Tag: Watauga County

Waterfront Group Brings Fresh Wine Offerings to the High Country

~ Karen J Rieley, M.A. ~ Leave a comment

Karen Rieley

Published in the Autumn 2020/21 issue of Carolina Mountain Life – p. 121

With the opening of Eagles Nest Winery and the acquisition of Watauga Lake Winery and Villa Nove Vineyards, the Waterfront Group is bringing new wines and new experiences to the High Country. In a region rapidly gaining a reputation as wine country, these offerings are welcome additions for wine aficionados.

Eagles Nest Winery features the finest wines from California, all shipped in first-use barrels and bottled at its new facility that is set upon a ridgeline at 1965 Old Beech Mountain Road, Elk Park, N.C., just past the North Pavilion and right outside the rear gate at Eagles Nest’s highest elevation. Patrons enjoy a wide range of ever-evolving varietals and blends—French barrel-aged, muscular Cabernet Sauvignon; a tropical Viognier; a luscious barrel-fermented Chardonnay; a crisp and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc; a plum and oak-focused Merlot; or an exotic Pinot Noir— in the rustically-elegant, converted barn with custom wood tables and a grand fireplace. Wine tastings, food service, live music and monthly member wine dinners are offered.

“We’re getting ready to bottle seven new wines,” said Joe Smith, who is the executive winemaker and operations consultant for the two wineries. “We also have some new events coming, such as a wine blending event, a wine pairing dinner and a special winemaker tasting event.”

Outside, five separate gathering areas feature gas- and wood-burning firepits with sitting areas for savoring wine, visiting with friends and enjoying stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

Call Eagles Nest at (828) 898-2027 for daily, weekend or yearly membership options. The winery operates Thursday and Friday, 4-10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 1-7 p.m.

“We enjoy creating infrastructure that allows folks to get away and escape to the mountain to get back to basics. Our vision for the wineries is to help others find peace and serenity in a lifestyle that promotes family and nature,” Smith said.

Peace and serenity abound at Watauga Lake Winery and Villa Nove Vineyards as well. Watauga Lake Winery is located in the historical Dry Run Schoolhouse, located at 6952 Big Dry Run Rd, Butler, Tenn.

“Rumor has it the schoolhouse is haunted,” said Smith. “Ghost hunters came here and deemed there is paranormal activity. We’re going to be offering a bold red wine named ‘Fred’ after the friendly ghost that inhabits the school.”

The first winery in Johnson County, Tenn., its wines—from light, fruity and crisp whites to robust and well-balanced reds—exhibit the unique terroir characteristics of the Watauga Lake area. The winery has been recognized in regional competitions, including Wines of the South, Asheville Food and Wine Festival, and the Mid-Atlantic Southeast Wine Competition.

An extensive remodel and makeover for the winery is underway. The patio has been expanded and fun outdoor games like Cornhole have been added. Flatbreads and woodfired pizzas are served, with more food offerings to come. Mixed cases of wine are available at a discount.

“For the first time ever, we will be using a mobile bottling truck named “OLD BLUE” from Georgia to increase the quality of the wine and allow us to produce 2,000 bottles per hour,” Smith said.

Villa Nove Vineyards is next door to Watauga Lake Winery and just minutes away from beautiful Watauga Lake. Its vineyard-laced hills give way to a breathtaking 360-degree view of the mountain ranges that surround the Tuscan-themed wedding pavilion.

The wedding pavilion will accommodate over 200 guests and offers restrooms and a caterer’s staging kitchen. A vineyard cottage is also available, making the property a perfect destination for a wedding. 

Watauga Lake Winery is open on Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 12-6 p.m. Villa Nove Vineyards is open on Saturdays only from 12-8 p.m.

Waterfront Group Brings Fresh Wine Offerings to the High Country

~ Karen J Rieley, M.A. ~ Leave a comment

Karen Rieley

Published in the Autumn 2020/21 issue of Carolina Mountain Life – p. 121

With the opening of Eagles Nest Winery and the acquisition of Watauga Lake Winery and Villa Nove Vineyards, the Waterfront Group is bringing new wines and new experiences to the High Country. In a region rapidly gaining a reputation as wine country, these offerings are welcome additions for wine aficionados.

Eagles Nest Winery features the finest wines from California, all shipped in first-use barrels and bottled at its new facility that is set upon a ridgeline at 1965 Old Beech Mountain Road, Elk Park, N.C., just past the North Pavilion and right outside the rear gate at Eagles Nest’s highest elevation. Patrons enjoy a wide range of ever-evolving varietals and blends—French barrel-aged, muscular Cabernet Sauvignon; a tropical Viognier; a luscious barrel-fermented Chardonnay; a crisp and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc; a plum and oak-focused Merlot; or an exotic Pinot Noir— in the rustically-elegant, converted barn with custom wood tables and a grand fireplace. Wine tastings, food service, live music and monthly member wine dinners are offered.

“We’re getting ready to bottle seven new wines,” said Joe Smith, who is the executive winemaker and operations consultant for the two wineries. “We also have some new events coming, such as a wine blending event, a wine pairing dinner and a special winemaker tasting event.”

Outside, five separate gathering areas feature gas- and wood-burning firepits with sitting areas for savoring wine, visiting with friends and enjoying stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

Call Eagles Nest at (828) 898-2027 for daily, weekend or yearly membership options. The winery operates Thursday and Friday, 4-10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 1-7 p.m.

“We enjoy creating infrastructure that allows folks to get away and escape to the mountain to get back to basics. Our vision for the wineries is to help others find peace and serenity in a lifestyle that promotes family and nature,” Smith said.

Peace and serenity abound at Watauga Lake Winery and Villa Nove Vineyards as well. Watauga Lake Winery is located in the historical Dry Run Schoolhouse, located at 6952 Big Dry Run Rd, Butler, Tenn.

“Rumor has it the schoolhouse is haunted,” said Smith. “Ghost hunters came here and deemed there is paranormal activity. We’re going to be offering a bold red wine named ‘Fred’ after the friendly ghost that inhabits the school.”

The first winery in Johnson County, Tenn., its wines—from light, fruity and crisp whites to robust and well-balanced reds—exhibit the unique terroir characteristics of the Watauga Lake area. The winery has been recognized in regional competitions, including Wines of the South, Asheville Food and Wine Festival, and the Mid-Atlantic Southeast Wine Competition.

An extensive remodel and makeover for the winery is underway. The patio has been expanded and fun outdoor games like Cornhole have been added. Flatbreads and woodfired pizzas are served, with more food offerings to come. Mixed cases of wine are available at a discount.

“For the first time ever, we will be using a mobile bottling truck named “OLD BLUE” from Georgia to increase the quality of the wine and allow us to produce 2,000 bottles per hour,” Smith said.

Villa Nove Vineyards is next door to Watauga Lake Winery and just minutes away from beautiful Watauga Lake. Its vineyard-laced hills give way to a breathtaking 360-degree view of the mountain ranges that surround the Tuscan-themed wedding pavilion.

The wedding pavilion will accommodate over 200 guests and offers restrooms and a caterer’s staging kitchen. A vineyard cottage is also available, making the property a perfect destination for a wedding. 

Watauga Lake Winery is open on Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 12-6 p.m. Villa Nove Vineyards is open on Saturdays only from 12-8 p.m.

Ray Christian: A Resilient Storyteller

~ Karen J Rieley, M.A. ~ Leave a comment

Karen Rieley

Published in the Autumn 2021 issue of Carolina Mountain Life – pp. 80-81

Risk and Resilience: Being Black in Appalachia

Dr. Ray Christian didn’t grow up in Appalachia; in fact, he spent the first third of his life in Richmond, Va., living in a ghetto with his illiterate mother, who he credits with driving his thirst for education, his two older sisters and an “emotionally inaccessible stepfather,” as he describes it. Then, there were 20 years in the U.S. Army as an infantryman and paratrooper awarded The Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

He learned a lot about life while he was in the service where he was forced to grow up fast. He also credits that experience for convincing him that he needed a college education. He wanted options after his 20 years of service ended, and education was a steppingstone.

It’s these last 20 years in education in the Appalachian mountains that have defined Christian and given him a spotlight in the world, however. With a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Excelsior College, a master’s degree in public history from N.C. State University, an Education Specialist (EdS) from Liberty University, he became an adjunct professor at Appalachian State University, after moving to Boone, North Carolina when his wife was hired by the university. While there, he earned a doctorate in doctorate in education leadership (EdD) also from Liberty University.

Christian is a military veteran with 20 years of service in the U.S. Army.
Christian performs his storytelling on the Moth Main Stage in New York (2019).
Christian holds a doctorate in education leadership (EdD) from Liberty University.
Christian displays a captured Iraqi flag outside Kuwait during the first Gulf War (1991).

“I taught at Appalachian State for about 15 years, but I’ve taken a little pause right now to take care of my health and focus on reaching a broader audience with my storytelling,” said Christian.

“Education is a great equalizer in terms of giving you more options. But people have to believe they can work around whatever disadvantages may exist in their life to achieve education. Often people who have come up hard have the least amount of empathy. They think that if they succeeded in getting an education everyone else ought to be able to as well.”

He wrote his dissertation on risk and resilience in African American children, exploring why some children do well in spite of their environmental and social disadvantages. He talks about risks as factors that create negative social outcomes and low academic achievement, such as limited education opportunities, racial discrimination and parental conflict. Resilience, on the other hand, contributes to children’s academic success and is composed of elements that serve as protective factors that can create positive academic outcomes, such as parental involvement, parental education, and religious.”

“A lot of people don’t have the factors that let them get over that last hump. One day may be the last straw. ‘I failed one more class. One more person told me I’m a bad person, and there’s no way I can do this.’ You can never have enough people tell you that you can do it.”

Christian sees the achievement gap as wider for Blacks in Appalachia than for Blacks living in urban areas, with the number one reason being the lack of community. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Watauga County’s Black population is less than two percent.

“The absence of a Black community is magnified in rural areas where family and church mean a lot,” Christian said. “Small, tight-knit groups form and are very exclusive.”

Christian notes that Boone Mennonite Brethren Church, the largest Mennonite congregation in North Carolina, is the only church in Watauga County with Black origins. In 1911, Rev. Tschetter started Mennonite services in Watauga County in what became known as the Junaluska community of Boone. In 1918, the congregation built the church that still stands today.

As an adjunct professor, Christian taught two courses, “The Souls of Black Folk,” and “Storytelling: Life in the Narrative.” He loved the classes and hopes to get back to teaching them soon.

“At first, they are careful, especially the white students, because they don’t want to say anything offensive,” he said. But near the end of the class, they’re throwing everything out.”

“Some stories are universal. We’re not so different after all – we have the same problems, same concerns, same fears. I encourage students to go beneath the surface and explore what about you the person, not you the color of your skin. White students often say, ‘I didn’t know you felt that way. I didn’t know it happened all the time.’”

Christian has become one of the best and most famous Southern storytellers in the world. His stories have appeared in Reader’s Digest’s “Best Stories in America” (2016 and 2017) editions. He was selected as the 2017 Serenbe France Focus Storytelling Fellow (Atlanta, GA), and his stories have been featured on NPR radio shows such as “The Moth Radio Hour”, “Snap Judgment”, and “Backstory”, as well as the “Risk” podcast. 

Christian is a 12-time Moth Story Slam Champion and winner of the 2016 National Storytelling Festival Story Slam. He has appeared on Moth Mainstage, The National Storytelling Festival Exchange Place (2019) and was part of the 2018 tour of “Snap Judgment Live!” In 2018, he was named as the best-known storyteller in the south by Bitter Southerner magazine.

Christian is currently the producer and host of “What’s Ray Saying”, a podcast that utilizes history, storytelling and commentary to provide a unique perspective on the African American cultural experience. He is a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists and has been selected by the Department of State as a Fulbright Specialist scholar in education and storytelling narrative and will teach faculty and graduate students abroad about storytelling and narratives.

Christian and his wife, Tiffany, live in remotely about eight miles outside of Boone, N.C., where they’ve raised six children. Four are still in the area and two are out-of-state. Twins are still living at home.

“We’re the only Black family in our area,” he said. “Even though we’ve lived here for 17 years, some people still get weirded out when they see me out and about. They don’t expect to see a Black person living there.”

He admits that he still fights battles as a Black person living in the South.

“People want to tell you about all the Black people they’ve met in their life. They assume I’m like every other Black person,” said Christian. “I’m still stopped often by police when I’m out driving. For a while it was once a month. I always have to think about what I want to do versus what I need to do if I want to stay safe.”

“Despite the challenges of raising Black children in Appalachia, we find the school system here in the Boone area outstanding,” Christian said. “Teachers colleges in the state and Appalachian State University have produced lots of good teachers.”

At the heart of everything for Dr. Christian is storytelling. In his podcasts, he explores issues such as the legacy of Black children in slavery, plantation life and current trends; Black leadership; Black hair issues; Black Americans and the police; the origins of a false narrative of Black American history; the nature of Black American assimilation into white culture; Blacks and whites in education; and dying while Black.

“You can’t deny a person’s individual story. Their perception is absolutely true. Factual stuff you can debate. But we’re not going to debate what you feel.”

“History isn’t a series of starts and stops; it’s one long continuum,” he said. “It’s important to remember so we don’t repeat mistakes. Stories serve to inspire and connect us to another time.”