The Appalachian, Oct. 12, 2022

Boone’s Hispanic/ Latine community

Jose Luis Resendiz Arellano and Maria de Lourdes Merlos Rivera have run Los Tres Reyes for 18 years. The market offers a variety of products and is a place where locals can come to run all their errands in one stop.

JENNA GUZMAN

DAVIDSON

BUSINESS

BENNETT DYCHE

garden

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ASHER DAVIDSON

Brown/Barreto impeached

Gabrielle Troutman Managing Editor Mia Seligman Reporter

The SGA Senate impeached and removed Student Body President Quson Brown and Vice President Alejandro Barreto from office Sept. 20.

The vote to impeach and remove Brown and Barreto from their roles comes following an investigation into their conduct. With two abstentions, the vote ended 22 in favor of impeachment and removal from office, and two not in favor.

“Quson Brown and Alejandro Barreto were removed from office and permanently disqualified from future office,” said Hunter Clark, chair of the Student Senate Committee on Rules.

The majority vote removes the two from office, and makes Gabe Montalbano, the Senate president, acting SGA president.

“Gabe Montalbano certainly does not intend to become student body president

… He has told he does not want to take the oath,” Clark said.

On Oct. 4, Montalbano was appointed as SGA president.

Due to the manner of this unorthodox presidency, Montalbano said elections will not be held. SGA is not able to have physical, paper ballots and using the previous methods have been deemed impossible by the senate, due to homecoming approaching fast.

As former president of the 2022-23 academic year, Brown served on the board of trustees for the university.

The BOT vacancy will be filled by Montalbano.

“The Committee found a failure to perform the functions and duties of the office and multiple occurrences of malfeasance in office,” according to the Senate Rules Committee report.

The violations against Brown are as follows:

The failure to perform functions and duties links to a bill passed in Senate during the Gardin-Evans administration in April where every residence hall would be equipped with Naloxone. The bill was due for implementation during Brown’s presidency, where he informed a senator he would not enact the bill to “the fullest extent possible,” according to the report, thereby failing to perform his functions and duties in the eyes of the Senate.

Malfeasance in office due to the submission of an “illegitimate petition” on behalf of a senator who did not have proper solicitation to consent and sign the document, according to the report.

Malfeasance in office due to the reappointment of Cabinet members

James Auwn and Favian Morales, who had not received the 2/3 Senate vote for their position confirmation, is included in the malfeasance case. The two were appointed to interim office despite “once an individual has been considered by the Senate they may no longer hold interim office,” according to Article VI, Section 3. C of the SGA Constitution.

Malfeasance in office due to the expenditure of SGA student funds totaling at least $6,000 without the signature of President Pro-Tempore of the Senate, therefore creating “an imbalance of branches due to a lack of Senate approval and ultimately leading to the unconstitutional discharge … at the direction of the Student Body President,” the report states.

Malfeasance in office due to the use of “intimidation tactics” during the campaigning period and during the office term, “in attempts to control individuals to ensure that their will is done in the ASU-SGA” with quotes from former

East Hall: Residents out, offices in

presidential candidates Evan Martino and Connor Ranes and the former Brown/Barreto campaign manager Collin Reinisch.

The violations against Brown and Barreto are as follows:

Malfeasance in office due to violation of the terms of Election Bylaws through the continued use of the Instagram account @brownbarreto2022 following the end of the campaign period and before the next campaign period opens. The Rules Committee considers this “campaigning despite this being disallowed,” according to the report.

The failure to perform the functions and duties in regard to an email detailing an internal change after citing SGA operating under an “unethical and illegal version of the Constitution,” which the Committee found to be an “attack” and the presidential duties and oaths “directly violates multiple provisions found within the ASU-SGA Constitution,” according to the report.

With renovations planned for three academic buildings, campus prepares for mass relocations

Zoey Sigmon Reporter William Becker Reporter

Next semester, East Hall will be home to new office space for professors during renovations to Wey and Edwin Duncan Hall.

Wey and Edwin Duncan will soon be under renovation, seeing significant improvements to their buildings, Wey in spring 2023 and Edwin Duncan in fall 2023.

Both buildings contain labs, classrooms and former office space.

Michelle Novacek, finance and operations liaison for the university, wrote in an email that the target date for moving faculty into East Hall is Jan. 1, 2023.

“We are so fortunate to have funds to renovate Duncan and Wey this year,” Novacek said. “But of course it’s a huge challenge to find spaces for everyone from two buildings to land while construction is underway — especially

STATE

when departments would like to stay together as much as possible and still be on campus where there’s easy access for students.”

Nick Katers, associate vice chancellor of Facilities Management, said the use of East Hall as an office space came as a solution for relocating faculty from Wey and Duncan before renovations begin. Katers said the building was already vacant, as East was set for demolition due to the “revitalization of all the residence halls,” and the team “worked out a deal with housing” to repurpose the space.

“It’s not ideal,” Novacek said. “But you’ve got some of our most creative people on campus, faculty who are also artists and architects, helping to turn the puzzle pieces around and figure out how we can fit into East in a functional and even enjoyable way.”

The

Leo

La gente de Boone: The Hispanic/Latine community

Jenna Guzman News Editor Nataly Aguiar Reporter

Hispanic Heritage Month, held Sept. 15 - Oct. 15, is dedicated to celebrating Hispanic/Latine culture, history, accomplishments and more.

In Boone, the Hispanic/Latine community makes up about 5% of the Boone population, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Although a small percentage, this community has brought their Hispanic/Latine heritage to the High Country, whether it be through food, music or cultural customs.

From families to business owners, to faculty, staff and students, these are some of their experiences living in a predominantly white town.

Hispanic/Latine entrepreneurs of Boone

Throughout Boone, there are numerous Hispanic/Latine owned businesses, the majority of which are family owned.

Taqueria La Monarca located at 2530 Highway 421 N, is a restaurant run by a mother and daughter duo, and is one of the newest Hispanicrun businesses in Boone.

Miriam Hernandez, the daughter of the duo and owner of Taqueria La Monarca, said the business opened in late May. She said the business was named after her mother’s Mexican grocery store, La Monarca Tienda Mexicana, also located in Boone.

The restaurant offers food such as tacos, burritos, tamales and

quesadillas, as well as desserts such as ice cream and snacks such as mangonadas, a sweet and savory Mexican snack that mixes frozen mango puree with mango slices and chili seasoning.

Hernandez said growing a Hispanic business in a predominantly white town has been a learning experience. She said learning what non-Hispanic customers like influences what goes on and off the menu. However, Hernandez said they still make sure the menu offers Hispanic foods they enjoy.

Although Hernandez and her family have lived in Boone since 2003, she said she is very proud of her heritage and said the restaurant is a way to connect to her roots.

“We’re just bringing a little piece of our Hispanic culture to the United States,” Hernandez said.

Raquel Cervantes, Hernandez’s mother, said Boone provides a lot of opportunities for the Hispanic community, and they appreciate all the opportunities and help they’ve been given, as well as their customers.

Los Tres Reyes is a local familyowned market located at 282 NC105 Extension. Husband and wife Jose Luis Resendiz Arellano and Maria de Lourdes Merlos Rivera have run their business for 18 years alongside their three children.

The market offers a variety of Mexican and Central American staple foods, snacks, fresh cheeses, meats and produce. The business

also sells indigenous handicrafts they buy directly from native vendors in Mexico, such as beaded and woven jewelry, traditional and religious symbols like the sombrero, rosarios and more.

The business offers its customers a variety of services, from money transfers to package deliveries across Mexico and Central America. Locals can come to run all their errands in one place.

Arellano said that when coming to the area he found the Boone community to be “friendly.”

wThe family said they believe communities shouldn’t be selfish, and that instead, the community should aim to help each other rather than compete.

Marcelino Bonilla, owner of Santa Lucia, another local market located

Miriam Hernandez and her team at Taqueria La Monarca posing for a group photo. Miriam holds gorditas in her hand, a popular Mexican dish.

Justin Hernandez

at 186 Boone Heights Drive, wants people to know that “in the United States, one comes to work and fight and get ahead, more than anything.”

Bonilla said he also wants aspiring Hispanic entrepreneurs to “lose your fears and take that step that you want.”

Melanie’s Antojitos is a local fruit bar located at 196 Boone Heights Drive. The owner, Edson Mendez, said they’ve been in business since March. The name was inspired by Mendes’ 1-year-old daughter named Melanie.

Mendez said the reason they started the business was because he and his family would have to travel over an hour in order to get some of the Mexican snacks they now sell.

“I just wanted to bring it back closer to home rather than, you know, going elsewhere far,” Mendez said.

App State’s Hispanic student growth

The Hispanic/Latine population represents 8% of the student population at the university. This makes it the largest of all the racially/ethnically underrepresented student groups according to an email sent out by Chief Diversity Officer Jamie Parson. The population has increased by 123% since fall 2014.

Juan Berrocales is a Puerto Rican senior at the university, who moved to North Carolina from Puerto Rico eight years ago.

Berrocales said his experience at a predominantly white institution has been “interesting to say the least.” He said there have been a lot of cultural differences he’s faced since moving to North Carolina.

“Every day there is some type of reminder that I’m not necessarily from here,” Berrocales said. “Like I’m a stranger.”

To stay connected with his culture, Berrocales said he cooks and goes to places where he can speak Spanish, such as some of the local Mexican restaurants.

Berrocales also said finding and connecting with the Hispanic community in Boone has been a bit difficult. He said one has to “dig through to find it.”

“I think stuff like that really

brings people together to just express themselves and be part of their community,” Berrocales said. “And be comfortable doing so.” Berrocales has also created a name for himself in the Hispanic community by starting a music career. He began in 2017 and got “hooked” on making music, specializing in reggaeton and Latin rap. His artist name is Cales, and he has music on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Veronica Ramos, a cook at La Monarca, cutting open a gorditas to get it ready to be stuffed with meat, lettuce, and cheese.

Marcelino Bonilla poses for a portrait in his store Santa Lucia, one of the tiendas Mexicana in Boone.

The store sign of the Los Tres Reyes, a family-owned tienda Mexicana found on the 105 extension.

App State Hispanic/Latine faculty and staff

From science to communications to language courses and even admissions, within the departments and jobs at the university lies the Hispanic/Latine workers that help run the university.

Carlos Montero is a Practitionerin-Residence for AppTV, and teaches electronic media/broadcasting. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the anchor and journalist has a deep rooted history in Boone. Montero is a graduate of the university with a bachelor’s in communication broadcasting and journalism, during his time in school he recalls several events that made his experience “great.”

Read more at theappalachianonline.com/category/news/

Justin Hernandez

Justin Hernandez

Justin Hernandez

Watauga County candidate guide

Everything to know before Nov. 8

As the Nov. 8 midterm elections approach with more than 40 candidates on the ballot, Watauga County voters have many decisions to make. To help clarify the process, The Appalachian has compiled biographical information about candidates as well as information on the positions up for grabs.

National Elections

In the United States Senate, Democrat Cheri Beasley and Republican Ted Budd look to race for Senator Richard Burr’s seat as he finishes the remainder of his term.

The U.S. Senate is made up of two candidates from each state comprising a body of 100 representatives. Each candidate serves six year terms but can be elected twice.

Representatives in the Senate vote on bills, laws, amendments, treaties, nominations and many more as part of their job.

Another national office on the ballot this season is for the House of Representatives, which bases its representation on state population. Members of the House serve two year terms and are up for reelection every other even numbered year, but there are no limits on the number of terms they can serve.

North Carolina has 14 representatives as of the 2022 midterms, which is based on the 2020 census. Republican Virginia Foxx is seeking reelection against Democrat Kyle Parrish in this election for representation of North Carolina’s fifth congressional district, which includes Watauga, Wilkes, Ashe, Alleghany, Caldwell, Burke, Gaston, Cleveland, Alexander and part of Rutherford County.

Statewide Elections

As well as national offices, two positions for state Supreme Court associate justices are being contested this year. The North Carolina Supreme Court is the state’s highest court. Justices elected to the court are responsible for having final say in legal matters regarding state law.

Initial terms in this position last seven years and subsequent terms last until they either choose to retire or reach the mandatory retirement at age 70.

Republican Richard Dietz and Democrat Lucy Inman will compete for seat three of the North Carolina Supreme Court. The seat is currently held by Democrat Robin E. Hudson, who has held the position since 2007.

Seat five is contested between Democrat Sam J. Ervin IV, seeking reelection, and Republican Trey Allen.

The North Carolina Court of Appeals is also holding elections in four of its 15 positions. The Court of Appeals reviews trial cases for errors of law or legal procedure in the state. Members can either be elected or selected by the governor to serve the court with an eight year term limit.

Republican Julee Flood and Democrat Carolyn Thompson are challenging for seat eight. The seat was previously held by Judge Lucy Inman.

Rian Hughes

Incumbent Republican Donna Straud and Democrat Brad A. Salmon will compete for seat nine. Seat 10 is between Republican John Tyson, who is seeking reelection, and newcomer Democrat Gale Adams.

Democrat Judge Darren Jackson and Republican Judge Michael Stading are running against each other for seat 11.

The North Carolina State Senate is made up of 50 representatives across North Carolina where elections are held every two years with two term limits.

When voting for state senate, Watauga voters selecting candidates will find Republican incumbent Ralph Hise is the only candidate on the ballot for this position.

The North Carolina House of Representatives consists of 120 members who serve two year terms. Members of the House convene to pass legislation for North Carolina.

Republican Ray Pickett is

Andrew Rice Political Editor

Ashe and Alleghany counties.

Representation in district 87 which includes a part of Watauga county and Caldwell county and will be a contest between Republican incumbent Destin Hall and Democrat Barbara Kirby.

District Elections

There are also two district offices for Watagua voters to check off on their ballots this season

A seat has been left open on the district court, and voters will find Republican Matt Rupp is the only candidate on the ballot for the position.

There is also only one candidate, Republican Seth Banks, on the ballot for District Attorney. The district attorney is the elected public official who represents the state in the prosecution of all criminal matters.

County Elections

The Board of Commissioners is holding elections for three of its positions. The Board of Commissioners is a county position and consists of five representatives.

Board of Commissioners member Carrington Pertalion is seeking to be replaced on the board by Republican Todd Castle or Democrat Angela King.

Democrat Billy Kennedy looks to retain his position on the board against Republican Braxton Eggers.

Republican Melissa Tausche will face Larry Turnbow in his reelection bid this season.

Democrat Holly Fehl and Republican Charles Haynes are competing for the position of clerk of the Superior Court of North Carolina. The clerk is responsible for maintaining all record-keeping functions of the Superior Court.

Incumbent Democrat Len Hagaman Jr. is running for sheriff in

Watauga County in November but will be challenged by Republican David Searcy.

Nonpartisan Elections

This election year, there is also a nonpartisan race where voters select three of the six candidates for the Board of Education. The BOE sets educational policy for the county and ensures the following of state education principles.

Board chairman Gary Childers and board members Jay Fenwick and Marshall Ashcraft are all seeking reelection. Newcomers to the race include Chad Cole, Jennie Hanifan and Dustin Cole Kerley.

Watagua voters have the option to write-in up to three candidates for the board of education on their ballots. Board members elected to the BOE will serve four year terms.

The last nonpartisan office that will hold an election this season will be for the Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. This position will oversee the collaboration between public and private organizations in using conservation practices to address issues across the state like soil erosion, flood damage and water quality problems.

Two candidates may be selected for this position, including Chris Hughes, Billy Moretz and J. Ballard Reynolds. Voters are also given the option to write in up to two candidates for this position.

For more information on ways to vote and to access a sample ballot, voters can visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections website.

Federal offices

US Senate

Matthew Hoh

Green Party

Cheri Beasly Democratic Party

Shannon W. Bray Libertarian Party Ted Budd Republican Party

US House of Representatives

for NC district 5

Virginia Foxx

Republican Party

Kyle Parrish Democratic Party

MEET THE CANDIDATES

state offices

NC Supreme Court

Assoc. Justice - Seat 3

Richard Dietz

Republican Party

Lucy Inman

Democratic Party

NC Supreme Court

Assoc. Justice - Seat 5

Sam J. Ervin IV Democratic Party Trey Allen Republican Party

NC Court of Appeals

Judge - Seat 8

Julee Tate Flood Republican Party Carolyn Jennings Thompson Democratic Party

NC Court of Appeals

Judge - Seat 9

Brad A. Salmon Democratic Party Donna Stroud Republican Party

NC Court of Appeals

Judge - Seat 10

John M. Tyson Republican Party

Gale Murray Adams Democratic Party NC Court of Appeals

Judge - Seat 11 Darren Jackson Democratic Party Michael J. Standing Republican Party

NC State Senate

for NC district 47

Ralph Hise

Republican Party

NC House of Representatives

for district 93

Ben Massey Democratic Party Ray Pickett Republican Party

Board of Commissioners

for district 4

Melissa Goins Tausche

Republican Party

Larry Turnbow Democratic Party

Clerk of Superior Court

Holly Fehl

Democratic Party Charles M. Haynes Republican Party Sherrif

NC District Court Judge Matt Rupp

Republican Party

District offices NC District Attourney

Seth Banks

Republican Party

Len (L.D.) Hagaman, Jr. Democratic Party David B. Searcy Republican Party District offices

Board of Education

Gary L. Childers

Board of Commissioners

for district 1

Todd Castle Republican Party

County offices Angela Laws King Democratic Party

Board of Commissioners

for district 3

Braxton Eggers

Republican Party Billy Kennedy Democratic Party

Chad Cole Jay Fenwick

Jennie Hanifan

Dustin Cole Kerley Marshall Ashcraft

Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor

Chris Hughes Billy Moretz

J. Ballard Reynolds

Boone’s kick-‘ax’ tavern

Hollie Moore Associate News Editor

Tucked behind the bustle of New Market Center, as drivers enter Boone from Highway 421, hides a building that took on the title of “Boone’s first and only indoor axe-throwing tavern,” according to its website.

Entering through the Elwood’s Hatchet House door, the smell of fresh wood and slamming of hatchets against wooden boards attached to each of the eight target paths greets customers as they enter the garage-like building.

Lauren Pipkin and her partner, Shannon Hobson, took on the task to create an environment for people to come throw an ax no matter how their week has treated them.

Pipkin, a previously single mom from Greenville, came from previous small-business ownership. She was one of the founders of Juice Boone, located two miles down the road from Elwood’s, which she sold in 2019.

Elwood’s Hatchet House adopted its name from the middle names of two important people in Pipkin’s life, her grandpa and dad. Soon after moving into the building that used to be Winkler Knives for over 20 years, Hobson welded that name into signs across the 0.81 acre lot.

Pipkin said ax throwing wasn’t necessarily in mind for her next smallbusiness undertaking, but after a venture to an ax throwing place with some hometown friends, she decided “it’s fun, and there’s nothing really to do in Boone in the winter except for like skiing or bowling,” and the rest is history.

Hobson worked at Elwood’s for a year and a half after it opened but then decided to enter into a full-time welding position, filling in when needed.

“I’m quiet and shy, you know. I don’t deal with people. I’m not a people person,” Hobson said. “But Lauren, she can talk to people. She’s a good boss. She’s a good owner. That’s her thing.”

Hobson and Pipkin have been together for four years, co-owning Elwood’s for two of them. Pipkin’s two children from her previous marriage call Hobson their “bonus” mom. Hobson

said she is “glad to fill the gap” of their father, who moved to Oregon shortly after they sold Juice Boone.

According to a survey from Statista, 29% of the 600 small-business owners interviewed by Wells Fargo lost their business by the end of 2020, nearly eight months after COVID-19 hit the U.S. economy. Elwood’s Hatchet House wasn’t one of them.

Differentiating Elwood’s from many other small-businesses, the business was only open for two days before shutting down for two months due to the pandemic. During that time, Pipkin got a job working for Amazon from home and Hobson ran Elwood’s for the first six months.

The pair reopened Elwood’s near the end of July 2020, welcoming private groups to come throw an ax or two. Pipkin said the decision was “really good because a lot of people that were coming in town on vacation wanted to pay just to come do something.”

“I think it’s turned out really, really

good because we made it through COVID,” Hobson said. “I mean it was scary to say the least because, you know, I put in my savings. She put in her savings as well. But it just keeps getting busier and busier and busier.”

Elwood’s goes beyond people coming in for some stress release after a long day, Pipkin said the business has hosted bachelor parties, adult birthday parties, bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners and a baby shower one time.

“I like teaching people how to throw and, you know, the excitement they get when they get their first ax stuck and stuff like that,” said Celeste Ramsuer, a university alumna, and staff member at Elwood’s. “I enjoy throwing myself. Yeah, it’s always a good time.”

Ramsuer has worked at Elwood’s for a year. Her uncle, who used to work with Hobson, recommended her for the position. She worked there until the summer of 2021, taking a break for school and returned to Elwood’s in January.

Ramsuer said her favorite part of working at Elwood’s has been the people.

“When you get to interact with those people, it’s really exciting environment,” Ramsuer said. “It’s really fun, really loud, a little chaotic, and I just like the energy that people have when they come in.”

Pipkin said she has no plans to expand because “it’s a lot of work and a lot of investments” to open, so she will “rock it out” as long as she can.

“It’s growing for sure. I’ve seen it grow from since we opened to now. I haven’t spent much money on advertisements,” Pipkin said. “I feel like it’s getting more word of mouth out and stuff like that. I’ve been happy with the progress.”

Cole Campbell, a regular at Elwood’s and occasionally a hatchet throwing teacher for newcomers, described the activity as a “fantastic stress reliever.”

Campbell has been throwing for 20 years and has taught it for the past 10.

His experience came from volunteering at Hickory Ridge Homestead, owned by the same management as “Horn In the West” outdoor drama, which his parents had volunteered at since before he was born.

“I received more gratification from seeing other people do it and enjoy it than I have for myself in a long time,” Campbell said. “It’s just, if you don’t have a good time, then you won’t come back.”

Campbell said they considered starting an ax throwing team associated with Elwood’s, but it didn’t materialize due to COVID-19 setbacks.

Along with Campbell’s knowledge on ax throwing, he also disproved the scenario often shown in movies where people throw axs to kill their opponents in war.

“Any real mountain man would never throw his tomahawk. It was a thing done for sport and competition only in the Revolutionary War days,” Campbell said. “Taking a chance, yeah, you might get them. You might not. And if you didn’t, you just gave him a weapon to use against you.”

Elwood’s is not limited to ax throwing. It also has two corn hole lanes, a big Connect Four, a pool table, air hockey and pinball for those not interested in ax throwing but still wanting to come. It also offers food, cold craft and domestic beer.

“Book a lane and grab an ax or just come hang out with us and drink a few cold beers,” its website mentions.

Pipkin and Hobson expanded into doing fundraisers, one being a summer camp for at-risk youth, who will be able to come in some days in the week that Elwood’s is closed, so they can throw axs.

“I know the grit and what it takes to do something like that,” Hobson said. “I’ve met some really cool people. I learned from Lauren a lot. I guess the learning process I would say would be my favorite part of it and meeting people. You meet good and bad people, but, you know, I’ve met some super cool people.”

A patron of Elwood’s Hatchet House winds up to throw an ax at the wooden target.

Hiatt Ellis

Local farm’s ‘mane’ attraction: Doc the Belgian draft horse

Grace Ficara Reporter

Outside of the Hotel Tavern Restaurant in West Jefferson, the star of two children’s books stood tall in the evening sun. Adorned with red ribbons, he posed there gracefully for pictures while guests and volunteers pet and fed him treats.

Doc, a 1600-pound Belgian draft horse, is the star of two children’s books entitled “Doc Moves to the Mountains” and the newest addition, “Doc Makes Friends.” The books, written by Pam Lather and illustrated by Anna Welsh, describe Doc’s journey to the High Country and the friends he made during his days at Southern Sun Farm Sanctuary. All the events highlighted by the books are based on real events.

Doc was able to find his “forever home” in Southern Sun Farm Sanctuary, a non-profit founded by John Lisk and Ann Lisk.

Doc is described by Ann Lisk as having the personality of a “golden retriever.” In the newest book, “Doc Makes Friends,” readers learn about how Doc won’t eat hay from the top manger if he knows that Rita the chicken has laid her eggs there.

After serving as a “beach-rider,” a term used to describe horses that give rides to Outer Banks tourists, Doc was prescribed 40 Zyrtec a day. He was scheduled to be put down because his lungs could no longer withstand the heat, until the Lisks stepped in to save him, Ann Lisk said.

out in the front yard crying her eyes out when we let him get on the trailer,” Ann Lisk said.

“

The Lisks became inspired to help save horses when they lost their 15-year old daughter, who John Lisk said was “a number one animal lover.” Since then, they’ve saved horses, ponies and even a three-legged donkey named Molly Mae.

“That’s Doc’s best friend. His roommate. In fact, that donkey was still

The sanctuary functions solely on a group of volunteers consisting primarily of retired locals with a love for Doc and his friends. Rain or shine, pandemic or no pandemic, the volunteers show up regardless, Ann Lisk said. The volunteer pool consists of a university art professor, a retired neonatal nurse practitioner, a colonel and many more.

“I’ve seen the horses come in terrible shape, and they get them really healthy, and it just takes a lot of effort and support from the community. They

do riding camps and some things like that to help out,” said Mike Cranford, a volunteer for Southern Sun Farm Sanctuary.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the auction and the new release of “Doc Makes Friends” will go to the sanctuary so that the Lisks can continue saving equestrians from all over the state.

“I have people regularly writing to me and say ‘What you are doing is my dream job. It’s really what I wanna do’ and what they don’t understand is that we are constantly begging for money,”

Ann Lisk said.

According to John Lisk, an individual horseshoe went from $2 to $12.50 in the last year, which is six times the original price.

Due to the detail of both “Doc Moves to the Mountains” and “Doc Makes Friends,” the illustrations require a lot of time, focus and artistic vision. Welsh, a former kindergarten art teacher, volunteered her time when she met Lather through a mutual friend she played tennis with.

Welsh watercolors all of the illustrations, which can be a time consuming process due to the fact that they wanted Doc to be as realistic as

possible. Sometimes they based it off a real picture taken of Doc and other times they collaborated just through words.

Lather and Welsh said they put discussion questions at the end of the book as a way for children to interact with Doc. Welsh said that the book introduces children to the differences between them and their peers, just like the differences between Doc and his friends.

The books are available for purchase at Southern Sun Farm Sanctuary events and on their website, though Lather hopes to eventually have them in Mast General Store. All of the money from book purchases goes directly to the farm.

On Sept. 15, Southern Sun Farm Sanctuary hosted a live auction at Hotel Tavern raising money for all the essential items needed to run an equestrian rescue.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the auction and the new release of “Doc Makes Friends” will go to the sanctuary so that the Lisks’ can continue to save equestrians from all over North Carolina.

Doc doesn’t say much, and he doesn’t bid on any items. As the event goes on, he stands while the sun goes down over the horizon and poses for pictures with a little girl on her birthday. As John Lisk would say at the end of every email, “Saving one horse won’t change the world, but it will surely change the world for that one horse!”

Ann Lisk can be contacted at 336977-8966 or ann@southernsunfarm. com. Members of the community can look at the animals, purchase the books and donate to the farm through their website, southernsunfarm.com.

Laurie Moon, left, stands with Chief, the kissing horse while Barb Johnson, middle, and Vicki Macut, right, straighten Doc’s bows and prepare him for his debut at the Southern Sun Farm Sanctuary’s book signing and live auction to fundraise for the sanctuary.

I have people regularly writing to me and say

‘What you are doing is my dream job.’ ” - Ann Lisk

Mayesivy Carlson

Boone Barbiesgive back to community, drag for charity

Ella McIntosh Reporter

Every month at Lily’s Snack Bar, a local drag act storms the stage, transforming the bar’s usual atmosphere. With each show, a bustling crowd turns up to cheer on an all-star lineup of drag queens, watching them lip-sync as if their lives depend on it.

The Boone Barbies have spent almost a full year working to get their name out into the community, but began their ongoing partnership with Lily’s this past summer. Both the Barbies and Lily’s donate 10% of each show’s overall sales to charities.

Benadryl and Molly Pocket are the

drag house’s founding members and self-proclaimed “house mothers.”

They act as coaches to new members with advice and makeup tips. They have what they call “mother meetings” each week to coordinate dates of shows and complete interorganizational “housekeeping” tasks.

“Molly Pocket and I met in October of 2021 when we both performed at the Sexuality and Gender Alliance amateur drag show. We immediately became friends and we decided after that to work on scoping out as many more performing opportunities as possible,” said Benadryl, a third year pre-law student and Boone Barbies founder.

Benadryl and Molly Pocket came together last autumn with nothing but a vision, and just one year later, their drag group has become a household name in Boone. With the help of Lily’s event coordinator and social media manager Stephanie Holt, they have planned and put on a series of drag performances in Boone.

“It all started with the SAGA Halloween show. Every single chair was filled, so people started sitting on the floor. I met almost every member of the Boone Barbies that night,” said, founding member and senior art major, Molly Pocket, “I remember going backstage after the show and being like, ‘What do you guys all think

of Boone Barbies as a group name?’

I’d been set on that name for a while.”

Molly Pocket and Benadryl work closely together planning each event.

They act as representatives for the Barbies at meetings with venues, where they work out logistics and select the dates for each event. They also work together to handpick which charities to partner with for each show. The Barbies have recently been working with Oasis, a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the lives of impoverished women and children, as well as helping serve victims of domestic violence. They plan to have an information booth for the organization at upcoming shows.

“Ten percent of overall Lily’s Snack Bar sales from 8 p.m. to whatever time the show ends is what we donate to each show’s chosen charity. This includes ticket sales, food and drink sales, and the queens’ tips,” Holt said.

There are currently eleven performers in the group, but the house prides itself on being inclusive, frequently inviting new members to perform at their shows.

“I definitely think the Boone Barbies are here to stay and I would be happy to carry on the group’s legacy in the future as one of the younger members of the Barbies,” said new member and sophomore marketing major Will-Oh!.

The Barbies’ decision to choose

Diana Carr holds the attention of the audience at their fingertips, collecting their tips as they strut, as handing performers tips as they perform is a customary tradition at drag shows. A portion of the proceeds benefited OASIS, a non-profit organization here in Boone.

Evan Bates

Lily’s as a repeat venue was originally based on its reputation for being a welcoming environment for members of the LGBTQ+ community, as evident by the signs displayed around the bar.

“We had heard about their reputation for being a really accepting environment, which is super important for drag events, so we decided to reach out. Since our first meeting with them, though, it became clear that they don’t only talk about being accepting, but they really care about taking actions to help the community,” Benadryl said.

The Barbies said they plan to

work closely with Lily’s for as long as possible, but they also plan to take their performances to campus as soon as next semester, along with reaching out to several other Boone venues. Molly Pocket specifically mentioned plans to hold dinner-and-drag events at Mellow Mushroom very soon.

For the best way to stay updated about their events, the Barbies said to follow them on Instagram @boone_barbies and to direct message their account if interested in getting involved in their performances.

Drag queen Drewcifer unleashes a death drop on the audience, an iconic move in drag done by falling backwards onto the ground, with one leg bent and one straight out.

Benadryl drops her outer garment, filled with insults and derogatory names.

Molly Pocket and Benadryl pose for a portrait in front of Lily’s Snack Bar. The drag house mothers work closely with Lily’s, where most of their performances take place.

Evan Bates

Evan Bates

Evan Bates

‘Organic and childish’

Art professor encourages comics and creativity

Carli Johnson Reporter

Connected to the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, around a corner and up a fire escape sits a hidden classroom lined with art supplies, covered in paint splatters and decorated with student work.

On Wednesday afternoons, an art education professor with pink glasses and a warm smile occupies the classroom, cracking the windows open and letting the fall breeze brush in.

Victoria Grube, more commonly known as Vicky, has been a professor at the university since 2005. Originally from Illinois, Grube received her masters in early childhood education from the University of Illinois and her masters in theater arts from the University of Iowa.

On Mondays and Wednesdays at 2 p.m., Grube teaches a class titled

The day’s assignment, scrawled on a green chalkboard, calls for students to work together.

In a follow-the-leader type assignment, students work in pairs where one follows the other to draw characters such as mermaids and chefs. An instrumental jazz version of “La Vie en rose” twirls around the room while Grube encourages students to let their creativity flow.

Students chat and smile with each other while they draw on large poster boards with Crayola markers.

“Having fun drawing,” said Grube when asked what the day’s lesson was. “Why get uptight about it? Just draw, and have fun with your community and the people in the room. There’s too much pressure to draw the right or the wrong way.”

Sophomore interior design major

“That’s why I love teaching this class. I like the students being so open about their lives,” Grube said.

“I mean, we don’t have them telling stories, but through their drawings you can see they reveal who they are. And they’re very wonderful.

Grube said even though they aren’t writing their own stories down, the drawings act as a form of expression. Almost none of the students are art majors, and when asked how much experience they have drawing some said “almost none.”

“She likes how individual the drawing is,” said Nick Mishue, a sophomore economics major and student in the class. “It might not be objectively good, but she likes that it really can’t be reproduced.”

Alec Stacey

Vicky Grube shows her autobiographical comics in her studio office. Grube publishes these comics herself and sends them to Quimby’s Bookstore in Chicago to be sold.

In her art education classes, she assigns students to make comics about their own lives. Grube said some students struggle telling their personal stories and will come talk to her about

“I think it’s helpful to hear about someone else’s struggles because it doesn’t make you feel so alone,” Grube said. “I think sometimes you can feel that you’re singled out and when you hear other people who have had a tough time you think, ‘Well, it’s not just me.’”

Instead of asking students to draw “perfectly” or with “accuracy,” Grube wants students to express themselves through the comics.

“It’s hard for lots of people. What do they do about it? And then you find out they play music, or they dance or they go to the theater, they listen to something.” Grube said. “So a lot of them end up making comics.”

As for Grube, she draws, writes and

publishes her own comics in small 3 inch by 5 inch books. She then sends them to two different bookstores in Chicago where they are sold for $15 each. Her comics are based on her own experiences in life and often touch on difficult subjects from poverty to civil rights.

A source of inspiration for the class comes from another professor’s work, Grube said. A copy of “Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor” by Lynda Barry can be found on her classroom desk, and acts as a partial

guide for the class. Barry’s book is derived from her own experiences as an art educator, and the ways she developed her classes.

“I’m inspired by her because she uses comics as a method to teach, and I thought, ‘Oh, I love that,’” Grube said. “So I look at her work and I’m inspired. And so that’s where I get my enthusiasm and delight, from Lynda Barry.”

The “childish” aspect she encourages in her students drawings is also found in another place in her

Vicky Grube, stands for a portrait in her Wey Hall studio office.

career –– her 20 years of experience working with child artists.

While living in Iowa City, Iowa, Grube directed an arts-based preschool program that earned her doctorate in art education from the University of Iowa. The program consisted of 30 children ages 3 to 5 years old that allowed them a space to be artistically creative. Throughout the course of this program, Grube documented the students’ approaches to art and the art they created themselves to compile her dissertation.

Looking to get out of the Midwest, Grube accepted a position as an art education professor in 2005, and has been at the university ever since. She established herself in the educational and art communities by bringing the art-centered after school program called Room 13 to Boone in 2010.

“I set up my own Room 13 and became really, really popular,” Grube said. “And it was so popular that the room was just jammed with kids making things.”

Based on an after school program in Scotland titled Room 13, where children were given creative freedom to draw, paint, sculpt or craft anything they please, Grube facilitated her own space which gave children the opportunity to make their own art.

The program gained a lot of recognition and even the chancellor came to visit, Grube said.

of a sudden, it got painted over and got painted white, and now it’s over in motor pool,” Grube said. “It’s just sitting there, and we’ve had a couple of places invite us to come and perform.”

Frustrated, Grube is left unsure on what the future of the program and the bus looks like but said she would like to get it up and running.

Sustainable development’s data and assessment specialist Jim Dees said he had graduate students design the solar powered system inside of the bus. Dees remembers the bus as having “big plywood figures on the side,” which he assumes was the reason for painting over it as he speculates it was deemed unsafe to drive.

Currently, the bus sits in a surplus warehouse lot off campus on Industrial Park Drive and is turned on and driven once a month to keep it up and running.

While the bus, aptly named Vroom 13, sits dormant, Grube said she wondered “what the children would be painting now in comparison” to her research in Iowa 20 years ago. This led to her observing preschool children’s paintings at Cove Creek Elementary school, a pre-K through eighth grade school in Watauga County, twice a week.

Similar to her program in Iowa, her observations at Cove Creek serve as a research project to better understand children’s creative expression.

Due to its popularity prior to COVID-19, Grube had received a grant to expand the program. With money from the former dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, Phyllis Kloda, Grube, along with program coordinators, bought a used Wilkes County school bus to take Room 13 outside the classroom. In 2019, her students helped paint the bus and the sustainable development department helped build out the bus to be environmentally conscious.

Ready to hit the road, Grube was excited to get the bus up and running, but as the pandemic came it kept postponing its lift off.

“We couldn’t take it out. And then all

“I’m already using what I’ve learned by going out there teaching now,” Grube said. “I noticed that each child goes to the easel and brings a different sense of themselves to the easel.”

Will Hofmann, as enterprise editor, is a contributing reporter on this story.

Now sitting unused in the University IDEX/SVT surplus warehouse, this bus was once meant to be used as a traveling art studio. Vicky Grube along with help from other App State organizations, built this bus out in 2019, however the project never got up and running due to COVID-19.

Vicky Grube instructs her cultivating creative expression through visual arts class. Grube teaches this class in the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Students were instructed to choose a partner and go back and forth copying each other’s drawings of comic book characters.

Alec Stacey

Alec Stacey

Save the dates

HALLOWEEN HAPS

OCTOBER

By Chloe Lineman Business Manager & Gabrielle Troutman Managing Editor

Valle Crucis Country Fair

Valle Crucis. 9 - 4 p.m.

Woolly Worm Festival

Historic Banner Elk School. 6-7$ for admission.

APP2K Arcade Day

Legends.

-

p.m.

APP2K Club Night

Legends.

-

p.m.

30

Grandfather’s Beary Scary Halloween

Grandfather Mountain. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Boone Boo!

15 1516 24

5 - 7:30 p.m.

Gabrielle Troutman Managing Editor & Jade Ogle Chief Copy Editor

Appalachian Theatre. 7 - 9 p.m.

20 Boone Vintage Market

Appalachian Mountain Brewery. Noon - 5 p.m.

“Twilight Night” Homecoming Kick-Off

Sanford Mall. 6 - 8 p.m.

From 1871 to now, spooky books signal the holiday season. Meet the inspiration for ‘slasher’ movies, iconic vampire books, classic horror authors and more in this year’s spooky selection.

“ Mary: The Summoning” by Hillary Monahan

Many have tried chanting Bloody Mary in a mirror three times hoping, or dreading, to see a ghostly woman appear on the other side of the glass, but to no avail. The first installment in the “Bloody Mary” duology follows four teenage girls as they successfully summon Bloody Mary, but a hitch in the ritual leads to the malicious spirit being unleashed. The girls try to piece together clues about Mary Worth in hopes of ridding themselves of the ghost before it’s too late.

An Evening of Appalachian Murder Ballads

Appalachian Theatre.

Also coming up...

-

Homecoming Parade

King Street.

p.m.

APPtoberfest

Peacock Lot. 7 - 10 p.m.

Tweetsie Railroad Ghost Train: Open Friday and Saturday nights until Oct. 29

Lantern Farm Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze: Open until late October

New River Corn Maze: Open through November

Ashe County Corn Maze & Pumpkin Festival: Open through November

Spooky Duke and Costume March: Nov. 5

Bloody Mary, murder and killer mermaids

“The Shuddering” by Ania Ahlborn

A group of friends spend their holiday in a cabin for a final getaway together, but a blizzard brings along terrible monsters. What was supposed to be a relaxing weekend turns into a fight for survival that tests the groups’ strengths and relationships.

“Carmilla”

by Sheridan Le Fanu

Published in 1871, this novella is often seen as the less popular predecessor to “Dracula.” When Laura’s friend dies under mysterious circumstances, her longing for a friend is met with Carmilla. Upon Carmilla’s emergence, a friendship — or more — brews between the two, though it is overshadowed by the strangeness of Carmilla’s habits and murders in the village.

“My Heart is a Chainsaw” by Stephen Graham Jones

Jade Daniels eats, sleeps and breathes slasher films. She knows the genre like the back of her hand. When she sees the beginning of a slasher cycle in her hometown, Jade takes it upon herself to mold the new girl in town to take down the slasher.

“The Hunger” by Alma Katsu

The Donner Party meets a supernatural, horror twist — as if it could get worse. Katsu’s novel takes the 1840’s west and the disastrous journey of the settlers to the eerie breaking point of humanity.

“Final Girl Support Group” by Grady Hendrix

Filled with struggling women who’ve survived massacres, they’ve dubbed their group the “Final Girl Support Group.” When one of the six ends up murdered, they have to fight to make sure they all end up the final girls this time.

“Into the Drowning Deep” by Mira Grant

A group of scientists and filmmakers journey to the Mariana Trench to fix the reputation of Imagine Entertainment — a film business specializing in discovery of fantastical creatures after the first expedition disappeared seven years prior. They find mermaids, and much more, but the question is if they’ll return.

Rian Hughes

‘Once

Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer’: Coach legacy lives on

Ethan Smith Reporter

For 24 seasons, Jerry Moore led the Mountaineers onto the football field, leading the program to national prominence. Moore came to Boone in 1989 to replace Sparky Woods, who left for the South Carolina head coach position.

“I think when you say Appalachian State football, what’s the first person you think about? What’s the first word comes to your mind is Jerry Moore,” head coach Shawn Clark said.

During his tenure, the university won three FCS national championships, 10 Southern Conference titles and Moore compiled a 242-135-2 total record. He won Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors eight times, coached 257 All-Conference honorees and was at the helm for one of the biggest upsets in college football history when the university defeated No. 5 Michigan in

2007 at the Big House.

Moore was inducted into both the SoCon Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014. He entered the University Hall of Fame in 2015 and earned The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state of North Carolina’s highest honor in 2018. Last fall, Moore was immortalized with a statue in the north end zone plaza of Kidd Brewer Stadium.

“He’s a very important part of this program because he made a lot of things happen. I feel like that’s someone who will never be forgotten, and when he comes around, everyone tries to speak to him and at least introduce ourselves to him because we know how important he is to this program,” said senior linebacker Trey Cobb.

Moore managed to leave a lasting influence for football in the High Country. When Moore arrived in 1989, he started a tradition of hosting a Wednesday night bonfire for coaches

to get away from football and talk about life lessons and how to be better husbands. The tradition is still going today and was featured on ESPN’s College GameDay.

After Moore’s retirement, the university made the transition to the FBS level, joining the Sun Belt where they have become a perennial conference title favorite and bowl team. The Mountaineers won the Sun Belt Conference title from 2016-19 and bowl games from 2017-20.

The Mountaineers gained such national media attention that after their victory against Texas A&M, ESPN’s College GameDay was hosted in Boone. The university’s current head coach is a former player of Moore. Clark first met Moore in 1993 at a scrimmage at Fork Union Military Academy.

Read more at https://theappalachianonline.com /category/c13-sports/ Head coach Shawn Clark shares words with Hall of Fame coach Jerry Moore at the team’s practice. Courtesy of Palmer Noyes, App State Athletics.

O’Keefe finds closure with Appalachian FC success

Alex Urquiza

The soccer community in Boone took a huge hit May 26, 2020, after the university’s men’s soccer program was cut due to financial issues from COVID-19. It was a huge defeat for head coach Jason O’Keefe at the time, with all the work he’d done stripped away from him. Fast-forward two years and O’Keefe started a new era of soccer in the High Country with Appalachian Football Club, winning a trophy in his second season as coowner.

“It feels horrible when you put your blood, sweat and tears into something and when you’re about to see the benefit of your hard work it’s all taken away,” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe spent four and a half seasons as the head coach of the university’s men’s soccer program. With the program not reaching its goals beforehand, O’Keefe was hired to bring the program back to winning ways. Before his arrival in 2016, the Mountaineers hadn’t had a winning season since 2012.

In the men’s soccer program final season in 2019, they completed their second straight winning season, had the most wins in a single season since 2002, an Academic Progress Rate of 1,000, the highest GPA out of all men’s programs, and beat UNCChapel Hill for the first time since 1980.

“Anytime you can go to a power 5 ACC team and get a win is a lifetime memory,” O’Keefe said. “It was one of those things that year where we really felt like we were about to turn the corner for sustained excellence.”

After the program was cut, O’Keefe knew he had to bring men’s soccer back to Boone. His two main reasons behind this were the alumni and community. The alumni no longer had a team they could look back on to support. As for the community, in O’Keefe’s words, Boone is a “sneaky, sneaky soccer community,” filled with passionate fans.

When he first arrived as the head coach for the men’s soccer program, O’Keefe was approached by one of his partners, Michael Hitchcock, to start a National Premier Soccer League team in Boone, but it never came to fruition. When the men’s soccer program was cut, O’Keefe reached out to Hitchcock as he knew he was someone who he could lean on and confide in. Then one day in the middle of August, Hitchcock called O’Keefe and told him the plan to launch Appalachian FC with the two being figureheads in the ownership group.

“He called me in the middle of August and said ‘this is what we are going to do, where you fit in, time is right time, the community needs this,’” O’Keefe said.

Appalachian FC was an instant success on the pitch and for the community. They partnered with huge local businesses such as App Ortho and Mast General Store, while also having a supporters group, “The Squatch Guard,” who tailgated and marched to every match from Booneshine Brewery.

“We far exceeded all our expectations the first month, first year, and even now it is still a scratch your head moment and smile,” O’Keefe said.

Chris Greer Salon

EXCELLENCE,

Shoppes

Despite the program being cut out of his control two years ago, O’Keefe states there’s never been any spite toward the university. Although he believes that there were better ways to go around the issue, O’Keefe knew it wasn’t an easy decision for the university to cut the program.

“We took it upon ourselves to fill the void with soccer to provide for the young kids to have something to aspire to,” O’Keefe said. “Lifting that trophy was a ‘we finally did it’ moment, not a negative thought went through my head.”

they exceeded their goals, getting third in the Southeast Conference and being eliminated from the conference semifinals. In their second season, they surprised everyone again, winning their conference title and advancing to the NPSL East Division Final, where they were eliminated by FC Motown, who went on to win the national title. With the Sasquatches reaching the national quarter final, they will now participate in next year’s U.S. Open Cup, the U.S.’s longest running soccer tournament that involves professional and semi-

“We understood the responsibility that we had as a team and club to fill that gap and give back to the community something that they lost that was so important to them,” Appalachian FC head coach Dale Parker said. “When we won the conference tournament, it felt like a big weight lifted off everyone’s shoulders. It felt great to give back to the community.”

Jason O’Keefe, middle, poses with the conference championship trophy alongside former App State players Camden Holbrook, left, and Nick Buchholz, right, July 16, 2022.

International athletes explain why App State soccer

Sarah Kruger Reporter

App State soccer has seen an increase in international players in its squad since 2021, the result of a unique team mentality and opportunity for players.

The Mountaineers acquired two international players before the start of the 2022 season — freshmen midfielders Felicia Erkenfeldt from Rydebäck, Sweden, and Lela Stark from Ontario, Canada. In a Sept. 12 interview, both discussed what attracted them to the university.

“I think it was the coach here at App State soccer. I just felt like she had good goals and she just felt like a good coach,” Erkenfeldt said. “It felt like an environment that I could develop as a soccer player.”

Erkenfeldt said head coach Aimee Haywood’s high expectations for the team, as well as the winning habits Haywood stresses on and off the field, are what drew her to the High Country. Erkenfeldt also cited Haywood’s commitment to helping players develop individually as well as a team as an attractive feature of the program.

These sentiments are reflected in Haywood’s own description of her coaching style and team mentality.

“I think a big piece of it for me is person-first. I want to get to know them as human beings … So, the more I know them, the better I can coach them,” Haywood said.

Haywood elaborated on her philosophy, expanding her views of the technical aspects of the game.

“I’m really big on playing to

win,” Haywood said. “We want to play aggressively, we want to play in the other teams half of the field. We want to create as many scoring opportunities as possible and so we’re working on building that.”

While Haywood believes in the importance of playing aggressive soccer that emphasizes the counter attack, it is clear that in addition to that, the team culture she constructs is player-centered. This culture of player-centered diversity of experience, exemplified in international players, is used as the foundation upon which the “winning

RE-ELECT GARY CHILDERS

FOR

EXPERIENCED • CARING

habits” of the team are built.

It is the combination of tactical understanding, commitment to the game and the “human-first” mentality embodied in Haywood’s coaching that helps create this unique culture present at App State soccer. Both Erkenfeldt and Stark said this “Mountaineer mentality” was an attractive motivator for choosing to play for the Black and Gold.

Stark, while also taken with Haywood’s coaching, said the “feel of the team” as well as her ability to become a “difference maker” in the program were attractive features in her decision to join the Mountaineers.

“It’s a program that had a culture that seemed like there was more than soccer, too,” Stark said. “It felt like my teammates weren’t just my teammates, they were, like, my family as well and same with the coaching staff.”

The familial nature of the team and staff that Stark discussed is reflected in the way that Haywood motivates her team. Haywood said that “love” is the best motivator for her players.

“I think that if you love what you

are doing and you love who you are doing it with and you love the process of it, I think that is the only type of motivation that lasts,” Haywood said.

This love-as-motivation Haywood discusses was reflected in both Erkenfeldt and Stark’s comments about the role soccer plays in their future.

“I don’t think I could see myself living a life without soccer,” Erkenfeldt said. “It is just a big part of my life and I love to play soccer.”

Stark continued this sentiment, centralizing love as a strong internal motivator for continued play at the highest level.

“When I’m young I want to focus on something I love to do. That’s soccer.” Stark said

This aligning of the values and motivations of the program and players explains the appeal of playing soccer in the High Country for both players.

Erkenfeldt and Stark desire to play at the highest level in the future and the present, with Stark hoping to one day play for Team Canada.

“I want to keep playing at a high level for as long as I can,” Erkenfeldt said.

They both said that in order for them to continue playing at this high level, the next step was to pursue soccer at a university level.

“I just wanted to keep playing soccer and study at the same time, which is hard to do in Sweden because there is not really a university with a club,” Erkenfeldt said.

Stark, in her desire to play for Team Canada also looked to university soccer as a stepping stone to play at a higher level.

“Coming to App and playing soccer in university was a great pathway, especially in America because the U.S. has a good NWSL, they have a women’s soccer team and WPSL for the summer teams,” Stark said. “They just have way more opportunities than in Canada.”

Stark also has a desire to have an impact on the program.

“This was going to be me coming into a program that hasn’t had its takeoff yet and to make a difference and to be a difference maker in the program,” Stark said.

In a team as young as this Black and Gold side, there is a lot of opportunity for newer players to assert themselves in creating a distinct “App State” style of play. This is something both Erkenfeldt and Stark expressed a desire in doing — another motivator to join App State soccer.

Haywood, Stark and Erkenfeldt all separately spoke about how important it was for them to not only grow from adversity, but to have an understanding about the need for the opportunity to have that growth.

Erkenfeldt and Stark also discussed the larger university and Boone community as a vital aspect in their decision to join App State soccer.

Read more at

Freshman midfielder Lela Stark from Guelph, Ontario, Canada, makes a run toward Radford’s goal.

Taylor Ward

Boone needs sustainable tourism Through Ella’s Eyes :

Ella Adams Opinion Editor

Temperatures and leaves are finally dropping. Fall has arrived in the High Country. From corn mazes to pumpkin patches to hiking and haunted houses, tourists from all over are coming to Boone to experience an Appalachian autumn. Enthusiastic leaf peepers and weekend trippers flood the area for fall festivities, but what does that mean for Boone locals and the beautiful environment so many come to see? Fall is certainly a peak season for tourism, but it isn’t all pumpkin patches and apple picking.

Unfortunately for Boone, tourism and entitlement go hand in hand. Unrestricted tourism contributes to environmental damage, pricey housing and mass commercialization. Policies encouraging sustainable tourism are essential to empower locals, protect the environment and keep Boone authentic. Not much can be done to stop entitlement, but regulations can be put in place to curb the negative effects of mass tourism.

Southern Appalachia has a long history with tourism. Beginning in the early 1800s, mountain air and water were seen as therapeutic for people suffering from various ailments, including arthritis and tuberculosis.

During the Industrial Revolution, mountain retreats were a luxury, as only the rich could afford to escape the city and experience nature. Tourism became more accessible and affordable moving into the 20th century with the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1926 and the continued construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway throughout the 1940’s and ‘50s. Traveling for pleasure used to be a privilege only for the elite. Today, the High Country is very accessible within only a few hours drive from North Carolina’s three biggest cities, Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro. It’s great that

more people can afford a mountain vacation but with more people always comes more problems. Tourism is an important industry for Boone’s economy, but it is also harming the very place so many love to visit.

A shared problem across the tourism industry is entitlement. Tourists often feel a sense of ownership over the places they visit. Although they pay to visit, it does not excuse bad behavior, dismissal of the local community’s rules or disrespect of public spaces. One of the more prominent issues facing the High Country’s environment is entitled visitors not obeying the rules while on hiking trails and visiting waterfalls. The ecosystems in and around Boone are often fragile alpine environments, sensitive to human activity and interference. The influx of tourists into Boone and the surrounding area means more activity on the trails. It’s always good that people want to get outside, but more traffic on the trails means a higher likelihood of visiting hikers going off trail, not putting their dogs on leashes, littering, ignoring safety measures and starting prohibited campfires. The argument could be made that tourists may not know about the rules. However, it is the visitor’s responsibility to ensure they are following regulations and respecting the environment. Using the “I didn’t know” excuse for littering, starting fires and letting dogs run free is an ignorant excuse and completely disrespectful to the environment and community you are a guest in.

Tourists should be mindful of the environment and rules protecting it, but also mindful of where they stay while visiting. It’s no secret that there’s a housing shortage in Boone and rent is through the roof. Many issues contribute to the housing crisis in Boone including the short-term rental industry. Shortterm rentals, like Airbnb and Vrbo, are widely used by visitors to the area. Although they are convenient

for property owners and tourists alike, they are a major driver of gentrification. Property is quickly purchased by wealthy landlords to market as a short-term rental. Boone residents are left with less housing, worsening the crisis and raising rent prices. The prevalence of short-term rentals in the High Country is hurting especially low-income locals and fueling a parasitic tourism industry. Tourism should be mutually beneficial, not a drain on Boone’s people.

Too often tourists have the expectation that the community they

are visiting should accommodate them and exist to make their stay as comfortable and exciting as possible. Although many businesses in Boone accommodate tourists, the town does not solely exist for their visiting pleasure.

Unfortunately, tourism is driving mass commercialization in Boone. Many come to Boone for an Appalachian experience, but oftentimes that experience is neatly packaged into a commercial enterprise. The mountain general store is twisted and commercialized

into something like Mast General Store with a location conveniently on King Street, while Appalachian-owned general stores close. Convenience and commodification is killing the very culture tourists come to experience. To be fair, tourism is good for Boone’s economy, but are the benefits really returning to Boone locals? Opportunistic businessmen take advantage of Boone’s tourism industry. Lucrative businesses, like Mast General Store, are now owned by wealthy Floridians. Popular ski destination Sugar Mountain is owned and directed by a family from Austria. The Appalachian experience is commodified by outsiders, with little return to Appalachian people. Implementing sustainable tourism practices would help counteract the negatives of the industry. Sustainable tourism “takes full account of current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities,” according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. So what does sustainable tourism look like in Boone? To start, stricter regulations on short-term rentals, like those seen in Asheville. Enforcing rules on hiking trails more strictly. Encouraging shopping from local, Appalachianowned businesses. Tourism is a critical industry to Boone’s economy. It isn’t going anywhere and it shouldn’t. It’s not a bad thing, but it can easily get out of control. Tourism should be mutually beneficial to Boone and visitors alike, not a drain on the community and pricing out local people. Putting a few more guidelines and rules in place may seem like an inconvenience but it’s essential to protect our town from exploitation. Boone needs sustainable tourism.

Boone Bagelry reflected in Jimmy John’s window across King Street. Hanging in the store is a sign that says “We’re competitive so is our pay.” Boone Bagelry has been locally owned and operated since 1988.

Sam Byrd

OPINION

Freshmen don’t need cars on campus

Nadine Jallal Associate Opinion Editor

On campus students are all allowed to have cars on campus to facilitate their living experience. Students living off campus also have cars to make it on campus for class. However, finding a parking spot on campus can be a hard process many can have trouble navigating.

Currently, the university has nine parking lots for students to utilize. There are two off campus lots, Appalachian 105 Lot and State Farm. Three of the remaining seven, Mountaineer, Mountain Laurel and Appalachian Heights, are restricted to residents of their respective residence halls. Four lots are left for students to park in if they want to be somewhat close enough to campus to walk.

Freshmen are only allowed to

park in the Appalachian 105 Lot, but other classes are also allowed to buy a parking pass there. Because of the lack of parking available near campus for all the upperclassmen, Appalachian 105 ends up housing many sophomore cars. Appalachian 105 is also about 1.5 miles away from campus and not necessarily walkable from campus.

Students have to take AppalCart or catch a ride to get to and from the lot.

The competition for freshmen to snag a spot in Appalachian 105 is not

worth the trouble and they are better off not bringing a car anyway. Of course, there are freshmen coming from the other side of the state as well as all over the country and a car is necessary for them to go to and from their homes on weekends and breaks if their families are unable to give them a ride. There will always be freshmen living in situations where a car is a necessary part of their college experience. However, if a freshman is in a place where they can live without

a car on campus, they definitely should.

Not to mention, parking on or around the university’s campus is a hefty addition to the already extensive list of expenses for college students. Buying a parking pass on campus will cost $300-$600 per year. If a student doesn’t manage to get a parking spot on a university affiliated lot, off campus parking lots are charging anywhere between $300-$900, some per semester and some per year. Not bringing a car to Boone for at least one’s freshman year could save some money.

The university is accepting more and more students on campus every year. Last fall, the university accepted its largest freshman class of 4,099 students. Boone is continuing to grow into a bustling town with students and Boone locals struggling to find off campus housing and parking spots

alike.

Boone’s population has increased consistently over the past decade, with and without university students. Boone’s increase in population and lack of fitting infrastructure has caused unbearable traffic on Blowing Rock Road. Everyone should do their part to help decrease congestion on Boone roads, especially for the people who absolutely need cars to get around Boone. Freshmen who are able to do their part and leave their cars behind should do so.

A big part of the college experience across the U.S. is living on campus and walking everywhere. The idea of walkable campuses and communities is supported by the Office of the Surgeon General.

Read more at https://theappalachianonline.com/ category/c14-opinion/

Trick or treat, smell my feet, horror movies remain elite

Leah Boone Reporter

It’s officially nearing the best time of the year: spooky season. The leaves are changing, “Harry Potter” marathons are on TV and hot chocolate seems to be a necessity every night. With these traditions comes the return of classic horror movies. Whether it’s binging Hitchcock, hiding eyes from the latest Jordan Peele movie or watching all five “Scream” films in a row, horror movies bring a traditional feel to spooky season that nothing else can.

Boone is one of the best places to enjoy the fall weather. With the Blue Ridge Parkway a short drive away and many fall and Halloween festivities going on in the heart of the town, Boone is a wonderful community to be a part of during the Halloween season. And what better to do during the Halloween season than sit back and enjoy a horror movie?

There is an ongoing debate regarding if the genre is too predictable because a lot of the films within it follow the same trope. Most of the genre revolves around some masked villain that goes on a killing spree and ends up

being someone with some connection to the main characters. Yes, a lot of them follow the same plot, but a sense of predictability is a good thing while watching horror.

Take “Friday the 13th” from 1980 and the 2017 film “Happy Death Day.” Both films feature a masked murderer terrorizing victims. While they share that one similarity, the movies are vastly different. “Friday the 13th” is about

camp counselors being killed one by one, potentially by a vengeful Jason. “Happy Death Day” is focused on the murder of one college girl who wakes up day-to-day, trapped in her murderous nightmare. Both are considered slasher films but have differences that make them appeal to different sorts of audiences.

It makes sense that some people share a sense of disdain for the repetition of some parts of the genre. Jump scares

seem to be predictable a lot of the time, climaxing and suspenseful music is used in most of the scariest scenes and sometimes it can be predicted how the villain is caught. There are also multiple tropes that are reused throughout horror movies, such as the classic “let’s split up and search both stories,” the “surprise” ending that the murderer ends up connected to the main character or the characters running from the villain falling and almost getting caught up with.

There are definitely some similarities between different horror movies, but there are also a large number of subgenres of horror. Because of this variety, movie watchers can choose the subgenre they please and enjoy a completely different storyline than they would with a different subgenre.

For example, there is a large difference between psychological horror and slasher films. Psychological horror is more along the lines of “The Silence of the Lambs” or “1408.” Both of these films leave viewers terrified in a completely different way than a slasher would.

When comparing a psychological

horror film like “The Silence of the Lambs” and a slasher film such as “The Prowler,” these two can offer completely opposing experiences. “The Silence of the Lambs” is a horror film in the sense that it messes with the viewer’s mind and leaves them with a very disturbed feeling, as it deals with topics that are not brought up in many other horror films. “The Prowler” follows a World War II veteran on his murderous streak and includes a much more gory storyline. These types of horror movies focus more on the jump scare, violent aspect. The same people that complain about repetition in horror movies turn around and watch romantic comedies that are exactly the same as one another, just with different named characters. The majority of romantic comedies can be predicted immediately with complete accuracy, but people still fawn over each new one that comes out. So, if society is not complaining about those, then why is predictability in horror movies such a bad thing?

Read more at https://theappalachianonline.com/ category/c14-opinion/

Rian Hughes

Lilianna Rivera