Highlands on the Half Shell

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: October - 2022

Care for some Cajun food? You’re in luck! The annual Highlands on the Half Shell event is coming to the Highlands Biological Station on Sunday, October 2. And it’s the party we’ve all been waiting for! For those among you who know and crave the seductive style of New Orleans cookery then you’ll want to gather on the lawn at the Valentine Meadow beginning at 4:00 PM. Co-chairs Martha Stubbs and Jennie Stowers enlist the support of a host of volunteers – board members and locals alike – to procure, prepare and serve the food that is the centerpiece of the event. Local home cooks whip up Cajun delicacies, concocted with the traditional ingredients of the Bayou. Enthusiastic volunteers get together to cook jambalaya – the classic dish in the Cajun canon that represents every celebration in Louisiana. And they dish up steaming bowls of Cajun comfort -gumbo- that they’ve so lovingly made. Again, this year, Hal Stubbs will steam succulent, saline oysters on the grill. There will be scrumptious sides brought by other supporters of the Biological Foundation and plates of sweet, toothsome pralines to finish. But it’s not just the food that matters here. This event is to benefit the Highlands Biological Foundation, a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that focused on stimulating, promoting, and funding biological research and education in our region. The Foundation has been supplying critical support for the Biological Station and it’s three facets:  the Nature Center, Botanical Garden and Biological Laboratory since the Station’s founding in 1927. The Station’s campus is a unique and magical place that holds a special place in the hearts and minds of locals and travelers alike.  The attendees who will gather under the tent, surrounded by a colorful canopy of leaves, have come together to raise much needed dollars for research and programming. It will make possible the free community and year-round educational programming at the Highlands Nature Center, which focuses on the spectacular biodiversity of the southern Appalachian region and helps bring nature into the lives of children. A true gift to the Highlands community, the Highlands Biological Station is a multi-campus center of Western Carolina University that serves up a palette of nature attractions including the Nature Center and a botanical garden replete with over 450 species of trees, ferns, flowers, and more. Festivities begin 4:00 P.M. and last until dark.  Come dressed in your favorite Cajun Casual.  Tickets are $125 per person.  To buy tickets, visit highlandsbiological.org. or call (828) 526-2221.

by Marlene Osteen