Valle Crucis Archives

Holy Cross Valle Crucis Announces Public Events for July 19 Centennial Celebration 1842 Episcopal Mission Honors the 100th Anniversary of its Current Church Building

July 3, 2025 One hundred years ago, in 1925, the Episcopal faith community in and around Valle Crucis laid the foundation for the stone church and built a new spiritual home for the original mission that had been established in 1842. This is the centennial year of the current location of Holy Cross Episcopal Church and its signature red front door, and the parish will commemorate this blessed anniversary with a series of public events that celebrate its worship and ministry, plus four of its most cherished venues: the historic 1862 St. John’s Chapel on the lower Watauga River, the venerable 19th century Bishop Ives Cabin, the former 1910 mission school now known as the Valle Crucis Conference Center (VCCC), and the gothic revival architecture and adornments of Holy Cross Church itself, consecrated in 1925

January 29, 2024 The Valle Crucis Parent Teacher Student Organization is hosting the 2nd Annual Valentines in the Valle On-Line Silent Auction from Wednesday, January 31st until Wednesday, February 7th at 11:59pm. Currently, over 50 items, including high country experiences, local dining options, unique retail opportunities, art, and high quality items created by Valle Crucis School’s own enrichment programs are listed on the website. Valentines in the Valle is one of the PTSO’s biggest fundraisers.

October 19, 2023 VALLE CRUCIS, NC — Entertainment for the Valle Country Fair coming up Saturday, October 21, includes six musical groups performing on the main stage next to the dining tent and eight groups of dancers, story tellers and singers on the lower stage next to the children’s activity area.Tom and Pamela Shirley of Boone will open the show on the main stage shortly after the opening prayer at 9:00 am. “It is just such a neat spiritual thing to be the act that opens the Fair,” says Shirley. “It is a time when I get to share my heart.”

October 11, 2023 VALLE CRUCIS, NC — When you think about fall festivals you think about crafts, music and FOOD! At the foremost of Northwestern North Carolina’s fall festivals, the Valle Country Fair in Valle Crucis, NC, food is more than just something to think about. At the Valle Country Fair, FOOD is the reason to arrive early and to stay late!

October 4, 2023 VALLE CRUCIS, NC — Thirty-two High Country artists are among the 140 exhibitors chosen to sell their creations at the 45th annual Valle Country Fair coming up Saturday, October 21. The work they will be offering for sale is all original to the artist, handcrafted and/or artistically created by the exhibitor.

September 26, 2023 VALLE CRUCIS, NC — Attend the Valle Country Fair and you’ll experience a fall harvest festival that celebrates hand-made crafts, home-cooked food and live mountain music. But permeating the festivities is a spirit of caring and generosity that calls hundreds of members of the Valle Crucis community together to raise monies that are used to help our neighbors in need.

September 19, 2023 VALLE CRUCIS, NC — “The Fair was an idea that came from our beloved Polly Capps,” said Dedy Traver, a Holy Cross Church member and worker bee for the first Fair. “A small group of parishioners sat on the porch of Bob & Polly Capps’ house to do some brainstorming. Whenever Polly came up with an idea, we knew it would happen AND we would have to work!”

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.

June 26, 2023 Find women doing outstanding work in their field via Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, a female-led organization dedicated to fostering a sustainable and fair food scene in the High Country. To do this, the organization bolsters local producers and creates connections among the community that contribute to knowledge and excitement of eating farm-grown food—ultimately upping the local demand and desire for local fare. By Anna Beth Adcock

April 24, 2023 Valle Crucis- On Saturday, May 13, 2023, friends, family, and members of the public will gather to celebrate what would have been flatfoot dance legend Robert Dotson’s 100th birthday. The event at the Historic Apple Barn in Valle Crucis, NC, will feature workshops, a documentary film showing, a potluck supper, a square dance, and performances by the Green Grass Cloggers.

March 15, 2023 The Watauga County Board of Education’s Monday, March 13, meeting was highlighted by the announcement of a new assistant superintendent and an update on the new Valle Crucis School. Dr. Chris Blanton, current principal of Watauga High School, will replace Stephen Martin who is retiring at the end of June. Blanton’s tenure will start on July 1. “I believe he is very well qualified for this role,” superintendent Scott Elliot said. “I have the highest confidence in him. He is extremely accomplished and skilled and understands our culture and process.” By Zack Hill

February 20, 2023 BOONE, NC — Valle Crucis School Principal Dr. Bonnie Smith has been named Watauga County Schools 2023-24 Principal of the Year. Smith was presented the award by a group of family, peers and Watauga County Schools staff in a surprise visit to her school February 20. Smith said she was honored to have been recognized by Watauga County’s other school principals across the district with the award.

February 1, 2023 BOONE, NC –The 2023 class of the Watauga Leadership Institute kicked off their coursework with an all-day retreat at Valle Crucis Conference Center January 25th. The event marks the beginning of a 12-week community development program that includes 44 total participants between two cohorts. Courtesy of Boone Area Chamber of Commerce

October 10, 2022 VALLE CRUCIS, NC — For 44 years the Valle Country Fair has been honored that country, gospel, folk, and bluegrass groups from all parts of the High Country have given up a mid-October Saturday to provide the soundtrack that makes the overgrown church bazaar an authentic celebration of mountain life expressed through crafts, food and music.

October 7, 2022 We all know that food is a huge draw to most festivals, but there’s just something extraordinary about the food that goes hand-in-hand with a country fair. Valle Country Fair, always held on the third Saturday in October —and falling this year on Saturday, Oct. 15 — is no exception, and as one of the state’s premiere events, attracts thousands of visitors from near and far. By Sherrie Norris

August 29, 2022 “Tennessee’s Premier Traditional Irish Band,” Four Leaf Peat from Knoxville in the Volunteer State, will make their highly-anticipated return engagement to the High Country as part of the Summer Concert Series at historic St. John’s Church in Valle Crucis at 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 4, 2022. It will mark their first performance since they dazzled a standing-room-only audience in 2018.

August 15, 2022 VALLE CRUCIS, NC — The Episcopal Church Women 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 27 from 9 am to 3 pm. 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.

July 25, 2022. The popular Summer Concert Series at historic St. John’s Church in Valle Crucis continues in early August with a performance by the Raleigh Flute Choir. The highly-acclaimed chamber music ensemble, based in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, will be marking their debut performance on the concert series.
The eight member ensemble graces the chancel at St. John’s at 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 7, 2022. It will be their farewell concert immediately prior to the group’s departure for Chicagowhere they will be performing at the National Flute Association’s Annual Convention.

Valle Crucis Community Park Welcomes New Executive Director Gardner Hoover

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March 3, 2022. The Valle Crucis Community Park has hired Gardner Hoover as its new Executive Director, effective mid-February. Hoover has lived in Watauga County since 1996, when he moved to Boone from Roanoke, Virginia to study at Appalachian State University, drawn to the area in part by his love of the North Carolina mountains and all the outdoor recreation opportunities in the High Country. He completed a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management with a minor in Appropriate Technology in 2001. Following his graduation, Gardner worked for Project Challenge North Carolina, a wilderness therapy program administered through the state’s Juvenile Justice Prevention Council, for about seven years. In this role he worked with teens from around the state, working first as a wilderness guide and eventually running the program. Since that time, Hoover has worked in a variety of capacities in the area, including significant involvement with non-profit agencies. He was part of WAMY Community Action’s Weatherization program for seven years. He has been affiliated with the local Habitat for Humanity organization for over 17 years, first as a volunteer, later as a board member and, most recently, as manager of Habitat Restore of Boone, a job he held for five years until accepting the position at Valle Crucis Park.

October 12, 2021. The Valle Country Fair is back after a “virtual” fair last year due to COVID-19 and will feature around 150 craft exhibitors for the 43rd year of the event. Each year, the fair takes place on the third Saturday of October on the grounds of the Valle Crucis Conference Center off of Highway 194. As always, admission to the event is free and parking is $10 per vehicle. Locals and tourists alike gather in Valle Crucis each fall for the fair, and after a year off from the traditional event, people are ready to get back out to one of the most popular fall events in Watauga County. “The fair is so much about community and community celebration. Being together is a really important part of that experience. You don’t get that full sensation of community without connecting with other human beings,” said Catherine Morton, who helps organize the event each year. By Nathan Ham

Valle Crucis Activists Send Out Over 1,500 Information Postcards and Create TV Ad Airing on 18 Cable Channels

October 14, 2019. The activist group Residents & Friends of Historic Valle Crucis is doing everything they can to try and change some people’s minds about the location for constructing a new school in Valle Crucis. According to information provided by the group, information postcards have been or will be sent to a total of 869 property owners, landowners and residents of The Valle Crucis Historic District, and residents of the Valle Crucis area, as well as to 139 publishers, editors and reporters of the 10 biggest daily newspapers in North Carolina from October 6 through October 15. On October 16, the second mailing of 723 postcards will be sent to state government officials, North Carolina watchdog agencies, local and statewide media, state agencies and non-profit organizations with a stake in clean water, environmental, heritage and outdoors tourism, historic and cultural preservation. By Nathan Ham

Valle Crucis Visitors and Residents Share Concerns About Possible New School Location

August 14, 2019. The historic town of Valle Crucis is soon to be home to a brand new school. The location of that school, however, has raised the eyebrows of several residents and town visitors over the proposed location on the Hodges property that the Watauga County Schools currently has under contract. The property is located within roughly a quarter of a mile of the current Valle Crucis School, but according to Lyle Schoenfeldt, the former owner and operator of Mast Farm Inn, the property is within 100 feet of the inn and is within similar flood plain constraints as the current school that has had to deal with its own fair share of flooding over the years. Lyle and his wife owned the inn from 1996 until 2006. By Nathan Ham

Heavy Rains Across the High Country Cause Major Flooding Issues Over the Weekend

June 10, 2019. Steady rains arrived on Thursday and hung around the High Country all weekend long, bringing along with it some serious flooding issues in Watauga, Avery and Ashe counties. Many roads were closed and even some of the main highways in and out of Boone had brief lane closures, including Highway 421 in Deep Gap where a mudslide closed one lane. One of the hardest hit areas in Watauga County was Valle Crucis where approximately seven inches of rain fell and left much of the Valle Crucis Community Park underwater. and many side roads closed. Valle Crucis Elementary School was also hit hard again in the storm as is typical for large rainfall events such as this one. “We saw impacts from this weekend’s storms across the county affecting several of our schools in different ways. Valle Crucis was affected most directly. We saw flooding there that’s unfortunately very typical for this type of storm at that school. Several classrooms in the lower lying areas of the school were flooded with groundwater,” said Garrett Price, Director of Communications for Watauga County Schools. By Nathan Ham

Get Your Head Wet at Valle Crucis Community Park; American Fisheries Grant Promotes Aquatic Exploration

April 24, 2018. Valle Crucis Community Park will offer masks and snorkels for visitors to explore local waterways this summer, thanks to a grant from the North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. The snorkels were provided by Two World Divers of Boone, and will be available for checkout from the park office. According to Kevin Hining, Northern Mountain Education Specialist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, “The snorkels will provide an excellent opportunity for park visitors to better explore the many unique aquatic critters in the Watauga River.” Snorkel users should exercise caution when moving rocks or other aquatic habitat so as not to disturb these vital ecosystems. “Moving too many rocks can change the environment in ways that could potentially harm delicate species such as salamanders and insect larvae. Carefully turning over rocks to see what lies beneath is the goal,” according to Andy Hill, Watauga Riverkeeper and Valle Crucis Community Park Board Member.

34th Annual Valle Crucis Community Park Benefit Auction Held August 26 at the Apple Barn

July 26, 2017.Valle Crucis Community Park is a local treasure in the High Country. “The Park,” is a nonprofit organization that survives on donations. All are encouraged to join in the community effort of supporting the Valle Crucis Community Park through the 34th Annual Valle Crucis Community Park Benefit Auction. There is a wide variety of donations from local stores, restaurants, retailers, artists, attractions, and so much more! All proceeds go to help maintain the park.

+ More Articles

Holy Cross Valle Crucis Announces Public Events for July 19 Centennial Celebration 1842 Episcopal Mission Honors the 100th Anniversary of its Current Church Building

Valentines in the Valle On Line Silent Auction Bidding Begins Wednesday, January 31st

Entertainment Highlights Heritage at The Valle Country Fair 45th Annual Event Takes Place This Saturday, October 21

YOU CAN’T EAT TOO MUCH FOOD AT THE VALLE COUNTRY FAIR 45th Annual Fundraising Event Takes Place on October 21

Thirty-two High Country Artisans to Exhibit at the Valle Country Fair on October 21, 2023

Valle Country Fair Announces 2023 Grant Awards; Ten groups bring the total number of recipients to 122

The Valle Country Fair Celebrates 45 Years on Saturday, October 21, 2023

“Hidden Treasures” Sale Scheduled for Saturday, August 26 at Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Valle Crucis

Farm Fresh: Organic organization cultivates community and fresh fare from the farm

Community Dance Celebration on Flatfoot Dance Legend Robert Dotson’s 100th Birthday

School Board Meeting Highlighted By Announcement Of New Assistant Superintendent, Update On New Valle Crucis School

Bonnie Smith Named Principal of the Year

2023 Watauga Leadership Institute Cohorts Begin Coursework

The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Traditional Bluegrass Music At The 44th Annual Valle Country Fair on Saturday, October 15th

Food and Family – Always a Huge Draw to Valle Country Fair

Irish Band ‘Four Leaf Peat’ to conclude Summer Concert Series at St. John’s – Celtic Music Quartet Performs at 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 4th

Hidden Treasure Sale Saturday, August 27 at Holy Cross Episcopal Church Valle Crucis

Raleigh Flute Choir Next Summer Concert Series Event at St. John’s Acclaimed Chamber Ensemble Performs on Sunday, August 7th