Author: William Kradel

COVID Protocols for Beech Mountain Ski Resort.

It is finally getting cold enough for the ski resorts in the Boone area to finally open! With the pandemic ongoing, all of the resorts are taking extra precautions to ensure everyone is safe and can be comfortable enjoying the slopes.

Beech Mountain makes sure to clean and disinfect all high traffic and touch areas such as restrooms, ticketing, and rental areas using CDC and EPA recommended disinfectants for COVID.

Masks are mandated at all areas outside when interacting with staff, riding, in the loading And unloading areas of the ski lift, and in outdoor areas where social distancing isn’t possible. Masks are mandated at all times inside as well.

All outdoor seating and eating areas have additional separation to ensure social distancing between multiple groups

Hand sanitizers are placed throughout the resort in high traffic areas and sensor faucets are used in all restrooms.

A new paperless system Is used for rentals. You can fill out a paperless paper request and pick up the equipment without any contact with others which also speeds up the process

You can only ride chairlifts with people who you rode with to the resort or ride them alone. This will cause a slight increase in chairlift lines

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The Autumn Air in Boone and Blowing Rock

Despite approaching the end of October, it is still very much autumn here in the Boone area. The fall leaves on the trees are still very much a wonder to behold. It is a wonderful activity to do while we still need to keep our social distance. 

In the Boone and Blowing Rock area, there are plenty of places to view the fall colors on the mountain. In addition to being able to view the mountainside forest from the town of Blowing Rock, on the roads entering and exiting the town there are beautiful overlooks to take pictures from them. 

Grandfather Mountain is another wonderful place to view the fall colors. You do need to make an appointment ahead of time to visit due to the pandemic

Beech Mountain, while well known as a ski resort, also has trails to walk to enjoy the scenery throughout October, and guided tours on Wednesday and Fridays. The ski resort itself is scheduled to open November 21.

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History of Appalachian Ski Mountain, opening Nov 20

Now that autumn is here, the ski slopes in the Boone area are that much closer to opening. Appalachian Ski Mountain even has a scheduled opening day of November 20.  So what makes Appalachian Ski Mountain special?

Appalachian Ski Mountain got its start in 1968 when Grady Moretz and four other partners bought the area at a public auction

Originally, the resort only had a 12,000 foot base lodge and 3 slopes. These slopes only had two rope tows for ascending the mountain. As it became more and more popular, in 1984 it underwent a major renovation which added chairlifts and a 6,000 foot addition to the ski lodge.

By 2010 Appalachian Ski Mountain has twelve slopes, three chairlifts, two conveyer lifts and one handle pull lift. The ski lodge itself now covers 46,000 feet and is very comfortable as well. 

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North Carolina Folk Festival

Every September in Greensboro, North Carolina is the annual North Carolina Folk Festival! Traditionally featuring more than 300 performances with continuous performances throughout the 3 day festival. In downtown Greensboro there is a celebration of cultural heritage with lots of local music, handmade crafts, and food. 

Of course, this year is different because of the Coronavirus pandemic. This year the entire festival will be online so no matter where you are, you can enjoy this very fun and free festival.

The festival itself will be from September 11-13. There will be 3 concerts, each 2 hours long over 3 nights. The performances will be pre recorded in iconic Greensboro locations so you still get to learn about its rich cultural history. More information about the event can be found at https://ncfolkfestival.com/virtual-event/

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Socially Distanced Fun in Blowing Rock

One of the most quaint and also fun places to visit in the High Country of North Carolina is Blowing Rock near Boone. Fortunately, Blowing Rock has plenty of ways to relax and have fun while maintaining social distancing.
The Glen Burney Waterfall trail located near Main Street. It is a slightly under 2 mile walk with plenty of photo opportunities as there are multiple small waterfalls along the trail.
For even more trails to explore, about 5 miles outside of town is Moses Cone Park. The park has 25 miles of former carriage tracks with trail lengths between a half mile and 3 miles. All of the trails are gravelled and flat as well so are very relaxing.
There are many restaurants in Blowing Rock as well which are open to outdoor patio seating. A couple of these include The Speckled Trout on Main Street has a wide variety of fish with added local ingredients. At nearby Chetola Resort is Timberlake’s Restaurant which is a beautiful restaurant with an equally beautiful outdoor patio overlooking a small lake. 

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Enjoy MerleFest from Home!

While the coronavirus pandemic has sadly cancelled MerleFest this year, the MerleFest community is putting together a celebration of Doc Watson this coming week online!.

From Monday, May 25 through Friday, May 29 MerleFest will be posting a video of artists playing their favorite Doc Watson song every hour starting at 9am each day. They will be posting the videos on their social media sites on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Some of the artists and bands playing are Chatham County Line on Monday, Bill & The Belles on Wednesday, and The Steel Wheels on Friday.

Their social media links are:

https://twitter.com/MerleFest

https://instagram.com/merlefest?igshid=hwzt95t358bu

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