Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

|| High Country Press Newswire

October 9, 2008 issue

Turning Blue?—NC, Watauga Could Be Competitive in Presidential Race

Red, red, red. When it comes time to elect a president, Watauga County and North Carolina are typically as crimson as they come. For the better part of the past half-century, this county and state have been Republican territory.

But in the midst of a dire economic crisis, the waning days of an unpopular Republican presidency and prolonged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, “change” has been the buzzword of the 2008 campaign. And for the first time in decades, North Carolina is in play. Read More »

Pre-Season Snowsports Information—Area Resorts Gear Up For 2008-2009 Ski, Snowboard and Tubing Season

The leaves are all changing on the trees in the High Country and that means more than just leaf-looker traffic; it means that the 2008-2009 winter snowsports season is just around the corner.

That news might be unwelcome for summer lovers, but it’s a long-awaited dream come true for the legions of snowsports lovers in the High Country and beyond, so here’s some preseason information for all those people who can’t wait to take a run down the slopes. Read More »

The View Stories

30th Annual Valle Country Fair October 18

On the Thursday before the fair, the Apple Butter Boys will start cooking down apples, sugar and spices to produce more than 200 gallons of apple butter. On fair day, they start the fires at 3:00 a.m. and have the apple butter ready to start dipping into jars around 11:30 a.m. They will fill more than 1,000 jars with the thick, sweet condiment before the fair is over. Photo by Catherine Morton It’s the mother of all church bazaars, and it takes place against the picturesque autumn backdrop of the Valle Crucis hills. The 30th annual Valle Country Fair takes place this year on Saturday, October 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Valle Crucis Conference Center on N.C. Highway 194. Read More »

Shelter Stories

From Bad To Worse—Fuel Oil and Kerosene Prices Up Sharply From Last Year; Supply Problems Persist

While High Country motorists have been experiencing pain at the pump because of high gasoline prices and availability issues, the looming winter season will soon bring petroleum-based problems into homes throughout the area as increased heating oil and kerosene prices take their toll. Read More »