BLOWING ROCK — The long history of horse sports in Blowing Rock will take a giant leap forward at 2 p.m. on Sept. 21, when the Broyhill Equestrian Preserve plays host to the third annual James Fisher International Grand Prix.
BANNER ELK — Acrylic painting, photography, graphite drawing and mixed media works on paper are a few of the many creative works that Lees-McRae College Communication Arts and Design faculty will feature during this year’s faculty exhibition.
All programs are free and open to the public.
Vista-View Program — Sept. 21
BLOWING ROCK — More than 1,000 cyclists from 40 states and three foreign countries will descend on Blowing Rock for the start of the weeklong Cycle North Carolina Mountains to Coast Ride on Sept. 27-29.
WEST JEFFERSON — The Ashe County Arts Council unveiled their newest exhibit, “Nostalgia” Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the Arts Center in West Jefferson.
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On Oct. 6, LIFE Village will be partnering with Sky Valley Zip Tours for the second year for its annual fundraiser. This year, Appalachian State University’s ACT program and Fraternity and Sorority Life are also involved.
For the third year, the Ashe County Wildlife Club is inviting women who are beginning, novice or experienced pistol shooters to its range at 3220 Big Peak Creek Road in Laurel Springs at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21.
The American Red Cross and Appalachian State University invite Boone area residents to join one of the nation’s most impactful blood drives at the 13th annual Homecoming Blood Drive on Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. at Holmes Convocation Center. Parking will be validated for the first…
In 1996, Elk River resident Brent Atwater was visiting a friend in a nursing home. That visit is what inspired her to start Flowers for Friends.
BANNER ELK — Just in time for the spooky Halloween season and Homecoming 2019, the Lees-McRae Theatre Arts program will breathe life into one of our most well-known horror legends — with a Mel Brooks twist — as it presents the musical “Young Frankenstein” Oct. 3-6.
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There are times when one can stand beside Doc Watson’s statue on King Street in Boone during tourist season and overhear curious visitors who do not know who the brass figure is that is playing the guitar in front of them. More times than not, however, someone in the group knows who Watson i…
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The Appalachian State University Department of Theatre and Dance presents its first production of the season, the 2019 First Year Showcase. The production takes place in I.G. Greer Studio Theatre on the university campus with 7 p.m. performances from Thursday, Sept. 26, through Saturday, Sep…
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The sixth annual Blowing Rock Music Festival will take place at the well-known tourist attraction known as The Blowing Rock this Saturday, Sept. 14. Hosted by the Harris Brothers band, this year’s event will be a special one as the headliner will be the International Bluegrass Music Associat…
The Wilkes County Agricultural Fair runs through Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Rotary Fairgrounds beside of West Park in North Wilkesboro. On Saturday, a special event at the fair will be a lawnmower race. Practice for the race starts at 4 p.m., and racing begins at 6 p.m. A fairground admissio…
Friends of the Library presents writer and Navy veteran P.T. Deutermann, as a special feature of the On the Same Page Literary Festival, Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 11:00 a.m., in the Community Room of the Ashe County Public Library. Deutermann will read a selection of stories from his 21 novels,…
Sept. 14 brings scouts, sashes and badges to Grandfather Mountain. This will be the 49th year that Girl Scout Day is celebrated at the Linville nature park.
For the first time, Maryrose Carroll has compiled an English/Spanish book of love poems written by her and her husband, Paul Carroll. Paul was a historic champion of freedom of the press, winning a court trial against the U.S. Postal Service for censorship of his magazine “Big Table” in 1960…
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BANNER ELK — The sun danced between the scattered trees as the gravel road hugged the side of the mountain. The road twisted and turned, as if with every motion one was traversing farther away from the Avery day-to-day.
BOONE – The Community Care Clinic’s “Barn Raising” event returns for the second year on Friday, Sept. 13, at The Apple Barn in Valle Crucis.
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BOONE — Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center invites local businesses and community organizations to design and create a themed bra that celebrates the stories of the survivors and the spirit of those working to promote breast health.
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BEECH MOUNTAIN — For many it can be hard to escape the mundane tasks of the day-to-day. However, at the high elevation of Beech Mountain visitors can step into the Land of Oz for a day.
On Friday, Sept. 13, from 5-8 p.m., the Ashe County Arts Council will sponsor Gallery Crawl in downtown West Jefferson. Galleries and shops will be open after hours to showcase the best of artistic talent in Ashe County.
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The annual Daniel Boone Festival will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Whirppoorwill Academy and Village in Ferguson.
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The upcoming season of The Schaefer Center Presents performing arts series, presented by Appalachian State University runs from late September through early April. This series offers the community a diverse array of music, theatre and dance designed to enrich the cultural landscape of the ca…
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The Blue Ridge Garden Club, as a part of its 70th anniversary celebration, will place American flags at all five community gardens that it maintains. Placing these flags will commemorate the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
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WILKESBORO — The Walker Center on the campus of Wilkes Community College will present The Texas Tenors at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12.
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When it comes to autumn music festivals, there is no venue more naturally appealing in the High Country than Blue Bear Mountain Campground. There, located on 155 acres near both Boone and Todd, with teepees, hiking trails, awesome views and a main stage built in a natural amphitheater on the…
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GLENDALE SPRINGS — After two days of grilling, smoking and slow-cooking, the inaugural Blue Ridge BBQ & Brew Festival came to a close on Saturday, Aug. 31, with competitors traveling from across the state to take part in the state’s official barbecue championship.
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Grandfather Mountain has an elite team of rangers, dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the park’s numerous ecological communities — and the flora and fauna that call them home.
BANNER ELK — On Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30 and 31, the town of Banner Elk brought Christmas joy into the community as it celebrated “Christmas in August.” The seasonal festivities were officially recognized by the mayor of Banner Elk, Brenda Lyerly, declaring that Aug. 30 and 31 would be a…
Watauga Humane Society’s Reading for Paws program has completed its fourth summer of operation. The program focused on children reading to cats and kittens as well as socializing them. Each child had an opportunity to spend up to 30 minutes with one or more cats or kittens per day, Tuesday t…
WEST JEFFERSON — For trinkets from the past and other unique and bizarre old items, the eighth annual West Jefferson Olde Time Antiques Fair will be held along Jefferson Avenue from 1-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21.
Dear Naturalist,
LINVILLE — The discovery of a special type of firefly on Grandfather Mountain has experts aglow with excitement.
BOONE — High Country Soccer Association, in partnership with Appalachian Mountain Brewery, will offer the ninth annual AMB Premier Adult League this fall, with three levels of league play: bronze, silver and gold. The skill levels of the players in the AMB Premier Adult League range from rec…
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Boone United Methodist Church has held an annual bazaar since 1984, and this year, it will not break the tradition. While it started as a small fundraiser, now nearly every room on the ground level of the church is filled with different items, and the rooms are separated into departments. Th…
TODD — When Matthew Connell and his wife, Andrea, bought the Todd General Store, they knew they wanted to give it a new life and future. The store had been closed for four years before its reopening in July, and is now back to being a general store with room for potential.
Edmund Barton “Bart” Bullock has been leading a double career as composer and pianist with success, performing his own major works and chamber music throughout the United States and Europe. Bart will perform “An Evening of Romantic and Impressionist Piano Works” at the Ashe Civic Center on S…
LINVILLE — On Sept. 2, 1952, the Mile High Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain was dedicated and opened to guests, marking the official beginning of the park. Sixty-seven years later, on Sept. 2, supporters of Grandfather Mountain gathered together to take a new step in preservation and …
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On Thursday, Aug. 22, after a day of severe thunderstorms and rain, the sun emerged from behind the clouds to shine on the 4th annual Denim Ball, this year taking place at the Moses Cone Flat Top Manor in Blowing Rock for the first time.
BOONE — The fall 2019 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series at Appalachian State University will feature four acclaimed authors of Appalachian literature who are “deeply committed to Appalachia,” said Mark Powell, director of the series and associate professor of creative writing at…
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BLOWING ROCK — The Blowing Rock Music Festival once again welcomes a variety of talent to the event stages at the Blowing Rock Attraction in Blowing Rock on Saturday, Sept. 14.
Horse Helpers of the High Country invites community members to join in the fun of the 10th annual silent and live auction: Eat. Drink. Bid 2019. This annual event will be from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, and proceeds benefit abused, abandoned and neglected horses in need.
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At 2 p.m. on Sept. 21, the 3rd Annual James H. Fisher International Grand Prix will be held at the L. M. Tate Show Grounds in the Broyhill Equestrian Preserve in Blowing Rock. The two prior events were held in Marshall, near Asheville. The Grand Prix is sponsored by the James H. Fisher Memor…
”Christmas in August” in Banner Elk
WEST JEFFERSON — The WE2019 Experience Festivals rocked Saloon Studio Lives for two weekends of back-to-back concerts Aug. 9-11 and 16-18, featuring legendary bands such as Vanilla Fudge, Jefferson Starship, Iron Butterfly, Melanie, Derek St. Holmes and many more. Kenn Moutenot, event produc…
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On Thursday, Aug. 29, beginning at 7 p.m., the second act of the Summer Sessions series will feature Colton Fenner who began playing a keyboard when he was three. Fenner is known in this community as an amazingly talented pianist who does not read music but plays “by ear” instead. Since he c…
The town of Boone’s Summer Concert Series at the Jones House ends on a high note this Friday at 5 p.m., with a traditional showcase of local music and storytelling. The evening’s jam-packed lineup features Jonah Riddle & Carolina Express, Rick Ward, Orville Hicks, The Corklickers and Surefire.
The New River Blues Fest is one of the best ways in the High Country to mark the coming changing of the seasons. Lasting only one day from noon until about 6:30 p.m. this Sunday, Sept. 1, few events pack as much musical punch and good times into a short time frame than this blues-filled romp…
On Saturday, Aug. 17, Caroline Smith, a professor of exercise science at Appalachian State University, and her assistants were onsite at a controlled burn where local fire departments were participating in fire training. However, they weren’t there to gear up or simply watch the training.
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