Categories:

Recent Entries

Scream Time Zipline

Southern Fire

Sandy Ships

Visit to the Valle

Kratt Brothers At Kidsfest

Nancy’s Angel Garden

Beck Mountain Kids Kamp

Coco The Golf Dog

Lake Lure Tour

Wheels Through Time

Monthly Archives

• July 2008
• June 2008
• May 2008
• April 2008
• March 2008
• February 2008
• January 2008
• December 2007
• November 2007
• October 2007
• September 2007
• August 2007
• July 2007
• June 2007
• May 2007
• April 2007
• March 2007
• February 2007
• January 2007
• December 2006
• November 2006
• October 2006
• September 2006
• August 2006

RSS Feeds

• 

P155

She’s a State Park Manager who’s just wild about the woods. 

You might call Jennifer Bauer an outdoors expert.

“Well, I don’t know if I’m an expert”, laughs Jennifer. “But I can certainly say I enjoy the outdoors”.

She’s been with the Tennessee State Parks System since 1980.

“Spent most of my career on the trails and back in the woods”, she says.

I guess you couldn’t call her a woodsman.

“I must be a woods woman or is it a woods person”, Jennifer laughs.

Not nature boy..or in this case, nature girl.

“Woods woman, the nature woman”, she adds.

Well, no matter what you call her..her love of nature inspired her to write her fourth book, “Wildlife, Wildflowers, and Wild Activities”.

“You know we live in such an incredible area”, says Jennifer. “We’re fortunate to be here in the Tennessee Mountains that are absolutely awesome. This book is really a compiled collection of I guess many of the tried and true activities that I’ve conducted with children, adults, families, people from all walks of life”.

Sense awakening activities like identifying leaves by their smell and feel first.

“It’s a very interactive book and it’s written for all ages”, Jennifer says. “Kind of a tantalizing sort of an inspirational type of book that talks about water, bugs, trees, plants even things that you’d see under a microscope. Just enough information and little activities to get out there and kind of get your hands into it and see what it’s all about”.

After watching a leaf identifying activity that Jennifer’s leading at Sycamore Shoals State Park, I decide to give it a try. I close my eyes, feel the contours of the leaf and quickly decide that what I’ve got in my hands is a dogwood leaf. I get a tap on my shoulder and young Kelly says, “Mr. Cable, that’s not a dogwood, that’s a sycamore”.

Well, I may not get it..but Jennifer sure is glad these kids do.

“You got all the leaves exactly right”, she tells them. “Give yourselves a round of applause”.

So I guess above all, you could definitely call Jennifer Bauer a true conservationist.

“I guess you could say yes, I consider myself a conservationist”, says Jennifer. “Above all, an environmental educator that’s something that I’m just very passionate about. If I’m fortunate enough to live til I’m 80, I’ll hopefully still be hiking up the sides of the mountains”.

For more on Wildlife, Wildflowers and Wild Activities..pick up a copy of tomorrow morning’s edition of the Bristol Herald Courier and read Joe Tennis’ article in the Empire Section.

Posted by Tim Cable

Fall is here so let’s begin scouting out a few prime spots in our region where leaf looking will be lovely. 

If you had to describe Breaks Interstate Park in one word, it would probably be..breathtaking. To begin with, there’s the gargantuan gorge.

“It’s 1600 foot deep, five miles long”, says Park Manager, Carl Mullins. “They call it The Grand Canyon of the South..biggest gorge east of the Mississippi”.

The gorge is a carved crevice cut out of Pine Mountain over 200 million years time..courtesy of the Russell Fork of the Big Sandy River.

“It just cut a break in it and that’s where the name Breaks derived from”, Carl says. “Just made a horseshoe around that granite rock”.

Get a birds eye view of nature’s horseshoe at the Towers Overlook.

“That’s the most popular overlook we’ve got”, says Carl.

Take a hike to one of the other six major overlooks here..like the Stateline Overlook.

“Stateline being the one where you can look down in Kentucky”, adds Carl.

No matter which overlook you look over..in a word, it’s..

“Breathtaking”, says Carl. “And the Good Lord made that and they didn’t make it nowhere else”.

But you know, something else that’s breathtaking at Breaks is all the wonderful water activities you can make a big splash with. The park’s expanded into Kentucky by purchasing land around the Ratliff Hole river access to create a nice area for swimmers, white water rafters and primitive campers. Then, there’s the shimmering lake.

“Our Laurel Lake has paddle boats on it”, says Carl. “It’s a 12 acre lake”.

All in all, Breaks is a breathtaking break from the everyday rush of life.

“Its’ unique location, it’s back in the mountains, back in the woods”, Carl says. “We’ve got about anything you want here”. 

Posted by Tim Cable

The Spivey Mountain Boys will open tonight for Appalachian Trail at the Music on the Square event at 7:00 in downtown Jonesborough. 

The Boys are sure men among boys when it comes to making music.

“Me and my brothers have played most of our lives”, says Lead Singer, Marlin Hensley. “And in the early 90’s we formed this band we have now, The Spivey Mountain Boys and we got two friends in the band, Bobby Ramsey and J.P. Metcalf”.

These days, the band is sitting on top of the world. Their first C-D is called, Runaway.

“We tried to do enough of the traditional music to keep it bluegrass”, Marlin says. “But we like to try to do the new stuff and our own mix and harmonies to make it our own sound”.

They put their own personal bluegrass touch on the title track..the old rock and roll standard, Runaway. It’s a new style on an old classic. But their style stays steady.

“We’re straight bluegrass”, says Marlin. “We’ve tried to promote bluegrass in our area. Bluegrass music, it’s a family style music. We was just brought up doing it, we like to do it, we enjoy it more than anything. We’re not in it for the money or anything like that we just enjoy playing the music and having a good time. We’re not by far being professionals or anything like that we just love the music and love doing our little part”.

Posted by Tim Cable

It’s the 17th annual Mayberry Days Celebration September 21-24 in Mount Airy, North Carolina. The BHC’s Joe Tennis and I went in search of the mythical town of Mayberry in Andy Griffith’s hometown. 

If there really is a Mayberry, it’s got to be Mount Airy, North Carolina.

“A lot of people come here looking for the mythical Mayberry and I don’t think they’re disappointed”, according to Mount Airy Tourism Coordinator, Ann Vaughn. “There really are so many things that are similar”.

First off, Mount Airy is Andy Griffith’s hometown.

Did Andy pattern The Andy Griffith Show and the town of Mayberry after Mount Airy?

“I say he did”, says Andy’s cousin, Glenn Thacker emphatically.

Andy’s lifelong friend, Emmett Forrest seems to agree.

“We can just go over and name dozens of names in Mount Airy that were also used on the Andy Griffith Show”, Emmett says. “So it makes you feel like Mount Airy might’ve been a basis for the show”.

There’s a Floyd’s Barber Shop here.

Longtime Barber, Russell Hiatt says he sees the similarities between the two towns.

“From all over the country they come here looking for this small town and the things it typifies”, says Russell. “They’re looking for a simpler time and that’s what Andy portrayed on his show”.

There’s a diner here called The Snappy Lunch. Andy referred to the eatery in an early episode of the Griffith Show.

“Uptown, Mount Airy is very similar to Mayberry”, says longtime pork chop sandwich chef Charles Dowell. “It’s just Mayberry up one side and down the other”.

Why, there’s even the old Mayberry Courthouse and Jail. Mount Airy..Mayberry..the two towns even rhyme and sound alike.

As former Mayor Emily Taylor once put it, “We know having lived here in Mount Airy that a lot of Andy’s programs are taken from here in Mayberry Land”.

For more on the Mount Airy/Mayberry connection, pick up a copy of tomorrow morning’s edition of the Bristol Herald Courier and read Joe Tennis’ article in the Empire Section.

Posted by Tim Cable

Meet one of the number one birds of the local Parrothead flock. 

Fins up.

“THIS IS MY JIMMY BUFFETT ROOM”, SAYS JIMMY ROGERS AS HE SHOWS ME THE ROOM DEDICATED TO HIS FAVORITE SINGER.

Maybe I should say, fans up.

“I FEEL THAT I AM A VERY HUGE PARROTHEAD”, JIMMY SAYS.

He’s a Parrothead with a collection to squawk about.

“ANYTHING I COULD GET MY HANDS ON THAT SAID JIMMY BUFFETT I HAD TO HAVE IT AND I’M STILL THE SAME WAY”, HE SAYS.

He started collecting Buffett stuff around 1990.

“THERE’S REALLY NO EXPLANATION OF WHY I LIKE JIMMY BUFFETT SO MUCH”, ROGERS SAYS. “IT’S JUST FUN.  IT’S AN ESCAPE WHEN YOU’RE HAVING A BAD DAY YOU CAN PUT IN A JIMMY BUFFETT C-D AND IT MAKES EVERYTHING OKAY”.

It’s a collection that’s sure not wasting away..again. He can’t really put a number on the amount of items he has.

“UH, I DON’T THINK THAT’S POSSIBLE”, LAUGHS JIMMY.

To start with, he has over 200 Jimmy Buffett LP albums.

“THE RAREST ITEM IS PROBABLY THE STEVE GOODMAN ALBUM THAT I HAVE”, SAYS JIMMY. “IT CAME OUT IN 1970 JIMMY BUFFETT WAS ACTUALLY GOING UNDER THE NAME MARVIN GARDENS AT THAT TIME HE WAS JUST A SONGWRITER. HE WAS ACTUALLY PICTURED ON THE COVER WITH JOHN PRINE. I HAVE A LOT OF ITEMS THAT HAVE A LOT OF PERSONAL MEANING THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE MADE FOR ME JUST SPECIALLY FOR ME UH..THOSE THINGS ARE PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME YOU KNOW IN THIS WHOLE COLLECTION”.

From Buffett books..one of them autographed..to old Buffett ticket stubs..it’s a Buffett buffet. Yep, he’s been tagged with quite a reputation of being a Buffett fan.

“ANYBODY THAT KNOWS ME KNOWS I’M A JIMMY BUFFET FAN BECAUSE I MAKE IT INTO MY EVERYDAY LIFE”, JIMMY SAYS. “A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL DRIVE BY BLOW THEIR HORNS HOLD UP A JIMMY BUFFETT C-D OR GIVE ME A FINS UP YOU KNOW SOMETHING LIKE THAT.  IT’S I GUESS A WAY OF LIFE. DRESS UP LIKE THIS DRESS UP IN OUR GRASS SKIRTS IN OUR FINS HATS AND HAVE JIMMY BUFFETT TATTOOS AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF AND..IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO A JIMMY BUFFETT CONCERT THERE’S NO WAY TO EXPLAIN IT OTHER THAN YOU HAVE TO GO. IT’S REALLY SPECIAL”.

And if he’s not going to Buffett concerts, he’s playing his own on his trusty guitar.

“ABOUT ANYTHING REALLY THAT HE’S PUT ON AN ALBUM I CAN PLAY”, HE SAYS AS HE STRUMS A FEW CHORDS OF “MARGARITAVILLE”.

And the music and the collection plays on. Jimmy says he can never get too much Buffett.

“I GUESS WHEN YOU WEAR JIMMY BUFFETT SOCKS TO WORK THAT’S WHEN YOU’VE GOT TOO MUCH”, HE LAUGHS. “BUT I LOVE IT I MEAN LIKE I SAID IT’S A WAY OF LIFE”. 

Posted by Tim Cable