Garret K. Woodward
Mountain music, dancing and tradition will be on display once again on the shores of beautiful Lake Junaluska as the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival, now in its 42nd year, celebrates the culture and heritage of Western North Carolina.
Though Aaron Stone has always had a love of mayonnaise, lately the condiment has become a real nuisance in his life.
“It just gets all stuck in my beard,” he said. “That and soups, it’s just becomes a real mess.”
With torrential rain and a fierce wind blowing through the Haywood County Fairgrounds last Thursday evening, the harsh weather conditions didn’t deter several local fire departments from their mission of the day — to claim victory during the “Battle of the Bucket” at the Haywood County Annual Firefighter Competition.
When Doug Trantham was a kid, he wanted to impress his father.
“I was 10-years-old when my dad made a banjo,” he said. “That was around the house and I got interested in playing it. Banjo is my heart instrument. I learned to play clawhammer style and loved it.”
Picking up the instrument, Trantham had an urge to show his dad what he was made of.
The strings of tradition and progress echoed from the back alley.
Upon further inspection (and a lone door cracked open), the harmonic tone was radiating from the mandolin of Darren Nicholson.
