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Lees-McRae College Celebrates Record Growth and Retention for 2024–25 Academic Year

August 27, 2024 With more than 900 students enrolled for the Fall 2024 semester, Lees-McRae College has seen a year of record growth and retention and boasts the most students on campus since 2005. The college’s student body has increased by nearly 100 students since the start of the 2023–24 academic year, with impressive growth across the college’s main campus and online and distance learning programs. This growth reflects both improved enrollment numbers and an improved retention rate, which has increased to 69% this year, up from 62% in the 2023–24 year.

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Groovy Nights 2024 Videos! – Show Stopping Performances to Benefit the Blowing Rock Community Foundation: See Videos Here!

August 26, 2024 The Blowing Rock Community Foundation presented its long running benefit “Groovy Nights” over three nights in August at the Blowing Rock Country Club. Thirteen acts took to the stage to lip sync their way through hilarious skits that entertained sold-out audiences. Groovy Nights started with an idea from Karen Curlin in 2008. This was the 13th year of performances.

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Blowing Rock Designated an Outdoor NC Trail Town; One of 15 Featured Destinations

August 23, 2024 The Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority (TDA)  is thrilled to announce Blowing Rock’s designation as an Outdoor NC Trail Town.   The newly launched Outdoor NC Trail Town Guide celebrates towns across the state who are dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and cultural heritage of their destination while fostering a strong sense of place. This pilot edition features 15 destinations and includes a variety of activities – walking, hiking, biking, cycling, paddling, horseback riding and driving – to welcome enthusiasts of all abilities. Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit NC, commends the 15 destination partners for connecting visitors and residents to experiences that reflect a strong sense of place.

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Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Introduces 2024 Spirit of Boone Community Award Winners 

August 22, 2024 The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce will hold Spirit of Boone, its 75th Annual Membership Gathering on Thursday, September 12, 2024, at Grandview Ballroom at Appalachian State’s North End Zone Facility. The Chamber will honor its 2024 Community Award winners as part of this event. Nine local leaders and businesses are recognized for their accomplishments over the past year, each blending professional achievements with a spirit of resiliency that has served as a driving force throughout the business community this year. Meet your 2024 Spirit of Boone Community Award Winners!

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Sherrie Norris Lovin’ Spoonful Cooking Column: Summer Peach Season Winding Down


August 21, 2024 . Those succulent late-summer delicious peaches are gradually coming to their local seasonal end. And what a season it’s been. Thanks again to great neighbors for offering to bring us some from the lowlands; we have really enjoyed those tasty treats. Peeled, sliced into cereal, combined with other fruit for a healthy salad, enjoyed with cottage cheese, in a cobbler, bread, muffins or simply eaten alone, a peach is definitely high on the list of summertime favorites. So, anything goes. And, of course, they can be preserved for later use in freezer bags and canning jars, made into preserves, pie filling and more. But, they’re never as good as in their fresh, just-picked ripened state; our granddaughter proved that to be true as she recently told us, “I ate a whole peach with its fuzzy cover and all.”  Hope you can find yours while they’re still available at local produce markets — and enjoy every single bite, with or without the fuzz. By Sherrie Norris

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LETTER: Reply to Ms. Smith

August 16, 2024 Letters to the Editor. By Craig Dudley / Years ago when I first came to town I got entangled in a back and forth letter exchange with a Mr Ron Bill. It lasted until he got tired of it as he never could defeat any of my evidence or historical reference. I challenge anyone to debate on my awareness of history and geography. Few would rise effectively to the occasion. Because someone prints some allegations in an attempt to refute my points doesn’t make their words true. Its been a hobby of mine for seventy years to read those subjects. To go the mile towards proof that would satisfy, perhaps, ms Delores Smith would generate a small book so I’ll provide a few here.

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Ashlee Yepez’s Journey at Watauga Humane Society Lead Her to Position as Director of Operations

August 15, 2024 Ashlee Yepez started her journey at Watauga Humane Society 11 years ago as a valued member of the kennel team. After several months, she quickly realized she had a lot more to offer and set out to soak in all the knowledge she could. She absolutely loves to learn, so any downtime she had was spent around the front desk soaking it all in and helping on busy days. From there, it snowballed, and she quickly found herself cross-trained in almost every department. 

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LETTERS: A Response to “On Our Way to World War Three”

August 12, 2024 Letters to the Editor. By Delores Smith / All letters to the Editor are the opinion of the writer. Some letters are testy, some are cheerful, and some are purely vile.  Absolutely vile. Such is the case with the recent Letter submitted to the High Country Press by Mr. Craig Dudley (“On our way to world war three”). As a human being, a citizen of these great United States of America, and a resident of Blowing Rock I simply cannot permit his abhorrent “opinion” to stand unchallenged.

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LETTERS: BRCA Wants It Both Ways

August 9, 2024 Letters to the Editor. By Joe Amoroso /  In support of Mr. Miller’s letter in HC Press yesterday about the BRCA and it’s other “concealed” partners, I wish to point out that there is a very descriptive acronym to describe what is going on:  NIMBY (Not In My BackYard).  Generally NIMBY’s don’t want  anything in THEIR neighborhoods that bothers them, reduces property values, is something they disagree with in principle, and whatever else simply annoys them.  They do not, however, have a problem with putting those things in any other neighborhood.  Our NIMBY’s have over time gotten together to oppose several small developments in their neighborhoods through lobbying, legal action, and other means.  So far their efforts have been successful.  We’re seeing them now opposing something that is the Town’s best  choice, both economically and functionally, to solve the serious problem of poor communications of our police, fire and EMT services.

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Historic Shull Family Estate Dating Back to 1850, Now Available for Sale at $3.5M

August 8, 2024 Whispering Waters Estate, a historic and enchanting property located at 274 Shulls Mill Road has entered the market. Priced at $3,495,000, this is a rare opportunity to own a piece of North Carolina history. Featuring breathtaking Grandfather Mountain views and over 1,500 feet of river frontage along the Watauga River, the sprawling estate is marketed exclusively by Morgan Beck Herdklotz of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty’s Banner Elk office. The listing details may be viewed here.

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Boone Heritage Monument Construction Begins; Honors the Development of Boone

August 6, 2024 A community-based project created by famed artist, Brenda Councill is well underway. The design includes life-size bronze portraits of representative pioneers that will crown the top of the stone monument and be placed along the King Street corridor at the Dan’l Boone Inn. Families, businesses and organizations will be prominently and permanently displayed on four large bronze plaques. As early as 1823 Councill’s Store and Post Office existed on maps, but the settlement was renamed Boone in 1849 and finally incorporated as the county seat in 1872. Even the founders agreed to rename the town after Daniel Boone, whose love and skill for hunting and whose pioneering spirit led others to join him in the lush mountain region of North Carolina, including present-day Watauga County. 

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Grandfather Mountain June Weather Report; Second-Driest June on Record

July 31, 2024 June 2024 was the second-driest June on record for Grandfather Mountain, according to data recorded at the park’s official weather reporting stations. The average high temperature for June 2024 was 65.34 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average low of 55.68 degrees and a mean of 60.51 degrees. The warmest temperature recorded last month was 74.5 degrees on June 26, more than 7 degrees shy of the mountain’s record June high of 82 degrees, observed June 1, 2011, and June 9, 2008. Generally, June sees spring-like weather conditions continue on Grandfather Mountain, with slightly warmer, summertime temperatures starting to arrive.

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Blue Ridge Fiber Guild Featured as Artists in Residence at Edgewood Cottage

July 25, 2024 – The Blue Ridge Fiber Guild is thrilled to announce its participation in the Artists in Residence program at Edgewood Cottage from August 5 to August 11. Located at 115 Ginny Stevens Ln, Blowing Rock, NC 28605, this event offers a week of seeing great handmade art, shopping, and community engagement. Guild members will showcase textile and fiber art, mixed media work, and wearables. In addition to the guild’s diverse array of fiber art, the event will also feature ceramics artist Alysa Cantor, adding another layer of creativity and craftsmanship to the program. All items on display will be available for purchase.

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2024 Tommy Burleson Basketball Camp Termed Another Success

July 23, 2024 The 2024 Tommy Burleson Basketball Camp held July 15-19 at the Old Rock and adjacent auxiliary Newland Elementary School gymnasiums in Avery County was termed a success by its namesake. Burleson said to High Country Press: “The camp had 85 combined male and female attendees from the third through the ninth grade this year.  While that is less than a year ago when it had a record number of attendees, it was still one of our highest numbers as well as one of the best camps I’ve hosted. All the players possess good basketball skills.  Some are already really good players and all have the potential to become excellent players as they have the needed physical and technical tools to do so. By Tim Gardner

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Movie Review: “Twisters” Now Playing at Boone Regal

July 18, 2024 It’s usually at the end of the review that I talk about a film’s MPAA rating, but I’ll twist it up for “Twisters.” Or rather, for its 1996 predecessor “Twister” and its all-time terribly-worded rating justification. The film was rated PG-13 for “intense depiction of very bad weather.” Yes, the depiction was intense, and yes, the weather was very, very bad, but those twisters were so violent and destructive that “weather” seems like the wrong word to describe them. They may as well have used the term “extreme windiness.” The twisters are similarly violent and destructive in “Twisters,” which is much more sensibly rated PG-13 for “intense action and peril, some language and injury images.”

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