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There are so many great articles in the pages of The Laurel Magazine, sometimes you want to read them again. You won’t miss a thing. Use these helpful search parameters and find just what you’re looking for about Highlands, NC and Cashiers, NC.
If the shoe Fits
The Plateau is gorgeous this time of year, and there’s nothing better than getting out in the sunshine to enjoy the beauty and get a little exercise. The great thing about our beautiful countryside is the wide variety of walking and hiking trails for us to enjoy. There are easy, flat trails for the average fitness walker, hilly trails to …
Ballad of Kidder Cove
It has been over a decade since I wrote an article about the well-known 15-stanza square-dance banjo tune known as “The Ballad of Kidder Cole.” I concentrated more on the ballad than I did the talented teenager who wrote it – Felix Eugene Alley – so it’s time now to tell about Felix’s life. He was born in 1873 in …
Hatching a Plan
How much money did the chicken get for crossing the road to make a guest appearance in this column? A poultry sum. The Hall Family has endowed Highlands’ history with a solid contribution, though they weren’t above playing a practical joke or two when the opportunity presented itself. They ran a Dutch Colonial Manor officially named Meadow House, but affectionately …
The Intrepid Towhee
This large sparrow, the Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), looks more like an American Robin than, say, a House Sparrow, but a member of the sparrow family it is. There are white-eyed towhees to our south, but our towhees here in Western North Carolina are red-eyed and plentiful in our woods. The male is black-headed with a sooty black cape, reddish-brown …
Birthday Golf in Ireland
Jimmy Maurin recently received a once-in-a-lifetime Birthday present from his three son-in-laws. It was a fantastic golf tour of Ireland, arranged through Laurel contributor Tom Chillemi, PGA, owner of Tom’s Golf Tours. These are his field notes for a birthday present that will always be treasured. “What a trip we had. Ireland is golfer nirvana. Courses are awesome, people extremely …
Black-Eyed susans
The Black-Eyed Susan’s real name is Rudbeckia hirta. The genus was named for Olaus Rudbeck, a professor of Botany from the University of Uppsala, in Sweden. The botanical name of hirta refers to the hair on its stems and leaves. A good way to remember the real name of this plant: If you’re rude to someone, (especially to someone named …
Fly Fishing on the Plateau
A lot of times people will ask me where they can fly fish “in Highlands or Cashiers.” The truth is that most of the best fishing in Western North Carolina resides at least 40 minutes away from the Plateau, but since a lot of folks don’t like the idea of driving so far from here, let’s run down the truly …
The Climb Up Little Green
“Hello?” called the voice of worry from the other side of a cluster of evergreen and blueberry bushes. My boyfriend and I were sitting and snacking in a patch of shade atop Little Green Mountain in Panthertown Valley, and he had just burped with the satisfied enthusiasm, apparently, of a black bear gorging himself on blueberries. “Hello!” I called in …
Truck on Down to the Bascom
Highlands Food and Wine Festival is back November 8–11 and if you haven’t gotten your tickets, you’d better hurry. Some events are already sold out! Friday, November 9, make plans to attend Truckin’ – the festival’s outdoor music and food truck event, this year held at The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts in downtown Highlands. The Bascom and …
The Ubiquitous Zucchini
Anyone who has visited Highlands Marketplace on Saturday mornings has, no doubt, met Don Deal. He’s not only the organizer of the local farmers market, but a successful farmer, as well. Don says that both sides of his family were among the very first settlers in this area, having bought Cherokee land from the government. The farm is in Franklin, …
Wine Partners
In the beginning…A few wine pioneers can say they helped shape the landscape of the California wine industry. It’s easy to forget that quality California wine is still in its infancy compared to the century-old wine traditions of Italy and France. For Sonoma, we can thank the early pioneers, Cecil and Christine De Loach, for cutting a path for others …
Dinner at Canyon Kitchen
It’s one thing to go out and have a good meal. It’s something else to experience it. Canyon Kitchen at Lonesome Valley in Sapphire is an experience that everyone should have. The welcoming and attentive staff seated us on the Terrace of the open air Dining Room, looking out across the Kitchen Garden. Cow Rock Mountain loomed in the …
