October magzine 2014

Volume 10 • Issue 2 October/November 2014

Awesome Autumn Beech Mountain View

Valle Crucis Boulder Bash October / November 2014

High Country Magazine

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DI A N N E DAVA N T & A S S O C I AT E S Excellence By Design Since 1979

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High Country Magazine

October / November 2014

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High Country Magazine

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with this ad *Manufacturer’s mail-in rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases of Hunter Douglas window fashions with the PowerRise® or PowerGlide® motorized system made 6/14/14 – 9/15/14 from participating dealers in the U.S. only. Rebate will be issued in the form of a prepaid reward card and mailed within 6 weeks of rebate claim receipt. Funds do not expire. Subject to applicable law, a $2.00 monthly fee will be assessed against card balance 7 months after card issuance and each month thereafter. Additional limitations apply. Ask participating dealer for details and rebate form. **Additional equipment isrequired for app operation; ask/ for details. ©2014 October November 2014HunterHDouglas. i g h All C orights u n reserved. t r y MAllatrademarks g a z i n used e herein 3 are the property of their respective owners. SUM14MB1

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High Country Magazine

October / November 2014

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High Country Magazine

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C O N T E N T S

18 Bouldering for Access

For one day out of the year, people who aren’t residents of Hound Ears Club can climb on one of the premiere bouldering fields in the Southeast, and this year marks the 20th event of Hound Ears Bouldering Competition.

34 A Soul of Valle Crucis

After more than 15 years as the executive director of the Valle Crucis Conference Center, which has been called the “soul” of Valle Crucis, Tom Eshelman is retiring from his post.

48 A Band for the Community

Founded in the mid-‘80s by Charles Iseley, the Watauga Community Band continues to fill the High Country air with beautiful music. The band is open to anyone who wants to play music.

18 34

Lees-McRae 56 Revitalizing College, Banner Elk Named in honor of Dan and Dianne May, the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Lees-McRae College is the result of hard work and high hopes for the campus at Banner Elk.

Decades as a 68 Two Fine Silversmith Operating out of a shop on Morris Street in Blowing Rock, Gaines Kicker has been a silversmith in the village since 1994. But that isn’t all he does. He’s a talented sculptor and woodworker, too.

78 The Hall of 26

Throughout the years, 26 people – athletes and coaches – have been inducted into the Watauga County Sports Hall of Fame. See profiles of all, including Leigh Cooper Wallace, Danny Len Triplett, Jim Deal and Bobby Harmon.

48

on the cover TODD BUSH Autumn's glory is revealed from the Elk River Overlook on Emerald Outback accessible for hiking and biking on Beech Mountain’s incredible trail system, which are open to the public seven days a week. See Todd's work at www.BushPhoto.com 6

High Country Magazine

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READER SERVICES ABOUT US

© 2005-2014 DEWOOLFSON DOWN INT’L., INC.

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.

Visit our website to see our publications and we’re always open to hear your comments and suggestions. Thanks for reading 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

As the manufacturer of some of America’s finest down pillows, comforters, and featherbeds, we’re proud to call the High Country home. Visit us to learn how we make our down products or just browse one of the largest selections of fine bed linens found anywhere . . . from France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and around the world . . . and enjoy something from our home in yours.

Writers and photographers may send queries and samples to the editor at hcmag@highcountrypress.com.

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Contact us at:

High Country Press/Magazine P.O. Box 152 1600 Hwy. 105 Boone, NC 28607 www.hcpress.com info@highcountrypress.com 828-264-2262

natural. comfortable. home.

9452 NC Hwy. 105 S

between Boone & Banner Elk

800.833.3696

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October / November 2014

High Country Magazine

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FRO M T H E PUB L ISH ER

A Publication Of High Country Press Publications Editor & Publisher Ken Ketchie Art Director Debbie Carter Contributing Writers Madison Fisler Lewis Jesse Wood Bernadette Cahill David Coulson

Fulfilling Our Role

Ken Ketchie

The sad turn of events regarding the missing ASU student at the beginning of September brought into focus the role the news media plays in covering a major story that involves many emotions, rumors and possible scenarios with very scary endings.

From the moment we received a press release reporting a missing student, Jesse Wood, news editor for High Country Press, and I began what turned into many a conversation discussing what we had heard and learned – and what we should print and share with our readers. This ran the gamut from unsubstantiated rumors from the public to new details of the case from family and authorities working the investigation.

Throughout the nearly two weeks freshman Anna Smith, a complete stranger to most in the area as she was in her first few weeks at college, was missing, we – like the rest of the community – came to know Anna and her family fairly well. But I think we also, however, came to know more about her than any of us, her family or Anna would be comfortable with the rest of the world knowing.

And we knew people were interested. Our website had more than100,000 visits during the span of a week, and at one point so many folks were visiting our site that it crashed.

It was our job to tell the story and report the news on what seemingly started out as a young college student who left on her own accord. With Anna being an outdoor enthusiast who loved to hike, camp and kayak, we all hoped she just walked into the woods to escape from the pressures of life for a few days. But it soon became more serious, and then after a week, it became really scary – not only for her family, but for members of the community, too.

While Smith was still missing, the ASU Police Department received a report of a sexual assault at a location near where Smith was last seen and at around the same timeframe of her disappearance. At the time, however, we weren’t aware that this report was a hoax. All the while, members of the community genuinely feared a predator was lurking, one who could have hurt Anna as well. We had people looking to our website for those answers, wanting to know if what they were hearing was true.

When Anna’s body was found in a wooded area near the campus on an overcast Saturday morning, the police scanners immediately began buzzing that the body was that of Anna. This occurred at about 10:30 a.m. Once the story hit the web and was shared on Facebook, tens of thousands of people knew her body was found before the police officially confirmed it was Anna – and before Anna’s family was notified.

As a publisher, sympathizing for the nightmare swirling around Anna’s family, there were a number of times that it was a tough decision as to what to report. But in the end, hopefully we fulfilled our role as a news organization responding to the needs of a community eager for information to know what was going on.

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High Country Magazine

October / November 2014

Emma Speckman Contributing Photographers Todd Bush Lynn Willis Eric Heistand, Finance Manager Amanda Giles Advertising Director Jeffrey Green

SHARE WITH FRIENDS You can share our magazine with friends that are out of town by sending them to our website. Just click on “Magazine” in the Menu Bar and that will take you to our online magazine where you can flip through an issue online - just like you would with a printed copy.

HCPress.com 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. © 2014

by High Country Press. All Rights Reserved.

October / November 2014

High Country Magazine

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Calendarof Events OCTOBER 2014 4-5

Autumn at Oz Party, Beach Mountain, www.autumnatoz.com

25

Music on the Veranda: Todd Wright Jazz Quartet,

7

Green Park Inn, Blowing Rock, 828-414-9230

North Carolina Symphony with the Appalachian Symphony, Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts,

OKTOBERFEST?

800-841-2787

8-11/17

Best of the Blue Ridge Exhibit, Ashe Arts Center,

West Jefferson, 336-846-2787

9

Blowing Rock Farmers’ Market, Park Avenue,

Blowing Rock, 828-295-7851

10

Gospel Choir Homecoming Midnight Musical, ASU,

Rosen Concert Hall, 828-262-3020

10

The Knob and the Bonk Race, Watauga County Library, www.triplecrown.appstate.edu/knob

10-11

Ghost Train Halloween Festival, Tweetsie Railroad, 800-526-5740

11

ASU, Kidd Brewer Stadium, www.appstatesports.com

11

Grandfather Mountain Sunset Opportunity, Grandfather Mountain, 800-468-7325

11

Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West, www.wataugaountyfarmersmarket.org

11-12

12

Oktoberfest, Sugar Mountain Resort, October 11-12

Appalachian State Football v. Liberty (Homecoming) at

18

www.wataugacountyfarmersmarket.org

18-19

12

19

12

23

Los Lobos, Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, 800-841-2787

Third Annual Alexander Arts Lecture, Blowing Rock Art

24-25

Ghost Train Halloween Festival, Tweetsie Railroad,

Music on the Veranda: The Harris Brothers,

25

Blowing Rock Halloween Festival,

Third Thursday Lecture Series: Dr. Peter White,

25

Beary Scary Halloween, Grandfather Mountain,

Blowing Rock Farmers’ Market, Park Avenue,

Ghost Train Halloween Festival, Tweetsie Railroad,

Appalachian State Football v. Troy, at Troy University,

33rd Annual Valle Country Fair,

30-11/1

The Green Park Inn, Blowing Rock, 828-414-9230

800-526-5740

Downtown Blowing Rock, 828-295-5222

The Green Park Inn, Blowing Rock, 828-414-9230

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828-733-4337

Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, 828-295-9099

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Valle Crucis Conference Center, 828-963-4609

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High Country Magazine

October / November 2014

Music on the Veranda: The Harris Brothers,

The Green Park Inn, Blowing Rock, 828-414-9230

Alabama, www.appstatesports.com

Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West, www.wataugacountyfarmersmarket.org

800-526-5740

Blackbeard the Pirate by Missoula Children’s Theatre,

Ashe Civic Center, West Jefferson, 336-846-ARTS

lowing Rock, 828-295-7851 17-18

Music on the Veranda: The Neighbors,

Oktoberfest, Sugar Mountain Resort, 800-784-2768 Boone Heritage Festival, Daniel Boone Park,

and History Museum, 828-295-9099

Woolly Worm Festival, Downtown Banner Elk, www.woollyworm.com

828-264-2120

Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West,

Ghost Train Halloween Festival, Tweetsie Railroad, 800-526-5740

FALL FESTIVAL GUI D E Woolly Worm Festival October 18-19

On Oct. 18-19, the 37th annual Woolly Worm Festival will take place in Banner Elk. This festival includes Woolly Worm races, performances and demonstrations, craft and food vendors, children’s activities and much more. For more information, visit www. woollyworm.com.

REAL FOOD FOR REAL PEOPLE Casual Mountain Dining

Check Out Our New Summer Menu!

Including

Oktoberfest

Sugar Mountain Resort will host the 24th annual Oktoberfest Oct. 11-12. The Bavarianthemed festival will feature traditional Bavarian cuisine and beer, craft and food vendors, scenic chair-lift rides, activities for the kids and great deals at the Sports Shop. For more information visit www.oktoberfest.skisugar.com.

October 11-12

Ghost Train Festival

Salmon Cake .......................7.95 over wilted greens

Grilled Asparagus ...............5.95 proscuitto and fresh mozzarella, drizzled with basil oil

Zucchini Linguini ...............15.95 with grilled chicken, garlic and oil, or spicy italian sausage and tomato coulis, choice of house salad

Ravioli of Summer Squash and Zucchini .......................15.95 pomodora sauce, choice of house salad

The Ghost Train Festival howls into town on Fridays and Saturdays Sept. 26-Nov. 1. Each weekend, take a trip on the spookiest train around and enjoy a maze, a haunted house, the Freaky Forest and much more! For more information about this event or to reserve tickets, visit www.Tweetsie.com.

Weekends

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie ...15.95 chicken, carrots, peas and creamy savory sauce, choice of house salad

Grilled Chicken Bruschetta ... 17.95 grilled breast of chicken topped with fresh tomato bruschetta, choice of house salad and one side

Grilled Center Cut Pork Chop...18.95

Ole Tennessee smoky peach moonshine compote, choice of house salad and one side

Shrimp & Sausage Pasta ...18.95 penne pasta served with sauteed shrimp, andouille sausage and a lime buttersauce, choice of house salad

Outdoor Seating Available!

Wednesday Wine Down 50% Off All Wine Bottles

MuSiC ON tHe VeRANdA eVeRy SuNdAy fROM 5 - 8 PM www.greenparkinn.com | 828.414.9230 9329 Valley Boulevard, Blowing Rock October / November 2014

High Country Magazine

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november 2014

1

Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West,

1

The Malpass Brothers in Concert, Ashe Civic Center,

1

Appalachian State Football v. Georgia State (Family Day) at ASU, Kidd Brewer Stadium,

2 3

Daylight Savings Time Ends Baird’s Creek Presbyterian Church’s 75th Anniversary,

8

Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West, www.wataugacountyfarmersmarket.org

8

Appalachian State Football v. UL Monroe (Black Saturday) at ASU, Kidd Brewer Stadium,

11

LA Theatre Works “In the Heat of the Night,”

13

Visiting Writers Series: Shira Dentz, ASU,

15

15

15

www.wataugacountyfarmersmarket.org

West Jefferson, 336-846-ART

www.appstatesports.com

Vilas, 828-297-4089

www.appstatesports.com

21-22

Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, 800-841-2787

Plemmons Student Union, www.appstate.edu Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West, www.wataugacountyfarmersmarket.org Coffee House Live!, West Jefferson Methodist Church, Hensley Hall, 336-846-ARTS Appalachian State Football v. Arkansas State, at Arkansas State, www.appstatesports.com Madrigal Feast Dinners, Ashe Arts Center, West Jefferson, 336-846-ARTS

Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West, www.wataugacountyfarmersmarket.org 22 Appalachian State Football v. UL Lafayette , at UL, Lafayette, www.appstatesports.com 22-12/31 Tree Fest Exhibit, Ashe Arts Center, West Jefferson, 336-846-2787 27 Thanksgiving Day 28 Bountiful Clay Exhibit Opens, The Art Cellar, Banner Elk, 828-898-5175 28 Cocktails with the Artist: Tim Turner, The Art Cellar, Banner Elk, 828-898-5175 28 Christmas in the Park and Lighting of the Town, Blowing Rock, 828-295-7851 28-1/5 Festival of Lights, Chetola Resort, Blowing Rock, 828-295-5500 29 Coffee Talk with Tim Turner, The Art Cellar, Banner Elk, 828-898-5175 29 Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West, www.wataugacountyfarmersmarket.org 29 Blowing Rock Christmas Parade, Blowing Rock, Main Street, 828-295-7851 29 Annual Thanksgiving Kiln Opening, Traditions Pottery Studio, 828-295-3862 29 Holiday Market, Buckeye Recreation Center, Beech Mountain, 828-387-3003 29 Appalachian State Football v. Idaho (Fan Appreciation Day) at ASU Kidd Brewer Stadium, www.appstatesports.com

22

Photo by Jason Els ’15

Banner Elk, NC | 828.898.5241 | www.lmc.edu 12

High Country Magazine

October / November 2014

FALL FESTIVAL GU I D E

Blowing Rock Halloween Festival

Blowing Rock will celebrate the annual Halloween Festival on Oct. 25. The festival offers fun for the whole family with trick or treating, a fun house, games, hayrides, a costume contest, scavenger hunt and other great activities.

For more information call 828-295-5222.

Autumn at Oz

The Dande Lion,

Inc.

Shoppes of Tynecastle

4501 Tynecastle Hwy., Banner Elk, NC • 828-898-3566 10am - 5pm Monday - Saturday: Sunday 12-4 thru October

Oct. 4-5, meet Dorothy and her friends as you travel down the Yellow Brick Road through the wonderful Land of Oz. This annual festival presents a great two-day event with fun for the whole family.

For more information visit www.autumnatoz. com.

October 4-5

www.DandeLionStyles.com

recycle: to re-use or renew rejuvenate: to shop at Old World Galleries

Valle Country Fair

The 36th annual Valle Country Fair brings together all of the flavors, sights and sounds of harvest season in the High Country. Held each year in Valle Crucis, this event features 150 craft exhibitors, live mountain music, local food, live animals, face painters and performers. For the kids, activities include pumpkin carving, fall crafts, carnival games and a kids market. Treats for sale will include fall favorites like kettle corn, cotton candy and candy apples. For more information about this event, visit www. vallecountryfair.org.

October 18

Bring us your old jewelry items … to Rejuvenate!

Old World Galleries Fine Jewelry • Custom Design & Repair Antique & Estate Jewelry • Gallery Of Local & Antique Art 697 West King Street, Downtown Boone | www.oldworldgalleries.com Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm | 828-264-6559 October / November 2014

High Country Magazine

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mountain

echoes

A Look Back at a Cool Summer

I

f you thought this summer was a bit chilly, it was. Everyone probably remembers the temperatures dropping into the low ‘40s on the Fourth of July holiday and the accurate warning from Ray’s Weather Center about FYBO – freezing your butt off – during the fireworks.

A cool summer, though, is better than a wet one. Do you recall the drenching rains last year – more than 60 inches in the first seven months of the year – when it seemed like the rainy days wouldn’t go away?

While the overall summer temperature was cooler than normal, it wasn’t a cold summer for the ages. The N.C. Climate Office reported that the mild temperatures from June through August – the meteorological summer – in 2014 marked the 21st coolest summer in 120 years and the coolest summer since 1997.

But the High Country – like many parts of the country – did experience some of what national weather outlets called a “polar invasion” on a couple days during the summer. Although local temps didn’t dip to historical lows such as when Mobile, Ala., hit a low temperature not seen since the 1880s, Boone and other Western North Carolina cities did set records according to daily lowest maximum temperatures in July, according to David Still, a meteorologist with RaysWeather.com.

The National Weather Service, which doesn’t have official

data for Boone, announced that Asheville set a daily lowest maximum temperature of 68 degrees on July 18. This broke the former record lowest maximum temperature for that day, which was 71 degrees, set all the way back in 1891.

See below for the lowest temps of the summer in your neck of the woods in the High Country, where every community seemed to dip into the 40’s at least one day in the past few months: Banner Elk..................................

Beech Mountain.......................

Blowing Rock............................

Boone............................................

Deep Gap.......................................

Foscoe..........................................

Linville.........................................

Newland......................................

Seven Devils...............................

Sugar Mountain Top.............

Valle Crucis...............................

West Jefferson........................

Zionville.....................................

43 degrees............. July 5 44 degrees............. July 5 47 degrees............. August 27 49 degrees............. August 27 44 degrees............. July 5 49 degrees............. August 27 47 degrees............. July 5 46 degrees............. August 27 49 degree............... August 30 46 degrees............. July 30 49 degrees............. July 30 48 degrees............. July 30 48 degrees............. July 30

By Jesse Wood

www.salemwindowsanddoors.com

The High Country’s Local Window & Door Specialists

Come Visit our High Country Showroom in Boone, Proudly Featuring Products.

HigH Country LoCation 8968 Highway 105 South, Boone, nC 28607 828-356-7993 triaD LoCation 400 West Mountain Street Kernersville, nC 27284 336-770-5777 info@salemwindowsanddoors.com 14

High Country Magazine

October / November 2014

October / November 2014

High Country Magazine

15

mountain

echoes

Banner Elk Hosts Christmas in the Park Saturday, Dec. 6

DISCOVER OUR POSITIVE ALTITUDE!

Play tennis, hike, shop, tube, zipline or just relax while enjoying some of the best views around! From nature lovers to adrenaline junkies, there is so much to do and see in the area, and staying in Seven Devils makes everything easily accessible from our great central location. You will find an array of lodging choices... whether you stay for a weekend, a season or a lifetime!

B

anner Elk will host this year’s installment of the annual Christmas in the Park event on Saturday, Dec. 6. The holiday festivities will begin at 5 p.m. starting with the highly anticipated Parade of Lights.

Everyone is invited to join in on the parade and be a part of the celebration. No registration is required, participants should simply line up at Lees-McRae College before the start of the parade.

After the parade, train rides will be held in Tate-Evans Park, which will be lit up with luminaries just for the occasion. The train will take guests from the bandstand to Santa’s Workshop, where Santa himself will be supervising his elves, snacking on yummy cookies thanks to a generous donation from LeesMcRae College and greeting children with his holiday cheer. Kids can even write Santa a letter at the “Letter to Santa” station!

This holiday event will fill the air with Christmas spirit, and Apple Hill Farm will provide a live nativity scene for all to enjoy.

In line with the festive atmosphere, “Frozen” will be playing on the stage! Don’t miss this festive and fun annual event. For more information, call 828-898-8395 or visit www.BannerElk.com/Christmas.

Town of Seven Devils For Zip Line: 828/963-6561

For Information on the Town of Seven Devils: 828/963-5343 • www.SevenDevils.net Ad Sponsored by the Seven Devils Tourism Development Authority

By Madison Fisler Lewis 16

High Country Magazine

October / November 2014

Early Voting for General Election Starts October 23

W

ith all of the political candidate signs dotting the highways around the High Country, election season is officially underway.

In Avery County, all of the local races were essentially decided in the primary – including the school board race. This is usually the case in Avery County, where three-quarters of the voters are Republican. Without a Democratic challenger, incumbent Sheriff Kevin Frye, for example, is the only oval to shade on the ballot, and all three Republican commissioner candidates will fill the three open seats on the Avery County Board of Commissioners.

Watauga County, though, is a different story as far as local races are concerned. Six school board candidates, supposedly nonpartisan, are vying for three seats: Jason Cornett, Jay Fenwick, Ron Henries, Ronny Holste, Kurt D. Michael and Adam Trivette.

Incumbent Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman, a Democrat, faces Randy Townsend. Also, three races for three seats on the Watauga County Board of Commissioners are among the highlights of this election: Incumbent David Blust (R) faces Larry Turnbrow (D); incumbent Billy Kennedy (D) faces Karen Lerch (R); and soon-to-be former school board member Barbara Kinsey (D) faces Jimmy Hodges (R).

As federal and state races go, though, both citizens of Avery and Watauga counties have a full plate of decisions to make.

• U.S. Senate: Kay Hagan (D) (I) v. Thom Tillis (R) • U.S. House: Virginia Foxx (R) (I) v. Josh Brannon (D) • U.S. House (Avery only): Mark Meadows (R) (I) v. Tom Hill (D) • N.C. Senate: Dan Soucek (R) (I) v. Jim Sponenberg (D) • N.C. House (Watauga only): Jonathan Jordan (R) (I) v. Sue Counts (D) • N.C. House (Avery only): Josh Dobson (R) (I) v. JR Edwards (D) Note that straight-ticket voting is no longer an option for voters in North Carolina. Politics aside, however, residents in Blow-

ing Rock have another conundrum to think through. Voters in the small village will have four bond referendum questions on whether or not to spend up to $13 million for infrastructure improvements: $2 million on water systems; $1 million on sewer systems; $9 million on streets; and $1 million on parks and recreation facilities.

WATAUGA COUNTY LOCAL RACES COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTION: (pick three) Jason Cornett, Jay Fenwick, Ron Henries, Ronny Holste, Kurt D. Michael and Adam Trivette BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: Incumbent David Blust (R) v. Larry Turnbrow (D) Iincumbent Billy Kennedy (D) v. Karen Lerch (R) Barbara Kinsey (D) v. Jimmy Hodges (R) COUNTY SHERRIFF: Incumbent Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman, (D) v. Randy Townsend (R)

Important Dates for 2014 Election • Oct. 10 – Registration ends • Oct. 21 – Candidate Forum at Watauga County Courthouse • Oct. 23 – Early Voting Begins • Nov. 1 – Early Voting Ends • Nov. 4 – General Election Day For more information, click to www.hcpress.com/politics.

By Jesse Wood

BLOWING ROCK ESTATE JEWELRY Featuring Distinctive Antique & Estate Pieces

Family Owned and Operated since 1988 Diamonds, Colored Stones & South Seas Pearls are our Specialty 167 SUNSET DRIVE in BLOWING ROCK (one half block off Main St) • 828-295-4500 October / November 2014

High Country Magazine

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Two Decades of

Hound Ears Bouldering by jesse wood With Photography by eric heistand, lynn willis & Shannon Millsaps

Photo by Eric Heistand (ericheistand.com) 18

High Country Magazine

October / November 2014

R

emember those “Pave Save the Knob” bumper stickers? After bulldozers threatened the privately-owned boulders atop Howard’s Knob, which were immortalized in the classic book, Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Bouldering in America, hundreds of people protested on King Street two decades ago. Several activists even scaled trees as a last resort to stop the demolition of the beloved boulders. But one climber had a different idea, one just crazy enough that it might work: Let’s raise funds to purchase the property by holding a climbing competition at another closed boulder field.

Well, that thought turned into the Hound Ears Bouldering Competition, which celebrates its 20th event this October and is the longest-running climbing competition in the nation. Some of the best climbers on Earth have attended the event. Since its inception, the competition has morphed into the Triple Crown Bouldering Series, which now features four competitions in three states. While Howard’s Knob is still closed to the public, these bouldering competitions have raised at least $180,000 and contributed to access of at least 10 climbing areas in the Southeast.

‘The Answer is Always No if You Never Ask’

That’s been Jim Horton’s motto for years. Like other climbers in the area at the time, Horton was bummed out whenever his favorite boulder field was closed to the public. Being only a five-minute drive from downtown Boone and the campus of Appalachian State University, the Howard’s Knob boulders were extremely popular. When access was lost, climbers began thinking of ways to raise money to purchase the property through a land trust, and Horton, who worked as a bartender at Hound Ears Club in college, thought a bouldering competition at the resort would make for a great event.

“I had been up to the boulders a few times. I knew there was great potential. People had climbed there quite a bit, way back in the day,” Horton said in a 2004 interview. “The place had been pretty deserted for a while, though, since it was fenced up and made part of a private country club. I thought it would be a great place for an event because no one would have the place wired.

Needless to say, most people thought it was a stupid idea and a complete waste of my time – so I gave it a shot.” Having plenty of face time as a bartender, Horton rambled on and on for 30 minutes to Chuck Hyatt, the club manager at the time, about a competition

at the resort. When Horton stopped talking, Hyatt said, “Yeah.”

High Country Magazine 19 Photo

by Lynn Willis (lynnwillis.com)

October / November 2014

People have climbed on the steep, crimper boulders at Hound Ears since at least the ‘70s, which is shortly after the Robbins’ Brothers opened the development as a golf and tennis resort, which happens to be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Along with the Mildred Boulders at Grandfather Mountain, Hound Ears was among the first bouldering areas in and around Boone.

According to local climber Mike Trew, the bouldering area at Hound Ears was known as “Buzzard’s Cliffs” when he was in college in the late ‘70s. It was a hangout hotspot for college students enjoying an awesome sunset and view of Grandfather Mountain. Back then, the area was accessed via Poplar Grove Road South and residents of Hound Ears didn’t even know of the activity as a road had yet to be constructed and houses hadn’t sprawled into that area. Trew said he only recalled a few people climbing on the boulders in those days.

But like most of the climbing spots in the High Country that aren’t on public land, climbers eventually lost access to the massive boulder field, which spans more than a half mile and is one of the largest in the Southeast, in the ‘80s. Each October, though, when the weather is ripe for climbing, Hound Ears Club allows people who register for the competition a chance – for one day out of the year – to experience the premiere boulder field.

Popularity of Comp Snowballs

During the initial years, the competition was “kind of a backyard event,” as described

by Trew, who participated that first year and has helped put on the event ever since. “It was a like a party with all your buddies,” Trew said. “Everybody knew each other, and [for that one day] we were all climbing up at Hound Ears and having a good time since they didn’t allow climbing up there, and then it just grew into a great thing.”

That first year about a 100 people showed up to climb about 100 problems that existed at the time. Since then, however, both of those numbers have grown dramatically. While the potential of the boulder field, in terms of the abundance of problems, wasn’t quite foreseen, more than 500 problems exist today. Horton

On a chilly Saturday morning in October, contestants fill out registration or scoring forms at Hound Ears for the bouldering competition.

Photo by Lynn Willis 20

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Due to the snowballing popularity of the Hound Ears Bouldering Competition, organizers capped the event to 400 participants in the early years. Photo by Lynn Willis

also noted that he never imagined the popularity of the event snowballing like it did. Within less than five years, the event had to be capped to 400 registrations, which includes both climbers and spectators. “It became its own monster; its own entity. Word of mouth really got things started and it just grew and grew really fast. It wasn’t like it grew over many years,” Horton said. “After the first few years, I was like ‘we’ve got to put a cap on this thing’ because it was starting to get out of hand.”

In the early days, organizers didn’t have to shuttle contestants in buses and have their crash pads trucked up in U-Hauls.

The rock at Hound Ears is especially known for its crimpers, which is climbing jargon for using the edges of your fingertips to cling on to the boulders. Photo by Eric Heistand October / November 2014

It wasn’t because folks didn’t mind an occasional bruised heel; crash pads just weren’t around like they are today when every climber owns one, two or maybe three pads. (Misty Mountain Threadworks, a world-class climbing gear manufacturer based in Valle Crucis, had just started making crash pads when the competition formed.) The initial event also didn’t see corporate sponsorship. Today, a who’s who of climbing and outdoor adventure companies sponsors the event: Marmot, Rock and Ice, The North Face, Five Ten, Petzl, Evolv, LaSportiva and others.

And the kids! The strength of the younger generations is one of the High Country Magazine

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Climbers generally climb with other climbers. While one climbs, spotters station below in case a climber above slips off the rock. If that happens, a spotter will guide the falling climber towards the crash pads on the ground for a safe-as-possible landing.

Photos by Eric Heistand (Top) and Lynn Willis (bottom)

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changes that local climber Lynn Willis has noticed over the years. (Willis attended the inaugural Hound Ears Bouldering Competition in the early ‘90s with some friends – all of them climbing instructors living in Brevard at the time. “We had a great time and were humbled by the challenging boulder problems,” Willis wrote in an email. “I was already planning on moving to Boone for the rock climbing, mainly the Linville Gorge, and this trip validated just how good the bouldering around Boone is.”) Willis mentioned that in the beginning days of the competition, climbing gyms – which make the sport more accessible to kids and those living in the flatlands – didn’t really exist in the country.

“These days, kids and young teenagers make up a pretty good contingency of the participants, and many of them are really strong. t’s not uncommon now to hear a kid up on the boulder talking about how this is their first time climbing on ‘real rock’ … and usually, they’re already a pretty strong climber,” Willis

Photo by Lynn Willis

said. “It’s always fun to see how excited they are, and it brings back memories when I first got struck by the climbing bug 25 years ago.”

But one thing that hasn’t changed, as Willis pointed out, is the fun of the after party. Most of the climbers stay at the Grandfather Campground, a place in October that has evolved into what Trew described as a “climbing festival”

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Sam Dospoy climbs one of the "Ears" at Hound Ears. Photo by Shannon Millsaps

with vendors, gear demonstrations, an awards ceremony, community dinner, prize giveaways, a live band, couple kegs of beer and other shenanigans. As Willis exclaimed, “The Saturday night party after the event is still alive and kickin’ after all these years!”

Competitor Jay Tilley (above) tallies his score at a previous bouldering competition at Hound Ears. Another climber shows off his blood-stained, scoring sheet. Flappers, when the rock tears the skin of the fingers, are one of the casualties of climbing.

Photos by Eric Heistand

Residents Rally ‘Round Climbers After Cancelled Comp

being a lifelong athlete himself, the competition likely would have ceased to exist.

But Harlow and couple other residents met with the climbers and stood up for them at resort board meetings.

But then in 2013, in what would have been the 20th anniversary of the event, the competition was cancelled after a decision by the resort’s board members. “It was shocking,” Horton said.

“I was surprised and disappointed. I understood at the

Throughout the past two decades, the organizers of the event have had some scares regarding the continuation of the competition. About 10 years ago, the owner of the club sold the resort to the members and discussions ensued about cancelling the competition. If it hadn’t been for resident Jim Harlow, who identified with the climbers

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A Quadruple Crown Series?

With the addition of the Rumbling Bald boulders at Chimney Rock State Park, the Triple Crown Series, which is now in its 12th year, now features four bouldering competitions in three states – Stone Fort in Tennessee, Horse Pens40 in Alabama and Rumbling Bald and Hound Ears in North Carolina.

As Hound Ears Bouldering Competition founder Jim Horton said, each boulder field has its own “climbing style and feel.” Hound Ears is known for its “crimpers, pockets, occasional sloper and funky top outs [and] offers a little something for everyone,” according to the Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC) website. Classic boulder problems at Hound Ears include Alfred Hitchcock, Flash Or Trash, Bracheator, The Blade, The Pocket Problem and Thunderprow.

Stone Fort, formerly known as Little Rock City, features “beautiful sandstone” and is located just outside of Chattanooga, Tenn. It’s “packed full of classic splitter lines each with its own unique features ranging from tiny crimpers and cool pockets to beautiful cracks and big fat brainy slopers,” according to the SCC. Classic problems include Incredible

Hulk, The Wave, Diesel Power, Space, Jerry’s Kids, Behind the Barndoor and Super Mario.

The sandstone of Horse Pens-40 is located near Steele, Ala. and is “home to slopers, slopers, and more slopers! Big slopers, little slopers, brainy slopers, overhanging slopers, slabby slopers,” according to the SCC. The final leg of the Triple Crown Series is the granite of Rumbling Bald near Lake Lure. According to the Carolina Climbers Coalition, “Southern exposure, classic lines of all grades and world class bouldering make Rumbling Bald a mandatory part of the winter climbing circuit in the South.

From long slab routes to overhung roof cracks, Rumbling Bald has something for everyone.”

While the Triple Crown Series now has four competitions, Horton noted that the name isn’t going to change.

However, only three of the four competitions will count in the overall standings. So if you couldn’t make it out to one of the competitions or didn’t eat you Wheaties before one of the four events, don’t worry! You’ll still be in the running to place.

In the early days before bouldering was as mainstream as it is today, the manufactured crash pad didn’t exist.

Today, though, climbers tend to have at least one pad, and organizers at the Hound Ears Bouldering Competition now resort to using multiple U-Haul trailers to transport the pads. Photo by Eric Heistand

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same time it was a private, gated community and they have gates up for a reason. I always knew it could happen, [but] we’ve always been careful over the years.” Horton added that the climbers leave the area spotless; organizers don’t allow alcohol on the property; and participants were instructed to always remain low key and respectful while on the resort’s grounds.

Being too stealth, however, served as a double-edged sword. “To me, the good news was, we didn’t know they were there, and the bad news was, we didn’t know they were there,” Hound Ears resident Ann Rousseau said, amazed that for nineteen years, on a chilly Saturday in October, 400 people could be bussed in, compete in climbing competition and only a few residents realizing that an event of this magnitude was taking place within the Hound Ears community.

Ms. Rousseau, a four year Hound Ears resident, grew up in the Adirondacks in Upstate New York and has been a lifelong outdoor enthusiast. Once she learned more about the internationallyknown event, she helped to spearhead a movement to invite the climbers back into the Club for the 2014 competition.

It didn’t take long for her to realize that Hound Ears has an “incredible natural resource” and that the climbers were exceptional stewards of the land.

Climbers held a demo and clinic at the rocks for the residents to attend, participate and learn about the outdooradventure sport in July. More than 50 members and homeowners attended the event, something that Horton described as “really positive.” Also, the climbing history of the boulders and competition were included in the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum’s exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hound Ears Club.

Ms. Rousseau noted that promoting the climbing area could attract younger families to the Club. Younger people, she said, are more inclined to participate in outdoor adventure sports, such as climbing, hiking, and whitewater adventures. By offering these types of activities along with golf, swimming and tennis, she said Hound Ears will become an attractive community for the younger families who are looking for a new adventure.

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Photo by Eric Heistand

Spearheading Access & Land Conservation

While a conservation organization was inevitable in the High Country at some point, the first one happened to be the Watauga Land Trust formed by climbers Joey Henson and Jeffrey Scott in an effort to conserve the Howard’s Knob boulder field, an effort the community rallied around after a developer had plans to bulldoze the boulders. The purpose of the Hound Ears Bouldering Competition was to raise seed money for this land trust.

The land trust morphed into the High Country Land Conservancy, and in 2010, it became Blue Ridge Conservancy after a merger with the West Jefferson-based Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust. The mission of Blue Ridge Conservancy is to “protect the natural resources of Appalachia by conserving land with significant ecological, cultural, recreational or scenic value” in the High Country. So far, the Blue Ridge Conservancy has protected more than 16,000 acres in its seven-county jurisdiction – and the first branch of this movement was the Watauga Land Trust.

Since the inception of the Hound Ears Bouldering Competition, at least $180,000 has been raised through direct donation and sponsorship of the competition, and organizer Chad Wykle added, "With help from our sponsors and other non-profits, we've raised well over $200,000."

This money has supported the efforts of the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, the Carolina Climbers Coalition, Access Fund, American Alpine Club, the Tennessee-based Trust for Public Land, Friends of the Cumberland Trail and, of course, the Watauga Land Trust and High Country Conservancy.

Throughout the 20-year history, Horton said the Hound Ears Bouldering competition has “supported access to or spearheaded the purchase of ” these climbing areas: Laurel Knob, Boat Rock, Yellow Bluff, Stone Fort, Hound Ears, Horse Pens-40, Deep Creek and Big Soddy gorges, Asheboro Boulders

Photo by lynn willis

Photo by lynn willis

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A climber hauls her Sponge Bob crash pad, and a youngster shows off his prowess on the rock. These days, kids are unbelievably strong with the sport being more mainstream and presence of climbing gyms around the country. Photos by Eric Heistand

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Organizers Chad Wykle (left), Jim Horton emcee awards ceremony. Climbers Kim and Paul Fuelling (center) stand with champ belts. photo by lynn willis

John Sherman, one of the most famous boulderers in the history of the sport, attended the local competition and won the “Stone Master” award for top climber over the age of 45. He’s among several “famous” boulders to attend and/or compete at the event. Photo by Lynn Willis

and Steele Crag. In addition, the Hound Ears Bouldering Competition also pays the climbing lease of $2,000 for the Asheboro Boulders. It’s also interesting to note that all four climbing areas – Rumbling Bald, Horse Pens-40, Stone Fort and, of course, Hound Ears – in the bouldering competition have at one point or another been completely closed from the public and climbing community. Without the direct efforts of the Hound Ears Bouldering Competition, access to these areas – whether it’s for only one day in the case of Hound Ears – would likely be denied today.

As for Howard’s Knob, Horton said more than enough money has been raised throughout the years to have been able to purchase that property, but that purchase just hasn’t been in the cards. While Horton says acquiring the property may never happen, perhaps climbing coalitions can – similar to hunters – secure a lease of the property in the future. In any event, as iconic boulderer John Serman wrote in Stone Crusade: “Whether Howard’s Knob will be saved or not is still up in the air. Nevertheless, it serves as a good example of how climbers can deal with access problems in a positive way.”

The annual Carolina Climber's Coalition (CCC) meets on the Friday night before each Hound Ears competition, where they gather to elect officers and talk about access issues and strategies to better work with land managers and property owners.

PHOTO BY LYNN WILLIS

During the after party, folks throw up their hands to catch some of the swag sponsors throw into the crowd. Photo by Lynn Willis

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Notes on the Competition Each problem, which is a series of moves to the top of a boulder, has a point value based on difficulty. Climbers can climb as few or as many problems as they can during the time of the competition, but a competitor’s score is determined by adding the top 10 highest-valued problems.

Prizes are awarded to the top finishers in every category of a competition. Once all of the four competitions have completed, a grand prize will go to the competitors with the highest cumulative score from three of the four events. Those that compete in each of the four competitions will drop their lowest score for the final tally.

Male and female categories include junior (12 years or younger), novice, intermediate, advanced and open (most difficult). Unisex categories include “ancient hard person” (35 years or older), “stone master” (45 years or older) and star chaser (all ages). Climbers choose the categories either based on their age or their skill level.

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Event founder Jim Horton and local “hardman” Paul Fuelling wear belts that represent the prizes during one of the prior competitions. Photo by Lynn Willis

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Tom

Eshelman

Looks Back on His Time at Valle Crucis Conference Center Story by Bernadette Cahill Photography by Ken Ketchie

T

Rest, relax, reflect: innumerable rocking chairs on the porches of the Valle Crucis Conference symbolize the purpose of this unique retreat center in the High Country.

he long and winding road that edges down Valle Mountain at one point turns, to suddenly reach a spot where a wide vista spreads out below. It seems to be on the threshold of a different world.

That was what hit Tom Eshelman on arriving there seventeen years ago.

“Oh my gosh,” he exclaimed when the view opened up on the descent from Matney on Highway 194. “Where am I?” Tom was driving to his new home to take charge as Director of the Valle Crucis Conference Center and it was a heart-stopping sighting of where he was heading for.

Today, that tortuous road, the descent and that view are so familiar to him that the sudden jolt has gone. The beauty, however, remains and it still strikes him with the force that it did all those years ago.

Tom started something new in life when he arrived in Western North Carolina’s Vale of the Cross in July, 1997. But today the road that Tom, now Executive Director of the Conference Center, has since trodden is reaching its end and he looks back with fond remembrance on the time when the path of his life crossed with Valle Crucis. He is retiring and will join his wife, the Very Rev. Jeanne Finan at her new posting as Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington, Vermont.

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Valle Crucis is “an uncommon place,” the late author Harding Hughes wrote in his history, which

Reflecting On A Road Well Traveled The North Carolina Marker (inset) recognized in 1939 the historical importance of the Valle Crucis Mission (above) in developing Western North Carolina. Bishop Levi Silliman Ives created the foundation in 1842, living in a log cabin (bottom right).

Originally a school for young men, the Mission later became a girls’ school, where they received formal education including religious instruction.

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The beauty of the valley took Tom Eshelman’s breath away when he first arrived to take up his post as Director in 1997.

Taking a break to take it in often gave him a chance to reflect on his work. Photo by Dale Marie - A Portrait Studio he published in 1995.

Valle Crucis is uncommon because of the land – two distinct valleys linked by a narrow road and with surrounding mountains enclosing and protecting them. There is the Watauga River. It began as a mountain stream in the foothills of Grandfather and grew into a vigorous waterway as it tumbled and tossed downward. At the lower valley, with flat land aplenty, it stretches out, sauntering between the mountains as if it enjoying the vistas it has unexpectedly stumbled into.

Valle Crucis is also uncommon because it has two distinct areas, the one centered on commerce and play, the other on rejuvenation. It is also uncommon for the number of firsts it can claim, such as telephones and electricity before Blowing Rock, electricity before Boone and the first hospital in Watauga County. Author Hughes includes an impressive list in his history.

where they live.

On the other hand, Valle Crucis has something that many a prominent town or city wants: it is a place where people work and play together regularly and where they all benefit from coming together. While not a defined town, it is certainly a true community.

Central to this community is the Valle Crucis Conference Center which Tom Eshelman has guided for the past 17-plus years. The way he put it, while the Mast store is the heart, “We are the soul.”

A New Path

The word “soul” is crucial to Tom’s understanding and appreciation of Valle Crucis.

“It filled a big hole in my soul,” he said. “It changed my life, moving Tom’s wife, Episcopal Priest Jeanne Finan often conducted Celtic spirituality workshops at the here.”

In the mid-1990s he was living in Conference Center. Now Dean of the Cathedral Memphis. His wife Jeanne worked Church of St. Paul, Burlington, Vermont, she has at the children’s museum, he in a been based there since last March. Tom retires this country club. He felt he was in the A True Community month after more than seventeen years at the Valle wrong place.

But Valle Crucis is also uncomCrucis Conference Center and will join her there.

It had no soul, he said, as it failed mon for things you can’t quite put your finger on. It is not a town or even a small incorporated mu- to embrace people who were different. He wanted something nicipality. It has no official downtown and its area seems vague. more. That something may have been indefinable, but the soluThere is no distinct center of population and while the 2010 Cen- tion was already forming within his life.

“I was a cradle Episcopalian,” he said. “My mother was sus counted 412 inhabitants, it is not possible to see at a glance 36

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Episcopalian. I grew up as an Episcopalian. Jeanne and I got involved with Calvary Episcopal Church in downtown Memphis.”

There, Jeanne soon found herself called to the Episcopal priesthood.

As for Tom, “I had been involved in hospitality all my life,” he said. “I worked in resorts, hotels and clubs.”

Now he needed to change. “I wanted … to open doors, to welcome the stranger, to allow relaxation, mingling, communication. I wanted to [use my expertise] in a different way. I wanted to experience hospitality as a gift.”

Radical Hospitality

It was then that a priest Tom knew The Inn – the main building at the Conference Center has 20 bedrooms and sleeps suggested that he try working in a reli- up to 71 people. It features a spacious living room, a huge stone fireplace, and long porch with rocking chairs to contemplate the valley. gious conference center.

Not knowing what these were he sought further advice, looked around and “then this job came up,” he said.

“I got my call to this form of hospitality in Memphis,” he said. “It’s hospitality not just for profit … while we are aware of the bottom line we like to think that we provide radical hospitality.”

Radical hospitality’s origins lie in the Gospels and were best exemplified in the fifteen-centuries-old Rule of St. Benedict, which said essentially that monasteries were to welcome strangers as they would welcome Christ.

Openness of heart is its essence and it aims to be heartwarming, supportive, encouraging – unlike the detachment of The Annex is another large building of five that the Conference Center has for hospitality offered in a regular business. sleeping accommodations. The dormitory rooms tend to attract youth groups, The face it presents to the world is also which also enjoy the Bunkhouse for their meetings and retreats. markedly different.

“The Conference Center is not a hotel,” Tom said. “We have no phones, no TV, no AC, no elevators. We are comfortable and rustic. Guests eat in a communal dining room. We are just what we are, just part of the community. We enable people to meet and mingle and to make connections.”

In the Valle Crucis Conference Center in fact, hospitality is about retreat from the world, a place of rejuvenation; not of the physical body although that may be the result, but of the spirit. It touches the parts that other venues cannot reach.

Under Tom’s guidance the Center has become secure in this mission.

Only the Name Remained The mission of the Conference Center lies within Valle Crucis. The setting is key, for Valle Crucis possesses the energy always palpable in sacred spaces,

“The Conference Center is not a hotel,” said Tom. “We have no phones, no TV, no AC, no elevators. We are comfortable and rustic.”

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The only building remaining from the early mission, Bishop Ives’ Cabin has been restored and was pressed into service for the church library and rector’s study.

The Apple Barn began in 1911 as the valley’s first dairy barn in the area with a concrete floor. It house a cheese factory for many years and was never actually used to store apples. More recently, it has hosted weddings, rehearsal dinners, contra dances, charity auctions, concerts, meetings and for the popular labyrinth walks.

Wherever people stay in the Valle Crucis retreat center, the valley’s beauty – either as a working farm or as part of the first rural historical conservation area in North Carolina, or as rural lands preserved for posterity – the beauty and tranquility of the valley that originally attracted Bishop Ives to establish his first Mission in the area remains very like it was in the nineteenth century.

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which can almost instantly make a person feel uplifted.

Bishop Levi Silliman Ives long ago recognized it. The second Bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina, he established a mission nearby in 1842. In 1843 he expanded to a beautiful valley, as yet unnamed. He quickly bought land there with his own money, set up a mission and a boys’ school and in 1845 named it Valle Crucis.

Three streams converged from today’s Dutch, Clark’s and Crab Orchard Creek to make a fourth that flowed through yet another valley down towards the river.

The streams made a cross, the story goes – hence the name, applying originally only to the upper valley.

But that story may be a cover for one that at the time was unacceptable: adopting the name of a former Roman Catholic monastery in Wales. This seems possible in light of the religious inclinations of the Bishop, who was leaning so far towards Roman Catholicism that he fell in with it in the early 1850s.

Whatever actually happened, the Episcopal authorities were not fooled and Bishop Ives’ foundation did not survive their horror at his apparent Romanizing.

Bishop Ives sold his land and the mission

More than ten years ago, the Conference Center's Board of Directors identified a need for medium-sized meeting space.

Like everything else Tom did he raised the funds before starting construction. The building was finished in April 2004 and dedicated in August 2004 to Bishop Robert H. Johnson, the fifth Episcopal Bishop of Western North Carolina.

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struggled on until it died out in 1862. Only the name remained.

Parallels Past and Present Tom steeped himself in the pioneer history in the valley.

“To look back and imagine the original settlers fascinates me,” he said. “They came from Pennsylvania, along the Shenandoah Valley and then pushed westward from the Piedmont. You can see their influence in so much that’s going on here.”

Bishop Ives intrigued him, for Tom found strange parallels between himself and the Bishop.

The two hail from Pennsylvania, while Bishop Ives served in the very church that Tom attended as a boy. In addition, Tom has most recently worked in modern times where the Bishop created his mission long ago.

Yet Tom could not have done so had it not been for another Episcopal leader that Bishop Ives’ work inspired. In 1893, Bishop Joseph Blount Cheshire determined to “restore the old Mission.” This meant buying back the land. As a man of faith he proceeded to do so. By 1899, the Mission School, the precursor of today’s Conference Center was up and running. Bishop Cheshire’s successors continued the work with modifications over time. From that fitful start in 1842, therefore, the Mission became an integral part of Valle Crucis.

Kissing Practice & Christmas Gifts “This is a really amazing community,” said Tom, referring to the changing character of the original Mission over time. “It gave religious instruction. It provided a school. It even gave employment for the parents in the school itself, the orchard, the farms and the wagon factory,” he said, listing the wide range of activities of the Center in the past. These included culture.

“The girls’ school would put on plays, which was unusual and the old newsletters show that they picked plays with lots of boy parts so that they could invite boys … and have lots of kissing practice,” he said.

The history also included poverty. “One [old timer] once told me they were so poor that his parents couldn’t afford anything at Christmas, but the Mission School made sure that every child had [a gift].

“So this center was deeply rooted in the community. And today we are still a part of the community, through Holy Cross Church [and events] such as the square dancing in the Dining Room.”

Church of the Holy Cross Although its history goes back to the monastic order of the 1840s, the Church of the Holy Cross was built in the mid1920s, its design owing much to the original medieval Gothic monastery of Valle Crucis in Wales. Although two distinct organizations, the Valle Crucis Conference Center and the Church of the Holy Cross work together. The Conference Center’s future was uncertain when Tom arrived, which would have badly affected the Church because of their shared property, including the parking lot.

The organ (center) began life in 1977 for St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Minnesota. Holy Cross bought it in 2008, transported it home in 2010 and dedicated it in 2011.

Enthusiastic Colleagues Tom’s colleagues enthusiastically list his achievements.

“He raised money to build a silent retreat center and expanded the meeting spaces,” said Susan 40

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(Above and right). The Hermitages are four rental cabins for writers, poets and priests seeking a break from the stresses of the world. Like the septic system beforehand, Tom raised the money before starting to build them. Even though they require a special application, they are filled more than any of the rest of the buildings by people seeking peace. They even have a chapel for their devotions.

Morgan, a retired administrator from ASU and VicePresident of the Center’s Board.

He also introduced new programs. Tom’s wife, Jeanne, as a priest who had done graduate work in Celtic spirituality, would lead a retreat at least once a year, while the bishop would come twice, the next time this October.

“Because of the history of this area, he feels that the conference center should be involved in the community … and he became an integral part of the community.

He’s been on the Community Council, Historic Preservation and the Fair. The Valle Country Fair has grown considerably in the past 15 to 20 years.”

This foundation, focused on regeneration of the spirit by many different means, therefore, also adds to the material wellbeing of the community.

“People come from all over and business is drawn to the community [through the center]” said Tom. “Take the Valle Crucis Fair. In one day we attract 13,000 people who bring in more than $70,000. There’s great food, good music to listen to; we generate income for craft people. It’s wonderful just to see the smiles on people’s faces and welcome them,” he said. “We also want to help others. After expenses, that money goes back into this area.”

Unique Skills and Commitment Tom brought unique business skills and experience to this uncommon place. They were needed, for when he arrived the Center’s future was up in the air. This was common knowledge, for Hughes mentioned it in his book.

“I understand that before he came, the place was about to be sold,” said Mary Armstrong, President of the Conference Center board, who joined after Tom’s arrival. “Selling the conference center would have really hurt [Holy Cross] Church as we share some of the property.

“He brought it into the black the whole time. He kept this retreat center going very well. He made a lot 42

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(Above and below): An agricultural college was part of the original Mission. Today, the Conference Center “is working with young farmers in the Farmer Incubator Grower project,” in which three young farmers, under Maverick Farms’ supervision get to try farming out.

This farm, nestled in the mountains, is also central to land preservation and conservation. “The land was given to the Church in trust,” Tom said. “We are keeping it so that other people can experience it.

It allows them to be among God’s creations.”

Valle Country Fair For October’s annual Valle Country Fair – a joint venture of the Conference Center and Holy Cross Church – all roads lead to Valle Crucis: “People and business come from all over.“In one day we attract 13,000 people who bring in more than $70,000. There’s great food, good music to listen to; we generate income for craft people. Tom has loved welcoming the visitors and seeing the smiles on their faces. “We want to help others. After expenses, that money goes back into this area.”

This year's 36th annual Valle Country Fair takes place October 18th and will feature 150 craft exhibitors, live mountain music, local food, live animals, face painters and performers. For the kids, activities include pumpkin carving, fall crafts, carnival games and a kids market. Treats for sale will include fall favorites like kettle corn, cotton candy and candy apples.

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St. John's Church The delightful little St. John the Baptist Church is a summer mission of Holy Cross Church. Its history reflects some of the history of Valle Crucis. Built in 1861 under the leadership of Deacon Skiles, who helped to keep the Mission alive after Bishop Ives’ departure, it is located in the valley, approximately 3 miles Holy Cross and the Conference Center, but it began life several miles downriver and was transported to its present location in 1882. From Memorial Day until Labor Day it hosts one service each Sunday.

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of friends of the groups that come, such as the bagpipers. The head of that school is on the board. The fiddlers have been coming for 30 or so years.

“Now the Conference center is one of perhaps three conference centers in the nation operating in the black, even with the current economy. The Hermitages have been very well received. They are filled more than any of the rest of the buildings.”

Meanwhile, she added, the Center has been designated by the American Red Cross as an emergency shelter in the valley for major disasters.

Leaving His Mark Gently Unlike in so many other places in the world, human beings have been gentle to this valley. There are no great scars from mining or brutal buildings out of scale.

Trees cleared from the hillsides a century The Conference Center has worked hard to husband the land. Some areas have ago for farming by earlier inhabitants been restored from wetlands with more than three hundred acres now under have regrown while new homes somehow some form of conservation easement. largely hide among them.

The Center does its bit to husband the land. Some areas have are keeping it so that other people can experience it. It allows been restored from wetlands and much of it is protected – more them to be among God’s creations.” than three hundred acres under some form of conservation easeAlso, echoing the original Mission’s role, Tom has had the ment, Tom said. Two hundred acres are also protected in the Crab Conference Center contribute both to formal education and agriOrchard Creek area. culture, with ASU renting land for agriculture training for a time.

“The land was given to the Church in trust,” Tom said. “We The Conference Center “is now working with young farmers in

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High Country Magazine

45

the Farmer Incubator Grower project,” said Tom. “Three young wannabe farmers are under the supervision of Maverick Farms. We have equipment they can use and they get to try farming out.”

“He has done a wonderful job with the use of the land,” said Mary.

Far and Wide But Tom’s work in the community has ranged much further than the Conference Center’s immediate interests.

“We need to be the eyes for the people in the office in Boone,” said Maria Hyde, owner and operator of the Alta Vista Gallery and Chair of Photos By Greg Williams the Historic Commission.

“Tom is a very good set of eyes.

The Valle Crucis Conference Center is about retreat from the If there is something that doesn’t world, a place of rejuvenation of the spirit. Under Tom’s guidmeet the [Historic District] bylaws, he will report it.” ance the Center has become secure in this mission.

Maria cites problems like weekend sales signs which are not allowed or paperwork to ensure compliance with set-backs or design rules.

“This is about the laws,” Maria said. “He cares so much about Valle Crucis and maintaining its historic integrity that he is watchful for anyone. He knows the ordinances very well. If you know the ordinances, you know what is a violation.”

Most people are good and respond quickly, she added: they just didn’t know the rules exist.

Watauga Planner, John Spear, the county’s liaison with both the Historic Preservation Commission and the Community Council concurred. Tom, he said was usually vice-chair in both the Community Council and the Historic Preservation Commission.

“With Tom living and working in the area, he certainly has his finger on the pulse. He was instrumental as a member of the Community Council in developing and adopting a strateTom got his call in Memphis to hospitality not just for profit. gic plan for growth in the Valle Crucis area in 2002-3.”

Spear cited the Community Park, façade improvements and While aware of the bottom line, its essence is openness of regulation of new buildings as results of what Tom helped to heart. It aims to be heartwarming, supportive, encouraging. .

It touches the parts that other places cannot reach. steer through.

Howell Cook, a member and officer of the Community It is “very mystical,” said Tom. “It’s a metaphor for life, about Council since its start credited Tom with helping establish a trash not knowing the path that is coming up.” dump that complied with the codes, contributing to getting the It is not difficult to see in this metaphor Tom’s life since July, Broadstone Road and Highway 105 stop light installed and for 1997 when he hit that spot on Highway 194 and was jolted by providing space for the Council’s annual meeting. what suddenly lay before him and he didn’t know where he was.

“He was very supportive of the community council,” said Yet, he said, “Recently I was looking at the list of things I Howell, adding that he regrets to see him go, while Spear said, wanted to do when I first came. In many ways I have really done “It’s a shame to lose someone that active in the community. It is almost everything on the list. I am pretty excited about that, to always hard to find volunteers with the time and who have a keen have achieved those things.” interest in the community.”

The path, it seems, was clear back then, if he didn’t know it.

With his contributions and achievements ranging far and wide “I had a lot of help, great employees, a wonderful community and appreciated by many, it is clear at this point that it was for and generous donors,” he said. “I have established new buildings more than his own soul that he received his call all those years and meeting spaces. I have put land in conservation. ago in Memphis.

I feel wonderful. I feel ecstatic. This has been the best job I have ever done in my life. I just love this place. It changed my life.

Crossing Paths with Valle Crucis I am really grateful that I was given the chance to be here. Now I Soon after he arrived, Tom introduced the labyrinth as a tool am ready to let someone else have the joy of it and move onto the of spiritual development for guests. It has been so popular that next phase of my life.”  the Center has two indoor canvases to rent out.

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Securing the Center from the Ground Up From his start at the Valle Crucis Conference Center, Tom Eshelman, the retiring director began to make it secure from the ground up, said the venue’s administrator, Wendell Seaver, who has worked there since March, 1995.

“Almost every building had been kept up really well,” he said, “but we had to put in a new septic system. When the state tells you that you have to have a new one, that’s what you have to do. It was the first thing we did.”

And Tom raised the money before starting. In fact, for all Tom’s major projects, “he raised all the money before it began,” Wendell said. “We didn’t have to go into debt for any of them. We never even started projects till we had all the money together.”

Other funded improvements were the medium-sized meeting space, the Bishop Johnson Hall and the Hermitages – the rental cabins for individuals seeking refreshment from the stresses of the world.

Wendell is one of several long-term employees at the Conference Center. Mildred Tester has worked in the kitchen for 35 years, property manager Dale Townsend for more than twenty and Deborah Rupard, a housekeeper who died of cancer in April this year worked there for 35 years.

“We don’t have a lot of turnover. Everybody’s just like a large family,” Wendell said.

Tom also introduced programming to the Center, he said.

“Back in the old days, people came to do work in the community and on the property. Tom introduced programs on the Labyrinth [and other subjects] and Bishop Taylor comes twice year.”

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Wendell Seaver has worked at the Conference Center 18 years The Center is open year-round. Ninety-five per cent of the groups who come are religious, but it is also a common venue for family reunions, non-profits and some profit-oriented businesses which run their own programs.

“We are largely a religious, family-oriented place,” Wendell said.

Many of the groups come every year, but the one that immediately comes to mind is the bagpipers. The school runs for five weeks and “we know just about everyone.”

The piping schools had been held at the Center for about 40 years, said Wendell, while the fiddlers have been calling it home annually for more than quarter of a century.

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47

The Little Mountain Band with a Big Heart

Watauga Community Band Plans New Gazebo Construction with Blowing Rock Rotary Club For Town Park

By Emma Speckman

W

rapping up its role as a soundtrack to summer in the High Country, the Watauga Community Band keeps a strong momentum heading into the fall season and shows no signs of slowing down.

Forty-five High Country musicians make up the community band. Smaller groups within the main band, such as the Dixieland Band, which plays New Orleans-style jazz, the German-style Oom-pah Band and a Swing Band, play shows in various community locations.

The most popular of the three during the summer season, the Dixieland Band practices Tuesdays in an empty space in the Boone Mall shopping center. The band is loud, and during a 48

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October / November 2014

45-minute practice session, curious passersby peer through the loosely boarded windows. Many give a thumbs-up or a wave, but it never seems to break the concentration of president and parttime conductor Steve Frank.

Frank has been with the community band for 15 years. He directs both the main concert band and the Dixieland Band and plays tenor saxophone and sings. “We have probably a core of 30 people who live and work in the High Country,” Frank said.

“We also have some people that don’t play an instrument but come and help us out. We call them ‘band-aids’.”

Frank has been with the band since 1999, and shares duties with conductor

The Watauga Community Band is a regular at many community events. Here they perform at Boone's annual Fourth of July Parade.

Steve Frank (left) and Billy Ralph Winkler (right) together form the driving force behind the Watauga Community Band. Frank, the president, has been with the band for fifteen years, and Winkler became the band’s official director and conductor in 2005.

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On Sept. 21, 2014, The Watauga Community Band presented Voices of Peace, a concert that commemorated the global observance of the International Day of Peace, at Rosen Concert Hall at Appalachian State University.

Photos by Ken Ketchie

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It takes a

Community to form a

Community Band!

Billy Ralph Winkler. In 2005, Winkler became the official conductor for the Watauga Community Band. “We both share the duties to make it work,” Frank said. “Usually he conducts, but when he wants to play, I do it. We get along famously, and it hasn’t killed us yet!”

And with that leadership in place, the band has continued to grow in the years since Charles Iseley first established it in 1986. “On the second of September, 50 people came to practice,” said Pat Maddux, who serves as the band’s librarian, a role she has cherished since the band formed.

“In high school I was the librarian of the school band and I told my band director I wanted to be the librarian of a large band someday,” she said. When the Watauga Community Band formed, she seized her opportunity and asked the director at the time, Dr. Charles Isely, if she could take on her high school job with the new community band. “‘It’s all yours,’ he said. I sort of fulfilled my ambition of being the librarian of a large band,” Maddux said.

While some members come and go each season, the band does have a core group of musicians that have been practicing and performing together for several years. The youngest member of the band is 17. And the oldest, Dr. Iseley, will be 94 this year, and continues to play trombone for the band. “He started out as third trombone and he jokes he’ll end as a third trombone,” Frank said. “Music will keep you young.” Winkler added, “Dr. Charles Iseley is my personal hero.”

After serving as the conductor of the Watauga High School band for several years, Winkler took over as conductor of the community band for the academic year. “I wanted to do this when I was in high school. I’m honored to conduct this group,” he said. “It’s a real pleasure to be with this group who do this because they love it.”

Winkler has been with the band for many years, and his three children have all at some point in their lives practiced and performed October / November 2014

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with him. They played trombone, tuba and flute. “I go to that rehearsal every week so tired and I leave that rehearsal feeling like I can do anything,” Winkler said. “It’s a labor of love.” During the summer season, when he’s not conducting, Winkler plays trombone and percussion in the band.

Though not affiliated with either school officially, the community band currently includes six students from Appalachian State University and Caldwell Community College who are receiving college credit for their participation.

The majority, though, are adults who want to continue to play an instrument they learned in school, or want to take up a new hobby, said Elizabeth Winkler, keyboardist and board of directors member for the community band.

Participation is 100 percent voluntary; members do not pay dues, receive a salary or have to audition to gain entrance. “Just a desire to play music” is all that is needed, Winkler said. During the school year, the community band meets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Spencer Rehearsal Hall (Room 119) in the The Watauga Community Band plays rain or shine. When a particularly wet day threatened music for the annual Fourth of July Parade in downtown Boone, the ever-dedicated band simply moved across the street and performed under a tent and porch.

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The Watauga Community Band is a fixture at many community events all over the High Country and has been for years, giving band members the opportunity to meet all kinds of people. In 2007, when then presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton visited Blowing Rock, the band was present and Band President Steve Frank even got to meet her during a break in the music.

Broyhill Music Center on Appalachian State’s campus to rehearse.

Anyone is welcome to join, Winkler said. “All of the activities are very enjoyable and rewarding and many close friendships have been formed among the band members,” she said.

The fall season, though usually slower than their summer season, is still pretty jam-packed for the community band. The

Dixieland band opened with a concert in Blowing Rock’s community park on Sept. 14. Next up, the full concert band, conducted

by Billy Ralph Winkler, performed a Voices of Peace concert at Rosen Concert Hall on Appalachian State University’s campus Sept. 21. Coming up in the lineup is a concert at Rosen Hall on Oct. 21, a Veteran’s Day concert at Boone Mall on Nov. 11 and

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terested in revamping the 14-by-14 foot gazebo in the community park at Blowing Rock. The current gazebo, though nice, proved too small to accommodate many shows, said immediate past president Jim Clabough, who headed the Rotary Club for the 2013-2014 season.

The Rotary Club decided to triple Walker’s donation and put up $30,000 from one of its two annual fundraisers. A few weeks ago, during their second fundraiser, they raised $30,000 toward various local charities. “30,000 sounds like our lucky number,” Clabough said.

As of now, the band and the Rotary Club plan to unveil the gazebo May 2015, but both groups are hesitant to set anything in stone yet. “We’re not sure of the entire scope of this project,” said Clabough about the gazebo’s construction. Town council has yet to approve plans. “We’re hoping to have other involvement,” he said. “However, Thanks to a surprise startup donation from late band member Ray Walker, the moneywise, they probably will not have to do any Watauga Community Band, along with the Blowing Rock Rotary Club, has plans more fundraising”. in the works to replace the current gazebo in Blowing Rock’s community park The ultimate goal is that the new 28-by-28 with a much larger structure to house community concerts and events. foot venue will replace the one currently in the Shown here is the current gazebo, along with the plans for the new structure. park and will be available for booking by any musicians in the area who may want to use it. “It’s an a Christmas Concert, the date investment in tourism for the and location of which are still High Country,” Frank said. unknown.

“We want it to be somewhere Concerts and new memwhere something is always bers are not the only things to going on. It’s a nice pleasant keep the Watauga Commutown, and we get a lot of visinity Band busier than usual tors.” this fall. Thanks to a sizable The Blowing Rock Rotary donation by Ray Walker, a Club considers it part of their band member who recently mission to draw more activipassed away, the band has ties and more people into the been working on plans to town center, he said, and the build a new gazebo in downnew gazebo fits right in with town Blowing Rock to be that goal. “We really work completed in May 2015. hard to have a local feel to the When the band first recommunity.” The community ceived Walker’s $10,000 band agrees and is excited for donation, the members did the potential growth in art not know what exactly to do and culture the project could with it. Frank said he recalled bring to the town of Blowing a speech he once heard given Rock and the High Country by a woman at a North Caroas a whole. lina Department of ComIn the spirit of inclusivemerce meeting a couple of ness, they plan to call the gayears ago. “She gave a talk zebo the Blowing Rock Rotaabout the importance of art ry Club Gazebo and include a and music to tourism,” he small plaque dedicated to the said. “That talk sort of inWatauga Community Band spired me.” The idea to use it and Ray Walker. “It’s not just to build a new venue in Blowfor one band,” Frank said. ing Rock came about through “We don’t want to dominate a few conversations between it. We want it to be used conFrank, the Blowing Rock Rotary Club and the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce’s Eco- stantly and be somewhere where something is always going on.”

For more information about the Watauga Community Band, nomic Development Committee.

The Rotary Club heard about Walker’s donation and was in- visit www.wataugaband.org. 54

High Country Magazine

October / November 2014

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A Healthy Foundation for the Future

The May School of Nursing and Health Sciences Brings Health and Wellness to the Banner Elk Community



BY MADISON FISLER LEWIS 56

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photography by ken ketchie

The May School of Nursing and Health Sciences (shown in this aerial shot on the far right with the maroon roof ) will be officially dedicated on October 8. The facility is but one part of a revitalization strategy for Lees-McRae College that strives to enhance learning options for students while at the same time revitalizing the community.

L

ees-McRae College in Banner Elk has a long and storied history as both a pillar of higher education and a cornerstone of the rural mountain community in which it lies. Throughout the years, the institution has become celebrated for its prodigious athletic programs and its exceptional academics, which bring in hundreds of students from all across the globe. In keeping with tradition, the brand new May School of Nursing and Health Sciences will provide the college with yet another exciting academic adventure to add to its repertoire. And with the implementation of new programs and augmentation of existing ones within the school, Lees-McRae hopes to serve not just its students, but also the Avery County community at large.

“This is part of a revitalization strategy that we brought to Lees-McRae four years ago,” said Barry M. Buxton, president of Lees-McRae College.

“Before we came here, Lees-McRae had come too close a distance of closing its doors. We wanted to try to take Lees-

McRae and make it healthy and robust with the idea that if we could do that, it would strengthen the community.”

Lees-McRae College had a nursing school once before, and with the need for healthcare professionals increasing everywhere, it was decided that a health sciences school would make a great addition to the rest of the programs the institution already offered.

“One of the things that we discovered was that of the students who expressed initial interest in Lees-McRae but went elsewhere, nursing was the No. 1 requested program,” Buxton said. “Of all of those applications we received and those students that chose to go to another school, nursing was the No. 1 requested program. When you combine that with the employment opportunities for nurses and with our society graying and growing old, health needs are so great and successful nurses can go anywhere. There is a great need for nurses. So when you look at those factors and then I find a couple that believes in this idea and who were willing to help financially make it pos-

sible, it was really a perfect storm and a great opportunity for Lees-McRae.” Funding for the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences began in 2012 and was headed up by a lead donation by Dianne and the late Dan May. “The college received a lead pledge of $3 million with an additional $1 million challenge pledge,” said Caroline O. Hart, vice president of advancement at LeesMcRae College.

“The challenge pledge promised an additional $1 million donation from the Mays if the either the college itself or another donor could also raise $1 million for the project.”

The capital budget for the May School for construction and outfitting of the building was $6,142,256, with the majority of the funds raised by personal contact or solicitation, Hart said. All funds raised were by private donation, with approximately 65 percent of the total funds being donated by the Mays. To date, $6,206,910 has been raised for the project. Phase I of the project, which consists of construction and outfitting the building itself, is

October / November 2014

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now complete. Phase II consists of purchasing additional equipment needed for the school and establishing scholarships for potential students.

“Dan and Dianne May were the primary donors,” Buxton said. “Dan passed away a few months ago and it broke our hearts to lose Dan. Dianne is on the Board of Trustees at Lees-McRae College. Without their vision and commitment to this vision and their willingness to make this possible for our community, the project wouldn’t be possible.”

“We’re just so happy we were able to help Lees-McRae and the community,” said Dianne May, trustee and benefactor for the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences during the 2013 groundbreaking ceremony. “It will be a revitalization of

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High Country Magazine

the campus. We can see such great progress and we’re thrilled to be a part of it. It is just wonderful.”

After the lead donation, more donors stepped forward to help make this vision a reality.

“We have had many donors who have seen the value of this project and have wanted to help. They have been so gracious and kind. We are just really blessed and grateful for their generosity,” said Buxton.

Lees-McRae proudly announced the groundbreaking of the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences in June 2013, and was projected to reach completion within a year. The facility, constructed by Shelco, Inc., spans 18,000 square feet and will hold the institution’s expanded science and health programs.

LAURA FERO October / November 2014

carolinE o. hart

Lees-McRae College announced the groundbreaking of the May School of Nursing in June 2013. The facility will house the college’s nursing programs, athletic training programs and emergency medical services and management programs. The structure itself spans 18,000 square feet, giving students plenty of space to learn in the building’s many classrooms, meeting rooms, offices and study spaces.

The programs housed at the school will include the pre-licensure nursing program, the RN to BSN program for nurses who already hold an associate’s degree in nursing, the athletic training program and the emergency medical services and management program (EMSM).

“From a nursing perspective, we have submitted the application document to

the North Carolina Board of Nursing and are in the pre-approval status,” said Laura Fero, director of nursing. “We are asking for approval to add to our already accredited nursing program to operate a pre-licensure track for students who do not possess a registered nursing license.

We currently have 88 students who have identified pre-nursing as a desired major,

Justin Allen

Nicole Chappel

and they can apply in the fall semester of their sophomore year after they have completed their core studies.”

“There is also a program for nurses who have an associate’s degree in nursing and are already registered nurses,” Fero said. “It gives them an undergraduate degree, and that program is offered both seated and online. We currently have over 150 students in that program. The RN/ BSN program has been accredited since 2002, we are just adding to that a prelicensure program.”

And the school isn’t just limited to nursing.

“We have two other programs as well,” said Rita Smith, chair of the Division of Nursing and Health Sciences.

“The athletic training program has been accredited since 2005, so it is already in place as a four year program for a bachelor of science in athletic training. It prepares students to take the Board of Certification for Athletic Trainers exam. The EMSM [emergency medical services and management] is a new program that we are developing. It is one of only 14 in the country. It gives students an opportunity to go three levels up to paramedics while

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The May School of Nursing and Health Sciences will house some of the most advanced technology available for instruction. Among the most impressive of these are five high fidelity human simulators like this one, named “Slim.”

The simulators are hooked to computers where instructors can implement scenarios that the students will then have to assess to determine the best course of action.

The simulator will then provide feedback based on the care given by the students.

This feedback is a valuable tool to help aspiring health professionals hone their skills before they step into their professions.

“We’re just so happy we were able to help Lees-McRae and the community. It will be a revitalization of the campus. We can see such great progress and we’re thrilled to be a part of it. It is just wonderful.”

Dianne May, trustee and benefactor for the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences 60

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October / November 2014

also obtaining a degree with a management component that will set them up for administrative roles, too.”

The building itself will provide classrooms and laboratory setups utilizing state-of-the-art technology that will allow students to approach the health sciences like never before.

“The overarching theme here is interdisciplinary professional work,” said Fero. “The way that this building has been designed leverages all of the technology available in the healthcare arena. We will be able to stage scenarios outside the building and move ‘simulated’ patients through all levels of care within the facility.”

Justin Allen, instructor of nursing and health sciences, brought to light some of the details surrounding this equipment and elaborated on what advanced technology could mean for students, instructors and the future of healthcare.

“I am a geek, so I love technology,” said Allen. “The technology we are going to have here is phenomenal and cutting edge, but it is really just a means to an end.

We want to have the best prepared BSN nurses coming out of this program and the technology that we will have available here will definitely do that.”

The technologies being implemented at the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences are some of the best available today. A tremendous network of donors generously put time, money and energy into getting the equipment and technology that the new students would require. But what kind of technology will be available, exactly?

“If you look at simulators that are out there, they are divided into low-fidelity, medium-fidelity and high-fidelity,” said Allen. “Low-fidelity simulators give no feedback, they are like the dummies in a CPR class. Mid-fidelity simulators give you a little bit of feedback. But it’s the high-

fidelity simulators, which we have, that give amazing feedback. They are humanshaped simulators that go from neonatal to adult.

If you shine a light in the simulator’s eyes, the pupils dilate. They can have convulsions and bleed and cry. They even respond to medications that the students can give them. They are very realistic, and when you are looking into this, it begins the process of immersing the student into a scenario and we try to build around that. It allows the students to practice and make mistakes in a safe environment.”

The school will utilize a total of five of these highfidelity simulators, which include neonatal, pediatric and adult. There is even a simulator that gives birth, which is one of just ten in the nation as of this time and only the second one in

The human simulators aren’t the only tools in the May School’s arsenal.

The school also has an entire back end of an ambulance, complete with everything you would find inside a real, working emergency vehicle.

Students can load the ambulance with simulated patients and practice emergency services while cameras all around the building capture their every move for later review.

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North Carolina, said Allen. These simulators will give students the unique experiences that they may take on in the field.

“We are very fortunate at Lees-McRae,” Allen said. “We are building this program from the ground up. I am one of the first, graduates from the Appalachian State pre-licensure nursing program. We had limited exposure to highfidelity simulators, so we are very lucky here to have that.”

The technology will benefit both the nursing and non-nursing programs housed within the May School.

“The EMSM program in their space within the building has a completely retrofitted back end of an ambulance,” Fero said. “It is real; it just can’t be driven. But we will be able to work with these simulators

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The modern classrooms provide ample space for students to learn, but not just new students. The school is also expected to act as a center for continuing education for local healthcare providers.

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and actors for our students to recreate things they will be experiencing in the field. Students can load that ambulance with the patients on a stretcher, and the entire building has been outfitted with cameras so we are able to see what is going on. The benefit of that is taking those videos and looking at them for competency, but the bigger benefit is the ability for students and faculty to watch and reflect on it so they can prepare for professional practice in a safe environment.”

While the technology and faculty in the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences will undoubtedly benefit the many eager students who will walk through the doors over the years, the school also hopes to be of great benefit to the community as well.

“One thing is our location,” said Buxton.

“We are in Appalachia and we are in one of the most rural counties in North Carolina. We are in one of the counties that needs healthcare the most.”

With Lees-McRae College standing as one of the pillars of the community, Buxton believes that the college has an obligation to give back.

“We believe that through these efforts and working with the community agencies and organizations, we will improve the healthcare in the region,” Buxton said. “We know that we have one of the most challenging situations of any county in North Carolina in terms of healthcare and we think the relationship with all of these healthcare organizations will lead to additional programs that we can do at LeesMcRae where there is a need in the community.”

Fero echoed those sentiments as well.

“We feel very strongly that we have the obligation and the desire to leverage healthcare for people who are underserved or not served at all,” Fero said.

Across the three programs housed in the May School, more than 2,000 clinical hours will be performed annually in the community, which will help not only the students hone their skills, but will bring healthcare to an underserved population as well.

“The nursing school will be doing free health and wellness screenings all year. One of our kick off events for this was to bring the Mountain States Mobile Health Unit to campus where we did 25 health screenings at no charge. Our students will be following this path and going out to churches, out to malls and bringing people into the May School to do simple screenings so that we can share that information with providers or help them get connected with a local provider if they have not had healthcare in the past. This will serve as a healthful resource for the community and that is very much needed in

President Barry Buxton

“We wanted to try to take Lees-McRae and make it healthy and robust with the idea that if we could do that, it would strengthen the community.”

Barry M. Buxton, President of Lees-McRae College Avery County.”

Aside from the nursing program, the athletic training program and EMSM program have already been reaching out to help the community.

“Athletic training students are already working at the high schools and that is a great experience for the students and the community,” Smith said. “It gives exposure to the community that this kind of healthcare is available. The EMSM program is the same way. Many of our students are volunteer firefighters, and they will be able to become first responders and work with the EMS already in place in the county. Should there be a disaster, they will be able to help the community.”

While the school will definitely be a great place for young aspiring healthcare

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professionals to learn and practice, Fero hopes that the school will also be useful for continuing education for currently practicing professionals.

“We want to be a center of continuing education for the local healthcare providers as well,” said Fero. “I think we can definitely do continuing education out of that building. Many local professionals have expressed interest in being a part of this. That could help attract more healthcare providers to this area and we definitely need those.”

Lees-McRae’s new May School of Nursing and Health Sciences has already forged important partnerships with medical facilities that will help to ensure that students in the programs receive the best learning experiences under the tutelage of the best in the business.

“We are forging partnerships from Asheville to Johnson City to WinstonSalem with healthcare facilities,” Fero said. “We want to partner with them so we understand what they are looking for in students that graduate and go on for employment so we can be sure to prepare our students for their careers and help ensure a seamless transition to professional work. It really gives them insight into their jobs and into what employers are looking for in them.”

In preparing the students for their potential positions within the healthcare community, credit must be given to the hard work and dedication of the school’s faculty.

“I am so excited about the faculty,” Buxton said. “Dr. Laura Fero is an amazing woman and a dynamic leader. She is a visionary and we are so lucky to have her. In addition to Dr. Fero, we recruited Justin Allen. Justin is a specialist in the area of healthcare informatics. We were also able to hire Nicole Chappell and Nicole is here from Banner Elk, which I think is just amazing. She is a very dynamic lady. In addition to that, we have added four adjunct faculty members, all of whom are excellent. And then, because science is so closely related to the The building and everything housed within it would not be possible without the dedication of numerous generous donors. The capital budget of $6,142,256 was raised through private donation and solicitation, and approximately 65 percent of the total funds were donated

by Dianne and the late Dan May. 64

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October / November 2014

The groundbreaking for the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences was announced in June 2013.

Designed by McMillian Pazdan Smith, the 18,000 square foot facility will house Lees-McRae’s science and health-related programs.

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The outdoor commons was given in honor of Dotti Shelton, wife of former trustee Ed Shelton '60. Featuring stone columns and benches surrounded by a lush, natural treeline, the space is defined by a stone clock tower and circular bench where students can study and socialize between classes. Natural trees, bushes and flowers are also dispersed throughout the space. medical arts, we have added a new science professor, a new chemistry professor and we have added a new librarian in the technology area. We have added a lot of faculty, we have upgraded in many ways and we have increased the diversity of the faculty and the profession.”

Though the school is the result of hard work and high hopes, even more is expected of the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences than has been achieved so far.

“Our ultimate goal is to have 1,500 students at Lees-McRae,” Buxton said. “We think that after everything is clicking in the building, we will have 200 additional students in there. Over time, we would hope to expand in the health sciences as demand is present and the resources are available. It is just another key component in the progress of Lees-McRae toward being a healthier and more successful institution.”

As the construction nears completion and the curriculums begin to be solidified, Lees-McRae College certainly has a lot to be proud of in the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Through the support of the Mays and the other generous donors, the dedication of the faculty and administrative staff, the hard work of countless others and the eager readiness of potential students; the new May School of Nursing and Health Sciences is truly a perfect storm of medical might. 

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Susan and Gaines Kiker

Bringing Ideas to Life Since 1994 Gaines Kiker Celebrates 20 Years as Blowing Rock’s Premier Silversmith and Goldsmith

BY MADISON FISLER LEWIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD BUSH

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H

is gallery and workshop are the definition of organized chaos, where he can usually be found working on one of what seems like thousands of projects. While the sign out front may say “Silversmith and Goldsmith,” Gaines Kiker is a man of many artistic abilities. From the smallest, most delicate rings to the largest and most intricate woodworking projects, for two decades the local artist has dedicated himself to breathing beautiful new life into ideas, and is showing no signs of slowing down yet.

“I am inspired by the materials that I work with,” Gaines said, tinkering with a small piece of jewelry from inside one of the many display cases that adorn the gallery. “I look at materials and I can see what they can become. I let the piece create itself in my hands.”

His love for his materials is an affair that began in his childhood. Gaines first became interested in metal smithing when his mother, Sylvia, exposed him to her own artistic talents in metalworking. While in college, Gaines first encountered the craft while in his mother’s new studio and he soon found that it was as comfortable and familiar to him as it was to her.

Gaines was born in Statesville, North Carolina and grew up in a loving family that gave him the freedom to explore his interests without disciplined art lessons. The artistic abilities ran deeply in the family; his mother taught art at the local high school and always encouraged her children’s creative endeavors. His older sister Stephanie is an accomplished artist herself.

“Gaines was always interested in structures, whether building with his Lego blocks at a very young age, putting together scraps of wood and making ‘whatever,’ building tree houses and fixing anything and everything around the house,” said Sylvia. “He had a natural feeling for visual design as a young person and was able to see, not just look, at things around him – giving him an ability to work with his mind.”

He liked moving the metal with hammers and the creative process inspired him, said Sylvia.

After first picking up the interest under his mother’s expert tutelage, Gaines sought out a formal education to help him move forward in his passion.

“I went to East Carolina and got a BFA in Metal Design, which is jewelry October / November 2014

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production,” Gaines said. “I minored in wood design. Along the way I took a lot of sculpture classes and I use all three of those together to make the things that I produce today. Everything I do is sculpture, everything. Even the jewelry I make, it is just wearable sculpture.”

After graduating college, Gaines was fortunate enough to land apprenticeships with well-respected professionals in the field of jewelry design to hone his skills and learn new techniques that can only be refined through experience.

“I apprenticed for a couple of people when I got out of school,” Gaines said. “I sent my resume to Tiffany [and Co.]. I wanted to start at the top and work my way down. For a year and a half I worked for the silversmith that did their custom design.”

That silversmith happened to be fifth-generation Italian silversmith Ubaldo Bitali, and with him Gaines learned a classic approach to metal design while working on custom endeavors and restoring antique pieces.

“I worked with him for a year and a half and he did all of Tiffany’s custom designs,” Gaines said. “I have taken torches to teapots that Paul Revere made. It was a big time silversmith operation. It was a really cool job, but it started to become repetitive. You can only work on so many teapots before you get bored of it!” Gaines said with a laugh.

This proved to be a substantial learning experience for Gaines right out of school, but he longed for more. After his time with Bitali came to an end, Gaines moved on to bigger things.

Gaines went on to work for Betty Helen Longhi in Winston70

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When asked about his favorite and most meaningful piece that he has ever made, Gaines Kiker points to what at first glance looks to be an abstract wooden sculpture hanging on one of the walls of his studio in the back of his gallery. Upon closer inspection, it becomes obvious that this is no abstract wooden sculpture: it is in fact a wooden replica of a bicycle mechanism.

And yes, it moves.

“Essentially, I made it because my wood shop teacher told me that I couldn’t do it,” Gaines said with a laugh. “The assignment was to take something out of context. Well, I took it from my bike and plopped it down on my desk and my teacher looked at me and said I couldn’t do it. I asked him if that meant he wouldn’t let me do it or that he didn’t think I could.

Regardless, I did it.”

While the original piece has aged over the years and the chain no longer passes through it like it used to, it still serves as a reminder to Gaines to think outside of the box and to find ways to do the seemingly impossible. And for the record, it’s not for sale.

Salem, where he learned even more about metal forming and producing jewelry. But after less than a year, Gaines found himself ready to move on.

After working on other people’s designs for so long, Gaines found himself looking for something more, something that would allow him to utilize his inherent creativity.

His next step was to apply for a study abroad program with the University of Georgia, which gave him the opportunity to travel to Italy to study techniques such as cuttlebone casting.

“I went to Cortona, Italy for three months or so. I went all over Italy and when I got done I knew it was time to be on my own.”

Upon his return, Gaines attended a national metals conference in Rhode Island where he was invited to have dinner with two metal smiths that he deeply respected. This led Gaines to an inspirational environment for learning new techniques.

With a formal education, two prestigious apprenticeships and a study abroad program under his belt, Gaines was ready to go out on his own. While it took him a while to find his current location, Gaines credits the many places he worked for teaching him what he needed to know to be successful.

“I have an emotional connection with every single piece that I make, and it starts when I first touch the materials.”

“I had my dog and that was it,” Gaines said, reminiscing about the days when he was first starting out with his faithful Labrador Luke by his side.

“I came up to Blowing Rock with my parents and decided this mountain town was the perfect location to open a shop and gallery and begin a new life,” Gaines said. “My partner was Luke, my faithful Labrador, and he and I balanced our work with our love for the mountains.”

His first stop was a small building that Gaines found by chance while having lunch at the old Cheeseburgers in Paradise. He rented the space, lived upstairs and had his store downstairs.

“Since work and home were part of the same space, I found myself working into the early morning hours,” Gaines said. “I was single then, so it wasn’t unusual for me to work until 3 a.m.”

After a year, Gaines decided to move out of the RIGHT, TOP: Gaines Kiker at his first store in 1994, located behind the Speckled Trout Cafe. Pictured with his faithful Labrador Luke RIGHT, CENTER: Gaines moved into his second location in 1997 that is underneath where Footsloggers is today RIGHT, BOTTOM: 28-year old Gaines, hard at work in 1995 October / November 2014

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cramped quarters into a new location.

“I moved below where Footsloggers is for eight years, Gaines said. “Then I rented a space on Sunset Drive for a little over three years. That was transitional for me, but it took us to the next level. All of the sudden I had visibility that I didn’t have before. The rent was high, but it proved to me that I could do it so I kept looking.”

Gaines found a vacant lot not long after and decided to build his own studio and gallery on Morris Street in downtown Blowing Rock where the establishment stands today. Gaines has been in that building for seven and a half years now, and has the pleasure of saying that he designed and built it himself.

The Blowing Rock gallery serves as a testament to but a tiny percentage of what Gaines has created over the years. The glass cases are filled with beautiful jewelry from simple earrings to the most intricate necklaces and rings. A glance behind the counter into the workshop in the back of the gallery reveals even more projects just waiting to be shaped into yet another stunning work of art.

And when he moved into the new building, he had much more than his dog to take with him.

Gaines married his wife, Susan, in 1998 and since, they have had two daughters, Riley and Laurel.

“Gaines made our wedding rings, of course,” said Susan

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Gaines Kiker admits that he draws much of his inspiration from his materials. In his most recent pursuits, Gaines has found an interest in creating furniture made from “live edge” wood. Shown here, the live edge wood features the shape of the tree it came from. Instead of milled, squared edges, the wood follows a natural, more organic shape.

A look into his studio will reveal countless projects in varied states of completion marked by a white card. While it may look chaotic to some, Gaines can keep track of every single project, even when he is working many different pieces simultaneously.

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"I can only hope that the owners cherish having my pieces as much as I cherished making them. I can’t even describe the feeling with words. It is just very humbling.”

Gaines, smiling beside her husband as she absently twists the beautiful ring on her finger.

“I watched him make the first one. It has more meaning since he made it with his own hands.”

The Kiker’s two daughters, Laurel and Riley, seem to have inherited their father’s artistic talents.

“Our kids are pretty artistic and I try to expose them to as many techniques as I can on a regular basis,” Gaines said.

“Riley likes to do wax carvings, and our youngest, Laurel, likes the torch. I get a lot of inspiration from my kids. If they are interested in something I always try to support that.”

Susan recounted the many times the girls have helped their father in his shop, whether it was small wax carvings, soldering or helping out in the woodshop.

“When they wanted skateboards, they went into the shop together and made them,” Susan said. “I love that they get to spend that time together. He explains every detail to them

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The studio and gallery as it stands today on Morris Street in downtown Blowing Rock. From his humble beginnings, Gaines has become one of the most highly respected and well-known artists in the High Country. and they just absorb it. He doesn’t just work in front of them, he makes them a part of the process.”

But jewelry and metal sculptures are far from the extent of Gaines interests or talents. Known for his extreme attention to detail and knack for bringing simple ideas to life, seven years ago, Gaines’ interest in woodworking was revived.

“I wanted a natural and relaxing feel to the store,” said Gaines.

“I got introduced to live edge materials from Marty McCurry and I knew I had found the perfect materials for my shop,” Gaines said, gesturing to the wooden counter top that stands as the focal point of the gallery.

Instead of straight milled edges, the counter’s shape follows the natural contour of the tree.

“I prefer the live edge material over the milled wood. And I like to use a lot of jewelry tools when I work with wood. The furniture really started about seven years ago and it has really taken off in the past three years. The business has been nothing but word of mouth, and my customers are always jewelry customers first. I like to think that the things I’m building are family heirlooms, and they are. These are pieces that will be passed down for generations. I can only hope that the owners cherish having my pieces as much as I cherished making them. I can’t even describe the feeling with words. It is just very humbling.”

Gaines Kiker's faithful canine companion, Storm, can oftentimes be found in the shop as Gaines works on his projects in the studio.

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Mixing metal with wood has become Gaines’ signature woodworking style. His pieces feature a masterful mixture of steel, pewter and wooden inlays that breathe life and distinctive character into each piece.

The natural beauty of the wood is complemented by Gaines’ masterful craftsmanship.

“Most of our customers are repeat, many of them drop in just to see what new things Gaines is creating,” said Gaines’ wife Susan.

And Gaines has acquired a vast knowledge of many different things simply by being too inquisitive and curious to stick with just one thing. He credits his 20 years of success to his unique custom work that has become well known all around the region.

“When I say custom I mean no limits,” said Gaines with a quiet intensity. “There is no catalogue. Give me an idea and I will make it tangible. I don’t cut stones, but I enjoy buying unusual stones that I can then build settings for that are one of a kind. I love that my work is unique.”

“My custom work is definitely why I am so successful,” Gaines said, his eyes wandering to one of the many pieces on his worktable. “What I do is very tedious and it is a very intense process. I focus on it and I

Creativity runs in the family. Pictured here are Gaines Kiker, his wife Sharon and their two daughters Riley and Laurel.

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I like to think that the things I’m building are family heirlooms, and they are. These are pieces that will be passed down for generations. really lose myself in my work.”

Every single piece that Gaines completes is much more than just the fruit of his labor. He has as much connection with every single piece that goes out of his shop as each piece does with its new owner.

“I have an emotional connection with every single piece that I make, and it starts when I first touch the materials,” Gaines said. “I get especially attached to the large pieces of furniture that I have labored on for a long time.”

And that visceral attachment to his work is obvious to those who purchase it.

“Customers are always overjoyed with what I do for them,” Gaines said. “My customers trust me and that feels good.”

And Gaines’ wife Susan is making that circle of trust a little bit wider, as she has become Gaines’ newest apprentice.

“My newest apprentice is my wife,” said Gaines. “She has recently learned to do textures with hammers.”

Whether an engagement ring, a simple pair of earrings or a custom piece of wooden furniture, every piece that comes from the hands of Gaines Kiker is a product of years of experience, masterful construction and undying passion. With 20 years as Blowing Rock’s premier goldsmith and silversmith and many more to come, it’s easy to see why those who step into his shop keep coming back for more year after year.

After 20 years as Blowing Rock’s silversmith and goldsmith, Gaines Kiker is sure to enjoy many more years of success in the little mountain town that he calls home.

“I have been bringing ideas to life since 1994,” Gaines said. “And at the rate we are going, I think we are here to stay.” Gaines takes the most enjoyment out of building custom pieces for his clients. From the simplest pair of earrings to intricate engagement rings to the largest pieces of wooden furniture, Gaines is well known for the amount of time, effort and dedication that goes into each piece.

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Watauga County Sports Hall of Fame

By David Coulson

J

ust call this the mystery of the Watauga County Sports Hall of Fame.

Our detective story starts at the Watauga County Library.

Nestled on a back wall of the Boonebased library is a display of plaques, featuring 26 of the most prominent athletes and coaches in Watauga County history.

But no one at the library seemed to be quite sure how this display came to find this place as its home when High Country Magazine started investigating this mystery in the past month. And though thousands of patrons walk through the doors of the library each year, few have seemed to notice the humble memorial.

“No one here is sure how it came to reside at the library,” Watauga County librarian Monica Caruso said.

But if you dig long enough, even the biggest mysteries can be solved.

The Watauga County Sports Hall of Fame was an idea that was birthed by the Optimist Club of Boone, with Robert Norton as its driving force, in 2003.

Norton had the idea of putting the plaques of the hall of famers in the library, with the county lacking a recreational facility suitable for a permanent display of the plaques and other memorabilia.

Late librarian Evelyn Johnson threw her support behind the proposal and the Watauga County Board of Commissioners, with member and future Hall of Famer Jim Deal Jr. as a strong proponent, voted in favor of putting a permanent display in the library.

“We didn’t have anywhere else to put it,” said Norton.

Each year from 2003 through 2008, the Optimist Club took nominations from the community and a committee from the club picked four to six locally prominent recipients for honors.

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The list of honorees ranges from Olympic hopefuls and twin sisters Brenda and Lindsay Taylor, to coaches like Steve Gabriel, Jack Groce, Bill Mauldin and Randy McDonough, to legendary professional athletes such as Major League baseball player Coaker Triplett and former NFL football players John Hollar and Bob Matheson.

It is truly an impressive group, though for some reason the Optimist Club and the committee that voted on candidates has overlooked contributions of many great Appalachian State athletes and coaches that contributed much to the community.

“I felt our awards banquet was as good as anyone’s,” said Norton, who moved to Mountain City following the 2007 award dinner. “I was really disappointed when it didn’t go on.”

Held annually at the Boone United Methodist Church, the awards presentation drew over 300 people the first year and was still attracting nearly 200 when it came to at least a temporary end in 2008.

A committee constructed of Optimist Club members and experts from the area voted on candidates after receiving nominations from the community and researching each candidate.

The Daniel Boone Inn and Bandana’s Barbecue took turns providing food for the event.

Radio station WATA did much to promote the awards ceremony, interviewing inductees before the event and providing live broadcasts of the dinner.

But with the local economy going through a recession, sponsorships began to dry up and a decision was made to hold the ceremony every other year.

“It was getting harder and harder to get sponsors,” Norton said. “But I thought the decision to do it every other year was

October / November 2014

a mistake.”

After taking a year off in 2009, when 2010 rolled around, the Boone Optimist Club decided not to continue with the dinner, because of economic concerns.

“When the economy took a turn for the worse, several sponsors said it was something they couldn’t keep supporting,” said Gene Swift, who took over running the awards event after Norton moved away. “We just kind of let it slide.”

But there has been talk recently of restarting the event.

“It’s time to get it going again,” said Swift. “A couple of us have been talking recently about getting it running again.”

There might even be enough momentum to get the event started again later this year.

Norton said that there were plenty of worthy candidates who have been nominated in the past, but have yet to be honored.

Besides the 26 people who have been inducted into the Watauga County Sports Hall of Fame, the Optimist Club also honored an individual, or team each year with a special recognition award.

Local radio announcer Mike Kelly of WATA was the first person to win this award, with Dr. Jim Furman and former Appalachian State University football coach Jerry Moore among other recipients.

Teams that were lauded included the 1955 Cove Creek High School basketball team that reached the state finals, the record-setting Appalachian High School wrestling squad that won 140 consecutive matches and the 1978 Watauga High School football unit that won the state 3-A crown.

And hopefully, there will be many more individuals and teams that will be honored in the future as Watauga County remembers its rich athletic history.

September 4, 2003 Sam Adams: Adams found his love of the links as a youngster, growing up in Boone and transferred that to success at Appalachian High School (1960-64) and Appalachian State (1964-68) before embarking on a career as a PGA touring pro. He became the first left-handed golfer to win on the tour when he took first in the 1973 Quad Cities Open, a year after finishing as the runner-up in the prestigious Canadian Open. Adams is one of just nine lefties to win a PGA Tour event. In his best major tournament finish, he tied for 23rd at the 1977 U.S. Open. He also won the 1975 North Carolina Open and had six top-10 finishes and 23 top-25 results during his 164-event career on the main tour. An All-American during his ASU days, Adams was inducted into the Appalachian State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.

Richard “Steve� Gabriel: Gabriel was a star as a football quarterback and a wrestler at Appalachian State before making his mark as one of the most successful coaches in High Country history. He started the wrestling program at Appalachian High School and coached the team to a 13-year streak with 140 consecutive dual-match wins. He also coached 54 state champions. In 1965, Gabriel became the wrestling coach at App State and compiled a record of 92-21. His organizational skills led to ASU hosting the NAIA national championship tournament in 1971, with his Mountaineers finishing 10th out of 140 teams. He is also a member of the national wrestling hall of fame and the ASU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Each year from 2003 through 2008, the Optimist Club took nominations from the community and a committee from the club picked four to six locally prominent recipients for honors.

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Jack Groce: Groce was a football star at Appalachian State, but made even more of a mark as a successful coach and administrator during his years at Appalachian High School and Watauga High School. His AHS football teams were stellar from 1955-65, winning state titles in 1961, 1962 and 1964 and he took Watauga High to the state title game in 1971.

In between his stints as the AHS and WHS head football coach, Groce spent several years as an assistant for the ASU football program under Carl Messere. After becoming the WHS athletic director, Groce served as mentor to such successful coaches as Bill Mauldin, current WHS athletic director Tom Wright and former WHS and current Ashe County High School AD Marc Payne. Mauldin gave Groce much of the credit for his success with the 1978 Watauga High School state championship football team. The influence of his career was culminated by Watauga High School naming its football stadium after him. He was also honored by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association for his work as an athletic director.

John Hollar: Hollar was one of the most colorful local sports personalities of his time and found success as an NFL football player and a sports official following his playing career.

He signed with the Chicago Cardinals in 1947 and also went on to play for the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions. An official in numerous sports, he reached the height of that postplaying career by working the 1974 College Baseball World Series. He also worked as a Southern Conference football official for many years. Hollar was also an influential community member, who did much to promote local sports for both youth and adults. He attended Appalachian High School before moving on to Wingate College, but returned toa earn a degree from Appalachian State, where he played football and baseball. He set a record by returning four interceptions for touchdowns during his ASU football career and served as captain and first baseman on the baseball team. The MVP of the 1947 App State football team, Hollar was voted into the Mountaineers’ Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981.

Bob Matheson: Matheson was one of the most popular players among his teammates on the 1972 Miami Dolphins squad that completed a perfect 17-0 season with a 14-7 win over the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl. Wearing the number 53 jersey during his Miami days, Matheson’s versatility as both a passer rusher and a coverman in the Dolphins’ defensive scheme led defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger to name it the 53 Defense. The Dolphins won another Super Bowl with Matheson as a key defender for the 80

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1973 season and he played in three Super Bowls altogether.

Matheson was a fullback on Appalachian High School’s backto-back state champion football teams in 1961-62 before moving on to Duke University. His play for the Duke Blue Devils (AHS was also nicknamed the Blue Devils) led Matheson to be drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 1967 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played four years for the Browns before Arnsparger requested coach Don Shula arrange a trade for Matheson. Matheson introduced many of his teammates, coaches and even owners to the beauty of the High Country, with a number of them buying houses in the area. After his playing career ended, Matheson served as a coach at Duke and with the Dolphins. He tragically died of Hodgin’s Disease in 1994 at the age of 49.

August 19, 2004 Cleone Haynes Hodges: Hodges worked tirelessly to promote sports in the High Country, teaching health and physical education classes at Appalachian State for many years and serving as an assistant women’s basketball coach. She was a fine golfer, winning Boone Golf Club championships four consecutive years from 1976-79 and winning 12 gold medals in golf at the High Country Senior Games. She also won three gold medals and two silver medals in national Senior Games competition.

Hodges was also the secretary for the Watauga County Parks and Recreation Commission for over 20 years. As a young athlete in Texas, Hodges competed against legendary performer Babe Didrikson in basketball.

Homer Carter Lentz: Lentz was one of the most beloved coaches in Watauga County history after tremendous stints with the basketball programs at Blowing Rock High School and Watauga High School, winning 552 games as a boys’ and girls’ coach in 37 years. One of his teams won a district title and advanced to the state semifinals. An outstanding baseball player and all-around athlete as a youth, Lentz had a brief stint in the Washington Senators farm system.

He also assisted with the football and baseball programs at WHS and the high school gymnasium was co-named in his honor, along with Stacy Eggers III. Very involved with the community even after his retirement, Lentz served a color commentator for Watauga High School radio broadcasts for many years.

Jack Roten: Roten made his mark as a football, basketball and track and field star at Appalachian High School, winning conference sprint championships and was a member of three state championship football teams. He moved on to play football and participate in track and field at Appalachian State. Slowed by injuries as a football player, he set a record with 191 kickoff-return yards in one game and rushed for 206 yards on just 19 carries in another game at ASU. After tryouts with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears, Roten became a football and track and field coach at Watauga High School. When his sons got into powerlifting as young athletes, Roten took up that sport and set several world records in the 1990s and 2000s.

Brenda Taylor: Taylor was a versatile athlete at Watauga High School, winning individual and team titles in track and field and swimming and helping take the Pioneers to the state championship game in volleyball, along with her twin sister, Lindsay. But she blossomed even more after moving on to Harvard University as a college athlete and then to success internationally. The holder of numerous school track and field records at WHS and Harvard, Taylor finished second at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2004 in the 400 Hurdles and captured seventh at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. She was named the NCAA’s top female track athlete in 2001 after winning an NCAA championship in the 400 Hurdles. She graduated Magnum Cum Laude from Harvard.

September 8, 2005 Randy McDonough: McDonough’s low-key, yet positive approach to coaching helped build Watauga High School into a state powerhouse for both track and field and cross country for over 20 years, helping the Pioneers win numerous state titles as individuals and as a team. He has also developed several athletes who have competed in the Summer Olympics for track and field. His teams have won three boys’ state titles in cross country and one girls’ cross country state crown.

Lawrence “Lan” O’Loughlin: O’Laughlin was a beloved coach, who was instrumental in building the success of local swimming programs, culminating in a state team championship for Watauga High School and one individual state champion. As a prep star in Florida, he won three state water polo championships from 1970-72 and was the top-ranked swimmer in the state and a prep All-American.

He also won a junior national water polo championship and was third nationally in the butterfly. He was an AllAmerican swimmer at Auburn and made the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1972. O’Loughlin turned his love of the sport into a 24-year coaching career at WHS, that also included work with the state-championship cross country teams. He died tragically of liver cancer in 2003.

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Leigh Cooper Wallace: Wallace had a harrowing experience as a kidnap victim and rape survivor while a student at Appalachian State, but she became better known for her success as a runner in college and for her outstanding coaching in helping Watauga High School win numerous state titles individually and team-wise in cross country and track and field. As a performer, she was an All-Southern Conference cross country performer and won conference titles in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs, still holding some of the top times in the league’s track and field history. Wallace, whose life story was documented on television in 2012, became a strong advocate for victims of violence before her life was cut short 19 months ago by pneumonia at the age of 43.

Dave Warren: Warren made an early mark as an all-star baseball player in Little League and Senior League before becoming a standout in baseball, basketball and football at Watauga High School. He was a member of the 1978 state championship football team. After his playing career, Warren became an active supporter of youth sports in the community as a football and baseball coach and official.

J.W. “John” Welborn: Welborn was undefeated during his Appalachian High School wrestling career in dual meets and won two state championships and finished second and fourth in two other seasons from 1952-56. He also won a North Carolina open championship during that time. Welborn began his college career at North Carolina and after an Army stint, he transferred to Appalachian State, where he was again unbeaten in dual meets. After college, Welborn developed the East Carolina University wrestling program as its head coach and also coached soccer, golf and cross country. He was ECU’s assistant athletic director for more than a decade.

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August 11, 2006 Steve Breitenstein: Breitenstein is a member of a fine sports family legacy, but his biggest contribution locally has come as a coach. His father coached football at Appalachian State and his sons Seth and Eric played football at Appalachian State and Wofford. After starting his athletic career locally and spending his freshman year at Appalachian High School, Breitenstein excelled as a football, basketball and track and field athlete in Florida. He was a high jump and 800-meter specialist at Catawba College before coming back to the community as a teacher and coach at Watauga High School. He coached wrestling, track and field and tennis and served as a football assistant, helping WHS to the 1978 state title and numerous track and field athletes that won state honors individually and as teams.

Jon Steinbrecher: Steinbrecher launched a successful athletic career at Watauga High School as an outstanding wrestler, tennis player and a member of the 1978 WHS state championship football team, but he continued that sparkling success as an athlete at Valparaiso University and as an influential college administrator. After graduating from college, Steinbrecher became the commissioner of the Mid-Continent Conference before moving on to the Ohio Valley Conference and the Mid-American Conference. He has served on numerous important committees through the years, including the NCAA executive counsel.

Danny Len Triplett: Triplett was an all-state football player, who helped lead Watauga High School to the 1978 state championship and went on to become a member of Clemson’s 1981 NCAA Division I-A national championship squad as a lineman. He also excelled in basketball and track and field.

He was the MVP of the Japan Mirage Bowl in 1982 against Wake Forest. After playing for Clemson, Triplett was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams and played NFL football with the Rams, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins. He also played in the USFL. When his playing career ended, Triplett became a coach at Emory & Henry, Tennessee-Chattanooga and East Tennessee State. He also has worked as a volunteer Pee-Wee football coach and has helped with recreational sports programs in baseball and basketball in Bristol, VA.

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Benjamin Oscar Ward: Ward had a passion for baseball that started as a youngster, playing a game called town ball. He formed his own community baseball team around 1916, called the Watauga River and managed teams later that were simply known as Ben Ward’s team. A tireless promoter of baseball and a strong backer of community programs, he built a baseball field on his property in the Sugar Grove community that was modeled after Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

Born in 1896, Ward was still competing at the end of his life and counted his proudest moment as pitching on the day that NASA landed on the moon for the first time.

August 10, 2007 Joe Critcher: Critcher was a key performer on the state championship football team for Watauga High in 1978 as a receiver and a defensive back, but also excelled in wrestling and baseball. He went on to play baseball in college at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College and became a successful baseball and wrestling coach. His Hoke County High School team won a state 4-A championship in 1990.He returned to his college alma mater to coach baseball and won a Carolinas/Virginia Conference title in 2000. He has also been active in youth programs as an American Legion baseball coach, winning several area and district titles.

Larry Horne: Horne made most of his athletic mark outside of Watauga County, but he will long be remembered for founding the High Country Senior Games and starting the Watauga Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. He won 13 national Senior Olympic and Masters Age Group titles in track and field in the discus, javelin and shot put and also worked on the ski patrol at Sugar Mountain for 37 years. He also served for more than a decade as the chairman of the Appalachian State Health and Physical Education Department. At Colorado University, Horne lettered in football, baseball and track and field and had professional experience in both minor league baseball and as a preseason roster member of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers in 1956. He was a football and track coach in Colorado and the Panama Canal Zone and was also very involved U.S. Air Force sporting activities during his career.

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Herman Coaker Triplett: Triplett ranks as one of the top baseball players to come out of Watauga County, with his success leading to his induction to four different halls of fame, the International League Hall of Fame, the Buffalo Bisons Hall of Fame and the Appalachian State Hall of Fame, in addition to his Watauga County honor. Triplett spent six years in Major League baseball, beginning in 1938 with the Chicago Cubs.

He went on to also play for the St Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Blue Jays (now the Phillies), compiling a lifetime .256 batting average. Triplett was fourth in the National League in home runs in 1943 with 15 and finished fifth in slugging percentage at .439. He only hit below .300 twice during his 13-year minor league career and won the Southern Association batting title in 1937 at Memphis with a .356 average and the International League batting title in 1948 at Buffalo with a .353 clip. He finished with a .327 lifetime average in the minors. After his professional career ended, Triplett came back to Boone and managed the Boone baseball team beginning in 1953.

Lindsay Taylor: Taylor wasn’t much interested in track and field until she was encouraged to participate by her twin sister, Brenda. But once she took to these sports, she found a niche as a versatile performer. She won numerous state titles in track and field and swimming individually and for her team and helped lead Watauga High to the state title game in volleyball.

She excelled as a collegiate track and field athlete at Brown, with numerous school records. Taylor finished third at the 2004 U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships in the pole vault and was eighth in long jump. She has competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the hepthalon and has also performer in the pentathlon.

AUGUST 8, 2008 April Cook Guinchard: Guinchard is remembered as one of the greatest female athletes ever produced

by Watuaga High School. She won several individual state championships in the high jump and the 400 Hurdles as a track and field star at WHS before moving on to the University of Texas on a track and field scholarship.

Guinchard was the lone performer for Watauga High in the 1983 state championships, but scored enough points to lift the Pioneer to a third-place finish in the meet. At Texas, Cook Guichard was a member of an NCAA championship team

Bill Mauldin: Mauldin was an outstanding football player at Appalachian State from 1963-66, starting as a 168-pound, freshman defensive end, before bulking up to 240 pounds by the time he was a senior co-captain. He became an assistant coach under Jack Groce. But he is best known for leading Watauga High School to its lone state football championship in 1978, building on the success of Groce with a 13-0-1 record. Mauldin was named the 1978 state coach of the year and coached the North Carolina Shrine Bowl team that season. He also coached golf and track field at WHS, winning conference championships in both sports. Mauldin went on to coach Catawba College to a conference championship and the NAIA national playoffs.

James Deal Jr.: Deal was the team captain, starting point guard and MVP for the Watauga High basketball team and an MVP in tennis, but also excelled on the links as an outstanding golfer before moving on to Appalachian State. He also has won numerous club championships as a golfer in Watauga County during a recreation career of over 40 years. A strong proponent for recreational sports in Watauga County during his adult life, Deal has served as

a member of the Watauga County School Board and the Watauga County Board of Commissioners.

Bobby Edward Harmon: Harmon turned down a professional contract with the Asheville Tourists, a minor league team in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, to finish his education at Appalachian State. But that doesn’t change the fact that Harmon is one of the top baseball players ever produced in this area. He was considered one of the best shortstops to develop in Watauga County and went on to organize recreational softball in the area, as well as being a force in Watauga Little League and keeping statistics for years for Blowing Rock High School. He also umpired at many different levels over the years. He made his mark as player at Cove Creek High School as a youngster and was part of the Cove Creek basketball team that went to the state championship game in 1955 and won 55 consecutive games over two years.  David Coulson, a free-lance writer who lives in the Powder Horn Mountain community of Watauga County, is executive editor of the website College-Sports-Journal.com, has covered Appalachian State athletics frequently for the past 23 years and has been a frequent contributor to High Country Magazine. His book Magic on the Mountain was published by Parkway Publishers and followed the 2005 Appalachian State football team on its journey to the NCAA Division I national championship and is available from the author.

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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 our advertisers, a most sincere thank you.

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Parting Shot...

W

Todd Bush

A New Era for Banner Elk?

hen thousands of people descend upon the green space of the former Banner Elk Elementary School for the 37th annual Woolly Worm Festival on Oct. 18 and 19, caterpillars may be racing up strings on townowned property for the very first time.

This past September, the Avery County Board of Commissioners agreed to sell the 5.3-acre property to the Town of Banner Elk for $1 million. In lieu of interest fees on a 12-year loan, the Town of Banner Elk agreed to pay an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 of water and sewer fees of the current Banner Elk Elementary School throughout the life of the loan.

A WPA stone building, the historic school was completed in 1939, opened to students in 1940 and closed in 2011.

It’s located right smack dab in the heart of downtown Banner Elk and borders the Tate-Evans Park.

“For many years I have felt [and not just in an election year] the best owner of 88

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that property was Banner Elk. We are getting mighty close, and I hope it works. I just want to say that I’ve truly felt that for several years now,” Avery County Board of Commissioners Chair Kenny Poteat said at a meeting before the agreement was finalized.

And officials with the Town of Banner Elk agree.

“We are very excited. We have felt this was our building from the beginning. So many children have gone through that elementary school and so many people have taught there that we feel it’s a part of Banner Elk. We are thrilled to see the possibility and the end where we can actually call it our own,” Mayor Brenda Lyerly said.

Currently, a business incubator known as A.C. PRIDE is housed in the old school building. Those business owners operating out of historic school will remain at least until their leases end in two to three years. Members of the community want it to remain a historical building and have suggested utilizing the space for a library,

October / November 2014

continuation of the business incubator, shopping mall for new businesses, theatre, gym, offices, meeting space and more.

“It’s wide open,” Lyerly said, referring to the many options the town and community have for the building.

While the town has committed to taking over the property beginning Oct. 1, it’s now focused on raising funds for the purchase, management and upkeep of the building.

Still as daunting of a task as that is for a town with a population of about 1,000, it hasn’t taken away from the excitement of this project.

“This is one of the best things to ever happen to our community,” Deka Tate, a former mayor of Banner Elk, said. “It will be a tremendous boost to the local economy, and we need that badly. I see a golden opportunity here for outstanding growth and development. The potential for success is limitless.”

By Jesse Wood

SUNALEI PRESERVE

Still private. Still exclusive.

Still sustainable.

With over 300 of the 1,000 acres having been designated as a permanent natural preserve, Sunalei is truly a community within a park.

Carefully balancing homes with the stirring landscape of a giant mountain and its surrounding valleys, Sunalei Preserve is a way to live within the environment – to experience it, to enjoy it and to protect it. With fewer than 120 home sites available, only a select few are destined to become a part of the Sunalei lifestyle.

Custom Mountain Homes starting $649,000 Select Building Lots 2-11 acres from $140,000

SALES OFFICES IN BANNER ELK, BOONE & BLOWING ROCK

B O O N E • N O RT H CA R O L I N A

828.263.8711

w w w. S u n a l e i P r e s e r v e . c o m • w w w. B lOctober u e R i/ dNovember g e R e 2014 a l t y. nH ei gth

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