North Carolina Mountain Dreams » Watauga County

Are You Going To The Fair?

Gary Boyd — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:14:05 +0000

The Valle Country Fair. The 31st Annual Valle Country Fair is October 17, 2009 (always the 3rd Saturday in October).

Photo by Catherine Morton
A busy tent community is set up in the center of a huge hayfield in the center of one of the most picturesque valleys in the North Carolina mountains during the peak of the fall color season. In addition to crafts, guests can enjoy homemade Brunswick Stew, fresh pressed apple cider and hot-out-of-the-kettle apple butter.

I’ll miss the fair this year…again. Some day soon though I’ll wander the displays in the Valle…Sample the apple butter hot from the big iron kettles…Remember the days of my childhood, so many years ago, when my Grandma fed me apple butter on fresh bread for lunch as we played in the cool of the fall.

My fall memories do not include the technicolor hillsides in the photo above…In my Texas childhood it was only the Chinese Tallow trees that provided fall color…And the purples and maroons and yellows and oranges all on one tree always seemed a little strange when everything else was still green. Catherine Morton’s photo of the Fair graced my computer screen for all of the fall and winter months the first time I saw it. Until that time I had never visited anyplace where the colors were that vibrant. But after our fall 2007 trip into the mountains I know this is what fall should be…And someday I’ll share the pleasures of the Fair and the fall colors from my own place in the mountains…Until then, I’ll have to enjoy the Fair through others eyes.

Blue Ridge blog: Come with me…

Gary Boyd — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:35:10 +0000

August is the month which, like the morning fog, descends suddenly but burns off quickly, blending into September. Do you see the tree in the foreground is showing a hint of change?
I walked the Valle this morning. I started under the veil of fog. By the time I parked my Jeep near the Goodnight Farm, blue skies peaked overtop the clouds near the Taylor’s place.

Marie Freeman takes us along on a morning walk through Valle Crucis. Her photographs always provide me the mountain “fix” I need in the midst of a Texas summer. It is her photos and blog posts that help keep me connected to the Valley I fell in love with on my first family trip to the mountains. Follow the link and walk along with her through the Valle we both love and she calls home…via Blue Ridge blog: Come with me….

2009 High Country Farm Tour | Blue Ridge Women In Agriculture

Gary Boyd — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:00:34 +0000

I am a big fan of the Watauga County Farmer’s Market and have always wanted to attend one of the High Country Farm Tours…I won’t make it this weekend, but, if you can you should. The ticket revenue goes to a good cause…Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture.

Saturday August 8th and Sunday August 9th
1 pm to 5 pm both days
Join local farmers and Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture for a fun-filled summer weekend! Enjoy the bounty of food and flowers in the beautiful North Carolina mountains while supporting local sustainable farms in Allegheny, Ashe, Watauga and Wilkes Counties. Interviews with the farmers will be posted on the High Country Farm Tour Blog.
Wrist bands are $20 in advance or $25 if purchased at a farm, and are good for one carload of people for the entire weekend—or pay $10 per farm.

From the BRWIA’ s website their mission statement is:

BRWIA’s mission is to empower women and their families with resources, education, and skills related to the production and consumption of sustainably-grown food from the community.
Based in Boone, North Carolina, BRWIA serves members across the High Country of the state.

If you would like to attend, follow the link below to the BRWIA website to find out where to purchase tickets and directions yo the participating farms…

via 2009 High Country Farm Tour | Blue Ridge Women In Agriculture.

25th Annual Valle Crucis Park Auction

Gary Boyd — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:02:50 +0000

We are pleased to invite you to “The 25th Annual Valle Crucis Park Auction” on Saturday August 29th, 2009 at 9:00AM at The Valle Crucis Elemtary School

For more information or to donate an item, please call Caroline at 828-963-9239