October 2024: The Laurel Magazine

L aURe L

Publisher’s Note

Welcome to October, the pinnacle of Leaf Season, when the sun gets slanted and the sky becomes a shade of blue so pure that it’ll make your eyes ache.

We’ve catalogued all the events and personalities and locations that give this month its flavor, as distinctive as an Arkansas Black Apple bitten beneath the light of a full moon.

And Luke, our editor, insists that we mention the twin Halloween celebrations lurking at the end the month – you’re invited!

Soak it all in, and uncork those memories on a chilly winter evening! Magic!

With appreciation, Janet and Marjorie

JANET CUMMINGS Managing Partner janet@thelaurelmagazine.com

MICHELLE MUNGER Art Director mungerclan5@aol.com

SARAH FIELDING Account Manager sarah@thelaurelmagazine.com

MARLENE OSTEEN Writer marlene.osteen@gmail.com

DONNA RHODES Writer dmrhodes847@gmail.com

MARJORIE N. DEAL Managing Partner marjorie@thelaurelmagazine.com

LUKE OSTEEN Editor / Writer luke@thelaurelmagazine.com

EMILY MUNGER Account Manager emily@thelaurelmagazine.com

MARY JANE MCCALL Writer mjmccall777@gmail.com

THOMAS CUMMINGS Distribution Manager jothcu@yahoo.com

Contributing Writers: Mary Adair Trumbly, Sue Blair, David Stroud, William McReynolds, Stuart Ferguson, Debby Hall, Deena Bouknight, and Zach Claxton

Contributing Photographers: Susan Renfro, Mary Gillan Renfro, Greg Clarkson, Charles Johnson, Peter Ray, Terry Barnes, Ryan Karcher, and Colleen Kerrigan.

Copyright © 2024 by The Mountain Laurel, LLC. All rights reserved. Laurel Magazine is published eleven times per year. Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publishers and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as 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. Visit us online thelaurelmagazine.com phone 828.526.0173 email info@thelaurelmagazine.com mail Post Office Box 565 Highlands, North Carolina 28741

Photo by Susan Renfro

October’s Tableaux

This month offers arresting Beauty. Be prepared to swoon.

October comes with show-stopping seasonal beauty. We call it our Leaf Season. Temperatures moderate. The trees are brightly painted in yellows and reds and browns, orange even, and the forests offer an arresting tableaux as far as the eye can see.

Mother Nature shakes our crib with a show of her magical powers this month. The magic of turning the woodlands into canvas-worthy pointillistic color is exceeded only by her magical regeneration of life in the green of spring.

These are good times in the mountains and on our plateau. It makes sense to get out in it: rise like phoenixes from our easy chairs, go outside and become immersed in the grace and beauty of our great outdoors. The peak of color and fullness in the trees, weather permitting, lasts for several days in midOctober. Fall beauty lasts all month. Take late afternoon or early morning sightseeing spins in your classic flivver.

This is a good time for a day trip to the Blueridge Parkway. The Parkway is nothing less than linear Beauty. Be prepared to swoon.

Maps are available at most travel centers and on the Blueridge Parkway website at blueridgeparkway.gov. The National Park Service gives closures and detours: check ahead of time at nps. gov. There is a free Blue Ridge Pkwy app that provides information without connectivity problems while on the Parkway.

The nearest entrances are found north of us at Soco Gap on US 19, 12 miles west of Cherokee, 5 miles east to Maggie Valley and the Balsam Gap Access on US 74-23, east 7 miles to Waynesville and west 12 miles from Sylva. It’s a day trip. Take a picnic for one of the many roadside viewing areas. After you get started, the highest peak on the entire BRP at 6047 feet is just down the road near marker 430. Expect breathtaking views of the fall color across vast valleys and towering ranges. Some

say such Beauty has healing powers.

The Appalachian Trail parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway and is a good fall foot path. Each year, thousands of hikers attempt a “thru hike” of the entire 2,190+ miles of the Appalachian Trail. Only one in four succeed. A typical “thru-hiker” takes 5 to 7 months to walk the entire trail.

Or just put on your walking shoes and walk the trails and byways found throughout our plateau. There are many. Beauty beckons. Discover something. The accompanying photograph of an old mill was discovered near Cashiers by Ed Boos.

It’s leaf season. These are the good ole’ days.

by William McReynolds

Old Mill by Ed Boos

Fall Fills the Senses

With its snap of chill in the air, October brings us a harvest of sensual delights.

With the arrival of the annual Fall Leaf Show, you’re seeing the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau at its best.

The bold colors carpeting the mountains around us suggest a quilting bee that shared a pot of peyote tea and then went to work, finally tossing their finished product over an unmade bed. The display is breathtaking in its richness and randomness, kaleidoscopic in its hypnotic variations.

But here’s the thing to remember: Those brilliant leaves, dying in such magnificent style that visitors and locals alike will literally stop in the middle of the road to take in a particular cove or vista, are just a portion of the Plateau’s October glory.

Consider the entire sensual banquet offered freely throughout the season.

For scent, the cool, crisp days offer the deep forest balm of decaying leaves, the redolence of leaves being burned, and the musk of compost before the onset of the hard frosts.

For a blending of beauty and flavor and an inimitable part of the local culture, look for Staghorn Sumac in the fields and forests of the area. In the spring and summer, it’s an unassuming denizen of the underbrush, but in the fall, it seduces passersby with leaves and berries that have turned a deep crimson. It’s a showstopper.

If you choose to harvest the berries, you can make a delicious

tonic that’s handed down to us from the Cherokee who first settled here.

Soak the berries in water for about 10 minutes, then mash them with your hands or a potato masher. Let the resulting mixture sit for half an hour, then repeat, letting it stew for another half-hour.

Strain the resulting mash through a cheesecloth, then add a bit more water and some sugar (or honey if you want to keep it authentic) to create a sweet-tart mixture. You can also add a bit of mint for flavor. Serve this Sumac-Ade on a sunny October afternoon and you’ve got a transcendent moment to treasure.

(For a completely different flavor of the season, turn to Marlene Osteen’s tribute to the area’s apples and her beloved husband Louis’s magnificent Stewed Apples.)

For sound, well, I’d direct your ears to our local schools, the Fidelia Eckert Living Center and at the First Presbyterian Church of Highlands. They’re the locales for the Fall 2024 Highlands Cashiers Chamber Music Residency Program.

Between October 24 and 27, the Rose Quartet will present three school programs at Highlands, Blue Ridge and Summit Schools, providing students with a deeper understanding of music, instruments, and the art of ensemble playing. A live performance at the Fidelia Eckerd Living Center is certain to bring joy, and an opportunity for residents to engage with the musicians while

Rose Quartet

reflecting on their own musical memories. Highly anticipated is the free concert at the First Presbyterian Church of Highlands on Saturday, October 26, at 5:00 P.M.

For completely different sounds of the Plateau, but equally authentic, stake your spot at Highlands’ Town Square, where each Friday evening there’ll be free open-air concerts performed by local musicians. This is a direct call-back to the cherished nights at Helen’s Barn, with the same exuberant spirit – and, if you’re seized by the spirit, you’re welcome to dance.

And finally, to truly experience life in the twin communities, visit the Halloween Block Party in Cashiers on Saturday, October 26; and Highlands’ Downtown Trick or Treat Celebration, Thursday, October 31.

Both events feature the entire communities coming together for fun, music, and laughter. You may be telling yourself, “I’m too old for stuff like that.” Believe me, you’re not. Both events will enrobe you in Cashiers and Highlands in ways that can’t be duplicated in any other manner.

Enjoy the leaves but remember to savor the entire spectrum of life on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.

by Luke Osteen

Feeling Spooky?

Halloween on Main Street brings the shivers and shrieks to downtown Highlands –6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Thursday, October 31. Whoever you are – Little, Big, Young, Old, Living and Recently Departed – you’re invited.

The Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands NC is once more creating a safe, fun experience for ghosts and goblins of all ages, Highlands’ Main Street (from Second to Fifth Streets) will be open to pedestrians for Halloween on Main from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. on Thursday, October 31.

Participating merchants will distribute candy, some of which is purchased by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/ Visit Highlands, NC and delivered by the Highlands School Interact Club.

Musical performances include the Foxfire Boys in front of Reeves Hardware, High Five in front of Berkshire Hathaway and DJ Mike Murphy next to Kilwin’s.

Refreshments such as hot chocolate and hot dogs will be available, courtesy of the Highlands Cashiers Hospital and Fidelia Eckerd Living Center and volunteers from the Highlands and

Mountaintop Rotary Clubs.

This slightly spooky experience was first formulated in 1992 by Katherine Farmer, Selwyn Chalker, and me.

We were looking for a safe way for local kids to trick or treat in a central location, rather than going down dark, sparsely inhabited neighborhoods looking for homes that were participating.

(For me, it was personal: my four-year-old Alex and I were nearly flattened the previous Halloween by a pickup going at least 35 as we shambled down an unlit road.)

Selwyn suggested that the Highlands Chamber of Commerce could marshal downtown store owners and local civic groups and nonprofits and churches into handing out candy from the Farmers Market to Town Square, even extending the fun up the hill on Fourth Street.

It was an exhilarating idea, and Katherine believed that

the community would rally around this concept, since Highlands has always been blessed with an indefatigable spirit. (After all, who but dreamers and fabulists would have signed up for Kelsey and Hutchinson’s out-of-left-field scheme in the first place?)

Well, Selwyn’s wisdom and Katherine’s faith in her neighbors proved as sure and sweet as a fistful of candy corn. There were a few hiccups, but that first Spooky Night was an immediate success.

If you’re reading this and you’re lamenting the fact that you don’t have a young person to bring to this party, don’t despair! You’re invited, too! Put together a fun costume, invite a clutch of friends and stroll the streets with revelers big and small.

All events are free and open to the public. Dogs are welcome but should be leashed. Werewolves must be properly vaccinated.

by Luke Osteen

Highlands Heritage Jamboree

Music, laughter, dancing and, perhaps, a sip of moonshine – it’s the Highlands Heritage Jamboree, Saturday, October 12, at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park.

Join the Highlands community in keeping our traditions alive at the third annual Highlands Heritage Jamboree hosted by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands NC on Saturday, October 12 from 3:30 until 7:30 P.M. at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park.

Our hardworking ancestors always found time to gather with their neighbors and have a little fun. Mountain music, dancing, food, and occasionally, moonshine, were often a part of the festivities. They will certainly be a part of this day’s celebration, but don’t worry this is a family-friendly event with delicious barbecue, music, dancing, and a sampling of moonshine for those so inclined.

It’s a festive way to celebrate and honor the rich heritage of our area and a great chance to enjoy performances

by those keeping our traditions alive. Performances will include the Highlands Bagpipers celebrating our Scottish heritage.

The Highlands Historical Society will have its mountain music display on site so everyone will get a chance to delve into the history and importance of music in our area. They will also have a genuine moonshine still (inoperable of course) and stories to share about the intrepid moonshiners of our past.

Once again, the Bailey Mountain Cloggers, a championship dance team from Mars Hill University, will perform. The Bailey Mountain Cloggers are one of a few college-based performing clog teams in the nation, serving as ambassadors of goodwill for the college and the folk-dance traditions of the Southern Mountains. During their 48-year history, the Bailey Mountain Cloggers have

performed throughout the United States and internationally in Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, Austria, and Ireland. Seeing these exceptionally talented young dancers is a real treat.

Capping off the event will be the Saturdays on Pine concert by Nu Blu, hosts of TV’s Bluegrass Ridge show. A former Carolina Music Awards Country Band of the Year they tour over 200 days each year, have made national TV appearances, have had five albums on the Top 10 Billboard Charts, and a number one most-played song on Sirius/ XM radio.

Visit the Highlands Chamber of Commerce website at highlandschamber. org for updated information.

by Mary Jane McCall

Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival

The Village Green’s Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, slated for Friday, October 11, through Sunday, October 13, is a vivid proclamation of the community’s deep commitment to artistry and music and food.

The only thing more beautiful than a gloriously green summer on the Plateau is watching it fade into the golden hues of fall. Everyone has their favorite thing about the autumn season, whether it be blazing fires, beautiful scenery or pumpkin spice everything.

Quite possibly the most anticipated event of the season in Cashiers is the Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival. Selected by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of the Top 20 Tourism Events in October, the Leaf Festival takes advantage of this season of brilliant color as our seasonal guests return for another visit to our beloved mountains.

Regional artisans and merchants make their way to the Village Green (located at the crossroads of Highways 64 and

107) for the festival, set Friday through Sunday, October 11 through 13.

Visitors will find unique handcrafted items for purchase including wood items, furniture, accessories, pottery, jewelry, patio furniture and accessories, garden sculptures, paintings, carvings, scarves, linens, and so much more.

Part of the fun is taking the time to visit your favorite artists who love to share stories about their creations. If you’re looking for that unique one-of-a-kind piece for yourself or as a gift, you’ll find it here.

Parking is free, restrooms are available, children’s activities will be staged and it’s the perfect venue for an idyllic fall day of fun for the whole family. There’ll also be live music to complement the

uniquely seasonal spirit.

Artisan-vendors will be set up from the Gazebo at the Cashiers Crossroads all the way to the Commons Lawn.

There will be live music on Saturday and Sunday -- 11:00 A.M. Saturday, it’s Jennifer Goree Music; 1:00 P.M., it’s Mountain Magic, and at 3:00 P.M. it’s Ellies Groove. Then on Sunday, Wild Mountain Time takes the stage at 11:00 A.M.; followed by George Reeves at 1:00 P.M.

The Village Green’s 2024 hand painted glass ornaments will be available for purchase during the festival.

For up-to-date information, visit villagegreencashiersnc.com. by Luke Osteen

Eat From the Earth

The fruits of this remarkable season are on display (and even better – on sale) at the Plateau’s pair of Farmers’ Markets.

October harvesting is happiness for all of us. This month’s produce will be the final feast from local farms until spring.

So join the many who will visit Village Green’s Farmers’ Market, Wednesdays, though October 30, 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., and Highlands Marketplace, Saturdays from 8:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. in Kelsey-Hutchinson Park on Pine Street in Highlands.

Shop both markets and grab your fall veggies.

Highlands Marketplace Manager Don Deal says, “We are there every Saturday through October. Summer veggies will continue until the first heavy frost. We will also have pumpkins, winter squash like butternut, candy roaster,

spaghetti squash, and acorn squash, and greens like kale, swiss chard, arugula, spinach and more. Also, we will have root veggies like sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, beets and turnips.”

When farmers thrive, we do too, with healthy food for our families. With our two producer-only markets you’ll have plenty of nourishing, fresh produce, meats, dairy, baked goods, honey, jams, and so much more.

Once home from shopping, pull out your favorite ceramic bowls, toss in a scoop of steamed grains, top with fresh chopped kale, roasted sweet potatoes (cubed), caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, a protein, a touch of sea salt and a splash of your own homemade creamy garlic cilantro sauce. Thank your

farmers for all they contributed to every mouthful of that deliciousness.

Besides edibles, explore the markets’ handcrafted goods, bath and beauty products, candles, handwork, and gift items for the holidays.

Please contact shelby@cashiersgreen. com if you are interested in joining the Village Green Market as a vendor. Don Deal also invites vendors. Call him at (828) 342-8239.

Both Markets are free and so is parking. Stash yams, apples, and other products to get you through the winter, just like Highlanders did a century ago.

by Donna Rhodes

Eat, Drink, Be Scary

Like The Blob or a Zombie Outbreak, Cashiers’ Goblins on The Green has broken loose! Now all of Frank Allen Road is one big Halloween Block Party – 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. Saturday, October 26.

If you’ve lived in Cashiers or Southern Jackson County for any length of time, you know that Goblins on the Green has been a safe, slightly scary place for Mummies and Daddies to bring their little witches, wizards, and superheroes to The Village

Green for Halloween.

Well, that experience has somehow gotten 11 times better with the second annual Halloween Block Party, set for 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. Saturday, October 26, along Frank Allen Road. This twilight celebration is the product of The Village

Green, Albert Carlton-Cashiers Library, Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club of The Plateau, and lots of community sponsors of The Village Green like Premier Sponsor Landmark Realty, Spinx, Cashiers Valley Real

Estate, Ingles, Rusticks Furniture and Accessories, and The Laurel Magazine.

Participants young and old (because even grownups are invited) can dress up for Southern Jackson County’s Halloween Block Party. From 5:00 to 7:00, the community will be able to walk along Frank Allen from The Village Green to the Cashiers Fire Department and join in on all the Halloween festivities staged

by each organization. The Village Green will hold trunk-or-treat with fellow nonprofits, the Library will host fun games and give away free books and candy, the Recreation Center will have a Halloween bash with decorations and inflatables and lots of candy, Fishes and Loaves will participate with candy, and the Boys and Girls Club will host fun Halloween festivities and have hot dogs under their pavilion.

“Dress in your best Halloween costume and join us for this second annual Halloween Block Party on Frank Allen,” says Ashlie Mitchell, the Village Green’s executive director. “I can promise you plenty of treats, and maybe a few tricks along the way!

by Luke Osteen

photos by Brian O’Shea

Our Community Hubs

If you’re reading this, you’re learning. Continue this trend with regular visits to Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library and Hudson Library.

There’s much to love about our local libraries – the Hudson Library in Highlands, and Albert CarltonCashiers Community Library. Wonderful community resources, and so much more than just a place to borrow books, they are learning and activity centers that attract locals, visitors and school groups. This month both the Hudson and Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library are focusing on bridging the digital divide with its Digital Navigators program. This initiative, supported by a $300,000 Digital Champions grant, is now back in full swing across all Fontana libraries. Patrons can drop in for tech help, borrow additional hotspots, or participate in digital literacy classes designed to meet the needs of specific groups within the community. Whether you need assistance with a new device or want to improve your digital skills, the library is ready to help.

At the Hudson Library in Highlands, October brings a cultural highlight

with the opening of a Bhutan exhibit on October 15th. This exhibit, featuring a stunning collection of Bhutanese art and craft from the collection of Dennis Desmond, will be on display until November 30th. The exhibit will be accompanied by a series of related programs, offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore the rich cultural heritage of Bhutan. Dennis Desmond himself will be presenting one of these programs, providing insights into the art and traditions of this fascinating Himalayan kingdom.

Or come into the Hudson Library for your next read. Chills and thrills abound in the new mystery and thriller releases now at the library.

And, if you’re looking to get crafty or whip up some seasonal treats, the library’s collection of new cookbooks and craft books will spark your creativity. For those who enjoy delving into personal stories, the library offers an

extensive selection of new biographies and memoirs that provide deep insights into the lives of fascinating individuals.

October promises to be an exciting month at the Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library, especially with the return of Trick or Treat Street on Frank Allen Road. This lively Halloween block party, scheduled for October 26 at 5:00

P.M., is a collaborative event involving The Village Green, the Rec Center, Boys and Girls Club, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Families can enjoy games, food, candy, and free books, making it a perfect evening of fun for all ages.

The Cashiers Library also offers regular activities such as story times, crafting afternoons, and a monthly book club. For teenagers, “Teen Tuesdays” have become a hit, providing a space for young adults to gather for activities like DIY crafts and gaming nights.

by Marlene Osteen

Four Days of Fabulous

There’s food, wine and song – everything you could ask for – at the eighth incarnation of Highlands Food & Wine Festival.

This is the eighth year for the Highlands Food & Wine Festival, held from November 7-10.

For four days, thousands of visitors from throughout the country throng the streets, sampling food and wine tastings from renowned chefs and vintners.

And because as the organizers tell us, “Nothing goes better with a great bite and delicious gulp than sublime times,” there is a torrent of great music as the weekend brings together an impressive roster of talent in a range of genres from

soul to country to gospel and rock.

Performing at The Grand Tasting are Love Canon; on stage at Truckin’ are Wilder Woods and Alex Lambert; Greensky Bluegrass and Larry Keel & John Stickley play the Main Event, and Lee Fields and Abraham Alexander take the stage at Sunday’s A Shot at Redemption.

While tickets to The Main Event and The Grand Tasting sold out on the first day they went on sale, you can still score admission to these events while

enjoying premium access to all 4 events by purchasing VIP tickets. Among the many perks of the VIP ticket are fast lane entry at all events, a VIP gift bag with special bling from sponsors, dedicated bars and entry to the VIP areas which prime stage viewing and exclusive food and beverage offerings.

Happily, tickets remain to two popular events – Truckin’ and A Shot at Redemption Brunch. Happening on Friday, November 8, Truckin’ is one of the most popular happenings of the

festival, it’s an outdoor celebration with an extravaganza of libations and a feast of exciting fare from innovative food trucks and restaurants.

There’s a host of beer, wine and cocktails, including access to the “Highway to Ale” featuring tastings from numerous craft breweries. Nashville’s Kathleen Sharpe of All or Nothing Bagels and local chefs Massimiliano Proietti of Paoletti’s and Jacky Cabler of the Old Edwards Club are among the anticipated assemblage of more than a dozen culinarians offering tantalizing tastes.

Billed as “church for food and wine lovers,” A Shot at Redemption on Sunday, November 10 is the penultimate brunch.

Included is the festival’s famous Tito’s Bloody Mary bar, and flavorful bites from acclaimed regional chefs.

Attendees can expect sumptuous treats from local chefs Massimiliano Proietti, Paoletti’s, Highlands; the wizard of world-class Northern Italian cuisine and Jason Tardo of Half Mile Farm, long celebrated for his reverence for local and seasonal cooking.

Chef Derick Wade of The Darling Oyster Bar will travel from Charleston serving up what has been deemed his “over the top treats.”

Offering a taste of Greenville is Curean, known for their Mediterranean

cuisine along with “thoughtfully crafted contemporary, greasy spoon classics” presented by chef Luke Owens of Native Fine Diner, and the ultimate farm-totable tastes prepared by chef Shawn Kelly of Fork and Plough. Athens, Georgia,powerhouse chef Peter Dale will showcase his healthy comfort food, while celebrated Nashville chef Matt Bolus of 404 Kitchen shows off his European twinged Southern cooking and Kathleen Sharpe is set to redefine your expectations of a perfect bagel.

If this captures your fancy, act quickly –highlandsfoodandwine.com.

by Marlene Osteen

Highlands On The Half Shell

The Highlands Biological Station is once more hosting its Highlands on the Half-Shell, 4:00 P.M. until dark, Sunday, October 6. Visit highlandsbiological. org for more information and to purchase your ticket(s).

Newcomers to the Plateau or those just passing through may be startled to learn that Highlands, at an elevation of 4118 and hundreds of miles from coastal wetlands, is host to a celebration lifted directly from the bayous of Louisiana.

But residents and those in the know have made Highlands on the Half-Shell a redletter date on the calendar – this year, 4:00 P.M. until dark on Sunday, October 6. And let’s face it – Highlands knows how to have fun, while at the same time raise money for worthwhile causes.

And Highlands on the Half-Shell is a prime example.

Over a Cajun-themed gathering in the Valentine Meadow (888 Horse Cove Road) at the Highlands Biological Station, attendees will have an opportunity to sample gumbo, jambalaya, steamed oysters, and more.

“Highlands on the Half-Shell is one of

the Highlands Biological Foundation’s big annual fundraisers,” says Jamie Creola, the Foundation’s Executive Director. Attendees “enjoy a feast of Louisiana delicacies, mingle with our other wonderful community members, and show support for the Foundation’s mission of stimulating, promoting, and funding biological research and education in the southern Appalachians.”

Cost of the party is $150 per person, and tickets went on sale September 4. Visit highlandsbiological.org for more information and to purchase your ticket(s).

The Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) and works to inspire present and future generations to preserve and protect the unique environment of the HighlandsCashiers Plateau by raising awareness through experiential learning and free, public programs.

In the mid-1970s, the Station was acquired by the University of North

Carolina and is now administered on behalf of the university system by Western Carolina University.

One of the core missions of the Foundation is to promote scientific research, and there is a long history of Foundation-supported research at the station, with visiting academic and college students involved in various capacities of projects and programs on the campus.

Plus, ongoing for the public – children and adults – are workshops, camps, lectures, tours, and more.

“The Foundation is dedicated to educating our community on what makes the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau so special, and fundraisers such as Highlands on the Half-Shell ensures that programs offered at the Nature Center can continue,” said Jamie. by Luke Osteen

October’s Concert Series

Highlands’ weekend concerts punctuate autumn evenings with sweet sounds. For more information, visit highlandschamber.org or call (828) 526-2112.

Zorki

All good things must come to an end and so it is in that October brings an end to two of our area’s favorite weekend events as we wrap up another fabulous season of Friday Night Live and Saturdays on Pine concerts.

Though that’s bittersweet it’s all the more reason to join the festivities in October and fill your tank with memories to carry you through until next season.

The Highlands Chamber of Commerce/ Visit Highlands, NC sponsors two events: Friday Night Live at Town Square and Saturdays on Pine at the Kelsey Hutchinson Founders Park. These events are held each Friday and Saturday night from 6:00 to 8:30 P.M. and are free to attend.

On Friday, October 4, crowd favorite Zorki brings his acoustic guitar and soothing vocals to the stage. With a style reminiscent of Paul Simon and Peter

Gabriel, Zorki’s mastery of the guitar and pure vocals provide a rich sound that never disappoints.

The final Friday Night Live concert of the season in on October 11 so catch the chance to hear The Foxfire Boys one more time. Formed in the early 1980s, The Foxfire Boys grew out of its members’ participation in The Foxfire Fund’s Appalachian culture and music program in Northeast Georgia. Performing bluegrass blends, the band has since graced the stage at the Grand Ole Opry.

Saturdays on Pine has an abbreviated schedule in October as well as these concerts end on October 12. Whatever you do don’t miss these final two concerts as they promise to have you dancing the night away.

Thirsty Horses play on Saturday, October 5, and this high-energy band knows how to rock. They play all over the Southeast and their setlist includes it

all- 60s pop/rock, 70s, 80s, and 90s hits as well as classic rock and country. They will definitely electrify the night air with their hard-charging sounds.

Nu-Blu plays on October 12, capping off the day’s Heritage Jamboree festivities. Host of TV’s Bluegrass Ridge show, Nu-Blu has been bringing their unique sound to audiences around the world. A former Carolina Music Awards Country Band of the Year, they tour over 200 days each year and with national TV appearances, five albums on the Top 10 Billboard Charts, a #1 most played song on Sirius/XM radio.

Bring your blankets, chairs, and a picnic to the Kelsey Hutchinson Founders Park, and let’s end this season on our feet dancing the night away.

by Mary Jane McCall

Soulful Sounds of Erick Baker

Erick Baker’s evocative sounds form the perfect accompaniment to the rising of the moon –Thursday, October 10. For updates and to book online, visit OldEdwardsHospitality. com/OrchardSessions.

Erick Baker

Welcome to Appalachia’s foremost autumnal experience – hours basking in spectacular fall foliage, drenched in color, immersed in music.

Such is the promise of the Thursday, October 10, concert at the Orchard Sessions at The Farm at Old Edwards –an evening spent amidst lush orchards, listening to the Emmy Award-winning writer, TV show host, and singersongwriter Erick Baker.

As birds quiver and crickets chirp in harmony with the music, The Orchard will become a chamber of resonances and reverberations, and the soulful sounds of Baker’s voice echoes among the branches, his acoustic guitar serving as rhythm and background.

Baker’s path to music wasn’t a conventional one. Often described as a “late bloomer,” he didn’t start performing until he was 18, while attending 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. His big break came when a local promoter spotted him at an open-mic night and offered him a chance to open for none other than John Legend. It didn’t take long for the buzz to spread.

Baker’s music draws comparisons to contemporary songwriters like Ray LaMontagne and Ryan Adams, but his style is uniquely his own. He 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 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.

Shows begin each evening at 6:00 P.M. and finish at 8:00 P.M. – perhaps just in time for a showing of nature’s own Klieg light, the rising of the moon.

Admission is $25 for Old Edwards Inn and Half-Mile Farm Hotel Guests and Members, and general admission is $40 and includes light bites and a cash bar. The session will move indoors to the new Orchard House in the event of rain.

Baylin

Baylin’s Magical Music

Singer-songwriter Jessie Baylin brings her deep, soulful sounds to Highlander Mountain House & The Ruffed Grouse Tavern at 8:30 P.M. Saturday, October 26. For tickets or more information, visit highlandermountainhouse.com/offers-and-events.

Highlander Mountain House Hotel will be staging its latest Salon Series concert – a performance by Jessie Baylin in its cozy Ruffed Grouse Tavern at 8:30 P.M. Saturday, October 26.

Patrons are invited to make dinner reservations before the show during service hours 5:30 to 8:00 P.M. if they choose, then enjoy an incredible music performance by Kendell Marvel. Parking available on the property or street behind HMH. Seating for the show is first-come first-serve.

Jessie Baylin returns to Highlander Mountain House after just reissuing Strawberry Wind, now as a Deluxe Edition with 3 new tracks added to the vinyl, and the digital release includes four new songs.

Strawberry Wind not only delivers on

a promise to create an honest album for kids and parents, but it represents what Baylin calls the “beautiful divide,” of juggling family life with her creative life, a difficult task by any measure.

“The divide in me is easy to feel because I invest 100 percent of myself into my family and often the creative get’s put to the side,” she explains. “So when I decided to begin writing for this album it just poured out of me.”

Baylin, who’s released five criticallyacclaimed albums over the years, says the seed was planted for this project after contributing a cover of Harry Nilsson’s “He Needs Me” from the film Popeye to the Amazon original playlist Amazon Acoustics. “The song has a childlike sense, but the message is very deep. It’s magical, it’s dark, and it hit all the notes. I wanted to do an album that felt like that. It gave me the bug,” she says.

It’s quite a departure from her last record, 2022’s Jersey Girl, and 2015’s Dark Place, which NPR Music described as “stunningly thoughtful tenderness.” “Writing Dark Place began with a premonition of what was to come, and what followed was fear and many challenges that were put on me as a human being, so creatively I completely shut down – and Dark Place was a devotion to my pain,” admits Baylin. But the beautiful thing about life is that it will force itself on you whether you are looking for it or not, and according to Baylin, “it pulled me out of the darkness – leaning into my family was part of that and it showed me a new landscape and helped me get back in a forward motion.”

by Luke Osteen

Jessie

Enchanted Forest

You’ve probably never thought that the trails of Highlands Botanical Garden were particularly scary. The good people at Highlands Nature Center have some spooky notions about that – you’re invited to the Enchanted Forest Halloween Bash – 5:30 P.M. Tuesday, October 29 directly behind Highlands Nature Center.

We’ve devoted a lot of ink in this issue to highlight the Plateau’s twin Halloween celebrations – Cashiers Halloween Block Party and Highlands Main Street Trick or Treat – but there’s another party that’ll get revelers young and old into the spirit of the spooky season.

“Celebrate Halloween the natural way,” says Highlands Biological Foundation’s Julie Thompson “We’d like to invite everyone – young and old – to the Foundation’s Enchanted Forest Halloween Bash, set for 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. Tuesday, October 29. Come trick-or-treating along the forest trails of the Highlands Botanical Garden and learn more about some of the animals that we associate with Halloween! A bonfire, hot drinks, spooky games, and more will be waiting at the end. Costumes are encouraged!”

Those wishing to participate in this free, family-friendly event should meet in the amphitheater behind the Highlands Nature Center at 930 Horse Cove Road. So, is it spooky? Perhaps. Silly? Most certainly. Heaps of fun? Oh, yes! This event is weatherdependent, and no reservations are required. For more information, please call (828) 526-2623.

by Luke Osteen

Fill Those Empty Bowls

It’s an open table when the Highlands community serves up its Empty Bowls Project, October 13 at First Presbyterian Church of Highlands. Tickets are $35.

Join the International Friendship Center to raise funds for their food pantry program here in Highlands at their annual Empty Bowls event on Sunday, October 13, from 11:00 A.M. until 1:30 P.M. at the First Presbyterian Church at 471 Main Street in Highlands.

Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to fight hunger and food insecurity and pairs potters, chefs, and concerned citizens supporting the elimination of food insecurity. For a $35 donation, each attendee can choose a hand-turned bowl to take home with them and enjoy a delicious soup lunch with food provided by local chefs and businesses. Soup symbolizes the essence of a basic meal and the need of so many in our community in need of help feeding their families.

Food pantry director Bonnie Dayton says food insecurity is more common

in our area than one might think, as evidenced by the number of people they serve per month. On average, they provide food to 2500-2800 people (more than 300 families) each month, with more people signing up weekly. It’s an

…pairs potters, chefs, and concerned citizens supporting the elimination of food insecurity.

urgent need and this is their biggest fundraiser of the year so Bonnie urges everyone to come out and support this worthwhile cause.

It’s also a great chance to join your community and neighbors and enjoy a hearty meal.

This year, Maria Lozade will be making a delicious traditional Mexican Pozole soup. Debbie Grossman of Fressers will

serve her heavenly tomato basil soup. The Kitchen Carryaway is offering a tasty vegan three-bean soup. Don Leon is offering a hearty seafood gumbo. Chef Robert Dejong is making his family recipe minestrone. Wild Thyme is still deciding which of their delicious soups to serve but they will have a delicious offering available as well. Kilwin’s and Bryson’s Food Store are providing desserts.

As you can see, this is a community effort so join forces and help us end food insecurity by attending Empty Bowls. For more information, visit internationalfriendshipcenter.org or call (828) 526-0890.

by Mary Jane McCall

Scan to learn more.

Bhutan Art Collection

Dennis Desmond will bring the beauty and exotic majesty of the mysterious Kingdom of Bhutan to Hudson Library, Friday October 18.

Dennis Desmond likes to say that he’s lived in the world’s longest chain of mountains – the Andes, the highest, the Himalayas, and now the oldest, the Appalachians.

Desmond’s deep connection with these majestic landscapes, particularly his time spent in Bhutan, will be captured in an exhibit of his personal collection of Bhutanese art, crafts and everyday items at Highlands’ Hudson Library from October 15 to November 30.

Originally from Cleveland, Desmond’s fascination with foreign cultures began in his youth, inspired by reading National Geographic magazines. After graduating from Ohio State University in 1982, he joined the Peace Corps and spent several years in Ecuador, working in community forestry and conservation.

His interest in Bhutan, was piqued during his time in Ecuador, learning about the country after reading an article titled “The Kingdom in the Clouds with Its

Feet on the Ground.”

In 1994, Desmond seized the opportunity to work in Bhutan as a United Nations volunteer in a community forestry program. What was intended to be a shortterm assignment turned into a five-year journey, during which he developed a deep connection with the country and its people.

Desmond’s collection began during his weekly trips to the local market in Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu, where he purchased handicrafts that caught his eye. Over time, he amassed a diverse array of items, from intricately woven textiles to religious artifacts.

Among the highlights of the exhibit are a dozen Thangka paintings, traditional religious artworks depicting Buddhist deities and themes. Notably, a number of the Thangka paintings on exhibit will be available for sale, and Desmond has additional pieces that can be viewed by private appointment.

The exhibit also includes a variety of handicrafts from everyday Bhutanese life, such as textiles, baskets, religious dance masks, and handmade paper. Some of these items will also be available for purchase.

Desmond’s connection to Bhutan extends beyond the artifacts on display. He became close friends with several Bhutanese artists, including those involved with the Voluntary Artists Studio of Thimphu (VAST), a non-profit organization that promotes contemporary art in Bhutan.

Residing in Franklin since 2002, Desmond spent 19 years working with Mainspring Conservation Trust. His love for Bhutan and its people remains strong, and he continues to stay in touch with friends from his time there.

As part of the exhibit, Desmond will give a talk at the library on Friday, October 18, accompanied by a slide show, where he will share his experiences and the stories behind the collection.

Celebrating the Best of Fall

October in Highlands is a nonstop celebration – and everyone’s invited.

As the cool days of autumn begin to sweep across the mountains and the leaves begin to change, the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/ Visit Highlands, NC, is pleased to provide a vibrant lineup of October events designed to celebrate the season’s beauty while offering residents and visitors a chance to connect with the community and the rich cultural heritage of Highlands.

Outdoor Concert Series

The popular Outdoor Concert Series will wrap up this October with performances

that promise to be as dynamic as the fall colors. Live music can be enjoyed at two locations Town Square on Fridays and Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on Saturdays, both from 6-8:30pm. The month’s lineup includes Zorki (October 4), Thirsty Horses (October 5), The Foxfire Boys (October 11) and concludes with Nu Blu (October 12) with a special performance from 5:00 to 7:30 P.M. as part of the Highlands Heritage Jamboree. Pop-Up Pipers – Saturday, October 5 Since May, the Highlands Bagpipers have graced various downtown locations

with their stirring performances. Their series finale will be held at Highlands Presbyterian Church from 4:30 to 5:00 P.M. on Saturday, October 5.

Highlands Heritage Jamboree –Saturday, October 12

Now in its third year, the Highlands Heritage Jamboree returns to celebrate and honor the town’s rich history. This event will take place on Saturday, October 12, featuring traditional music, dancing, and more. Attendees can look forward to a lively mix of bluegrass, clogging, and bagpipe performances as

well as moonshine and barbecue.

Performances at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park include the Highlands Bagpipers (3:30-4:00 P.M.), Bailey Mountain Cloggers, a championship dance team from Mars Hill University (4:00-5:00 P.M.) and Nu Blu (5:00-7:30 P.M.).

The Jamboree promises an afternoon filled with bluegrass, clogging, and bagpipe performances, along with moonshine and barbecue, creating an unforgettable experience for all who attend.

Halloween on Main – Thursday, October 31

As the month draws to a close,

Highlands’ Main Street will transform into a festive pedestrian zone for “Halloween on Main” from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. on Thursday, October 31. This family-friendly event invites ghosts and goblins of all ages to enjoy a safe and fun-filled evening. Participating merchants, supported by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC, with help from the Interact Club, will hand out candy.

Entertainment will include ABC Combo performing in front of The Park on Main, High Five playing in front of Berkshire Hathaway and DJ Mike Murphy spinning tunes mid-way on Main Street.

Attendees can also warm up with hot chocolate and hot dogs, courtesy of Highlands Cashiers Hospital and Fidelia Eckerd Living Center and volunteers from the Highlands and Mountaintop rotaries.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information visit highlandschamber.org.

by Johanna Fein, Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC photo by Susan Renfro

Crushin’

On Syrah

Marlene’s love for Syrah is pure and unshakable.

My love affair with Syrah began many decades ago. Stylistically diverse, the varietal has made its home around the world – ranging from the minerally, peppery style of the Northern Rhône, its ancestral home, to the headier, more opulent style of Australian Shiraz. Indeed, so profound was my crush on Syrah, that when I heard the bell sound about the Hospice du Rhone festival in San Luis Obispo in 1999, I couldn’t resist heeding the call. Its troubadour was Mat Garretson who had channeled his love for another Rhone varietal (Viognier) to start a winery in Paso Robles.

Garretson found a home for his festival at the Paso Roble Mid-State Fairgrounds and kicked off the 3-day bacchanalia with an annual bowling tournament –Rhone ‘n’ Bowl. Need I say more?

In truth, it was one of the most preposterous wine events I have ever attended – a downright quixotic celebration of a grape

variety that at the time was little celebrated. Garretson and his co-founder John Alban of Alban Vineyards had persuaded an impressive number of Rhone variety producers from all corners of the world to come to the central coast. At this most unpretentious of wine gatherings seminars were hosted by a dedicated band of winemakers, and I got to hobnob with the paragons of the wine world.

Garretson shuttered his namesake winery during the 2008 crash, but the message has spread, and there’s much to enjoy – wines that convey the character of the grapes of the places in which they are grown, shaped by the people who produced them.

Wines made of Syrah in its home territory, the northern Rhone Valley in France are gloriously fragrant, redolent of herbs, olives, roasted meats and flowers.

2019 J.L. Chave Selection “Silène” CrozesHermitage: “fleshy, flashy and bright, a

wine that I found bursting with life;” 2020 Domaine Du Colombier Crozes Hermitage Rouge: From one of my favorite producers, the Crozes-Hermitage Domaine reveals a dense purple hue to go with a beautiful perfume of blue and black fruits.

Syrahs produced in California – all showing great syrah character:

2022 Tablas Creek “Patelin de Tablas” Paso Robles Rhône Blend: On the palate, black raspberry and mineral flavors with a Syrah-driven pancetta-like meaty note. The finish is deep and long, with bright acids, chalky tannins,

2022 Stolpman Syrah Estate, Santa Barbara, California: Dense, voluptuous and very easy to like with succulent dark cherry, and plum

As always, don’t serve these red wines too warm.

by Marlene Osteen

OCTOBER

OCTOBER

“In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible.” — Elizabeth George Speare

“In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible.”

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

— Elizabeth George Speare

The Bookworm , 11 AM-4 PM.

Highlands Food Pantry, 10 AM-6 PM, Highlands Methodist. 1 2

Locally Grown on the Green, 11 AM-3 PM, Village Green.

Bluegrass Wednesday, 6:30 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

Highlands Food Pantry, 10 AM-6 PM, Highlands Methodist. “Botanical EcoTour: First Hints of Fall at Panthertown Valley”, 8:30 AM, CLE Lecture Hall.

The Bookworm , 11 AM-4 PM. Locally Grown on the Green, 11 AM-3 PM, Village Green. Bluegrass Wednesday, 6:30 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

Sapphire Valley Arts and Crafts Show, 10 AM-4 PM, Sapphire Community Center. Bluegrass, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM, Highlander Mountain House. Highlands on the Half-Shell, 4 PM, Highlands Biological Station. Music Bingo, 7:30 PM, Ugly Dog Pub. 7 6 8 9

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM.

3

Mountain Findings, 10 AM-1 PM. Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM.

National Theatre Live: Prima Facie, 5 PM, PAC. Blues Music, 5 PM, Ruffed Grouse Tavern. Trivia, 7:30 PM, High Dive.

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM.

Mountain Findings, 10 AM-1 PM.

4

Manto Italia Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM.

Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Friday Night Live, Zorki, 6 PM, Town Square.

Live Music, 9 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

Highlands Marketplace,

8 AM-12:30 PM, KH Park.

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM.

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. Mountain Findings, 10 AM. Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Cashiers Valley Community Chorus, 5:30 PM, Lewis Hall. Blues Music, 6-8 PM, Ruffed Grouse Tavern. Orchard Sessions, Erick Baker, 6 PM, The Farm at Old Edwards. Trivia, 7:30 PM, High Dive.

Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, 10 AM-3 PM, Village Green. Italian Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Coppley Custom Event, TJ Bailey. Bluegrass, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM, Highlander Mountain House. Empty Bowls Project, 11 AM, First Presbyterian Church of Highlands. Music Bingo, 7:30 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

Fall Colors Fine Art Show, 10 AM, Highlands Civic Center.

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

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

The Bookworm , 11 AM-4 PM.

Locally Grown on the Green, 11 AM-3 PM, Village Green. Open House, 11 AM-2PM, Wenzel Facial Plastic Surgery.

The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, Mountain Theatre Company.

Bluegrass Wednesday, 6:30 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

Bazaar Barn 10 AM-2 PM. The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company.

National Theatre Live: Present Laughter, 5 PM, PAC. Landmark Annual Chili Cookoff, 5 PM, Village Green. Cashiers Valley Community Chorus, 5:30 PM, Lewis Hall. Blues Music, 6-8 PM, Ruffed Grouse Tavern. Trivia, 7:30 PM, High Dive.

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, 10 AM-5 PM, Village Green. 13th Annual Pottery Show, 10 AM-4 PM, The Bascom. Italian Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Coppley Custom Event, TJ Bailey. Fine & Estate Jewelry Show, 11 AM-5PM, M&Co. The Burnt Part Boys, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Friday Night Live, Foxfire Boys, 6 PM, Town Square. Live Music, 9 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

11

Manto Italia Trunk Show, TJ Bailey.

Mountain Findings, 10 AM.

Sapphire Valley Arts and Crafts Show, 10 AM-4 PM, Sapphire Community Center.

The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM.

MET Opera: Les Contes d’Hoffmann, 1 PM, PAC. Pop-Up Pipers, 4:30 PM, Highlands Presbyterian Church. Saturdays on Pine, Thirsty Horses, 6 PM, K-H Park. Live Music, 9 PM, High Dive.

13th Annual Pottery Show, 10 AM-4 PM, The Bascom. Italian Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, 10 AM-5 PM, Village Green. Fine & Estate Jewelry Show, 11 AM-5PM, M&Co.

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. Mountain Findings, 10 AM-1 PM.

MAC Jeans Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Roberto Coin Show, TJ Bailey. Ravazzola Trunk Show, TJ Bailey.

The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company.

Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird.

Live Music, 9 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM-12:30 PM, KH Park. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. Manto Italia Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Mountain Findings, 10 AM. Sapphire Valley Arts and Crafts Show, 10 AM-4 PM, Sapphire Community Center. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. MET Opera: Les Contes d’Hoffmann, 1 PM, PAC. Pop-Up Pipers, 4:30 PM, Highlands Presbyterian Church. Saturdays on Pine, Thirsty Horses, 6 PM, K-H Park. Live Music, 9 PM, High Dive.

12

The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company. Highlands Heritage Jamboree, 3:30 PM, K-H Founders Park. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Saturdays on Pine, Nu-Blu, 5 PM, K-H Founders Park. Live Music, 9 PM, High Dive.

13th Annual Pottery Show, 10 AM-4 PM, The Bascom. Italian Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, 10 AM-5 PM, Village Green. Fine & Estate Jewelry Show, 11 AM-5PM, M&Co. The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company. Highlands Heritage Jamboree, 3:30 PM, K-H Founders Park. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Saturdays on Pine, Nu-Blu, 5 PM, K-H Founders Park. Live Music, 9 PM, High Dive.

Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM-12:30 PM, KH Park.

Mountain Findings, 10 AM-1 PM.

Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM.

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

MAC Jeans Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Roberto Coin Show, TJ Bailey. Ravazzola Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Music Bingo, 7:30 PM, Ugly Dog Pub. Bluegrass, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM, Highlander Mountain House.

Bluegrass, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM, Highlander Mountain House.

Music Bingo, 7:30 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

Art League Highlands-Cashiers meeting, 4:30 P.M. The Bascom. 28 27 13

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

MAC Jeans Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Roberto Coin Show, TJ Bailey. Ravazzola Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Fall Colors Fine Art Show, 10 AM, Highlands Civic Center. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. MET Opera: Grounded, 1 PM, PAC.

Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM-12:30 PM, KH Park. Mountain Findings, 10 AM-1 PM. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. MAC Jeans Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Roberto Coin Show, TJ Bailey. Ravazzola Trunk Show, TJ Bailey. Fall Colors Fine Art Show, 10 AM, Highlands Civic Center. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. MET Opera: Grounded, 1 PM, PAC.

The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Live Music, 9 PM, High Dive.

24 25 26 15 14 18 17 16 19 10 5 20

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

Youth Village Nature Series, 4 PM, The Village Green.

The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM.

22 21 23

Locally Grown on the Green, 11 AM-3 PM, Village Green.

The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, Mountain Theatre Company.

Bluegrass Wednesday, 6:30 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

Bazaar Barn 10 AM-2 PM. The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company.

Cashiers Valley Community Chorus, 5:30 PM, Lewis Hall. Rotary Club Bingo, 6:30 PM, Highlands Community Building. Trivia, 7:30 PM, High Dive.

Bazaar Barn 10 AM-2 PM.

Mountain Findings, 10 AM.-1 PM

The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM.

The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company.

Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Elk Cove Vineyards Wine Dinner, 6 PM, On The Verandah. Live Music, 9 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM-12:30 PM, KH Park. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM.

Highlands Historical Society’s Walk in the Park, 2 PM,5 PM, Highlands Community Building. The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company. Halloween Block Party, 5-7 PM, Frank Allen Road. HCCMF Rose Quartet Concert, 5 PM, First Presbyterian Church. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Salon Series: Jessie Baylin, 8:30 PM, Highlander Mountain House. Live Music, 9 PM, High Dive.

The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Live Music, 9 PM, High Dive. Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM-12:30 PM, KH Park. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM-2 PM. Highlands Historical Society’s Walk in the Park, 2 PM,5 PM, Highlands Community Building. The Burnt Part Boys, 3 PM, 7:30 PM, Mountain Theatre Company. Halloween Block Party, 5-7 PM, Frank Allen Road. HCCMF Rose Quartet Concert, 5 PM, First Presbyterian Church. Live Music, 5:30 PM, Hummingbird. Salon Series: Jessie Baylin, 8:30 PM, Highlander Mountain House. Live Music, 9 PM, High Dive.

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

Enchanted Forest Halloween Bash, 6 PM, Highlands Nature Center amphitheater. 29

The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM.

30

Locally Grown on the Green, 11 AM-3 PM, Village Green.

Bluegrass Wednesday, 6:30 PM, Ugly Dog Pub.

Bazaar Barn 10 AM-2 PM.

31

The Bookworm, 11 AM-4 PM. Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Art Benefit, drawing 5 PM, Betsy Paul Real Estate.

Cashiers Valley Community Chorus, 5:30 PM, Lewis Hall. Halloween on Main, 6 PM, downtown Highlands. Trivia, 7:30 PM, High Dive.

View the complete Highlands Cashiers Plateau Calendar

ON THE HORIZON

November Events

THURSDAY-SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7-10

Highlands Food & Wine Festival

This festival transforms this small town into a culinary showcase. For four days, visitors from throughout the country – along with residents – throng the streets, sampling food and wine tastings from renowned chefs and vintners. highlandsfoodandwine.com

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30

Light Up The Park

6-8 PM, Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park

It’s the moment children who are young and old have been waiting for all year! There is a hum of excitement as people gather and share candy canes, hot chocolate, the reading of the Christmas story, singing carols, and wait for it... Santa arrives and Lights the Park with millions of twinkling lights! highlandschamber.org

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29

Cashiers Christmas Tree Lighting

5:45-6:30 PM, The Village Green

The Cashiers’ Christmas Tree Lighting will be held on the Gazebo Lawn near the Cashiers crossroads starting at 5:45 PM, rain or shine. To add to the festivities, the evening will feature a cozy fire pit, apple cider, s’mores, and festive holiday music! villagegreencashiersnc.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28

Gobble on the Green 9-11 AM, The Village Green

Turkey, corn bread dressing, pumpkin pie, football, and family time - there are so many reasons to love Thanksgiving! Did we mention pie? Each family has its own activities and traditions to look forward to. The Village Green offers this 5K Run/Walk to add to yours. villagegreencashiersnc.com

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29-30

Festival of Trees

10 AM-5 PM, Summit Charter School

Cashiers Festival of Trees is a family-friendly event during Thanksgiving weekend featuring decorated trees, wreaths, gift baskets, holiday shopping, children crafts, story time, rivalry weekend football viewings, entertaining performances, and more. summitschool.org

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29

Mark and Maggie O’Connor: An Appalachian Christmas 7:30 PM, Highlands PAC

Three-time GRAMMY-winning composer and fiddler Mark O’Connor has created several arrangements of Christmas classics and fashions a wondrous mixture of both instrumental and vocal music in bluegrass and other American music genres. highlandsperformingarts.com

December Events

DECEMBER 6-22

Home for the Holidays Mountain Theatre Company at Highlands PAC

Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with this annual holiday spectacular! Fun for all ages, this festive seasonal music revue promises dazzling costumes, high energy choreography, and is sure to fill audiences with plenty of good, old-fashioned holiday cheer! mountaintheatre.com

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7

50th Cashiers Christmas Peppermint Stick Parade 3-5 PM, 107 South

The parade starts at 3 PM but you’ll want to arrive early to park and find the perfect viewing spot. cashiers411.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12

Fireside at The Farm

6-8 PM, The Farm at Old Edwards

Join in for Fireside at The Farm: A Holiday Evening with Mike Kinnebrew. Settle into the magical ambiance of The Farm and relax into a special evening with the sounds of holiday music filling the pavilion. oldedwardshospitality.com

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7

Highlands Olde Mountain Christmas Parade

10 AM-12 PM, Main Street Highlands I’ll bet that many of us wake up singing “I Love a Parade” while we busily gather everyone together to head to downtown Highlands for the much-loved annual Christmas Parade. highlandschamber.org

SATURDAYS IN DECEMBER

Santa in the Park

Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park

Santa will take his place at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park each Saturday during December. Come share your wish list. He’ll also periodically sneak into the park to retrieve letters placed in a special mailbox from the North Pole! Be sure to take a few photos. highlandschamber.org

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25

HANDS Christmas Dinner

11 AM-5 PM, Highlands Country Club

An annual Christmas Day Dinner and all proceeds are then donated to local nonprofit organizations in the area. Reservations begin November 15. Organized by HANDS. For more information, call 904-270-9655.

Photo by Mary Gillan

Long Before Road Signs

Centuries later, we still discover messages from the Cherokee who made this mountain domain their home.

We look for wildlife, foliage, and fungi while hiking and walking. We might bird watch and listen. The nature artists among us sometimes collect plants for rubbings or rocks for displays.

But who traverses the area’s sundry trails and paths throughout Macon and Jackson counties seeking Cherokee trail marker trees?

Huh? Yes. They still exist.

Like other native people groups in various parts of our country, Western North Carolina’s Cherokee for many years manipulated tree saplings to signify directional meanings – most specifically aspects of early roadways and paths used regularly for trading goods, hunting, and gathering, as well as to make war against opposing tribes or settlers and British forces.

Sighting a tree with unnaturally bent limbs may cause nature enthusiasts to pause and wonder, deducing that the tree somehow just grew that way. And, indeed, some trees do grow in a seemingly deformed way. However, many actual trail marker trees are distinct enough that they can easily be spotted.

The Cherokee would choose a hardwood sapling on a certain part of a path, often near water, at the gap in a mountain, and in areas where roadways and paths intersected, and they would stake the whole sapling or a limb to the ground so that it would grow unnaturally for a while. Then they would un-tether the tree as it matured.

What walkers and hikers might encounter while hiking their own properties, the Appalachian Trail, the Bartram Trail, and various other spots in the region is a tree with a limb protruding straight out

and then straight up. Occasionally, there are two trail marker trees side-by-side, such as at the edge of the Cartoogechaye Baptist Church parking lot in Franklin next to Cartoogechaye Creek.

Modern observers often find that determining the meanings of the trail trees is difficult, but common thought is that most were directional, pointing to water sources, river crossings, shelters, etc. Some supposedly also indicated danger, hunting grounds, settlements, and more.

While there is no way to determine if a distorted mature tree is an age-old Cherokee trail marker, it is fun to imagine life in these mountains way before paved roads, automobiles, and manufactured signs.

by Deena Bouknight

The Iconic Bridal Veil Falls

With its delicate beauty and its almost hypnotic pull, Bridal Veil Falls never fails to enchant.

Bridal Veil Falls is a 60-foot roadside waterfall located west of Highlands on US 64. It’s unique in that visitors can walk behind it as it flows from an overhang above. When the weather is very dry, the flow can be down to a trickle but during rainy periods the flow can be quite heavy and dramatic. During cold spells on winter days, a substantial

mound of ice forms at the base of the falls.

One beautiful fall evening, Cindy and I decided to go to Bridal Veil Falls to photograph it at night. Conditions were right since the moon had set and the sky was clear making an abundance of stars visible. After setting up our camera equipment, to our amazement, we saw the Big Dipper distinctly standing out from

the rest of the stars in the sky next to the waterfall.

Directions:

From downtown Highlands, drive 2.5 miles west on US 64. The waterfall and parking area will be clearly visible on the right side of the road.

by Ed and Cindy Boos

At a Glance Waterfall Guide

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

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

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

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.

Fiery Orange Above and Below

This chilly month means it’s a fly fishing bonanza. Anglers of all skill levels come to this corner of the Southern Appalachians in October – even in this challenging year still reverberating from a warm, dry summer.

Fortunately, this area has several sections of rivers that are stocked with rainbow, brown and brook trout – part of the state’s Delayed Harvest System. DH means catch-andrelease, artificial single-hook regulations apply from October 1 until June 1.

This is probably a good time to offer a bit of wisdom from Friend-of-TheLaurel and Brookings Fly Shop Owner Matt Canter about an often-overlooked stream denizen.

“Most of us know them as brook trout, or brookies, but if you grew up in Western North Carolina you know them as ‘specks,’” says Matt. “Specks are our only native trout species here in the Southeast, and they are technically an arctic char. Millions of years ago, these mountains were carved by massive glaciers that came down from the arctic

circle. Those glaciers carried many different things with them, and one of those things was fish. That is how an arctic char found its way to North Carolina and is considered native because man did not put them here.”

These little arctic chars have adapted to life in the Southeast. You cannot find them just anywhere, as they need the cleanest coldest water these mountains can produce. Typically, this means high altitude trout water. Because they live up on the tops of the mountains, the streams themselves are fairly infertile, making for a slow growth rate in specks. A 9- or 10-inch fish is considered to be a prize by today’s standards. Even though they are small relative to other game fish, their beauty and eagerness to rise to a dry fly more than makes up for how big they grow.

Because of where specks live (small streams up high in the mountains), they see very little fishing pressure as it takes some hiking just to get to the stream. The lack of fishing pressure is also very beneficial to the way these fish behave.

“I have heard plenty of anglers say that a speck unwary of your presence will rise to almost any type of dry fly as long as it is presented in a way that it looks like food,” says Matt. “I would agree to that to some extent but have also seen a few days where they too can become very selective. The advantage of pursuing them in the fall, is that the males will get into their spawning colors starting in September. They are always beautiful fish, but in the fall it would be hard to imagine a fish more perfect with their fiery orange vibrance!”

by Luke Osteen

Debby’s FallGarden Checklist

The end of the growing season doesn’t mean that you can forget your gardening chores. There’s still plenty to get done before the arrival of winter.

Iam a little sad.

There, I said it! The days are getting shorter, and the beauty of the summer garden has retired for the winter. It deserves a rest, and I know that in a week or two, I’ll be all excited once again to see the leaves change and the wonderful pumpkin and gourd decorations pop up all around us, signaling that the fall is in full swing.

But before I sit back and rest, I’d better check my fall garden activities checklist. I thought it would be useful to share it with you. So here goes…

Debby’s Fall Garden Checklist

Mulch: Apply a layer of mulch, about 2-4 inches, around your plants and garden beds to insulate the soil, retain moisture, and protect the roots from frost.

Clean-Up: Remove dead plant material, fallen leaves, and debris from garden beds to reduce the risk of disease and pests.

Winterize Tools: Clean, sharpen, and store garden tools. Drain hoses and store them indoors to prevent freezing.

Soil Preparation: Test your soil and amend it with compost or organic matter to improve its structure and fertility.

Composting: Add kitchen scraps and garden waste to your compost pile. It will decompose over the winter and be ready for spring planting.

Okay, in total transparency, this is on my list, but I never do it. I’m a big chicken and don’t want any hungry bears hanging around for snacks. Come to think of it, dogs too…mine!

Perennials: Cut back perennials after the first frost to tidy up your garden and prevent disease. Leaving perennials, like ornamental grasses, can provide a little winter interest.

Protecting Tender Plants: If you have tender plants or shrubs, cover them with burlap or frost blankets to protect them

from potential frost.

Harvesting Seeds: Collect seeds from your favorite plants for next year’s garden. Store them in a cool, dry place in labeled containers.

Don’t Forget Your Houseplants: Has anyone else woken up in the middle of the night to grab their houseplants and bring them inside before a frost? Or forgot to cut those last blooms before Mother Nature takes them away? Okay, I’m busted.

Fall is an exhilarating time of year here in the mountains. The brilliant colors, cool crisp air, and shorter days signal a time to rest and enjoy our beautiful mountains. I hope you can enjoy some rest from the labors of your gardening and breathe in the beauty around us.

Happy Gardening! by Debby Hall

Protecting Horse Cove

The trail leading through Horse Cove is laced with history and a healthy dose of mystery.

The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust protects many acres within picturesque Horse Cove.

Once a broad wetland valley, the cove continues to shelter pockets of rare mountain bogs that provide habitat for endangered plants such as Cuthbert’s Turtlehead, Flat-Top Goldenrod, and Virginia Chainfern. Peat cores indicate that these bogs may be more than 3,000 years old.

The secluded vale may seem a world away from the bustle of Cashiers’ crossroads or Highlands’ Main Street, but that wasn’t always the case.

Relics indicate that Horse Cove was used by the Cherokee for seasonal encampments and hunting until their forced dispossession in the 1830s.

One of the first subsequent settlers was the Barnes family in 1838 who, lured by reports of gold, received land grants along Walkingstick Road. Soon the cove was dotted with small “placer”

surface mines worked by men with pickaxes. Helen Hill Norris recalled that three Georgia miners reportedly found a vein yielding $60,000 in gold, a monumental sum for that period. These small mines soon played out, however; in the 1960s local historian T.W. Reynolds humorously noted that an old gold mine tunnel on Bull Pen Road had attracted little attention until a “danger” sign was installed - which of course only served to incentivize even more unsafe activity!

In 1855 Horse Cove opened its own post office, which remained in operation until 1911. Drovers used Walkingstick and Glade roads to drive turkeys and livestock to the markets in Walhalla, no doubt resulting in a commotion that would be unimaginable today. A series of schools dotted the landscape until consolidation in 1932.

Bishop Hugh Thompson began purchasing land in Horse Cove in 1878, eventually amassing more than 2,300 acres. He constructed an extensive tourist

resort that included an inn, thirty guest cottages, stables, and even a horse track and winery. Lured by these amenities, the summer population of Horse Cove swelled with tourists, including future president Woodrow Wilson. Nearby, Captain Piroleau Ravenel constructed a factory in 1901 to manufacture the wooden locust pins necessary to attach wires to poles for the build-out of the nascent telephone industry.

Eventually, however, improved roads shifted commercial activity to Cashiers and Highlands, and Horse Cove returned to a more natural state. The HighlandsCashiers Land Trust is proud to help conserve the natural resources and cultural history of Horse Cove. For more information on HCLT, see hcltnc.org and follow on Instagram and Facebook. by Lance Hardin, Highlands Cashiers Land Trust photo by Andrew Renfro

Living Up to Their Name

This busy bird feeds on the forest floor where it creates a stir by upending leaves to look under them for insects.

This common songbird is slightly larger and more streamlined than a robin.

The Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) has a cinnamon brown back, long prominent tail, piercing yellow eyes and thrush-like striped breast and belly. Male and female sport similar plumage. They forage on the ground floor of the forest, vigorously thrashing through fallen leaves in search of insects.

These birds are distinguished from Wood Thrush with similar plumage in that the Wood Thrush has a much shorter tail and black eyes. The songs are also quite different.

The male Brown Thrasher is a prodigious songster, having the largest vocal repertoire of North American birds with 1,100 distinguishable songs. (Ornithologists and hobbyist bird watchers are inveterate counters.) When

it sings from its extensive songbook, it emits clear musical phrases that get repeated, seemingly for emphasis.

Busy ground feeders, Brown Thrashers will pause their foraging on the forest floor periodically to survey their surroundings. In doing so, they strike a still, upright pose easily sighted and identified. This statuesque pose is what my camera caught in the accompanying photo.

They are year-rounders here on the Plateau, their number rising in the winter as some northern birds of their kind migrate south to the Carolinas when the weather turns cold.

They breed here in spring and summer. Both female and male build a cup nest and usually raise two broods in a nesting season. Four or five pale blue, speckled eggs are incubated by both female and male of the species for 11 days to two weeks. Both parents also feed the

hatchlings. Fledging occurs after 10-13 days. Insects and fruit appear most often on the menu.

Happy October birding from the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society. Look for these birds low down in the forest, in the thick underbrush and among the ground leaves.

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 and a chapter of the National Audubon Society. Visit highlandsaudubonsociety.org for information on membership and all activities.

by William McReynolds,

Highlands Plateau Audubon Society

An Ecotour to Panthertown

The Center for Life Enrichment is hosting a “Botanical EcoTour: The First Hints of Fall at Panthertown Valley” at 8:30 A.M. Tuesday, October 8. To register or for more information, call (828) 526-8811 or visit clehighlands.com.

Panthertown Valley is one of the most beautiful and special places in Southern Appalachia, with many great views, waterfalls, and distinct ecosystems.

Panthertown Valley, referred to as the Yosemite of the East, lies on the eastern continental divide in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. With more than 25 miles of designated trails in this 6,300-acre backcountry area visitors can enjoy deep gorges and broad valleys, mountain bogs and granitic rock domes, tranquil creeks and plunging waterfalls while hiking, biking or horseback riding.

Participants in CLE’s Ecotour will take a slow, easy walk along the Blackrock Trail, where they’ll see many beautiful trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.

Trip Leader Adam Bigelow is a horticulturist and the owner of Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions, an Ecotourism business offering guided, interpretive walks with a focus on the native

wildflowers and plants of the Southern Appalachian bioregion. He’s been studying and working with plants for over twenty years and is the Garden Manager for the Cullowhee Community Garden, a donation-based organic community garden supported by the Jackson County Health Department.

Participants will meet at the CLE Lecture Hall, and directions will be provided by guide upon arrival.

Caravanning and carpooling is encouraged.

by Luke Osteen

Photo by Susan Renfro

Delving Into The Intuitive

For Cover Artist Leah Grace Craig, life and art are a series of revelations.

No doubt you’ve been to the Ugly Dog Pub, brainchild of Kay and Thomas Craig (interior designer and architect).

It’s a Highlands icon, remarkable in every way. A child of the Craig’s would have to be exceptional too, right?

Absolutely! And, that child, daughter Leah Grace, superseded the exceptional. She leapt right into incomparable.

When Leah Grace was a toddler, her

creativity bubbled, though not in a casual-kid way. More like raring-to-go manner. She drew murals on walls. She unleashed a crayonic explosion on a brand new living room couch. Kay counted to 10, well, maybe a 1000. But she and Thomas still encouraged Leah Grace to keep those creative productions coming, only on more conventional surfaces.

Later, Leah Grace’s parents got her into Rabun Gap School (an elite school

focused on the arts). Even though she loved drawing and painting, she thought ahead to a more practical career: theatrical set design.

Then, what seemed a horrible interruption of the world itself turned out to be a godsend: Covid19.

Wait. What?

Leah Grace says, “That disruption gave me a year to take a breath and discover that fine art was my true direction. So I

transferred to SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design campus in Atlanta.”

And she never looked back. She’s now finishing her final quarter in painting and print-making for her degree.

She’s grateful for all her educational experiences which were, in essence twofold.

Part one, she absorbed the academic, technical, traditional, historical aspects of Art at Rabun Gap and SCAD.

Part two was just as intrinsic to her educational experience: the social, which shone brightly in Highlands. It was on the Plateau that she delved

into the intuitive, exchanging concepts and feelings with regional artists. That tapped into her dreamwork, and further, use of art to influence others. All of this was a discovery of the compelling power of art.

The October issue’s cover reflects her introspection, the images seen on an internal stage which she opened up to through readings, encounters with women, artists, professors, much of it focusing on the feminine. It’s a fusion of real life and dream life.

She says, “In that, the Divine can always

be found.”

Now, she focuses on finishing her degree, continuing her active gallery work, and exploring connections – all kinds of connections. She’s a woman who believes every door is never really closed, and she’s all about opening every one.

To learn more about Leah Grace’s journey, visit her website at: leahgracecraig. com and Instagram at le.craig.

by Donna Rhodes

Leah Grace Craig

Always In TheLimelight

Laughter, heartbreak and unexpected passion are served up at Highlands Performing Arts Center this month.

Present Laughter

Saturday, October 5, kicks off the MET Opera’s Live in HD 2024-25 season.

Starting with, live streamed from NYC, Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Offenbach’s fantastical opera starring French tenor Benjamin Bernheim in the title role of the tormented poet.

Joining Bernheim is American soprano Erin Morley as Olympia, South African soprano Pretty Yende as Antonia, and French mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine as Giulietta to complete Hoffmann’s trio of lovers. Marco Armiliato conducts Bartlett Sher’s evocative production.

Saturday, October 19, at 1:00 P.M. brings Grounded by the Tony Award–winning composer Jeanine Tesori; libretto by George Brant. Grounded wrestles with often-overlooked issues created by 21st-century warmaking: the ethical conflicts created using modern military technology and the psychological and

emotional toll supposedly safe remote technology takes on our servicepersons. Canadian mezzosoprano Emily D’ Angelo stars as the hot-shot fighter pilot whose unplanned pregnancy takes her out of the cockpit and lands her in Las Vegas, operating a Reaper drone halfway around the world. American tenor Ben Bliss costars as the Wyoming rancher Eric in a production by Michael Mayer that brings this story to life in a hightech staging, which presents a variety of perspectives on the action. Met Music Director Yannick Ne’zet-Se’guin takes the podium.

The National Theatre of London returns to the PAC also. Thursday, October 3, at 5:00 P.M. features Prima Facie. Filmed live from the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End, Prima Facie returns to cinemas this Autumn. Jodie Comer is Tessa, a young barrister at the top of her game. When an unexpected event changes the way she perceives the law, Prima Facie takes us to the heart of

where emotion and experience collide with the rules of the game.

Also showing from the National Theatre is Present Laughter. Matthew Warchus directs Andrew Scott in Noël Coward’s provocative comedy. As he prepares to embark on an overseas tour, star actor Garry Essendine’s colorful life is in danger of spiraling out of control. Garry’s few remaining days at home are a chaotic whirlwind of love, sex, panic and soul-searching. Captured live from The Old Vic in London, Present Laughter is a giddy and surprisingly modern reflection on fame, desire and loneliness. Showing on Thursday, October 17, at 5:00 P.M.

Tickets are available at HighlandsPerformingArts.com. by Mary Adair Trumbly, Highlands Performing Arts Center photo by Manuel Harlan

The CulinaryArts Shine in Fall

Louis Osteen made local apples the centerpiece of his richly spiced Fall Favorite.

If it’s true that few things in life carry more emotional weight and symbolism than food, than may it also be true that perhaps no single food can trigger reminiscence like the apple?

I’ve been fond of apples for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until on a trip here, more than a decade ago that I was truly beguiled.

Then, visiting the Cashiers Farmers Market I discovered the Arkansas Black – crisp and tart and sweet like a fine well-aged Chardonnay wine.

Sure, visitors to Western North Carolina in October are here for our spectacular foliage display, but no less exuberant and varied are our apples.

This time of year, the orchards are producing abundant fruit, and a casual drive easily overwhelms the senses. There are powerful aromas and showy displays, while local school kids and retired folks alike busily pluck bushels of

fruit from the trees.

At our markets and produce stands the tables groan with dozens of apples, sourced from nearby counties. August Produce on the Franklin Road begins selling Jonagolds and Honey Crisps in August and by October there are more than 15 on display.

At the Cashiers Farmer Market in Highway 64, the baskets on their porch overflow – beginning in late August with the Red Delicious and winding up before they close for the season in October with Fuji, and that favorite of mine, the Arkansas Black.

You can find their harvest of Cortland, Macintosh, Winesap, Mutsu, Rome and Grimes Golden at the Deal Produce Stand in Franklin.

And should there be too many apples in your basket for enjoying one at a time, then I offer this recipe from Louis Osteen’s Charleston Cuisine – as sweet

and endearing as he was, it’s best made with a variety, perhaps Rome, Winesap and Mustu.

Stewed Apples

Perfect as a side dish with a salty country ham, or as a casual desert after a picnic or barbecue.

Ingredients

2 lbs. Tart Firm Apples

5 tablespoons Butter

1-1/3 cups Sugar

Salt to taste

Juice of 1 Lemon

8 Fresh Sage Leaves or ¼ tsp. Rubbed Sage ½ Bay Leaf

Directions

Peel and core and quarter the apples.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over

medium heat. Add the apples, sugar, sage and bay leaf and stir. Add salt to taste.

Cook the apples over medium heat for about 12 minutes or until tender – they should still hold their shape. Remove the sage leaves and add a few drops of lemon juice.

At this point, you can transfer the apples and their juice to a warm serving dish and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate, rewarming over medium heat when you are ready to use.

by Marlene Osteen

The Art of Craft

The Fall installment of The Bascom’s 13th annual pottery show will be held on Friday, October 11, and Saturday, October 12, from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Everyone is invited to browse and purchase beautiful handmade pottery while supporting local artists.

Last month, Donna Rhodes spoke with The Bascom’s Director of Ceramics Frank Vickery.

Vickery spotlighted the exciting 2024 additions to the ceramics program.

For instance, a new soda kiln pavilion and a concrete structure around it to make a patio area was completed in June. A soda kiln is an atmospheric kiln, firing at 2300+ degrees.

Vickery says, “The soda vaporizes in the kiln due to the heat and attaches to the clay body surface and creates magical and lustrous surfaces.

“We are honoring a Cashiers potter who passed during Covid. We are reconstructing his world-class kiln, reconfiguring it here, and putting a pavilion over it, allowing us to grow our workshop offerings and the quality of instructors we attract.”

The program also added a new instructor, Ester Lipscomb, resident educator

artist who will teach classes and work with the public to strengthen community and share her vast expertise.

“I’m proud to be part of each artist’s creative journey. It’s inspiring to watch their growth,” says Vickery. “By working with artists, The Bascom members, staff, and board, a community arose, and in a way, became my family.”

All this and more fires up participants and community with classes, lectures, and super-successful shows, with the 13th fall edition looking to shake the rafters of what used to be the Crane Horse Stables – October 11 and 12.

The idea behind the shows is sales, but the whole experience is much deeper than that. Ultimately the practice is to get better. Learning, preparation, interaction (which boils down to teamwork), and presentation, are the things that build community and successful crafters. Vickery, with 20 years of high-quality experience, shepherds these

fine artisans to their highest proficiency.

As shows approach, studio members prepare the event. They run everything. Everyone does a shift as a helper, wrapper, customer interactor, or registercashier. All the pieces for sale in the studio show are made by the studio members and most, if not all, is made right in the studio.

To know more about The Bascom, the ceramics program, and future events, call The Bascom at (828) 526-4949.

by Luke Osteen

Scan to learn more.

Take Home a Treasure

Launching your Holiday Shopping? Give gifts of the mountains from the Sapphire Valley Arts and Crafts Show, October 5 and 6.

It’s hard to think about end-of-the-year holidays, but they are racing toward us like a gaggle of geese, a lamentation of swans, and a pandemonium of piping pipers. But fear not.

The Sapphire Valley Arts and Crafts Show is here to take care of at least one or two of those 12 crazy days of Christmas.

Wait until you see the marvelous stocking stuffers and gifts these artists have prepared for your besties. Oodles of goodies for kids, for family members, and for all those you’d like to reward for their services during the year.

You’ll find unique, hand-crafted items like stained glass adornments. Or how about soothing soaps and skin-softening scrubs. Don’t miss the tumblers, glasses cases, aprons, and gorgeous, glass pumpkins (better get there early for those sell-outs). Everyone welcomes hand-made wooden cutting boards. And another sell-out – dog-treats that your Rover will roll over for, till the tin is crumb-empty.

The artists and craftspersons in the show welcome locals and the leaf-looker visitors too. Take an hour break and do some early shopping for yourself or others. Or refresh yourself with apple cider, coffee, and muffins, filled with fall flavor and spoonfuls of cozy.

It’s the place you’ll remember most this fall, along with the magnificent forests and colorful leaves.

Follow your nose to the cider and muffins. Then look at the leaves on the floor that lead you to goodies and surprises.

The show is located at the Community Center, 207 Sapphire Valley Road. Open Saturday and Sunday, October 5-6, 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. both days.

Proceeds go to local artists. Unlike our previous shows of the season which encouraged kids and critters, this show has no events for children or animals.

by Donna Rhodes

Fall Colors Fine Art Show

The Art League of Highlands-Cashiers closes out its event-laden 2024 season with the Fall Colors Art Show, October 19-20 at the Highlands Civic Center.

Autumn is springtime in reverse. Spring, colors enter. Autumn, colors exit. Leaf colors are borrowed from last spring’s blossoms. It’s your last chance to snap up all the color you can, October 19-20 from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. See all those magnificent colors splashed and brushed across canvas, jewelry, paper, wood, glass, pottery, textile, and photographs. Mother Nature is sharing her best with some of the finest artists in the region.

See this fabulous juried showing inside the Highlands Civic Center, rain or shine. Because this is an indoor show, you don’t have to worry about the weather. Plenty of parking, plenty to see, plenty of fun. Grab your spouse, your family, your neighbor and join the crowds. Fill your maximum monthly requirement of fine art and craft before

there’s frost (and snow) on the pumpkin.

The best news is you get first dibs on holiday gifts for the upcoming season. All the purchases in big department stores are one-of-many. The Art League’s Fall Color Art Show guaran-

The best news is you get first dibs on holiday gifts for the upcoming season

tees only one-of-a-kind.

Zach Claxton is the show’s organizer, and he says, “Last year was a record show and we expect to break that record in 2024. As you enter the show (free attendance), pick up a trifold listing all the vendors and their booth locations. Find your favorite and make your choices.” As always, downtown will be busy.

For those who want a little exercise, it is a relatively short stroll down Fourth Street from Main to the Civic Center (Rec Park). But, if you think you may be leaving with some fine art (a strong possibility), you may want to drive.

However you get to the show, you won’t be disappointed. Several new artists, along with veteran exhibitors look forward to meeting you. Sponsored by the Art League of Highlands-Cashiers, this is one of only a few shows in the area that features fine art. See you there!

Contact Zach for more information about show details at zachclaxton@aol.com.

by Donna Rhodes

Scan to learn more.

A trio of exhibits at The Bascom are invitations to contemplation and conversation.

With fall just around the corner, The Bascom celebrates this seasonal transition with a new series of exhibitions designed to engage the residents and visitors to the plateau.

These fall exhibitions explore a diverse range of topics, including landscapes and abstracts by noted artist Will Henry Stevens, alongside two communitydriven exhibitions: Feel the Heal and our annual Members Challenge.

Among these offerings is the highly anticipated From the Lowlands to the Highlands, now on display through January 11th in The Bascom’s Bunzl Gallery. Will Henry Stevens’ life (1881-1949) began and ended in a small riverboat community along the Ohio River, but the years between spent in New Orleans and Western North Carolina were defined by his tireless pursuit of a visual language for his vast creative energy.

His enduring curiosity about the natural world, and his belief that there was a purpose – a design – in nature, led him effortlessly between representational and abstraction as he freely adjusted both style and medium to convey nature’s essence. In this spirit, From the Lowlands to the Highlands includes both landscapes and abstracts capturing the two regions closest to the artist’s heart, the Louisiana bayou and the Appalachian Mountains.

The Bascom is also excited to present Feel the Heal, an important communitybased exhibition focusing on mental health and well-being.

This exhibition offers many different interpretations of human resilience, touching on themes of illness, loss, and grief. The Feel the Heal initiative is founded on the belief that art has the power to heal, inspire, provoke, and challenge.

By raising awareness about art’s role as a catalyst for positive change, this exhibition highlights how creativity can enhance the well-being of individuals, society, and the environment. The strong response from artists of all skill levels has resulted in a remarkable presentation of heartfelt work, on display through January 4.

Rounding out our fall offerings is the 2024 Bascom Members Challenge. This annual juried exhibition invites Bascom member artists to pay homage to the visual traditions that have influenced them. This year’s works were selected by guest juror and accomplished painter Chris Groves, and will be on display through November 30.

We look forward to seeing you in the Bascom galleries this fall! by Billy Love, The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts

Those Who Made the Music Happen

Take a bow! At the far edge of its successful 2024 season, a host of angels are called out to share the spotlight.

Nancy Gould-Aaron

As we bring the curtain down on the 43rd season of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to the extraordinary individuals and organizations that have made this season not only possible but truly remarkable.

The 2024 festival was a resounding testament to the union of music and community interests. This festival has always been a labor of love, and it’s the collective efforts of our fellow citizens, sponsors, donors and supporters that allows us to bring the joy of chamber music to life year after year.

We are especially thankful for the grants provided by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce, Mountain Findings, Cullasaja Women’s Outreach, and A. L. Williams. These grants are vital to our mission, allowing us to continue offering world-class performances and enriching the cultural fabric of the Highlands-

Cashiers Plateau.

A heartfelt thank you to our major supporters – Anna and Hays Mershon, Kathy and Mark Whitehead, and Judy and Louis Freeman. As Legacy members who have generously “paid it forward” early, your contributions have ensured that the festival will continue to thrive for future generations.

We are also deeply appreciative of Sandy and Karl Beier for hosting our Angel Party and to Wildcat Cliffs Country Club for hosting our Gala.

Our local partners have been instrumental in providing the perfect venues for our performances and gatherings. We thank The Bascom, Old Edwards Orchard House, First Presbyterian Church, Highlands Hudson Library, Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, and Bucks Coffee Cafe in Cashiers for welcoming us so warmly. We also thank our performing venues – Highlands Performing Arts Center

and Cashiers Village Green CommonsLewis Hall.

Special thanks go out to our salon, feast, and housing hosts, whose big-heartedness in opening their homes has added an intimate and personal touch to this year’s festival. Your hospitality has made our artists and guests feel truly at home.

And of course, our Festival artist, David Genest, deserves recognition for bringing an extra layer of creativity and inspiration to our events this season.

Finally, to our entire community: Thank you for your steadfast support. Whether you attended a concert, volunteered your time, or simply spread the word, you have helped to make this season unforgettable. We are incredibly fortunate to be part of such a vibrant and supportive population.

With heartfelt thanks, Nancy Gould-Aaron, Executive Director, Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival

An EngagingTale to Tell

Highlands Cashiers Players’ latest play explores the enduring bonds between women, fueled by laughter and matters of the heart and, of course, a bit of sipping. You can catch The Savannah Sipping Society at Highlands Performing Arts Center November 1-10.

Ron Leslie

Get ready for an evening filled with laughter, heart, and a whole lot of Southern charm as the Highlands Cashiers Players bring you The Savannah Sipping Society, starting November 1 at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

Directed by the talented Ron Leslie, this delightful two-act comedy promises to be a highlight of the season, offering a humorous yet poignant exploration of friendship, resilience, and the unpredictable journey of life.

Written by Jamie Wooten, Jessie Jones, and Nicholas Hope, the play introduces us to four unique Southern women who, despite their very different backgrounds, find themselves at a crossroads in life. Drawn together by an impromptu happy hour, they embark on a six-month adventure of self-discovery, laughter, and, of course, the occasional liquid refreshment.

Randa, a perfectionist whose career has

just derailed, is forced to confront the reality that her life outside of work is non-existent. Dot, still reeling from the loss of her husband and their retirement dreams, must find the courage to start anew. Marlafaye, a sassy Texan, arrives in Savannah with a broken heart and a burning desire for revenge after her husband left her for a much younger woman. Finally, Jinx, the spirited life coach who’s great at helping others, slowly realizes she’s the one who could use a little guidance.

As these four women navigate their way through salsa dancing classes, hot yoga, and countless misadventures, they forge an unbreakable bond, proving that it’s never too late to embrace new friendships and start living life to the fullest.

The Highlands Cashiers Players are known for bringing high-quality theater to the community, and The Savannah Sipping Society is no exception. The talented cast, which was finalized

after open auditions in September, and following publication of this article, is brought together by their shared passion for the stage.

The play will run for seven performances: November 1-3 and November 7-10, with evening shows at 7:30 P.M. and a Sunday matinee at 2:00 P.M. Opening night will feature a special reception where audiences can meet the cast, enjoy refreshments, and toast to a successful run.

Don’t miss out on this joyful celebration of Southern womanhood and friendship. Tickets are $35 for cabaret seating, which includes a table for snacking, and $25 for general seating.

With wine and refreshments available, and post-show receptions on select nights, The Savannah Sipping Society is set to be a memorable experience for all who attend.

by Marlene Osteen / photo by Susan Renfro

Join The Magic

Highlands Performing Arts Center Educational Theatre is setting the stage for next year’s Matilda the Musical. For more details and for more information on in-person registration, visit Highlandsperformingarts.com.

The Highlands Performing Arts Center Educational Theatre is thrilled to announce its second all-community show, Matilda the Musical

Following the success of PAC’s first annual All Community production of Oliver! The Musical, this new adventure is set to captivate audiences and students alike. Mark your calendars for October 20, 2024, as registration opens for this much-anticipated musical extravaganza, where performers of all ages are invited to take part.

Matilda the Musical, based on Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s novel, is a whimsical and empowering tale of a young girl who uses her extraordinary intelligence and telekinetic powers to overcome challenges and stand up to injustice. With a script by Dennis Kelly and a dazzling score by Tim Minchin, this production promises to be an unforgettable experience, full of charm, humor, and heart.

Last year’s production of Oliver! The Musical was a resounding success, with packed houses and rave reviews. It was a testament to the talent and enthusiasm of our community members, and we’re excited to build on that momentum with this new production.

Registration is open to everyone— whether you’re a child with dreams of the stage or an adult who has always wanted to try performing. The versatility of Matilda the Musical means there are roles for performers of all ages and skill levels for anyone who wants to be involved.

PAC Educational Theatre is dedicated to providing a platform for local talent to grow, express themselves, learn, and shine. This production will not only offer participants a chance to develop their theatrical skills but also foster a sense of work-ethic, team building, self confidence, community and collaboration. It’s an opportunity to learn from experienced directors and choreographers,

build lasting friendships, and be part of something truly special.

Rehearsal will take place on Sunday afternoons following registration, with performances taking place May 1 through 4, 2025. All necessary information – including rehearsal schedule, volunteer information, and “Audition” policies – will be available on the Highlands PAC Educational Theatre website.

Whether you’re a seasoned performer or someone stepping into the spotlight for the first time, Matilda the Musical offers a unique chance to be part of a magical journey. Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your talents and contribute to the program.

We look forward to seeing you on stage and creating another memorable production!

by Mary Adair Trumbly, Highlands Performing Arts Center

Mountain Theatre Company

Harmony in the Hills: Mountain Theatre Company partners with local musicians for an authentic soundtrack in The Burnt Part Boys.

Nestled in the heart of Highlands, Mountain Theatre Company is known for their captivating productions that echo the region’s rich cultural heritage. For their current production of The Burnt Part Boys, the company has taken a unique approach by collaborating with local musicians to create the orchestrations. This innovative decision not only showcases the area’s talented artists, but also infuses the performance with an authentic, hometown sound.

By partnering with local musicians, Mountain Theatre Company aims to create a truly immerse experience that resonates with the community. The team of skilled instrumentalists led by Lori Nielsen and Bo Garrard, have drawn inspiration from the region’s

distinct musical traditions, blending folk, bluegrass, and Appalachian sounds to craft a hauntingly beautiful score.

The orchestrations for The Burnt Part Boys with music by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen, showcase the creativity and versatility of the local musicians involved. From the mournful strains of the violin to the unique sounds of the saw, each instrument adds a distinct layer to the narrative. The result is a soundtrack that not only complements the story, but also transports the audience to the rugged, coal-mining landscape of West Virginia.

This collaboration also serves as a testament to Mountain Theatre Company’s commitment to community engagement. By involving local artists in the creative process, the company has fostered a

sense of ownership and pride among residents. The production has become a celebration of the region’s talent, history, and artistry.

Mountain Theatre Company’s decision to partner with local musicians for The Burnt Part Boys has resulted in an unforgettable theatrical experience. This innovative approach not only enhances the production’s emotional impact but also showcases the wealth of artistic talent in the region. As the curtain rises, audiences will be treated to a harmonious blend of music, drama, and community spirit that will linger long after the final note fades away.

by

Erin Leigh Knowles, Mountain Theatre Company

DINING Pages 130-152

Photo by Mary Gillan

Epitome of Comfort Dining

The Kitchen CarryAway and Catering’s menu and message of local cheerfulness carried us through the dark nights of 2020. Those wise culinary creations and welcoming spirit are still vital today.

Though I hope you’re reveling in all the delights to be found in this blessed month, I’d ask you to cast your memory back four years ago, when you and I and all the people we know were living in fear of a stranger’s cough or a random sneeze in a carefully distanced space.

It was a lonely, unsettled time – most of us staying close to home and going out only when necessary.

Thanks to the courage and generosity of local restaurants, takeout became the dining choice for most of us.

Feasting on marvelously prepared dishes in the comfort of home became a strange sort of concierge experience.

And that’s where we learned to treasure The Kitchen CarryAway and Catering.

Sure, we’d been devotees of the place since 2000, when Holly Roberts created a Plateau sensation and served up a kaleidoscopic menu ranging from soups and appetizers, to entrees, side dishes and scrumptious desserts.

And when Suzanne and Dan Young bought the place in 2016, the couple dynamic were supremely well-suited to

continue Holly’s legacy and to create a story all their own.

Dan’s family has been a part of the Highland’s scene for decades as owners of Wit’s End ladies clothing store, and the couple have maintained that essential Plateau friendliness.

Suzanne loved Highlands. She loved crafting food. And she was thrilled to buy Holly’s well-established business. She and her husband seamlessly shifted into catering and a dinner-from-scratch carry-away where boxes of Yum flew out one door and into another. Little did she

know that three years later, her business at Peggy would help sustain the Plateau through a pandemic, when residents were forced to hunker-down.

People like Tricia and I longed for variety to enliven home cooking.

The Kitchen was at the summit of our go-to list for indulgent home dining.

Suzanne says, “During the pandemic, our carry-away increased, since so many were not able to gather for big events. We stayed open through the winter, because our customers really needed us.”

Which brings us to our visit to The Kitchen Carryout & Catering last month and the easy charm of this to-go culinary institution was still there, shining like a new dime.

When I arrived (I’d placed our order two days prior), Suzanne greeted me warmly and we brought our own twist to the eternal Plateau conversation. (If you’re not sure what I mean by “Plateau conversation,” just hang out at the Post Office for 20 minutes).

With this essential part of local life expended, I received our order of Trout Picatta, Thai Beef Stir Fry, Broccoli Casserole and Corn Pudding.

See how those choices are the epitome of comfort dining? Delicious, and shared with someone I love in a setting that was, literally, created for coziness.

Suzanne puts out a weekly menu and these were the highlights of our Thursday choices. This is an indulgence that we’d have never instituted into our

lives if it hadn’t been for 2020.

Stop by The Kitchen on the ground floor at the Peggy Crosby Center at 350 South Fifth Street, Highlands, any Wednesday through Friday from noon to 5:00 P.M. (or Saturdays from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.) to select items from the refrigerator case. Call ahead at (828) 526-2110 to arrange special orders or arrange your dinners and parties.

Unsure what you want to serve? Let Suzanne help you decide. She is a storehouse of ideas.

Visit thekitchenofhighlands.com to download their menu. You’ll refer to it often.

by Luke Osteen

Graham Fox

An Evening Of Extraordinary Fare

Rule Britannia! Old Edwards Inn and Spa is hosting an exclusive Celebrity Chefs of Great Britain Dinner on Friday, October 11.

British cuisine has often been overlooked in the U.S., but three renowned British chefs are ready to change that.

On Friday, October 11, celebrated chefs Phil Vickery, Colin Bedford, and Graham Fox will come together at The Farm Old Edwards to showcase their take on traditional British fare.

Their goal?

To transform how we view British food by presenting a menu inspired by the dishes once served at the iconic Castle Hotel in Taunton, Somerset. What makes this dinner even more special is that the three chefs once worked side by side in that very same kitchen over 25 years ago. This reunion marks the first time in

a quarter of a century that they’ll once again share a stove.

Enchantingly, “Three Celebrity Chefs of Great Britian” is the setting for still another nostalgic connection. It is an occasion for Bedford and Fox to reunite with Old Edwards Hospitality Group President and Managing Director, Richard Delany, who was once the General Manager of NC’s Fearrington House where both men spent significant portions of their culinary careers.

Phil Vickery is perhaps best known for his long-running role on the popular UK television show This Morning and as the author of 12 cookbooks. In the mid-tolate 1990s, however, Vickery was Head Chef at the Michelin-Starred Castle

Hotel, where he honed his skills in fine British dining. Vickery’s culinary career also includes more than 200 appearances on BBC’s Ready Steady Cook , where he earned the nickname “Phil Victory” for his frequent wins in cooking challenges. Vickery continues to be a household name in the UK, serving as a spokesperson for numerous food brands.

Colin Bedford, currently Executive Chef at Los Angeles’ Beverly Wilshire Hotel—known to many as “The Pretty Woman Hotel”—heads a culinary team of over 100 people across the hotel’s three restaurants and its extensive banquet operations. A native of the UK, Bedford began his culinary journey close to home, at the Castle Hotel. From there,

he went to Ontario, Canada, working his way up from Pastry Chef to Executive Sous Chef at the Prince of Wales Hotel. Bedford later made his mark in the U.S. as the Executive Chef at The Fearrington House Inn in North Carolina, where he spent 16 years, including 10 years as Executive Chef, and where he was twice named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast.

Graham Fox, alongside his wife Phoebe, now owns Sutor Creek, a renowned restaurant in Cromarty, Scotland, known for its dedication to fresh Scottish seafood. Fox’s culinary journey began at Ynyshir Hall in mid-Wales, and he later joined the Castle Hotel, where he worked under Vickery and alongside Bedford. Like Bedford, Fox also later moved to North Carolina’s Fearrington House. Fox’s current restaurant, Sutor Creek, is celebrated for its focus on locally sourced seafood, earning it acclaim

throughout Scotland.

The dinner menu will feature iconic British dishes, many of which were staples during their time at the Castle. Indeed, the menu, a true collaboration between the three men, reflects the classic recipes served at the hotel during Vickery’s leadership—each plate a nod to their formative years at one of the UK’s most prestigious hotels.

Menu

Starter: Earl Gray Tea Smoked Duck with Pickled Red Cabbage and Walnut Oil

Fish Course: NC Red Drum with Pea Fritters and Chip Shop Curry Sauce and Gin & Tonic Butter Scraps

Main Course: Shoulder of Lamb Braised with Thyme Garlic and Potato Bacon Cake

Cheese Course: Welsh Rarebit

Dessert Course: Baked Egg Custard Tart with Nutmeg Ice Cream and Blackcurrant

Petit Fours: Whiskey Truffle, Cranachan, Shortbread

When the evening concludes, it will be to the sounds of the bagpipes as Graham Fox’s 18-year-old son, Alistair, moves between the tables squeezing out the traditional tunes of Scotland. A member of the Piping Cadets, Alistair recently played at Edinburgh Castle. His performance heralds a dramatic flair to an already extraordinary evening. For tickets and more information, visit oldedwardshospitality.com/ chefdinners.

by Marlene Osteen

Phil Vickery

Colin Bedford

Massimiliano Proietti

A Symphony of Yum

Highlands Food and Wine Festival promises to be a showcase for the chef superstars of our local culinary scene – November 7-10.

If there’s a through-line in the history of tourism in the US in the last half century, it’s that travelers have been seeking destinations based on the vibrancy of its cuisine.

That Highlands has long been a magnet for food lovers is evidenced by the extraordinary success of the Highlands Food and Wine Festival and its wealth of restaurants where a reverence for culinary excellence prevails.

When the Highlands Food and Wine Festival returns to town for its eighth year, November 7 through 10, it will

feature not only out-of-town celebrity chefs, but the extraordinarily talented and accomplished chefs of Highlands. Festival goers will want to take a mini tour of the gastronomy of the Plateau and explore the cornucopia of local fare on display. Their scrumptious offerings alone are worth the price of admission at festival events, including the “Grand Tasting,” “Main Event,” “A Generous Pour,” “Truckin,’” and “A Shot at Redemption.”

Below is a roundup of who to look for and a taste of what to expect:

The paradigm of barbecue can be discovered at the Highlands Smokehouse stall at Truckin’- Intensely flavored, juicy, and perfectly smoky. The menu of tasty snacks from the Crafty Goat at Old Edwards with Chef Clay Turner (at The Grand Tasting and Truckin’) is perfect for nibbling with a glass of wine in hand, and should a sudden craving for a nice chunk of cheese together with a perfect hunk of meat overcome you to pair with that perfect glass of wine, you’ll want to meet Sophie Delaney of One Wicker Cheese – she’ll, be at the Grand Tasting. Whether you attend the Grand Tasting

Markie Weinstein

Clay Turner

Rachel Lewicki

or A Shot at Redemption, be sure to visit Rachel Lewicki of the Secret Garden, whose prowess with charcuterie is the stuff of local legend.

Chef Massimiliano Proietti of Paoletti’s will most certainly show off his otherworldly ability to create and capture the flavor of Italy and he will do it at all of the festival events.

Exemplary pizza is certain to be discovered by those who seek out Jon Johnson of Four65 Woodfire Bistro at the Main Event.

New to the Highlands Culinary landscape is chef Gustavo Villota of Stubborn Buddha who will bring his contemporary pan-Asian tastes to the

Grand Tasting.

“Local, fresh and sustainable” are the watchwords of another new arrival to the local scene, Aaron Kulzer of Trailborn Hotel – he’ll be cooking up his tasty Southern specialties at the Grand Tasting.

Also, a newcomer this year is Kevin McCarley of The Stubborn Bull, known for his flavorful interpretations of Spanish food.

Markie Weinstein, the newly-anointed head chef at Highlands’ home base for the dining scene and bona fide hang out, the Ugly Dog Pub, will show off her wizardry with snazzy pub food at the Grand Tasting.

Long-time Old Edwards Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Director Chris Huerta’s passion for local and seasonal cooking with a Southern flare is well known.

That ethos is reflected in the samples he will serve at The Grand Tasting – a tasting of the menus at Half-Mile Farm (with Executive Chef Jason Tardo), Madison’s and the Old Edwards Club.

The chefs listed here are accurate as of this writing. To learn about more local restaurants joining the roster, visit highlandsfoodandwine.com.

by Marlene Osteen

Chris Huerta

Sophie Delaney

Gustavo Villota

Jason Tardo

Kevin McCarley

Jon Johnson

So ChoicesMany at Fressers

Party in the kitchen! With 25 years of delicious service to the public, Debbie Grossman’s Fressers Courtyard Café and Catering has become a Plateau Institution.

Fressers Courtyard Café and Catering has been feeding Highlanders for 25 years. We’ve been blessed with a quarter century of Chef-owner Debbie Grossman’s culinary delights.

Debbie is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and says that feeding people is her passion!

Nestled in its original space in Village Square at 470 Oak Street, Fressers is the perfect spot for lunch in the courtyard or to go if you’re in a hurry. Take a moment to enjoy Fressers delicious offerings, including angus burgers, quinoa salads, and daily specials that highlight autumn’s abundance. Debbie’s famous basil chicken salad shouldn’t be missed. You can have it on a salad plate, in a wrap or sandwich, or grab a container to take home.

If your crazy fall schedule has you looking for dinner on the run, Fressers is

your best friend. Their grab-and-go case is always chock full of soups, salads, and dinners. One less thing on your busy todo list equals more time to play. Fressers menu varies from Greek chicken dinners to Salmon topped with spinach and artichoke spread. You can feel good knowing that this food is freshly and lovingly prepared, so you aren’t sacrificing quality for convenience.

As in years past, November brings a change of pace for the Fressers crew as they focus entirely on their grab-and-go selection, special orders, and their always-busy catering services. Fressers reputation for delicious fresh food and willingness to accommodate special dietary needs is legendary so it is no surprise that their catering services are in high demand.

Customers know that Fressers is equipped to cater any event from formal to casual, and that Debbie’s professionalism and attention to detail will ensure

that any event goes off without a hitch. Customer relations mean a lot to Debbie and her customers count on her catering services year after year.

With 25 years of turning out culinary creations and going strong, Fressers success is a testament to Debbie’s passion for food and connection with her customers and community.

Call Fressers at (828) 526-8847 or stop by Wednesday through Saturday from 11:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Their hours will change in November.

Don’t forget to check out their Facebook (Fressers courtyard café) and Instagram (wecaterhighlands) pages or visit wecaterhighlands.com.

by Mary Jane McCall

photo by Susan Renfro

As Great As It Sounds

Chris Herzog’s Ratatouille is a complex taste sensation built upon five vital vegetables.

Ratatouille, the word evokes French vegetables, meatless health, sunshine (and a jolly Pixar film).

The classic Provencal dish, a showcase for fresh produce, is a favorite of Ruffed Grouse’s new PM Executive Chef, Chris Herzog. It was one of the first things he learned to cook when he was elevated from the dish station to line cook in the kitchen of a French restaurant in Colorado. The kitchen was at the Chimney Park Bistro, a restaurant run by the 2017 champion of the Food Network show Chopped, Florian Wehrli.

Made with the five vegetables that every family can grow in its home garden, or find at the local produce stand, Herzog advises that it’s the perfect way to get all your favorite vegetables into one dish. It’s a dish he makes frequently at home for family and friends and one he hopes to add to the new fall menu at Ruffed Grouse.

Note: The dish tastes even better the next day, so plan ahead. The upside is it’s a perfect make ahead dish for a party. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to five days and then reheat gently or bring it to room temperature before serving.

Chris Herzog’s Ratatouille Serves 6

Ingredients

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 red or yellow bell peppers, stemmed seeded and diced into ½ inch pieces (about 2 cups)

1 large yellow onion, diced into ½ inch pieces (about 2 cups)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large eggplant (1 ½ pounds), diced into ½ inch pieces (about 9 cups)

1 medium zucchini (1/2 pound), diced into ½ inch pieces

1 large yellow squash (1/2 pound) diced into ½ inch pieces

3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes, diced into ½ inch pieces (about 4 cups)

½ cup fresh parsley

6 larger basil leaves, torn

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Directions

1. Put a wide flameproof casserole or deep skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the bell peppers, onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often until the onions are translucent and the bell peppers have softened slightly about 10 minutes.

2. Add the eggplant, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oils and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the eggplant is very soft about eight minutes.

3. Add the zucchini and squash and continue to cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about five minutes.

4. Add the garlic, tomato paste and red pepper flakes, if using. Cook stirring often until the zucchini has softened about five minutes.

5. Stir in the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low and cove the pot. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes have broken down and the ratatouille has reached a thick stew like consistency, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, basil and thyme with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Spoon into a bowl and sprinkle with more fresh parsley and basil before serving.

by Marlene Osteen / photos by Susan Renfro

Highlander Mountain House Chefs, Chris Herzog and Adam Bresnahan

Highlands NewBreakfast Spot

DonLeon’s spreading the good times – he and Susan are serving up breakfast now – free coffee, hot tea, and conversation are also on the menu. Discover for yourself at 462 Dillard Road in Highlands.

DonLeon

When Susan and DonLeon returned to Highlands in 2020, they were greeted like old friends – welcomed back with open arms and hungry appetites. DonLeon’s Deli Café had been a staple of Highlands from 2000 to 2007, before Leon and Susan decided to hit the road for new adventures.

But it didn’t take long for them to realize that there’s no place quite like Highlands, and during a whirlwind moment in March 2020, they returned – unpacking their truck just as Covid hit. Thomas Craig, owner of the High Dive, offered them the chance to rent his food truck parked outside the bar. The response was immediate – long lines of locals eager to reconnect with DonLeon’s cooking.

After eight successful months in the truck, they knew they were right where they belonged. In April 2023, they opened DonLeon’s Restaurant on Dillard

Road, initially focusing on the lunch favorites that had made DonLeon a Highlands icon.

But there was a catch. Customers kept asking, “What about breakfast?” With only two other breakfast spots in town— both on the pricier side – DonLeon saw an opportunity. So, just a few weeks ago, DonLeon’s rolled out a $10 breakfast menu, including free coffee and hot tea, and as always, Leon and Susan have ensured the atmosphere is as welcoming as the food.

The breakfast offerings reflect DonLeon’s straightforward, no-nonsense approach to great food. Take Breakfast 1: fresh farm eggs, either perfectly fried or softly scrambled, served with your choice of thick cut, applewood-smoked bacon or their pork sausage. Pair that with griddled shredded potatoes or creamy smoked gouda grits. Whoever came up with the idea of adding gouda cheese to grits gets too little credit for

this culinary achievement

If you’re craving comfort food, Breakfast 2 is all about two fluffy biscuits smothered in tasty pork sausage gravy – a satisfying blend of milk, butter, and chicken broth with two eggs on the side. And if you don’t have time to stay for a full platter, there’s Grab and Go: breakfast biscuits or English muffins with egg, bacon, and cheese for just $5.

Breakfast starts at 7:30 A.M., and there’s always free coffee or hot tea with your meal.

Luke Osteen, editor of this publication said it best: “Don Leon brings his impeccable menu and breezy personality to a new location. To Don Leon, you were a regular, even if you were walking in for the first time.”

by Marlene Osteen

photos by Susan Renfro

Chef Massimiliano Proietti

Massimiliano Proietti

With a wealth of experience and a remarkably nimble creative spirit, Massimiliano Proietti takes the helm of Ristorante Paoletti.

The announcement of a new chef at the helm of Highlands Ristorante Paoletti with its 71 year history is certainly exciting news for this family run institution.

Since opening in Highlands in 1984, the restaurant has made a tangible impact on the city’s cultural fabric through its food, wine, service and hospitality. In its 40-year history in Highlands, members of the Paoletti family oversaw all new dishes coming out of the kitchen. In a surprising break from tradition the family has chosen Chef Massimiliano Proietti to head its innovative kitchen.

While the family is still heavily involved in menu creation their selection of Chef Proietti highlights their faith in his abilities.

Gina Paoletti, the fourth generation to run day-to-day operations, said, “Massi takes our dreams and brings them to reality We spend nearly three months in Italy every year, eating our way through the country. The remarkable gift that Massi has is when we describe a dish we tasted and loved he’s able to recreate it and bring it to life. Yet that’s only a small portion of his work as most days he’s bringing his own creations to life. He has an extraordinary sense for bringing together flavor combinations & ability to craft dishes that transcend taste, they evoke emotion.”

Massimiliano Proietti began his career in Rome at age 15 working as a busboy at a neighborhood seafood restaurant. As he likes to say, “the job kept me off the streets.” Nevertheless, it instilled in him an affection for the restaurant business, and after a year, he decided to make it a career, enrolling in a hospitality school where he trained in both front-of-house service and back-of-house roles.

Before long he was working at famed five-star hotels in Rome, including the Excelsior and Grand Hotel, where he served elite guests with white-glove formality.

But it was an accident that launched his career. While working at his then-girlfriend’s family restaurant, his future took an unexpected turn when the chef suffered severe burns. Unable to work and lacking the resources to hire outside help, he asked Proietti to take command of the stoves. As fortune would have it, Proietti discovered a passion for cooking, and when the chef returned to work, he stayed on.

A year later he put down stakes at his own restaurant in Testaccio, one of Rome’s liveliest neighborhoods, known for its markets and nightlife. His restaurant specialized in ultra-fresh seafood dishes like branzino, sea bass, and spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams). “The fresher it is, the less you

need to do,” he liked to say as he sourced fish from auctions twice a week, crafting dishes that let the ingredients shine.

By 2000, Proietti was ready for a change, and he moved to Connecticut to join his brother who owned a gelato shop in Stamford. He met his wife in 2003 and the next year they headed to London, where he found employment as frontofhouse manager at the Great Eastern Hotel’s high-end restaurant in the lively Liverpool Street area. After two-and-a-half years in London, the couple returned to the States, to Atlanta where Proietti worked in a management position with the city’s highly-regarded Buckhead Life Group.

Although his career flourished, Proietti was battling personal demons. The fast-paced, high-pressure restaurant environment had fueled his struggles with addiction. When he and his wife moved to Houston in 2014 for his wife’s work, he found work in a French restaurant but soon realized that the lifestyle was taking a toll. In 2017, he made the life-changing decision to seek treatment. Now seven years sober, Proietti credits this turning point for not only saving his life but reshaping his perspective on what’s important.

When Covid hit, Proietti and his wife retreated to the home they had purchased in Highlands the year before. Planning to stay a week, they remained for eight months. With the reopening of Paoletti’s in July 2020 after the pandemic came openings, and Massi joined the team, first as a server and then over time, consulting on daily specials. The transition back into the kitchen came naturally, and by April 2024, he stepped into the role of chef consultant.

Proietti’s culinary approach at Paoletti’s is steeped in the traditions of Rome but influenced by his global journey. Since his arrival, he and his team of 15 skilled culinarians have been bringing exciting new flavors to the tables: delicate zucchini blossoms stuffed with anchovies, mozzarella, and parmesan, lightly fried in tempura batter. Another favorite is his homemade ricotta gnocchi with shrimp and scallops, enhanced with lemon zest and a touch of cream, then baked to a golden finish. And his lasagna – made with fresh pasta, truffle, pancetta, béchamel, and burrata – has quickly become a showstopper. by Marlene Osteen

by Susan Renfro

photo

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Plateau Dining Guide

Restaurants of the Highlands Cashiers Plateau

HIGHLANDS AREA RESTAURANTS

4118 Kitchen + Bar 64 Highlands Plaza (828) 526-5002

The Bistro at Wolfgang’s

Calder’s Cafe

460 Main Street (828) 526-3807

384 Main Street (828) 200-9308

Don Leon’s 462 Dillard Roads (828) 482-1513

Four65 Woodfire Bistro + Bar

465 Main Street (828) 787-2990

Fressers Courtyard Cafe Village Square, 470 Oak Street (828) 526-4188

The Hideaway at The High Dive 476 Carolina Way

Highlands Burrito 226 South 4th Street (828-526-9313

Highlands Pizza Place 365 Main Street (828) 305-7700

Highlands Smokehouse 595 Franklin Road (828) 526-3554

Hummingbird Lounge 455 Main Street Highlands, NC (828) 787-2525

The Kitchen CarryAway & Catering 350 S. Fifth Street (828) 526-2110

Magliocca’s Ristorante 20 Old Mud Creek Rd, Scaly Mountain (828) 526-0803

On the Verandah Highway 64 (Franklin Road) (828) 526-2338

CASHIERS AREA RESTAURANTS

SAPPHIRE/TOXAWAY AREA RESTAURANTS

CASHIERS, NC

Buck’s Coffee Cafe - (828) 743-9997

Cashiers Valley Smokehouse - (828) 547-2096

Chile Loco - (828) 743-1160

Cornucopia Restaurant - (828) 743-3750

El Manzanillo - (828) 743-5522

On the Side BBQ - (828) 743-4334

Native Prime Provisions (828) 743-3743

Subway - (828) 743-1300

Ugly Dog - (828) 743-3000

Whiteside Brewing Company - (828) 743-6000

GLENVILLE, NC

Happ’s Place - (828) 743-5700

The Local - (828) 743-7778

HIGHLANDS,

NC

Asia House - (828) 787-1680

Black Bear Cafe - (828) 482-7020

The Blue Bike Cafe - (828) 526-9922

Bryson’s Deli - (828) 526-3775

Divine South Baking Company - (828) 421-2042

Dusty’s - (828) 526-2762

El Azteca - (828) 526-2244

Highlands Tavern - (828) 526-9002

Madison’s Restaurant - (828) 787-2525

Mountain Fresh - (828) 526-2400

The Ruffed Grouse - (828) 526-2590

Spinx Highlands - (828) 526-4191

The Stubborn Seed - (828) 200-0813

Subway - (828) 526-1706

Wild Thyme Gourmet - (828) 526-4035

LAKE TOXAWAY, NC

Grand Olde Station - (828) 966-4242

Los Vaqueros - (828) 966-7662

Sweetwater Perk & Creamery, LLC - (828) 577-0469

Villa Amato (828) 885-7700

SAPPHIRE, NC

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

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

Mica’s Restaurant - (828) 743-5740

Panthertown Cafe - (828) 862-3663

Slopeside Tavern - (828) 743-8655

Plateau Lodging Guide

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

FRANKLIN, NC:

Southern Belles

Glamping - (828) 371-9890

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 Vacation Rentals - (828) 526-1717

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

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

Lotts of Sky - (404) 395-4000

Lullwater House - (423) 488-2799

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

Outpost Inn (828) 482-7736

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

Trailborn Highlands (828) 482-1581

Valentine Manor - (561) 613-1496

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 & SuitesCashiers-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 Resort & Spa - (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

Photo by Susan Renfro

CLASSIC WATCH SLIDE BRACELET

This watch slide bracelet flashes vintage charms including ladybugs, elephant, and frogs. Accompanying are blue topaz, emeralds, diamonds, amethyst, and garnet set in 14 carat gold. Will this unique piece, worthy of museum display, encircle your lucky wrist?

14 KG Watch Slide Bracelet | $ 4,250 Mirror Lake Antiques | Highlands

Plateau Picks A few of our favorite things

COZY IN COUTURE

Wrap yourself up in luxury with a fashionable, flattering, Autumn Haze mink. This beautiful jacket has 3/4 sleeves with a top button of hand-stitched fur. Just in time for cooler weather.

Mink Coat | $198 Victoria’s Closet | Cashiers

Candles. Long-lasting aromas are added to coconut soy wax, then hand-molded in a creative variety of sculpted shapes and sizes. Find a fragrance for all occasions. Light up everyone’s world during fall and holiday seasons.

Sundae | $ 45

Small $35 | Medium $ 65 Poané Candles | Cashiers

SOFT, CLASSIC & COZY

This sweater is a triple threat. It’s superbly-soft. Its design has a fascinating knitted motif, with a bit of fall and a splash of winter. And its classic v-neck, fitted with long sleeves, is as comfy as it is stylish. Pair it with this slim straight leg jean for a cozy fashion statement.

Marble Sweater $129 | Marble Jean $ 205 Spoiled Rotten | Highlands

INSTANT PICNIC

When you are hiking or picnicking in the mountains, this eco-friendly picnic blanket – made of waterresistant, recycled wool – is a great companion. It’s light-weight and rolls up as a compact carryalong. Pair it with a lunch platter and a bottle of wine for a memorable Fall afternoon.

Picnic Blanket by TBCO | $ 98 One Wicker Cheese Co. | Highlands

VIBRANCY SQUARED

A vibrant, flurry of flowers, in warm, advancing colors by artist, Lora Uhrig, oil painter, will fill your home with joie de vivre. In this energetic, Impressionist 8”x 8” work of art, entitled “Nervous Night,” flowers radiate an essence that not only accents your décor, it fills your heart.

Original Oil on Canvas | $129 Nearly New | Cashiers

COOL-WEATHER CHARM

The color Carrot symbolizes fall, Thanksgiving, and is eternally a complementary color for classic blue-jeans. The white whipstitch is a tasteful accent for any combination. And who can resist a slip-on moc-toe classy shoe? Add cool-weather charm to your fall and winter wardrobe.

Elliott Lauren Sweater $ 205 | Vaneli Shoe $150 Mountain Mermaid | Cashiers

Fashion High

McCulley’s

Step into McCulley’s, and you’re entering a world where luxury and fashion blend seamlessly. Renowned for boasting one of the largest selections of Scottish cashmere globally, McCulley’s has been a cornerstone of style in Highlands, Cashiers, and Aspen, Colorado, since 1980.

Under the discerning eye of owner Mary Alice Bynum, this upscale boutique has wrapped generations of shoppers in the finest cashmere shawls, sweaters, scarves, stoles, and ponchos – each piece a testament to timeless elegance and quality.

But McCulley’s offers far more than just cashmere. The men’s department is a haven for those who appreciate refined sophistication including Scottish cashmere, and men’s fine sport coats and shirtings. For women, McCulley’s is a treasure trove of fashion essentials, from chic clothing and statement handbags to elegant shoes and unique accessories. Not to be missed this winter is their collection of faux and real fur outerwear.

And for those who cherish the finer things, McCulley’s also offers an exquisite selection of sleepwear, loungewear, and undergarments, featuring the ultra-luxurious Royal Highnies line – ensuring that your downtime is as stylish as your outings.

McCulley’s 242 S. 4th St., Highlands 255 Spring St., Highlands 24 B Canoe Point, Cashiers mcculleys.com | 828-526-4407

The Village Green | Cashiers, NC photos by Susan Renfro and Mary Gillan Renfro styling by Tracy Mendy

McCulley’s carries the exlusive lines of Sabina Savage, Broche Walker, Hinson Wu and Frances Valentine – along with Finley, Lyssé and many other specialty lines.

Highland Hiker Fashion High

Highland Hiker, a fixture in Highlands and Cashiers, has been the go-to destination for outdoor enthusiasts and fashion-forward adventurers since 1982.

This family-run business has grown into a multi-location outfitter offering an exquisite blend of rugged gear and chic mountain style. Now under the stewardship of Chris and Hilary Wilkes, Highland Hiker continues to merge practicality with panache.

At Highland Hiker, you’ll find an impressive selection of outerwear that balances fashion and function. Whether you’re braving the elements or simply enjoying a crisp mountain day, their curated collection of coats and jackets includes timeless quilted and waxed cotton looks from Barbour and country tweeds to ensure you’re both stylish and warm.

The store also carries classic styles by Pendleton and Patagonia, perfect for layering as temperatures drop.

In addition to outerwear, Highland Hiker is known for its versatile collection of travelfriendly apparel and outdoor brands that seamlessly transition from the trails to town.

Highland Hiker’s shoe store on Main Street is a treasure trove for footwear lovers. Whether you’re in need of sturdy hiking boots or cozy winter footwear, their expert staff is ready to find the perfect fit.

Highland Hiker

Main Street, Highlands Cashiers Crossroads highlandhiker.com

Jack Austin (left) is wearing pants by DU/ER, shirt by Barbour, vest by Tom Beckbe, belt by Hook n Hide, shoes by Blundstone, and satchel by Jack George’s.

MacKenzie Del Rio (right) is wearing dress by Schoffel, hat and backpack by Dubarry of Ireland, and boots by Pikolinos,

The Village Green | Cashiers, NC photos by Susan Renfro and Mary Gillan Renfro styling by Tracy Mendy

Sashay Around Fashion High

Housed in a historic 80-yearold roadside cottage just 10 miles from Highlands, Sashay Around has been a cornerstone of style and quality in Cashiers, for over 45 years. Since its inception, this charming boutique has remained steadfast in its commitment to offering high-quality, fairly-priced merchandise, all while embracing the rich traditions that have defined it for decades. Sashay Around continues to captivate customers with its carefully curated selection and personalized service. This is not your average boutique. Step inside, and you’re welcomed by a dazzling array of fashion from top American and Europeandesigners

Whether you’re drawn to the effortless looks of Nic & Zoe, the minimalist sophistication of Marble of Scotland, or the tailored perfection of Tyler Boe, there’s something here to ignite your style.

Still, Sashay Around is so much more than just a place to shop. The personalized fashion advice and exceptional customer service, complemented by special order options, guarantees that whether you’re looking for country club casual or something more glamorous, you’ll leave feeling fully outfitted and confident.

Sashay Around Hwy. 107 N, Cashiers (828) 743-3003

MacKenzie Del Rio (left) is wearing shirt, jacket and skirt by Marble, purse by Mary Frances, and necklace by Lock and Key, Haley Hays (right) is wearing dress by Tyler Boe, purse by Hobo, and necklace by Boyer,

The Village Green | Cashiers, NC photos by Susan Renfro and Mary Gillan Renfro styling by Tracy Mendy

Martha Anne’s Fashion High

Situated on Fourth Street in Highlands, Martha Anne’s on the Hill is a boutique that exudes charm, individuality, and a sense of fun that’s as unique as the woman behind it. Martha Anne has carefully curated a collection of shoes and apparel that speaks to the independently stylish woman who isn’t afraid to express herself.

More than a woman’s clothing store, Martha Anne’s is a destination where fashion is celebrated with joy. Martha Anne’s collection includes everything from whimsical shoes that make a statement to coats and designer pieces that bring a fresh twist to classic styles. Each item is handpicked with a sense of fun and sophistication, making it easy to find something that both elevates and modernizes your wardrobe.

Customers rave about their experiences at Martha Anne’s, calling it one of their favorite spots in Highlands.

“I love shopping at Martha Anne’s!” one enthusiastic customer shared.

Visit Martha Anne’s on the Hill at 256 South 4th Street in Highlands and discover the joy of fashion that’s as stylish as it is unexpected.

Martha Anne’s On the Hill 256 S. 4th St., Highlands (828) 526-4473

MacKenzie Del Rio (left) is wearing coat and pants by Renuar, sweater by FDJ, and shoes by MLV shoes.

Haley Hayes (right) is wearing jacket by FDJ, shirt by Isle, pants by Renuar, and shoes by Sam Edelman.

The Village Green | Cashiers, NC photos by Susan Renfro and Mary Gillan Renfro styling by Tracy Mendy

Twice the Style

https://www.facebook.com/ph oto/?fbid=514519501273985&se t=a.148070824585523&__cft__

Twice the browsing, twice the surprises – ACP Home Interiors opens a second Highlands location – 215 North 4th Street.

Two are twice as nice as one, and this is certainly the case with ACP Home Interiors who have now opened a second location at 215 North 4th Street in addition to their showroom at 1990 Dillard Road. This new showroom offers downtown Highlands shoppers a chance to stroll in and enjoy this elegant welcoming space featuring an artfully arranged array of items for your home.

Their Dillard Road location also houses a large inventory of available items,

including more furniture, unique accessories and showstopping European pine furniture. But while these stores are “Sisters” they each have their own personality and offerings in an intimate serene setting.

This thriving family business showcases the talent of owner Kerri Adkins who, with the help of her mother, Stephanie Molyneux, thoughtfully hand-chooses each item in the store. It’s clear that everything they sell, they love. No cookie cutter looks here, only items

thoughtfully and carefully chosen for the discerning homeowner.

They’ll quickly tell you that handpicking their inventory is just the start of the creative process. The fun really begins as they spring into action arranging each gorgeous vignette with items selected to show the possibilities of the living spaces, whether living, dining, bedroom, or kitchen.

Each vignette showcases the personality of the pieces from the furniture, accessories, and rugs, to the fragrances, and

Kerri Adkins

tells the story of how comfortable and inviting your home can be.

Walking through these doors is like getting a warm welcoming hug as you embrace the possibility of transforming your own space. You’ll find just the inspiration you need here whether you’re moving into your first home, building a new home, or renovating or redesigning an existing space.

ACP Home Interiors offers an array of items for your home including furniture; custom upholstery pieces from Lee Industries, Moss Home and Four Seasons; décor and accent pieces; luxurious bed linens, in stock and custom;

throws; pillows; stools; rugs; tabletops; mirrors; home fragrances; vases; lamps and lighting; candles; artwork for spaces large and small from local or regional artists whose deep connections to the area are showcased in their one-of-a-kind works. These beautiful art pieces allow customers to bring a little of our beautiful outdoors inside their own homes.

In addition, don’t miss their extensive collection of vintage Louis Vuitton trunks, brought in by Kerri’s dad, the well-known collector Bernard Molyneux. Their stylish and whimsical personal and giftable items throughout the store including items for the pampered pet;

coffee table books; cookbooks for every cuisine, novelty cocktail napkins; and children’s books.

Stop by either location and bring your pooch who’ll be greeted like family with a cool drink of water and lots of petting – ACP Interiors truly is that warm and inviting. The Dillard Road location is open Friday and Saturday from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. The new 4th Street location is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 A.M. until 5:00 P.M.

by Mary Jane McCall

photos by Susan Renfro

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WEST END

1. On The Verandah Restaurant

2. Highlands Smokehouse

3. High Country Wine & Provisions

5. The Bascom: Center for the Visual Arts

6. The Bascom Shop

7. The Dave Drake Ceramic Barn at The Bascom

SOUTH END

22. Trailborn Highlands

25. 4118 Kitchen & Bar

27. Dauntless Printing

37. Lupoli Construction

38. Allen Tate/Pat Allen Realty Group

39. Highlands Decorating Center

45. Don Leon’s

47. M & Co.

48. ACP Home Interiors

50. The Summer House

51. Nancy’s Fancys/The Exchange

60. Divine South Baking Company

MAIN STREET

101. Main Street Nursery

102. Rosewood Market

104. Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center

106. Los Vaqueros

124. Landmark Realty

126. Shiraz Oriental Rug Galleries

128. Primary Kitchen + Bar

130. Highlands Mercantile

130. HM Beauty

131. Lulu Bleu

132. Elevation: High Fashion for Women

134. The Southern Way

136. Dutchmans

137. Celebrity Collections

141. Main Street Gifts

146. Wit’s End Shoppe

147. Calders Coffee Cafe

148. Highlands Fine Art & Estate Jewelry + Wine Shop

152. Highlands Sotheby’s International Realty

153. Allison Diane Clothing

158. C. Orrico

160. TJ Bailey for Men

163. Spoiled Rotten

166. Annawear

167. The Christmas Tree

168. Natural Selection

169. Country Club Properties

170. Highlands Pizza Place

180. Bijou

185. Ristorante Paoletti

187. The Dry Sink

190. Wolfgang’s Restaurant & Wine Bistro

191. Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Meadows Mountain Realty

195. Old Edwards Inn

196. Madison’s Restaurant

197. The Wine Garden

198. Four65 Woodfire Bistro + Bar

203. Country Club Properties

207. One Wicker Cheese Co.

208. Highland Hiker Shoes

210. Creative Concepts Salon

211. Highland Hiker

WRIGHT SQUARE on MAIN

(Factoid: Named after Whiteside hero)

114. Edward Jones

115. Preferred Properties of Highlands

117. Country Club Properties, Wright Square Office

CAROLINA VILLAGE

701. Mountain Life Properties

702. Highlands Historic Village

704. Creekside Village: - Suncoast Equity Management

708. Haley’s Fine Lingerie

709. Wayah Insurance

710. The High Dive

710. The Hideaway at The High Dive

711. Roots & Vine

712. Chambers Realty & Vacation Rentals

ON THE HILL

300. Highlands Gem Shop

302. Wish & Shoes

303. Mirror Lake Antiques

305. Jeanie Edwards Fine Art

306. Acorns

308. Highlands Burrito

310. McCulley’s

311. Martha Anne’s on the Hill

312. The Ugly Dog Public House

313. Old Edwards Inn

318. Peggy Crosby Center: - Counseling Center

- The Kitchen Carry Away & Catering

- Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation

SPRING VILLAGE

400. Jannie Bean Fine Custom Jewelry

406. Brookings Fly Shop

319. Lakeside Restaurant NorthHighlands,Carolina

VILLAGE PARK

610. The Molly Grace

613. Cleaveland Realty

614. CK Swan

616. Fressers Courtyard Cafe

618. Secret Garden

619. Christie’s Internatonal Real Estate Highlands Cashiers

NorthHighlands,Carolina

NORTH END

801. Green Mountain Builders

808. Whole Life Market & Nectar Juice Bar

815. Highlands Cashiers Players

815. Highlands Performing Arts Center

815. Mountain Theatre Company

816. Fairview House

OUT NC 106

➡ Peak Experience

➡ Highlands Outpost

➡ Allan Dearth and Sons Generators

➡ Highlands Aerial Park

➡ Vineyard at High Holly

➡ Magliocca’s Ristorante

➡ Sky Valley Country Club

OUT 64 WEST

➡ Jackson Hole Gem Mine

OUT 64 EAST

➡ Black Rock Design Build

➡ Berkshire Hathaway

Homes Services

Meadows Mountain Realty

➡ WHLC

➡ Highlands Lawn & Garden

➡ High Camp

➡ Highlands Rock Yard

➡ Mission Hospital

➡ Wenzel Facial Plastic Surgery

➡ Rejuvenate Laser Center

➡ Reclamations

➡ The Brier Patch

➡ Allen Tate/ Pat Allen Realty Group

➡ Highlands Dermatology

➡ Roman’s Roofing

VISIT FRANKLIN

➡ The Attic Antique

➡ Clark & Co Hardscape Supply

➡ Diva’s on Main

➡ Uptown Gallery

➡ Whistle Stop Antiques

VISIT CLAYTON

➡ Butler Galleries

➡ Clayton Merchant Association

➡ Hot Sprngs Pools & Spas

➡ Mountain Lakes

Physicians Group

➡ Mountain Gate Systems

➡ Mountain Home Spa

➡ Porch Living

➡ Willow Valley RV Resort

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

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

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NORTH 107

2. Zookeeper Bistro

6. Slab Town Pizza

16. Stork’s - Wrap. Pack. Ship.

19. The Look Boutique

20. Mountain Mermaid

21. Sashay Around Ladies Boutique

THE SHOPS AT CASHIERS COMMONS

22. Joan Anderson Interiors

25. Bella Cotn

27. Bird Barn & Garden

28. Cashiers Kitchen Co.

29. Dr. Anita Dormer

30. Bombshell Hair Boutique

31. The Watershed Shoppe

33. Zoller Hardware

AT THE CROSSROADS

37. Landmark Realty Group

CHESTNUT SQUARE

43. A Jones Company

45. Cashiers Valley Real Estate

47. Lehotsky & Sons, Builders

54. Mountain Home Consignments

55. Fusion Yoga & Wellness

55. The Bungalow Boutique

58. Cashiers Fine Jewelry

59. Las Margaritas

EAST 64

62. Laurel Terrace: - Natural Element Homes

63. Alexander Gardens: - Victoria’s Closet

- Victoria’s Closet Shoes & Purses

- Vic’s for Men

72. Ingles Plaza - Allen Tate/ Pat Allen Realty Group

75. Carolina Rustic Furniture

76. Blue Ridge Bedding

79. Jennings Builders Supply

VILLAGE WALK

80. A-List Antiques

80. Josephine’s Emporium

80. Laura Moser Art

82. The Village Hound

85. Children’s Edit

86. Nora & Co.

87. The Corner Store

88. Cashiers Emporium

89. Nearly New Furniture Consignment

90. Gracewear Boutique

95. Objet D’Art

99. Lulu & You

SOUTH 107

102. TJ Bailey’s for Men

103. Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming

105. Atelier Maison

105. ID.ology Interiors & Design

105. Living Stone Design + Build

107. Berkshire Hathaway Home Services

Meadows Mountain Realty

108. Landmark Realty Group

110. McCulley’s

111. Rusticks

112. Vivianne Metzger Antiques

113. Brookings Fly Shop & Cashiers Village Outfitters

115. Chestnut Cove

116. Tampa Bay Trust

118. Chattooga Gardens Nursery

121. Robin’s Nest

122. Landmark Realty Group

123. Caliber Fine Properties

128. Mountainworks

Custom Home Design LTD.

130. The Cashiers Store

136. Cashiers Sotheby’s

International RealtyThe McKee Group

137. Bounds Cave Rug Gallery

138. The Orchard Restaurant, Events Barn & Guest Cottage

THE VILLAGE GREEN

142. Village Green Commons

143. The Village Green

WEST 64

145. Edgewood Antiques

146. Shoppes On The Green:

- Sugar Creek Custom Cabinets

149. Wish and Shoes

154. Cashiers Valley Smokehouse

155. Cashiers Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center

156. Creekside:

- Toby West Antiques

157. Sotheby’s International Realty

172. Whiteside Art Gallery

173. Betsy Paul Properties

176. Lenz Gifts

DOWN 107 NORTH

➡ Bazaar Barn

DOWN 107 SOUTH

➡ Silver Run Reserve

VISIT BREVARD

➡ Number 7 Arts

➡ Platt

VISIT CULLOWHEE

➡ Four Seasons Landscape

➡ Western Carolina University

VISIT GLENVILLE

➡ Big Ridge Mountain Club

➡ Crawford Construction

➡ Poane’ Gallery

VISIT LAKE TOXAWAY

➡ The Greystone Inn

➡ Los Vaqueros

VISIT SAPPHIRE :

➡ Burlingame

➡ Casa Amigos Bar and Grill

➡ Sapphire Valley Real Estate

VISIT SYLVA :

➡ Baxter’s Tree Service

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

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

Photo by Mary Gillan

Lake ToxawayCompany

With 63 years of community commitment, Lake Toxaway Company has fueled Lake Toxaway’s astonishing resurgence.

Lake Toxaway Company, located at 100 Waterfall Circle in Lake Toxaway, has been serving the area for 63 years and they have been the leading full-service brokerage firm in the Lake Toxaway region since the beginning. They understand that Lake Toxaway living is a way of life unlike any other because they were instrumental in the rebirth of the area.

In 1903 a few visionary men damned the Toxaway River to create Lake Toxaway, and then built the five-story Toxaway Inn, and a resort was born, one visited by the Fords, Edisons, and Rockefellers among other notable families. A decade or so later, after a series of floods and tropical storms, the dam burst. And just like that, the lake (and the tourists) disappeared.

All that changed in 1960 when Reg Heinitsh and a new group of visionary investors rebuilt the dam, restored the lake, and began attracting new genera-

tions of visitors and families to the Lake Toxaway way of life.

That investment in the community and belief in its appeal and possibilities resulted in a love and understanding of the area that has elevated Lake Toxaway Company to the area’s preferred brokerage firm, not just in Lake Toxaway but throughout the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.

They know this area better than anyone and they understand the value of the area’s lifestyle. The lake, the forests, the wildlife, the exceptional views, and the sense of community, all combine to make this the perfect place for those seeking an active lifestyle far away from the hustle and bustle of the stresses of everyday life.

The Lake Toxaway Company has been an integral part of the community for 63 years and their numbers illustrate their deep roots and exceptional pride in their community. They are the largest rental

company in Lake Toxaway currently offering 22 vacation rentals within the estates offering their clients access to an array of enticements: boating, fishing, and hiking in some of the most scenic natural forests in all of Western North Carolina: Gorges State Park and Panthertown Valley. Will Heintish, Vice President and Broker in Charge says that for many of their visitors “A Visit Often Turns into a Lifetime Experience”

They are ranked #1 in both MLS systems for the Lake Toxaway area and were involved in 56 percent of all real estate transactions in Lake Toxaway 2023 either as a listing agent, buyer’s agent, or both.

Whether you’re buying or selling, Lake Toxaway Company can help your real estate dreams come true. Call them at 800-443-0694 or visit their website at laketoxaway.com.

by Mary Jane McCall

Where Sweetness is Supreme

Currently in their eighth season, the Historic Toxaway Market and Sweetwater Perk and Creamery have become famous in the community for friendly service and great products. And there’s ice cream!

Whether you live in the Sapphire or Lake Toxaway area or find yourself passing through on a fall road trip make it a point to stop at the Historic Toxaway Market at 15889 Rosman Highway and their sister business, Sweetwater Perk and Creamery, across the street at 15886 Rosman Highway and treat yourself to just the kind of charming locally-owned gourmet shops you hope to find.

The Historic Toxaway Market offers premium wines, craft beers, gourmet food items, honey, cheeses, fresh meats, local produce, organic items, including dairy, and locally produced items as well as gift items. Of course, they also carry your necessary day-to-day dry goods items.

Their grab-and-go frozen meals are a huge hit, offering a vast assortment of items to take and heat at home. What better way to simplify your dinner

routine than selecting an item from their well-stocked freezer? Soups and pot pies are particularly popular heading into the fall season.

Sweetwater Perk and Creamery hits all the sweet spots that customers need from a full barista bar that can whip up any of your favorite hot or cold coffee beverages, to baked goods and ice cream.

How perfect is this idea?

Adults can enjoy their favorite coffee drinks accompanied by a delicious pastry while kids can enjoy ice cream in a cone or cup or any other of their favorites from milkshakes to sundaes. Can’t decide between coffee or ice cream?

Then enjoy an espresso milkshake! It’s a match made in heaven. No more family arguments over where to stop. Stop here and make the whole family happy.

Owners Chris and Robin Pickel moved to the area in 2005 after falling in love with it while on vacation in 2000.

They take great pride and get much enjoyment out of serving their neighbors and the community they love so well. Neighborhood gathering spots like these are what make our mountains so special.

Historic Toxaway Market is currently open Thursday through Saturday 11:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M. and Sweetwater is open Thursday through Saturday 8:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Summer hours are extended.

Visit their Facebook page or call them at (828) 553-8148 (Market), or (828) 885-5008 (Sweetwater) for more information.

by Mary Jane McCall

photos by Mary Gillan

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Photo by Susan Renfro

Raise Your Spirits

Step back in time and meet the men and women who shaped the Plateau with Highlands Historical Society’s Walk in the Park, October 26.

“To understand and reconnect with our stories, the stories of the ancestors, is to build our identities.” - Frank Delaney (Irish Author)

The Highlands Historical Society will host its annual Walk in the Park on Saturday, October 26. Eight “ghosts” will entertain visitors in two separate sessions as local actors, once again, portray some of Highlands’ most famous past residents.

Local resident Brian McClellan will play the role of “gravedigger” and welcome visitors to the cemetery and introduce them to the ghosts to come. Rick Siegel will portray Silas McDowell. Ron Leslie will portray Lt. James Rideout. Joan Worthy will portray Meta Norton Frost Hall. Anne Newhouse will portray Eleonore Raoul. Cathy Myers will portray Rebecca Smallwood Harris. Robin Phillips will portray Helen Norris Hill and Randy Lucas will portray Robert Dupree.

The first session begins at 2:00 P.M. with reserved times until 3:30 P.M. and allows visitors to stroll Highlands Memorial Park Cemetery as they hear riveting stories from our ancestors. Anyone choosing the first session should plan on a moderate hike from one end of the park to the other. All first session visitors will park at the Community Building and will be shuttled to the park at their reserved time. The shuttles will return visitors at the end of their walk.

The second session will begin at 5:00 in the Community Building. All visitors will be seated in the comfort of the facility and the “ghosts” will visit them with images of the Park Cemetery in the background for just the right ambience. Anyone who has mobility issues or who does not wish to walk the park should register for the second session.

In the event of poor weather, both sessions will be held in the Community Building with the first session beginning

at 2:30 P.M. for all ticket holders, regardless of their scheduled time. Second session ticket holders will still begin at 5:00 P.M. as scheduled.

Tickets for Walk in the Park can only be purchased by visiting the Highlands Historical Society website at highlandshistory.com and following the appropriate link. First session ticket holders should note their scheduled time and plan on arriving at the Community Building 15 minutes in advance to take the shuttle to Memorial Park. There will be no cars allowed in the park during the first session. All tickets are $25 and are non-refundable. Due to space requirements, a limited number of tickets are available for both sessions. Depending on availability, tickets may be purchased at the door for both sessions.

by Mary Jane McCall

Tattoos and Espionage

The Mysterious Mr. Michaux was an 18thCentury Indiana Jones.

by Stuart Ferguson, local historian, armchair traveler, and irrepressible raconteur. He reviews books for The Highland Hiker, which maintains an extensive collection of local literature.

The botanist was a secret agent! On Highlands Main Street--near the Highlander Mountain House--is a historical marker commemorating the transit across the plateau of botanist André Michaux in June, 1787. But note that our first French tourist also collected in Cashiers Valley on that same trip. Michaux (1746-1802) had been sent by Louis XVI to see what useful new plants he could find in North America.

A new book, “The Scientist Turned Spy: André Michaux, Thomas Jefferson and the Conspiracy of 1793” by Patrick Spero tells what Michaux got up to later. Mr. Spero is the head of the American Philosophical Society, founded by in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin and devoted to science and history. One of the greatest treasures of the APS is a hand-written subscription list offering to support a proposed scientific expedition to the Pacific led by Michaux; among it distinguished signatories are the men who would become the first four

presidents of the United States and it’s believed to be the only document that can boast all of those autographs all on the same document. At the time, Philadelphia was the new capital of the nation and the government had not yet been moved to Washington, D.C.

In 1793, Washington was president and Thomas Jefferson his sec. of state—as well as Vice President of the philosophical society. The area west of the Mississippi River belonged to Spain and was relatively unknown.

The U.S. could hardly explore another empire’s lands—this was a decade before the Louisianna Purchase and the Lewis & Clark expedition--but a philanthropic society could! Hence Jefferson’s scheme to have the widely respected (and neutral) Michaux lead an expedition to the Pacific and report back. Money was raised and Jefferson suggested that as the travel would be rough and journals liable to be dropped in water, Michaux should tattoo the

most pertinent info on his skin. Oh— and bring back a live Wooly Mammoth. (The equally callous Michaux noted that as guides were liable to be eaten by bears, one should always take *two.*) Ah, the Age of Enlightenment. In the meantime, the new French Republic sent an ambassador—the very histrionic, kiss-everyone-twice then hug them and denounce monarchy--Citizen Genet, who arrived in Philadelphia with secret instructions from Paris for the scientific expedition to be transformed into an armed invasion of Louisianna and the capture of New Orleans. Turns out Jefferson was OK with that, but timing is everything and it all fell through and many were embarrassed. Among Spero’s main sources are two fine tomes edited by Toxaway’s own Charlie Williams, including translations of Michaux’s Journals and the contemporary biography written just after Michaux died in Madagascar.

Cashiers VillageHeritage Award

The Orchard Restaurant, steeped in history, has earned the prestigious Village Heritage Award.

Each year, the Cashiers Historical Society awards a local business or organization the Village Heritage Award.

The award recognizes the thoughtful preservation or adaptive reuse of a commercial building in Cashiers’ business district.

Preservation is a key tenet of CHS’s mission. In 1996, a group of dedicated citizens came together to restore and preserve the Zachary-Tolbert House, a rare example of Greek-Revival architecture in Western North Carolina. It has since become a historic house museum and an iconic landmark in Cashiers. Preserving the Zachary-Tolbert House started the Cashiers Historical Society, an organization dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the Cashiers Valley.

The Village Heritage Award celebrates a local business that preserves a historic structure or incorporates design elements that reflect the village’s history and char-

acter. CHS awarded Alexander Gardens the first Village Heritage Award in 2003. The cluster buildings on 64 exemplified the historic Cashiers aesthetic.

This year’s winner, the HawkinsMenninger House, which is currently The Orchard restaurant, is a prime example of thoughtful re-use of a historic structure. In the early 20th century, it was home to the Hawkins family, though additions, including the dining room and commercial kitchen, surround the original structure. Reverend William Thomas Hawkins, known as the “Shepherd of the Hills,” was a circuit-riding Methodist minister who preached to people in the Cashiers area. One afternoon in 1930, Hawkins left home to search for one of his missing cows. The 72-year-old never returned home, and an extensive search party failed to find him. Eighteen years later, his remains were located near Fowler Creek, though the circumstances of his death were never determined.

In the 1940s, Edwin Arnold Menninger

bought the property. Menninger’s brother, Karl, was a renowned psychiatrist. Unlike his brother, Menninger wasn’t interested in medicine and instead became a journalist. He worked at the Herald Tribune in New York before buying a newspaper in Florida. From the 1940s to the 1980s, Menninger and his family spent their summers in Cashiers.

Today, the Hawkins-Menninger House is now The Orchard Restaurant. Only the front of the original house remains visible: a one-story, vernacular building with a side-gabled roof, ivy-covered stone chimney, and an inviting front porch. The wood-shingle siding, gable roof, narrowboard oak flooring, and bead-board ceiling are all elements of the original home.

CHS is thrilled to award the HawkinsMenninger House the Village Heritage Award! We are grateful to the Orchard for stewarding this property into the 21st century by adaptively re-using it as a restaurant, now a beloved Cashiers institution.

Photo by Mary Gillan

Jack and the Devil

You know about O’Leary, O’Connor, O’Keefe .… but what do you know about that Irish fella, O’Lantern?

Ireland is a country filled with spooky legends. Perhaps those stories were propelled by a jug or two of Irish Whisky. One dandy Irish folktale is that of Jack and the Devil.

Curmudgeon Jack was a stingy old soul. ‘Twas said he loved coin and drink more than kin. On an October evening he made his way to the tavern, one of the few places he spent money, and thus, his presence tolerated.

A stranger sat down at his table and introduced himself as the Devil. He said, “I’m here to take your soul to Hell for the sinful life you’ve led.”

Jack, expecting this visit someday, replied,” Then, let’s have one last drink.”

When the drink was downed, Jack said, “If you really are the Devil, prove it. Turn yourself into a coin to pay the tab.”

The Devil’s pride got the best of him. He turned himself into a silver coin. Jack

snatched the silver and slipped it into his pocket where he carried a crucifix. The Devil was trapped.

Bargaining began. Jack said, “Give me another year before you drag me to Hell, and I’ll set you free.”

The Devil had no choice and agreed. A year later, the Devil returned claiming Jack’s soul. But Jack had another scheme. He said, “Devil, climb that tree and fetch me an apple for my final meal.”

The Devil obliged and climbed the tree. Jack quickly carved crucifixes around the tree-trunk so the Devil was trapped again. They bargained, this time it would be 10 years before the Devil’s return. The Devil hadn’t a choice.

But long before the decade was up, Jack died and went to Heaven. Alas, Jack’s wicked past slammed Heaven’s Gates. So he went to Hell where the Devil denied his entry, because of the tricks he’d played on him. Jack’s spirit was doomed

to wander the earth for eternity with no place, good or bad, to rest.

Before Jack departed, the Devil felt a touch of sympathy and offered Jack a glowing ember from Hell to light his wandering. Jack picked up a turnip and hollowed it to hold the light.

In the 1800s, on Halloween, people hollowed out turnips (Ireland had bushels of turnips, but no pumpkins yet), and placed an ember in each to keep Jack’s evil spirit from their houses.

Nowadays, the Irish grow pumpkins. Jack traded his stinky turnip for some punkin pie and a flashlight. And Jack O’Lanterns light the world at Halloween. That’s enough pulp fiction for one day. Good pie, everyone!

by Donna Rhodes art by Norma Jean Zahner

A Home of Distinction

The creation of personalized spaces that truly feel like home is the guiding principle behind Anne Buresh Interior Design.

Anne Buresh’s passion for design runs deep-rooted in her upbringing in Eastern North Carolina. Buresh was profoundly influenced by her grandmother, an interior decorator, who traveled and collected beautiful antiques.

Her grandmother’s historic home was once owned by the founder of the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, and in the back of her home was a treasure trove of wallpaper and fabric books, where Anne spent many hours developing her creativity and fostering

her love for design.

In 2008, Anne deployed that creative legacy to launch her own company, Anne Buresh Interior Design, in Charlotte. Based on the guiding principle that the best design emerges from an environment of comfort and familiarity; the firm gradually expanded its reach. In the years since, she has steadily built a reputation for creating personalized spaces that truly feel like home.

This reputation, founded on relationshipbuilding and a hands-on approach, has led to successful projects from Kiawah

Island on the Carolina coast to our mountain Plateau in Highlands and even out west in Jackson Hole.

What sets Anne Buresh Interior Design apart is their commitment to understanding each client’s unique vision and lifestyle.

“We’re not cookie-cutter,” Buresh emphasizes. “We design to the client, not just to the space.”

This philosophy is evident in their recent project in Highlands. The client, originally from Charlotte, wanted their

home to truly reflect their style and way of life. The project, completed in stages, was a full-house design that seamlessly integrated existing pieces with new custom furnishings, accessories, and accents.

Understanding a client’s way of life often means incorporating a creative use for valued family pieces, as when Buresh and her team repurposed a beloved antique sideboard into a bar area, adding French hotel silver to create a sophisticated, yet inviting space perfect for entertaining.

Buresh’s ability to blend scale, balance, and functionality is key to her success. The Highlands home features a stunning

A-frame living room with reframed antique botanicals, a beautiful screenedin porch, and bedrooms outfitted with luxurious Italian bedding.

“We like to work with what our clients love,” Anne explains. “It’s all about making their home feel like theirs.”

Buresh says that her most gratifying moment is on the reveal when the client tells her, “You nailed it; it finally feels like our home.”

In addition to residential projects, Anne Buresh Interior Design is known for luxury staging, particularly in Kiawah Island and Highlands.

“Staging helps us familiarize ourselves

with the community and build relationships,” Buresh says.

Her firm’s classic, neutral staging style enhances the appeal of a property, transforming empty spaces into gracious and inviting homes that allow potential buyers to envision their lives there.

Ultimately, what makes Anne Buresh Interior Design special is their dedication to creating residences that feel like sanctuaries.

“Your home affects your health and well-being more than you realize,” Anne says. “We want our clients to feel safe, calm, and truly at home.”

by Marlene Osteen

Magic and Miracles Abound

The arrival of three amigos in Carpe Diem Farm’s pasture brings thrilling new life to the entire enterprise.

Over the years, those who know me have often heard me say that magic and miracles abound at Carpe Diem Farms.

The magnificence of the property with the headwaters of Buck Creek and Stewart Cove Branch, the flat pasture lands and the bowl of the mountains that contain and protect us like a hug from God Himself creates a haven for animals and humans alike.

Those who follow us know that in April three horses, all geldings, arrived on the farm. Our Kaleb returned from his participation in the children’s vaulting program in Bulls Gap, Tennessee. He brought with him his best friend Daniel, a retired thoroughbred. While they were getting settled, I found “Journey,” a Shire, and brought him home April 24, eight days after his third birthday!

On September 1, after four months of introductions with pastures and then just fences in between, I opened the gates.

“The boys” became a band of three! I spent part of the day capturing their interactions to share this pictorial with you.

Carpe Diem Farms, Inc is a 501©3 educational foundation, “Empowering Individuals Through Life Changes to see the Opportunities and Possibilities that Abound.”

by Sue Blair, Carpe Diem Farms

Big Ridge Mountain Club

Big Ridge Mountain Club is like summer camp but for families and friends, year-round, and without all the roughing it. To discover for yourself, visit bigridge.club.

This issue of The Laurel is all about the beauty of the area in this month of glorious revelation.

That’s why it’s the perfect time to invite you – whether you’re a year-round resident, seasonal guest, or someone just passing through – to explore the possibilities to be found at Big Ridge Mountain Club.

This members-only lodge in Glenville offers family and friends a simple and gracious home away from home, opportunities for convivial fellowship

and quiet reflection, and a home base from which they can enjoy all the bucolic pleasures of the lake and the Plateau and the mountains that loom all around us.

“A friend recently gave me a talking to about the lack of specificity around Big Ridge accommodations,” says Big Ridge Developer Geoff Graham. “He found it difficult to convey to his mom exactly what she should expect when she arrived.”

“Big Ridge Mountain Club is in Glenville, exactly one mile up Big

Ridge Road from Highway 107. The address is 1150 Big Ridge Road. From 107 – you’ll wind your way past a fork to Pilot Knob (stay right!), and after a sharp bend, you’ll come to a wood fence and a big pasture.”

To recap, the whole Spring House has four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, a half-bath on the main floor, a full kitchen on the main level, and a kitchenette in the Garden Level. Including the day beds in each of the masters (which are great for humans under 5’10”), the Spring

House sleeps 10 people, though it’s most comfortable with eight.

“A group has flexed it up to eleven for a big girls’ weekend by adding an inflatable mattress in the office,” says Graham. “Eleven adult women in the house sounds crazy to me, but it’s certainly possible. And, of course, the serious introvert in your 12- person troupe could quietly lodge him or herself in the Writer’s Hut.”

That last bit got me excited! How could a writer/editor resist what’s billed as a “Writer’s Hut?”

“Built in 2019, the Writer’s Hut served as my lodging and office during construc-

tion of the Spring House,” says Graham. “Initially, it was totally off the grid, without plumbing, and dependent on the little wood stove for heat. It now enjoys luxurious electricity and electric heat, but it still awaits a bathroom addition. Visitors to the Writer’s Hut must hop and skip over to the Spring House for their daily ablutions.”

During the summer, members have access to a sport boat on Lake Glenville.

“Our next building – a barn with a two-bedroom loft apartment – is under construction now,” says Geoff. “Once completed, we’ll begin building the main lodge (which will have a few

hotel-style rooms and offer members family-style dining). Big Ridge membership capacity is limited and while we’ll expand our capacity as we complete more buildings, I don’t plan for the club to ever get big. Being small is part of what makes it special.”

Big Ridge Mountain Club is only open to members and their guests. To learn more about its promise and possibilities, visit bigridge.club.

by Luke Osteen

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Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation’s 2024 Grants Will Make a Mountain of Impact Across the Plateau and Beyond.

The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation (Health Foundation) has announced they have awarded seventeen grants, committing over $1 million to the community in their 2024 Grant Cycle. The Health Foundation has a strong commitment to funding lasting solutions aimed at the following strategic focus areas: Health, Access to Healthcare, and Behavioral and Mental Health. The grants awarded in the 2024 cycle will help to expand needed services across western North Carolina by supporting a variety of health-related programs and services in the region.

This year’s recipients include A.W.A.K.E., Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic, Blue Ridge Health, Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau, Child Medical Collaborative, Clay County Governing Board, Community Care Clinic of Franklin, Life Challenge of WNC, Macon County EMS, Pisgah Legal Services, REACH of Macon County, Southwestern Child Development Commission: Nurse-Family Partnership, Summit Charter School, Together We Can Do Great Things, Vecinos, Western Carolina Medical Society Foundation, and Western Carolina Pacesetters.

“The Health Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of our Highlands, Cashiers, and surround-

ing communities,” said Dr. Barbara Corcoran, Health Foundation Board Chair. “ The 2024 grant awards demonstrate our commitment to supporting and fostering initiatives that continue to improve health throughout our region.”

The seventeen grant awards focused on supporting a wide range of programs aimed at improving the overall health and well-being of the community. These initiatives include expanding primary care availability, improving access to dental care, providing mental and behavioral health support for youth, conducting medical evaluations for victims of abuse, supporting substance abuse recovery programs, upgrading medical technology in ambulances, offering legal services to survivors of violence and child abuse, establishing partnership programs for expectant mothers, supporting school-based health, increasing access to colorectal cancer screening for underserved populations, and more.

Since its establishment on February 1, 2019, the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation has awarded 135 grants, providing over $10 million to 82 organizations across our communities. These grants have had a substantial and enduring effect on the well-being of our residents, ensuring that all members of our community have greater access to

necessary care.

“Our goal is to create a healthier community by investing in innovative solutions to healthcare challenges and supporting organizations that provide critical services to our community,” said Charlotte Muir, Health Foundation Executive Director. “We are proud to partner with these organizations and work together to improve the overall health and well-being of people in western North Carolina.”

The Health Foundation will be holding an awards ceremony on October 8 at 4:00 P.M. at the Village Green in Cashiers to celebrate this year’s seventeen grantees and the impactful work they are doing in our community. The event is open to the public, and everyone is invited to attend and join the celebration.

For additional information about the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation, please visit www.HCHealthFnd.org.

by Josh Bryson, Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation

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Financial Focus® Watch Out for Investment Scams

When you invest, you’ll find that knowledge is power. The more you know about your investment choices, and who is offering them, the better prepared you’ll be to make good decisions. And this diligence can also help protect you against investment scams.

How widespread is this activity? Consider this: Investment fraud losses totaled more than $4.5 billion in 2023, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report.

Here are some common types of scams: Cryptocurrency – Not all cryptocurrency offers are scams, but many are. The scammers will contact you via social media, claiming they’ve made a lot of money in crypto and are willing to help you do the same. They may direct you to a website or app to invest, but the “company” taking your money may not even exist, and, after taking your money, may disappear.

Investment programs – These programs

claim to have “proven” strategies that can enable you to get rich by investing in financial products. But these strategies are dubious at best and can cost you thousands of dollars that could otherwise go into an investment plan based on your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon.

Real estate – Typically, a real estate scam tries to get you to invest in a “world-class” or “luxury” property development, but these properties may take years to build, if they’re built at all. Also, various real estate “seminars” claim they can teach you how to get wealthy by buying and selling real estate, but these programs are expensive and usually worthless.

Gold and other precious metals –Scammers who call themselves “rare coins” merchants may try to sell you gold coins, bullion or other types of precious metals, claiming that these assets will always go up in value (which isn’t true) and that “now is the best time to act.” You can find

legitimate ways to invest in precious metals, possibly through mutual funds, but you’ll need to determine whether these assets can be an appropriate part of your investment portfolio.

So, how can you avoid these scams? Here are some suggestions from the Federal Trade Commission:

Don’t be pushed into snap decisions. Scammers will pressure you to act quickly because “space is limited” in an investment offering or a “special deal” won’t last long. If someone won’t give you time to consider an offer, it’s not worth considering.

Be suspicious of “risk-free” claims. All investments carry risk, and no variable investments can claim to provide “guaranteed returns.” If an individual or organization downplays the risk of an investment and doesn’t want to provide risk disclosures, just walk away.

Ask about licensing or registration. Legitimate investment professionals

must be registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and be licensed by your state’s securities regulator before they can sell you any investment product. You can check the status of an individual or firm by using FINRA’s BrokerCheck tool at brokercheck.fina.org.

Do some research. You can search online for the name of the company or individual offering you an investment opportunity. By entering terms such as “review,” “scam,” “fraud” or “complaint,” you may well find that other people have experienced problems or been victimized.

To achieve your financial goals, you’ll likely need to invest for decades — so, be wary of scammers who claim to offer a shortcut to success.

Todd Holder

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC

Wenzel Facial Plastic Surgery

Dr. Christopher Wenzel offers rejuvenation and renewal. Visit wenzelfacialsurgery.com or email drwenzel@ wenzelfacialsurgery.com.

Dr. Christopher Wenzel

Dr. Christopher Wenzel, doubleboard certified facial plastic surgeon, is proud to announce his newest addition to Wenzel Facial Plastic Surgery. Two-and-a-half decades of medical experience (equaling over 10,000 procedures) is a solid background to launch the Wenzel Facial Plastic Surgery Clinic. It’s located in the Jane Woodruff Clinic Building on the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital campus, where Dr. Wenzel has surgical privileges.

Dr. Wenzel knows the science of rejuvenating your look surgically and how to sustain healthy skin in the process.

When asked why he chose plastic surgery as a career, he replied, “I wanted to help people with rejuvenation. I enjoy making them feel physically better, thus feel good about themselves. Restoring health gives back confidence and launches patients on a positive journey. It’s soul-satisfying to see them enjoy

life fully again.”

Dr. Wenzel welcomes the addition of Highlands-Cashiers Plastic Surgery patients to his client-base.

With a motto like, “Our passion is helping unveil the best version of you,” patients feel confident knowing a history of highly successful surgeries such as facelift, browlift, blepharoplasty for the upper eyelids, and rhinoplasty have been performed by very capable hands.

Dr. Wenzel offers neuromodulators, like Botox® and Jeuveau®, to relax muscles that cause facial wrinkles. He also offers fillers, radiofrequency-microneedling, and a variety of other procedures available at his clinic in Highlands.

If you would like a consultation regarding the surgical services and office procedures you can inquire online or visit his office. Don’t forget to explore his comprehensive line of private-label skincare products.

If you’re considering surgical and nonsurgical options for facial rejuvenation, contact the Highlands office for a consultation or appointment at (828) 550-3344. Schedule procedures at the Wenzel Facial Plastic Surgery clinic at 209 Hospital Drive, Suite 304, Jane Woodruff Clinic Building, Highlands. An additional clinic location is in Clyde, North Carolina.

Meet Dr. Wenzel in Highlands during an Open House on Wednesday, October 16 from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

by Donna Rhodes

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Poised to Continue Thriving

Developments and decisions made this month point to a brighter future for Highlands-Cashiers Hospital and residents of the Plateau.

Iam committed to keeping our community updated about exciting things that are going on at HighlandsCashiers Hospital, such as news about the services we offer at the hospital, the important capital investments in our facility that HCA Healthcare makes continuously, community events and initiatives that we are participating in, new staff we are welcoming to the hospital, and more.

One of the most impactful developments at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital this year has been the resumption of orthopedic surgery after its close 10 years ago. We are providing arthroscopic surgery and total shoulder, hip, and knee replacements. We have had such great success this year that we are recruiting to make our services more accessible and are recruiting a physician assistant to support our surgeons.

We are also fortunate to have two outstanding general surgeons on staff, Dr. Zachary Phillips and Dr. James Osborne. They perform diverse procedures, including hernia repair, esophageal surgery, colon surgery, and breast surgery. Dr. Osborne is also fellowship-trained with hand surgery and is able to treat conditions of the hand, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger fingers. Both surgeons also provide colonoscopies, so if you’re due

for this lifesaving screening, be sure to schedule it.

We also recently welcomed highly skilled plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Wenzel to our staff, who is offering elective plastic surgery procedures. A Western North Carolina native, Dr. Wenzel is highly esteemed and trusted. He is dual board-certified in head and neck and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and has been providing exceptional care to patients in the region since 2000. Patients can see Dr. Phillips and Dr. Wenzel in Highlands, and Dr. Osborne in Cashiers.

Two other important updates I can share are that the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital helipad recently earned its IFR (instrument flight ready) certification, a special Federal Aviation Association (FAA) accreditation to use our helipad with instrumentation only. What this means is that our ability to transfer patients needing critical care is the best and safest it can be. The patient transport crews have more options for dealing with unpredictable weather, which we all know is common in Western North Carolina.

It’s also important for our community to know about the significant, ongoing investment HCA Healthcare is making in Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, and how

it enhances the care we can offer. I am happy to report that we have received:

• New state-of-the-art CT and MRI scanning machines with added funding to relocate the MRI scanner inside the hospital, so patients and staff no longer have to travel to another building from the hospital; this improves patient safety and comfort, and allows caregivers to work with more efficiency

• $300,000 to upgrade our kitchen equipment, including ovens and refrigerators

• Funding to acquire two Cerner Patient Observer (CPO) units, high-tech tools that enable providers to monitor patients virtually and identify those who are at high risk for falling; two-way communication capabilities allow staff to speak with patients and each other in real time

These facility improvements, new and talented staff, and the heart that every Highlands-Cashiers Hospital team member has for our patients contribute to our being ranked #1 for surgical experiences within HCA Healthcare and providing a truly outstanding experiences for both patients and families.

by Tom Neal RN, MBA, MHA, CEO/CNO, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital

Homes That Last 1000 Years

Theodore Dial excels at divining glories of the past and translating them into modern models of precision and grace.

For Theodore Dial – artist, builder, and designer – college classes were samplers for all his interests. But in his late twenties, things shifted. He went to France. The glorious architecture nailed him and continued to do so – 41 times! With so many visits, his romance with historic stonework blossomed.

Throughout college and travels, Dial wove a network of philosophers, build-

ers, designers, architects, thinkers, and psychologists. With their input, he began fabricating a life plan. He visualized modern-day structures that incorporated the look and feel of the stone structures from Middle Ages to Beaux-Arts.

Builders, their materials, and tricks of the trade were long gone, so it was time to weave-in some of Dial’s contemporary savvy. At his core is a one-man-thinktank. His tank contains wells of contri-

butions from the world’s best experts whom he tapped along the way.

He says, “Based on my studies, I believed I could build amazing, comfortable structures that can last a thousand years.”

It could work. Some cathedrals, as old as 1,000 years, are still functioning.

What’s Dial’s concept?

Clearly, building with tremendous

blocks of stone isn’t realistic. But, what about concrete? By 200 B.C. Romans were building most everything with concrete. Like stone, a lot of those structures still exist.

Dial created a mould system (with built-in shaped molding, cornices, baseboards, etc.) into which he’d pour concrete, creating ornamented, completed walls that had internal conduits to contain electrical wires and water pipes. Concrete walls (DAC-ARTTM Stone) would be super strong, contain no air pockets inviting mildew, etc., and they’d last, well, 1,000 years easy. He

started constructing dramatic work-ofart homes with his DAC-ARTTM. The result: mind-blowing success.

There is something else that sets Dial above the ordinary. He’s a proud micro-manager. He works with every team member, from surveyor to glazier. He makes sure everyone does the job to the precise requirements of the client and himself.

His workers get so excited about his unique approach to building, they are passionate about and loyal to the company. That’s important as Dial adapts the structure/natural materials of

his creations to the environs and leaves a joyful impression on the building site. There is so much more to know about Theodore Dial. He is truly one-of-a-kind, an artist and designer above all. That is what makes his homes more than merely a dwelling. They are works of art – think of it as ART-chitecture.

Visit dac-art.com; or email dacology@ me.com; or call (251) 490-1954.

by Donna Rhodes

Photo by Susan Renfro

Fostering a Love for Learning

Spanning the entire 20242025 School Year, The Literacy & Learning Center’s tutoring services are free for students of all ages.

The Literacy & Learning Center is pleased to announce the return of its comprehensive school-year programs! With the 2024-25 academic year officially underway, TL&LC is here to support students of all ages — and the best part is that all programs are free of charge.

Pre-K: Gearing up for your little one’s big academic journey?

TL&LC’s Pre-K program, designed to be enjoyable and enriching, is perfect for students turning 3 years old by January 2025. This program fosters a love for learning through age-appropriate play, exploration, and activities. Children will develop essential skills in social interaction, language, and early literacy, preparing them for a successful kindergarten experience.

After-School: Does your child in Kindergarten through 8th grade need extra support with their schoolwork?

TL&LC’s after-school program provides a safe and stimulating environment where students can receive additional help with their homework. Qualified staff and volunteers will guide them

TL&LC is here to support students of all ages…

through challenging concepts, ensuring they grasp the material and build confidence in their academic abilities.

Individualized Support: Does your child require extra one-on-one attention in a specific subject? TL&LC offers individual tutoring designed to meet each student’s unique needs. Experienced tutors can work with students of all ages and grade levels, providing them with personalized instruction and strategies to

excel in any subject area. Investing in Your Child’s Success

TL&LC’s programs are designed to empower students of all backgrounds and learning styles. TL&LC helps students build a strong foundation for their educational journey by fostering a love for learning and providing necessary academic support.

Ready to Learn More?

To learn more about TL&LC’s schoolyear programs or register your child, please get in touch with Caroline Cox, Programs Manager, at CCox@theliteracyandlearningcenter.org or call (828) 526-0863. Let TL&LC be your partner in your child’s academic success! by The Literacy and Learning Center

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Rescue, Care, Spay, Adopt

Handsome Kane, CH Humane Society’s champion ribbon-chewer, is patiently waiting for a loving home.

In addition to multiple community outreach programs, the core mission of the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society has four parts, with each component equally as important as the others: (1) Rescue; (2) Compassionate Care; (3) Spay/Neuter and; (4) Adoption. In honor of October as National Adopta-Shelter-Dog Month, this article focuses on the fourth part of that mission.

The Humane Society of the United States classifies cats and dogs as “companion animals.” Felines and canines are different from farm livestock, wild animals and exotic species. Cats and dogs have been bred for the past several thousands of years for companionship.

And what is companionship? Plain and simple – a loving, forever home with a responsible, compassionate human. A non-profit no-kill shelter like CHHS does heroic work on behalf of abandoned and neglected animals in our community through the initial rescue, ongoing

compassionate care, and spay/neuter of each animal to reduce future unwanted pet overpopulation.

But we believe our work is not done until the new adopting family has been found. And so our work is not done on behalf of a model canine citizen named Kane. This handsome four-year-old is our current longest-term resident, and he was our honorary “ribbon-chewer” at the grand opening of our new dog walking trail this past July.

Kane is a spectacularly wonderful, awesome, and incredible dog. That may be chock-full of superlatives, but meet this friendly canine and we think you’ll agree. Kane has excellent manners and he loves everyone he meets, whether two-legged or four-legged.

For 37 years, CHHS has never given up on the shelter pets entrusted to our care, and we will never give up on Kane. Come meet this amazing dog and share a lifetime of unconditional love with the

extraordinary canine citizen Kane. Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill shelter 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 or call (828)743-5752 for more information. Tax-deductible donations to support our lifesaving work can be mailed to: CHHS, P.O. Box 638, Cashiers, NC 28717.

David

Cashiers-Highlands

by

Stroud,

Humane Society photo by Marty Boone

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Bridging Communities with Compassion

The International Friendship Center serves as a beacon and lifeline for tempest-tossed immigrants.

Left to Right: Karla Magaña, MSW; Bonnie Dayton, Food Pantry Director; Andrea Smith, Social Services Director; T. J. Smith, PhD, Executive Director.

The International Friendship Center is at the heart of Macon and Jackson counties, providing vital services to local immigrant communities with a mission rooted in compassion and inclusivity. Founded to bridge the gap between struggle and security, the IFC offers a range of programs that support individuals and families in their pursuit of stability and self-sufficiency.

The IFC’s offerings are as diverse as the communities it serves. The English Language Learner classes empower students by improving their language skills, thereby opening doors to new opportunities and fostering confidence in daily interactions.

Meanwhile, the Highlands Food Pantry addresses food insecurity by providing nutritious groceries and offering cooking

and nutrition workshops that encourage healthier lifestyles.

Additionally, the IFC’s Women’s Group creates a supportive space for connection, empowerment, and skill-building, allowing participants to share experi-

…a range of programs that support individuals and families in their pursuit of stability and self-sufficiency…

ences and grow together. The center’s involvement extends beyond these programs, supporting initiatives such as mental health counseling, housing support, and resources for navigating immigration challenges.

Rooted in the principles of dignity and respect, the IFC’s work is a testament to

the power of community-driven support. With a focus on collaboration, the organization partners with local groups and volunteers, ensuring that assistance is accessible and responsive to the unique needs of the area.

The IFC continues to be a cornerstone for many, creating a space where every person, regardless of background, can find the support they need to thrive. In doing so, the center exemplifies its commitment to building a community that uplifts all its members.

For more information, visit internationalfriendshipcenter.org.

by Donna Rhodes photo by Susan Renfro

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Bringing EMDR To Light

A new psychotherapeutic treatment offers help to those suffering from the effects of trauma. For information, contact the Counseling Center at info@counseling-center.org or call (864) 481-0598.

Michael Greene

The Counseling Center is pleased to announce that Michael Greene, clinical social worker and therapist, has completed training for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy.

EMDR is a psychotherapy treatment designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR focuses on the brain’s ability to process and integrate traumatic experiences.

EMDR is based on the idea that traumatic events can overwhelm the brain’s natural coping mechanisms, leaving these experiences “stuck” in the mind. When this happens, the memory of the event, along with the associated emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations, can continue to cause distress long after the event has passed.

“Though EMDR is often cited in relation to PTSD, it can be quite effective in a

variety of therapeutic contexts including such anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, addictions, grief and loss. Since psychological trauma manifests as symptoms, you could really define it as any life event that continues to have an adverse impact on a person’s sense of wellbeing” says Greene. “EMDR is a comprehensive approach to therapy that incorporates elements from various psychological orientations, and reprocessing is only one component of the entire protocol.”

Like many modalities of psychotherapy, the principal aim of EMDR is to be a learning process: clients learn from negative past experiences, desensitize present triggers that are overly distressing, and incorporate more adaptive approaches to future action.

New, positive beliefs often need to be held emotionally –intellectual understanding of them is sometimes not enough– before they become really useful in a person’s life, and this is where

the work involving eye movement comes into play. EMDR sessions are generally 60 to 90 minutes long.

“As therapists, it’s important to have a variety of tools at our disposal when working with clients,” says Greene. “In my experience, the most effective therapists are integrative: ready and willing to tailor their approach to each individual.”

If you’re struggling with the aftermath of trauma or other emotional challenges and feel EMDR may be worth exploring as part of your healing journey please contact the Counseling Center at info@counselingcenter.org or call (864) 481-0598.

The Counseling Center strives to strengthen families and individuals by providing access to quality mental health services regardless of financial ability by Linda Kirkman, The Counseling Center

Mountain Construction Engineering

Mountain Construction Engineering is expanding its reach throughout this corner of the Southern Appalachians. For more information, call (828) 226-1218 or visit Mountain-ce.com.

Thomas and Robyn Hessling and Oscar

photo by Mary Gillan

Mountain Construction Engineering, a leader in structural design and engineering services, is opening a second office in Lake Toxaway.

This new location will complement their existing office in Sapphire Valley, allowing the company to meet the growing demand for high-quality engineering services across Western North Carolina.

MCE will hold ribbon-cutting ceremonies with both Cashiers and Highlands Chambers of Commerce at their Lake Toxaway Office on October 10 at 4:00 P.M. To celebrate the opening of their second office.

Founded in 2017 by Thomas Hessling, a construction engineer with over 40 years of experience working on major infrastructure projects, in 11 states, MCE has grown steadily in response to the needs of second and third homeowners, architects, and builders in the region. The company’s growth has been reflected not only in its

new office but also in its significantly increased staff and network of consultants.

MCE is best known for its structural design and engineering services, which form the core of the business. The company provides everything from foundation design to custom structural solutions, helping clients ensure the safety and longevity of their homes. MCE also offers second-opinion inspections for homeowners involved in real estate transactions, representing either the buyer or seller to provide an independent evaluation of home inspections.

Another key service is MCE’s construction and facility management for absentee homeowners. Many of the company’s clients own second or third homes in the mountains and rely on MCE to manage their construction projects in their absence. Acting as a liaison between homeowners and contractors, MCE ensures projects are completed smoothly and efficiently.

MCE also offers disaster relief inspections

and compliance assistance, helping homeowners assess damage and meet local safety standards after unexpected events.

One of MCE’s key builder clients, Ben Logan, owner of Logan Custom Homes in Cashiers, praises the company’s value to the community:

“Tom has been an incredible asset to our community and to us as builders. His expertise has filled a vital need, and his commitment to every project has been remarkable. Over the past year, I’ve worked with him on at least 10 different projects, ranging from remodels to new construction and repairs.”

As MCE continues to grow, its new office in Lake Toxaway will allow the company to respond even more quickly to client needs.

Robyn Hessling, who now works fulltime at the company, supports MCE’s marketing, advertising, and community outreach efforts.

A Cheerful Welcome

With a pair of unique initiatives, the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce is spreading a cheerful “Welcome” to everyone in Southern Jackson County.

The Chamber’s Retail Roundtable will once again light up the heart of our community with the return of the joyful Yellow Carlton Daffodils and add some extra cheer to our community next spring by offering Yellow Carlton Daffodil bulbs for sale for their Daffodil Days Streetscape Initiative this fall.

If you’re a Chamber member, you’re invited to participate in this community-wide beautification project. You can order your bulbs on the Daffodil Days event page or call the Chamber at (828) 743-5191.

The spirit of hospitality doesn’t stop there—The Retail Roundtable has also launched welcoming doormats for local businesses and homes, so keep an eye out for those! The destination-enhancing “Welcome Cashiers, NC” doormat is a durable 3 x 5 feet Rubber Scraper Mat featuring the Chamber’s Whiteside Mountain logo icon with a “Welcome Cashiers NC” text graphic. Look for the mat when visiting Chamber Member Businesses.

For more information, visit cashiersareachamber.com or visit their log cabin at 202 Hwy 64 W. Let’s keep the community spirit strong!

by Susan Gregory Executive Director, Cashiers

Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Cashiers Class of 2022

Highlander Roofing Services

With decades of accumulated wisdom and a small army of dedicated professionals, Kristy and Luke Smith’s Highlander Roofing Service has got you covered.

Luke and Kristy Smith

When you’ve put in your 10,000 hours, know how to manage every nail and water-droplet in your roofing businesses (from Florida to North Carolina), can correctly crunch every number in the books, and understand the lifestyle of mountain living ‘cause you’ve lived it since childhood, you’re exactly where you should be – and doing exactly what you should be doing. That’s what Kristy and Luke Smith, owners of Highlander Roofing in Franklin, Sylva, and Asheville are doing and loving it.

In Florida, Luke had a career in construction including roofing and building material supply. Along the way, he saw a need for a professionally-run roofing company in Western Carolina. All that prep described above, went into opening Highlander Roofing Services in Franklin. It thrived. Customers jumped at the service and quality Luke offered. As the

company grew over the last seven years Kristy, with a strong background in banking and appraising, came onboard, and together, the Smiths have built an exceptional regional enterprise.

The company specializes in Re-roof and Repair work. After the annual leaf-fall and storms, new gutters and downspouts are in demand. Highlander has the trucks, gear, and experts to tackle it. The company’s prepared for severe storms. A General Contractor oversees roof-rebuilds, tree-removal, and internal/ external home damage. Staff carpenters handle emergencies replacing siding, fascia, and plywood.

In the fall seasonal roof maintenance is essential to stay ahead of leaf build-up. Drone shots of roofs Highlander has repaired are a Facebook-sensation for owners and neighbors, especially when autumn colors are dramatically framing the houses.

“The slight slowdown in the winter

months really comes as a relief as we can train our people, implement new ideas, and plan for the coming year,” Luke adds.

When not in office, Luke and Kristy volunteer at the Franklin First Methodist Church where Luke is Chairman of the board of trustees. Kristy serves in finance and sings in the praise band. “She’s a really good singer,” Luke interjects.

Other community organizations utilize Luke’s skills as an auctioneer to raise money from time to time. Both Luke and Kristy have served as President of the Franklin Daybreak Rotary Club.

To learn more, visit highlandernc.com, or call (828) 524-7773.

by Donna Rhodes

Highlands Decorating Center

Through the generations, through the decades, Highlands Decorating Center has been built upon a rock-solid commitment to its customers.

Left to Right: Janice Raby, Phil Potts, Guadalupe Damian, Harry Nicholson, Eva Zamudio, Lee Ann Hall, Rebecca Branson, and Waylon Chastain.

Highlands Decorating Center at 330 Dillard Road has been the go-to, one-stop place for all your paint and interior finishing needs for over 40 years.

Owner Derek Taylor’s father, Jack, originally bought the business in 1983 and soon thereafter sold it to Derek in 1986. Known then as Highlands Paint and Mirror and located on 4th Street, Derek changed the name to Highlands Decorating Center in 1990 to more accurately describe their expanding business. By 2000 it was clear that they needed more space and parking, so they moved to their current location.

Derek is quick to tell you that his Dad instilled in him early on that the customer is king and customer service is everything. That philosophy is the cornerstone of Highlands Decorating Center and is why the business continues to grow and thrive. Derek and his employees go above and beyond to ensure that customers are taken care of. It’s why customers soon

become friends and customer retention isn’t just a concept here, their customers return again and again.

The employees are another element that sets this business apart as most have been with the company for many years. It’s a customer service concept Derek learned early- take care of your employees and they will take care of your customers.

It goes beyond that to what has long been considered the old-time Highlands business model – everyone cares and everyone looks out for everyone else. This is a thriving business that can provide the goods you need but they are first and foremost your neighbor and they never forget that.

In addition to Benjamin Moore paint and all necessary painting supplies, Highlands Decorating has everything you need to finish or transform the interior of your home except cabinets and appliances.

Their expansive showroom is the place to let your imagination run wild as you choose all your interior finishes. From carpets; area rugs; flooring including hardwood, laminate, tile, vinyl, stone, glass tile, and metal tile; window treatments; wall coverings including wallpaper, grasscloth and natural materials, textiles, and wall cladding; mirrors; and vanities to custom closets Highlands Decorating Center has it all.

Elevate your style and mood and visit Highlands Decorating Center for all your paint and interior decorating needs. They are also happy to work with your contractors and interior decorators.

For your convenience, they are open six days a week, from 7:30 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday and from 9:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M. on Saturday.

Visit their website at highlandsdecorating.com or call (828) 526-3571.

by Mary Jane McCall / photo by Susan Renfro

Comfort and Knowledge

The ever-reliable Allan Dearth and Sons Generators delivers dependability and peace of mind. To learn more, give them a call at (828) 526-9325 or visit them at 7441 Dillard Road in Scaly Mountain.

Left to Right: Maggie Welch (Daughter), Bryan Dearth (Son), Allan Dearth, Marti Dearth, Timothy Dearth (Son), and Dylan Dearth (Grandson)

Since 2007 Allan Dearth and Sons Generators have been providing area residents with the comfort and knowledge that they never again have to worry about impending harsh weather.

A generator installed by Dearth and Sons protects your home from the risks of power outages and surges by automatically starting up in the event of power interruption and supplying electricity to your home until power is restored.

As the name implies, this is a family business. Its humble beginnings began when Allan Dearth started the business working out of his garage in 2007. Having worked in the industry for several years this transition into starting his own business was the logical next step. Soon, his wife Marti came on board as the customer service rep extraordinaire, having just the knack for keeping customers happy and the administrative tasks on point.

As the years progressed all of their children joined the business.

Mom and Dad have since retired but stop by often to keep an eye on things. These days it’s mostly to bask in the glory of a job well done as they watch their children run with their vision and continue to prosper.

Having grown up in the business, Tim, Bryan, and Maggie know the ropes and learned the importance of reliability and customer service from their parents. Each and every day they seek to make their Mom and Dad proud and do they ever.

Tim Dearth oversees the service end of the business. Bryan handles the sales and Maggie Dearth Welch sees that the office runs smoothly. All three live and breathe their family mantra of customer service and reliability and they’ve found that work ethic is the key to their success. Their customers tend to become customers for life. They’re doing something

right as the company has now grown to 16 employees. Still a mom-and-pop business at heart but with growing knowledge and skills to meet today’s challenges and provide professional sales and service.

Generators are all they do, and they sell three of the industry’s most well-known and reliable brands, Generac, Kohler, and Cummins. Their service is fully turn-key from start to finish so you won’t have to manage a single aspect of installation. Of course, their service after the sale offers added peace of mind.

It’s important to note that they will also service and repair all makes and models even if they didn’t do the installation. by Mary Jane

McCall

photo by Susan Renfro

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THE LEGACY CONTINUES

The McKee Group

Cashiers Sotheby’s International Realty

Beth Townsend and Liz Harris, Co-Owners of McKee Properties, along with McKee Brokers, are continuing the legacy as The McKee Group brokered by Cashiers Sotheby’s International Realty. Nearly half a century of local luxury real estate expertise is now backed by the Sotheby’s brand offering worldwide exposure and world-class resources for their clients.

SANDY BARROW JOHN BARROW CLAY CANTLER JESSICA HOHEISEL

BETH TOWNSEND LIZ HARRIS COLEEN GOTTLOEB MAGGIE ELMER

14.64 ACRES This extraordinary property offers a unique opportunity to own nearly 15 acres of prime Cashiers real estate. The house itself sits on a level 5-acre lot, providing ample space for outdoor enthusiasts and those seeking privacy. The residence boasts three bedrooms and three bathrooms, perfectly suited for comfortable living. The one-level layout ensures easy accessibility and convenience for all residents. The property has an inviting pavilion and barbecue area, perfect for entertaining friends and family while enjoying the breathtaking

Whiteside Forest

3 BR / 2 BA / 1.68 ACRES A fisherman’s paradise with native brook trout right out your back door! With ample frontage of Fowler Creek, the level yard is the best escape to nature you will find on the market right now. Located in the serene valley of Whiteside Forest, this three-bedroom home has everything you need for a peaceful getaway. The split floor plan allows for plenty of privacy for everyone. The large master suite offers his and hers closets, large walk-in shower and cozy fireplace in the bedroom. The open kitchen and living room area allows for you to happily entertain guest while keeping everyone close by. There is also

Offered for $2,800,000 (JUST REDUCED)

views of Chimneytop and Rock Mountain. The property also features a personalized bar space off the back patio, ideal for sipping cocktails as you take in your surroundings. Gardeners will appreciate the terraced garden space, offering endless possibilities for cultivating your own personal oasis. A circular driveway provides plenty of parking for guests, while the recently encapsulated structure ensures peace of mind for years to come. MLS 105777

Offered for $1,150,000

a formal dining room for more entertaining options. The front office is perfect for a work from home lifestyle. The screened porch off the back is where the real living takes place. Enjoy summer dinners outside or morning coffee relaxing while listening to the flow of Fowler Creek. The expansive level yard boasts a large stone firepit and ample room for outdoor sports and activities. There is a lower level that could potentially be built out to afford more living space. The home features brand new spray foam insulation and encapsulation and a partial home generator. MLS 105902

Wade Hampton Golf Club

6 BR / 7.5 BA / 1.2 ACRES Situated on a large lot, prominently overlooking the 10th golf hole at the renowned Fazio-designed Wade Hampton Golf Club, this majestic home is surrounded by 1.2 acres of gently sloping yard and private gardens. Flanked by native stone detailing and clad with newly installed cedar shingles, the traditional mountain home has high ceilings and generously proportioned rooms. One is greeted by lovely gardens on both sides of the front entry, then “invited” into the home by the wainscoted, wallpapered Grand Hallway with sconce lighting. Opposite each other in the massive Great Room, giant stone fi replaces create the opportunity for two entertainment areas. New skylights have multiplied the light in this impressive space and were added when the cedar shake roof was replaced in the last few years. A large, newly updated Chef’s Kitchen is around the corner, with its own

Fairway Hamlets

$1,699,000 (JUST REDUCED)

5 BR / 4 BA / 0.46 ACRES — Great location, a picturesque setting and excellent condition are three top attributes of this charming home in the heart of Country Club Estates, Sapphire Valley. Inside the home there are hardwood floors throughout the main level and stairs, vaulted ceilings, stone fireplace with gas logs, and a wet bar with icemaker. The kitchen with herb garden window has KitchenAid stainless appliances, stone backsplash and custom cabinets. The chef has a commanding view of the dining, living and the screened Carolina Room with its own wood burning fireplace and skylights. The two primary bedrooms — one upstairs and one on main level have full bathrooms with dual sinks, jacuzzi tubs and showers. A separate two car/one cart garage with workspace has a chic upstairs apartment with a small kitchen, den, full bath, and bedroom. MLS 103741

Offered for $9,495,000

Breakfast Room and the best Butler’s Pantry imaginable! The Den, Primary Suite with multiple closets, stone fi replace and reading area, and three Guest Bedrooms are accessed from the sunlit Gallery. The Laundry, wine/Mudroom and Powder Room fi nish off the main level of the home. The fi fth Bedroom Suite is privately located upstairs at the other end of the gallery. There is a lovely screened Carolina Room with grill and fi replace near the kitchen and off the great room is a large covered stone terrace with mountain and golf views. The terrace level of the home offers a large Game Room, two bathrooms and a sleeping area for staff or overflow guests. This regal estate was one of the early venues for the Joy Garden Tour, and the current owners have restored the gardens to their former glory, as well as adding many of their own touches around every turn. MLS 104677

Off S. Cedar Creek Road $1,595,000

37.07 ACRES — This 37 acre tract of land is well located off the south end of Cedar Creek Road and shares a gated gravel driveway (“Avon Road”) with a large conservation easement and two estate properties. It also adjoins private homes in Cedar Ridge Estates. Graced with magnifi cent old deciduous trees, dramatic rock cliff s and a pristine stream, this land has three electric cabinets installed and a well, which when drilled yielded 30 GPM. A newly cut trail leads from the gravel drive up the nose ridge to the prime building site, then crosses the four springheads and connects to another part of the driveway. With a bit of clearing, this unrestricted property will have a rifle view toward Cow Rock and Laurel Knob Mtns, and an interior view of its own rock cliff s in the distance. MLS 105794

Glenville $1,399,000 (UNDER CONTRACT)

2 BR / 3 BA / 1.06 ACRES This charming yet sophisticated lakefront home sits in a cove in the desirable, gated Glenshore neighborhood. The two story cottage is situated above a gently sloping yard with mature landscaping and is only steps from its own private dock. Inside one is greeted by warm wood floors and ceilings and a pretty stone fireplace in the living room. Two bedrooms are located on the main floor, the primary has an en suite bath, there is a hall bath for guests. Downstairs is a large family room with a wood burning stove and gameroom. The lower level also features a bonus room and an additional bathroom. MLS 104593

$775,000

2 BR / 3 BA / 6.5 ± ACRES Built in the early 2000’s, this compact and charming house has a surprising amount of room inside. Perched over its own small pond, the setting is very private, yet convenient to Sapphire Valley and Burlingame. Main level has fi replace, primary bedroom and living room, all oriented to the deck and pond. Guest and/or bonus spaces upstairs and downstairs. The gravel drive provides good parking and the area around the house is awaiting a gardener to “play with.” The approximately 6.5 acres and cottage is also offered as a larger tract of 42.95 acres, see MLS 104491. MLS 104493

Plymouth Rock

$995,000 (UNDER CONTRACT)

3 BR / 2 BA / 1.09 ACRES This darling cottage sits on a small rise, smack dab in the middle of Cashiers Village, yet it feels very private thanks to beautiful, mature landscaping and over an acre of land. Tuck away in the backyard dabbling in the stream or laze at the firepit, or cross the creek to explore the undeveloped deep woods. Want to be more social? Venture out the front door and across the gently sloping (and perfect for kids and dogs) lawn to Buck’s for your favorite morning beverage, then on to the Village Green! Location, Location, Location! Inside, the pine walls and floors exude warmth, as does the stone fireplace. The ensuite master bedroom and second bedroom and bath are on the main level. Upstairs is a charming loft, offering a great third bedroom. MLS 105893

High Hemlock, Lot 14 $230,000

3.76 ACRES — An absolutely beautiful home site that is a hidden mountain gem with a mountain view of Double Knob mountain. The lush wooded landscape of large hardwoods and mountain laurel is the perfect backdrop for someone to build their dream mountain home. This lot also shares a small pond with adjacent property owner. The quiet neighborhood of High Hemlock offers the best of mountain living with a nice community lake. This large lot offers a great deal of privacy. Paved access directly to the lot makes easy ingress egress. The lot is large enough for a home and a guest cottage to be tucked away conveniently in the woods by the pond (additional septic approval would need to be given). MLS 104713

Continental Cliffs

5 BR / 6 BA / 9.36 ACRES What a view! Rock Mountain, Chimney Top, Terrapin, and Whiteside are four of the many mountains seen from this large, lovely property! Upon entering the home with its new double-doors with glass panes, step into a lovely foyer, then a sizable great room with a dining area seating at least 10, floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, and a wall of windows facing the view. To the left is a large kitchen and keeping room with plenty of comfortable seating. Just off the kitchen is the first of two laundry rooms and a

Tahala Shores

3 BR / 3.5 BA / 1.0 ACRE — Located on the shores of Lake Glenville, this well maintained three bedroom, three and half bath cottage offers the peace and tranquility of lakeside living. The walk to the dock is made easy with a wooden deck and walkway. The property also features a detached

Offered for $2,800,000

charming den/library. Also on the first floor is the lovely primary bedroom with fireplace and an en suite bath with the gorgeous mountain view and doors out to the deck and covered porch. In addition, there is a guest bedroom on the main floor with en suite bath. Downstairs is a spacious den with fireplace and three bedrooms. The home is located in the charming and welcoming neighborhood of Continental Cliff s and is a short distance to the Crossroads of Cashiers.

MLS 104193

Offered for $995,000 (UNDER CONTRACT)

two car garage and a streaming flowing down the side of the property to the lake. A finished lower level provides additional sleeping and living spaces.

MLS 105857

2

Chinquapin, Lot 70 $230,000

2.92 AC — Chinquapin is a 2,000 acre high-end development nestled in the heart of nature, boasting beautiful trails surrounding 700 acre conservation land. One of the many standout features is The Outpost, a gathering spot for residents to relax and socialize. Lot 70 is a prime piece of land, offering wonderful views of the nearby mountains and easy access to trails. The lot sits at an elevation of 4,000 feet and has the driveway already cut in. MLS 104560

2 BR / 2 BA / 0.32 AC — With its cozy bedrooms, covered decks, sleeping loft and picturesque view of the pond, this cottage off ers the perfect blend of comfort and natural beauty. Whether looking for a romantic retreat or family-friendly vacation spot, this charming cottage has something for everyone. It’s the perfect spot to unwind and recharge. MLS 104732

Divide, Lot 38 $199,000

1.03 AC — Amazing long range mountain views! Located in The Divide with over 180 degrees of fantastic mountain views. This lot is a gem! Very easy to show. 4 BR septic is already installed. The lot is cleared with a gentle building site and the potential driveway is roughed in already. Community amenities include the Bald Rock Equestrian Center, and The Divide pavilion. Owners will also have access to Sapphire Valley resort amenities. MLS 102631

4118 Kitchen and Bar 4118kitchen-bar.com P 134

A&A Property Cleanouts P 223

A Jones Company P 121

A-List Antiques P 231

Acorns acornshighlandsnc.com P 260

ACP Home Interiors acphomeinteriors.com P 39

Allan Dearth and Sons Generators adsemergencypower.com P 215

Allen Tate -

Kelly Ramsey/Dan Doughty danandkellyteam.allentate.com P 258

Allen Tate/Pat Allen Realty Group patallenrealtygroup.com P 9

Allison Diane allisondianeclothing.com P 61

Annawear annawearnc.com P 90

Anne Buresh Interior Design annburesh.com P 201

Annell Metsker annell.com P 120

Around Back at Rocky’s Place aroundbackatrockysplace.com P 111

Atelier Maison ateliermaisonco.com P 66

The Attic Antiques x1 P 211

Balistreri Realty laketoxawayliving.com P 181

Barbara Jamison Paintings barbarajamisonpaintings.com P 5

The Bascom thebascom.org P 107

Baxter’s Tree Service P 86

Bazaar Barn P 40

Bella Cotn bellacotn.com P 169

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices meadowsmountainrealty.com P 156

Betsy Paul Art Benefit P 118

Betsy Paul Properties betsypaulproperties.com P 259

Big Ridge Mountain Club bigridge.club P 58

Bijou Jewelry bijoujeweler.com P 94

Bird Barn & Garden P 88

Black Rock Design Build blackrockdb.com P 168 222,

Blue Ridge Bedding blueridgebedding.com P 124

Blue Ridge Falls RV Resort bueridgefallsrvresortcom P 177

Blue Ridge Music P 113

Bombshell Hair Boutique P 240

Bounds Cave’s Rug Gallery boundscaverugs.com P 33

The Brier Patch P 102

Brookings Fly Shop brookingsonline.com P 79

Bungalow Boutique bungalow828.com P 91

Burlingame experience-burlingame.com P 174

Butler Galleries butlergalleries.com P 247

C Orrico corrico.com P 212

Calders Coffee Cafe calderscoffeecafe.com P 135

Caliber Fine Properties caliberfineproperties.com P 186, 187

Carolina Rustic Furniture carolinarusticfurniture.com P 124

Casa Amigos P 141

Cashiers Chamber of Commerce cashiersareachamber.com P 213

Cashiers Candy Shoppe P 195

Cashiers Emporium P 48

Cashiers Fine Jewelry cashiersjewelry.com P 246

Cashiers Kitchen Company P 88

Cashiers Sotheby’s International

Realty - The McKee Group P 248-253

Cashiers Sotheby’s International

Realty - Rob Whitney P 245

The Cashiers Store thecashierstore.com P 52

Cashiers Valley Community Chorus P 85

Highlands Aerial Park highlandsaerialpark.com P 72

Highlands Burrito highlandsburrito.com P 138

Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation hchealthfnd.org P 209

Highlands Cashiers Players highlandscashiersplayers.com P 119

Highlands Chamber of Commerce highlandschamber.org P 82

Highlands Decorating Center highlangsdecorating.com P 191

Highlands Dermatology highlandsdermatology.com P 244

Highlands Fine Art & Estate Jewelry Wine Shop highlandsfineart.com P 22, 23

Highlands Food and Wine highlandsfoodandwine.com P 128

Highlands Historical Society highlands history.com P 191

Highlands Lawn & Garden highlandslawnandgarden.com P 241

Highlands Mercantile on Main P 92

Highlands Outpost highlandsoutpost.com P 72

Highlands Performing Arts Center highlandsperformingarts.com P 60, 103, 116

Highlands Pizza Place P 138

Highlands Rock Yard highlandsrockyard.com P 193

Highlands Smokehouse highlandssmokehouse.com P 150

Highlands Sotheby’s International Realty - Andrea Gabbard sothebysrealty.com P 109

Highlands Transportation Company P 176

Historic Toxaway Foundation historictoxaway.org P 180

Historic Toxaway Market historictoxawaymarket.com P 180

HM Beauty P 92

Hot Springs Pools & Spas P 237

Hummingbird Lounge oldedwardsinn.com P 260

ID.ology Interiors & Design idologydesign.com P 67

Jack’s Upholstery P 204, 223

Jackson Hole Gem Mine jacksonholegemmine.com P 72, 85

Jannie Bean janniebeandesigns.com P 43

Jeanie Edwards Fine Art jedwardsfineart.com P 105

Jennings Builders Supply jbwnc.com P 227

Joan Anderson Interiors joanandersoninteriors.com P 71

John Cleaveland Realty jcrealty.com P 205

John Grove Music johngrovemusic.com P 86

Josephine’s Emporium P 223, 226

Katherine McClure katherine-mcclure.com P 113

The Kitchen thekitchenofhighlands.com P 134

Lake Toxaway Company laketoxaway.com P 183

Lakeside Restaurant lakesiderestaurant.info P 139

Landmark Realty Group landmarkrg.com P 62, 63, 223

Las Margaritas P 149

Laura Moser Art lauramoserart.com P 5

Lehotsky & Sons lehotskyandsons.com P 222, 230

Lenz Gifts & Luxury Linens P 233

Leslie Jeffery lesliejeffery.art P 110

Living Stone Design + Build livingstonedesignbuild.com P 68, 69

Longcliff longcliff.com P 182

The Look Boutique P 21

Los Vaqueros P 140

Lulu & You P 92

Lulu Bleu P 92

Lupoli Construction lupoliconstruction.com P 42

Magliocca’s Ristorante maglioccas.com P 143

Main Street Gifts P 36

Meraki Escapes merakiescape.com

Sashay Around

The Secret Garden

Shiraz Rug Galleries shirazruggalleries.com

Sky Valley Country Club skyvalleycountryclub.com

Slabtown Pizza slabtownpizza.com

Sotheby’s International Realty

Southern Way

Spoiled Rotten spoiledrotten2.com

Spraggins Home Inspections spragginshi.com

The Stillwater Group, LLC thestillwatergroup.net

Stork’s Wrap, Pack & Ship

193

Tarah’s Beauty Bar

Ugly Dog Pub - Highlands theuglydogpub.com P 144