Smoky Mountain Living, February 2017

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING

ADAM-AND-EVE ORCHID | A STRAIGHT SHOOTER | ROOT VEGETABLE PIE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017

Celebrating Southern Appalachians THE

CHANGE UP YOUR PERSPECTIVE | FROM BOOKS TO ROBOTS | WINTER VEGETABLE PIE | FRANKLIN, N.C.

AERIAL ADVENTURES Ziplines, Hang Gliders, Tree Climbers, Trapeze Teachers, Skydivers, & More

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017 • VOL. 17 • NO. 1

‘Serafina’ Daughters Mill Metal Into Robots Labors of Love Change Lives Come Home to Queens Creek Lake

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Contents

FEATU RE STO RIES

CHANGE UP YOUR PERSPECTIVE Eleven high-flying adventures to give you a new perspective on the beauty and excitement of the mountains. Adrenaline junkies will love the 900-foot Predator zipline. For those who have always dreamed of running away with the circus, CirqueFit is a good start. If climbing is your thing, High Gravity Adventures has just the fix.

BY SAM BOYKIN

PAGE

48

FROM BOOKS TO ROBOTS You’ve probably heard of the Serafina book series by Asheville, N.C., author Robert Beatty. But you probably didn’t know that his daughters, Camille and Genevieve Beatty, are using their minds to mill metal into stunning creations.

BY MARLA HARDEE MILLING

PAGE

60

LABORS OF LOVE From chocolate in Tennessee that helps abused children to a café in North Carolina that gives abused women a new start in life, the mountains are full of businesses that put community and people above profit.

BY JO HARRIS & BECKY JOHNSON

PAGE

66

Contents

DEPA RTME N TS

SWEET APPALACHIA

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

Comforts for the mountain soul—Meet the Angel of Brasstown and get acquainted or maybe reacquainted with a true mountain storyteller in a new book about John Parris. Plus: Cobras in the garden and curried winter vegetable pie.

MOUNTAIN EXPLORER

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Take a trip to the “Trout Capital of Georgia” and come home to Queens Creek Lake. Spring is coming and there’s plenty to do in the mountains. While you’re here, get a taste of the Philippines in Franklin, N.C., and look out for a hint of green along the trail with the Adam-and-Eve orchid.

FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

AT THE PARK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ON THE COVER True to its name, Navitat offers a unique way to navigate the forest habitat.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NAVITAT CANOPY ADVENTURES

Good Living 4

MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CONNECT WITH US. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PHOTO ESSAY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

STORY: HALOS IN THE DARKROOM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7 8 9 10 12 72

Southern Appalachian Mountains Gallery Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Select Lodging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

ÁA ÁA & "A ÎA "A ÎA A A A Visit us for a ÀkyÀkÄ ÀkkyyÀÀkkÄÄ change of pace and a relaxing atmosphere e where you can enjoy the t simple pleasures of our ÎÀÀAA µµØØ mounttains. ÎÀA µØ Come to a place where OkAØÎ yØ OkkAAØØÎÎ yyØØ ÌÄY ÄYkk kkÀÀåå ÄYk kÀ history y and Southern hospitality are a way of life.

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SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR Community

VOL. 17 • NUMBER 1 Publisher/Editor. . . . . . . . . . . Scott McLeod scott@smliv.com General Manager. . . . . . . . . Greg Boothroyd ads@smliv.com Sales Manager. . . . . . . . . . . Hylah Birenbaum hylah@smliv.com Managing Editor. . . . . . . . . . Jon Ostendorff editor@smliv.com Art Director. . . . . . . . . . . Travis Bumgardner travis@smliv.com Graphics. . . . . . . Micah McClure, Emily Moss Finance & Admin.. . . . . . Amanda Singletary Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Greg Boothroyd, Whitney Burton, Amanda Bradley Distribution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Collier Contributing Writers. . . . . . . . Sam Boykin, Bob Borgwat, Jim Casada, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Ashley English, Linda Goodman, Jo Harris, Don Hendershot, Beth Henderson, Becky Johnson, Holly Kays, Marla Hardee Milling, Jeff Minick, Greg W. Passmore, Fred Sauceman, Chris Smith, Cory Vaillancourt Contributing Photographers. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tim Barnwell, Terri Campbell, Jim Casada, Max Cooper, Margaret Hester, Becky Johnson, Mary Meiners, Margie Metz, Marla Hardee Milling, Carey Pace, Golman Passmore, Greg Passmore, Gary Pinholster, Meg Reilley, Mark Roberts, Fred Sauceman, Cory Vaillancourt, Bonnie Waigand Contributing Illustrators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Smoky Mountain Living assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Queries should be sent to Katie Knorovsky at katie@smliv.com. ©2017. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reprinted without the express, written consent of the publisher.

I remember sitting in a suburban bureau of the Charlotte Observer as a young reporter.

Deadline had passed. All the stories and photographs were in.

In a matter of hours, the first edition would hit the streets.

It was an exciting gig for someone fresh out of college. Good pay. Great training. The Observer was a big deal back then. You walked by the Pulitzer in the paper’s lobby when you worked downtown.

But as the bureau staff jumped in their cars for the long commute home, I stayed a little later and set my sights on another future.

My time in the flatter part of North Carolina made me miss mountain summer nights, winter snow and hopping on my favorite trail anytime I wanted.

That was nearly 20 years ago. I was lucky to get a writing job with the Asheville Citizen-Times back then.

I’ve been blessed to spend the time since telling the stories of mountain people and places.

As managing editor of Smoky Mountain Living, I intend to be your guide to those stories and storytellers.

In this issue, you’ll find a preview of a book that revives the late John Parris’ Roaming the Mountains newspaper columns. Parris is a true mountain storyteller and lived a fascinating life. He was born in Sylva, North Carolina, and covered stories from Europe to Manhattan. But he always longed to be back in the mountains.

“The grandeur of The Mall in London and the sparkle of the Seine…for him never quite came up to the grandeur of the Nantahala Gorge and the sparkle of the Tuckaseigee River.”

We’ll introduce you to Tipper Pressley, the Angel of Brasstown, with a profile that caught me as soon as I read “All you really need to know is I’m crazy in love with Appalachia.”

Writer Beth Henderson brings us a story about her daddy, Ron Williams, who built the 1800s long rifle on display at Red Clay State Historic Park in Cleveland, Tennessee, with a piece that weaves history and family.

“The time I spent in my daddy’s workshop held object lessons wrapped up like gifts in the packaging of father-daughter time. And that’s a story worth telling.”

On the cover is a feature on a zipline that is sure to get your blood flowing during these cold winter months.

I look forward to bringing you stories worth telling in each edition of Smoky Mountain Living.

Thank you for reading the magazine and please give me a call or send me a note with your ideas and suggestions.

Smoky Mountain Living is published bimonthly (Dec/Jan, Feb/Mar, Apr/May, Jun/Jul, Aug/Sep, Oct/Nov) by SM Living, LLC, 144 Montgomery Street, Waynesville, NC 28786. Periodical Postage paid at Waynesville, N.C., and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: please send address changes to Smoky Mountain Living, PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786.

— Jon Ostendorff, managing editor 828.226.6216 • jon@smliv.com

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AT THE PARK Community

The Science of Place B Y H O L LY K AY S

B

efore the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were marked, millennia of Cherokee people forged ways of thought and life against their contours.

These days, the park is working to bring the culture of the region’s original inhabitants to the forefront of its education programs through an endeavor called Seeking Paths in Nature.

“We want them (students) to see the influence of the Cherokee in what’s happening today,” said Susan Sachs, education coordinator for the park’s Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center. “A lot of the Cherokee stories are really just beautiful science observations.”

The Seeking Paths in Nature program is in its third year of funding through a Cherokee Preservation Foundation grant obtained

by Friends of the Smokies, but thus far its reach has been mostly limited to middle-schoolers in Cherokee, most of whom are members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. However, this year’s grant award of $102,500 aims to bring the program to middle school students throughout North Carolina’s seven westernmost counties.

The effort to integrate Cherokee culture into environmental education programming has also drawn nearly $30,000 from the National Environmental Education Foundation, which will help bring the program to high school students.

“Place-based education can make all the difference, and this is a place that has been specifically Cherokee for thousands and thousands of years,” said Jessica Metz-Bugg, who was the Seeking

8

Paths in Nature coordinator until taking a position last year at the New Kituwah Academy Cherokee immersion school.

The existing middle-school curriculum includes field trips as well as pre- and post-trip segments for teachers to do in their classrooms. The lessons—developed by a team of teachers, tribal members and park service staff—aim to integrate elements of Cherokee culture and history into hands-on, cross-curricular activities.

For example, said MetzBugg, in Cherokee there’s a mound called Kituwah, which means “mother town.” Archeology shows that the mound is made up of layers and layers of old tribal councilhouses.

Similarly, a field trip that gets kids searching for salamanders includes the Cherokee story about how the salamander got its legs, and when students learn about different soil types they also get a lesson in how the varA Cherokee Middle School student ious types were used as dyes or finds a bright-colored friend during paints. a monarch tagging field trip.

“They are very interdiscipliNPS PHOTO nary,” Sachs said of the lessons.

“It’s meant to be more than just a science or a cultural lesson.”

But when it comes to science itself, the Cherokee perspective is vital.

Western science can be more about fitting things into linear timetables, while the Cherokee view operates more on interconnected cycles.

“Real life is messy and there is overlap and there are cycles upon cycles upon cycles,” Metz-Bugg said. “Those are things that have been understood by the original inhabitants of this continent for a really long time.” www.seekingpathsinnature.org.

TOPO MAP REVISION DETAILS THE SMOKIES

aims to include all National Scenic Trails in its maps, including the Appalachian Trail. store.usgs.gov.

New—and free—U.S. topography maps are out, and they show the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in more detail than ever before. For the first time, trails, campgrounds, visitor centers, boundaries and other visitor information will be displayed to aid in navigation.

The maps were last updated in 2013, with the nationwide U.S. Topo map improvement program nearing the end of its third 3-year cycle. The new maps show six trailhead symbols, two picnic areas, several trails systems and a road that were absent from the 2013 maps. They also include expanded road data, wetlands layers, high-resolution waterways and segments of the Appalachian Trail. Eventually, the USGS

TRIBE AND PARK WORK TO FORGE GATHERING AGREEMENT Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians may soon be able to gather plants in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, provided an unfolding planning process between the two entities continues to go smoothly.

In August 2016, a federal rule allowing members of recognized Indian tribes to forge gathering agreements with the National Park Service went into effect, so now the park and tribe must work together to determine how to implement the rule in the Smokies. The goal is to

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

allow tribal members to continue their traditional practices while also protecting the park’s natural resources.

The collaboration seems to be going well, with an August 2016 meeting between park and tribal leaders leading EBCI Principal Chief Patrick Lambert to say that the tribe’s relationship with the park has “strengthened” and Park Superintendent Cassius Cash to comment that the park will “look forward” to working with the tribe toward an agreement Ramps, a member of the onion family, and sochan, also known as the green-headed coneflower, will likely be the focus of this initial gathering agreement. The agreement will require completion of an environmental assessment that delivers a finding of no significant impact. An EA for sochan is expected over the next six to 12 months. http://bit.ly/2cm3j3c.

MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS Community

Sam Boykin

Becky Johnson

Marla Hardee Milling

n this issue of Smoky Mountain Living, Sam Boykin zooms across the forest canopy on the world’s longest continuous zip line. A native of the southeast, the North Carolina writer has spent plenty of time with his head in the clouds. When he’s looking for some airborne fun without being attached to cables and buckles, he heads to a longtime favorite spot—Grandfather Mountain near Linville, North Carolina.

“We used to visit Grandfather when I was a kid, and I loved walking across the old wooden Mile High Swinging Bridge— it was thrilling and a little bit scary,” Boykin says. “They rebuilt the bridge years ago with sturdy galvanized steel, which makes the trek feel a little less adventurous, but the area still provides some of the greatest views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Boykin’s work has appeared in dozens of regional and national publications, including Men’s Journal, Outside, and USA Today.

ith a family lineage that reaches back more than 200 years in East Tennessee, writer Becky Johnson has a deep reverence for all things Appalachian, which was instilled in her at an early age. Visiting the Johnson family home place in Mountain City, Tennessee—a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places—left an indelible mark on her childhood.

So it’s only natural that sense of place shines through her written words.

“Every story I write is an invitation to readers—an invitation to join in the journey and collectively experience the sense of place that makes the Smokies special,” she says. “I loved walking in my ancestors’ footsteps, whether it was sitting on the porch glider helping my great-aunt string beans, feeding the cattle with my great-uncle, or putting on one of my great-grandmother’s poke bonnets to help her gather eggs from the hen house.

She made fast tracks back to the mountains after graduating from UNCChapel Hill with a journalism degree, and found her calling as a local newspaper reporter with The Smoky Mountain News in Waynesville, North Carolina. These days, Johnson writes regularly for Smoky Mountain Living. She is also raising her own children to cherish the landscape and culture of the Smoky Mountains, with camping and downtown festivals among her family’s favorite pastimes.

s a native of Asheville, writer Marla Hardee Milling has interviewed more than her share of eccentrics and folks with surprising stories. In 2015, she wrote the book Only in Asheville: An Eclectic History (Arcadia/The History Press) dedicated to her hometown’s quirks. But that’s not to say she doesn’t still get a thrill when she discovers a plot twist.

While interviewing author Robert Beatty about his popular Serafina novels, set at Biltmore Estate, she was surprised to learn than in addition to his creativity as an author, he harbors an unusual hobby: building robots with his daughters in the family garage. Actually, it’s more than a hobby: The fatherdaughters team has been contracted to build museum-quality robots for businesses all over the globe.

In this issue of Smoky Mountain Living, Milling profiles Beatty and his family’s grassroots robot business. She also has a new book—Legends, Secrets, and Mysteries of Asheville—due out this spring by Arcadia/The History Press.

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CONNECT WITH US Community

HOLLY KAYS PHOTO

You can help

Where hell started

M

ichael Luciano and Anthony Fulton found the fire while riding their ATVS just a few hundred yards from their home in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

It was racing toward a neighbor’s cabin. There had been no warning. And now, there was no time.

They had 90 seconds. Luciano took his father’s ashes and Red, the family Doberman.

They jumped in the truck and floored it down Ski Hill Road as the fire engulfed Chalet Village.

Downed power lines and trees forced them to stop. The only option was to turn around.

“That ended up being where hell started,” Luciano said. “It did not end until we got to the very bottom.”

Luciano and Fulton survived the Chimney Tops 2 fire.

Others did not.

Fourteen people died.

The fire destroyed 1,600 structures after it escaped Great Smoky Mountains National Park and scorched a path through Gatlinburg, leaving a war zone of destruction in its wake. The property damage was more than half a billion dollars.

Two juveniles are charged with arson.

All told, fires in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina last fall, fueled by extreme drought and high winds, burned nearly 90,000 acres. It was the worst fall fire season many had ever seen.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory likened it to California wildfires. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam called the destruction tragic.

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There are plenty of ways those who love the mountains can get involved. y SHARE: Use the iNaturalist smart phone application to record and share observations of plant and animal life with scientists in the Smokies. y DONATE: The Gatlinburg Relief Fund and The My People Fund are helping families. Donate at smartbank.com or dollywoodfoundation.org. y VISIT: Plan a spring trip to the mountains. Businesses were hard hit by the fires, whether through a slow fall season or loss of property. They need your support now more than ever. Call ahead to find out which trails are open in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The total economic impact is hard to figure. Beyond destroyed property, businesses that depend on fall tourism took a big hit as smoke and closed roads and trails kept visitors at home.

The total damage to the environment won’t be known for a long time.

Inspecting miles and miles of backcountry trails in the wintertime is no easy task. Assessments of wildlife and plants are continuing.

Fourteen trails remain closed in the park.

Some of the harder-hit trails—Chimney Tops, Bull Head and Sugarland Mountain—could be closed for quite some time.

Luciano and Fulton made it out of hell that day and into Pigeon Forge.

They stopped at a drugstore. Luciano called his mom.

“She was teared-up,” he says. “She said she prayed for God to put a blanket over the house and over the vehicle. A wet blanket.”

— From a story by Holly Kays in The Smoky Mountain News and reports in the Knoxville News-Sentinel and the Asheville Citizen-Times.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

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11

PHOTO ESSAY

Gary Pinholster View from Mount Mitchell

Community

Late winter always brings hints of milder days ahead. Here our readers share some of their favorite images from across the mountains.

Margie Metz Newfound Gap Road heading north towards Sugarlands

Mary Meiners Sunrise over Mt. Le Conte after Chimney Tops Fire #1

Mark Roberts Upper Bailey Falls in Unicoi County, Tenn.

Mark Roberts Tipton Cabin, Cades Cove

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

PHOTO ESSAY Community

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Anne Bradstreet, Meditations Divine and Moral

Greg W. Passmore The Road to Nowhere

Terri Campbell Sunset on Whitetop Mountain, Va.

E

ach issue of Smoky Mountain Living features photographs taken by our readers. The April/May 2017 issue will highlight short getaways for section hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Send us your photos depicting memorable moments spent in the woods.

Email photos to editor@smliv.com by February 10; include information on where the photo was taken and by whom. Reader-submitted photos are unpaid but may be rewarded with publication in our nationally distributed magazine. Connect with us at smliv.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SmokyMtnLiving.

Mark Roberts Fox kit in Piney Flats, Tenn.

Bonnie Waigand Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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SWEET APPALACHIA COMFORTS FOR THE MOUNTAIN SOUL

SUNDAY BEST From Mike Aday, the librarianarchivist for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: “This image of Alfred Dowdle and his family was taken in 1937 by Joseph Hall at the Dowdle home on Collins Creek. My first thought on seeing this image was that the mother was brave to dress her children in such light colored ‘Sunday’ clothes. It must have been quite a challenge to keep children’s special occasion clothing clean and tidy with nothing more than an iron pot and lye soap. Everyone looks so happy and rather stylish. But my guess is, judging by the paint cans lined up on the porch, that chores would be waiting on them once church was over.”

NPS, GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK PHOTO

THE VIEW FROM HERE Sweet Appalachia

Pie to Warm the Heart and Soul

MEG REILLEY PHOTO

BY ASHLEY ENGLISH

M

y identity hasn’t always been a fixed one. The current guise I sport of “all-natural mountain mama”, comfortably wearing plaid flannel shirts and sturdy work boots without a stitch of makeup on, my gray-streaked hair up in a messy bun, has been honed and adjusted and tweaked for decades before arriving at its modern iteration.

So too with my musical interests, hobbies, and, not least of all, diet. In addition to wearing blue eye shadow, sporting a jet-black head of hair, and exhibiting a fondness for vintage polyester garments in my early 20’s, I also tried on a range of dietary choices.

From ages 20-24, I maintained a vegan diet, eschewing all forms of animal food on my plate and in my glass. Following that, I pursued a macrobiotic diet for one year, consuming abundant amounts of whole grains, legumes, local vegetables, seaweed, rice syrup for sweetening things up, and bidding adieu to eggs, dairy, meat, tropical fruits, nightshade vegetables, coffee, and more. Then came my year of raw vegan eating. So long as it wasn’t cooked or animal derived, I ate it. If I wanted pizza on Friday night, I’d begin sprouting the grains for it on Monday, make them into a dough on Tuesday, and then rest them in a food dehydrator for all of Wednesday and Thursday. The “cheese?” It was made from cashews.

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I wasn’t partaking in these diets willy-nilly, mind you, shifting my preferences and interests like the wind. No, my approach was much more studious and rigorous. I was pursing a degree in nutrition at the time (I currently hold bachelor’s degrees in both nutrition and sociology), and wanted to have first-hand, anecdotal experiences for the diets I was reading about in my course textbooks.

The winter of that raw diet, though, is what ultimately turned the tide for me and my dietary dabbling, setting the scene for the way I currently eat, live, and look.

For several years, I lived on a homestead in Weaverville, North Carolina, belonging to a large family. Three generations resided across the property, alongside a family-owned and operated business, an office, several large gardens, and a few ancillary buildings. The home I lived in was built over the course of a decade by one of the family members, using timber sourced exclusively from the property. Everything inside and outside of the home was fashioned from wood, including the floors, walls, and ceiling. A creek flowed directly underneath the house, and could be heard babbling and gurgling year round. Our heat came from a centrally placed wood stove and our water from a well on the property.

While everything about our lodging was natural and of the local environment, our diet that raw-food winter couldn’t have been any

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

What I wanted

that winter in Weaverville weren’t raw root vegetables.

No, I wanted tubers and taproots caramelized from high heat and slow roasting.

Curried Winter Vegetable Pie Recipe from A Year of Pies: A Seasonal Tour of Homebaked Pies by Ashley English, Lark Books, 2010. This pie is equally delicious served hot or cold.

Makes a lovely lunch or a comforting dinner. Makes: 6-8 servings.

YOU WILL NEED ½ recipe Basic Pie Dough (recipe follows) FILLING: 1 pound yellow potato (such as Yukon gold), peeled and cubed 1 pound celeriac, peeled and cubed 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cubed 4 eggs, separated 1 cup heavy cream 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 teaspoon curry powder 1 teaspoon garam masala* EGG WASH: 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon water

TO MAKE Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. PREPARE THE CRUST: Roll out one disk of dough into a 12inch circle and fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the crust overhang to 1-inch and crimp the edges decoratively.

Place in the refrigerator.

PREPARE THE FILLING: Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add the potatoes and

celeriac, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the parsnips and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Drain the vegetables and place in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy (beating the whites and yolks separately imparts of bit of lightness into the final pie).

Using a potato masher or large spoon, mash the cooked vegetables with the cream, butter, egg yolks and whites, salt, curry powder and garam masala.

ASSEMBLE THE PIE: Pour the filling mixture into the chilled crust.

Whisk the egg yolk and water in a small bowl, then use a pastry brush to brush the wash over the edges of the crust.

Set the pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 45 minutes, until the center of the pie is firm. Cool before slicing. *An aromatic multi-use spice blend, garam masala is native to northern Indian cuisine. Although the specific combination varies from region to region within India, most garam masalas typically include some blend of peppercorns, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg, star anise, coriander seeds, cloves, mace, and Malabar leaves.

Look for garam masala at foreign and natural foods stores or from online retailers. You can also simply substitute an equal amount of curry powder.

less so. As flurries fell and icicles formed on the roof line, we ate young coconuts and avocadoes by the case. We literally had a standing order at a foreign foods store in Asheville. We crunched on lettuces and cucumbers grown in hot houses far, far from the mountains of western North Carolina. One of those frosty mornings, while eating some tepid soaked oats (not cooked, mind you, but soaked overnight in cold water), a deep and abiding craving arose in me. I wanted not only to feel warm externally, but internally, as well. I wanted foods that were both warm and warming. I wanted curries, and roasts, and savory pies, and, more than anything, I wanted root vegetables.

The Smoky Mountain region has a long, and storied, history of root cellaring. Homesteads frequently possessed a log-built home, barn, blacksmith shop, springhouse, root cellar, corn crib, chicken house, hog pen, and smokehouse, according to historian George Ellison. Cabbage, potatoes, apples, beverages, and root vegetables

Basic Pie Dough Yield: 2 pie dough disks.

YOU WILL NEED 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 ¼ teaspoons salt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, chilled and cubed ¾ cup ice water

TO MAKE Mix the flour and salt together in a medium-large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two forks incorporate the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (you should still have rather large bits of butter when you’re done).

Slowly drizzle in the ice water. Stir with a mixing spoon until the dough starts to clump.

Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface, and fold it together into itself using your hands. The dough should come together easily but should not feel overly sticky.

Cut the dough in half and shape into two balls. Wrap each dough ball in cellophane and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Proceed according to the recipe instructions. Alternately, store the dough disks in an airtight container or zippered freezer bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months (you’ll need to move the dough out of the freezer and into the refrigerator 24 hours before you plan to use it).

aplenty were stored away at the end of the growing season and consumed all winter and early spring-long, until the ground could again be worked. While the advent of electricity and home refrigeration largely circumvented the need for root cellaring, the low-fi preservation method still has its perks (fantastic if the power goes out) and its fans.

What I wanted that winter in Weaverville weren’t raw root vegetables. No, I wanted tubers and taproots caramelized from high heat and slow roasting. I wanted mashes and purees and hot, robust soups. I wanted foods that warmed my very heart and soul. This Curried Winter Vegetable Pie would’ve scratched that itch and then some. Savory, hearty, and warming, it’s just the thing you’ll want to slice into when the mercury plummets and the clouds grow heavy and grey. My diet, and overall aesthetic, may have altered tremendously in the ensuing decades but my commitment to delicious foods and an authentic sense of self have never waivered.

WWW.SMLIV.COM

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ROOTS

Asparagus and Rhubarb are two perennials with similar growing styles. You can buy live crowns at this time of the year. Both grow edible stalks. These types of crops benefit from a few years of resisting temptation while the crowns become established and strong, but after that you’ll be harvesting asparagus and rhubarb for decades.

Horseradish and Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes) are two perennials that grow prolifically (perhaps invasively) from rhizomes, so plant these crops somewhere that is naturally contained. Having your own horseradish allows you to harvest young leaves in the spring and the root in the fall—pickle it, grate it, or make homemade horseradish sauce. Sunchokes are a perennial sunflower that grow small potato-like tubers. They are good roasted or in soups.

You’ll certainly get enough to experiment with.

Sweet Appalachia

SOW TRUE SEED PHOTO

Pick Perennials

C

hris Smith, the community coordinator of Sow True Seed— an Asheville-based company that specializes in open-pollinated, heirloom, and organic seeds—answers gardening questions in each issue of Smoky Mountain Living.

I hear a lot about perennial based food systems, but all perennials seem to be herbs or fruit. What perennial vegetables can I incorporate into my garden plan?

I’m glad the word about perennial based food systems is getting out. For those who don’t know, perennials will regrow from an established root system every year. By incorporating more edible perennials into your garden, you can reduce the need for tilling, sowing and starting seeds, and the challenges of caring for young plants. Perennials also tend to be more resilient to climatic variances.

Many people think of herbs and fruit (and flowers) when they think about perennials. But what about vegetables?

There are actually a wide range of perennial vegetables, some more common than others.

Sorrel and Sochan are two perennial greens that I have established in my garden. There are multiple varieties of sorrel available, including large green leaves and red veined or ‘blood’ sorrel. Sorrel has a delicious tangy flavor that goes well with eggs and adds depth to salads. Sochan is a Rudbeckia and closely related to the other coneflowers, but this one grows an edible and tasty leaf that was prized by the Cherokee.

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I cook with onions all the time, but really struggle to grow them. Can you help?

Onions do have a reputation for being a difficult crop to grow, but they are actually quite easy if you choose the right variety and plant at the right time.

An onion‘s desire to ‘bulb-up’ is triggered by daylight length. An onion’s desire to ‘die-back’ and get a crispy skin (for harvest) is triggered by heat. The aim is to have an onion bulb-up before it gets too hot. The South has shorter daylight hours and summer weather arrives very quickly, so find short-day varieties that will bulb-up more quickly. Seed packets should list this with the variety information.

Next, determine your growing method.

Sets: The easiest way to grow onions, but with the least amount of variety options. Onion sets are basically immature bulbs that have been forced to go dormant.

When you plant them in spring they start growing again, which means you’ll have a good chance of getting big fat onions.

Starts: Like buying any type of transplant, these have been grown from seed to the thickness of a pencil, at which point you can buy them in bundles and transplant them around February or March. Now is a great time to be buying and planting starts. They are very easy and get good results.

Seeds: Seeds will always offer you the most varietal diversity, but they do require extra effort. Start seeds inside in flats about 8-10 weeks before your last frost date (check with your local Cooperative Extension Service), once they are pencil thick then you can transplant them to the garden.

Note that onion seeds have notoriously poor longevity, so replace seeds more than a year or two old.

Alternatively, if your winter isn’t too harsh, direct sow seeds in the fall and overwinter (row covers, hoop houses and cold frames can be useful tools) to get early growth and large bulbs the following year.

Special considerations: Spacing of mature plants will depend on the predicted bulb size, so check your variety specific planting instruction. If thinning onion plants then know the tops can be eaten as a tasty green onion, or whole plants pulled as spring onions. Even if you fail to get large bulbs, you’ll always have something tasty and edible. Also research Egyptian Walking Onions and Perennial Onions for easy-to-grow options.

Email your gardening questions to ask@sowtrue.com. Sign up for a free catalog and planting guide at sowtrueseed.com.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

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READING LIST Sweet Appalachia

Mountain Storyteller Revived

BY JEFF MINICK

S

ometimes commendable works of literature go out of print or fade away with the death of their author, only to be rescued and given new life by champions who have loved and admired them.

After her older sister’s death in 1886, Lavinia Dickinson discovered hundreds of Emily’s poems and for 13 years made their publication the aim of her life. Today many critics and readers rank Emily Dickinson among the world’s finest poets. In 1917, the praise of writer Carl Van Doren was key in reviving Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. In 1946, Malcolm Cowley published The Portable Faulkner, a book that saved the early novels of William Faulkner from falling into obscurity. The eccentric—some might say crazy—Thelma Toole badgered Walker Percy into reading A Confederacy Of Dunces, a novel by her deceased son that, thanks to Percy’s support, found a publisher and eventually won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Now Marty and Amy Cherrix, a mother and daughter team and founders of Two Hoots Press, have revived Roaming The Roaming the Mountains with John Parris.

Mountains With John Parris.

Two Hoots Press, Asheville, N.C., 2016.

Readers who remember John 247 pages, $18.99.

Parris, his columns for the Asheville Citizen-Times, and this collection of some of those columns will want to raise a glass to the reissue of this book.

Those unfamiliar with Parris and his sketches of Western North Carolina mountain life are in for a special treat, for here in Roaming The Mountains they will find thumbnail sketches of such personalities as John Sevier, first governor of Tennessee; Old Bill Williams, King of the Mountain Men; and Frankie Silvers, the only woman ever legally hanged in North Carolina. They will read vivid descriptions of “laurel hells” and the beauty of Grandfather Mountain. They will hear the old ballads that still haunt these hills. They will listen, as if around a fireplace in a cabin on a February night when the mountain skies glitter with stars, to ghost stories and the ancient tales of the Cherokee. Here readers

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young and old can visit gristmills and corn shuckings, dip their biscuits into sorghum, eat some yellow-jacket soup, and wash it down with Cherry Bounce.

Born in 1914, John Parris grew up in Sylva, where at the age of 13 he began writing for the local paper. Later he worked as a journalist in Asheville, Raleigh, Manhattan, and Europe. During World War II, he served as a diplomatic correspondent, returned after the war to New York, and covered events at the United Nations. Yet always he dreamed of returning to Sylva and his beloved mountains. As Robert Bunnelle, the original publisher of the book, notes in the “Foreword”, Parris walked with diplomats and kings, yet “the grandeur of The Mall in London and the sparkle of the Seine…for him never quite came up to the grandeur of the Nantahala Gorge and the sparkle of the Tuckaseigee River.”

In 1947 Parris made this dream a reality, when he returned to Sylva, writing his columns for the Citizen-Times and serving as director of public relations for the Cherokee Historical Association.

Despite his many years in journalism in New York and Europe, Parris never lost his ear for the speech and expressions of the mountain people he loved. The dialogue in these columns rings true, and his descriptions of people, places, and events are sharply drawn and enlightening.

Here, for instance, is an old man speaking about his gristmill: “You say you’ve heard that millers don’t like to grind rye or buckwheat? Well, you heard right. And I’ll tell you why. You put a run of rye or buckwheat through your mill and it’ll ruin the taste of the next corn you grind. Rye or buckwheat is mean to clean out of the mill.”

Parris also had the touch of a poet about him. Listen to his words: “Granville Calhoun is a mountain man with tales to tell.

“He is the last of the old time hunters and trappers and guides who ranged the Great Smokies when this was a wild and isolated country.

“He is an encyclopedia of memories….

“The years have made a mellow mask of his face. Wind and rain and sun, and the snows of eighty winters, have etched it into a study

by Rockwell.

“There is a spring in his step and he carries himself tall and straight, a hint of muscles that once were as tough and stringy as the vines of the wild muscadine.

“His eyes are as bright as a dream of tomorrow.”

For 42 years John Parris wrote his columns for the Asheville Citizen-Times. He was the winner of numerous honors, including the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Award and the Laurel Leaf Award of the Appalachian Consortium. He took a close interest in affairs at Western North Carolina University, which in 1998 awarded him an honorary doctorate and which now houses his collection of writings, notes, recordings, and other objects of interest to scholars.

So kudos to Amy and Marty Keener Cherrix for breathing new life into the writings of John Parris. Roaming The Mountains should find a home on the shelf of any reader wishing to know the bygone history and culture of our region and the man who did the roaming to collect that history.

To obtain Roaming The Mountains With John Parris, please call your local bookstore or go online to twohootspress.com and click on the link indiebound.org.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

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LOCAL LORE Sweet Appalachia

A Snake’s Purpose

BY ANNETTE SAUNOOKE CLAPSADDLE

W

hen I was 4 years old I saw a cobra edging out from behind a wooden strawberry barrel in our garden.

Naturally I was certain of what I had seen, despite the fact that I was not even on the same continent as any known, free roaming, cobra and despite the fact that the only cobra I had ever seen was on “Sesame Street.” Or, rather, because of the fact that the only cobra I had ever seen was on “Sesame Street” and, as my parents would later explain, the same episode I had been watching just before I stepped outside to play. To this day, I am still secretly certain of what I saw because it was formed in the most innocent desire to experience the exotic without leaving home. I had magically teleported a piece of “Sesame Street” to our neck of the woods.

These encounters with snakes are often spoken of as spiritual awakenings— as magical. A person might literally lose his life if he infuses the experience with doubt or sin.

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Like many who have been raised inside a notch of the Bible Belt, snakes provide for me a ready allusion to sin, temptation, and our most basic instincts to control our own environments. We are taught early to decipher the poisonous from the benign by their markings and eye shape. While some believe that the only “good snake is a dead snake,” those tending to small farms or even just a drafty home can appreciate a blacksnake’s ability to rid the property of mice and other varmints.

Folk practices tend to complicate the treatment of specific serpent species in our culture. In his novel The World Made Straight, Ron Rash writes, “Some farmers believed killing blacksnakes helped bring rain, but his daddy had always sworn that was nonsense” (Rash 96-97). It seems a snake’s purpose is in the eye of the beholder whether it be a blacksnake, copperhead, or king cobra.

Likely because of this, even cultures that glorify the power of snakes allow for practical warnings in the same breath.

In Cherokee, North Carolina, one of the most prominent peaks is called Rattlesnake Mountain. Such a place name is a clear warning to hikers, and more often hunters, that one must watch where one steps. This ominous peak is also home to stories of strange, unexplained lights dotting the incline, a sure sign of otherworldly occupation. Snakes are, after all, considered by Cherokee tradition capable of harnessing supernatural associations, specifically with the rain and thunder. In this way, Rash’s fictionalized recollection of Appalachian farming beliefs is remarkably in-step with Cherokee stories.

When Highway 19—the road over Soco Mountain—was built, some in Cherokee were reminded of lore that a giant blacksnake would descend from the mountains and signify the decline of the Cherokee. The blacksnake in this instance was the asphalt highway. However, the decline of our civilization is certainly up for interpretation. Similarly, those native peoples in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota have used the blacksnake metaphor as a rallying cry against the construction of the oil-carrying pipeline across sacred lands. The blacksnake becomes no longer a protector of one’s homeland—it is the corruptor of that land.

Even in these instances, the danger only comes into play when the environment is endangered.

This is why Cherokee tradition asserts that one should never kill a rattlesnake unless done in a properly ritualistic manner, otherwise many more unwelcome snakes will visit. Likewise, some mountain churches still practice snake handling, wagering that faith will best earthly sin. These encounters with snakes are often spoken of as spiritual awakenings—as magical. A person might literally lose his life if he infuses the experience with doubt or sin.

I fear no amount of knowledge regarding the majesty of this particular type of reptile will ever change my utter terror when seeing one. Still, a respect remains that these creatures embody such literary, cultural and spiritual significance that one cannot help but revel in their complexity. They are sin. They are spirit. They are danger. They are power.

And, according to my father, the one in our garden was a copperhead—not a king cobra from “Sesame Street.”

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

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PROFILE Sweet Appalachia

The Angel of Brasstown

BY JIM CASADA

F

olks commenting on Tipper Pressley’s daily blog, Blind Pig & The Acorn, often call her the “angel of Brasstown.”

The description’s geographical part is easily explained. She lives in the crossroads community of Brasstown in far southwestern North Carolina, a location best known for the annual New Year’s Eve ‘Possum Drop and John C. Campbell Folk School—a storied bastion of Appalachian Folkways.

Explaining the moniker’s angel part is more demanding and open to multiple interpretations. Among them are an angelic face graced by a permanent smile and an approach to life conjuring recollections of Loweezy’s quote “gooder’n ary angel” in the Snuffy Smith comic strip. She also has a keen interest in crafts such as corn husk angels and decorative paintings depicting angels. But where Pressley really shines in earning earthly angel wings is passionate devotion to celebrating and perpetuating our rich, varied Appalachian heritage. As she puts it in describing her daily blog, which first appeared in 2008, “All you really need to know is I’m

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crazy in love with … Appalachia—the people, the food, the music, the colorful language, the sustainable lifestyle, the soaring mountains, and the deep dark hollers.”

In truth there’s far more to know. She’s a marvelous cook specializing in traditional high country cuisine who teaches classes at the Folk School and in other settings; talented musician whose bass playing helps showcase the singing and instrumental talents of her twin daughters, Corie and Katie, brother Paul, and recently deceased father, Jerry; skilled photographer with an exceptional eye; serious student of mountain history; writer; storyteller; and speaker.

Atop all that she has a full-time job at Tri-County Community College where, among other duties, she manages the college’s website.

Tipper’s interests, invariably attuned to her passion for place, range even wider than her abilities and are daily displayed in Blind Pig & the Acorn (blindpigandtheacorn.com). The blog’s title, taken from an Appalachian adage suggesting that even a blind hog occasionally roots up tasty oak mast, enjoys considerable and growing popularity. Performing a daily balancing act that avoids contentious comments common in many blogs, Pressley educates and entertains while celebrating southern Appalachia’s attributes through a steady flow of noteworthy material. A heartfelt comment from one

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

reader succinctly summarizes what many readers have discovered: “You have done so very much to make me proud of my heritage.”

That pride involves an array of topics, with one of Tipper’s strongest attributes being the ability to infuse almost any subject with immediacy and interest. Another is insatiable curiosity. Vanishing mountain customs, old-time edibles, or some obscure subject once commonplace to those calling the region’s steep ridges and deep valleys home, all form fair game.

Among Pressley’s encyclopedic interests are a number of threads, which run as bright strands through her blog’s entire fabric. One favorite is the monthly “Appalachian Vocabulary Test,” where five words are offered to see if readers know, or use, them.

Another recurring theme is music. Her college-age twins, Katie and Corie (“Chitter” and “Chatter” in the blog), possess ample quantities of the family’s deeply entrenched musical talent, and they now perform regularly at regional church gatherings, fairs, and folk

CDs from various members of this musical clan. Each twin has her own Etsy shop, respectively featuring jewelry and handmade soaps, oils, and balms.

Selfless in promoting mountain heritage, Tipper generously shares links to other Appalachia-related blogs in her “Sit a Spell” section. There are frequent historical posts with coverage ranging from Civil War letters back home to stories underlying popular ballads, from forgotten customs, such as dumb suppers, to Decoration Day or all-day singings. Yet the blog involves more than “pause and ponder” reading material leavened by ear-soothing music.

The blog’s visual impact sometimes stirs the viewer’s soul.

Pressley’s keen photographer’s knack for capturing commonplace scenes from strikingly different perspectives often draws immediate attention. Daily comments from readers provide insight and information. Where responses on many blogs deteriorate into sniping, here there’s a sense of shared passion. Readers feel they are part of

Pressley educates and entertains while celebrating southern Appalachia’s attributes through a steady flow of noteworthy material.

Tipper Pressley with her late father, Jerry Wilson, and twin daughters, Corie Pressley, left, and Katie Pressley, right. JIM CASADA PHOTO

festivals. They play guitar, fiddle, and mandolin while offering exquisite harmony reminiscent of the likes of the Louvin Brothers, or their grandfather and uncle Paul. Tipper’s father, the late Jerry Wilson (“Pap” on the blog) and his brother, Ray, were an acclaimed regional singing duo and recipients of a North Carolina Heritage Award in 1988. Paul is an accomplished guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Readers of Blind Pig & The Acorn can savor scores of selections from the family musical archives while reading the latest blog post.

Given her love of the land, gardening is another prominent theme. Husband Matt (the blog’s “Deer Hunter”), a skilled jackof-all trades, enters the scene doing everything from simple tilling to greenhouse construction. Blog readers actually serve as testers for Asheville heirloom seed company Sow True Seed. From winter’s seed-starting time right through to fall harvest, there are regular updates on everything from herbs to “tommytoes,” cabbage to corn.

Use of crops on the family table and for canning, drying, preserves, and pickles also looms large.

Traditional mountain crafts form another area of prominence on the blog. Periodically some craft projects are covered, and each year near Christmas Tipper offers unique family creations for sale, such as knitted and crocheted items made by her mother (“Granny”) and

an extended family. As a personal example of this togetherness, I’ve obtained candy roaster seeds from fellow Blind Pig fans, received helpful suggestions on troublesome gardening problems, and been reminded of how tasty springtime pigweed (purslane) can be.

Adding a bit of spice to Tipper’s heady literary brew are occasional guest posts. The quality of these varies, but unfailingly they come from the heart and evoke a deep, abiding, love for Appalachia. That affinity for Appalachia, masterfully molded and melded by a true Appalachian angel, forms the essence of Blind Pig & The Acorn.

To date well over 3,000 blog posts devoted exclusively to heralding all that is good and gracious, endearing and enduring, about the mountain way of life have appeared. Quantitatively, only John Parris’ storied “Roaming the Mountains” newspaper column from yesteryear surpasses that figure. Only in her mid-40s, Tipper Pressley likely will give us stories on the glories of Appalachia for many a year and yarn to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jim Casada is a son of the Smokies who has written extensively on his highland homeland and its people. He has a particular interest in distinctive mountain personalities and is currently completing a book, “Profiles in Mountain Character.” To learn more, visit his website, jimcasadaoutdoors.com.

WWW.SMLIV.COM

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MOUNTAIN EXPLORER ROVING THESE HILLS AND VALLEYS

Above: A view of Chimney Tops from Newfound Gap Road near Gatlinburg, Tenn.

TIM BARNWELL PHOTO

G

atlinburg, Tennessee, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, were ravaged by wildfires this fall. One that started near Chimney Tops was spread by high winds and worsened by dry conditions. Scores of structures there were damaged or destroyed in Gatlinburg and 14 people died. The Great Smoky Mountains Association is accepting donations though their website to help the National Park Service and their own employees who lost their homes to the fires.

For my part, in addition to a personal donation, I am going to donate $5 from each retail sale of my new Great Smoky Mountains Vistas book sold on my website in the month of December to them.

So if you are already planning to get a copy, by placing your order on my site youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be helping these folks during this devastating time.

Tim Barnwell Tim Barnwell Photography barnwellphoto.com

OUTLOOKS Mountain Explorer

MAX COOPER PHOTOS

Pedal to the Metal B Y H O L LY K AY S

I

pulled into my parking spot at Tsali Recreation Area with a fair number of nerves in tow. The lot churned with vehicles bearing out-of-state plates, their owners tuning up the bikes they’d brought with them or filling small backpacks with trail provisions.

They, like me, were there as part of the Southern Mountain Bike Summit, being held in nearby Bryson City. But they, unlike me, were actually mountain bikers.

Before that day, I’d been on a mountain bike exactly once in my life, and I didn’t even like it all that much. It was unsettling the way the seat pitched me slightly forward into handlebars that vibrated and rattled across uneven ground. I constantly felt like I was about to fly headfirst into the ether. Mountain biking, I concluded after that brief excursion years ago, was an unduly terrifying way to enjoy the outdoors. I’d since had no problem sticking to solid-ground activities, like hiking.

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But here I was, standing amid a crowd of 100 cyclists, dressed to ride with a snazzy borrowed bike strapped to my car. It was sunny and 70, a Friday, one of those pre-spring March days that is so lovely it just leaves you itching for leaf-out, unable to remain inside while the sun shines. The sunlight had intoxicated me to cover this mountain bike ride the only way possible—from a bicycle seat—for the newspaper where I work as a reporter. That decision landed this mountain biking novice amid a crowd of 100 people who love the sport enough that they’d taken time off work, driven hours, and paid for a hotel so they could spend a weekend hobnobbing with people who treasure it as much as they do.

I was wondering what I’d gotten myself into. I began to ask around, hoping to determine which of these trails would be the least likely to result in death or maiming.

That’s about when a voice rang out bidding all beginners to gather for a group ride. I laughed a bit inside when the leader announced that he’d be riding sweep, making sure nobody in the group lagged behind him. I wondered if he realized just how slow I was going to be. I also wondered if we were going to be riding one of the non-death-and-maiming trails.

But when the talking stopped and the riding started, my mood quickly shifted from apprehension to blissful excitement. The wooded trail whooshed along beneath me, the tread smooth and wide and blessedly absent of giant rocks and drops. Dappled sunlight from between the bare branches above fell on my back, and the scent of a warm, dry forest floor filled my nostrils. This wasn’t

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

hard or scary at all, I rejoiced. This was freedom. I could do this, and I would enjoy it.

Unfortunately, that freeloading downhilling soon ended.

Rocks appeared with increasing frequency, as did root-laden dips and a grueling series of uphills. I was sure it all looked tame to these avid mountain bikers sharing the trail with me, and that was fine for them. I, however, could choose to walk my bike over those more hair-raising sections. And I did—no shame.

Before long, I found myself at the back of the pack. But that was OK. Turned out the guy riding sweep was gloriously patient and helpful, encouraging my struggles uphill and timid approaches to obstacles while dispensing numerous tips that a newbie like me needed to hear. Downshift before the uphill begins. Raise the seat to give more power to each pedal. And, by all means, come back later and ride again.

None of that prevented me from having to pull off the trail a few times, panting like a dog while my heart slowed down its race. Certainly there were moments when I wondered if I was about to lose control, if that bike was seconds away from toppling, with me on it. But what I found myself thinking more than anything is that I now understand why people do this.

Surrounding the trail and the sweat, and the feeling of unity between me and the bike and the air through which we shot, was everything else that I love—trees and sun and rhododendron thickets that made even this pre-spring adventure a green one. It was a good feeling.

When the trailhead came back into view, I was glad, because water and rest had never been more in order. But I was also hopeful that this wouldn’t be just a one-time thing. Next time I showed up at the Tsali trailhead, I thought, excitement—not nervousness—would prevail.

I wondered if the group leader realized just how slow I was going to be. I also wondered if we were going to be riding one of the non-death-and-maiming trails.

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GO WILD Mountain Explorer

The Trout Capital of Georgia CAST YOUR VOTE FOR TROUT FISHING IN FANNIN COUNTY B Y B O B B O R G W AT

F

rom its highland origins to beyond its breach of the powerhouse gates at Blue Ridge Dam, the Toccoa River forms the spine of any trout fisherman’s trek in Fannin County, the “Trout Capital of Georgia.” Every branch, creek and stream in its watershed—and the river, itself—is quality-labeled as “trout water” by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

That’s not to say you’ll find trout everywhere groundwater flows in Fannin County.

But you can fish for trout as close as the city limits of Blue Ridge, the county seat located just 100 miles north of Atlanta and 80 miles east of Chattanooga. Less than three miles from downtown, the Toccoa River spills cold water year-round from Lake Blue Ridge. Tammen Park flanks the river’s west side in the shadow of the powerhouse that harnesses the reservoir’s discharge for power on the federal grid.

Trout are stocked weekly at the site, where bank fishermen soak baits like crickets, red worms, salmon eggs and Berkley’s PowerBait. Fly-fishermen and anglers with spinning tackle wade this first quarter-mile of the tailwater, armed with seasonal fly selections and lure patterns that resemble small baitfish. Others launch drift boats to reach miles more of trout water where it flows through farmland and alongside stunning private homes.

Fifteen miles downstream, the Toccoa River enters Horseshoe Bend Park at the town of McCayesville, which shares the state border with Copperhill, Tennessee. Trout are stocked here, too, on a weekly basis through June. The recreational park setting is perfect for a family outing. Benches, pavilions and a playground shadow rocky shoals and long pools where bait, fly, and spin-tackle anglers find good action in the catch-and-keep setting.

Above Lake Blue Ridge, the Toccoa flows for more than 20 miles from its origin, where Canada and Mauldin creeks converge near the border of Fannin and Union counties. Along its way, the river flows through a patchwork of national forestland where fishermen access the river on foot, by canoe and kayak, at roadside pullouts

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and recreation sites. Rainbow trout, a fish of the shoals and riffles, are the primary species of trout in the Toccoa, but wild brown trout occupy some of the deeper and darker waters of the river where hemlocks and rhododendrons drape shadows over the water.

Perhaps more anglers fish for trout on the upper Toccoa at two sites: Deep Hole National Recreation Area, off Highway 60, and at the Sandy Bottoms Canoe Access Site. Both are maintained by the National Forest Service. Deep Hole features campsites and easy river access to a stocking site where hundreds of trout are seasonally released every other week through June. At Sandy Bottoms, for about a mile’s length, the Toccoa is stocked monthly and managed under “delayed harvest” fishing regulations. From Nov. 1 through May 15, all trout anglers are restricted to using single-hook artificial lures and flies, and all trout must be immediately released unharmed. After May 15, fishing on the riverway reverts to catch-andkeep fishing under all legal methods and regulations associated with trout fishing in Georgia.

For many anglers, the tributaries to the Toccoa River play the most important part of trout fishing in Fannin County. Big Creek, Noontootla Creek, Coopers Creek, Rock Creek and Fightingtown Creek are the largest of these small streams that hold stocked trout, wild trout or both stocked and wild trout. Public access to these

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

streams is scattered across the Chattahoochee National Forest, where graveled roads often run alongside the streams.

In other cases, fly-fishermen often hike short distances to reach areas where lighter fishing pressure promises a more “remote” fishing experience on these streams and their tributaries. Catches include wild rainbow, brown and the colorful indigenous brook trout.

Although they’re not large, the “brookies” hold a special attraction for anglers. Many individual populations of brook trout were wiped out during the widespread logging era of the late 1800s through the mid-1920s. While timbermen knocked down the extensive hardwood forests of the southern Appalachian Mountains, debris and silt choked the streams and the loss of the forest canopy allowed water temperatures to rise. All trout suffer when water temperatures reach more than 70 degrees. Brook trout seek the coldest waters for comfort, food and survival. Years later, as the forest regenerated around many of these streams, fisheries managers replaced the lost brook trout populations with the more hardy rainbow and brown trout. Today, wild brook trout are found only in streams where barrier waterfalls prevent rainbow and brown trout in lower elevation streams from reaching the remote headwaters where they were never introduced.

For more information about trout fishing in Fannin County, see the Reel Angling Adventures website at reelanglingadventures.com, or call the outfitter at 706.838.5259. The Fannin County trout stocking schedule and fishing regulations are available online at georgiawildlife.org or in the 2016 Georgia Sportfishing Regulations booklet.

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Blue Ridge Trout Festival in the Trout Capital of Georgia A celebration of trout fishing and the magic of outdoor living and recreation in the Trout Capital of Georgia centers upon North Georgia when the Blue Ridge Trout Fest & Outdoor Adventures opens April 29, 2017, in Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Local outfitters and fishing guides, fishing gear and tackle reps, kayak liveries, hiking clubs, mountain bikers/cyclists, whitewater outfitters and an impressive list of local experts in all things outdoor gather at the all-day Breakout Marketplace from 9 am to 7 pm, in the downtown city park while live music provides entertainment. Commercial vendors and local shops of outdoor recreation and gear will be on hand to share the latest outdoor products and services. Local fishing guides will share inside information on trout-fishing in the North Georgia mountains, and the Kids’ Korner will feature hands-on, outdoor-oriented activities for young anglers, kayakers and hikers. Food and beverage vendors will be on hand, too, to satisfy every appetite. blueridgetroutfest.com.

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FIELD GUIDE Mountain Explorer

Adam-and-Eve orchid.

The green, green leaves of winter

BY DON HENDERSHOT

N

eed an excuse to hit the woods this winter? How about a green scavenger hunt.

If you’re hiking in the mid-to-low elevations of the Smokies this winter keep your eyes peeled for a splash of green. This may be the best time of the year to find two unique native orchids of the Southeast and Southern Appalachians. The large green, single leaves of Tipularia discolor, cranefly orchid, or Aplectrum hyemale, Adamand-Eve or puttyroot orchid stand out against the gray-brown forest floor making them easy to see. Each species sometimes forms small colonies creating a patch of green leaves.

Puttyroot leafs in late summer and the leaf persists until the plant blooms the following spring. The common name is derived from the thick, sticky fluid that can be obtained from crushing the bulbs. The Adam-and-Eve name is in reference to the fact that the bulb, which produced last year’s growth, and the bulb for the current year’s growth are found together. The single leaf may be as large as 6 inches long and 3 inches wide. The leaf is elliptic in shape, broadest at the middle and tapering to a point at the end. It is dusky-green and heavily veined with silver veins. The botanical term used to describe the leaf is plicate, meaning “folded, as in a fan.”

The cranefly orchid, so-named because the flowers resemble a crane fly, doesn’t produce its leaf until late fall and it persists until the orchid blooms in summer. The cranefly leaf is green above, often blotched with purple and is purple on the underside. The leaf is more round (ovate) than the puttyroot. It may reach a length of 4 inches or so and be nearly 3 inches wide.

Should you find one, or more, of these verdant signposts you should mark the location. The flowers, though lovely, are small and blend in well with the forest floor and if you don’t have a good map you may not be able to find them once the leaves are gone.

The cranefly is the showier of the two. It blooms from July to September. The stalk may be up to a foot tall with dozens of small blooms. The flowers can range in color from greenish-brown, to lemon, to purple all on the same stalk.

The puttyroot blooms earlier, from May to June. The stalk may reach 8 inches or slightly taller with six to 10 individual flowers. Puttyroot flowers are generally greenish at the base and purple towards the tip.

This orchid quest is a good excuse to get out and enjoy your favorite trails this winter.

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SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

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FAVORITE PLACES Mountain Explorer

A Lake at the

Heart of Family B Y G R E G PA S S M O R E

G

randpa Mason used a cane pole without a reel to fish Queens Creek Lake in the early days. One day he landed a 6-pound rainbow trout.

The word got around about that whopper of a fish. One of his neighbors came by wanting to see it, but it was too late — Grandpa already fried it and ate “Big Boy.” The neighbor just could not believe he ate that trophy trout so fast.

I can remember Grandpa Mason telling this story and laughing about the neighbor’s reaction.

Queens Creek Lake is part of a lot of stories in my family.

My great grandmother, Cora McMahan, sold land to the old Nantahala Power Company to build the dam for the lake.

My father grew up there camping and fishing when he was a boy.

My first memory of Queens Creek Lake is from when I was 4 years old visiting family.

I have been visiting the lake all my life with many memories of fishing, swimming, and canoeing.

When I turned 18, I moved back to the mountains where my family is originally from.

I visit Queens Creek Lake to fish and see family every two weeks now.

The lake is a beautiful part of Western North Carolina. Duke Energy owns the lake and it is open to the public year round.

It’s above the well-known Nantahala River, which is a Mecca

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Queens Creek Lake (top). Above: the author’s uncle Danny Mason with a 22-inch trout caught on the lake. GREG PASSMORE PHOTO • GOLMAN PASSMORE PHOTO

for kayakers, canoers, and rafters It has served the local churches through the years for baptisms.

I can just hear some of those songs in my memory, one of them being “Shall We Gather at the River. ” The younger generation of my family is making its own memories with the little lake.

Usually in the evenings of the month of May you can hear the whip-poor-wills sing a tune and the bullfrogs sing the base notes.

At night above the lake you might hear an owl saying “whoo, whoo.”

It is a special place, indeed, and I always like to visit. So if you are in the Nantahala area, it will be worth your time to stop by.

Greg Passmore lives in Bryson City close to Great Smoky Mountain National Park. When he is not working for the Town of Bryson City, he and his wife are out photographing the area around the Smoky Mountains.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD Mountain Explorer

Franklin, North Carolina, is full of hidden treasures from antiques to art and craft beer. MARGARET HESTER PHOTO

Hidden Treasures in Fabulous Franklin

BY CO RY VA I L L A N CO U R T

T

ucked away in a forgotten corner of Western North Carolina, not far from the Georgia line, lies an old town that’s rapidly developing a new spirit.

Although the area was home to the Cherokee people for centuries, the town itself was founded in 1820. Just two hours north of Atlanta and an hour west of Asheville, it’s always been smallish, quiet and, frankly, overlooked.

Only 3,800 residents call it home, but its location near both the Appalachian Trail and Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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gives it stunning and unique access to all the region has to offer.

But recently, Franklin’s quaint downtown district and greater environs have proven to be an attraction of their own. Bars, restaurants, performance venues, and even an eccentric architectural salvage shop give visitors plenty of reasons to explore both Franklin and its environs.

Start at Currahee Brewing, 100 Lakeside Drive, and enjoy one of their hand-crafted seasonal beers in a cavernous new 2,000 square-foot tasting room full of gorgeous hardwoods and a sprawling, rough-hewn bar. Currahee, which roughly translates to “stands alone” in Cherokee, also offers outdoor seating in a Bavarian-style beer garden adjacent to the lazily-flowing waters of the Little Tennessee River.

From there, head downtown. A visit to downtown Franklin’s Main Street would not be complete without a stop at Outdoor 76, located at 35 E. Main Street. Outdoor 76, as the name suggests, is an outfitter stocked full of outdoor clothing, fly fishing equipment, footwear, and canoe and kayak rental as well.

But if the thought of hiking one of the area’s rugged mountain trails makes you tired, tucked away in the back of the store is a small bar full of both character, and characters.

Speaking of lazy hikCORY VAILLANCOURT PHOTO ers, the Lazy Hiker Brewing Company, 188 W. Main Street, is just a short walk from Outdoor 76. Featuring a broad array of craft beers—including tasting flights—the lazy hiker is known for serving some of beer-crazy Western North Carolina’s favorite brews. And don’t worry, if you get hungry, there’s a food truck parked alongside.

One thing many people don’t know is that Franklin also plays host to world class music, year-round. The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Road, is a state of the art 1,500-seat performance venue that presents dance, film, theater, and concerts in a gorgeous, family-friendly setting. Upcoming performances include country music superstars Sara Evans and Mickey Gilley, as well as the legendary Beach Boys.

A short jaunt south of Franklin to tiny Otto, North Carolina, you’ll find one of the most fascinating, visually interesting destinations you’ve ever seen.

But be warned—you may want to block off a whole afternoon and bring a moving truck.

David B. Culpepper’s Otto Salvage Depot specializes in lighting, but that’s not all the 13,000 square-foot, two-story building—designed by Culpepper to resemble an old train depot—contains.

“I travel all over the world, looking for the weird, the unusual,” Culpepper said.

Culpepper’s collection centers on fixtures and finishings sourced from some rather interesting places.

“I take apart barns, buildings, go to shipyards, train yards, industrial factories, those kinds of places,” he said, pointing to a stainless-steel ship’s porthole sitting on a shelf.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

Franklin: An Appalachian Trail Community

T

David P. Culpepper travels the world searching for the weird and unusual to sell at his Otto Salvage Depot near Franklin, North Carolina. It’s just one of the attractions that makes this area unique.

CORY VAILLANCOURT PHOTO

learn more:

Town of Franklin franklinnc.com • 828.524.2516 y Franklin Chamber of Commerce franklin-chamber.com • 828.524.3161 y Macon County Government maconnc.org • 828.349.2000 y

His heart’s really in the salvage business. He considers it a “slap in the face” to modern disposable culture. Perusing the building—or the two-acre lot it sits on—one can find anything from intricately carved wooden doors to flags and maps collected from old ships to antique railroad lanterns.

“I like one-offs, unique things,” he said.

Boxes and buckets of hinges and hangers and drawer pulls and doorknobs invite curious onlookers to dig and delve, as brass bells and all manner of clocks, barometers, gauges and gizmos loom nearby. Not surprisingly, Culpepper says the bulk of his business is wholesale, to designers looking for one-of-a-kind design accents and conversation pieces that bring intrigue and history to any home or office.

Much like the town of Franklin, Culpepper’s business is becoming more and more well-known, not just around the area, but around the country. Recently, a group of art students walked through the shop, taking in all the eye candy.

“There’s a lot of hidden treasures here, you know,” he said.

What’s not known, however, is if he was talking about his shop, or Franklin.

MUSEUMS Franklin is home to some interesting, offbeat museums that you probably won’t find anywhere else in the world. As you explore fabulous Franklin’s hidden treasures, be sure not to miss any of these unique attractions.

Housing thousands of minerals and gems from around the world, including a ruby weighing more than two pounds, the Franklin Gem & Mineral Museum at 25 Phillips Street was founded in 1974 and is open May through October. fgmm.org or 828.371.2436.

The Ruby City Gem Museum at 130 E. Main Street is home to pre-Columbian artifacts, ivory carvings and a real shrunken head.

If that’s not enough to entice you to this free museum, they also have a 385-pound sapphire.

It is open April 1 through Dec. 26. rubycity.com or 828.524.3967.

It’s hard to believe that there is only one Scottish Tartans Museum in the entire United States, but it’s true. It’s located at 86 E. Main Street. Learn the history behind the culture as well as the role of these garments in the genealogy of the various clans who have peopled the Appalachians for centuries.

It is open year-round. scottishtartans.org or 828.524.7472.

The Macon County Historical Museum, at 36 W. Main Street, showcases the inimitable mountain heritage one can only find in Southern Appalachia. Located in an early-20th century building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum offers free admission and is open year-round. maconnchistorical.org or 828.524.9758.

WWW.SMLIV.COM

he Appalachian Trail— completed in 1937—winds nearly 2,200 miles from Mt. Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, offering hikers purview of some of the wildest, most beautiful scenery in the United States.

As the trail rises and falls more than 6,500 feet in elevation on its way through Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Tennessee it then traverses much of Western North Carolina before snaking onwards to its terminus in Georgia.

But before it does, it passes just 11 miles west of Franklin, which has been designated by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy as one of just 40 Appalachian Trail Communities.

Appalachian Trail Communities serve as “friends and neighbors” to the AT and offer special promotions and events for trail-weary hikers in addition to hot meals, a cold beers and a clean, comfortable bed for the night.

GALLERIES The visual arts have always been an important part of Southern Appalachian culture, and Franklin offers a variety of ways to experience that artistry in person.

At Tsartistry, 20 Cullasaja Vista Lane, browse through portraits and landscapes by some of Western North Carolina’s best known artists. tsartistry.com or 828.524.5359.

The Macon County Artists Association’s Uptown Gallery of Franklin, at 30 E. Main Street, also offers a stunning collection of local art produced by association members and partner artists. franklinuptowngallery.com or 828.349.4607.

Franklin native Michael M. Rogers is a naturalist, watercolorist, graphic designer and photographer with an eye for the distinctive beauty that makes the region so special. His gallery, Michael M. Rogers Fine Art, at 2724 Georgia Highway, is located in the Crystal Falls Specialty Shops development. michaelmrogersfineart.com or 828.524.6709.

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PEOPLE & PLACES Mountain Explorer

A Real Straight Shooter ONE MAN’S PASSION FOR LONG RIFLES AND TALL TALES

BY BETH HENDERSON

“I

just met the old dude who built that rifle!” a boy of about 9 exclaimed, as he bounded across the park, face flushed with excitement. The rifle he referred to was a Tennessee Mountain Rifle—also known as a Kentucky, Southern Mountain or Pennsylvania Gun. The man who built it is my daddy, Ron Williams.

I’m not really sure when Daddy took on being “the old dude,” although that moniker made him laugh, but he is the one who built the reproduction 1800s long rifle on display at Red Clay State Historic Park in Cleveland, Tennessee, and he is a master craftsman, riflesmith and retired engineer. I just call him daddy,

though, and now as an adult, I realize how daddy’s passion for history and especially the long rifle have made a positive impact on my life.

It’s gratifying to know that others also benefit from the long hours Daddy spends pouring through history books—not as a student preparing for a test, but as one who engrosses himself in a sacred text, with the understanding that what’s found there is precious and has something useful for today. History has been a lifelong pursuit for daddy, and for the past 40 years he has taken that knowledge into his workshop, where he sits behind the workbench, magnifying light pulled close, cutting bits of silver with a jewelers saw or carving an intricate design into an otherwise ordinary block of wood. It’s truly a labor of love.

I spent hours there myself, holding one end of a long, unfinished gunstock, while he carefully smoothed rough places in the wood, or fitted the patchbox into place. The barrel was simply too long, the wood too heavy, for the delicate work to be successful without my help. At least I thought so at the time. And even if the smell of linseed oil—used to finish the wood—made me a bit queasy, I now know that, while daddy may have appreciated the help, the real beneficiary was me.

My own love of history and good stories was borne out of the hours I spent in the workshop with daddy. Because at heart, and for all the other titles he might have, daddy is a storyteller. And I know that as he works at building a historically accurate long rifle, he’s going back to the places he studied, feeling the excitement those men from long ago would have felt. Or remembering his own childhood, when as a 6-year-old boy he saw three Civil War muskets hanging on the wall of a dentist’s office, and knew right away that he wanted to know more about those old guns.

He told me, still tells me, stories about other boys who loved muzzle-loading rifles, too, but not when they were considered antiques or relics, and long before firearms became the objects of controversy they are today. But when long rifles were the newest American innovation, a symbol of progress, a means of protection and sustenance, and a tool that helped build this nation. He talked of boys who grew to be men, like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton. Legends and lore about these men and their rifles abound. It is said that Daniel Boone walked all the way from Kentucky to Pennsylvania just to buy his long rifle (called Old Tick Licker, because some said he was so accurate he could shoot a tick off a dog’s back and not hurt the dog!). That Davy Crockett could beat any man in a shooting contest with his rifle, Ole Betsy, long before he took her to the Alamo. And that Simon Kenton could shoot a target the size of a pie plate some 400 yards away.

Above: Ron Williams presented the reproduction 1800s long rifle he built to Red Clay State Historic Park in Cleveland, Tennessee, during its annual Native American Festival, held each October. From left: Park Manager Erin Medley, Williams, and Ranger Jane Switzer.

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SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

Red Clay State Historic Park

R

on Williams’ latest long rifle reproduction is on display in the James F. Corn Interpretive Facility at Red Clay State Historic Park, in Cleveland, Tennessee.

Situated along the Tennessee/Georgia border, the park serves as a monument to the Cherokee and a history lesson for this nation. It’s where the seat of Cherokee government was located from 1832 until the forced removal of the Cherokee people—the Trail of Tears—by the United States Government in 1838. Park officials commissioned Williams’ rifle as an educational piece and as part of the museum’s permanent exhibit.

“The 1830s was the height of European influence on the Cherokee culture,” Erin Medley, Red Clay park manager, says. “So trading was one of their biggest relationships, and that was one of the things they would have traded for.”

According to Williams, the long rifle became a much sought after item among Cherokee men, and the one displayed at Red Clay is similar to one described in period journals as having belonged to a man of Cherokee and English descent, who served as an interpreter for the United States Army. It is fashioned in the style of the William Bean family — renowned gunmakers and jewelers from Knoxville.

The Red Clay facility has a number of other exhibits, a video theater, gift shop and small library. The park encompasses some

A silver inlay adorns the stock of the longrifle Ron Williams built for Red Clay State Historic Park in Cleveland, Tennessee. This inlay, hand-drawn and cut by Ron Williams, is an eagle with the 7-pointed star, which is a symbol of the Cherokee nation.

260 acres and includes replica structures, more than three miles of hiking trails, and a large picnic area.

Visitors can learn more about the Cherokee people and culture at events hosted each year. For more information, contact Erin Medley, park manager at Erin.Medley@tn.gov, call 423.478.0339 or visit www.tnstateparks.com.

Daddy spends hours pouring through history books—not as a student preparing for a test, but as one who engrosses himself in a sacred text.

Ron Williams shapes the end of a longrifle stock to fit the nose cap in place.

Boys from Kentucky and Tennessee were said to be such good shots with a long rifle during the American Revolution that George Washington dressed some of his regular army in buckskins so the British would think they were carrying long rifles, and retreat.

Then, there’s my own family, who settled in the Smoky Mountains before moving south into the Tennessee Valley and northwest Georgia. They carried these same rifles and with them provided for their families and defended this country. For others, like the Cherokee, the long rifle was not only a tool, but a symbol of changing times.

During the 1700s and 1800s such a rifle might cost nearly $100.

Now, these pieces can fetch thousands. But for daddy, it’s never

been about the money. He loves the stories and the creativity that go into making such a piece. He says that creating “something beyond ourselves” is evidence that we have been made in the image of our Creator.

Daddy is an artisan with many skills: leatherwork, beading, scrimshaw, even jewelry design, but he always comes back to his beloved long rifle. And I know that each time he sits down with a history book or picks up a block of wood and a chisel, there’s a story coming. And it’ll be a good one.

It was a special day, when as an adult, I felt brave enough to fire one of daddy’s long rifles. I’m glad I did. Now, I know firsthand that it must have taken a sturdy frame and strong arms to carry such a rifle, not to mention a high tolerance for pain when the gun recoils “kicking” back against your shoulder. I know with more certainty now that the physical strength required to live in the frontier must have been accompanied by an even stronger spirit.

Some people never grasp the importance of history, thinking museums are for school fieldtrips, and history books are meant to collect dust on library shelves. I am fortunate to have grown up with a different perspective, a richer past. The time I spent in my daddy’s workshop held object lessons wrapped up like gifts in the packaging of father-daughter time. And that’s a story worth telling.

WWW.SMLIV.COM

41

FOOD TRADITIONS

Philippine Connection staff, from left: Conchita Cartagena Limbaugh, Fely Gamban, Carmelita Shelton, and Cindy Gray.

Mountain Explorer

FRED SAUCEMAN PHOTO

On Knoxville’s Magnolia Avenue THE FASCINATING FLAVORS OF THE PHILIPPINES

BY FRED SAUCEMAN

A

mong the funnel cakes, corn dogs, and cotton candy sold every September at the Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville, are lumpia. They are a specialty of the Philippines. Pacific Island cookery at a fall fair in the Volunteer State may, at first, seem out of place. But Knoxvillians’ love of lumpia is long-standing.

Lumpia have been sold down the street, at The Philippine Connection on Magnolia Avenue, for almost three decades. They’re typically compared to egg rolls, but lumpia are longer and thinner.

They’re pork-stuffed and redolent of garlic. Beef’s an option, too.

Aida Davison, Conchita Cartagena Limbaugh, and Conchita Lyon cleaned up what was once a dump of a building and opened The Philippine Connection in May of 1988. Aida, who had been cooking since she was 6 years old, remembered her mother’s techniques from back home in the Philippines, and brought that knowledge to America in 1967 as an Air Force bride.

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Carmelita Shelton, tiny and tobogganed, keeps three woks going all day long in a closet-sized corridor of a kitchen in the back of the restaurant. On the shelf above, always within quick reach, are tall plastic containers of black peppercorns, various forms of garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce.

Those ingredients represent the coming together of Chinese and Spanish cuisines. Those traditions, through trade and colonization, form the foundation of Philippine cookery. Factor in another influence, American take-out, and the result is a rarity in the Mountain South; a Philippine fast food joint.

Many East Tennesseans were first introduced to Philippine lumpia, adobos, and sautéed noodles during the 1982 World’s Fair, but after it closed in October of that year, they were left without a source for the sour and salty flavor combinations characteristic of this archipelago of 7,107 islands.

Situated near Chilhowee Park, where the Tennessee Valley Fair takes place, The Philippine Connection shares the glaring red and yellow exterior coloration common to many fast food establishments.

There are a couple of tables for on-premises dining, but the business is primarily take-out, and the clientele is predominantly American.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

When she first opened, Aida says customers specifically requested no garlic.

“Now that we’ve found that it’s good for your health, some of our customers demand extra, extra garlic,” she says.

Most of the wok-cooked creations at The Philippine Connection are available in small or large portions, with a choice of chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp, or all four, and there’s an all-vegetable option, too. Small versions are plenty for hearty eaters, accompanied by plain white rice or Chinese-style fried rice and an egg roll.

If there is a national dish of the Philippines, it is adobo, a Spanish-influenced “stew” seasoned with the omnipresent vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper mixture. The Philippine Connection sells more chicken adobo than any other meat choice.

“At home, I cook it with the bones, but here there’s no time— it’s all boneless meat,” says Aida.

Philippine cookery is also heavily dependent on noodles of various colors and textures. Headlining the menu at The Philippine Connection is pancit guisado, sautéed noodles.

“I do this country style, and it’s my mother’s original recipe from a region outside Manila,” says Aida, sporting a red sweatshirt with intertwined American and Philippine flags.

Prepared Cantonese style, the yellow-gold noodles soften in the wok after the meat and vegetables—broccoli, carrots, onions, cabbage—are cooked.

In all the adobo and noodle dishes, there’s a sufficient amount of meat, but the meat doesn’t play a dominant role in the cuisine.

Aida describes the 16-ounce tropical drink halo-halo as “like a

The Philippine Connection opened in 1988 on Knoxville's Magnolia Avenue.

FRED SAUCEMAN PHOTO

milkshake or a piña colada, without the alcohol.” It’s a cold blend of mung beans, evaporated milk, coconut gel, jackfruit, crushed ice, and shredded coconut.

The woks at The Philippine Connection stay full for 11-hour business days Monday through Saturday, and the ladies spooning up the carry-out orders go through truckloads of Styrofoam in a week’s time. But being covered up with work is what drives them, as they easily shift between their native language of the Philippines and confident English, unperturbed as customers line up from the cash register out through the front door to take home tastes of the faraway islands.

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ADVERTISING SECTION

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

GUIDE

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he Southern Appalachians have a rich artistic history. As long as folks have lived in these majestic landscapes, they’ve been molding, shaping and putting together items that serve not only practical purposes but also aesthetic ones, too. From weavers to potters, painters to metalsmiths, glassblowers to woodcrafters, these artisans reflect generations of heritage and innovation. Promoting and perpetuating this beauty are the galleries that are as unique and varied as the artists themselves.

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EXPLORE

AROUND BACK AT ROCKY’S PLACE The Ultimate Folk Art Gallery in the South!

Representing a plethora of self-taught artists.

Best selection by artist “Cornbread” in the Universe! Established 2002.

3631 Hwy. 53 E. at Etowah River Rd. Dawsonville, Ga. • 706.265.6030 aroundbackatrockysplace.com Sat. 11-5; Sun. 1-5 BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS ARTS ASSOCIATION AT THE ART CENTER Come visit one of the largest fine art and fine craft gallery experiences in North Georgia at The Art Center. The Art Center is home to the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association and features multiple gallery spaces showcasing a variety of regional artists and one-of-a-kind artwork.

420 W. Main St. • Blue Ridge, Ga. 706-632-2144 • blueridgearts.net Tues.-Sun. 10-6 THE FOLK POTTERY MUSEUM The Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia showcases the handcraft skills of one of the South's premier grassroots art forms, and will explore the historical importance and changing role of folk pottery in Southern life.

283 Hwy. 255 • Sautee Nacoochee, Ga. 706.878.3300 • folkpotterymuseum.com GREEN ENERGY PARK The Green Energy Park is an award-winning, renewable energy art center that provides enhanced economic development, environmental protection, and unique educational opportunities for the community. The GEP offers public classes and demonstrations in glassblowing and blacksmithing, and allows studio rentals to support local artists.

828.631.0271 • jcgep.org

Southern Appalachian Galleries

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For more information, contact Adam Gamache at 336-721-7600 or agamache@crossnore.org.

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H ANDCRAFTED

IN THE

USA

CELEBRATING OVER 47 YEARS!

See a Potter Working Saturday & Sunday

THE JEWELER’S WORKBENCH The Jeweler’s Workbench specializes in unique handcrafted jewelry, limited edition watches, kinetic art and other artistic gifts and treasures.

Featuring over 50 artists from the Great Smoky Mountain region and from across the country.

On-site repairs and custom design and work.

80 N. Main St. • Waynesville, N.C. 828-456-2260 • thejwbench.com MARK OF THE POTTER The oldest crafts shop in Georgia in the old Grandpa Watts’ Gristmill, celebrating over 45 years in the same location. Mark of the Potter features handcrafted pottery, a potter working weekends, and other crafts. Don’t miss the best view on the Soque River with generations of huge brown and rainbow trout (protected, of course).

706.947.3440 • markofthepotter.com

OPEN 7 DAYS PER WEEK markofthepotter.com | 706-947-3440 9982 Hwy. 197 N. | Clarkesville, GA

TPENNINGTON ART GALLERY Teresa Pennington is a self-taught colored pencil artist who renders, in amazing detail, the scenery and landmarks of western North Carolina and beyond. See her distinctive work at TPennington Art Gallery in downtown Waynesville, N.C. 15 North Main St. • Waynesville, N.C. 828.452.9284 • tpennington.com TWIGS AND LEAVES GALLERY Stroll down Main Street in Waynesville to find a unique gallery where art dances with nature.

Browse through an unforgettable collection of nature-inspired works by 150 primarily regional artists and crafts persons. Take home a piece of art that echoes the wonder of nature.

98 N. Main St. • Waynesville, N.C. 828.456.1940 • twigsandleaves.com

Spring's Anticipation

In

WAYNESVILLE GALLERY ASSOCIATION The Waynesville Gallery Association is represented by 9 unique galleries: Burr Studio, Cedar Hill Studio, Earthworks Gallery, Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery & Gifts, The Jeweler’s Workbench, the mahogany house art gallery and studios, TPennington Art Gallery, Twigs and Leaves Gallery, and Village Framer.

The group promotes and participates in Art After Dark which happens the first Friday evening May through December. waynesvillegalleryassociation.com

WHERE ART DANCES WITH NATURE 98 N. MAI N ST. • WAYN ESVI LLE NC • OPEN EVERY DAY 828.456.1940 • W W W.T WIGSAN DLEAVES.COM 46

EXPLORE

THE WILLOWS POTTERY Creating functional handmade stoneware since 2003. Specializing in custom dinnerware and vessel sinks, we are proud to provide an excellent selection of locally made gifts.

7273 S. Main St. • Helen, GA 706.878.1344 • thewillowspottery.com

Southern Appalachian Galleries

Blue Spiral 1 presents contemporary Southeastern fine art and crafts through 30 annual exhibitions and features over 100 artists in a stunning three-level, 15,000 sq. ft. setting.

DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE

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40 Biltmore Avenue Mon-Sat 11-6 • Closed Sun 828.255.0221 BellagioEveryday.com

38 Biltmore Avenue Mon-Sat 10-6 • Sun 12-5 828.251.0202 BlueSpiral1.com

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Schedule at 828.232.1536 or www.Fine ArtsTheatre.com

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Bellagio showcases an exquisite collection of distinctive clothing, accessories and jewelry in an opulent setting.

Acclaimed American artists with a passion for texture, color and innovation offer contemporary styling.

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7 Boston Way Mon-Sat 10-7 (Jan-Mar 10-6) Sun 12-5 • 828.274.2831 NewMorningGalleryNC.com

5 Biltmore Plaza Mon-Sat 10-7 (Jan-Mar 10-6) Sun 12-5 • 828.277.8100 BellagioArtToWear.com

ART TO WEAR

ART FOR LIVING

New Morning Gallery delightfully displays an abundant selection of decorative and functional craft handmade by American artisans in a 12,300 sq. ft. setting.

BY SAM BOYKIN

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his region never lacks for views, from the scenic overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the observation decks on Mount Mitchell and Brasstown Bald. When you’re ready for a change of perspective, try one of these airborne adventures—from hang gliding and ziplining to rides in hot air balloons and motor gliders—in our roundup of ways to look down on the mountains.

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COURTESY OF HISTORIC BANNING MILLS

Historic Banning Mills BANNING MILLS, GA. historicbanningmills.com

I have to fight against every natural instinct to step off the platform. Even though I had just spent about 30 minutes going over all the built-in safety measures, my brain and body are still balking at the idea of leaping into the abyss. But it’s what I came here to do. So, with my heart hammering in my chest I launch myself into the air—the forest floor and a scenic creek hundreds of feet below me.

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I soon reach speeds of nearly 60 mph as I travel the 1,000-foot long zipline. As I get closer to next platform—which rushes at me in a just a few exhilarating seconds—I use my gloved right hand to apply slow and steady pressure to the cable to which I’m attached.

This slows my descent, and as I cruise in I plant my feet on the small wooden stand and come to a wobbly stop. It’s not exactly a graceful landing but I manage not to embarrass myself too badly. Moreover, I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it and excitedly make my way to the next zipline—

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

this one higher and faster than the last.

I’m in northern Georgia at Historic Banning Mills, a 1,200-acre adventure retreat and conservation center situated along Snake Creek Gorge, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River. The area was first inhabited by the Creek and Cherokee nations. Later, starting in the mid-1800s, white settlers built a textile and paper mill village along Snake Creek. The remnants of the mill are still there today. For decades, the historic site sat largely forgotten until Mike and Donna Holder bought the overgrown property in 1997. Over the next several years the couple, with the help of their kids, built an adventure center with an expansive ecotour zipline course. Today, Historic Banning Mills is a nonprofit and recognized as a protected conservancy.

The retreat boasts the world’s tallest climbing wall (140 feet) and, at 41,000 linear feet, the world’s longest continuous zipline course. There’s also a new zipline and aerial obstacle course designed for children 4 to 9 years old. And as I discovered, each zipline course has a series of sky bridges, which, for me at least, were far scarier and challenging than the actual ziplines.

Guests can choose between five levels of zipline tours, each one progressively more intense. The Level 1 tour, for example, is designed for families (ages 8 and up), with nine zip lines, two sky bridges, and a tower.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Extreme Zip Line Canopy Tour. Highlights include the 600-foot Sky Trek Bridge, which crosses 190 feet over Snake Creek Gorge.

Adrenaline junkies will also love the Predator,

where you step off a 200-foot cliff and soar down a 900-foot zipline. Banning Mills is also home to Screaming Eagle, which the Guinness Book of World Records has certified as the world’s longest zipline canopy tour, including the world’s highest timber pole tower.

Back on solid ground, Historic Banning Mills has miles of mountain biking and hiking trails. Kayaking trips are available down the roaring Class IV Chattahoochee River. Other adventures include horseback riding, golfing, a swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, and weekly birds of prey educational shows. In between adventures, indulge in a relaxing massage at the day spa, and refuel at the main lodge, which serves a big country breakfast and a variety of lunch and dinner items, including picnic-style baskets and romantic candlelight dinners on the terrace that overlooks Snake Creek Gorge. For lodging, accommodations include cabins, cottages, and lodge rooms, as well as several two-person tree houses, which are accessible by rope bridge and feature a king bed, jetted tub, bathroom, mini fridge, and back deck with panoramic forest views.

Carolina Wave Project MOUNT MITCHELL, N.C. With a peak elevation of 6,684 feet— the highest point east of the Mississippi—Mount Mitchell is the ideal setting for the Carolina Wave Project.

During this annual event, which is typically held during late February and early March, dozens of pilots from around the country get together and fly motorless gliders upwards of 25,000 feet. But it’s more than Mount Mitchell’s breathtaking elevation that makes it such a prime location for pilots to take to the air. Sarah Arnold, who’s been organizing these gatherings since 2011, explains that the mountain’s uniquely shaped peaks help create wind waves—powerful updrafts that propel gilders skyward. Glider pilots have been coming to Mount Mitchell since the 1970s, including John Cross, who in 1978 reached 29,350 feet, breaking the state altitude record for motorless flight. “Unless you have a weather phenomenon like the mountain wind waves, there’s no way to get that high in a glider in the eastern part of the United WWW.SMLIV.COM

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COURTESY OF THE CAROLINA WAVE PROJECT

States,” says Arnold, who operates Chilhowee Soaring Association in Benton, Tennessee, which offers glider rides and instruction. During the Carolina Wave Project, Arnold, using a gas-powered plane, tows the gliders from nearby Shiflet Field Airport to about 7,000 feet to help them launch. “We start around daybreak and people fly until around 1 p.m.,” she says. “It’s an amazing way to spend the day.”

CirqueFit BLUE RIDGE, GA. cirque-fit.com

After earning an economics degree from Stanford University, Coby Balch was just weeks away from starting a job with a consulting firm when a chance encounter COURTESY OF CIRQUEFIT

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with a trapeze instructor launched his career in a whole new direction. Never thrilled with the idea of working for a buttoned-down corporation, Colby—a lifelong athlete— instead enrolled in a trapeze-teaching program at Club Med. Colby was a natural, and for more than a decade he traveled the world and performed as a trapeze artist with different troupes, including Ringling Brother Circus. He also operated a flying trapeze school in Las Vegas, which is how he met his girlfriend, Kristy Petrillo. “She was an enthusiastic student,” he says. When he and Kristy were ready to settle down and start a family, they moved to Blue Ridge, Georiga, where Colby opened CirqueFit to teach what he calls a “special combination of athleticism and artistry.” “We have everything set up in our backyard overlooking Lake Blue Ridge,” he says. “It’s a beautiful setting.”

ISSUES OPINIONS A&E OUTDOORS & MORE

Spend the day with an expert exploring and learning more about our beloved Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our affordable courses offer something for mountain lovers of all ages.

FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA Smoky Mountain SUBSCRIBE OR READ ONLINE AT

smokymountainnews.com 828.452.4251

Visit smfs.utk.edu for complete course descriptions and to register. facebook.com/SmokyMountainFieldSchool

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@SmokyMountainFS

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COURTESY OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN HANG GLIDING

Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding RISING FAWN, GA.

available as well. During your stay, when you’re not soaring in the sky, you can check out the local pro shop, volleyball courts and swimming pool.

hanglide.com

At Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding, you can soar some 3,000 feet in the air above mountain peaks and ridges, pastoral slopes and lush forests. Situated in Rising Fawn, Georgia, at a scenic 2,389-foot mountain range, the facility teaches more students — about 100 per year — and is more expansive than any other hang gliding school in the country, according to instructor C.J. Giordano. “People come here from all over the world,” he says. The facility is also unique in that it has more than 20 miles of ridge running southwest to northeast, towards Chattanooga, providing an unparalleled setting for hang gliding. Giordano says most first-timers try the Introductory Experience, which begins with surfing the slopes of two small hills about 5 to 10 feet off the ground.

Next, students fly tandem with an instructor between 1,500 feet and 3,000 feet above beautiful Lookout Valley. For those interested in more comprehensive training, multi-day programs and onsite rental cabins are

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High Gravity Adventures BLOWING ROCK, N.C. highgravityadventures.com

Driving along US 321 towards Blowing Rock, North Carolina, it’s impossible to miss the towering 50-foot structure. High Gravity Adventures, a new aerial park next to Tweetsie Railroad, offers three progressively higher and more challenging levels, ranging from 15 to 50 feet. Guests, who are connected to the course via a built-in steel cable and full-body harness, climb and navigate through a maze of more than 75 elements, including cargo nets, aerial bridges, tightrope walks, wobbly logs and swinging platforms. Opened in 2015, the adventure course is the first of its kind in the High Country. There’s also a separate, smaller course for kids ages 4 to 10. The center’s newest attraction is the three-person Giant

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COURTESY OF HIGH GRAVITY ADVENTURES

Swing, which was unveiled in July, says Ruthie Nathan, a marketing and sales representative. With this ride, thrill seekers are pulled up 45 feet to the top of the swing, at which point one brave soul pulls the selfrelease rip-cord. There is moment of stomach-flipping weightlessness, and then gravity takes control as you soar and accelerate through the air before plunging backwards again.

COURTESY OF BEANSTALK ZIPLINES

What’s Up Ballooning NEW MARKET, TENN. whatsupballooning.com

It was a bad case of heartburn that got Ray Fournier into the hot air balloon business. The year was 1995, and at the time he was an information technology executive in New Hampshire. He went in for what was supposed to be a simple procedure to correct recurring bouts of heartburn, but during the surgery the doctor accidentally cut open Fournier’s stomach. He nearly died. “That was it. I decided life is too short, and if I want to do

COURTESY OF WHAT’S UP BALLOONING

something, I’m going to do it,” he says. What Fournier wanted to do was start his own hot air balloon business. He had taken his first hot air balloon ride in 1990 and became instantly hooked. For years, he dreamed about starting his own balloon business, but concerns about money and other practicalities stopped him from taking the leap. But following his neardeath experience, Fournier decided to go for it.

He earned all the necessary licenses and opened What’s Up Ballooning in 1997. When he retired two years ago, he and his wife, Mary Ann, moved to east Tennessee, where they continue to operate the business. The couple offers scenic hour-long balloon rides, usually at about 2,000 feet, in the Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg area, all of which provide great views of the Smokies. “Watching the world go by suspended below a balloon is magical,” says Fournier.

Beanstalk Ziplines MORGANTON, N.C. thebeanstalkjourney.com

Spend the day playing in what looks like a life-size Ewok village at The Beanstalk

WWW.SMLIV.COM

Journey in Morganton. Offering an adventurous and fun combination of interconnected ziplines and sky bridges, Beanstalk transports you through a labyrinth of 15 tree houses, some of them 50 feet in the air. You can also challenge your climbing skills on the 35-foot, eight-sided Beanstalk Climbing Tower and try out the simulated bungee jump.

When you’re ready to come back down to earth, Beanstalk is located next to a host of other family-friendly attractions, including baseball and softball fields, playground, disc golf course, volleyball, walking and biking trails, and kayaking and canoeing along the Catawba River. Beanstalk guide Will Singley says his favorite feature at the aerial park is the 520-foot Mega Zip. “It’s especially nice in the summer because you get a nice gust of wind that really cools you off,” he says.

Navitat ASHEVILLE, N.C. navitat.com

When Heather and Abby Burt were starting their Asheville-based zipline canopy business in 2010, they devised a new word for

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COURTESY OF SKYDIVE CAROLINA

the company name: Navitat, which is meant to encapsulate the experience of navigating through the forest habitat in a unique and different way. The name fits. Navitat offers two different experiences. Moody Cove Adventure features 10 ziplines, two skybridges, two rappels, and unforgettable mountains views. “You’ll have a thrilling time on this adventure, but we like to offer guests a comprehensive experience, so we also talk about the natural and cultural history of this area during the tour,” says Heather Burt. In 2014, Navitat opened Blue Ridge Experience.

This mountaintop canopy tour has three sideby-side racing ziplines, including one—where guests can soar at up to 65 mph—that stretches for 3,600 feet and is situated long 350 feet off the ground. “It’s an engineering marvel,” says Burt.

Skydive Carolina CHESTER, S.C. skydivecarolina.com

For those who crave aerial adventures, it doesn’t get any more intense than jumping 56

COURTESY OF NAVITAT

out of an airplane at 13,000 feet and freefalling at speeds of up to 120 mph. Skydive Carolina in Chester, S.C., has been offering people the opportunity to experience this thrilling adventure since 1986. The company has a variety of training options, including an introductory program where you go tandem skydiving with an instructor. After about 30

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

minutes of classroom instruction, you board an airplane with your instructor. Once it reaches the desired altitude, you leap into the void. While in freefall, you will accelerate to over 120 mph for up to 60 seconds. Then it’s time to pull the parachute rip-cord and enjoy a breathtaking five-minute flight back to earth. L.J. Burgess worked at Skydive

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Carolina for about six months before she finally decided to give it a try. She’s since skydived more than 100 times. “Everyone who skydives is an optimist, but there’s an element of fear that’s necessary to enjoying the experience,” she says. “Without fear, you wouldn’t feel the sense of exhilaration when the jump is successful. When you land, that moment puts everything into perspective. I’m still afraid, but I love it, and I want to continue to challenge myself.”

Blue Ridge Tree Climbing MEADOWS OF DAN, VA. blueridgetreeclimbing.com

Bob Wray launched Blue Ridge Tree Climbing about 10 years ago at his home, which is situated on 40 unspoiled and picturesque acres in Meadows of Dan, Virginia. Step out onto his expansive back porch and its nothing but lush green fields and towering forests. Wray, a former Eagle Scout and rock climber, is one the most noted recreational tree climbers in the region. The unique activity is a hybrid of rock climbing and arboriculture, as it uses similar equipment and techniques. He also offers guided tree climbing sessions at nearby Primland, a 12,000-acre luxury resort. He typically teaches classes at least three days a week, but even on his days off you can often find him perched atop a towering hardwood.

“It’s just different up there,” he says. “There’s not so much noise.”

Sky Zone ASHEVILLE, N.C. skyzone.com/asheville

Billing its self as the world’s first indoor trampoline park, Sky Zone offers a fun new way to workout, along with cool adult programs like dodgeball, Sky Slam (like basketball except players can bounce ten feet in the air), and Foam Zone, where you can fly and flip from a trampoline runway into a pit filled with 10,000 foam cubes.

COURTESY OF BLUE RIDGE TREE CLIMBING

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2017 Spring

WilD

flower

Visitor Center

Pilgrimage A FIVE-DAY EXPLORATION OF PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE IN THE SMOKIES April 11-15, 2017 W.L. MILLS CONFERENCE CENTER GATLINBURG, TENNESSEE

GATLINBURG, TENNESSEE

Choose from 144 guided walks and indoor talks led by 110 professional leaders!

Learn about wildflowers, birds, bears, medicinal plants, butterflies, ecology, plant identification, nature photography and sketching, natural and cultural history and more in the Smokies.

For detail go to: springwildflowerpilgrimage.org Email Springwildflowerpilgrimage@gmail.com to receive email updates WWW.SMLIV.COM

Brenda Barnicki, owner and founder of Bellafina Chocolates in Kingsport, Tennessee donates 100% of her company’s net profits to children’s charities. CAREY PACE PHOTO

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LABORS OF LOVE Highlighting unique, charitable businesses

Kat Neval is both the culinary talent and matriarch of Dandelion Café, a diner with a social mission in Hendersonville, N.C. BECKY JOHNSON PHOTO

Brenda Barnicki’s pitch to her husband for her part-time business idea was more than a little unconventional. “I want to work for free,” she said. “And I want to donate all my profits to children’s charities.”

That sweet calling created Bellafina Chocolates in Kingsport, Tennessee. Today, it pleases the hearts of chocolate lovers and improves the lives of children.

On the other side of the mountains in Hendersonville, North Carolina, the Dandelion Café is also using food to change the world—one employee at a time. Women trying to gain work skills so they can leave abusive relationships get their start here chopping vegetables and waiting on tables.

From Mad Priest Coffee in Chatanooga to Aurora Studio & Gallery in Asheville and many places in between, the mountains are full of labors of love.

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Chocolates for Children

Bellafina Chocolates contributes to Random Acts of Kindness, the special fund of a unique school for pediatric cancer patients, Children Exceeding Expectations.

Ten-year old Maddie, a student at the school, along with her parents, accepts a contribution from Brenda Barnicki.

BELLAFINA CHOCOLATES PHOTO

Bellafina Chocolates A Sweet Calling

T

BY JO HARRIS

o unwind from her high-stress job as vice president managing businesses for a Fortune 500 company in Kingsport, Tennessee, Brenda Barnicki often retreated to her kitchen where stress melted away like the chocolate she whipped into ganache for her homemade truffles. She spent hours perfecting her recipes, and eventually, when her hobby became more passion than pastime, she realized her chocolate could serve a much sweeter purpose.

In 2010, Brenda told her husband, Scott, “I want to start a part-time chocolate business, I want to work for free, and I want to donate all my profits to children’s charities.”

“She’s always wanted to help children,”

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Scott says. “Even when we volunteered at the food bank, she was slipping children’s books into the food boxes.”

With Scott’s support, Brenda dipped into their savings, purchased a commercial chocolate-making machine and started her home-based, gourmet chocolate business with profits benefitting children’s charities.

The company’s name, Bellafina Chocolates, was inspired by Brenda’s Italian heritage and is a combination of words meaning beautiful and fine, both fitting descriptions of the chocolates she creates.

“Bellafina Chocolates’ sole purpose is to help children threatened by disease, poverty, abuse or neglect,” Brenda says. “One hundred percent of our net profits benefit children’s charities, and by making some of the best chocolate on the planet, we quickly raised several thousand dollars for them.”

Some 18 months after starting Bellafina

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Brenda Barnicki has channeled her passion for making chocolate into helping less-fortunate children.

Bellafina Chocolates, a company created solely to benefit children’s charities, carries a variety of chocolate creations including specialty truffles like the moonshine-laced dark chocolate named Appalachian Thunderstorm. Some other popular flavors include Intensely Orange, Lemon Meringue, Espresso and Dark Chocolate Cherry. Avant-garde flavors like Abingdon Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar are quickly becoming favorites.

Bellafina Chocolates specializes in personal and corporate gifts, and sales promotions. Boxes are customizable with full-color logos, and special boxes like those showcasing children’s artwork, such as the Wildflower Series, are available.

Truffles can even be imprinted with an edible logo. y Located at 123 Cherokee Street, Kingsport, Tennessee y Hours: 10-2 weekdays y 423-292-2271 y Order online at BellafinaChocolates.com

Chocolates, corporate restructuring left Brenda with a final paycheck and a fair amount of free time. She had devoted 20 years to the company, but she wasn’t bitter, indecisive, nor did she grieve for what she’d lost. Instead, she put her management skills to work and expanded her chocolate business. Life had handed her a lemon, so she made chocolate.

After a stint at the Culinary Institute of America in San Francisco where she studied advanced chocolate techniques, Brenda conducted a blind taste test pitting her original recipes against ones she’d modified according to what she’d learned. The results didn’t surprise her.

“We use fresh cream and butter and fine chocolate,” she says. “Then we add the good stuff that gives our chocolate its decadent flavors. Pureed fruit, coffee, natural orange oil, peppermint oil, liqueurs. We don’t use extra sugar or preservatives to extend shelf

life, and since our chocolates essentially are made-to-order, I believe they’ll always come out on top.”

Bellafina Chocolates has enjoyed phenomenal growth of 50 to 75 percent each year. In 2015, when Brenda moved the business from her home to a downtown Kingsport location, her dreams increased in direct proportion to the building’s square footage. She has a commercial kitchen and prep area with space to expand, a retail and gift shop where every penny spent goes directly to help children, and there’s a small space Brenda converted into a sewing room with shelves of donated fabric and notions for the volunteers who make blankets and clothing for children around the globe.

There are currently no paid positions at Bellafina Chocolates, but Brenda’s ultimate goal is to hire a few women transitioning from recovery programs, or who find themselves in other threatened situations. “With a full-time worker or two, the patio dessert café I’m envisioning can become a reality. I knew the moment I saw the building the outdoor space was perfect.” Brenda laughed when she said, “I couldn’t back out now if I wanted to. Pallets of brick pavers for the café’s flooring have already been donated.”

Brenda is indebted to her volunteers — at least two dozen big-hearted ones — who are helping advance the mission. Volunteer Janet Evans says “When I retired a few months ago, I knew I wanted my retirement to count for something. Here, I get to help children and I get to do it in a joyful environment.”

Bellafina Chocolates supports several local, regional and international children’s charities. One such charity, located in nearby Bristol, Children Exceeding Expectations (CEE), is unconventional in its location — a skybox at Bristol Motor Speedway — and in its mission to help pediatric oncology patients. When the rumble of car engines and shouts from race fans fade at season’s end, the skybox is completely sanitized and transformed into a very special classroom.

“At CEE, these desperately ill children, usually with compromised immune systems, learn and play without having to wear masks and without fear of infections that spread like wildfire in regular classrooms,” Brenda says.

Not so long ago, 10-year old Maddie, a student at CEE, was suffering from embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. One day she and the other children arrived at school expecting an ordinary day. It was anything but. The entire class erupted with joy when the teacher announced, ‘Surprise! We’re going to Disney World!’” These once-in-a-lifetime, allexpense paid trips are made possible by CEE’s special fund, Random Acts of Kindness, which Bellafina Chocolates is proud to support.

Maddie, who is now in remission and attending regular school, loves to draw. She, and another CEE student, put their talents to work and created special artwork for some of Bellafina’s gift boxes.

“I’m dedicated to growing this company to the point it can make a really significant impact on children’s lives,” Brenda said. “I want Bellafina Chocolates to be around long after I’m gone. And I want our checks to have a lot more zeroes!”

On a mission Get more bang for your buck by putting your consumer spending to work for a good cause. The Smoky Mountain region is home to a diverse mix of social enterprises with a higher calling in their community. y STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE to feed they hungry in its own community, F.A.R.M. Cafe in Boone, North Carolina, uses a donationbased model for its restaurant menu. Those who can afford to pay more do, which subsidizes meals for the needy. The strong sense of community at F.A.R.M. Café — “where everybody eats regardless of means” — is evident based on its mostly volunteer workforce, including volunteers who pay for meals with in-kind services. www.farmcafe.org y DRINKING GOOD BEER for a good cause isn’t a terribly hard sell for Sanctuary Brewing Company in downtown Hendersonville, North Carolina. This nano brewery and tap room was launched with the mission of supporting animal rescue and advocacy with its proceeds, from raising funds for a host of regional animal rescue groups to the owners private animal rescue farm. www.sanctuarybrewco.com y TROUBLED BY THE GLOBAL REFUGEE CRISIS, an entrepreneur in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has put his passion for coffee to a humanitarian cause. Michael Rice founded Mad Priest Coffee to provide employment for refuges who resettle in the region, helping them start a new life by tapping the vibrant Chattanooga coffee house scene. www.madpriestcoffee.com y AURORA STUDIO & GALLERY in Asheville, North Carolina, provides emotional sustenance for artists struggling with mental health issues, addiction and homelessness, tapping the creative spirit as a path to recovery and healing. Aurora partners with the arts community to offer studio space, supplies and artistic instruction, as well as venues to sell their work. www.aurorastudio-gallery.com y FROM HANDMADE ART to homegrown produce, Full Spectrum Farms in Jackson County, North Carolina, teaches people with autism a resourceful cottage industry and brings their final products to market. Clients served by Full Spectrum Farms learn a wide array of handicrafts from visiting art instructors and cooperatively tend a communal farm. The art they make and the produce they grow is sold onsite at the farm and weekly at the Jackson County Farmer’s Market. www.fullspectrumfarms.org y BORDERLAND TEES in Knoxville, Tennessee, is making its mark on the community through ministry and spiritual outreach to those in need. The screen print shop — filling orders for everything from Tshirts and aprons to tote bags and ball caps — is a social enterprise that funds its ministry through its work instead of asking for donations. www.borderlandtees.com y HELPING WOMEN with troubled pasts find a fresh start, Clean Slate Enterprises in Sylva, North Carolina, sells a line of non-toxic, organic cleaners made from natural substances. The products are handmade in small batches at the Clean Slate House, a transitional group home for women rebuilding their lives after incarceration. Proceeds from the cleaning products fund services by the Clean Slate Coalition, including counseling, life skills coaching, job training and enrichment activities from yoga to journaling. www.cleanslatecoalition.org

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Dandelion Café: Salvation, made from scratch

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More than co-workers, the team at Dandelion Cafe share an unspoken bond, supporting each other on the path to a better life.

BECKY JOHNSON PHOTO

BY BECKY JOHNSON

t first blush, the daily special board at the Dandelion Café reads like your typical chic lunch spot. Luscious tomato pie, kale and pomegranate salad, turkey, pear and brie panini.

But there’s an untold story simmering in the kitchen of this hopping diner in downtown Hendersonville, North Carolina.

The all-woman workforce of Dandelion Café is made up of recovering victims of domestic violence looking for a new lease on life.

“Helping somebody do things they didn’t think they could do and walk through that fear and believing in them is probably the best therapy ever,” says Tonya Blackford, the executive director of Safelight, a nonprofit for victims of domestic violence and child abuse.

Dandelion serves as a job training ground for Safelight’s clients — a critical missing ingredient for women trying to escape the cycle of abuse.

“If you have a fear of nowhere to live and no money to support you and your children, that keeps women in domestic violence. They would end up back in the shelter consistently,” says Kat Nevel, the manager of Dandelion Café.

The women behind the counter of Dandelion Café learn the restaurant trade from scratch — from the how-to of dicing a butternut squash to grilling the perfect portabella. The true mettle of Dandelion’s mission goes beyond the tangibles, however.

“More than teaching them a certain skill we are trying to build up their confidence and help them realize it only takes one step toward something better,” Nevel says. “How can you believe you are worthy of anything if you’ve always been told you are not? If you don’t feel good about who you are, how can you go get a job?”

The café’s name is a metaphor for hope and resilience. A dandelion springs up as a weed yet carries the power of a wish, its beautiful seeds blown on the wind to sprout again and again.

Around 50 women a year segue through Dandelion Café on the road to self-sufficiency.

Women who land a coveted spot in Dandelion’s team must first show the resolve to severe the damaging relationship they were in and commit to building a new life.

Once chosen, they move through every

While Dandelion Café has a higher purpose, its top-notch food keeps loyal customers coming and the curious calling. DONATED PHOTO

part of the operation — from washing dishes to food prep to serving. But after 90 days, they must move on to make room for the next clients.

“The hardest part for us, when we have is to say ‘Your time is up,’” says Anita Bodenhamer, a case manager with Safelight who works alongside the women in Dandelion’s kitchen.

While Nevel’s the culinary mastermind, Bodenhamer brings her own talents to the table, aside from a serendipitous knack for their signature sandwich — a grilled pimento with bacon.

“Anita never had any restaurant experience and I never had any social work experience,” Nevel said.

Fusing their fortes was critical to making Dandelion a seamless part of Safelight’s services, which range from counseling to legal support for more than 600 clients a year.

Blackford had long grappled with the workforce hurdle that stymied women from leaving their abusive partner for good.

Finally, she realized Safelight had to craft its own solution from whole cloth.

“We only knew a few things — one was that I didn’t know anything about the restaurant business,” Blackford says.

Recruiting Nevel was the lynchpin. Nevel’s

reputation as a chef proceeds her Dandelion days. For a decade, Nevel ran the upscale Pampered Palate in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The prospect of putting her restaurant expertise to a good cause was instantly appealing.

“I thought ‘How could I walk away from this?’ It was like watching sunlight come through the cracks. It is something you knew would be amazing once we figured it all out,” Nevel says.

Despite Dandelion’s higher calling, Nevel says Dandelion Café stands out on its culinary merits as well.

While loyal customers buy in to the café’s mission, its stellar reviews and ratings attract a steady stream of walk-ins who never realize they’re doing a good turn by dining here.

Nonetheless, running a bona fide restaurant with a revolving door of novice staff is a Herculean endeavor.

“If the bread isn’t toasted enough, or a cucumber isn’t fully peeled, or if you had to wait in line to get coffee, we want people to understand we are making an impact on the community and you are too because you’re here,” Nevel said.

Dandelion Café was a bold experiment when it opened its doors 3 years ago, an untested venture full of unanswered

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questions. Would the community step up and support it? Would women’s job prospects be any brighter? Would they find reassurance of self worth?

“I think it has been phenomenally successful,” Blackford says.

Safelight continues its support network once women finish their stint at Dandelion, from finding affordable housing to providing childcare when they have job interviews.

One of Dandelion’s hidden virtues has been the power of positive role models, providing hope to other struggling women.

“They can see other people in their same situation who have done X, Y, Z to improve their lives. It changed the conversation and dynamics of what does your future look like,” Blackford says.

On a recent winter morning, the women of Dandelion Café busied about slicing lemons for tea, sprucing the side salad case and stocking the dish shelves — all the while glancing at the clock in the count down to go time. As the lunch crowd began streaming in, the women’s personal struggles fell by the wayside as the team rallied to pull off its daily miracle.

“It’s a family,” Bodenhamer says. “We are a bunch of women in the kitchen doing therapy.”

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From Novels to Robots ‘Serafina’ author Robert Beatty and his daughters inspire each other

BY MARLA HARDEE MILLING

T

he art of creation is in full force at the Robert Beatty household. Without a TV for mindless distraction, the family finds other ways to entertain themselves. You might say their South Asheville home is a portal for inspiration and imagination. But, of course, all dreams require action and the Beattys are definitely rolling up their sleeves and putting in the hours to move their goals into the reality phase.

‘The Beattys say one of the main things they’ve learned over the last few years isn’t about power tools or engineering or electronics. What they’ve learned is that, ‘if you can imagine it, then you can do it—whatever it is.’

And that’s a pretty good motto for America.”

— President Barack Obama

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SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

Mars Rover built for the New York Hall of Science.

DONATED PHOTO

You may have heard his name before—he’s the author of the wildly-popular Serafina novels set at Biltmore Estate. Serafina is an unusual 12-year-old girl who lives secretly in George Vanderbilt’s mansion. As she finds herself caught up in mysteries at America’s largest private residence, she uses her own resourcefulness to find answers. DisneyHyperion published Serafina and the Black Cloak in July 2015, followed by Serafina and the Twisted Staff in July 2016. Beatty is now at work on the third title in the series and says he’s ending it in such a way to allow the possibility of future books in the series.

Beatty and his wife have three daughters, ages 4, 14 and 16. He draws inspiration from them in creating his middle grades novels.

The books are also popular among adult readers.

“The main thing is that I’ve always loved Biltmore and my family and I would go there all the time,” he says. “When I decided to write a story with a young heroine, I thought that would be an excellent place to do it because my daughters and I know it so well and they would enjoy hearing a story that takes place in a place that they know. And they could help me create it and develop the story and the character.”

The older two girls would race home from school while he was writing the first book and demand to hear the latest additions. If he hadn’t written that day, they would say, “We’ve been at school all day. What have you been doing?” When he did have new installments to read, they would toss in their own suggestions and tell him more about how Serafina would react and respond in certain situations.

They explored Biltmore often during the process, but they didn’t have any special access to areas of the house not offered on tours. That has since changed. Along with the success of the first book—it was on the New York Times’ Bestseller’s List for 20 weeks—the Cecil and Pickering families, descendants of George Vanderbilt who operate Biltmore Estate today, have offered Beatty and his family a more indepth look at the house. “They’ve taken me all

throughout the house now,” he says. Among those spaces include attics as well as parts of the sub-basement that he could only imagine when writing the first book.

“Before the book got published, I had gone on one premium tour and went down and saw the electric dynamo, and the boiler room and the transformer room, but I hadn’t gone farther into the sub-basement,” he said. “In the story, I imagined brick-lined corridors that went deep under the house. I imagined that and hoped they were there. Later, after the book was published and I had a relationship with the house, I went down there and was amazed at how extensive the corridors and rooms are down there. You could easily imagine how Serafina could live down there and no one would ever know.”

SECRETS AT THE BEATTY HOME While Beatty plots Serafina’s life in the bowels of Biltmore Estate, his own daughters have built a somewhat-secret business in the family garage. Around the time Beatty was crafting the first novel, his oldest daughter, Camille, became intrigued with the mechanics of her toys. She would take them apart and quiz her dad on the function of interesting pieces. She began dismantling clocks and other objects, and Beatty, recognizing an opportunity to encourage her interest, asked if she wanted to build something. Camille was 12 at the time and Genevieve was 10. They agreed wholeheartedly on a project. They wanted to build a robot and fashion it after one they had seen in “Clone Wars,” a “Star Wars” spin off.

Robert warned them that such a project would require a lot of patience, discipline and determination. Camille and Genevieve weren’t deterred by the thought of hard work.

They dove into the project and anytime they became stumped, they joined dad in watching YouTube videos and reading instructions to find solutions.

“We finished this robot in a couple of

weeks,” says Camille. “We said, ‘Okay, what’s next?’ We started building robot after robot finding different ways to design them and different ways to challenge ourselves.”

Proud of their creations, they began a technology blog to let family and friends know about their projects. They were generous in telling exactly how they made their robots, where they sourced parts or how they made their own, and what new projects they were working on. What they didn’t expect is that other people started keeping up with the Beatty Robotics blog as well. “We became quite popular among other people who are part of the make revolution and other robot builders and do-it-yourselfers and electrical project people. We got a following that way,” Beatty says.

One day the family watched a documentary about the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers and that led to new inspiration. “We’re 15 minutes into this documentary and my kids see Spirit and Opportunity and it’s got solar panels and heads that stick up with a mast and it looks like it has eyes and they said, ‘Dad, we’ve got to build one of those.’

This project became pivotal in achieving national and even world-wide attention for Beatty Robotics. Once they completed their Mars Rover replica, they got a call from the New York Hall of Science, a premier handson science museum in New York City. The museum has a big Mars exhibit and replica of the Mars landscape. The robot they had was showing wear and tear and they needed an update, so managers googled and wound up on Beatty Robotics website.

Camille describes their excitement and amazement that a New York Museum was asking for their expertise. “Here we are working out of our garage. We’re using Radio Shack parts to cull together these robots and this New York museum is asking us for a robot. And this robot is going to have to function throughout the entire day with children of all ages coming and messing with the controls,” she said.

They completed a Mars rover replica,

Tying the Two Worlds Together If you look closely at the book trailers and print ads for the Serafina books, you will see Camille and Genevieve, dressed in period clothes, portraying characters from their father’s books. The teens also continue to make suggestions for the novel that’s currently inprogress.

Details of Beatty’s books can be found at robert-beatty.com and he maintains an active Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ serafinaandtheblackcloak. At times, there are contests where the prize is a personally guided behind-the-scenes tour given by Beatty to some of the places at Biltmore Estate that Serafina would have gone such as the sub-basement and the organ loft.

Meanwhile, the latest robotic projects are updated at beatty-robotics.com. It includes photos, videos, comments from fans, and other information about their creations.

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SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

Robert Beatty’s two daughters, Camille (black dress) and Genevieve (light floral dress) have created Beatty Robotics.

Beatty Robotics creates museum-quality robots. The first request came from the New York Hall of Science and they’ve made robots for museums in other countries as well.

installed it in the New York Hall of Science, and then participated in the Museum’s World Maker Faire where they won the editor’s choice award and also made contacts with NASA. “The director of NASA wrote a letter of commendation and they got a big poster of the real Mars Rover and all the engineers at NASA signed it and sent their congratulations,” Beatty says.

“We kept building our robots,” says Camille. “Then a museum in Prague asked us to build robots for them.” When they started out they would buy parts or source from objects they found. Their first robots had eyes that were the insides of lights that they took apart. They’ve upgraded their garage workspace to include all of the equipment needed to fabricate their own parts out of raw metal. Fourteen-year-old Genevieve has become a pro at soldering.

An invitation also came from Washington to take part in the first White House Maker Faire in June 2014. In his remarks, President Obama named Camille and Genevieve and gave nod to their accomplishment. He said, in part, “the Beattys say one of the main things they’ve learned over the last few years isn’t about power tools or engineering or electronics. What they’ve learned is that, ‘if

Robert Beatty is author of the popular Serafina novels set at Biltmore Estate.

MARLA HARDEE MILLING PHOTOS

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you can imagine it, then you can do it— whatever it is.’ And that’s a pretty good motto for America.”

There’s no end to the demand for new work.

The newest project proposal came from a small space company in the U.K. They want to partner with Beatty Robotics to put a lunar rover on the moon. “I don’t know if they’ll get the funding to create the rocket they need,” Beatty says. “There’s a lot of ifs in there, but it’s fun to be involved in a real space program.”

Camille has also been invited to speak at different events including a prestigious worldwide consortium held in Madrid, Spain, on the effects of artificial intelligence and robots on the global work labor force and job market.

“I talked about how I really enjoy touching people and how I want to make a difference in the world,” says Camille, who is fluent in Spanish. “So one of the ways I’m trying to do that now is simply by educating women, in particular, and children that they can do this type of thing. We learned through the Internet. We never went to school for this.

We’re not part of a STEM school. We’re not part of a group. We did this ourselves. So I’m going out there and telling people that you can go out in the world and make a difference.”

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SELECT LODGING Directory FOLKESTONE INN Originally a 1920s mountain farmhouse, Folkestone Inn has been a B&B for over 30 years. The Chef/Owner Innkeepers have created a comfortable atmosphere—from front porches looking toward the mountains, to snacks and bountiful breakfasts. Before you know it, you’ll find that carefree Smoky Mountains state of mind. While Bryson City is quiet and relatively uncommercial, it offers a wealth of activities, all just minutes from the Folkestone Inn. 101 Folkestone Rd. • Bryson City, N.C. 828.488.2730 • 888.812.3385 • folkestoneinn.com GLEN-ELLA SPRINGS INN & RESTAURANT 16 distinctive guest rooms, rocking chair porches, amazing gardens and award winning dining provides the ideal setting for the discriminating traveler.

Clarkesville, Ga. 706.754.7295 • www.glenella.com HEMLOCK INN This historic inn, set just off Main Street in downtown Blowing Rock, is only steps from shopping, restaurants and event activities. Eighteen unique rooms, including suites with fully-equipped kitchens. All rooms are non-smoking. Rooms feature private baths, cable TV, air conditioning, phone services, microwave ovens, refrigerators and WiFi. Take advantage of a variety of packages offered throughout the year.

Downtown Blowing Rock, N.C. 828.295.7987 • hemlockinn.net

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Just one mile from Downtown Waynesville and 5 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway, The Waynesville Inn is the ideal home base for everything from shopping to hiking, skiing and viewing elk in the Smokies.

Amenities: • On-site Restaurant and Bar • Full Hot Breakfast with Stay • 27-Hole Golf Course & Pro Shop • Seasonal Outdoor Pool • Wedding and Event Venues

800.627.6250 | TheWaynesvilleInn.com 176 COUNTRY CLUB DR. | WAYNESVILLE, N.C.

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SMOKETREE LODGE Smoketree’s cozy atmosphere and prime location gives visitors the choice of enjoying the peace and solitude of the Blue Ridge Mountains or the opportunity to partake in many activities available in the High Country.

11914 NC Hwy. 105 S. • Banner Elk, N.C. 800.422.1880 • smoketree-lodge.com THE SWAG COUNTRY INN Chosen by readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine as the #2 Best Small Hotel in the Unites States, the secluded hideaway itself consists of 250 private acres. The main lodge and cabins, consisting of 15 rooms, are built of 17th and 18th century hand hewn logs and local field stone. For 33 years, visitors have been able to experience just how remote, rustic, refined and remarkable it can be at 5,000 feet. Three gourmet meals are served daily, with turn down service each evening.

Waynesville, N.C. 800.789.7672 • theswag.com THE WAYNESVILLE INN GOLF RESORT & SPA This resort has been welcoming visitors to the mountains with southern hospitality since the 1920s. Traditional resort amenities include historic and mountain view lodging, 27 holes of championship golf, restaurant and tavern, plus outdoor event space and pro shop. Convenient location provides easy access to shopping, skiing, fishing, hiking and more.

176 Country Club Dr. • Waynesville, N.C. 800.627.6250 • thewaynesvilleinn.com 70

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 1

150 W. MAIN ST. • ABINGDON, VA (276) 619-5260

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Eat. Sleep. Hike. Repeat.

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101 Folkestone Rd. Bryson City, N.C.

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STORIES Community

Halos in the Darkroom

BY LINDA GOODMAN

T

he ad in the Help Wanted section said “Staff needed for a new photography venture to open June 1.” I needed a job.

The owner’s name was Gerald. “I have only a sixth-grade education and I make $100,000 a year,” he told me, adding “I can make money off of anything. A buddy of mine bet me $1,000 I couldn’t make money on a photography studio. That’s why I’m opening this place. I’m planning to win that money. I only have to stay in business three months to do it.”

Gerald decided to hire me for the front desk because I was well-spoken and looked cute. He hired Bill, a friend of his, to be the photographer and two other “girls” to work the phones.

A few weeks passed and the studio was succeeding beyond Gerald’s wildest dreams.

While Bill and I were having lunch one day, I mentioned that I wished that I had more marketable skills so that MANDY NEWHAM-COBB I could earn a better paycheck.

ILLUSTRATION “Tell you what – I’ll teach you to shoot portraits,” he told me. “Just don’t let anyone know. No one is supposed to get near that camera but me.”

The next afternoon, when business was slow, Bill started teaching me his craft. I learned to focus the camera, pose the subject, set the lights, and put folks at ease so they would look natural.

The next day, Bill did not come to work. I called and left a message for Gerald. When Clients began arriving, and the lobby was filled to capacity, I decided to shoot some portraits myself.

Gerald showed up the next morning. “I got your message about Bill. I checked around and found out he was arrested. He’s in jail.”

Bill, it seems, had broken into the appliance store next door and stolen two televisions. And he had seemed like such a nice guy!

Gerald was a nervous wreck. “I’m gonna lose that bet for sure!” he complained.

“Maybe not,” I said hesitantly. “I shot some portraits of our clients yesterday. Bill taught me how to do it.”

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“Are you kidding me? Bill let a rank amateur use my expensive equipment!” Gerald was about to explode.

“Well, Miss Know-It-All, we’ll just see if those portraits you took sell. Nobody learns to be a photographer in one day!” he scolded.

That afternoon the proofs of the portraits that I had taken the day before arrived. I must have forgotten to check the light meter.

My first session had been with a handsome family that was wearing dark clothes, and I had used a black background for them. All you could see in the proofs was their faces and their hands. Other portraits that I had taken had similar issues.

To my surprise, however, the clients were thrilled! “Highlighting our faces like that!” they exclaimed. “It’s art!” Gerald was both surprised and delighted. “I knew the minute I hired you that I had struck a goldmine,” he enthused.

The next day, knowing that bright-faced pictures would eventually grow old, I remembered to check the lights and set them properly. I centered each of my subjects’ heads in the center of the lights behind them. When I received the proofs the next day, all the family photos were fine, but the individual photos caused a near riot. Every one of them showed a halo around the head of the subject.

“You’ve made my baby look like the angel that she is!” one mother gleefully shouted.

“You have a gift, young lady,” said another.

I started getting appointments specifically for halo photos. They were so popular, I had a waiting list.

All good things come to an end, however. An elderly lung cancer patient died shortly after purchasing his halo photo. Two weeks after that, a poodle that I had photographed was struck and killed by a car. My once satisfied customers were now making frantic phone calls, wanting to know if I could remove the halos from their photos. Business came to a standstill.

Gerald could not be consoled. “I’m gonna lose that bet!” he moaned. “We still have a month and a half to go. I can’t believe I trusted you to be my photographer.”

We were bringing in no income. The only thing we could do was lower expenses.

At the end of August we closed shop. We ended up with a profit of $245.94.

Gerald slapped me on the back. “Well, kid,” he said, “we didn’t make a killing, but I won the bet.”

He locked the door for the last time and handed me an envelope.

“Just my way of saying thanks,” he grinned before walking away.

I opened the envelope. Inside was a button that had “Gerald’s Little Helper” stamped over top of a photo of a voluptuous woman dressed as an elf. There was also a coupon for 10 cents off a milk shake at the Tastee Freeze. I threw them both in trash barrel and went to look for a real job.

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