At the top of the hill at the Burke County Fairgrounds, a torch is passed to a new generation of racers who must face their fears, drive straight, and compete for a Derby Day trophy.
burke county
The Survival Game
In Burke County, an ancient sport tied to the Italian immigrants who founded the town of Valdese may be the key to keeping a culture’s traditions in play.
In Search of the Brown Mountain Lights
Are the mysterious lights people have seen around Brown Mountain a natural phenomenon? Extraterrestrial orbs? Shared hallucinations? An elaborate hoax? Regardless of their origin, the legend continues to grow with each successive generation – year after year, night after night.
A City, Beneath
A professor, determined to unearth a 16th-century culture buried in Morganton’s foothills, discovers the first Spanish fort in the interior United States.
Peak Pints: Beer in Western N.C.
Mountain breweries create beers that reflect their surroundings and the seasons.
Fastest Monkey in the World
The biggest, tallest, truest tale in NASCAR history happened in 1953 on a half-mile dirt track in Hickory. A monkey named Jocko Flocko beat 26 other drivers to take home the checkered flag.
Biscuits and Burgers
Morganton residents start and end their day at Allison’s.
Breakfast in North Carolina: Glen Alpine Depot
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was published in January 2011. Since its publication, the Glen Alpine Depot in Burke County has . . .
Finding Juan Pardo
An archaeologist from Warren Wilson College is digging up a 16th-century Spanish fort on a site near Burke County’s Morganton. But why did everyone disappear after 1568?
