Paul Bonesteel and Janet McCue
Sunday evenings in Lake Toxaway invite reflection, and this summer the Historic Toxaway Foundation is giving that impulse a fitting destination.
On Sunday, July 12, the foundation’s Sunday Night Stories series comes to The Barn at 195 Homer McCall Road with a program built around the PBS documentary A Life Reimagined: The George Masa Story. Presented with the Grand Olde Station Express Food Truck, the evening offers both a screening and a gathering around one of the region’s most remarkable lives.
Masa remains one of Southern Appalachia’s most compelling figures. A self-taught Japanese photographer, he came to Asheville, worked first at the Grove Park Inn, and went on to create images that helped build support for both Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail.
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Bonesteel revisits Masa’s life with fresh depth, drawing on years of research and newly uncovered material. Along with his work in the Smokies and on the Appalachian Trail, Masa also photographed the Biltmore House and grounds, expanding the visual record he left of Western North Carolina.
Bonesteel and co-author Janet McCue will attend, and the companion book, George Masa: A Life Reimagined, will be available for purchase and signing. Their work helps restore the full complexity of Masa’s journey as an artist, immigrant, and conservation advocate.
The event runs from 5:00 to 7:30 P.M. at The Barn, with tickets priced at $45 per person and children 12 and under admitted free; most proceeds will support Bonesteel Films’ continuing documentary work.
Grand Olde Station Express will be onsite with food and drink, including beer and wine, available for an additional charge. The event promises the kind of easy social atmosphere that makes community gatherings memorable.
Sunday Night Stories has become one of the Historic Toxaway Foundation’s most distinctive traditions, shaped by local history, storytelling, and a strong sense of place. This year’s move to The Barn feels fitting for a program that continues to evolve while staying rooted in the community.
Masa is an ideal subject for that spirit: someone who saw these mountains clearly, loved them deeply, and helped others recognize what was worth preserving.
For anyone who treasures the stories held in these ridgelines, July 12 offers a meaningful invitation: an evening with a film that honors both a singular man and the beauty he helped defend. In Historic Toxaway and Laurel fashion, it promises to be intimate, generous, and resonant long after the lights come up.
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