Join the Village of Blowing Rock as we celebrate the fun side of winter at the 14th Annual Blowing Rock Winterfest! From the Chili Cook-Off to WinterPaws, from the icy Polar Plunge to WinterFeast, there’s something for all age groups at Blowing Rock Winterfest.

November 25th, 2011, Memorial Park, 828-295-5222

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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For more information, visit http://tweetsie.com!

Mountain Home Music
Date: August 20, 2011
http://www.mountainhomemusic.com

A Quilter’s Show-A Quilter’s Song

Quilt Show & Dinner at the Meadowbrook Inn – Saturday, August 20th

Concert at the Blowing Rock School Auditorium – Saturday, August 20th

5:00 Quilt Show: Quilters Reva Roark Steward and Noelle Rosenfeld are quilting masters.   Prior to the 8:00 concert, they will display some of their quilts at the Meadowbrook Inn.   Arrive early (around 5:00) to browse and for a preconcert dinner prepared by the Meadowbrook Inn.   Mountain Home Music will provide background music.

One of Reva Roark Steward’s quilts will be raffled off and proceeds will be donated to MHM.

“To see their quilts,” said Joe Shannon, “is like listening to Doc Watson play the guitar and David Johnson playing the fiddle.  You know you’re in the presence of something special.”

8:00 Concert: The Sheets Family, from the Sugar Grove community in Watauga County, plays old-time mountain music, which is fiddle and banjo, ballads and hymns, dancing and yodeling.  Performances include the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Folklife Festival, and the Library of Congress.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Located in Blowing Rock, Boone, App Ski Mtn, and Banner Elk. We have luxury and budget cabins in the Boone/ Blowing Rock areas of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Our cabins are close to all the activties in the area. You can ski at one of the three resorts, snow tube at the Eastern United States largest tube runs, spend a day at Tweetsie Railroad, go whitewater rafting, horseback riding, golfing, fishing, hiking, canoeing and you are close to Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, Linville, Jefferson and many other mountain towns.

Located halfway between Boone and Blowing Rock, our office is in the gray building at Mystery Hill.

Stop by our office and meet the friendly staff who can assist you in your vacation needs. The Blue Ridge Mountains are calling you to explore the high country so come on up and visit us soon!

When coming to Boone, Blowing Rock or any place in the High Country of NC, consider our Log Cabins, Chalets, and vacation rentals.

We want to provide the best selection and service for your vacation cabin needs in the North Carolina High Country. We have cabins in the Boone and Blowing Rock areas. Our number one goal is to make sure you are satisfied and have a pleasant trip. Our mission is to do anything we can do to make your stay more enjoyable.

For more information, visit: http://www.witsendrentals.com

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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June is one of the loveliest, most verdant months in North Carolina’s Prettiest Small Town, and the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce has organized three weeks of garden-oriented events and activities in and around the town to take advantage of nature’s floral bounties.

Gardening Month runs from Sunday, June 12 through Tuesday, June 28, with garden tours, nature walks, seminars, lectures, luncheons, teas, demonstrations and more taking place on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays in that three-week period.  Lovers of all things floral who want to avoid the weekend crowds of high-season visitors can come and stay for two or three days and take in Gardening Month events and the local surroundings at a more leisurely pace.

For more information about the many events and activities during Gardening Month in Blowing Rock, visit blowingrock.com/GardeningMonth.htm or call the Visitor Center at 877.750.4636. Tickets for all events may be purchased through the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce at 828.295.7851.

Visit: http://www.visitblowingrock.com

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Jan Karon, author of the best-selling Mitford books, lived in Blowing Rock when she began the series, and many places around the town will remind readers of familiar landmarks in the books. So the answer to the question, “Is Blowing Rock Mitford?” seems to be yes.

When Karon hosts Mitford Days June 2 – 4 in Blowing Rock, the question will certainly be answered. Karon will particpate in luncheons, lectures and interviews on Friday, June 3 and Saturday, June 4, and there will be Mitford-centered events all around town and at the Hayes Performing Arts Center during Mitford Days. 

Here are daily highlights of Mitford Days:

Thursday, June 2: Trolley Tours of Mitford; “An Evening with Father Tim,” readings of excerpts from the Mitford series, 7:30 p.m., Hayes Center, starring Stephen Ware, actor from the hit play “Journey to Mitford;” special offers from downtown merchants.

Friday, June 3: Trolley Tours of Mitford; Lecture with Karon, Hayes Center, 10:00 a.m.; luncheon with Karon, Chetola Resort, 11:30 a.m. (menu entirely from the Mitford Cookbook); “An Evening with Father Tim,” 7:30 p.m., Hayes Center (features a live interview with Karon); special offers from downtown merchants.

Saturday, June 4: Trolley Tours of Mitford; Lecture with Karon, Hayes Center, 10:00 a.m.; luncheon with Karon, Chetola Resort, 11:30 a.m.; “An Evening with Father Tim,” Hayes Center; special offers from downtown merchants.

For a full schedule of events and ticket prices, visit mitforddays.com or blowingrock.com.  For details about events at the Hayes Center, visit hayescenter.org.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Tweetsie Railroad is proud to operate two vintage steam locomotives: the #12 “Tweetsie” and the #190 “Yukon Queen”. When you visit Tweetsie Railroad during the operating season, the train will be pulled by one of these historic engines.

Locomotive #12 is the last surviving narrow-gauge steam locomotive of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC), which ran train service from Johnson City TN to Boone NC from 1919 to 1940. When the Tweetsie Railroad theme park opened in 1957, this was our sole locomotive.

In 1960, Tweetsie Railroad acquired another steam locomotive, the #190 “Yukon Queen” from Alaska’s White Pass & Yukon Railway.

Both locomotives are coal-fired narrow-gauge engines, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. #12 was completed in 1917, and #190 in 1943. Before entering service at Tweetsie Railroad, the locomotives were put into operating condition by veteran engineer Frank Coffey, who trained new generations in Tweetsie’s on-site steam train repair shop.

For more info, visit: http://www.tweetsie.com!

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Join the Village of Blowing Rock as we celebrate the fun side of winter at the 13th Annual Blowing Rock Winterfest! From the Chili Cook-Off to downtown hayrides, from the icy Polar Plunge to WinterFeast, there’s something for all age groups at Blowing Rock Winterfest.

- Shop with Blowing Rock Merchants
- Dine in our cozy restaurants!
- Free Hot Chocolate & Hayrides!
- FREE SNOW!

TICKETS AND INFORMATION
available at Blowing Rock Visitors Center, 7738 Valley Blvd.
Blowing Rock, NC – 877-295-78014 or 828-295-7851

 For more, visit: http://www.blowingrockwinterfest.com/

When: February 5, 2011
Where: Appalachian Ski Mtn.
What: Fist event in ATP’s Shred for the Cup Series

App Terrain Park will kick off the 10-11 Shred for the Cup event series on Saturday Night, February 5th with the Big Air. Shred for the Cup is the premier event series in the region, and is better than ever going into its 5th season. As always, Shred for the Cup is open to Skiers and Snowboarders of all age and ability. Tons of prizes are up for grabs, as well as points for the entire series winners.
 
All event participants will receive lunch and Shred for the Cup series T-Shirts.

Categories:
The Shred for the Cup series is for everyone, no matter your ability level. Skiers and Snowboarders are judged separately, and the categories for both include:

Beginner:
-No Sandbagging
-Can hit smaller flat rails and boxes
-Can hit small table tops
 
Intermediate:
 -No Sandbagging
 -Comfortable doing variety of tricks on smaller rails and boxes
-Can hit some kinked/curved rails and boxes
-Can hit smaller and medium sized tabletops
 -Can do a variety of grabs or small rotations (180’s, 360’s)
 
Advanced:
 -Comfortable doing variety of tricks on all rails and boxes
 -Comfortable spinning and grabbing on all size jumps (180’s, 360’s, 540’s, 720’s, etc…)
If in questioning your ability placement you find yourself in the middle of 2 categories, ATP encourages you to compete in the higher category and try to push yourself to a new level.

The Shred for the Cup series also offers Ski and Snowboard categories for Women who want to get out and ride.

For more info, visit AppSkiMtn.com!

Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure Premieres in Blowing Rock!

After filming at locations throughout the High Country, including Tweetsie Railroad, Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure will premiere at Blowing Rock School on November 6 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Approximately one third of the motion picture, which is based on the popular Mandie children’s book series, was filmed at Tweetsie Railroad in April 2010 including scenes in the park’s Old West Town and Tweetsie’s historic steam engine No. 12.  Set at the turn-of-the-century, the movie is filled with rich history about Mandie’s Cherokee Indian heritage and life in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, which made Tweetsie Railroad an ideal setting.

“There were several reasons we chose to film at Tweetsie Railroad,” stated Joy Chapman, one of the film’s producers.  “Tweetsie offered so much that fit in perfectly with the Mandie stories including the scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the authentic Main Street and an early 1900’s steam locomotive.  In addition, the Mandie book series is geared towards children and perfect for family reading, and it doesn’t get more family-friendly than Tweetsie Railroad!” 

Several of the film’s stars will attend the November 6 premiere which benefits Blowing Rock C.A.R.E.S., a non-profit organization helping local families in need of food, non-perishable items and clothing.  Attendees are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items.  Tickets are available for purchase at Blowing Rock School (828-295-3204) for $8 each.

Both the first movie in the Mandie series, Mandie and the Secret Tunnel, and Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure will be available for purchase at the premiere, and drawings will be held to win autographed photos of the film’s cast, including Lexi Johnson as Mandie. 

The Mandie books, authored by the late author Lois Gladys Leppard, have been charming the hearts of young readers for almost 20 years and over seven million copies are in print.

Check out the website at: http://www.mandieandthecherokeetreasure.com

Visit: http://tweetsie.com/special-events/ghost-train

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Art in the Park was created in 1962 by a handful of area artists and craftspeople to showcase local talent. 46 years after its start, Art in the Park is host to 90 artisans at each show. Some of the best local and regional artists and craftspeople showcase their handcrafted jewelry, pottery, fiber, glass, photography, painting and more.

Art in the Park’s high standards and professional jury attract artisans from all over the Southeast to exhibit in a series of six shows, May through October. The quality of work exhibited draws thousands to the mountains each month.

Art in the Park is planned and administered by the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber emphasizes the arts focus of this event. The town and area businesses are enthusiastic and participate with Art in the Park, and the public eagerly anticipates each season.

For more information, visit: http://www.blowingrock.com/artinthepark

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Tweetsie Railroad, North Carolina’s first family theme park, opens for the 2010 season on Friday, April 30th. Come join the fun!!

Source: Wikipedia

Opened in 1957, Tweetsie Railroad began as an excursion train ride aboard steam locomotive #12, the only surviving narrow-gauge engine of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC). Built in 1917 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, #12 is a 3 ft  (914 mm) (narrow gauge) 4-6-0 coal-fired locomotive that was used to haul passengers and freight over the ET&WNC’s 66-mile (106.2 km) line running from Johnson City over the Appalachian Mountains to Boone, North Carolina. After the narrow gauge portion of the ET&WNC ceased operations in 1950, the locomotive was purchased by a group of railroad enthusiasts and was taken to Rockingham County, Virginia to operate as the small “Shenandoah Central” tourist line in 1952.

Floodwaters from Hurricane Hazel washed out the Shenandoah Central in 1954, and Locomotive #12 was once again put up for sale. Hollywood actor Gene Autry considered purchasing the locomotive to move to California for use in motion pictures.

Instead, Grover Robbins, an entrepreneur from Blowing Rock, North Carolina, bought the locomotive in 1956 and moved the engine back to its native Blue Ridge Mountains as the centerpiece of a new “Tweetsie Railroad“ tourist attraction. A 3-mile (4.8 km) loop of track was constructed near Boone, North Carolina for the train to run on, and on July 4, 1957, the locomotive made its first public trip over the line.

Tweetsie Railroad became a popular tourist attraction, and evolved into one of the nation’s first theme parks. A western town and saloon were built around the depot area. A train robbery and Indian attack show were added to the train ride, playing off the Wild West theme that was very popular at the time on television and movies. The theme was enhanced by regular visits WBTV television personality/singing cowboy Fred Kirby, who hosted a popular children’s show. In 1962, a chairlift and amusement ride area was constructed at the top of the mountain inside the rail loop, and over the decades the park has been expanded with additional rides, attractions, shops, restaurants, and special events.
 
One of Tweetsie Railroad’s two steam locomotives, 2-8-2 #190, on May 20th, 2007.The Tweetsie Railroad theme park is open from early May through October of each year. One of its most popular annual events is the nighttime “Ghost Train Halloween Festival” in October. In addition to the Wild West train adventure and the amusement rides, Tweetsie Railroad has a variety of live entertainment shows featuring talented performers selected from the immediate area and from the Southeast.

Tweetsie acquired another steam locomotive, USATC S118 Class 2-8-2 #190, the “Yukon Queen” from Alaska’s White Pass and Yukon Route in 1960. Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1943 for the US Army, the engine was part of an 11-locomotive fleet of “MacArthur” 2-8-2s originally purchased for use overseas. During World War II, the locomotives were sent to Alaska for use on the White Pass and Yukon.

In 1961, Grover Robbins built another train ride and tourist attraction called “Rebel Railroad” in the Smoky Mountains near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Renamed “Goldrush Junction” in 1966, it was sold to the Cleveland Browns football team in 1970. In 1976, the attraction was sold again to Jack and Pete Herschend of Branson, Missouri, who redeveloped it as a theme park, “Silver Dollar City Tennessee”. In 1986, country music star Dolly Parton became a partowner with the Herschends, and the theme park was renamed Dollywood to reflect her involvement.

The name “Tweetsie” was given to the original East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad by area residents who became accustomed to the shrill “tweet, tweet” of the train whistles that echoed through the mountains. The nickname stuck with the train and became more identifiable than the railroad’s actual name.

Visit http://www.tweetsie.com!

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Blowing Rock’s 12th annual Winterfest is Jan. 28-31. This four-day celebration of everything winter is packed with activities and events for day-trippers and overnight guests alike.

Winterfest begins Thursday evening with “WinterFeast,” hosted by The Manor House Restaurant at Chetola Resort. Culinary delights abound as the area’s fine restaurants come together for this once-a-year dining showcase. There are seatings at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

Friday and Saturday activities include “shop ’till you drop” at downtown shops and the Tanger Outlet Shoppes on the Parkway, a charity wine auction & tasting, afternoon hayrides and a bonfire at dusk. There’s also a silent auction with items ranging from weekend stays at local hotels to clothing, dinners and jewelry.

he highlight of Winterfest is the Polar Plunge on Saturday morning. It features a contest of brave souls who jump into the icy waters of Chetola Lake while dressed in wacky costumes. Contestants vie for the coveted Golden Plunger Award, while spectators marvel at their lack of good sense.www.blowingrockwinterfest.com or call (877) 750-4636.

Other Winterfest activities include: an ice carving competition, chili cookoff, live music, pancake breakfast and a pet show.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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A holiday tradition in Blowing Rock, Chetola’s Festival of Lights features over 50,000 illuminations attracting thousands of visitors each year.

Drive around Chetola Lake and view glittering ice skaters, a nativity scene, Rudolph catching a “big fish” and much more. Over Friday and Saturday over Thanksgiving week-end , horse and carriage rides are offered around Chetola Lake from 5 pm to 9 pm.

The price is $15 per adult and $8 for children 12 and under. Cookie decorating will also be offered from 5 pm to 7 pm (free) and Santa will be visiting the Manor House Restaurant from 5 pm to 9 pm (free).

Festival of Lights runs through Blowing Rock Winterfest which ends on January 31, 2010.

For more information, contact 800-CHETOLA or visit www.chetola.com.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Tourists interested in the North Carolina High Country have a dynamic new resource for visitor info thanks to a redesign and upgrade of High Country Host’s website, www.MountainsofNC.com.

The new site contains information on lodging, attractions, festivals, shopping, restaurants, heritage events and outdoors activities. There is also a blog, calendar of events, a section for specials & deals, High Country maps and a downloadable vacation planner.

“This new site pulls together all the key information visitors need to plan a trip to the High Country,” says Millie Barbee, executive director of High Country Host. “And, it is user-friendly. There are multiple ways to navigate the site to quickly find what you’re looking for.”

This new site was created by Big Boom Design of Asheville, using a Joomla platform. It incorporates the latest in website technology, including advanced search engine optimization.

“Our desire was to build a site that’s easy to navigate and brings as much information above the fold and to the surface as possible,” said Boomer Sassmann of Big Boom Design. “It’s a well organized second-generation website that also incorporates social media aspects such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.”

The look and feel of the website will change quarterly to match the four distinct seasons that draw visitors to the High Country.

“If this were a traditionally built  website, we wouldn’t be able to do that,” Sassmann says, “but because of this Joomla content management system, it is easy to change the look without altering the content.”

To view the new site, go online to www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Named One Of The Top Ten Fall Festivals in North America by the Society of American Travel Writers!

The Wooly Worm Festival is October 17th, 2009! Back in the late 1970s, the editor of the now-defunct Mountain Living Magazine, Jim Morton, was preparing to include a Woolly Worm Forecast in the winter issue of the magazine.

He photographed the first Woolly Worm he saw to use in formulating the prediction and illustrating his story, but the next day he saw a second worm that looked completely different from the first. “That’s when it struck me that we needed some formal procedure to use to decide which was going to be the official worm for making the winter forecast,” said Morton.

So since 1978, the residents of the village nestled between the Carolina’s two largest ski resorts have celebrated the coming of the snow season with a Woolly Worm Festival. They set aside the third weekend in October to determine which one worm will have the honor of predicting the severity of the coming winter; and they make that worm earn the honor by winning heat after heat of hard-fought races – up a three-foot length of string.

For more information on the festival CLICK HERE!

For lodging and other travel information, contact North Carolina High Country Host at 800-438-7500 or visit: www.mountainsofnc.com.

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Join us in Blowing Rock for the 2009 Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival!

The art of wine is celebrated in mountain style during the 2009 Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival, April 16-19 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Featuring wineries from throughout NC, and fine cuisine created by Blowing Rock chefs, the Festival promises to please even the most discriminating palates. Be sure to make reservations for the Winemaker’s Dinners, and book your Lodging Package to complete your experience. Tickets are available online or at the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce.

For more info visit: BlueRidgeWineFestival.com where you can view a photo gallery, see a list of participating wineries, an event schedule, buy tickets, lodging information and much, much more!

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Blowing Rock offers so many attractions, it’s hard to see them all in one trip. From popular attractions including The Blowing Rock, Tweetsie Railroad, Grandfather Mountain and Linville Caverns, there is something for all ages and tastes. Arts patrons will enjoy Hayes Performing Arts Center, featuring professional quality plays, musicals, concerts and more. In addition, Blowing Rock offers a variety of art and craft galleries, museums, festivals and events. The Blowing Rock area is also close to many apple orchards, Christmas tree farms and wineries.

Click on the links above for a list of attractions in the Blowing Rock area. For more information, call the Blowing Rock Visitor’s Center at 877-750-INFO or email us: info@visitblowingrock.com

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