Woolly Worm GAZETTE 41ST
2018
ANNUAL
The Official Guide to o the Woolly W Wor W Worm rm FFestival estival
• Vendors List and Map • Festival Gives to Community • By the Numbers • Training a Champion Woolly Worm
A Special Publication to
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THE MOUNTAIN TIMES - B • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018
INTRODUCTION
Woolly, wriggling, wacers warn of weather BY JAMIE SHELL editor@averyjournal.com
W
ooly, wandering, two-toned worms are wiggling their way out of the woodwork all over the High Country to warn us of winter weather. The time has arrived for another Woolly Worm Festival, named this past year as “The Official Woolly Worm Festival of North Carolina.” The festival, which has been going strong in the High Country since 1978, has transcended its local, small town roots and firmly planted itself, much like worms on a string, upon the national stage. Festival co-founder Jim Morton, who spent his first autumn in the area in 1973, was enamored by the local legend of the woolly worm as a weather forecaster. According to folklore, the 13 segments of a woolly worm correspond with the 13 weeks of winter. Black segments are said to indicate severe weather, while orange or brown segments are indicative of milder weeks. Morton put the worm to work in Banner Elk when he, along with a group of local merchants, was tasked to find an annual event to bring to the area. While Morton had faith in the little worm’s accuracy, not all worms tell the same story. Some of the High Country’s woolliest denizens warned of severe winter weather with their solid black coats. Other, perhaps more optimistic worms in the same area would have more brown on their backs, indicating that the winter would be mild. While all the worms were woolly, not all the the worms could be right, so Morton set out to find only the best wormy weathermen by means of a race, of course. It stands to reason, at least to all of those learned in worm lore, that the fastest, most fit woollies will
Look what
FILE PHOTO Posing with mascot Merryweather and Tommy Burleson, Joshua Grosser and his worm, Aspen, are joined by his sister Calli, mother Cindi, and father Don as the winner of $1,000 at the 40th Banner Elk Woolly Worm Festival last year.
naturally be the most able forecasters of the weather. So it has been ever since. Woolly worms and their handlers have flocked to Banner Elk every year from all over the world for the chance to win the right to warn the High Country about its upcoming season. Banner Elk’s small population swells during the festival. More than 20,000 people have attended the past few events. People flock from all over the country, and not just to gratify the olympian ambitions of their woolly worms. The Banner Elk festival has something to offer to the whole family. In recent years, more than 140 art and craft vendors have been present at the event. Prospective vendors are juried by the Woolly Worm Festival Committee so that only
the best handmade wares are allowed to be sold. No buy and resell vendors are allowed at the festival. The festival, while now a mega-modern woolly worm event to rival the very woolliest the world has to offer, had humble beginnings. The first Woolly Worm Festival took place at Banner Elk Elementary School on a cold and windy day. The festival organizers discovered through their ground-breaking worm research that woolly worms, like people, aren’t usually too interested in recreational climbing when it is too cold. Unfortunately, it is currently impossible to impress the importance of the race upon the woolly worms who, while they are endowed with certain meteorological abilities, resolutely don’t speak
English. To combat the cold, which typically hasn’t totally taken hold over the High Country by mid-October, handlers have now learned that worms can be motivated by hot air blown through a straw. Woolly worms, many festival attendees are surprised to learn, are not actually worms at all, but are the caterpillar larvae of the Isabella Tiger Moth. The worms, like many Hollywood actors gone wrong, prefer to be known for their adolescent work rather than any perceived grown-up shortcomings (although waking up and finding that you’ve grown wings must be nice). The worms that festivalgoers race in the fall aren’t just adept at predicting the winter, they are also well equipped to survive it.
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Woolly Worms outlast the winter in hibernation. Instead of burrowing deep underground like many animals, they choose to spend the winter closer to the surface, under rocks, fallen foliage or logs. The worms produce a chemical called cryoprotectant that allows their bodies to totally freeze solid with no adverse effects. Some worms are known to survive as many as 14 winters using this method. When it decides it is ready and the spring thaw comes, the worm that stuck itself in the freezer emerges as a moth and spends its newly winged life fluttering around lamps and streetlights remembering the glory days when it was a weather-forecasting festival star. Attempts to found moth festivals have been met
with less success than the ground-based competition. Entering its 41st year, the Banner Elk Woolly Worm Festival will be held in downtown Banner Elk Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 20 and 21. Races will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Saturday’s grand prize winner will go home with $1,000, while Sunday’s races, which are typically smaller, will award a grand prize of $500. Worms can be purchased at the festival for $5, but attendees are also welcome to bring their own worm. Also, no pets are allowed on the festival grounds during the weekend. For more information, call the Avery County Chamber of Commerce at (828) 898-5605 or click to www.woollyworm.com.
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2018 Woolly Worm Festival Committee
Behind the scenes at each Woolly Worm Festival, a hard-working and dedicated committee, made up of Kiwanians and members of the Avery County Chamber of Commerce, works year round to ensure the event’s success. This year’s committee, Pictured top row left to right are Melynda Pepple, Chair Kathy Boone, Kate Gavenus, Nancy Morrison, Mae Weed and Hallie Tucker. Pictured bottom row left to right are Brenda Lyerly, Talia Freeman, Teresa Huffman and Jim Fitzpatrick.
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THE MOUNTAIN TIMES - B • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018
Winter may come and go, but philanthropy is forever BY CARL BLANKENSHIP carl.blankenship@averyjournal.com
T
hese little worms make a big splash for local causes. The Woolly Worm Festival is fun and brings families to the area to enjoy local folklore and an unusual, albeit heated competition, but more the event is a major fundraiser for two groups is the county. The Banner Elk Woolly Worm Festival is the biggest fundraiser for the Banner Elk Kiwanis Club and the Avery County Chamber of Commerce. All of the funds raised, after expenses and startup funds for next year, support projects to help community families and children. Proceeds are divided equally between both organizations. While Kiwanis distributes its portion by awarding grants for good causes, the Chamber uses its funds to promote and support local businesses that benefit the entire county. Kiwanis’ 2018 grants were generated primarily by the Woolly Worm Festival and July 4 Duck Races. The Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk distributed more than $67,000 in 2018, including the following grants: • $22,600 for classroom teacher projects • $9,000 for Reading is Fundamental book distribution • $6,000 Support for local homeless and relief agencies • $10,000 to install new playground equipment in Banner Elk’s Tate-Evans Town Park • $1,000 sponsor the YMCA’s Reindeer Run • $1,000 for the Back to School Bash • $1,500 for the Back Pack Program • $2,000 for Avery County YO! Other grants have been given to support a number of other organizations. All of the the funds raised by Kiwanis are dispensed in the community and the club is funded by member dues.
PHOTO BY JIM SWINKOLA Kiwanian Kathy Boone shared excitement with fourth grader Lillian Bradley-Hendricks at Banner Elk Elementary as Reading Is Fundamental books were made available for student selection. A signature project of the Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk made possible in part through Woolly Worm Festival funding, each elementary student will choose four books in 2018 to add to their personal library.
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B Boone DAR & Mayland College 12x12
A Crossnore Weavers 12x12
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6 Dogwood Petwear 12x12
21 Firefly Glass 12x12
22 Linda Persinger Sewing 12x12
8 Log Cabin Naturals 12x12
Kairos Ar stry 12x12
10 Jacob & Mabry’s Gourmet 12x12
11 Pecan Yummies 12x12
141 & 142
143 Beaudin 12x12
144 LMC May Wildlife 12x12
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146D Marie Lynn Designs 12x12
146C Ray’s Weather 12x12
146B Worley’s Best 12x12
146A Po ng for Fun 12x12
Harry’s Wood Working 12 x 24
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16 Free Reign 12x12
15 Whitson Cra s 12x12
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Stanley’s Produce
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12 Blue Ridge Light 12x12
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95 Fire Fly Cove Needlework 12x12
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108 Treasures Jewelry 12x12
Worm Doctor
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55 Avery Journal 12x12
68 Mallory Candles 12x12
132 Dichroic Glass 12x12
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128 & 129 Face pain ng by Donnie 12X24
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64 Paw Paw Po ery 12x12
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90 Spiral Dyes 12x12
103 Peter Tomlinson 12X12
156 ACHS Key Club Italian Ice 12X12
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37 Alexander Brooms 12X12
54 Ada Art 12x12
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93 Blue Ridge Belts
106 Whimsy’s Toys 12x12
119 DBs Glass 12x12
38 Robert Mar n 12X12
157 3B Concessions 12X16
Air Patrol
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155 Boy Scouts 12X20
115, 116 & 117 Turtle Man Jewelry 12X36
154 Captain Jim Seafood 12X20
88 & 89 Silver & Stones Jewelry 12X24
31 United Healthcare
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Cajun Seaso
Trip & Peggy’s
61 West End Wreaths 12x12
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87 Stonegate Candle Crea ons
30 Champion Windows 12x12
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100 Pops Krea ve Stache 12x12
113 Bounty Hunter Hats 12x12
126 & 127 Colonial Wagon Wheel 12X24
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Carolina West Wireless
4 Cur s Media 12x12
2 Element Tree Essen als 12x12
2B Ashley Bags 12x12 134 Heather Applegate Photography 12x12
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153 Asia Fusion 12X20
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109 Tommy’s Old F. Jerky 12x12
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131 Sister's Act Two Needle work 12x12
149 Paris Fes val 12X16
122, 123 & 124 In the Po er’s Hand 12X36
130 High Ridge Woodworking 12x12
148 Souvenir Shirts 12X20
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Entrance
41st Annual Woolly Worm Fes val October 20-21, 2018 185 Azalea Circle Banner Elk Historic Elementary School
Bridge from BE Town Park
Tickets
Port-AJohns
2018 Woolly Worm Festival Map
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OPEN SPACE
Aun e Ruth’s Doughnuts 12x40
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Interna onal
164 Carolina BBQ 12x20
163 Roops Imbiss 12x16
162 Homestead Creamery 12x20
161 That’s A Wrap 12x16
160 Rainbow Rosters 12x16
159 Alf’s Ke le Corn & Co on Candy 12x20
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Stories Funnel Cakes
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6 THE MOUNTAIN TIMES - B • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018
INFLATABLES TRAMPOLINE
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THE MOUNTAIN TIMES - B • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018
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2018 Woolly Worm Festival Vendor List BOOTH # CRAFT VENDORS 114 3 Came Home 54 Ada Art 27, 28 Adoughables 37 Alexander Brooms 101 & 102 Americamanta O Appalachian Shed 2B Ashley Bags 81 & 82 Avery Farms 55 Avery Journal 138, 139 Backyard Log Furniture 53 Bath Fitter 66 Bearabows 19 Bear’s Den Inc 143 Beaudin 18 Beech Mountain Beekeeping 78, 79 Beelite Candles 20 Bigbry Pottery 91 Bill Lyons Woodworking 92 Black Pug Pottery 125 Bloomin’ Plates 110 Blowing Rock Creations 93 Blue Ridge Belt 12 Blue Ridge Light 113 Bounty Hunter Hats 46 Butterfly Effect 43 Carolina Crayon Box 135 Carolina West Wireless 30 Champion Windows 42 Coffey Bird Houses 126, 127 Colonial Wagon and Wheel Two 86 Curlinator Designs 4 Curtis Media 70, 71 D&M Creative Designs 7 Darlene’s Sewing Garden 51 Datil Sensation 119 DB’s Glass Shack 96 Designs by Lynell
132 Dichroic Glass Art 23, 24, 25 Dick Crowder Artworks 6 Dogwood Petwear 120 & 121 Elder Apples 2 Element Tree Essentials 128 & 129 Face Painting by Donnie 56 Fake a Face Painting 44 Famous Fat Fannies Fudge 95 Fire Fly Cove Creations 21 Fire Fly Recycled Glass 62 Flo Totes 16 Free Reign Farm LLC 45 Front Porch Soap 1 B Girlbage 94 Goosey Meadow & Co. 145 & 146 Harry’s Woodworking 134 Heather Applegate Photography 130 High Ridge Woodworking of Deep Gap 97 Himalayan Artisans Co. 85 Holston Mountain Hat Project 59 Horse Creek Leather Works 122, 123, 124 In the Potters Hand 10 Jacob & Mabry’s Gourmet Cotton Candy 50 Jasper Lee Soapworks LLC 47 Jelisa Folk Collective 133 Jeri’s Jewels 69 Jewelry Desings by Heidi Cline 80 Jolin Jewels 49 Just Rings 9 Kairos Artistry 98, 99 Keeping Faith Wood-
crafts 140 Kimbery Allynne Designs 22 Linda Persinger Sewing 8 Log Cabin Naturals 68 Mallory Candles Co 146 D Marie Lynn Designs 63 Mark and Amy Woodturning 141, 142 Mason’s Forge 144 May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center 83 & 84 McNeill’s Pottery 57 Moonglow Fine Woodcrafts 67 Mountain Hollow Crafts 74 Mountain Momma Organics 1 Mountain Pride Crafts 58 My Mountain Flower 29 Ocean Breeze Naturals (Unique & Creative Gifts- 2017) 77 Ocean Palms Jewelry 32 Old House Pottery 33 Old Sarges Jerky 5 Palm Tree Pottery 64 Paw Paw Pottery 11 Pecan Yummies 103 Peter Tomlinson Photography 100 Pops Kreative Stache 146 A Potting for Fun 112 Pursonalities Plus 146C Ray’s Weather 75 Redbird Photo Gallery 118 Redeemed Woodworks 38 Robert Martin 136, 137 Robin Goodwin Crafts 52 Robin Lee Essentials 17 Santa’s Bag 73 Seasons to Sew 72 Silly Willy Caricatures 88, 89 Silver and Stones Jewelry 131 Sisters Act Two
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34 & 35 Smith Enterprises 90 Spiral Dyes 13 & 14 Stanley’s Produce 60 Stoned Beautiful Jewelry 36 Stonedreamer 87 Stonegate Candle Creations 3 Tar Heel Basement Systems 26 The Nut House 109 Tommy’s Old Fashion Jerky 108 Treasures 48 Trip and Peggy’s Cajun Seasoning 115,116,117 Turtle Old Man Jewelry 31 United Healthcare 105 Verizon (Russell Cellular) 111 Vintage Treasures 104 We Do Re-Do 65 Wentz & Co. Designs 61 West End Wreaths 106 Whimsy Children’s Toys 15 Whitson Crafts 107 Woolly Worms & Stuff 146 B Worley’s Best 76 Write ON!
BOOTH # NONPROFITS I Avery Chamber & Volunteers F Avery County Law Enforcement Chaplain C Avery Humane Society N Banner Elk Seventh Day Adventist Church J/shared Beech Mountain TDA A Crossnore Weavers B Daniel Boone Chapter (DAR) Daughters of Am. Rev. D Democratic Party of Avery Co. E High Country Audubon
Society J/shared High Country Charitable Foundation H High Country Breast Cancer Foundation Inc M Lees-McRae Student Nursing Association G Marsy’s Law for NC L Mayland College – Life Skills K Town of Banner Elk
BOOTH # FOOD VENDORS 157 3B Concessions 159 Alf’s Kettle Korn 153 Asia Fusion Elite 166 Auntie Ruth’s Doughnuts – SATURDAY ONLY 156 Avery High Key Club 155 Boy Scouts Troop 807 & Girl Scouts 154 Captain Jim’s Seafood 164 Carolina BBQ Inc 162 Homestead Creamery 165 International Grill 149 Paris Festival 160 Rainbow Roasters 152 Rock Star Grille 163 Roops Inbiss 151 Southland Concessions 148 Souvenir Shirts 150 Steak Boys Inc 158 Storie’s Funnel Cakes 161 That’s A Wrap Civil Air Patrol
AMUSEMENTS Banner Elk Mini Golf Bouncin Kids LLC Flexflying Inc Woolly Worms — PTO
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THE MOUNTAIN TIMES - B • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018
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By the numbers BY LOGAN PARKS logan.parks@averyjournal.com
W
hile you’re at the Banner Elk Woolly Worm Festival, it might help to have some useful information to chat about among friends. Here are some helpful numbers you can use to show off your woolly worm knowledge. 1 — Grand prize for the first-place winner on Saturday, Oct. 20, is $1,000. That’s a lot of money, so you better have trained that woolly worm well. 2 — Chances to win. Not to worry, if you can’t make it on Saturday, another tournament will be held on Sunday, Oct. 21, with a grand prize of $500 for the first-place winner. 3 — Feet, in length, of the rope woolly worms have to climb in order to claim the
prestigious champion title. 4 — The price of admission in dollars for children age 6 to 12. 5 — Children under the age of five are admitted to the festival free. 6 — The price of admission for adults is $6. 25 — The number of woolly worms to race in each heat, starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20. 41 — This year marks the 41st annual Woolly Worm Festival. Will your woolly worm go down in history as a racing champion? 20,000 — The estimated number of people who attended last year’s festival. That’s a lot, right? (828) 898-5605 — For more information regarding the Woolly Worm Festival, call this number, or click to www.woollyworm. com.
FILE PHOTO Competitors prepare to place their worms on the string to begin a race at the annual Woolly Worm Festival.
How to twain your woolly worm BY LOGAN PARKS logan.parks@averyjournal.com
I
magine 12 weeks of grueling, non-stop training from sunrise to sunset. In your ear, the ceaseless shouting of commands is deafening to the point that you hear it in your dreams. Ahead, there’s yet another obstacle for you to overcome. You reach the rope, and with what little strength you have left, you climb to the top and over to the other side. Still, the shouting continues. It never ends. Now, you might be thinking, “Is this what woolly worms really have to go through before competing?” The answer — absolutely not. The U.S. military may have to go through that sort of extensive training, but woolly worms get a much more leisurely experience when preparing for the most important moment in their lives. If there were ever to be a similarity between the two, there is at least a certain structure that needs to be followed for the both of them.
Believe it or not, a champion woolly worm most likely undergoes a simple, yet effective five-step training process in order to become a worthy contender. CLIMB refers to this tried-and-true method for perfecting the woolly worm training experience. The acronym denotes five different exercises that hone the skills of your woolly worm. The first? Well, like the acronym says — Climb. Of all things a woolly worm must be proficient at, climbing is undoubtedly the most important. A welltrained woolly worm has to be able to climb in its sleep. The rope at the festival may only be three feet in length, but to a woolly worm, it might as well be a marathon. If you and your woolly worm want to earn the prestigious title of champion, as well as the $1,000 prize, climbing has to be the No. 1 priority. Next in the CLIMB training method is Love. That’s right. Screaming and shouting will get you and your woolly worm nowhere close to the top of that rope. That doesn’t mean you have to go easy on your woolly worm, but a positive attitude goes
a long way in these kinds of high-stakes situations. Besides climbing, the next letter in the acronym is just as important when training your woolly worm — Initiative. Your woolly worm must have a burning desire to earn the victory. It may be racing for you, but at the end of the day, it also needs to be racing for itself. Character building is essential in order for your woolly worm to take initiative and have its name forever remembered by all future champions. Things don’t always go according to plan. Some-
times, your woolly worm just won’t want to climb. Maybe the pressure is too much, or maybe it never really even wanted to compete at this level. If that’s the case, the fourth exercise in the CLIMB training method might come in handy — Moves. Some woolly worms have one mission and one mission only: To get to the top of that rope no matter what. Others, though, appreciate the finer things in life. Things like art, beauty, dance or music. For these woolly worms, they might stop halfway up the rope to catch the view.
They might take advantage of the spotlight and show off their dance moves. If that’s the case, all you can do is encourage these moves, but just make sure they keep dancing their way to the top of the rope. The final element to take note of when training your woolly worm is something that appeals to the crowd in a much deeper way. Any woolly worm can climb a rope, but what really gets the crowd’s attention is why the woolly worm is climbing. The final letter in CLIMB refers to “Back story.”
If you can win the crowd over with your woolly worm’s back story, you might as well have already won the race. All of history’s greatest champions have a story that touches the hearts of anyone who hears it. These stories tell of their upbringing and their purpose. If you can determine why your woolly worm is climbing, you’ll be one tiny step ahead of the rest. So if things aren’t looking up for you and your woolly worm as we approach this year’s festival, just remember all you need to do is CLIMB.
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A Store from Days Gone By Bee Keeping Supplies • Wood Stoves Eden Pure • Electric & Kerosene Heaters Snow Sleds • Shovels • Ice Melt Rob Brinkley Steve Brinkley
828.733.2107 Downtown Elk Park
Mike Davis David Turner Rick Winters
Make Time for What Matters Most Our 6th generation family farm makes farm-fresh cheese on site from our own happy dairy cows. 828-756-8166 • Fri-Sat, 10am-6pm, Year-Round 19456 US 221 N. • Marion, NC 28752 (0.5 miles south of Linville Caverns)
www.gemmountain.com 13780 Highway 226 South Spruce Pine, NC (888) 817-5829
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THE MOUNTAIN TIMES - B • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018
Whether it’s just the two of you or the whole family, Foscoe Rentals has something for everyone; from hot tubs, pool tables, and views to pet-friendly homes. Let us help you enjoy the High Country! Cabin, Condos, and Vacation Homes 1.800.723.7341 / 828.963.8142 www.FoscoeRentals.com
Less than 15 minutes to Banner Elk!