family, play golf and enjoy the High Country’s social life. “I have a very full life in retirement,” he said, “but you have to have a passion, you can’t retire and have nothing to do.” And indeed, the man is never lacking in things to do.
With the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Dr. Spooner now serves on the Board as a Past International President. “I think my role in the leadership position has been much more effective as a past president,” he said, “I am still on the Board and I have a vote. I have an institutional memory that new members don’t have.” As both a leading proponent of the magic arts and someone who knows the I.B.M. extremely well, he now serves the organization by helping to guide it in the right direction, preserve its history and keep its core values alive. Moreover, after earning the Medallion of Honor, his accomplishments have been both greatly rewarded, and the recognition provides him more opportunities to serve as a model for new members joining the organization, rising up through the ranks of I.B.M. leadership and promoting the art of magic in their own way. Aside from working with the Brotherhood, Dr. Spooner focuses his intellectual pursuits toward the furthering of his magic research. Currently, he is working on two publications: The Lota Bowl – from Ancient to Modern Times and Wands of the Conjurers – A Study of Trick Wands. After already writing an article for “The Linking Ring,” the official magazine of the I.B.M., and presenting a number of lectures regarding the history of inexhaustible vessels, Dr. Spooner has quite a breadth of research complied for his work on Lota Bowls. Additionally, for both it and the gimmicked wand publication, the majority of his investigation centers upon collecting items related to his research, analyzing their mechanisms and uncovering their history. With such extensive research on numerous Lota Bowls and magic wands, he now understands these two effects better than any other magic authority in the world. Retirement for Dr. Spooner also includes simply taking in the slow paced life of the High Country. “I fell in love with Blowing Rock in about 1964,” he said, “and my wife and I began coming up here every year.” Soon, he and hi wife, LaRose, started spending more and more time away from their residence in Raleigh to visit Blowing Rock, and they eventually bought a house there in 1993. After his retirement in 1997, the Spooners began to make the High Country their permanent home. “The quality of life here is good,” he said, “I pass more cars in Raleigh in one day than I do in a month in Blowing Rock. The pace of life is nice here; it’s laid back and relaxed. There are spectacular restaurants in the area and the people are friendly, warm and gracious. I don’t know of a place in the world, and I’ve traveled the world, where I would rather be. There’s no place like Blowing Rock.” When looking back on his career, his accomplishments and
“I don’t know of a place in the world, and I’ve traveled the world, where I would rather be. There’s no place like Blowing Rock.” – Dr. William E. Spooner 52
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Dr. Spooner with his wife LaRose.
Journal of Magic Research One of Dr. Spooner’s primary focuses today is the Journal of Magic Research. From neuroscience to forensics, this publication covers a wide variety of science research as it relates to the art, tools and effects of magic. Along with his editor, fellow magician John Moehring, Dr. Spooner has already produced two issues and the third is underway. The JMR is designed for magicians who wish to better understand the science and mathematics behind the magic they perform. The subscribers are from around the world and many hold advanced degrees in various fields.
Dr. Spooner lectures on the inexhaustible vessel effect.
his love of magic, Dr. Spooner has no regrets. “I don’t know what I could have done differently,” he said. “I’ve done the best I can, and that’s all you can do.” With so many awards, honors, high ranking positions, and memorable events attained and experienced throughout his life, Dr. Spooner has left quite an impression on the worlds of magic, science and education. “I think my contributions to magic history are what I would most appreciate being remembered for,” he said, “because I have made some major discoveries with the Lota and with the articles I have written. And second, beyond that, I would like to be remembered for my emphasis on using magic as an educational tool.” Now, with a Medallion of Honor to add to his achievements as well, he can boast an unparalleled and accomplished career. And, with the many projects he currently has underway, his future shows no signs of dimming or slowing down. Truly, Dr. Spooner has had a storied, and above all, a magical life. October / November 2011
August / September 2012
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Story by Allison West
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Billy Ralph Winkler, a prolific musician who served as Watauga High School’s band director for 28 years, rehearsing with the Town’s People Choir in late July.
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hen asked to name groups that thrive on a gypsy-like nomadic existence, two spring readily, if not facetiously, to mind: why gypsies and nomads, of course. A third group, however, may be less obvious – and that is Blue Ridge Community Theatre. The 36-year-old nonprofit community theatre is based, well… somewhere in the ample yet ambiguous confines of Western North Carolina. Consider today’s erratic economy and the arts organizations that have been forced to permanently lower their curtains both at home (R.I.P. Hayes Performing Arts Center and Blowing Rock Stage Company) and across the country due to budget cuts and dwindling donations. When you realize that BRCT has not had a permanent home since 1976, much less its very own curtain, the company’s endurance is all the more impressive. “We’re the oldest theatre in the High Country,” asserts Kathleen Rowell, who has served as president of BRCT for the last four years and is the owner of Incredible Toy Company in Blowing Rock. “But people ask, ‘Where is it?’ My answer is, ‘There is no where.’” Or, to put it another way, it’s practically everywhere. The last three years alone have seen BRCT tread the boards in such diverse venues as Appalachian State University’s August / September 2012
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Farthing Auditorium and Valborg Theatre, Boone’s Home Builders Association, The Broyhill Center and Harvest House, and Blowing Rock’s Green Park Inn, to name but a few. While some years find the group managing to produce three small shows per year, the average remains a steady two, with the group “borrowing” rehearsal space whenever they can and only renting the performance space for the week of the show. Such a migratory pattern has not only led to an evolution past large-scale musicals such as Annie and Hello, Dolly! to smaller, more intimate shows like Dearly Departed and Over the River, but has forced BRCT to be more creative both with use of space and avenues of advertising so that a GPS isn’t necessary for an audience to find them. Attributing the troupe’s longevity in the face of a mercurial existence to “a board of dedicated folks who want to keep community theatre alive,” Rowell – who first appeared in BRCT’s production of Fiddler on the Roof in 1981 and has been a backstage presence since 2001, when her youngest son was in the cast of Oklahoma! – also admits that the company longs for an established home to call its own. This long-held dream may actually come to fruition as the first and silent phase of fundraising comes to a close for the renovation of King Street’s Appalachian Theatre, which organizers hope to open late 2013. “We would love to call the Appalachian Theatre home,” Rowell says. “We could do one or two shows a year, but then we would also do smaller shows in other spots.” She laughs, “I’m afraid the ‘gypsy theatre’ will always look for unique spaces to do unusual shows.” Until then, however, the group will embrace its wandering eye. BRCT’s current haunt is the state-of-the-art theatre at Watauga High School, where it will present a concert version of Meredith Willson’s classic musical The Music Man, onstage August 17-19. The plot concerns Harold Hill, a con man who travels from town to town posing as a boys’ band organizer and selling band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with the cash. But a stop in River City, Iowa, and an unexpected love connection with prim librarian and piano teacher Marian Paroo has the hustler ultimately singing a different tune. While this big bamboozle doesn’t exactly qualify as “smaller,” the decision to take on the Tony-winning tale of Harold Hill and his 76 trombones actually makes sense. First, the flimflam man is essentialAugust / September 2012
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ly a bit of a gypsy himself, serving as an unofficial mascot for the roving producing theatre … without the scam artistry, naturally. Second, a production of this nature is a crowd-pleaser, likely to draw an audience that will fill the 700-seat theatre simply because of the massive community involvement. Finally, and most importantly from an economical and logistical standpoint, this particular production is a mix of a lively full-score presentation and staged reading, which means props, line memorization and, in turn, pressure are kept to a minimum. Music Man musical director Billy Ralph Winkler, a prolific musician who served as full-time band director at Watauga High School for 28 years, compares the concept to a live radio show, with actors costumed and dramatically reading from a script. But unlike most staged readings, this one also boasts a coterie of dancers charged with executing spirited choreography. The show is co-helmed by actor’s director Fran Greenfield and stars Mark Tomasik (singing and reading Harold Hill) and Leah England (singing and reading Marian). And in quintessential community theatre kitchen-sink fashion, The Music Man also features the Watauga Community Band, the Jubilee Chorus, the Mountainaire Barbershop Quartet, Appalachian Rhythm Cloggers, Ensemble Stage Company, Parkway Chorus, Nexsen Handbell Choir and a bevy of singers, dancers and actors. In all, says Winkler, the stage will be brimming with 60 to 70 people. Although Winkler has played in BRCT’s pit orchestra many times over the years – including for this very musical, when it was first performed by the group in the 1980s – musical directing The Music Man will be his first self-described leadership role for BRCT. But Winkler, a former county commissioner who strongly advocated for the building of the high school theatre, is anxious in the best of ways to preside over the stage. “It’s a massive undertaking,” he acknowledges, “but it’s just pure fun for the audience.” Winkler hesitates, then chuckles, “But nobody will have more fun than me.” Fun. Hard work. Persistence. Sounds exactly like Blue Ridge Community Theatre for the last 36 years. Blue Ridge Community Theatre, Watauga High School, 300 Go Pioneers Dr., Boone. Aug. 17 and 18 at 8pm, Aug. 19 at 3pm. Tickets: $15 adults, $5 children. Tickets available at the door.
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Charlie
Cobb
ASU’s Athletic Director, Charlie Cobb, oversees a staff of 90 and a program that offers ten sports for men and ten for women. His annual budget is $16 million. His office is on the fourth floor of the Appalachian Athletics Center. Photo by Maria Richardson 64
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Seven Years In as Athletic Director
ASU’s August / September 2012
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Charlie Cobb knows just how a rookie baseball player feels ... By Bill Hensley
C
harlie Cobb knows just how a rookie baseball player feels when, for his first time at the bat in the major leagues, he hits it out of the park. That’s what he did when he accepted the job as Athletics Director at Appalachian State. In his first year on the job, the Mountaineers won a national football championship. And then they did it two more times. Additionally, in 2007, Cobb’s third year at ASU, the football team pulled off one of sport’s biggest and most shocking upsets by beating powerful Michigan in Ann Arbor, 34-32. It was a shot heard around the world and still echoes in sports history. “What a great way to start a career,” he beamed. “Three national titles in as many years and a major upset. I was on cloud nine, and the program was off to a great start.” With that beginning as a foundation to build upon, Cobb—a talented and dedicated administrator— has slowly and methodically begun assembling a winning team and a solid athletic program. And the results have been phenomenal. Now in his seventh year at the ASU athletic helm, Cobb, 44, oversees a staff of 90 and a program that offers ten sports for men and ten for women. His annual budget is $16 million.
w No
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The Cobb Family. Left to Right: Harrison, Lindsay, Branan and Charlie. Photo by Lindsay Cobb
Charlie and Harrison Cobb on the sideline in the waning moments of Appalachian State’s 49-21 win over Delaware in the 2007 NCAA Division I Football national championship game at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn. Photo by ASU athletics/Keith Cline.
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“Beating Michigan was one of the best things that ever happened to this school. Many, many good things came about as a result of that spectacular victory.” Charlie Cobb Photo by Maria Richardson There have been no national football championships in recent years, but the gridders have had winning seasons and an envied reputation for excellence. An enthusiastic fan base continues to grow. “Beating Michigan was one of the best things that ever happened to this school,” Cobb said firmly. “Many, many good things came about as a result of that spec-
tacular victory.” He explained: “Contributions to the program and the university rose substantially, enrollment was up drastically, recruiting was easier, the coaches were happy, applications for athletic positions were numerous, the alumni was proud, attendance and ticket sales increased, scheduling big games was easier, the business community
Charlie Cobb with Appalachian State athletics Hall of Famer Dwayne Pelham during halftime ceremony recognizing the new Hall of Fame inductees on Sept. 10, 2011. Photo by ASU athletics/Meghan Gay.
Charlie Cobb with Appalachian State football legend Dino Hackett during the ceremony to retire Hackett’s No. 38 on Oct. 29, 2005. Photo by ASU athletics/Keith Cline
and sponsors came out of the woodwork, and everyone’s job was more enjoyable. “The school, literally, was on the map,” he continued. “Now it was up to us to see that things continued in that vein, that we keep the momentum going.” To Cobb and his staff’s credit, there have been numerous athletic accomplishments since that immortal upset:
Charlie Cobb thanks an athletics department sponsor during a pregame ceremony at Kidd Brewer Stadium in 2011. Photo by ASU athletics/Meghan Gay.
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“Charlie is a good man. He is first and foremost a family man. He is a dreamer and a builder and is always looking for ways to improve athletics. As hard as he pushes our athletes to give their best on the field, he pushes them even harder to excel in academics.” – Chancellor Kenneth Peacock Photo by ASU athletics/Leila Jackson The handsome structure also provides *Academic success has been recog- All-Americans,” Cobb continued, “and an administration that is fully supportive premium seating in the form of 600 clubnized nationally by the NCAA level seats and 18 luxury suites. *Seven successive Commissioner’s in every way.” “But we will not rest on our laurels,” The football stadium houses the Cup championships *Three Germann Cup Champion- 120,000 square foot Appalachian Athletic the personable, hard-working 6-foot-6 ships, recognizing women’s athletic suc- Center. The seven story complex includes athletics director said firmly. “We still new administrative and football offices, have a lot to do to maintain our standcess *The building of outstanding facilities locker rooms, a strength and condition- ing, our reputation for excellence, and in football, basketball, baseball, softball, ing center, training facilities, academic our commitment to our students, faculty, study space, and a computer lab for all staff and alumni.” soccer, and an indoor practice building. Chancellor Kenneth Peacock is high in *Record-breaking donations to the ASU student-athletes. his praise of the outstandYosef Club, which provides ing job Cobb and his staff for scholarships and facilities. have done. “In addition to *Increased staff salaries being a great Athletics Di*Scheduling such football rector,” he said, “Charlie is opponents as Michigan, LSU, a good man. He is first and Virginia Tech, Georgia and foremost a family man. He East Carolina, all of which are is a dreamer and a builder “big money” games in addiand is always looking for tion to football prestige. ways to improve athletics. In recent years, more than As hard as he pushes our $50 million has been spent on athletes to give their best ASU’s physical plant and the on the field, he pushes them school’s athletic facilities are even harder to excel in acasecond to none, a showcase of demics. I like that.” excellence. Peacock continued with Cobb is quick to point out a wry grin, “and his wife that it took “a total team efis probably a better athlete fort” to achieve the many sucthan he is, but don’t tell cesses and was not one man’s him I said that.” accomplishments. “Teamwork Cobb’s fellow athletis the first thing an athlete ics directors have honored learns when he engages in a him, too, by naming him sport,” and that was certainly Charlie Cobb (right) and his twin brother, David, Furman’s ra2011 Athletic Director of the case at ASU. “We worked dio sideline analyst, during the Mountaineers’ 37-26 win over the Year. together well.” the Paladins on Oct. 30, 2010. Photo by ASU athletics/Dave Before coming to ASU, “And it sure helps to have Mayo, who said, “I was taking pictures at the Furman game, Cobb spent seven years a football coach like Jerry and I kept seeing Charlie Cobb in a PURPLE SWEATER! I as an associate athletics Moore who has won nine was totally confused, until I got this shot of him with his twin director at NC State, his Southern Conference chambrother.” alma mater. That position pionships and turned out 84 68
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followed his work in Atlanta with the Atlanta Sports Council which staged the annual Chick-fil-A Bowl, and with the Georgia Dome, where he was sales manager of that noted arena. A four year letterman as a football center at State (1986-90), the 6-foot6, 265-pound Cobb played under Dick Sheridan and was a second team AllAtlantic Coast Conference performer as a senior. He was also named to the ACC’s All-Academic team and won several academic honors, including the Jim Tatum Award to the senior with the highest grade point average. A native of West Columbia, SC, Cobb played football and basketball for Airport High School. He graduated from State with honors, receiving a BA degree in Business Management. After receiving ACC and NFL charities scholarships, Cobb earned an MA in Sports Management from Ohio University in 1992. “When I first went to college, I wanted to be an architect,” he explained, “but playing sports is too time consuming, and I just didn’t have time for that major. That’s when I switched to being an athletic admin-
istrator.” Cobb is married to the former Lindsey Brecher of Atlanta whom he met at State. She was an All-ACC soccer star as a goalie and now serves as an assistant women’s soccer coach at ASU. The couple has two children. Son Harrison is 14 while daughter Branan is 11. Both come by their athletic interests naturally and, according to Cobb, “play whatever sport is in season.” When he isn’t working, which is seldom, Cobb enjoys life’s simple things. “I like to work around the house and the yard. I find it restful and relaxing, and it helps me keep my mind off complicated matters.” He also enjoys golfing and playing pick-up basketball games, “although I’m not very good at golf,” he admits candidly. As for that Michigan game, look for a rematch in 2014 when the teams meet again in Ann Arbor. And, win or lose, the Apps will bring home a check of around a half-million dollars. Obviously, success pays off. Just ask Charlie Cobb.
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The Man Behind The Mic Story by Chelsea Pardue
S
am Tate is a legend in the High Country. From soulful gospel music to bluesy beach music, Tate can name off artist after artist and song after song. The microphone is in his blood. From the first time he hosted a radio show in college to teaching children how to have a unique radio personality, Tate has striven to leave a legacy. It’s been almost 30 years since he first received his license to open a station in Blowing Rock, but his audience continues to grow. When someone asks Tate how he became successful, the short answer is hard
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work, treating people well, and trusting in God. Tate grew up on a farm in Morganton, N.C., but it was never his intention to stay there. As far back as he can remember he knew he wanted to work in the radio business. Late at night Tate would sit and listen to John R., a disc jockey out of Nashville who played rhythm and blues, and dream of one day becoming the man behind the mike. “As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by microphones,” he said. “I wanted to be an announcer so bad. I remember
August / September 2012
one day, I was up behind the barn broadcasting in a stick.” That was the start of Tate’s dream, but it took several years before his career got off the ground. When Tate left for A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C., he decided to major in agribusiness because he had grown up on a farm. He became the national president of the New Farmers of America and helped to negotiate the merge with Future Farmers of America. Despite his success, he wanted to return to his true passion, and this time he wouldn’t settle for talking into a stick.
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“When we brought the radio station to town, the community was very receptive. We were the very first black family ever to live in Blowing Rock and vote. And then to be the very first African-American family to go into business for ourselves with as much exposure as a microphone, I must have been crazy. We were only going to stay four or five years, but it’s 29 years later.” - Sam Tate
Sam Tate at WEAL Radio Station in Greensboro where he got his beginnings in radio with the “Sam the Sham Show.” 72
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Sam the Sham
In 1964, a year after starting college, Tate walked a mile to the local radio station in Greensboro and asked for a job. The manager shut him down almost immediately, but he wasn’t ready to give up. “I walked out, and I said to myself, ‘That’s OK, I’ll have your job one of these days,’” he said. Tate started hanging out at the radio station, and the older men would let him sit behind the board. He learned the ins and outs of the station, and eventually he was knowledgeable enough to do several jobs at the station. “Then I started taking all of the shifts nobody else wanted,” he said. “At the end of the summer, the manager realized, ‘There’s not but one person around here who can do anyone’s job— that little old cat who hangs around the radio station all the time.’” Soon, one of the station’s employees lost his job, and the manager decided to hire Tate in his place. After much work, he had achieved his goal of working fulltime at a radio station, and he began to make plans for the future. After college, he wanted to become a disc jockey in New York City. While working at the station, Tate met Audrey Blaylock, a young woman who was interested in becoming a speech therapist. When he found out that she loved John R. and the radio business, he was hooked. “I had no idea Sam was listening,” she said. “I’ve been fascinated with recordings that he has of John R. and just hearing some of the promos that I listened to hiding under the covers with my sister so our mother wouldn’t come in and make us turn off the radio.” Tate spent many hours describing his vision to Audrey. He didn’t just want to be a disc jockey. He ultimately wanted to own a radio station. Audrey was impressed with the idea, but she hardly thought it would be possible. “I was fascinated that he would want to own a radio station, but to me that was so far-fetched,” she said. Nevertheless, Audrey stood by Tate as he tried to accomplish his dream. They got married and moved to New Mexico where Tate served in the U.S. Army and worked as a disc jockey at a local station.
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(above) Tate sharing his insight into the radio business with local elementary school students Brooks Hastings, Cami Hastings and Olivia Waters. (below) Cami Hastings hones her interviewing skills with Watauga County Schools Superintendent Dr. David Kafitz. 74
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Brendan Banner learns how to best utilize his notes while interviewing Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman.
WOIX
After his service in the military, Tate moved back to North Carolina. For nearly 20 years, Tate worked on and off in the radio business. It began to seem as though his dream was a bit too far-fetched, but he didn’t give up. In 1983, his hard work paid off. He received a call from the Federal Communications Commission saying that he had been given a license to start a radio station in Blowing Rock. “When we brought the radio station to town, the community was very receptive,” Tate said. “We were the very first black family ever to live in Blowing Rock and vote. And then to be the very first African-American family to go into business for ourselves with as much exposure as a microphone, I must have been crazy. We
were only going to stay four or five years, but it’s 29 years later.” The station played oldies because Tate knew that regardless of race, the music would strike a chord with many listeners. Much of Tate’s audience grew up listening to Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke, both of whom got their start in gospel music. For Tate, the two categories were intertwined. “You can’t go wrong with oldies; I don’t care what kind of music it is,” he said. “It brings back a memory. Remember that song that brings back your prom night?”
The Gospel Gems Network
In 1992, Tate sold his radio station, but he wasn’t done working as a host. That same year, he started The Gospel Gems Network, which became America’s
first nationally syndicated oldie goldie black gospel radio program. “Gospel Gems is a tremendous way to keep the heritage alive,” Tate said. “That one hour show per week keeps the microphone in my blood.” The show is broadcast locally at 2 p.m. on Saturdays, but it can be heard around the country and, via the Internet, around the world at different times. Because of its popularity, several stations air the program multiple times per week. “The biggest thing was when we were picked up by the Rejoice Musical Soul Food Network, which had about 41 stations,” Tate said. “We had 30-some stations all the time, but when Rejoice picked us up over a year ago, many stations play Gospel Gems as much as seven days a week.” Although Tate never actually moved
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to New York City to become a disc jockey, he says his dream still came true. For more than six years, Gospel Gems played on a station out of Long Island. Now the program stretches from coast to coast and is in many major cities in the U.S. and internationally. With an audience that is so spread out, Tate has to work hard to make sure
August / September 2012
they don’t feel disconnected from the station. His niche is personality radio, and he likes to feel as though he’s connected to the people who are listening. “I like it when we have older people from communities way off the mountain make requests for special songs that have special meaning for them,” Audrey said. “Sam can usually find them in the
Favorite Albums
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• Melba Moore – Actor/Singer • Minister Lee Rouson – Former NFL NY Giant • Paul Porter – Christianaires • Danny Thomas – Florida Mass Choir • Dick Gregory – Comedian/Activist • Merdene Gayles – Co-host/ Bobby Jones Gospel Hour • Bishop Joe Simon
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library, and he’ll put them on the show, so that to me personalizes it even though we’re so far away and don’t have direct contact with most of our listeners except through the air.”
The Young World Radio Show
Although Gospel Gems is Tate’s better-known show across the nation, it isn’t his only show. On Saturdays at noon on 1450 AM, local middle and high school children get an opportunity to be on the air through a program called The Young World Radio Show. In 1999, Tate was hired to start and direct an afterschool program at Hardin Park Elementary School. The criteria included having an activity that would help children’s self-esteem. At first Tate had no idea what sort of program he should do. “Then it occurred to me what happened to this little old farm boy, and what that microphone did to help my self-esteem,” Tate said.
The Young World Radio Show was born immediately. To continue the show once he left the afterschool program, Tate talked with principals and the superintendent to find children who could benefit from the show, and Audrey, who worked in the Watauga County school system, helped to identify children as well. The Tates don’t put children on the show immediately. They take time to coach them in speaking without a dialect, and the children learn to have a unique on-air personality. Once they’re groomed, the children interview local celebrities such as the superintendent or the police chief. “Everybody can’t be a football and basketball star, but once these kids are on the radio on the weekend, by Monday morning not only are they celebrities on campus but they are all over the area,” Tate said. Many children who are on the show don’t have an obvious talent, but that’s why Tate wants to help them. Being a disc jockey doesn’t come naturally, but anyone who can speak can learn to have a radio personality. He wants to bring that talent out because while he was in college, he received help.
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“Someone took me under their arms and helped me at a time when nobody would help because, you know, anything that has an element of glamor, nobody wants to help you a lot of times.” The program isn’t just about passing on his legacy. Tate also wants to see these children succeed, even if they don’t choose to have a career in radio. Because of the training they receive, the children become better at oral presentations, allowing them to do well in school and later in life. “I think another reason that it’s important to both of us is we both have in us the desire to give back something,” Audrey said. “We’re retirees, we profited a lot, and we’ve been blessed a lot in our lives to learn many things that we need to share beyond our family. I enjoyed working with children; I enjoy still having some connection with the school system. Sam enjoys working and motivating people and children especially. We’re getting a chance to give back some of what we’ve gained.” The Tates have also taken the program to Greensboro to reach a wider audience,
While working at a Greensboro station, Tate met his future wife Audrey Blaylock, a young woman who was interested in becoming a speech therapist. When he found out that she loved John R. and the radio business, he was hooked.
and now parents who want their children involved in the program can contact the Tates directly. For Tate, success is still happening around every corner, but the shows are no longer about him. His strives to serve God with Gospel Gems, which he calls a ministry, and to serve his community with The Young World Radio Show. Most of all, he wants to serve his audience by providing them with an enjoyable experience. “I don’t care how bad I’m feeling, whether I’m sick, ticked off with whoever, when I hit that mike switch, I better be having a good time. That audience out there, they’ve got enough problems themselves. My job is to lift them up.”
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August / September 2012
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HOW TO FIND YOUR OWN GOLF BALL . . . AND EVERYONE ELSE’S By Harris Prevost
G
olf ball hunting is equal parts art and science. It is a healthy and fun hobby that for many was nurtured from Easter egg hunting when they were small children. That was the case for me. I vividly remember excitedly looking for Easter eggs with all my Prevost cousins in my grandparent’s large front yard. Who didn’t get a kick out of finding Easter eggs! I began playing golf at age nine and I began my golf ball hunting career the same year, not long after my Easter egg career ended. I would play golf, then look for balls walking back home. I kept a diary of every ball I found--its brand, condition and hole found.
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I also kept a diary recording every round of golf I played--the score on each nine and an evaluation of how I played. I kept those diaries from the eighth grade through college and still have most of them, but sadly none of the golf ball hunting diaries. I fondly remember finding balls for my father when I was little and presenting “brand new” balls to him for his approval (He only used Titleist or Maxfli #s 1 or 3). He made a big deal out of the balls I found for him and he made me feel ten feet tall. I can rewind my memory and replay those treasured moments today. I never had to buy a ball because I found all I needed, and more. My extras were given away or sold. One day when I was ten or eleven years old, something came over me and I couldn’t
resist buying a new green Maxfli for 90 cents. I could not make myself hit that ball. It was not in my DNA. I sold it about an hour later on the 17th tee for 85 cents. I have never purchased another ball and I will always regret buying that Maxfli. My cousin Jack Prevost and I would often look for balls and we had a good natured competition to see who found more. Ball hunting became our hobby. After high school, my golf ball hunting slowed down quite a bit. I made the UNC golf team and got free balls and later made the Army golf team at Ft. Bragg and got free balls, but I still hunted enough to always have plenty.
plenty to play with and gave the rest away. My “it don’t get no better than this” perfect day is to go out late in the afternoon in early August when no one else is around and play nine holes while looking for balls and eating blackberries. Grandfather let an elderly man look for balls there I ran into him often. He told me he used to weigh over 300 pounds and his doctor told him he had exercise to get his health back so he looked for balls. He lost over 100 pounds!
GOLF BALL HUNTING GETS SERIOUS
Fast forward to 2005 (I’m now working for Grandfather Mountain) and my life changed overnight. I woke up one Saturday morning and my world had gone crazy. I went to a doctor Monday morning and found out I had a viral infection in my left ear. It turned out to be a really nasty one. It destroyed my inner ear, and that meant it took my hearing and balance and distorted my vision. My doctor told me I would never play golf again. Walking was a shaky experience at first. My daughter Hillary and son Tom and I had hunted for golf balls in the past as a family activity so I tried to do that again, using a golf club as a walking stick. Fortunately, it’s hard to fall down in a rhododendron thicket so hunting balls was a fairly safe activity. Hunting balls in thick rhododendron requires me to be 50% Daniel Boone, 50%
When I moved to the High Country in January 1973 to work as Grandfather Golf & Country Club’s accountant, I got to play the course and I made a wonderful discovery: Grandfather’s fairways were lined with rhododendron thickets and they attracted golf balls like magnets. I was in golf ball heaven! My hobby was on again. When you hunt balls, you are outside and you get plenty of exercise (“back in the day” I would jog between ball finding spots). It is exciting when you find one, just as it was to find Easter eggs. And it’s rewarding: I hear balls are expensive. The number of balls I found at Grandfather dwarfed the number I found anywhere else, and most were top brands. I found
HUNTING BALLS IS GOOD FOR YOU
August / September 2012
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Finding a ball in a rhododendron thicket is only half the story. You have to retrieve it. That can really be a challenge, and it is one I take personally. I will get the ball one way or another! During this photo shoot on the first hole at Grandfather, I found 12 new balls and all were ProV1s or other tour quality brands. 82
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Photo by Taylor Adams
Tarzan and 50% Mikhail Baryshnikov. In the really bad stuff, I need another 50% of somebody! The thickets forced me to twist, turn, bend, stoop and crawl to get through them. Those movements turned out to be the best physical therapy I could ask for to improve my balance. After a couple of hunting trips in the rhododendron, I tried to hit a golf ball. It went about 20 yards and the feeling was like an outer world experience. It was like someone else hit the ball and I was watching. I will never forget that shot. A few weeks later I hit some balls with my feet together, taking only a half-swing. Game on! A few months later, I could take a three-quarter swing. I still can’t make a full swing in balance, but seven years later I can play as well as before. My goal is to be better than before the viral infection and to shoot frequently in the 60s. I’m still working on that! I credit my balance improvement to my time looking for balls in the rhododendron thickets. Today I enjoy looking for balls with my son Tom. He sells his balls at Maw’s Produce on NC 105 between Foscoe and Hound Ears (mint ProV1s are $1.50, and good ones are $1 in case you are interested!). Tom and I now compete with each other just like I did with my cousin Jack when we were teenagers. When Tom finds a ball, he yells out “ball” and that makes me want to find one even more. Same for him when I find a ball. Tom’s favorite ball to find is called a “walkover.” It is one I missed and he found following behind me. He lets me know about it. On really good days, we can find over a hundred balls.
HOW TO FIND THEM
I want to share some tips I have
learned in my 50+ year journey of hunting golf balls so you won’t have any dreaded “walkovers.” If you are interested in a good, healthy hobby, it’s hard to beat golf ball hunting. If you are just interested in finding your own ball, saving a two stroke penalty, and saving buying a new ball for $4, these tips can help, too. Finding your own ball during a golf match is different than finding other people’s balls as a hobby. Without question, the hardest ball to find is your own. It always seems to end up in the hardest place to find, and you only have a few minutes to look, so there is extra pressure on you from the start. The best advice for finding your own ball is to calmly watch where it goes into the rough or woods and mark the spot. That’s hard to do after hitting a roundhouse slice or snap hook. It’s much easier to be ticked off and consumed by your bad shot and not pay attention where you ball headed into the boonies. Once you are in the area where your ball went, stop, take a minute and carefully look around at all the places where you could see a ball. If you don’t find it, you at least know where the ball isn’t and can narrow your search to other places. Most people don’t find their balls because they look in the wrong places. They go into the rough or woods with their eyes looking down at the ground and walk around totally focused on small areas. They probably search the same spot several times and miss other places completely. This advice will sound a little much, but try to organize your hunt so you look everywhere once instead of one place ten times and other places no times. If your foursome is looking for the ball, it is even easier for everyone to
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You never know what you are missing if you look for balls from the outside! Above is a photo of a rhododendron bush from the outside, and then, to the right, one from the same bush looking from the inside out. Photos by Taylor Adams.
look in the same place several times and miss other places. Assign areas for each golfer (I don’t do that but I should). Hunting for your own ball requires pretty much the same technique as hunting for other people’s balls. Here are my top ten golden rules for golf ball hunting.
Style
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first hole, always look there. Players beginning their round usually aren’t fully warmed up so they don’t rotate their bodies through their swings and their balls go off to the right. Chances are they won’t look for them because other groups are waiting on the first tee to begin their rounds. I can find all the balls I need for a year with one trip through the rhododendron on the first hole at Grandfather. If you are looking on the left, most of the balls will be closer to the fairway because hooks usually come in at lower angles and get stopped by the brush. Since slices come in higher, there is a good chance some of those balls land deeper into the woods, so expand your search. One of my most important rules is to
August / September 2012
4.
5.
rev up your concentration when you find a ball. Chances are good other balls are very close by. If one person hit a ball there, someone else will, too. Think about it; if you find a ball, most likely that area hasn’t been searched by other hunters, or by golfers looking for their balls. Another important rule, especially dealing with rhododendron, is to go into the woods or thicket and look out toward the fairway. Don’t stand in the fairway and try to look into the bushes. Looking from the inside out is looking from dark to light; from the outside in is looking from light into dark, and that doesn’t work. Also, since vegetation grows toward sunlight, it blocks your view looking outside in. This tip makes a huge difference. Learn where balls usually are lost on your home course. Chances are it’s where you lose yours. Experience in hunting for balls also tells you where to look. Skip the places balls rarely go and concentrate on the hot spots. I have places I know I will find balls. If I go in there and find none, or just a couple, I know someone beat me
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10. My last “rule” is really the attitude a golf ball hunter should have. If you find trash while looking for balls, bring it out and put it in the garbage can afterwards. Don’t trample down vegetation; leave the course looking better than you found it. If a ball has someone’s name on it, try to find that person and return it. If you are hunting and see a golfer lose a ball, find it and take it to him. I found one golfer’s ball three times on nine holes and he told me he didn’t want to see me again!
THE BEST GOLF BALL HUNTER I KNOW
6.
7.
8.
9.
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I was playing golf with the senior editor of GOLF magazine in May 1997 and I asked him how many instructional articles his magazine had published about how to hit a golf ball. He said probably in the thousands. I then asked him how many articles they published about how to find a ball once it was hit. He said none. I told finding your ball could save Harris Prevost has an eagle eye for finding lost golf balls. Photo by Ken Ketchie. strokes just like having a better swing would. I then told him finding balls was my hobby and I could write something for him. there. I immediately go to alternate places on the other side He said, “I’m interested. Send it to me.” I never heard from him of the course. If I’m out for sport, though, and an area has until late September when he called and told me to look for the been hunted, I might look there just to see how many walk- October issue of GOLF magazine and look for a $1,000 check in overs I can find! the mail! Creek banks can be a good place. Golfers think their balls I also wrote an article on “finding your own ball” for United went in the creek and let them go, but sometimes they get Airlines in-flight magazine HEMISPHERES, whose senior editor hung up on the bank. When looking in a creek, the reflection at the time was our areas’s own Randy Johnson. Where am I gomight block your view of a ball. Look in the water from dif- ing with this? I have looked for balls for over 50 years and written ferent angles. about it in two national magazines, but a friend I look for balls Pace of the hunt is very important. You don’t want to rush through with can absolutely clean my clock in a golf ball hunting contest! and get careless. You don’t want to go too slowly, either, because His name is Tom Taylor, a pharmacist with Watauga Medical your mind will get lazy and balls simply don’t register in your Center and a member of Boone’s golfing Taylor family (the subbrain. That spells “walkover”! Your pace should be positive and ject of my article in the next issue of HIGH COUNTRY MAGAalert. A nice pace improves your concentration. ZINE). I don’t know how Tom does it but he can find balls no one When in the bushes or rhododendron, be like an eagle. Look else possibly could, and in places you couldn’t imagine finding sharply into the undergrowth from multiple angles. Bob and balls. When we are on the golf course, he is always “on”. I asked weave. Leaves will block the view of a ball from one angle Tom how he does it and he said, “I don’t know, I just find them.” but not from another. Hunting is a science for me but an art for Tom. My favorite rule is to visualize seeing a ball everywhere I We play together a lot and we try to outdo each other both look. If you anticipate finding one, and it is there, you will with lower golf scores and more balls found. After a few holes, see it even if you can only see a few dimples. The ball will golf becomes secondary and finding balls becomes the game. We literally jump out at you. It’s like you are in a zone. If your come dragging in with our bags loaded down with balls, having imagination and concentration are working right, there will no idea what we shot. But we do know how many balls we each be no walkovers. found, and Tom always finds more balls.
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Tom Taylor, master golf ball finder.
If you are looking for exercise in clean mountain air, having your mind cleared of your problems, and being delighted in finding something (we all love to find a prize), golf ball hunting is a great activity. I run into several retired executives out there beating the bushes looking for balls as a hobby. It is also a good father/son experience. A word of caution; be careful if you are looking on a strange course. As much as I hate to see a golf ball in the bushes and not go get it, there are snake-infested places where I walk on by and live to hunt another day. In my almost 40 years here, I have never seen a snake in a rhododendron thicket, which is my favorite place to find balls. I have had some yellow jackets find me, especially in the fall, and I have to be careful of branches sticking me in the eye. Wearing glasses helps, but still be careful. If you do decide to look for balls, my humble request is that you leave some out there for my son Tom and me. Tom Taylor doesn’t need any help. ď ´
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Introducing a New Webpaper
www.HCPress.com EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About It!
T
his winter, the High Country’s favorite newspaper took the giant leap and went to the World Wide Web. The High Country Press fired up its new website on Feb. 29. Since then, we’ve published over 1,600 stories and had over 170,000 visits to our site. These visits have resulted in over 450,000 pageviews in only 5 months. It’s no secret that the Internet is just a better way to deliver news. We are able to publish news and information as it happens 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We can add as many pictures as we want - with video too. We’re always learning new possibilities to better inform and entertain our readers. Of course, everybody loves to read a hard copy, but as Bob Dylan sung many years ago, “The Times They Are a Changing.” For HCPress.com, we no longer put ink onto paper once per week. Now, we are a harmony of pixels and a daily news source for the area. The website is still the community news source that readers expect and have grown to love. But now, we aren’t limited by the space or the time constraints of a weekly newspaper. Come check out our new website. In just a few minutes you will be up-to-date on what’s happening in the High Country. 88
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Our News Site is constantly updated 24 hours a day. To make it easier to follow the stories you’re interested in, use our Story Archive Box. There you will find your favorites all together in one place.
Using Our Story Archives
You’ll first find all of our stories presented on the front page of our website, with the most important stories near the top of the page followed by our other stories as you scroll down the page.
Some of Our Most Popular Archives Are: Sometimes you only want to read one section of a newspaper. Perhaps you pull out the sports section or the business section and toss the rest of the paper on the coffee table. Well with our website you can do that too. With our story archives you can read only the section of the news you want to read. Some of our most popular sections are news, crime reports, upcoming events, real estate and letters to the editor. Our userfriendly layout allows you to navigate right to what captures your interest. Also, with unlimited space on the World Wide Web, we don’t have to pick and choose what articles “run” in each section of our webpaper. We can run it all, and with as many pictures as we need to include with any article to tell the whole story. We hope you enjoy this new format. The High Country Press has always been committed to providing community news with top-notch journalism. Now, with unlimited space, we can do that even more extensively
News
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August / September 2012
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BREAKING NEWS
As news happens and press releases are made available, they’ll be posted here at the top of our website. There is also live updating of things to do, places to go and the calendar of events.
Story Archives
All our stories are posted as they become available in chronological order. Once these stories reach the bottom of the page and go off our main page they are sorted to these archives. Here you will find headings for News - Sports - Arts - Nightlife, etc. where like topic stories are filed. The archives take you to what you want to know fast and easy.
Most Read Stories
This is where you’ll find out what everyone else is reading. The most read stories during the last 24 hours will rotate to the top here. This way you stay on top of the news with just a quick look!
Press Releases
Keep in touch and up to date with our local non-profits and organizations through their press releases. We receive hundreds of press releases and announcements and we’ll be posting them on our website and in a file for each organization.
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A collection of columns, movie reviews and opinions from our readers.
What Would Your Favorite Archive Pages Be? Sports
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Summer Menus I
t’s summertime; our gardens are overflowing with fresh vegetables, and our restaurants are abundant with tasty delights for every palate. This area is so fortunate to have amazing restaurants for every style and budget. We decided to give you a sampling of menu items to entice you to try each and every eatery in the High Country—go ahead, try something new and experience all the delights that these dining destinations have to offer. Bon appÊtit!
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1861 FarMHOUSE VALLE CRUCIS. Located in historic Valle Crucis, the 1861 Farmhouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is home to a wonderful restaurant and a truly unique wine room. The restaurant features outdoor seating and scenic, quiet vistas. Located directly across from Mast General Store, 1861 Farmhouse offers patrons a one-of-a-kind experience. n 828-963-6301. www.1861farmhouse.com
amalfi’s BOONE. Amalfi’s Restaurant & Pizzeria is dedicated to the authentic flavors of mediterranean cuisine, using the finest and freshest seafood, vegetables, poultry and meats. The owners,
Onofrio (Tony) and Lellena (Sardegna) Catta, moved from Naples, Italy, to the US in 1996. Their pastas, rotisserie chicken specialties and prosciutto and arugula pizza with smoked mozzarella will change your life. Buon Appetito! n
Exquisite Authentic Thai Cuisine
Daily Lunch Specials
828-898-3325.
BANNER ELK CAFE BANNER ELK. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Great food, ranging from eggs benedict to big, juicy burgers. For the healthy and weight conscience we offer grilled mahi and chicken sandwiches, salad bar, and homemade daily specials. Dinner nightly offering: Ribs, Steaks, Fish and always fresh and creative specials! n 828-898-4040.
Lunch Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00-3:00 Sat-Sun 11:30-3:00
Also Open for Dinner Every Day: Mon-Sun 5:00-10:00
* Serving beer and wine * 173 Howard Street in Downtown Boone 828-268-0434 Fax: 828-268-0439 chadathai-nc.com
www.bannerelkcafe.com
ily ”
The Banner Elk Cafe
g for the Whole Dinin Fam l a u 2 Flat Screens & Live Entertainment
“Ca s
summer dining
LET’S EAT OUT. These local restaurants are advertising here to remind you to think about their restaurant when it’s time to dine out. You’ll be warmly welcomed. Bon Appetit!
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 • Jessie Smith SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 • Jonathan Maness SATURDAY, AUGUST 18 • Sound Traveler SATURDAY, AUGUST 25 • Jonathan Maness
828-898-4040
Open 7am Everyday Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Daily Check our website at:
WITH LIVE MUSIC CONTINUING www.bannerelkcafe.com THROUGH OCTOBER ON SATURDAYS for Fresh Roasted Coffees and Espresso • 828-898-3444 FROM 6:00 - 10:00 entertainment schedule Smoothie & Frappe Bar & Vitamin Supplements Muffins, Bagels Pastries & Breads CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR LISTINGS and current promotions. Deli Subs & Sandwiches • Salads & Pastas Gourmet Pizza & Calzones August / September 2012
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summer dining bella’s Banner elk. Bella’s Neighborhood Italian Restaurant is a local favorite and serves the best Italian cuisine in town. Everything is made to order with the finest homemade ingredients. Bella’s is known for authentic Italian food along with a variety of delicious hand-tossed pizza. Perfect for families, locals and visitors alike. Come dine with the Fellas from Bella’s and you are guaranteed not to go home hungry! Located across from Sugar Mountain in the Food Lion Shopping Center. n 828-898-9022. www.bellasNC.net.
BlOWING ROCK GRILLE
s ’ fi l a Am ITALIAN RESTAURANT
& PIZZERIA
BLOWING ROCK. Courtyard dining and friendly atmosphere make this restaurant a Blowing Rock favorite. For lunch, try homemade soups, vegetable plates and sandwiches. The dinner menu features fresh fish, pasta, pork, premium steaks and a unique wine list. n 828-295-9474. www.theblowingrockgrille.com
CAFÉ PORTOFINO BOONE. Café Portofino offers a casual atmosphere and truly 5-star dining. The self-described “Garlic House” menu is a creative mix of Thai, Eurasian and Italian influences. For afterhours entertainment, check out the adjoining taproom with billiards, darts, and fifty bottle and draft beers from around the world. n 828-264-7772. www.cafeportofino.net
Canyons
Amalfi’s brings to Boone a traditional flavor of Mediterranean CUISINE. We welcome you to dine in real Italian atmosphere. Gluten Free BUON APPETITO! Options Available! HOURS: Monday-Thursday, 11-9:30 • Friday & Saturday 11–10:30 • Closed Sunday 957 RiveRS STReeT, BOOne, nC 28607 • 828-386-1137 92
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Blowing Rock. This historic restaurant and bar is known for its spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and its scrumptious southwestern and ordinary American eats. All dishes are freshly prepared in house with the finest ingredients available. We regularly offer a variety of seasonally fresh items, so ask about our nightly specials in addition to our menu selections.
n 828-295-7661. www.CanyonsBR.com
summer dining CASA RUSTICA BOONE. Casa Rustica has been serving Boone for over 30 years as the premier choice for fine Italian dining. Located in an antique log cabin, Casa was founded on family tradition and quality of experience. From our Certified Angus beef filet to our homemade tiramisu, one is sure to find something to please the pallet. Casa Rustica is capable to handle any need, from large sized private parties to full on and off site catering. Whether you’re looking for a quiet night beside the fireplace or a full family celebration, Casa Rustica is the right choice for dining in the High Country. n 828-262-5128. www.casarustica1981.com
Cha Da Thai Boone. Cha Da Thai is the only authentic Thai cuisine in the area. Cha Da Thai offers an extensive menu and daily specials. A few favorites inclue Pad Thai served with Tamarind base red sauce and Pad Gra Pow with special Thai basil leaves. From sweet to sour and from salty to spicy, you’re sure to find something to satisfy your taste. Located on Howards Street. n 828-268-0434. www.ChaDaThai-NC.com
CHAR MODERN AMERICAN RESTAURANT BOONE. char ... where New York City meets the Blue Ridge Mountains! A unique, contemporary Bistro located in Downtown Boone, offering diverse, creative and delectable brunch, lunch and dinner cuisine in a warm, open, cosmopolitan setting. Featuring a Covered Deck and sleek modern bar. Serving modern american cuisine including signature dishes – Low Country Shrimp & Grits ... NC Trout … Lemongrass Scallops … Certified Angus hand-cut Rib-Eye & Tenderloin Steaks … Blackened Goat Cheese Burger … Fried Green Tomato BLT and Grilled Cod Fish Tacos. Nightly Entertainment. Come join us at char for ... Food • Drinks • Music • Art • Fun ... n 828-266-2179. www.char179.com August / September 2012
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Dining Sunday - Thursday 11:30am - 10:30pm & Friday and Saturday until Midnight Full Bar (open until 2am) 14 Beers on Draught focused on Imports and Micro Brews Courteous and Friendly Staff
R
Restaurant & Pub
R
Six Pence
A Taste of England here in Blowing Rock
Featuring British & American Fare
summer dining crippens blowing rock. Chef Stan Chamberlain is making a name for himself as diners post opinions on tripadvisor.com and opentable.com keeping Crippen’s the #1 restaurant in Blowing Rock and Top 5 in Western North Carolina! Enjoy the casual atmosphere and fine dining restaurant, with a daily menu featuring a variety of Artisan breads, homemade soups, creative appetizers, fresh seafood, meats and game, and of course delicious homemade desserts. Be sure to ask your server about the eclectic wine list too! n 828-295-3487. www.crippens.com
} 828.295.3155 }
1121 Main Street, Blowing Rock, N.C.
LOCAL FLAVOR WHEN IN ROME– OR RATHER BANNER ELK.
EAT CROW BANNER ELK. Eat Crow is a wonderful little cafe specializing in fresh baked goods including a large variety of baked pies and cakes. We offer them by the slice or order a whole one to take home and enjoy. We also offer fresh made sandwiches at lunch time that can not be compared to any other “sandwich shop” in the area. Since we know life can be very hectic, for your convenience we prepare whole meals and soups daily that are ready for you to take home and heat up for your family. These entrees vary daily. At Eat Crow, we are always creating something delicious! All sandwiches are served on farmhouse or whole wheat bread. Sides are fresh fruit, firecracker coleslaw or chips. We are open Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and are located near Foscoe on Hwy. 105 between Boone and Banner Elk. n 828-963-8228.
The Eseeola Lodge
SERVING DINNER:
Monday – Saturday Opening at 5:30pm RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED:
828/963-5087 or 828/898-5656
Wine Spectator’s Best Of Award Of Excellence 1996-2012 94
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linville. Guests enjoy breakfast and dinner daily as part of their accommodations package, but all High Country visitors are welcome. The menu changes daily, and also offers an extraordinary seafood buffet every Thursday evening with seatings at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Reservations are required, and gentlemen are required to wear a coat for the evening meal. n 800-742-6717.
www.eseeola.com
Th
1 Farmho 6 8 1 e u
s
e
summer dining fred & larry’s banner elk. Fred and Larry’s coffee shop offers fresh-roasted Conrad’s coffee and espresso in an artsy, laid-back environment with free WIFI. They serve frappes, smoothies, tea, lattes and locally made organic pastries. Open mic nights are Friday and Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. Fred and Larry’s beer and wine bar and the first and only Kava bar in the area opens this July. n 828-898-2110.
Restaurant & Winery Casual Outside Dining Available Or EnjOy COzy FirEsiDE Dining in
One of Our Elegant Dining rooms LunCH AnD WinE tAstings DAiLy
www.fredandlarryscoffee.com
Gamekeeper
www.Gamekeeper-NC.com
BLOWING ROCK. The Green Park Inn is proud to introduce of our Fine Dining Restaurant, The Laurel Room, under the direction of award winning Chef James Welch, who is a James Beard Foundation nominee, and has won multiple awards. Chef James is no doubt one of the finest Chefs in the High Country. The Laurel Room Restaurant offers extraordinary cuisine, a thoughtful wine selection, and service befitting your expectations. The Divide Tavern and Lounge is an elegant gathering place to enjoy conversation and cocktails. Join us at this newly restored National Historic Register property. The hotel includes 88 guest rooms. n 828-414-9230.
www.greenparkinn.com.
rEsErvAtiOns:
828-963-6301
Progressive Alternative Dining
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
Weekdays 4pm-until... Weekends 3pm-until... 502 West Main St. Banner Elk
www.zuzda.com 828-898-4166
Two Fabulous Bars • All ABC Permits
GREEN PARK INN
DinnEr: Thursday - Friday - Saturday • MEnus AnD HOurs: 1861Farmhouse.com
Over 120 Small Tapas Plates
Blowing Rock. Housed in a 1950s stone cottage, The Gamekeeper is an upscale restaurant that offers an eclectic mix of Southern foods and mountain cuisine, including mountain trout, buffalo rib eye, ostrich, duck and beef tenderloin. The friendly staff literally waits on you hand and foot, assuring that you’ll leave happy and satisfied. The restaurant is located off Shulls Mill Road near Yonahlossee Resort. n 828-963-7400.
Extensive Wine Selection • Live Music Fri. & Sat. August / September 2012
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EAT CROW EAT PIE EAT PIE EAT PIE EAT PIE EAT PIE EAT PIE EAT PIE EAT PIE
Sandwiches
(Served on our homemade bread)
Pies • Cakes Shepherd’s Pie Steak & Ale Pie Chicken Pot Pie English Specialties (On Request)
Catering 828.963.8228 www.eatcrownc.com
Fabulous British Chef/Owner
Dominic& Meryle Geraghty
EAT CAKE EAT CAKE EAT CAKE EAT CAKE EAT CAKE EAT CAKE
Open Tuesday - Saturday 10am-5pm 9872 Hwy. 105 S. in Foscoe (across from Mountain Lumber)
96
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summer dining JOE’S ITALIAN KITCHEN BOONE. Joe’s family Italian restaurant serves food the way Joe’s ancestors did, handmade from recipes handed down for five generations. Almost everything at Joe’s is made in the restaurant, with no pre-baked, frozen or artificial ingredients. At Joe’s Italian Kitchen, you can choose hot or cold sandwiches, pasta, salads and desserts. And this year Joe has added Joe’s Jazzed Up, an upscale fine dining Italian experience, located right next to the deli. n 828-263-9200. www.joesitaliankitchen.com.
JOY Bistro Boone. Purveyors of Fine Food & Drink. Chef/Owners Melissa Joy and Gary Claude welcome you to come in and enjoy delicious food and delightful cocktails in a casual, warm and inviting
August / September 2012
summer dining setting. Fresh and always seasonal ingredients are used in our nightly specials as in our superb menu. Full bar, extensive wine list, & craft beers. n 828-265-0500 www.joybistroboone.com.
louisianna purchase FOOD & SPIRITS BANNER ELK. Louisiana Purchase has been Banner Elk’s premier restaurant and wine bar since 1984. Made to order elegance. Chef owner Patrick Bagbey’s menu evolves with the changing seasons, and will always include all the favorites. All ABC permits and the largest wine list in the area. Open Tuesday to Saturday 5:30 p.m. until … Reservations suggested. n 828-963-5087 or 828-898-5656.
www.louisianapurchasefoodandspirits.com.
Makoto’s Boone. Dining at Makoto’s Japanese Seafood and Steak House is an unique experience. During your visit, a waiter will guarantee you a pleasant dining time. If you’re lucky, your personal chef will provide a little free culinary entertainment while cooking your dish right in front of you. Makoto’s also offers a lunch and dinner sushi bar and full ABC permits. n 828-264-7976. www.makatos-boone.com.
MOUNTAIN BAGELS Boone. “Best Bagels south of New York.” Quality fresh food for everyone: from homemade quiches, signature deli sandwiches made with Boars Head meats & cheeses, made to order salads, as well as vegetarian sandwiches like hummus, falafel ‘N A Hole Lot More. n 828-2654141.www.mountainbagels.com.
the painted fish café and beer bar BANNER ELK. An upscale experience in a relaxed, casual ambience. Inspired food, fun beers and superb wines all at surprisingly reasonable prices. Organic and locally grown/raised ingredients August / September 2012
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summer dining used whenever possible. Plenty of outdoor dining. Inspired food for friends and family. n 828-898-6800.
www.paintedfishcafe.com
Red Onion Café Boone. The Red Onion Café has created its niche in the High Country for more than 30 years by offering a welcoming atmosphere and an extensive menu at affordable prices. The café has something for every member of the family, including burgers, sandwiches, wraps, pizza, pasta, fish, steak and delicious homemade desserts. The Red Onion Café also offers several of the region’s top beer and wines to compliment any meal. The outside patio is perfect for lunch or for warm evenings. n 828-264-5470.
www.theredonioncafe.com.
Celebrating 5 years in the High Country
• The High Country’s only made from scratch, boiled & baked on premises • All Natual Recipe • No Fats or Preservatives
Serving Breakfast & Lunch
BREAKFAST Bagels, Cream Cheeses, Homemade Quiches, Eggs, Muffins & More... LUNCH Deli Sandwiches Soups/Salads
828-265-4141
Mon - Fri 7am - 2pm; Sat 8am - 2pm; Sun 9am - 2pm www.mountainbagels.com 211 Boone Heights Drive • Boone (Turn at Burger King on Hwy 321)
We’ve been told it is ... “the best coffee in town”
Monday - Saturday: 7 aM- 7 PM Sunday: 12 PM - 5 PM oPen MiC night, Friday & Saturday: 7 PM - 10 PM Fine art by gwen J. rainwater Espresso, Latte, Coffee, Frappe, Smoothie, Tea, & a Variety of Desserts FREE WIFI
3591 Tynecastle Hwy. • Banner Elk, NC 28604 828-898-2110 • FredandLarrysCoffee.com 98
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summer dining Six pence PUB Blowing Rock. For a fine example of British fare, you should head over to Six Pence Pub in downtown Blowing Rock. From traditional Shepherd’s Pie and fish and chips to American-style burgers and salads, this eatery and bar alleviates everyone’s hunger pains and provides a unique dining experience right on beautiful Main Street now with a new patio. n 828-295-3155.
www.sixpencepub.com.
Speckled Trout Café Blowing Rock. Since 1986, the Speckled Trout Cafe & Oyster Bar has been pleasing both locals and visitors with its exquisite choices for dinner. The house specialty is smoked rainbow trout from local waters, but the extensive menu covers everything from steak to roast duckling to catfish. Reservations are recommended. n 828-295-9819. www.speckledtroutcafe.com.
The Table at Crestwood Blowing Rock. Our menu is a creative mix of Southern fare with a European touch. Our spectacular views will captivate you while you enjoy terrace or fireside dining. We offer great food, sunsets and an unforgettable experience. Try our Chipotle Bourbon Glazed Scottish Salmon, Spice Rubbed Pork Strip or Brined and Braised Chicken Thighs - or our Oven Roasted Cod - or Shrimp and Grits or maybe our Grilled Airline Chicken Breast. Plus we have a casual menu, appetizers, soups, salads and desserts. n 828-963-6646.
Half Price On Our House Daily lunch Bottled Wines Every Tuesday! specials
KIDS MEAL
FREE
ining 5 Star D he Prices without t al in a Casu e! r Atmosphe ining All Day D
Kids 10 and under eat free with purchase of adult entree. Lunch or Dinner. Tues-Thurs
www.crestwoodnc.com
TIMBERLAKE restaurant BLOWING ROCK. A brand new restaurant has arrived in Blowing Rock at the renowned Chetola Resort. The recently opened Timberlake’s Restaurant will fea-
Sun, Tue - Thurs: 11:30 am - 9:00 pm • Fri - Sat: 11:30 am - 9:30 pm 970 Rivers Street • 828-264-7772 • w w w. c a f e p o r t o fi n o . n e t
Follow us on
August / September 2012
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Now Open
summer dining ture a menu inspired by world-renowned North Carolina artist and designer Bob Timberlake’s culinary favorites. From Mesquite-dusted shrimp and salads of mountain-grown spinach, to Carolinaraised trout and roasted Carolina quail, each dish fashioned by Chef Michael Barbato will be one worth savoring. n
828-295-5505. www.chetola.com
vidalia Introducing Timberlake’s Restaurant at Chetola Resort, inspired by American realist artist Bob Timberlake. Breakfast Daily: 7:30 – 10:00 am Dinner Nightly: 4:30 – 10:00 pm
www.chetola.com 828-295-5505
Boone. Vidalia is a casual, upscale restaurant featuring “creative American cuisine.” It offers daily specials, various events, wine tastings and special nights. Vidalia holds all ABC permits and has an extensive, 60+ bottle wine list, craft beers, martinis, whiskeys, scotches and cordials. Vidalia’s menu changes twice a year to keep it seasonal and practices farm-
It’s Always Trout Season
In Blowing Rock!
SERVING A VARIETY OF FRESH SEAFOOD, POULTRY, LOCAL MOUNTAIN TROUT, ANGUS BEEF, SARA’S BABY BACK RIBS, HOMEMADE SOUPS AND SALADS.
LOBSTERFEST - Every Thursday
Call Ahead By Tuesday To reserve Your Lobster
828.295.9819 • Main Street, Blowing Rock
Serving Dinner
Tuesday - Saturday 5:00pm - 9:00pm 100
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summer dining
Truly one of the most romantic settings in The High Country.
to-table food, using local vendors as much as possible. n 828-263-9176. www.vidaliaofboone.com
Zuzda Banner Elk. Zuzda is a “tapas style” chef-owned restaurant that offers over 125 small plates of all cuisines. The “progressive alternative dining” offers the opportunity to taste and share small portions of food in a random order of presentation. Zuzda offers inside and patio dining and two bars, all of which is nonsmoking. Zuzda holds all ABC permits, and the wine list is as extensive as the menu, offering many wines by the glass. n 828-898-4166. www.zuzda.com
Prime Rib Special on Mondays • Fish & Chips on Tuesdays • Thursday Night Music Series
& Dog Star Bar & Grill Table at Crestwood
OPEN 7 NIGHTS A WEEK
www.crestwoodnc.com | 3236 Shull’s Mill Road | 828.963.6646
August / September 2012
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ADV E R T I S E R S I N D E X Please patronize the advertisers in High Country Magazine, and when you purchase from them, please be sure to mention that you saw their ad in our pages. Thank them for their support of this publication by giving them yours! Without their support, this magazine would not be possible. To all of All Area Codes are 828 unless noted. ADVERTISER
PHONE
PAGE
1861 Farmhouse Restaurant & Winery.............. 963-6301........................... 95 A Cleaner World............................................... 265-1888 �������������������������� 15 Abbey Carpet & Floor . .................................... 265-3622 ������������������������� 84 Amalfi’s........................................................... 386-1137........................... 92 Antiques on Howard......................................... 262-1957........................... 28 APP Urgent Care.............................................. 265-5505........................... 27 Art Cellar, The.................................................. 898-5175 �������������������������� 13 BJ’s Resort Wear.............................................. 898-4229........................... 55 Banner Elk Cafe................................................ 898-4040........................... 91 Banner Elk Realty............................................. 898-9756 ������������������������� 48 Bella’s............................................................. 898-9022........................... 98 Blowing Rock Grille.......................................... 295-9474........................... 97 Blowing Rock Estate Jewelry............................ 295-4500........................... 63 Boone Mall...................................................... 264-7286 �������������������������� 26 Boone Paint & Interiors.......................... 264-9220 & 898-2022................. 66 BRAHM............................................................ 295-9099........................... 73 Broyhill Home Collections................................ 295-0965 �������������������������� 69 Café Portofino.................................................. 264-7772 ������������������������� 99 Canyons.......................................................... 295-7661 ������������������������� 93 Carlton Gallery................................................. 963-4288 �������������������������� 78 Casa Rustica.................................................... 262-5128 �������������������������� 96 Cha Da Thai..................................................... 268-0434 �������������������������� 91 Char Modern American Restaurant................... 266-2179........................... 97 Country Gourmet.............................................. 963-5269........................... 61 Crippins........................................................... 295-3487........................... 96 DeWoolfson Down ...................................... 800-833-3696 ������������������������ 5 de Provence et d’ailleurs.................................. 295-9989............................. 2 Dianne Davant & Associates . .......................... 898-9887 ��Inside Front Cover Doe Ridge Pottery............................................ 264-1127 �������������������������� 28 Doncaster Outlet.............................................. 295-4200........................... 54 Eat Crow.......................................................... 963-8228........................... 96 Echota......................................................... 800-333-7601 ��������� Back Cover Eseeola Lodge.............................................. 800-742-6717...................... 101 Footsloggers.................................................... 262-5111........................... 78 Fred & Larry’s.................................................. 898-2110........................... 98 Frye Regional Medical Center........................... 315-3391............................. 3 Gaines Kiker..................................................... 295-3992............................. 2 Gamekeeper..................................................... 963-7400 ������������������������� 99 Gems By Gemini.............................................. 295-7700 ������������������������� 51 Grandfather Vineyard & Winery......................... 963-2400 ���������������������������� 7 Green Leaf Services, Inc................................... 737-0308 ���������������������������� 1 Green Park Inn.................................................. 414-9230........................... 92 Haircut 101...................................................... 262-3324 ������������������������� 73 Hardin Fine Jewelry.......................................... 898-4653 �������������������������� 13 Heavenly Touch Massage................................. 264-4335........................... 49 Hemlock Inn.................................................... 295-7987............................. 2
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our advertisers, a most sincere thank you. ADVERTISER
PHONE
PAGE
High Mountain Expeditions........................... 800-262-9036 ����������������������� 61 Homestead Inn................................................. 295-9559............................. 2 Joe’s Jazzed Up & Italian Kitchen..................... 263-9206........................... 93 Joy Bistro........................................................ 265-0500........................... 96 Lees-McRae Summer Theater........................... 898-8709........................... 41 Life Store Bank................................................. 265-2580........................... 11 Louisiana Purchase.................................963-5087 or 898-5656................. 94 Maggie Black Pottery.......................................... 963-2565............................. 48 Makoto’s Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar..... 264-7976 �������������������������� 98 Maple’s Leather Fine Furniture ........................ 898-6110 ������������������������� 39 Mast General Store .....................................866-FOR-MAST ������������������������ 9 Mountain Bagel................................................ 265-4141........................... 98 Mountain Construction Enterprises, Inc............ 963-8090 ������������������������� 60 Mountain Dog & Friends.................................. 963-2470 �������������������������� 76 Mountain Land............................................. 800-849-9225 ����������������������� 87 Mountain Tile................................................... 265-0472........................... 29 Mountain Top Golf Cars.................................... 963-6775........................... 87 Mountaineer Landscaping................................ 733-3726 ���������������������������� 6 Mustard Seed................................................... 295-4585........................... 60 Organic Hair Design......................................... 898-8111........................... 84 Page Dentistry.................................................. 265-1661 �������������������������� 21 Painted Fish Café............................................. 898-6808......................... 101 Pet Supplies Plus............................................. 266-2100........................... 79 Precision Cabinets........................................... 262-5080........................... 79 Red Onion Café................................................ 264-5470 ������������������������ 100 Restaurant Supply of the High Country.............. 963-7777........................... 38 Rivercross Market............................................. 963-8623........................... 16 Rustic Rooster.................................................. 898-5161........................... 77 Savory Thymes................................................ 263-8181........................... 26 Serves You Right.............................................. 295-4438........................... 53 Shoppes at Farmers Hardware.......................... 264-8801........................... 31 Six Pence Restaurant........................................ 295-3155........................... 94 Speckled Trout Café......................................... 295-9819......................... 100 Stone Cavern................................................... 963-8453 ������������������������ 103 Sugar Mountain Resort..................................... 898-4521 �������������������������� 19 Sunalei Preserve.............................................. 263-8711......................... 105 Sweepstakes.................................................... 963-2700........................... 85 Table at Crestwood Restaurant.......................... 963-6646......................... 101 Tatum Galleries & Interiors............................... 963-6466 ���������������������������� 7 Timberlake Restaurant at Chetola...................... 295-5505......................... 100 Todd Rice Real Estate....................................... 263-8711........................... 38 Vidalia Restaurant............................................ 263-9176........................... 98 Watsonatta Western World................................ 264-4540........................... 63 Wellspring Retirement Community............... 800-547-5387........................ 43 White Elephant................................................. 414-9200............................. 2 Zuzda............................................................... 898-4166 �������������������������� 95
Stone Cavern
TILE & Stone Showroom
828-963-8453
Experience is the difference
• Showers • Kitchens • Backsplashes • Floors • And All the Rest Located in Grandfather View Village at the base of Grandfather Mountain 9872 Hwy 105 (across from Mountain Lumber in Foscoe)
From slate, travertine, and porcelain to reclaimed stone from Jerusalem... we have it all! Design Consultation 25 different floor displays to help you visualize your tile dreams Installation Services Available
Check Out Our GallerY on our website
828-963-TILE • CALL FOR MONTNLY SPECIALS • WWW.STONECAVERN.COM August / September 2012
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Parting Shot...
By
Lonnie Webster
A Summer Season Of Horse Shows In Blowing Rock
O
livia Hostetter is shown here competing in one of the events at the annual show. The nation’s oldest continuous outdoor horse show, the annual Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show, is celebrating its 89th year this summer. In the early years the event only lasted five days but has grown and evolved to span three weeks broken out through the summer. The show is held at the L.M. Tate Show Grounds in J.E. Broyhill Park and attracts equine enthusiasts from all over the country. The Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve’s slogan states, “Ride the Blue Ridge” and their commitment to preservation and maintenance of the trails is a key factor for the annual show. The Saddlebred portion of the show took place June 7 to 10. All 440 stalls at the Equestrian Preserve were rented out for the event, according to preserve manager Ladonna Shore. Saddlebreds are a breed of horse developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. Known as “the peacock of show horses,” they are used in a variety of saddle seat style riding, such as pleasure driving and types of fine harness 104
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competition. Their comfortable gait and steady temperament make them perfect for trail riding. The other portions of the show, the Hunter/Jumper events, were held July 24 to 29 and July 31 to Aug. 5. The Kathryn G. Clark Challenge of Champions, the Russell Hall Jumper Classic, the USHJA International Hunter Derby, held in memory of Molly Crosland and the L.P. Tate Jumper Classic highlight this portion of the show. Steeped in tradition, the annual Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show is a win for everyone. The huge crowds that come from all over provide a nice economic stimulus for Blowing Rock businesses and are always looked forward to. Additionally, proceeds of the show are being used to support local emergency healthcare organizations in the High Country, such as the Blowing Rock Rescue Squad. In 2011 the events raised over the $30,000 for organizations like the Blowing Rock Fire Department, Blowing Rock Rescue Squad, Watauga County Humane Society and Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. Story by Paul T. Choate
Our backyard looks grea† !
You’ve always wanted to see what lies behind the gates at Sunalei Preserve, the High Country’s premier eco-friendly resort community. Call today for your personal tour or just stop by.
SUMMER OPEN HOUSE Fridays and Saturdays, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Sundays, 1:00 – 5:00 pm Rustic Cottages from $649,000 Custom Mountain Homes from $1,700,000 Land from 2 to 10 acres starting $140,000
Hiking Trails Recreation Center 140 Acres Conservancy Lands Tennis Court & Putting Green Highest Clubhouse East of the Rockies
DIRECTIONS: From Boone, travel north on Hwy 421 for 12 miles. Turn right on Rich Mountain Road to Sunalei entrance. Follow signs to the Sales Office.
828.263.8711 • BOONE, NC www.SunaleiPreserve.com www.BlueRidgeRealty.net August / September 2012
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4 Bedroom, 4 Bath, A Mountain Top Pool For The Kids? 4 Bedroom, 4 Bath, A Mountain Top Pool For The Kids?
It’s Yours.
Yours. You need plenty of room, andIt’s plenty of things to do. Echota is the ideal mountain matter ideal may Our latest You need getaway, plenty of no room, and what plentyyour of things to do.be. Echota is the ideal mountain getaway, no matter what your ideal may be. Our latest neighborhood, Chalakee, boasts one-, two-, threeand four-bedroom neighborhood, Chalakee, boasts one-, two-, three- ceilings, and four-bedroom condominiums and townhomes featuring nine-foot timber condominiums townhomes nine-foot ceilings, timber construction, outdoorand kitchens and afeaturing host of upgrades, appropriately construction, outdoor kitchens and a host of upgrades, appropriately priced from $199,900 to $599,900. Your ideal mountain getaway is priced from $199,900 to $599,900. Your ideal mountain getaway is available today. Become one of the 500 families who love Echota — all available today. Become one of the 500 families who love Echota — all for different reasons. for different reasons.
133 Echota Parkway, Boone, NC
133 Echota Parkway, Boone, NC 800.333.7601 800.333.7601
EchotaNC.com EchotaNC.com
ondominiums, Townhomes, Homesand andHomesites Homesites Condominiums, Townhomes,Single Single Family Family Homes 106
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