#7
September 1, 2026#11
September 1, 2026
Searchable issue transcript
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1 Digest $6.95 Fo o d Art Hist or y Culture Event s O pinion Style The History and Future of Moonshine Mount Airy as Mayberry Summer 2019 The Blue Ridge Parkway Foothills Flavor of Dollywood Junior Rangers
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3 We are pleased to announce the opening of our new art gallery. In it, you’ll find the art of the various artists that we’ve featured in our magazine. They include: Steve Brooks, Charlie Frye, Joe Lafone, Arie Taylor, Patrick Harris, Dan Smith, Kim Ellington, Robert Eades, Hunter Speagle and Barry Huffman. The collection will grow as we feature more artists. The gallery is located in our offices in Downtown Hickory, and pieces are available for purchase. Please join us for our Ribbon-Cutting and Grand Opening on August 15th. The ribbon cutting will be at 4:30 PM, followed by a reception and art viewing from 5-7 , with hors d’oeuvres and a raffle. 42 3rd St NW Hickory, NC
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4 COLUMNISTS James Thomas-Shell Sarah Everly Calvin Reyes Donna Steele Granny Eckard Amber Bryson Kat Dellinger Heather Woods Davis Tara Bland CONTRIBUTOR S Richard Eller Lisa De Maio Brewer Al Stout Adam York Charlie Frye Caitlyn Propst Edyth Potter Pruitt Martin Owens STAFF Chris Dedosis CONTRIBUTING EDITOR S Jenelle Burke Teresa Frye Patrick Jean Summer Camille SPECIAL THANKS Craig Distl Tracy Hall Anita Rudisill Brittain foothills Foothills Digest 619 2nd St NE Hickory NC 28601 Phone: 828.475.1323 E-mail: editor@foothillsdigest.com Website: foothillsdigest.com Stock by Adobe Stock PRINTED IN USA EDITORIAL CARMEN ECKARD JON ECKARD JOEY OSBORNE Chief Editor Principal Photographer Partner
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5 You can always subscribe online at http://foothillsdigest.com , but you can also fill out this form and send it in to: Foothills Digest/42 3rd St NW/Hickory NC, 28601. Name: Address: Phone: Subscribe Subscriptions are $27 per year and we publish quarterly. Shipping is $16. Please enclose a check or your credit card information. Cards are charged $43 one time. Card Number: Expiration: CVV Code:
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6 To learn more or to schedule a primary care appointment online, visit FryeHeart.com A self-proclaimed “mad gardener,” making the world a more beautiful place is Deward’s calling. When fatigue became a thorn in his side, the team at Frye Regional Medical Center helped Deward get back to creating beautiful outdoor spaces with his sons. As part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare and the region’s only Duke Health affiliate in heart, Frye Regional Medical Center has a team of experienced doctors with specialty training in heart to provide the very best care for Deward and others in our community with heart disease. I’m enjoying a new season of life with my sons Experts in HEART DEWARD’S
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7 Letter from the Editor SUMMER 2019 Dearest readers, Summer is here! This issue was especially fun to put together. It involved several trips to Dollywood, a visit to Mayberry and a lot of really delicious taste testing. Lots of that taste testing involved my favorite food: North Carolina watermelons. It also let me get up close and personal with the butterflies at the Catawba Science Center’s FlutterBy Butterfly Exhibit. It’s during the summer that we put Mason jars to their most exciting uses: lightning bug holders and containers for moonshine. Moonshine is woven into the history of these hills so thoroughly it truly can’t be separated. Long after prohibition ended, the hills of Southern Appalachia were sprinkled with stills-as many as one for every 8 families at times. We take a look at the attitudes that surrounded underground and illegal distilling both in the past, and legal moonshine in the present. The Blue Ridge Parkway holds a special place in all our hearts, and I’d imagine it’s my favorite road. Is it yours? We look at the history of the Parkway and consider its importance. You’re invited to our ribbon cutting and gallery opening. More info is on page 3, and I hope we’ll see you there. Thank you, as always, for reading. All my love,
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8 Letter From the Editor Event Calendar One Tank Trip-Mount Airy Time Travel In NC: Return to Mayberry Mayberry Days Shine On the Hills Moonshine From South Mountain Blue Ridge Parkway Junior Rangers (On the Cover) Lux Lucet in Tenebrus From this Day Forward FlutterBy Butterfly Exhibit Dollywood Shining Hope Farms Cavendash Brewing Company 7 10 12 20 28 30 37 42 48 50 55 61 66 78 80 Page 42
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9 84 88 90 96 101 102 104 108 110 114 120 122 126 127 128 130 136 Fox & Hound Granny Eckard Dan Smith Waterfalls All Around One Subject You Can’t Talk About Enough Stay Healthy Travel Tips Cafe Rule North Carolina Watermelons Watermelon Recipes Peace and Quiet Summer Fashion Summertime Shine Eventfully Yours Butterflies Letters from Mayberry Rosemary’s Remembrances Photography Page 20 Page 26 Page 66
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10 Event Calendar JULY 11-14 HIGHLAND GAMES AT GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN Grandfather Mountain The 64th Annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games celebrate Scottish heritage and bring together many Scottish Clans. 828.733.1333 11 GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN MARATHON Grandfather Mountain One of the world’s most challenging marathons. 828.733.1333 11 BLACKBERRY FESTIVAL Lenoir Street festival dedicated to Blackberries. NCBLACKBERRYFESTIVAL.COM 19-20 ALLEGHANY COUNTY FIDDLERS CONVENTION Sparta Fiddlers, fiddlers everywhere. 25 years and going strong. ALLEGHANYFIDDLERSCONVENTION.COM 26-27 OLD-TIME FIDDLERS CONVENTION Jefferson Mountain music and contests. A celebration of the traditional music of the hills. ASHEFIDDLERSCONVENTION.ORG AUGUST 1-4 NC MINERAL AND GEM FESTIVAL Spruce Pine This 4 day festival allows gem and mineral sellers from around the country to offer their wares. Crystals, gemstones and fossils are available. WWW.NCGEMFEST.COM 10 BLUE RIDGE BRUTAL BIKE RIDE West Jefferson 57, 75 or 100 mile bike rides through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Begin at the Ashe Civic Center. Boondocks Brewing provides beer and lunch. WWW.BLUERIDGEBRUTAL.ORG 15 FOOTHILLS DIGEST RIBBON CUTTING Hickory 4:30 Ribbon Cutting followed by reception and gallery opening from 5-7. WWW.FOOTHILLDIGEST.COM 11-25 BALLS CREEK CAMP MEETING Balls Creek This two week campmeeting has always been a Catawba County Staple. Come to a service. WWW.BALLSCREEKCAMPGROUND. ORG/ 15-17 NC BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL Marion Enjoy Grammy Award winning artists at this three day festival. 828.724.4105
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11 17-21 OLD SOLDIERS REUNION Newton A celebration of Veterans featuring an annual parade. Live music and food, a car show and a beauty contest are all features of this 128 year old festival. WWW.NEWTONNC.GOV 24 HIGH COUNTY BEER FEST Boone Live music and craft beer make this a can’t miss festival. WWW.HCBEERFEST.COM SEPTEMBER 14 FLOCK TO THE ROCK Chimney Rock Occurring during the annual hawk migration, this event celebrates birds of prey with different programs and walks led by local experts. WWW.CHIMNEYROCKPARK.COM 14 CAROLINA BIBLE CAMP BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL Mocksville Grammy Award winner Dom Flemons, Terry Baucum’s Dukes of Drive and more! Unique vendors, delicious food and free activities for kids. WWW.CBCBLUEGRASS.COM 23-29 MAYBERRY DAYS Mt. Airy This festival celebrates Mayberry and Andy Griffith. MAYBERRYDAYS.COM RECURRING MUSIC ON MAIN Sparta First Friday of each month, May through October. HILDEBRAN CRUISE-IN AND MUSIC Hildebran 4th Saturday of each month, June through September. Classic cars, food vendors and live music. ART IN THE PARK Blowing Rock Held every 4 weeks June through October. Arts and crafts downtown. APPLE CITY CRUISE-IN Taylorsville Held every 4th Saturday ,June through October. At Scotty’s on Hwy 16s. HORN IN THE WEST Boone Revolutionary War outdoor drama, running June through August, each night but Mondays. SIMS COUNTRY BBQ Granite Falls Live Bluegrass and BBQ every Friday and Saturday Night. CONNELLY SPRINGS CRUISE-IN Connelly Springs 3rd Saturday, May through August. Classic cars galore. APPALACHIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL Boone http://appsummer.org/ Summer long arts program that includes artists like Ben Folds and the Temptations. FROM THIS DAY FORWARD Valdese Outdoor drama tells the story of the Waldensians who settled Valdese. MUSIC AT THE MARKET Morganton Don’t miss this farmers market which also includes live music. TGIF MUSIC SERIES Morganton Family-friendly music on the Historic Burke County Courthouse lawn. Every Friday, from May to July. Food vendors and beer garden open at 6pm, bands play from 7-10pm. CRAWDADS BASEBALL Hickory The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the Class A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Info at /www.milb.com/hickory.
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12 One Tank Trip: Mt . Airy By Carmen Eckard Photography by Jon Eckard
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13 Mount Airy is distilled Americana. You don’t have to squint very hard to see the picturesque town that inspired the Andy Griffith Show, as the past is just below the surface here. The friendly, easy-going spirit is visible everywhere you look, and the pace seems slower. Front porches are more important and you never have to tell the waitress that your tea should be sweet. Folks have been traveling to Mount Airy to see Mayberry for decades, and a robust tourism economy has developed. But Mount Airy is a fascinating town even for tourists who aren’t interested in the television show. We immediately noticed the beautiful and abundant granite churches, municipal buildings and even homes. It’s everywhere, even in the curbing and benches. As it turns out, Mount Airy is home to the largest open-faced granite mine in the world. The historic owners of the mine have been very generous in providing stone for the churches and other buildings. Legend has it that the white granite mine is visible from space, and that NASA has used it as a wayfaring point in missions. The granite slab could be mined at current rates for another 500 years before it ran out. The huge granite deposit makes up the actual foundation of the town...much of the area only has 3 inches of topsoil, and some basements are carved into the stone. We visited the mine as part of a Squad Car Tour, which we recommend. Mt. Airy is part of the Yadkin Valley, which means that it is home to vineyards and wineries. The temperatures, the breeze coming off the mountains and the particular type of rain saturation makes this valley very similar to France, and delicious grapes for ware inemaking are grown here. History buffs will love the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and the Gertrude Smith House. The museum details the history of the countyacross time. Thorough exhibits bring the history to life. A full-size rugged cabin is reconstructed in the museum, as well as Merritt’s Hardware Store. A fire fighting section features three historic engines. Several celebrities who are from Mount Airy have exhibits, including Andy Griffith, Donna Fargo and Chang and Eng Bunker, the original “Siamese Twins.” The Gertrude Smith House is a Victorian-Colonial Revival home filled to the brim with antique furniture and the trappings of daily life during the Victorian Era. Riverside Park provides a good opportunity to stretch your legs and connect with nature. The park follows the river and allows you to dip in your toes. The Historic Earle Theatre is a stop on the Blue Ridge Music Trail. The WPAQ Saturday Morning
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Vintage car for the Wine Tour offered by Heart and Soul Bed & Breakfast, seen in background. Luxurious bedroom at Heart and Soul Bed & Breakfast.
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Merry-Go-Round is a live radio show hosted in the theatre weekly and it is the second longest currently running live radio show in the nation. Attend the live recording session for only $5! There are a lot of options for lodging, but two that we recommend. The first is Heart & Soul Bed and Breakfast. We stayed in this beautifully renovated historic home and were delighted with our experience. The second is the Mayberr y Motor Inn, which is a delightful experience for the Mayberry seekers. We must also mention a third: the home that Andy Griffith grew up in is available for overnight rentals as well. We imagine that’s a c a n’ t - m i s s experience for any die-hard fans. Heart and Soul Bed and Breakfast offers a top- notch lodging experience. Themed rooms, decadent gardens and luxurious common spaces make for a grand first impression. Our king size bed was very comfortable, with a mountain of blankets and pillows. A large tub made it easy to relax, and coffee was always on hand, making it easier to wake up. Chris and Pam Bastin are charming hosts with knowledge of the whole area. The breakfast they served us was inventive and delicious. The first course, shown below, was a rich cheesecake with a homemade blueberry syrup. They followed it with a hearty meal of crepes, a squash and tomato medley, potatoes and eggs. As we ate, they told us about the town, and made custom suggestions for us. The level of customer service stood out. We think the best reason to choose this Bed and Breakfast is the wine tour service they offer. Chris drives guests to several wineries in his antique car, providing a ver y memorable experience and a designated driver. It’s easier to enjoy a winery tour when you know you won’t be driving, so we certainly recommend this lodging option. The house was built in 1900 by one of Mount Airy’s titans of industry. The “William Merritt Home” was built by the entrepreneur behind Merritt’s Hardware (on display at the Mount Airy Regional History Museum). The home was one of the most prestigious houses in town when it was built. On the edge of Downtown on a quiet one-way road, the location can’t be beat. Granite detailing and gorgeous, old brick stand out
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16 Delicacies from Old North State Winery
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17 on a street full of beautiful homes. When we visit a town to tell our audience about it, we look for the best culinary experience possible. We found it in Old North State Winery. This winery and restaurant is one of the top tourist destinations in the Yadkin Valley, and we think that is well-earned. Housed in the old Merritt’s Hardware building, the whole experience is steeped in history. The tin ceilings and original oak floors create the foundation for a hip-yet-vintage atmosphere. Chef Chris Wishart is a delightfully irreverent artist. He uses fresh, locally sourced ingredients to make food that practically sings. Our first course, at left, was as bold in flavor as it was visually. Shaved fennel tops butter lettuce and blackberries with creamy goat cheese and a trio of sauces which complemented each other much like a musical chord. Next, we were served seared sea-scallops with sunflower sprouts. The scallops were tender and sweet, succulent even. The simple presentation allowed the flavors to resonate, and three sauces blended beautifully to create a unique flavor profile. Lastly, we were served a gorgeous plate of crab cakes with lions mane mushrooms and a fresh pesto. There was nothing in this dish that didn’t need to be there and it was delicious. The texture of the crabcake juxtaposed with the mushroom was notable. We think Chef Chris Wishart is a master of culinary harmony. Any visit to Mount Airy should include a visit to Old North State Winery.
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18 The vineyard at Round Peak Winery, overlooking Round Peak. Mayberry Sprits, made by traditional methods, by Vann McCoy. His still is shown on page 9.
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19 IV Hydration is the quickest and most effective way to hydrate, prepare, and recover when the body has become, or will become, depleted of fluid and vitamins. Our special blend of vitamins and medications will help an athlete prepare for a rigorous workout or competition, a traveler reset from jet lag, a patient recover from illness or surgery, and those wanting to stay well and prevent aging to feel at the top of their game. 100% of the fluids, vitamins, and medications are absorbed immediately and provide rapid results. F eel Y our B est ! B e Y our B est ! o ne D ro P at a time . s ome of the IV Hydration therapies offered are: • ”About Last Night”- Hangover Relief • ”The Recovery Room”- Recover from illness, surgery, or Injury • ”Reset The Clock”- Jet lag recovery • ”Game ON”- Pre and Post workout • ”Turn Up The Heat”- Fuel your fat burning Power • ”The Vice Grip”- Migraine and headache relief • ”An Apple A Day”- General wellness (828) 322-1498 We also visited Round Peak Winery, shown at left. This 12-acre vineyard has gorgeous views of Round Peak and Skull Camp Peak. The area is rented out for weddings and events, and a full disc golf course brings in many visitors. Owners Ken Gulaian and Kari Heerdt bought the vineyard in 2008. They have expanded to include not only a vineyard, but also a brewery, called Skull Camp Brewery, and cabin rentals. Yadkin Valley is home to a great many vineyards, and this one is the northernmost, at 1,300 (ft) elevation. The best way to enjoy the vineyard is while tasting a selection of the wines that they produce. Mount Airy is also home to Mayberry Sprits, which is a business after our own hearts. Owner Vann McCoy, a Mount Airy native, spent 25 years as a monk before returning home to care for his mother. He’s built his business on history, tradition, steadfastness, kindness and chemistry, with a fair amount of showmanship sprinkled in. He gave us a tour of his facility where he makes moonshine and whiskey the old- fashioned way. He explained the process theatrically, yet simply, and we walked away understanding the basics of alcohol chemistry. He doesn’t stop at making good liquor. He’s created a robust line of products made with his liquor, like extracts, as well as products like bitters and oak wood blocks that complement his whiskey. We were impressed by the business, the liquor and the man, and we hope you visit the store and take a tour. Mount Airy is a lovely town and a nice home base for a Yadkin Valley Wine Tour. To plan a Mayberry vacation, keep reading!
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20 Time Travel in North Carolina: Return to Mayberry By Lisa De Maio Brewer Photos by Jon Eckard VIsit Wally’s Service Station, where you can walk around a block that’s built as the set of The Andy Griffith Show .
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22 Some memories, wrapped in nostalgia’s cotton candy gauze, become sweeter with time while others take on an entirely new life of their own. A trip to Mt. Airy, North Carolina, can transport you back in time if you are one of the many tourists seeking Mayberry, the mythological center of the popular 1960’s television program, “The Andy Griffith Show.” Mayberry-inspired tourism opportunities can help you in your quest to find the “spirit of Mayberry” even as you make new memories in the town. Considered by many to be North Carolina’s best export, the television series was regarded as humorous but not biting, traditional but not backward, sweet but not syrupy. Actor Andy Griffith, himself born and raised in Mt. Airy, was said to have based many of the show’s characters and locations on his own experiences. Bluegrass musician and promoter Tim White of Blountville, Tennessee, has been a guest and participating artist in Mt. Airy’s Mayberry Days festival for more than twenty years. He is the songwriter behind, “Whatever Happened to Mayberry?” As the host of the television program, “Song of the Mountains,” a series that airs on PBS, White believes he understands the legacy of Sheriff Andy Taylor, Aunt Bee, Opie, and the rest. “They loved each other,” White said simply. “They cared about each other. And I think whether people consciously or unconsciously know it, that’s what it was about. “You don’t see them, like in a lot of shows, picking on each other or insulting each other. They’d get aggravated with Otis for being drunk or Barney for screwing up, but they cared about each other,” White said. “Andy and the other characters could solve all the problems in a half hour!” White pointed out that the show was set in a simpler time. Although it was created and took
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23 Andy Griffith and Don Knotts on the set of The Andy Griffith Show .
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24 Mrs. Alma Venable of Mayberry Motor Inn.
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25 place in the 1960’s, stage props establishing the ambience were from the 1930’s. He credited “The Andy Griffith Show” for teaching life lessons of integrity and morality. “There are Sunday school classes that people give that are modeled on the show,” White said. “You can take the lessons learned on the show and apply them to your life today.” (Editor’s Note: See page 102) The Mayberry Motor Inn’s well-loved matriarch Alma Venable mused that the show’s characters had their morals rooted in the morals of their Mt. Airy ancestors. “Most people here grew up in churches and loved the Lord,” Mrs. Venable said. “To go back in time is what people want, to see Andy’s homeplace and everything. So far, we’ve been able to walk downtown. That’s a freedom that a lot of cities don’t have.” She added that when Griffith returned to Mt. Airy to visit, he did so without a bit of pretentiousness. He was known to be generous with anonymous gifts, she said. Bill Hiatt of Floyd’s City Barber Shop believes that those who look for the spirit of Mayberry will find it in Mt. Airy. “They bring it with them,” he said, “because this is what they are looking for.” White acknowledged that his favorite episode was “Opie the Birdman,” which famously featured young Opie accidentally killing a mother bird with his slingshot. Opie cared for the baby birds until they grew big enough to return to nature, which he reluctantly allowed them to do. “’Pa, don’t this cage look mighty empty?’” White quoted Opie as saying. “But then Andy Griffith’s Childhood home and Squad Car Tour driver.
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26 Andy says, ‘But don’t the trees seem nice and full?’” Today’s modern television situation comedies may be lacking the warm Mayberry spirit, but it lives on, nice and full, among Mt. Airy and its people. The real-life inspirations behind the series, fond tributes to the show, down-home charm and more make for a memorable day trip to Mt. Airy. Here are a few not-to-be- missed items for your itinerary: THE ANDY GRIFFITH MUSEUM: First, get grounded comfortably in all things Andy Griffith with a visit to the museum. You’ll enjoy a pleasing collection of authentic memorabilia from the iconic show as well as other aspects of Griffith’s life. The displays are modern with plenty of audio and video presentations paying tribute to those simpler times. The $8.00 admission fee includes admission to the Surry Arts Council next door (including The Betty Lynn Exhibit as well as the Siamese Twins Exhibit). FLOYD’S CITY BARBER SHOP has the sweetest atmosphere of any place that ever carried scissors. Enjoy a visit with a charming Southern gentleman, Bill Hiatt, son of “the original Floyd,” Russell Hiatt. Bill will be happy to tell you about “the way things used to be” as well as how much he appreciates the enthusiasm of his guests. Marvel at the original barber chairs (circa 1929) and the tens of thousands of tourist photos lining the walls. Yes, you can get your hair cut there! THE SNAPPY LUNCH will be proud to serve up their famous pork chop sandwich. On a “slow” day they may prepare only 200, while the summer season number may reach as high as 500. Here, too, the walls are adorned with Mayberry photographs while the booths are filled with friendly tourists who are simply excited to be there. Both City Barber Shop and the Snappy Lunch were mentioned in episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show.” ANDY’S CHILDHOOD HOME is a charming one-story structure a short distance from Main Street sites. Guests may call the Hampton Inn of Mt. Airy and rent the well- maintained, modest property (sleeps five!) through the hotel. Features include a copy of Griffith’s birth certificate, photographs of Sheriff Taylor and Deputy Fife, and a cheerful lemon yellow and white kitchen. Contact the friendly and professional General Manager Lenise Lynch for a dose of “Hamptonality,” Mayberry style. MAYBERRY ANTIQUE MALL: Looking for your own piece of Mayberry memorabilia to take home with you? The array of booths with furniture, jewelry, china and more display everything you need to furnish your own corner of Mayberry memories. Clerks are helpful and friendly but not overbearing so as not to hinder your browsing. THE MAYBERRY MOTOR INN is a family- owned business that includes a small treasure trove of “Aunt Bee” collectibles. The lucky guest will be treated to a visit with proprietor Alma Venable, who has spent more than twenty years portraying “Aunt Bee” at the annual Mayberry Days festival. In her former career as a hairdresser, she styled the hair of Andy Griffith’s mother, Geneva. The motel features replicas of the sheriff’s squad car and Emmett’s pick- up truck as well as spotless rooms where guests are treated like family. Lisa De Maio Brewer is a legal assistant at the Law Offices of Brewer & Brewer in Wilkesboro, NC, and Executive Director of Carolina Bible Camp Bluegrass Festival in Mocksville, NC. Her favorite episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” is “A Blind Date for Gomer.”
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27 Moonshine ice cream from Miss Angels, with glassware from Mayberry Antiques. Fried Pork chop Sandwich from Snappy Lunch Wally’s Service Station
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28 Mayberry Days Mayberry Days are a favorite event for fans of the Andy Griffith Show. The event was started in 1990 and has been going strong since. Mayberry Days has parades, autograph sessions and bake sales. There are loads of contests, including apple peeling contests and whistling championships. There are also concerts and other cultural events. This is when town is the most crowded, so be sure to get a reservation if you’re planning on staying overnight during this time. Each year there are special guests who acted September 23- September 29. in the series. Betty Lynn, who played Thelma Lou, is the most loyal. She moved to Mount Airy and always attends Mayberry Days. She also has regular autograph sessions throughout the year. This festival, dedicated to The Andy Griffith Show, is a great way for an excited fanship to have fun and fellowship with other like-minded folks. It’s also a great way for families to spend time together, and have good-natured fun that doesn’t involve staring at a phone screen. www.MayberryDays.com The original Themla Lou lives in Mount Airy and celebrates Mayberry Days. Photo provided by Craig Distl.
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29 We are Eckard Photographic, the creative team that brings you Foothills Digest. We are visual story tellers. Let us help tell your story. www.eckardphotographic.com 828-475-1323
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30 Has there ever been an elixir so loved and hated? In Colonial America, every community had at least one person who produced it. In Victorian America, a great wave sought to ban it. Ever since it has been under strict government control. But now the clear liquid moves from the shadows to take its place on the drink menu alongside every other tradition-filled spirit. You know it by its name, or should that be variety of names, from “skullcraker” to “blue john,” “catdaddy” to “tiger’s sweat.” It is more regularly known as “white lightning” or “moonshine.” However, my favorite is a term used by a friend: “Wilkes County Spring Water.” Distilled spirits hold a special place in the foothills of North Carolina and is responsible for many a great party, but also the big money business of bootlegging and the even bigger, and legitimized sport of NASCAR. Moonshine drove (pardon the pun) economic activity for the better part of three centuries. The consumption of ‘shine has never been a completely legitimate affair, with both lovers and haters pushing it on and off the table. For example, in March of 1890 this item appeared in the Charlotte Democrat (newspaper) from March of 1890 proclaimed the following: Shine on the Hills By Richard Eller
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32 It seems that not drinking made the man a more virtuous type and may have accounted for adding years to his life. On the other hand, this notice from the same newspaper, 15 years earlier offered readers the best place to buy: And from the 19th to the 20th century, the debate raged. Almost every self-respecting southern genealogy has some family member who “pulled a stretch” in the “pokey” for dabbling in the art of making whiskey. Meanwhile, the story goes that in Claremont, NC, they turned off their one traffic light at 9:00pm each night so they didn’t slow down the “thunder roadsters” heading to Charlotte for delivery. Conversely, preachers and proselytes both deplored the use of “demon spirits.” Many got behind the idea of banning all alcohol because of the violence and poverty that sometimes came with it. But instead of eradicating the problem, the ban brought new, albeit taboo fame to the elixir. During the Prohibition Era, when some Americans linked illegality to abstention, the practice simply went underground. In Hickory, it meant going upstairs. At the Harper House, a historic site owned by the Historical Association of Catawba County, the third floor was reserved as a speakeasy by the family. Neighbors had a safe place to go have a drink but, admission was selective. The only way one would gain admission was if their profile matched a silhouette on the wall. By the way, those silhouettes remain with many still unidentified. Supposedly, more than one Hickoryite made regular stops at the Harper House in that era to purchase some “special water.”
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33 Most shiners also sold their creations, gaining for them the moniker of bootleggers. Just as it sounds, many a pint was carried in the boot for immediate and stealthy sales. Eluding the cops became an art in much the same way that fast driving became a sport. The process of mak i n g li q u or is as old as Europeans in the hills. Passed down from generation to generation, the practice was as much a part of life as hog killings. However, after Prohibition the practice went “uptown.” Drinking out of a mason jar became old hat. “Store bought” liquor became fashionable (and safe). When an imbiber “busted the seal” on a purchase from the liquor store (ABC in NC) he or she was assured consistent taste and purity. After all, untold n u m b e r s o f people had died from stills where the alcohol had been run through an automobile radiator, poisoning the person. The practice of making moonshine and properly aging it to be credited as whiskey requires expertise and care. Since the colonial era, every community had a distiller, averaging one for every seven to eight households. Some became famous and grew their practices into a working business. Many did not survive Prohibition and those that did had to adhere to the strict regulations dictated by the federal government. Throughout it all, the enjoyment of spirits has persisted, even becoming part of local lore. Several reputations have been made on the production of moonshine, with both positive and negative results. NASCAR legend Junior Johnson from Wilkesboro freely admitted t o “r u n n i n g shine” in his early days, thus giving him a career when stock car racing gained popularity. The sport evolved from runners bragging over whose car was the fastest. The unfortunate side of moonshine fame is best seen in the story of Popcorn Sutton, a maker and bootlegger. He shunned legitimacy with an operation that regularly spanned across the mountains from NC to TN. Showcased in several films including t h e c u l t classic, This is the Last
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34 Damn Run of Likker I’ll Ever Make , Sutton revealed his methods as well as his unique personality. Being on the opposite side of the law caught up with him, thanks partially to his on-camera notoriety. Sentenced to prison time, he chose suicide instead of serving 18 months in 2009. He took the role of moonshining rebel seriously and went down in history as his own kind of legend. Recently, the whole practice has begun to come out from the shadows and has grown respectable. Communities looking for economic development have welcomed distilleries to their areas. Relaxed regulations on the once forbidden process have created the new opportunities to take the forbidden practice and make it respectable. We’ve come full circle back to a time when the whiskey makers in town were a respected member of the community, providing a local audience with a taste unique to our taste. Art by Caitlyn Propst f D
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37 By Al Stout It is now more of a footnote in history than it is news, but over 100 years ago an unknown journalist had this to say in an editorial about the people living here. He wrote: “As long as water runs downhill the South Mountain people will boil corn without regard to law. The law of nature, strongest of all laws, tells us that there is one thing the Gov’t of the United States can not do, and that is to conquer the South Mountains.” He was celebrating in print the fierce independence of the moonshiners. He was writing about the legends of his time; men like Amos Owens of Rutherford County, and Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton traveling the backroads of Maggie Valley, and Ben Hudson of North Fork Creek in Golden Valley. He may have known some of them personally and would not have been surprised that some of them later on would become fictional heroes in movies like “Thunder Road,” and real life stars like Jr. Johnson, using his driving skills and experiences running moonshine to later go on to win NASCAR races. These days the rebellious spirit of moonshiners has waned some. It became legal to distill corn liquor and sell it in 2010 eliminating much or all of the risks. Still there are 55 legal stills in North Carolina that carry on the time honored practice of making corn whiskey. So there is still some competition in the making and distribution of corn liquor. But it isn’t all that easy, competition aside. “I bottle 1000 jars of corn a month,” said Don Smith, “and end up paying about 49% of whatever I make in taxes.” At the end of the day it is just the cost of doing this kind of business, and for Smith, the great grandson of Ben Hudson, it’s not just about business. It’s family. Moonshine from South Mountain
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38 Wearing a baseball hat that reads “You’re in “Shine Country”, Smith who makes several varieties and flavors of corn whiskey, is perhaps proudest of the family recipe that goes back four generations. It is called Sinister, in part because he is left-handed and as he said,”It invites corruption.” “You have to remember some of these people in my family and others further west in the mountains had no other means of supporting their families,” Smith said. “Corn on the cob had very little market value. But cook it in a still and if you were willing to take the risk you could make some big time money.” While “Poppy” Hudson taught him the basics, it was his uncles Carl and Clyde Smith that took him under their wings and taught the younger Smith how to perfect the craft. “I’d been around it since I was 16,” Smith said. “The old-timers would share it at family gatherings.” Smith goes on to say it was Clyde’s wife, Marge, who was clever enough to find a loop-hole in the law. She got Clyde a license to make ethanol which also made it legal to make moonshine. “That piece of paper saved them from jail time.” Smith always considered himself an entrepreneur. In Jr. High school he sold candy and pencils to classmates for profit. Later on, he and his wife Dawn would open several chains of tanning salons, video stores and fitness centers. But it was the opportunity of making moonshine legally and keeping a rich part of his family’s history alive that caused Smith to get his still up and running in 2015. Not surprisingly Smith called his new business venture the South Mountain Distilling Co. considering his family’s roots. We are thrilled to welcome our new Music Director and Conductor, Matthew Troy!
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39 Still getting SMD off the ground was not easy at first. He knew how to do it but he wanted the right still for his premium spirits. “I showed my design for my still to a couple of engineers and they couldn’t make any sense out of it. I wondered why they got their degrees if they couldn’t understand the basics of making steam and letting that condense at the end of a copper tube,” Smith said. “Finally I found this guy out in Missouri and he built it for me. My still works great and I don’t think the guy is even an engineer.” Moonshine recipes arrived in the foothills with the Scotch-Irish migrations in the 1700’s. The ancient Gaelic word for moonshine roughly translates as “the water of life”. Smith said, “I wanted to do it the way my ancestors did it. I wanted to make the smoothest 101 proof whiskey money can buy. People say it is.” He has the awards to back it up. In a short period of time Smith began winning more awards. The recipe he inherited calls for corn and malt barley. No sugar. After distillation his moonshine is left alone inside used buffalo trace barrels for 12 to 18 months before it is bottled. Smith says if he used new barrels the corn mash would make bourbon, and that would ruin his moonshine. Over the counter where Smith serves samples in communion cups is the Telecaster that was owned by David “Doc” Friendenburg. Doc was a medic in Vietnam and was Smith’s right arm for 18 years. “Doc was sorta like a brother,” Smith said. “He was a multi-talented guy and he really helped me get this business up and running. He died last summer and this area of the store is part of his legacy.” Smith likes to brag on his friend saying Doc once put out a CD of music he recorded on his Tele. “Some were so good that Al Gore called him to ask permission to use them for one of his political campaigns.” Not much grass, or corn for that matter grows under the feet of Don Smith. Even with the loss of Doc he was able to lure J.B. Rader, who was the protégé of “Popcorn” Sutton and has his own show on the Discovery Channel to come to Rutherfordton College this past May 25. “Man,” Smith said,”I don’t think our little town ever saw so many people come here for a day as we had here. We had over 3000 come into our store. It was great.” While Rader may be the reigning star among the current batch of moonshiners (they all revere him as the legend after all), friends are quick to say he is the most humble of people you’ll ever meet. One of them said, “JB was invited out to an event. His room and board were all paid for by the sponsors, but JB left a $40 tip for the cleaning ladies. I said JB, why did you do that? And JB said the room didn’t cost him nuthin’ and the cleaning ladies were all nice to him. An’ I said, JB, that’s too much. An’ JB said to me if you got too much money then you need today you got too much money. I didn’t say another word.”
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South Mountain Distilling Co. is also getting very well known in its short time in business. It goes without saying that customers are coming in from all over the U.S. southeast, but they also trek in from Canada and Europe. Last week a couple came in from Australia. They spoke in that style, with the accent, that they had just put shrimp on the barbie. “‘Ello. mate. Me an the misses here are touring America , and we left Charleston this morning. On our way to Asheville, but we had to stop here just to meet you and taste some fluids.” Smith invited them to have a seat at the counter and sample a new whiskey he created especially for J.B. Rader—the soon to be famous Honeycrisp Apple Moonshine. “Very good,” the Australian said. “Smoothest whiskey I ever drank.” But his wife put her cup down. “Too strong for me.” Her husband looked at her and said, “The strongest stuff she’ll drink is half a Foster’s. Tell me, what’s that Sinister whiskey you got over there?” Smith smiled knowing he had a new convert. Smith in no way represents the Beverly Hillbillies, or characters drawn by Al Capp. His easy nature shows he is part of a long culture when the moonshiner was the real deal, an American hero. He may not feel that way about himself, but give him a minute and he’ll tell you the stories. His moonshine is now legally sold in 125 ABC stores across the state. To find the South Mountain Distilling Co. travel west on I-40 to exit 113. Turn right. The address is 1027 Malcolm Blvd. f D
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By Carmen Eckard
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At 469 miles long, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the longest linear park in America. Beginning in Virginia, it follows the spine of the Blue Ridge. The Blue Ridge is just one of many mountain chains that are part of the Appalachian Mountains, but it is beautiful and wild, and it holds a very special place in the hearts of North Carolinians. The parkway ends in southwestern North Carolina, at the Cherokee Reservation. The Blue Ridge Parkway is part of the National Parks Service. It isn’t just locals who love the Blue Ridge Parkway. The National Parks Service owns land on both sides of the road, allowing for excellent hiking opportunities as you travel. Frequent overlooks put you immediately in touch with the nature that surrounds you. For most of us, it seems that the parkway has been here forever. Map provided by the National Park Service and is available at https://www.nps.gov/carto/ app/#!/maps/alphacode/BLRI
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44 Construction for the parkway began in 1935, as part of FDR’s New Deal. The New Deal had three points of focus, the “3 Rs”: relief for the unemployed and poor, recovery of the economy back to normal levels and reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression. There were many ways the New Deal attempted to accomplish these aims, and most focused on putting people to work to improve our infrastructure. This particular parkway was kickstarted by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt himself, when he visited the Skyline Drive, a similar project in Virginia. U.S. Senator Harry Byrd suggested, on that trip, that a parkway be created to connect Skyline Drive to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and planning crews quickly got to work. Building roads on the ridge of a mountain chain is hard, tricky work, and construction continued until 1966. At that point, the whole road was complete, except for an important section near Grandfather Mountain. That 7.7-mile stretch proved to be very complicated, and the solution was to build the Linn Cove Viaduct, seen below and on page 142. It was completed in 1987, at a cost of $10 million.
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The 1,243-foot viaduct was planned from the beginning because of the damage a cut-and-fill road would have caused to Grandfather Mountain. This mountain is almost 6,000 feet tall, and it is one of the highest and most rugged peaks in the mountain chain. In fact, it is the oldest mountian in North America. The very popular viaduct is among the more complicated concrete bridges. The Blue Ridge Parkway isn’t just a road.
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46 Truly, it’s a way of life for most folks in our parts. Foothills Digest asked, “Why do you love the Blue Ridge Parkway?” Here are their answers, in their own words. “If you go early, the fog and the sunrise has a beautiful way of making you forget your worries.”-Krystal “All the hiking trails along the route!”-John “I love driving around on the parkway alone with my car stereo playing loudly to clear my head. I have favorite stopping points where I wander around the overlooks and trails to read or write. Everything about it is just so calming.” -Collean “It is because my mom and her family were born near the parkway. We have had our 68th Pittman reunion near the parkway. It is a place to go and remember all that lived a happy life in my family near the parkway. It brought work to the locals. Some are buried off the Apple Orchard area where many family members worked. My mom would tell stories about her journey on the parkway. Lots of fun times she would say. We would leave my grandparent’s home in Spruce Pine and have a picnic at one of the lookout areas every
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47 Sunday. Favorite moments would be laying on a blanket overlooking the different shade of blues of the mountains. It is so breathtaking. The air is fresh. You never know when you will see wild animals. Sometimes driving through the canopy of trees gives you a peaceful feeling. Sometimes we would drive and the rays of sun hits the road guiding us through a magical forest. The rain or morning snow is unbelievable. It is a place to leave your stress behind. Some trees have not been touched since they built the road. My Family members helped build the Blue Ridge Parkway. Every drop of sweat that dropped on the road and land from their hard work still lives on. It is a place our family call home. We cherish the gift that was given to us. THANKS Pap and Mam.”-Renee “Letting my daughter drive it from Asheville to Jefferson when she just got her learner’s permit. Terrifying and memorable.” -Alan “The Blueness of the Ridges”-Matt “Every time I take my family to the blue ridge parkway, we find new trails to do as a family. We have been to many over the years and every time we find a new one.”-Matthew “Walking the trails as they change from season to season. The views--always those views! And that it’s such a quick getaway.”-Carol “As a child we traveled regularly to the Parkway for picnics and camping at Julien Price Park. On pretty days we would just get on the Parkway to ride. Today I hit the Parkway for so many of the beautiful sights along the way and the amazing hikes I am able to do. It is an amazing resource to our state and it is free to the public. I am poor so I take advantage of anything free. I am sad that some administrations don’t fund the BRP like it should be because those of us who are poor enjoy the amenities and beauty that this beautiful state has to offer.”-Shari For more info, contact the parkway: 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, NC 28803. at (828) 348-3400, or at https://www.nps.gov/blri. f D
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48 Junior Rangers Explore. Learn. Protect. Most kids today aren’t able to freely play in the woods like their parents and grandparents did. Our society doesn’t allow that sort of free-roaming adventure for children. The Junior Ranger Program encourages children to play in nature, and teaches them how to be responsible citizens while they do. It also helps them learn to notice the small things most people walk right past, which is the first step to appreciating them. We truly have a National treasure in our back yards, and this program helps ensure that we don’t lose site of that, and that our kids don’t either. Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway are working with the National Parks Service on this wonderful program for kids. Just last year, 800,000 kids became Junior Rangers across the country, which helps to instill a life-long love of nature. The tenants “explore, learn and protect” summarize the sort of stewards our mountains need as we move into a future fraught with climate instability. The program asks children ages 5-12 to take an oath: “I, _________, am proud to be a National Park Service Junior Ranger. I promise to appreciate, respect, and protect all national park areas. I also promise to continue learning about the landscape, plants, animals and history of these special places. I will share what I learn with my friends and family.” To become a Junior Ranger, children will need the handbook, parkway map and one activity sheet. They must complete all the activities in the handbook and at least three of the activities on the activity sheet. Then they may bring the completed materials to any park visitor center for a Ranger to check their answers. Rangers are typically available from Memorial Day through October. New Junior Rangers will receive a badge, certificate and sticker for their handbook. You can use this code to download the handbook and activity sheets, or you can pick them up at any ranger station, or at www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/become-a-junior-ranger.htm. There are 10 different activity sheets, each for different areas of the parkway. We think this is a great way to turn a hike into a deeply educational activity. It also helps create a feeling of ownership and responsibility for our land, and that is needed. We salute the Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the National Parks Service for this wonderful program. We encourage you and your children to go on an adventure! f D
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49 The Junior Rangers program helps get your kids better acclimated with nature, and helps them gain a deeper understanding of their place in the world.
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50 LUX LUCET IN TENEBRIS: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE WALDENSIANS BY EDYTH PRUITT, ED. MADELINE EPLEY
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51 “Lux Lucet in Tenebris” fiercely and proudly displays across the Waldensian Emblem, “Light shining in the darkness”, and shine did their light fearlessly, without wavering, for centuries. The emblem itself dates back to 1640, a time when darkness seemed to envelop the Waldensian people with no end in sight. And yet, through it all, the Waldensian people, and their strong commitment to their faith, continues to shine through all darkness to this date. Waldensian history dates back to the middle ages, predating the Reformation by some 400 years. Beginning in Lyon, France, a band of brothers led by Waldensian hero Peter Waldo, began to preach that the way of Christ was to give to the poor, this band became known as the Poor of Lyon. The Poor of Lyon were soundly condemned by the Catholic Church, ultimately setting the base for a hostile relationship between them and the Roman Catholic Church. By 1811, the archbishop of Lyon excommunicated the Waldenses, causing the pope to declare all Waldensians heretics just three years later. Although many credit Waldo with the beginning of the movement, the roots of Waldensian beliefs run much deeper and date back even further. In the core of Waldensian belief is the priesthood of all believers, both men and women, and the right of all people to read and interpret scripture for themselves. Because of this core belief, education has always been central to the societal life of Waldensians. Men, women, and children alike were all encouraged to read the scripture in their own language, and to hold the books of the bible to their heart, in case their scripture was to ever be stripped from them. By the 1230’s, persecution against Waldensians was fierce. Finding light in their darkness, a large group of Waldensians relocated to the Cottian Alps, nestled in between France and Italy. They quickly became known as “vaudois” or “people of the valley” because of their new homeland. It is here that the Waldensians sought to live in peace. But peace, however, was not to be. Persecution followed them into the valleys and the hostilities with the Roman Catholic Church continued. With the safety of the surrounding valleys, the Waldensians continued to live a relatively safe life. They continued to practice their faith, educate their children, and follow the principles that scripture had taught them. Persecution of Waldensians reached its peak in the spring of 1655 with a Savoyard military campaign referred to as the Piedmontese Easter. Since the Protestant movement was on the rise, the Duke of Savoy faced immense pressure to eradicate the Waldensian “heresy” that was in the valleys of the Piedmont. Children were torn from their mother’s arms only to be tortured and murdered, whole villages were burned to the ground, ultimately leaving approximately 5,000 Waldensians massacred. Those who survived were forced to flee the valleys, leading them to join the reformed church in Geneva, and other reformation strongholds. Light in the darkness came through international outcry. John Milton, English poet, penned the
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52 following poem about the horrible incident: On the Late Massacre in the Piedmont BY JOHN MILTON “Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughter’d saints, whose bones Lie scatter’d on the Alpine mountains cold, Ev’n them who kept thy truth so pure of old, When all our fathers worshipp’d stocks and stones; Forget not: in thy book record their groans Who were thy sheep and in their ancient fold Slain by the bloody Piemontese that roll’d Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans The vales redoubl’d to the hills, and they To Heav’n. Their martyr’d blood and ashes sow O’er all th’ Italian fields where still doth sway The triple tyrant; that from these may grow A hundred-fold, who having learnt thy way Early may fly the Babylonian woe.” Bending under the international pressure, the Duke of Savoy had no choice but to end his attack on the Waldenses. The refugees returned to find the burned remains of what was once their home. Their light, however, shined in the darkness. Their faith remained intact. Sadly, this single moment would not put an end to the persecution. In 1685 King Louis XIV of France revoked the Edict of Nantes, which allowed French citizens freedom of religion. The French King petitioned Duke Victor Amadeus II of Savoy to once again clear the valleys of Waldensian faith. It is around this time that Waldensian pastor, Henri Arnaud, returned from exile in Holland with a call for his people to fight against the Duke. The Waldensians fought against their massive foe for six weeks, ending in the imprisonment of 12,000 and the death of 2,000 Waldenses. In spite of this, hope was not lost and their faith remained steadfast. A band of 1,500 Waldensian men led by Arnaud continued to wage battles across the alps against Savoyard and his followers. These 1,500 became known as “The Invincibles”. Bolstered by international assistance from William of Orange, The Invicibles continued the resistance. War ravaged through the valleys for months, until Arnaud’s force was reduced to a mere 350 men. Light once again broke the darkness for the Waldenses in June of 1686, when Savoy entered the League of Augsburg, and Victor Amadeus II agreed to defend the Waldenses and their freedoms. In 1689 Henri Arnaud and his soldiers marched from Geneva back to their homeland in the Waldensian Valleys, this become known as The Glorious Return, and glorious it was. After the Glorious Return, the Waldensians began to pick up the pieces of their life, and rebuild their home. But it wasn’t until February 17, 1848 when the Edict of Emancipation was passed by King Charles Albert of Sardinia, that Waldensians were granted civil liberties. Although civil liberties were earned, it wasn’t until the conclusion of WWII in 1948 that the community was given the freedom of religion. With the Edict of Emancipation ushering in a time of peace, Waldensian
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53 communities continued to thrive during times of hardship. Land became scarce as the population grew in the valleys. Many were starving as land plots were divided and re-divided among families. By the 1880’s Waldensian families began to explore the idea of leaving their beloved homeland in Italy to start anew in foreign lands. In 1893, that journey led 29 Waldensians to North Carolina, creating what is now the town of Valdese. The following November, another group of 100 came to join the ones whom traveled before them. The early days in the United States were not easy. The land in Burke county was not ideal for farming, causing the struggling community to almost starve to death during their first winter. But light came this time from their new neighbors, near and far, who generously welcomed the fledging community into their land. Waldensian women would visit nearby churches, singing Waldensian hymns for love offerings so that they could build a community bread oven. Eventually, a sawmill was built to generate lumber for home building. Generous offerings came from sympathetic believers from all over the country, who had seen the hardships they faced throughout that first year. As the community grew, so did the faith. Just as they had done for centuries, they continued to study scripture, educate their children, and pass their faith down to the generations who followed them. On February 17, 1897 Waldenses saw their dream of a church accomplished with the leadership of Reverend Barthelemy Soulier, as they laid the cornerstone of the Waldensian Presbyterian Church. The church was joyfully dedicated on July 4, 1899, where it quickly became a second home and a center of activity to the Waldensian families. The church still stands at the center of Valdese today as a living testament to the history and strength of the Waldensians. Throughout constant persecution, the Waldensian faith still remains. The largest settlement of Waldenses still call the Cottian Alps home; but Waldensian settlements can be found in Argentina, Missouri, and of course, Valdese. The light will forever shine in the darkness for the Waldensian people. It will continue to prosper with the same faith that was held by those who fought before them. LUX LUCET IN TENEBRIS.
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HISTORY COVAL ALIVE IN VALDESE: FROM FORW DAY FORWPRU BY EDYTH PO7 ER PRUIB PHOTOS BY MAI HEW AND JERI BOERGER
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56 www.hickoryfurniture.com | 1-800-462-MART (6278) I N S P I R I N G H O M E S A R O U N D T H E W O R L D F O R O V E R H A L F A C E N T U R Y SOAK UP THE SUN THIS SUMMER WITH ALL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS Generations of skilled craftsmen building the finest furniture every day. Proudly supporting our local craftsmen, manufacturers and retailers.
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57 V aldese, North Carolina is a bustling little town with an amazing history. Founded by Waldensian immigrants in 1893 the town’s architecture and reflects its origin. It is here that stories are remembered of ancestors who faced religious persecution, triumphed over near extinction and traveled to America to become part of the beautiful melting pot of freedom we all enjoy and hold dear. As Valdese faced its 75th anniversary, in 1968, residents sought a way to keep the history alive, not only for Valdese residents, but also for the greater community who may benefit from hearing the story of the Waldenses and the founding of Valdese. It is out of this great desire, that a small group formed to re-establish Old Colony Players as a community theatre in Valdese. Fred B. Cranford, a local history teacher, was approached about writing a history and script that could be produced for the 75th anniversary of the town. “From This Day Forward” was staged with nearly 100 people in the cast and crew. Since that time, the show has brought delight to audiences for over 50 continuous seasons. “From This Day Forward” portrays the sacrifices, principles and struggles of the Waldenses to defeat poverty, to defend personal conviction and to protect personal Freedom. This nationally recognized outdoor drama portrays the Waldensian ancestors’ journey to create a better life for themselves and their descendants. The first act takes the audience back to the homeland of the Waldenses, The Cottian Alps, between modern day France and Italy, during the dark days of the mid 1600’s. It is a story of faith amid persecution and hope overcoming despair. The second act sees the descendants of those faithful people set out to a new land to find the dream of America as they work together to establish the town of Valdese. It is a story of struggle, but also a story of hope. The 2019 Season of “From This Day Forward” will be directed by Asheville native, David Sebren. David holds an Master of Fine Arts in Directing from Florida State University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UNCG. He has worked
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58 professionally as an actor and director since graduating from UNCG in 2006, and has worked with companies from North Carolina to California. In his career he has spent six summers in outdoor drama; two at “Trumpet in the Land”, one at “The Lost Colony”, one at “Snow Camp”, and two at “Theatre West Virginia”. He is excited to bring his expertise to Valdese this summer and commented, “Having worked for four outdoor dramas I am very passionate about the art form and wish to see it strengthened. So many Americans have lost their connection to and understanding of history. As theatre artists we have a hefty responsibility to not only hold up a mirror to society, but to portray those images and possible evils we witness. We are the living memory of society.” “From This Day Forward” will run Fridays and Saturdays from July 12 through August 10 for the 2019 season at 8:00 PM at the Fred B. Cranford Amphitheatre in Valdese. It is a fully outdoor amphitheatre, so patrons should be prepared for any inclement weather. The show goes on “rain or shine” unless lightning is in the area. The amphitheatre is fully handicap accessible. Because of the nature of the story and because of realistically portrayed battle scenes, parents should be advised that some scenes may be disturbing for young children. Valdese is very proud of its heritage, and there are several historic attractions that can also be visited this summer while attending the outdoor drama.
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59 Most notable among them is the Historic Waldensian Festival which takes place the closing weekend of “From This Day Forward” (August 9 and 10 of 2019). Other noted attractions in Valdese are the Waldensian Heritage Museum and Church, The Old Rock School, Waldensian Heritage Winery, and the Trail of Faith. Daytrips which include a showing of “From This Day Forward” are also available by calling the Valdese Tourism Department at (828) 879-2129. For more information on “From This Day Forward” please call Old Colony Players at (828) 522-1150, log on to www.oldcolonyplayers.com or email ftdfoutdoordrama@yahoo.com. For more information on other attractions in Valdese, call the Valdese Tourism Department at (828) 879-2129 or visit the town webpage at visitvaldese.com. f D
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61 Exhibit is open until September 1, 2019, at the SALT Block in Hickory, NC.
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62 The Flutterby Butterfly Exhibit at the Catawba Science Center shouldn’t be missed. The traveling exhibit has landed there until September 1st and gets you up close and personal with many varieties of butterflies. There are 55 butterfly species native to Catawba County, and a provided field guide helps you identify which has landed on your finger. Monarchs, Swallowtails, and Fritillaries flit around, looking for nectar. Fortunately, you’ll be supplied with a bit of nectar for your finger. Hungry butterflies will likely seek you out. The Catawba Science Center recognizes the value of this butterfly exhibit to photographers, and has set aside special times for photographers to shoot. These are on June 3rd, July 1st and August 5th. Butterflies are delicate creatures, so extreme care is taken to make sure they are safe. You’ll want to avoid touching their wings. Remember, it’s good luck for a butterfly to land on you, but it’s bad luck to grab a butterfly. Did you know butterflies can be as small as 1/8th of an inch, or as large as 1 foot? There is great variety in size and color. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. Butterflies need their bodies to be at least 86 degrees in order for them to fly. Since they are cold-blooded, and cannot regulate their own body temperature, this causes some difficulties. One way that butterflies solve this problem is by migrating. Some butterflies,
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like the Monarch Butterfly, fly up to 2,000 miles a year to follow warm weather, and they fly right through North Carolina. Butterflies have 4 distinct parts of their life cycle, and each can be observed at the FlutterBy Butterfly Exhibit. 1: Each butterfly begins life as an egg. The mother will lay many eggs close together on a leaf. Most eggs need about 5 days to hatch, although this does vary from species to species. 2: The egg hatches and a caterpillar emerges. These caterpillars are tiny when they are first hatched, and they are also hungry. They begin to eat, which is the main focus of this life stage. They grow so quickly that their skin cannot keep up, and they molt 4-5 times during this stage. 3: Once the caterpillar has grown large enough, it spins a sac around itself. This stage is called a chrysalis, a pupa or a cocoon. From the outside, it seems like not much is happening. On the inside though, the animal is rearranging itself, while retaining its memories and life experiences. It’s old body becomes unrecognizable. It is growing wings, which remain tightly wrapped around itself. 4: The butterfly emerges from the cocoon that it entered as a caterpillar. It begins the arduous process of pumping blood into his wings so that he can fly, then he takes off, in search of food. Even though science can explain the process, each butterfly feels like an every-day miracle. Butterflies are special. Who isn’t delighted when a butterfly flits across your path unexpectedly? We recommend taking a trip to the Catawba Science Center this summer. There are loads of other things to do while you are there as well, but the butterflies will delight you. I dare you to keep a straight face when a butterfly lands on your finger. Admission is free for CSC Members. For Non-Members, admission is $2 plus general admission. You can find more information on the CSC website: catawbascience.org. or by calling (828) 322 8169. f D
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Oakwood Dental Arts is a full service dentistry firm based in the heart of Hickory, North Carolina in the historic Oakwood district. Our mission is to help you thrive in our town. Whether you have a troubled tooth that needs help or want to get that smile you’ve always dreamed about, we are here to serve. We will work with you to create a plan to achieve the best oral health possible. Let’s take the journey together. 828-324-6235 OAKWOODDENTALARTSNC.COM MCKINNEYDDS@OAKWOODDENTALARTSNC.COM
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67 The theme park with distinct foothills flavor and thrills a plenty. Children ride the Dragon Flier, a coaster in the new addition to Dollywood, Wildwood Grove.
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68 By Carmen Eckard Photography courtesy of Dollywood T u c ke d i nto a wo o d e d mountainside, Dollywood’s location is peaceful, idyllic and temperate. Voted Friendliest Theme Park in America year after year, it’s a safe, family-friendly place to visit. But don’t let the pretty scenery fool you. Dollywood is a serious theme park full of award-winning, truly amazing rides. It’s also a showcase of traditional Appalachian Crafts, as well as the music of the Smoky Mountains. It also features Dolly Parton’s life and music, and her fans flock to see her at openings and events. One fan, Kim Boyle, has seen her over a thousand times, and moved to Pigeon Forge so she could come to Dollywood more often. She says “I truly believe she’s an angel on earth, a gift from God. She changed my life as a child, saved it in a way, and now I feel I’m in debt to her.” Started in 1961 by the Robbins Brothers, the park was originally called Rebel Railroad. You might recognize the Robbins name, as the family owns Tweetsie Railroad in Boone. In fact, the park was modeled after Tweetsie Railroad, and centered around a train that’s nearly identical to the one heard across the High Country of North Carolina, and conflict between “cowboys and Indians.” The park changed hands once and became known as “Goldrush Junction” before the Herschend family bought it in 1976. They renamed it “Silver Dollar City” and invested in heavy improvements. Soon, Dolly Parton bought shares in the company, and a partnership was formed that has proven to be very successful. The park opened the 1986 season as “Dollywood” and the park has grown steadily in the years since. The park
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69 The park is split into many sections, each with a different theme. The park is organized around a large loop with Showstreet being your point of entry. It’s loaded with activities and food. One of the most impressive things about Dollywood is the food. It is high-quality and delicious, and the price point is very reasonable. It’s also abundant, with restaurants everywhere you look. Miss Lillian’s Smokehouse is a great choice if you are visiting with children. It’s a buffet, which means you can be seated and eating inside an air conditioned building quickly, and it’s tasty to boot. The flow of traffic generally heads counter-clockwise, but if you’ve been driving from the Foothills, you probably want to get to the rides as quickly as possible! If that’s the case, head clockwise. This takes you on a direct path to some excellent roller-coasters. You’ll arrive at Thunderhead first, a wooden coaster featuring a 100 foot drop and speeds of 55 mph. If you have kids with you, it’s a good idea for them to ride the next ride you’ll pass, the Whistle Punk Chaser. This junior coaster is a good warm-up and will help you gauge which rides they can handle. The Drop Line is next, pictured bottom left on the previous page. This ride lifts riders 20 stories in the air, then rotates them around to give them a breathtaking view of the Smoky Mountains, before plunging them down in a rush of excitement. Mystery Mine will be the next coaster you encounter, and it’s got a fun surprise that will drop your tummy down to your toes. You’ll spend some time in the dark, and you’ll never know what’s around the next bend. Thrilling curves and terrifying drops await.
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70 This year marks the opening of Wildwood Grove, the largest ever expansion to Dollywood. 11 unique attractions were added at a cost of $37 million, representing a true upgrade to the park. Dolly Parton spoke at the opening, saying, “When I was a little girl growing up in the hills of the Smoky Mountains, I’d often let my imagination just run away—something I still do now—dreaming these big dreams about what it’d be like to venture off with a family of bears in to the woods or how fun it would be to hitch a ride with the butterflies and dragonflies. All us kids would splash and play in the creeks and ponds around home and have these daydreams about the world around us, and that’s what’s so special about Wildwood Grove. We’ve been able to create a new area to allow families to experience some of those exact dreams we all had when we were little. Wildwood Grove is so special to me because so many of the same daydreams and imaginations from my childhood have now found a perfect place at my Dollywood. I hope families will enjoy laughing, playing and exploring together in this great new place that truly does feel like home for me.”
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71 After singing a Wildwood Grove inspired version of Love is Like a Butterfly , Dolly Parton and some children released butterflies to open the addition. The spacious area provides a nice resting area and includes a splash pad and several rides, including an excellent new coaster called the Dragon Flier, pictured on the opening page. Below you’ll see the Frog and Fireflies ride, and the WIldwood Band plays at left. This addition makes the park much more friendly for children who are under 48 inches tall, who can’t ride the larger coasters. When you exit Wildwood Grove, you’ll wander through Wilderness Pass finding the Fire Chaser (seen on the following page). This is a fun ride that the whole family can ride. Riders don’t have to be 48 inches tall, but the thrills are not child-size. You’ll go forward and backward and enjoy pyrotechnics and thrilling dips and turns. The Wild Eagle is America’s first wing coaster, perched 21 stories above the ground. Riders are suspended from the side, with nothing but air below and above them as they fly over the Smokies. The Tennessee Tornado is next, which flips riders upside down three times, plunges them 128 feet and reaches speeds of almost 70 mph. The ride is silky smooth and exhilarating. Blazing Fury is next, and this ride is a nod to the earliest beginnings of the park. This indoor coaster is old-fashioned and full of nostalgia. Just past Blazing Fury you’ll find an old schoolhouse, a rare glimpse of life in the 1890s.
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72 Dollywood is home to a great many rescued birds, and a world-famous show called Wings of America which teaches viewers about predatory birds and their habitats. You can also view Eagles in their natural habitat, and visit other birds that are on display. As you walk through Craftsman’s Valley, you’ll see artisans performing many traditional crafts, from glass-blowing to iron-smelting, and you can visit a large variety of shops. Be sure to try the cinnamon bread at the Grist Mill. Go back and read that last sentence again so you don’t forget. It’s amazing. From there it’s a hop, skip and jump to ride the train or visit Country Fair, which is filled with carnival rides that are fun for children and adults. This is where you’ll find swings and bumper cars, as well as the Merry-Go-Round. Kids love the Rockin’ Roadway, where they can “drive” individual cars around a track. Be sure to ride the Smoky Mountain River Rampage, where you will most certainly get wet. Be aware this ride doesn’t allow you to stow your belongings away, so you might want to grab a locker for the length of the ride, or plan on your bag getting a little wet. A family size dryer at the exit of the ride will get you toasty warm again for a small fee. This is where you should take a deep breath and get ready for the most intense roller
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73 coaster ride of your life. This isn’t hyperbole. The Lightning Rod (shown right) has been hailed by many coaster experts as one of the best coasters ever built. It is most certainly the best wooden roller coaster on earth, and it is smoother and faster than you are imagining. In fact, it is the fastest wooden coaster in the world. A word of advice: just because your child CAN ride this ride, it doesn’t mean they SHOULD. The minimum height is 48” but you may want to hold off with your kids until they are 8 or 9, or particularly brave about roller coasters. This thing is CRAZY fast, and steep, with steep pitches and surprising turns and eye-peeling speeds that top out at 75 mph. The coaster is launched and never gives you a second to catch your breath, but it’s a ride you won’t soon forget. This will bring you back to Showstreet, where you should see some shows and learn about Dolly Parton. And shop! The best gift shop is on the way out of the park, and all of the stores will deliver your purchases throughout the day to that main location. If you are staying at the Dreammore Resort, they will even deliver the packages to your room! We have several suggestions to make the most of a trip to Dollywood. You should certainly download the Dollywood App, which uses GPS to guide you through the park and even tells you how long the wait times are for each ride. We also whole heartedly recommend that you purchase a TimeSaver pass for each member of your group. As another perk to staying at Dollywood’s Dreammore Resort, you receive free TimeSaver passes. These passes hang around your neck and allow you to skip almost every line. Dollywood is a very popular place, and during some parts of the year, it can get
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74 very busy. During these times, having a TimeSaver pass can be the difference between an amazing experience and a day spent mostly waiting in lines. You can purchase the TimeSaver passes at the park or online at dollywood.com. When you purchase your tickets, you can buy them for one, two or three days, and you can choose to include Dollywood’s Splash Country. There are also deals for getting season passes. There is also a season pass option that gives you 25% off all purchases and free parking. If you think you’ll visit several times throughout the year, it is worth the price difference. If you do think you’ll visit several times, another thing worth the purchase price is the souvenir cup. They allow you to get refills at any food stand for $0.99 all season. Also, be sure you wear comfortable shoes and clothes that dry quickly. We recommend carrying a bookbag with a lightweight change of clothes, sunscreen, and water, although all of those things are available at the park should you need them. Dollywood has won an impressive number of awards. The Golden Ticket Awards are considered to be the Oscars of the industry, and Dollywood has racked up quite a few. In fact, they dominate the industry in several categories, including: Friendliest Theme Park (seven years running), Best Shows (ten years running), and Best Christmas Event (11 years running). The Park often wins the Best Food category, and is ranked 5th best theme park in the world. In short, it’s worth the drive for anyone who likes theme parks! Dollywood’s Splash Country is a robust water park right next to Dollywood. The park spans 35 acres and exceeds industry safety standards. In fact, their lifeguards won the
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75 Jeff Ellis Platinum International Aquatic Safety Award. The park opened in 2001 and has been upgraded steadily in the years since. The park’s theme revolves around the streams and rivers Dolly Parton played in as a child, and the park was built into the mountainside. There are a large number of water slides, as well as a 25,000 square foot wave pool, a lazy river (shown above) and an impressive kiddie pool area. There is even a water coaster, called RiverRush, which features a 25-foot drop and exciting twists and turns. You should ride this ride first, because the line gets longer as the day goes on, and it’s very popular. Fire Tower Falls (at left) are the fastest water slides on the property. Twin slides rise 70 feet in the air and plunge down steeply. You’re on your own, without a mat or raft beneath you, as you slide down in what almost feels like freefall. Obviously only for the brave, this slide tempts the most daring of riders and provides bragging rights. Slightly less terrifying are the Butterfly Slides: 55 feet of steep descent into a butterfly shaped pool at blinding fast speeds. The slides and attractions vary in intensity, so there is something for everyone. With 16 attractions, Splash Country provides ample entertainment for families, and it’s a perfect compliment to a Dollywood vacation.
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77 Eight different dining options are available, and the layout provides a pleasant and relaxing experience for parents, and a thrilling experience for children. You have so many options for summer vacations, but we hope that you’ll consider a day or three at Dollywood. There’s no other large theme park that feels like the foothills. The fact that it’s positively exhilerating is certainly icing on the metaphorical cake. Speaking of icing on the cake...you can rest easy knowing that money you spend at Dollywood is returned to the community. 3,000 locals are employed, keeping the local economy flowing, and the company donates when they are needed. The FBI recently awarded Dollywood and Dolly Parton for their commitment to community. The Director’s Community Leadership Award was bestowed on the company and it’s iconic leader because of their massive monetary donations when thousands of people lost their homes because of wildfires. Dolly Parton’s Imaginarium Library is an organization that helps donate millions of books to children around the world. In short, both the company and Dolly Parton are excellent stewards of our mountains and our communities and they’ve made a lovely theme park for us to enjoy. f D
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78 Shining Hope Farms opened the doors of its third location to the Conover community in 2017. As a therapeutic riding center, its primary focus since then has been to serve children and adults with disabilities in the community who could benefit from equine assisted activities and therapies. While still its main focus, they are now opening up new opportunities for the community to get involved. Their primary programs currently include 1) physical, occupational, and speech therapy that utilize the horse’s movement as a treatment tool (a treatment strategy called Hippotherapy) and 2) therapeutic horseback riding for individuals with disabilities. An Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy program is also slated to begin very shortly. Shining Hope Farms’ Conover farm is part of a family of facilities that currently operate in the Charlotte Metro region. The original facility and administrative office opened its doors in Mt. Holly in 2003, and was followed in 2010, by the first satellite location in Charlotte. Together, the three locations currently serve 185+ participants a week in their programs. As the only accredited organization offering Hippotherapy in the Western Piedmont region of North Carolina, there has always been great demand, with some families traveling over an hour one-way for their weekly therapy session at one of Shining Hope Farms’ locations. The Conover location has helped to open up the opportunity for individuals with special needs and their families in the Hickory-Lenoir- Statesville, Morganton Metro Area to obtain Hippotherapy services in their own backyard. One way Shining Hope Farms is hoping the community gets involved is by taking advantage of the numerous volunteer and learning opportunities that they have available. Volunteers with any skill level are welcome, as are students looking for shadowing and intern experiences. Community businesses and individuals are also encouraged to get involved philanthropically. As a nonprofit, donations provide a significant source of funding which ensures that the programs are accessible to all regardless of a family’s financial means. In fact, a majority of the patients have no out of pocket costs. Some of the newest and most exciting opportunities for the public however, are the opportunities to use the property’s extensive trail system. They consist of five miles of beautiful wooded trails with varied terrain, wrapping around Lake Hickory as well as some creeks. The public is invited to utilize the trails for trail riding at a rate of $15 per day by appointment and with a negative coggins. Additionally, Shining Hope Farms has begun hosting Equine Trail Sports events for the first time in North Carolina. The weekend of events consist of a trail challenge and obstacle course. The first event took place in March with two more to follow in June and September. Shining Hope Farms is also currently looking for sponsors for the events and encourage any local businesses to contact them. Details: 1.To volunteer: Contact Kimberly Deal at kimberlydeal.shf@gmail.com. 2.To make an appointment for Trail Riding: Call Kristen at 828-244-1543. 3.To participate in the next Equine Trail Sports is taking place June 29-30 you can find information here. 4.To find out information about sponsorship opportunities contact Development Director Misty Phillips at mistyleighphillips.shf@ gmail.com. Shining Hope Farms
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79 A bout S hining h ope F A rm S Shining Hope Farms is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to enable children and adults to reach their full potential through the use of equine assisted activities and therapies. Programs provided include physical, occupational, and speech therapy utilizing equine movement as a treatment strategy called Hippotherapy. Shining Hope Farms is the only facility offering this treatment strategy in the counties that they operate in. Therapeutic Riding is also offered to children and adults. They are a Premier Accredited Center of PATH Intl. (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, Int) as well as the American Hippotherapy Association, and currently operate sites in Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Catawba Counties. There are 20+ horses and 35+ staff members consisting of occupational and physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, PATH Intl. certified riding instructors, and administrative staff, plus many wonderful volunteers which make a well-rounded program. Shining Hope Farms is also a GuideStar Exchange Gold participant, a leading symbol of transparency and accountability among nonprofits. For more information, please visit our website at shininghopefarms. org or call 704-827-3788. f D
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81 Upon entering the door of the door of Cavendish Brewing Company, a new guest will see two types of people. The Regulars seem willing to engage strangers in conversation, but never interrupt those who want privacy. If asked, they’ll answer questions about the amazing beer, the board games, or any subject that comes up. The Regulars are part of a community and even help out behind the bar occasionally. The Regulars are the first type, the second type, are those who are probably about to become Regulars. 207 North Chester Street in Gastonia was once an abandoned Studebaker and Dodge car dealership , conveniently located near downtown Gastonia and on Hwy 321. Now banners hang from the exterior announcing Cavendish Brewing Company. Gastonia’s first brewery specializes in old world recipes and American blends with a wide selection of unique recipes made on site. For the beer connoisseur, Cavendish is a quiet place to relax. According to owner and founder, Scott Cavendish, “On most nights the brewery is a local hangout that is much like an external living room open to both friends and family. It is kid and dog friendly, has couches and TVs, board and patio games of every sort, as well as lots of options for date nights. It is an ideal spot for chatting and laughing with members of the community.” Scott describes sections of his Beer menu with both passion and pride. “Ave Maria Juicy IPA – A juicy IPA that is super tasty and drinkable. It is named after a woman who passed by the brewery, and sang an excellent rendition of “Ave Maria” to the brew staff for a dollar. So we named our flagship IPA after her. Social Lubrication Belgian Blonde – This Belgian Blonde is smooth and malty, and the opposite of a hoppy IPA. It is named as the original version was a mistake and clocked in at 8.2%. It was delicious and fun, and quite lubricating. Dragonbane Stout – When first introduced, This Oatmeal Stout sold out in only 3 weeks. I love dragons, and wanted a name worthy of such a well-crafted stout. No worries, we will make much more this year when Stout season rolls around! Cowboy Water – Our new American Light Pale Lager. It is super drinkable and Ca vendish Brewing Company: Where Geek Culture goes out By Adam York
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82 has a name that makes you smirk each time you hear it. We named it because it made us laugh, and everyone needs both a good beer and some fun.” “Cavendish Brewery won Triple Gold Medals in 2018 in the NC Brewers cup, more than any regional brewery in the Charlotte area. The brand is well regarded in the beer nerd community, slowly gaining a regional reputation for excellent beers. Everyone at Cavendish ensures our creations are first class in style and the best possible example of an authentic beer from their old world country of origin. They are quite tasty too.” But, none of that explains the Game of Thrones décor, the trappings of the last Harry Potter party, or why Dr. Who is on the menu. Cavendish Brewery is more than a calm place to have a delicious draft. It’s the Cos- play celebrations that make the Brewery unique. Cavendish delights both the old world beer halls as well as creates a hometown touch of Dragon Con. To plan their Cosplay events Scott explains, “ We sit down with the brewery staff to figure out which who has a passion for a particular fandom. It could be Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Monty Python, Game of Thrones, Big Lebowski, or anything really. As long as we have someone really into it, that person becomes the event leader and then we brainstorm ways to make that event fun and cool. We haven’t announced the 2nd half of the year, but I’m sure there will be Dr Who, a Yule Ball, a giant Halloween Costume party, and maybe another Star Wars/Star Trek Space Mixer too. Some staff interests are Dragon Con, Carolina Con, Renaissance Festival, Harry Potter Alliance, and we have lots of fans of iconic geek shows – Dr Who, Firefly, every Sci-fi, and many others.” Scott has a unique take on costumes and Cos-play as his birthday falls on October 31rst. Scott is happily a child of Halloween. One way or another his birthday always turned into a costume party, giving him a large collection of outfits to draw from. With so many options, the transition to Cosplay brewery was an easy one. Scott realized great beer helped Cosplayers overcome stage fright and so created his combination of geek culture and great beer. The brewer goes on to say, “As Gastonia’s first brewery, we really are setting the mold as to what a brewery is. We do a number of fun events every week, some popular ones include: Yoga in the brewery on Wednesdays, Run club and Trivia night on Thursdays, and all sorts of events and live music on Fridays and Saturdays. We also host new gatherings, like, World Wide Wednesdays, a language meet up for people that speak or want to learn any language
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83 and chat over a beer with people from all around the world.” “We offer free event space to charities and community groups, and try to be a community partner and attract people to good causes that support the area. Some examples include Boy Scouts, church gatherings, and Animal rescue charities. Another popular happening is the new “Ask a Pastor” day each month, where we invite local pastors of several churches, and people can ask a pastor any question over a beer. The questions have been quite interesting, and are not the typical things you might hear in church!” April 20th marks their second anniversary and Cavendish is celebrating with the dance and musical styling of the Flow Artists. For those unfamiliar, Flow artists perform intricate dances set to music with glowing hula-hoops, Drago staffs, and other objects. A Hawaiian Luau is planned for June 15th, which promises to be a wonderful time to meet and greet new people. More information is available on the Cavendish Brewing Company Website, and all events are listed on their Facebook page. Cavendish Brewing Company welcomes all people from all places. It promises to become a cornerstone in the newly evolving nightlife culture of Gastonia. It is both a quiet nook where people remember your name, and a gathering where adventure awaits. f D
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84 Fox & Hound A CIVIL DISCOURSE WITH JAMES THOMAS SHELL AND SARAH EVERLY Editor’s Note: We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Everly to our Fox & Hound team, and we look forward to lively conversation. From James Thomas Shell: To open this dialogue with Sarah, the general topic is about what it would take to get Millennials to stay in our area. In a text, she says that her interpretation of past Fox-Hound articles: “mention “young people” and how our community needs to evolve to keep millennials upward, but it is banter about Millennials instead of with them.” I think some people may misunderstand where I am coming from, if they think that my main focus is just on attracting ‘Millennials.’ My focus is upon Science and the overall vitality of our community. Local officials, around 20 years ago, laser focused on attracting retiring ‘Baby Boomers’ because they thought the sheer numbers of that generation’s population would bring growth to our community. Unfortunately, retirees don’t create the economic velocity that young up and comers do and this most likely played a huge role in the economic malaise that we experienced in the first decade plus of this century. It threw our overall Ecosystem out of whack. Chicken or Egg? Which comes first, the social dynamism of a community or its Economic Well-Being? My thoughts are in these articles, as well as on my website, hickoryhound.com. Success is defined pretty simply, because “Quality of Life” correlates to economic growth, therefore our community’s overall “Quality of Life” is dependent upon growth in the largest workplace and consumer demographic -- Millennials. In other words, if young people aren’t living here or moving here, then we aren’t succeeding. My thought process relates to not putting all of your eggs in one basket. We don’t need a certain generation. We don’t need a certain type of industry. We don’t need any certain category. What we need is balance. ‘If the chickens ain’t layin’ no eggs, and no eggs are hatchin’, then soon we ain’t gonna have no chickens.’ The reason why I have said that we need young people, and haven’t just said Millennials, is because of the demographic evidence -- lack of balance -- over the past twenty years. Besides, Millennials are now entering middle age. We have seen population stagnation for a generation and if we don’t stem the tide, then we are going to see population decline. Look at the Rust Belt areas of Western New York, Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Northern Indiana, Michigan. If we don’t regenerate, then that is where we are headed. I’m all about a call to action. That is how I got involved in civic engagement. At 52 years old, as a DeGeneration X’er, I have seen my family pass away and move
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85 away to the point that there are only 3 of us left here. I have put ideas on my website, in this magazine, and in the public. The only thing that politics and good government can successfully do is create an environment for people to participate. The Millennials and iGen are going to have to buy in. What will it take for them to buy-in? Perceived opportunity. Do they like it here? Do they want to be here? Can they afford to stay here? Do they have a future if they stay? I have never had a problem with listening. I’ d love to hear what the younger people have to say. I’d love to know what would make them happy, because I know that attracting these people to stay home, or to move here, is the key to the vitality and viability of our community. We have a lot of ingredients that make for community success, but we’re having trouble with the recipe. Is there something missing or are we just not putting it together right? James Thomas Shell From Sarah Everly: In 2001 my family moved to the Hickory area. I was 9 years old and to me Hickory was a wasteland. Empty buildings littered the roadsides, parking lots were cracked and overgrown with weeds trying desperately to reach the light. The town was stagnant. There was a lack of youth. The youth that was here was wildly underpaid and their children? Wildly undereducated. Eighteen years later my peers and I have grown up. In large part, the once empty buildings are now filled with businesses owned by the under forty population. Growing up in the recession taught our town’s youth to make their own prosperity, to make wealth out of barren land and broken buildings. All of this makes it appear that this area is a lively and prosperous place to settle. It makes us look like, as Hound phrased it, we have the perfect recipe, but there is so much that isn’t seen to outside eyes. As our under forty populations put their hours, hands, and heart into stimulating prosperity in our towns, they are being repaid by housing markets that leave them in vicious cycles of predatory landlords and few options to find a home they can afford. Our Boomer populations are selling their homes for four times what they paid, and anything sold under 120k is going to investors and serving as a fifth or sixth rental property. In my own experience I have found housing to be more affordable outside of our immediate area. Time and time again I have seen my peers move their families to Morganton, Nebo, or Charlotte, often taking their businesses with them. Add the housing crisis to the insurmountable student debt crisis, and public school systems that are still lagging behind and you have a recipe that is forcing us out of the areas that we largely helped lift out of recession. I have to earnestly agree that our ecosystem is out of whack, but it is also my belief that we are facing another economic collapse. If housing prices do not fall, the market will crash. If interest rates do not stabilize, businesses will waste away or leave entirely. If our younger residents continue to work so tirelessly and only the Boomers benefit, we will burn out. If wages continue to leave tradesmen rolling pennies at the end of the month, they will follow the cash flow elsewhere. Plainly put, this area will be facing a drought of youthful prosperity within the next five to ten years. Do we want to stay? Yes! This is our home. We pulled the weeds, we paved the parking lots, we filled the empty storefronts. We had the odd privilege of helping craft this wasteland into the beautiful and bountiful community it appears to be. The idea of leaving is heartbreaking for many of us, but many of us are left with no choice. Can we afford to stay? Perhaps some of us, for now, but I’m not sure how much longer. Our recipe is lacking sustenance. This is not to say that millennials consider Boomers to be lazily benefiting from our hard work. Many of them will never have the chance to retire because they too are lacking opportunity and prosperity. While eighty five percent of our community is panic stricken over billing statements each month, the other fifteen percent sip from wine glasses at country clubs or stand around in circles discussing rounds of golf. Things that most of our community will never get to do. It is bewildering to me that a town that once sought out retirees, is being sustained and developed by a population that will never get to retire. A call to action. In previous versions of this column the call to action has largely been to raise wages, lower cost of living, etc… I have to agree with those sentiments, but those things do not happen quickly. They may take years to happen. What condition will our community be in by then? We
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86 “Choose a Job to Transport your Career” Transportation Insight is Hiring! We value the attributes of professionalism and high-quality character. A successful candidate will value and possess these attributes: strong work ethic, strong communication skills, motivation to grow and learn, positive attitude, dependability, responsibility, honesty and integrity. If this sounds like you, please apply at www. transportationinsight.com/about/careers/. need swift actions. Actions like stimulating, or even adding more nonprofits. Non profit Microlending has been proven to bring communities up and out of their stagnation. These institutions often focus on lending to minority populations such as People of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, those with credit challenges, and those who do not have an established business portfolio. Adding lenders who service people that would otherwise be rejected by traditional banks to our community gives every individual an opportunity to pull themselves up, succeed, and then allow their success to benefit our community’s ecosystem. Creating affordable access to trade certifications, hiring people of color, shopping locally, opening affordable and safe daycares, pushing our school systems to deliver quality education to our children, all of these things are immediate actions that we, as a community, can do to keep our younger populations prosperous, and upward. Boomers to Generation Z, we all work hard. We all deserve quality of life. We all deserve a stronger, more united community. To borrow from Gloria Steinem, humans should be linked. Not ranked. When we accomplish that, we’ll know we’ve created the perfect recipe. Sarah Everly James Thomas Shell’s Question: Sarah, I appreciate very much where you are coming from with your article. If you go back and read all of the articles that Gabriel and I corresponded on, then you will read about some of the very issues you elaborate on here. I have been a big proponent of microlending and small business generators since the inception of the Hickory Hound in 2008. Can you further elaborate on how we can bring this to fruition and maybe how it might help you or someone you know on a personal level? I understand where you are coming from, but there are many who don’t understand and can’t relate. I understand your angst related to housing. Many of the issues, related to housing in our area, stem from the financial crisis of 2008, which had a lot to do with lending to people who got in over their heads buying overvalued houses. What do you believe can be done to re-open the marketplace to lower- income homebuyers without going back down that path again? Maybe, as you alluded to, the market will have to reset by allowing housing values to fall to a level of affordability that correlates with those lower income levels. Are you looking for a government solution? Sarah Everly’s Answer: While it may be tricky to seek out Microlenders to settle here, it’s relatively easy to educate our nonprofits about the existence of Microlending. Institutions like Women’s Resource Center work closely with programs like Work First. Knowledge
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87 of Microlending and how it works could cultivate opportunity for the jobless and underpaid women they serve. The same goes for Safe Harbor, Christian Ministries, etc... The people nonprofits are serving are people that would be quickly rejected by conventional lenders. I’ve been a housewife for seven years. I have eleven thousand in defaulted student loans, a sobering reality that affects a massive portion of our community. A woman with a seven year job history gap and defaulted federal loans isn’t seen as a promising candidate for living wage jobs. She’s also not a candidate for traditional financing. If I decided to run a business, Microlending would be my only hope. Being provided with a low interest loan from a non predatory lender would help me establish a business that provides the means to get my student loans out of default and begin a valid work history. The fact is that thousands of our citizens are in the same boat. Those thousands of citizens would similarly benefit from access to Microlending. As for my ideas on our housing crisis, my opinion is not favorable to investors. While having a rental property is a wonderful way to build financial security, having six of them is an action of greed. My husband and I have been searching for a home since February. Every home within our price range is swept off the market within hours, only to be listed for rent within three weeks time. These homes would come with a mortgage that equals half of what they’re being rented for. I also believe Airbnb is contributing to our housing drought. While families are being forced out of the city, homes are sitting empty half the year because renting them nightly brings in more cash flow than renting them to our residents. Cities like New York and San Francisco have enacted regulations on Airbnb in response to the cities’ rising homeless population. These regulations include guidelines that require hosts to be residents of the city that their Airbnbs are located and nightly rentals cap out at 90 days a year. If we enacted similar regulations hundreds of homes would be available to citizens nine months a year. Investors and Airbnb hosts, these two populations are leaving hundreds of victims in their wake and roaming with little to no regulation and in turn the citizens that make our community prosperous are being forced to pay twice as much for housing or being forced out of our community altogether. Sarah Everly’s Question : As an individual with a focus on science, what do you think could be done to harness this interest and use it to benefit the younger populations in our community? You’ve mentioned that you’ve watched your family members pass away and leave. I’m very sorry that has been the case. I am interested to know what kept you here. What actions and/or options were available to you that made staying in this community worth it? Do you believe these actions and/or options are readily available to every demographic in our community? James Thomas Shell’s Response : Sarah, our area was in recession well before it was acknowledged nationally in 2008 and we have never truly recovered. What some have interpreted as a recovery has actually been settling into a new normal. The Economic Innovation Group still lists us as an ‘At- Risk’ Community. That is a lot of what you saw in your teenage years. That is a completely different experience than my own teen years. In the 70s and early 80s, my mother was a top-notch job recruiter in the Hickory area. Manufacturing businesses were actually paying people bonuses and helping them with housing to locate here. The problem was that as time went on there was resistance from our community’s hierarchy to recruit more highly skilled technical industries. Regarding technical industries, a local entrepreneur started Superior Cable Company. Corning Inc. invested and eventually took over. People flocked to those jobs because of the compensation offered. This led to a Telephony Industry cluster in our area, which flourished before Trade Treaties caused a major scale back in the early 2000s, which coincides to the era you allude to. The housing issue that you have faced is a National issue. In an Associated Press article out this week, we learn that “In the seven years since the housing crash ended, home values in more than three-quarters of U.S. metro areas have climbed faster than incomes... Nationally, home prices since 2000 have climbed at an annual average rate of 3.8%, while average incomes have grown at an annual rate of 2.7%.” So yes, your personal experience is validated. My personal experience? I moved back here because I was more comfortable with the family connection. My income would definitely have been higher outside of this area, but can you put a price tag on the family experience? I had to get creative and make a ton of sacrifices to buy my house and keep making the payments. I’m making less than I made in 2005. I haven’t been able to afford upgrades, but the good thing is I locked in at the 2005 monthly payment. Because of the economics of the area, the value hasn’t risen much. You are correct about rental costs. As far as my experience versus others? That is more complex than I can answer here. I will say that my life has been built upon plenty of blood, sweat, and tears and nothing I have was accumulated through some special privilege. I look forward to future discussions. Economic Innovation Group - Distressed Communities - https:// eig.org/dci Young homebuyers scramble as prices rise faster than incomes - Associated Press - JOSH BOAK & LARRY FENN - May 25, 2019 f D
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88 We all have a practice of romanticizing the “good ol’ days.” This is especially true of moonshine. Our Scots-Irish ancestors were very proficient at this cottage industry and brought the skill with them when they immigrated to the Foothills of North Carolina. Many were farmers and therefore had access to raw materials that might otherwise go to waste. You know, make moonshine or raise pigs. They could make more money turning their corn crop into shine. There were other reasons to turn to moonshine. Prohibition had stopped the flow of legal whiskey from 1920 to 1933 and men had to get it somewhere so they took to making it down by the creek under the light of a full moon. Also, the Great Depression (1929-1939) caused an unemployment rate of 25% and times were tough. Great Granddad (1868-1951) and his boys made it for their own consumption and to sell. They were always on the lookout for revenuers and occasionally had to make a run for it. I don’t think they were ever caught, although one of the boys spent many stints in New Jersey waiting for things to cool off. As soon as he felt it was safe, he would return to Burke County and the cycle would start all over again. Another one continued to sell moonshine until right before his death in the 90s. We had another uncle (1906-1977) who worked at the Henry River Cotton Mill, and was not a farmer, so he had to purchase his whiskey. He was such a kind and gentle man whom we loved and respected. He was married with a family and they all worked in the mill. Drinking made it hard to keep his job and eventually, he went to live with Grandma and Grandpa. He helped our Dad with farm work and Dad paid him a small wage. Not much, because the more money he had the more he would drink. He didn’t need much money though because, with needle and thread, he would patch his own overalls, Mom would cut his hair, and Grandma would provide his meals. He would walk miles to the one store in our area that sold beer, spend all his money, and before he made it back to the house drank it all and a passing motorist would pluck him from the side ditch and take him home. Unfortunately, both his sons had his appetite. They spent most of their adult life in jail (on the chain-gang) for alcohol related offenses. They also occasionally lived at Grandma’s when home on furlough. They were always kind and respectful to us kids and we enjoyed spending time with them. One of these men could draw anything. His best was Dagwood and Blondie - better than the artist rendering in the comics. The other one had learned leather tooling in jail and taught our brother to make belts and wallets. In 1954 there was an article in the Hickory Daily Record about one of them being arrested for making moonshine. He was 20 years old and according to the Record article had the largest and most elaborate still (500 gallon) that the ATTU (now ATF) had captured in ten years. He was able to alert his partners who evaded arrest. There is no way a 20-year- old mill worker had the resources to finance this operation, but he took the fall. Another time, to avoid arrest, one lived for a while in the crawlspace of their neighbor’s home in the mill village until the family dog gave him away. Both men perished together in a house fire in 1986, they were 53, and 55. Then there was Sugg (1919-2009). His family, mom and dad and ten kids, were share- croppers. The family had had an especially hard time during the depression and had to leave a certain farm and go live with their grandparents. It was a beautiful two-story house with twin front porches and crop land that in previous years had been planted in cotton. Sugg’s family worked the farm until one spring day after the crop had been planted, an uncle connived, by hook-or-crook, how he could acquire ownership of the farm. So the Moonshine Memories with Granny Eckard
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89 Available exclusively at foothills Digest.com Unconventional T Bella + Canvas Triblend Find Your Wild Side T American Apparel Raglan Fog & Trees V-neck Bella + Canvas V-neck family was told to leave and Grandpa was powerless to stop it. The family was forced to move to another share-cropper farm where the house was bed-bug infested and the land was rocky, neither tillable nor fertile. Plus they had used what was left of their last year’s profit to buy seed to plant at Grandpa’s. They were not even allowed to go back and work the crop or reap the harvest, not even the kitchen garden. Sugg’s sister told me several times through the years that if her two brothers had not made and sold liquor the entire family would have starved that winter. The stories of their liquor making were tense: How they were stalked and chased by the revenuers. How Sugg fled through the woods with two one-hundred-bags of sugar on his shoulders. How he outran them to work in a saw mill in Tennessee for a spell. Growth of the illegal liquor trade under prohibition made criminals of millions of Americans. Jails were full, courtrooms were backlogged, allowing for plea bargains. So when Sugg and his brother turned themselves in, they served no time. Poorly-made moonshine can kill, sometimes quickly from methanol, or more slowly from other issues. It was estimated that 1,000 people died every year during prohibition from tainted moonshine. Although I grew up in a teetotaler household and still espouse this lifestyle, my story is this: These men were all family men whom we loved and respected and we did not judge them for their varied choices. And who did not love Robert Mitchem in Thunder Road, George Jones’s White Lightning, and Junior Johnson’s fast cars! f D
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90 D A N S M I T H
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91 “Recovery of the Ball.” The ball is a symbol for life, and “recovering it,” as well as understanding it, is a driving goal for Dan Smith. At left, he is tossing a ball he made by hand of buffalo hair and other natural materials. His art, heavy on personal symbolism leaves us asking questions, and wanting to know more . Dan Smith is an artist, in the same way Van Gogh was an artist, which is to say down-deep in his soul. He is prolific, with his ideas running faster than his hands can keep up. He is driven, consumed even, by the story he is trying to tell, and as we listen to him talk, we realize he’s been telling some of the same stories since 1989 when he began developing his Master’s thesis: ManLandSee. Dan Smith has a BFA in Painting from East Carolina University and an MFA in Painting from the University of South Carolina. He’s participated in countless juried shows across the country and has taught art studio and humanities at galleries and colleges during the past 30 years. We couldn’t understand the whole of his story in the limited time we had, but we were fascinated by what we grasped. The art he told us about circles around and around a set of themes. Native American culture seems to plays into every thing he does. Smith is fascinated by the directive to “ recover the ball,” made by the Oglala Sioux Spiritual Leader Black Elk shortly before his death in 1950, recorded in Joseph Epes Brown’s book “The Sacred Pipe”. The number 12 recurs, with an animal representing each month including buffaloes, deer, salmon and horses, among others. The number 7, Mickey Mantle’s number, also recurs quite often. His work examines the cyclical nature of life, the symbolism of the baseball and ecology. In fact, he says ecology is the very basis for all he does. D a n ’s N a t i v e American heritage plays a small part of his love of the culture, but the way of life of indigenous people resonates with him deeply. He is ever fascinated by the way people interact with nature, objects and art and these themes are simplified and highlighted in the cultures he is drawn to. He is innovative, always looking for new ways to tell his story. After researching his genealogy, Smith realized that he is 7% (Mickey Mantle’s number!) Native American. While his Native American ancestors lived in California, Smith’s art brings him all over
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92 the country. A map on the following pages begins to explain how he sees each geographical area, and details the animals that he associates with the area. Smith is working on his next exhibition, which he lovingly calls “OKOKOK”. The work takes him to Oklahoma. Although he happily lives in Hickory, Oklahoma feels like a bit of a homecoming. It’s home to 39 Native American Tribal Governments AND it’s Mickey Mantle’s home-state. While Smith has m o u n t e d m a n y traditional shows, this will not be one of them. For this exhibition, he is doing things his way, or more specifically, the Native American way. The show must happen in Oklahoma because since his masters’ thesis, Dan Smith has incorporated the theme of radiating from a “hub.” In this case, Oklahoma is the center. The show will center on integrating Black Elks’ 7th ritual with baseball, geometry and cosmology, throwing or recovering the ball that represents the earth or universe. Black Elk was a famous wičháša wakháŋ (medicine man and holy man) and heyoka of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux). He famously converted to Catholicism, but before his death, he issued the directive to “recover the ball.” We asked Smith to help us understand the themes he’s working with for this project. “Team goals. Sacred quarters. 3 Bases and Home Plate. The seventh rite at center field. A game is played to represent the course of one’s life. The Commerce Comet. It is spent trying to get the ball which represents a universe. Wakan-Tanka. Lord of the Universe. The odds of finding your universe are protected by ignorance and other antagonists. The Hindu metaphor for ignorance is a dwarf on which Shiva dances. Balance. M ove s Wa lk i n g received the original rite of Throwing a Ball in a vision. It was passed on to High Hollow Horn in a dream. I went to the mound for Black Elk. “ We also asked him to help us understand the symbolism of the ball. He didn’t disappoint: “The wool and cotton guts of a baseball are one mile long. The core pill. It has a cork center and a cowhide mantle. 108 stitches times two is a double strand helix in a yin and yang figure 8 design. Monte Alban in the Oaxaca Valley of Mesoamerica is the beginning of the Zapotec culture. The capital I shapes a ball court for play. It is a field of lost years. Imagine a nucleus that is the size of a baseball. It would have a three inch diameter and be filled with 15 miles of DNA. The DNA has to be twisted into spools
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93 called histones and folded and twisted until you get a compact shape of a chromosome.” “I wasn’t yet born in 1951 when Willie Mays hit a pop up to center right against the Yankees. Casey warned Mickey to go for everything so he ran full blast. He was positioned in right field cleats. Joe DiMaggio had a bad heel playing center. The mental collapse of stars and planets popped into being. “ Dan Smith is an unconventional artist with a LOT to say. The OK show he is currently working on is one of twelve shows he will complete. The sprawling set of work is comprehensive and thought-provoking, just as he intended. Extended Sites 1. ManLandSee: SC to Smith Center KS (completed) 2. InCarNation: The Hampton Roads 400 VA (completed) 3. ManInfested Destiny: From Boone to Boon, Boone NC (completed) 4. US: A Civil War Interpretation: Columbia SC (completed) 5. OKOKOK: A Mantle of Lament: Spavinaw OK (current) 6. Pan’sphere: JerUSAlem f D
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94 This is a working schematic for the concepts and themes Dan Smith is working on.
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96 Waterfalls all around us Story and Photography by Kat Dellinger One of my favorite things to do on a hot summer day is to take a hike out to one of the many waterfalls surrounding us in the foothills. Whether it’s a quick 10 minute stroll or a 3 mile hike, there are so many options around Hickory. Here are four of my favorites that are family friendly. LOOKING GLASS FALLS (below) 60ft cascade Drive-by or short walk Easy This “hike” is more of a park and walk than anything. In fact, you don’t even have to get out of your car to see it! But exploring the water at the base of the falls could lead to all day adventures. Located near Brevard off of U.S. 276 in Pisgah National Forest, it’s about 2 hours away, so making it a destination on a day trip with other waterfalls would be ideal. Sliding Rock and Moore Cove Falls are close by. CATAWBA FALLS (at right) 100ft cascade 3 miles round trip Easy to moderate Located just 26 miles east of Asheville and right off the interstate, the Catawba Falls trailhead is one of the easiest to get to. The hike is 3 miles long (out and back) and moderately strenuous in parts. If you’re bringing little kids, make sure they stay close and wear some shoes w grip - the water can move pretty fast after a heavy rain and rocks are slick near the falls. There is a separate side trail to the upper falls that I do not recommend due to safety hazards.
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98 GRAVEYARD FIELD LOWER FALLS (pg 136) 50ft cascade 0.6 miles round trip Easy The second shortest hike on my list, lower falls at Graveyard Fields is quick and easy to get to with boardwalks to view the falls and several trails you can access the water from. It’s at milepost 418.8 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the only hike on my list with a restroom. If you can, plan your trip in August when the trail is lined with blueberries. If the shirt tip to the lower falls isn’t enough, you can continue on to Upper Falls - a little over 1 mile ahead on the Graveyard Fields Loop. TOMS CREEK FALLS (below) 80ft cascade Less than one mile round-trip Easy Whenever a friend with little kids asks me where they can take the family on a hike, I always recommend Toms Creek Falls in Marion. Only 45 minutes from Hickory, it’s a great spot to pack a lunch in your backpack and eat at the base of the falls. The trail is flat and short enough, if you have to carry a little one on trail, it won’t be hard on your back. Parking is on Huskins Branch road off of hwy 221 - if you time your hike in the spring, a field of daffodils to the left of the trailhead will be in full bloom. Hike 0.4 miles in and your there. Seriously. The pool at the base of the falls is perfect for wading and playing in. Eat lunch on the platform deck or, if you want to be close enough to feel the spray from the falls, on one of the many boulders. Notes: Please pack out everything you take in. Bring plenty of bug spray and sunscreen. I do not recommend tennis shoes for any of these hikes because of how slick the rocks can be on the trail and near the falls. These are all dog-friendly trails, but keep them on a leash. Bring lots of snacks and have fun. f D
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99 All of our projects begin with a meeting...us getting to know you and your tastes and what you are dreaming of. In the end, you’ll walk with us and our amazing construction team at Steele’s Construction into your dream home. www.steelesdesign.com (828) 322-8011
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100 By Heather Davis Genesis 4:1-16 There’s this episode of the Andy Griffith show, where a fancy preacher from New York, Dr. Everett Breen comes to Mayberry to preach one Sunday. The preacher goes on and on about how we shouldn’t hurry through life and we ought to slow down—but people fall asleep left and right! But after the church service in the greeting line the good Mayberry towns folk gush, ‘Oh reverend, what a wonderful message.’ “Yessir,” Andy nods, “you hit the nail on the head with that one.” “Yep,” Barney pipes up, (mind you, he’s been asleep) “that’s just one subject you talk enough about, sin.” A shocked Andy side-eyes Barney saying, “the sermon wasn’t about sin…” But I love that line, “That’s just one subject you talk enough about, sin.” Isn’t that the truth! It is the subject that keeps the church up and running, isn’t it? Really the good news is what keeps the church up and running, and we know it to be good news because we can see the effects of sin in our own, everyday lives. From the moment Adam and Eve left the garden, life was hard. Life was painful. Life was forever out of whack. If we continue to tell the story, that is because it continues to be true for us. No sooner are the new couple thrust into a neighborhood of fixers-uppers; lawns with overgrown brambles and thorns would be my guess, no sooner are they trying to water the red, hard clay for the tomatoes to grow and repairing the broken porch steps, and well now there’s the pitter-patter of toddler feet running around. His given name is Cain—which has, down through the years, left a rather acrid taste in our mouths when we say it. But his name, Cain, comes from the word that means “to get, to create.” The name was given as a praise to God. Cain is celebrated and well thought of—after all he’s a first-born male child—what’s not to celebrate? Well actually when it comes to Genesis, first born sons—think Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob and Esau—don’t seem to fare well. Adam and Eve next have a son named Abel. Interestingly enough, Abel’s name means, vapor, nothingness—without the possibility of life. Which of course is a good textual clue. They grow, as children do. We hear nothing from the story of their life except that somewhere along the way, the human calling and vocation, the one that told us we were to care for the earth and her creation, to take care of the land and animals, somewhere along the way, this meant dividing that vocation into two. “Now Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain a tiller of the ground.” (Gen. 4:3) And shepherds and farmers don’t always get along. The one needs space with no borders or fences or walls to roam the herd so the cows can find the freshest grasses. The other needs those gates and barriers and limits so that the rainbow kale can grow in between the carrots and the olives. You can see how the tension is already building can’t you? It surely happened when they were just tots, just as it does with your children and mine. One minute it is calm and playful and the next minute there are tears and bite mark. Anyhow, they make it work these two brothers, until all of the sudden it doesn’t. This is of course where the story gets interesting. They both bring the best of what they have. Probably beaming with pride, Cain puts his prize-winning pumpkin on the altar, along with corn and mint, basil and rosemary. And Abel, proud too of his offering, is hefting a nice cut of beef and leg of lamb. He’s wiping his brow because the meat is so heavy. And then there’s God. God who every time we try to pin down, somehow escapes our grasp. Somehow even when God is revealed, God is still shrouded in mystery. For reasons unknown to us, God prefers the smell of barbeque over roasted squash. The text says that Cain’s countenance fell. And who can blame him?! My countenance would fall, and I’d burn with anger too if the Lord favored my sister’s offering more than mine. That’s how it is, siblings tend to be competitive for any attention. The rub is that we are given nothing, not one reason for God’s capriciousness of choice. “No reason is given in the passage because there is none to give. God’s regard for Abel and his offering is simply a fact of life. Such is the mysterious freedom of God.” And that is unnerving. We’d like a predictable God, one that seems to have a reason to dole out divine favor, yet what we get is a story where God’s clear choice falls to one brother instead of them both. Cain is angry and God knows it. The Lord can tell; “Why are you angry?” God asks Cain. And before Cain can make his defense, before he can stammer out the question of why did you like Abel’s meat more than you liked my vegetables, the Lord spins Cain a sort of riddle; “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you can/ must master it.” (Gen.4:7) One Subject You Can’t Talk About Enough
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101 “That’s just one subject you talk enough about, sin.” This is the first naming, the use of the word sin. Here, “sin is not breaking the rules, the commandments have not yet been given. It is not missing the mark of perfection or righteousness or godliness; such a report card mentality does not do it justice. Sin is a larger than life. It takes on a life of its own, and what it wills is death.” “It is lurking at your door, its desire if for you, but you can master it.” Here’s what I love about this answer. What God is saying is sin is not passed down through any sort of lineage. Augustine was famous for explaining that there was an original sin and it was passed on from the parents to children; but God is not saying sin is in you waiting to take over. What God is saying is sin is lurking at your door. Its desire is for you. Sin is again, larger than life. That is something different. That is a presence that is always with us, presenting us the choice to either let it consume us or to, as God says, somehow master it. In her book, Speaking of Sin: The Lost Language of Salvation, Barbara Brown Taylor tells about a conversation she had with a friend: “The thing is,” my friend said, “in this life, it’s possible to get away with some of the awful stuff we do for a long time. We can hide it or lie about it and sometimes it takes years for the fallout to catch up with us. But in God’s life, everything is present and revealed. When you make a choice, there is absolutely no delay in feeling the consequences of it. The moment you speak or act, you get a full dose of the reality you have just chosen.” “So if I choose hate,” Taylor says, “then my heart gets wrapped in barbed wire right that minute, and I can feel everyone one of those spikes gouging me?” “Worse than that,” her friend replies. “All around you, crowds of angry people you can’t see are screaming vile things at you. They are punching and kicking you in the dark, because of the main consequences of hating is finding out how it feels to be hated.” “The more you’re living God’s life, though, the quicker [the consequences] come and the worse they hurt.” No sooner does Cain hear God say to him that he can choose how to handle his anger, than Cain handles his anger, the wrong way. And this is the story of our lives. Day in and day out, we can choose—not whether we sin or not, but we can choose to contain and master its desire for us. Cain murders Abel and because God’s time is present and things are always revealed, God can hear Abel’s blood crying out from the ground. The very ground that Cain tills and loves and takes care of. The Lord wants Cain to tell the truth, God gives Cain a moment to do the right thing; where is your brother Abel? And sadly, Cain’s reply is said in anger, How should I know what my brother is up to? How should I know what he is doing or where he is? If he is your favorite, you should know…Those famous words, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We want to shout, yes, Cain you are! Stand up man, tell the Lord what has happened. Tell the Lord that sin had its way with you and now you don’t know up from down and right from left and though you’ve washed your hands, you brother’s blood has stained every part of your life. Tell God you feel that barbed wire wrapping around your heart. But Cain doesn’t. God’s judgment is swift and harsh. “And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” (Gen. 4:11-12) The punishment is great. You can feel Cain’s shoulders sag, his lips tremble, his heart breaking. And in this moment he is truthful—he cries out that the punishment is too much for him to bear. The full weight of his anger, his fratricide, and now his separation from the land and from God is too much. “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Today you have driven me away from the soil and I shall be hidden from your face; I will be a fugitive and wanderer on the earth and anyone who meets me may kill me.” (Gen. 4:13-14) “That’s just one subject you can’t talk enough about, sin.” Life outside the garden is hard. It is fraught with pain, heartache, murder, sin—sin that is larger than life and lurking at our doors. Its deathly desire is for us. This story is our beginning, and is not a literal wooden story about particulars but rather grand story of truth that may have happened and is always happening. Though God is capricious in this story, God shows grace and mercy even to a murderer. Just as Cain now prepares to wander, God marks Cain as his own. God claims even Cain. God who chose Abel’s offering, now chooses Cain—Cain who feels as if his life is over, finds a wife and is blessed with children. Life outside the garden, though hard, continues. The God who is revealed remains shrouded mystery. The story will continue with Cain, and with Adam and Eve who have another son, Seth. The line will lead from Seth to Noah, and the human spirit will flourish and fail. Yet this mysterious and gracious God continues mark us as his own. Perhaps that is one subject you just can’t talk about enough.
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102 Stay Healt H y t ravel t ip S Do your summer plans include traveling outside of the country? Don’t forget to make an appointment with a travel medicine specialist prior to summer travel to discuss important health and safety tips specific to your destination. Here are some travel health tips to help you before you go: 1. Do your research Learn about the health concerns at your destination. Even if you’re familiar with the place, there may be new health risks that could make or break your trip. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travelers’ Health website is a great place to start/find more information. 2. Protect yourself before you go Schedule an appointment at a travel medicine clinic, like what’s offered through Catawba Valley Infectious Disease (ID) Consultants, to get needed vaccines and medicine at least four to six weeks before you leave. “We’re actually a full-service travel clinic,” explains Dr. Veronica Corcino of Catawba Valley ID Consultants. “When you schedule a travel consultation at Catawba Valley ID Consultants, we provide you with information about health risks you may be facing in the country or countries you are visiting. We also explain the required and recommended immunizations you will need, and immunize you while you are here at our clinic. In addition, we offer prevention and treatment for medical conditions you may encounter in the region of your travel.” 3. Eat and drink with precaution “Part of the fun of traveling to a new place is experiencing the culture and local cuisine” says Dr. Corcino. “However, we want to make sure you do so safely. Contaminated food or drinks can cause all types of illness including the most commonly diagnosed, travelers’ diarrhea. If you are traveling to a developing country, you are especially at risk.” During a travel consultation with at Catawba Valley ID Consultants, the physicians will educate you on what foods you should avoid based on your specific destination and equip you with several tips on how you can still enjoy local foods, safely. 4. Be sun and bug smart When packing, make sure you consider your destination’s climate. Protect yourself from hot temperatures and sun exposure by staying hydrated, wearing the appropriate clothing and applying a sunscreen with at least 30 SPF.
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103 Using insect repellent can protect you from serious diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as Zika, dengue, and malaria. As advised by the CDC, use an EPA-registered insect repellent with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane- diol, or 2-undecanone. Pro Tip: Apply sunscreen first, then repellent. Be sure to follow instructions on the label and reapply as directed. No one plans to get sick on vacation, but it does happen. Don’t leave your vacation plans and health up to chance, make sure your first stop before traveling is a visit to a travel medicine clinic to discuss what precautions and diseases you may need to be aware of. To make an appointment with one of the travel medicine physicians at Catawba Valley ID Consultants call 828.326.2145.
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104 By Carmen Eckard Photography by Jon Eckard
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105 They say the devil is in the details, but that’s where you find perfection. Cafe Rule is a fine dining restaurant that builds a beautiful experience out of a series of perfectly executed details. Located in Hickory NC, Cafe Rule offers consistently delicious food that surpasses expectations. The atmosphere is sophisticated, with unexpected twists. There are several dining spaces, and all are available for private parties upon request. The “big room,” shown below, has flexible seating. Visible structural details and wine storage are integrated into the design. The team of chefs is led by Dave Robbins, and Rick Doherr is sous chef. The renowned chefs are known for their innovative treatment of southern staples. They are excited to roll out their new seasonal menu, which we were fortunate to sample. The menu is inspired by nature, offering seasonal local vegetables. This menu features several “share plates,” like the ones we sampled.
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106 At left is the Burratta Salad, which features fresh cheese curds wrapped in mozzarella. Local greens, tomatoes and radishes are drizzled with a balsamic reduction and basil oil. This dish was perfectly balanced, with the tartness of the tomatoes and balsamic notes playing beautifully with the cheese. Next we tasted Citrus Ahi Tuna Crudo with Tomatoes and a mint mignonette with fried capers. This is an absolute flavor explosion that’s hard to describe. The blending of these strong flavors made for an exciting culinary experience. Roasted Carrots from Coto Farms with dill and whipped feta was drizzled with local honey and pine nuts and served chilled. This dish was perfectly crisp and quite good. On the opening page, you’ll find the Cucumber and Tomato Salad, which was our favorite. Mint, shaved red onion and mint oil are welcome additions to the traditional cucumber/tomato combination. Cafe Rule offers a “Chef’s Table” experience that people enjoy. Shown at right, large table is set up inside the working pantry of the kitchen. A two way camera/ TV shows them the kitchen in real time, and they can communicate with the chefs to ask questions. Call to reserve this exciting space for your group. There is also a private garden patio attached to this space, and together they accommodate up to 30 people. Cafe Rule also has a beautiful garden dining space, offering the most sought out al fresca dining experience in the Catawba Valley. The restaurant also offers wine tastings and a full bar. www. caferule .com (828) 324-2005 f D
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109 North Carolina Watermelon For some people, watermelon is synonymous with summer. Is there anything better to eat outside in the sunshine? North Carolina grows a LOT of watermelons, but most of them are grown in the Eastern part of the state. Did you know that watermelons are not a fruit? It’s true! They are technically a vegetable! When you were young, did you believe that watermelon seeds would grow in your stomach? When our editor’s mom was young, her uncle stuck a watermelon vine in her ear while she was sleeping and, when she woke, convinced her that the seed she’d swallowed was growing into a full fledge watermelon plant in her stomach. Don’t worry though-all parts of a watermelon are edible, including the rinds and the seeds! Watermelons are 92% water! They’ll certainly quench your thirst, and they are also great at reducing inflammation caused by arthritis and diabetes. Watermelon sweetness is measured on a Brix Scale, and most watermelons rate a 9. Your best bet for the sweetest watermelon is the middle of July, when they are perfectly in season. Worldwide, there are over 1,200 varieties of watermelon, but only 300 are grown in the US.
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110 The most often asked question about watermelons is simple: how do you pick the perfect melon? The most important thing to look for is a yellow, creamy underside. The yellower, the better. It should look like it sat on the ground for a long time. If the bottom of the melon still looks picture-perfect, it was picked far too early and won’t be sweet. You see folks knocking on watermelons at the grocery store, but what are they listening for? A properly ripe watermelon sounds hollow when you knock on it. The webbing on a watermelon is also a good clue. The webbing indicates how many times bees touched the flowers...the more polinated, the sweeter the melon. Webbing is the marks on the melon that are brown, and not smooth. This is news to some, but watermelons can be male or female. The males are more oval shaped, while the females are round globes. The females are sweeter. Size does matter, but you don’t want to get the biggest one in the bin. You want to go for the most average melon you can find. The last thing to look at is the tail. You don’t want to pick a watermelon with a green tail. It usually means it was picked too soon and won’t ripen. The best watermelons have dried, shriveled tails. People also ask if seeded melons taste better than seedless melons. Science has the answer, and it’s surprising. Seedless melons have more flavor than their seeded cousins. Seedless watermelons are made by mixing 22 chromosomes from the mother watermelon and 11 from the father, instead of the traditional 11 from each. Because they have 33 chromosomes, they cannot reproduce and make infertile white seeds. But! The chromosomes hold the keys to what makes the melon watermelony. So since there are an extra 11 chromosomes, more flavor and more sweetness is expressed! f D
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111 We are the preferred providers of oral surgery, wisdom teeth and dental implants for many area employers. No matter where your patients live or work, they’re close to one of our offices in Hickory, Lincolnton, and Statesville. Visit our website at www.omsdrs.com for a complete listing of participating employers and dental plans. Visit any of our three convenient offices!
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113 Watermelon Recipes By Calvin Reyes Photos by Jon Eckard
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114 Watermelon Lemonade Summer is hot in the Carolinas! This lemonade will help cool you down during the long, hot, southern summer. Or, at a minimum, it may help you forget just how warm this time of year can be. In any case, the watermelon simple syrup in this lemonade is super easy to make at home, and all of your friends will wonder exactly how you made something so simple, yet so full of watermelon flavor. Of course, you can exclude the moonshine and liqueur for a beverage the whole family can enjoy! 8oz Moonshine 8oz Pomegranate Liqueur (We used Pama) 16oz Watermelon Simple Syrup 16oz Cold Water 2 Mint Sprigs 12 Lemons • Squeeze lemons and retain the juice. • Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher including lemon juice and stir to combine. • Add ice to pitcher until full. • Serve in a tall glass filled with ice. Recipe can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and kept in refrigerator. • In a medium sized pot, combine 2 Cups of granulated sugar with 2 cups of water. • Heat mixture over medium heat until all sugar is dissolved. • In a gallon freezer bag, combine 2 cups of freshly diced watermelon and add the sugar and water syrup. Seal bag with as much air removed as possible. • Gently heat freezer bag with combined ingredients in a water bath at 135 degrees for 2 hours (this can be done via sous vide, or by heating a couple gallons of water to 140 degrees and adding to an insulated cooler). • After 2 hours, strain contents through a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth to remove watermelon pieces. Store infused syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator until needed. Watermelon Simple Syrup
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115 Watermelon Salsa This salsa has summer written all over it. It goes phenomenally well with fish tacos, as shown, but it can be served all on its own with a side of your favorite tortilla chips. The watermelon adds a unique dimension to this familiar snack, and I can promise that you will have people asking you to make it again and again! 1 1/2 Cup Watermelon, diced 1/2 Medium Red Onion, diced 1 1/2 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, quartered 2 Jalapeños, diced 1/3 Cup Cilantro, finely chopped 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar 2 Juice of Lime 2 Garlic Cloves, diced • Add all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Keep refrigerated.
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116 Watermelon Panna Cotta I love Jello, especially in the summer. This is a fancy jello, made with cream rather than water. Don’t let the Italian origin of this gelatin based dessert steer you away from enjoying this very easy recipe. If you’ve already made the watermelon simple syrup from the lemonade recipe, then most of your prep work is already done! This is a great dessert to make with the kids and can be used with any type of silicone mold. 1/2 Cup Watermelon Syrup 3 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract 4 teaspoons Gelatin 6 Tablespoons Cold Water 1 Zest of Lemon In a large bowl, combine Cold Water and Gelatin and mix to combine. A firm gel should form. In a medium pot, gently heat Watermelon Simple Syrup and Heavy Cream until combined. This only needs a few minutes of heat, since the sugar is already dissolved. Remove syrup and cream mixture from heat and add vanilla. Combine warm mixture to the cold gelatin mixture and stir until well combined. Pour into greased silicone molds and refrigerate until set firm. Serve with Watermelon Compote (Recipe Follows) and Lemon Zest. Watermelon Compote 3 Cups Pureed Watermelon 1 Cup Granulated Sugar 1 Juice of Lime • In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients over medium heat. • Stir mixture occasionally to help the sugar dissolve. • Reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. • Remove mixture from heat and cool until ready to serve.
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117 Grilled Watermelon and Mushrooms w/ Watermelon Guajillo Pepper Coulis Every time I mention this dish to someone, they think I’m crazy. Watermelon and mushrooms could never go together, right? Wrong! This dish will shock you and your fellow diners because the sweet deliciousness of the watermelon pairs perfectly with the umami saltiness of the mushrooms. When I decided to cook this up, I knew it made sense on paper, but it came out even more amazing than we all thought it would in taste testing. Be adventurous and give this one a shot! 6 Watermelon Steaks (we cut ours into 3 inch by 4 inch rectangles about 1/2-3/4 inch thick) 3 Cups Oyster Mushrooms 8 Leaves Rainbow Chard (leaves separated from stems) 1 Tbsp Coconut Aminos 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil Salt to Taste • Prepare watermelon for grill by thinly coating with vegetable oil. • Grill watermelon on hot grill for about 3 minutes per side. • In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, add enough vegetable oil to barely coat the bottom of the pan and sear mushrooms for only about 2-3 minutes. Do not add salt until after mushrooms are cooked. • In another medium sauté pan over medium high heat, add enough vegetable oil to barely coat bottom of the pan and sauté stems of chard until tender. • Add leaves to pan, along with the Coconut Aminos. This will create a good amount of steam if your pan is hot. Toss together stems and leaves until leaves are wilted. • Plate all ingredients together along with the Watermelon Guajillo Pepper Coulis (recipe follows). Watermelon Pepper Coulis 2oz Reconstituted Guajillo Peppers 2 Cups Diced Watermelon 3 Cloves Roasted Garlic 1 Tbsp Vinegar 3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum Salt to Taste • Combine all ingredients into a blender and puree on high until a thick puree forms. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
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118 PEACE & Q uie t by Donna Steele Photography by Jon Eckard In this crazy, fast-paced world, one must have a place to find peace and quiet time...a time to simply settle your soul and remember to breathe. What better place than a master bath that is a true oasis? Your phone is not needed in this room, and electronics don’t play well with water anyway, so leave it in another room. Give your mind, body and spirit time to reconnect with what is important to you and take care of yourself. A quiet, warm bath relaxes the muscles and the mind. We add a small table to have a place to sit your favorite beverage. Florals bring a touch of nature inside for a true spa feel. And nothing feels better than finishing a bath wrapped in a luxurious towel, warmed on the towel warmer. Remember to slow down and find some time for you...one bath at a time.
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121 Serving Men and Women for all of your Surgical Aesthetic needs. Vitality Surgical Center offers a wide array of services including Vaser-Lipo, facial plastics and more. For more in F ormation contact 828-322-1498 . V itality S urgical c enter The color palette for the Summer of 2019 is decidedly spicy. You can’t go wrong with warm hues like coral, red, burgundy and orange. Don’t be afraid to be bold in your color choices. Bright is incredibly en vogue. Pantone selects an on-trend palette for each season, and we are sharing it below. You can mix and match these colors with neutrals to be as bold as your own personal style allows. As always, you should hold true to your own personal style, while nodding to trends and selecting only what delights you. Summer Fashion
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122 s ummertime s hine by Amber Bryson of Kelly’s Hair Company This is the season surely to celebrate! Since ancient times we have found symbolism in this time of year! What does it remind us of? Youth and childhood or romance and passion? All these feelings can come alive during the hot sizzling summer months! Now, how can we translate these feelings into our hairstyles? Well, if you are wanting a youthful look, the answer is BANGS! Bangs are a huge trend for the summer of 2019. We all have different facial shapes. Whether it be heart, square, or round there is a perfect fringe style for you! Are you bold and trendy able to pull off a mini fringe? Or are you more reserved and like to keep things soft like a feathery fringe? Or maybe your style is something in between and would like a pin-up style like seen on some of the most fashionable celebrities? Just consult with your stylist to find the perfect style for you! Now if summer speaks to your romantic side then we have lots of choices to bring this out in your hair color! Faded pastels are all over the runways bringing us inspiration to try something fun and different! Cool brunettes are showing their ashy side! Not mousy but kissed with subtle beige highlights. If you are ready to make a statement Coral is the perfect peachy hue to surely turn heads! And one of my absolute favorites is Antique Gold which is bringing back the old Hollywood glamour style! Unfortunately the summer can be gone in the blink of the eye. Make sure and take the time to relax in the sun, enjoy a cold beverage, and enjoy the longer days! But don’t forget to try on some of these fun summer trends and make this a season to never forget! And hopefully 2019 will the be the year your summer time shines!
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124 Vitality Anti-Aging Center & Medical Spa strives to help you feel your best on the inside and look your best on the outside to achieve a sense of complete well being.
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125 (828) 322-1498 www.vitalitymedicalspa.com
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126 Eventfully Yours. . . My fiancé and I are looking into the best options for our upcoming summer wedding. I love the idea of an outdoor wedding while he prefers and indoor air conditioned option. How can we come to an agreeable choice that makes us both happy? There are numerous venue choices for your upcoming wedding that extend to you the best of both options. I personally believe you always need to make sure that you have backup options available in case of inclement weather. Summer rain and storms can pop up at any moment, not to mention that heat can be oppressive in specific months. Couples do need to ensure that they, as well as their guests, are comfortable from wedding ceremony to reception. Together both events can be held anywhere from 3-6 hours which is a long time to fight mother-nature. When considering your wedding venue, look into options that have an indoor and outdoor option. There are many new wedding venues that offer garden or patio spaces for the wedding ceremony with the addition of an indoor space for the wedding reception later in the day or evening. When meeting venue owners, be sure that you inquire if there is a possibility to host your wedding ceremony indoors in case of rain or storms. There most likely is room to host both events indoors if the case arises. Newer barn style venues are becoming very popular with couples as well. This type of venue may offer a large field or open area for the ceremony with the opportunity to hold the reception inside of the venue. This style wedding is rustic and more casual while offering guests the options of meandering outside of the venue during the reception. Venues offer fire pits, areas of for outdoor games and more. The piedmont and mountains of North Carolina create an absolutely beautiful scenic backdrop. You may choose to have a destination wedding in the mountains which is cooler in the summer months. Couples are also opting to host exclusively outdoor events with the addition of large tents with air conditioning units, raised floors and other comfort amenities to include luxury trailer bathrooms. Whichever option you choose most definitely be sure that you are both satisfied and comfortable with your venue selection. Eventfully yours Tara B Tara H. Bland is owner and event specialist of Tara B’s Eventful Planning and It’s My Party Rentals. Tara has planned, designed and directed weddings and events for the past 18 years in the Foothills of North Carolina.
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127 Butterflies By Rudyard Kipling Eyes aloft, over dangerous places, The children follow the butterflies, And, in the sweat of their upturned faces, Slash with a net at the empty skies. So it goes they fall amid brambles, And sting their toes on the nettle-tops, Till, after a thousand scratches and scrambles, They wipe their brows and the hunting stops. Then to quiet them comes their father And stills the riot of pain and grief, Saying, "Little ones, go and gather Out of my garden a cabbage-leaf. "You will find on it whorls and clots of Dull grey eggs that, properly fed, Turn, by way of the worm, to lots of Glorious butterflies raised from the dead." "Heaven is beautiful, Earth is ugly," The three-dimensioned preacher saith; So we must not look where the snail and the slug lie For Psyche's birth.... And that is our death!
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128 Letters from Mayberry Note: the following is from a trove of letters I found in an old trunk that was purchased many years ago at an estate auction in Raleigh, NC. For decades the trunk sat, unopened, in my basement. Recently, in an effort to clear out some of the clutter, I opened the trunk and was greatly surprised to find scores of letters postmarked “Mayberry, NC.” Most of the letters are hand-written and concern the goings-on in the town of Mayberry. Curiously, none of the letters contain any reference to any of the characters from the TV show. I have no explanation for this—the letters appear genuine, with postmarks from various years. Does Mayberry really exist, perhaps on some alternate world, and these letters have somehow been transported to our Earth? We may never know. Nevertheless, I thought some people might have some interest in learning about life in this (presumed) real town of Mayberry and so have decided to share selected letters. --Martin Owens
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129 May 25, 1972 Dear Jane, Well, it’s been an interesting couple of weeks here in Mayberry. It all started when the Merchant’s Association of Mayberrry (yes, MAM!), at their monthly meeting, decided we needed another event to draw people into town. As usual, there were some for it, and some against it. Old Joe Coffey was quoted in the paper as saying “Y’all been eventing us to death in the last couple of years. We got enough to do without all these out-of-towners coming in, using our toilet paper and paper towels and not buying anything much.” As you might guess, that comment created quite the firestorm. Jeff Powers, who owns the oldest jewelry store in town, and is president of the merchant’s group (we call him the head MAM man, but not to his face), let the bickering go on for a while, then he pounded his gavel and shouted “Order!” Naturally, Louie Delmas, from Louie’s Diner, shouted “I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries!” the way he always does when anyone, anywhere, says the word “order.” I’ll tell you, Louie’s inhaled too much grease from that ancient grill of his. Anyway, according to the paper, Jeff just ignored Louie and kept on talking about the new event. “We want to have a Sock Hop,” Jeff announced, which was met with a few jeers, a smattering of head-shaking, and a whole lot of feet-shuffling. Undeterred, Jeff went on: “But not just any old sock hop. We’re going to get a TV star to come to town!” Boy, that sure quieted the other merchants, the paper stated. “Who, who??” several people asked. Joe waited patiently, and then, lowering his voice for dramatic effect, said “We’re going to get a Western star!” Everybody looked around, as if they expected Roy Rogers to come riding in on Trigger. “Wait a minute,” said Tex Bodford, “you’re talking about Fred Clark, that singing cowboy on Channel 7, aren’t you?” “Nope,” Jeff said, “this is someone from a *really* big* show.” The group, perched on the edges of their seats, waited. “As you know, we don’t have much in our budget, so we couldn’t afford one of the super stars.” Now, I’ll say this, Jane--I wish I could have been there for what came next. According to the story in the Gazette, Jeff reached under the podium and pulled out what turned out to be an autographed photo. Slowly he turned it around so the crowd could see… applause erupted, there were murmurs of “I can’t believe it!” Jeff, beaming proudly, soaking up the glory, said “That’s right folks, direct from the set of Bonanza, the one and only Hop Sing is coming to Mayberry!” Well, Jane, I never. The way the town is all abuzz about this, you would think we were getting some really big star, such as Arthur Godfrey or Jimmy Dean! But here’s what most of Mayberry doesn’t realize: the man who plays Hop Sing, his real name is Victor Sen Yung and he’s been in dozens of movies and TV shows. He’s a veteran and he was shot during an airplane hijacking last year! (It helps me a lot, being the head librarian. A little research goes a long way). The majority of people, though, won’t care anything about all that. I can imagine most people will want to know such things as “What was Hoss really like?” and “Why did Adam leave?” or “Is Little Joe married?” So the Cartwright’s cook is coming to town, and we’re going to have a big dance at the same time. Know what they want to call this to-do? You won’t believe it—The Hop Sing Sock Hop! I can’t wait! Hope all is well with you and the kids, and if you want to drive up from Raleigh and meet Hop Sing and dance, well, I’ll make room for y’all! Love, Bonnie Lou
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130 Rosemary’s Remembrances A short historical fiction by Carmen Eckard. To read the first installment, use this QR code.
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131 I r eckon I’m getting old. That’s why I’ve decided to write all this down. I was writing my Last Will and Testament (not that I have much money to leave folks), but I realized the things I really wanted to leave to people, well they won’t hardly know what they are. So I figure I need to tell ‘em. I’m full of stories, but people are too busy for that these days. Anyway, I don’t even think I’m good at tellin’ tales, so I guess I feel better about writing them down and tucking them away. I suppose everybody collects stuff over the years, but I’ve tried to only hang onto the things that’s real beautiful to me, or make me remember something I love to remember. I’m gonna write about what each one of these things make me remember, and I might ramble, but darlings, my memory rambles these days, so it is what it is. Doogaloos N ow this one isn’t like others. It’s not something that I keep displayed for folks to ask me about. These little coins make me feel downright conflicted, guilty even. Guilt is a tricky emotion - it don’t let go, even after all these years and all the good deeds and good memories I’ve piled on top of it. Don’t look like much, and I’ve kept ‘em tucked away in my sock drawer for decades, same way I kept them tucked away inside me. I tell myself all the time that I didn’t do anything wrong, and I really, truly don’t think I did, not really. But anyhow, my meddlin’ led to some disastrous consequences and a dead man that meant a lot to a lot of folks. These coins are Doogaloos, and they only ever mattered at the Henry River Mill Village over in the eastern part of the county. You know the place? Little village, built up around a cotton mill down by the river? It’s been abandoned for a long time now, though they’ve been fixing it up lately. Bout 30 houses or so, plus a little store. When you worked at that mill, your life was that mill. They paid you with these coins, and you’d use them to pay your rent and buy your food. Life was hard in that village. A lot for a girl to get used to. The Spring after my Mama died, I spent as much time away from home as I could. I wasn’t ready for my remembrances back then, not yet. I got invited to play softball with my friend from school, Anita. She was a mill girl if ever there was one. She was born there and so was her Daddy. If I remember correctly, he was the last person to move out of the village, but I’m off track. She invited me to play softball and I was saying “Yes” to just about anything that Spring. I’m terrible at softball…never liked it and that day I didn’t hit a single ball. Wasn’t a total strike out though, because I met my Earl. It wasn’t love at first sight, not like you see in the movies. It was more of a slow burn. He was nice to me, really nice, and even made me feel a little tickly in a way I wasn’t familiar with yet. We went together my last year of school… he was already graduated and working at the mill. Right after graduation, he asked me to marry him, right there in the parking lot. We got married one month later at my little Baptist Church, and that was that. Earl had moved to the Henry River Mill Village with his parents when he was only two. That qualified him as being From Here, and I tell you what, them that were From Here - they stuck together. They stuck together like they were an actual clan. I think maybe my biggest mistake was not realizing quite how deep that loyalty to each other was, but I’ll get back around to that. We lived together, Earl and me, in relative peace and happiness. Four years passed, and our only real hardship was that I hadn’t fallen pregnant, despite lots of trying. At least the trying was fun. Honestly though, living in that village was kind of a hardship all on its own. Our house was very small, but that was OK since it was just Earl and me. Most of the houses were split in two and held two families. It had electricity by the time we lived there, but no running water. Even my old mountain house had running water by then, and it was hard to get used to going outside again to do your
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132 business, and carrying in all that water just to take a bath. It was 1961 when I moved in, but it felt like stepping back in time 50 years or so. I’m not sure that was such a bad thing for me back then. I really enjoyed the slower pace. I didn’t work in the mill - just my Earl did. So, I had lots of time to keep the house and make friends. My favorite friend was Mary. When we first moved in, she and her folks lived in the other side of our house. She was older than me, almost 40, and she lived with her mom and dad. The first year I lived there, her mom died. The second, her dad spent ailing. It took almost two years for him to die, but Mary was From Here, her dad had worked the mill near 50 years, and no one wanted to kick her out of the house she’d lived in for her whole life, not yet at least. So Mary and I found ourselves spending our days together, often on our shared front porch. We got real tight-thick as thieves they say. I’d just lost my Mama pretty recently, and I remembered how white-hot the pain is, and I didn’t mind when she needed to cry, or even the days where she didn’t talk much. And I tell you, after about a year, her smile started coming back. First she only showed it to me, but then she started flashing it around the village, and when Mary was happy, she was beautiful. She told me every bit of gossip she’d ever heard about anyone, and I was starting to feel like I was From Here too. I taught her how to knit and how to stitch. I really wasn’t that good at stitching. Hadn’t had much practice, but I taught her what I knew. She taught me to quilt, and I helped her with a square she was working on. Lord knows I don’t have the patience for quilting, but it was fun to make something with someone again. Once a week, we’d walk to the store together to get a bag of peanuts to share and two cokes. Folks around there called them “dope”. Those walks were some of my favorite times in the village. Mary was the best friend I ever had. I was real happy for her when she started going with a new mill worker, a fellow named Boyce. He wasn’t From Here - he’d moved to the village to work with his brother just a year before. I’d heard some whispers that he drank a lot, but I figured - hey - just near every man I knew drank sometimes. Every warm evening the air was positively filled with sounds of the men laughing and drinking down by the river. The river was good for three things, so far as I could tell: powering the village, cooter hunting, and providing the perfect drinking spot. Heck, even my own Daddy had a still, although it got busted up about a year after I moved out. In fact, it was busted up by the very person this story is about. So, we knew he liked to drink, but we didn’t think it as much of a problem. He was also a good bit older than her. I never asked but he seemed as old as my daddy at least. But, Mary was lonely. Also, it was only a matter of time before she had to move-mill houses were for mill workers and their families. When it was time for her to move out, he asked her to come live with him. Said he’d marry her, but just wasn’t quite ready for all that. And she was getting ready to be homeless, so she jumped at the chance. We didn’t see each other quite as much when that happened, but most days, I still walked over to her place while our men were working. One day, I knocked on the door but no one answered. That was real strange because I knew she’d be home. I put my ear to the door and I heard that man of hers screaming that she was stupid, and a whore, and a bunch of other nasty things that make me blush even now. I could hear her crying, and then a big crash, and then she didn’t cry anymore. Now I was crying too, and I didn’t know what to do. I waited across the way, eyes trained on their door, and after about an hour he left. I ran to the door and knocked. I could hear Mary whimpering, but she wouldn’t let me in. Said through the door, “Everything’s fine, Rose love. I’ll see you tomorrow.” But the next day she didn’t open the door again. And the next day, she opened it just a little, enough for me to see a nasty black eye. She looked so sad, and told me we could chat the next day. So I took an action that caused a lot of heartache.
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133 The action that makes me keep these Doogaloos in my night stand. The one that still wakes me up at night, more than half a century later. I told my husband. Earl is a good man. A hard man. Earl never saw much gray-everything was stark black and white for him, and this, well this was black. And that loyalty! That loyalty covered him like some sort of righteous armor and he burned, positively burned, to protect his clan. It’s the first time I saw that part of him; a bright and gorgeous glimpse of something truly exceptional. I saw it again several times in our life together, but only when our kids or I were threatened. It was fierce, wild, beautiful. He left in a rush to find his friend Robert. I saw them walking back up the trail together. Saw them walk right past our house, and it looked like they were both glowing with embers inside them. They banged on the door. Mary told me that Earl said, “Mary, go to my house right now. Rose is waiting for you,” and she could tell she better skedaddle. They wouldn’t tell us just what they said, or did. But they seemed to think it worked. They were at his house about 30 minutes before they came back. Said he’d be moving on and Mary could stay with us a few days. We went to sleep, a little later than usual, convinced that the men had fixed the problem. We laughed like our old selves. But, we were woken in the morning by that old devil bangin’ on our door, drunk as Cooter Brown. Screaming bout how he was gonna kill us all, especially Earl and Robert. Said some right nasty things. Madder than a wet hen, he was. Well, the village is small, and as you can imagine, bookstore.cvcc.edu/newton-thennow
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134 this caused a bit of a ruckus around our little house. When people came around to run him off, he’d leave for a bit. Earl came out once and had words with him. Big, deep, mean soundin’ words. He left again, and we relaxed. That is, until he was banging on the door again with his pistol. It was a little easier to believe he’d kill us when he was banging on our door with a gun. Short of shooting him ourselves, we thought calling the law was the best solution. Earl argued it a bit, saying we didn’t need law men out at the village, but it didn’t take long for him to realize that we did, in fact, need law men. So while that devil was busy banging on our door, and Mary and I were hiding out upstairs, Earl slipped out the back door, ran to the store and called the police. And we waited. Lord knows we were nervous that he’d get in and shoot us before the police made it there. We were barely breathin’ till we heard those sirens coming down the road. Mary and I snuck to a window and cracked it- we couldn’t see anything, but we could hear pretty good. It was late summer, and we’d had those windows closed for safety while he was out there screamin’, so opening it let a beautiful breeze in the room, and the whole world seemed like it was going to be OK. The devil ran to his house, which was 3 houses down from ours, and shut himself up in there. It wasn’t OK. It only took him about 3 minutes before he went and shot the deputy. Ended up being just a flesh wound, and that deputy lived to a ripe ol’ age, but we didn’t know that at the time. We heard the deputy, Burns was his name, call for backup, and the Sheriff, on the radio, told him“Stand down and wait for me.” He wasn’t close by, and the situation was tense. I didn’t tell you about that Sheriff yet. There’s three things you have to know about him...first, he was a good man. Second, people really liked him. And third-he really had it out for moonshine. He busted up over a hundred stills. That made some folks think he was a hero, but it bothered a lot of moonshine making folk, that’s for sure. Well, you know, you probably just need to know that first part...he was a good man. Now you’d think those police officers would keep an eye on that devill, since he’d just shot a deputy and all. I mean, I would. I expected them to. But they didn’t, I guess cause the deputy being shot caused a bit of a ruckus. Wasn’t long before we caught sight of him running off, out his back door and through the woods. He saw us see him, and he trained that gun of his right on my head. We gasped, ducked down, and cried. What we didn’t know was that he’d jammed his gun up good when he was shooting the deputy- that’s why he only got one shot in. That devil took advantage of how slow news traveled, and turns out he was walkin’ around the village, chatting up the people out on their porches, trying to get some help unjamming his gun. No one could help him, so he walked right up the road to the first store that wasn’t owned by his bosses and he asked for help. That clerk - he was a friend to all of us, and he didn’t have any idea what was going on. I bet the guilt he carries is heavier than mine. That’s a mighty sad thing to me. But, he fixed that gun right up, and ol’ Boyce was able to slip back into his house before Sheriff Oaks got there from his cottage on Jonas Ridge. He barricaded himself in there real good. When the Sheriff finally arrived, there was a lot of yelling, and then they threw some sort of gas bomb into the house. I heard when the law men entered the house, the devil was laying on the floor trying to breathe through a little hole (not the best time to say this, but those houses were plum full of holes. We joked sometimes that we had swiss cheese walls and floors). Well, that devil seemed to know he was caught and shouted, “I give up.” I couldn’t hear that part, but the papers say it happened, and I mostly believe the papers. We heard the Sheriff shout, and I’ll never forget the way he sounded, so commanding, “Come on out with your hands up and nobody will hurt you.” Another Deputy, Gassman was his name, was standing in front of the Sheriff, but the Sheriff was a mountain of a man, tall and broad. That devil came out, alright, but he came out shooting. The deputy must have been covered in divine protection that night…maybe somebody prayed real hard for him every day, I don’t know, but the bullets whizzed right past him and they hit that Sheriff, three times! All the parts of him
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135 that were bigger than the deputy in front of him were in danger, it seems, and he was hit in the throat, chest and arm. They got that giant of a man in a car and started rushing him to a hospital, but he died before they even made it four miles. Such a sad thing-that Sheriff Oaks really was liked by everyone, even them that lost their stills to him. He had a right good reputation, and it put a black veil over our county for a long time. That Boyce devil went on the run that very second, and those other deputies hunted him down on the spot. He tried to get away, but you can’t get away from that many folks aimin’ to catch you. It took damn near five hours, but they shot him, then caught him and sent him to a mental hospital for two months. When they put him on trial, he was found guilty and was told he’d serve life in prison. Thousands of people showed up for Sheriff Oaks’ funeral. We went. It was real nice. Sad, though. Mary moved away after that. Then, so did we. Everywhere I looked I just saw death. And when I turned up pregnant, finally, I told my Earl that there just no way on earth I’d be living there. He’s a good man, and he started looking for a new job right away, and he left that mill clan of his. The baby was a little girl. I named her Mary. Everyone assumes she’s named after me, Rosemary, but it isn’t so. She’s named for my good friend Mary who didn’t deserve any of this. And my Mary grew up strong and independent and my friend would have been proud. And even though I carry this guilt my whole life, and that clerk too, and my Earl, and Mary… they let Boyce out of prison 17 years later, even though he’d broken out of prison once and certainly wasn’t a good prisoner. He died five years later in a nursing home. I’d like to think he died carrying more guilt than a person could bare. I’d like to thing it was that guilt that made his heart stop beating. I’m sorry. I hope that’s enough. I know my meddlin’ led to that Sheriff’s death but I know in my heart - Mary needed help and helping each other is what friends do. (828)327-8300 Great Dental Health=Great Overall Health Offering: • Crowns, Bridges, Veneers • Fillings: Mercury Free • Implant Restoration • Partial and Full Dentures • Oral Cancer Screening • Non Surgical Gum Therapy Offering Care Credit f D
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136 Photo by Kat Dellinger. Find info about this hike on page 96.
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