September 7, 2023 Wilkes Agricultural Fair runs from Wednesday, Oct. 4 through Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Worth Evan Tomlinson Rotary Fairgrounds, just off U.S. 421 Business Bypass beside West Park in North Wilkesboro.The Rotary Club of North Wilkesboro will sponsor the event.
September 7, 2023 Trade Mill Native Heritage Days will be held on September 16th and 17th. Admission is $5.00 for 5yrs and older, 4 yrs and younger free. The event will be held at 228 Modock Rd Trade TN. There will be live music, vendors & food trucks.
September 4, 2023 The 41st annual New River Canoe Race and Family Float will be held on Saturday, September 23, in Jefferson, come rain or shine. This Ashe County tradition has typically been sponsored by Friends of High Country State Parks in previous years; however, this year is New River Conservancy’s first time organizing the event. By Harley Nefe
September 4, 2023 The Watauga County Republican Women’s Club (WCRWC) will have its next monthly meeting on Wednesday, September 27th at the Dan’l Boone Inn in Boone, NC. The meeting will begin 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 normally meets on the last Wednesday of each month.
September 1, 2023 As we near the end of our 2023 Summer Exhibition Series at the Art Cellar, our walls will feature regional artists Carolyn Blaylock and Lisa Stinson. This curated show hearkens back to a previous Art Cellar blog published in February. This blog, 2023 Design Trends Report, detailed our own Gallery Staff’s opinion on this year’s biggest upcoming trends in the world of art and design; from Maximalism to a Barbie Pink summer, Salon-style walls, experimental colors, and more. Lisa and Carolyn’s exhibition exemplifies these trends to a tee. A harmonious blend of styles has created a truly magnificent show absolutely bursting with color and texture.
September 1, 2023 The Watauga County Historical Society (WCHS) is pleased to announce that Terry Harmon will be presenting on his forthcoming book, Convoluted: The 1972 Durham Family Triple Homicide, as part of its quarterly speaker series. This presentation, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the annual meeting of the WCHS on Wednesday, September 6, at 5:30pm at the Watauga County Public Library’s Community Room. It will also be available on Facebook Live at the Digital Watauga Facebook page. Light refreshments will be served for those attending in person. The presentation will occur following a brief business meeting of the WCHS.
September 1, 2023 It’s a milestone that we’d rather not have to celebrate, but 10 years of remembering heroes shouldn’t be ignored, either. Every year following the tragic death of Deputy William Mast Jr. who died in the line of duty on July 26, 2012, the High Country has come together at a walk/run to honor his memory, and sadly enough, that of other public servants who have since lost their lives through tragedies or natural causes. By Sherrie Norris
August 31, 2023 From Deep South juke joints to international venues to outdoor stages here in the High Country, the King Bees have been belting the blues for 36 — or maybe 37 — years. “I’m no good with dates,” said Penny “Queen Bee” Zamagni, lead singer of the renowned band she began with her husband, Rob “Hound Dog” Baskerville in the mid-1980s. The two have traveled the world sharing their American roots music, recording and touring in European capitals and across the United States, playing with blues icons, and appearing at New York’s famed Lincoln Center — but they always come back to Ashe County and the mountains they call home. By Jan Todd
August 31, 2023 LINVILLE, N.C. – Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, will once again host its Creatures of the Night & Bonfire Delight event this fall. The after-hours program allows guests to embrace their nocturnal side and enjoy rare after-dark tours, fireside tales and a chance to meet the park’s nighttime residents.
August 30, 2023 On Thursday, August 31st, the Hospitality House of Boone is hosting the third installment of their four-part “Savor the Summer” food truck rodeo series. The event is completely free and includes four food trucks along with a free farmers’ market with produce grown in Hospitality House’s own on-site organic garden, food prepared in their kitchen, and games and activities for kids and adults. By Zack Hill
August 29, 2023 One of the North Carolina High Country’s most anticipated yearly events– the Avery County Agricultural and Horticultural (A&H) Fair will run from Wednesday, September 6 through Saturday, September 9 at Heritage Park (Avery County Fairgrounds), located at 661 Vale Road in Newland. By Tim Gardner
August 28, 2023 Lee Harper has added “painter” to her resume of renowned dancer, choreographer, and founder/director of the acclaimed Atlanta dance company and school, Lee Harper & Dancers. Lee’s oil paintings reflect “dancing on the canvas” and are full of motion and heavily pigmented color, brimming with vibrant energy. Lee thinks of her art (dance and painting) as a celebration of nature, of the human spirit, and of life.
August 25, 2023 On Saturday, September 2, the Avery County Agriculture & Horticulture (A&H) Fair will hold its fifth annual Draft Pull on the Avery Extension Service Fair Grounds, located at Heritage Park, 661 Vale Road in Newland. By Tim Gardner
August 23, 2023 In 1994, a wise decision was made to stretch the state fair atmosphere to the western region of North Carolina. The drive to Raleigh for the annual state fair was just too much for many folks in the far-reaching mountain areas. Thanks to the wisdom and foresight of event leaders, the N.C. Mountain State Fair became its own venue — and has grown tremendously since its early days. The fair draws about 190,000 people to the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher each year. By Sherrie Norris
August 22, 2023 Hospitality House is excited to announce the third in a four-part “Savor the Summer” Food Truck Rodeo series, fun-filled community events featuring multiple food trucks, local food prepared in their Community Kitchen, games, activities, and a free farmers market featuring produce from their organic gardens. The event, and everything in it, is completely free and will take place on Thursday, August 31st in the upper parking lot of 338 Brook Hollow Road from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
August 22, 2023 The Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce’s Community, Government & Education Committee in partnership with the Town of Blowing Rock invite all residents and business owners to attend the annual State of the Town event Thursday, August 24th at 5:30 pm at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum (BRAHM) in the Community Meeting Room.
August 21, 2023 This summer marks the 20th anniversary of the Reading and Rolling program administered by the local library through which students in some of Watauga County’s rural areas receive books to read during their school break. By Sherrie Norris
August 21, 2023 VALLE CRUCIS, NC — The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) of Holy Cross Church in Valle Crucis are holding a “Hidden Treasures” sale in the church parish hall at 122 Skiles Way, Banner Elk on Saturday, August 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Benefitting the mission work of the church, the sale is designed to be an organized, well-curated version of the rummage sales that the churchwomen hosted in the past.
August 21, 2023 VALLE CRUCIS, NC – The Old Hickory Council of the Boy Scouts of America is pleased to announce “The Re-start of Cub Pack 160” from 3 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 27, 2023, in Johnson Hall at the Valle Crucis Conference Center.
August 21, 2023 It’s Modern Quilt Week at Edgewood Cottage! If you’re a quilt person, or would like to become one, this is your week, from August 21 through August 27.
August 17, 2023 CHECK, VA — Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) approved Hill Holler LLC’s Stormwater Management Plan for the development of FestivalPark, the new home for FloydFest, on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. This final approval means FestivalPark will be ready to welcome patrons for FloydFest 24, set for July 24 to 28, 2024.
July 17, 2023 BLOWING ROCK, NC — Hickory, NC native and longtime Blowing Rock summer resident, Lee Harper, will return as Artist-in-Residence at Edgewood Cottage for the week of Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2023. Harper will be at the cottage each day of her residency from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. to discuss and sell her work. She will also paint new works while onsite. (www.leeharperfineart.com) This will be Harper’s eighth year as Artist-in-Residence at the cottage, located on Main Street in Blowing Rock, and she will again share the space with fellow artist and friend, Tunde Afolayan Famous, whose talent and work are well-known to the Blowing Rock community (www.tundevisualart.com).
July 16, 2023 On Friday, September 1st at the Beech Mountain Farmers’ Market expect a little more “corning around” than usual.As our local farmers show off their summer produce, the Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire and Police Departments will toss it up during the Town’s Annual Cornhole Challenge. In addition, Mookie’s Kettle Korn will give away 100 Free Samples to celebrate the corn harvest.
August 14, 2023 The Watauga County GOP is hosting a Lincoln/Reagan dinner August 19, at the American Legion in Blowing Rock. Meet and Greet at 5:30PM.Featured speakers are Texas Congressman Chip Roy, District 21 and Paul Newton, NC Senate Majority Leader, District 34. Tickets $40 with limited seating. Call (828) 773-8182.
August 14, 2023 High Country Caregivers, a local non-profit organization aimed at providing support to kinship caregivers and their families, partnered with author Lisa Novick Goldberg to host a fundraiser. The well attended luncheon, held at Appalachian View in Newland, raised funds for High Country Caregivers through a book signing and Q&A with the author Lisa Novick Goldberg. Novick Goldberg’s memoir, “The Apple and the Shady Tree”, details how generational mental illness and her familial relations to the Mafia profoundly shaped her life.