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August 30, 2026#3
September 1, 2026
Searchable issue transcript
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What do these Awards really mean to You and Your Community Hospital? For the sixth consecutive year, Catawba Valley Medical Center has been named a recipient of the Women’s Choice Award as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience. Also, for the fifth consecutive year, a recipient of America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics. This Women’s Choice Award identifies the nation’s best healthcare institutions measured against the needs and preferences of women, providing her the opportunity to identify which hospitals deliver the quality patient experience she seeks for her and her family, and for her birthing experience. These credentials signify Catawba Valley Medical Center’s commitment and passion towards an extraordinary healthcare experience for all patients, and are further examples of the many ways we’re working to improve the health of our community. 828.326.3000 Follow us on Facebook www.catawbavalleymedical.org facebook.com/CatawbaValleyMedicalCenter Catawba Valley Medical Center does not discriminate on the basis of sex, age, national origin, disability, or race in its health programs. Español (Spanish) ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. 繁體中文 (Chinese) 注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電 Hmoob (Hmong) LUS CEEV: Yog tias koj hais lus Hmoob, cov kev pab txog lus, muaj kev pab dawb rau koj. Hu foothills Foothills Digest 619 2nd St NE Hickory NC 28601 Phone: 828.475.1323 E-mail: editor@foothillsdigest.com Website: foothillsdigest.com Printed in Vietnam EDITORIAL CARMEN ECKARD JON ECKARD Chief Editor Principal Photographer CONTRIBUTORS Robert Canipe Calvin Reyes Kelsey Crowe Richard Eller Tim Peeler Heather Wood Davis Granny Eckard Richard Eller Ashley Kirby James Thomas Shell Jeffrey Wilhelm Gabriel Sherman CVMC Adam York Steele’s Construction Stephen Brooks Sean Presnell Hickory Station David Zealy-Wright Steve Watson Ryan Gant Anna Wess
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5 4 Contents WINTER 2018 Letter from the editor Data Corridor Looping in the Foothills Appalachian Mural Trail Fox and the Hounds How We Talk Beekeeping Eustace Conway-Mountain Man Granny Eckard 05 10 14 16 18 22 24 30 34 Lost Cities Granny Witches Henry River Mill Village Recipes Baking with Kids Make a Cheese and Charcutirie Board Restaurant Index The Olde Hickory Station Guardian of the Webb 36 42 44 52 58 62 64 66 70 MITCHELL AND TIM GOLD p. 18 The Season of Limited Light Seasonal Affective Disorder Salt and its Benefits Dear David The History of Commercial Dog Food Foothills Astrologer Carolina Reads Rural Legend Selections from L 2 For the Kings and Queens of Appalchia Laying Beneath Rain on a Strange Roof The Robin Golden: a Love Letter to Appalachia 122 124 127 128 130 132 136 138 142 144 146 148 150 1936 Tudor Remodeled into a French Modern Luxury Oasis Bears in NC Why I Paint Trees by Stephen Brooks Kids Magazine Minnie Reinhardt Leonardo DaVinci’s Flying Machines Art of Sean Presnell Edison Competition Activities and Venues Crawdad’s Baseball Ski Resorts Stay Fit in the Winter 8 Heart Attack Signs 74 80 86 94 96 102 104 110 112 114 116 118 120
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7 6 If you’d like to advertise, please call 828.475.1323 or e-mail editor@foothillsdigest.com. Letter from Editor I hope this issue finds you somewhere warm and snuggly, and that the stories capture your interest. We followed our bliss this issue, and we wrote about the things that caught our interest. That includes Henr y River Mill Village, bears, ar t, and so much more. You’ll notice as you flip through these pages that I’ve added some odd squares. They are called QR codes, and they work like barcodes, except that you can scan them with your smar t phone. I hope you’ll take a minute now to go to your app store and enter “QR reader”. There are many choices and almost all of them are free. Once you’ve done that, it’s as easy as taking a pic ture to follow these codes. The black QR codes are for road trips. If you scan the square, google maps will open on your phone and give you direc tions to the location. Colored QR codes are informational. They’ll take you to a site with more information. Go now! Then let’s test a code! Now, if you’ve downloaded an app, you’ll just open the app, point your camera at the code, and it will do the rest! If ever y thing is going according to plan, you should now be on our subscription page. If you are, now you’ll be able to use all of our codes! And, while you’re there, consider signing up for a subscription. We publish quar terly, and we promise to keep pouring our hear ts and souls into this magazine. Be sure to check in for our Spring issue as well. We’ll talk about potter y, an exciting new Cider y, and as always, histor y of our region. I’m excited to bring you new ar tists and authors as well. Let me know what you think of our magazine! You can always reach me at editor@foothillsdigest.com, and I love to hear your input. If you have stor y ideas, send those as well! Subscribe Our partner company is Eckard Photographic, and you’ll notice that most of our photography is by Jon Eckard. He is a commercial photographer based in Hickory, North Carolina. He is quite good at assessing the needs of your business and delivering high quality photography quickly and at fair rates. We think the quality of his work speaks for itself, and we hope you will call as business needs arise. HTTP://ECKARDPHOTOGRAPHIC.COM | 828.475.1323 You can always subscribe online at http://foothillsdigest.com , but you can also fill out this form and send it in to: Foothills Digest/619 2nd St NE/Hickory NC, 28601. Name: Address: Phone: Subscriptions are $22 per year and we publish quarterly. Shipping is $8. Please enclose a check or your credit card information. Cards are charged $30 one time. Card Number: Expiration: CVV Code:
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9 8 The Aquaduct Photo by Clayton Joe Young
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11 10 THE DATA CORRID OR BY CA RMEN ECKA RD TECHNOLO GY ’S BIG GEST NAMES, LIKE FACEBO OK, G O O G LE, AND APPLE CALL THESE HILL S HOME. BUT WHY ? A s you drive through our hills, marveling at the beauty, you are probably unaware of the massive amount of data being stored and transferred all around you. Google, Facebook and Apple, three giants of industry, have data centers here. In fact, it’s completely fair to say that SIRI lives in Catawba County. “ I think most in our area would be surprised to know that, to my knowledge, every transaction on an iPhone--song or app download, ask Siri, mapping, Apple Pay--worldwide--goes through Catawba County at some point. That’s simply amazing. And very cool.”-Scott Millar, President of the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation. Apple, Facebook and Google are joined by many other companies: AT&T, Bed Bath and Beyond, Disney, Boeing, and others. This new movement is helping to revive our region, replacing many of the jobs lost to overseas manufacturing. But why? Why are such industry giants choosing our humble hills as their home? The answer is more complex than most people realize, and it’s the culmination of many factors, as well as an intentional push by local governments, who are working hard to bring industry home. The first factor is part of our rugged landscape-our water supplies are key to attracting large data centers. I’m sure you’ve felt the back of your computer-they put off a good deal of heat. Google has said that evaporative cooling commonly can use “hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a day,” and this is the cooling system most large data centers employ. Our region is appealing regarding water both because of our ample supply, but also because of cooperation from our major utilities, like Duke Energy. That dovetails with the second factor, which is cheap and available power. This is a unique way that the departure of our previous manufacturing led to the development of the Data Corridor. In most larger cities, power grids operate near capacity. Because our system was built to support a great deal of manufacturing businesses, their departure has freed up the electricity the data centers need. But don’t be concerned that these companies are a drain on our resources. Apple, for instance, is generating enormous amounts of solar electricity, and their new renewable energy facility will use treated methane from the landfill to create electricity using fuel cells. Space and privacy are also important factors. These campuses are large and house industry secrets. In fact, most of them are protected by the Department of Homeland Security. Our wide open spaces and our sparse populations in Fields of Solar Panels like these are becoming more common across our hills. Solar energy and other cutting edge technologies are employed at our many data centers to save money and to improve environmental stewardship.
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13 12 certain pockets are a large factor in bringing business here, and our climate is unique in the Southeast, as it remains cool enough to be cost effective. It also doesn’t hurt that Catawba County is home to 3 companies that are the world’s top manufacturers of coaxial cable and fiber optic cable: CommScope, Corning Optical Communications, and Prysmian. Perhaps one of the most important factors has been the involvement of local governments. Google, the first major Data Center on the scene, moving to Lenoir in 2006, is saving $212 million in taxes over 30 years. NC Legislature approved $46 million in tax savings for Apple, and our local governments cut their property taxes by half. But tax incentives are only part of it. Local governments and business leaders. Like the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation (www.catawbaedc.org) took a 4 pronged approach: 1: They established ready-to-build data center sites. This saves a great deal of time for companies, and was a deciding factor for Apple-they were able to move in quickly. 2: They created a cohesive marketing plan and pushed information about our data centers. The plan was aimed at consultants, engineers and other firms who worked with data center operators. 3: They developed focused incentives. These included tax breaks, but our local leaders did much of the leg-work, making the sites very appealing. 4: They continue to develop events and reach out to media, and an annual DCIX convention brings home 50 national data center people, who speak about best practices and business practices, over a beer or two. Some reporters also cite a lemming effect. Now that the advantages of our location have been proven, more and more data centers are being built. I can’t say whether that’s true, but it is true that we’re quickly becoming a popular destination for the world’s largest brands. It’s exciting! What is a Data Center? da·ta cen·ter noun A large group of networked computer servers typically used by organizations for the remote storage, processing, or distribution of large amounts of data. Data Centers are growing globally at a rate of 15%. North Carolina is home to some of the world’s largest data centers. As companies around the world, and consumers as well, create more content and move more services into the cloud, and as more people around the world get internet access, it will create a need for even larger data centers, and the people of the Foothills are ready for this, and our leadership sees the trend. They are working towards ensuring that we will have the space and the electrical capacity to handle these coming projects. This is an industry to keep your eye on, and as you search Google for information, log into Facebook to chat with your friends, or upload something to the iCloud, remember the role your communities play in the never-ending stream of data transfer.
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15 14 LOOPING IN THE FOOTHILLS BY GRANNY ECKARD Eleven year old Nannie Colson can be seen working as a looper at the Crescent Hosiery Mill in Scotland Neck, North Carolina. Sitting in a chair in front of a hosiery machine, she is absorbed in her work. She is so short that she is at eye-level with the machine. Next to her, a woman works at the same job. A looper attaches a toe portion to a sock. T here is evid e nce as f ar b a c k a s 1874 t ha t t h e r e w e r e l o o p i n g m a c h i n e s b e i n g u s e d i n N o r t h C arolina to k nit together the top and back f lap of s o c k t o e s . T h i s m a d e a very smooth-fitting sock, as opposed to other methods which sewed the sec tions together, leaving a raised s eam t hat ir r it ate d toes. This looping machine was invented during Germany’s industrial revolution. It was an elec tric machine which housed a large circular dial filled with pin-sharp needles. Following a faint line in the sock, the operator would inser t cer tain knit ted stitches onto this dial; first the back, turn the cor ner, then the top. The dial was fit ted with a sewing needle that sewed between the needles. At the end of the circular dial there was a blade that cut the lef tover threads, thus separating the socks. The dial continuously moves while the operator installs the socks in this fashion, one af ter the other. If she is ef ficient enough, she never stops the dial. It continues for hours and hours and is ver y boring work. Early in the histor y of hosier y in Nor th Carolina, children were used for this work for obvious reasons Af ter all, they had already been per forming much harder work on the farm and in the kitchen, and now they were able to contribute to the family income. In 1900, 18% of American workers were under the age of 16. But this began to change around 1916 with the child labor laws of the progressive reform. However, the Supreme Cour t declared this change unconstitutional. Then, Congress passed an amendment authorizing federal child labor legislation in 1924, followed by the Fair Labor Standards Ac t of 1938, which set minimum wage and maximum hours. This, along with the world wars, market crash, Great Depression, and record unemployment, paved the way for more adult women to enter the workforce. In 1941, my mom learned to loop at a looping school of f of Highway 127 in the Viewmont area of Hickor y. There were many of these home-industr y schools located in private homes throughout the South. When she finished the school, she was employed in one of the local mills. Mom’s looper was a 22-guage, which demanded more respec t because the needles were tiny and extremely close together. She prided herself on her ef ficiency. Our family was blessed with elec tricity in 1950. About this time, my older sister returned home from the polio hospital and my baby brother was born. With 5 children, a farmer husband, and a handicapped child, Mom began to realize she needed to make a change and star t looping at home. This enabled her to take care of the kids, run the household, receive an above-average wage, and have flexible working hours. Being home meant that we could spend our summers playing and per forming chores. I’m sure we did not realize it then, but it was a blessing to have our Mom home for breakfast during the school year and still have her home when we got of f the bus in the af ternoon. Photograph of the author’s mother looping in their Baker’s Mountain home. Provided by Granny Eckard. C o p y r i g h t © 2 0 0 9 b y L e w i s W i c ke s H i n e. Shot in 1914. Courtesy of Learn NC.
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Appalachian mural trail Town of Valdese Village Park Mural Valdese, NC Blue Ridge MilePost: 292 Latitude: 35.742031, Longitude: -81.557223 Forest City Downtown Mural Forest City, NC Blue Ridge MilePost: 384 Latitude: 35.333531, Longitude: --81.863619 A Time to Build Mural Old Fort, NC Blue Ridge MilePost: 344 Latitude: 35.628934, Longitude: -82.18135 Hugh Chapman Memorial Mural Elkin, NC Blue Ridge MilePost: 229 Latitude: 36.244696, Longitude: -80.851479 History Tells a Story Mural Elkin, NC Blue Ridge MilePost: 229 Latitude: 36.244694, Longitude: -80.851477 Under the Wilkes County Sun Mural North Wilkesboro, NC Blue Ridge MilePost: 248 Latitude: 36.160514, Longitude: -81.146643 Where the Mountains Begin Mural Wilkesboro, NC Blue Ridge MilePost: 276.4 Latitude: 36.148297, Longitude: -81.151977 New River Traditions Mural West Jefferson, NC Blue Ridge MilePost: 261 Latitude: 36.40231, Longitude: -81.49242 Cut at Devil Stairs Mural West Jefferson, NC Blue Ridge MilePost: 261 Latitude: 36.40272, Longitude: --81.49241 T he Appalachian Mural Trail aims to highlight the beautiful murals in our hills. Visit http:// www.muraltrail.com/ to see an updated list of murals across our region. There are also lovely murals in some of our towns that aren’t part of this trail, like murals in Downtown Hickory and Downtown Morganton. Murals, like barn quilt squares, dot our landscape and highlight the love of art that’s present in our people and our towns. Photo by Jon Eckard
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“Vision” for our community? … Something that I have elaborated on before on my site “The Hickory Hound.” What are our objectives? Where do we want to be in 5, 10, to 25 years as far as Economic, Cultural, and Social Development? One - I truly believe the backbone of progress is based upon the necessity to engage and encourage the broadest possible dialogue with the largest number of people possible. Society is strongest when there is an active, informed citizenry. A small pool of participants tends to limit initiative and stagnate ideas, ultimately leading to a small closed circuit group acting in their own self interests with the public interest taking a backseat. Two - Economic growth correlates to quality of life. Over the past several years, I have taken a trip down to the Eastern half of the State to visit family that live east of Fayetteville. This journey involves the most heavily traveled driving routes in this State and I have observed what is the reality of economic division in what is the ‘Tale of Two States’ in North Carolina. The northern route I-40/I-85 corridor has been developed rapidly over the past 25 years. From Winston-Salem to Raleigh, it is hard to tell where one city ends and the next begins. Raleigh is the fastest growing metropolitan area in our State. The I-95 corridor from Raleigh to Fayetteville is growing by leaps and bounds. The southern route involves Charlotte, which has always done its own thing pretty well. Most of the other areas in North Carolina, including the Northwest Foothills, have been left behind by the narrow focus of the decision makers in the State and Federal governments. Three – No investment equals no growth. Look at your personal life. You have to make investments to have personal growth. You have to buy food to live. You have to have shelter. You have to have health and hygiene. Of course, there are two types of investments – good and bad. One thing is for sure, Charlotte’s population has nearly doubled over the past 25 years. Charlotte, with over 800,000 people, is now larger than Atlanta. Charlotte has been good at taking care of Charlotte and our area is going to have to get good at taking care of our interests. Generally speaking we have nine counties that have the same interests – Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Watauga, and Wilkes. We are a much more rural area than the City of Charlotte, but together this area has a population of over 500,000. The bottom line is that our area deserves more attention. We have a great University in Appalachian State and we have access to several technical schools. What is important is that our area must become more interconnected. What I envision is a Regional Economic Development Corporation that incorporates all of these Northwestern North Carolina counties. This entity would coordinate the overall economic interests of our entire area. The counties would no longer be competing amongst themselves for viable projects. They would begin working together to compete against larger markets, such as Charlotte and Raleigh. I would also like to see a consolidation of the various Chambers of Commerce in the region. In my opinion, we don’t need a separate Chamber of Commerce in every county. It just isn’t viable. Each county would have representatives and headquarters within these entities to ensure they are properly represented, but they would coordinate towards the big picture. Of course there is more, but I believe these are good initial steps towards building a solid, constructive foundation for our future. First of all, I would like to congratulate Carmen on winning the Edison Project for 2017. I, Thom Shell, was a part of the Future Economy Council group, created by Danny Hearn of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce that spoke to the “Vision” of such a contest for start-ups and innovators in our community. We all must thank Garrett Hinshaw - President of Catawba Valley Community College, Bill Parrish - formerly of the Small Business and Technology Development Center, Sid Connor - formerly Director of the NC Center for Engineering Technologies, and Jeff Neuville and Tom Shea local Business Developing Entrepreneurs (and others) who all came together to establish, implement, and mentor this program. These and other endeavors can help our area move forward. We should all take an interest in such initiatives and support them in whatever way we can. You may not realize that, just by reading this magazine, you are helping support several local entrepreneurs, innovators, and creative people in our community. I hope that you will spread the word about this interesting magazine. We need to support the true assets of our community. The subject matter of this Fox and Hound opinion article is about “Vision” for our region. It is an open ended discussion and here are some ideas about our future. Economics Though not technically in Northwestern North Carolina, Catawba County is a waystation between that region and the Piedmont’s economic activity. Our economy is invariably linked to those regions we connect as neighbors and we should see our futures as intertwined. With investment in the area by 21st century industries and infrastructure, and local governments advocating for citizen interests without reserve, the diversity of our young population will stay and expand the economic capacity. There are ways we can capitalize on our neighboring county’s successes, we just need potential companies and our citizenry to find common ground here to build on. Economic opportunity must reach everyone, and the whole of our diverse population should be respected and supported in efforts of growth as well. Our public transportation systems are basic and limiting, which is a hindrance to both our citizenry and attracting more progressive industry. Among our goals should be public transportation options to allow mobility of our masses to meet the needs that are only a few miles away, and options for efficient travel to and from the Charlotte area. With the completion of the 485 loop and the recent improvements to highway 16 the trip from Charlotte’s Douglas International Airport to the heart of Catawba County is quicker than ever, which makes us a prime target for corporate investment. A line along the highway 16 route to connect to Charlotte’s Lynx Light Rail would open doors for commuters to live cheaper here and invest city salaries in our communities. We have inexpensive land that is connected to the Northwest region and the national roadways with I-40, we have inexpensive energy that includes some from renewables, we have a young and diverse population, we have varied recreation opportunities, and we have moderate weather. All we need are a few more options for industrial growth and an efficient means for our workforce to move around. Because we are a forward-looking area…potential companies, our communities, and our educational centers, are working on some of it already. Education The Hickory, Morganton, Lenoir, area was recently rated as the 8th least educated in the nation. One reason we don’t attract such investment in modern economic activity is a need for skilled workers in varied fields. We have one of the most advanced centers for medical education in the simulated hospital at Catawba Valley Community College, which now sees 25% of its enrollment come from county high school students. The college’s recent investments in the expansion of their manufacturing and furniture programs can help us rebuild some of the ground lost to outsourcing. The center for modern manufacturing techniques will tune up those jobs in the region and the Furniture Academy will help solidify the presence of one of our oldest industries. The Northwestern region also boasts great centers for higher learning, but their resort and tourist economies don’t support the graduates for the most part. Charlotte and other cities traditionally get the new blood, but we can change that by getting more of the most sought- after industries to settle outside of city expenses. CVCC has had a Cyber Security program, its return should be lobbied for. In recent years, Cyber Security’s open positions are going unfilled nationally and there are 80- 100k jobs begging for qualified candidates in Baltimore and some other cities. Let’s have Western NC become a home from Cyber Security Education and service, along with its national security investments, and bring a couple thousand professional positions in the 40-80k range to air conditioned rooms across the NW and Foothills. If we build it, they will come…both the companies looking for less expensive overhead and the graduates of CVCC, App. State, and UNCA. Social Though we expanded diversity and mixed the political ideologies a bit in recent elections, we saw less than 20% turnout. We will need to improve that if we really want everyone bought into a vision. How about demographic targeting with real incentives, like an expansion of our power systems to include solar on all store and warehouse roofs? If we want to get attention and make it easier for younger folks to invest in property and add to the community, bill North Western NC as the lowest cost energy in the state. Not to mention…keep things going the next time a tornado waltzes by. We have young African American communities, we have young Latino communities, we have young Asian communities, we have a strong LGBTQ community, and plenty of Conservatives and Liberals who sit together and talk like people of good will do. Hickory hosts a Free Thinkers Convention welcoming Atheists from all over the world each year, surrounded by many churches of many faiths, so we have a great melting pot of ideas and cultures. I think we have the civic will and social tolerance to make these things happen. That is a great strength of Catawba County, North Western North Carolina, and the state as a whole. Let’s be sure, that our little corner, no one gets left behind. Gabriel Sherwood A civil di sc ou r se James Thomas Shell The Hickory Hound
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21 20 Gabriel, since I pretty much agreed with what you addressed in your open summary on “Vision”, please tell us what you think the younger generations are going to need to make our region a viable option for living and desirable quality of life issues? Please, as a Millennial, define our area’s present reality from your perspective/point of view… Yes, congratulations to Carmen for the recognition of her work and skill, to Foothills Digest for the acclaim. Thanks also to James for his insightful reporting and work for the area and our neighbors. To your question: Access is key to growth, and according to research from 2014 less than 25% of 16-year-old’s in the US had their licenses. That’s a 46% drop from 30 years earlier, and those in their 20’s were nearly 20% less likely to drive. Whether this is fuel cost issues, auto cost issues, licensure requirements, or whatever, the point is clear…younger people need transportation options. As may have been noted in your writings on Hickory Hound, the mass transit systems within the county are quite constricting. After losing a business in Charlotte during the recession, my daughter and I spent a few years in public housing in Hickory. So, we relied on public transportation for a while, and had I not had friends with cars and the skills to get hired in specialty services we could still be there. The bus system really doesn’t cover much of our area’s housing, and though the lines cover main thoroughfares, lower income folks and young people lack access to much of the economic activity. Not to mention the hours of operation. Also, and sadly, during early voting days each year the voting place for the citizens of Maiden is the Newton Main Library. For those with no transportation, and no bus that connect the downtowns, many of those citizens can’t make it. There are grants available for transportation expansion from both the federal government and the state, with millions available to an innovative approach, so let’s put folks to work getting other folks to work. How about contracts with transportation companies to subsidize fares for cabs, which can charge 10 bucks to go 5 miles in some cases, or perhaps the expansion and regulated use of services like Uber? This expands fleets and drivers, gets young people to work and school, and makes a statement about access and its impact when we see the resulting economic activity? This model is intended for Catawba County, and other counties in the NW NC region must work with their demographics and needs, but I think it could be an option for some. In many ways, the young people of the area have been let down. Reeducation and training after the loss of industry wasn’t incentivized locally and access wasn’t prioritized, though it is now being worked on for certain citizens, many aren’t feeling it. As you have mentioned in regards to CVCC, and thanks for your efforts there too, investments have been made in the future. I would advocate a more open trade education, though. I am the Business Manager of a Plumbing Company, and I would love a few plumbing courses, or a certificate program in ours and other trades. But, that’s what we are here for, to observe and inform and advocate reasonable goals…would you advocate for that as well? There are a lot of young people here who feel separated, and little ownership in our communities. I recently spoke to government classes at CVCC and noticed in one of them that most of the class was in the largest seat section to the left of me, while the five African American students sat to themselves on the right of me. Though I am a few years senior to a Millennial, these folks were right there in the age range and demographic to feel the impact of the decimation of the strong middle-class model in favor of “Voodoo Economics” and dog whistle politics. Other groups, like our Latino citizens, our LGBTQ community, and even some secular students in very religious parts of our area, are feeling a bit more directly targeted of late. This won’t engender a desire to stay, though many of us are trying to encourage the will to work towards change the old-fashioned way. With the patience, character, and the work ethic, of Western North Carolina. The Questions We’ve noticed that people have forgotten how to argue. So, we want to show them how to discuss, even disagree without anger or malice. We intend to bring a question each quarter, and have that question answered by both the Hound and the Fox. Then, both will have the opportunity to ask each other questions, then answer the questions asked of them. If you want to join in the conversation, e-mail editor@foothillsdigest. com! Opinions discussed are held by the authors, not necessarily by this publication. Gabriel, I cannot disagree with anything you have proposed. 100%, I agree that we must interconnect ourselves with neighboring communities and the region at-large. Whether we like it or not, we are a part of Charlotte. As a person with direct connections to Charlotte, I appreciate the growth Charlotte has experienced over this generation. Charlotte has grown from a regional to a national and is becoming an international city right before our eyes. With regards to your question/statement regarding direct transportation connectivity to Charlotte, I could not have said it better myself. On the Hickory Hound, I spoke of this direct light rail link into Charlotte - Light Rail to Charlotte: One Investment Worth Making – January 25, 2009. That article also involved the connection of Amtrak high speed rail between Charlotte and Atlanta. The region we live in is a Megalopolis that stretches from Birmingham, Alabama and Memphis, Tennessee in the West to Raleigh in the East. As a whole, the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion has a population of over 25 million people. It includes Interstates 40 and 85 and encompasses several major cities interconnected through a major backbone of transportation connectivity. We must engage our region. I have also wanted to see passenger rail service reinstituted from Asheville to Salisbury with a stop in our area. Gabriel, we are not alone in wanting to see this happen. Locally, our State Representative Jay Adams promoted the idea of renovating the Caldwell County rail line. This would have gone a long way towards redeveloping the sub-corridor that runs from Hickory to Lenoir. If not renovated through rail, the line could be paved and a tram could be run along that path. It could also become associated as an artery for open greenspace pedestrian and bicycle travel. As far as encouraging industry and people to become a part of our area, we must look at what we are presently and honestly accept the reality – no buzzwords, no catchphrases, no propaganda. I believe we have failed our young people in this community. Area leadership must be willing to open their minds to possibilities, accept people for who they are, be willing to engage and work well with others, and then decide where we want to be in 5, 10, 25 years… Then develop a plan accordingly with detailed steps, transparent processes, benchmarks, and accountability measures to move us towards our objectives. How should we go about connecting the economic centers of Northwestern NC and Catawba County with Charlotte in order to bring companies to a future suburban area? Public transportation investment, or attracting private enterprise…preferably both? How about a Hyper-loop…It’s possible, if far fetched? How should we most effectively engage our population and activate its diverse base? Public events management, educational outreach, outside recruiting…?
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23 22 The Way We Talk Most Importantly: It’s App-uh-LATCH-un. If you say it wrong, we’ll correct you. If you keep it up, we can’t be friends. For a long time, people have assumed that the dialect and language we use here in the Foothills and the Blue Ridge Mountains is “bad English”. That’s not true at all. It’s actually “very old English.” We still use a large number of the words that the people who settled this land used. “Afeared”, for instance, is considered archaic English, except here in our hills. In some ways, it’s as if the last 200 years of linguistic changes just didn’t happen here. We speak the way our ancestors spoke, and our lexicon doesn’t seem to be dying out. We are Southerners, but that’s not all we are. We speak the language of the hills. If you’d like to understand us better, here are some tips. Long I sounds turn to A sounds. Tire and fire become “tar” and “far”. Iron is “Arn.” The “o” sound at the end of words is often replaced with an “er”...holler, mater, tater, backer for hollow, tomato, potato and tobacco. You noticed we dropped the beginning syllable from some of the words we use the most-we just expect you to keep up. Abide-tolerate Acrost-across Afeared-afraid Afore-before Agin’-Against Aigs-eggs Backerds-backwards Blowed-past tense of blow Briar-patch child-a child out of wedlock Brickle-brittle Britches-pants, but not your dress pants Chanct-chance Crick-creek Et-past tense of eat Ever war-everywhere Heared-past tense of hear Heared-tell-heard by way of gossip Her’n-hers His’n-his Holler-shout Hollow (pronounced “holler”)- valley surrounded by mountains Jail house Jasper-someone not from our hills Kilt-killed Larn-to teach Lible-likely to Might-could-there is a possibility Passel-a lot Plum-all the way Reckon-to reason Right-very (He’s right smart) Scald-land that won’t grow plants Schoolhouse Seed-past tense of saw Sigogglin-crooked Skift-just a little snow Sour milk-buttermilk Sweet milk-regular milk Teched-crazy Twicst-twice Whup-beaten You’ns-similar to y’all Scan for more info.
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25 24 Beekeeping in the foothills P eople have been keeping bees for thousands of years. In fact, there has been honey found in Egyptian pyramids that is still edible after all this time. Bees are incredibly important to our world. In North America alone, they pollinate 95 kinds of plants. 60-80% of our food supply is pollinated by bees. Unfortunately, the bees are in trouble. Bees in the wild and kept bees have been experiencing colony collapse syndrome, with almost a third of colonies being lost in the last several years. It’s a bit of a puzzle-why are the bees dying? Many theories have been floated, including cell phone interference, but most experts seem to agree that pesticides are the cause. While there isn’t much individuals can do about the huge amount of pesticides used annually in our country, there are two excellent ways we can help. First, we can voice our concern about the overuse of pesticides. We can write our legislators, as well as large corporations like Monsanto. Secondly, we can keep bees. This pastime is traditional and incredibly useful, plus you’ll be taking concrete steps to save our environment. Beekeeping is labor intensive at times, but incredibly rewarding. At left, bees in a hive. At right, a traditional foothills woman keeping bees at the turn of the century. Below, beehives.
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27 26 Honey is often compared to gold. Store bought honey doesn’t hold a candle to local honey. Did you know that honey can have many flavors? Take a trip to your farmer’s market once it’s open, and you’ll likely find several variations. The type of flower the bees pollinate influences the flavor and has helped to create a huge market. But honey isn’t the only useful product of beekeeping. Beeswax is also very useful. Traditionally, we’ve used it to make candles in the foothills, but this was the Duct Tape of history. It’s been found on sunken Viking ships, in Egyptian pyramids, and in Roman ruins. Like honey, it never goes bad. It’s also quite good for oiling squeaky joints. One other advantage of bee keeping is the boost it gives your garden. You’ll never have more beautiful flowers than the ones near a bee hive! There’s an old saying that if you ask 100 beekeepers a question, you’ll get 101 answers. Beekeeping is as much art as science, and methods vary wildly. If you’re interested in starting a hive, your first step is to learn more about bees. A great place to start is the book The Bee: A Natural History by Noah Wilson-Rich. Once you begin understand the nature of bees, you’ll be better suited to care for them. This traditional hobby is useful and well-suited to our climate. It’s a great family activity, and is an important step in saving our earth. Environmental stewardship is all of our responsibly, and we can begin to fix the damage, leaving a better world for our children.
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Honeycomb, dripping with delicious local honey. There are a great many books on the topic of beekeeping, but two rise above the rest. The first is called the Beekeeper’s Bible, and it’s the go-to book for most beekeepers. The other is called Honeybee Democracy. and it comes with the highest recommendations. This book focuses on what happens with Bees swarm, and it’s full of information that was previously unavailable to beekeepers . Granny’s Country Kitchen is a revival of down-home country cooking entrenched in the Foothills of North Carolina. We serve breakfast all day, lunches, & dinners that bring friends, family and the community around our tables for conversation. We hope one taste of our home cooked meals will take you back, to your Granny’s home for Sunday Dinner. grannyscountrykitchen.com Now with 3 locations! 3448 Miller Bridge Rd, Connelly Springs, NC 828-397-3588 2147 N Center St, Hickory, NC 828-855-1659 3165 NC HWY 10 E Claremont, NC 828-994-4867
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Eustace is the owner of Turtle Island Preserve in Boone, which guides people through experiences with the natural world to enhance their appreciation and respect for life. It’s part education center, part naturalistic setting which allows Mr. Conway and guests to live off of the land, and feel the bond with it. Eustace attributes his passion for stewardship to his grandfather, who founded Camp Sequoia in 1924. Like his family before him, Mr. Conway hasn’t forgotten his connection to the land. He lives his life more like our ancestors than most. Most of us have sanitized our lives with technology. We rarely need to get our hands dirty, and even gardening is considered a hobby. On a large scale, this disconnection has caused a lack of concern for the environment, as if the “environment” were a thing outside ourselves. Mr. Conway draws his life and his living from the earth, and that makes him notable in our region, since that is a thing most of us have forgotten. Our grandmothers remember, but we only know the stories. Turtle Island offers us, and our children, an opportunity to experience a simpler way of living. It’s a living history experience that is rare, and we think, beautiful. We encourage you to go to their website, www.turtleislandpreserve.org, or call (828) 265-2267. Please note they are a working farm and education center, and can only entertain guests by appointment, so make sure you call ahead. Like every bona fide Mountain Man, Mr. Conway has hiked the Appalachian Trail. In fact, he hiked ALL of it, at the age of 17. He’s also broken speed records for traveling horseback from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Eustace Conway was a Mountain Man long before he starred on the show with a similar name. It seems to be in his blood, along with the desire to preserve nature, and teach others how to live off the land. Eustace Conway works to create traditional shingles at Hart Square Village’s annual festival. His presence drew crowds but he remained focused on the task at hand, keeping a nice rhythm with the gentlemen he was working with. By Carmen Eckard Photo by Jon Eckard
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33 32 The most recent television series Eustace was involved with was History Channel’s Mountain Men, but this certainly hasn’t been his first brush with fame. He has enjoyed continued media coverage throughout his life, The weekly radio show “This American Life” reported on Conway’s cross-country journey in the episode “Adventures in the Simple Life.”Full Circle: A Life Story of Eustace Conway, was directed a documentary about his life, directed by Jack Bibbo. Conway is a main characters in the 2012 documentary film Reconvergence, which was directed by Edward Tyndall. In 2012, Fox News aired a feature called War on the Little Guys , hosted by John Stossel, which focused on a fight the North Carolina lawmakers regarding code violations for primitive structures. Turtle Island Preserve was locked in a long and expensive battle, as the traditional buildings couldn’t possibly meet code requirements. In the end, NC lawmakers voted unanimously to pass H774, which is “an act to direct the building code council to adopt rules exempting certain primitive structures from certain provisions of the building code.” His fight has made it easier for many groups across the state to preserve and share our history. Foothills Digest salutes the work of Eustace Conway. Photo by Clayton Joe Young Road Trip: (Call ahead at 828.265.2267) Visit the Turtle Island Preserve Website:
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35 34 MOUNTAIN MEMORIES The author in 1960 at Baker’s Mountain SLEDDING IN GRANDPA’S PASTURE BY GRANNY ECKARD I use the word “sledding” very loosely. We didn’t have sleds. Our corrugated boxes slid a lot faster since they had no brakes, but you had to keep an eye out for obstacles down below since there was no steering mechanism either. This meant that you had to roll out of your sled at just the right time. Late on a still, full-moon night with the refrozen snowpack glistening like diamonds, we could sled for hours. When our “sleds” fell apart, we would use the pieces. In 1960, I think it was, it snowed every Friday for three weeks and we were out of school for a long time. We were all getting rather bored and even Mom was ready for a change. Our neighborhood was made up of all cousins, eleven of us, with acreage in between. Some of these cousins were from Mom’s family, and some from Dad’s family. Then there was Grandpa’s and Grandma’s spread with a four or five acre wide-open pasture. Since the cows were long gone by this time, the vacant pasture was perfect for our version of sledding. We begged Mom to go sledding with us. Normally that was something that would not happen on a work day, or most days for that matter, since Mom had no time to play. But this day was special. Mom worked at home as a looper (see page 14) which enabled her to catch up late at night any work she missed. Most of the time, her work catch-up happened because of running errands to Newton Implement for parts to fix up vehicles and machinery of Dad’s that broke down. But this winter, Dad was driving truck long-distance and he was away. So, Mom threw caution to the wind. She, with her brood, and the sisters-in-law with theirs gathered in Grandpa’s pasture with our virgin corrugated boxes. After a while, someone remembered we had an old car hood. What genius! You should try it. When we hit the terraces, that thing would give us a powerful lift. We still had to remember to somehow roll off each time before the car hood landed in the barbed wire. Several of us older kids would then pull our heavy “sled” back up the hill so another four or five could have a turn. We had the most wonderful fun that we still remember today: with boxes and a car hood, in slippers, with no gloves, neither bonfire nor hot chocolate, and barreling towards towering pines and barbed wire, and our moms did NOT get arrested! Those were the days!
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37 36 Lost Cities of the Foothills By Richard Eller In the upper foothills of western North Carolina where mounds begin to feel like mountains, remain the remnants of two lost cities. Both thriving and prosperous a century ago, their features are now unrecognizable as anything other rural landscapes. These forgotten towns locations, and what caused their demise, explain the absence of any community bigger than a crossroad in northern Caldwell County and why nothing—even a city-- is permanent. “I cannot imagine a better location for a little town than the one on which Mortimer is built,” --an admirer in 1905. Today, the lost city of Mortimer is just north of rocky rapids through which Wilson’s Creek runs. Known locally as “The Gorge,” the creek serves as a natural waterpark for local folk. But in 1905, excitement in the area centered around the creation of a ROAD TRIP! Scan this QR code to get Google Map directions to the location! prominent town when the Ritter Lumber Company bought land with the intention of supplying furniture factories in Lenoir and Morganton with wood. Jim Mortimer, a superintendent for the company, brought along his brother Bill, who organized and promoted the town. At its zenith, Mortimer claimed 800 residents, a movie theater, hotel, company store, and post office. Straightaway, the Carolina and Northwestern Railroad laid tracks to Mortimer. In fact, the train went even further north, to the small community of Edgemont, where most of the management chose to live, out of sight of the lumber yard. By the spring of 1916 Mortimer threatened to overtake Lenoir as Caldwell County’s largest town. So prestigious was new city that when former president Theodore Roosevelt came to western North Carolina, he stayed at Mortimer’s Laurel Inn, reportedly dancing in the hotel’s ballroom with Mrs. Bill Mortimer. Twenty miles to the east, on less hilly ground, came another entrepreneur with similar goals. William J. Grandin took an early interest in not only the southern furniture industry but also transportation. He wanted to build a line that ran to Boone that would connect with the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad, a rail line carving out a path to Boone from Johnson City, Tennessee. Grandin’s Watauga At left, W. M. Ritter Lumber Co. Store at Mortimer--Dressed man is Bill Mortimer. At right, the cotton mill in Mortimer in 1923. Photos are from the collection of Arnold Walker and shared on web.utk.edu, courtesy of University of Tennessee Knoxville.
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39 38 & Yadkin Valley Railroad would be part of a significant time-saver for goods going across the mountains. But when Grandin’s men came to the area and started buying land for the venture they were warned. One old-timer pointed to marks on the river banks to where the water had risen from earlier floods. “I can stop the water with the heel of my shoe,” sneered Grandin’s man. Construction commenced. By May of 1913, daily passenger service from North Wilkesboro began along the line, including logs hauled down from the hills. It took the building of 20 trestles and a tunnel, but Grandin’s vision was becoming a reality. In its day, Grandin looked a lot like Mortimer, with elaborate machinery for planing lumber as well as ROAD TRIP! Scan this QR code to get Google Map directions to the location! other amenities. A post office, boarding house, and store that sold hats as well as women’s dresses gave the little metropolis sense of pride. The town also sported a blacksmith shop, baseball field, and an elaborate fire prevention system with fire hydrants strategically placed around the town. Both the towns of Grandin and Mortimer proved to be money making ventures, growing rapidly in the effort to reach their potential and become established as permanent entities. It took one event to bring them both down and stop their momentum: the Flood of 1916. For 36 hours in mid-July, it rained constantly. In Mortimer, Wilson’s creek This picture shows Mortimer during the flood of 1940. Photos are from the collection of Arnold Walker and shared on web.utk.edu, courtesy of University of Tennessee Knoxville. swept away 30 houses, while down river, the Catawba crested at 42 feet above normal. The Ritter Lumber Company, which had already weathered a mountain wildfire that summer, saw its lumber washed away. Similarly, the Yadkin River rose to levels never before seen or since. Trains on the Watauga & Yadkin Valley Railroad were stranded as all 20 trestles along the line disappeared in the torrential rains. However, both communities vowed to rebuild. For Grandin, the funding to rebuild its momentum to Boone became harder. Prior to the flood, his rails had extended only one mile north of Darby, still 15 miles south of Boone. The setback called for refinancing, made more difficult by the American entry into the First World War. The deathblow came with another, smaller flood in 1918, called a “freshet.” The plans for the railroad Crystal Pool Bridge after 1940 Flood in Mortimer. Edgemont Hotel in Background and the lumber mill were abandoned. Mortimer tried to diversify. With Ritter Lumber having mined most of the wood from the area, local interests built a cotton mill. But the same watery fate that crushed Grandin also befell textiles, only later. It was the 1940 flood that upended the Mortimer Cotton Mill. Since then, remnants of each town remain, but the land has morphed Map courtesy of UNC.edu
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41 40 Photo by Richard Eller, of the remains of the Mortimer cotton mill (shown on page 41). into something quite different. A visit to Mortimer gives few clues of its past glory. Actually, neighboring Edgemont reveals more about the glory days than does Mortimer. The old railroad depot is now privately owned. Coffey’s General Store hearkens back to the early days of the 20th century, serving the few local residents who remain as well as visitors. Down the road in Mortimer, the cotton mill ruins stand. More recent relics include a Civilian Conservation Corps camp from the New Deal era, a country store, and campground. Today, if anyone is there, chances are they are wading in Wilson’s Creek, either fly fishing in the cold or splashing around whitewater in the heat. Either way, their frame of mind is far from the city. Grandin has a much different vibe. One of the mill buildings still stands, but today it’s a barn for a local farmer. The only other structure extant from back then is the boarding house. For years, the daughter of one of the original managers of the mill, Doris Hawkins, lived there. Her passing in the 1990s wiped from the ledger the last original resident of Grandin. The land is now privately owned, used mostly for farming. The fire hydrants are gone but some of the wood from earlier buildings was repurposed in 1925 for the relocation of Grandin Baptist Church to its present site. Walking what were once the streets of Grandin evokes a feeling far from the sights and sounds of a city. Grandin and Mortimer, once full of economic bustle and promises of prosperity now lie lost, with only hints of their former stature. Seeing what was and what failed to come demonstrates to us that nothing is inevitable. People think of towns and cities as permanent and unfailing. They are not. Towns have come and gone from the maps of western North Carolina, some exiting spectacularly as Mortimer and Grandin, victims of catastrophic events, some dying the slow death of population decline as residents gave up and simply moved away. Under a landscape that belies their former existence, lost cities can still be found. A person only needs a good history book—and a wish to know- -to do it. Hickory’s Fresh Seafood Haven 2147 N Center St | Hickory, NC | 828-322-1705 | standardoysterco.com (828) 322-8011
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43 42 GRANNY WITCHES BY CARMEN ECKARD Our land has always been rugged. We’ve always been a bit separated from the rest of the world. In our past, our communities were much more isolated than they are now. Our ancestors were self-reliant. Every community had a “Granny Witch” or “Granny Woman” who filled many roles. Specifically, they were in charge of healing and magic, and sometimes the line between the two was blurry. Doctors were few and far between, but Granny Witches knew the human body very well. They also knew the secrets of our forests...they held the knowledge of which forest plants would heal, which would kill, and they safe guarded the information for many generations. When people fell sick or had accidents, there was rarely time for a doctor to arrive. But a Granny Witch could always be fetched. The blend of science and magic was peculiar. The magic wasn’t the Wiccan magic of today or the “magic” that uses cauldrons, frogs, and newt eyes. It was the old magic of the Scots and the Irish, who populated our hills in the early days, and whose blood flows through so many of our veins. This magic had been passed on, mother to daughter, for generations. It was focused on nature and healing. These lines of women knew the purpose of every herb that grew here naturally, and they also grew and cultivated their own. Interestingly, these women expected no payment for their services. They were sometimes thanked with food, quilts, and the like, but it wasn’t required. In the 1800s and early 1900s, midwifery was one of the most important duties for these women. Childbirth was dangerous and often deadly. Granny Witches were absolutely integral to our communities, because they kept mother and child safe, with truly excellent survival rates for the day. Spells and charms were commonplace and expected. During childbirth, Granny Witches would often place an ax under the bed, to symbolize “cutting the pain’ and windows were always opened. This was to represent the opening of the birth canal. It wasn’t until 1923 that formal midwife training began, but before that, the responsibility fell to these women. Grannies also practiced divination. Looking into a bowl of water (much like a crystal ball) was called scrying, and tea leaves were read frequently. Today witchcraft is seen as evil, or something to be feared. But truly, it was thanks to these women that we were able to survive in these hills. We should honor their memories and traditions.
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45 44 HENRY RIVER MILL VILLAGE by Calvin Reyes Six Miles Outside of Hickory I find myself at a standstill outside two swinging metal gates. Its calm, quiet, and cold. Its sunrise on a fall morning, and on the surface, the landscape looks eerie and uninhabited. However, looking around, my sense of wonderment and curiosity can’t help but take over. I fall deep into a feeling of serenity and lose myself in the sensations provided by the juxtaposition of decaying man- made history and the overpowering force of Mother Nature.
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47 46 B efore I know it, the landscape starts to speak. I start to hear the vehicles speeding up and down the road bisecting the property as they take a hard turn north and lay on the gas to make it up the hill. At the same time, I tune into a tractor firing up across the Henry Fork River as its engine echoes along the river bank. Then, the chord is completed by the howling sounds of chainsaws in the distance. The typically unpleasant sounds of the city become fresh to my ears as they play into the perfect man made ambiance. Then suddenly, silence sweeps back over the entire landscape. Only for a second, the sounds go lifeless and time starts again. I walk up to the metal gate blocking the road, unlock the royal blue coated lock and let the heavy duty metal chain fall down against the metal gate. The metal on metal clang acts as a trigger, like a shot of espresso, or a Pavlovian response of sorts that signifies the start of a fresh day of hard work. I drive through the gates and lose myself to the mercy of the roaring sounds of the Henry Fork River and the voices of the Mill Hill, its people, its history, and its future. This is my Henry River Mill Village experience. Mine is a unique one in that my family and I recently purchased the Village last October. However, it’s far from the most significant experience in the history of the Mill Hill. While we have been welcomed with open arms into the Henry River family over these last few months, we are humbled knowing that our ties to the Village are minute in comparison to Henry River’s vast historical impact on our culture and our community. Our personal journey with Henry River is primarily focused on preservation and adaptive reuse. The Mill Hill was once bustling with activity, hard-work, and life. While the Village has more recently become known for possible paranormal activity, or better yet, as District 12 from the Hunger Games series, the real lives and their stories still reside within the walls of the remaining structures. Our goal is to bring those stories back to life and allow the public to enjoy the beauty, serenity, and history of their own Henry River journey. The Henry River Manufacturing Company While the area was known for it’s water- power as early as 1860, the most relevant historical impact came from the purchase and development of the land in the early 1900’s. The Aderholdt and Rudisill families partnered to establish the Henry River Manufacturing Company, which was a cotton yarn manufacturer that opened it’s doors in 1905. During its initial operation, the Company erected 35 worker houses, a two-story boarding house, a bridge, a brick company store, a power producing dam, and the original 3 story brick mill building where the yarn was produced. Until 1914, all operations were fully powered by water-power. This was later converted to steam power and electricity as technology advanced and upgrades were made to increase production. By 1963, the Company had tripled its initial production from 1905, but due to economic pressure from overseas, the textile industry had already begun a hard downward spiral. In 1977, just after Wade R. Sheppard purchased the property, the main mill building burned to the ground after a believed lightning strike. At the time, this may have appeared to be a coup de grâce for the Mill Hill, but the community still prevailed. In fact, many former residents of the Village recollect the last native moving out of the Village in the late 90’s or early 2000’s. That’s sometimes difficult to comprehend, since the village still has no running water, and no sewer system. To put it in another perspective, while I was learning to use my graphing calculator in geometry class, people at Henry River were still using outhouses in the dead of winter. This is an example history that seems so distant, yet it can still be seen, touched and heard with our own eyes and ears as witnesses. Top: Photo of the Mill at Henry River Mill Village, provided by the author andcourtesy of the Aderholdt family. Center: An aerial shot of the mill burning in 1977, provided by the author and courtesy of Marshall Denton. Bottom: Bud Rudisill, the last resident (and Anita’s dad) sits on his porch in the early 2000’s. Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Wilhelm. The Company Store, a popular icon from the movie HUNGER GAMES, and the future location for the new restaurant. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Crowe.
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49 48 While the same stories can vary in detail from one Village resident to another, one theme seems to stay intact: community. Throughout the entire history of the Henry River Mill Village, there is story after story, example after example, of Village residents coming together in a time of need to help one another. Henry River was more than a group of workers that happened to live in the same neighborhood, raising their families, and minding their own business. Instead, Henry River became a large family, better yet, a Village network, that valued the strengths they had as a community over the strengths they had as individuals. It Takes A Village… My family comes from a long history in the restaurant business. All of my earliest memories are surrounding food, and if my memory serves me right, I loved food so much growing up that my step-brother used to refer to me as the family garbage disposal. All joking aside, food is something that brings people all over the world together. It acts as its own universal language, and a meal prepared from the heart can express emotion, and can even take you back in time. That’s exactly what Anita Rudisill Brittain did when she offered to make her Black Walnut Pound Cake straight out of Henry River. When Anita brought up the idea of making her Black Walnut Pound Cake, I didn’t realize that she intended to harvest her black walnuts directly from our trees at Henry River. As a city boy, this is something that seemed archaic, but I was fascinated by the idea of knowing how to harvest and use the large green and black fruits that always stood out more as ankle busters than as food. Of course, black walnuts are readily available at grocery stores, but this exercise was more than learning how to harvest and use an ingredient. Instead, it was a history lesson about community, culture and my favorite topic of all, food. With every crack of the hammer, Anita outlined the tedious step by step process of harvesting the meat from the black walnuts. With every crack of the hammer, Anita took us back in time to her childhood and to the way life was in the Village. We were riding in a modern day time machine. Anita is a special part of the Henry River family, and she comes from a long line of Henry River natives. There is not a photograph, news article, or activity that goes on in Henry River without her being a part of it. History is more than acknowledging major events in time. Its also about taking the time to understand the lifestyle, emotions, and thoughts that helped sculpt the culture we have today. Since we’ve embarked on this project, Anita, as well as all of our other amazing volunteers, has been an indispensable asset and a wealth of information on what life was like growing up at Henry River. The Recipes I will never be able to return the gifts that have been given by the Henry River family. However, since I am a firm believer that food is a gateway to the soul, I thought it would be fitting to give a sample of the food our restaurant at Henry River Mill Village will offer. We are sharing a recipe for pork, which was a staple at the village, and a recipe for brussel sprouts, which grow very well here. White bean and cornmeal cakes serve as an appetizer, and Anita is sharing her black walnut cake recipe! I hope you enjoy each of the recipes, and more importantly, I hope you will join the Henry River family and support this journey to preserve our local history and culture. ROAD TRIP! Scan this QR code to get Google Map directions to the location! Anita and the author, Calvin Reyes, stand on the porch of Anita’s old home. She asked to put a wreath on the door when he bought the property, to remind her of her youth. Her mother kept a wreath on the door, and her father, who was born here, was the last resident to move away. Photo by Jon Eckard. Anita cracks black walnuts on the porch of a Mill House for her famous cake. Photo by Jon Eckard. The village isn’t open to the public yet, so you’ll want to touch base with Calvin before you visit. You can reach him at info@henryrivermillvillage.com.
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Black Walnut Cake CAKE INGREDIENTS: 1 CUP (2 STICKS) BUTTER, SOFTENED 1/2 CUP VEGETABLE SHORTENING 3 CUPS GRANULATED SUGAR 2 CUP BLACK WALNUTS 1 1/2 TSP BLACK WALNUT FLAVORING 6 EGGS 3 1/2 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR, SIFTED 1 CUP WHOLE MILK ICING INGREDIENTS: 16 OZ CONFECTIONERS SUGAR 1/2 CUP BUTTER, SOFTENED 1 1/2 TSP BLACK WALNUT FLAVORING 8 OZ CREAM CHEESE 1/2 CUP BLACK WALNUTS 1 CUP WHOLE MILK Black Walnut Cake This recipe comes from Anita Rudisill, who was born and raised in the Village. The cake is baked with Black Walnuts gathered there. Bring all ingredients to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, finely chop 1 Cup of black walnuts into small pieces. In a separate container, cream the sugar, butter and shortening together until well mixed. Once completed, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. After all eggs have been thoroughly incorporated, fold in 1 Cup of finely chopped black walnuts and add black walnut Flavoring. While alternating ingredients, beat in 1 Cup of flour followed by 1/3 Cup of milk until all ingredients are used in the batter. At this point, fold in the remaining 1 Cup of black walnut pieces. Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bring all ingredients to room temperature. Place all ingredients in large bowl, and mix until smooth. (Anita doubles this recipe to allow for extra icing to fill in the bundt cake hole) Black Walnut Icing Photos by Jon Eckard
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53 52 Seared Bone-In Pork Chop with Apple Cider & Mustard Reduction Many of the best dishes created in the foothills are centered on pork. This delicious recipe is created by Calvin Reyes, new owner of the Henry River Mill Village and is a spin on recipes used during the Village’s hey day. A restaurant is coming to the Mill Village soon, and you’ll be able to taste Calvin’s creations first hand! Season both sides with salt and pepper and allow pork chops to come to room temperature before cooking. When ready, heat large stainless skillet over medium heat and add oil. Once oil is hot, place pork chops in pan and give a firm press to ensure property contact. Do not touch or move until searing process is complete. After 4 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low. After about 6 minutes, a nice crust should form on the bottom side of the pork chop and it will release from the pan. Flip and sear on other side for 4-6 minutes, or until meat is thoroughly cooked. Once complete, remove pork chops from pan and allow to rest for at least 6-8 minutes before serving. For the sauce, return the skillet to Medium-Low heat. Deglaze the plan with hard apple cider and vegetable stock. Add butter, mustard, and garlic powder and whisk to incorporate. Reduce until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Plate pork chop and drizzle sauce on top. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 INGREDIENTS: 2-4 1/2 LB BONE-IN PORK CHOPS 1 TBSP VEGETABLE OIL SALT PEPPER FOR SAUCE: 1/2 CUP HARD APPLE CIDER 1 TBSP WHOLE GRAIN MUSTARD 1 TSP GARLIC POWDER 1/4 CUP VEGETABLE STOCK 4 TBSP BUTTER WHAT IS DEGLAZING? Deglaze is a fancy word that intimidates some folks. Don’t worry! It just means that you’ll pour cold liquid into a very hot pan that you’ve used to cook meat. What’s left in the pan is very flavorful and some of the world’s best sauces start with deglazing. You’ll add the Hard apple cider and vegetable stock, cold, to your hot pan, and stir, being sure to unstick the bits of meat and cooked goodness clinging to your pan. Photo by Jon Eckard
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55 54 Savory White Bean & Cornmeal Cakes with Sautéed Cabbage These cornmeal cakes are yummy, classic, and made from wholesome ingredients. We got the cornmeal for these at Murray’s Mill, which is a place you should visit. In large bowl, combine mashed, drained beans, along with cornmeal, soy sauce, paprika, garlic powder, mushrooms and red onions. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture resembles the consistency of cookie dough. Heat up a large stainless skillet over medium heat and add oil. Using a spoon, dish spoon sized dollops of the batter into the pan and press them firmly with the back of the spoon. The skillet should immediately start to sizzle. Leave the thickness around 1/4-1/2 an inch and do not overcrowd the pan (no more than 4 corn cakes at a time). Reduce heat to medium-low and cook on each side for approximately 2 minutes per side. Once cooking is complete, remove onto a clean paper towel to dry and season immediately with salt. Once rested for at least a minute, move to serving platter and top with cabbage. Heat up a medium sized stainless skillet over medium heat and add oil. Toss in cabbage and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic powder and toss. While skillet is still hot, add soy sauce to deglaze plan. Toss and reduce until no more liquid remains. Serve immediately and garnish with sesame seed. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 INGREDIENTS: FOR CORNMEAL CAKES: 15.5 OZ WHITE BEANS, DRAINED AND MASHED (CANNELLONI BEANS, PREFERRED) 1/4 CUP YELLOW CORNMEAL 1 TBSP SOY SAUCE 1/8 TSP PAPRIKA 1 TSP GARLIC POWDER 1/4 CUP FINELY DICED MUSHROOMS 1/4 CUP FINELY DICED RED ONIONS 1 1/2 TBSP VEGETABLE OIL SALT FOR CABBAGE: 1/4 SMALL CABBAGE HEAD, JULIENNED 1 TBSP VEGETABLE OIL 1/2 TSP GARLIC POWDER 1 TBSP SOY SAUCE 1/2 TBSP SESAME SEED Photo by Jon Eckard
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57 56 Honey Bacon Brussel Sprouts Brussel sprouts are delicious when paired with sweet local honey and quality thick- sliced bacon. Sweet and savory blend in this exciting spin on an old time favorite. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. While water is heating up, cut Bacon into 1/2 inch pieces, and in a large skillet, render bacon on medium-low heat. Once the fat from the bacon is fully rendered (should be firm, but not brittle), remove pieces and place to drain on paper towels. Leave as much of the bacon fat as possible in the pan, as it will be used later in the recipe. Once water reaches a boil, add 1 TBSP of salt. After, add Brussel sprouts to boiling water and let boil until tender, about 10 minutes. During this time, prepare a large ice water bath using a large mixing bowl, ice and cold water. Once tender, strain Brussel sprouts into a colander and immediate place colander and Brussel sprouts into ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Leave for 5 minutes and strain Brussel sprouts again. Preheat broiler to high setting. Heat the pan with remaining bacon fat over medium heat. Once the pan is hot again, sauté the Brussel sprouts to gain some caramelization and color, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove Brussel sprouts and place in an oven safe casserole dish or in a cast iron pan. Season with salt and pepper. Keeping the heat on medium, deglaze the pan with vegetable stock. Immediately add butter and honey. Reduce until the consistency of a syrup. Pour sauce over Brussel sprouts and top with set aside bacon. Place under the broiler until the tops start to blacken, then remove immediately. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 INGREDIENTS: 1/2 LB THICK SLICED SMOKED BACON 1.5 LBS BRUSSEL SPROUTS 1 TBSP SALT 1/2 CUP VEGETABLE STOCK 2 TBSP RAW LOCAL HONEY 4 TBSP BUTTER
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59 58 BAKE WITH KIDS! Make memories while you make your desserts. A collection of recipes you can make with tots. By Carmen Eckard I have very fond memories of baking with my family. There was something very magical about taking a bunch of ingredients that didn’t taste good by themselves and making something delicious with them. My earliest memory, in fact, is baking a pie with my dad. It was a cheesecake, and I can remember laughing, tasting the spoon, and the feeling of pride when people ate the pie and loved it. As an adult, I realize it isn’t easy to bake with kids. They are messy, and they aren’t always great at following the recipe. But! I also realize that the prize we are after isn’t a perfect cake, but memories that will last and last. I’m including some simple recipes for you to bake with the children in your life! Chocolate Mug Cake This easy recipe is a great place to start! It’s simple and fast, doesn’t need an oven, and always a hit. Ingredients: 4 tbsp self-rising flour 2 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp cocoa 1/2 tsp vanilla concentrate 1 tbsp chocolate chips 1 egg 3 tbsp milk 3 tbsp vegetable oil Directions: Mix all the dry ingredients (except choco- late chips) in a mug. Make sure you break up all the lumps. Add the egg and beat it a little to break the yolk. Add the wet ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips and microwave for 3 minutes. Serve with a nice big scoop of ice-cream.
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61 60 Ingredients: 1 box vanilla cake mix 6 tbsp. melted butter 2 large eggs 1/3 c. powdered sugar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract Food dye in 3 colors (like green, blue, and pink) 1/2 c. granulated sugar Directions: Preheat to 325°. Grease or line 2 cook- ie sheets. Mix cake mix, melted butter, eggs, powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until combined. Divide dough between 3 bowls and dye each bowl a different color. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls then roll balls in the sugar. Place about 2” apart on the baking sheet and bake until tops have cracked and the tops look set, 8 to 10 minutes. Colored Crinkle Cookies This easy recipe uses cake mix to make cookies everyone will love! Ingredients: 1/4 Cup of Butter 4 cups of marshmallows 5 cups of Rice Crispies (You may substitute other cereals) Optional: sprinkles, food coloring, etc Directions: Grease a casserole dish. Melt the butter in a pot over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Stir in the cereal, and once it is all sticky, transfer it to your casserole dish. Pat it down nice and smooth. Cool and cut. Rice Crispy Treats This isn’t technically baking, but it’s a great way to begin teaching cooking skills, and truly, every child alive loves Rice Crispy Treats!
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63 62 MAKE A GREAT CHEESE & CHARCUTERIE BOARD Charcuterie?? Charcuterie is a French word that refers to an assortment of meats, like on a meat and cheese tray. Since it’s a French word, it seems a little intimidating to pronounce, and I figure, you can’ talk about something if you can’t pronounce it. Scan the code to the right to hear a pronunciation of the word. A good Charcuterie Board will always have a few main ingredients: cheese, meat, and crackers or bread. The best trays also include something pickled or tart, or something sweet. You want to include about 2 ounces of cheese and meat per person. The Olde Hickory Station provided us with this excellent board, crafted entirely out of local ingredients. It’s a great starting point, but you have so many choices. It’s easy to get intimidated. Cheese: it’s hard to go wrong, but it’s a good idea to sample cheeses from several categories. Cheese tend to be aged (gouda, cheddar), firm (parmigiana-reggiano and the like), crumbly (goat cheese, feta), creamy (brie or brillat-savarin), or blue (stil- ton or gorgonzola). Charcuterie: Again, you’ll want to sample different textures. Include some hard meat, like salami, but also something creamy like pate, and then a dry cured favorite. I’ve never made a board that didn’t include prosciutto, and I’ve never had a piece left at the end of the evening. It’s like Country Ham, but sliced more thinly, and it’s a true favorite. Bread or Crackers: This is important because it’s how you’ll get the cheese and meat to your mouth. Crispness is as important as flavor here. I usually make sour dough toast points and include crackers as well. I avoid heavily flavored crackers because I think the taste should come from the meat and cheese. Extras: This is what makes a good board stand out. I include something pickled (car- rots are great choice, but any pickled vegetable will work), something sweet (fruit, like grapes or pears, is a great choice, and so is local honey), and some mustard based sauce. I usually put spicy whole grain mustard, but the options are endless. The Olde Hickory Station’s Charcuterie Board includes: Peanuts from Bertie County: Salt and Pepper variety Crotti, a Blue Cheese from the Goat Lady Dairy in Sandy Creek Smoked Gouda from Ashe County Corn and Tomatoes pickled in house from local produce Pepperoni from San Giuseppe Salami Co in Greensboro Johnson County Country Ham Crackers from the Accidental Baker Mustard made in house with Hickory Stick Stout
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65 64 foothills restaurant guide Foggy Ro ck Eat er y & Pub 8180 Valley Blvd Blowing Ro ck (828) 322-7262 J ulia’s Talley Hous e 305 N Main Stre et Troutman (704) 528-6962 Umi Japanes e Restaurant 40 Cloniger Mill Road NE Hickory (828) 322-5511 Amb er Jack 4253 South New Hop e Road Cramerton (704) 824-5502 Sims Countr y BBQ 6160 Petra Mill Road Granite Falls (828) 396-5811 Shatley Sprin gs Inn 407 Shatley S prings Road Crumpler (336) 982-2236 B o ondo cks Tap Ro om 108 S Jeffers on Avenue West Jeffers on (336) 246-5222 Coyot e K it chen 200 Southgate Drive Bo one (828) 265-4041 Willow Cre ek Inn 3083 Wyant Rd, Vale (704) 276-1111 Highland Avenue 883 Highland Avenue Southeast Hickory (828) 267-9800 Piccolo’s 915 West Avenue Northwest Lenoir (828) 757-3554 St orie Stre et Grill 1167 Main Stre et Blowing Ro ck (828) 295-7075 Granite Falls Brewing Company 47 Duke Stre et Granite Falls (828) 212-1222 Olde Hickor y Tap Ro om 222 Union Square Hickory (828)322-1965 Standard Oyster Company 2147 N Center St Hickory (828) 759-5191 Smokey Mountain BBQ 1008 S Jeffers on Avenue West Jeffers on (336) 246-6818 Our Daily Bre ad Deli 627 West King St Bo one (828) 264-0173 Wo o dlands Barb e cue 8304 Valley Blvd Blowing Ro ck (828) 295-3651 Black Cat Burrit o 127 S D ep ot Stre et Bo one (828) 263-9511 Blackwo o d’s Drive-In 201 York Road Kings Mountain (704) 730-8899 Sprout s Cafe 1012 S New Hop e Road G astonia (704) 864-5244 B istro Ro ca 143 Wonderland Trail Blowing Ro ck (828) 295-4008 Scoggin’s St e akhous e 300 Chimney Ro ck Road Set 16 Rutherfordton (828) 287-3167 Wist eria S outhern G astropub 108 East Me eting Stre et Morganton (828) 475-6200
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67 66 THE OLDE HICKORY STATION Excellent food, local beer and a strong sense of community, housed in Hickory’s old railroad station, remodeled to surpass it’s former glory. For the history lovers, this place is golden. Right across the railroad tracks from Downtown Hickory’s main square, you’ll find this treasure. The building served as Hickory’s train station for many years, and it’s this train service that allowed Hickory to prosper and to become a hub of industry. As time marched on, the station was no longer needed, and it fell into disre- pair. For many years, it sat vacant, a constant reminder that industry moved elsewhere. Blight was one of Hickory’s biggest problems, and this space was one of the more visible examples. But Hickory is being reborn. Our abandoned mills are being turned into restaurants, venues, space for businesses and apartments. Old Hickory Brewery, a long-established business here that produces a large variety of beer and also runs the Hickory Tap Room, purchased the space and began renovations for their new concept restaurant. They included a store full of local and internationally imported goods, from beer to cheese and many things in between. The space has been respectfully restored, with nods to it’s beginnings as a train station everywhere you look. Above the enormous selection of taps in the bar area, the mirror is painted to show the original building, with people arriving, luggage in hand, to board the train. Owner Jason Yates has been dedicated to creating something truly special, and we think he’s succeeded. Chef Ben Sullivan served us creative and delicious dishes, crafted from food grown and caught here in North Carolina. When food tastes like home, it’s the best kind of food. This food reminded me of my grandma’s garden, but still surprised me with new and exciting tastes. By Carmen Eckard Photographed By Jon Eckard
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69 68 We were amazed at the beer and wine selection, both in the store and on tap. Table Rock Beer, our choice, paired well with our meal and was one of dozens we could have chosen from. The restaurant is owned and managed by Old Hickory Brewery. Since 1994, Old Hickory Brewery has been crafting beer, predating the craft beer boom by almost two decades. In that time, they per- fected their recipes, and also experimented fearlessly. We started with sweet potato gnocchi, which is an appetizer or a side. These were sweet potato and cornmeal dumplings with a hon- ey and brown butter sauce. Gorgonzola was sprinkled on top, and fried sage finished the dish. It was surprising, managing to some- how taste like home, even though I’d never tasted it. The crunch of the sage balanced the texture of the gnocchi quite well. It was a unique spin on comfort food. At The Olde Hickory Station, they don’t use frozen fish. A fish monger from our state’s east coast comes every other day with fresh catches. We ate yellow tailed snapper from Beaufort Inlet, gently fried and served atop purple sweet potatoes. Green beans, still gently crispy, provided a needed crunch, and they were grown at Hoffman Heritage Farm. The tomato chili chutney was made in house with peppers and tomatoes from Tumbling Shoals farm. It had a pleasing heat that was not overwhelming. We finished our meal with fresh-baked carrot cake and espresso, both made in house. When they say “from- scratch,” they really mean it. Nothing is premade for this tasty dessert, and the carrots are grown locally as well. The espresso was richly sweet, balanced, flavor-laden, and driven by earthy notes. Since they open at 7 am, prime cof- fee time, I’ll be stopping for espresso when I visit downtown Hickory. Over-all, our experience was delightful. The service was stellar, and the atmosphere couldn’t be beat. The Olde Hickory Station is located at: 232 Government Ave SW - Hickory, NC 28602 828.322.2356 oldehickorystation.com
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Webb Custom Kitchen is a fast moving place, with all the ebb and flow that one would expect from an award winning high end steakhouse. But above the hustle and bustle of the open air kitchen rests a unique monument. It is the head of a Sphinx, which watches over diners and drinkers as they enjoy their meals. This guardian comes with an interesting but tangled history. It is a history intertwined with the Webb Theater, the silver screen, and Gastonia’s Hollywood dreams. Long before the Sphinx was born, a house owned by George Alexander Grey spread across several acres of land. After Grey passed away, his land would become the center of downtown Gastonia. Some of the land on which Grey’s mansion rested was purchased by J.E. Webb. Webb was a local Golf Pro who financed and built three Webb Theaters. One theater was built in Shelby, another in Kings Mountain and the only surviving one, on south street in Gastonia. J.E. Webb employed the noted Gastonia architect, Hugh White to build his movie house. It was White who envisioned a theater in the “Art Deco Modern Style” which would allow for “Talkies” as opposed to the silent films of the previous decade. It was also White who envisioned the face of the Sphinx, which would sit atop the center of the proscenium arch. White decorated the theater in accordance with the popular Egyptian revival style. The discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 had a profound effect on architecture, awakening a fascination with the eternal in the American population. White drew this artistic movement to give the Webb Theater a touch of the foreign and the mysterious. So carefully, the Sphinx took a place high above the proscenium and watched quietly as the show went on. Beneath his chin the screen caught the light of projectors and celluloid for decades. In 1933, during the Great Depression, the theater and the Sphinx found a new caretaker in William Conn. Conn updated the audio and projection performance of the space and purchased the Linnebach projector that sits in the lobby to this day. Conn worked for 18 years, day and night to bring film to the families of Gastonia. The Sphinx performed his task from 1927 until the theater closed in 1951. The theater was sold to R.L. Baker of Hickory, who was forced to close due to operating expenses. Guardian of the Webb By Adam York Photography by Mike Stricklin
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73 72 After the Webb theater closed it became the property of the city, and for a while it was rented out by various offices for various things. The Linnebach projector and some old black and white pictures of the theater remained in the lobby, as a reminder of what had been. The Sphinx and the proscenium were painted over, perhaps waiting in the sands of time. It seemed to the residents of Gastonia that the light of the Webb theater was extinguished forever, despite the public desire to restore the space. In the 21rst century a small attempt was made, the building was bought only to became a tap house, but that endeavor eventually ended in bankruptcy. But, in 2015 the building was purchased by Jim Morasso. With a passion for both food and films Morasso saw the potential of what the Webb was, and what it could be. So he set out to create something wholly unique, giving the Sphinx and Gastonia an opportunity to shine again. Morasso realized the survival of the Webb couldn’t rest on history alone. So, he re- envisioned the Webb Theater as a high end eatery that would pay homage to the building’s theatrical roots. Morasso sought the help of Executive Chef Jon Spencer, who would later go on to become his business partner. Spencer drew upon his knowledge as a certified executive Chef, and set out to create a menu both as appetizing and adventurous as the greatest action movie. Together, Morasso and Spencer traveled the country inspecting potential beef producers, poultry producers and vegetable producers to guarantee the least amount of chemicals with the greatest amount of flavor. While creating the space, Morasso found old film reels still sitting untouched in the projector. From these film reels he was able to produce a light box display that shows each frame individually. The color scheme of the restaurant developed into silver and gold, drawing one’s mind back to the bygone era of the silver screen. Morasso personally oversaw the rejuvenation of the interior, going so far as to hand paint the proscenium arch, and personally restored the Sphinx himself. Morasso approached the restoration with such a passion for the building and the history of the space that it drew the attention of the world renown photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre. The French photographer’s work involved finding and photographing abandoned and lost theaters across the country, and showing the world what those spaces were, and what they could be again. They held up the Webb Custom Kitchen as the ideal in how a lost theater could be found again. Today, The Sphinx enjoys a new Renaissance. Classic black and white movies still dance beneath him. The names are the same, starring Garbo, Dean, and Bogart. But, times have changed. The smell of the south bend broiler wafts upward, and the Sphinx’s charges enjoy artichoke hearts in olive oil, and lobster tails, as opposed to popcorn and candy. There is one particular picture of the Sphinx taken by Marchand, that stays in the mind’s eye. It is a perfectly centered look at the face Sphinx. The Sphinx which was recently completely restored by the caring hand of Jim Morasso. Amongst the red and gold one can see the eyes clearly. It’s face remains stern and protective, eternal and seemingly immortal. But if one examines the eyes closely, it seems as though the eyes are smiling. If you would like to see for yourself, have an amazing meal and enjoy a magical night, then please visit Gastonia. The Webb Custom Also please view and enjoy more of the work of Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre, at their theater preservation website: http://www.marchandmeffre.com/theaters Kitchen is located only a few blocks away from the highway, between exit 18 and the turnoff to 321. The physical address is 182 South Street, Gastonia, NC 28052. Wine is half price on Monday’s and, drawing from experience, the drinks are never watered down. The staff is friendly and helpful, and reservations are available via phone or through the website. http://www.webbcustomkitchen.com
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75 (828) 322-8011 1936 TUDOR REMODELED INTO A FRENCH MODERN LUXURY OASIS BY THE OUTSTANDING TEAM AT STEELE’S CONSTRUCTION This home was built in 1936 and is located on a perfect corner lot near Downtown Hickory. The homeowners loved the location of their home but weren’t as excited about the actual house. They reached out to Tim Steele to see if his team could address the needs of the family to create an exceptional remodeled home. Tim and his team visited the homeowners several times to discuss the problems of the homes and desires of the owners, as well as assess the current space. The team and the homeowners worked together to perfect the concept, using original ideas and concepts, with a focus on customization. They decided to add a garage, a much needed office and a laundry area, as well as an extra half-bath. The kitchen also needed significant expansion, and the team determined that three smaller spaces (the kitchen, a small entry area and a breakfast nook) should be opened up to create an expansive kitchen. The homeowners both have very different taste palettes. The husband’s aesthetic was heavily influenced by his upbringing in New Orleans. He likes opulent, French-inspired decor that remind him of his home, while his wife prefers a very modern and simple style with bursts of color. Steele’s Design Team worked to consolidate these styles to create a cohesive design through out the house. You’ll find that the construction team was tasked with adding beams to the ceilings throughout the main floor. This design choice was a first step towards incorporating French style. Expanding on this style, the team added custom barn doors, especially designed for both opulence and function. These are used throughout the home. The kitchen was expanded to include extra space for the couple who enjoy both cooking and entertaining. A window seat was added, and the white oak beams, custom white- washed (and wire-brushed by hand) island and table added a lush feel that is obvious upon first glance. Beautiful quartz counter tops and backsplashes integrate the wife’s more modern style, and the kitchen was outfitted with custom cabinets that make the preparation of meals easier. The detail of the customization is exceptional and unusual. A custom butler pantry was added (behind those beautiful barn doors) and a coffee bar makes the space great for entertaining. A Perlick wine fridge (shown at right) with a custom bar add just the right amount of class. The kitchen is outfitted with Wolf appliances, like a 60 inch dual-range cook top and a subzero fridge and dishwasher. The brass pendants and hardware contrasted perfectly with the black faucet and pot filler, again hearkening back to New Orleans style. The dining room was outfitted with furniture chosen by Steele’s Design Team, and custom chairs were built to exactly match the style. An oversized chandelier compliments the space without overwhelming it. The main entry was a focal point, and Before: the kitchen was crowded and unnecessarily cramped. Before: the old fashioned space didn’t pop. See the after on the next page. Before: an entry way stopped the flow of energy in the kitchen. See more of this house at
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77 76 the team installed herringbone floors and French sconces. Upon entering the dual living rooms, the modern elements interact with the French elements in a playful way that’s unexpected and high-style. In a bold design move, the team encapsulated the old fireplace with a floor-to-ceiling quartz slab (shown at right) which became the focal point of the room. All new lighting and furnishings were supplied by Steele’s Design Studio and Boutique. The husband, a physician, needed an office space. Custom cabinetry was a team-effort, with the wife designing according to their needs. The design team created a refuge of tranquility and functionality. Some surprises included a framed copy of one of his published pieces, printed on parchment and a piece of art, created especially for the doctor by an artist from New Orleans. The lighting and furniture are pure French Quarter; it’s obvious this space was created for the husband, and he was truly delighted at the result. The customization continued with an elaborate laundry room that perfectly suits the needs of the family. A dog shower and built-in crate will make pet care easier. Lighting and floating shelves and cabinetry create a modern space that will make doing the most mundane of household tasks enjoyable for the lady of the home. The Master bedroom was outfitted with a fabric headboard that reaches from floor-to-ceiling, to dramatic effect. The master bath and closets are opulent, with custom mosaic tiles and subway brick laid walls. Brass dual shower heads and wall jets create an oasis and the closet is jaw-dropping, with thoughtful cabinetry and oversize brass hardware. The outdoor was completely redone as well. A new paint color along with copper lighting and beautiful stained doors brought the modern/French design to the outside. Additional decks and a screen porch were added as well as an outdoor courtyard and a 5 foot tall gas fire pit, which is visible from every room inside the home. It would take more than these pages to detail all of the features of this home. Tim Steele says this was one of his favorite projects of his career. Donna, who leads the design team, enjoyed the challenges of marrying the two styles and the team walked away feeling that they accomplished the task set before them by the homeowners.
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79 78 “Happy, happy, happy! Our experience with Steele’s Construction and Design was nothing less than excellent. Both facets of this company deserve attention and praise. On the construction side, Tim and his team, notably Victor and Manny, were really outstanding. Tim was able to identify the issues in our 1930’s home that needed addressing, and then find the most economical and high-end way to handle them. The quality of the construction is excellent. Having worked with other builders, Tim and his construction team are head and shoulders above anyone within a 250 mile radius of our home-probably a larger radius than that. We only wish we could give Steele’s Construction and Design 6 stars instead of 5. They are awesome! “--Doctor Merritt and Ashley Seshul, Hickory NC
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81 80 by Carmen Eckard Bears in NC L ast winter my husband and I were with our boys in Laurel Springs. We spend time on a 13-acre piece of mountain, full of woods and nature, and I can’t prop- erly explain the joy this brings our children. My husband and our older son were inside, and I was outside with my then two-year-old. I looked up and saw a bear-a very large bear. My son was between the bear and I, and the bear was 20 yards from me, 15 yards from him. Y’all. It was the most terrifying thing I’ve experienced in years. I had no idea what to do. I had no idea if the bear wanted to snack on my son. My stomach fell to the ground and goose bumps covered my whole body. The story doesn’t have a bad ending. I calmly walked towards my son, picked him up, walked back to the house, shut the door and collapsed as I told my husband. Everyone rushed to the window to watch the bear, who just lumbered around a few minutes and went back into the woods. Thinking back on it, I don’t know how I was able to be so calm, because all I knew about bears was that they are huge and sometimes maul people. As soon as we got back to our house in Hickory, I began to research bears, so that this wouldn’t happen to me again. We all live in an area where there are many bears. Even those of us in cities aren’t exempt. So, I figured we could all use a little info about the breed of bears we have here, and what to do if we encounter them. Please don’t use this guide as an excuse to bother a bear. That’s entirely inadvisable. But it’s also inadvisable to fear something that we shouldn’t fear, and so I’m going to share information gathered from Bearsmart. org and the NC Wildlife Commission, both of which are amazing resources. North Carolina is home to BLACK BEARS. We do not have any native brown bears, which are much more aggressive. Black bear attacks, while not unheard of, are very rare. Following reasonable guidelines that consider natural bear behavior will likely keep you safe when you encounter a bear. There are no fatalities involving bear attacks in North Carolina in recorded history. At left-a black bear covered in snow. At right, two black bear cubs play together. Bears in North Carolina do hibernate, but they often venture outside during warm- er days, so North Carolinians often encounter bears during the winter.
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83 82 “Do not approach! Bears do have a strong sense of personal space . If you end up inside that defensive perimeter, which may be anywhere from ten to fifty feet wide, you are likely to experience a combination of highly intimidating behaviors, including: the squared-off lip or long face; jaw popping; huffing; swatting; and false- charging. “ – Ben Kilham in Among the Bears American Black Bears are native to our region. They are between 200 and 600 pounds, and eat a wide variety of food that includes nuts, fruit, and vegetables, as well as rodents and carrion. They grow to be five to six feet from head to tail, which is very tall when they stand. Black bears are not always black-common colors include cinnamon brown and chocolate brown. Bears live to thirty years in captivity but their life spans are much shorter in the wild because they are hunted during some seasons. If you see a bear: 1: DO NOT RUN AWAY. You’ll look pretty interesting to that bear as you run, and he may want to get a closer look. 2: STAY CALM. Bears are North Carolina’s largest indigenous species. You’re lucky enough to see one. Don’t panic. 3: MAKE NOISE, and MAKE YOURSELF SEEM LARGER. Clap your hands, holler, wave your hands over your head to seem larger, and speak in authoritative tones. 4: BACK AWAY. Walk slowly away. You are retreating, without making any threat. The bear will not want to get to know you better, and will lose interest. 5: KEEP KIDS AND PETS WITH YOU. You can’t trust either to know the right thing to do, so you must keep them controlled in this situation. General advice: 1: Don’t approach a bear, and especially never corner or surround a bear. 2: Never feed wild bears, even if they look hungry and tame. 3: Be careful to not feed bears unintentionally. At your home, garbage and pet food will attract a hungry bear. At a campsite, be careful to put away your food and garbage, or hang it from a tree when you aren’t in the area. 4: Bears often enter our cities and towns, and they sometimes get frightened by people or pets. This happened recently in Hickory, and caused quite a commotion. The best thing to do in this case is to leave the bear alone. As the perceived threat passes, they will come down and leave. If you want to observe a bear: Grandfather Mountain has a bear habitat that is a gift to our region. You can observe a family of bears. The mountain is also home to a sanctuary for bears, allowing them to live longer natural lives without the fear of hunting. At left, a young bear searches for food in the North Carolina Mountains.
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85 84 Black Bears hibernate. Their hibernation is a bit different from that of ground hogs, whose body temperature drops to near freezing. Black bears get colder, and their heart rate slows, but it isn’t a hibernation in the truest sense, because they can be easily awoken. North Carolina bears may begin hibernating as early as November or late as January, and end their slumbers sometime between early February and April. There is much variation, even year to year. Ursa Major The Great Bear The most well-known constellation in the world is The Big Dipper. Most people can pick it out of the sky. The big dipper is part of the constellation called Ursa Major, which translates to “The Great Bear”. A theme that travels throughout mythology is the similarity between man and bear. As Ursa Major moves across the sky, sometimes it appears to stand on all fours, and sometimes it stands upright, like real bears. Most cultures around the ancient world had mythologies surrounding Ursa Major. Cherokee legends place their beginnings here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and their stories go back thousands of years. The Cherokee Nation is split into seven clans: Blue Clan, Long Hair Clan, Bird Clan, Paint Clan, Deer Clan, Wolf Clan and the Bear Clan. The importance of the bear to this culture is obvious when we see it listed in the clan names. The Cherokee revere Black Bears of the “Smoking” mountains as a spirit guide. The bear is incredibly important to the spirit world. They also used the bear as a personal totem but also as a resource. Clothing, food, bedding, oil, grease, jewelry and bone tools were all made from the bear. During ceremonies, bear skulls and hides were worn as a sign of achievement. The Cherokee considered the bear their brother. They have several stories and myths that revolve around the black bears of our hills, but the best story is the one that can be read in the skies. It’s the tale of “The Great Bear”. The Great Bear A great bear stalked the woods, and local children were afraid. 4 great hunters, who were brothers, set out to kill the bear. They needed to follow the bear’s tracks, but no hunter had been able to do so. But the brothers had a dog named Four Eyes who could read tracks that were days, even weeks old. The group caught his trail, and a chase began. The bear, who knew he was being hunted, He ran so fast, but the brothers saw him, looming and enormous. He ran further up the mountain, The laziest brother became tired and faked an injury, and his brothers carried him, not losing speed. The dog yipped at the heals of the great bear, getting closer and closer. As they got close, the lazy brother, now well-rested, sprung forth and stabbed the bear with a spear. Happy with themselves, the hunter cut up the bear and began to eat him. But they looked down and saw sparkling lights. In wonder, they realized they were no longer on a mountaintop, but the bear had led them to the world of the sky. The dog began to bark, as he saw the bear bones come to life, and sprint away. The hunters took off in quick pursuit, and to this day, they chase him across the sky, destined to eternally fail at their hunt. Each Autumn, the hunters chase the bear across the sky, reliving their chase and kill. As they cut up the bear, blood falls from the heavens and stains the trees the red and orange of Autumn, and the Great Bear in the sky is upside down. When spring arrives, The Bear is upright again, representing his resurrection and the beginning of a new year’s chase.
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87 86 As a child in Georgia, I spent much of my time outside. Whether it was camping with my brother and father or planting beans and checking the cows with my grandfather, I always felt happier wandering through a field or forest. When I was seven, my family moved to western North Carolina where I instantly fell in love with the High Country around Boone and Blowing Rock. Later through Scouting, my brother and I spent many weekends on and around Table Rock and Linville Gorge. Still later in boarding school in Asheville, I recall signing up for as many hiking/camping activities as I could. At that time during the summer, I worked as a guide in a travel Camp that focused on backpacking and climbing in the mountains of western North Carolina. I made my very first water color paintings at this time inspired by my mountain environment. During college in Virginia, I spent hours in the afternoon on the banks of the Maury River with watercolor and paper attempting to capture the intensity of the experience. I also spent hours in the library looking through most every Art book in the collection. This is where I discovered Bonnard, whose work continues to be an influence in my work. I also began looking at the work of Wolf Kahn. I do not recall painting from nature in graduate school, however, this period was important because I switched to oil and became interested in color. Professors encouraged me to study the work of Cezanne and other Post Impressionists. Painting intermittently for the next twenty years, I was focused on a career in furniture design. I did not show at this time, but I always had a painting on the easel. The millennium sparked a surge in painting and this is when the tree series began. Many think I paint trees because I have a particular affinity for trees. I like trees, but this series is really about light and its interruption. The tree becomes a tool to slice up the space in the composition. I want the viewer to experience the painting in a way like I have, watching the sunrise through the forest. Recently, I have started to paint images of rocks and water. Again, I see this as an opportunity to explore light, reflection, and space. I am not sure where all this exploration will lead, but it is work I enjoy and am delighted to share. -SB STEPHEN BRO OKS WHY I PAINT TREES... AND RO CKS
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On page 90: “Mildred” Photographed by Jon Eckard On page 92: “Beacon Heights” Photographed by James Labrenz On page 94: “Light in the Forest” “Hemlock” Photographed by Jon Eckard On page 95: “Grandfather Mountain” Photographed by Jon Eckard At right: “Boulder” Photographed by Jon Eckard Below: Light in the Forest Photographed by Jon Eckard To purchase Stephen’s work, contact the Arts Council of Catawba County. Exhibitions: 1989 Cone Museum of Art: Saints and Religious Heroes 1990 SECCA : Constructions: Works by Stephen Brooks 2004 Appalachian State University: Halpert Biennial 2005 Hickory Museum of Art: Stephen Brooks Recent Work 2006 Caldwell Arts Council: Super Size Me 2006 Appalachian State University: Halpert Biennial Greenwood Museum of Art: Carolina Colorists: Stephen Brooks and Joe Lafone 2007 Lenoir Rhyne University: Books and Brushes 2008 The Warehouse: Paintings by Stephen Brooks and Joe Lafone 2009 Art and Artifact: Paintings by Stephen Brooks 2010 Studio 128: Divas: Paintings by Stephen Brooks and Joe Lafone 2010 Art and Artifact: The big Rock Candy Mountain: Paintings by Stephen Brooks and Joe Lafone 2011 The Asheville School: Songs in the Forest: Paintings of Stephen Brooks and Joe Lafone 2011 Art and Artifact: “Stephen Brooks: Recent Work” 2012 Hickory Museum of Art: “Waking Up With van Gogh” 2013 Yadkinville Arts Center: “Faces and Places” Work by Dan Smith and Stephen Brooks The Rock School, Valdese: “Recent Work by Stephen Brooks” Hickory Museum of Art: “With a Little Help from My Friends” 2014 Theater Arts Galleries of High- Point: “Woodland Interiors, paintings by Stephen Brooks, Kate Worm and Jean Cauthen” Hickory Museum of Art: “With a Little Help from My Friends”
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95 94 Check out foothills kids Each of our magazine issues includes a Children’s Magazine that you can gently pull out and give to a child in your life. It’s full of information, activities, projects and more! The theme this season is “Snow” and we’re excited to share the projects with you. We’ll show you how to make snow cream, snow crystals, fake snow, giant ice marbles and more! Plus, you’ll know more about how snowflakes form and how to have fun when they do!
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97 96 Minnie Reinhardt The Grandma Moses of Catawba County
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99 98 Minnie Reinhardt By Carmen Eckard In 1898, Minnie Smith was born in Jugtown, North Carolina. She had ten brothers and sisters and lived a rugged, utilitarian life from the start. She worked hard, helping to tend to the family farm and to her siblings. At 18 she took a job as a cook at Hickory’s Lenoir-Rhyne University where she also learned how to sew. She married Belton Reinhardt, and raised six children. Tragedy struck in 1932, when a spark from the baking fire caught the roof on fire, and burned down the family home, but the Reinhardts rebuilt. Minnie’s work ethic was obvious, as she worked her job, raised her children and still helped in the fields. But her vision began to fail her. In 1974, Minnie had surgery to reduce her cataracts. She experienced a personal renaissance. I know from the start that Minnie’s roots ran deep-I’m sitting in a living room in Vale, which is Jugtown’s “new” name, chatting with Minnie’s daughter Arie Reinhardt Taylor, and it’s clear the apple had no desire to stray from the tree. In fact, out the window, she points to where the family home that burned down sat. “Right here where this house sits, I picked many a bale of cotton when I was growing up. This land belonged to my grandparents, and my mom grew up here. Our house that burned down in 1932, I was 11 years old then, that was here too.“ It was Arie, an artist herself, who gave Minnie her first set of paints, after that cataract surgery. That gift, a set of oil paints, along with brushes, ignited a Photo by Allen Huffman Courtesy of Hickory Museum of Art passion for painting that led to a truly prolific body of work. I asked Arie why she bought that paint set for her mom. She explained that she’d been painting for many years, and her mother often stared at her work admiringly, and asked her several times, “Arie, do you think I could paint pictures like that?” Arie did, in fact, think that her mom would take to painting, and so she bought that set of paints and provided enough encouragement that Minnie was thrilled to try her hand. Minnie began painting, remembering scenes from her childhood and recreating them with a simplicity that was haunting. Once she started painting, she never stopped. She worked at a small desk by her window (it’s on display at the Hickory Museum of Art) and painted every day. Her husband often built frames for the paintings. This added to the rustic charm, as well as the value and utility. We are sharing 3 of her paintings here. Each depicts a winter scene from the foothills. The first two have been generously shared with us by the Hickory Museum of Art, and are part of their permanent collection. Hog Hill in Winter Hickory Mus eum of Art Colle ction-Gift of Dorothy Reinhardt Martin, 2016.10 Christmas Sc ene, 1984 Hickory Mus eum of Art Colle ction-From the Colle ction of Barry and Allen Huffman, Mus eum purchas e
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101 100 The third is part of the private collection of Evelyn Eckard, and was painted in 1980. The frame is made from wood from the barn in the painting. Minnie is often called “The Grandma Moses of Catawba County.” This refers to her standing in the art community as a naïve painter of much acclaim. She was famous for saying, “Mine’s my style,” which became the title of her exhibition at HMA. Minnie’s work focused on several important themes, which she revisited time and time again. She painted home places, Hog Hill School, pottery shops, wheat harvests, cotton fields, corn shucking, molasses making, and churches, especially Corinth Church. She also explored other topics and memories, (828) 324-1655 831 Old Lenoir Rd NW, Hickory hickorytreeconsignment.com Buy this! Sell this. R efined Finds but each was solidly based in the foothills of North Carolina. Her paintings are important historically as well. It’s said that when Minnie showed you a painting, she told you the stories that went with it. In fact, the way I hear it, she “Held Forth”. Minnie was a historian, and people of all ages came to her for information about their ancestors, their old home places, and early life in rural Catawba Valley. Minnie’s canvases are a form of living history. For instance, she wouldn’t paint “a hunter”. She painted “Possum John Rudisill, who pursued his favorite sports while his sisters cooked, cleaned and cut wheat with a knife”(I’m fairly certain that Possum John Rudisill was a relative of Bud Rudisill and his daughter Anita, featured in our story about The Henry River Mill Village). They create space for viewers to connect with their history and the land under their feet. They remind us, and they give us visuals for the stories our grandmothers told us. They fuel our imagination and our sense of belonging, and that speaks to our souls. Or, at least, it speaks to mine. About that apple and tree I mentioned earlier... Arie Reinhardt Taylor is an accomplished memory painter. Like her mom’s before her, Arie’s work is focused on showing events from her life, like corn shucking, moon shining and cotton picking. Her memories are helping to preserve this history of our land, and we are thrilled that she continued to paint, well into her 90s. She says, “Oh yes. It’s definitely in the blood.” That jives with what Minnie herself had to say about painting: “I guess it’s always in me, like when I went t o s cho ol and sket che d little, old pictures.”
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103 102 Flights of the Mind DaVinci’s Machines at Discovery Place By Adam York Now through May 6th Discovery Place in Charlotte celebrates the year of the Engineer. To add to the celebration they will featuring a very special exhibit that brings the ideas of Leonardo DaVinci’s notebooks to life. The exhibit displays real life recreations of the machines that the Universal Genius himself might have crafted, and changed the world as we know it. Using copies of DaVinci’s original codex from private libraries around the world the Guild of Artisans Of Florence has created seventy five historically accurate and interactive ma - chines. For the first time students will have a means to touch, see, and move the machines that existed in only in DaVinci’s mind. Viewers can shift the weights and pulleys in Da- Vinci’s construction devices, turn the gears of the Archimedes Screw, or see the wings of Gliders that could have flown hundreds of years ago. The displays are divided into four sections, the war machines, the hydraulic machines, the civil engineering machines and the beautiful flying machines. At the center of the exhibit is an Art Gallery showing the world in which DaVinci lived and created. Special videos and placards help the viewer to understand the relevance of the developments, both in the renaissance and in the modern era. Guests may take pictures of themselves in a cut out of the Mona Lisa, or step into DaVinci’s hall of mirrors. Towards the back of the hall a Stage has been created so that performers can act out a short productions based on the letters and journals written both by and to DaVinci. As you round the corner you come face to face with the breathtaking flying machines. Da Vinci created variations on helicopters, great flapping wings, and airfoils. Small versions of parachutes hang from the ceiling, with a massive glider mounted to the back wall. Begin- ning with designs based on bird wings eventually, the Universal Genius moves towards bat wings, which better displayed the early principles of lift. As you follow his developments you begin to see how his mind was determined to find a way for humans to one day take to the sky. The exhibit includes over 50 machines crafted from wood, rope, and canvases all of which would be available to artisans in DaVinci’s lifetime. The idea began when the Niccolai Family of Florence was commissioned to recreate some of the machines from the Codex for a celebration in Florence. They wanted to make something that children could touch, see and interact with. Each machine was carefully crafted by members of the Nicccolai family and eventually their work grew to include Guild of Artisans of Florence. As the popularity of the machines grew, the family was able to acquire more copies of the codex. The machines now tour the world, maintained by Tom Rizzo, the project manager and a member of the Guild of Artisans of Florence. Tickets are available online or at the Discovery Place box office. The cost of the exhibit is included in Discovery place admission. Tickets for Discovery place are $17 dollars for adults and $13 dollars for children. Seniors and veterans receive a discounted rate of $15 dollars. Lines are typically long so please come prepared. At left, Leonardo DaVinci Self-Portrait, 1512 See this self portrait at Discovery Place’s Flights of the Mind. In a cold room lit by candle light an engineer commissioned as a painter wrote in his notebook, coding designs for his eyes only. In the studio below his painting neared completion. The artwork would elevate him to celebrity, but what he scrawled would change the world. The year was 1500, the place, Florence, and the man, Leonardo DaVinci.
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105 104 Graduating from East Carolina University art school, Sean Parnell has been a professional artist and art teacher for more than 20 years. As an artist, He has worked with a variety of media and sub- ject matter. Using watercolor for as long as he can remember, it is still his favorite medium. He isn’t afraid; however, to tackle any media and mix and match them to get what he wants out of the image. As an illustrator he has worked for gaming companies, illustrated children’s books, and created the comic book “Johnny Space Commander”. Working in the digital world he has done de- sign work for a variety of businesses and organizations, including the Raleigh Symphony and several political candidates. Sean Parnell’s work is licensed through Mainline Art and Design. He is represented by Providence Gallery in Charlotte North Carolina. Providence Gallery is the only place the “Dogs” series of animal por- traits can be purchased. You can also find his work in Hickory, NC at the Hickory Museum of Art gift shop or at www.parnellart.com. The “Great Horned Owl” is shown left, followed by “Steamboat Springs” and “The Great Blue Heron” on the following pages. Sean Parnell
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111 110 Foothills Digest is quite thrilled to be named the winner of the Edison Project! On November 13, Foothill Digest took home the first place prize! The Edison Project is sponsored by the Catawba County, Burke County, and Caldwell County Chambers of Commerce and is a celebration and recognition of the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of the area. This competition includes a “Pitch Your Idea” portion, a Business Plan portion, and a Final Public Presentation to the community. The economic incentive is $10,000 for 1st place, $5,000 for 2nd place, and $3,000 for 3rd place. In addition, applicants will participate in workshops to enhance and refine their business idea. Buddy Case - Santiago Ambroggio Sanctuary, Inc. - Ge Yang Philip Hart Guitars - Philip Hart Appalachian Essentials Investments, LLC - Sean Williams FarmToHome - Cedric Clyburn and Chanler Watts InPort - Jens Roessler, Tomas Hans, and Sercan Cihan Player Pass - Abigail McGarel, Christopher Taylor, and Tylyn Triplett Deliver Eats - Justin Lunsford Foothills Digest - Carmen Eckard Apple Valley Orchard & Cidery - Justin Fox New Heirloom - Daniel Setzer Blinktronic Candle Lantern - Bart Austin S pon sored by: A lex Lee, Inc, C at aw ba C ount y, C at aw ba Valley C ommunit y C olleg e, EDC C ommit tee of 10 0, C once pt Fr ame s, Lenoir- Rhy ne Univer sit y for C ommerc ial & Soc ial Ent re preneur s hip Foothills Digest, this magazine, was selected as the First Place Winner. The magazine covers the Foothills region of NC and highlights art, culture, food, nostalgia, and right living. The business plan focused on working with top-notch advertisers, and we’re excited to say that we truly do work with the best around! Second Place went to Apple Valley Orchard and Winery. Justin Fox and his family already operate an heirloom orchard in the foothills, but they are working to expand their business to include a cidery in Downtown Hickory. There is much enthusiasm behind the project, and we’ll be featuring the business in a coming issue. Third Place went to InPort. These three European athletes are all students at Lenoir-Rhyne University. They each had to pay a large sum of money to find universities that needed players from other countries. The gentlemen are working together to create an app that connects athletes and universities without charging multiple thousands of dollars.
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113 112 Hickory Community Theatre HCT is a top-notch community theatre in Hickory. The theatre frequently wins awards and produces high quality entertain- ment. In recent years, the theatre has been fortunate to be allowed to produce plays that were previously only available to professional companies, like Chicago and Rent. View their site at hickorytheatre.org or call them at 828-327-3855. Shaefer Center for the Performing Arts Featuring a large array of events, including music, comedy, dance and more. Located in Boone. theschaefercenter.org/events CoMMA Home of CoMMA MainStage, this theatre also hosts concerts and touring shows, like Fame, The Musical. Located in Morganton. commaonline.org Jazz on Tap oldehickorytap- room.com Live Jazz weekly with Rick Cline and friends. Boone Saloon boonesaloon.com A watering hole for “full-grown adults.” Musicians featured. Canyons canyonsbr.com Featuring late night music and excep- tional views. Boondocks boondocksbeer.com This West Jefferson Brewpub brings musical acts regularly. The Hotel Tavern thehoteltavern.com Live music each Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Little Theatre of Gastonia Local Theatre in Gastonia. littletheaterof- gastonia.org This is a list of theatres, venues and museums in our area. If you know of more, write the editor@foothillsdigest.com! Don Gibson Theatre In Shelby, with concerts from nationally acclaimed touring musicians. Art-deco appeal and intimate environment. dongibsontheatre.com Foothills Performing Arts This theatre produces high quality and often very funny plays. Birthed by a partnership between a local college and com- munity theatre, the theatre’s productions are generally a cut above. A small auditorium makes for intimate shows. http://fpatheatre.org/ The Local thelocalboone.com Excellent dining and an array of live music. Whiskey Mill whiskeymill.com Sip whiskey, eat delicious food and listen to live music in Bessemer City. Music in the Mill musicinthemill.com Hear musical acts like Lee Ann Womack . The Bathtub Gin bathtubginnc.com Mooresville’s Nightlife scene is centered here. charBAR This Boone restau- rant has a variety of live music through- out the week. Alleghany Jubilee Enjoy mountain music and dancing at this Sparta favorite. Hickory Museum of Art HMA is the second oldest art museum in the state. It has a large collection and features touring ex- hibits. You can always see what’s happening now at hickorymuseumofart.org. Granite Falls Brewery This brewery and restaurant hosts bands regularly. You can always see what’s com- ing soon at their website, granitefallsbrewing.com. King’s Mountain Little Theatre Community theatre in Kings Mountain that also hosts musical acts and touring shows. http://www.kmlt.org/ M E M B E R S H I P Individual: $40 | Family/Dual: $50 | Student: $30* • 10% discount in the shopHMA store and Catawba Science Center Shops • Significant discounts on HMA summer camps and year- round art classes for all ages • FREE admission to over 150 participating museums in the Southeast Reciprocal Membership Program (SERM) • Discounts at SERM museum on-site gift shops and cafés • Invitations to exhibition openings, family days and cultural programs • Discounts on special events and programs • Subscription to Artview, the Museum’s quarterly newsletter • Discounts at HMA Membership Partner locations HOURS: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 AM-4 PM Sunday, 1-4 PM *Closed Mondays and Holidays General admission is FREE! ENDANGERED: Joel Sartore Retrospective Through 2.25.2018 HICKORY LANDMARKS SOCIETY 50 th ANNIVERSARY 1.13.2018 - 4.8.2018 REFLECTIONS IN ART 1.13.2018 - 3.11.2018 BLOW-UP Inflatable Contemporary Art 7.21.2018 - 11.25.2018 MICKEY AND PAUL: The Early Days Through1.21.2018 GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN: Installation by Paul Hunter Speagle 5.5.2018 - 8.5.2018 E X H I B I T I O N S NEW HORIZONS: Self- Taught Art in the 21 st Century Through1.7.2018 ONE PERSON GROUP SHOW: The Art of Matt Diffee 3.3.2018 - 7.8. 2018
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115 114 On April 12th, professional baseball will make its annual return to Catawba County as the Hickory Crawdads celebrate Opening Day. Each April in Hickory, North Carolina, a new group of men arrive in town to work towards their dream. This year they will play 140 games in 152 days, 70 in Hickory, and the remaining 70 scattered across 10 cities from Lakewood, New Jersey to Charleston, South Carolina. They will spend every day over the next five months striving to get that extra step or that extra break in their curve ball that could help them reach the next level. Throughout their 25-year history, 814 players from 17 countries have come through Hickory to pursue the dream of one day reaching the major leagues. There have been 156 Crawdads that have gone on to reach the major leagues, with 50 of them coming through since 2009, when the Texas Rangers became the team’s Major League Affiliate. At the conclusion of the 2017 season, 34 Crawdads alumni are currently playing in the majors. Perhaps the most accomplished of the alumni is current Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen, whose trophy case boasts an MVP Award, 4 Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove, and 5 All-Star appearances. Fellow award-winning former Crawdads include Jose Bautista, Aaron Rowand, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Lee. The recent Rangers crop to come through Hickory features Jurickson Profar, Rougned Odor, and Joey Gallo. The list is likely to grow as 20 of the Rangers’ top 30 prospects have donned a Crawdads uniform, including their #1 prospect and 2017 Crawdad, Leody Taveras. In addition to individual players’ success, the Crawdads have thrived as a team. The team has posted 1,745 wins to 1,725 losses for a .502 winning percentage (666-584, .532 winning percentage as a Rangers affiliate). The Crawdads have won three South Atlantic League championships, with the most recent one coming in 2015. In October, the Texas Rangers announced that they had purchased the Crawdads, their Class A Affiliate, ending Beaver Sport’s 25 year ownership of the team. The team had arrived in Hickory in 1993 when Don Beaver purchased the Gastonia Rangers and relocated the South Atlantic League team to his hometown. “We hate to sell the team but it’s the right thing to do to ensure that baseball stays in Hickory. The Rangers are a first-class organization that we’ve been able to experience first-hand the last nine years. Crawdads Baseball The future of the team couldn’t be in more capable hands,” Beaver said. Right off the bat, the Rangers proved their commitment to baseball in Hickory, announcing $1 million in renovations to the Crawdads home, L.P. Frans Stadium, to be completed before the 2018 season. The renovations were announced by Neil Leibman, Chairman of the Texas Rangers Ownership Group and new president of the Crawdads. “We are so pleased to be able to announce a series of improvements to one of the South Atlantic League’s finest parks that will allow fans and players to have an even better experience at L.P. Frans Stadium,” Leibman said. The improvements will include a new video board measuring 16 feet by 54 feet (replacing the current 12x20 board), an entirely new playing surface, new protective netting behind home plate and right field lines that will improve sightlines, a rebuilt outfield wall, and renovated home and away dugouts. In addition to announcing the renovations, Leibman also revealed that the team will renew its lease with the city on the stadium and promptly sat down with city officials and Rangers Co-Owner Ray Davis and signed the lease extension. The lease now extends through 2022 and includes an option through 2027. A small staff of 10 oversee all aspects of the organization from ticket sales to managing the team’s travel. At the helm of the front office is General Manager Mark Seaman. Charlie Downs is the Assistant General Manager while Donna White is the office’s Business Manager and Douglas Locascio is the team’s Executive Director of Sales and Merchandise. The group sales staff is made up of Robby Willis, Mitchell Lister, and John Ryan. Kevin McAlee manages food and beverage, and Chris Dillon will take over as Director of Community Relations and Promotions after serving as an intern last season. The Crawdads will also be joined by a new front office member: Ashley Salinas, who assumes the role of Creative Services Specialist. Over the course of the next few months the staff will work together to get ready for the season. Fresh off their year-long celebration of the team’s 25th anniversary, they will need to come up with innovative promotional ideas and plan fan-favorites to entertain ballpark guests of all ages for all 70 games at L.P. Frans Stadium. Some of the staples in their promotional schedule include Fireworks Friday, Christian Concerts, guest appearances by ZOOperstars and celebrities, such as WWE wrestlers, TV stars or former MLB players, giveaways, and quirky theme nights. Theme nights of the past have included: Where’s Waldo at the Ballpark, Willy Wonka Night, Game Show Night, and Stranger Things: Fright Night. In preparation for the season, the staff will also be selling tickets, working with sponsors, creating marketing content, getting the stadium ready, and appearing at community events with their beloved mascot, Conrad. They will also spend time brainstorming ways to improve the fans experience from the time they turn onto Clement Boulevard to the time they leave, trying to ensure that they have an enjoyable experience every time they come to the ballpark. On April 12th, everything will come together as thousands of fans will fill L.P. Frans Stadium to see the newest Crawdads take the field for the first time and enjoy the return of baseball season and all it has to offer. The grass will be freshly cut and the lines newly painted, as a new era of Crawdads players begin their quest to bring another championship to Hickory.
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117 116 Several ski resorts dot our landscape, and they provide many opportunities to exercise and have fun during the winter! Ski Season Sugar Mountain, Sugar Mountain. This is North Carolina’s largest ski area. It has ski slopes but also features a terrain park. Ice skat- ing, a tube park, and snow shoeing make this place a winter won- derland. Slopeside lodging makes this a perfect choice for a ski weekend! Appalachian Ski Mountain, Blowing Rock. This ski resort boasts 12 slopes and is an excellent choice for family skiing. Two terrain parks provide endless fun and six chairlifts keep everyone moving quickly. Ski Beech, Beech Mountain. This ski resort offers night skiing, which sets it apart from the others. 15 trails offer a lot of variety and 10 lifts operate continuously. Hawksnest, Seven Devils. This resort does not offer skiing, but boasts the largest tubing park on the East Coast. 2 lifts and thirty trails will occupy even the busiest tubers.
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119 118 Staying Fit in the Winter Ryan Gant: Original Workout/Personal Trainer As colder weather approaches, those new Netflix series, and Crockpot recipes just get harder to stay away from. Our will to exercise and stay fit goes right out of the window, while hibernation mode shifts into overdrive. Believe it or not, the average person in the United States gains an average of 5-10lbs during the winter months. That being said, it’s not always easy, but it is important to stay active during this time of year. As we plan for the oncoming months, there are many physical activities both outdoors and indoors we should think about. Since family and friends spend more time together during this part of the year, it’s ideal to look for activities everyone can enjoy together. Hiking is a prime example. It is a fantastic all-body exercise suited for any fitness level: beginner to advanced. Whether walking or running, just push the pace! We are blessed to live where we do; the foothills area is primed with breath-taking trails for families and individuals to explore. Aside from the obvious health benefits, hiking allows us to get back in touch with nature and decompress after a stressful holiday season. Challenge yourself, but remember, you must hike the same distance back to the car! Undoubtedly, there will be many folks who opt out of going out in the cold. Never fear. There are always options. The obvious answer would be to sign up for a gym membership, but remarkably we can push ourselves just as hard in the comfort of our own home. Everyone will not have access to a gym, or equipment, so bodyweight interval and circuit training is a great go to. Thirty minutes a day is all we need. For example: a circuit of push- ups, jumping jacks, body weight squats, lunges, and crunches (repeated for 30 minutes at a high intensity) is a great way to break a sweat and get the heart rate going. If there is any hesitation due to proper form or risk of injury, seek out a qualified personal trainer in the area for assistance and accountability. It does not matter which route you choose this winter. Whether it be hiking a trail, hitting the weight room, or challenging yourself in the comfort of your home, set a goal to get off the couch and push the pace! Your life depends on it.
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121 120 8 Heart Attack Signs Reviewed by: Jeff Neal, DO - a cardiologist with Catawba Valley Cardiology 1 B reathing Difficulties – Shortness of breath is a common and very frightening precursor to a heart attack if you’re a woman. It may come on suddenly and without warning (i.e., not following physical activity), for no apparent reason. Imagine gasping for air like you’ve just run up a few flights of stairs when you’re sitting stationary. 2 Heavy Perspiration – You might break out into a cold, clammy sweat when you have to make a work presentation. However, many women suffering a heart attack start perspiring without any stressors present. The problem is women dismiss this symptom as a hot flash or blame it on their monthly cycle. 3 Disrupted Sleep – Women who’ve suffered a heart attack often recall waking up in the mid- dle of a deep sleep unable to catch their breath. This form of sleep apnea can occur during a heart attack, compressing the upper airway and robbing the heart of essential blood flow. 4 Exhaustion – We all experience exhaustion when burning the candle at both ends. Women are notorious for taking care of everyone else, but not themselves. Heart attacks are sneaky in this regard, zapping women of energy, even when they’ve been getting adequate sleep and eating right. 5 Stomach Cramps – Abdominal pain that is disregarded with the thought, “it must be some- thing I ate!” often ends in a heart attack for unsuspecting women. So what you might brush off as heartburn or a nasty stomach bug may actually be a more sinister heart issue. 6 Sharp Upper Body Pain – While men may feel “the weight of an elephant” sitting on their chests—heart attacks for women often cause sharp pains in the upper body. It’s common for women to complain of sharp, shooting pain or dull, gradually mounting pain in the neck, upper arms, or jaw. Regardless, the pain can be so strong that it wakes you from sleep. 7 Rapid Heart Rate – An intensely rushing heartbeat will commonly accompany feelings of intense anxiety and sweating in women suffering a heart attack. In fact, you might think you’re having an anxiety attack, because it strikes suddenly, your heart overexerting, during a non-stressful endeavor. 8 Chest Pain – While men often experience crushing chest pain during a heart attack, the chest pain reported in women leading up to and during a heart attack is frequently de- scribed as less intense. Instead of pain, women often experience an uncomfortable feeling of tightness that is commonly described as a full feeling across the entire chest, not solely on the left side of the chest. 8 Heart Attack Red Flags Too Many Women Ignore We’ve all seen the movie scenes where a man gasps, clutches his chest and falls to the ground suffering a heart attack. However, in reality, when a heart attack victim is a woman, the scene is often not that dramatic because heart attacks strike women much differently than they do men. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, but women frequently overlook heart attack symptoms by attributing them to less life-threatening conditions like heartburn, hormones or anxiety. “Both men and women can experience chest pressure that feels like an elephant sitting across the chest, but women frequently experience heart attacks without the stereotypical chest pressure or pain,” said cardiologist Jeff Neal, DO, of Catawba Valley Cardiology. “Instead, women often suffer more subtle symptoms that are ignored until it’s too late.” A heart attack occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely. This happens because the arteries that supply the heart with blood can slowly narrow from a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances like plaque. To help clarify these less obvious and potentially confusing symptoms, Dr. Neal encourages women to be aware of the following eight heart attack red flags for women: Dr. Neal cautions women to keep in mind that there’s no simple deciding factor as to whether or not you may be having a heart attack based on one, or more, symptom alone. “To distinguish whether these problems are related to a possible heart attack, an electrocardiogram, blood tests, or imaging studies are often required,” Dr. Neal says. “These diagnostic tests are typically only available in a medical environment. So, if you are concerned that you might be suffering a heart attack, immediately go to an emergency room or call 911.” Make 2018 the year you become heart healthy. If you are at risk, think you may be at risk or want to learn more about how to reduce your risk for heart disease, consult your primary care provider as your first line of defense in guarding one of your most valuable possessions of all: your HEART!
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123 122 We are knee deep in the season of limited light. It gets dark at 5 o’clock in the af- ter noon. It takes my dog weeks to get over the time change; it’s dark already-why haven’t you fed me dinner?-she asks with those brown eyes and wagging tail. But I love it. I love lighting a pepper mint candle in mor nings when I get up and everyone else is sleeping. I love the war mth of a fire on a cold, dark evening. Light brings such comfort in the midst of such darkness. And this has me looking forward to Epiphany. In the Christian tradition it is the season that celebrates Magi searching and finding Jesus, who Christian tradition says, is the light of the world. In Matthew’s gospel, these magi travel from the east to see “the child who has been bor n King of the Jews.” (You can read the story in Matt. 2:1-12 if you need a refresher) The reason Epiphany is so significant is because these wise men, these magi, are not Jewish! Matthew’s gospel tells us something beautiful about this Jesus’ birth—if foreign- ers—those outside of Israel—are able to see this Christ star shining, his birth must have impact for all people. Why else would these wise men care about a baby bor n in another country? These are wise scholars and shaman; they are the wise men that others travel to for insight, wisdom, guidance. So why seek out this particular baby? Because those Magi see the light shining in the day and in the darkness and must go seek out its source. The wise men follow a star to find Jesus-the light of the world. For years, people have gazed out into the night sky, scanning for that same beautiful star. Now I bet we have all scanned the skies at least once to look for that famous star. Maybe as we have left the Christmas Eve service on a clear, cold night. There are even folks who have studied the skies and have searched through historical records to find a comet or some other celestial event that could explain the star in the sky that night Christ was bor n. But I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think it is necessarily worth searching the history books for. So let me explain by talking about a specific story of light from the Old Testament and tell you a tradition that grew from the Talmud. Maybe you are like me and know very little about the Jewish Talmud. The Talmud is basically the oral tradition that grew around the Torah. The Torah is the written law, the books of Moses or the first 5 books in the Hebrew scriptures in Christian bible. There has always been the expectation that as faithful people we would question scripture and wrestle with it; so the stories and explanations that rabbis and schol- ars debated and shared became an important piece of the Jewish faith called the Talmud. In the Talmud there is a story about Moses and the bur ning bush. I’ll give you a quick recap, but you can get another refresher if you go to Exodus 3. Moses was tending his father-in-law’s flock when he all but stumbles upon a bush that is bur n- ing but not consumed by fire. The Lord speaks to Moses, Moses takes off his shoes, God reveals the divine name and the rest is history. But there’s more to this story. Moses was tending the flock; like he did every day. Some days he went to the west and grazed the flock and some days he went east to graze. Some days it was north and others it was to the south. There’s no doubt that Moses knew that countryside. Like any good shepherd, he was careful to keep LIMITED LIGHT Heather Wood Davis track of the animals. He was alert to the sounds of predators and thieves. The flock was the family’s livelihood. Moses would have been a man who knew the landscape because his family depended on him knowing it. You see, the Talmud explains that Moses was coming to graze his flock at Horeb, like he always had done. He was looking out for nor mal things. He was looking for things that shepherds look for and wasn’t noticing God’s presence and light. The Talmud says that the bush was always on fire; it was just that on a particular day, Moses tur ned aside to see. Moses took the time to notice the bur ning bush. This picture sits in my office and reminds me of this story of the Talmud. That I, that we, must tur n aside to see—because the bush is always bur ning. I believe that the star of Epiphany, I believe it has always been in the sky, shining brightly, just like that bush that was always been on fire. That light of Christ is always guiding us; that light is shining in the darkness, because the darkness will not overcome it. That beautiful star is in the sky and in the stable and in the inn, and in the church, and in the schools, and in the grocery stores and prisons; that star is in our homes and in the homeless tent city—that light is wherever God’s people are, in all the nations, guiding us to see this anointed one bor n among us, “Pleased as man with us to dwell Jesus, our Emmanuel!” So maybe this isn’t the season of limited light. Maybe it is in the eyes of our children, and the laughter of our great aunt on the phone or even in that person who just cut you off in traffic. Perhaps God’s plan all along was to tilt the planet on that winter solstice so that in these days and weeks and months ahead, we’d tur n aside to the light all around us.
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125 124 As the winter months and holiday season approaches, our schedules are often full of spending time with family and friends. We often look forwards to the cooler temperatures, holiday celebrations, and time off from school or work. However, if you happen to find yourself feeling down, depressed, or sad during these times, you may be experiencing seasonal affective disorder—a commonly misunderstood type of change in mood that happens with the changing of the seasons. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that fluctuates with the seasons. It typically begins in late fall and early winter, and often resolves itself by spring or early summer. The symptoms of SAD look similar to depression. You may experience feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, feeling overly tired, having difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy or changes in appetite. Overeating, weight gain, and cravings for carbohydrates are also common with SAD. It is important to pay attention to how long these symptoms last for you and when you begin to experience them—both helpful pieces of infor mation for your physician or therapist should you decide you need extra support. There are a few factors that have been studied for those that experience SAD more often. Overwhelmingly, females are more likely to experience SAD than males. It is diagnosed four times more often in women than in men. People who have a family history of depression are also likely to experience SAD or other depressive disorders more often. In addition, if you already have a diagnosis of depression, the winter months can exacerbate those symptoms. Young adults have a higher occurrence of SAD than older adults. Finally, people that live far north or far south from the equator seem to experience SAD more often. SEASONAL AFFEC TIVE DISORDER Kelsey Crowe, LCSW, LCAS, CCS Avery, D., Roy-Byrne, P. P., & Solomon, D. (2016). Seasonal affective disorder: treatment. Roy-Byrne, and Solomon, editors, UpToDate. UpToDate. Berk, M., Sanders, K. M., Pasco, J. A., Jacka, F. N., Williams, L. J., Hayles, A. L., & Dodd, S. (2007). Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in depression. Medical hypotheses, 69(6), 1316-1319 Partonen, T., & Lönnqvist, J. (1998). Seasonal affective disorder. The Lancet, 352(9137), 1369-1374. Terman, M., Terman, J. S., Quitkin, F. M., McGrath, P. J., Stewart, J. W., & Rafferty, B. (1989). Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology, 2(1), 1-22. WHAT CAN YOU D O TO HELP? If you notice these symptoms in yourself or have risk factors to develop SAD, there are things you can do to mitigate them! Sunlight- Sunlight has been a treatment for SAD for the last 35 years. Replacing the light you would be exposed to in the spring and summer months can be very helpful. You can do this by using artificial light sources such as sun lamps, or in- creasing the amount of time you are outdoors during the day. This can be tricky if you spend most of your day indoors. It is helpful to get exposure to the sunlight or sun lamp first thing in the mor ning, for 20-60 minutes. Therapy- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence based treatment for SAD. The CBT that has been adapted for use with SAD involves supporting the person in identifying their negative belief patters and replacing them with posi- tive thoughts. It also employs a technique called behavioral activation that helps to identify activities and behaviors that are enjoyable to help during the winter months V itamin D- While a direct correlation has not been made in using V itamin D as a standalone treatment for SAD, lower vitamin D levels have been found in those struggling with SAD. It may be helpful to consult with your physician and have your levels checked, as low V itamin D can impact mood. S e as onal Affe ctive Dis order (SAD) is a type of depression that fluctuat es with the s e as ons. T he sympt oms are similar t o depression.
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SALT and its Benefits You know that feeling you get when you’ve been at the ocean? It’s more than just relaxing...we of- ten leave feeling healthier and more energetic. Science is beginning to point to the salinity of the ocean, and the positive ions it puts into the atmosphere, as the cause of this benefit. Salt Therapy harnesses the power of salt, without giving us the negative side effects we would get from consuming it, mainly, high blood pressure. You may have noticed a salt lamp in a wait- ing room or a friend’s house recently. They are becoming much more popular. These lamps are chunks of pink salt, lit from within. They are beautiful and calming, but many peo- ple claim they are very helpful in other ways. Ions are molecules that have gained or lost an electrical charge, and they are all around us. Positive ions are abundant in our world today, They are shown to have neg- ative effects on our bodies, and can turn to free radicals. These age us, inside and out. Negative ions are found in abundance in nature, especially around the ocean, waterfalls, and our beautiful mountains. These negative ions, along with the Vitamin-D your body creates when you are in sunlight, make us feel good. “Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in high - er alertness, decreased drowsiness and more mental energy,” says Pierce J. Howard, PhD. Salt therapy, including salt lamps, increase the negative ions in your space, which make you feel better. Don’t take my word for it. Salt lamps are inexpensive, and you can also get more intensive salt therapy at places like Sa- linity in Hickory, NC, where you will also find a huge selection of salt lamps. By Carmen Eckard We purchased a 115-year-old soda production and packaging site. Reinvented it into a Craft Brewery. We made it Cool again. Tradition. But Evolved. Granite Falls Brewing Company 47 Duke Street Granite Falls, NC 28630 For Takeout: 828-212-1222 To View Menus & Events Calendar visit www.granitefallsbrewing.com Join our 19,000+ GFBeerhead Facebook Community!
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129 128 DEAR DAVID, I am concerned about my teenage son’s aspirations for the future. His father and I are both college educated and know that he has to get a college education as well to be successful. The issue is that our son wants to be a mechanic. How can we help him understand that this is not a wise decision for a career? Sincerely, Frustrated But Wanting The Best Dear FBWTB, First and foremost, I encourage you for wanting to push your child to be their best. With that said I must disagree with your perspective. There are many successful mechanics, hair stylists, welders, furniture makers, and other trade craftsmen. It is rare that someone so young identifies a passion and the commensurate desire to pursue it as a career. I would encourage you to support your son’s interests while reminding him that he can pursue a four-year degree at any point in life should he so choose. It will strengthen your relationship with him as well as his sense of independence. A four year education is certainly valuable but it is not a requirement for professional success. Sincerely, David Zealy-Wright LPC, LCA David Zealy-Wright is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, and a Clinical Supervisor Intern. He graduated from Catawba Valley Community College in 2005 earning an Associate in Arts, Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2008 earning a BA in Psychology, and in 2010 an MA in Agency Counseling. His specialty areas include addiction, depression, anxiety, life changes, men’s issues, relationships, and LGBTQIA issues. I have been trying to quit smoking but my husband won’t quit with me and its making it so much harder! How can I make him quit with me? Sincerely, Ready To Quit The Cancer Sticks Dear RTQTCS, Boy that’s a hard one, any time one spouse wants to change a habit they share with the other it is always difficult. With smoking it is often involved with various other activities like eating, drinking coffee, and driving which can make it particularly difficult to quit. My suggestion to you is to find a good support system outside of your relationship to encourage your efforts. This can be a therapist, a support group, or even an online forum, you might even consider talking to your primary care provider about some prescription medications that can help. As difficult as this may be to hear, the only way to get your husband to quit smoking is for him to want to. Perhaps consider discussing some harm reduction interventions like asking him not to smoke around you or consider a nicotine replacement product when not smoking around you isn’t convenient. Congratulations on your decision to pursue a healthier lifestyle, it is not easy to conquer any addiction. Sincerely, David Zealy-Wright LPC, LCAS DEAR DAVID,
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131 130 By Steve Watson The inception of commercial dog took place in England around 1860. James Spratt, an American working in London, was supposedly inspired by sailors, throwing hardtack, which was a thin cracker or biscuit and part of the sailors’ diet, to the wharf dogs. These were leftovers from their meal and had juices and food remnants attached. Mr. Spratt’s formula contained wheat, beef blood, vegetables and beetroot, and was made in the shape of a biscuit. In 1950’s the Spratt’s Patent Limit- ed Company was sold to General Mills. In 1960 it was sold to Spillers, a UK subsidiary of Purina, and is still available today under the name “Bonio”. That bit of history is included to make the point that from the very beginning commercial dog foods were made from the parts that were “thrown away”. As we follow history we will see this throw away men- tality arise again and again. After WW1 horse meat was cheap and plentiful and led to the invention of canned dog food by Ken-L-Ration. By the early 1940’s canned food accounted for as much as 91% of the market. During WW2 there was a shortage of tin which made canning an expensive proposition. Enter “dry” dog food. Marketing companies began telling consumers that these products were superior because they were able to use recycled or leftover grain products and meat not fit for human consumption. After the war, dry dog food sales picked up dramatically. One reason was that dog food was moved into the grocery stores. Today it is not uncommon for pet foods to take up more aisle space than baby sup- plies. The second reason was a marketing blitz instituted by the Pet Food Institute, warning the public of the “dangers” of table scraps and the importance of feeding a processed dog food. Press releases were used to spread the “word” and were used in newspapers, radio, and several of the large women’s magazines. More marketing strategies include celebrity endorsements, the use of food dyes, and ingredients that make gravy. Up until 1974 the National Research Council was responsible for the guidelines for setting nutritional values in dog food, then AAFCO, the American Association of Feed Control Officials took responsibility, though is made up of individuals in the feed manufacturing business. They relaxed the guidelines for measuring the nutritional components and ended the use of feeding trials. In 1985 the National Research Council developed new nutritional guidelines. The most important The History of Commercial Dog Food and M a r ke t i n g change was to measure the nutri- tional content AFTER the food was cooked. These changes were met with such hostility from the food manufacturers and “their” organi- zation, that we are still working under the old requirements. The important take away is that this or- ganization is manipulating our de- sire to look after our pets, and be- ing quite dishonest. So how do you, a consumer who loves your dog, know what to feed? I have for years used the old adage “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t feed it”. Look for a brand whose first, or second ingredient is a high quality meat meal, or chicken meal or even fish meal. Corn should NOT be in your list of ingredients. Dogs do not need corn and do not digest it very well. It often causes allergic reactions, and there isn’t any advantage to using it (except that it is a cheap additive for dog food companies). You should look for the word proteinate after each of your minerals. This indicates the minerals are chelated and therefore more easily assimilated and metab- olized. Lastly, it’s important to add probiotics and digestive enzymes to a dog’s diet. Some foods list these on the bag, but heat and pressure kill enzymes and probiotics. Basing and extruding are only two ways commer- cial dog food is made, and you can do the math. There are still some good foods out there. Armed with this new knowl- edge and a little common sense, you should be able to find them.
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133 132 foothills astrologer Astrology is the study of the relationship between the location of celestial bodies and life on earth. It’s incredibly complex, but most of what you see in magazines and newspapers is predominantly fluff. Astrology looks at the placement of the planets at a person’s birth, and also the current or future placement of planets. Typical reports like these would include a simple paragraph for each of the 12 signs-there isn’t enough room to provide helpful information in that format. Instead, I’ll explain only the current placements. What you read will be felt by everyone, so your sign doesn’t matter here. For info about your natal chart, or for custom horoscopes, email foothillsastrologer@gmail.com. foothills astrologer Most people these days can tell you their “sign”. When someone tells you they are a Virgo, they mean that when they were born, the sun was in the section of the sky we call “Virgo”, which used to be near the constellation Virgo, but has wiggled over a bit in the last several thousand years. They probably don’t realize that’s what they mean. That’s just all they know about astrology, and they open up the astrology pages in magazines to read about the forecast for their sign for the next month. But the sun isn’t the only astrological body that matters. The moon, the other planets, our angles, and nodes all are very important to personalized readings and forecast. The placement of these bodies at our births, as well as at the current time, creates an extremely detailed forecast that is much more accurate than the paragraph description you normally read that’s meant to describe 1/12th of the population. But I don’t know when you were born, and I don’t want to water these pages down so much they are useless. So I’m going to go about this in a manner most magazine columns do not. Instead of bothering with your personal nativity (that’s the planetary placements at your birth), I will write about the current configurations. They are influencing everyone in the world, and have specific start times and energetic signatures. I feel that you will find this more useful than a quick summary for each sun sign. If you are looking for more detailed information, you can purchase a chart and interpretation by e-mailing me at: theastrologer@foothillsdigest.com. january 7-28 Jupiter sextile Pluto: Jupiter is the planet of expansion, and Pluto is about personal transformation. When the two join in a harmonious way, like they are now, it creates a power surge. This is a very good time to plan for your future and to take a chance. There might be support that you are not expecting to find, and it could be very helpful to you. Good judgment will abound and good opportunities will fall in people’s laps. january 17-19 Venus and the Sun enter Aquarius. Aquarius is the sign of the entrepreneur, the outcast and the mad scientist. When the Sun enters Aquarius the whole world seems to benefit from that free- wheeling energy. There is tolerance in the air. This is a great time for experimenting and for having fun. The sun rules over our whole selves, and the general energy of the day. Venus represents our love life and our softer side. In love, people will crave more freedom this month, and experimental relationships will seem more tempting than normal. It’s very important to allow others the space they need at this time, and to be impartial in our judgments. january 31 Full moons are times of harvest, of reaping what we sow. For this full moon, the asteroid Ceres is joining the moon. The moon represents emotions and our feminine side. Ceres is also very feminine. Ceres represents our nurturing abilities, as well as how we feel nurtured. Ceres is closely associated with harvesting wheat, so again, there is a reaping energy here. She’s also associated with modern mothering, and this combination will be very good and empowering for mothers. Lunar Eclipses function as very strong full moons, so the potential here is very strong. When we have a lunar eclipse, it means the sun is opposite the moon, which is a strong energy. It ties together our whole self and our emotions and makes everyone stronger. Specifically, this eclipse should help clear your emotions-a sort of emotional reset for the last 6 months. It’s a powerful energy. This degree of Leo has the symbol “An evening lawn party of adults.” This brings a mature, socializing energy to this moon. It’s a good time to connect with your adult friends. Ladies...plan a wine night with your girl friends!! january 31 The same day as the full moon, Mercury enters Aquarius. It joins the sun and Venus,
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135 134 January 15 Salt Therapy Benefits: Asthma Allergies Acne Bronchitis COPD Cystic Fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis Eczema Ear Infections Psoriasis Snoring and more 2221 N. Center St. #3 Hickory NC 28601 828-855-9980 salinity.net meaning this brilliant, rebellious energy is focused on our whole lives, our love and now our communication as well. Everyone will be reaching for new ideas and thinking outside of the box. It’s a fun time where novel solutions should present themselves. february 10 Venus enters Pisces. Venus is soft. Pisces is soft. This is a mushy-gushy energy perfect for Valentine’s Day! Venus in Pisces is tender, emotional, but a little hard to reach. Borders are blurred during this time, and the softness makes it possible to be victimized. Be on the lookout for that, but enjoy the affection and closeness this time brings. february 15 New moons are times of setting intentions. This one is a partial solar eclipse, making it very strong energetically. Mercury closely aligns with the moon today, making the focus of this moon communication. The moon is also making a beneficial aspect to Uranus, meaning you will be able to make good use of rebellious energy. This is an eclipse of freedom and choice. The energy of the emotions today is “a butterfly emerges from its chrysalis.” This is tremendously positive and reaffirms the power of today to help with personal transformation. february 17-18 We will feel a big shift of energy as Mercury and the Sun exit Aquarius and enter Pisces. They are joining Venus. Pisces rules empathy and devotion. It’s very selfless. The rebellious, off-beat energy that has abounded will now soften and our general focus will be more altruistic. Since Mercury is traveling with the sun, this giving, altruistic energy will express itself with our communication style most obviously. The danger of sun in Pisces is that we are much more motivated to think and dream than to actually do. But the advantage is that we are all imaginative. march 2 This full moon is the reaping time for the previous new moon with eclipse. This day, we might expect the butterfields from February 15th to emerge. The energy of the moon today is “A bride has her veil snatched away.” This means this is a full moon of revelations. It will be hard to keep things hidden, but the exposure will be positive, or for positive purposes. Full moons tend to highlight opposites in our lives because they occur when the sun is opposite the moon. Virgo is the sign of analyzing and the sun is in Pisces, which is soft and empathetic. It’s an interesting dynamic when they combine. march 6 Mercury and Venus enter Aries. Aries is bold. Aries rushes forth. This energy will come into your love life during this time, and your communication style as well. Aries is not patient. Aries doesn’t ask a lot of questions, but instead rushes headlong into whatever it wants. Above all Aries is blunt, which doesn’t always sit well with softer types of people. If you already tend to be blunt, there won’t be much stopping you now, so keep in mind that everyone is sharper than normal, and also sharper than they realize. But Aries is also TONS of fun. Speak up for yourself. Stand up for yourself. This will be a good week. march 8 Jupiter turns retrograde. All planets appear to turn in retrograde motion from time to time. When that happens, the energy is turned inward, and expressed differently than normal. Jupiter is the planet of expansion and luck, and when it goes retrograde, we are lucky in unexpected ways. This retrograde last 4 months and is an excellent time to revist the things you’ve learned in the last 13 months. The things that move you forward...it’s a really good time to pay attention to those things and to revisit them. If you want to know more about your own personal astrology, you can order an interpretation of your chart by emailing theastrologer@foothillsdigest.com . You can also download the app “Time Passages” which is an excellent resource for keeping track of your personal transits.
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137 136 Carolina Reads Grant by Ron Chernow $40 Penguin Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1-59420-487-6 Ulysses S. Grant is a polarizing figure in the South. As a symbol of the north’s aggression against state’s rights, he’s often a hated and reviled figure set against the symbol of Robert E. Lee. Chernow’s hefty new volume on Grant posits that while Grant respected Lee in public, calling Lee the “ablest general in the Confederate army” (367), Grant was upset that even his own men considered Lee a “demigod,” at least in their minds. Grant worried that history would see him as a “brutal plodder who relied on numbers” while Lee would be considered a fighter with “elegant finesse.” Ron Chernow, author of biographies on George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, delves deeply into the psyche of Grant, warts and all, calling Grant a humble yet insecure man, a man whose bonafides paled in comparison to Lee’s who called McClellan the best, most able Union General. At 1074 pages, Grant reads quickly and smoothly like Chernow’s other tomes. For those who like having everything they know about a historical figure in one book, Grant adds Chernow’s psychological insights into men and the war that still creates conflict in the 21st Century. -Robert Canipe Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire; A 500-Year History Kurt Anderson $30 Random House, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-4000-6721-3 In Kurt Anderson’s Fantasyland, meet an America that might not have existed except for the unstoppable optimism of hope. “Wishful dreaming” and “magical thinking” seem to be sewn into the fabric of the country from as far back as 1517 and the religious ties to faith itself—the belief in something that one cannot see—and the ideas of Sir Walter Raleigh who knew, just knew there was gold in the New World. In fact, people trusted enough in the belief in the gold and the freedom that they gave up all the modern comforts of the 17th century to travel the sea to America for the fantasy. They’d perish, yet more would go, the modern cynicism not inherent in their minds. Anderson posits that had they not had that belief in the supernatural, that belief in “the fantastic” is now in America’s DNA and has led to the modern beliefs in conspiracy theories, fake news, crackpot ideas and that the Internet now allows the distribution of these ideas to grow exponentially. While it used to take a while or suckers to be drawn in by hucksters, today all it takes is a click of a mouse and a Facebook post to get Americans believing in anything. Anderson’s book doesn’t treat this idea glibly or with malice. He simply states and thesis and proves it, realizing that America might not exist today had it now been for the belief that something worthwhile is out there, somewhere, and if we work hard enough and believe, it will come our way. I’m going to buy a lottery ticket, I believe. The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash $27 Harper Collins, 2017 ISBN 978-0-06231-312-6 This book tells one of the foothills’ most important stories. Set in 1929 in Bessemer City, NC, this book tells the story of the mill strike that changed the lives of everyone involved. Using many unique voices, it unfolds naturally, almost tenderly. It’s truly heartbreaking. It never shies from the harder truths and is, at times, devastating. The labor movement was enormously important, and its stories are not often told. This story makes per- sonal the struggle to win basic labor rights and draws valuable parallels to today’s world. New York Time’s Best Selling author Wiley Cash’s unique style is very well-suited to tell our stories. It’s down-home, natural, and entirely compelling. -Carmen Eckard Cover art courtesy of Harper Collins. Ghost of the Innocent Man $27 Brown Little, 2017 ISBN 978-1-47893-707-4 This novel highlights one of our more regrettable histories. In the United States, over 2,000 people have been falsely imprisoned in the last 30 years. Willie Grimes, unfortunately, was one of them. In 1988, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for first degree rape. There were many times that proper policing would have cleared Grimes, but that didn’t happen in his case. This novel is now a best seller, surprising critics with its success. The story is very empathetic. Willie Grimes is not a faceless man, but a person you will care about. You will mourn his sentencing, and you will rejoice that he was freed. I bet you’ll also feel anger, and a host of other emotions. Benjamin Lachlin’s style is crisp but unhurried, playing our empathy like a well-tuned instrument. This is a tale you should know, because all of the characters belong to us. This is our story, and instead of being ashamed, we should learn from it, and guard against it happening again. -Carmen Eckard
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139 138 Poor Naomi Proffitt had come down with the worst kind of homesickness, the sort for which she had found no cure. She longed for a place she had never been, a home to which she could not return, a haven that didn’t exist upon this earth. There is no word that I know of to describe such an aching grief, but Naomi had it just the same. It was the summer of 1929, a sultry afternoon in dog days when not even a hint of a forgiving breeze offered itself to clear some of the madness out of that stifling house. In the east bedroom, Naomi lay in willful agony, praying to God with her last breaths to lead her to that place she dreamed of. She knew it wouldn’t be long. She had put enough arsenic in her coffee to kill off half of Big Creek. Naomi was married to the Devil himself. That’s what the talk was in those days, anyway. Tom Proffitt was Hell bound, and even the good Pentecostal mouths down over the hill would have said the same. The Proffitts had lived in the imposing white house overlooking Big Creek for as long as anybody could remember. They had no children and rarely had any company to Rural Legend by Anna Wess Winner of the Appalachian Heritage Writer’s Symposium speak of. The Devil’s growling voice could be heard on most nights as it echoed down the hill. Naomi could be heard soon after, wailing and praying. On the morning of her chosen fate, Naomi had washed and hung out bed sheets on the clothesline in the backyard. Ol’ Pastor Mullins, the very one that had married the Proffitts fifteen years earlier, was making his witnessing rounds on the outskirts of town. He strolled across the bridge with his Bible and walked up to the Proffitt house. He cornered Naomi right there amidst the bed sheets and commenced a proper sermon about the Rapture and the coming of Jesus. Such talk made Naomi nervous. She politely feigned a coughing spell and excused herself, but it was already too late. The church talk must have woken the Devil from his drunken slumber, as Naomi had feared it would. Tom Proffitt flew out the backdoor in a furious hurry, and with bourbon soaked words he accused her of sneaking behind his back and cohortin’ with ol’ Pastor Mullins, and he informed the dumbfounded preacher that he’d never see a dime of his money or his wife again. Naomi was mortified and heartsick. That was all she could take, and that was the moment she decided to leave. After Naomi’s coffee had kicked in, the Devil came running like a madman down off the hill and across the bridge, hollering for help. His wife had fallen suddenly and strangely ill. The neighbors who came to survey the scene were struck by the sight of Naomi Proffitt lying atop her rose chenille quilt in the east bedroom of the house, her body writhing and shaking, her face frozen in an expression of odd serenity. Her fingers curled inward toward their palms in a bizarre manner, as did her toes. That’s a sign of poisonin’, one of the neighbors said. A cup of what was left of a lethal concoction of Maxwell House and rodent poisoning was left sitting on the kitchen counter. A spoon laced with a silvery residue rested on a cloth napkin next to the cup. Naomi died in that room soon after, her fingers and toes still twisted oddly inward. Her I do to the Devil was done. Her body was covered with one of the sheets that she had washed and hung on the clothesline earlier in the day. Before the next year’s dog days, the body of Tom Proffitt was found beneath the bridge on the bank of Big Creek. Nobody knew for certain what had killed the Devil, but even decent folk praised the Lord that he was gone and the world was finally rid of him at last. Mamaw and Papaw Silcox bought the white house on the hill in the mid thirties, unaware at first that some woeful woman had up and removed herself from the world in one of the five bedrooms. Mamaw learned of Naomi soon after settling in. Those Pentecostal women down over the hill didn’t let a week go by without getting to the old news and gossip, and they had been there when it had happened so they knew firsthand, they assured her. Mamaw had already suspected something wasn’t right with that place. She felt it in her bones, she said. She wasn’t psychic, she insisted. Lord no. It just didn’t sound very Christian at all. She would say she was sensitive instead, and be done with any further talk of it. Thanks to Mamaw’s sensitivity, the first time she saw Naomi Proffitt, the apparition didn’t bother her in the least. She would be frying chicken and fixing buttermilk biscuits on her wood stove, turn to get a spoon of lard and catch the passing vision of a grayed, opalescent woman floating past the door to the east bedroom. I don’t believe in no ghosts, she told us. But I believe in Naomi. I seen her a hundred times. The east bedroom was Daddy’s room in those days. He recalled humid
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141 140 afternoons in dog days when he would sit by the window and paint scenes of endless oceans that he had never seen and landscapes of mountains that he had, and the room would grow cold even as the oils permeated his canvas, and the vague silhouette of a woman would cast her shadows on the walls in the very light of day. Old coins appeared in odd places. Footsteps could be heard on the long front porch when nobody was out there. Mamaw would see a woman in the kitchen some nights when the moon shone brightly enough. She’d be standing by the counter, her transparency evident, her hand stirring something in a coffee cup that wasn’t there anymore. Never minding the talk of the Pentecostal neighbors down over the hill and Papaw’s spinster sisters that would never set foot in the house for fear of specters, life was mundane and peaceful on the hill above Big Creek. Naomi never hurt a soul, Mamaw insisted. She was just a poor wayfaring stranger, just as the age-old lyrics say. We all had tales to tell about the times we saw or felt her or heard her footsteps. The Silcoxes lived in the house for all of five decades, more than twice as long as the Proffitts. They raised six children there. They survived harsh winters and that sweltering summer humidity. They suffered the drowning of their youngest son in the creek when he was two. They saw ten grandbabies born, of which I was one. And so did Naomi. I spent the first years of my life in that house, back in the days when Daddy was still a struggling artist and scraping to save his meager paychecks to buy us our own house. Mamaw swore to God that she would find old coins in my cradle. Gifts from Naomi. I only saw her once for myself, back when I was too young to consider that she might just have been a pure figment of shadow and light. She revealed herself to me, that gray and weightless lady, and she made Papaw’s rocking chair sway back and forth for me once. I remember that as much as I remember my own name. I grew up with Naomi. I never feared her. I never knew that all houses didn’t have their own souls like that one did. Mamaw sold the house after Papaw died. He had been an old man since he was forty; too much coal dust and worry, I suppose. The house held too many years of memories and mental visions, and it was much too large a house for one aging widow to keep up. I helped Mamaw pack her trinkets and curios. I remember my thoughts as I sat on the concrete steps of the front porch as I had so many times before. I felt a solemn sadness for Naomi, who would be left behind. Mamaw sat in the east bedroom for half a day by herself, looking at her picture books and talking to nobody we could see, and I overheard her telling Naomi that she would sure miss her, and she was welcome to come with her, if she could. As we drove down the hill and away, I looked back a final time. I imagined Naomi was sad to see us go. I watched as the house grew further away, and then finally disappeared. I suspected Naomi would not accept the invitation to leave. The new place in Lake Park became Mamaw’s house. But as I suspected, we never saw Naomi again. I had vivid recollections of the old place on Big Creek. I dreamed of that house from the time I was seventeen until last night. Odd dreams, too, the sort that lingers long after the waking hours of morning. Those nocturnal visions made me feel as if I’d forgotten something. They kept reminding me that some things are more permanent than others. I felt in my bones that the old place had not forgotten me. At last, I felt the same longing for somewhere that Naomi had once felt. That aching, that grief for a place that I cannot return. It was, indeed, the worst sort of homesickness. Last August, during the faithful dog days, Daddy and I made a trip to Big Creek. I had wanted to go back and see the home place again, to take some photographs for my own picture books and converse with the past. I walked across the bridge that Papaw had rebuilt with railroad ties way back before I was born. The house stood faithfully in the distance, as if it had been waiting for our return. From the end of the bridge, it appeared exactly the way it did when I had solemnly looked back at it through the car window. We got close enough to see the damage that time and negligence had done. No one had made it a home in a long while. An old sofa sat on the porch where Papaw’s rocking chair used to be. The concrete steps that I used to sit on were cracking and falling apart in places. The white paint that was once crisp and clean was eroded and eaten away by several decades of weather. I was unable to peer through the dirty windows. The wood of the old porch creaked beneath my footsteps. I didn’t say a word. I couldn’t muster a single one. We just stood there and imbibed the nothingness that had stolen the places of my grandparents, their children, and Naomi. Daddy hid his misty eyes from me and headed back to the car, but I remained awhile longer. I could have easily pushed the front door open. The lock was surely rusty and frailer than time itself. I didn’t or wouldn’t have. The inside was just as neglected as the outside; I didn’t have to see to know beyond a doubt. All the dreams I’d had of the old place had been a peculiar brand of beautiful magic, tokens reminiscent of days that I’ll never see again. Christmases and Sunday dinners. Sipping Mamaw’s hot chocolate in front of the fireplace on frigid winter nights, and her laughter echoing through the house. It had become the home to which I could not return. If I had forced the door open, all of it would’ve been gone, sucked clean out and taken away with the dwindling hum of jar flies. I stood with my hands on the warmed and faded wood of the front door, and I imagined Mamaw and Papaw were on the other side in the living room, watching Gunsmoke or playing Patsy Cline on the phonograph. I envisioned the red bricks of the fireplace still shining and polished. I saw Daddy’s paintings still adorning the walls. And I wondered if Naomi was still there. I wondered if she remembered me as I remembered her. I am no longer a child. Perhaps she wouldn’t know me now. “Naomi?” I said out loud. I waited. There was no noise, no answer. That was the only word I could muster. Naomi. After all, it is quite a formidable task to produce mere words in the presence of a legend. That’s what it all has become. That house, Mamaw and Papaw Silcox, and Naomi Proffitt. Rural legends, they are. I took the photographs that I wanted and left all resting things to their sleep again. As I retreated down the steps, a small object reflected sunlight and caught my attention. On the faded concrete, near the very place I used to sit and watch the sun drop behind the pastel ridge, was a weathered 1929 penny. The winds changed and a forgiving breeze swept through the pines and tousled my hair. With my gift tucked in my pocket, I turned to look back at the old imposing house as I walked down the hill, and I wondered for a second time if I’d ever return again. Anna writes at https://appalachianink.net.
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143 142 by Tim Peeler 25 Out on the dirt bikes Burton Bought us when I was thirteen, We slipped through pasture gates down Pine needle covered horse trails Whipping the handlebars side To side between scrub pine, oak Saplings and briars, crossing A nameless creek rutted by Knobby tires, to a clearing Where a leaf plastered hill rose All the way up to the sky. We sat there awestruck looking When the river rats arrived Like a swarm of hornets ring Ding a dinging across the Creek, surrounding us where we Idled, fat ass Sam and me, Then one at a time they pealed Out, slinging rooster tails of Mud and leaves climbing skyward Through the trees toward the one Faint patch of blue. 26 I watched in amazement, my Yamaha 125 Vibrating in the throttle, Sam in sagging overalls Ragged cutoff shirt flapping, What the hell was that Larry? And about the time he spoke, The whole racket enswarmed us Again, having circled back down From the ridge along the bank Leaning into the descent Then stopping beside us, the Ugliest most hare-lipped one Dropped his hand and at once they All cut their engines, and he Turned his crazy eyes to me And said, You can’t do nothing At the bottom, you gotta Get to the top, spitting chew And what looked like a brown tooth. Then he said it one more time Before they all cranked at once And they all sped off except him He sat there for a moment Spinning bark off a fallen Limb then his bald head bare back Blue jeans cowboy boots were Gone. Selections from L 2
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145 144 This is a hard place. And we are hard people. All of us know that hardness, even those who have escaped into the rest of the world. We are proud of it. It’s a birthright. A certain bad blood courses through us, as arcane as the land itself. These mountains are family, our very ancestors. They have taught us lessons that haughty Norther ners and other foreigners will never lear n or understand. We are children of the pines. Walkers of the high ridges. Tellers of stories too wild to be true… but are. We are the daughters and sons of central Appalachia. We are, by birth, Kings and Queens of this nowhere. We know this. These mountains have told us so. They love us and want to keep us all to themselves. The wind has whispered it to our souls since we knew how to speak and listen. And we listen very well. Here, in the mountains of Southwest V irginia, it is early December, and I have watched the land falter from hues of cinnamon and gold into a vast vista of only shades of gray. A pearl and leaden mist falls down from the heavens, cloaking the rich coal black of my mountain. Yes, it is mine. The one I look on and the others beyond it, as far as I can see. That is one of our secrets. This place belongs to us, and we to it. But as I said, this is a hard place. There’s a stiff price to pay for being Appalachian royalty. When we are bor n, the mountains lay claim on us all. They protect and shelter us from the outsiders, from the unrest and corruptness that waits outside our mothering hills. It is difficult to leave this place. And even harder to get in. Any stranger who comes too boldly to our door after sunset will most likely be met with a gun barrel. There will be no war ning shot. No idle threats. We do not take kindly to disrespect. We do not want your charity, neither. We have lear ned to make it just fine on our own. We consider ourselves Souther ners. But this place is not the South of Scarlett O’Hara. This is not the south of flowery plantations and slaves and cotton. This is the other South. The one nobody talks about. This one is the real deal. We are the real deal. The South of Scarlett is not just gone; it is silent in the grave. For the Kings and Queens of Appalachia By Anna Wess A large handful of us die young, too. Not by the atmosphere—this air is as clear and pristine as it was a hundred years ago—but by the poison that has trickled down our mountains from beyond our confines. Oxycontin and Methadone and Xanax, and other little liars that promise escape from here, if only for a little while. On every street cor ner you’ll find a bank or a lawyer’s office. Or a church. Jobs are scarce these days, and even more scant when drug tests come back positive. Those folks end up on the draw, living check to check, perpetuating their misery onto their children, imbibing in their young a sense of entitlement and disdain, letting them know without saying so that it’s just fine to live this way. No preacher could pray them off the dope, and no street cor ner lawyer could save them from jail or the cemetery. The rest of us cannot help this. That is the South nobody here talks about. We are not proud of such things. And the royalty amongst us shun the idea that we are doomed to such a memory. My own great-grandmother lived to be a righteous ninety-seven. Her name was Dixie V irginia Belcher Adkins. I saw the woman catch hor nets in the air and rip their heads off. She could conjure up a meal for a family of twenty plus with little more than bacon grease and flour and cool water. She was a Queen, too. And she knew it. The mountains had told her the same story it has told us. They nurtured and protected her and provided for her. She was well loved by this hard place. And she may have been partial to a shot of ‘shine or a smoke from her cor ncob pipe, but she was never taken with the notion that anyone owed her a thing. Do not ever entertain the thought that we are less intellectually endowed than the outsiders. Not for a fleeting second. This is the land of Dolly and Loretta and June, of the words of Lee Smith, of the sound of a porch banjo, courtesy of Dr. Stanley. Surely, we must be blessed. If not by God, then by the mother mountains. Because we are a hard people, us Queens and Kings. Despite the ones who have fallen victim to the woe of the outside, most of us will last long into our eighties and beyond. The hardness is the price we pay for our pride. We accept it. We welcome it. Most of us will live to tell our tales. To sing our songs. To remind, with a soft and dulcet twang, that we are mountain royals, thank you very much. Rain taps on the windowsill, and the pearl gray of the fog retreats into a resounding echo, and fades to coal black. And I hear my mountain speaking to me. Yes, I hear it. Audibly. I will never let you go. Never. You are mine, and I am yours. Forever. I listen very well.
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147 146 Comic books meant a lot to me as a kid. The cost 12-15 cents each, and I read them over and over to where, to this day, I can see the panels in my mind, and when I buy a reprint today, I notice first that the paper is too good, the colors too bright. Neighbor kids would trade comics—many coverless and yellowing—and would read anything. We read superhero books, Harvey comics, Disney. Anything. I remember riding my bike six miles to the newsstand, pocket jangling with change earned through chores, found in grandparents’ sofas, snatched from my dad’s bedside table. Chaining my bike to a telephone pole, the ringing of the bell on the door signaling leaving the summer heat for the air conditioning of the newsstand/café/pornography shop. Seeing the new issue of Green Lantern or Spiderman bowing in the spinner rack, crammed in front of a dozen earlier issues gave me a thrill. I’d counted my money thoroughly before leaving home (including what tax would rob me of—I hated taxes early; 10 cents tax is 2/3 of a comic!), knew exactly how many I could buy. Sometimes I’d straighten the rack, pulling each title from each pocket and putting them in order, and the lady who worked there would give me a couple for free. Sometimes I’d straighten the rack and get nothing but irritated looks from other customers who were trying to get to the adult magazines and books past the plump, red-faced kid who couldn’t wait to get out of there, leave the confusion and noise of the real world for the confusion and noise of another galaxy where Galactus might just eat your world. I’d ride my bike away from downtown as fast as possible toward home, excited over the books in my basket (yes, I had a metal basket on my handlebars) and I’d often make it to a large white oak near home before I’d tire and stop and read under that tree in the shady humidity, alone but with my DC and Marvel comics friends. That oak is still there and was a great friend to me for a long time, until I earned a driver’s license eventually opened my own comic shop. But I sat in the lap of that old tree many a summer day, a mile from home and millions of miles into my imagination. Today, my Grandson Sam loves comics but doesn’t ride his bike to the newsstand. His comics show up on his tablet, a push on the App showing its arrival. However, the excitement is the same, the buzz of “wow” accompanying another adventure with SpongeBob or Jonny Quest. Sam lays in his room or sits on the front porch and reads just like I did. He reads them over and over, collects the bits and bytes of the colorful characters, constrained only by his imagination and the time between issues. The biggest difference is this: Where I sat alone under a tree in the summer, Sam often brings the tablet to the sofa, settles beside me, saying, “Pawpaw! Pawpaw! A new ‘Creepy Stories for Kids’ is here! Let’s read it!” I’d never have sat with my grandpa or dad and read comics. They were busy, grownups, serious, no time for childish pleasures. I still love comics. To me comics are what keep the artificial busy seriousness of adulthood at bay. Instead of being an outlet for a lonely kid, they are the connection between a boy and his grandad, a clear change from a generation before, clearing the way for more humanity between people instead of isolation. Moreover, even though Sam misses the trip to the newsstand, the shade of the tree, the overstuffed pocket of change nickels and dimes, he still does chores for his tablet time and comics. He’s still thrilled with each new issue of MAD, Boy’s Life, and National Geographic. It’s just delivered differently. That said, Sam loves a trip to a real comic shop, a real bookstore. If you haven’t taken a kid to a bookstore or newsstand lately, do that thing. Cement your relationship with them. Yeah, lots of white oak trees may be lonesome, but the kids will never be. I know Sam won’t be. Here he comes now with a new LEGO magazine. See you later. “Laying Beneath Rain, On A Strange Roof” A Column of Nostalgia, growing up in the Foothills by Robert Canipe
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149 148 The North Wind Doth Blow A traditional poem The north wind doth blow, And we shall have snow, And what will poor robin do then? Poor thing. He'll sit in a barn, And keep himself warm, And hide his head under his wing, Poor thing. The North wind doth blow, And we shall have snow, And what will the dormouse do then? Poor thing. She'll curl in a ball, In her nest oh-so small, And wait for the coming of spring, Poor thing. The north wind doth blow, And we shall have snow, And what will the swallows do then? Poor things. Oh say, don't you know? They were gone long ago, To a country much warmer than this, Poor things.
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151 150 Now I was always advised that silence is golden, and I’d be best off in the end to keep my mouth shut and my thoughts to myself and behave like a lady, lest I be thought a wild woman. Well, I’ve been thinking on that good ol’ advice, and I’ve come to my own conclusions. Winter falls hard here. It comes while we’re sleeping, like a thief in the night, and steals the blues from the heavens and the greens from the cedars, leaving a black and white silent film of a world. We’ve seen this old flick before, and we know how it ends. It all reminds me of the Mother Mountain in her current gray steel and silent reverie. She’s absolute and raw and real, like that old black and white film. She tells it like it is. She wears that silent gray like a cloak of honor and stays still for months on end. Nothing worth sowing grows from her soil in these dark days. The technicolor blues and golden yellows of our summertime youth and playground days are hidden beyond the layers of clouds and holiday bills, and we long for the return of warmth and her winsome yellows. But we can only stay silent for so long, Mama. It’s a particular outfit that I recollect, a pale yellow ensemble of cotton stretch pants with a matching top, little black pinstripes and all. Now I was proud of that outfit, and truth be told, I didn’t have others like it. It was a hand-me-down from one of the church girls that was more fortunate than I had ever been, and it fit my blossoming thirteen year-old frame like a regular glove. Eighth Grade girls can be cruel, and I’ll never forget the day when a schoolmate, a fortunate girl with a big brick house and a big perm asked me why I wore that yellow outfit almost everyday, and didn’t I know that people notice. And good Lord, your shoes don’t even match. Are you poor? Well, I suppose I’d never considered that other folks paid attention to what clothes I wore, much less the bright pink jelly shoes that had already seen a summer or two. Maybe three. But they did. Oh, yes, they did. But silence was golden then, too, as I’d been told, as golden as my yellow outfit, and I said nothing despite my embarrassment. But yes, we were poor. Appalachian poor, indeed, which is a sight worse than any other poor in this great country. We were poor to the point of that good ol’ yellow government cheese I’m reminiscing on, and how, despite the poverty of my youth and Daddy being laid off from the coal mines and us having nothing to show for his years of labor and strife but a modest mobile home and a small piece of Appalachian ground, that cheese made us feel regal and blessed when we’d slice off a slab and make grilled government cheese sandwiches, which we’d cut gingerly into four small squares. They last longer that way, you know. And the cornbread, too. Golden yellow from the cornmeal, all grainy and good and even more wonderful with that good yellow cow butter, the real deal, churned from scratch by one of the Pentecostal church ladies that donated to our family when the Kroger or Acme didn’t trust Daddy’s checks anymore. We’d have gladly paid with food stamps, if we had them, but Daddy had worked too much and stayed golden silent for too long and the numbers never added up. We got nothing for free, despite that yellow outfit. I paid for it with the cruel comments from my Eighth Grade peers. And not a dab of that good butter was wasted. Waste not, want not. And Lord help us if we didn’t eat what Mama put on our plates. Have mercy. Throwing away a piece of a fried golden tater or turning up your nose at the third bowl of soup beans for Golden: A Love Letter to Appalachia By Anna Wess the week would see you in the bed with an empty and ungrateful stomach. If you’re hungry enough, you’ll eat it, Mama would say. And eat it, we did. Even if it was beef liver and onions, or sauerkraut and wieners, or another bowl of soup beans, or fried fatback and turnip greens. As I recollect it, I never knew the splendor of pizza, or a fast food hamburger, or a carbonated beverage until I was old enough to buy them myself. No, never. But that Appalachian ground allowed us garden vegetables in the Virginia shine and yellow months of summer, and we’d eat cucumbers and tomatoes and bell peppers raw and warm, rain-washed and perfect. Yellow summer squash, too. Rhubarb and sweet strawberries and a grove of wild grapes, too. And golden honey from Granny’s hive, ambrosial and warm and gifted from Nature herself, and regular heaven on bites of her biscuits, yellow-crusted tops and all. Yellow like the siding on the new house Daddy and Mama were able to build, thanks to the boom of the coal industry in the late 1980s. Yellow like the April dandelions that prove Life lives here, thank you very much, and plenty of them to afford a Spring tonic to wake up your Winter bones. Oh yes, if you’re hungry enough, you’ll eat it. I learned that lesson too hard. A plentiful handful of us are still eating, even when we’re full and tired. We’ve put up with more than we can digest, simply because we were hungry at the time, and because silence is golden, girl. You know what I’m talking about. Oh, yes. You’re silent when you want to scream. You learned that lesson too hard, as I did. As Granny did, too. If you start it, you finish it. You made your bed, now lie in it. And you might go to bed every night, full and fed up to the gills, and pray to God to wipe away the leftovers on your plate, for you weren’t as hungry as you once thought. Yes, you know what I mean. Food ain’t the only thing that’ll fill you up. We’ve seen the ending of that black and white film too many times. Take a lesson from our dear Mother Mountain. She gets tired of that gray cloak, and then she shakes it off and becomes a wild woman, naked and shining golden and loud. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to eat it if you ain’t hungry, girl. You might have asked for it. You just may have heaped a second helping of it on your plate. You may still be having it for dessert, even if it ain’t sweet anymore or soothing to your palate. Even when you’re no longer hungry. Even when you ain’t sweet anymore, neither. I’d rather starve than eat another pone of cornbread and another bean, I’d tell Mama. I’m tired of lettuce and bacon grease and onions and this yellow government cheese, no matter how regal and good it is, and people looking at me like I’m nobody, like I’m just another pitiful mouth in another Appalachian holler. I grew tired of watching that same black and white film. I grew tired of expectations and promises and those godforsaken beans. I grew tired of being silent. I was full as a tick. But alas, I’m not hungry anymore. Lord, no. Too many years and seasons worth of beans and liver and things that sustain only for the time at hand and not for the time to come. Oh, yes, girl. You can be nourished and still not healthy. Fed and still not full. Throw those scraps out. Somebody else can use them, and you know it’s true. One girl’s trash is another girl’s treasure. Another girl’s yellow outfit. Long gone are the days of that modest mobile home and the garden cucumbers and tomatoes, and that glorious government cheese. But I’d wear that yellow outfit again if I could, and those pink jelly shoes, too. I’d wear them everyday, for as long as I felt like it. I’d make government cheese grilled sandwiches and make a poor girl feel regal again. I’d suck the yellow marrow out of those days, had I known they’d be gone soon enough. I’d punch that girl with the big brick house and big perm in her fat mouth, and ask her if it hurt, and inform her that her blood was the same color as mine.
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153 152 Oh, yes. We know how this movie ends. And beyond the recollections of mean girls and hunger, the golden yellow awaits us. Once again the Mother Mountain will rise up from her long sleep and shake off the gray. And so will you. And she’ll spread out a feast of yellow sunrises and garden vegetables and wisdom and warmth. We can wait a bit longer. Yes, you can wait, as those yellow-winged Monarch butterflies swarm in your belly. Our summertime youth and playground days are hidden beyond the layers of clouds and holiday bills. No, ma’am. Silence is not golden. Golden is the lightening that cuts a path through the heavens and hollers like a panther, and says without an ounce of doubt, I am alive, poor and soup beans or not. I am reborn again and again. You might play me again next year, but I’ll always come back, just like that old movie with the ending you already know. Golden is that regal cheese, the sweet butter, the hand-me-down-outfit, the very yellow sunshine that sustains us during that predictable black and white film and the soon to bloom dandelions. I’ll say it once more: silence is not golden. I am a wild woman, bright yellow and roaring like the Spring lightening. Listen for it, girl. Throw out those scraps. That Spring tonic will bloom soon, yellow and proud. And if you’re hungry enough, you’ll eat it. Anna writes at https://appalachianink.net. Contributers: Robert Canipe Calvin Reyes Kelsey Crowe Richard Eller Tim Peeler Heather Wood Davis Granny Eckard Richard Eller Ashley Kirby James Thomas Shell Jeffrey Wilhelm Gabriel Sherman CVMC Adam York Steele’s Construction Stephen Brooks Sean Presnell Hickory Station David Zealy-Wright Steve Watson Ryan Gant Anna Wess Visit our Office!
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155 154 Ana Cristina Godoy Accredited Jewelry Professional Jewelry Appraisals Graduated Gemologist GIA#0010127822 Custom Fine Jewelry 828.493.3744 Anacristinagodoy.com anakadesign@yahoo.com In our next issue... Pottery We take a look at pottery in our region, starting with Jugtown. We’ll talk about face jugs, Burlon Craig (shown right), and tradi- tional techniques. We’ll talk with Kim Elling- ton, one our most exceptional potters. A New Cidery We meet with Justin Fox, 2nd Place winner of the Edison Project, and his family to talk about his heirloom apple orchard and his exciting new cidery. From the Ground Spring will be arriving, and we’re always ex- cited to see what bounty our land produces. We’ll talk to farmers to better understand how our food is grown, and we will discuss our native plants. Doc Watson and MerleFest Doc Watson is one of our most well-known musicians. We’ll take a look at the music fes- tival named after his son, and we’ll discuss the mark Doc has left on our hills. And more! Our next issue is stuffed full of goodies, and we can’t wait to share it with you! If you don’t have a subscription, you can take care of that at: foothillsdigest.com! Photo by Jon Eckard
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157 156 Photo by Galyna Andrushko
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