Luke Barber

Reporter at The Avery Journal-Times

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Articles

Rural Revival Project brings hope to community recovering from Helene

2 weeks ago | wataugademocrat.com | Luke Barber

SPRUCE PINE - The hurricane-ravaged streets of downtown Spruce Pine were transformed into a lively music festival Saturday, April 5, offering economic relief and hope to one of the areas hit hardest by the historic storm in September. Nationally renowned touring artists performed in front of a sold-out crowd on Locust Street amid boarded-up shops, recently reopened businesses and an 8-foot waterline left by floods that swept through just six months prior.
'Mountain strong' Spruce Pine packs downtown for inaugural festival

2 weeks ago | wataugademocrat.com | Luke Barber

SPRUCE PINE - On Saturday, April 5, the hurricane ravaged streets of downtown Spruce Pine were transformed into a music festival with the intent of offering economic relief and, most importantly, hope to one of the areas hit hardest by the historic storm last September.
VIDEO: How the community is working to recover from hurricane damage

1 month ago | wataugademocrat.com | Luke Barber

Thanks to modern technologies, you and more people are reading the Watauga Democrat than ever before. Freedom of the press is essential to preserving democracy: But a free press isn't free. It takes significant resources for Mountain Times Publications' 8 full-time journalists and editors to provide credible, fact-based and ethical journalism in the High Country. So, we are asking you to join our advertisers and print subscribers in supporting local journalism with your dollar.
BRC amphibo-hikes continue to bring nature-lovers together

1 month ago | wataugademocrat.com | Luke Barber

For the past year, the Blue Ridge Conservancy has been offering monthly hikes to introduce local nature enthusiasts to the beauty of the Amphibolite Mountains and potential corridors along the Northern Peaks State Trail once it is constructed. The BRC is continuing its monthly series of hikes on the first Thursday of every month.
BRC amphibo-hikes continue to bring nature-lovers together

1 month ago | ashepostandtimes.com | Luke Barber

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Family-run business reopens as Appalachia Threads in downtown

2 months ago | wataugademocrat.com | Luke Barber

BOONE — Appalachian State University sports memorabilia and apparel stores have been a staple of King Street for decades, and on Saturday, Feb. 15, one of these shops recently underwent renovations and reopened as Appalachia Threads at 595 West King Street. Kat Robinson, the owner and operator of Appalachia Threads and Appalachian Tees, said her father, Carl Smith, helped start one of the first App State apparel stores downtown in 1980. kAm~C:8:?2==J <?@H? 2D “$@FE96C?
Appalachian Architecture provides update on Horn in the West renovations

2 months ago | wataugademocrat.com | Luke Barber

BOONE — At the Boone Town Council’s most recent meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12, Bill Dixon of Appalachian Architecture provided an update on the proposed 2025 improvements to the Daniel Boone Amphitheater, Hickory Ridge Homestead, and the Horn in the West facility. The town has contracted with Appalachian Architecture, alongside municipal engineering experts, to oversee the project, which was funded in the amount of $2.35 million by the state. kAms:I@?
Art of Living Center responding to lasting effects of the storm

2 months ago | wataugademocrat.com | Luke Barber

Most of the time, the Art of Living Center is a picturesque mountain wellness destination offering peaceful, meditative practices to visitors from across the country and the world. But in the days and weeks following Hurricane Helene, the center’s location in Boone, which is consistently ranked as one of the top wellness destinations in the country, sprang into action as AOLC staff served hot meals, donated supplies and offered their showers, facilities and temporary housing to the community.
Conservation groups continue to reverse storm’s impact, seeking volunteers

2 months ago | ashepostandtimes.com | Luke Barber

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Conservation groups continue to reverse storm’s impact, seeking volunteers

2 months ago | wataugademocrat.com | Luke Barber

HIGH COUNTRY—Although Hurricane Helene hit the High Country more than four months ago, many of its effects are still being felt, especially in the more secluded and serene parts of the mountains. Fortunately, many conservation organizations in Boone and beyond have been steadily working throughout the winter to remove debris from waterways and clear paths along hiking trails.