August 10, 2022 Letters to the Editor. BY Mark A. Murphy PhD, JD / During the pandemic, “Woke Political Indoctrination” and/or the concepts of Critical Race Theory and Identity Politics crept into the educational materials used by some of the teachers in the Watauga County Schools. This occurred with the financial support and approval of both the North Carolina state government and Watauga County Board of Education.
August 8, 2022. The Appalachian Theatre of the High Country is proud to collaborate with the Town of Boone to observe Doc Watson Day on Friday, August 19, 2022. This event is an annual celebration honoring the life and legacy of its namesake, Doc Watson. Due to the generous support of First Horizon, the App Theatre will host a live performance by Grammy Award-winner Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper at 7:30 p.m. at the historic venue in downtown Boone, NC. Tickets are only $25.
August 8, 2022 WAMY Community Action’s executive director Melissa Soto was celebrated for her thirty years of service at a surprise party held in her honor at The Beacon in Boone on Sunday, July 24. Staff, family, former clients and other supporters toasted Soto and spoke of her contributions to the organization and to the community. “Melissa is dedicated to the clients we serve and the staff she leads,” said Allison Jennings, director of development at WAMY. “She is a wonderful role model and inspires us all to do our best.” By Jan Todd
August 8, 2022. Two artists share Edgewood Cottage this week, Craig Franz who works in pastels and oils, and Robert Dennis, who creates Tromp d’Oeil images. A forty-two year resident of western North Carolina’s High Country, Frederick “Craig” Franz’s home in Avery County is a landscape artist’s dream. His home is at the foot of rugged Grandfather Mountain and on the northern border of the Pisgah National Forest. The High Country’s four full seasons provide Craig with unlimited inspiration from which to paint. Working in soft pastels and oils, his award-winning paintings are created both plein air and in the studio. Come meet Craig from August 8th through August 14th at Edgewood Cottage in Blowing Rock.
August 8, 2022 It’s almost time for one of Avery County and the High Country’s most anticipated yearly events– the Avery County Agricultural and Horticultural (A & H) Fair. Thanks to the collaboration of the Avery County Government and the community members who volunteer to operate it, this year’s Avery A&H Fair will run from Wednesday, September 7 through Saturday, September 10. It will be the fourth year that it will be hosted on the Heritage Park property since the completion of the county’s agriculture building on the site. Heritage Park is located at 661 Vale Road in Newland, which is approximately one-half mile behind the Ingles Markets Grocery Store. By Tim Gardner
August 7, 2022 High Country Caregivers Executive Director Jacob Willis told the Avery County Commissioners at their regular monthly meeting on August 1 in the County Administration Building in Newland about the existing programs the organization has in Avery County and upcoming programs that will be implemented with grant funding recently received. Willis noted that all these programs will greatly benefit Avery Countians who qualify for such assistance, as the commissioners Martha Hicks (Chairperson), Tim Phillips, Wood Hall (Woodie) Young, Jr., Blake Vance and Dennis Aldridge agreed. By Tim Gardner
August 5, 2022 The Blowing Rock Civic Association (BRCA) held its annual meeting on Thursday, August 4, 2022 at the famous Perry Car Barn in Blowing Rock. It was attended by several hundred members of this active community organization. The BRCA was started in 2015 by a group of citizens to promote and improve the quality of life in Blowing Rock by evaluating civic issues, educating and engaging residents on key issues, working with local government and the business community, and encouraging citizens to register to vote, to be involved and to vote in local elections in which a few votes can make a big difference.
August 5, 2022 The first annual Banner Elk Firehouse Fundraiser will feature a very entertaining musical, Always Nina: A Tennessee Story and Songbook. The show will be performed at Banner Elk Presbyterian Church on Thursday, August 25 at 7 PM, August 26 at 2 PM and August 27 at 2 PM. Admission is free. Members of the church are underwriting all costs, so 100% of donations collected at each show go directly to Banner Elk Volunteer Fire Rescue.
August 5, 2022 It’s that time again! Boone VFW Post 7031 invites everyone to come on out to a dinner and a show on Saturday, August 20 from 3-7 p.m. Renowned country chef Randy Blake will be cooking up a feast for the ages! Guests will be served their choice of 10oz ribeye loin, salmon, fried flounder, oysters (fried or raw), scallops along with baked potato or fries, a salad or coleslaw, and dinner rolls.
August 5, 2022 Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina is moving forward with its largest annual fundraiser, the Hope Luncheon, Friday August 19, 2022, at Blue Ridge Mountain Club. In conjunction with that event, there will be an online auction featuring over four hundred items valued at close to $150,000.
August 5, 2022 Approximately 1,900 students will head back to classes in Avery County Public Schools on Monday, August 15, to open the 2022-23 academic year. That first day of school will run the entire day. “We are very excited to welcome all staff and students back for the new academic year. A lot of preparation (by school officials, teachers and other employees) has taken place this summer in hopes of making the 2022-23 academic and sports year the best school year ever in Avery County,” said Schools Superintendent Dr. Dan Brigman, who was hired to the post by the then Avery Board of Education members in 2019. By Tim Gardner
August 5, 2022 The Avery County Solid Waste Department will have a one-day, Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on August 27. The annual event is considered one in which county residents can help protect the environment by properly disposing of household hazardous waste items, according to Avery County Manager Phillip Barrier, Jr. Avery County residents only may dispose of such items from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. in collection areas located behind the Avery Board of Education administrative offices in Newland. Signs will be posted at the roadsides there indicating the waste collection site, Barrier, Jr. added. By Tim Gardner
August 4, 2022. The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland.
August 4, 2022 The upper parking area of Watauga High School in Boone was transformed into a huge community block party on Tuesday, Aug. 2, as individuals of all ages and walks of life gathered for National Night Out. From 6-8 p.m., Watauga County’s Third Annual National Night Out was among thousands of similar events held across the country in an effort to bring communities together. The main purpose, and one that was obviously fulfilled locally this week, is to enhance the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement, while bringing back a true sense of community as we once knew it. It’s been happening across America since 1984, but only for the last three years has the High Country area participated in the effort. By Sherrie Norris
August 4, 2022 Allen Tate Realtors®, in partnership with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, has acquired Beverly-Hanks Realtors, the market-leading independent real estate brokerage headquartered in Asheville, N.C. and serving Western North Carolina. This announcement marks Allen Tate’s entry into the Asheville/Mountain region and the growth of a homegrown business as Beverly-Hanks joins a family of the nation’s top independent real estate brokers.
August 4, 2022 Are you interested in playing soccer? High Country Soccer Association is accepting registrations for youth players ages U6-U10 for the fall season. The U6, U8, and U10 Academy programs are designed to teach kids the fundamentals of soccer and prepare them for travel soccer. All Academy Soccer programs will be held at Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex on Brookshire Road in Boone. Each team will be assigned a licensed, paid coach. HCSA, which opened in 1986, offers soccer training to youth ranging from U6 to U18 and competes in the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association. HCSA also operates adult leagues and winter futsal youth training and summer camps. In all, HCSA has more than 600 youth players and more than 300 adult players from Avery, Ashe, Caldwell, Wilkes, and Watauga counties.
August 4, 2022 The King Street Farmers’ Market is hosting a Women in Leadership Day to highlight local women in leadership roles on Tuesday, August 9. The Watauga Women in Leadership will be tabling and bringing a game with lots of fantastic prizes and incentives, including Stick Boy gift cards, App State picnic blankets, mugs, and more.
August 4, 2022 Grandfather Mountain, the Linville, N.C., nature preserve operated by the nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, is inviting guests to gather around the campfire on Friday, Aug. 19 with retired N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Biologist Gordon Warburton to hear stories and firsthand accounts from an expert in the field of conservation.
August 4, 2022 Terminix Triad announced the 2022 recipients for the first annual George Ligon Scholarship. The scholarship was created in 2022 in memory of George Ligon, who worked at Terminix Triad for over 20 years. The 2022 recipients of the George Ligon Annual Scholarship include Adisyn Coleman, Alexis Davis, and Cassidy Spencer. Juanita Ellis, Executive Vice President of Terminix Triad said, “George was full of positivity and passion for our industry. He always made you feel important and genuinely cared about everyone on his team. We created this scholarship to honor George’s legacy and support the students within our Terminix family who exemplify these qualities in their pursuit of education.”
August 3, 2022 If you or your family have been contemplating making a difference in the lives of children — and are interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent — now is the time to discover how to make that happen. Watauga County Department of Social Services is hosting a virtual information session at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6, which allows you to participate from the comfort of your own home. It comes as no surprise that the numbers of foster children are constantly rising; in fact, in Watauga County alone, there were 86 children in foster care in January 2021, compared to 38 at the same time in 2018. By Sherrie Norris
August 3, 2022. By all accounts, this has been — and continues to be — a good season for growing gardens. My husband, Van, and I were distracted in the early spring with medical concerns and decided not to plant a garden this year, rather preferring a few plants in a small flower garden bed. Turns out, the wildlife have loved our decision and have devoured most of everything that sprouted from the ground. Our son has had good luck with his first attempts at gardening in our old plot, and thankfully good friends are enjoying bountiful harvests. That also means that we are not going hungry and are being blessed with the overflow. It’s truly a blessing to have a neighbor drop by with his delicious tomatoes and others willing to share from their labors. I believe that a gardener’s success (in life) can be measured by all that he gives away. Think about that. And hopefully, this hodgepodge of recipes will help you take care of some of those goodies that you’ve raised or otherwise received. By Sherrie Norris
August 2, 2022 The Avery County Sheriff’s Department is seeking the public’s assistance in the search for a missing teen. 16-year old female Milgiam S. Solis ran away from Crossnore School, Inc. on Friday, July 29, 2022, according to Avery Sheriff Mike Henley. Solis also goes by the name Susi Lopez.
August 1, 2022 Many people came out to enjoy listening to great music and eating delicious food at the inaugural Middle Fork Music Fest throughout the evening of Friday, July 29, at 194 Aho Road in Blowing Rock. Admission to the event was free; however, guests were encouraged to bring a box of cereal or eight to stock the shelves of Casting Bread’s food pantry. By the end of the night, 120 boxes were donated to increase food security in the community. Due to the weather forecast, activities were moved to the indoor venue, but that didn’t stop folks from having a good time. One audience member in the crowd who could be seen dancing the entire time was Lucinda Bowers, who is originally from Lenior, but has lived in Boone for 34 years. “I had a wonderful time!” she shared. “I loved it. I think the event was wonderful. I enjoyed the music; it was just awesome. I’m so glad I came.” By Harley Nefe
August 1, 2022. Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, is hosting its annual Animal Enrichment Day on Aug. 3 and invites guests to come see firsthand how Grandfather Mountain cares for its resident animals. The event, which allows visitors to watch enrichment demonstrations, talk directly with keepers and participate in family-oriented interactive games, is included with admission.
August 1, 2022. The Appalachian Theatre of the High Country is soliciting input from audience members and the general public to help select films to be shown in its Cinema Classics Series this fall. Four specific genres are scheduled for screening at the historic landmark on King Street in downtown Boone, with movie musicals scheduled for September and sci-fi films in October, followed by beloved westerns in November, with classic holiday movies slated for December.