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SPRUCE PINE ALIEN FESTIVAL

The Spruce Pine Alien Festival is a free 1-day Outdoor event that is pet friendly with over a mile long stretch of 200 Artists & Crafters in Downtown Spruce Pine on Oak Avenue Alien Merchandise, Free Music-Music Stage, Area 51 Costume Contest, Children’s Close Encounter Zone-bounce houses/Giant Slides, UFO Laser Tag, Alien Train & a free Alien Music Concert. Over 50 thousand UFO Enthusiast and Alien lovers descended upon Downtown Spruce Pine, NC on June 14th, 2025 in the hopes of encountering extraterrestrials and in Search of UFO Phenomenon. Many area residents and locals have reported an astounding number of unexplained UFO sightings in and near the small town, and it is no small wonder that the event was packed with UFO and Alien believers. The Spruce Pine Alien Music Festival thrilled musiclovers and rumbled the ground beneath their feet as they kicked off the free 2025 ALIEN Music Festival starting at 9am at the Milky Way Main stage. UFO and Alien lovers of all ages enjoyed the groovy galactic tunes from Out of this world bands. This year’s bands are Yesteryear, Orion’s Mystery, Stolennova, Jennifer Alvarado, Greystoke and our Galactic headliner Jimmy Eats Brisket. This Year’s Bands include Orion’s …

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Ashe / High Country Seed & Plant Swap

March 15, 2026 Boone, NC – March 15, 2026 – Gardeners are encouraged to bring any surplus seeds, root divisions, bulbs, corms, cuttings, plants, and fruit scion wood they wish to share. Seed swaps operate on the honor principle that gardeners will bring what they can this year, grow what they get from this swap and other sources, then bring saved seeds from their crops to next year’s Seed Swap.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Hoppers

Written by: Bob Garver             The 2020’s haven’t been kind to once-great animation giant Pixar, at least with its original titles. “Onward” had its box office cut down by the pandemic. Three straight movies had to forgo theatrical releases and go straight to Disney+. “Lightyear” was the first movie from the studio that I couldn’t bring myself to recommend. That movie, along with passable-but-middling efforts “Elemental” and “Elio” were all unable to win a single weekend at the domestic box office. Yes, “Inside Out 2” made more money domestically than any movie in the last three years, but that was an established property. Pixar needs an original hit to pull itself out of its rut, and I’m happy to report that “Hoppers” is just the movie to do it.             The story follows outspoken college student and animal-lover Mabel (Piper Curda) as she tries to save the glade near her home from getting bulldozed at the behest of Mayor Jerry (Jon Hamm) to make room for a new highway. She’d have a better case if there were any animals making their home in the glade, but she’s sure that if the land can be protected, the animals will come. What …

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Appalachian State University Announces 2026 Football Schedule

BOONE, N.C. — The Sun Belt Conference on Friday announced the complete 2026 regular season schedule for App State Football. The schedule has five Saturday home dates to go along with one midweek home game in league play: a nationally televised Thursday home contest against James Madison on Oct. 22, six days after App State plays a Friday night game at Coastal Carolina.  The nonconference schedule is made up of four September games all played in the state of North Carolina, and the Mountaineers’ league schedule starts with six East Division matchups before concluding with a pair of games against West Division foes. ULM visits Boone before App State ends the regular season at South Alabama. With head coach Dowell Loggains entering his second season in Boone, the Mountaineers began Spring Ball 2026 practices earlier this month. There are 66 newcomers currently on the 2026 roster, including 35 transfer portal newcomers from NCAA institutions and 29 December signees. The first full signing class for Loggains became the highest-rated class in App State history and the highest-ranked class in Sun Belt history via 247Sports.  2026 SCHEDULESat., Sept. 5 vs. MaineSat., Sept. 12 at East CarolinaSat., Sept. 19 vs. CharlotteSat., Sept. 26 at NC StateSat., …

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New Vendor/Tobacco Trust

March 13, 2026 Boone, NC – March 13, 2026 -Do you want to start vending at farmers markets? Are you new to farming? This new fund, graciously sponsored by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, aims to help new vendors with the upfront market costs, including but not limited to vendor materials, tents, and branded materials. The $300 stipends will be awarded at the start of the summer season, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the market season, with a priority deadline of April 30th.

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The Exchange Music Hall Presents: The Wailers – ’50 Years of Positive Vibrations’ May 2

March 3, 2026 Boone, NC – March 3, 2026 – Alongside honoring the past, The Wailers remain firmly rooted in the present. Their recent albums One World and Evolution — both Grammy-nominated — reaffirm the band’s creative vitality. Evolution, produced by Grammy Award-winner Emilio Estefan Jr. on Crescent Moon Records, blends classic roots reggae with contemporary global influences, with songs like “Love Should Be Free” resonating worldwide for their positive and socially conscious message.

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Twelve New Artists, Initial By-Day Schedules Revealed for FloydFest 26~Daydream (July 22-26, 2026)

March 3, 2026 Boone, NC – March 3, 2026 -With even more bands left to announce, the 2026 lineup expands today with the addition of Tyler Ramsey & Carl Broemel, Tyler Ramsey, Supertaste, Brother Wallace, Denitia, Valley Flower, Organ Fairchild, Mama Said String Band, Canyon Lights, The Weird Sisters, Big Daddy Love Plays Mo-Grass and William Seymour’s Songwriter Showcase. All of today’s additions, plus previously announced artists, are now featured on FloydFest 26~Daydream’s initial By-Day Schedules, available by visiting https://floydfest.com/schedule/by-day-schedules/. For those unable to commit to all five days of ‘Daydream,’ single-day GA tickets — as well as single-day GA pair+parking bundles — are now on sale by visiting www.floydfest.com and https://aftontickets.com/floydfest26daydream.

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WAMY Community Action Announces Immersive Poverty Simulation in Burnsville

March 3, 2026 Boone, NC – March 3, 2026 -“The Poverty Simulation provides a powerful opportunity for our community to build empathy, strengthen collaboration, and better understand how we can support individuals and families working to overcome poverty,” said Yolanda Robertson, Community Engagement Coordinator with WAMY Community Action. “We are excited to bring this experience to Yancey County and invite our community partners to be part of it.”

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MOVIE REVIEW: Scream 7

March 3, 2026 Boone, NC – March 3, 2026 -The film, as expected, opens with a violent pre-title sequence. A young couple (Jimmy Tatro and Michelle Randolph) check into the old house of original co-killer Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), now a rental property for fans of murder scenes. Spooky surprises are hidden throughout the house, including a robot wearing the iconic Ghostface costume. Eventually a non-robot Ghostface shows up, ready for some slashing. It’s not a lock that the couple will be killed like so many pre-title sequence characters before them, but… I didn’t see them bucking the trend.

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CCC&TI Offers Summer Bridge Program for 2026 High School Graduates

March 3, 2026 Boone, NC – March 3, 2026 -Participants will learn more about CCC&TI’s robust Student Services division and resources available to all students. Resources include tutoring, advising, counseling, financial aid, emergency assistance and career services. Students will also learn more about essential college success skills that help promote long-term academic achievement and retention.

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The Blowing Rock Historical Society And the Town of Blowing Rock Invites You to a Celebration of  Blowing Rock’s 137th Birthday!

The Blowing Rock Historical Society and the Town of Blowing Rock are pleased to have Mr. Randell Jones as our speaker for the event, an award-winning writer on the pioneer era and the Revolutionary War in the South, and especially on North Carolina history. Randell Jones will be speaking on Daniel Boone, his travels, and his adventures, as he heroically began the first westward movement by marking a trail into the wilds of Kentucky in 1775, 250 years ago. The presentation promises to be both entertaining and educational! When: March 11, 2026 Time: 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Where: American Legion, 333 Wallingford Street Light refreshments will be served.

WAMY Community Action Announces Exclusive Murder Mystery Fundraiser at The Embers Hotel of Blowing Rock, NC

February 24, 2026 Boone, NC – February 24, 2026 -The evening centers around a murder mystery production written and produced by Shane Lee Miller and directed by Corey Babay. The performance features a cast of local favorites, including Steven and Jocelyn Lacey, Yolanda Robertson, Thomas Bruns, Kat Eller, Tyler Holden, Stacey Gibson, Kevin Coffey, Reggie Lafuria, and Kris Testori.

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App State’s inaugural Conway Scholars: 42 students shaping the future of health care

February 24, 2026 Boone, NC – February 24, 2026 -“Empowered by this scholarship, our inaugural Conway Scholars are poised to achieve their professional goals and make a lasting difference in communities across North Carolina — through the care they will provide to countless patients and families at health systems, physician practices, care facilities and community-based clinics,” said Dr. Marie Huff, dean of the Beaver College of Health Sciences.

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High Country Radio’s  “HIGHWAY 106.1 & 102.3” Announces Major Lineup Changes — Bill Fisher Returns to Morning Drive; New Country-Connected Host to Power the Drive Home

February 24, 2026 Boone, NC – February 24, 2026 -“We’re thrilled to bring Bill Fisher back to mornings, on one of our stations again,” said Erica Lackey, GM at High Country Radio. “Bill is a local institution — he knows our community, our stories, and how to start the day with warmth, wit, and authenticity. His return reinforces our commitment to hometown personality-driven radio, so you can keep listening local, even while he’s in sunny semi-retirement. As Bill says: ‘Fish is back – sort of’.”

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MOVIE REVIEW: I Can Only Imagine 2

February 24, 2026 Boone, NC – February 24, 2026 -The film did well because it had stamina and passionate support. Now sequel “I Can Only Imagine 2” has also debuted in the #3 position, behind the second weekends of both “Wuthering Heights” and “GOAT.” Will it have the stamina and support to pull off a similarly impressive showing? Probably not, but only time will tell.

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Boone Docs Film Festival Turns 5!

February 24, 2026 Boone, NC – February 24, 2026 -“We are proud and happy to see the growth of Boone Docs over these last five years,” said Krystal Carter, Boone Docs organizer and an Appalachian Studies scholar.

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NC Community Foundation awards $9M in grants for long-term recovery from Helene 

February 23, 2026 Boone, NC – February 23, 2026 NCCF accepted grant applications for long-term recovery in the fall. More than 300 applications were received, requesting over $25 million to address needs in the region. Grant applications were reviewed by a group of over 30 people from western North Carolina, who provided feedback on the requests.  “The scope and scale of requests highlight the significant challenges still facing western North Carolina,” said Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, president & CEO of the North Carolina Community Foundation.

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Celebrating 20 Years of SMARL with Five Folks Who Have Raced In All 20 Seasons, Plus 100’s of Pictures From Many Previous Years

February 18, 2026 In the Fall of 2005 Bill Leonard of Ski Country Sports dreamed up the idea of organizing a High Country race series for local adult skiers. The point of the series was to have fun, as well as to enjoy some good natured competition. Bill pitched his idea to Gunther Jochl, owner of Sugar Mountain Resort, and the Sugar Mountain Adult Race League was born with the first series of races commencing with the 2006 ski season. That first year the league filled up its 100 person limit and the series has been going strong ever since.

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SMARL Wraps Up Its 20th Anniversary Season with the Awards Party on Monday Night

February 17, 2026 Sugar Mountain Adult Ski League SMARL ended its 20th Anniversary 2026 racing season with a bang as perfect conditions for racing and an exciting Awards Night of celebrating in the Sugar Mountain Lodge unfolded. Up on the slope, our reporter on the scene for the six Monday night races, Matt Leonard, said the vibe on the course felt Olympic as racers pushed to improve their end of the season points tally for an opportunity to earn a gold, silver or bronze medal for the 2026 season. “Once again the conditions were perfect, just like the last two weeks with this week being the faster yet,” said Leonard. “They made it quite a challenging course for the last race!” 

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MOVIE REVIEW: “Wuthering Heights”

February 17, 2026 Boone, NC – February 17, 2026 –         “Wuthering Heights” is based on a classic novel by Emily Brontë. I’ve never read the novel, which is probably for the best. Reports of the movie differing from the novel are actually quite relieving to me. They’re relieving in the sense that I do not have to lose respect for people who like the novel, which I would do if this movie were any indication of its quality. I’m fine with not judging a book by its movie, especially when the movie is this terrible.

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