Community Tidbits – Winter ’24-’25
Following you’ll find information on local events and programs, interesting people and a variety of opportunities from innovative organizations and businesses.
Runs for Buns! Ski or snowboard for a cause at Beech Mtn. | Join Beech Mountain Resort for two days of raising awareness and conquering colon cancer! The event kicks off on Friday, March 7, with an unforgettable evening featuring live music at the Not So Gala, Gala, and on Saturday, March 8, participate in a fun day of skiing, snowboarding, contests, and more at Runs for Buns! All proceeds benefit the Colon Cancer Coalition. Learn more here>>
Take a Stroll Through Banner Elk | Banner Elk is a winter wonderland this time of year, and offers unlimited fun for visitors to the area. The town’s new Holiday Stroll Map highlights shops, restaurants and activities happening in the heart of Banner Elk. If you can’t be here to pick up your copy over the holidays, head to bannerelk.com, where you can download a map and access a list of Banner Elk restaurants and an events calendar by scanning a QR code.
SmileOn ADG Partners with Dewey’s Bakery Holiday Store | The Adam Davis Galleher Memorial Fund began in January of 2013 after the sudden passing of a loving son, brother, and friend who touched many lives in his 26 years on the Earth. Eleven years later, SmileOn ADG has awarded over $180,000 in grants, scholarships, and charitable gifts in areas that Adam was passionate about. SmileOn ADG is once again partnering with DEWEY’S Bakery Holiday Store in Blowing Rock for this year’s fundraiser. Look for the red and white DEWEY’S signs at Shoppes on the Parkway (Unit 2 , formerly Ralph Lauren / Polo) and shop in-store or online daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (11-6 on Sunday). Learn more about this special fundraising effort, get updates on locations and times, or make a donation online at smileonadg.org. Visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/deweyholidaystoreSmileon/.
Artists Respond to Hurricane Helene | To acknowledge the many artists affected by Hurricane Helene, Mica Gallery in Bakersville, NC, is hosting a special exhibition, “Resilience: Artists Respond to Hurricane Helene,” January 10-February 28, 2025. The opening reception will be held Friday, January 10, from 5-7 p.m. Thirty-six artists in Western North Carolina are participating. Some of the artists have said this exhibition encouraged them to return to their studios. Others have used making art as a way of working through the trauma and devastation. Works range from ceramics to metal, sculpture to painting, photography to drawing, jewelry, and more.
Throughout the month of February, Mica Gallery will also hold a second annual “For the Love of Animals” sale to fundraise for the Mitchell County Animal Shelter. Mica is located at 37 N. Mitchell Avenue in Bakersville, NC, and online at micagallerync.com. Pictured above: “Broken” by Kathryn McCarty, “Helene” by Jean McLaughlin
47th Annual Woolly Worm Race Results | While the Woolly Worm Festival could not take place in 2024 due to the hurricane, a ceremonial race was held, with first responders “racing” their chosen woolly worms. The first-place worm belonged to the Newland Fire Department! Each year, the winning woolly worm forecasts the upcoming winter weather based on the colors of its body segments. There are 13 body segments in a Woolly Worm and 13 weeks in the winter season. Each segment of the Woolly Worm corresponds to that week’s weather.
Here we share the winning woolly worm’s coloration and prediction for this winter…
Week 1 – Black: Snow and below-average temperatures; Weeks 2-4 – Fleck: Light snow or frost with colder-than-normal temps; Weeks 5-6 – Brown: Average temperatures; Weeks 7-8 – Fleck: Light snow or frost, with below-average temps; Weeks 9-10 – Brown: Average temperatures; Weeks 11-13 – Black: Snow and chilly, below-average temperatures.
Woollyworm.com
It’s Monumental | On a snowy afternoon in December, a standing-room-only crowd gathered at the Dan’l Boone Inn to hear remarks from award-winning authors, historians, and dignitaries, including representatives of local “first families” whose names adorn the area’s street signs, neighborhoods, and landmarks. Organizations present for the proceedings included the Daughters of the American Revolution, NC Daniel Boone Heritage Trail, Snow Masonic Lodge #363, Southern Appalachian Historical Association, Three Forks Baptist Church (established in 1790), and a direct descendant of Colonial Daniel Boone.
Moving outside in below freezing temperatures, THE BOONE HERITAGE MONUMENT, the creation of designer/sculptor Brenda Mauney Councill, was unveiled and dedicated. One of the inscriptions on the artwork reads, in part, as follows:
“This monument stands to honor all of the early pioneer families whose courage, strength and hard work laid the foundation upon which the town of Boone was built. These early generations sustained the town’s prosperity by valuing family, faith, education, and culture. This heritage of values was passed on to future generations, who will hopefully continue along these historic paths in leading the Town of Boone into its future seasons.” Photo by Lonnie Webster
Mast General Store Makes a Mark | Years from now, the High Country will have recovered from Helene. But some marks will be permanent. The simple visual above, on the exterior wall of the Mast General Store Annex in Valle Crucis (built in 1909), helps to remind us of the significance of past weather events, and provides perspective for when future events occur. (Helene is the highest mark, on the left.)
Both the original Mast General Store (built in the late 1800s) and the Mast Store Annex have endured more than a century of challenges. Yet today, Mast Store is still known as the “store that has everything.” You can purchase their “Mountain Strong” shirts and stickers at a Mast Store near you—$10 from the sale of each t-shirt and hoodie, and 50% of sticker sales will go directly to organizations helping people recover from Hurricane Helene. mastgeneralstore.com
Discover Alltrails.com | In addition to CML’s hiking guide in our Trail Reports column, you can find local trails to try by visiting a site dedicated to nothing but trails: Alltrails.com. Simply type in a destination, i.e. Boone, and it will tell you every trail, the fitness level for each trail, the distance of the trail, and whether it’s open or not.
Lees-McRae College Goes Green! | Lees-McRae College has been named to the 2025 Guide to Green Colleges, a sustainability-focused list that is assembled each year by The Princeton Review. The Guide to Green Colleges assesses sustainability initiatives and eco-friendly efforts at colleges and universities around the world, highlighting the institutions that perform well across more than 25 survey data points.
Higher education institutions from all over the world are featured in the Guide to Green Colleges and earn their spot by exhibiting their dedication to sustainability through exceptional programs, policies, and practices. In addition to being placed on the 2024 Guide to Green Colleges, Lees-McRae was recently recognized as a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly University (2024-2028)–both achievements exemplify the college’s commitment to sustainability. lmc.edu
Essential Rapid Repairs | Baptists on Mission responded in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene by setting up large feeding and recovery (mud out, tear out, chainsaw, etc.) operations in 14 locations in Western North Carolina. Volunteers helped with feeding; shower and laundry; chain saw teams; tarping roofs; mudding and tearing out homes; and more. The Essential Rapid Repairs (ERR) program provided the basics… insulation, flooring, sheetrock, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, a functional kitchen and bathroom. Their immediate goal: to get 1,000 families back into a warm, safe, secure, functioning home before the worst of winter. “Please know that we will have many opportunities to serve for many weeks, months and years to come.” Learn more at helenerebuild.org.
App State Accolades | The latest college rankings and recognitions of six national publications—including U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Forbes magazine—have one thing in common: All place App State among the best schools in the nation, and the Southeast, for 2024–25. “These latest accolades reflect the commitment and dedicated efforts of our faculty and staff in fostering student success through comprehensive support, including helping students graduate on time,” said App State Interim Chancellor Heather Norris. “We’re preparing Mountaineers to become the leaders and innovators of tomorrow.” Photo below by Wes Craig and Chase Reynolds, appstate.edu.
Keep the “Wild” in Wildlife | This fall, please refrain from feeding deer. According to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, feeding deer can:
– provide food sources that are often less nutritious and that can compromise the animals’ digestive systems; deer are adapted to adjust as their diet changes throughout the year–eating anything they don’t feed on naturally can cause severe illness or even death.
– discourage deer to forage for themselves, which in turn makes them less resilient.
– increase disease risk (which can spread to other deer).
The biggest action High Country residents and visitors can take to encourage healthy deer populations in our area is to keep them dependent on their natural food sources. White-tailed deer by Ken Taylor, courtesy of NCWRC
Enjoy These New Titles from Local Authors
~Queens of Blowing Rock, by Dr. Barry M. Buxton
Dr. Barry M. Buxton, an award-winning history author, chronicles a chapter in Blowing Rock’s rich history in his new publication Queens of Blowing Rock. The book centers on eight women who each made a unique mark on the town’s future. Each of these women were heroines who overcame their own difficult obstacles to make their mark on local history. With their efforts combined across time, they built schools, churches, hospitals, and libraries. Driven by an intense love for Blowing Rock and its community of people, these women worked to leave a legacy of compassion and purpose. Queens of Blowing Rock is available at the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM), The Blowing Rock Attraction and online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
~She Talks to Fish, by Brian Hester & Barbara Beam
In the new novel She Talks to Fish, Maya Jones, a young Black woman from the mountains of NC, discovers her obsession for fly fishing which fuels a pilgrimage through uncharted territory riddled with obstacles that only the strongest of wills can endure. In this coming-of-age narrative, Maya’s struggles are met with brazen resilience as she confronts stereotypes, bigotry, weather, and even death with immeasurable perseverance. Co-Author Brian Hester, a native of Boone, NC, grew up waist deep in whatever river water he could find so he could develop his craft and love for fly fishing. Co-Author Barbara Beam is a gifted storyteller who grew up in Charlotte and is a proud graduate of Appalachian State University.
She Talks to Fish will be released this fall. Shetalkstofish.com, Amazon.com
An Irresistibly Delicious Candy Bar | Mast General Store and Cheerwine have collaborated on a new candy bar combining rich milk chocolate and Cheerwine’s Uniquely Southern cherry flavor. The Cheerwine Candy Bar from Mast Store Provisioners is now available at all Mast Store locations. “After the success of the ‘Over the MoonPie’ bar, I wanted to develop another Uniquely Southern bar and wouldn’t you know, one of my favorite sodas’ catch phrases is just that,” said Stefano Tringali, the Mast Store’s candy buyer. “In speaking with Cheerwine, a candy bar was something that they always had an interest in but needed a good partner for it to happen.” mastgeneralstore.com
Tour the Historic Banner Elk School | The historic 1939 stone building in downtown Banner is home to the Town’s Cultural Arts Center and one of the many stops on the Blue Ridge Craft Trails (https://www.blueridgeheritage.com/blue-ridge-craft-trails/). Shop for local arts and crafts at BE Artists Gallery (www.beartistsgallery.com), book tickets for live theatre performances at the Ensemble Stage Theater (ensemblestage.com), “bring a book, take a book” at the Banner Elk Book Exchange (BannerElkBookExchange.com), learn about the Lees-McRae student organization, Common Ground, at commongroundlmc.org, enjoy yoga at Banner Elk Body Shop, and pick up an extra copy of CML at the CML Magazine “headquarters.” (CMLmagazine.online)
Let Us Hear from You! Have an event or tidbit you’d like to share with CML readers? Send your information to the editor at [email protected].