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A Time of Appalachian Christmas Cantatas and Pageants
Nervous energy danced around the classroom located just off the sanctuary. For many of us, this was the first time we had been allowed inside the adult Sunday school classroom.
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Hidden Gems Polished by Loving Hands
There really are forest sprites, mysterious creatures who sprinkle their magic through the woods and delight all who visit.
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Uncovering the Secrets of Owls
If you have day-hiked in the Smokies, you have undoubtedly been monitored, unawares, from a tree cavity. The unseen watcher? A winged super-predator resting with one eye open, waiting for dusk or nightfall.
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Mountain Power
“What this project has taught me is that, even in hard times, we can find moments of joy and should allow ourselves to feel them,” said Alex Deutsch. “Art might not be all we need, but it sure is a positive force for good.”
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What’s A Meal Without Gravy?
In my Smoky Mountain boyhood, and even more so in earlier generations, high country cooks like my Grandma Minnie would have considered a hot meal without gravy something approaching culinary sacrilege.
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Tajines for All Tastes
Say the word “tajine” and see color, spice, shadowed desertous hills, white flowing robes and bare feet and bright sunshine on sand. See markets and earthenware dishes and silver pots of tea with fresh mint and sugar cubes.
Regional Content:
What’s A Meal Without Gravy?
In my Smoky Mountain boyhood, and even more so in earlier generations, high country cooks like my Grandma Minnie would have considered a hot meal without gravy something approaching culinary sacrilege.
Dec 1, 2025
12:00 AM
Tajines for All Tastes
Say the word “tajine” and see color, spice, shadowed desertous hills, white flowing robes and bare feet and bright sunshine on sand. See markets and earthenware dishes and silver pots of tea with fresh mint and sugar cubes.
Dec 1, 2025
12:00 AM
Mountain Power
“What this project has taught me is that, even in hard times, we can find moments of joy and should allow ourselves to feel them,” said Alex Deutsch. “Art might not be all we need, but it sure is a positive force for good.”
Dec 1, 2025
12:00 AM
Uncovering the Secrets of Owls
If you have day-hiked in the Smokies, you have undoubtedly been monitored, unawares, from a tree cavity. The unseen watcher? A winged super-predator resting with one eye open, waiting for dusk or nightfall.
Dec 1, 2025
12:00 AM
On the Trail in the Smokies
Chimney Tops Trail, about halfway between Newfound Gap and Sugarlands Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has long been a crazily popular path.
Dec 1, 2025
12:00 AM
There's Glass in These Mountains
No one imagined a furnace and a vision would transform a quiet, rural Western North Carolina mountain community into a world-renowned mecca for studio glass. All it took was an initial spark and a community, eager to fan the flame.
Dec 1, 2025
12:00 AM
A Time of Appalachian Christmas Cantatas and Pageants
Nervous energy danced around the classroom located just off the sanctuary. For many of us, this was the first time we had been allowed inside the adult Sunday school classroom.
Dec 1, 2025
12:00 AM
The Adventures of Roy Boy and Birdie
If one is writing about a specific region, culture and history of the country, it is helpful if the author is “from here,” as the mountain slang expression goes.
Dec 1, 2025
12:00 AM
Christmas Pokes
During my childhood in the 1960s, my family’s church, Garden Creek Baptist Church, held an annual Nativity play at Christmastime. The first play that I had a part in, when I was around six years old, required me to recite a Bible verse.
Dec 1, 2025
12:00 AM
The Wonderful Versatility of Nuts
Native nuts—black walnuts, the now vanishing butternut, the vanished American chestnut, hazelnuts, chinquapins, and hickory nuts—have long been an integral part of mountain culinary culture.
Oct 1, 2025
12:00 AM
A Bird for Each Season
Sundays in the mountains traditionally involve chicken, often breaded and fried, and served with mashed potatoes and a hearty gravy. French families also serve up chicken, usually weekly.
Oct 1, 2025
12:00 AM
Longtime Friend Back Again
Not far from the tiny town of Floyd, Virginia, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, is the childhood home of The Wildmans. The sibling duo are currently navigating the release of their debut album, “Longtime Friend,” for New West Records.
Oct 1, 2025
12:00 AM
