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2 months ago | 
scienceopen.com | Katie Kane
Salah D. Hassan’s media-rich, ethno-genealogical family memoir narrates and explores the history of Syrian/Lebanese lives in the Great Plains through the lens of a representative life: that of his maternal grandfather, Sam Hallick.
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Dec 30, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Katie Kane
Thousands of pounds of ice line Main Street in Waynesville. Even though Haywood County is chilly in January, this ice wasn’t called for in the weather report. Hundreds have come out for the ice stroll — one of the opening events during the annual weekend-long Visit Haywood Ice Fest.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Katie Kane |Kristin Davis |Hannah Lee Leidy
Heads turn south as a faint hum grows louder at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Under a calm, overcast sky, these aviation enthusiasts are celebrating the 120th anniversary of the first controlled, powered flight. The event, known as Wright Brothers Day, is held by the First Flight Society every December 17 and concludes with a flyover at 10:35 a.m., the exact time and date that Orville Wright maneuvered a hand-crafted biplane into the Carolina sky.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Katie Kane |Trudy Haywood Saunders |Rebecca Woltz |Lauren Rhodes
As chain saw carver Christopher Poplin slices a corner from a block of Douglas fir, splinters fan out from the wood like a bird ruffling its feathers. The Mocksville artist behind Busy Wren Creations makes a precise incision into the top of the piece, the start of a cardinal’s signature crown. With each cut, the chain saw purrs, and the shape of our state bird becomes more prominent.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Katie Kane |Kristin Davis |Hannah Lee Leidy
Here they come a-caroling, among the firs so green. The northern cardinal is present year-round, but its bright red plumage is most noticeable against bare branches and, if we’re lucky, snow-covered bird feeders. As our official state bird, the cardinal has become a symbol of North Carolina, though its position was nearly usurped by a winged opponent.
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Oct 20, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Brad Campbell |T. Edward Nickens |Katie Schanze |Katie Kane
For a printable PDF of must-visit leaf-peeping spots, click here. For more tips on leaf peeping from our experts — including how to see the season’s peak color on more than one trip and their personal favorite fall viewing spots — click here. Which part of western North Carolina do you want to explore?
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Oct 15, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Katie Kane |Elizabeth Hudson |Billy Warden |Genie Safriet
Sitting beneath a 130-year-old pecan tree in Bailey, Ben Byrd recalls stories of his late father-in-law, Billy “Bill” Bunn, a North Carolina pecan legend. Bunn once told Byrd of his childhood on this farm, now Lakeview Pecans, where he spent many fall days scurrying up the wide trunk of the old pecan tree to shake the limbs and throw sticks at out-of-reach branches to knock the nuts free.
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Oct 15, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Katie Kane |Katie King |Mark Kemp |Rebecca Woltz
Peering out below the brim of a green cap emblazoned with a gold “D,” Wesley Johnson holds up a single cotton boll and twirls it between his fingers. This morning, he picked some cotton in the fields next to his father’s house. “I used to laugh because I’d see people stop and get out of their cars and walk to the fields,” Johnson says.
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Sep 23, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Katie Kane |Brad Campbell |T. Edward Nickens |Katie Schanze
Deep chimes from an organ ring throughout St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church. The music quiets the parishioners and guides the procession of clergy and others alongside the pews. They slowly walk beneath wooden beams, one marked with a psalm written in gold: “O Ye Mountains and Hills, Bless Ye the Lord.” As the group approaches the altar, an acolyte lights the candles, which cast a subtle glow on the altarpiece that has hung in this church for more than a century.
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Sep 23, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Brad Campbell |T. Edward Nickens |Katie Schanze |Katie Kane
As temperatures cool and landscapes come brilliantly alive, fall is one of the best times to visit Gaston County. Enter to win this getaway package to experience some of the most scenic views in the state, explore our historic downtowns, indulge in our unique dining, and create memories to last a lifetime. 1. Two-night stay at Hilton Garden Inn2. Breakfast/brunch at Honeycomb Café3. Tickets for two to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden4.
