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October/November Issue of High Country Magazine Available Now at Area Newsstands, Pick One Up Free

By Paul T. Choate

Oct. 8, 2012. The October/November issue of our High Country Magazine just got back from the printers over the weekend and is hitting area newsstands this week. This issue has stories on a wide array of topics, ranging from the High Country’s battle against the hemlock woolly adelgid to profiling the Watauga Gun Club, and a lot in between. This issue also provides an extensive fall calendar of events to help you plan ahead. 

In this issue:

Saying Farewell to the Hemlocks as We Knew Them (pg. 20)

Not so long ago, mighty eastern hemlocks dominated the landscape around Lees-McRae College and the surrounding community of Banner Elk. Around 2002, however, the giant living monuments were brutally attacked by vicious predators about the size of a pinhead, the hemlock woolly adelgid. Now most of the giant trees are spindly dead shells of their former glory. 

The Rodeo Way of Life (pg. 34)

While some middle school girls are watching Friday night football, playing basketball or having sleepovers, 12-year-old Addie Fairchild is rushing through a rodeo arena atop Can Man, her horse. 

The Ballad of Flamin’ Raymond (pg. 46)

For Flamin’ Raymond Pennington racing is more than just a hobby. It is his very identity and being. He began his racing career in 1988 in Boone driving a 1974 Chevrolet Nova in the Stock 8 division and has been tearing up the track for more than 20 years. 

Watauga Gun Club (pg. 58)

Situated on 30 acres off of Castle Ford Road, the Watauga Gun Club provides a scenic area to shoot guns, hang out with buddies and learn about gun safety on the range.

Haunted Watauga County (pg. 66)

In his new book, “Haunted Watauga County,” journalist and ASU graduate Tim Bullard recounts stories of the souls doomed forever to roam the mountains of the High Country. The book, a series of ghost tales and folklore, is both engaging and scary whether you are a believer or not.

Boone’s TaylorMade Golf Family (pg. 68)

Long-time golfers around Boone know the Taylor family and the mark they made on the golf course, but few know the family left an even greater mark on the area’s history and local economy. 

Mountain Echoes

This month’s Mountain Echoes include: a profile on our new site, HCPress.com, and how things have been looking up since we launched on Feb. 29, 2012; a profile on the High Country’s real estate market and its continued “boom” in recent months; a preview of the upcoming election, focusing on the local candidates; and a story about the upcoming Cranberry Festival in Shady Valley, which takes place Oct. 12 and 13. 

Parting Shot

To close out our October/November issue, we profiled an unusual autumn decoration that is becoming increasingly popular in the area — the white pumpkin — to accompany a photo by Jim Morton.

On the cover

Todd Bush provide us with the cover photo for this month’s issue. The view is from Wiseman’s View, looking into Linville Gorge. You can see more of Bush’s autumn shots and much more at his website.  Check it out at: www.bushphoto.com.


As always, our magazine is 100 percent free and focuses on topics that we hope you, our High Country family, will find interesting and entertaining. Thank you for reading us. 

To view the magazine online, visit hcpress.com/high-country-magazine-online.