Life In the Carolina's Podcast

Our guest is Kaylynn Horne, Director of the Downtown Lenoir Economic Development Department. In recent years, the Lenoir City Council and the Lenoir Business Advisory Board have decided to make the cityscape, visitor experience, and economic development of downtown Lenoir a priority by allocating resources to projects to accomplish these goals. As a result, local business owners have begun upgrading their own spaces to make downtown Lenoir a truly pleasant and enjoyable place to visit, shop, and dine.

Andy Eversole’s current project is Banjo Earth, a collaborative cultural experience where Andy is traveling around the world to learn from folk musicians of different countries and cultures and then collaborating to create an album and documentary with local musicians. The notions that music is the universal language and there are more things that bind us together than separate us are ringing true in Andy’s travels, and he is finding the whole experience magical.

Our guest on this episode is Thomas Salley, the newest director of the Wilkesboro Tourism Development Authority, home to noteworthy musical and artistic events as well as outdoor recreation opportunities such as tubbing, tubing, mountain biking, and lake activities. When new or returning visitors come to town, the community welcomes them and introduces them to the warm and creative environment that they call home.

Carl catches up with Dom Flemons at the Carolina Bible Camp Bluegrass Festival in Mocksville, NC. Dom was born and raised in Arizona, and moved to NC because of his alignment with the musical and cultural heritage of the region. Dom abides in the rich traditions of African-American folk, country, and cowboy music. Dom recommends educational programs and summer camps that will immerse you in the art and provide connections for your musical growth.

The Theatre of the Republic in Conway, South Carolina began in 1969 as a community theatre that would perform in school auditoriums and other venues until they were offered the old Holiday theatre in town as their current home in 1999. The community came together to raise $1 million to renovate and restore the theatre and bring this rich cultural resource to the region.

Jamie and Heather Buster have been fans of folk art for most of their relationship and promoting the arts has always been important to them. So putting the Kindred Art Gallery inside the Rosemary House Bed and Breakfast in Pittsboro, NC was a part of the plan from the beginning. They reached out to Charlie Frye directly and he served as a mentor to them as they began the process of curating the art and artists that they wanted to be a part of the gallery.

Jane Pigg recognizes the power of media in spreading messages, including public service campaigns like the Chesterfield county clean up day this past May. Partnering with local government officials and businesses, WCRE organized litter clean up efforts and communicated the importance of keeping the county clean. There is still much work to do, but Jane has faith that people will begin to adapt their ways and reduce the amount of waste being strewn along our roads.

This Carolina story has several interesting twists and it all started some 50 years ago in Michigan. A young boy by the name of Dennis Proctor was doing a bit of exploring in his parents’ room. The contents of the box lead Dennis to believe that the man he knew as his father was not actually his biological father. That was the start of a 50-year journey that would lead a man from Michigan to the third-generation barber shop at the top of second Street Hill in North Wilkesboro, NC.

Linda Cheek has been the President of the Wilkes County Chamber of Commerce since 1998 and she has been a fixture in the community ever since. She joined Carl for this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast to discuss the changes, economic shifts, and strong collaborative spirit she has observed in area in her 20+ years in the position.

This episode was recorded on location in the Kindred Gallery of the Rosemary Bed and Breakfast in Pittsboro, NC. One of the artists featured in the gallery is Cher Shaffer, who is celebrating 50 years of making folk art. There are wonderful things in this world, she says, for those who take the time to unplug and spend time listening to nature.

This episode was recorded on location during the 2019 Kruger Brothers Music Academy in Wilkes County, NC. Carl spoke with Jens about his musical journey and the events that led to his moving from Europe to Wilkesboro more than 15 years ago. Jens and his brother Uwe began playing music at a young age, and by the time Jens was 17 in 1979 the two were performing on the streets of various European cities. They were signed to CBS Records based on their talent, and the rest is history.

Shay caught the “songwriting bug” at a young age, influenced by his father who was a songwriter, and has always gravitated towards the guitar. He doesn’t remember exactly which song was the first that he wrote, but he looks back fondly on those early songwriting days as formative to his continuing passion for music. Sometimes a song begins with an idea, a single lyric, or a melody, but Shay always tries to remain true to his creative flow and let the songs come together organically.

Well-known musician, songwriter and comedian Jim Stafford recounts his surprise encounter with Don Gibson and the pleasant afternoon they spent talking about songwriting. Jim writes unique songs that have humorous or unexpected twists. Jim’s songs have the exceptional capacity of captivating audiences young and old, and he has enjoyed seeing the sizes of the crowds grow over the years as more people come to appreciate his art.

Our guest is Stan Lowery, Executive Director of The Don Gibson Theatre in Shelby, NC. Originally a State Theater movie house which opened in 1939, this theater welcomed patrons to movies such as Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and The Jungle Book before fa it had to close its doors in the 1980s. In 2007, a group of citizens came up with the idea to open The Don Gibson Theatre in the old State Theater location and breathe new life into the area by boosting tourism.

This episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast began by pure happenstance: Carl was driving downtown North Wilkesboro one evening when an artist caught his eye. He stopped to see what she was painting and found that it was a set of angel wings inspired by The Global Angel Wings Project. Upon further investigation, he came across the story of this project and reached out to its founder, Colette Miller.