June 2023: The Laurel Magazine

L aURe L

The Heart of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau

Highlands Motoring Festival

A Weekend Event pg. 14

Focus on

Flowers & Figures

Cover Artist, Cath Connolly

June

JANET CUMMINGS Managing Partner janet@thelaurelmagazine.com

MARJORIE CHRISTIANSEN Managing Partner marjorie@thelaurelmagazine.com

Publisher’s Note

Welcome to the June Issue of The Laurel! Just like the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau itself in June, it’s jammed with so many events and personalities and wild places, so much so that we’re testing the limits of 21st century magazine binding technology.

William McReynolds will tell you all about why June should hold a special place in our hearts – for corroborating evidence we’d submit the pages of this very issue. Pay attention! And look for the magic embedded in every day of this beautiful month!

Thank You!

Janet and Marjorie

MICHELLE MUNGER Art Director mungerclan5@aol.com

SARAH FIELDING Account Manager sarah@thelaurelmagazine.com

LUKE OSTEEN Editor / Writer luke@thelaurelmagazine.com

DONNA RHODES Writer dmrhodes847@gmail.com

MARLENE OSTEEN Writer marlene.osteen@gmail.com

MARY JANE MCCALL Writer mjmccall777@gmail.com

DEENA BOUKNIGHT Writer dknight865@gmail.com

THOMAS CUMMINGS Distribution Manager jothcu@yahoo.com

Contributing Writers: Mary Adair Trumbly, Sue Blair, David Stroud, William McReynolds, Sue Aery, Zach Claxton, Ashby Underwood, and Mary Abranyi. Contributing Photographers: Susan Renfro, Greg Clarkson, Charles Johnson, Peter Ray, Terry Barnes, Ryan Karcher, and Colleen Kerrigan.

without

mission of the publisher is prohibited. The publishers and editors are not responsible for

and

will be

unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Laurel Magazine’s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs and drawings. Every effort has been made to assure that all information presented in this issue is accurate, and neither Laurel Magazine nor any of its staff is responsible for advertising errors, omissions, or information that has been misrepresented in or to the magazine. Any substantial errors that are the fault of the magazine will be subject to a reduction or reimbursement of the amounts paid by the advertiser, but in no case will any claim arising from such error exceed the amount paid for the advertisement by the advertiser.

WHAT TO DO

Pages 14-79

photo by Susan Renfro

Dream Cars on Display

Highlands Motoring Festival revs up for its 16th year – June 8-11. It’s free to the public, but donations are welcome. To volunteer or for more information, visit the festival’s website at HighlandsMotoringFestival.com.

Each year, the public is treated to an opportunity to view beautiful and often very distinct automobiles at the Annual Highlands Motoring Festival.

This year, the spotlight is on two featured cars: 1958 BMW 507 and 1927 Miller 91 Special.

However, the weekend event – in its 16th year – which begins Thursday, June 8, offers much more.

Packed into the weekend fundraising event to benefit Literacy and Learning Center of Highlands, REACH of Macon County, and the Community Care Clinic of Highlands and Cashiers is everything from a car show to motoring opportunities to silent and live auctions. The event attracts local residents and visitors alike; in fact, the Motoring Festival is on the radar of automobile aficionados from throughout the United States and even from other countries.

According to festival organizer Steve Ham, 85 special classic cars – ranging from 1907 to 1989 American and European mod-

els – have been invited through a rigorous application process. “The 2023 featured marque is BMW, where 15 carefully curated classics will tell the history of the brand. Other 2023 entries will include cars from Duesenberg, Ferrari, Porsche, Ford, Cadillac, Jaguar, Chevrolet, and many others,” he said.

Besides a myriad of vintage and new cars presented, a highlight is the Thursday evening reception, due to the guest appearance of world-renown, British-born race car driver Brian Redman. His career is noteworthy in that he raced in Formula One between 1968 and 1974 with six different teams. He is a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the Sebring Hall of Fame, the Talladega Hall of Fame, and the Long Beach Walk of Fame.

Then, on Friday evening, the festival committee, with assistance from Highlands Police Department, will stage a Main Street Parade where interesting and collectible classic cars will be showcased.

A can’t-miss activity is Saturday’s “Cars in the Park” car show in the Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park in downtown Highlands.

On Saturday night there will be a Fundraising Gala with a dinner and program at Wildcat Cliffs Country Club. Redman will be present again, this time to discuss his 60-plus year career in international motorsports. He will share his experiences on famous racetracks from around the world. Plus, on Saturday night there’ll be silent and live auctions of automotive items.

The festival concludes on Sunday morning with the High Octane Car Show and Social Gathering at KelseyHutchinson Founders Park.

by Deena Bouknight

Highlands Outdoor Concert Series

The music of Highlands’ Weekend Concert Series – Friday Night Live and Saturdays on Pine Outdoor Concert Series, and Pop-Up Bagpiper Performances, provides a free soundtrack for a Plateau Summer.

Launching the month are Highlands natives Katie & Ezra, who’ll enrapture their audience at Town Square at 6:00 P.M. Friday, June 2. A husband-and-wife duo, Katie & Ezra have been playing acoustic music together for over 10 years. They recently spent seven years in Los Angeles pursuing their creative endeavors: writing, acting, and performing small acoustic shows around the city. They are heavily influenced by folk music, country, and traditional Appalachian hymns, looking to Americana art Nu-Blu Awards Country Band of The Year ists such as the Avett Brothers, Langhorne Slim, John Prine, and Miranda Lambert as inspirations. They are excited to be playing in their hometown again.

The next afternoon, June 3, it’ll be a live performance by Highlands Bagpipers at 4:30 P.M. downtown.

Highlands Bagpipers is comprised of musicians Margaret Tooke and Glenn Morris who have previously performed as part of the Highlands Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting events. The performances honor Highlands’ heritage, which includes settlers and laborers from Scotland and Ireland as well as a history of serving as a cultural center for artists and musicians.

That evening, June 3, Nu-Blu takes the stage at KelseyHutchinson Founders Park at 6:00 P.M. Host of TV’s Bluegrass

Ridge Show, which appears in over 160 million homes across the US each week, Nu-Blu has been bringing their unique sound to audiences around the world. A former Carolina Music Awards Country Band Of The Year,

On Friday, June 9, perennial favorite The Johnny Webb Band returns to Town Square. The Johnny Webb Band is one of Western North Carolina’s premier country bands, serving up laidback yet seasoned performances. They’re known for delivering a truly exceptional musical experience with a down-home flavor.

Firecracker Jazz Band takes the stage at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park at 6:00 P.M. Saturday, June 10. In hundreds of performances since 2003, this Asheville band has played everywhere from street corners, secret speakeasies, jazz festivals nationwide, swing-and-swill dance halls, Bonnaroo, and the Kennedy Center.

Friday, June 16, brings Steady Hand String Band to Town Square. This is an old-time string band based out of Long Creek, South Carolina. Steady Hand performs tunes that originated mostly before the 1930s with a handful of old country tunes thrown in as well.

The Troupers will perform at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on Saturday, June 17. The Troupers are seasoned professional

entertainers, collectively appearing on more than one hundred CDs and albums, performing in 12 countries. Stellar vocals, musicianship and delightful entertainment energy qualify The Troupers as a must for your event.

On Friday, June 23, it’s Southern Highland Band at Town Square. The heart of Southern Highland Band are life-long friends and business partners Tom Nixon and Dean English, who are the proprietors of Blue Ridge Music in Clayton, Georgia. Together with other rotating band members (depending upon the venue), they have performed at countless regional festivals and events, private parties, weddings, and receptions.

Byrds & Crows will take to Town Square on Friday, June 30. Byrds & Crows, who live in Transylvania County, enjoy playing songs that are deeply rooted in the Appalachian Mountains that consist of bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, folk, and early country music.

All these performances are free and open to everyone. Dancing is encouraged.

The bagpipe performances, Friday Night Live and Saturdays on Pine Outdoor Concert Series are organized and hosted by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC. For more information about these or other events, go to visithighlandsnc.com, call (828) 526-2112 or send an email to events@highlandschamber.org.

by Luke Osteen

Katie&Ezra

Art Makin’ & Storytellin’

If you’re a full-time Plateau person, a part-time resident, heck, even if you’re just passing through, consider this an invitation to The Bascom’s Community Day 2023, set for July 1 at 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

Community Day 2023 is coming up on Saturday July 1! For over a decade, The Bascom has welcomed the surrounding communities and visitors to the Plateau to join us for a day of hands-on artmaking for children and families, artist demonstrations, storytelling, fresh popcorn and more! This is a free event and open to the public.

This year’s event will host some exciting new activities in partnership with our friends in the community. The HighlandsCashiers Hospital will be bringing their Teddy Bear Clinic

with a fun photo booth to The Bascom Terrace, the HighlandsCashiers Land Trust will be hosting a conservation-centered interactive booth, and the Jackson County Green Energy Park from Dillsboro, NC will be providing glass blowing demonstrations with their mobile glass forge.

As always, there will be hands on art activities in ceramics, printmaking and quilting, and a collaborative community mural that will be displayed in the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital following the event. Three exciting new exhibitions will be on

display in the galleries, and the retail shop has beautiful handmade work from local and regional artists.

The Bascom would like to thank our Community Day sponsor for 2023, the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital. We are pleased to partner with such an important community resource that believes in the visual arts as a catalyst for community well-being.

The fun happens from 11:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M. on The Bascom campus at 323 Franklin Rd., Highlands, NC.

by Billy Love, The Bascom

Warm Up Your Swing

Big Brothers Big Sisters will stage its 10th Annual Croquet Tournament of the Plateau on June 20 at The Country Club of Sapphire Valley. To register or learn more call (828) 399-9133 or email cashiers@bbbswnc.org.

It’s that time of year again – Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC’s 10th Annual Croquet Tournament of the Plateau to raise important funds for the mentoring programs coordinated locally and regionally to serve youth in our Plateau communities. Dust off those mallets and warm up your swing, because this year’s tournament takes place on June 20, 2023!

Money raised during this annual event helps community children by enabling BBBSWNC staff to recruit and vet prospective “Bigs’’ who commit to being a steadfast presence in the child’s life for at least a year. Supported by professional BBBS staff locally in each of the 18 Western North Carolina counties that BBBSWNC serves, these matches have shown that they improve a child’s success in school and in life.

As in former years, the Croquet

Tournament (led and coordinated by Nancy Albers) invites players to register to play and attend lunch following the tournament. Not a croquet player? Folks who are interested in learning about the program and participating in the fundraising event may attend lunch for only $40. Various opportunities to support the program will be available during the event, including a program presentation, 50/50 raffle (bring cash to participate), and a menu of donation opportunities.

BBBS’ goal this year is to raise $15,000 to further its mission to create and support mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. The Cashiers and Highlands program has more than a dozen children waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister. Bigs spend as little as an hour every couple of weeks with their Little, just hanging out and talking. Some Bigs start out

with their Little at school, during school hours. Some matches move on – or begin – as Community-Based Matches and do things like hiking, biking, getting a snack, or participating in other activities, many of which BBBSWNC program staff locally organize or have discounts for.

BBBSWNC has served thousands of children since it began more than 40 years ago. An affiliate of the largest, most trusted child empowerment organization in the country (BBBS of America), BBBSWNC places the child’s safety first and works with the parents/ guardians to find a Big who will make a difference in a child’s life. Caregivers and prospective Bigs can learn more at bbbswnc.org.

by Danielle Hernandez, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina

Plenty to Celebrate

Though the skies over Southern Jackson County will be clear on the evening of July 4, fireworks fanatics will have plenty to celebrate in the nights leading up to Independence Day.

Join the community at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers for an evening of music, family fun, and of course, fireworks!

The annual Fireworks Extravaganza on The Green will take place on Saturday, July 1, at 6:30 P.M., rain or shine, on The Village Green Commons Lawn. Entertainment will be provided by rhythm and blues band Continental Divide, and a fireworks show will follow featuring 1000s of colorful bursts!

Admission is free; however, donations will be collected to help with the cost of the event. Many small communities have eliminated fireworks from their celebrations due to the cost associated with large pyrotechnic displays, but The Village Green believes it is important to preserve this patriotic tradition for the

Cashiers community.

“Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs, and picnics and coolers with their own food and beverages,” says Village Green Executive Director Ashlie Mitchell.

Please be aware that Frank Allen Road will be closed starting at 6:00 P.M. and will not reopen until we receive an ‘allclear’ after the fireworks show. Parking will be limited along Frank Allen Road. Then there’s the 26th annual Friends of Lake Glenville Fireworks Over The Lake, held on Sunday, July 2, at approximately 9:30 PM.

Everyone is invited to gather safely in their watercraft or on land to enjoy this always spectacular celebration of our Nation’s Independence.

There are great viewing opportunities off 107 N along the roadside from near Hamburg Baptist Church (south to the pullover/open areas along the lake). Be sure to have your vehicle entirely off the road and be mindful of traffic.

Fireworks are held rain or shine, unless dangerous conditions develop, such as lightning.

The Friends of Lake Glenville is responsible for the organization and financing of this signature event and relies exclusively on private contributions from Sponsors and attendees. If you’d like to contribute to help keep ‘em lit, visit FriendsOfLakeGlenville.com/ Fireworks to make a donation.

This annual fireworks tradition would not be possible without the kind donations and contributions of its sponsors – Signal Ridge Marina, Trillium Links and Lake Club, Mountainview Marina, Scenic Waterfall Tours, The Glenville Lake Club, several HOAs, and our individual donors.

And, of course, this event wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation of the Cashiers-Glenville Fire Department.

by Luke Osteen

It’s a blast! Cashiers and Glenville are launching dazzling fireworks displays on the evenings of July 1 and 2.

A Day of Celebration

Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC promises music, games and a full fireworks display for the Fourth of July.

Reminding us of the powerful sense of neighborliness that underlies this community and this country, Highlands Chamber of Commerce is offering plenty of Fourth of July fun – free and open to everyone.

The day’s fun begins at the Town Ball Field on Hickory Street, with Water Rocket Launches from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.; followed by the Highlands Rotary Lunch at 11:00 A.M.; and Traditional Field Games from 11:00 A.M. until noon.

Next up, it’s Highlands Fire Department’s Ladder Truck Display and Spray Down at noon, and a visit from the Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA).

The annual Duck Derby, billed as “the most exciting five minutes in Highlands,” will take place at 2:00

P.M. at The Bridge at Mill Creek, offering a chance for cash prizes with ticket purchase.

But those ducks don’t mark the end of the fun, because there’s a blowout performance by Diamond River Band at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, starting at 6:00 P.M.

Diamond River Band is a young, versatile, and hip party band. Spanning the decades with a special emphasis on Classic Rock, Motown, Country and current hits, Diamond River is for folks looking for something less traditional, while still appealing to a vast range of ages.

Diamond River Band will wrap up its performance at 8:30 P.M., giving its audience a chance to have a bit of refreshment, adjust their seating, and cast their gaze to the skies – the Fireworks

Display launches at 9:00 P.M.. Now you’ll hear some Fireworks veterans say that the best place to witness the spectacle is the wide-open space at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park. We’d dispute this – it’s been our experience that you can enjoy the show from virtually everywhere in downtown Highlands.

If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, you may want to hike to the summit of Sunset Rock for an unforgettable perspective. If you pursue this course, be sure to take along a flashlight or a fullycharged phone for illumination – the trail is uneven and can be treacherous if you’re not paying attention. Please don’t take a vehicle to the top.

by Luke Osteen

Immerse Yourself in Art

Mountaintop Rotary’s Art and Craft Show, set for June 24 and 25 at KelseyHutchinson Founders Park in Highlands, provides a bazaar of the beautiful and the unique.

Mountaintop Rotary’s Art and Craft Show will be held on June 24 and 25 and again on August 26 and 27 at the Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on Pine Street in Highlands. This two-day event has transformed itself into a true art festival. It’s a chance to immerse yourself in a bit of our area’s unique culture and heritage, as well as shop for items from an immensely talented array of artisans who will be displaying their work.

This is an event your entire family will enjoy and features artisans from across the Southeast as well as a number of talented locals who always look forward to visiting with the hometown crowd.

One such artist, Deborah Bryant of Deborah Bryant Handwoven, loves local shows that are so well supported by our community.

Deborah says “They’re like a warm embrace.” Her colorful and vibrant

handwoven scarves, wraps, and wearable accessories are known for their beauty and functionality.

Featured on Saturday, June 24, will be music from 1:00 until 4:00 P.M. by local Bluegrass favorite Nitrograss. These Bluegrass superheroes feature two-time national champion banjo player Charles Wood, whose blistering banjo lays the foundation of this group’s sound. Their driving acoustic sound is rounded out with band members Micah Hanks on guitar and vocals, Colby Laney on bass and vocals, and Matt Flake on the fiddle, mandolin and vocals.

A clogging contest on Saturday will be judged by Highlands’ own Ginger Mosley, a former national champion clogger with the Southern Precision Dance team. If you’re a clogger, bring your taps, if you’d like to learn, bring a sense of adventure, and if you’d just like to watch, bring yourself.

If line dancing is more your style, they’ve

got you covered as well as there will be a line dance contest on Sunday, coordinated and judged by Susie Flaherty.

The Highlands-Cashiers Hospital will be hosting a teddy bear clinic on both days from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. as well as an oversized Operation game. The Bascom will have a Make & Take activity. That sounds like fun for kids of all ages.

The event is free, but donations are accepted and encouraged as it is Mountaintop Rotary’s largest fundraiser and allows the club to achieve its goals of helping families and children in need, both locally and internationally. Each weekend also features a Silent Auction with generous donations from the artisans in attendance as well as from our community.

For more information on the show visit highlandsartshow.com or visit their Facebook page for the latest updates.

by Mary Jane McCall

Good Ol’ Summertime

Forget the Summer Doldrums – the Plateau’s twin libraries are bursting with good things.

Both the Hudson Library in Highlands and the Albert CarltonCashiers Library offer up enough programs and activities throughout the summer to keep residents and visitors from getting anywhere close to bored!

For example, Books & Bites at Hudson Library is a late-afternoon program featuring wine and cheese, along with top-notch authors, including on June 20 – Annabel Monaghan, who will speak about her recently published book, Same Time Next Summer. Books will be available for purchase and signing at this free event, which takes place at 4:00 P.M. Also in June at Hudson Library are Kids Zone events every Thursday at 3:30 P.M., including:

June 8, “Super Seeds” – Kids will learn about different ways to germinate seeds, build mini greenhouses, and take them home with seeds planted and ready to grow!

June 22, “Splendid Soil” – Participants will explore different types of soil found in our area, and learn why some are better for plants than others.

Plus, at Hudson Library:

June 7, 11:00 A.M. “Enriching Mental Health with Complementary Treatments, Part 2,” a Vaya Adult Mental Health series

June 16, 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.American Red Cross Blood Drive

June 30, 11:00 A.M. “Community Coffee” – Anyone can sit down with Highlands Mayor Patrick Taylor to be a part of a discussion of issues important to the Highlands area.

June 13 and 27, 10:15 A.M. “Nature Kids!” – Highlands Nature Center’s Paige Engelbrektsson introduces young children to nature through fun interactive programs.

In Cashiers, “June is hopping with something for everyone,” expressed

Branch Librarian Serenity Richards. “As always, these are open to everyone and free.”

Offered in June:

Annual Book Clearance, June 13-17

Mondays at 1:00 P.M. Mah Jongg games

Tuesdays STEAM programs for the kids

June 19 at 10:00 A.M. Cashiers Kids Color Course

Friday at 10:30 A.M. Kids Programs:

June 23, N.C. Aquarium;

June 30, Professor Whizzpop

Tuesdays Puzzle Time at 1:00 P.M.

Wednesdays Summer Stories at 10:30 A.M.

Wednesdays Toddler Time at 2:00 P.M.

June 22, 1:00 to 6:00 P.M. – Blood Connection Blood Drive

June 23 at 2:00 P.M – “The Broad Spectrum of Life Coaching” with Donna Clements

Immerse Yourself in Music

Singer-songwriter Erick Baker takes the stage for the latest Orchard Session, Thursday, June 15 at The Farm at Old Edwards.

To book online visit OldEdwardsHospitality.com/OrchardSessions.

The chance to simultaneously immerse yourself in music and the outdoors holds a certain kind of magic. Such is the promise of the seasonal concert series, Orchard Sessions at The Farm at Old Edwards. As birds quiver and crickets chirp in harmony with the music, the light dims and casts shadows, and the evening yields an experience wholly engulfing.

Singer-songwriter Erick Baker performs on Thursday, June 15. And once again the orchard will become a chamber of resonances and reverberations; the soulful sounds of his voice echoing among the trees, his acoustic guitar serving as rhythm and background to the swell of his voice.

Baker, who is often described as a “late-bloomer,” didn’t start performing until he was 18, while at the University of Tennessee.

He quickly made up for lost time. He started playing covers at bars with a local band, cut a pair of self-released albums, and began performing as a solo acoustic act. When he was spotted by a local promoter at an open-mic night in Knoxville, he was offered a chance to open for John Legend and the buzz soon spread.

Drawing comparison to contemporary songwriters like Ray LaMontagne and Ryan Adams, Baker has earned a following for his emotionally charged songs about the travails of love and life. Well-known for blending the energetic beat of pop music into a soul culture, he creates music that pushes the boundaries of genre stereotype.

At the heart of his music is his soulful voice – “a smoke and whiskey tenor with plenty of range and emotion.” The aching intensity, and unguarded emotional energy of his live

ErickBaker

performances are a compelling example of what can be accomplished through song. Mountain Xpress described him as having a “raw and powerful” voice and an “ability to whip a crowd into a respectable frenzy.” This is music that reminds us how to enjoy nature and each other.

Not content with just music stardom, Baker released his first children’s book in 2021, Willie the Weed, an optimistic tale with vivid illustrations and a heartwarming message that encourages children to be proud of who they are. The show begins at 6:00 P.M. and concludes around sunset at 8:00 P.M. There is a $40 cover charge for the public. Every ticket includes light bites and a cash bar.

For updates and to book online visit OldEdwardsHospitality.com/OrchardSessions.

by Marlene Osteen

Getting YourGroove On

Groovin’ on the Green, the Cashiers concert series that’s drawn audiences from across the Southeast, energizes the month with a pair of performances.

Groovin’ on the Green, which launched its 2023 season with the May 26 concert by Nitrograss, extends the excitement with two shows this month.

These concerts are held at the Village Green on Frank Allen Road in Cashiers, most Friday nights throughout the season. Music starts at 6:30 P.M. and the show goes on rain or shine. Admission is free, though donations are encouraged and appreciated, and parking is plentiful.

On June 9, The Caribbean Cowboys bring their talents to stage. These slightly off-kilter cowboys have been entertaining audiences up and down the East Coast for over 30 years and these guys can, and do, play it all. From classic

rock, blues, reggae, and country to, as their name suggests, beach tunes, you’ll enjoy a concert you won’t soon forget. Lead singer Steve Weams is a master of encouraging audience participation, so plan to sing along. This concert is sponsored by Landmark Realty Group.

Then, local favorites Zorki and Bill Berg deliver their acoustic mastery for a return to the Village Green on June 23. Zorki has been a presence on the Plateau for decades. As a young musician, he attracted large crowds while playing as a street musician in the parks of New York City. He was soon sharing the stage with some of New York’s finest musicians. Taking his music from New York to California and back, Zorki is now based

here on the Plateau. He continues to perform coast to coast. His unique style of complex guitar and soothing vocals hooks audiences of all ages as he makes one guitar sound like a full band. Bring a chair, your family, your friends and even your dog (who must be always leashed and under your control) and join the fun. Don’t forget to bring a picnic supper and a cooler of your favorite beverages, or you can purchase food and beverages from one of the vendors on site.

The Village Green will be providing a limited number of tents available for rental. If you’d like to book a tent, please visit villagegreencashiersnc.com.

by Luke Osteen

Scan to learn more.

… local favorites Zorki and Bill Berg deliver their acoustic mastery…

Sensory Experience

The artistry of local treasure Bryan Heller will be showcased with a concert at Albert CarltonCashiers Community Library, Thursday, June 8. There is no charge for admission to the concert, but reservations are required. Call (828) 743-0215 to reserve seats. Space is limited.

BryanHeller

Bryan Heller presents “Experience the Mountains: A Waterfall Journey,” in a unique concert experience that combines beautifully visual imagery with skillful live music at Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library.

Friends of the Library (FOL) organized the 7:00 P.M. June 8 concert of original compositions and videography as a “gift” to the Plateau community.

“When we heard Bryan had created this video presentation of some of the region’s most majestic waterfalls, as well as composing music to accompany the video, we were excited to give the entire community a chance to experience the show,” explained Charlotte Collins, who is president of FOL. “Bryan is a local talent, having been a pianist and the director of music at the Cashiers United Methodist Church for a number of years In fact, FOL has collaborated with Bryan

in the past. He helped us to present a holiday program for two consecutive years. At each, he accompanied a choir and recruited other local musicians, and even helped to decorate the room. We see this concert as a way to share his musical talents with the entire community.”

According to Heller, the audience attending the June 8 event will experience imagery of the beautiful waterfalls throughout Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina as he plays the piano and sets a mood that enables them to enjoy a sensory, artistic journey.

“It is a moment of peace, wonder, and awe and to reflect on the natural beauty that surrounds us right here in these mountains,” offered Heller, a professional concert pianist and instructor who resides in Cashiers. Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, he received music education from the Alexander Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Arts and Western

Carolina University. His Piano Mountain studio currently educates music students from five to 85. He shared that one of his greatest moments has been performing at Carnegie Hall accompanying the Smoky Mountain High School Concert Choir. “We invite our residents and visitors to experience our exceptional community library and to experience Bryan’s artistic vision,” says FOL concert chair Connie Dyleski. “We are presenting this event as a gift to the community.”

Prints of Heller’s photography will be on exhibit in the Cashiers library through June. Select pieces will also be for sale directly through the artist during that time.

by Deena Bouknight

Fill Your Baskets

There’s a deep, abiding community spirit animating both Locally Grown on the Green and The Highlands Marketplace.

Folks around here can’t say enough good things about all the local produce and goodies to be found at our local farmer’s markets, Locally Grown on The Green in Cashiers and The Highlands Marketplace. Locally Grown on the Green farm stand and local market is held every Wednesday from 2:00 until 5:00 P.M. at The Village Green Commons. The Highlands Marketplace is held every Saturday morning at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park from 8:00 A.M. until 12:30 P.M. We recommend visiting them both if time allows.

Fill your baskets, and later, your tummies, with delicious food from farms and producers next door, not miles away. These products are so fresh you’ll practically be drying the morning

dew off them before you cook them. The baked goods smell as though you just took them fresh out of your oven. Each of these fresh markets provide access to in-season fresh produce, locally produced meat, fresh dairy items and eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, jams, jellies, honey, pickles, freshly baked breads and baked goods, granolas, homemade spreads and dips, and so much more.

Speaking of honey, did you know that locally produced honey is said to be helpful in calming seasonal allergies? Allergy season may be waning, but we think you can’t be too kind to your immune system.

You’ll enjoy an opportunity to talk to the people who actually grow and produce the food, learning how it’s

grown, where it’s grown, and why it tastes so delicious. These hard-working vendors work tirelessly to bring us the very best our region has to offer and when you speak with them, you’ll hear that it’s a labor of love. Could be that love is that secret ingredient that makes it all taste so much better.

You’ll also find fresh flowers for your tablescapes and plants and flowers for your landscape and flower boxes. Just imagine Mother Nature’s vivid landscape of colors and you’ll find them right next door at your neighborhood farmer’s market.

Make it a weekly ritual to stop by. You’ll be glad you did.

by Mary Jane McCall

Your CommunityNeeds You

Those wishing to participate in the lifeblood of the Highlands community are invited to the Highlands Volunteer Fair, 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Thursday, June 8, at the Highlands Community Building.

Looking to get involved in your community? There are many ways to serve. Join us at the Highlands Volunteer Fair on Thursday, June 8, from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. at the Highlands Community Building, 71 Poplar Street, to learn more.

The free event allows individuals who are considering donating their time a chance to explore the options available with a variety of nonprofit organizations. No registration is required. Interested residents may drop-in during fair hours to browse tables, ask questions about an organization’s work, the time commitment, typical schedule, etc.

The inaugural event was held in 2022 with the following nonprofit organizations participating: Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Center for Life Enrichment, Highlands Biological Station, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, Highlands Motoring Festival, Highlands Mountaintop Rotary, Highlands Historical Society’s Dazzling Dahlia Festival, Highlands Performing Arts Center (PAC), Highlands Volunteer Fire Department, Highlands Welcome Center, International Friendship Center, Macon Literacy Council, The Mountain, Mountain Findings, Mountain Theatre Company at Highlands Playhouse, Pisgah Legal, REACH of Macon County and Warrior Survival School. Additional nonprofits are expected to participate this year.

“Volunteering offers vital assistance to people in need, worthwhile causes and the community as a whole,” says Kaye McHan, executive director of the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC. “There are also personal benefits such as finding friends, learning new skills and even feeling happier and healthier.”

The Highlands Volunteer Fair is organized and hosted by The Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information about the Highlands Volunteer Fair and other events, visit highlandschamber.org or call (828) 526-5841.

by Luke Osteen

A Walk and A Book

Cashiers’ Village Green features an irresistible stroll through the magic of storytelling with StoryWalk.

Reading outside – on the beach or on a park bench – requires a book or device.

However, increasingly popular and widely accessible, in many towns and cities, is StoryWalk. Colorful, weatherproof signage-like presentations of each page of a children’s picture book are affixed on posts and then installed in order on some sort of walking path or trail.

For a while, StoryWalk has been a fixture on Cashier’s Greenway Ramble, a winding network of trails, sidewalks, and pedestrian-friendly roads that connects in-town parks, commercial districts, and community buildings. Families with children often venture to the Greenway Ramble to enjoy reading the latest book together. StoryWalk is an opportunity for school-aged children to practice reading and for parents and guardians to talk about featured stories with children.

Presently on display on the Greenway

Ramble is Run, Little Chaski! by Mariana Llanos. Albert CarltonCashiers Community Library’s Branch Librarian Serenity Richards explained the story’s plot: “It’s an Incan story about a young messenger on the Inca Trail and his adventures trying to deliver an important message. The book and activities are bilingual.”

Two recent books on StoryWalk were Frozen, based on the Disney movie, and The Mitten, by Jan Brett; it is a retelling of the Ukrainian folktale where several animals sleep snugly in character Nicki’s lost mitten, until the bear sneezes.

Richards noted that StoryWalk will continue to be updated throughout the summer. “In the latter part of June, we’ll be installing Luz Lucero, Niña Astronauta by Zadia Hernandez. The book tells the story of the first kid astronaut. It is also fully bilingual.”

Officially, the StoryWalk project was

created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk is a registered service mark owned by Ferguson.

Gradually, the concept caught on so that now there are StoryWalk books installed in all 50 states and in 13 countries. In fact, the Story Trails of North Carolina site provides a map indicating all the spots in the state where StoryWalk’s children’s books are on display. As the State Library of North Carolina site touts: “These programs are a wonderful family-friendly activity that promotes early literacy development and outdoor adventures.”

A Greenway Ramble map is downloadable on the cashiersramble.com site. The map shows exactly where StoryWalk is located and indicates the trails to take to get there.

by Deena Bouknight

Fish Tales

There are plenty of fish tales out there.

But instead of embellishment and hyperbole-laden information about fishing, attendees to the will be provided with lots of helpful and factual information about the history and evolution of native trout and fly fishing in Western North Carolina. “Talking Trout” will take place on Thursday, June 15, 8:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., at Canyon Kitchen in Lonesome Valley,

A 2023 Jan Wyatt Symposium event,

“Talking Trout” delivers answers to questions concerning local trout species and their future health and wellbeing. In fact, experts will address such queries as:

• Are brook trout native to local streams?

• What are the habitat requirements for native trout species?

• Where are the trails to popular fishing spots?

Speakers include naturalist/historian

Dennis Chastain, outdoorsman Herman Walker, and Brookings Angler’s part owner Matt Canter; they will present the history of fly fishing as well as information about native trout and local river access. Lunch will feature guest speaker Sally Jennings Hudson, founder of Sunburst Trout Fish Hatchery. Plenty of afternoon options offer participants hands-on experiences in tying flies, building and casting bamboo rods, and more, and a Speakers Round Table enables attendees an opportunity to glean in-depth information from Symposium guests.

“Talking Trout” is sponsored by Cashiers Historical Society, which, in 2005, presented the first Jan Wyatt Symposium as a way to preserve the history of Cashiers Valley through education. Featured topics over the years have ranged from historical figures to geological issues to cultural aspects of the region, such as traditional mountain music, heirloom gardens, and more.

Sandi Rogers, Cashiers Historical Society, explained that the Symposium is named after Jan Wyatt, who served as a past president of Cashiers Historical Society in 2004.

“She was a true visionary. The Symposium was named in her honor, for her endless hours of dedication and many visions she helped to implement as president,” said Rogers. Wyatt died in April 2021.

For additional fish and fishing-related information, interested individuals can visit, from June 14 - June 24, an on-going Native Trout Exhibit located in the Zachary Tolbert House at Cashiers Historical Society on Highway 107; this exhibit draws further attention to the historical significance of several trout species. For more detailed information and the schedule pertaining to “Talking Trout,” visit cashiershistoricalsociety.org.

by Deena Bouknight

If every dog has its day, it’s probably inevitable that Trout would have their event –Talking Trout is the 2023 Jan Wyatt Symposium at Canyon Kitchen in Lonesome Valley, Thursday, June 15.

BETH TOWNSEND

Deep Knowledge. Unmatched Experience. Beth Townsend is a Broker and Co-owner of McKee Properties, a luxury real estate firm in the area for nearly half a century. Beth holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Florida, and is able to offer unique expertise on large-acreage development parcels as well as historic estates and homes in the area’s finest private communities. She is a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) with GUILD ELITE™ recognition. Consistently a top-ranked Broker, Beth has been a real estate professional for 28 years. A career highlight was her five-year involvement to create a conservation easement protecting more than 600 acres of land close to the center of Cashiers. Learn more by visiting BethTownsendBroker.com.

Hand-Crafted Keepsakes

There’s an entire suite of beauty and intrigue found at Sapphire Valley Arts and Crafts Festival. For more information, visit sapphirevalleyresorts.com.

The artists of Sapphire Valley Arts and Crafts Festival are tripling your art enjoyment again this season – June 24-25, August 5-6, and September 30-October 1, from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

June and August Festivals are at the Sapphire Valley Athletic Field, three miles east of Cashiers on Highway 64. The September-October Festival is held in the Community Center to avoid the potential for bad weather. Free admission. Free parking.

Fill your senses with marvelous aromas from food vendors while you enjoy live music that will curl the corners of your mouth into a big ol’ grin. Then stroll down rows of fine jewelry, handmade crafts, quality folk art, mountain delights, and much more.

Authentic Appalachian art and crafts are sought-after across the country. We are lucky enough to live in the midst of the

amazing artists who produce their magnificent work. We don’t have to travel hundreds of miles to be dazzled with quality craft. On these three weekends local artisans will gather at the Sapphire shows, practically a stone’s throw away.

Fall in love with one of their creations. Make it yours. Let your friends and family ooh and ahh, then relish your handcrafted keepsake forever.

Take advantage of these three perfect weekends for three memory-making outings. Take yourself. Take a friend. Take your whole family. And be sure to take home a treasure.

by

Donna Rhodes

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A Journey of Discovery

Highlands Biological Foundation’s Zahner Conservation Lecture Series is a looking glass into the mysteries and miracles of the Plateau’s Wild Spaces.

This summer, embark on a journey of discovery and environmental awareness with the Highlands Biological Foundation’s 2023 Zahner Conservation Lecture Series.

Each Thursday evening between June 15 and August 10, the foundation will welcome an expert speaker, ranging from a well-known regional scientist to a local conservationist or writer, to share their expertise and insight with our community. The programs will begin at 6:00 P.M. at the Highlands Nature Center (930 Horse Cove Road).

This year’s series promises to be enlightening and informative as it covers a wide range of topics, including birds and climate change, microplastic pollution, the diverse sounds of nature, and regional geology.

2023 holds a special significance as it marks the 100th birthday of the late Dr. Robert Zahner, for whom, along with his wife Glenda, the lecture series is named. The series recognizes and celebrates the Zahners for their contributions to land conservation efforts on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. The foundation will host a commemorative reception in honor of Dr. Zahner following the July 13 lecture featuring Buzz Williams of the Chattooga Conservancy.

Overall, the 2023 Zahner Conservation Lecture series offers a valuable experience for anyone interested in learning more about the natural world and conservation efforts. The talks are free and open to the public. It is a fantastic opportunity to learn from some of the most knowledgeable professionals in the field. See the Foundation’s full lecture lineup listed here, and learn more about the upcoming series at highlandsbiological.org.

2023 Zahner Conservation Lectures

June 15: Birds, Big Data, and Citizen Science: Understanding the Impacts of Global Change with Allen Hurlbert, Ph.D.; Professor of Biology; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

June 22: Native Plants for the Vegetable Garden with Adam Bigelow, Plant Nerd and Guide; Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions

June 29: Microplastic Pollution in Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems with Austin D. Gray, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences; Virginia Tech

July 6: The Geology That Has Shaped the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau with Bill Jacobs; Geology Enthusiast and Author of Whence These Special Places – The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands and Panthertown Valley

July 13: History of National Forest Management in the Chattooga River Watershed and the Compelling Case for a New Mission for the Forest Service with Buzz Williams; Emeritus Executive Director; Chattooga Conservancy

July 20: Bird Talk: An Exploration of Avian Communication

Barbara Ballentine, Ph.D.; Associate Professor; Western Carolina University

July 27: Sounds Wild and Broken

David George Haskell, Ph.D.; Author and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor; University of the South

August 3: Archaeoastronomy in Southwestern North Carolina

Jane M. Eastman, Ph.D.; Associate Professor; Anthropology and Sociology Department; Western Carolina University & Brett Riggs, Ph.D.; Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies at Western Carolina University

August 10: South Carolina’s Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area

Tim Lee; Interpretive Ranger/Naturalist; Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area

by Winter Gary, Highlands Biological Foundation

From Words To Action

Explore the greatness of Lincoln, Churchill and Shackleton this month through four upcoming programs at the Center for Life Enrichment. For a full list of June’s offerings, visit clehighlands.com.

Calling all book lovers, history buffs, and adventurers. Join CLE this June for an array of unique and top-tier educational programs. Highlights this month showcase the persuasion, determination, and character of inspiring historical leaders.

Cocktail Reception and Author Book

Talk: The Rail Splitter: A Novel, Wednesday, June 14, 4:00 to 6:00 P.M.; $70 members/$80 nonmembers, Author: John Cribb.

Join New York Times-bestselling author John Cribb at a beautiful private residence boasting 180° views of Whiteside Mountain for cocktails and conversation about his latest novel, The Rail Splitter. Travel back in time as Cribb guides you alongside Lincoln though Indiana woods and Illinois prairies during the American hero’s formative years. Experience the uncovering of his extraordinary journey from a frontier farm to the White House. Light fare and cocktails will be provided.

Mobilizing the English Language: The Speeches of Winston Churchill, Thursday, June 15, 2:00 to 4:00 P.M.; Churchill and the Monarchy, Friday June 16, 10:00 A.M. to Noon; $30 members/$40 nonmembers, Presenter: Tim Riley.

Explore the power of prose in Winston Churchill’s famous speeches, as well his personal and professional relationships with the British Royal Family in two riveting presentations by Tim Riley, Director and Chief Curator for the Winston Churchill Museum at Westminster College. An expert on Churchill’s mastery of language and devotion to the crown, Riley was installed as Churchill Fellow of Westminster College in April of 2022.

Shackleton: The Man and the Myth, Thursday June 29, 10:00 A.M. to Noon; $30 members/$40 nonmembers, Presenter: Ed Larson.

Follow in the footsteps of famed explorer Ernest Shackleton as American historian and legal scholar Ed Larson recounts the remarkable achievements and efforts of this modern-day hero. Larson will captivate attendees with tales of Shackleton’s efforts to save his crew after their boat was crushed in Antarctic Ice, as well as his achievements and methods that set him apart from other explorers. Larson is a Pulitzer Prize winning author, with over fifteen books and eighty published articles. He holds the Darling Chair in Law and is University Professor of History at Pepperdine University.

by Audra Bullard

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Running forLiteracy

The Twilight 5K Race is set for August 19. If our calculations are correct, that gives you just enough time to get those abs, hamstrings, glutes and calves into springy shape. And find some comfy shoes, too!

Every year, the Twilight 5K provides a fun-filled community run focused on supporting a worthy nonprofit. This year, The Literacy & Learning Center in Highlands will be the beneficiary of proceeds raised by the August 19 event.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Highlands, the Twilight 5K “helps with awareness, provides a healthy event for our community, and brings visitors to town,” pointed out one of the event’s organizers, Derek Taylor, owner of Highlands Decorating Center. “We have been able to raise over $200,000 over the years for Highlands children’s education efforts.”

The 5K race this year begins at 6:00 P.M. at the Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park. While many avid runners will find the course challenging enough, beginners, stroller pushers, and walkers can tackle it without becoming overwhelmed. There

are some ascents and descents along the Plateau route (we are in the mountains, after all), and participants will go by Harris Lake at Highlands Park, before doubling back to the finish line at Kelsey Hutchinson Founders Park.

Entry fees for the race will benefit The Literacy & Learning Center. Its mission is “to enrich lives and expand the knowledge of children, adults, and families through diverse educational programs that advance literacy in its many forms and to promote lifelong learning, which results in an informed and empowered community.”

Registration and check-in for Twilight 5K will begin at 4:00 P.M. on Saturday the 19th, with early packet pick up the night before the race from 4:00 to 6:00 P.M. at Highlands Recreation Park. Parking will be available around KelseyHutchinson Founders Park, Highlands Recreation Park, Highlands Ballfield,

and Highlands Post Office.

People in the community, as well as family members and friends of participants, will often bring chairs, coolers, refreshments, and blankets to cheer everyone on – but will also stay for evening music, which starts around 7:30 P.M.

The race is also kid-friendly, with glow toys presented to children who attend. Plus, kids under 5 years of age can participate in the 5K for free and ages 5 to 9 for $10.

To sign up and for more information visit highlandstwilightrun.com. Contact Taylor at (828) 200-9226 for questions or to sponsor the event.

by Deena Bouknight

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Show Us Chimney Top

The Cashiers Historical Society will open the doors to the exclusive Designer Showhouse, August 25-September 2. For more information about the Showhouse, contact cds@cashiershistoricalsociety.org or call (828) 743-7710.

In its 26th year, the Cashiers Historical Society’s Designer Showhouse, which will be staged from August 25 through September 2, is certain to once more be a regional destination.

This year’s Showhouse is a newly constructed home in the Chimney Top section of High Hampton.

“The home was graciously loaned to the Cashiers Historical Society for use as our Showhouse this year,” says Stacie Platt, one of the organizers. “We are extremely grateful to the owners for allowing us to continue this annual tradition.”

Recognized designers from across the Southeast will design and inspire in this four-bedroom, four-full baths and two-half bath home which features a cathedral ceiling Great Room, a Yoga

Room, Library and a large Bunk Room.

The Showhouse will host a dozen renowned vendors at the Lewis Hall at The Village Green for their Vendor

… We are extremely grateful to the owners for allowing us to continue this annual tradition

Village. A variety of shopping will be available throughout the event’s 10 days, with highly regarded vendors offering unique lifestyle items from apparel to home decorating and antiques.

For a full list of vendors, please visit cashiershistoricalsociety.org. A portion of each vendor’s proceeds benefit the Cashiers Historical Society.

The Showhouse is an important annual

event for the Cashiers Historical Society, located on the grounds of the historic Zachary Tolbert House, whose mission is to preserve the identity of Cashiers through recognition of its history in publications, awards, and projects. Plans were being finalized as this issue of The Laurel went to press. We’ll have more details in our July issue.

by Luke Osteen

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Same Time Next Summer

A leading literary publicist finds the perfect environment for spreading the word about her authors and their works.

AuthorMichelleGableandKathieBennett

Magic Time Literary Publicity represents award-winning, bestselling authors from around the country. An author needs a champion who’ll take the time to explore their work and embrace their vision.

Kathie Bennett does just that. She breathes in the writer’s essence, then breathes out their magic, channeling it straight into the hearts of readers.

When book-signings and presentations are set in perfect venues like libraries, universities, nonprofits, and professional/ civic organizations, connections are welded, and history is made. It’s no wonder Kathie has rocketed her writers into national best-seller status.

Kathie is accustomed to cozy gathering spaces, particularly small-town libraries. In 1965, at age 11, she was visiting her grandmother in Florida’s panhandle – a tiny, idyllic, rural town named Blountstown.

Perhaps this is where the family’s literary magic began, for Kathie’s grandmother, along with her women’s club, was determined to turn the second floor of the Piggly Wiggly into a public library. They built it. And they did come.

It was an almost sacred place where anybody inclined to read could borrow a bespoke book, its delights certain to resonate with its reader.

“This is what makes Hudson Library of Highlands and Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library primo places to launch authors and their books,” says Kathie. “The Plateau is a cultured wonderland, a publisher’s literary landscape loaded with lifelong readers and enthusiasts. Aside from being a joyous place to live, it has an extended summer season. It’s like a pot-of-Perfect boiled down to a reduction of all that’s right in the literary world.”

In addition to library settings, educa-

tional organizations like Center for Life Enrichment (with their Author Salon series) and hostings at local patron’s private residences offer open doors to evenings with a best-selling author. New York Times bestselling author John Cribb, an Abraham Lincoln scholar, will be the CLE presenter on June 14, discussing The Rail Splitter. Registration required.

Kathie says, “Annabel Monaghan, a topselling writer, will visit the HighlandsCashiers area for the first time while on national tour with Same Time Next Summer. We hope many of our other authors will adopt a same-time-nextsummer schedule, unveiling their latest hardcover, summer-after-summer.

“We love our libraries, CLE, Old Edwards Inn venues and Sky Valley Country Club luncheon series, which is open to the public, and we invite everyone on the Plateau to participate in this unforgettable summer Author Tour.”

Summer Concerts of Sapphire

Too much of a good thing? Not when too MUCH Sylvia launches Sapphire Valley’s Concert on the Slopes series on June 27.

Summer concerts at Sapphire Valley Resort are back beginning this month and running through September. On Tuesday, June 27, Concerts on the Slopes, the resort’s popular music series opens its 22nd season with a performance by too MUCH Sylvia.

Though a ski slope might not seem an obvious site for an outdoor concert, the base slope of Ski Sapphire Valley is a truly inviting open air setting. An acoustically-correct, natural amphitheater, the slope offers stunning panoramas, and a great view from every seat.

Last summer, nearly 3,000 music aficionados ascended the mountain to take in the mountain air and stunning vistas and spread out under the moonlight sky and stars to listen to Motown and Beach bands.

Audiences in the Carolinas clearly love ‘too MUCH Sylvia’, and it has been that

way for a long time. The band has been performing for 32 years, and it’s been the same four guys for the last 23!

Primary lead vocalist and guitarist Steve Long is the recipient of the prestigious Carolina Beach Music Association award for Male Vocalist of the Year.

Their music speaks to the most popular music of our times – from beach to Motown, funky 70’s, retro 80’s, and top hits from Bruno Mars, Pharrell Williams with some country added. Blend this in with ZZ Top, Boy George, Pit Bull, The Supremes, and it turns into the perfect evening for listening and dancing!

Rounding out the summer series are performances by Ace Party Band on July 18, The Embers on August 8, and TheCat5 Band on September 3. Performances are open to the public.

Tickets, which can be purchased at the Sapphire Valley Community Center, are $22 in advance, $27 at the gate, and season passes to the series are available

for $75 each.

The audience is encouraged to bring picnics, chairs, and blankets. Food is also available from the resort’s Slopeside Tavern, as well as nearby Mica’s Restaurant and Pub (facebook. com/MicasSapphireValley), and The Fix Restaurant (thefixsapphire.com).

Concerts are held rain or shine and though there’s nothing like the threat of rain to endanger an outdoor music concert, showers never seem to dampen the audience’s pleasure.

Director of Marketing Linda Foxworth recalls a recent performance when, “I watched the most amazing thing happen. As soon as the rain started, I looked out over the crowd, and saw 3000 umbrellas simultaneously pop up in all different colors. No one left. Mountain people are tough, we don’t let a little rain bother us.”

by Marlene Osteen

For All The Antique Lovers

Everything old is new again at the 2023 Cashiers Antique Show, August 4 though 6 at the Village Green in Cashiers.

Don’t miss the 2023 Cashiers Annual Antique Show August 4-6 at the Village Green in Cashiers. It’s their 45th annual show, and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Hours are from 9:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. on Friday and Saturday and 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on Sunday, but this year early shoppers can gain access on Friday from 7:30 A.M. until 9:00 A.M. Tickets for early admission shoppers are $35, which is good for all three days. Regular admission is $18 and is good for all three days. A portion of this year’s proceeds will be donated to the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad.

Show manager Hazel Giles says, “This show offers only fine quality but the prices are attractive enough for all buyers.”

The continued success of this show is a testament to that. There’s something for

every antique lover here, from the novice to the seasoned collector.

Mrs. Giles is particularly excited that the show will once again be held on The Village Green, utilizing the new Lewis Hall and nearby pavilion, as well as an expansive 160 x 50-foot tent that features interlocking floor panels, ensuring that no matter the weather the show will go on and shoppers and exhibitors will stay dry and comfortable.

With 43 exhibitors from across the country and as far away as Great Britain, antique lovers will find a myriad of treasures including 18th and 19th European and American Furniture, including formal and country pieces, as well as lodge looks. They will also have selections of mid-century furniture; lighting, including chandeliers; worldclass marine art and antiques; fine art; exquisite vintage linens; American and European pottery; Black Forest carvings

and furniture; fine silver; brilliant cut glass; jewelry in all forms featuring precious and semi-precious stones; fine European porcelains; bronzes; early sporting memorabilia; Majolica; and, so much more.

This is also the perfect opportunity to chat with knowledgeable exhibitors who are experts in their fields and are more than happy to share their expertise and help you find just what you’re looking for.

For early risers, Chocolate Heaven will once again be on hand to offer breakfast goodies and coffee will be available. Proceeds from all coffee sales will go to the Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry. Lobster Dogs of Asheville will have fabulous lunch offerings for purchase.

This event is not to be missed – Hazel says “Prepare to be amazed!”

by Mary Jane McCall

Historic Homes of Satulah

Highlands Performing Arts Center is offering an exclusive tour of five stunning homes and gardens on historic Satulah Mountain, July 20-23. For tickets or more information, call (828) 526-9047.

When Highlands Performing Arts Center hosts its Satulah Mountain Home & Garden Tour, you can bet that it’ll be one of the best you’ve seen.

The tour, set for 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. July 20-22, will spotlight five homes and gardens found on Historic Satulah Mountain; some never before opened to the public.

The homes represent a wide variety of architectural designs and interiors. The two gardens are considered among the finest in the region, with mature native and introduced plant species. For instance, tour members will visit the home and gardens of Cathy Henson and Chris Carpenter. In 2005 they had the opportunity to purchase an adjacent parcel – the long-neglected gardens

in the heart of the old historic district of Satulah Mountain, created by New Orleans cotton broker Henry Worrell Sloan. They lovingly restored the gardens to their original splendor. Also included on the tour is “Chetolah,”

“Chetolah” was rescued by the skill and vision of Highlands designer Darren Whatley. He restored and updated the house, while respecting its original design integrity and by preserving its character and historical significance.

which is located on the western face of Satulah Mountain, it’s the original home of Henry Martin Bascom, the second mayor of Highlands. Built in 1892, this American Foursquare style home was constructed on a three-acre lot purchased from his mother-in-law, Mrs. Amanda Davis. Between 1894 and 1916, Bascom purchased several adjoining lots, culminating in twenty acres of privacy and a near 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains. In 2018-2019

If you’d like to tour these charming gardens and homes, sign up for the tour by visiting highlandsperformingarts. com or calling (828) 526-9047. Tickets are $125. Highlands PAC will offer shuttle service from its 507 Chestnut Street location – private cars will not be allowed.

The event is sponsored by Bock Builders, MHK Architecture, and Berkshire Hathaway. by Luke Osteen

The homes represent a wide variety of architectural designs and interiors..

The Awesome Power of Water

The High Falls Dam Release defines the word “Awesome.”

All one must do is look online and on social media for various footage of a Lake Glenville High Falls Dam release to get a glimpse of the awesome power of water. However, individuals can also hike to a safe spot to experience the event up close and in person.

In fact, a multitude of people annually, visitors and residents alike, have put on their bucket lists – or even annual to-do’s – the viewing of the powerful flow of water as it cascades down West Fork Tuckasegee River in the Tuckasegee Gorge. Referred to as High Falls or Cullowhee Falls, the 150-foot waterfall truly presents a spectacular flow when extra water is released periodically from the dam above. While the flow of the waterfall is based on rain amounts, no one is ever disappointed when the dam is released.

The dam was already released a few times in April, but the remaining summertime release dates (visit https://lakes.dukeenergy.com to verify exact dates and times) are supposed to be June 10, July 8, July 29, August 12, and August 19. Release times typically are 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

Access to the High Falls trailhead is at 1966 Pine Creek Road, Cullowhee; GPS coordinates 35.198262, -83.159715. The parking lot with informational signage is across the street from restrooms and a Lake Glenville beach/park.

While the trail is wide, the descent is steep. In fact, the 3/4-mile trail descends 650 feet in elevation, but the sights, sounds, and views are well worth the 1.5-mile round-trip hike. Seeing the actual waterfall overrides any concerns or challenges. The backdrop to the powerful flow is a forest-topped sheer rock cliff. A hiking stick is recommended to assist and steady hikers

going down and back up the trail.

The Duke Energy-owned trail includes well-built bridges and benches – besides the quality constructed stairways. Duke Energy does post a warning that behooves dam release viewers to take the activity seriously: Warning: High flows and the natural environment where such flows occur can create dangerous conditions in the bypassed reach. Duke Energy releases these flows solely to comply with its license requirements. Duke Energy neither encourages nor discourages recreational use of high flows by the public. Any recreational use by the public during high flows should be limited to experienced boaters.

by Deena Bouknight photos by Brian O’Shea

Here Comes The Sun

There are some marvelous Words of Joy in the New Season.

Summer arrives officially in June. The exact day is the 21st this year, the date of the June solstice when the sun reaches its northernmost position in the sky. This day has the year’s longest daylight period and the shortest period of darkness than any other day of the year.

The festivals marking the beginning of this new season begin on Memorial Day, the last Monday in May. Our parents called it Decoration Day. Think family reunions, parades and remembrances amidst backyard barbecues.

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Henry James

Bounteous summer brings many varieties of summer fruit and vegetables. Get ready for fresh black, red and blue berries, leafy vegetables, corn, peas and melons, squash, “maters” and “cukes.” Here come also peach cobbler, peach crumble and peach juice dripping down your chin. And cherries, Bing and Ranier, in cherry pie and cherry clafoutis.

These summer delights and more can be found at our local fresh markets. The Highlands Farmer’s Market appears on Saturdays from 8:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on Pine Street. Locally Grown on The Green offers just that in Cashiers, Wednesdays from 2:00 to 5:00 P.M. at The Village Green Commons Pavilion.

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Summer also brings forth an outburst of music. Free weekly concerts fill the air and excite our hearts at: Friday Night Live at the Highlands Town Square from 6:00 to 8:00 pm; Saturday on Pine Concert from 6:00 to 8:30 P.M. in Highlands at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park; and Groovin’ on The Green on select Fridays from 6:30 to 9:00 pm on The Village Green Commons lawn in Cashiers. Bring your folding chairs and have a picnic. Some folks dance.

“Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.” Ada

Louise Huxtable

After the trials and trepidations of the past three years, a new day, summer, is now dawning. We can get back to enjoying our days of “splendor in the grass, glory in the flower.”

by William McReynolds

Barn Dance & Bar-B-Cue

Mountain Youth Charities amps up the music and fun at its 4th Annual Barn Dance & Bar-B-Cue, June 23, at The Chimney Pond Farm in Glenville.

Mountain Youth Charities, which has proved to be a reliable supporter of youthoriented nonprofits in Southern Jackson County, has finalized plans for its 4th Annual Barn Dance & Bar-B-Cue, set for 6:00 P.M. Friday, June 23, at The Chimney Pond Farm in Glenville.

Attendees will be treated to a raftershaking performance by Songs From the Road Band. They’re regarded for their high-energy performances, tight three-part harmonies, and masterful improvisational jams. Its members – all veteran acoustic musicians – have collectively received top accolades in the bluegrass, Americana, and jam genres. Revelers will also be treated to a performance by Junior Appalachian Musicians, a group of local young people learning the intricacies of bluegrass music.

There’ll also be square dancing, line dancing, and the dance calling talents of Joe Sam Queen. A native of Waynesville, he has an extensive record of community service that includes work with Folkmoot USA, the Appalachian Music and Dance Preservation Society, and the Friends of Mountain History. For more than 30 years, he directed the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival. He organizes and calls the Summer Street Dances on Waynesville’s Main Street and is generous with his time and talent in teaching mountain dance traditions to a rising generation.

Rounding out the Barbecue Portion of the 4th Annual Barn Dance & Bar-BCue is an entire feast provided by On the Side BBQ.

On the Side BBQ is part of the Farmer’s Market at the Crossroads in Cashiers.

It’s owned and operated by Tom and Robin Crawford and their children Josh and Miranda. They’ll be providing barbecue and all the trimmings for the Barn Dance.

This year’s party will benefit Blue Ridge School Education Foundation, supporting Blue Ridge School Athletic Booster Club and Parent Teacher Organization, JAM, and other local youth charities. Funds are raised through donor sponsorships, patron tables, ticket sales, a live auction, a raffle, and other generous donations.

Visit mountainyouthcharities.org for tickets, sponsorships or more information.

by Luke Osteen

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Day of the Children

Five area nonprofits are coming together for a second year on June 3 in Cashiers to celebrate the joy and wonder of childhood. Everyone is invited to Día del Niño.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC (Jackson and Macon counties), Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau, the International Friendship Center, and two new partners, the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, and La Alianza-WNC Collective of Haywood County, are joining forces to provide an afternoon of fun, food, and entertainment for children and their families on the Plateau and in neighboring counties.

From 2:00 to 5:00 P.M. Saturday, June 3, the Baseball Field at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center will be transformed into festival grounds, complete with music, games, dancing, water activities and Latin street foods. A Mexican holiday generally celebrated at the end of April, Día del Niño or Day of the Children, is returning to the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau in June.

In Mexico, the holiday is as big as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day; shopping malls host special events, museums and zoos

give special children’s discounts, and people hand out small, traditional toys to children they encounter throughout the day. Día del Niño celebrates the contribution to a community that children bring and is an opportunity to shower our kiddos with love.

“I was beyond humbled to see over 250 folks come out and have fun last year,” explains Danielle Hernandez, Senior Program Coordinator and Equity Team Leader for Big Brothers Big Sisters. “We are really looking forward to continuing to build this event each year. Our communities come together in such a special way for Dia del Nino, bringing their passions for children, culture and service!”

The June 3 event will feature games and activities for children and families, such as piñatas, traditional Mexican dancing, tug-o-war, foam party, sack races, water balloons, face painting, Zumba lessons, and musical chairs. Each child who attends will receive a free event t-shirt this year. There will also be

refreshments, including tamales, popcorn, beverages, elotes, and churros! El Dia del Niño is completely free for all attendees.

“We had a great event last year. I still look back and am so proud of how these organizations all came together and created such a wonderful experience for the young people in our community. I feel like we are establishing an awesome tradition for Cashiers [and Highlands] and the Plateau and I am really looking forward to June,” TJ Smith, Executive Director of the International Friendship Center shared.

“We would like to extend a number of special thank you’s to the following folks supporting the 2023 Dia del Nino: Jackson County Parks and Recreation – Cashiers-Glenville (site manager Saxton), Ingles of Cashiers (store manager Jeremy), Whiteside Brewing and Elevated Kitchen (manager Justin), and First Citizens Bank (banking extraordinaires Jaret and Hank),” said Hernandez.

From Artists’ Hands

The Summertime Art & Craft Show at Western Carolina University is set for June 30 and July 1.

When the Mountain Artisans open their Summertime Art & Craft Show at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, they know they’ll be drawing art collectors and connoisseurs from across Western North Carolina, and Upstate South Carolina and North Georgia.

That devotion will be on full display when they raise the curtain on the 34th Annual Summertime Art & Craft Show, Friday, June 30, and Saturday, July 1, at WCU’s Ramsey Center.

Patrons will discover original art and crafts from the hands of 60 local and regional artists.

That includes the Pink Pig pictured here – the creation of this year’s featured artist Bobby Bearden of Blue Ridge, Georgia. Bearden has transformed a used gas can into this adorable barnyard denizen.

There’ll also be pottery, paintings, quilts, rustic furniture and exquisite jewelry creations. Look for demonstrations of creating Pine Needle Baskets by Heather Seaman, who’s preserved this vanishing art that was developed by the Cherokee.

Hours are 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. each day, and admission is $5 for adults, with children under 12 admitted for free. Concessions will be available, and free parking is part of the deal.

For more information, contact Doris Hunter at (828) 524-3405 or Mountainartisans.net.

Llama Hike Experience, 11 AM and 1:30 PM, Earthshine Lodge. Music Bingo, 6:30 PM, Ugly Dog Public House.

JUNE

Highlands Food Pantry

10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Opening Reception for Michael Hayden, 4-7 PM, Art Highlands Gallery. Katherine Maloney Artist Talk, 4-5 PM, The Bascom. Cashiers Valley Community Chorus, 5:15 PM, Lewis HallVillage Green Commons. Thursday Night Trivia, 7:30 PM, The High Dive.

HMF “High Octane” Casual Car Show, 8:30-11:30 AM, Kelsey Hutchinson Park. Airing of the Quilts, 10 AM-4 PM, Cashiers Historical Society, Llama Hike Experience, 11 AM and 1:30 PM, Earthshine Lodge. Empire Trio, 7:30 PM, Highlands PAC. Music Bingo, 6:30 PM, Ugly Dog Public House.

Llama Hike Experience, 11 AM and 1:30 PM, Earthshine Lodge. Music Bingo, 6:30 PM, Ugly Dog Public House.

Highlands Mountaintop Art and Craft Show, 10 AM-5 PM, Kelsey Hutchinson Park.

Arts & Crafts Festival, 10 AM, Sapphire Valley Resort.

Painting with Music 11 AM-4 PM, Ann Lea Fine Art Gallery.

Llama Hike Experience, 11 AM and 1:30 PM, Earthshine Lodge. Jersey Boys, 2 PM and 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company, Highlands PAC. Music Bingo, 6:30 PM, Ugly Dog Public House.

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Mountain Findings, open 10 AM-1 PM. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Llama Hike Experience, 11 AM and 1:30 PM, Earthshine Lodge. Live Music, 5:30-10 PM, Hummingbird Lounge. Friday Night Live, Ezra & Katie 6-8:30 PM, Town Square.

Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM, K-H Founders Park. Lake Glenville Clean Up – 9 AM. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. MET: Die Zauberflote, 1 PM, Highlands PAC. Macon County Dog Adoption, 4-7 PM, The High Dive. Pop Up Pipers, 4:30 PM, downtown Highlands. Saturdays on Pine Concert, 6 PM, Kelsey Hutchinson Park. Gala Revue, 6 PM, Highlands PAC. Live Music, 5:30 PM , Hummingbird. Live Music, 9:30 PM, High Dive.

Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM, K-H Founders Park. Lake Glenville Clean Up – 9 AM. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. MET: Die Zauberflote, 1 PM, Highlands PAC. Macon County Dog Adoption, 4-7 PM, The High Dive. Pop Up Pipers, 4:30 PM, downtown Highlands. Saturdays on Pine Concert, 6 PM, Kelsey Hutchinson Park. Gala Revue, 6 PM, Highlands PAC. Live Music, 5:30 PM , Hummingbird. Live Music, 9:30 PM, High Dive.

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Highlands Food Pantry

10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church.

Dancing on the Green, 7 PM, Village Green Commons.

Highlands Food Pantry 10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church. Under The Stars, On The Rocks with Chef Jeremiah Langhorne, 6 PM, Oak Steakhouse. Community Table, 6 PM, Highlands Community Building.

The Bookworm , 11 AM-4 PM. Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Locally Grown on the Green, 2-5 PM, The Village Green. Community Volunteer & Resources Expo, 4-6 PM, The Village Green. Bluegrass Wednesday, 6:30 PM, The Ugly Dog Pub.

One Lap of the Mountains-Grande, 9 AM, Kelsey Hutchinson Park. Highlands Food Pantry, 10 AM6 PM, United Methodist Church. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Happy Hour with Brian Redman, 5-7 PM, Art Highlands. Cashiers Valley Community Chorus, 5:15 PM, Lewis Hall. Davis Family Vineyard Wine Dinner, On the Verandah. Thursday Night Trivia, 7:30 PM, The High Dive.

Highlands Motoring Festival: Speciale, 9 AM, Kelsey Hutchinson Park.

Book Signing and Wine

Tasting, Highlands Fine Art. Mountain Findings, 10 AM-1 PM. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Live Music, 5:30 PM , Hummingbird. Highlands Motoring Festival

Parade, 6 PM, Main Street.

Friday Night Live, Johnny Webb Band, 6-8 PM, Town Square. Groovin’ on The Green, 6:30-9 PM, Village Green.

Highlands Food Pantry 10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church. Dancing on the Green, 7 PM, Village Green Commons.

Highlands Food Pantry 10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church.

Dinner & Wine in the Wine Cellar with Chef Tim Lundy, 6-9 PM, The Vineyard at High Holly. The Bookworm 11 AM-4 PM. Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Locally Grown on the Green, 2-5 PM, The Village Green. Bluegrass Wednesday, 6:30 PM, The Ugly Dog Pub.

Jan Wyatt Symposium, Talking Trout, 8:30 AM, Canyon Kitchen. Art Of Music Artist Reception, 4-6 PM, Ann Lea Fine Art Gallery. Cashiers Valley Community Chorus, 5:15 PM, Lewis Hall. Zahner Lecture Series, 6 PM, Highlands Nature Center. Mount Eden Wine Dinner, On the Verandah. Orchard Sessions: Erick Baker, 6-8 PM, The Farm at Old Edwards. Thursday Night Trivia, 7:30 PM, The High Dive

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM.

Llama Hike Experience, 11 AM and 1:30 PM, Earthshine Lodge.

Live Music, 5:30-10 PM, Hummingbird Lounge.

Friday Night Live: Steady Hand String Band, 6-8:30 PM, Town Square. Live Music, 9 PM, The High Dive.

Highlands Food Pantry 10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church. Dancing on the Green, 7 PM, Village Green Commons.

10th Annual Big Brother Big Sister Croquet Tournament, 9 AM, Country Club of Sapphire Valley, Highlands Food Pantry 10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church. Books & Bites, with Annabel Monaghan, 4 PM, Hudson Library. Summer Salon Fundraiser for The Bascom 6-9 PM, The Farm at Old Edwards.

The Bookworm 11 AM-4 PM. Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Locally Grown on the Green, 2-5 PM, The Village Green. Photography Club, 5:30-7 PM, The Bascom Bluegrass Wednesday, 6:30 PM, The Ugly Dog Pub.

Highlands Food Pantry 10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Cashiers Valley Community Chorus, 5:15 PM, Lewis Hall. Zahner Lecture Series, 6 PM, Highlands Nature Center. Thursday Night Trivia, 7:30 PM, The High Dive.

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM. Elizabeth Locke Jewelry Trunk Show 10 AM, Acorns. Wags, Whiskers & Whiskey, 5:30 PM Wildcat Cliffs. Friday Night Live: Southern Highland Band, 6 PM, Town Square. Groovin’ on The Green , 6:30-9 PM The Village Green Live Music, 5:30-10 PM, Hummingbird Lounge. Barn Dance & Bar-B-Cue, 6 PM, Chimney Pond Farm. Jersey Boys, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company, Highlands PAC.

Highlands Food Pantry 10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church. Art League of Highlands-Cashiers meeting, 5 PM, The Bascom. Dancing on the Green, 7 PM, Village Green Commons.

Highlands Food Pantry

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10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church. Village Nature Series with Dr. Gary Wein, 5 PM, The Village Green. Concert on the Slopes, 7 PM, Sapphire Valley Resort.

The Bookworm 11 AM-4 PM. Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Locally Grown on the Green, 2-5 PM, The Village Green. Jersey Boys, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company, Highlands PAC. Bluegrass Wednesday, 6:30 PM, The Ugly Dog Pub.

Highlands Food Pantry 10 AM-6 PM, Highlands United Methodist Church. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Cashiers Valley Community Chorus, 5:15 PM, Lewis Hall. Orchard Sessions 6 PM, The Farm at Old Edwards.

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Zahner Lecture Series, 6 PM, Highlands Nature Center. Jersey Boys, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company, Highlands PAC. Thursday Night Trivia, 7:30 PM, The High Dive.

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM.

Ali & Bird Jewelry Trunk Show, 10 AM- 5 PM, Acorns Boutique. Mountain Findings, 10 AM-1 PM. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Art Benefit, drawing 5 PM, Betsy Paul Real Estate.

Live Music, 5:30-10 PM, Hummingbird Lounge.

Friday Night Live: Byrds & Crows, 6-8:30 PM, Town Square. Groovin on the Green, 6:30 PM Jersey Boys, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company, Highlands PAC.

Classic Car Show, 9:30 AM, Founders Park. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. Painting Workshop, 4-6 PM, The Vineyard at High Holly. Book Signing and Wine

Classic Car Show, 9:30 AM, Founders Park. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. Painting Workshop, 4-6 PM, The Vineyard at High Holly. Book Signing and Wine Tasting, Highlands Fine Art. Live Music, 5:30 PM , Hummingbird. Saturdays on Pine Concert, 6-8:30 PM, Founders Park HMF: Fundraising Gala, 6-9 PM, Wildcat Cliffs Country Club. Concert, 6 PM, Town and Country. Live Music, 8 PM, Ugly Dog Pub. Live Music, 9:30 PM, High Dive.

10

Tasting, Highlands Fine Art. Live Music, 5:30 PM , Hummingbird. Saturdays on Pine Concert, 6-8:30 PM, Founders Park HMF: Fundraising Gala, 6-9 PM, Wildcat Cliffs Country Club. Concert, 6 PM, Town and Country. Live Music, 8 PM, Ugly Dog Pub. Live Music, 9:30 PM, High Dive.

Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM, K-H Founders Park. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. National Theatre Live: GOOD, 1 PM, Highlands PAC. In Memoriam - Andrew Prine, 6 PM, Highlands PAC. Saturdays on Pine , 6-8:30 PM, Kelsey Hutchinson Park. Cashiers Live, 7 PM, Village Green. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Live Music, 9 PM, Ugly Dog Pub. Summer Concert, 6 PM, Town and Country General Store. Live Music, 9:30 PM, High Dive.

Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM, K-H Founders Park. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. National Theatre Live: GOOD, 1 PM, Highlands PAC. In Memoriam - Andrew Prine, 6 PM, Highlands PAC. Saturdays on Pine , 6-8:30 PM, Kelsey Hutchinson Park. Cashiers Live, 7 PM, Village Green. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Live Music, 9 PM, Ugly Dog Pub. Summer Concert, 6 PM, Town and Country General Store. Live Music, 9:30 PM, High Dive.

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Bazaar Barn, 10 AM. Highlands Mountaintop Art and Craft Show, 10 AM-5 PM, Kelsey Hutchinson Park. Arts & Crafts Festival, 10 AM, Sapphire Valley Resort. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Jersey Boys, Mountain Theatre Company, Highlands PAC. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Summer Concert, 6 PM, Town and Country General Store. Saturdays on Pine, 6 PM, K-H Park. Dance Party, 9 PM, The High Dive. Live Music, 9:30 PM, High Dive.

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM. Highlands Mountaintop Art and Craft Show, 10 AM-5 PM, Kelsey Hutchinson Park. Arts & Crafts Festival, 10 AM, Sapphire Valley Resort. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Jersey Boys, Mountain Theatre Company, Highlands PAC. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Summer Concert, 6 PM, Town and Country General Store. Saturdays on Pine, 6 PM, K-H Park. Dance Party, 9 PM, The High Dive. Live Music, 9:30 PM, High Dive.

View the complete Highlands Cashiers Plateau Calendar

24

“In early June, the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different.” – John Steinbeck

“In early June, the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different.”

– John Steinbeck

View the complete Highlands Cashiers Plateau Calendar

ON THE HORIZON July Events August Events

SATURDAY, JULY 1

Cashiers Fireworks Extravaganza

6:30 PM, The Village Green

The annual Fireworks Extravaganza on The Green will take place rain or shine, on The Village Green Commons Lawn. Entertainment will be provided by rhythm and blues band Continental Divide, and a fireworks show starts around 9 PM featuring 1000s of colorful bursts!. villagegreencashiersnc.com

JULY 1 - AUGUST 6

Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival

Welcome to the 42nd Season of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival. Exceptional programs this season will include “The Three Graces”, Gryphon Trio, Viano and American String Quartets, “The French Connection” with Michael Gurt and Zuill Bailey, the debut of Chee-Yun, and the final Gala concert: “Festival All Stars.” h-cmusicfestival.org

SATURDAY - SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 - 6

Sapphire Valley Arts and Crafts Festival

10 AM-4 PM, Sapphire Valley Athletic Field

Fill your senses with marvelous aromas from food vendors while you enjoy live music that will curl the corners of your mouth into a big ol’ grin. Then stroll down rows of fine jewelry, handmade crafts, quality folk art, mountain delights, and much more. sapphirevalleyresorts.com

FRIDAY - SUNDAY, AUGUST 4 - 6

Cashiers 45th Annual Antique Show

Cashiers Village Green

With 43 exhibitors from across the country and as far away as Great Britain, antique lovers will find a myriad of treasures of 18th and 19th European and American Furniture, including formal and country pieces, as well as lodge looks. cashiersbenefitantiqueshow.com

SATURDAY, JULY 15

Low Country Shrimp Boil

5-8 PM, Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park

Regarded as one of the more popular summer food events and a highlight of the Highlands July calendar is the Low Country Shrimp Boil. Hosted by friends of Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, this sought after event returns to the Park for the 6th year. foundersparkhighlands.org

THURSDAY - SATURDAY, JULY 20 - 22

Historic Satulah Mountain Home Tour

10 AM - 3 PM, Stroll through five stunning homes and gardens of Satulah Mountain. Never before opened to the public, to benefit Highlands PAC. highlandsperformingarts.com

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19

The Rotary Club of Highlands’ Twilight 5k

6 PM, Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park

While many avid runners will find the course challenging enough, beginners, stroller pushers, and walkers can tackle it without becoming overwhelmed. There are some ascents and descents along the Plateau route. highlandstwilightrun.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10

Zahner Conservation Series

6 PM, Highlands Nature Center

South Carolina’s Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area: With high average rainfall, diverse topography, and miles of streams and rivers many species found there are rare within the state and some are found in few other places in the world. highlandsbiological.org

SATURDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 22 - 23

Summer Colors Fine Art Show

Held at the Sapphire Valley Resort Community Center, this event will feature the original artwork of talented regional artists. Paintings, photographs, glass, wood, one-of-a-kind jewelry and other original artwork will be on display and for sale. artleaguehighlands-cashiers.com

EVENT SERIES

Locally Grown On The Green Wednesdays | 5 PM | The Village Green

Friday Night Live Fridays | 6-8 PM | Town Square

SATURDAY - SUNDAY, AUGUST 26-27

Mountaintop Rotary Art & Craft Show

10 AM-5 PM, Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park

From pottery and photography to weaving and basketry, you’ll find a wide variety of art and crafts. One thing our show specializes in is rustic furniture and wood accessories. Enjoy live music. Dogs and children welcome. highlandsartshow.com

Chef Dinners Select Dates | 6:30 PM | The Farm at Old Edwards | July 14, Aug. 27, Sept. 24, Nov. 10 Groovin’ On The Green Select Fridays | 6:30 PM | The Village Green | June 9, 23; July 1, 7, 21; Aug. 11, 25; Sept. 1

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View from Mountaintop Golf and Lake Club Estate Home.

Pages 86-111

photo by Susan Renfro

A Pinnacle Worth Pursuing

With plenty of pull-offs for sweeping views around seemingly every curve on the Plateau, it may seem like nothing special to discover a hiking opportunity with majestic vistas. Yet, the doable hike to Pinnacle Knob is most certainly worth getting excited about.

It is an elevation of 3,141 peak with open rocky areas ideal for picnics, a good read, and/or an afternoon siesta. The view? Vast expanses of mountains and wilderness are visible almost everywhere you look – except the southeastern direction, which overlooks the town of Clayton, Georgia., in the distance. The small parking area to leave a vehicle before heading to Pinnacle Knob is located just off Georgia Road. Plateau dwellers need only travel down Dillard Road from Highlands through Scaly Mountain to turn onto Georgia Road and head toward Clayton. A left onto Pinnacle Drive and then onto Courthouse Gap Road leads to a parking area large enough for only a few cars or trucks. “Courthouse Gap” typed into a smartphone GPS

takes drivers straight there. The trail is just a few yards or so past where the parking area is located.

Green blazes on a short trail leads to a sign that gives hikers the option of going left on the yellow-blazes Bartram Trail to Rabun Bald (10.5 miles) or to Warwoman Dell (3.7 miles). However, a right toward Warwoman Dell leads to another green-blaze off-shoot on the right that winds up about a mile to Pinnacle Knob.

This hike is on the AllTrails app, so entering in Courthouse Gap to Pinnacle Knob not only provides a handy map to keep hikers from getting lost, but also gives the mileage – 3.3, out and back – so there is no questioning whether you are on the correct trail.

The quiet trail offers plenty of wildflowers and birding opportunities this time of year; plus, the trail is anything but boring. There are lush, narrow paths resplendent with ferns and other native foliage as well as a wide-open woodsy area with towering trees resembling the Black Forest in Germany. And all

Pinnacle Knob rewards its hikers with sublime views that extend to the far horizon.

this leads to the hallelujah moment when the final steps are onto a wide-open rocky, tiered pinnacle that may inspire a Julie Andrew rendition of “The Hills are Alive.”

Those whose trail legs desire more than a 3.3-mile hike can wind back down from Pinnacle Knob and take a right on the Bartram Trail – toward Warwoman Dell – to hike another mile or so and enjoy plenty of waterfalls, small and larger, along Martin Creek, the largest of which is Martin Creek Falls. The waterway has some decent-sized pools and relaxing areas or summertime refreshing fun.

No need to go all the way to Warwoman Dell, unless an extensive hike, around 10 miles round-trip, is the intention. Getting back to the parked car at Courthouse Gap is easy: go back to the Rabun Bald/Warwoman Dell sign on the Bartram Trail and take a left to follow the green blazes to the gravel road.

by Deena Bouknight

These Birds Will Not be Returning to Our Area

The Carolina Parakeet is long gone from our forests and meadows. Other winged neighbors could be joining them.

CarolinaParakeetsby JohnJamesAudubon

This native Carolinian, a subtropical green parrot, was once so numerous that their flocks ranged from New York and Wisconsin south to Kentucky and Tennessee and west from the Atlantic to Colorado. In its time, it was the northernmost parrot in the Western Hemisphere.

Its sudden decline began in the 1800s and the Carolina Parakeet was rarely seen outside of Florida, its last refuge, after 1860. John James Audubon wrote in 1831 that “In some districts, where twenty-five years ago they were plentiful, scarcely any are now to be seen.”

This extinction was caused in part by the loss of habitat and the harvesting of these colorful birds for their ornamental feathers. Farmers shot them in great numbers because they menaced crops like apples. Carolina Parakeets cooperated in this massive kill with their habit of

congregating above a fallen member of their flock, being easy prey for farmers seeking to eliminate entire populations.

The last known wild Carolina Parakeet was killed in 1904. The last captive Carolina Parakeet died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918 in the same cage in which the last Passenger Pigeon died.

Other species of native birds are now in steep decline and threatened with extinction. The extensive Audubon Birds and Climate Report summarizes the impact of climate change on 588 North American birds. Of the species studied, 314 were found to be currently “at risk” from global warming. Of these, 126 are considered “endangered” with 188 “threatened” with loss of more than 50% of their current range by the year 2080. Nine State Birds could disappear from their states including the Common Loon of Minnesota, Baltimore Oriole of

Maryland, Hermit Thrush of Vermont, and Purple Finch of New Hampshire. Threatened North Carolina birds include Golden-winged, Cerulean and Blackthroated Blue Warblers; Wood Thrush; Brown-headed Nuthatch; Barn Owls and Ovenbirds. Never have conservation efforts been more vital to the preservation of our national wildlife heritage. The mission of the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society is to provide opportunities to enjoy and learn about birds and other wildlife and to promote conservation and restoration of the habitats that support them. HPAS is a 501(c)(3) organization, a Chapter of the National Audubon Society. Visit highlandsaudubonsociety.org for information on membership and all activities.

by William McReynolds

Minnehaha and it’s Splendor

Minnehaha Falls wows with its multitiered cascade and the most adorable name in the Southeast.

Minnehaha Falls is touted by many as the most beautiful water fall in Rabun County, Georgia. The multitiered 60-foot waterfall is also one of the most accessible falls in the County. Located about 15 miles southwest of Clayton, Georgia, it is an easy 5-to-10-minute hike. Be warned that the falls can be a bit crowded on weekends. To avoid the crowds, hike to the falls on weekdays, preferably in the

early morning or late in the day. The falls are at their magnificent best after a good rain, of course, but the hike is still worthwhile in drier periods. Minnehaha Falls was originally on Cherokee land.

Minnehaha is the Cherokee word for waterfall.

Directions to the Trailhead: From the intersection of US 64 and NC 106 in Highlands, near the US Post Office, drive about 14 miles to US 441/23. Turn

left and drive 13.8 miles to the Wiley Connector and turn right. There is a honey store at the Wiley Connector. Drive 100 yards to Old Georgia 441 and turn left. In 1.4 miles there will be a split in the road. Keep to the right which is Lake Rabun Road. Drive it 7.7 miles to Low Gap Road on the left. Take it, cross a bridge, and drive a few hundred yards to where the road splits. Keep left to Bear Gap Road and drive 1.6 miles

to a wooden staircase on the right. A parking area is located near the staircase.

Hike Description: Walk up the steps to the beginning of the relatively easy, kid and dog friendly trail. Follow the trail, keeping the river to the right. There are some bumpy patches with rocks and roots that present no real problems. After a few minutes, you will reach Minnehaha Falls in all its splendor.

by Ed and Cindy Boos

At a Glance Waterfall Guide

HIGHLANDS

Bridal Veil Falls

From NC 106 in Highlands, drive 2.3 miles west on US 64; Waterfall GPS: N35.07180 W-83.22910. Difficulty: You can park your car in a little parking area and walk 50 feet.

Dry Falls

From NC 106 in Highlands, drive 3.15 miles west on US 64 to a parking area on the left; Waterfall GPS: N35.06884 W-83.23869. Difficulty: There are lots of steps you must go down to get behind Dry Falls.

Bust Your Butt Falls

From NC 106 in Highlands, drive 6.35 miles west on US 64 to the pullout on the left; Waterfall GPS: N35.09268 W-83.26573. Difficulty: Don’t stop on the road itself!

Glen Falls

From the junction of US 64 and NC 106 in Highlands, drive 1.75 miles south on NC 106 and bear left at the sign for Glen Falls. Take Glen Falls Road, not Holt Road. Drive 1.05 miles to the parking area. Waterfall GPS: N35.03128 W-83.23829. Difficulty: There’s some climbing involved here.

Upper Middle Creek Falls

From the intersection of NC 106 and US 64, follow NC 106 South for 9.3 miles. Exactly 1 mile before you reach the Georgia state line, and about 0.3 miles after NC 106 crosses Middle Creek, a yellow School Bus Stop sign will be on the right. Park on the right side of the road right at the sign. Waterfall GPS: N35.00714 W-83.32916. Difficulty: The four-tenths of a mile hike is not strenuous but it can be confusing.

CASHIERS

Silver Run Falls

From US 64 in Cashiers, head south on NC 107 for 4.05 miles – there’s a pullout area on the left. Waterfall GPS N35.06599 W-83.06558. Difficulty: No difficulty.

Whitewater Falls

From US 64 west of Lake Toxaway, take NC 281 for 8.5 miles and turn left at the sign for Whitewater Falls into a parking area. Difficulty: Not strenuous, though the paved path is a bit uneven.

Cashiers Sliding Rock

Cashiers Sliding Rock, a million miles from the cares of the 21st century, is easy to get to. From the Cashiers Crossroads, travel south on NC 107 to Whiteside Cove Road. Head down the road for 2.6 miles to where the road crosses the Chattooga River and pull over just across the bridge. Difficulty: A piece of cake.

Spoonauger Falls

From Cashiers, travel on NC 107 8.2 miles. The name changes to SC 107 – travel for 4.9 miles. Turn right onto Burrells Ford Road. Drive approximately 2.0 miles to the Chattooga Trail parking area on the left (look for the Forest Service Bulletin Board) Hike north on the Chattooga Trail, which roughly parallels the Chattooga River for 0.25 mile, then cross Spoonauger Creek. Immediately on the right will be a side trail. Difficulty: There’s nothing tricky.

Schoolhouse Falls

From US 64, take NC 281 North for 0.85 miles and bear left on Cold Mountain Road. Stay on the road. When it becomes unpaved, travel about 0.1 miles. Take the road on the right and travel for 0.1 miles to a parking area. Take the trail to the right of the information kiosk. At the intersection, proceed straight on Panthertown Valley Trail. Turn left onto Little Green Trail. Schoolhouse Falls is about 0.15 miles ahead. Waterfall GPS N35.16330 W-83.00674 Difficulty: The hike isn’t challenging.

Scan for more information on the many waterfalls in the Highlands and Cashiers area.

Enjoy this sampling of area waterfalls, for a deep dive visit thelaurelmagazine.com/recreation.

Kids Hike Highlands

Hiking around Highlands is fun. It’s even more exciting when it’s a competition.

KHHPassport;purplemailbox alongHPG’sMillCreektrail

Looking for a fun, engaging way to explore Highlands with your family? The Kids Hike Highlands trail passport program has been refreshed for the 2023 season, and it may be just what you are looking for!

This program was initiated by the Highlands Plateau Greenway in 2018 as a way to encourage families to explore the greenway’s network of community trails and see the Plateau’s natural beauty through a town-wide scavenger hunt to find purple mailboxes equipped with kid-oriented nature riddles.

Now at the program’s 5th anniversary, the Highlands Biological Foundation is continuing the program and has updated the riddles for the 2023 season.

So, how does it work? The Kids Hike Highlands passport map provides an itinerary of routes throughout the greenway’s trails. The four routes include HighlandsCashiers Land Trust’s Sunset Rock

trail, the Highlands Biological Station’s Highlands Botanical Garden trail, the Mill Creek Woods trail, and The Bascom’s trail.

On each trail, labeled in purple on the map, there is a riddle station that must be found. This station will be a purple mailbox, and within it is a riddle that the passport holder must solve. Write the answer in the corresponding box on the map, and once all four have been solved, participants may pick up a special prize located at either the Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center, Highlands Recreation Center, Hudson Library, or The Bascom. And here’s a hint: The prize is thanks to Kilwins Highlands!

Interested in participating? You can pick up a copy of the Kids Hike Highlands passport map at one of the four prize locations or you can download a copy at highlandsbiological.org.

by Winter Gary, Highlands Biological Foundation

In Pursuit of the Smallmouth Bass

There’s nothing shy about them – Smallmouth Bass are looking for a fight. Matt hears their challenge.

As summer sets in, I anxiously await the first day that I can grab my 6wt fly rod, and a handful of popping bugs in pursuit of one of my favorite fish that swims in North Carolina – the Smallmouth Bass. Smallies, Smalljaws, Bronzebacks, whatever you want to call them, they make for one heck of a good time!

In particular I’m referencing Smallmouth Bass that live in our local rivers and even streams (Tuckaseegee, Horsepasture, Little Tennessee, French Broad, Toxaway, Cullasaja, etc.). For me, moving water is far more interesting than still water, and pursuing gamefish that live in rivers and streams adds an extra element to the whole equation. It’s all about the current, and how the fish you are in pursuit of use those currents to live and feed.

For instance, Trout and Smallmouth Bass use current very differently.

Trout feed primarily on aquatic insects, and they use the current to bring those insects to them, and they simply stay in, or close to the current to feed on the buffet line of offerings. Smallmouth Bass are primarily ambush predators feeding mostly on baitfish and crawfish. They use current breaks such as a big rock in the river to hide behind and surprise their prey. Once you understand what to look for, the next step is making your fly or bait look like something they would want to eat.

Smallmouth Bass are as strong a fish as they come, but the ones that live in the river are even stronger because they are constantly fighting the current. The saying goes that, “if they were tied together, a three-pound River Smallie would drag a 10-pound Largemouth Bass around all day long!” They love to jump once they are hooked as well, adding to the drama of the fight!

Both fly rod and light spinning tackle are great tools of choice when pursuing River Smallmouth. Water conditions and weather play a vital role in maximizing your experience. Here in the mountains of North Carolina, the best time to go Smallie fishing is when it’s hot, and the water is low and clear. So basically, it’s exactly when the local Trout fishing is at its toughest (which kind of works out perfectly). When looking for a good place to park the car and get out and wade, you want to look for lots of current breaks and rocky shoals. Typically, those types of areas in the river will hold the highest concentrations of fish. To learn more about these overlooked fish, stop into your local fly shop!

by Matt Canter, Brookings Fly Shop

17 Years of Conservation

Our friend Dr. Gary Wein leaves the HighlandsCashiers Land Trust with a long list of accomplishments and an even longer list of friends and beloved coworkers.

Dr.GaryWein

It’s with a conflicted heart that I write this last Laurel article.

I officially retire as the Executive Director of the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust on June 30 after 17 years of running the oldest Land Trust in North Carolina.

When I came to the Plateau in 2006, the HCLT had conserved 1,066 acres in 36 places led by a volunteer Board and two part-time executive directors, Moyna Monroe and Michael Cavender. As I leave, we have conserved over 4,000 acres in 130 places. While I am the public face of HCLT this 400 percent increase in conserved lands is the work of 58 different Board Members, six staff members, and the donors that support the work of the Land Trust.

There have been a couple of changes in the Land Trust in the past 17 years – we have increased awareness about how folks can conserve land here, the staff

has grown to four with nine different AmeriCorps Members over the years, a truck donated by Lawrence and Vevie Dimmitt, and I got older.

… we have conserved over 4,000 acres in 130 places.

I will be 69 this fall and it’s time to hang it up and head to the hollers of Kentucky with my wife Dr. Beverly Collins while we are both in good health. We still have lots of things to do.

I am particularly proud of all my time and accomplishments while serving at HCLT, but I really want to brag on a couple of special projects including: Kelsey Hutchinson Founders Park; Brushyface Preserve; Rock Mountain/ Chimneytop; Edward Baker Preserve; Laurel Knob; McKinney Meadow; the seven conservation easements in Horse

Cove; and the increased public access to many of HCLTs lands.

There are a couple of partnerships I am proud of as well, including the Friends of Founders Park, Highlands Plateau Greenway, Cashiers Community Development Committee, Highlands Biological Station and Foundation, and the Consortium for Nonnative Invasive Plant Management to name a few, and all the donors and grantors that have fueled the growth of the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust.

Now that the Land Trust is in such good shape is not the time to stop supporting them, we still need the fuel to keep conserving these special places. To learn how you can help conserve our wild places, visit hicashlt.org.

by Gary Wein, Highlands Cashiers Land Trust

Dirty, But Beneficial, Job

Lake Glenville gets spruced up with its annual Clean Up – 9:00 A.M. Saturday, June 3. You’re invited – visit friendsoflakeglenville.com.

It may be the ickiest event on the Plateau, and it is one event that does not require fashionable attire.

Beginning at 9:00 A.M. on June 3, volunteers will gather to partake in the Friends of Lake Glenville 2023 Annual Lake Glenville Clean-up. Individuals, groups, and families walk, boat, jet ski, wade, and more to pick up and drag out trash that has accumulated over the last 12 months.

“Friends of Lake Glenville, founded in 1985, is an advocacy group that was founded to Preserve-Protect-and-Educate for the long-term survival of beautiful Lake Glenville,” explained Marianne Smith, vice-president of FLG. “We have been conducting an annual lake cleanup almost since our inception, over 30 years.”

She added that the clean-up is wholly a volunteer community effort led by a an FLG director, who this year and for the past several years has been Rebecca

Wiler; she organizes volunteers, provides materials to assist in the cleanup, facilitates communications, and arranges for a dumpster and a crane to pull out heavy materials. The crane has been voluntarily provided and manned by Bryan Simon, owner of Glenville Sawmill.

“We also provide an appreciation lunch for the volunteers following the event, with donated prizes to award extraordinary efforts,” said Smith.

In the past, the clean-up has attracted upwards of 75 volunteers. Typically, they use their own boats, kayaks, jet skis, etc., to tow floating debris to the designated area (this year at Pine Creek Boat Ramp) where it is pulled out by other volunteers and the crane.

“Additionally, Signal Ridge Marina, Mountain View Marine, and Mountaintop Club also send their own boats and crews to assist in the efforts,” noted Smith, “and Duke Power arranges to have the debris then hauled away, as part of a

co-operative partnership with FLG.”

While FLG appreciates any assistance on June 3, it makes clear on its website – www.friendsoflakeglenville.com – that there are a number of rules and guidelines for safely and efficiently cleaning up the lake. Anyone interested in volunteering is advised to read the rules and guidelines before hitting the lake.

“Fluctuating lake levels and heavy winter and spring rains cause many pieces of floating docks to come loose, and docks are one of the primary things that we collect, along with pieces of plastic, bottles, assorted trash, etc. We may not remove anything that is attached to the shoreline, but may move objects that pose a safety risk to boaters, skiers, swimmers etc. Safety at Lake Glenville is our primary objective!”

To register for the clean-up, visit friendsoflakeglenville.com or text (407) 719-0050.

by Deena Bouknight

Find Joy in the Gardens

The Village Green will once more stage its Joy Garden Tour on Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15.

The Village Green is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) park system that operates with no funding from Jackson County, the State of North Carolina, or the Federal Government.

To ensure the continuity of free events and programs at The Village Green, we rely on biannual fundraising events like Joy Garden Tour, as well as individual and corporate philanthropy.

We are excited to announce that the 2023 Joy Garden Tour will again consist of private and semi-private in-person tours offered through Benefactor Packages and will take place this July over two days –Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15.

We have four superb gardens, with many pocket gardens, meandering streams and rivers, and tenderly curated native landscaping features, each with its own sense of discovering a secret garden just around the corner, therefore, our theme this year is: Beauty Beyond the Bend!

When you become a 2023 Joy Garden Tour Benefactor you will receive tickets to the Tour itself along with tickets to our invitation-only Joy Garden Tour events. New this year, we are having a Garden Luncheon!

Gather your friends and plan to attend our Garden Luncheon in the Park on Wednesday, July 12. Guests will enjoy a plated lunch, and refreshing drinks, and hear from Staci L. Carton - Director of The Cherokee Garden Library at The Atlanta History Center. A nationally renowned historic preservation scholar and passionate advocate, Staci is an engaging leader and educator who teaches us all why preserving our past stories can help guide us today and in the future. With an element of history going into this year’s Joy Garden Tour, we are delighted that Staci L. Carton will be speaking about and signing her new book Seeking Eden: A Collection of

Georgia’s Historic Gardens. Her book explores the impact of the women who envisioned and nurtured many of Georgia’s historic and beautiful gardens. Tickets are extremely limited for the luncheon.

This year the Garden Shops will be open to the public on Friday, July 14, from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and Saturday, July 15, from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. With more than 20 vendors, you are sure to find something special, unique, and lovely at this year’s Village Garden Shops!

by Shelby Batchelor, The Village Green

Scan to learn more.

A Focus on Place

Dr. Gary Wein gives his farewell presentation on June 27 at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers. For more information about Village Nature Series, and to learn upcoming summer topics, visit villagegreencashiersnc.com. These events are free to the public.

Dr.GaryWein

Already two Village Nature Series presentations have taken place this season at The Village Green Commons on Frank Allen Road in Cashiers.

But this month, one of the sponsors (along with The Village Green) The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) offers up its executive director, botanist Gary Wein, Ph.D., on June 27 to share “Sense of Place: A Final Embarkment.”

Dr. Wein has been actively conserving the area’s biologically diverse land for almost two decades. His focus with the Village NatureSeries talk – as well as his life’s work – is to reveal the geological, ecological, historical, and unique natural heritage journey of the Southern Appalachians.

“Visitors and residents know that our part of the Appalachian Mountains is special,” said Dr. Wein. “You can feel it in your bones. This region has a strong

sense of place. This presentation will tell you why it’s a special place.”

Dr. Wein was HCLT’s first full-time employee, coming on board in 2006. He is responsible for conservation efforts, acquiring new properties, and refining details for each project to maximize the conservation benefits and meet the needs of land donors.

He earned his Ph.D. in botany at Rutgers University and completed his undergraduate studies in biology at Niagara University. Plus, he has been a professor at Memphis State and the University of Mississippi, and he is currently an adjunct at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as on the graduate faculty at Western Carolina University.

At the Tuesday, June 27, 10 A.M. Village Nature Series presentation, Dr. Wein will share his wealth of botanical and biological knowledge.

Each summer, visitors and residents of the Plateau have an opportunity to learn about wildlife in the area and various features of their natural habitats. Previous Village Nature Series subjects have included raptors, black bears, and reptiles.

On July 25, Historian Lamar Marshall, research director of Southeast Heritage will speak about the “Ancient Cherokee Travel Corridor.” This Village Nature Series will be held at the Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library. He will share about the Lower Cherokee Towns along the Keowee River in modern Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, and the Out Towns located along the Tuckasegee and Oconaluftee Rivers in Jackson and Swain Counties.

by Deena Bouknight

Where Our Trails Lead

It was 1955. 67 year-old Emma Gatewood, genteel mother of 11 grown children, donned her canvas tennies, stashed about $200 on her person, and strapped a bag of bare necessities across her shoulder. She set out on a walk … a solo walk …one continuous journey of 2,050 miles. She was 800 miles along the trail before her family heard from her.

Why did she leave her small-town Ohio home? She was driven by two things: a painful, abusive marriage, and good-ol’ mid-Western-farmer determination.

When she got to the top of Maine’s Mt.Katahdin, she sang, “America the Beautiful” and proclaimed, “I said I’ll do it, and I’ve done it.” This was the first of what would be three Granny Gatewood walks of the Appalachian Trail, beginning-to-end each time. She was the very first woman to make the trek, and the first woman or man to walk it thrice.

After her venture, she appeared on the Art Linkletter show, Groucho Marx Show, and many other radio and TV programs to tell her story. She was deeply engaging … a mesmerizing marvel to her audiences. With all the attention she brought to the Appalachian Trail, she is often credited with saving it.

Now Grandma Gatewood is back, reincarnated by actress, Anne van Curen … another woman who solidly delivers. The room will vibrate with Gatewood’s presence. And you’ll feel the vital need to walk her talk about taking care of Panthertown, its extraordinary nature, its magnificent beauty, and the imperative to be good stewards and conserve it. This is the core of what Friends of Panthertown embrace. And they want you to join them in conserving what’s often called the Yosemite of the East.

For those new to Panthertown, here’s a brief introduction. Panthertown is so-named because scores of panthers set up their own community in the valley ages ago. While panthers are scarce these days (human intrusion), there is still plenty to conserve. Close your eyes and envision sheer cliffs, mountain peaks, a broad, flat valley floor, incredible geologic formations, forest streams, headwaters of a river, Nantahala Forest, waterfalls, wetlands, bogs, flowering meadows, birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, pollinators, bats, bears, and the list goes on.

In your closed-eye tour, you might have noticed there were no

Granny Gatewood’s indomitable spirit carries into the 21st century, this time to save Panthertown Valley.

She set out on a walk … a solo walk …one continuous journey of 2,050 miles.

litter cans, no bathrooms, no facilities, no water fountains, no obtrusive signage. It’s a wild backcountry. Those who visit know we take nothing, we leave nothing. But litter is like the weather, things blow in, so there’s always need for clearing the hiking, biking, walking trails of trash, fallen trees, and overgrowth.

In addition, Friends of Panthertown need volunteers … loads of them to help out on the trails, as stewards and ambassadors, educate visitors, lead hikes…in general, people to help maintain, and sustain recreation in Panthertown.

But first, Friends of Panthertown encourage you to purchase a ticket and attend the Grandma Gatewood performance at the Village Green’s Lewis Hall in Cashiers, Thursday, July 27, 5:00 to 6:30 P.M (panthertown.org/tickets or Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce). There you can meet and greet the champions behind the conservation and stewardship of our own Yosemite.

If you prefer granting a financial donation or endowment, contact Jason Kimenker, Executive Director, Friends of Panthertown, Inc., (828) 269-HIKE (4453). Visit friends@ panthertown.org, or panthertown.org for more information.

by Donna Rhodes

ARTS Pages 115-137

photo by Susan Renfro

Focus on Flowers & Figures

As evidenced by her art, Cover Artist Cath Connolly’s arrival on the Plateau was something of a Homecoming.

It was 1968. 13-year-old Cath Connolly, sporting a mini-skirt and an enchanting shyness, walked down the plane’s airstairs and set foot on American soil.

A high-level job brought her family to the states. She was a bit apprehensive about making her way in this gigantic new territory.

But one thing Cath knew: no matter where she landed, Art would always be her companion.

And now, years later, after retiring from the corporate world, Cath wound up as June’s cover artist for The Laurel Magazine. How did that happen? Simple. She came to Highlands for a wedding and fell in love with the beauty, tranquility, and

cool climate, reminiscent of England. In 2019 she moved here, joined the Art League of Highlands-Cashiers, became a member of Mountaintop Rotary, volunteered with the hospitals, and served on the Art League Board while contributing paintings to fund-raisers. She says, “I try to use my art for good. I want it to be a beneficial part of the community.” The Laurel welcomes her with a spotlight on

her striking work for June’s cover. Her devotion to the area resonates in her oil paintings, With a focus on flowers and figures, she uses a semi-abstract approach. Subjects are recognizable, but highly-stylized – a few degrees shy of real. She explains, “Everything around me inspires me. I like to grow things and paint them. There’s something magical about planting a seed or bulb. I feed it, water it, love it. When it matures, I capture its essence in paint on canvas or wood. It’s soul-satisfying.

“Peonies and dahlias are favorites. Everyone around here is mental about dahlias. I think I’m joining them.”

As one of the key organizers of the Mountaintop Rotary Art and Craft shows, she has little time to show her own work. But you can see it at OEI Acorns Boutique and at the upcoming ALHC Summer Colors Show in Sapphire, July 22-23.

Attend her presentation at the Art League’s meeting on June 26, at 4:30 P.M.

She says, “I’ll discuss my approach to abstracting the landscape. I’ll explain how mixing cold wax with oils and working on panels integrates my process.”

If you’d like a personal visit to her home studio, call (919) 259-1027 and make an appointment. Or you can visit her at cathconnolly.com or email cath@ cathconnolly.com.

by Donna Rhodes

From Classical to Contemporary

The Art League of Highlands-Cashiers’ Summer Colors Fine Arts Show, set for July 22 and 23 at the Sapphire Valley Community Center, showcases the finest of the Plateau’s creative talents.

It’s time once again for the annual Summer Colors Fine Arts Show presented by the Art League of Highlands-Cashiers (ALHC) held this year on Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23 at the Sapphire Valley Community Center. Hours each day are from 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Admission and parking are free. There is a flourishing art community here on the Plateau. New galleries are opening, the design world is burgeoning, and new homeowners are looking for fresh beauty to showcase their tastes and personal style. Last year the Summer Colors Art Show hit record highs in visitor numbers and sales and this year should be even bigger according to John Bauknight, President of the Art League of Highlands-Cashiers. “There is a tremendous amount of home remodeling and building taking place right now,” he said. “It’s a great time for people to buy art.”

The show will have a range of artwork from classical mountainscapes to contemporary more abstract work. All artists will be present, so this is a great way of not only seeing the art, but also meeting the artist and asking questions about the work you like.

The ALHC artists expected to exhibit this year include talented oil painters like Sara Crook, Zach Claxton, Sue Taylor White, Peggy Marra, and Terry Warren, watercolorists like John Cannon and Pamela Haddock, acrylic and mixed media artists, like Bonnie Abbott, Margie Bauer and Colleen Kastner, as well as woodworkers like Jo Miler, sculptors, potters, glass artists, jewelers and more.

“The show is such fun and seems to be growing every year,” said Show Chairwoman Colleen Kastner. “Last year we had record sales which is always great, and we have more and more artists interested in joining us.”

Artists interested in being a part of the show need to join the ALHC first. Application forms for the art league and the show are available on their website at www.artleagueofHighlands-Cashiers. com. The deadline to apply for the show is July 1.

In addition to the exhibition, live, pop-up music performances are planned throughout the weekend along with prize drawings at noon each day and a kids’ studio for budding artists to explore their talents. The show is indoors with free admission and parking.

For more information visit the ALHC website at artleaguehighlands-cashiers. com, or email John@artleaguehighlandscashiers.com.

by Mary Jane McCall

Scan to learn more.

For Artists and Art Lovers

Our Cover Artist, Cath Connolly Hudson, talks shop with the members of The Art League, Monday, June 26, at The Bascom.

The Art League of HighlandsCashiers will hold its June meeting on Monday, June 26, at The Bascom. The public is invited to attend the free social at 4:30 P.M. followed by our guest speaker, Cath Connolly Hudson, at 5:00 P.M. Cath is

The Laurel’s cover artist this month, and information about her art may be found elsewhere in this issue. We hope you will be able to attend both the social and presentation.

For those unfamiliar with the ArtLeague of Highlands-Cashiers, we’re an organization of artists and art lovers, dating back to the 1970s that meets monthly from April through October.

At those meetings there are informative presentations and the chance to mingle with others of like minds. The Art League also sponsors two fine art shows annually where member artists highlight their work. It also supports other area art organizations and was the first to provide after-school art events for area youth.

Following Cath’s June presentation, the following events are planned for 2023.

July 22-23 at the Sapphire Valley Community Center – Summer Colors Fine Art Show.

July 31 at the Bascom – July meeting with guest speaker Mary Carpenter.

August 28 at the Bascom – August meeting with guest speakers Jackie and Gill Leebrick.

September 25 at the Bascom –September meeting with guest speaker John Cannon.

October 21-22 at the Highlands Recreation Center – Fall Colors Fine Art Show.

October 30 at the Bascom – October meeting and pizza party with members’ Show and Tell

All of these events are free and open to the public. We hope you will be able to join us. Visit artleaguehighlands-cashiers.com for more information about the Art League.

by Zach Claxton, Art League of Highlands-Cashiers

Meet Marci

Isabelle Ambrose Founder and Designer

The exquisite jewelry of Marci Sherwood will be on full display in a series of trunk shows at Jeanie Edwards Fine Art Gallery on July 8, and at Acorns on August 19.

While shopping, Marci Sherwood saw a piece of jewelry that called her name. She deliberated, “I wonder if I could make that.”

She bought supplies and made a version of it. Voila! She liked her edition even more than the original. Bonus – jewelry making was fun, so she kept making, and kept making.

After designing dozens of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, adornments

began pouring out of cabinets and drawers. Her husband thoughtfully suggested, “Maybe you should open a shop, honey.” She had to face it. She’d become the Forrest Gump of jewelry-making. Forrest just felt like running. Marci just felt like making jewelry. Like chocolate, you just never know what you’ll get when you see a piece of jewelry while shopping.

Suddenly she became a walking advertisement, modeling her latest creations.

Why not? It was fun and people loved it. Friends received jewelry for birthdays. She hosted home parties. She displayed jewelry in a window or in a booth. She dangled a necklace or two in a hair salon.

And then Covid hit. Her selling outlets closed shop.

Looking for a way to help support her family, she went to work at Highlands Chamber as an event planner. Three attributes made her the perfect candidate

for the job: 1). Her love for food, cooking, and entertaining; 2). her engaging personality; 3). her eye for design.

But, after a year of work, her mothering instincts took back the reins. She missed her kids. Full-time employment didn’t have the flexibility she needed to care for 3 young ones. And she regretted the magic moments she was missing with them, moments she’d never get back. She decided to shift gears and be a stay-at-home mom again. She’d do jewelry whenever windows of designtime permitted. Her go-with-the-flow strategy worked, and this time, instead of closets, trunks filled up.

Word-of-mouth was her best friend. Associates, patrons, buddies, family all spread the news. Her jewelry collection caught on. This summer Jeanie Edwards Fine Art Gallery will host a trunk show on July 8. Acorns will also feature Marci at another trunk show on August 19. Stay tuned for times.

Marci’s creations are unique in that she strings and sculpts accessories like she cooks – a sprinkle of this, a dash of that, a twist of something gold. And the concoctions are absolutely delicious and visually delightful.

Blue and green, the tones of nature’s mountains and beaches comprise her

favorite color palette. Marci laughs and says, “If sales are slow, at least I’ll be left with jewelry in colors I love!”

She creates pieces that touch her heart. She hopes an audience of soul sisters will click and connect with her Marci-masterpieces.

Get ready, Sisters. Trunk shows are on the way. Contact info: isabelleambrosejewelry@gmail.com. Website: isabelleambrose.com. Instagram: IsabelleAmbroseCollection.

by

Donna Rhodes photos by Mary Gillan

The Boys are Back in Town!

The sweet sounds of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons return to the Plateau with a limited run engagement of Jersey Boys.

After a sold-out run last season, Mountain Theatre Company’s production of Jersey Boys is back this summer with a limited run engagement. Most of the original last year’s cast is returning, including all four lead actors portraying Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Leading the quartet is Emanuel Carrero, reprising his star-making role as Frankie Valli. His high tenor vocals and electric energy were all Highlands could talk about last summer. Playing Frankie Valli through his triumphs and defeats as a legendary pop artist of the 20th Century, showed the range and skill Carrero holds for his craft. He works full-time as MTC’s Company Manager and has made Highlands his year-round home. “Performing with this group of guys was like catching lightning in a bottle last summer,” he exclaims. “I can’t wait to recreate that chemistry on stage again this year.”

Gianni Palmarini is back as the fast talking, wheeling-and-dealing Tommy DeVito, the self-proclaimed leader of the group with a penchant for racking up talent and debts. Palmarini, a graduate of North Carolina’s Elon College, went on to perform this past year in the western regional premiere of Bandstand in Arizona, landed in a New York production of Jersey Boys (this time as

Joe Pesci), and starred as Clyde Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde in Philadelphia. “I’m looking forward to returning to the beautiful mountains and the awesome community of Highlands,” says Palmarini. “I can’t wait to spend another summer with the lifelong friends I made at MTC last year.”

Sam Alan Johnson returns as Nick Massi, the bass player and vocalist hitting those deep harmonies. He recognized how special last year’s production of Jersey Boys felt, saying “It was my first production back since the start of the pandemic…and being with a community I grew to love so much made it even better.” After last summer, Johnson went on to appear in productions of Into the Woods and The Rocky Horror Show in Tennessee before returning to Highlands in December for MTC’s production of Home for the Holidays. Most recently he’s been performing in a Chicago production of Big Fish. Rounding out the quartet is John Hannigan, returning as the smoothcrooning Bob Guadio. Audiences swooned as his character solidified his place as the fourth member of the group, standing behind a piano and delivering a heartbreaking performance of “Cry for Me.” MTC’s production of Jersey Boys launched a whole new professional life for Hannigan who, before arriving

in Highlands last summer, had just left a career in investment banking. “One thing that came out of the pandemic for me was an evolved perspective and a certain amount of courage that I hadn’t had before,” he said. After following up his run in Jersey Boys with productions of Forever Plaid and Songs for a New World, Hannigan, who lives in Brooklyn, has pivoted his vocation to following his dream…a professional acting career.

Together, this quartet captured the hearts of Highlands audiences and made MTC history by leading their most successful show in 84 years. “We knew we had something special with this cast during rehearsals,” proclaimed the show’s director, Scott Daniel. “But the audience reaction was overwhelming. We saw people coming back to see the show three and four times. Not only did we sell out every single performance, but by the end of the run, we saw groups of people waiting outside the playhouse without tickets, hoping to get seats from cancellations and no-shows.”

With most of the ensemble cast returning as well as this tight-knit leading quartet, MTC’s Jersey Boys is sure to capture lightning in a bottle again this summer!

by Lindsay Garner Hostetler, Director of Marketing and Outreach, Mountain Theatre Company

Happenings at The PAC

A dazzling revue, outlined with cocktails and desserts, sets the stage for an exhilarating month of music, drama and fun.

Whoa! What a busy month at the Highlands Performing Arts Center!

June 3 brings the Gala Revue, featuring a Gourmet Cocktail Buffet by Mark & Sean; a signature drink – The Curtain Call – by Farm2Cocktail; and desserts by Wolfgang’s, MidPoint, The Oak and The Ugly Dog.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a revue without music, and we’re offering performances by The Foxfire Boys, the V8s, Scotty B and members of the Smoky Mountain Brass Band, plus a few surprises. Also on June 3, the MET Opera (live via satellite) will present Mozart’s Die Zauberflote at noon. One of opera’s most beloved works receives its first new Met staging in 19 years – a daring

vision by renowned English director Simon McBurney that The Wall Street Journal declared “the best production I’ve ever witnessed of Mozart’s opera.”

We’ll be welcoming Empire Trio at 7:30 P.M. Sunday, June 11. The trio’s

National Theatre of London will present Good by C.P. Taylor. As the world faces its Second World War, John Halder, a good, intelligent German professor, finds himself pulled into a movement with unthinkable consequences. Olivier Award-winner Dominic Cooke directs this timely tale, with a cast that also features Elliot Levey, Sharon Small and David Tennant.

Broadway, Pop and More showcases the unique talents of this talented classical crossover ensemble. Formed in 2012 they quickly established themselves as a musical force, selling out major venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Redlands Bowl, Ronnie Scott’s, London, and over 350 other venues all over the United States, Canada, and the UK.

At 1:00 P.M. Saturday, June 24, the

Tickets available for HPAC events listed above: HighlandsPerformingArts.com. And last but certainly not least, the Highlands Performing Arts Center welcomes the Mountain Theatre Company, as one of our resident companies. Their first production, The Jersey Boys opens on Friday, June 23. The Jersey Boys tickets are available at mountaintheatre.com.

by Mary Adair Trumbly, Highlands Performing

Center

Arts

…featuring a Gourmet Cocktail Buffet by Mark & Sean; a signature drink – The Curtain Call – by Farm2Cocktail…

Portraits of Wildlife and Pets

Every subject of Peggy Marra’s portraits has a uniquely personal tale to tell.

When you look at one of Peggy Marra’s animal portraits head-on, you look deep into its soul.

Peggy says, “Whether bear, wolf, elephant, kitten, dalmadoodle or any of my subjects, each has a special story to tell.”

And that story, rife with personality, is spoken by their amazing, expressive eyes.

Her spring-summer surprise for her collectors is a new substrate and medium – oil pastels on pastel paper. Rich, creamy, luscious colors amplify animal eye color and depth. In addition to dramatizing the eyes and features with the pastels, the smaller sized works and relatively inexpensive materials make her new line easy on your wallet and your own eyes.

To Peggy the eyes of wild animals and pets are similar in that each contains

lifetimes of stories. But there is also a magnificent wildness in a wolf’s eye, while there is loyal companionship in a pet’s. Peggy is passionate about painting both.

To capture the character and personality of a beloved pet is something special. She says, “I enjoy working on the portrait, but especially enjoy the enthusiasm that the finished work evokes in the pet’s owner(s). It delights me to bring that happiness to them.”

Her work is available at the Summer House in Highlands. She will also be showing at the Art League of HighlandsCashiers Summer Colors Show in July. You can contact Peggy through peggymarra.com, at peggymarra@gmail.com. Call her at (828) 577-3415. Studio visits are by appointment only.

by Donna Rhodes

By Painting on My Own

For artist Zach Claxton, learning the intricacies of oil painting was…logical.

Zach Claxton is one of those lucky guys who can jump into almost any pool and figure out how to swim. He did that with golf. He did it with art. He was off to a great start with golf, until he read instruction books that told him he was doing everything wrong. Golf got ruined forever.

When his daughter enticed him into oil painting, he decided he’d launch on his own. He figured, just like golf, scrutinizing every painting detail could become an analytical nightmare. It would take all the joy out of painting. So, he never cracked an art book or darkened an art class door. And if you’ve seen his work, it’s clear he can swim in the art pool with all the learned painters just fine.

In 2008, on his birthday, October 26, he participated in his first art show, selling his first painting. He later joined the Art

League to be in their shows. Painting for fun turned into a business within his first year, and since then, he’s sold well over 200 paintings.

His works are hanging in homes, businesses and a number of other spaces. As a commission enthusiast, he’s willing to tackle any challenge

a space above a bookcase. With such a wide span, he decided that four 20”x30” paintings, side-by-side, might be a good solution. The patron agreed, so now Zach is painting four stand-alones that can be abutted end-to-end to make one elongated scene.

for any setting …except outside. Plein air is not his calling. He’s very content sitting in his studio, working from reference photos or whatever appears in his window’s horizon.

His first large commission was a 4’ x 4’painting of clouds and their accompanying atmospherics to decorate a lobby. His current commission is for a 10 foot long, 20 inch high piece that will occupy

Regarding the current commission, he says, “This one comes from the patron’s imagination, and my interpretation . . . a bit out of my comfort zone. But, back to the idea of taking lessons . . . I seem to do better learning by doing on my own. And I’m happy to announce, so far my patron is very satisfied.”

If a commission has been on your yearnlist, contact Zach through his website: zachclaxtonart.com. Or email him at ZachClaxton@aol.com.

by Donna Rhodes

to learn more.

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… it’s clear he can swim in the art pool with all the learned painters just fine…

Highlands Porchfest Music Festival

Mark your calendars, because Highlands Porchfest is set for September 17. For information, call (828) 526-8811.

Now, in its third year as one of the Plateau’s favorite musical affairs, Porchfest is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 17, from 1:00 to 6:00 P.M.

Hop from venue to venue and experience the sounds of over 30 local and regional musicians. A true musical menagerie, all genres, from jazz to rock and everything in between, will be represented throughout the day at over 10 hosting businesses in downtown Highlands.

Porchfest is organized and presented each year by the Highlands-Cashiers Center for Life Enrichment, or CLE. CLE is a local, non-profit organization that has been providing enriching programs and community events for over 30 years.

Through educational lectures, hands-on workshops, and a variety of social events throughout the season, CLE is dedicated to creating innovative programs that support and enhance the wellbeing of

residents and visitors to the HighlandsCashiers plateau.

Porchfest is a free-to-attend event, made possible only by the generosity of donors and sponsors from our community. If you’re curious about how you can help keep Porchfest rockin’, please consider making a donation, or volunteering your time the day of the festival. With venues all around town, helping hands are always needed and appreciated. If you’re interested in lending a hand or have any questions about the third annual Highlands Porchfest Music Festival, please contact the CLE office at (828) 526-8811 or via email at info@ highlandsporchfest.com.

by Audra Bullard

Scan to learn more.

Leaving The Past Behind

Art Highlands Gallery (previously Invocative Fine Art) offers exciting, cutting- edge creations from artists’ studios all over the country and world. First on this season’s docket: International Artist-in-Residence, Michael Hayden.

Michael Hayden and his sculptural, encaustic creations are reminiscent of Rothko, Jasper Johns, Diebenkorn, and other mid-century painters who unlocked the emotional power of color. Michael’s work is both panoramic and expansive, a balance of the masculine (geometric, large, bold) and feminine (organic, oceanic, crystals). Photographs can’t come close to the awe one feels in the physical presence and vibrancy of a Michael Hayden master work.

Much of Michael’s work was recently crated and sent to Highlands for his current Artist-in-Residence Show, June 1 - 4, opening reception: Thursday, June 1, 4:00-7:00 P.M.

For readers unfamiliar with encaustics, Michael offers a brief introduction: “First, I apply molten beeswax mixed with resin over burlap. I love the way wax grabs the textured fabric. Then, I heat the surface with an iron, torch, or heat gun while

incorporating pigments, varieties of metal leaf or found objects … sometimes crystals. These additions become encapsulated into the beeswax… I compare this process to how insects become trapped in amber, preserved for centuries and every bit as spellbinding.”

… by adding found objects with untold stories is a way of giving my paintings a soul.

Encaustic painting is one of the most steadfast archival art forms. Once pigments are combined with beeswax, they will never fade, as evidenced in the Fayum Mummy Portraits, Grecian style, 4 BCE.

Michael adds, “Paintings in oil, acrylic or watercolor seem somewhat flat to me. In my mind, building layers and textures by adding found objects with untold stories is a way of giving

my paintings a soul. Now, instead of being tossed in the trash, these artifacts have another chance at life. Hopefully, they will live on as a conversation piece for centuries to come.” There is a magic about Michael’s medium. It’s a living entity, solid, yet fluid. Flat, yet texturally sculpted. Geometric, yet organic. More than just painting… it’s a luscious slice of luminosity.

Michael’s art has been featured in numerous TV shows and films, including HGTV, IMAX, and renowned design magazines Elle and Modern Luxury Interiors. His paintings are collected by famous Hollywood icons, among them Jenny McCarthy and Cesar Millan.

Visit Michael’s website: michaelhaydenart.com. Follow him @michaelhaydenart on Instagram for more information.

Art Highlands Gallery is open 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., Daily, 521 N. Fourth Street, Highlands, North Carolina, 28741; Managing Director: Beata Gola; Beata.Gola17@ gmail.com; (828) 482-4945.

by Donna Rhodes

Big Things for Youth Theatre

A busy summer lies ahead for the young students of MGP Youth Theatre. For details or to register, call (828) 200-0889 or email mgp.youththeatre@gmail.com.

When MGP Youth Theatre Director Megan Greenlee-Potts announced in the Spring that she was planning big things for her students, it turns out she wasn’t kidding.

In the past she’s focused on topics like Stage Fighting (with professional stuntwoman Samantha McDonald), learning to present Shakespeare to a modern audience (with scenes from Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and managing to turn a slumber party into a series of spooky situations.

You can see the progress of her students when they stage readings from old Appalachian texts for the Cashiers Historical Society’s Airing of the Quilts.

For her summer and fall students, she’s expanded the course load to include BBC Literary Adaptations, lessons from The Royal Shakespeare Company, and the behind-the-scenes techniques of the UK’s National Theatre.

“All of this will be leading to Shakespeare performances at Hudson Library and Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, staging a musical, and learning how to design a show and all of its backstage and technical components,” says Greenlee-Potts.

That last part of the equation means that Greenlee-Potts will be calling upon the talents of her daughter Kathryn, who spent six years learning the fundamentals of theater under her mother’s tutelage at the Highlands PAC Youth Theatre, and who went on to earn a degree in Theatrical Production and Design.

Kathryn, who is living in California and is the lighting designer for two theater companies, will be leading Zoom sessions on the fundamentals of lighting, costume design, and set design.

“Kathryn is a professional, which means she is able to instruct our company on the fundamentals, while offering guidance on some of the more challenging aspects of production,” says Greenlee-Potts.

The program and its events are offered at both Hudson Library and Albert-Carlton Cashiers Community Library and are free and open to children throughout the Plateau and adjoining communities.

by Luke Osteen

Hallmarks of The Festival

A trio of programs deepens the artistry and majesty of the HighlandsCashiers Chamber Music Festival’s 42nd season.

TheVianoStringQuartet-

When the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival (HCCMF) rolls out its 42nd season this month, it will once again offer a feast of music, difficult to resist. From its inception, HCCMF has established a nationwide reputation for the high quality of its artists and its innovative programs. This year, as always, the choices for partaking are varied and intriguing.

Developing diverse programs and engaging with audiences on multiples levels is a unique hallmark of the festival. Indeed, the world of chamber music at HCCMF has long included programming that weaves music with community interests – ensuring that extraordinary chamber music is accessible to both seasoned and new audiences in spaces beyond the concert hall.

This summer, the undiminished creativity of the team at HCCMF is evident in three very distinctive programs:

June 25, 5:30 P.M.: “Painting with Music”

– The magnificent art of the Ann Lea Gallery in Cashiers provides the stimulation and inspiration for the Rasa String Quartet who will perform scintillating pieces from French impressionist composers Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy. Dedicated to moving their audiences towards a feeling that is true to their namesake (Rasa refers to the power of an artform to induce emotion) their goal is to make classical culture more accessible. Wine and Hors d’oeuvres will be served. Sponsored by J.F. and Peggy Bryan.

July 6, 5:00 P.M.: “Bach in a Sacred Space” – The majesty of the historic small chapel of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Highlands is a magical and fitting setting for the solo works of Bach, Ysaye and Paganini. Violinist Robyn Bollinger, recently named Concertmaster of the Detroit Symphony will perform. An artist at the forefront of classical music, Bollinger enjoys a versatile career ranging from soloist to

chamber musician to orchestra leader and pedagogue. Refreshments will follow the performance. Sponsored by Alfred Kennedy and Bill Kenney.

July 20, 5:30 P.M.: “Martinis and Mozart” – The Orchard House at Old Edwards Farm welcomes you to an evening of glitz and glamour. Guests will enjoy the exquisite pairing of cocktails and a concert by the Viano String Quartet with Jesse McCandless on clarinet performing Mozart’s Quintet for Clarinet & Strings. The Viano String Quartet has performed across the globe and captured international attention. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres prior to the performance, cash bar is also available. Sponsored by Dianne and Myron Mall. For tickets and more information, visit h-cmusicfestival.org, or call the festival at (828) 526-9060.

by Marlene Osteen

Pages 142-161

photo by Susan Renfro

When it’s time to Celebrate

Even if it’s not Cinco de Mayo, a meal at Los Vaqueros naturally evolves into a celebration. Discover for yourself – 30 Dillard Road (next to Farmer’s Market); (828) 482-7040. Or there’s their Toxaway restaurant, 9 Toxaway Falls Drive. It’s owned by the same family, offers the same menu and has a warm, responsive staff – plus you can dine while overlooking Toxaway Falls.

Ibelieve it was the great Dorothy Parker who said, “Eating Mexican food is just like playing the accordion – you can’t help but be Happy!”

(I may be wrong on this. I’m pushing deadline and it’s late at night. A decent editor/restaurant reviewer would do a quick online search and verify this, but I don’t have a good wireless signal at the moment.)

Anyway, Tricia and I treated ourselves

to a well-deserved meal at Los Vaqueros on Friday evening, the end of a workweek that had somehow dragged on for 17 days.

Sweetening the meal was the fact that this was May 5, Cinco de Mayo – ¡Ole! The dining room was packed, but the mood was buoyant, with tables lubricated by frosty mugs of cerveza and carefully calibrated margaritas.

For our little table, that meant the arrival of Negra Modelo and an astonishing Texas Margarita.

A Texas Margarita is distinguished from its staider brethren by the application of jalapeño agave. When that unique hot sweetness is blended with tequila and lime, well, it’s a sensation that’s the gustatory equivalent of a mariachi band setting up on your palate.

Now I’m on record for not liking the

taste of alcohol, but this was simply irresistible. Adding to the seduction, the Large is truly Grande.

At the same time that our drinks arrived, we welcomed to the table bowls of chips and salsa, chips and queso, and chips and glorious guacamole.

We also noticed and called out to seven friends who’d arrived and scattered through the dining room. Los Vaqueros is that kind of place – eventually everyone shows up.

And complementing that exuberance and that alcohol-induced affability was our server Jasmine, who never lost sight of the fact that our meal was a celebration and was patient and relentlessly cheerful.

That’s kind of a hallmark of Los Vaqueros – that warm, attentive service makes it easier to treat your meal like a celebration. Owners Ivan and Rigo keep a close eye on the Dining Room to ensure that the servers are constantly moving, always gauging the mood of their tables.

We dined on Chiles Poblanos and Chori Pollo, a fantastic blending of Chorizo and Grilled Chicken, which had become our comfort foods from previous visits.

As I’ve noted before, the pressure is on in the kitchen of a Mexican Restaurant. The emphasis is on quick service. But once more, even on this busiest of nights, Chef Francisco was at the top of his game, and each item prepared by his

kitchen was obviously crafted with care. So you see, when it’s time to relax, when it’s time to celebrate, when you need to sample something created by a clever bartender, Los Vaqueros is saving a table for you.

Oh, and as I’m wrapping this up, the power came back on, and the internet is flowing once more.

It turns out that Dorothy Parker never said anything about Mexican Food. That opening quote was the product of my tequila-fueled imagination.

by Luke Osteen photos by Susan Renfro

A Rush to Rosé

The deep passions of summer are reflected in bold wine choices.

It’s summer and our collective thoughts have turned to rosé. Indeed, the mad rush to secure a bottle of what has become the ultimate symbol of summer has begun. But let’s pause a moment.

Allow me to take you on a journey through space and time to places completely different from Provence, France – away from the pale rosés that have done more than any others to ignite the wine’s popularity.

Each of the wines suggested here have the seductive and transporting powers implicit in any rosé, yet each is completely different from the other. I urge you to experiment.

Let’s begin our journey closest to home in St. Luis Obispo, California at Tablas Creek, the winery founded in the 1990’s by Jacques Perrin, proprietor of the historic Chateau de Beaucastel in France’s Rhone Valley and Robert Haas, founder of importer Vineyard Brands.

The Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rosé, made up of Grenache, Mourvedre and Counoise is honeydew melon scented with notes of tarragon and lime peel.

Returning to France, but now to the Loire Valley, the pinot noir-based Daniel Crochet Sancerre Rosé is taut and energetic, with scents of fresh raspberry. Zesty, full-bodied, and elegant on the palate, it displays candied rose flavors that deepen with aeration, and an elegant minerality that carries the wine to a long, crisp finish.

If you haven’t thought of Spain as a place to visit for Rosé, the Ameztoi Rubentis Txakolina will forever change your mind. This bracing, refreshing, and mildly effervescent rosé, is the wine of choice in the Basque region, where it is the product of centuries-old cultivation. It has become surprisingly popular in the US despite its tongue-twisting name ((pronounced chock-oh-LEE-nah). Fresh and tangy, with a slightly chalky mineral

and lemon flavor, and low in alcohol, it’s an ideal companion to a snack of anchovies or preserved tuna.

In Italy, Sangiovese reigns, where it’s well known for being the backbone of Chianti. The widely planted varietal also shows up in in the snappy Castello di Ama Purple Rosé. Opening to a bright pink color with raspberry highlights, you’ll notice a darker color saturation typical of the saignée method (a way of rosé winemaking that involves “bleeding” off a portion of red wine juice after it’s been in contact with the skins and seeds).

Readers are urged to seek out these and similar wines in Highlands at the Highlands Wine Shoppe, Bryson’s and Mountain Fresh Grocery, and in Cashiers at The Wine & Provisions Shop at the Hotel Cashiers, and the Wine Cellar of Cashiers.

by Marlene Osteen

Craving its Deliciousness

It’s hard to state simply what Highlands’ resident, and this month’s recipe contributor, Diane McPhail, does because she does so many things. She’s taught high school and college French, directed an art gallery, led retreats and worked as a therapist with the chronically mentally ill. Among other things she now paints and writes books. Four years ago (at the age of 74), she published her first book, The Abolitionist’s Daughter, and her second, The Seamstress of New Orleans, last year. Now she has a contract for two more books.

And some years ago, while a student at Ole Miss, she decided to learn to speak French. So, it’s no surprise to learn that during her junior year she left school to spend a semester in France. “I had no idea whatsoever as to what kind of family I would be living with. I just really knew I only wanted to immerse myself in the language and live in a place where I couldn’t speak English, where I could only speak French,” she told me. The time spent in France was “life changing.” Her proficiency in learning the language mastering the accent so complete that in the months of her

residency she was frequently mistaken for French. The family of seven that ultimately fulfilled her dreams and destiny became her family as she became theirs. “I am the American sister, and we visit back and forth every year or two.”

McPhail recalls that, “My French ‘mother’ Geneviève was a remarkable cook; everything she touched was delicious.”

Despite the change of name and modification, McPhail owes the recipe for “Chicken au Lapin” that follows to Geneviève, who “prepared rabbit in

Diane McPhail’s Chicken Recipe is a love note from her French ‘mother.’

DianeMcPhail

just this way.”

“I adored it,” she recalls. “When she came to Atlanta to visit me, we went out to a huge market searching for lapin and prepared it in my kitchen. I asked her if this would be a good recipe for chicken and she shook her head. “No, it’s for rabbit.” But not having a source for rabbit, I experimented with chicken, and I often find myself just craving its deliciousness. So, I hope you will try it and love it. If you happen to have a source for rabbit, you can do that as well. It’s really a recipe for lapin.”

The simplicity of the recipe and ease of preparation belies how flavorful it is!

Ingredients

au Lapin

Chicken thighs, number as desired (If dark meat is not your thing, it is equally delicious made with chicken breasts – just be sure to use boneless and reduce cooking times.)

Dijon mustard—lots of it!

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

White wine, small amount-- or apple cider vinegar, even smaller amount

Directions

1. Cover the chicken completely in a thick coat of mustard (yes, you read that right)

2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium. Cook the chicken thighs skinside down, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side, about 4 minutes

3. Salt and pepper (or season all) to taste

4. Add white wine or tiny bit of vinegar if desired (or not)

5. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes. Check for doneness

6. Serve with rice, covered in cooking juices.

Bon Appetit!

by

Chicken

Marlene Osteen photos by Susan Renfro

Salons and Feasts

A full slate of Salons and Feasts brings the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival’s music far beyond the confines of its performance venues. For tickets and more information, call the festival at (828) 526-9060.

The 42nd season proper of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival launches on July 1.

In the five weeks that follow, renowned musicians will take the stage twice weekly in Highlands on Saturdays and Mondays and in Cashiers on Sundays and Tuesdays. On August 6 the regular series concludes with the spectacular Gershon/Cohn Final Gala Concert and Dinner, “Festival of All Stars,” bringing together an amazing group of musicians to perform Schuman and Tchaikovsky. But there’s much more to come. Because

at the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, they do things differently. One might even reasonably describe it as chamber music that thinks outside the chamber.

If your concept of a chamber music performance is a dull concert, held in a staid hall, before an audience bound to a worshipful silence, then you might want to think again. Instead imagine grabbing a glass of wine, some food and settling down in a private home while engaging with the world’s best musicians. This is the Feasts and Salon series – programs

for novices and musicologists alike, designed to create a unique and original musical experience for the participants. Feasts are extraordinary dinner parties or cocktail buffets held in local residences, attended by festival artists, following a chamber music performance. Four feasts are scheduled, and except for the initial feast, guests join the artists in conversation rather than at a concert. (Schedule below).

On June 29, acclaimed tenor and legendary Atlanta Braves opera singer soloist Timothy Miller will perform with pianist

Chee-Yun JulieCoucheron

and artistic director William Ransom.

July 16: “Meet and Greet” with enchanting and gifted pianist Julie Coucheron, who’s recent collaborations have included performances with Elton John and The Steve Miller Band.

July 23: “Satulah welcomes pianist, composer and arranger Matt Herskowitz,” known for “Uniquely combining the superlative technique of a classical virtuoso with his prowess in jazz;”

July 29: Award-winning virtuoso concert by “Pianist Extraordinaire, Michael Gurt Charms;”

Salons include short performances by festival artists, followed by light hors d’oeuvres and drinks. The two-hour events begin at 5:00 P.M.

Featured are:

July 12: “Returning Gryphon Will Delight Again,” the Canadian classic music ensemble that has been nominated for and won several Juno awards;

July 14: “Festival Favorites,” international award-winning violinist Alice Hong and principal cellist for the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, Charae Krueger;

July 27: “Dynamic Duo” the dazzling and flawless violinist, Chee-Yun, performs with pianist and artistic director William Ransom;

August 2: “Grammy(s) Winner Mr. Bailey!” featuring one of the world’s premiere Cellists, Zuill Bailey.

by Marlene Osteen

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Coucheron

AliceHong

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A Savory Summer Salon

Sheer Artistry – it’s glorious when The Bascom stages its Summer Salon at The Farm at Old Edwards, Tuesday, June 20. For more information and tickets, contact The Bascom’s Carla Funk at cfunk@The Bascom.org or (828) 787-2897.

MarkMillerBand

When the creative minds at The Bascom place their largest fundraiser within the confines of the exclusive Farm at Old Edwards, you end up with the vastly entertaining Summer Salon, set for 6:00 to 10:00 P.M. Tuesday, June 20. This annual fundraiser for The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts will feature a cocktail reception, an unforgettable glimpse into the creative process with live artistic demonstrations, and a silent auction.

A plated dinner follows with live music, a decadent dessert buffet, and dancing. That meal will be created by OEI Chef Chris Huerta, whose farm-to-table culinary ethos has earned a reputation far beyond the Plateau.

Nationally recognized garden designer Kirk Moore of Oakleaf Flower and Garden will create spectacular

florals and dramatic visual experiences. Oakleaf has become the go-to floral designer for elegant weddings around the Southeast.

Mark Miller Band will set the mood with their unique brand of “Americana music.” Mark Miller was performing solo shows when he approached guitarist Dan Hawk and Seth Buell about getting a band together. The goal was to cover the best music from the 90’s to today. After playing at venues around Southwest Arizona, the band was offered a permanent position with Tucson’s largest country venue – Whiskey Roads in 2021.

free fine arts exhibitions and provides multi-generational arts outreach programming to dozens of local non-profit organizations.

by Luke Osteen

…a cocktail reception, an unforgettable glimpse into the creative process with live artistic demonstration…

The Bascom is a mountaintop oasis that welcomes 20,000 visitors a year to

Scan to learn more.

The Great Shrimp Boil

The Low Country Shrimp Boil, set for July 15 at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, is a delicious boost to the park’s future.

Situated in the center of Highlands, Kelsey-Hutchinson Founder’s Park is a serene refuge from the hustle-bustle of nearby Main Street.

Sixteen years in the making, and once the locale of the town post office, the downtown park is now the center of the city’s social life. Thanks to the persistence of a local committee and planning and fundraising by more than 300 contributors, the land was transformed into what is now a verdant oasis and has become one of the town’s most popular attractions. Since its opening in 2016, the park has served as an important nucleus for fund raising events and music concerts and a venue for gatherings from winter ice skating to arts and crafts fairs, and seasonal farmers markets.

And every summer, Kelsey Hutchison sets the stage for one of the year’s most eagerly anticipated activities – the Lowcountry Shrimp Boil. Hosted by Friends of Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders

Park and regarded by many a local as one of the great communal eating experiences of the Highlands summer, the Low Country Shrimp Boil returns to Friends of Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on July 15.

For those who appreciate the unique amalgamation of culinary tradition, the comradery of friends and communing with nature, there can be no more enjoyable way to spend an evening. And of course, there’s the food – prepared by Highlands chef Marty Rosenfield. In the pantheon of great American seafood boilers, there is no one more devoted to the task than Rosenfield who has a passion for sourcing the best ingredients and making them sing. He is well known for the artfulness he brings the preparation of the Lowcountry Boil - a combination of zesty shrimp, sweet corn on the cob, smoked sausages, and creamy potatoes, simmered in a spicy broth. It is spectacularly delicious.

Though the park welcomes and accepts donations year-round, the “Boil” is the park’s only fundraiser.

Bill Edwards, Event Coordinator, said, “The funds raised by the Shrimp Boil finance park projects, and all proceeds are used for beautification of the park and every net dollar is used for that purpose.”

The ticket includes the Shrimp Boil, grilled vegetables, dessert, tea and two tickets for beer or wine. The event is tented and will be held rain or shine. “Doors” open at 5:00 and dinner is at 6:00. Tickets are available at The Dry Sink and the Founders Park website foundersparkhighlands.org.

by Marlene Osteen

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Memorable Wine Dinners

On The Verandah maintains its position at the top of the Plateau Restaurant Landscape with a pair of wine dinners.

Iam always excited about the possibility of a wine dinner, especially when I learn it’s going to happen at one of my favorite spots – On The Verandah. In its 40-year history, the restaurant has hosted some of the area’s most memorable wine dinners. Long regarded for its ambitious in-house wine program, the wine dinners champion both established and up-and-coming wineries.

In a world of predictable wine pairings, Chef Andrew Figel stands out for his ability to creatively invent dishes designed to enhance the flavors and style of the wines. Perhaps it’s for that reason that wine enthusiasts and some of the world’s most highly regarded winemakers and their representatives gather here to explore the nuances of wine.

This month, they are hosting two such events. I urge you to mark your calendars for an evening (or two) of fascinating and fun exploration with your fel-

low wine lovers and favorite wineries. These two amazing dinners are certain to be the highlight of your month.

On June 8, Founder Guy Davis of Davis Family Vineyards will take guests through an exploration of his highly acclaimed wines. Davis and his family have been growing grapes on their land in Sonoma County near Healdsburg, California, for over 20 years, producing wines of the highest quality that reflect the terroir. Davis is well known for his one-of-a-kind Pinot Noirs that are all about aromatics and elegance and are unlike wines grown anywhere else in the world.

As Davis says, “Our aim is to find that magical balance between winemaking expression and respect for nature’s gifts. It’s a style that lets us pour our hearts and soul into each bottle and wins us friends one glass at a time.” After tasting the wines, I think you’ll agree.

Steve Nelson of Grapevine Distributors will present the wines of Mount Eden Vineyards on June 15. Recognized as one of the original “boutique” California wineries, Mount Eden has been producing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet since 1945. Winemaker Jeff Patterson has been making wine here since 1981. Stylistically he links the wines to those of France, describing his wines as having “More soil-driven notes, with more tannin and acid, lower in alcohol than most California wines, yet with a generosity and richness typical of California.”

Both wine dinners will begin at 6:00 P.M. with a reception to include sparkling wine and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a seated multi-course dinner with wine pairings. Cost of the dinner is $165 per person.

by Marlene Osteen

A Great Dinner Party

Chef Jeremiah Langhorne mans the kitchen for Skyline Lodge’s Under the Stars, On the Rocks on June 6.

Like any great dinner party, Skyline Lodge’s guest chef series, Under the Stars, On The Rocks, includes inspired food, great beverages, like-minded people and stimulating conversation.

Again, this year, Skyline is partnering with a heavy-hitting cadre of guest chefs at a lineup of dinners that take place in the lodge’s picturesque outdoor pavilion overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains.

On June 6, Jeremiah Langhorne, James Beard Award-winner for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic, and executive chef and owner of Washington, DC’s restaurants The Dabney and Petite Cerise will man the kitchen.

Langhorne has come a long way from his beginnings as a cook at a strip mall pizzeria in Charlottesville, Virginia. His career has since took him around the world – from a stage at Noma in Copenhagen to the chef de cuisine

spot under Sean Brock at Charleston’s McCrady’s Restaurant, before launching his own restaurants in DC.

The lure of local ingredients caught Langhorne early on. He grew up fishing, foraging, and living off the bounty of the Chesapeake region. At McCrady’s he became an expert forager and oversaw a pantry full of scratch-made misos and vinegars, and his foraged finds often ended up on the menu.

After five years at McCrady’s he decided to return to his Mid-Atlantic roots to open his own restaurant venture. The inspiration for The Dabney came when he realized that none of the local restaurants were cooking the flavors of his beloved Chesapeake region. It was important that his menu “draw inspiration from native regional ingredients.” During the buildup to the opening, he had time to put together his own unique library of local flavors - using all sorts of vinegars like Virginia maple, sorghum, and quince.

Then there are the misos: butterbean,

pumpkin seed, black walnut, pecan, squash. The restaurant has become a showcase for the recipes and foodstuffs of his native region; recognized for “plating the Mid-Atlantic, using ingredients like oysters, sunchokes, country ham, and apple cider.

Langhorne’s talents have not gone unnoticed. The Dabney has held a Michelin Star since its beginnings in 2016 and was recently ranked number one in the district by Washingtonian Magazine. Other accolades include James Beard semi-finalist “Best New Restaurant”

2016, Bon Appetit Magazine’s “50 Best

New Restaurants of 2016, Food & Wine’s “2016’s Restaurants of the Year”, Eater’s “Young Guns Class of 2022,” and one of Gayot’s “Top Five Rising Chefs”. Tickets are $175 per person and include a signature welcome cocktail and dinner with beverage pairings. Additional a la carte drinks are available for purchase. Limited availability and advanced reservations required.

by Marlene Osteen

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JeremiahLanghorne

Plateau Dining Guide

The Restaurants of the Highlands Cashiers Plateau

HIGHLANDS AREA RESTAURANTS

Asia House - (828) 787-1680

Black Bear Cafe - (828) 482-7020

The Blue Bike Cafe - (828) 526-9922

Bridge at Mill Creek (828) 526-5500

Bryson’s Deli - (828) 526-3775

The Cake Bar - (828) 421-2042

Dusty’s - (828) 526-2762

El Azteca - (828) 526-2244

Highlands Burritos - (828) 526-9313

Highlands Deli SweeTreats - (828) 526-9632

Highlands Tavern - (828) 526-9002

Madison’s Restaurant - (828) 787-2525

Midpoint (828) 526-2277

Mountain Fresh - (828) 526-2400

Rosewood Market (828) 526-0383

The Ruffed Grouse - (828) 526-2590

The Secret Garden - (828) 305-7509

Spinx Highlands - (828) 526-4191

Subway - (828) 526-1706

Wild Thyme Gourmet - (828) 526-4035

CASHIERS AREA RESTAURANTS

Buck’s Coffee Cafe - (828) 743-9997

Canyon Kitchen - (828) 743-7967

Chile Loco - (828) 743-1160

Cornucopia Restaurant - (828) 743-3750

El Manzanillo - (828) 743-5522

The Fix Bar & Lounge - (828) 743-7477

Happ’s Place - (828) 743-5700

Jim’s Place at Sapphire Country Store - (828) 966-4011

JJ’s Canteen and Eatery - (828) 743-7778

The Library Kitchen and Bar - (828) 743-5512

Mica’s Restaurant - (828) 743-5740

Mountain Cafe - (828) 577-0469

Panthertown Cafe - (828) 862-3663

Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company - (828) 743-0220

Slab Town Pizza - (828) 743-0020

Slopeside Tavern - (828) 743-8655

Subway - (828) 743-1300

Town and Country General Store (828) 547-1300

Ugly Dog - (828) 743-3000

Villa Amato (828) 885-7700

Wendy’s - (828) 743-7777 Whiteside Brewing Company - (828) 743-6000

Plateau Lodging

Accommodations on the Highlands Cashiers Plateau

BREVARD, NC:

Meraki Escape - (828) 463-7440

CASHIERS, NC:

High Hampton Resort - (800) 648-4252

Hotel Cashiers - (828) 743-7706

The Lakehouse - (904) 753-0247

Landmark Vacation Rentals- (877) 926-1780

Mountain Vacation Rentals - (828) 743-0258

The Orchard Guest Cottage - (828) 743-7614

Pebble Creek Village - (828) 743-0623

Silver Creek Vacation Rentals - (828) 743-1999

The Wells HotelA Cashiers Experience - (828) 761-6289

GLENVILLE, NC:

Innisfree Bed & Breakfast - (828) 743-2946

Mountain Lake Rentals - (828) 743-6875

Prime Property Rentals - (828) 743-3482

HIGHLANDS, NC

200 Main - (855) 271-2809

Berkshire Realty

Rentals - (828) 526-1717

Chambers Realty & Vacation Rentals - (828) 526-3717

The Chateau - (561) 613-1496

Fairview House - (866) 526-8008

Half Mile Farm - (855) 271-7246

Highlander Mountain House - (828) 526-2590

Highlands House Bed and Breakfast - (828) 787-1186

Highlands Inn - (828) 526-9380

Highlands Inn Lodge - (828) 526-5899

Highlands Resort Rentals - (828) 526-5839

The Inn at Mill Creek - 828-526-9999

The Lodge at Old Edwards - (828) 787-2560

Lotts of Sky - (404) 395-4000

Lullwater House - (423) 488-2799

Old Edwards Inn and Spa - (866) 526-8008

Park on Main - (800) 221-5078

Ray’s Roost - (678) 534-6870

Rent in Highlands - CCP - (800) 684-2171 x 302

Rockwood Lodge - (828) 526-8919

Silver Creek Vacation Rentals - (828) 526-2999

The Wells Hotel - (828) 482-7736

Whiteside Cove Cottages - (828) 526-2222

SAPPHIRE, NC

Club Wyndham Resort at

Fairfield Sapphire Valley - (828) 743-3441

Foxhunt at Sapphire Valley - (828) 743-7667

Hampton Inn & Suites -

Cashiers-Sapphire Valley - (828) 743-4545

Mt Toxaway Lodge & Motel - (828) 966-4582

Sapphire Run at Whisper Lake - (863) 412-5734

Whispering Falls - (352) 470-4085

Woods at Buc - (770) 714-9211

SCALY MOUNTAIN, NC:

Fire Mountain - (800) 775-4446

The Vineyard at 37 High Holly - (828) 505-6190

LAKE TOXAWAY, NC

Cabins at Seven Foxes - (828) 877-6333

Earthshine Lodge - (828) 862-4207

Greystone Inn - (828) 966-4700

Lake Toxaway Realty Company - (828) 508-9141

Pages 168-179

photo by Susan Renfro

BLAME IT ALL ON YOUR ROOTS

You’ll cause a big scene when you show up in these Dan Post Paloma boots. Handcrafted with soft, distressed leather and western stitching throughout, you’ll fit in with ivory towers - or oasis.

Paloma Western Boot | $ 299

All Boots 30% off through June

Town & Country General Store | Cashiers

Plateau Picks A few of our favorite things

SUSTAINABLE STYLE

The ultimate crossbody bag made from recycled vegan leather in a woven mesh design for the most durable use for any bag. Great for a workout bag, school bag, computer bag, travel bag, hiking bag, fashion bag or whatever your goal for the day to complete bag.

Crossbody Bag | $145 (available in a rainbow of colors)

C. Orrico | Highlands

SUMMER IS FOR SANDALS

You’ll be singing Summer’s song in this heeled sandal topped with handmade, colorful leather flowers.

Pons Quintana Cannes | $ 395

Elevations | Highlands

OUTSIDE INSIDE

Accent your rustic living room with a greenery arrangement from New Hampshire. This unique combo of feathers, pods, antlers, preserved greenery and flowers will be a beautiful addition to your home.

Custom Greenery Arrangement | $170

Finders Keepers | Cashiers

BRING THE BLING

These gorgeous earrings feature one carat each of Sapphires, Diamonds and Pave Diamonds. Set in 18k Gold, these stunning earrings will be cherished for generations.

Sapphire and Diamons Earrings | $ 3,100

Peak Experience | Highlands

FATHER’S FIRST

‘Love Birds’ Bronze Statue | $115

Mirror Lake Antiques | Highlands

TOP IT OFF

We love this attention-demanding combo that will take you from casual daytime to a night out with style and ease. This colorful jacket and super soft tee are tied together with a classic necklace.

Tee by Tina $ 42

| Jacqueline Kent Necklace $ 38

Multi-Color Insight Jacket | $199

The Look | Cashiers

LIGHTEN UP

With a geometric pattern and cylinder shape, this lamp is a handsome choice for any space. On a side table, console or shelf, a stunning way to lighten up the room.

Decorative Lamp | $115 J Gabriel | Cashiers

This Fathers Day, bronze comes in first place with this bronze statue by Portuguese artist Milo.

More Than Magic

The possibilities of luxurious fashions and accessories have earned Robin’s Nest a passionate customer base.

RobinAshmore

Have you ever wondered how our small Plateau is so widely recognized as one of the premier shopping destinations in the country? Look no further than Robin’s Nest on Highway 107 South in Cashiers for the answer.

Now in their 15th year, owner Robin Ashmore will readily share with you that this boutique and fashion are her passion, and with the help of her friendly and dedicated staff, they create more than a touch of magic for your shopping experience.

This upscale boutique features a carefully curated inventory of truly unique items that will elevate your style and mood. Nothing makes them happier than helping you create your signature look. They live by the motto that when they help you look your best, they look their best.

Robin stays on top of current trends from Paris and Europe, so she knows

what fabrics, colors, and looks are in. Buy an outfit here and feel at home anywhere. While the looks are on trend, the clothing is classic and will carry you from season to season and year to year. Whether you’re shopping for classic looks such as jeans, dresses, slacks, blouses, and jackets, or a more formal look for a special occasion, Robin’s Nest has what you need. Choose one of their Grace Chong reversible silk jackets or a cashmere poncho handcrafted in Nepal for an instant update to your existing wardrobe.

Speaking of existing wardrobes, they invite you to bring in your favorite pieces and they will happily help you pair them with a new piece or two from their collection or show you how to style them in a new and unique way.

Sometimes all that’s needed to elevate your style are accessories and their selection of accessories stands out from the rest. Scarf lovers will revel in their

colorful selection of silk scarves. Much of their jewelry comes from artisans with a passion and a story to tell. The Lannie Cunningham pieces from Asheville are often crafted with stones and items from Roman ruins. Their Tat 2 collection of pieces made from unique coins and mixed metals belong in every woman’s collection. Do not miss their hand-painted shoes created especially for them.

Robin’s Nest will also happily pre-book a private shopping experience for your bridal party or girls’ weekend, providing your group with fun, food, beverages, and an unparalleled personal shopping experience.

Robin’s Nest – where fashion meets fun. Open 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Thursday; 10:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 4:00 P.M. Sunday.

by Mary Jane McCall /

Gillan

Photo by Mary

Just Spoil Yourself

An endlessly surprising inventory and warm, welcoming staff have ensured Spoiled Rotten’s 35 years of success.

Jonna McDowell and her staff invite everyone to stop by and visit Spoiled Rotten in Town Square as they celebrate their 35th anniversary this year. You know you’re doing something right when your business grows and thrives for 35 years, and this business name gives their secret to success awaythey spoil their customers rotten. Treat yourself to a visit to this charming store and let them outfit you for your next trip, evening on the town, or any special occasion. It’s pampered personal shopping for the discriminating customer at its best.

Jonna says that what she loves most about her business, in addition to helping women look and feel their best, is that over the years her customers have become cherished friends. Spoiled Rotten’s customers return season after season because they know they can count on Jonna and her staff to help them look their best. They know and

cherish their customers.

Spoiled Rotten offers a great assortment of looks for any occasion including casual, dressy and professional. Their selection of Krazy Larry slacks and jeans is second to none, so if you’re searching for slacks that fit just right this is your one-stop shop. These ladies have sold thousands of pairs of slacks so trust us when we say you’re in good hands here. They’ll find you the fit and style you’re looking for, whether you’re looking for wardrobe basics in solid colors such as black or white, or more in the market for a pop of color or a classic or playful pattern. Taller ladies take note, they also offer tall sizes.

You’ll also find blouses, tees, crops, jackets and more from names like Frank Lyman and Pure, clothing lines that embody comfort and style and travel well. They also boast one of the largest collections of Joseph Ribkoff clothing in the southeast.

Their one-of-a-kind jewelry will complete your look and elevate your style and mood. From cubic zirconia rings and bands sprinkled with diamond dust that sparkle and shine like the real thing, to Simon Seabag sterling silver earrings that are bold and light as air, you’ll find just the right accessory here. Even everyday items such as canes, readers, water bottles, and key rings have been bedazzled and bejeweled with Swarovski crystals. Why not add a little sparkle to your everyday necessities?

Spoiled Rotten is open MondayThursday 10:00-6:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-7:00 and Sundays

Noon-6:00. Spoil yourself and stop by.

by Mary Jane McCall

A New Season Brings New Antiques

A new season brings a fresh crop of antiques to Vivianne Metzger Antiques, located at 31 Canoe Point off Valley Road in Cashiers. The shop and warehouse are open Tuesday-Saturday, from 10:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. For more information, email cherietibbetts@yahoo.com or visit vmantiques.com.

While many people might hunker down during the winter months, the staff of Vivianne Metzger Antiques is busy traipsing all over England and other areas to find unique, interesting, and historically significant pieces to bring to shoppers in the Cashiers-Highlands area.

Vivianne Metzger Antiques might be a little shop tucked away on a gravel road in Cashiers, but is full of significant treasures from Europe. And, for the past 26 years, the family-run business has been unloading containers of treasures every May so that the shop can be restocked for a new season.

“It starts with a trip to England, where Bill [Tibbetts] and I spend four weeks in beautiful English villages choosing, wrapping, boxing, and packing goods into an SUV we drive around the countryside, usually over 1,000 miles,” said Cherie Tibbetts, daughter of Vivianne Metzger. “Finding ‘smalls’ is the real

CherieTibbetts

hunt. Visiting antique shops, Sunday markets, and large international fairs are just some sources. A good day means buying 50 items of china, silver, cutlery, paintings, needlework, candlesticks, and much more.”

Tibbetts explained that purchasing furnishings requires visits to large warehouses, mostly on dealers’ farm properties. “It can take half a day at each stop, looking through hundreds of items, to find those few special pieces to bring back – often looking for a specific piece for a specific client,” she said.

Tibbetts added, “Once the buying is done, we turn it over to our shipper and packer. They collect all the goods at their warehouse in Nottingham [England] and pack the 40-foot container. Everything is carefully wrapped and strategically placed into the container; heavier items low with lighter items up top.”

“We buy a good bit of English garden stone,” Bill said, “so having an experienced packer that delivers a container with no breakage is huge for us. We always hope it all fits. Definitely a jigsaw puzzle to get over 1,000 items

into the container.”

After the items arrive, the Vivianne Metzger Antiques team unpacks, cleans, waxes, polishes, and prices all the items so when shoppers walk into the shop all they see are shiny treasures to choose from.

by Deena Bouknight

Fashion Forward

Florence, Italy, may be the cultural essence of Giuliana Kaufman, but the Highlands-Cashiers area is a definitive part of who she has become. The career fashion guru has for decades gifted residents and visitors on the Plateau with her innate talents, her international style sense, and her distinct sophistication.

The founder and owner of the former Cashiers-located Narcissus [closed in October 2022], Giuliana determined recently that her extensive fashion background could best be utilized by working individually with clients. Thus, her connections with top designers and her attention to unique offerings make Giuliana well suited to helping clients navigate selections – everything from special occasion items to full-fledged seasonal wardrobes.

“It’s all about exceptional personal service to help people look their best,” she said. “I know how to pull together the fashions that perfectly coordinate.

And I help people invest in clothing, so that they have pieces that will last.”

Often, Giuliana will help clients choose quality, classic fashions that can be dressed up or dressed down by adding or taking away such accessories as beautiful Italian scarves and one-of-a-kind jewelry. Her goal is to key into a client’s personality, so they are never frustrated when perusing their closets.

“People would beg me to help them with their wardrobes, help with their closets, so I decided to just do consulting and trunk shows that will offer high-quality Italian handbags, jewelry, shawls, and more to complement all kinds of outfits.” Plus, knowing how metropolitan and well-traveled many clients are these days, Giuliana finds attire that works to enable the wearer to be both comfortable and fashionable, no matter the situation or scenario.

She added, “I have a strong working knowledge of fashion and understand

body types and the needs of lifestyles, but I help determine a personal style to bring out the best in each woman. I am an advisor/consultant to help individuals achieve their fashion goals so they can dress with confidence, but also be comfortable.”

Giuliana has been a fashion consultant for many years, working with such European designers as Emilio Pucci. She discovered Highlands in the 1990s, while working in Atlanta. Eventually, she found a home in Cashiers 20 years ago, but she still spends part of the year in Italy.

“What attracted me to the area was the wonderful temperatures, the hiking, and the people here,” said Giuliana. “It reminds me a little of Italy, especially where my family had an Apennine Mountain summer home.”

Contact Giuliana at (828) 674-6857 for a consulting appointment.

by Deena Bouknight / photo

by

Mary Gillan

Fashion maven Giuliana Kaufman is offering a lifetime’s worth of wisdom and insight to select clients.

GiulianaKaufman

Sensational Summer Collections

Acorns, located at 212 South 4th Street in Highlands, is staging a pair of trunk shows – glittering adornments for the body and the spirit.

Going on summer vacation? You just might need some vacationworthy jewelry while you’re in paradise.

Let’s face it, dressing for vacations has a different look and feel than the typical day-to-day summer style. Going on holiday is the perfect excuse to dress in fantastical, destination-worthy fashions. And the easiest way to get that onholiday look is via summer jewelry that instantly makes you feel like you’re in paradise (even when you’re not).

It’s also the best time to take advantage of the playful summer collections designers offer each season. Just in time for your excursion, Acorns, Old Edwards’ home décor and furnishing store, has two trunk shows this month – designs certain to make you shine as brightly as the Mediterranean sun. For a treasure to wear on your next trip, look for the vacation-ready summer jewelry styles from Elizabeth Locke and Ali & Bird.

Elizabeth Locke: June 23-25 (representative present)

Lovers of glamor can rejoice!

Elizabeth Locke has firmly established a brand synonymous with worldly treasures and unique materials. She sets a high bar for show-stopping, headturning pieces. Her neo-classical jewelry, handmade of antique carnelian and sardonyx, South Sea Pearls and natural color stones are certain to add a touch of French Riviera-like glamour to your ensemble. What could be more perfect for that Mediterranean voyage than one of the vintage intaglios, ancient Greek, and Roman coins, and antique Japanese porcelain buttons that she refashions into bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

Ali & Bird: June 30-July 10

Ali & Bird’s bold and stunning collections are the work of Atlanta resident Ali Howell, her daughter Lindsey, affectionately named “Bird”, and her late mother Betty, an aspiring artist from whom Ali

inherited her appreciation for all things beautiful and Southern.

Their artisanal and handcrafted baubles are the perfect pieces to make-over any ordinary summer outfit into an extraordinary resort look.

In Ali and Bird’s hands, semi-precious stones, pearls, crystals, and chains are transformed into wearable art. Artful statement necklaces made of crystal, coral, beads, or neutral stones strung on textile strands, some embellished with sea agate, are super-luxe and nod to the natural island scenery that will hopefully surround you.

Let’s face it, going on vacation is the perfect excuse to indulge in some fantastical shopping – to revamp your look and indulge in some whimsy. The only thing missing is a piña colada!

by Marlene Osteen

Visit Our Advertisers

WEST END

201.

202.

-

ON THE HILL

302.

303.

305.

306. Acorn’s

310. McCulley’s

311. Martha Anne’s

312.

313. Old Edwards Inn

318. Peggy Crosby

-

- Highlands Cashiers

319.

WRIGHT

117.

119.

SPRING VILLAGE

400. Jannie Bean Fine Custom Jewelry

404. Shear Elevations

405. Fern of Highlands

406. Brookings Fly Shop

VILLAGE PARK

613. Cleaveland Realty

615. Shakespeare & Co.

617. Fressers Courtyard Cafe

CAROLINA VILLAGE

701. Mountain Life Properties

709. High Dive

709. The Dancing Bear at the High Dive

711. Chambers Realty & Vacation Rentals

NORTH END

803. Art Highlands Gallery

812. Salt Organic

814. Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival

814. Highlands-Cashiers Players

814. Highlands Performing Arts Center

814. Mountain Theatre Company

OUT NC 106

➡ Aery Chiropractic

➡ Peak Experience

➡ High Camp

➡ Highlands Outpost

➡ Highlands Aerial Park

➡ Vineyard at High Holly

➡ Fire + Water

➡ Bella’s Junction Cafe

OUT 64 EAST

➡ Black Rock Design Build

➡ Berkshire Hathaway Homes Services Meadows Mountain Realty

➡ WHLC

➡ Highlands Lawn & Garden

➡ Skyline Lodge/ Oak Steakhouse

➡ Highlands Rock Yard

➡ Highlands-Cashiers Hospital

➡ Allen Tate/ Pat Allen Realty Group

➡ Zen Spa

➡ The Brier Patch

➡ Highlands Dermatology

➡ Roman’s Roofing

For a complete listing please visit our website, thelaurelmagazine.com.

Being added to our listing is easy! Simply advertise with The Laurel.

Visit Our Advertisers

NORTH

2.

136. McKee Properties

137. Bounds Cave Rug Gallery

138. The Orchard Restaurant THE VILLAGE GREEN

142. Village Green Commons

143. The Village Green

146 Sugar Creek Custom Cabinets

147. Bazaar Barn

WEST 64

154. Cashiers Valley Smokehouse

155. Cashiers Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center

156. Creekside:

- Silver Creek Real Estate Group

- Pilates of Cashiers

157. Sotheby’s International Realty

172. Whiteside Art Gallery

173. Betsy Paul Properties

176. Lenz Gifts

EAST

DOWN 107 NORTH

➡ Edgewood Antiques & Fine Furnishing

➡ Bazaar Barn Second Location

DOWN 107 SOUTH

➡ Silver Run Reserve

VISIT CULLOWHEE

➡ Four Seasons Landscape

VISIT GLENVILLE

➡ Crawford Construction

➡ K-9 Meadows

➡ Silver Creek Real Estate Group

VISIT NORTON

➡ Town & Country General Store

VISIT LAKE TOXAWAY

➡ Appalachian Construction

➡ Bear Tracks Travel Center

➡ Grand Olde Station

➡ The Greystone Inn

➡ Historic Toxaway Market

➡ Killer Bees

➡ Lake Toxaway Company

➡ Los Vaqueros

➡ Sweetwater Perk & Creamery

VISIT SAPPHIRE :

➡ Balistreri Realty

➡ Hidden Valley Tavern

➡ Sapphire Valley Real Estate

➡ Whistlin’ Dixie

VISIT BREVARD :

➡ Brevard Music Center

➡ Meraki Escapes

➡ Number 7 Arts

VISIT ROSMAN :

➡ Headwaters Outfitters

For a complete listing please visit our website, thelaurelmagazine.com.

Being added to our listing is easy! Simply advertise with The Laurel.

Toxaway Goodness

Robin and Chris Pickel moved to this corner of Western North Carolina in 2005 after visiting on vacation in October of 2000.

They immediately fell in love with the area, the people and the beautiful fall colors and temperatures. After being in real estate and property management for a few years, they decided to open the Historic Toxaway Market to fill a void in the community left when the Toxaway Wine & Cheese store closed back in 2014. Robin and Chris expanded the store from just being wine and cheese to a nicely stocked market with fresh produce, frozen meals, desserts, local meats, etc. You can get all your essentials and more. They have worked hard since they opened their doors to source the best quality products for their customers and have done a wonderful job.

They now have local eggs, Mangalitsa pork, American Wagyu beef all from

North Carolina along with many, many other items.

“You just have to come by to see,” says Robin.

In June of 2020, the Pickels opened a coffee shop and ice cream parlor across the street when that building became available. They have a full-blown coffee bar serving Pisgah Roasters coffee and espresso drinks. Hershey Ice Cream is in abundance for making cones, milkshakes (even with malt), soda floats and more. (Editor’s Note: They make delicious Espresso Shakes too – best of both worlds!)

In the mornings they have fresh baked croissants (ham/cheese and bacon/cheese), muffins, cookies, cinnamon rolls and more. There are also some gluten free options. You can browse the gift shop while you wait for your latte or ice cream.

Plus, there’s a wide assortment of

wonderful mugs, pillows, serving dishes, handmade whirligigs, etc. Once you get your gifts and treats you can relax on the front porch in the rocking chairs or pull up a stool at the porch bar tops. There are dog water bowls out for our thirsty, furry friends and tie up cleats for their leash while their parents are inside.

The coffee/ice cream shop has a new name – Sweetwater Perk & Creamery. Formerly the Historic Toxaway Market Mountain Café (“Too long!,” says Robin). Same owners and same great shop, just a new name.

The Market is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 A.M.to 7:00 P.M. Sweetwater’s is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.

For more information, visit historictoxawaymarket.com and sweetwaterperk. com; or on Facebook: Historic Toxaway Market and Sweetwater Perk & Creamery.

Currently in their seventh season, the Historic Toxaway Market has become wellknown in the community for friendly service and great products.

ColeCantrellandRobinPickel

Beneficial Growth

The Historic Toxaway Foundation has an ambitious task built into its DNA – to preserve the beauty and overwhelmingly upbeat spirit and hospitality of this beautiful stretch of land.

Last year, we outlined how the dynamic Historic Toxaway Foundation has been promoting the Toxaway-Sapphire community.

We’ve spotlighted this stretch of land’s rich history and recounted Historic Toxaway’s efforts to ensure that this era of growth benefits everyone in the community (which stretches from Rosman all the way to the eastern edge of Cashiers), and its strategies for ensuring that the region’s future is as straightforward as its roads are curvy.

Since we’re in the midst of a very busy Busy Season, we thought it was time to check in with Foundation Board Member Nory LeBrun and learn about its progress and possibilities.

“The BAUT (Business Alliance of Upper Transylvania County) continues to be one of the primary efforts of the Historic Toxaway Foundation, now with 116 Members,” he says. “The BAUT is

fully supported by the Foundation and that support manifests itself in the Red Feather Guide (a digital weekly guide) and is distributed updating locals and visitors on events, state parks, hiking areas, and businesses, categorized per Eat, Stay, Shop, Play. It has 1,000 subscribers, and 2,000 combined HTF/ BAUT social media followers; and we put out a printed Visitors Guide, distributed twice during the season, with the same categories as above.”

That’s a lot of responsibility, but over the foundation’s five years, it’s scored some remarkable successes – ensuring that its voice is heard on the Brevard/ Transylvania Chamber of Commerce, the Housing Assistance Corporation (which works on the challenges of Work-Force and Affordable Housing), the Transylvania Schools System, the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority.

The Foundation continues to work with the Developers of “Longcliff Village,” the 106-acre mixed-use development surrounding and including the existing 45-acre Conservation Easement, and working with NALT (North American Land Trust, the Holder of the Easement), is working with two regional trail builders to refine the trail system, plan for the construction of outdoor education facilities and interpretive signage, as well as viewing areas of creeks and waterfalls.

HTF is also working to promote a growing and becoming more year-round restaurant, hospitality, music scene – the Grand Olde Station, The Greystone Inn, Los Vacqueros, Headwaters Outfitters, Hidden Valley, and Earthshine are just a few. Visit historictoxaway.org to learn more about the Historic Toxaway Foundation or BAUT, or become a member.

by Luke Osteen

Pages 196-199

photo by Susan Renfro

A Glimpse Into the Past

Highlands Historical Society is open for the season at the Highlands Historic Village at 520 North 4th Street in Highlands. Seasonal hours through October are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. Additionally, they have several special events planned for the season.

Visitors to Historical Society’s grounds can tour the historic Elizabeth Wright Prince House, the oldest existing residence in Highlands, built on this site in 1877. The Museum and Archives next door is housed in the original Hudson Library building, moved onto this property and preserved by the Historical Society.

The museum houses a number of exhibits and photographs depicting Highlands’ History in great detail, including exhibits on Dr. Mary Lapham who built a TB Sanatorium here; an extensive collection of photographs of the area taken in 1929 by George Masa,

who became known as the greatest photographer in the Smoky Mountains; and a collection of military uniforms from Highlanders who have served their country, among many others.

The museum will feature two new exhibits this year: The Mountain Music of Highlands and Golf on the Highlands Plateau. The Mountain Music of Highlands is an interactive exhibit that explores the rich legacy of Old Time and Bluegrass music played on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. From parlors and porches to parks, pews, and pubs, mountain music has been played in a wide variety of venues by a richly talented assortment of musicians, past and present.

Through video, audio, and photos, the differences in musical styles are explained as are the special instruments which give the two genres their unique sounds. The exhibit culminates with tales told of some of the fascinating people who shaped the musical culture

that still rings out in Highlands today. Back this year for the first time since 2011 is the popular Walk in the Park where community actors and actresses will portray well-known Highlands historic figures near their graves in Memorial Park. Held this year on Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, from 4:00 P.M. until 5:30 P.M. Tickets for this event will be $15, with children under 12 free. Parking will be at the Highlands Community Center and ticket holders will be bused to the Highlands Memorial Park.

Plans are also currently underway for their annual Big Hats and Bow Ties Brunch to be held in August. September brings the popular Dahlia Festival back to town on the weekend after Labor Day.

For more information email the historical society at hhs@highlandshistory.com.

by Mary Jane McCall

New exhibits at Highlands Historical Society will explore the sounds of the past, music that’s still reverberating across the Plateau.

June is here and with the start of summer, CHS begins the first month of several events to celebrate – from a first-time wedding ceremony at the Hampton Schoolhouse to the Tolbert family reunion, add church and family picnics, the return of summer campers, and the continuation of three annual events.

The second annual Airing of the Quilts will be held June 9 through 11 from 10:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. Airing of the Quilts is a traditional rite of spring in the Appalachian Mountains. After the long winter, women would hang their quilts outside to freshen them up before storing them until next winter.

To honor that tradition, CHS will have on display quilts from area quilters, as well as quilts from the Appalachian Women’s Museum and the Mountain Valley Quilters who are responsible for the “Quilts of Valor” for Veterans and first responders.

This family-friendly event is fun for all ages. On Saturday, June 10, all can share in Appalachian crafts by making a bitty broom and a corn husk doll. A

A Season of Celebrations

blacksmith will be on the grounds to demonstrate his talents and skill.

Each of the three days guests can paint their own barn square and try their hand at slow stitching. There will be a children’s table for crafts. There will be fresh bread and jam and jelly to buy. New this year will be a pie bar, with pies mainly baked by Greg McDonald, retired Executive and Pastry Chef at Lake Toxaway.

The 2023 Jan Wyatt symposium on June 15 is titled Talking Trout and will feature the history of fly fishing, with several respected speakers who will focus on fish species, healthy waterways, fisheries, and more. To continue the trout theme, there will be an ongoing exhibit at the Dowden Pavilion at CHS from June 14 through June 24. There will be a variety of informative posters and activities for both children and adults. Do you know how the Brown trout came to the U.S., or did you know trout are cannibals or more importantly what influence did a Nun living in the 1400s have to do with fishing? All these questions and more are answered.

The Mountain Heritage Lecture Series on Wednesday, June 28, from 11:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. at the Dowden Pavilion features Dr. Luke Manget. His book Ginseng Diggers: A History of Root and Herb Gathering in Appalachia recently received the Weatherford Award given by Berea College, His talk will explore the role that root digging and herb gathering played in local economics and how these practices influenced the way communities interacted with the land and each other.

Each of the three June events fulfill the Society’s commitment as a cultural center that encourages civic engagement and community partnerships by preserving traditions and creating meaningful experiences for all. The events are free, but donations are encouraged. Cashiers Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) organization.

by Sandi Rogers, Cashiers Historical Society

Cashiers Historical Society’s busy June launches with the Airing of the Quilts, and continues through the end of the month.

The Best Novel I Ever Read

A marvelous summertime idyll, Refuge retains its charm through the years.

“A perfect May morning in the Blue Ridge is something to celebrate [and] I was too happy almost to endure it…We were destitute and on the brink of disgrace, but I had never felt so rich in my life.”

When former Hudson librarian Mary Lou Worley stopped by the bookstore recently, I handed her the 2006 Refuge – where the above passage appears—and asked if she’d heard of it.

“It’s the best, best, best novel I’ve ever read,” Mary Lou declared.

Later, Shakespeare & Co.’s writer-inresidence Cathy Pickens popped in from upstairs, and I wondered if she knew the book’s author, Dot Jackson, a fellow South Carolinian.

(Dot spent a great deal of her life as a reporter for both the Charlotte Observer and the Greenville News, where she honed her marvelous writing skills before retiring to a 19th-century farmhouse near Table Rock State Park that

was so decayed, she lived in an adjacent trailer – itself so decrepit that bears denned underneath its floor.)

“The first time I met Dot, at a small book festival she’d helped organize, she greeted me with that big smile as if we were long-time friends” Cathy related.

“Dot then immediately ushered me off to meet other writers she knew I’d love—writers I still call friends.”

And I’ll never forget when Jackson came to the late, great, Cyrano’s Bookshop to sign Refuge. I met Dot at her car two blocks down Main Street and was surprised to see she was so crippled with a variety of age-related challenges that she walked with two canes. Or should I say *flew*: Dot bobbed down the street so fast I could barely keep up, and so cheerful and full of energy that her impairments soon faded from your consciousness. She was about 74 then and lived another decade.

Refuge begins in the late spring of 1929, and is told in the scintillating-andpropulsive first person by Mary Seneca Steele Lamb (”Sen”) of Charleston, who grew up in the aristocratic South of Broad neighborhood. When Sen’s husband grows ever more abusive and profligate, she nabs his new Auburn Phaeton motorcar – bought with her money – and bundles their children off in the middle of the night, heading for her father’s people.

Refuge is laugh-out-loud funny, and fabulous in all that word’s meanings, and based on secret, true events in Dot’s own family. There are knife fights, thrilling escapes, romantic entanglements and a profound appreciation for the mountains and their folk. It was published with enthusiastic endorsements from Cassandra King Conroy and Ron Rash and won the Appalachian Book of the Year award. It will win your heart.

by Stuart Ferguson, Local Historian, Shakespeare & Company

LIFESTYLES & WELLNESS

Pages 202-219

photo by Susan Renfro

60 Years of Growing Up

For George and Karen Powell, a date at The Varsity led to a loving relationship that carried them all the way to the Plateau.

They met in Atlanta, in the halls of Druid Hills High School.

George Powell had just turned 16. In a few months Karen Edgar would celebrate the same birthday.

For their first official date (George’s first after receiving his driver’s license), they went to The Varsity.

“It was where you went on a date then,” Karen told me. They engaged in what could only have been typical teenage chatter, and quickly realized they were enjoying each other’s company; having fun together. For the next year they spent every weekend together – visiting the Fox Theater, going to movies, frequenting The Varsity with friends. It was 1957, and the beginnings of a friendship, now 67 years old.

The summer of the following year, Karen’s family moved to Cocoa Beach,

Florida. Her Dad, an electrical engineer, had joined the nascent space program. (On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite.)

The couple kept up through letters –corresponding daily.

“Stamps were 3 cents then,” George reminded me.

That year Karen returned to Atlanta frequently for social occasions and school events, and George regularly brought a carload of friends to Cocoa Beach during school vacations.

Recounting those years, Karen reflects that, “My mom and dad helped raise George and, in some ways, they helped raise me as well. I was frequently at George’s mom’s side learning how to cook Southern specialties – making hot water cornbread sticks and cube steaks.”

The yearlong separation finally ended in 1959 when they began studies at Florida State University, where they were both awarded scholarships. By then it was clear they were a committed couple.

As Karen told me, “We were seriously dating from the beginning and just assumed we would get married because we enjoyed each other – we’ve always gotten along.”

Their intentions of a lifelong camaraderie became a reality soon after graduation. They were married on June 22, 1963, in an intimate ceremony, surrounded by college friends and family at a small community church in Cocoa Beach.

Their first son, Trey - was born 11 months after their wedding, and their second son, Clay - two years later. George took a job as a rug buyer for Sears, and they moved to Chicago where they remained for 5 years.

GeorgeandKarenPowell

Longing to return to the South, George managed to wrangle a position with Sears in Valdosta, Georgia. Karen, who had returned to work after her boys started first grade, began teaching at the same school the children attended. Eventually she would take a job with the Georgia Department of Education, and then work as a global consultant for language arts. George leveraged his experience with Sears to start a contract delivery company. When the company got bigger than he wanted to manage, he recruited a long-time friend to operate the business.

Over decades of marriage, they have shared interests in boating, and tennis, and in particular their pets – horses and dogs. And it was because of the horses that they bought property in Scaly Mountain in 1999 – they needed a place to exercise them during the hot summer months in Valdosta. And so it was that for the next dozen years they alternated residences between Valdosta and Scaly

– until George’s retirement in 2011 when they moved to the Plateau full time.

It wasn’t long before George got restless. “By May, I had been sitting around all year and decided I needed an activity, and I got a brainstorm to install an aerial zip line.”

Karen’s acquiescence in the startup highlights the couple’s compatibility.

George grinned broadly retelling the incident, “When I told Karen I was building a zip line park, she asked how much it would cost. When I replied that it didn’t matter because it’s too late for us to be rich; she responded, yes, but it’s not too late for us to be poor.”

Highlands Aerial Park opened in October 2012.

As George explained, “It was the business that would infringe the least on the land; we were intent on keeping it pristine for generations. Those feelings run deep within us. Among the charities we support are the Land Trust and the Biological Station.”

Although surely their lives have hit rough patches, they are more likely to reminisce about the good times – raising their boys, their seven “perfect grandchildren,” the two of them each carrying a torch at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, their involvement in community activities, and the friends they have made on the Plateau.

At the end of our talk, I asked George if he had any advice to give on making a marriage last. “Be patient, and wait until you find the right person, someone you like. Be friends first. Our grandchildren are examples of how to do that – they have all waited until they found the right partner.”

Or perhaps it’s also as Karen said, “We grew up together, and we’re still growing up together. We do it one day at a time. Sixty years later we’re still enjoying each other one day at a time.”

by Marlene Osteen

Finding Your Line

Rolf techniques ensure flexibility in motion and flexibility in spirit.

AshbyUnderwood-GarnerandChadGarner

As Cat Stevens said, “If you live life up, you can’t live it down.”

It’s your choice and you have one body to care for. But lately you have more creaks in your joints. You are feeling worn down by stress, and subsequently are less active.

Good news!

You’re not a condition to treat, but a person in motion. If its alignment and feeling UP you seek, classical Rolf Structural Integration gives a clear map through the movement journey of the Basic Ten Series. The world belongs to the flexible and to the vigor of agelessness. It is this potential of connection that we refer to as “Finding Your Line” – the line of vertical posture in each person. We seek

… a place to return to again and again in times of stress or fatigue, as a source of balance and rest…

to establish a nourishing relationship to the gravity line by taking clients through ten sessions or A Basic Ten Series of Structural Integration. The Line is a place to return to again and again in times of stress or fatigue, as a source of balance and rest, or in your workouts, Yoga practice or your Pilates training. The Line serves as a focus inside the body that is uniquely yours.

The Basic Ten Series is Dr. Ida Rolf’s (1896-1979) original 10 principles for reorganizing the human body to create length, dynamic balance, and core stability. The method unblocks pathways to new ways of moving. The goal of Dr. Rolf’s work is to evoke harmony in the body by getting

seemingly disconnected parts to wake up, communicate and to work together, hence Structural Integration.

The goal of the first session or “first hour” is to expand breathing capacity. As practitioners, we work with our hands to free expansion around your ribs so that a deeper breath is possible throughout your day. We begin with the chest, collar bones, shoulders, back and open the hips.

The Ten Series can take place over 10 to 20 weeks which allows time to drop expectations and to source good self-care that lasts. The ordering principles become clear to clients as the work progresses, and the experience is naturally benevolent and life-affirming.

by Ashby Underwood-Garner , Yoga Highlands and Rolf Bodywork and Movement Teacher

Fungus Among Us

Every so often I fall in love with a word. Its music nestles into my brain where hundreds of earworms previously camped. My current crush is on Mycelium. He meanders my mind, until, like a cat, finds his happy place, kneads a furrow, and burrows in. There, he purrs a rhythmic meditation until my heartbeat throbs in tandem.

This mushroom romance began when I watched Fantastic Fungi on Netflix. For days I avoided viewing it, thinking it to be an overdone fun-guy joke. But finding nothing better, I surrendered and was drawn into an hour of mycelium magic.

Eons ago, when asteroids crashed into our planet, they sent up layers and layers of dust and debris that blocked sunlight. Plants and animals perished. But the fungi, the third branch of living things on Planet Earth, survived. They broke down, that is, repurposed and absorbed all the debris. In the end it was Fungi that inherited the earth. Get ready for this: Our ancestry is closer to fungi than any other kingdom. Yep, we are descendants of fungus.

Knowing that, am I still in love with

mycelium? You betcha. Now I know why the homophone, silly, worked its way into the word. The joke is on humanity. We are just stumbling, bumbling shrooms with spore-atic behavior. The fungi were prehistoric hazmat-ters. They cleaned-up everything from aisle number one to aisle number-infinity. And they stored all that cooked-up carbon in their underground network for later use.

They still store what’s needed today. We are walking around on trillions of miles of underground fiber networks that clean and connect our planet parts. They can even devour oil spills and turn them into hundreds of healthy oyster mushrooms. Put another way, if we didn’t have fungi, we would get a buildup of plant matter that would choke the earth and us along with it. Fungi are truly the key to our survival. In addition to loving the sound of the word, I am heartened by what mycelium can do. They are intelligent in the sense they respond to the environment. They seek out food. They defend themselves and others. Said another

way, they solve problems. Isn’t that the definition of intelligence?

Wine lovers of Highlands . . . saprobes (the mold, fungus, and another cilium, penicillium, that rot fruit and make cheese) are responsible for your favorite sips and nips and cheeses.

In the big picture, mycelium and all their pals are the digestive tracts of the world. In the end, that will be the thing that saves us – if we get our act together.

Hooray and hallelujah. There is hope. I encourage you to watch Fantastic Fungi. There is plenty more info to digest, as it were.

Uh-oh. Syzygy just caught my ear. Excuse me. My new word affair calls to me.

I’ll catch you up on my syzygy crush next month.

In the meantime, may your shrooms be spore-atic (in a good way) and your planets happily align.

by Donna Rhodes

Donna’s love affair with molds and mushrooms is rooted in our shared past.

Get Back To Your Life Dr.SueAery

Pay attention to the aches and pains and twinges that shadow you throughout the day. They’re trying to tell you something.

So, do you have back pain or hip pain? Or both?

Many of my patients present with these complaints and this can involve some problem solving as well as trial and error. Sometimes, imaging can help us decide the real culprit causing pain, but not always.

The reason is that the low back, pelvis and hip are so closely connected, and it’s sometimes very hard to discern the true source of pain. Since our bodies are designed for dynamic and multidimensional movement, much of the problem develops when we only use the body in a two-dimensional world (sitting, driving and standing, for example).

Then we expect full cooperation when we want to do something that involves the other dimension, which has been put on hold for too long!

Patients come into my office describing “hip and back pain,” often including

groin and thigh pain, and sometimes sciatic pain. Ouch! Other symptoms include difficulty going from sitting to standing, pinching into the groin and hip, difficulty walking upstairs or putting on socks. This is not fun, nor is it an easy fix. Most times, the pelvis, SI joints and hips are involved, and sciatic pain can easily come next!

The hip is a strong, complex ball and socket joint, designed to be stable and very moveable. The soft tissue connections are very strong, traversing the buttock and low back, pelvic floor, as well as the groin and deep into the lower abdomen. Pain can emanate from one or all of these regions and can create pressure on the spine and sciatic nerve, making that “pinch” that we often feel. First and foremost, don’t ignore this pain. Get to your doctor, especially your chiropractor, to have it checked and properly diagnosed. If caught early enough, there is usually a relatively easy

solution to resolve it, hopefully avoiding invasive procedures. If left for too long, major problems can arise, including hip degeneration and the need for surgery! Proper hip stretching and maintenance can help resolve the pain and will help to prevent problems in the future that could require invasive procedures, including surgeries. Opening up the hip joint can often alleviate most of the problem, taking stress away from the spine and pelvis and allow you that multi-dimensional movement that you need for fun… and for life! If you’re experiencing this type of pain, let’s fix this now, and get you back to your life and the activities that you love!

by Dr. Sue Aery, Aery Chiropractic & Acupuncture

Health and Wellness Plateau Partners

The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation and Blue Ridge Health are striving to make Health and Wellness easier on the Plateau. To schedule an appointment or for more information, call Blue Ridge Health – Highlands Cashiers at (828) 482-6160.

Access to Healthcare is an essential part of living a healthy and fulfilling life, yet many individuals and families in our communities face obstacles to receiving the care they need.

Fortunately, the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation is dedicated to funding and supporting health initiatives and access to healthcare for everyone in Highlands, Cashiers, and surrounding communities. Their mission is to improve the health and well-being of residents through outreach, support, and funding of local programs and services.

The cornerstone investment for the Health Foundation is the Blue Ridge Health – Highlands Cashiers Clinic. Blue Ridge Health is a federally qualified health center that offers quality care for the whole family, regardless of their ability to pay. Led by Dr. Kristy Fincher, the Highlands location provides primary care services to patients of all ages.

Blue Ridge Health offers a full

range of family medicine services, including preventive care, chronic disease management, and acute illness treatment, children’s vaccinations, preventative medicine, and much more. Additionally, they will be expanding their services at the clinic here locally to include behavioral health services. These services will provide counseling and therapy for individuals dealing with a variety of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, anger management, and substance abuse. Having both primary care and behavioral health services under one roof is a unique and valuable offering, as it allows patients to receive comprehensive and coordinated care that addresses all of their healthcare needs. This is especially important for individuals who are dealing with both physical and mental health issues, as the two are often intertwined and can affect each other.

Through its partnership with Blue Ridge Health, the Health Foundation

is helping to ensure that all residents have access to high-quality, compassionate, and affordable healthcare. This is especially important in our rural mountain communities, where access to healthcare can be limited and barriers such as transportation and financial resources can make it difficult for individuals to receive the care they need.

By supporting organizations like Blue Ridge Health, the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation is making a significant impact on the health and well-being of our communities. Through their collective efforts, they are helping to ensure that everyone has access to the care they need to live healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives.

To schedule an appointment or for more information, call Blue Ridge Health –Highlands Cashiers at (828) 482-6160.

by Josh Bryson, Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation

Dr.KristyFincher

Body and Spirit

Dear Reader, Perhaps, it’s buried deep inside of me and I am still seeking the right words to describe how I feel about why I am doing this.. There’s something essentially missing when a person is still seeking more, not just of themselves, but of the universe. Substance is imperative. It’s not just essential, it’s mandatory. We cannot stop at “good,” when there’s excellence available. Readers decide what you want and allow it to come through effortlessly. I’m not here to sell spa treatments. I’m here to help humanity. I’m here for the The seekers, the people who knows what they want and go after it. The people who do not settle for less. The people who go after wholeness and understand when they found it, are the Zen Spa friends and customers. Our customers are extraordinary in those rights. They understand quality. They know what I bring to the table. They commend me and cheer me on. It is because of those people I am here. I want to say—thank you!

I began this journey over two decades ago. Seeking truth about the mind, Spirit and then, the body. So, It’s more than just opening a day spa, more than just adding the necessary equipments to create an authentic Japanese Onsen experience. It’s more than harnessing water to heal, and it’s absolutely more than just the exquisite training received over the decades. Obviously those

things matters, all the stories matters, but It’s more… It’s about the gifts of healing.

Some of us have it and some of us don’t. It’s about dedicating one’s life day in and day out despite setbacks, it’s about the sacrifice. It’s about love for the art of healing. Love is not just saying “I love my job.” Love is about doing what you say, and saying what you mean-without compromising others. It’s about sacrificing one’s own beliefs to benefit others without expecting something in return.

Love is Kindness, but kindness is overrated if we are just talking about kindness. We have to do kindness.

Kindness is about Helping humanity. When you help humanity you are helping yourself. Thus, — “Zen you, Zen World.”

I used my own personal savings to expand Zen Spa, not because I wanted to, but because I had too. As a humanitarian, it is about the whole of humanity. It’s about creating a space that encourages balance and tranquility. You deserve the highest quality. You deserve Peace. Peace is accomplished through balance. Balance is for all of humanity.

Wishing you

Love, Joy, Peace and Tranquillity, Angel Joy, Zen Spa Owner

AngelJoy

Working Together For Better Health

Motivated students and community are ensuring that Summit Charter School students will enjoy a new fitness facility.

During High Hampton’s recent redevelopment, the organization gifted Summit Charter School with gently-used fitness equipment that needed a new home.

Last spring, after a group of high school students learned of this donation, they dreamed of adding a fitness center to promote health and wellness at the school and help further develop the school athletics program.

Tenth grade students Jazmin Barranco, Sarah Betty, Chloe Crawford, and Edward Marquina approached the Summit Charter School Foundation about their dream of a new fitness facility to house the equipment.

When the students approached us, we tasked the students with taking ownership of the project. They researched the importance of exercise, designed a floor plan, identified a case for support, and created a donor presentation and video. Parents and community businesses that were willing to help offset construction expenses include Cashiers Firewood, Sweetwater Builders, Mark Rogers Grading, Beni’s Construction, Cashiers Craftsmen, Inc, Roman’s Roofing, Zoller Hardware, Highlands Technology Group, High Hampton, Mountain Stone & Marble, OG Painting, Cashiers Pump & Plumbing, Sunshine Storytime, and Alex’s Siding.

Construction of the fitness center broke ground at the end of 2022 and will be completed over the summer, open for the 2023-24 school year.

by Luke Osteen

Au Naturale

Salt Organic Beauty

Studio, 641 North 4th Street in Highlands, offers clean, holistic hair color options for its clients. Call (770) 778-5040 for more information or an appointment.

AngelaBowser

Angela Bowser’s schtick is a simple one: “You don’t have to poison yourself to emit a beautiful, healthy glow.”

Hailing from Alpharetta, Georgia, Angela relocated permanently to the plateau in 2020. Her studio is relocating from the old Presbyterian Church in Tiger to the former SKIN Lab space at 641 N. 4th Street in Highlands in May of 2023.

With an innate color sense that her husband, Todd, touts as truly remarkable, Angela has focused for the last decade on a career as a colorist, but in a way that is the most healthy and natural.

“The first step in my process is to meet in person for a free consultation. During this session, I determine skin tone, eye color, and other features so that I can plan to deliver – through hair color – a balanced, youthful look,” said Angela, who holds a master’s degree in cosmetology. “Many of my clients are compromised in some way, having skin allergies, auto-immune

disorders, or worse. The gentleness and odor-free nature of my products make the experience safer and more enjoyable, even fun! My color line is the cleanest professional color available, at least 70% cleaner than traditional products.”

Much of her drive to provide holistic beauty comes from personal experience.

“If you knew my story, you’d understand why I am so aware of the toxins in our environment. Many of the beauty professionals that I know are suffering from thyroid illness, cancers, and other serious medical issues. I happen to have a very sensitive system and have to watch what I eat, and put in and on my body. I believe many women are unknowingly subjecting themselves to illness that ultimately dim their youthful glow while they’re trying to enhance it.”

“Angela is an artist.” said Todd. “She can match a photo using color and dimension in a way that reveals natural beauty. Just look at her reviews!”

She has learned the best results occur when she knows the client’s hair color history. “I am often fixing color experimentations. ‘Just fix me’ is one of my most popular services. I enjoy ‘undoing’, whether someone has tried color at home or had an ineffective treatment at a salon.”

She also is not a traditional stylist in that she might offer standard haircuts after a color treatment, but she does not just cut hair if color is not involved.

Salt Organic Beauty Studio also offers a line of organic skin care and makeup products. “They are gentle and nonirritating,” she said, “and I can consult about natural makeup tips as well. I have a beauty bar of sorts and love playing with clean skin care products that replace traditional makeup.”

Angela is excited about establishing a presence in Highlands and looks forward to being proactively involved in the community.

Full of Abundant Joy

KristinaKamburisandJosephAmes

Kristina Kamburis and Joseph Ames Highlands Wedding was the storybook tale they’d spent their lives composing.

Kristina Kamburis and Joseph Ames were married in Highlands on August 27, 2022. Their journey to this magical place was definitely – in their words – “all in

perfect timing!”

By the time Kristina and Joseph met in May 2021, she had gotten used to being a bridesmaid – 14 times in fact. A University of Alabama graduate

and Physician Assistant, Kristina was living in Birmingham, and described herself at the time as “career-driven and independent.”

She dreamed of one day meeting a

man who possessed all the values that she held dear. Friends joked about her dating life, and her “picky” reasonings for ending relationships. Jokes aside, she remained hopeful that the right man would come along.

Joseph’s story was not dissimilar. An Auburn University graduate and the owner of a construction company in Auburn, he had also been a frequent groomsman, in wait for the perfect bride.

Within days of their first date, it was clear that their wait was over, that their dreams had, in fact, come true.

Their initial introduction by mutual friends in April 2021 was followed by several weeks of telephone calls. They had their first date in Birmingham a month later. They quickly realized they had much in common. Gregarious, outgoing, and social, they are both active and athletic and share a love of

the outdoors – he loves to hunt and fish and golf, and she had been an avid tennis player most of her life.

Joseph fell for Kristina right away. Soon after the first date he told a friend he was going to marry her. A month later he asked her to be exclusive. Even the historic rivalry between their college alma maters – she’s a graduate of the University of Alabama (where her dad played football for legendary coach Bear

Bryant), and he’s an Auburn graduate –couldn’t dissuade the eventual trip down the aisle. By September they declared their love for each other.

Joseph proposed to Kristina at sunset during a beautiful November weekend at her family’s home in Seaside, Florida.

“At that point we were in love, and we both knew it didn’t need to be a long-drawn-out romance,” Kristina said. “We had found our “soulmates in one another!”

The decision to get married in Highlands came easily.

As Kristina explained, “I knew I wanted a destination wedding and we both had ties to Highlands.”

Her best friend has a home at Mountaintop, and she had grown up visiting at least once a year, “I was like an adopted daughter to the family.”

Likewise, Joseph had spent his youth visiting his grandparents at their place in Highlands. They started planning the wedding immediately, getting a wedding planner on board, and after making inquiries quickly decided on the venue –The Farm at Old Edwards.

Reverend Paul Pradat, the Episcopal priest from Christ Episcopal Church in Tuscaloosa, where the bride had grown up, officiated a traditional ceremony for 225 guests.

Kristina wore a Chantilly lace, floorlength gown, with a custom cathedral

length veil, designed by Britt Wood Designs of Atlanta. She was escorted down the aisle by her father to an altar anchored with an 8-foot-cross adorned with roses that Joseph built himself – a representation of their faith forever being at the center of their relationship. Joseph’s father, John Brewer Ames Jr. was best man; and Kristina’s sister, Alexandra Kamburis Nysewander was Matron of Honor. They were surrounded by their best friends – 17 bridesmaids and 15 groomsmen and a special guest star, Miss Alabama’s Jessica Proctor, who was the soloist during the ceremony. Her beautiful voice and Dean’s Duets’ phenomenal instrumental sounds could have been heard radiating across the mountaintops!

At the conclusion of the ceremony, guests were led down a lantern-lit path, through a floral arch to the Apple Orchard for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres that included: lobster tail lollipops, mustard crusted lamb chops, and filo dough filled with brie, pear, and almonds.

From there, guests preceded to the reception at The Pavilion –festooned with a jaw-dropping, display of ceiling to floor florals. The Old Edwards culinary team catered a lavish dinner served from food stations, with some of the couple’s favorite foods – Filet of Trout, sauteed scallops with sweet potato dumplings, herb crusted beef tenderloins and Lowcountry crabcakes.

The assemblage celebrated the newly

married couple with enthusiasm dancing to the music of the talented twelve-piece band, Az Izz. The dance floor was always full, and the bridal couple and their guests never stopped dancing.

The couple’s weekend long celebration included a beautiful and charming rehearsal dinner and welcome party on Friday evening at Wolfgang’s Restaurant, and an exquisite bridesmaid’s luncheon at Kristina’s cherished and longtime friend’s home at Mountaintop. Before departing for a Mediterranean honeymoon, Kristina told a tearful Dad, “You gave me away to a good one.”

The wedding was everything the couple dreamed it would be – a gathering of

loved ones, family, and friends, full of abundant joy. It was a true celebration of their love.

The surrounding mountains, the stunning décor and elegance of The Farm at Old Edwards provided the quintessential backdrop for a day filled with beauty and sentiment.

Kristina and Joseph reminisce often about their wedding day and continually say that it was their dream wedding. Kristina said, “It was a perfect weekend, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing!”

by Marlene Osteen

photos by Alisha Crossley Photography

GIVING BACK

photo by Susan Renfro

Get Connected

The Community Volunteer & Resources Expo will be held 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. June 7 at the Village Green Commons, Lewis Hall.

Looking for your niche? Want to find resources available to you in the community? Trying to get connected? We’ve got the perfect event for you!

Cashiers and Highlands are among some of the most giving and philanthropic communities. We have some of the best opportunities to not only get connected with ways to give back, but to get connected with services available to the community as well.

Join us for the second annual Community Volunteer & Resources Expo on June 7 at the Village Green Commons, Lewis Hall, from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. Here you’ll find the perfect opportunity to volunteer and/or find the resources you’ve been looking for to better serve your and your family’s needs.

This free event is open to the general public from Cashiers and Highlands, Macon, Jackson, and other neighboring

counties. If you are seeking to donate your most precious gift, your time, folks are ready to share ways you can get involved! Over 30 organizations are expected to be represented for the 2023 Community Volunteer & Resources Expo – you’re sure to find your niche and find services to fit your needs.

Volunteers are the salt of the earth! Your gift of time provides opportunities to our communities which help fill needs, provide support and create relationships between services and people.

For nonprofit organizations interested in participating, there is an added bonus being generously provided by First Citizens Wealth Management. In addition to participating in the Expo, you have the opportunity to also participate in a non-profit seminar tackling the challenges of enriching relationships with donors and boards, as well as economic challenges and smart financial practices for nonprofits.

The seminar will take a hard look at donor retention across generational differences and provide opportunities for questions. Please plan to join the conversation from 2:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. A networking luncheon precedes the seminar from 12:30 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. Contact Danielle Hernandez, at (828) 399-9133 or cashiers@ bbbswnc.org, for more information.

The 2023 Community Volunteer & Resources Expo is organized and hosted by local nonprofit leaders across Cashiers and Highlands: Big Brothers Big Sisters, Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce and the Village Green. This year, we are humbled by the collaboration with First Citizens Wealth Management for sponsoring the entire event in support of all community members and the Missions of our local non-profits.

by Danielle Hernandez

LefttoRight:ThomasTaulbee(CashiersAreaChamber),MargaretCarton(VolunteerExtraordinaire),ShelbyBatchelor(VillageGreen), SerenityRichards(CashiersLibrary),DanielleHernandez(BigBrothersBigSisters);picturefromFall2022event.

A CommunityOf Support

The lofty peaks that surround Highlands symbolize our height of appreciation for those who support Peggy Crosby Center’s mission. Providing affordable office space to organizations offering community services would not happen without our loyal family of benefactors. Peggy receives donations to serve lower rental rates for our nonprofit tenants and, by extension, help serve the community. We deeply thank all the contributors who make this undertaking possible. Low-cost rentals are unique and most welcome.

This year we were able to raise money for the overdue roofing on our building. Rotten wood, soffits, and gutters were also replaced. We thank the Roman Roofing Company for a timely and first-rate repair.

Mountain Findings donated several heart defibrillators, one for each floor. The Cullasaja Womens Group gave grant money that helped us over the hump in financing the new roofing project.

We were also able to upgrade the HVAC system and our internet service. Mountain Findings donated a refrigerator for the kitchen. Without these generous group donations and those from community members, we would not be able to finance our much needed improvements.

Peggy’s tenants include these nonprofit organizations: The Center for Life Enrichment, Counseling and Psychotherapy Center of Highlands, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, Highlands Health Foundation, International Friendship Center, Overland Unlimited Bridge of Hope, The Kitchen (that provides catering), and other small businesses which serve specific needs of local citizens.

In closing, we want to reassure our public that we survived the winter freeze of December 2022. The Peggy Crosby Center finished the work caused by a broken pipe and resulting water damage.

The Peggy Crosby Center can be found at 348 South Fifth Street. Our website is PeggyCrosbyCenter.org.

by Linda Schowalter

A caring community saves the Peggy Crosby Center from the ravages of the elements.

Protecting Against Rabies

Thanks to a clever, caring staff and a generous community of donors, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society serves as a beacon of rabies control.

LefttoRight: ShelterManagerKaitlynMoss VillarrealandAssistantManagerJodiHenkel administerarabiesvaccinationtoshelterkittyClyde)

To protect human health and to prevent and control rabies, North Carolina law requires rabies vaccination of owned domestic dogs, cats and ferrets at four months of age. The rabies vaccine must be administered only by a veterinarian, a registered veterinary technician under the direct supervision of a veterinarian, or a certified rabies vaccinator (CRV). There are approximately 350 approved certified rabies vaccinators in the State of North Carolina.

the shelter never had one staff person approved by the county and the state to be a CRV. Shelter staff used to end up taking the stray (or owner-surrendered pet) to a veterinarian and CHHS paid for the vaccination.

… CHHS also offers several low-cost rabies vaccination clinics throughout the year…

to the general public to help folks keep their personal pets safe and in compliance with NC law.

Rabies vaccinations are just $10 for personal pets on an appointment-only basis at the shelter. The vaccination includes a rabies tag and a completed certificate for each vaccinated animal. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call CHHS at (828) 743-5752.

To ensure the safety of animals, staff, volunteers and guests, the CashiersHighlands Humane Society requires that all cats and dogs brought to the shelter have an up-to-date rabies shot.

But this used to be a hardship for folks like Good Samaritans who bring in strays on a daily basis, because for the first 32 years in the history of CHHS,

We still don’t have one CRV on staff. We have two.

After a lengthy examination, training and approval process, Shelter Manager Kaitlyn Moss Villarreal and Assistant Manager Jodi Henkel became the first CHHS team members to earn the CRV certification in 2018. Not only does this mean that CHHS can administer the rabies vaccine to all shelter pets, CHHS also offers several low-cost rabies vaccination clinics throughout the year

Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization located at 200 Gable Drive in Sapphire, one-and-a-half miles east of the Cashiers Ingles in between Cedar Creek Club and Lonesome Valley on Highway 64. Visit us online at www. chhumanesociety.org. Tax-deductible donations to support our lifesaving work can be mailed to: CHHS, P.O. Box 638, Cashiers, NC 28717.

by David Stroud, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society

What Should You Expect From Your Investments?

To help achieve your financial goals, you may need to invest in the financial markets throughout your life. However, at times your investment expectations may differ from actual returns, triggering a variety of emotions. So, what are reasonable expectations to have about your investments?

Ideally, you hope that your investment portfolio will eventually help you meet your goals, both your short-term ones, such as a cross-country vacation, and the long-term ones, such as a comfortable retirement. But your expectations may be affected by several factors, including the following:

Misunderstanding – Various factors in the economy and the financial markets trigger different reactions in different types of investments — so you should expect different results. When you own stocks, you can generally expect greater

price volatility in the short term. Over time, though, the “up” and “down” years tend to average out. When you own bonds, you can expect less volatility than individual stocks, but that’s not to say that bond prices never change. Generally, when interest rates rise, you can anticipate that the value of your existing, lower- paying bonds may decrease, and when rates fall, the value of your bonds may increase.

Recency bias – Investors exhibit “recency bias” when they place too much emphasis on recent events in the financial markets, expecting that those same events will happen again. But these expectations can lead to negative behavior. For example, in 2018, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell almost 6% – so investors subject to recency bias might have concluded it was best to stay out of the markets for a while. But the Dow jumped more than 22% the very

next year. Of course, the reverse can also be true: In 2021, the Dow rose almost 19%, so investors who might have been susceptible to recency bias may have thought they were in for more big gains right away — but in 2022, the Dow fell almost 9%.

Here’s the bottom line: Recency bias may cloud your expectations about your investments’ performance — and it’s essentially impossible to predict accurately what will happen to the financial markets in any given year.

Anchoring – Another type of investment behavior is known as “anchoring” — an excessive reliance on your original conviction in an investment. So, for instance, if you bought stock in a company you thought had great prospects, you might want to keep your shares year after year, even after evidence emerges that the company has real risks — for

example, poor management, or its products could become outdated, or it could be part of an industry that’s in decline. But if you stick with your initial belief that the company will inevitably do well, and you’re not open to new sources of information about this investment, your expectations may never be met.

In many areas of life, reality may differ from our expectations — and that can certainly be true for our investments. Being familiar with the factors that can shape your expectations can help you maintain a realistic outlook about your investments.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.Edward Jones, Member SIPC

Todd Holder

It’s Never Too Late to Learn!

The skills taught by the Literacy & Learning Center are critical for success at all stages of life.

FaviolaOlvera

Did you know that The Literacy and Learning Center offers free individual tutoring for adults?

Lifelong learners and those interested in advancing any area of their education can create a schedule that best suits their daily routines. Our generous volunteers are here to help you gain new forms of knowledge!

Secondary education in the U.S. ends at age 18, well before the brain is fullyformed and long before most people fully understand their life goals and direction. Whether you are motivated to improve basic literacy, build skills for a new job, or simply learn for the love of learning, TL&LC will work to pair you with a volunteer who matches those desired skills.

A recent success story is that of student Violeta Rojas Quintero working with volunteer Faviola Olvera in preparation for the U.S. naturalization test.

The two began last August and met one to two times a week leading up to the test in March, studying the one hundred history and government questions provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Topics they studied also included American government (principles of American democracy, the system of government, American history (the colonial period and independence, and the 1800s), and integrated civics (geography, symbols, and holidays).

For Quintero, of those 100 questions, test-takers are asked up to 10 questions and must correctly answer six to pass. The final portion of the citizenship test covers proficiency in reading and writing. Civics content is presented in three written sentences, which the test-taker must read aloud correctly. Similarly, one of three civics-based sentences must be correctly written to pass. Faviola shared, “We worked together

reviewing the material and practicing pronunciation, and Violeta studied hard at home. Needless to say, the hard work paid off, as she passed her exam on the first try with no errors. I have never had a student work so diligently and stay so focused, despite having a job and several children to care for. I’m very proud of her hard work!”

Violeta was sworn in as a U.S. citizen on April 20.

For help with your next learning pursuit or to provide help for someone else, contact Caroline Cox, ccox@theliteracyandlearningcenter.org, or (828) 526-0863 at The Literacy & Learning Center.

by Anna Norton, The Literacy and Learning Center

Helping Families

When neighbors are in need, the Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers responds. They have been giving back to the community for many years through their ministry of The Bazaar Barn where they sell gently used home furnishings and accessories and give the proceeds to area nonprofits. A bit less known but no less important is their Mattress Ministry. Donors have been generous! A robust real estate market resulted in people buying homes that contained furnishings they couldn’t use, so the new owners donated them to the Bazaar Barn. All items were welcome except mattresses, which they couldn’t accept since North Carolina law prohibits the sale of used mattresses. Frustrated at the wastefulness of having to turn perfectly good bedding away and recognizing that many in our community needed mattresses, the church dedicated a storage unit, and the

Mattress Ministry was born. Skip Ryan, the Ministry manager, says that anyone in need of mattresses and box springs should reach out to them. They’ve provided gently used and nearly new mattresses to people throughout Western North Carolina. Their ministry isn’t limited to a certain area but is based on need, so anyone seeking a mattress can give them a call.

The Ministry has become a Cashiers community effort. Mark Durham of Blue Ridge Bedding and Chris Chastain from The Consignment Market in Cashiers also donate mattresses to the cause. And Stephen Rice of R&R Moving Services has contributed a portion of his time. “Serving others through the Mattress Ministry is one of the most satisfying things I do at the Bazaar Barn,” says Skip. “It is genuinely meaningful to fill such a basic need and see the difference

it makes in people’s lives.”

There are many heartwarming stories of families they’ve helped, including a family making a transition from living in their car to a permanent home. Being able to provide them with mattresses and box springs ensured that the family’s basic physical needs were met. Nothing says you’re home like a comfortable bed. Mattress Ministry is always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. Simply give Skip Ryan a call at (828) 226-2588 for assistance. Likewise, call if you have gently used mattresses and box springs to donate. You can drop your items off, or pickup can be arranged.

This ministry is a blessing to all, those who give and those who receive.

by Mary Jane McCall

The Church of the Good Shepherd’s Mattress Ministry is a loving gift to the entire community. Call (828) 226-2588 for assistance or more information.

SkipRyan

Life on the Farm

The background sounds at Carpe Diem Farms are part of an unceasing rhythm of life. Find out for yourself – there’s an Equine Birthday Party for all the horses on the farm (and the people who love them) from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. June 11.

If you’re anything like me, you are saying to yourself, “How did we get to June already?” Days, weeks and months are passing in the blink of an eye.

Life on the farm has a wonderful rhythm – chop wood, carry water. Our rhythm, caring for the horses from eight to four seven days a week after the dogs, cats, birds, chipmucks, boomers and squirrels – red, white and grey, and sometimes me have their morning meal. The CDF staff are dedicated to the animals. You must have a “whatever it takes attitude” to be a part of our team.

Dedication, determination and that special attitude have been the perfect

combination in the care of our Battersea Tracy for more than four and a half years, so far. If you have followed her challenges; four surgeries and the long arduous recoveries, her steadfast will to carry on while being a member of her herd, here is her latest update.

I’ve been able to create a new shoe/ slipper/hoof protector with the aid of my Easy’s Slipper engineer. The hoof is now a round club which she rolls the fetlock joint walking and comes to rest on the toe. X-rays and scanning the hoof gave us the information we needed to custom make both inside the cuffed apparatus, which a thick bottom and a built-in toe roll to accommodate her moving com-

fortably. Walking on four legs presents all kinds of challenges. What you do to one foot impacts all four legs: balance, alignment, length and more. The new hoof covering gave way to a new brace for the hoof up to below the carpus (what we would think of as the knee.) With many tweaks we have arrived at the latest combination which allows her freedom of moment throughout the farm. She is happy in her herd!

Carpe Diem Farms is a 501(c)(3) educational foundation: “Exploring the human potential through equines.”

by Sue Blair, Carpe-Diem Farms

Fighting ForOthers

Mountaintop Rotarian Clark Plexico is fighting for the safety of Afghan families.

ClarkPlexico

Clark Plexico is no stranger to hard work and big challenges, but he is in the fight of his life right now, trying to save families targeted by the Taliban. The people he is working to save are those who worked for American organizations or fought for human rights. He and a group of former Afghan temporary residents working for various organizations have come together to try and save these families which is as complicated as it can possibly be.

A former North Carolina State Senator, Clark represented this area at one time, but prior to that, he spent time in Afghanistan and Iran working with organizations that promoted Democracy, human rights, and building international relations. He recently was presented with the Order of the Longleaf Pine from Governor Cooper for his long-term service to our state.

For the last two years, his life (and the lives of many others in his international

group), has been consumed by putting families into safe houses, finding funding for their sustenance and working to get them out of the danger zone.

He reports some successes on the Afghan front.

“We have been able to get about 40 people to Canada and approximately another 40 some into the U.S.” Plexico says. “In addition, we have individuals who we assisted to get to other countries in order to process their visas into either the U.S. or Canada.

“We spent months negotiating with various countries to let us bring our Afghans into their country so that they can begin processing their visas into the U.S. and Canada.”

But there are still many people left in Afghanistan who are targeted and hunted daily. The horror of what will happen to them – and what has already happened to some, is almost too terrible to print. But reality is the Taliban history of what they

will do, beheading, using the children as sex slaves, has been threatened to one woman who fought for woman’s rights. Now in hiding, unfortunately still in Afghanistan, she and her family are in grave danger.

Mountaintop Rotary is extremely proud of Clark’s long dedication to these people and the stressful and brutal work to find ways to get them to safety.

“Mountaintop Rotary in Highlands has raised almost $4,000 so far for Clark’s work and invites others in the community to join us in fighting this terrible fight,” said Michael Lanzilotta, President of Mountaintop Rotary of Highlands. For further information please contact Michael Lanzilotta at (404) 273-6481 or incoming President Bill Kirkman at (404) 219-7498.

by Robin King Austin

Budding Friendships

Volunteer Ricky Siegel brings a wealth of knowledge and compassion to the young students of the Literacy & Learning Center.

Periodically since the early 2000s, Ricky Siegel has been volunteering at The Literacy & Learning Center, sharing his math skills with students of all ages who need a little extra one-on-one instruction.

Ricky has participated in TL&LC’s Individual Tutoring program, working predominantly with Highlands School K-12 students during after-school. He has also helped during the summer, which is available to any student seeking to prevent the “summer slide,” or to use the time to catch up or boost skills. His generosity has even extended to working with an adult studying for a nursing exam.

This was years ago before adult tutoring was part of TL&LC’s programs, so something Ricky did of his own accord. He said that being a tutor was not a particular goal, but that he saw it as a

way he could help. “I’m very glad for what I have been able to give to the community and the kids, and the satisfaction of seeing the students’ progress!”

Currently, Ricky tutors a fifth grader in The Literacy & Learning Center’s after-school program named Jesus. The pair, initially matched during the Covid-19 restrictions, first met virtually. Ricky immediately saw that in-person interaction would help them get to know each other better, so he came to the facility and worked with Jesus outside. Gradually, a bond began to form. Also, a generous supporter of Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Ricky asked if Jesus might be interested in the program. Jesus and his family were excited by the opportunity, signed him up, and he and Ricky were matched as Big and Little Brothers. It has been wonderfully rewarding for TL&LC staff to see the Individual Tutoring program support participants not only

through the prescribed objectives of teaching and learning, but further through the formation and growth of deeper relationships.

“With Jesus, I am seeing a change in that when we first started, he didn’t like math even though I think he is pretty good at it,” Ricky says. “But by saying – and actually meaning – that I love numbers and working on math problems, and by showing how math is part of everyday life, he is seeing a practicality to the study.”

If you or someone you know is interested in tutoring opportunities, please contact us at (828) 526-0863 or email Caroline Cox at ccox@theliteracyandlearningcenter.org.

by Anna Norton, The Literacy & Learning Center

A Vital Center of Glenville

The Glenville Thrift Store has come a long way since its beginnings in the late 1970’s in the place vacated by the town’s fire department.

Once a small operation, sharing space with the Community Center, the shop has become a vital center of town life, and the primary funding source for the Glenville Community Development Center.

The store has grown exponentially from those early years when potluck dinners were held upstairs, and a handful of volunteers sold used clothing on the lower level. Capitalizing on the current frenzy for new-to-you items, the store uses its profits to help support the community.

In 2015 an improvement project was undertaken and the building remodeled. Today the thrift store occupies the entire structure, and an adjacent facility has been added to facilitate donations and sorting. Along the way, the store’s income has risen from $25,000 in 2016

to $125,000 in 2022.

On any given week a bevy of 40 volunteers work diligently, sorting, cataloging, arranging, and processing piles of donated items, helping to keep a steady flow of goods in and out of the shop. Donations include everything and everything – beyond clothing, housewares and furniture, they regularly receive merchandise from boats to telescopes to old typewriters, and health care aids (which they donate). The corps of workers, mostly women and retirees are proven money-raisers.

Working anywhere from 10 to as many as 40 hours a week, they enthusiastically and freely give their time and energy to help the many worth-while causes supported by the GCDC. Indeed, the community spirit embraces everyone connected with the shop, providing meaningful activity and friendship. Locals treat the store as a place to meet and socialize as well as to shop.

As Reverend Ralph Campbell, the GCDC’s president, told me, “As a

member of a community you should know that when you have a need you can get help and that there’s a central place to go for direction.”

In Glenville that is the GCDC, which assists individuals and smaller organizations in a myriad of ways. Included this year were three scholarship awards, totaling $36,000 – an increase of $24,000 from the prior year. And, $47,000 in other funding help was provided in the form of grants to a variety of local organizations.

Two years ago, the Glenville VFW gifted their property to GCDC in a collaborative agreement to save the property and assure a meeting place for area veterans. Over the next year GCDC spent $90,000 in upgrades, remodeling what is now the new Glenville Community Center, creating a beautiful venue for local citizens. For more information, visit facebook. com/glenvillethriftstore or call Ralph at (828) 506-1163.

by Marlene Osteen

The Glenville Thrift Store plays a vital role in the life of its community.

Unquenchable Passion

Despite his best intentions, Charlie Crawford couldn’t step away from his commitments to creativity and craftsmanship. Crawford Construction is his response.

Charlie Crawford thought he was hanging up his custom home builder hat when he moved his family to Cashiers from Virginia permanently in 2020.

His family bought a beautiful 40-acre horse farm and he planned to just continue remotely steering his successful, nationwide environmental business. However, observing some shoddy renovation work at the farm, he was mo -

tivated to complete the project himself. In doing so, he also recognized that he was still far too passionate about the creative outlet building always provided. Thus, he started Crawford Construction Custom Home Builders and now has a full plate of renovation, remodel, and custom home projects.

Hands-on craftsmanship is in Crawford’s blood. His grandfather was a builder, one uncle was a contractor turned architect and two other uncles were stone masons.

“I worked as a mason’s helper and general carpenter in both high school and college,” he says. “After graduating college with history and environmental science degrees, I worked in the construction industry while finding my footing in the AEC (Architects/Engineers/ Consultants) industry. Within a few years, I started both an environmental consulting and engineering firm as well as a general construction company.”

For the next 30 years Crawford focused

on those two businesses.

As the environmental company successfully expanded its footprint and service lines across the country, Crawford stepped away from daily operations. His current focus and passion are custom construction on the Plateau.

Crawford said, “When we moved to Cashiers, I promised my wife I would retire from building, so I really had no intention of doing this again. But I just had the itch to get back into it. I’m very passionate about it and have always loved it, and I am able to do it now out of pure enjoyment.”

After getting the green light from his wife, Crawford started a third company, a new construction firm serving the Cashiers/Highlands and surrounding areas. Crawford Construction offers “just about everything” where residential building is concerned. “We have our own employees, cabinet shop, project manager – and I’m actively involved in project planning, management and completion and serve as the main point of contact for clients. Very hands on.”

He has both custom homes and fullhouse remodels in Lonesome Valley, Chinquapin, Silver Run, Cedar Hill,

Wade Hampton, Pilot’s Knob, Lake Glenville, and Highlands.

Although Charlie pointed out that their social life helped get him involved locally, he noted that the firm’s success helped him “plug even more into the community.”

He and his wife also are entrenched in the community and still have two of their five children at home.

by Deena Bouknight

CharlieCrawford

A Season Full of Events

Highlands Chamber of Commerce’s filled-to-bursting calendar of events ensures that the community is bustling throughout the season.

The mission of Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC is to enhance the community as a dynamic place to live and work.

To achieve this, the Chamber of Commerce organizes numerous events and programs throughout the year, including this summer’s highly anticipated Pop-Up Pipers, Friday Night Live and Saturdays on Pine Outdoor Concert Series, and the fourth of July fireworks. The Chamber of Commerce supports our local non-profits offering entertainment and education through grants and sponsorships including the Bascom Center for

Visual Arts, Highlands Chamber Music, the Center for Life Enrichment’s Porch Fest, the Friends of Founders Park’s Low Country Boil, Highlands Biological Foundation, the Highlands Historical Society’s Dahlia Festival, Highlands Motoring Festival, Highlands Nature Center, Highlands Performing Art Center, Highlands Plateau Greenway, Highlands Twilight 5K, Mountain Theatre Company, and Mountaintop Rotary Arts and Crafts Shows.

Through these partnerships and other strategic efforts, the Chamber of Commerce continues to strengthen Highlands’ economic vitality and

provide opportunities for all people in the community, keeping in mind that a great place to live is a great place to visit.

The Highlands Chamber of Commerce/ Visit Highlands, NC continues to work diligently to improve the quality of life for our fellow residents and provide a warm welcome to visitors from near and far, while keeping Highlands a charming and thriving community for all to enjoy.

by Johanna Fein, Highlands Chamber of Commerce/ Visit Highlands, NC

Where can you find a matchless, personalized dwelling that fulfills your every dream? Maybe it’s hiding in your very own home.

Melinda Barber of Barber Design Group is at your service with her hand-picked décor team. Together, they represent decades of brilliant design, consultation, distinctive furnishings, reclaimed tile/wood flooring from around the world, accessories, installation, exceptional customer care, and more.

Barber’s inimitable flair for luxury renovation will make the home you wanted come home to you. From an architect’s plans to your finished palace of perfection, every square inch is crafted for comfort, beauty, and the kind of grand that pulses with your own unique heartbeat. Many residents have tapped Barber Design Group’s reservoir of fabulous fabrics, window treatments, furnishings, flooring and so much more over the past two decades. Now Melinda is thrilled to announce a fantastic new addition: cabinetry. She says, “We are excited to bring our design business together with cabinetry. We have brought onboard seven different lines from which you/we can pick-andchoose. All selections represent the exceptional quality we know and trust.”

Melinda builds her business on several core beliefs, among them:

“Two heads are better than one. Three heads are better than two.”

Bringing Interiors to Life

MelindaBarber

“People work with me, not for me.”

In other words, everyone who works with the Design Group is part of a team. When doing a design plan, all suggestions are put on the table and honored. The goal: Keep looking until it feels right for everyone …especially the client. God’s in the details. Little things matter and Melinda starts with the small. “The kitchen is the heart of the home. We

often begin there,” she says.

She loves to make her clients smile. Starting with something treasured can be at the core of the home’s design.

Melinda shares this story: A client had a little hammer sprayed silver. Her father gave it to her as a child. It was an invitation to collaborate with him building things.

Melinda said, “Let me do something with this hammer.” She had it put in a shadowbox. The shiny silver against the box’s white interior showed up beautifully. Her client instantly cried upon presentation.

To this day she tells Melinda how much that meant to her. Something small. Something treasured. Something transformed. Something that made a house a home. It’s that kind of client intuition that makes Barber Design a cut above.

Visit Barber Design Group soon. She also has an Atlanta branch where she warehouses some products. It also serves as a base for employees who install and do the white-glove set-ups.

Be sure to check out the new cabinetry, 80 lines of furniture designs, and beautiful designer fabrics and lighting. There are no cookie cutter interiors at Barber. Want a game-room? An outdoor kitchen? Wanna go luxe? A return to color? Stones & tones? Your wish is Melinda’s command.

by Donna Rhodes

Barber Design Group’s decision to blend its new cabinet line with their chic interior design is brilliant in its simplicity and opens an entire suite of possibilities. To explore the promises and potential, visit melindabarber.com or call (828) 226-2083.

Live well. Run free.

A private, low-density amenitized community, located on the prestigious 107 South corridor just five minutes from the center Cashiers, NC.

Silver Run Reserve is paradise of natural beauty o ering a variety of amenities for indoor and outdoor fun and wellness, and a range of large estate homesites and built cottages. Call for more details and a tour of this beautiful community.

WELCOME HOME.

828.342.3194

BETH TOWNSEND Co-Owner / Broker

COLEEN GOTTLOEB Broker-In-Charge

TIM HEATLEY Broker

CLAY CANTLER Broker / Licensed Assistant

KARALINE CANTLER Broker / Administrator

JESSICA HOHEISEL Broker / Licensed Assistant

LIZ HARRIS Co-Owner / Broker

ANN MCKEE AUSTIN Co-Owner / Broker

SUSAN HEATLEY Broker

TK HEATLEY Broker

SANDY BARROW Broker

JOHN BARROW Broker / Rental Coordinator

MAGGIE ELMER Broker

JOANNE BRYSON Broker

PHOTO BY DICK DICKINSON

CASHIERS, NORTH CAROLINA

Cashiers

39.18 ACRES A rare opportunity to acquire this premier Cashiers, NC acreage located on the prestigious Hwy 107S corridor just three minutes from town! Much of the land is nearly level with a creek and stream running through it, and an elevated area offering great homesites with gentle topography and views of Chimneytop Mountain, Rock Mountain, Big Sheepcliff, and others. This property would make a beautiful private estate just minutes from the center of Cashiers and close to Wade Hampton, High Hampton, and Chattooga Club. Enjoy the

OFFERED FOR $6,900,000

excitement of your favorite club and the privacy of your own quiet estate just a couple minutes away. This land also offers excellent commercial, residential or mixed-use development potential with its great location, frontage on Hwy 107S, gentle topography, and views. MLS 101855

Silver Run Reserve

6 BR / 5.5 BA This gorgeous estate is located in the beautiful Silver Run Reserve, just ve minutes from Cashiers. It features a brand new 6 bedroom home scheduled for completion at the end of 2023. The fantastic home is designed by renowned architect TS Adams, with interior design in partnership with the very talented McAlpine House, and construction by Harris Custom Homes. The gentle lot boasts incredible views of Whiteside Mountain that sweep through the trees and beyond into the Meadows of Silver Run Reserve. Silver Run Creek

OFFERED FOR $6,500,000

ows just below the house providing excellent shing, natural plunge pools, and wading areas for children. This home is located an easy walking distance to all of Silver Run Reserve’s wonderful amenities, and is a convenient location within the community yet tucked back in the acreage for ultimate privacy. This great estate has it all and is a must see! Please reach out to the listing agent to schedule a tour, or for a detailed information booklet on oor plans and nishes. MLS 101991

High Hampton

OFFERED FOR $3,850,000

is greeted by wood, stone and cedar shake exterior detailing, a dutch door and gas lanterns. Many interior walls are painted shiplap, hardwood oors are nished with muted warm grey tones, specialty lighting is featured throughout and unexpected pops of color punctuate each room. Most furnishings are negotiable and may be purchased separately from the real estate. MLS 101511

Snowbird

80.81 ACRES Topping out at 4,310’ elevation, the prime building site on this 80+ acre estate parcel has tremendous views. Already in place on this tract, a strong well, underground power and a small “bath house” with sink, shower and toilet. Gather the family around the expansive repit and take in the cool mountain evenings. The

OFFERED FOR $1,840,000

lower pasture contains approximately 8 acres of fenced and unfenced land suitable for horses, goats, gardens or crops. The gated Snowbird neighborhood is known for its large tract layout, family and dog friendly lifestyle, and miles of private trails lacing through deep woods, open rolling elds, and across streams and waterfalls. MLS 101547

Holly Forest

3 BR / 3 BA This charming home is on the Cashiers side of the Holly Forest neighborhood, near Camp Merrie Woode, and to get there one drives past beautiful Fair eld Lake! The home’s circular driveway is on a gentle grade providing easy access. Just inside, an expansive vaulted ceiling contains the great room with wood burning stone replace, dining and kitchen with open concept and great lighting. Main bedroom and two guest rooms are nicely separated for privacy. Off the great room there is a conditioned sunroom with many windows

OFFERED FOR $775,000

providing excellent additional year round living space, plant oasis or a quiet place to read and relax. Upstairs is a nished large vaulted room with a private bath which could be used for an excellent home of ce, over ow guest space or tv/gameroom. Outside the lower yard has mature landscaping and steps to a trail leading to a mountain dipping stream on the adjoining community property. Despite its close proximity to town and the Wyndham amenities, this home has a very private feeling. MLS 101918

Beth Townsend

› Real estate professional 30 years, with a Cashiers connection since 1970

› Experienced in area-wide construction projects, including being a team member of Wade Hampton Golf Club Development

› Consistently ranked as a Top Performer on the Plateau

WHAT MY CLIENTS ARE SAYING...

“Beth was wonderful to work with as a buyer’s agent. I initially engaged her to help me evaluate a property that was off-market. She did a thorough job and provided the info I needed to determine the asking price was too high. Then she found me a much better property at a reasonable price.” –

GARY D.

“We have purchased and sold homes with Beth Townsend at McKee Properties. Her local knowledge and expertise were extremely helpful. She is thorough, detail oriented, very creative, and exible. Above all else she is a wonderful person who I would highly recommend to any of my friends.” –

JENNY B.

Cullasaja Club

4 BR / 5.5 BA This beautiful mountain home located within the gated community of Cullasaja Club and only a short drive from the entrance, boasts 4 bedrooms, 5.5 baths. The master bedroom, on the main level boasts his-and-her baths. Nearby is a lovely, spacious of ce with lots of light from out-of-doors. His-and-her closets and a laundry room nearby with new washer and dryer. In addition to the of ce, there is a handsome library with ample bookshelves and large TV. The kitchen

OFFERED FOR $2,500,000

boasts gas range, many built-ins, a spacious pantry, and a lovely breakfast room with sun-lit windows and doors out onto the deck. The home has a 2-car garage, readily accessible from the main oor. Upstairs is one bedroom with an en suite bath, and downstairs is a large, beautiful area with spacious den with replace, two bedrooms and two baths. There is also access to a single garage for the golf-cart. Walking outside from this area takes you right to the golf course! MLS 101675

High Hampton

3 BR / 3 BA This classic High Hampton cottage was completely renovated in 2021 and updated to include today’s amenities while keeping the charm of its past. Featuring ample entertaining spaces inside and out, the great room opens onto a spacious stone terrace and the dining room opens onto a covered sitting porch looking toward the golf course on the 1st hole green. The cottage boasts two beautiful stone replaces, one in the keeping room off the kitchen and breakfast area

OFFERED FOR $2,100,000

as well as the other in the large great room. The master bedroom has a walk-in closet and en suite bath with separate tub and shower. Two guest rooms share an updated bathroom. A bunkroom and additional bathroom are at the other end of the house and make a nice space for kids to play and sleep. The home is in a great location within a short walk to the High Hampton amenities!

Silver Run Cottages

OFFERED FOR $2,250,000

state of the art golf instruction and simulation lab; Open recreational space featuring small lakes, rolling meadows and a beautiful creek winding throughout; The Lost Library (estimated to be completed in 2024) — a hiking destination located on the highest elevation mountain point with sweeping panoramic views; The Meadow House (estimated to be completed in 2024) — indoor/outdoor seating areas, open air bar, commercial demonstration kitchen; Pool and Pool House (estimated to be completed in 2023) — panoramic mountain and meadow views from the pool and pool deck. Activities include hiking, shing, boating and swimming, and curated events and experiences. MLS 101317, 101384, 101387 REPRESENTATIVE

4 BR / 4.5 BA Silver Run Cottage living offers mountain modern homes available in an effortless package to make the purchasing process easy for prospective buyers. The cottage streets are quaint and tucked away off the main road with a majority of cottages providing some type of mountain view. Both cottage plans feature approximately 3,000 square feet of living space with four bedrooms, four full baths, and one half bath. Enjoy gathering around the cozy replace either in the living room with beautiful oor to ceiling windows or out on the vaulted screened porch providing seamless indoor/outdoor living. Silver Run Reserve offers many desired amenities and activities such as: The Water Plant — tness and activity center including a

Silver Slip Falls

OFFERED FOR $1,295,000

replace, beautiful view and idyllic setting that fronts the community lake common area. The upper level features two bedrooms, a bath and an of ce/study. The home has clean and airy nishes with a lot of natural light and is offered fully furnished. With a backyard repit area and loads of hydrangeas planted throughout the front of the property ready to bloom during the summer and fall seasons MLS 101829

The Oaks

3 BR / 2 BA This charming mountain cottage is centrally located between Cashiers and Highlands has mountain views and gentle topography surrounding the home. The vaulted living room with its replace and the dining room lead out to the screened Carolina

OFFERED FOR $585,000

porch and oversized open deck where you can take in year-round views of Whiteside Mountain. You don’t want to miss this mountain cottage ready to be your relaxing, summer getaway! MLS 101908

Strawberry Hill

OFFERED FOR $475,000

2 BR / 2 BA

This cute cottage features one level living with two bedrooms, two baths, a bonus room, a living room centered on a stone replace, and lovely kitchen and dining area. The oversized, wrap around deck is perfect for enjoying the gorgeous mountain summer days and evenings as well as the short-range mountain views. Just a short

distance from Lake Glenville including a deeded access point to the lake within the community, a quick drive to Happ’s Place, or an easy drive into Cashiers for more shops and restaurants, this cottage will make the perfect little summer getaway with great rental potential. MLS 101343

PARTING SHOT

by Greg Clarkson