24 minute read
Thanks for 25 Years | By Julie Farthing
It’s Time to Say Thanks
By Julie Farthing
Advertisement
Stonewalls, Fred’s Mercantile, and Mast General Store advertisements in the very first issue of CML, spring/summer 1997.
For 25 years, CML has appeared on magazine stands in and around the small towns of western North Carolina. The longevity of CML would not be possible without the support of local businesses, several of which have been with us from the very beginning. Now it is time to give accolades to the folks who help keep CML “absolutely priceless.”
One of those businesses is The Original Mast General Store, which opened in 1883 in the rural community of Valle Crucis, and was known to offer everything from cradles to caskets. Formerly the Taylor and Mast Store, the name was changed in 1913 to the Mast General Store when Mast became sole owner. In 1973, the store was added to the National Register of Historic Places where it is noted as one of the best remaining examples of an old country general store.
The Mast family sold the store shortly afterwards, but the new owners closed its doors in the winter of 1977. After hearing the store was for sale, John and Faye Cooper purchased the historic building and worked with long-time vendors to add items to the store’s inventory that would be important to the community and would have been found on the store’s shelves in the past. The store reopened on June 6, 1980. With an eye toward historic preservation and a knack for commerce, the Mast General Store once again became the center of the Valle Crucis community, offering, in addition to provisions, a Post Office and a good place to grab a five-cent cup of coffee.
Today as you traverse the historic store’s creaking floorboards, you’ll find country gourmet foods, cast iron cookware, speckleware, old-fashioned toys, footwear for all “walks” of life, hardware, candles, clothing, and so much more. Sheri Moretz, who has worked at Mast General Store for 28 years, holds the title of “storyteller.” She says that countless numbers of people, from “the farmer to the famous,” have strolled through the stores that now total 11 in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
“The newest Mast General Store in Roanoke, Virginia, opened in June 2020 and is located in the old Thurman and Boone furniture store,” says Moretz. She credits Marketing Director Jeff Meadows for finding the perfect location for each store. She calls him the “store whisperer.” “He listens to a building and sees the beauty behind the dust and debris,” says Moretz of Meadows. “The overall goal of the organization is finding the magic in each individual store and community. Sometimes you lose sight of that if you grow too fast; that’s why it’s important to understand the connection between each store and the community it serves.”
John and Faye Cooper have given the reins of “minding the store” to their daughter, Lisa Cooper, who is now the president of the growing family of stores. John and Faye are continuing to serve their local community as volunteers and leaders in organizations such as An Appalachian Summer Festival, Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, Boone Sunrise Rotary, Western Youth Network, The Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge, and Hospitality House, and in the recent revitalization of the Appalachian Theater of the High Country.
Another CML-supporting business is Stonewalls Restaurant in Banner Elk. Stonewalls has been a downtown destination for premier steaks since 1985. Avery County native Scott Garland and his business partner, Tim Heschke, have been owners since 2016 and have been making improvements to the interior and exterior, including the new covered patio for dining al fresco and the gas fire pit for those cool mountain evenings.
Although Garland and Heschke have updated the menu, the restaurant’s steak selection, along with its legendary salad bar, have stayed true to the classic Stonewalls menu. “I actually came to Stonewalls for my senior prom in 1986,” Garland recalls with a laugh. As a local, Garland knows the importance of supporting the High Country; thus, the restaurant utilizes ingredients from local farmers’ markets whenever possible and most of the items on the menu are made in-house. “Tim makes everything in-house for desserts,’’ says Garland. The key lime pie, red velvet cheesecake and cobbler are just a few of the favorites.
Stonewalls also takes sustainability very seriously. “We are the first ones in the area to bring in keg wines, where it comes in kegs like beer. It’s more environmentally friendly… you save on bottling, plus kegs save on storage and the wine is the way it’s supposed to be at every pour.” Stonewalls currently has four wines on tap. “[Kegged wine] is never exposed to oxygen so you get it as the winemaker intended,” adds Garland.
I asked Garland to “fess up” to a favorite menu selection. “Probably the pork chop right now; it’s a Duroc style pork chop, bone-in, one to one-and-a-half inches thick, and served with grilled pear and blue cheese butter on top. We are also known for our salad bar and our prime rib, but the pork dish is one of my favorites— that, along with the wild mushroom pasta complemented with a mushroom sage olive oil with cream and black truffle sea salt.”
The owners’ newest endeavors include the “What the Cluck?!” food truck that specializes in Nashville style chicken and hand-crafted southern sides, and “The Barn and Cabins at Cornerstone,” a popular event venue. Garland and Heschke also give back to the local community. “We are a big supporter of the Culinary Program at Avery High School,” says Garland. “I was the first student to go through that program, and the first graduate of Avery to go to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. When you get to a certain age, there is a time to pay it forward with what was done for you.”
Also paying it forward is Fred’s Mercantile, perched at 5,506 feet in elevation and a landmark on beautiful Beech Mountain, which straddles both Avery and Watauga counties. “We have been in business 43 years,” says Fred Pfohl, who, along with his late wife, Marjorie “Margie” Pfohl, saw the need to have affordable food and household goods available to the “community in the clouds.”
The pandemic brought new challenges to the popular store, which is many miles from a traditional supermarket. Pfohl admits, “It has been challenging.” He says that the availability of certain items is limited, which makes it “difficult now for a little store. . . we always wanted to have what people needed.” But, he adds, “Business is better than ever and that has to do with the number of people coming in our direction. We take care of everybody that comes to the door with a smile on our face.”
Inside the old-timey building, warm wood walls and flooring are adorned with just about anything anyone would want or need for a weekend trip to the High Country, or for locals who live down the road. The main floor consists of a grocery store that carries fresh local meats, fruits and vegetables, homemade breads, jams and jellies, craft beer and wines. There is a hardware section, and a clothing section that can outfit the entire family for a weekend vacation. A ski and snowboard rental area is popular in the winter months; and the Wild Bird Supply—a complete shop devoted to folks interested in feeding, housing and learning about wild birds—is always bustling, especially during the spring and summer months. If all that shopping has worked up an appetite, then hop over to the Backside Deli for breakfast or lunch, served every day.
The Pfohls not only provided a place where the community could find everything they would need on top of Beech Mountain, they also became the heart of the community in their efforts to make Beech Mountain the best place to live and visit. Fred was the first elected and longtime mayor. He also implemented the town’s beautification and numerous park projects. He is a founding member of the volunteer fire department, a founding member and past president of the Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce, and a founding member and past president of High Country Host. Margie was a part of virtually every community event, such as the July 4th Pig Roast, Arbor Day, street dances, kite festivals, and Sunday concerts, just to name a few.
Because of their many efforts, in 2019 Fred and Marjorie Pfohl were awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Since 1963, North Carolina’s governors have reserved this highest honor for persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. (The Pfohls are in good company—in 2017, John and Faye Cooper of Mast General Store were also awarded The Order.) In 2020, Beech Mountain’s Buckeye Recreation Center changed its name to the Fred and Marjorie Pfohl Buckeye Recreation Center to honor Fred and the memory of his late wife.
So, hats off to these wonderful businesses (and many others) who have been so supportive of our “absolutely priceless” publication. Together, we continue to celebrate mountain life and the people who live and visit here.
9 to 5 / Barter Theatre
A Season of Renewal, Hope, & Rejuvenation in the Arts
By Keith Martin
“June is bustin’ out all over!” This popular lyric and song from the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! provide an appropriate description for the upcoming spring and summer seasons throughout the High Country and beyond. Plays, musicals, concerts, and dance offerings are literally “bustin’ out” all over theatre stages near and far as our beloved performing arts organizations return to a level of production not seen in over two very long years. Welcome back!
Here are several of the events and that have been announced from now through late-June, listed alphabetically by producing company, with many more to be announced shortly. PLEASE NOTE that all of the performances, dates, and times are subject to change; readers are strongly encouraged to check individual websites and/or the theatre box offices for the most current information.
See you at the theatre!
Over in Sparta, NC, the ALLEGHANY COMMUNITY THEATRE is producing the comedy Bathroom Humor by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore with performances on June 17 and 18 at the Muddy Creek Café and Music Hall, right there on Main Street in Sparta. Seeing what craziness happens in the bathroom makes one wonder what the heck is going on at the party! The authors have ingeniously contrived this play so that we feel that, if we had gone to this party, we, too, might have spent most of our time hiding out in the bathroom. For tickets /info, go to www.alleghanycommunitytheatre.org.
The APPALACHIAN THEATRE OF THE HIGH COUNTRY (ATHC) is presenting I Draw Slow in concert on Friday, June 3. This Dublin-based group from Ireland coaxes the past into the present with original songs that draw from the best of Irish storytelling and American folk music with close-harmony vocals and intriguing instrumentation. They established themselves as festival standouts, appearing at MerleFest, Pickathon, Wintergrass, RockyGrass, and Grey Fox, and they appeared on many radio shows, including the syndicated “Mountain Stage.”
From June 9 through 12, the inaugural High Country Jazz Festival brings to fruition the decade-long dream of local musician Todd Wright: a collaborative project to host exceptional and engaging jazz experiences that will attract regional audiences. The festival will raise funds to support the arts and education programs of the Appalachian Theatre, App State Jazz Studies Program, and Boone Sunrise Rotary, programs that sustain and enrich our High Country home. Anchor events will take place in the Appalachian Theatre and under the tent at the Chetola Resort and include a host of affiliated jazz experiences featuring outdoor concerts, late night jams, jazz lunches and a film produced by community partners in Boone and Blowing Rock. For more info, and additional events soon to be announced, go to AppTheatre.org.
The ASHE COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL has a half-dozen events coming up on the stage of their intimate Ashe Civic Center, including the following: the Songwriters in Concert 2022 on April 9, featuring the Ola Belle Reed Songwriting Retreat Instructors: Pierce Freelon, Alice Gerrard, Zoe and Cloyd, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer; the Ed Perzel Chamber Music Series on April 24, featuring the Charlotte Players performing works by Dvořák and Puccini; fiery roots-rock singer/songwriter Scott Miller, a recent inductee to the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame, on April 28; the Katie Deal Trio in Wildflowers: The Women of Country Music on May 7; Chamber Music for All on May 15, a concert featuring violinist Calin Ovidiu Lupanu, violinist Monica Boboc, and cellist Marlene Ballena; and on June 4, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien, performing in concert with vocalist/ mandolin player Jan Fabricius. For tickets and information, visit www. ashecountyarts.org.
In Abingdon, Virginia, the venerable BARTER THEATRE has the most ambitious slate of productions in our region, beginning with a world premiere musical, Kentucky Spring, by playwright-inresidence Catherine Bush with music and lyrics by Dax Dupuy. A story of love, longing, and second chances set in beautiful Appalachia, the protagonist, Becky, has worked all her life to get out of the mountains. Then her grandmother Maud decides to sell the family farm, forcing Becky to confront who she is and who she wants to be. This musical fable flashes between the past and the present, revealing “what might have been” and “what still might be.” Performances run from April 23 through May 22.
Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahoe runs from May 20 through August 20 and asks the following questions: Could you name a hundred things that make life wonderful? A thousand? How about a million? When he was seven, a boy started a list of things to live for in an attempt to save his mother. As he grows up, the list takes on a life of its own. From “Ice Cream” (#1 on the list) to “Staying up all night talking” (#9,999), the play shines a hilarious and compassionate light on dark corners of the human condition.
That show is followed by 9 to 5, the Dolly Parton musical for which she wrote
Etta May / CoMMA
Can-Can Dancers / Tweetsie
Blue Ridge Community Theatre
Kentucky Spring / Barter Theatre
both music and lyrics, with a book by Patricia Resnick. From June 3 through August 21, you’ll hear co-workers Violet, Judy and Doralee sing “What a way to make a living!” At first they think they have nothing in common, but when the Boss makes life unbearable, these three ladies join forces to live out their wildest fantasy—and change the world. For more information, and to take a virtual tour of the historic “State Theatre of Virginia,” visit Barter’s website at BarterTheatre.com.
The BENTON HALL COMMUNITY
ARTS CENTER in North Wilkesboro is home to the dynamic Wilkes Playmakers, an avocational theatre that is the pride of its community. Their next production is The Secret Garden, a musical based on the 1911 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett with script and lyrics by Marsha Norman, and music by Lucy Simon. The story is set in the early years of the 20th century. Mary
Lennox, a young English girl born and raised in the British Raj, is orphaned by a cholera outbreak when she is ten years old. She is sent away from India to Yorkshire, England, to live in the manor of a brooding uncle she has never met. There, her personality blossoms among the other residents of the manor and the moor as they bring new life to a long-neglected garden. The shows run May 13 – 15 and 20 – 22.
The Laramie Project will be performed on their Black Box Series from
June 3 – 5 and 10 – 12. Written by Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the
Tectonic Theater Project, this docudrama follows the 1998 Matthew Shepard hate crime wherein a 21 year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside theatre! CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LIFE Spring 2022 — 33
Laramie. It is a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable. Ticket information for both productions is available at www.wilkesplaymakers.com. The phone number is 336-838-PLAY (7529). In conjunction with BOONE 150, Celebrating Boone’s Sesquicentennial, the BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY THEATRE is producing an original work written and directed by local legend Trimella Chaney and performed by local actors. Titled Happy Birthday Boone: An Entertaining Tribute to Our Hometown, performances are scheduled for June 24 and 25 at the Appalachian Theatre. For more info www. BlueRidgeCommunityTheatreNC.com and for tickets, go to AppTheatre.org. The CITY OF MORGANTON MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (CoMMA) will soon be announcing their 2022-23 season, but have one fun event remaining this spring. On April 30, Etta May and the Southern Friend Chicks – Cage Free Comedy Tour CULTURAL CALENDAR takes the stage to perform her unique brand of clean-comedy, as seen on Oprah, Showtime, Comic Strip Live, MTV, theatre! and as a guest commentator on “CBS Sunday Morning.” Winner of the prestigious American Comedy Awards “Comic of the Year,” Etta May headlines the successful all-female, blue-collar comedy tour, “with better hair and a bigger attitude!” Additional information and tickets are available at www.commaonline.org or at 800-939-SHOW (7469). There is a special place in my heart for PARKWAY PLAYHOUSE in Burnsville, NC, where I spent an entire season in my formative years performing summer stock productions alongside the likes of Dixie Carter and Donald May. The quaint
theatre in Yancey County is producing Working: A Musical, based on Studs Terkel’s best-selling book of interviews with American workers. The show paints a vivid portrait of the workers that the world so often takes for granted: the schoolteacher, the phone operator, the waitress, the millworker, the mason, and the housewife, just to name a few. Adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, the score includes songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, and NC legend James Taylor. Performances run June 4 through 18 with ticket information available at www.parkwayplayhouse.com.
Celebrating its 65th season, TWEETSIE RAILROAD is North Carolina’s first theme park, opening on the Fourth of July in 1957. Known primarily as a Wild West adventure park with amusement rides and a petting zoo, Tweetsie features stunning three-mile long train rides aboard a historic, coal-fired, narrow gauge steam locomotive. From a performing arts perspective, Tweetsie is a major employer of professional talent and produces 21 performances of a half-dozen live entertainment and stage shows each day.
A sampling of offerings includes the Can-Can Dancers, Country Clogging Jamboree, Hopper and Porter’s Musical Celebration, The Magic Show and the ever-popular Sunset Show. Just as the cowboys ride off into the sunset at the end of the movie, Tweetsie’s entertainers mosey into the Palace for one last show at the end of the day, featuring performers from every show at Tweetsie Railroad together on one stage. The 2022 season runs from April 9 to October 30 with varying dates and schedules; for more information, visit www.Tweetsie.com or call 800-526-5740.
Renee Elise Goldsberry Appalachian Summer Festival
© 2010 MarkerHistory.com
“Summertime… and the Livin’ is Easy”
A Sneak Preview of Hot Performances
So many of our seasonal residents arrive in the High Country in the late spring and early summer, often after the events we profile in our cultural calendar have already taken place. In addition, many of our readers like to plan far in advance so that they can get the best seats the minute they go on sale, and before they sell out… and believe me, they will. To that end, here is a “sneak preview” of coming attractions that we will feature in greater detail is our summer issue, along with websites to which you may turn for additional information. Be sure to tell them that CML sent you, and enjoy!
AN APPALACHIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL
(AASF) has by far the most programmatically diverse line-up you’ll find in this neck of the woods, and while their 38th season won’t be announced until late April, here is a just sampling of the dozens of events you will see on their stages, and doesn’t include their film series, chamber and classical music concerts, or their visual arts programming. Note that tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 2 either online at www. appsummer.org, in person at their box office, or via phone by calling 828-262-4046.
The AASF Popular Series will feature
Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superla-
tives at 7:30 p.m. on July 3 at State Farm Road at The Greenway. This outdoor concert will include food trucks, beverage tents, and vendor booths, plus, in collaboration with the Town of Boone, family activities earlier in the afternoon leading up to the concert and post-show fireworks. On July 16, Tony Award-winning singer, dancer, and actress Renée Elise Goldsberry, star of Hamilton the musical and movie (in the role of Angelica Schyler), will grace the Schaeffer Center stage. She is also well known for her Broadway appearances in The Color Purple, The Lion King, and RENT, in addition to her multiple Emmy-winning performances on the soap opera One Life to Live. Renée currently appears on Tina Fey’s Peacock network hit musical comedy, Girls5eva. Curtain is at 8 p.m.
Postmodern Jukebox returns to AASF at 8 p.m. on July 23 with their time-twisting musical collective known for putting “pop music in a time machine”; they’re set to make the ‘20s roar again with The Grand Reopening Tour, making its way across the U.S., Canada, U.K., Europe, Australia and New Zealand, performing some of modern music’s biggest hits in the classic styles of bygone eras. They are followed at 8 p.m. on July 27 by Boz Scaggs: Out of the Blues Tour 2022, appropriately titled from his new album, since the blues is what first sparked his five-decade musical career, including the albums Silk Degrees, Down Two the Left, Middle Man, But Beautiful, Speak Low, Memphis and A Fool to Care, among others.
For dance enthusiasts there is MOMIX: Alice in Wonderland at 7 p.m. on July 30 with their internationally acclaimed dancer-illusionists as they conjure the magical world of the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts in this stunning reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s novel. Broadway's Next Hit Musical will perform at 8 p.m. on July 7. A cross between Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the Tony Awards, the show is different every night and, “it’s all improvised and it’s all funny… the only unscripted theatrical awards show.”
BARTER THEATRE continues their repertory programming with five unique summer productions on two different stages in Abingdon, VA. Always a Bridesmaid by the prolific comedy trio of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jane Wooton opens June 17, with the air guitar competition in Airness by Chelsea Marcantel taking center stage on June 30. In addition, Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express opens September 3, followed by a hilarious game of one-upmanship in an assisted living facility in the new play Ripcord by David Lindsay-Abaire, beginning September 16 and, finally, a 1905 heavyweight championship fight set in the segregated world of boxing in The Royale, by Marco Ramirez, beginning September 29. Info at BarterTheatre.com.
Marty and The Band Appalachian Summer Festival Shrek the Musical / Beanstalk
By Keith Martin
BEANSTALK COMMUNITY THEATRE
cordially invites audiences to “let their freak flags fly” as they celebrate their 10th Anniversary and make their highly-anticipated Appalachian Theatre debut from July 21 through 23 with Shrek: The Musical. With music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, and a legion of ogre-loving fans, this musical is based on the widely-popular 2001 DreamWorks Animation film. For more info, visit www. BeanStalkNC.com and for tickets, go to AppTheatre.org.
LEES-McRAE SUMMER THEATRE is producing two musicals this season on their picturesque campus in Banner Elk. The Drowsy Chaperone is a five-time Tony Award winning “perfect Broadway musical” (according to the New York Times). It is set in the roaring 1920s and features music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Don McKellar with a clever book by Bob Martin and Greg Morrison. Performances run from June 26 through July 3. Matilda, The Musical is based on Roald Dahl’s award-winning book about a bright young girl who decides to right the wrongs in her world through wit and cleverness. With music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and book by Dennis Kelly, the show is directed by Dr. Janet Barton Speer, whose name alone will increase ticket sales, dozens of adorable school children notwithstanding. Performances run July 21 through 27. For tickets or information, visit info at lmc.edu/summertheatre or 828-8988709.
PARKWAY PLAYHOUSE in Burnsville continues their summer season with The Savannah Sipping Society by the aforementioned Jones, Hope, and Wooten trio about four unique Southern women, all needing to escape the sameness of their day-to-day routines drawn together by fate and an impromptu happy hour; performances run from July 2 – 16. Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood follows from July 30 – August 13 with all the immortal characters like Little John, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marian, all telling the enduring story about a hero of the people who takes on the ruthless powers that be. In the Middle of Nowhere by Brent Murphy tells the story of a retired art professor in the mountains of western North Carolina and the relationship she forms with a young man recently been released from prison. The show runs from August 27 through September 10 with info available at www.parkwayplayhouse. com.
HORN IN THE WEST, the nation’s third oldest outdoor drama, is celebrating their 70th Anniversary season in 2022. This Revolutionary War drama brings to life the
famous frontiersman Daniel Boone and the hardy mountain settlers of this region in their struggle to preserve their freedom during the turbulent years before and during the war for independence. Their parent organization, the Southern Appalachian Historical Association (SAHA) will celebrate throughout the season with special performances, displays, and exhibits at the nearby Hickory Ridge History Museum. Info at 828264-2120 or at HornInTheWest.com. Performances run July 1 through August 13 in Boone, NC. theatre! CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LIFE Spring 2022 — 35
Delfeayo Marsalis, New York Voices, & Stephen Gordon to Headline Inaugural High Country Jazz Festival
By Keith Martin
Delfeayo Marsalis
Our cultural calendar in this issue (see page 32) teases the inaugural High Country Jazz Festival but, as we were going to print, the headliners were announced for this precedentsetting partnership between the Appalachian Theatre, Boone Sunrise Rotary and the Jazz Studies Program at Appalachian State University. With nearly a dozen free and ticketed events at ten different locations in Boone and Blowing Rock, the festival runs from June 8 through 12, 2022.
Headliner performances by Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, and the New York Voices take place in the newly-renovated App Theatre with the Stephen Gordon Trio performing outdoors under a tent at the Chetola Resort. Additional festival affiliated events will be hosted by the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Casa Rustica, High Country Jazz Society, Lost Province, Ransom Pub, and the Town of Boone. The events include outdoor concerts, late night jams, jazz lunches, and a popular jazz-themed film.
Todd Wright, known throughout the area as “the Ambassador for Jazz in western North Carolina,” said that, “We have the perfect place here in the High Country, a perfect time of year with perfect weather, and a perfect anchor venue in the Appalachian Theatre. The community excitement and participation is exhilarating.”
For links to purchase seats for the ticketed events, and a complete performance schedule for the entire festival, please visit www.highcountryjazzfestival.org.
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