June 29, 2018. U.S. Highway 421 is now open to traffic after repairs were completed on a leaking natural gas line. A social media post from the Boone Police Department alerted drivers to the road being reopened shortly before 5 p.m. A natural gas leak reported on Thursday evening forced the closure of U.S. Highway 421 at the New River Bridge near Bamboo Road. According to the Boone Police Department on Thursday, the road was expected to be closed “well into tomorrow (Friday).” Detour signs were provided to help motorists navigate around the closed road. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 2, 2018. For 40 years, the ACC Barnstorming Tour has been a mainstay of fun hoops action in the High Country or somewhere close by. This year, the tour makes a stop at Watauga High School on April 27. While the complete rosters have not been announced yet, the team will have several talented seniors representing the four ACC schools in North Carolina. N.C. State will have a trio of seniors playing, including leading scorer and Charlotte native Al Freeman. Joining him will be forwards Abdul-Malik Abu and Lennard Freeman. UNC will be well represented by Joel Berry, Theo Pinson and Aaron Rohlman. Duke standout guard Grayson Allen will be on the team as well. Other team players will come from Wake Forest University. The Demon Deacons list three seniors on their roster: Mitchell Wilbekin, Terrence Thompson and Troy Rike, although no players from Wake Forest have been confirmed on the ACC Barnstorming Tour roster. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 18, 2018. Join the Mayland Community College Foundation for a FREE ScieNCe Festival Celebration Star Party at the Bare Dark Sky Observatory on April 21. Free daylight activities and tours for the Earth to Sky Park and observatory begin at 5:30 PM at the observatory located at 66 EnergyXchange Drive in Burnsville. / Read more…

April 17, 2018. A long-standing tradition of presenting an annual musical production enters its 30th year for the Watauga High School drama department. This year, the Playmakers will be presenting “Cinderella Enchanted” starting this Thursday, April 19 and lasting through Saturday, April 21. The musical will take place each night at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at the school’s front office from now through opening day. Saturday’s showing will also feature an open gala celebrating 30 years of theater at Watauga High School. Those who have performed in the past are invited to attend. The gala will also honor the directors of the show, Sarah Miller and Zach Walker, who were presented with the North Carolina Theater Conference Excellence in Teaching Award. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 12, 2018. This Saturday, April 14, marks the official start of the dirt track racing season at Mountain View Speedway. The green flag will drop for the first race at 3 p.m. Prior to the racing action getting underway, fans are encouraged to come out and meet their favorite drivers from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. with a special driver meet and greet. Races at the track are always loads of family fun, especially for the children in attendance. This week there will be a bouncy house as well as face painting activities for the kids. A special corn hole contest will take place as well as many other events associated with the season opener. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 12, 2018. Kevin Hines, whose book “Cracked, Not Broken” is featured in the community reading program at the Watauga County Public Library, will be speaking at Boone United Methodist Church on Monday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. Hines is also the subject of the documentary “Suicide: The Ripple Effect” which details his attempt to take his own life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Miraculously, Hines survived the 220-foot jump attempt in September of 2000. He is the 36th known person to survive a jump off the bridge. Now his life has changed. Hines has become an author and a motivational speaker and works hard to promote mental health awareness all throughout the country. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 9, 2018. The Children’s Playhouse presents Playhouse BuildFest from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 14th at Watauga High School. This free event is part of the 2018 North Carolina Science Festival. There will be a “soft open” for kids with special needs from 9 am-10 am before the event opens to the general public at 10. Now in its fifth year, this free community event regular attracts 1200 kids and parents for a day of learning and fun. / Read more…

April 6, 2018. The “The Schaefer Center Presents…” performance series, a program of Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts and Cultural Programs, continues its 2017–18 season with a collaborative production of the Tony Award-winning best musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” at 7 p.m. on April 13 and 14, and at 2 p.m. on April 15 at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for Appalachian faculty/staff and retired faculty/staff, and $10 for students. / 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.

Mayland Community College Courses

Public Water and Sewer System Development Fee Act

Grandfather Mountain State Park 2018 Annual Wildflower Walks Free and Open to the Public

Public Comment Period on Proposal to Move Confederate Monuments to Close, 4/12

Mayland Community College Plant Swap, 4/28

Announcing: The First Ever Fundraising Event For Spirit Ride, 5/5

Watauga County Public Library, Author Visit Program: “Kirk’s Raiders”, 4/19

JAM Day Planned at Blue Ridge Music Center, 5/19

Ashe County Marathon Jam, 5/19

Caldwell Arts Council Call for Artists for “Art Around Caldwell Studio Tour” to be Held 6/23

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

April 4, 2018. 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

April 4, 2018. Where can you get all you can eat country breakfast for only $7?   Eggs, pancakes, bacon and country ham will be on the menu when the Boone Area Lions Club holds its annual Country Breakfast on Saturday, April 7 from 7:00 – 11:00 am in the Fellowship Hall of the First Baptist Church of Boone on King Street. All are invited to eat in or take out. Tickets are available at the door for $7 for adults and $4 for children 6 and under. / Read more…

April 4, 2018. Join Lees-McRae College in celebrating spring’s return to the mountains during the eighth annual Appalachian Heritage Week April 9–13. Sponsored by the Stephenson Center for Appalachia, the College will highlight coal mining and other unique aspects of mountain heritage throughout the week. / 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.

MerleFest Announces 2018 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest Finalists

Town of Boone Outside Agency Funding Notice

Invisible Theatre Pop Up Play, 4/6

Mayland Community College Star Party, 4/21

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

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.

Prestigious Full-Tuition Elizabeth McRae Scholarship Recipients Announced

Camp GOTR (Girls on the Run)

Watauga County Parks and Rec Pickleball for Seniors

High Country Local First Memberships- New!

Weekly Events at Lost Province Brewing Company, 4/4- 4/14

App State Emergency Siren Test, 4/4

Tweetsie Railroad Opening Day, 4/6

BRAHM’s Upcoming Events: Gentle Yoga, 4/6

Boone Area Lions Hold Country Breakfast, 4/7   

Watauga Humane Society’s Tour for Life Adoption Event, 4/8

BRAHM’s Upcoming Events: Traveling Smithonian through 4/28

Spirit Ride’s Kentucky Derby Fundraiser, 5/5

Upcoming Sparta Events, Starting in June

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

March 28, 2018. Easter Sunday will take place on April 1 this year. For those who are deciding how to celebrate Easter, here is a list of Easter Sunday Services and egg hunts to attend. Some egg hunts are taking place this coming weekend, others will take place on Easter weekend.  By Kate Herman / Read more…

March 29, 2018. Even the most avid cyclists will have their skill and endurance tested on the road in the annual High Country Cycling Classic. The date for the two-day event is set for April 7-8. This year’s event features two races, the Cove Creek Road Race on Saturday and the Mountaineer Criterium in downtown Boone on Sunday. The Appalachian State Cycling Team and Boone Area Cyclists, a non-profit organization that promotes cycling in the High Country, helped organize this event. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

March 29, 2018. Groundbreaking for the Watauga County Veteran’s Memorial on King Street started this week with a little over two months until the memorial will be dedicated on July 4. The High Country Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (HCCMOAA) still needs your help in completing the fundraising effort for the memorial. The sixth annual Military Officers Association of America Pancake Breakfast will take place on April 7 from 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. at Applebee’s Restaurant. Tickets will be available at the door. The proceeds fro this event will go towards the veteran’s memorial. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

March 28, 2018. 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

March 28, 2018. As the result of the dedication of hundreds of runners and community sponsors, The High Country Triple Crown donated $12,000 to Girls on the Run of the High Country at the annual Luck o’ the Lassie Celebration on March 18.  Local auctioneering legend Jesse Miller was honored as the sixth recipient of the Leigh Cooper Wallace Making a Difference Award during the celebration.
/ 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.

Writers Advocate to Speak in Boone, 3/31

Get a Taste of Technical Theatre with Wilkes Playmakers: Backstage Courses Series, March-May 

Appalachian Gastroenterology Will Join Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, April 1

Boone Area Lions Hold Country Breakfast, 4/7 

High Country Writers Guest Speaker, April 12

Day Trips With Watauga County Parks and Rec, April 18-May 25

Men’s Senior Softball League Signup, June- September

Caldwell County – Call For Artists – Caldwell Visual Artists Competition, Submission Deadline Mid June

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

March 26, 2018. Thanks in part to a heap of early-spring snow, the annual Meltdown Games at Appalachian Ski Mountain this weekend were a success, according to marketing director Drew Stanley. By Luke Weir / Read more…

March. 26, 2018. Susan Rivers will be the featured speaker at the regular meeting of the High Country Writers at the Watauga County Public Library on Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 10:00 am.  She will also be doing a reading and book signing at the library at 2 pm on April 12. The programs are free and open to the public. Her talk is titled Be Secret and Exult…Writing through the Doubt and the Difficulties.  “For the fiction writer toiling away in anonymity, the publishing world can often seem like a rigged game, inscrutable and impenetrable,” she said.  / 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, 3/25- 4/1

BRAHM Weekly Events, 3/27- 3/31

Appalachian Gastroenterology Will Join Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, 4/1

High Country Chapter of Military Officers Association of America Pancake Breakfast, 4/7

Extension Offers Hands-on Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation Workshop, 4/13

Blue Ridge Artisan Center Calls for Artists and Artisans in Northwest N.C. Counties to Take Part, Submission Deadline 4/19

Watauga Humane Society’s 4th Annual Raffle, 4/29

Ensemble Stage 2018 Professional Summer Season 

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

March 21, 2018. Easter Sunday will take place on April 1 this year. For those who are deciding how to celebrate Easter, here is a list of Easter Sunday Services and egg hunts to attend. Some egg hunts are taking place this coming weekend, others will take place on Easter weekend.  By Kate Herman / Read more…

March 21, 2018. 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

March 19, 2018. There’s a rule among movie buffs that there has never been a decent live-action adaptation of a video game. Not a single one. A scant few detractors will defend the original “Resident Evil” or “Mortal Kombat” movies, but even then the arguments are rarely more passionate than “it works as a guilty pleasure.” The Angelina Jolie-led “Tomb Raider” movies from the early 2000’s are certainly no exception to this rule, though the 2001 original is the highest-grossing video game movie of all time. This commercial success from nearly two decades ago has led Hollywood to excavate the character of Lara Croft and let her take another shot at representing the medium. By Bob Garver / Read more…

March 16, 2018. For those who wish to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, you can thank your lucky stars! By the luck of the Irish, slots are still available for floats and parade participation. The Town of Boone’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is scheduled to take place this Saturday, March 17 at 2 p.m., on King Street. All are encouraged to watch the parade. Candy and other goodies will be distributed by parade participants. By Kate Herman – Photos by The Jones House / 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.

Notice of Special Meeting, 3/21

The Banner Elk Easter Egg Hunt, 3/24

Banner Elk Seventh Day Adventist Health and Wellness Expo, 4/15

The Award-Winning Virginia Creeper Fest Returns to Abingdon, 4/28

Joint Kiwanis-Rotary Meeting, 6/12

Watauga County Democrats Saw Historic Increase in Precinct Meeting Attendance in 2018

High Country United Way Accepting Applications for Funding

NC Science Olympiad Results

Mayland Community College Classes

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

March 14, 2018. 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

Mar. 9, 2018. For those who love to shred, Appalachian Mountain Brewery’s Daniel Boone Rail Jam is taking place on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. ‘Rail Jam’ is an outdoor skiing and snowboarding competition in which the proceeds go to the Revamp the Amp project. There will be food and beverages available for purchase.  All are welcome to participate or spectate at the event. By Kate Herman / Read more…

Feb. 28, 2018. Who has the hottest lips in the High Country? During the first few weeks in February, Haircut 101 invited the community to compete in their Hot Lips Competition. Competitors paid one dollar, and kissed a napkin. A variety of lipstick colors and styles were used in order to select the most outstanding kiss. By Kate Herman – Photos by Ken Ketchie / Read more…

Feb. 28, 2018. 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

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.

Studio 140 is Show Casing Art at Sorrento’s Bistro on Weekends in March

Asheville Welcomes Elizabeth Smart, Where There’s Hope, There’s Healing, 3/8

High Country Lifelong Learners Movie Screening, 3/12

S.N.I.P.S of Watauga Humane Society Presents ‘Everything but the Kitchen Sink’, 3/17

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

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, 2/26- 3/10

Watauga Humane Society Event: Saint Paw-trick’s Day, 3/15

2018 BRAHM Gala: An Evening in Venice, 6/23

Watauga County Arts Council Vocal Music Scholarships Available

Read more…
Compiled by Kate Herman

Feb. 26, 2018. Black Mountain College was structured differently than most educational institutions at the time. In 1933, it was founded out of a desire for a more progressive education through the use of art, hands-on learning, close student-faculty interaction and critical thought. As an early example of a liberal arts college, this model has since spread throughout the U.S. and is used at Appalachian State University today. / Read more…