ASU Announces 2010 Football Schedule

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December 2009

Just 2 hours from Boone, a visit to the George Vanderbilt Biltmore Estate makes for a memorable day trip. See the house that is billed as the largest private home in America with 250 rooms. Visit the Biltmore winery, the River Bed Farm and the Deer Park. . . .

Click here to learn more . . .

December 2009

Armanti Edward's last game with Appalachian State provided all of the excitement that ASU fans have come to expect from him if not the desired outcome. To many in the Boone area, Edwards' graduation from ASU is the end of not just a football era but a time of positive national attention that many in the area have benefitted from.

Coach Jerry Moore may very well provide more of this in the future but, for now, we pause to look back at this special athlete and young man. The day after their close loss to a strong University of Montana team with tremendous home field advantage a tribute to Edwards was written in, of all places, Helena Montana.

(Photo courtesy of Sports illustrated. See links in article.)

Click here to learn more . . .

November 2009

Holiday preparations are in full swing in the High Country. The Chamber of Commerce urges local residents to "Shop Local" for the holidays, an easy assignment given the wealth of local crafts and specialty stores. . . .

Click here to learn about one of the area's best sources of local crafts . . .

See photos of a Boone Christmas Parade . . .

November 2009

Hands Gallery Crafts Co-op is the High Country's oldest crafts cooperative. It was formed in 1975 by a small group of local artists and some of its early members are still a part of the organization 34 years later . . .

Read more . . .

The leaves are turning red and gold at the highest elevations off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This photo was taken on October 8 2009 not far from the Linn Cove Viaduct.

The trees are just beginning to turn lower down in Boone and Blowing Rock.

Read more about the Blue Ridge Parkway . . .

See the Fall Colors on the ASU Campus . . .

See the Fall Colors at Linville Falls . . .

October 2009

Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile marker 316.4 is the park which contains the Linville Falls. This beautiful park with its trails through a hardwood tree forest shows off the falls from several vantage points.

See photos and learn more about Linville Falls . . .

The 2009 Labor Day weekend offered beautiful weather and many sites and events to choose from. Grandfather Mountain, the newest part of North Carolina's State Park system, was host to many visitors that weekend.

The view from the Mile High Swinging Bridge was far and filled with blue sky and layers of Blue Ridge Mountains.

Read more . . .

Many Boone visitors spend much of their time in the area outside of Boone in its neighboring Watauga County communities. The Mast Store in Valle Crucis, Grandfather Mountain near Linville, The Todd General Store and many more great places to see are nestled in communities each with unique histories and character.

In Part 1 of these profiles, learn more about Sugar Grove, Cove Creek, Zionville an other small communities in western Watauga County.

Read more . . .

July 2009

MusicFest 'n Sugar Grove reached new heights this year with the return of Doc Watson and, on the same stage, the Kruger Brothers, The Carolina Chocolate Drops and The Steep Canyon Rangers.

The Snyder Family Band, new to the show, earned 2 standing ovations as these very young players dazzled the crowd . . .

Read more . . .

                Jones House Community Center Concerts on the Lawn

                           Click here to learn more.

July 2009

Many visitors to Boone go to Horn in the West and the Hickory Ridge Homestead and many local and seasonal residents go to the Farmers' Market in the summer but tucked away next to these sites are the Daniel Boone Native Gardens. . . .

Read more . . .

April 2009

Many in the Boone area will remember large billboards advertising the Parson's Table restaurant in Jonesborough, Tennessee. The restaurant closed after many years as one of the most popular restaurants in the region but the historic building has been purchased and a new business is beginning. . .

Read more . . .

The Crossnore School was started in the early 1900s by Drs. Mary and Eustace Sloop and the citizens of the Crossnore North Carolina area. Learn about this remarkable story that continues today. . .

Read more . . .

April 2009

"Local" artist Teresa Cerda was born in Santiago Chile, has lived for 15 years in Madrid Spain and, in 2005, became a part of the Boone community when her husband accepted a position at ASU. Learn more about this talented and unique artist . . .

Read more . . .

Reid's Café & Catering

March 2009

Located in Boone's historic old jailhouse, Reid's Café & Catering offers great weekday lunches, Thursday & Friday dinners and a well-established catering business. . .

Read more . . .

Spring in Downtown Boone

Spring is arriving in the High Country. Crocuses and jonquils are beginning to bloom and temperatures are warming.

Learn more about downtown Boone . . .

March 2009

Times are hard for more and more people and Watauga County is no exception. The Hunger & Health Coalition feeds hundreds of people in the area who might go hungry otherwise . . .

Learn more about the Hunger & Health Coalition. . .

January 2009

Elk Knob State Park is one of North Carolina's newest state parks. Learn more about this beautiful mountain park . . .

Learn more about Elk Knob State Park. . .

October 4, 2008

ASU play the Citadel at Kidd-Brewer Stadium at 3 p.m. on Homecoming Saturday, October 4 . . .

Learn more about Appalachian State . . .

September 2008

The first annual Daniel Boone Days, created and sponsored by the High Country Press and Mountain Fountain Productions, were held from Thursday September 4 through Saturday the 6th.

Events included a symposium on Daniel Boone led by Boone biographer Robert Morgan, a foot race up Howard's Knob and a day of music and storytelling . . .

Learn more . . .

September 2008

Just 45 minutes from Boone is the easternmost Tennessee TVA lake, Watauga Lake. Billed as one of the cleanest lakes in America, this 16-mile long lake is never crowded with boat traffic and its warm summer water temperatures make it ideal for swimming and boating.

Learn more about one of the best kept secrets in the area . . .

2008 Watauga County
Farmers' Market

August 2008

Anyone who attended the Farmers' Market in the 1990s would be surprised to see this years' large crowds and brisk sales. The Watauga County Farmers' Market has come into its own and is thriving . . .

Learn more . . .

The Mast Store & Annex in
Valle Crucis

August 2008

The Mast General Store has been a must-see for many Boone area visitors since it re-opened in 1980. Its rural setting in scenic Valle Crucis in western Watauga County makes it a special outing for visitors.

Some of the earliest recorded history in the county took place in this valley and for much of the last 120 years the store has been a gathering point, a post office, a grocery and hardware store and much more . . .

Learn more . . .

The Greenway

August 2008

The Greenway Trail, the Don Kennedy Trails and the Watauga County Swim Complex are centrally located in Boone and are shared by residents, visitors and ASU . . .

Learn more . . .

MusicFest in Sugar Grove July 11 - July 13

July 2008

Doc Watson had to cancel his appearance but the Music Fest 'n Sugar Grove went on with a record crowd, great weather and fantastic music . . .

Learn more . . .

Grandfather Mountain
Linville, North Carolina

May, 2008

Many visitors to the Boone are see the profile of Grandfather while driving through nearby Foscoe on Highway 105. But the view from Grandfather is of the whole region and its natural beauty . . .

Read more . . .

Ben Long's
St. Mary's Episcopal Church Fresco

April, 2008

In the 1970s North Carolina artist Ben Long created 2 paintings and a fresco in St. Mary's Episcopal Church near West Jefferson NC. The works of art transformed the little church which now receives thousands of visitors each year . . .

Read more . . .

Glendale Springs Holy Trinity Church Fresco

April, 2008

In the summer of 1980, North Carolina artist Ben Long painted the fresco of "The Last Supper" at Holy Trinity Church in Glendale Springs, near the Blue Ridge Parkway in the northern mountains of North Carolina.

The church now receives tens of thousands of visitors each year . . .

Read more . . .

Parkway Craft Center at the Moses Cone Manor
opens March 15

March, 2008

The Southern Highland Craft Guild shop at the Moses Cone Center in the Moses Cone Park just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock opened for the season on Saturday March 15.

The shop sells exclusively the work of some of its Craft Guild 900 members . . .

Read more . . .

Boone Featured in US Airways
Inflight Magazine

January, 2008

"The attractions of Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina are obvious the moment you reach the Blue Ridge Mountains: fresh air, great scenery, and lots of ways to relax. Yet a spirit of entrepreneurship makes this High Country region an attractive business destination, too. Despite - or because of - these towns' location nearly 100 miles from a large city or major airport, they have developed robust economies with global reach." . . .

The January 2008 US Airways in-flight magazine gives a lengthy and glowing report on life in the High Country. . .

Read more . . .

Day Trips around Boone

January, 2008

Jonesborough is the oldest town in Tennessee. It is a town rich in history and filled with beautifully maintained historical buildings. It the home of the National Storytelling Center and where Andrew Jackson started his law career. It has Bed and Breakfasts in old restored buildings and many unique restaurants. And it is just 1 1/2 hours from Boone . . .

See more photos. . .

Shopping in & Around Boone NC

November 2007

Shopping in the Boone North Carolina area is a long-standing tradition for many people and families in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Many pick a weekend to come to the High Country to buy their Christmas trees and wreaths, have a holiday lunch and go to Downtown Boone, the Boone Mall or the Shoppes on the Parkway Outlet Mall to buy holiday gifts. . .

Read more . . .

The 2007 Valle Country Fair

October 25, 2007

The Valle Country Fair is a high country tradition. Each year on the third Saturday of October when the leaves are in full Fall color and the Woolly Worm Festival starts in Banner Elk, over 10,000 visitors come to this beautiful turn in the road near Boone North Carolina . . .

Read more . . .

Early Fall Color in the High Country

October 22, 2007

A dry summer has led to a beautiful Fall in the High Country of Boone North Carolina .

Read more . . .

Tweetsie Railroad: Before it was an Amusement Park

October, 2007

Most visitors to the North Carolina High Country know Tweetsie Railroad as an amusement park. But before there was Tweetsie as we know it today, there was the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad . . .

Read more . . .

Kraut Creek Festival 2007

September 22,2007

The 15th annual Kraut Creek Festival was held in downtown Boone on Saturday September 22.

This celebration of the downtown area and its Boone Creek (nicknamed Kraut Creek) has become a local tradition . . .

Read more . . .