The first time Diane Aurit encountered Catawba Valley face jugs, she was not impressed. But today, dozens of the quirky creations fill her office and bring a smile to her face.
april 2011
Acres of Antiques
Vito and Mary Ellen Sico started out buying antiques to furnish their first home. Their collection grew into a business, and today it’s the inspiration for the Liberty Antiques Festival, a twice-a-year event that attracts hundreds of vendors and thousands of shoppers from nearly two dozen states.
No Place Like Home: Land of Oz in Beech Mountain
For years, Cynthia Keller couldn’t finish watching The Wizard of Oz, for fear of the Wicked Witch. Now, as caretaker of Beech Mountain’s Land of Oz, she wakes up every day in a house at the center of the wonderful land.
Malaprop’s
While overcoming the literary persecution of her childhood, Emöke B’Racz established Malaprop’s, Asheville’s signature bookstore and pioneered the downtown business revival.
A Gracious Host
Arthur Smith, a homegrown Carolinian, is one of the most admired and influential country music singers, songwriters, and entertainers in . . .
284 Garden Road
Sisters Frances Love and Betty Klavins know their childhood on the Penderlea Homestead in Pender County gave them many advantages. They produced Recipes and Remembrances as a tribute.
Holding on to Americana
William McNeill collects handheld fans. He has gathered them from churches and funeral homes and businesses of all kinds. And he has the history that goes with them.
How Fulgurite Forms When Lightning Hits Sand
Most people don’t notice the gray lumps. They look like concrete leftovers, not particularly attractive, even for a rock. But Phil Greene sees something more as he walks the beach along Corolla. When he picks up fulgurite, he’s holding petrified energy. And that’s worth holding on to.
Life As He Saw It
Talmadge Moose grew up in Stanly County in the 1930s and ’40s. He worked in his dad’s country store and for his uncles on their farms. Although his love of drawing led to a successful career that won him national acclaim, he never strayed far from his roots.