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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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2026 Watauga County Unofficial Primary Winners

The following results are as of 9:09 pm with 20 out of 20 precincts reported. 16.39 % of the voters decided to cast a vote in the 2026 primary. 7,249 ballots have been cast in Watauga County out of the 44,224 registered voters. US Senate – Democrat Roy Cooper – 4,455 votes – 93.16% of the vote US Senate – Republican Michael Whatley – 1,591 votes – 68.08% of the vote US House District 5 – Democrat Chuck Hubbard – 3,277 – 70.28% of the vote US House District 5 – Republican Virginia Foxx – 1,689 votes – 70.29% of the vote NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 01 – Republican Matt Smith – 1,128 votes – 54.10% of the vote NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 03 – Democrat James Weldon Whalen – 2,822 votes – 61.86% of the vote NC District Court Judge District 35 Seat 1 – Republican Eric F. Eller – 1,555 votes – 73.38% of the vote Watauga County Board of Commissioners District 2 – Democrat Ray Russell – 605 votes – 51.36% of the vote Watauga County Clerk of Superior Court – Democrat Holly Fehl – 3,932 votes – 86.30% of the vote Watauga …

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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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Want to level up your WALK without adding time or intensity

February 17, 2026 Boone, NC – February 17, 2026 -First, posture and balance. When the load is evenly distributed across the torso, your body instinctively organizes itself. You stand taller. Your core engages more naturally. Your gait becomes more intentional. Walking the rolling hills of the High Country — even just around the neighborhood — becomes subtle balance training. Over time, that improves stability and proprioception, two things that become increasingly important as we age.

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Mountainfilm on Tour returns to Lees-McRae for High Country Film and Speaker Series 2025–26

February 17, 2026 Boone, NC – February 17, 2026 -This year’s Mountainfilm on Tour event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 21 in Hayes Auditorium on the college’s North Campus. Live music will begin at 6:15 p.m. with performances by Annie and Ellie Davis, students in the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music program at East Tennessee State University. The film screenings will follow at 7 p.m.

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App State’s Department of Government and Justice Studies to host Lab iMPACTLY Nonprofit Workshop April 9

February 17, 2026 Boone, NC – February 17, 2026 -Under the theme “The Future-Proof Nonprofit: AI-Driven Storytelling and Strategic Governance,” participants will explore how to navigate an era in which funding landscapes shift rapidly and digital tools are redefining engagement. By converging artificial intelligence with storytelling and pairing it with robust governance strategies, the workshop aims to offer a roadmap for organizations to not just survive the next decade, but to lead in community impact.

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Western Youth Network’s (WYN) mentoring program rolled strikes at its bowling party at High Country Lanes on February 9, 2026!  

February 17, 2026 Boone, NC – February 17, 2026 -Angela McMann, WYN Director of Mentoring, called the event “A beautiful opportunity to share with the community what mentoring is all about. This brought together so many aspects of the mentoring relationships. We are hopeful that some of the perspective volunteers will be able to pair up with some of the youth that were in attendance. This event was a tremendous success.”  

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