High Country Press

Sept. 25, 2017. Avery County Sheriff’s Office turned into the Avery County School System over $10,000 of drug-related money that was forfeited to the school system in court. The North Carolina Constitution prohibits the use of fines or forfeitures for any other use. “I am so happy to see that money which was forfeited by drug dealers can and will have a positive impact on helping children of Avery County,” Avery County Sheriff Kevin Frye said. / Read more…

Sept. 25, 2017. Here are fan shots (part 2 of 2) from the Mountaineers’ heartbreaking loss to Wake Forest at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Mountaineers lost 20-19 as the Demon Deacons blocked a deciding field goal in the final seconds. Read about the game here and scroll below for photos. Photos by Debbie Carter and Jan Todd / Read more…

Sept. 25, 2017. Here are fan shots (part 1 of 2) from the Mountaineers’ heartbreaking loss to Wake Forest at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Mountaineers lost 20-19 as the Demon Deacons blocked a deciding field goal in the final seconds. Read about the game here and scroll below for photos. Photos by Ken Ketchie / Read more…

Sept. 25, 2017. Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute broke ground Wednesday evening on a transformative project on the growing Watauga Campus in Boone. The 15,000-square-foot building will consolidate services currently offered in multiple locations on campus into one area. / Read more…

Sept. 25, 2017 When we last left Eggsy (Taron Egerton), he had completed his transformation into a Kingsman; going from aimless slacker to dashing British secret agent. He had saved the world, avenged his murdered mentor Harry (Colin Firth), and even gotten a girl, granted not his likeable fellow agent Roxy (Sophie Cookson) but the Swedish princess Tilde (Hanna Alström). He’s still dating Tilde in “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” which is funny in and of itself considering the controversial hookup from the first film did not seem like it would lend itself to long-term happiness. This franchise is all too happy to admit that it’s a James Bond ripoff, but the hero believing in lasting relationships is a major and welcome difference.
Eggsy and senior Kingsman Merlin (Mark Strong) soon find themselves having to team up with liquor-themed U.S. equivalent agency Statesman to take down the sweetest, perkiest, most ruthless drug lord in all of Cambodia. Her name is Poppy (Julianne Moore) and she’s going to get a lot of comparisons to Martha Stewart, but I can’t help but see her more as my boss, candy magnate Dylan Lauren. By Bob Garver. / Read more…

July 26, 2017. Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in association with the Watauga County Public Library invite you to join Heather Wright for a “Basic Concepts of Microsoft Word” class on Tuesday, October 10th from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm. / Read more…

July 26, 2017. The 2017-18 season of “The Schaefer Center Presents…” performance series, presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts and Cultural Programs from early October, 2017 through late April, 2018, has been announced.  The series offers a diverse mix of music, dance and theatre programming for campus and community audiences comprised of university students, faculty, staff and residents across the region. / Read more…

What’s going on in your community? Here’s a brief update on the emails we received today. Check back each day for an updated list of events going on in the area. As always, please feel free to email us about your event or update.

Weekly Events at Lost Province Brewing Company 9/25-10/1

Leaf-Lookers’ Hayride, 10/7

Sip & Paint, 10/13

Beech Mountain Photo Walk, 10/14

Corn Maze Field Trip, 10/20

Fall Wine Hayride, 10/21

Call for Artists & Crafters – “Satie’s Holiday Sale”, 12/1-12/23

Cycle North Carolina “Mountains to Coast” Tour Set to Kick off September 30th, 9/30-10/7

Appalachian State University students help save lives through blood donations 9/20

Summer Concert Series: William Jackson, 9/24

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

July 26, 2017. The Humanities Council under the College of Arts and Sciences at Appalachian State University will present a symposium titled “Sustaining Democracy: Existence, Persistence, Resistance” from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, in the Blue Ridge Ballroom of Appalachian’s Plemmons Student Union. Admission is free and the event is open to the community.
/ Read more…

Sept. 25, 2017. Wake Forest’s Scotty Washington blocked Michael Rubino’s 39-yard field goal attempt with five seconds remaining as the Demon Deacons held off Appalachian State 20-19 Saturday before the largest crowd ever (35,126) to see a game in Kidd Brewer Stadium. Several costly mistakes hurt the Mountaineers chance at victory in a wild game that featured six lead changes. By Tim Gardner / Read more…

Sep. 20, 2017. Looking to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in your neighborhood? Want to keep an eye on criminal activity in your area? Take a look at these recent incident and arrest reports from the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office and the Boone Police Department. Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

July 26, 2017. BANNER ELK, N.C. — How well can you spell? For the children competing in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, six will enter, but only one speller will leave with the title of C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N. The Lees-McRae College Theatre Arts production, The 25th Putnam County Spelling Bee, will kick off the fall semester with performances from Sept. 28-30 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. in Hayes Auditorium and Broyhill Theatre.Directed by Gabriel Vanover, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is praised for its unique balance of charm and comedy. / Read more…

What’s going on in your community? Here’s a brief update on the emails we received today. Check back each day for an updated list of events going on in the area. As always, please feel free to email us about your event or update.

Quilt Meeting, 10/5

Mayview Madness 5k Race Packet Pick Up at Stick Boy Bread Company Thursday &Friday, 9/30

Confederate Women as Leaders and C.E.O.s: A New Destiny, 10/11 

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

Sept. 21, 2017. The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland. Send obituary notices to jesse@highcountrypress.com. Compiled by Jesse Wood / Read more…

Sept. 21, 2017. Anticipation and emotion about an Appalachian State football game is at fever pitch for Saturday’s clash with Wake Forest, schools only 86 miles apart. It will mark Wake Forest’s first time playing the Mountaineers in Boone. Billed as “Black Saturday” for Appalachian State, the game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. in Kidd Brewer Stadium. It will be televised on ESPN3. By Tim Gardner / Read more…

Sept. 21, 2017. In his latest fall color report, Dr. Howard Neufeld, an App State professor known as the ‘Fall Color Guy,’ said that fall color may arrive at least seven days earlier than he’s seen before. “If colors continue to develop at the pace of this last week, I may have to state, for about the first time ever, that I think colors may come early this year, by at least 7 days. However, the coming week is supposed to be warm (mid-70s in the Boone area) and that may slow down the color development,” Neufeld wrote. By Jesse Wood • Photo by Skip Sickler / Read more…

Sept. 21, 2017. A look at the recent deed transfers in Watauga County. The information comes courtesy of the Watauga County Register of Deeds. Compiled by Debbie Carter / Read more…

Sept. 21, 2017. Fall starts tomorrow. The Autumn Equinox will occur at 4:02 p.m. on Friday in the Northern Hemisphere. RaysWeather.com forecasts that the sunny, warm and dry weather we’ve had for the past week will continue. Photo by Sharon Glatthorn / Read more…

Sept. 21, 2017. As a part of the Constitution Day celebration at Appalachian State University, Representative Virginia Foxx took part in the ceremony by reading Article I Section I of the U.S. Constitution. Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. / Read more…

Sept. 21, 2017. It’s the spookiest time of the year again at Tweetsie Railroad! The Ghost Train will return on Friday and Saturday nights from Sept. 22 to Oct. 28, 2017, transforming North Carolina¹s first theme park into a delightfully frightful destination. Each year, visitors travel from all over the Southeast to enjoy this family-friendly Halloween celebration and take in the gorgeous fall leaves in the Blue Ridge Mountains. / Read more…

Sept. 21, 2017. On the eve of one of the most anticipated college football games in North Carolina this year, several local agencies have partnered to create a signature event that will kickoff the weekend for locals, visitors, and fans of both teams. Touchdown Boone takes place Friday, Sept. 22, from 5-8 p.m. in Downtown Boone, just one day prior to Appalachian State University playing host to Wake Forest University at Kidd Brewer Stadium. / Read more…

Sept. 21, 2017. The Watauga Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Boone will hold its annual customer appreciation sale located at 1200 Archie Carroll Road on Saturday, Sept. 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All proceeds from the ReStore serve as a primary revenue source for the local Watauga Habitat affiliate. / Read more…

Sept. 21, 2017. From Friday to Sunday, Sept. 22 to 24, 2017, N.C.-based Americana band Possum Jenkins and dB Productions will host the 4th annual Carolina Ramble & Reunion at beautiful Brayshaw farm near Boone in Bethel, N.C. The Ramble is an intimate, fall music festival featuring food, camping, games, and fun for the whole family. / Read more…

Sept. 20, 2017. Approximately fifty people gathered at Grandfather Mountain on Tuesday to honor and commemorate two key individuals for their service on the Woolly Worm Festival for the past 39 years.  The Kiwanis Club of Blowing Rock held a luncheon to celebrate achievements of the Festival founder, Jim Morton, who passed away in April, and Roy Krege, who has served as “Mr. Woolly Worm” since the early days of the event and announced his retirement at last year’s festival. By Jan Todd / Read more…

July. 26, 2017. In the effort to reduce the impact of climate change one approach is to decrease greenhouse gases by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  This can be done by growing plants, especially long-lived plants like trees.  On October 6, Appalachian State University will host the ASU Forest Offsets Workshop to discuss how this might be encouraged and implemented on a large scale in the Appalachian region. This workshop will take place from 9 to 4 in the Plemmons Student Union (263 Locust Street, Boone, NC, 28608), and will involve forest researchers, project developers, and forest landowners. By Kate Herman / Read more…

Sept. 20, 2017. Carolina Climbers Coalition (CCC) is pleased to announce the purchase of Buckeye Knob in Watauga County, North Carolina. The purchase was made possible with a $120,000 loan from the Access Fund Climbing Conservation Loan Program. CCC and adjacent landowners also worked together to donate access and recreation easements, providing access to Buckeye Knob and permanent climbing access to the nearby Barn Boulders. / Read more…

July 26, 2017. North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Wayne Goodwin will be the featured speaker at the Watauga County Democratic Party’s Fall Rally on Saturday, September 30. The rally is hosted by the ASU chapter of the College Democrats. / Read more…

July 26, 2017. Come and join Appalachian State on September 23rd, 2017 at 8 a.m. for our annual Black Saturday 5K! Everyone is invited to participate, and door prizes will be handed out to some lucky participants! The Black Saturday 5K started to help raise money for the Jim Avant Scholarship Fund, to award money to hard-working Recreation Management students at Appalachian State / Read more…

What’s going on in your community? Here’s a brief update on the emails we received today. Check back each day for an updated list of events going on in the area. As always, please feel free to email us about your event or update.

Fire Prevention week, 10/8- 1o/14

Blue Prints and Bow Ties Live Auction and Gala, 10/19

High Country Walk & Run for Breast Cancer, 10/28

Entries for Songwriting Contest Accepted, 10/1

Fall Festival and Campout

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

Sept. 19, 2017. The Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce held its annual State of the Town in the American Legion building on Monday evening. Interested citizens received updates on the U.S. 321 widening project, the Middle Fork Greenway project, chamber activities, tourism and other projects in town. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

What’s going on in your community? Here’s a brief update on the emails we received today. Check back each day for an updated list of events going on in the area. As always, please feel free to email us about your event or update.

OUT in the High Country Training Opportunity, 10/13

Watauga County Gospel Singing, 9/23

Emily Arbour to Sing at St. Mary of the Hills, 9/30

Read more…
Compiled by Katie Benfield

Sep. 19, 2017. Social dancing is an ageless art where dancers of all ages can experience the joy of rhythm and beat together. On Saturday, September 30th, the Boone Shag Club and Appalachian State University Department of Theater and Dance will host the 2nd Annual Community-Wide Fall Shag Dance. The event will take place on Appalachian State University’s campus at the Reich College of Education Building.Tickets are available for $25, which includes dinner, the live band, and dance. By Kate Herman – Photos by Ken Ketchie and Sandi Solomon / Read more…

Sep. 18, 2017. The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series at Appalachian State University will resume Sept. 21 with two presentations by Jeremy B. Jones, an award-winning writer of creative nonfiction. Jones is both a frequently published essayist and the author of “Bearwallow: A Personal History of a Mountain Homeland” (John F. Blair Publisher, 2014), which won the 2014 Appalachian Book of the Year in nonfiction and was awarded a gold medal in the 2015 Independent Publisher Book of the Year Awards in memoir. / Read more…

What’s going on in your community? Here’s a brief update on the emails we received today. Check back each day for an updated list of events going on in the area. As always, please feel free to email us about your event or update.

Beech Mountain Season Pass Sale, 10/2

Celebrating 50 Years on Top! 11/24

Beech Mountain Resort Specials

Legal Aid N.C. Clinic: Landlord/Tenant Rights, 9/28

Small Business Bootcamp, 9/27

Blue Ridge Parkway Evening Program, 9/23

Weekly Events at Lost Province Brewing Company, 9/18-9/24

Starting Monday, Sept. 18, join Lees-McRae College in the Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge   

Brahm Presents Coffee with the Curator, featuring “The Village of Blowing Rock: Exploring our History”, 9/19

Brahm Presents Waste Land, 9/21

Free Admission through Museum Day, 9/23

Brahm’s Item of the Week

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

Sept. 18, 2017  “American Assassin” stars Dylan O’Brien as CIA asset Mitch Rapp. The paperback-based Rapp is an action hero akin to Jack Ryan, Jack Reacher, Jason Bourne, and I’ll even throw James Bond in there. O’Brien is best known for the “Maze Runner” series, a teenagers-in-a-dystopian-future franchise akin to “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” and “The Host.” All he needs now is an unimaginative superhero film and he’ll be the king of late-to-the-party knockoffs.By Bob Garver. / Read more…