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Watauga County Signs Contract to Purchase Watauga Medics, INC for $1.7 Million

June 21, 2025 Watauga County has reached an agreement with Watauga Medics, Inc. for Ambulance
Services in Watauga County to become a County-Operated Service. At the June 17, 2025 regularly scheduled meeting, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of the assets of Watauga Medics, Inc. for $1.7 million. $1 million was for the purchase of all ambulances and equipment of Watauga Medics, and $700,000 for the purchase of Medic Base 2 located at 133 Boone NC 28607

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Highland Games Set to Return to Grandfather Mountain’s MacRae Meadows July 10 to 13

June 20, 2025 The long and storied tradition that is the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games returns to MacRae Meadows on Thursday, July 10, continuing through Sunday, July 13. This marks the 69th year for the beloved and historic celebration of Scottish ancestry and heritage, with the popular festival once again bringing a “wee bit o’ Scotland” to the High Country of North Carolina. “This year’s games are a great reason for folks to travel to the North Carolina High Country,” said Stephen Quillin, president of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.

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Voters Once Affiliated with Certain NC Political Parties to Be Moved to Unaffiliated Status

June 20, 2025 voters registered with four parties — Constitution, Justice for All, No Labels, and We the People — will be moved to unaffiliated status in the state’s voter registration database. When the 2024 general election was certified by the State Board, the Constitution, Green, Justice for All, No Labels, and We the People parties were no longer recognized as official parties in North Carolina because they failed to meet thresholds required by state law. Specifically, candidates for these political parties failed to receive at least 2% of the total vote for governor or president last November.

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High-Country Real Estate Market Report for May Shows Sales up 34% Over April Sales

June 20, 2025 The High-Country Real Estate Market, consisting of Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, and Watauga counties, saw 138 closed sales on single-family and condo/townhouse properties in May 2025, up 34.0% compared to April 2025.   Inventory was up 26.6% compared to April 2025. The combined closing total of sales for May 2025 was over 87.9 million compared to a closing total for May 2024 of $ 86.5 million. However, the combined median sales price for all four counties was $504,998 for May 2025, up 17.9% compared to May 2024. Hopefully, this is the beginning of an upturn for the High Country Real Estate market.

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Will Easter and Midlife Trip Bring High-Energy Americana to the Jones House on June 27

June 20, 2025 The Town of Boone invites you to enjoy an evening of live music on Friday, June 27, as part of the ongoing Summer Concerts at the Jones House series in downtown Boone. Music begins at 5:30 PM with Will Easter, followed by an electric set from Midlife Trip. Raised in a porch-picking family in western North Carolina, Will Easter crafts songs that are both heartfelt and hard-hitting. His lyrics explore themes of home, memory, and emotional honesty with plainspoken depth. From rollicking dance tunes like “River Song” to soul-stirring ballads such as “Carolina Home,” Will’s performances leave a lasting impact.

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Scottish Heritage USA Celebrates 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee on July 13th

June 19, 2025 Scottish Heritage USA is holding a special 60th Anniversary Gala Dinner on July 13 at the end of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games to celebrate the organization’s Diamond Jubilee. A festive dinner, traditional Scottish music and song by Tryon, NC Master Fiddler Jamie Laval and Scottish Heritage USA minstrel Colin Grant Adams, stories of Robert Burns from the National Trust for Scotland’s Learning Manager Chris Waddell, and recognition of Scottish Heritage USA’s decades of success will make this an evening to remember for all. The event will be held at the Best Western Mountain Lodge in Banner Elk from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. The reception and dinner costs $85 per person for members and $100 per person for non-members. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.ScottishHeritageUSA.org

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Summer Experiences at Grandfather Mountain – Beat the Heat and Have Some Fun

June 19, 2025 Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, is looking forward to the summer months on the mountain filled with daily programs, special experiences and an array of events. “The summer months are such a special time on the mountain,” said Jesse Pope, president and CEO of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. “Our programming offers guests unique opportunities to experience the mountain, and we are especially excited to welcome visitors back to the mountain after Hurricane Helene. The N.C. High Country is open for business and we eagerly anticipate a busy summer season.”

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Town of Boone Public Notices: Next Town Council Meeting and Town Board Openings

June 19, 2025 If anyone wishes to have an agenda item considered by the Boone Town Council at one of their upcoming regular meetings scheduled for Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at 9 a.m., and Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 6 p.m. it must be submitted to the Town Clerk by Friday, June 27, 2025, at 5 p.m. And the Town of Boone is currently soliciting applications from people who would like to serve on the following boards: Click Here

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P.B. Scott’s Music Hall Reunion and Round-Up Taking Place at Boonerang Festival this Saturday, 6:30 at the Jones House

June 16, 2025 It’s time for another P.B. Scott’s reunion! The famous Blowing Rock music hall closed some 40 years ago, but those who experienced it during its seven years in operation still can’t stop talking about it. There have been a number of reunions over the these past 40 years and another is on its way at Jones House during this year’s Boonerang Festival, taking place this weekend, June 19th through the 22nd. The Boonerang Festival takes place in and around downtown Boone. Festival organizers added a spot on the calendar for the P.B.’s reunion and get together on Saturday June 21st at 6:30pm at the Jones House.

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Local Edward Jones Financial Advisor, Jason Sirmon, Receives Spirit of Caring Award

June 17, 2025 Jason Sirmon, longtime Edward Jones financial advisor whose office is located in Boone, recently received his firm’s exclusive Ted Jones Spirit of Caring Award for his community response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. The award, designed to recognize those financial advisors who exemplify the values, culture, and spirit of giving back, was presented to Sirmon during the firm’s annual regional dinner in Hickory on May 3.

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Watauga County Republican Women’s Club Next Monthly Meeting is Wednesday, June 25

June 17, 2025 The Watauga County Republican Women’s Club (WCRWC) will have its next monthly meeting on Wednesday June 25 at the Dan’l Boone Inn, 130 Hardin Street, Boone. Lunch at 11:30 AM, with a meeting at noon. All interested in furthering the Republican cause in the High Country are welcome to attend and are invited to join. Call 828/832-6864 for more information. The WCRWC usually meets the last Wednesday of the month. See us on Facebook and learn more.

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On the Blue Ridge Parkway, The Bluffs Restaurant at Doughton Park to Open June 20

June 17, 2025 The Bluffs Restaurant at Doughton Park, milepost 241 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, will reopen for the season on Friday, June 20. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday through Sunday. Visitors can reach Doughton Park via US 21 as road repairs are now complete on the stretch of the Parkway north of the restaurant. Access from south on the Parkway via NC 18 is closed as the National Park Service continues extensive road work funded by the Great American Outdoors Act.

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Sculptures, Stories and Stunning New Exhibits at An Appalachian Summer

June 17, 2025 Engage, discover, and connect through the arts during the 41st season of An Appalachian Summer, presented June 28-July 26 by App State’s Office of Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources. In partnership with the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, App Summer showcases the visual arts through intriguing exhibitions, a juried guided tour of captivating sculptures, and a series of behind-the-scenes chats with visual and performing artists. Each of these events is free and open to the public. For more information, visit appsummer.org.

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“No Kings” Protesters Gathered Saturday Afternoon on King Street in Boone

June 16, 2025 Saturday’s Boone protest was entirely peaceful and many, if not most attendees carried handmade signs expressing colorful feelings toward the actions of the Trump administration, which they perceive as being increasingly authoritarian. One Town of Boone Police Officer estimated the crowd to be at approximately 150 people. When asked if everything  had been “peaceful and quiet” throughout the protest he responded “well, definitely peaceful, but definitely not quiet”. Many of the protesters carried American flags, both large and small and, somewhat ironically, all of King Street in Boone was lined with large American flags as June 14th was also Flag Day. By Lorry Mulhern

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Movie Review: “How to Train Your Dragon” Now Playing at Boone Regal

June 16, 2025 After three weeks of domination by the Disney live-action remake “Lilo & Stitch,” it’s time for the top spot at the domestic box office to be taken over by the Dreamworks live-action remake “How to Train Your Dragon.” It feels like it’s too soon to do a remake of a movie from only 15 years ago (Disney has yet to do one from inside of 20 years), but the studio has to promote a new attraction at the Universal Orlando theme park. Movies are always a business, of course, but this one’s existence seemed to be especially motivated by money-grubbing. Fortunately, the quick turnaround means that some of the creative voices of the original, like writer/director Dean DeBlois (also a writer/director of the 2002 “Lilo & Stitch”) are still around to work on this movie, leading to much of the original’s charm being retained. 

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Ribbon Cutting for the Lower Hardin Creek Restoration Project is June 23rd at 2:00 pm

June 16, 2025 On June 23rd, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., the Town of Boone will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Lower Hardin Creek Restoration Project. Attendees can meet in the Watauga High School Parking Lot near the football field starting at 1pm. Participants can either walk down or there will be shuttle service available to the event site. After many years of planning and grant writing, the project marks a significant step toward restoring ecological balance in the area. It successfully restored 2,500 feet of Hardin Creek by stabilizing the stream bed, reconnecting the stream to its natural floodway, and enhancing aquatic and terrestrial wildlife habitats.

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App Summer: The Helene and Stephen Weicholz Global Film Series Feature Movies That Shine a Light on the Many Paths to Happiness

June 16, 2025 Seeking to broaden perspectives, plumb universal emotions, and explore the world at large, An Appalachian Summer’s Helene and Stephen Weicholz Global Film Series showcases four award-winning and critically acclaimed international films. This year’s set of films hails from Iceland, Lebanon, Thailand, and Sweden. United by the theme of family, the movies take personal yet universal looks at the fragility and tenacity of familial relationships when tested by adversity.

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LETTER: End of Empire

June 16, 2025 Letters to the Editor. By Craig Dudley / “I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country’s most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscleman for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.”- two time medal of honor winner, general Smedley Butler. Nothing has changed since Butler’s days. We attack anyone we want and justify it on our own authority. We support any of ‘our friends’ doing the same as we now see in Palestine. We vote for peace, and we get war.

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Jeff Corwin Joins Grandfather Mountain Speaker Series Lineup, Slated for Aug. 7

June 16, 2025 Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, has announced that tickets for the Aug. 7 event, “Grandfather Presents: Jeff Corwin,” are on sale now. The event will be hosted in the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery, where guests will experience a “night at the museum” atmosphere, the speaker presentation and book-signing/“meet-and-greet” opportunities.

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Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation Announces Annual Membership Meeting June 26

June 16, 2025 The Annual Membership Meeting of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation will be held at the cooperative’s corporate headquarters at 1216 Blowing Rock Blvd. in Lenoir, on Thursday, June 26th, at 4 pm. During the annual meeting, business reports will be delivered from key Board officers and cooperative staff. These reports, including director election results, will also be shared on the cooperative’s website and social media after the annual meeting. Members wanting to simply watch the meeting can do so by livestream on the Blue Ridge Energy YouTube channel. A video of the meeting will also be posted on the cooperative’s website.

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Mortimer’s Craft Butchery Set to Open in Blowing Rock Early July Amid Community Excitement

June 13, 2025 AJ Nowell has worked “in meat” for 20 years. And for nearly 15 of those 20 years he has dreamed of owning his own butcher shop. And in early July, AJ, and his wife and business partner, Ashley, will realize their dream, when Mortimer’s Craft Butchery opens in the former Papa Joe’s pizza restaurant on Valley Blvd, in Blowing Rock. AJ began his journey in the field working as what is known in the industry as a “meat cutter”, which most consumers might recognize as those folks one sometimes gets a peak of through the glass windows of many grocery store meat departments. These meat cutters typically work with what are already somewhat processed cuts of meat. By Lorry Mulhern

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2025 Blowing Rock Tour of Homes Highlights “Who Is My Neighbor?” on Friday, July 25th

June 13, 2025 The 67th annual Blowing Rock Tour of Homes returns this year with a very special focus on the question “Who is my neighbor?” in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, and the forest fires that followed across much of the region feeding on the downed trees from that epic storm. Blowing Rock itself was spared the devastation witnessed across the rest of western North Carolina, and four of its lovely homes have opened their doors to help fund recovery and rebuilding efforts.  Tour co-chair John Jordan explained, “Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan shows that a neighbor is anyone in need whom you are able to help. It can be anyone, even those you might not consider your ‘neighbors’ in the traditional sense.”

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App State’s Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies Announces Recipients of 2024–25 White Rose Student Research Conte

June 13, 2025 Appalachian State University’s Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies (CJHPS) has announced the recipients of its inaugural White Rose Student Research Contest. The contest, supported through a grant from anonymous donors, is an annual program dedicated to teaching deep learning on the Holocaust and promoting historical rigor. The contest encourages teachers to advise eighth through 12th grade students on writing an essay based on a pre-established topic relating to the Holocaust, which changes each year. The 2024–25 topic was “Americans and the Holocaust,” which explored America’s role in ending the Holocaust and helping the victims.

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Grandfather Mountain Releases 2025 Grandfather Presents Speaker Series Lineup

June 11, 2025 Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, is gearing up for an exciting reprise of its Grandfather Presents speaker series in 2025. This season’s Grandfather Presents roster has an emphasis on those who make it their life’s mission to highlight the challenges, opportunities and good work happening around exploration, nature and conservation. The lineup includes:

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