The Southern Highland Reader» The Daily Grind: Jonathan Hearne, sheep-shearer

From the archives: Jonathan Hearne, sheep-shearer

Bill Graham — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:29:30 +0000

Originally posted July 13, 2009 LEICESTER-Once, in a field near Franklin, Jonathan Hearne was hit by lightning. Or rather, lightning struck the tool he was using to shear wool off a sheep. The bolt then jumped from the shears to his knees, and with a burst of flame “blew the bottoms off his feet” and [...]

From the archives: Jonathan Hearne, sheep-shearer is a post from: The Southern Highland Reader

Party, people! Venues in the news, cold water edition

Bill Graham — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:53:30 +0000

DILLSBORO–This story, in which Constance Richards writes up Barry Kennon’s tiki bar party spot outside his house on the Tuckasegee near Dillsboro, first ran in the August edition of swanky WNC Magazine. It’s been posted online since, so, given that party journalism pieces are few and far between in the mountains, it obviously needed sharing. [...]

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Far-western NC brewers pick fall favorites

Bill Graham — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:52:18 +0000

SYLVA–The secret’s out about Asheville’s status as a beer town. But the southwest mountains don’t fare poorly, either, with Sylva’s five-year-old Heinzelmannchen Brewery leading a three-pack that includes upstarts Nantahala Brewing Company and the Tuckaseegee Brewing Cooperative. The brewers at each of these three have been kind enough to recommend their favorite beers to enjoy [...]

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UPDATED: From Cullowhee “sporty” to Sylva “earthy”; lists in the news

Bill Graham — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:03:33 +0000

SYLVA–Don’t get me wrong, I like lists, too. In fact, I remember a teenage addiction to that eighties phenomenon called “The Book of Lists“. But these days, when publications have less and less money but reader’s appetites for content are growing leaps and bounds, the lists come at you from every direction. US News and [...]

UPDATED: From Cullowhee “sporty” to Sylva “earthy”; lists in the news is a post from: The Southern Highland Reader

Jackson greenways project making steady progress

Bill Graham — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:53:38 +0000

SYLVA–Jackson County’s unique greenway effort has been around for a decade or so, and has been becalmed at times. But not lately. A combination of public sentiment and local government support has pushed the greenways effort, now spearheaded by the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department, to new levels. On August 17 the Jackson County [...]

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Heritage tourism takes budget hit

Bill Graham — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:13:50 +0000

STATEWIDE–Tourism promotion is a trendy business, with lots of seminars, theories, conferences and back-patting. And you’ve heard the resulting catch-phrases: “destination tourism”, in which travelers are drawn to a thing (say the second biggest tree in the southwest corner of the county, or a theme park); “heritage tourism” (visit because of a culture, just not [...]

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Hint: Don’t ask for a beer list, just take what you can get.

Bill Graham — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:01:07 +0000

REGIONAL–Many of us who were raised in the mountains spent time taking care of tourists. And part of the responsibility in that line of work is trying to explain alcohol blue laws to people who are baffled by them. Most of us can’t figure them out, either — whether we agree with them or not [...]

Hint: Don’t ask for a beer list, just take what you can get. is a post from: The Southern Highland Reader

Ten “public options” you already use

Bill Graham — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:55:12 +0000

NATIONAL–Rob Schofield at NC Policy Watch and the Progressive Pulse provides this list: Police protection – Just call 911 and competent, honest folks are at my door in minutes Fire protection — Ditto Roads –N.C. DOT may be flawed, but imagine if streets were owned by Halliburton The military – Save the private armies for [...]

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Updated: Good news/bad news for Robbinsville

Bill Graham — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:02:27 +0000

More reading … Graham Star ROBBINSVILLE-In some ways, this small Graham County town is a throwback. It has as its largest employer a manufacturing company, just as most mountain towns did until a few decades ago. And in some ways, Stanley Furniture, too, is a throwback. It’s an American manufacturer that still makes things in [...]

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Music: Genre, what genre? Wenatchee (WA) World on fiddler Mark O’Connor

Staff — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:33:16 +0000

REGIONAL--Fans of bluegrass and newgrass recognize Mark O’Connor’s name instantly; his career stretches back more than two decades, and he has a rumpus-room full of country music awards to show for it. But his musicianship stretches far beyond his Appalachian successes, as this feature interview in the Wenatchee World well describes. An excerpt: By the [...]

Music: Genre, what genre? Wenatchee (WA) World on fiddler Mark O’Connor is a post from: The Southern Highland Reader