High Country Press

Aug. 15, 2017. The second annual Boone Film Festival is slated for next month. This year’s festival features more quality submissions, a bigger venue, a separate youth screening and a double screening on the day of the Boone Film Festival. The youth category screening is set for Sept. 28 at the Watauga High School auditorium, and on Sept. 30, Appalachian State University’s Schaefer Center will host two screenings and an awards ceremony. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. On Monday, August 14th officials from Ashe and Watauga counties met with the Todd Volunteer Fire and Rescue (VFRD) Board of Directors to discuss issues that led to the department’s lapse in insurance and operations earlier this month. The County was notified by the USDA that Todd’s property and liability insurance was cancelled. USDA was notified as they provided the financing for the fire trucks. Additionally, the County was made aware of the potential that the worker’s comp policy was also cancelled. / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. When local public relations and advertising firm G&T Communications, Inc. began working with NOVEC, a large electric cooperative outside of Washington, D.C., both organizations called it a “powerful partnership.” G&T partnered with NOVEC in 2013 and has been the cooperative’s agency of record since, providing strategic planning, creative development and implementation of successful advertising campaigns. / Read more…

Feb. XX, 2015. The summer months have seemed to fly by with excessive speed, and the beginning of fall classes at Appalachian State University is approaching just as fast. With classes beginning on Aug. 22, there will be an increase in traffic over the next week as students begin to move back into dorms starting on Aug. 18. Welcome back Mountaineers! / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. Join us for the 34th Annual Valle Crucis Community Park Benefit Auction. On Saturday, Aug. 26, indulge in scrumptious breakfast fare, sip a morning beverage and bid on a variety of items donated by local businesses. From gift certificates to local restaurants, retailers and attractions to new merchandise, art and home goods, there is something for every budget. / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. The ‘poaching season’ for ginseng is in full swing until the legal harvest season opens on the first of September. Yesterday evening, the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office arrested two individuals and charged them with felony larceny of ginseng – in addition to resist, delay and obstructing an officer. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. On Saturday, Aug. 26, from 11 a.m.
until 2 p.m., the Empty Bowls for Avery County will be taking place at the Linville Land Harbor Recreation Center in order to raise awareness of hunger in the community and raise money for Feeding Avery Families, a nonprofit that works directly toward fighting hunger throughout Avery County. People from all over can come, pick out a bowl to take home with them, donate whatever they can and then stay for a prepared and provided lunch. Along with this, there will be a silent auction and wonderful community, so don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to participate in taking a stand against hunger within the community. By Katie Benfield / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. It’s time for the High Country to get ready for some flying fiddle bows and swirling, twirling calico costumes, as Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music welcomes back Strictly Strings and the high kicking Green Grass Cloggers to present their “Fiddle Bows and Calico – Part II” concert. The show will be staged at the Blowing Rock School Auditorium this Saturday night, Aug. 19 as a part of the JSMHM Indoor Concert Series. The show begins at 7:30 p.m., with the doors opening at 7:00 p.m. / Read more…

Aug. 15, 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 [email protected] Compiled by Jesse Wood / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. On Aug. 11, 2017, the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office received information that a registered sex offender with the last known registered address of 196 Pounding Mill Road, Warrensville, NC, was possibly living at a location in Watauga County. Additional information received was that the registered sex offender had been at that Watauga County location for approximately one month. / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. The Todd Fire Department lapsed on their insurance and any calls are being routed to surrounding fire departments such as Meat Camp and Deep Gap, according to Watauga County Commissioner Billy Kennedy. “We’ve had issues with the Todd Fire Department before. This is different,” Kennedy said on Tuesday morning. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. The archive contains 55,000 testimonies of survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust, the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda (1994), the Nanjing Massacre (1937), the Guatemalan Genocide (1978-1996), the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923) and the Cambodian Genocide (1975-1979). The testimonies were taken in 62 countries and 41 languages, and are fully indexed and searchable by the minute with 64,826 keywords, 718,940 images and 1,861,032 names. To mark the archive’s launch, a public lecture and seminar with Dr. Jared McBride of UCLA will be held 7 p.m. Aug. 28 in Belk Library and Information Commons Room 114. McBride is a Holocaust scholar specializing in the areas of Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe. He is a recipient of the USC Shoah Foundation Center for Advanced Genocide Research’s Greenberg Research Fellowship and has worked extensively with the Visual History Archive. His visit is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies together with the USC Shoah Foundation Center for Advanced Genocide Research. / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Institute for Health and Human Services (IHHS) at Appalachian State University announced a new route for the High Country Half Marathon scheduled for Aug. 26 at 7:30 a.m. Race director Mary Sheryl Horine stated, “Our race has a fantastic following of runners but not everyone is thrilled with the uphill finish. This year we’ve changed the route slightly in order to offer a long downhill finish for the last couple of miles!” / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. The Watauga County Arts Council announces the following opportunities of particular interest to artists. Further information about all of these opportunities is available at www.watauga-arts.org, by calling the Arts Council at 828-264-1789, or by visiting the Blue Ridge ArtSpace at 377 Shadowline Drive (at the corner of Shadowline and State Farm roads). These opportunities include open exhibitions, grants for artists, free workshops, arts placement services, frame sales, regional art exhibitions and so much more. / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. Bluegrass fans will have the opportunity to hear some of the region’s finest bluegrass music this Friday in downtown Boone as the Town’s Cultural Resources Department continues the 2017 Summer Concerts at the Jones House.  This years bluegrass showcase will feature three bands, including Never Too Late Bluegrass, Jonah Riddle and Carolina Express, and Surefire. / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. Lees-McRae Performing Arts will open its stage for fall production auditions on Wednesday, August 16, at 6:30 p.m. in Hayes Auditorium.
Students, faculty, staff and the public alike can audition for parts in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank. / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. The Watauga County Arts Council announces the following opportunities of particular interest to artists. These include exhibitions, grant opportunities for artists, workshops, craft sales and much more. / 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.

The Blowing Rock Civic Association Holds Round Table Discussion, Oct. 12

Avery and Beech Mountain Chambers August “After Hours,” Aug. 17

26th Annual Last Chance Golf Tournament, Oct. 2

26th Annual Overmountain Victory Celebration Held Sept. 14-17

CCC&TI Continues Carry Out Cuisine on Watauga Campus

Read more…
Compiled by Katie Benfield

Aug. 15, 2017. If you own mature forestland (or a nice wooded backyard) with a little slope, moist soil, and good drainage, ginseng may be a viable way to produce income from your underutilized woods. The High Country has ideal growing conditions for this valuable forest medicinal plant. / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. On Aug. 21, a solar eclipse will occur over the United States. Appalachian State University’s College of Arts and Sciences and Department of Physics and Astronomy have been working for months to share the experience with the campus and community. / Read more…

Aug. 15, 2017. Appalachian State Student, Robert Block, 20, announces his candidacy for North Carolina District 93. Mr. Block has been working diligently with the educators of this great state to craft a new and effective education plan that will raise teacher pay, increase the competency of students, and provide a more productive learning environment. / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. The new access for the Profile Trail at Grandfather Mountain State Park was dedicated on Friday with a ribbon cutting and remarks from those connected to the local state park and North Carolina’s state park system. Featured remarks came from Supt. Sue McBean; author Randy Johnson; Anne Fontaine, a park volunteer and resident of Seven Devils; Mike Murphy, director of N.C. State Parks; N.C. Sen. Deanna Ballard; and Susi Hamilton, secretary of Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. It’s almost time for the most special Railroad Heritage Weekend yet at Tweetsie Railroad. On August 26-27, 2017, history buffs and train enthusiasts will come together for a weekend-long event to celebrate the rich history of Tweetsie Railroad and the 100th birthday of locomotive No.12, fondly known as “Tweetsie.” Photo Courtesy of Tweetsie Railroad / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. On August 17, starting at 2 p.m., the annual Peter Pedroni Memorial Charity Golf Tournament will be taking place at the Boone Golf Club. In cooperation with Casa Rustica, the High Country Caregiver Foundation is looking for sponsorships, participants and other donations to raise as much money as possible to support the caregiving population throughout the community. By Katie Benfield / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. Paul Clark found his way to victory lane once again this season in Stock 8 action Saturday evening at Mountain View Speedway. Kenneth Brown of Mountain City wound up second and never was able to get close enough to Clark to mount a challenge. Dale White also of Mountain City rounded out the top three. / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. On August 21, the “Great American Total Solar Eclipse” will occur along a 70-mile wide path from Salem, Oregon on the West Coast to Charleston, S.C., on the East Coast. Below are releases that have been coming into High Country Press’ inbox leading up to the Great American Total Solar Eclipse. Compiled by Jesse Wood / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017We were first introduced to possessed doll Annabelle in 2013’s “The Conjuring,” where she was freaky, but inconsequential. She was spun off into her own prequel movie in 2014, which I didn’t see, but I’m told couldn’t scare a cockroach away from a spotlight. Now she’s getting another movie, a prequel to the 2014 one, which means the series is essentially going in reverse. We’re being told the story of how the doll first came to be possessed, as if it’s not obvious she’s evil based solely on her unsettling appearance.By Bob Garver. / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. Next Monday, a total solar eclipse will be visible from parts of North Carolina for the first time in more than 47 years. A little after 2:30 pm on August 21, skies will darken in the far southwestern part of the state for around two-and-a-half minutes. Across the rest of the state, a partial eclipse will be visible as the moon blocks 88% or more of the sun at the peak, with the exact coverage depending on your location. But just how visible will this eclipse be?  / Read more…

All gold everything for the 1st home game of the 2017 season! #AppNation make sure you wear gold on Sept. 9! #RQ2K17#Purpose pic.twitter.com/9aNCbF1AD9

— App State Football (@AppState_FB) August 11, 2017

Aug. 14, 2017. For the second time in the past three seasons, Appalachian State University football will don new, all-gold Nike uniforms for the Sept. 9 home opener against Savannah State at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN3. All fans are encouraged to wear gold with the Apps for the home opener as we hold a ‘Gold Out’ at Kidd Brewer Stadium.  / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. Executive Director Tina Krause, along with the Hospitality House Board of Directors will be hosting its annual Hope Luncheon on Friday, Aug. 18 in the heart of the High Country at Blue Ridge Mountain Club, where the Blue Ridge Mountains meet the Blue Ridge Parkway. / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. Green Valley Park’s Annual TubeFest Fundraiser will return to Big Hill Road on the New River, Saturday, August 26th, from 10 am to 4 pm. The cost of the fundraiser is $10 per tube per ride per person and includes the shuttle. Come dressed to get wet and wear water shoes or sandals. A hot dog lunch, snacks, and soft drinks will be available for purchase at the Park as well as individual local apples from Coffey’s Orchard at Coffey Grounds and Moretz’s Mountain Orchard. Since the Green Valley Park is an alcohol-free zone, please respect our family-friendly policies. Remember not to dump trash in the New River—especially not bottles. Trash and recycling containers will be available at the Park. / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. The State Board of Transportation today approved the 2018-2027 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), which is North Carolina’s transportation plan for the next 10 years. The plan includes 1,367 projects across all 100 counties and modes of transportation. A breakdown of project categories and other specifics about the plan can be found here. / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. he choir of St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church in Blowing Rock will present a concert to benefit the Watauga Children’s Council and the Watauga Humane Society on Saturday, August 19th at 4 pm in the nave of the church. The concert, affectionately called “KenFest”, is part of an annual homecoming weekend for current and former choir members and honors the memory of Dr. Ken McKinney, an internationally-known Geology professor at AppState University, and a founding member of the St. Mary’s choir. / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. We Can So You Can Foundation is thrilled to announce its upcoming production, Haunted Horn: Curse of the Wendigo.  This is a brand new immersive haunt, unlike anything the High Country has ever experienced. Auditions and Interviews for Curse of the Wendigo will be held on Saturday August 19th, and Sunday August 20th from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Hickory Ridge Living History Museum (Horn in the West). / Read more…

Aug. 14, 2017. The Back 2 School Festival took place this past Saturday, Aug. 12, assisting a record number of over 1,000 children while also providing 820 pairs of shoes and giving 200 haircuts. The event was geared towards providing children throughout the community with backpacks, school supplies and much more. / Read more…