Cable Country

04

The Oasis of Dry Hill

 Apr 30, 2007

Richard Dugger retired in 2000 after working for 30 years for Lincoln Electric in Northern Ohio. He came back home to Northeast Tennessee to re-model his wife’s old homeplace. But, as it turned out, that’s certainly not all they’ve accomplished. 

Up on top of Dry Hill, you’ll find an oasis.

“It’s a haven”, says store owner, Richard Dugger. “I think it serves as a focal point for people to come together and it’s sort of a homey place”.

Sit a spell and make yourself at home at the Dry Hill General Store and Deli.

“We found that we were driving to Johnson City three or four times a week or to Elizabethton just to buy things that we needed”, Richard says. “I told my wife one day coming back, somebody should build a store here”.

So, that’s just what the Duggers did.

“I tried retiring and I didn’t learn well”, laughs Richard. “I tell everybody I had a senior moment and I built this store. I was just going to build a little store and my wife said one day, she said, well I’d like to have a little deli so we could do some sandwiches..built a deli and then it grew faster than we thought it would and we’re still trying to catch up”.

They’ve reeled in a store that’s quite a catch alright. From fishing supplies to frosty drinks to the bread and the milk, if you find yourself in a pickle, you can bring home the bacon from here.

“Well somebody was kidding the other day and they said, if we don’t have it here, you don’t need it”, adds Richard.

From hardware to canned goods to toys..you can clean up here. This establishment’s become a key to the community.

“This store is probably a process of evolution”, Richard says. “We have a lot of different variety. We’ve tried to put together a composite of what people need or want in this area”.

Another thing that you’ll never run dry of at Dry Hill General Store and Deli is the food.

“If you remember your Grandmother or your Mother and you talk about their cooking they do it the same way”, continues Richard. “We got some of the best cooks in the world”.

Home cooked meals are served up every day of the week.

“I’ve moved here recently from Atlanta”, says area resident, Mary Salter. “My fiance and I found God’s country and we came here to build a home and we brought in a pop-up and with really no place to cook. They were a Godsend. I’m not sure what the people did before the Duggers came in and built this place. Thank God we found this place”.

Richard sure is thankful he made the move back here from the big city area of Cleveland, Ohio.

“Cities don’t compare to this mountain”, he says proudly. “It’s just beautiful country. If we don’t appreciate it we’re missing out on a blessing. Our philosophy is just to enjoy people. We enjoy talking to people”.

Here at the water cooler of this community..the oasis of Dry Hill.

“I don’t expect to ever get rich”, Richard laughs. “But we will hopefully enjoy our last days”.

To get to the Dry Hill General Store and Deli, take highway 67 around Watauga Lake through the town of Butler, then turn right on route 167 and go approximately 5 to 6 miles into the Dry Hill section of Johnson County and look for the store on your left. When you go, try the food and tell me what you think. As Andy Griffith would say, I think it’s goooooood!!



Posted by Tim Cable

Luther’s Political Collection

 Apr 23, 2007

Tomorrow is election day in Johnson City but over in Elizabethton, every day is election day for this collector. 

Luther McKeehan has turned his downstairs den into campaign headquarters.

“Well, as my wife would probably tell you I’ve always been a packrat”, Luther laughs.

His collection of political memorabilia is a landslide winner.

“Course I’ve been in politics and local politics for a number of years”, he says. “And I’d lay stuff back when I’d come across it in desk drawers and whatever”.

He served three decades as Circuit Court Clerk and in ‘86, became Chairman of the Carter County Republican Party.

“And after I did that I came in contact with more”, adds Luther. “And from there it’s just grown. I’m a member of a national association of collectors and so it’s just gone from there to where I am today and right now it’s overwhelming”.

The tally?..over 10,000 campaign buttons alone..and thousands and thousands of other political pieces.

“It’s just unreal”, Luther says. “It’s hard to keep up with it”.

Best he can find out, he’s probably got the 2nd biggest collection of political memorabilia in Tennessee. Stuff stashed in drawers, doled out in display cases and shoved into shelves. He likes Ike, his Thompson truck, Reagan jelly beans, Grant and Lee double sided mug and his flurry of flashers. You’ll see a herd of G.O.P. elephants around but he’s proud that his collection is pretty much non-partisan.

“Oh yes, it’s a matter of political history and I enjoy mainly the winners”, says Luther.

Now of all the political pieces that Luther has he says one of the most unique has to be his Herbert Hoover On to Washington Pennant.

“I was happy to get that”, he says. “It almost looks like new and I never have seen one since then”.

He has other hard to find Hoover items like a plate from a 1928 banquet in Johnson City. Of course some of his vintage pieces from the Volunteer State get his vote as favorites..along with a picture taken when he met President Reagan at the White House in 1988.

“An old country boy like me you don’t get an opportunity to do that too often”, Luther says with a chuckle.

Luther locates his political paraphernalia at antique stores, estate sales, through e-bay and other collector dealers.

“It just keeps me looking”, he says. “I’ve gained to have a lot of comraderie with the people that are in the same hobby..and it’s taught me a lot about candidates and the parties in the political world over the years I’ve found out a lot of things that I didn’t necessarily know before so it’s a learning experience”.

And the experience seems to be a campaign that may never be over.

“It may never, might come with death itself”, laughs Luther. “But I don’t know. The race is still running”.



Posted by Tim Cable

Mystery Mine Unveiled

 Apr 16, 2007

Dollywood’s new multi-million dollar thrill ride is open for business..and is it ever a scream!

Fittingly, on Friday the 13th, Dolly Parton debuts her new Mystery Mine.

“When you have as many rhinestones on your clothes as I do you need your own mine”, laughs Dollywood’s Founder.

The Mystery Mine rollercoaster, Dollywood’s new thrill ride, is the park’s biggest expansion investment ever at over 17 million dollars.

“And that’s the mystery”, Dolly adds. “I thought well how can you get all this for only 17 million dollars”.

“It’s the only rollercoaster of its kind in the United States”, says Dollywood Public Relations Manager, Pete Owens. “Certainly the vertical lifts that are on the ride, the vertical drops I mean you drop past 95 degrees at over 55 miles an hour and you go right into a heart line roll and upside down and it’s something that’s going to take your breath away”.

Another unique twist: the Mystery Mine is a rollercoaster wrapped up in a show..call it a “show-ster”.

“We’re putting families right in the middle of a story”, Pete says. “A hundred year old legend about mining and these are really authentic superstitions that miners had miners from right around here had about mining and we kind of wove those into a fun little story”.

But one of the real stories or mysteries on this day was whether or not Dolly was going to ride the Mystery Mine.

“No”, says Dolly emphatically. “I have too much to lose to get on these rides like my hair, my eyelashes, my fingernails, Lord only knows what might spill out if I get on one of these things”.

Moving on to the Celebrity Theatre, Dolly breaks into song. Singing..that’s more Dolly’s speed. You see, it’s another year of the Festival of Nations at Dollywood featuring Ireland’s Rhythm of the Dance.

“I lost my breath watching them”, Dolly says. “I was so tired I thought how do they do that day in and day out the only one I recognized that I thought I could do is the one where they was kicking their own butt”.

“It really made sense for us”, adds Pete. “A lot of folks in this area are Irish by heritage that’s the folks, the Scots, the Irish are the folks that really settled here and it’s something that our guests really like”.

And Irish eyes will be smiling through May 7th at Dollywood. For more on Dollywood’s Mystery Mine and the Festival of Nations, read Joe Tennis’ story in the Thursday April 19 edition of The Bristol Herald Courier. 



Posted by Tim Cable

Forrest Gump Curve

 Apr 11, 2007

Western North Carolina has been home to the filming of many a major motion picture scene. Dirty Dancing, The Last of the Mohicans, Winter People and The Green Mile, to name a few. Here’s one little spot on Grandfather Mountain that was featured in an award winning 1994 flick. 

When you scale the most significant summit in the Blue Ridge, you have to negotiate a number of curves. But of all the curves on Grandfather Mountain, this is probably the most famous one..the very curve where Mr. Gump decided to, run Forrest run.

“Forrest Gump was being filmed in South Carolina”, says Grandfather Mountain’s Marketing Director, Catherine Morton.

Producers from Paramount Pictures on the B crew made the decision to head for Grandfather Mountain.

“And photograph a running scene for the movie, Forrest Gump”, Catherine continues.

They shot the scene at sunset on the third Saturday in October, 1993. For the folks at Grandfather, their first question was: was Tom Hanks coming up for this?

“And they said, no, that Tom Hanks was busy elsewhere but that his brother was doing the running scenes”, says Catherine. “His brother I understand is a dead ringer for Tom and he was doing the stand in”.

But, as it turned out, Tom did make it up to Grandfather.

“Apparently Tom had a day off it being a Saturday and he wanted to hang out with his brother”, Catherine adds. “So he was actually in the car when they arrived to shoot his brother running up Grandfather Mountain so while the filming was taking place he just sat with the traffic control person and just shot the breeze with one of our employees who was managing traffic”.

Additional running scenes from the movie were shot along the Blue Ridge Parkway during the Fall colors peak. Hollywood seems to like Western North Carolina.

“Just variety of scenery now”, says Catherine. “The same thing that make it attractive as a tourist destination being a four season location”.

And Grandfather Mountain likes the attention this little piece of tinsel town trivia has brought.

“There are people that do find that particular little piece of trivia interesting”, Catherine adds. “I do, I mean every time I see it’s on the tube I watch it just to see Tom run up Grandfather Mountain”.

Or in this case, Tom’s brother.

“It’s a great movie, I mean it’s a good time”, says Catherine. “It’s just a fun movie and yeah, we love being associated with it. So you know, we’ll probably talk about Forrest Gump for as long as anybody knows what we’re talking about”.



Posted by Tim Cable

Egg-stravagant Eggs

 Apr 06, 2007

Here’s a craftswoman who sure isn’t walking on egg shells when it comes to her talent. 

Now these are the kind of Easter eggs you wouldn’t want to hide.

“No, you couldn’t hide these eggs out”, Audrey Gollie laughs. “They’re too fragile”.

They would be eggs-actly right for a fancy Easter basket.

“In fact, I have designed an Easter basket out of an egg”, says Audrey. “A lot of people call me The Egger”.

She designs egg-stravagant eggs. She hatched the idea around 30 years ago from her sister, who worked in a craft shop.

“She got interested in making eggs and she made the 12 days of Christmas one time and I just thought they were gorgeous”, Audrey says. “So I came home one Sunday after church and got me a little chicken egg, got me a little pair of manicuring scissors and I sat down and designed me a little chicken egg. And it just took off I just fell in love with it”.

According to Audrey, there were no hard boiled art classes to learn to do this.

“I bought me a craft book and read up on it”.

She scrambled her way to a few egg shows.

“And from then on”, she says, “I just really taught myself”.

You might say it’s a craft she put all of her eggs in one basket for. Now she admits a lot of her egg-squisite talent is God given.

“I think so cause I’m really a crafty person”, Audrey states.

And a really patient person.

“You have to have patience”, she says. “A lot of patience”.

It’s not over easy, that’s for sure.

“You got to want to work with your fingers and your hands because it is a very tedious job”, adds Audrey. “I have a Drimel drill I also have a little drill that I hook to my vacuum cleaner. I have little tools to where you can hold the egg when you paint it or whatever. This is a Russian art. Karl Faberge was a Russian jeweler. He used to design these really exquisite eggs around Easter time and he would give them to the Czars of Russia. That’s how the Faberge art got started”.

This is egg decorating taken to the egg-streme.

“It’s just a good thing to make something out of”, says Audrey. “You can put little doors and windows on them and hinge them you can make music boxes, jewelry boxes, lamps. You can just do anything with an egg”.

And Audrey says you can use just about any kind of egg like an ostrich egg, an emu egg or maybe a goose egg. For Audrey this is a hobby that’s been all it’s cracked up to be.

“I love the finished product”, she says. “You put so many hours into it and a lot of thought into it and when I’m finished I’m just really proud of it you know”.

Spoken with pride by a truly good egg..who really came out of her shell.

For more about Audrey Gollie’s egg-stravagant eggs, read Joe Tennis’ story in the Easter Sunday edition of the Bristol Herald Courier. 



Posted by Tim Cable

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